Can you spell c-o-a-l?

Essay by Mike Tidwell, published online at Grist

The dirty secret behind D.C.’s high-tech Virginia suburbs

There’s a chance the presidential election will come down to who wins the state of Virginia. And the key to winning Virginia comes down to who does well in the D.C. suburbs of northern Virginia. This area is an economic powerhouse where no fewer than one in three Virginia voters live. Just mention the words “northern Virginia” across the mid-Atlantic region and the hyphenated adjectives come back at you: Fast-growing, high-tech, well-educated, high-income.

No wonder the presidential candidates can’t seem to stay away from the area. Despite perennial traffic congestion, “NoVa” has that certain gleam of 21st century life, from the glitzy high-rises of Rosslyn to the corporate campuses around the Dulles airport to the performing arts stage at a place called Wolf Trap. Fairfax County alone, the heart of the region, has a higher percentage of high-tech workers than Silicon Valley.
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Dominion's $500,000 influence

dominion logoDominion released their lobbying disclosure report yesterday and I wonder what they got with their $500,000. Eric Cantor has received nearly $25,000 from Dominion in the last year and he voted against environmental education, to eliminate a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, and against public transportation giving him an “ugly” rating by LCV.

But $25,000 is just a drop in the bucket compared to what Dominion has actually spent. They’ve spent nearly $500,000 was spent on lobbying expenses in just the last few months. Even this is a huge increase, compared to the $20,000 the previous quarter. View Dominion’s $500,000 disclosure report here>>

Obviously, the fight against climate change is between the people and Big Oil and Big Coal money. We can’t outspend the energy corporations but we can outnumber them.

Earthbeat Radio: A New Green Economy

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Looking for a silver lining. Given the massive world-wide economic downturn thatis occurring, Earthbeat host Mike Tidwell speaks to Lester Brown, one of the world’s greatest environmental minds.

Brown is the head of the Earth Policy Institute and the author of the book Plan B 3.0 – Mobilizing to Save Civilization.

Then we listen to an encore of our conversation with the lead scientist for the National Snow and Ice Data Center – Ted Scambos. Arctic ice is hitting its second lowest level in the last 100 years, Scambos discusses how and why the North Pole is melting away. Joining the conversation to discuss the politics in Washington and how it can, or can’t, protect the arctic is Brian Moore of the National Audubon Society.

Download this edition of Earthbeat.

21st Century Life: THE ANSWER MY FRIEND…

coffee houseAs the clamor grows on the Right to “Drill Baby Drill”, clean energy wind farms are spreading across the land, and at sea. A major project, involving 78 windmills, is being built off the Delaware coast, near the Maryland border, by Bluewater Wind. The wind farm will provide electricity to 130,000 homes and, says Bluewater’s Jim Lanard, a second wind farm is under consideration for off-shore Maryland. Watch this edition of Mike Tidwell’s TV show, 21st Century Life.

Talk to Warren Buffett about Renewables

Hey MarylanderWarren Buffett - Midwestern Millionaires – in case you hadn’t heard the news, Constellation Energy (the parent company of BGE, and the folks who own the power plants that provide a good chunk of our power) was recently bought out by Warren Buffett. This may not sound like that big of a deal; after all, it’s simply one giant energy corporation eating another one, right?

Well, not exactly.

For example, Buffett has indicated a different position on nuclear power than Constellation energy did. He has this crazy idea that

Mike Tidwell Calls for "Energy from Heaven"

On September 27th, people all across the nation held nearly 700 events calling for Green Jobs NOW! Mike Tidwell spoke at the green jobs event in Anacostia, DC and called for the United States to tap into “Energy from Heaven:

I’ve never heard energy talked about in those terms before. What do you think?

Climate change and green jobs response

At the presidential debate on Tuesday, Ingrid Jackson asked a great question on climate change and green jobs:

Sen. McCain, I want to know, we saw that Congress moved pretty fast in the face of an economic crisis. I want to know what you would do within the first two years to make sure that Congress moves fast as far as environmental issues, like climate change and green jobs?

View their responses here: