In a conversation that I had with a volunteer today, she told me about a friend of hers that recently was part of a focus group commissioned by Dominion Power. The goal of the focus group was to discuss how to present our energy options, and which energy options are the most attractive to the general public. Seems like pretty standard advertising, right? You want to know how to sell your product to consumers, right? Continue reading
Grist: "Tim Kaine burns national ambitions in coal furnace"
Check out a great piece by Glenn Hurowitz, (author a great book, “Fear and Courage in the Democratic Party”) on Gov. Kaine and coal in Virginia. http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/2/19/10055/7748
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Weasel of the week
Tim Kaine burns national ambitions in coal furnace
Posted by Glenn Hurowitz at 2:39 PM on 19 Feb 2008
Virginia’s Democratic governor Tim Kaine, often mentioned as a possible vice presidential nominee, seems to be flushing his ambitions for national office down the toilet by actively working to build yet another coal-fired power plant for one of his biggest campaign donors.
Kaine has tried to present himself as a green, forward-thinking governor by proposing a “Virginia Energy Plan” he claimed would reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 30 percent. True, Kaine is going ahead with plans to purchase 27,000 compact fluorescent bulbs (which will save the amount of electricity used by — wait for it — 1300 [!] homes). But when it comes to things that actually matter — like where Virginia gets its energy — he’s actively backing the construction of a new greenhouse-gas- and toxic-pollution-belching coal-fired power plant in Virginia’s Wise County.
Coal Ruins Kaine? Say it ain't so…
With less than two years left in Governor Kaine’s tenure as the leader of the great Commonwealth of Virginia, questions are starting to get raised as to whether his partnership with big industrial interests will threaten his ability to get another job.
An article on Grist seems to paint a picture of a Governor whose stock is rapidly falling due to his steadfast support of Virginia’s major polluters. The author cites figures from the Virginia Public Access Project (vpap.org) that states that Tim Kaine has received over $135,000 from Dominion… no wonder he hasn’t spoken out against Dominions Wise County coal fired power plant…
So who is the Governor going to be loyal to? Dominion Power and their money, or the hundreds of thousands of Virginians that were the ones that voted him into office by the narrowest of margins? Right now, it looks like he is standing by Dominion.
But is that the right choice? Maybe if he could run for re-election for the position of governor of Virginia — but he can’t, there is a one term limit. So why is he choosing to burn his bridges in Virginia with the people that got him elected? I don’t know if the governor has been reading polling data or listening to the pundits, but Virginia is rapidly turning into a blueish swing state. If Tim Kaine has any intention of ever holding a national office or moving up the political ladder, it will be hard to defend his decision to stick by Dominion Power and the Wise County Coal plant that he personally endorsed.
The future is in clean energy, not in coal. Obama knows it. Clinton knows it. Even McCain sort of knows it.
Governor Kaine can’t buy another term as Virginia’s governor with Dominion’s money, but he can buy himself some national attention and save his reputation by stopping the Wise County coal plant.
America wants a leader Mr. Kaine, not another industry stooge.
This power plant will be your legacy whether you like it or not. It is up to you how the legacy will read.
Click here to tell the Governor to stop the Wise County plant today!
Yesterday Gov. O'Malley became my climate hero
“The climate crisis is real, and we must act now to reduce global climate change. I believe if we act responsibly we can help reduce the effects of global warming, but also create thousands of green jobs for Maryland’s economy.”
— Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, February 19, 2008
In a dramatic press conference Tuesday, Governor Martin O’Malley threw his “strong, strong support” behind one of America’s strongest global warming bills. It was a truly historic day, and when leaders do the right thing we should show our appreciation. Please, please click here to thank to Gov. O’Malley right now. Continue reading
Letters for Global Warming Solutions in MD Needed!
In case you hadn’t already heard, Governor O’Malley came out publicly and strongly in support of the Global Warming Solutions Act yesterday. This is really exciting news, but it doesn’t mean that the fight is over. Already, the opposition is claiming that this bill will hurt Maryland’s economy. Let’s get some letters to the editor out that not only thank the Governor, but address some of the concerns that have been recently raised. Continue reading
Gov. O'Malley supports global warming solutions; old guard still wrong on jobs
Huge news for Marylanders today: Governor Martin O’Malley is going to announce his support for the Global Warming Solutions Act! Check out the AP and Sun articles about it. Last year, O’Malley’s support meant that the Clean Cars bill passed. This year, it means that the pressure on Sen. Miller and Del. Busch is building, and might help push them off the fence in favor of the Global Warming Solutions Act.
The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008 (SB-309, HB-712), which is in Senate hearings TODAY, would require Maryland to reduce its global warming pollution 25% by 2020 and 90% by 2050 as cost-effectively as possible, as recommended by the Maryland Commission on Climate Change. These targets, based on what scientists recommend is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, would be the strongest in the nation. Read more about the bill>>
There’s still strong opposition to the bill, largely from interests that FALSELY think that the bill would lose jobs for the economy. “It’s not going to be at all positive for the economy, but this legislature and this administration [don’t] care,” says Republican Sen. David R. Brinkley, the Senate minority leader from Frederick County. “They are more interested in making political statements about saving the Earth than saving Maryland jobs.”
Instead of relying on Senator Brinkley for information on how this bill will affect jobs in Maryland, I like to rely on business leaders. Leaders like Rex Wright, of Johnson Controls, Inc. Rex is the Installation Manager for the Mid-Atlantic Region. Johnson Controls specializes in building efficiency and Rex will testify before the Senate Committee on Education Health and the Environment today. Here’s a snippet of what’ he’ll have to say:
“Sustainability initiatives create jobs,” stated Rex Wright of Johnson Controls, Inc., a business specializing in building efficiency. “The soon to be completed energy efficiency initiatives between Johnson Controls, Inc. and Baltimore City Public Schools, for example, created over 200 jobs, over 50 of which were created for minority and women -owned businesses. Sustainability works; it creates jobs.”
Governor Kaine: Won't You Be Our Valentine?
This Valentine’s Day, mountain lovers from all over the commonwealth asked Governor Kaine to be their Valentine.
Virginia students, faith leaders, and activists delivered hundreds of Valentine’s Day cards to Gov. Kaine asking him to protect Virginia mountains and stop the Wise County power plant. Dominion Virginia Power is slated to break ground on the 585 megawatt coal plant as early as mid April and Virginia residents are urging the Governor to block its construction.
It’s not just southwest Virginia, or even the Richmond area that’s against this plant, it’s everyone. Arlington County Clerk of the Courts and climate champion Paul Ferguson (architect of the Fresh Aire initiative and pictured speaking on right) joined other leaders at a press conference in Arlington that same day to echo Virginians’ concerns about the coal plant and call for a real investment in clean energy.
“This plant is not only bad for Wise County, it’s bad for all of Virginia,” said Geoff Cox, a student at the University of Richmond who led the drive on his campus to collect Valentine’s cards. “My future is being threatened by global warming and my state is being destroyed by mountaintop removal mining. Another dirty coal-fired power plant is the completely wrong direction for Virginia.”
The media loved it. WAMU, the local NPR station that serves Northern Virginia, covered the Arlington press conference and CCAN Director, Mike Tidwell, did a long interview with Pacifica radio. Down south, the Richmond Times Dispatch did a GREAT story on the event and WRIC, News Channel 8, actually followed the activists into their meeting with Steve Walz, Kaine’s aide. WVTF, Western Virginia Public Radio and WCVE, Richmond Public Radio both covered the Valentine’s Day drop-off. Continue reading
Break Virginia's Addiction to Coal? Yes We Can!
An excellent and inspiring post on Raising Kaine from The Green Miles, one of our great allies in the fight to cool the commonwealth. Let’s get rolling!
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Believe it or not, The Green Miles and the president of coal company Alpha Natural Resources agree on something. Virginia could slash its energy and coal usage without much effort. We just choose not to:
Virginia is last in the nation in spending on energy efficiency and conservation. As a result, the typical Virginia household uses 150-200% of the energy it actually needs. That’s not due to glitzy home theater systems or something — it’s poor insulation, drafty windows, and inefficient appliances. Energy that slips out your attic or under a drafty door that you’ll never even notice you used — until your power bill arrives.So when Gov. Tim Kaine said on last week’s RK conference call that we were building a huge new coal-fired power plant because the General Assembly had determined that the plant was “in the public interest,” I wasn’t exactly shocked. To steal a phrase from Quillen, the General Assembly doesn’t do all that well with managing our energy interests. While Virginia will likely never get off coal entirely in our lifetimes, we do have the power to dramatically ease our dependence. We’ll need three people to do it: Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, and you. |
| Energy/Environment :: TheGreenMiles :: Break Virginia’s Addiction to Coal? Yes We Can. |
Let’s break it down:Tim Kaine – The governor has already raised a red flag on the Wise County plant, asking the Department of Environmental Quality to hold more hearings on the proposal. But if Gov. Kaine is serious about the success of his Virginia Energy Plan and Commission on Climate Change, he needs to reconsider his public neutrality on this plant. How can we cut Virginia’s greenhouse gas emissions if this plant is adding 5.3 million tons in new carbon dioxide emissions each year, the equivalent of adding more than 300,000 cars to Virginia roadways?Mark Warner – Here’s what our next junior US Senator had to say at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner:
There is no doubt our new Sen. Warner will be a leader on energy and environmental issues on Capitol Hill. But can renewable energy advocacy be compatible with neutrality on the Wise County plant? According to the American Wind Energy Association, Virginia has the potential to produce an average of 1,380 megawatts of wind energy each year. Will Virginia be able to share in the spoils of a clean energy future if we’ve already invested $1.6 billion in coal?You – Gov. Kaine told us, “When legislature passed legislation calling for this plant, no one asked me to change it that I can recall.” Virginia environmentalists have been slow to react to the threat of global warming and slow to push our elected officials to change. That means now we have to fight twice as hard to stop this plant before it locks us into 50 years of mountaintop removal, polluted air, and lost opportunity for clean energy jobs. If you can, attend tonight’s DEQ hearing in Richmond to tell regulators there’s no such thing as “clean coal.” This plant will spew carbon dioxide, mercury, sulfur and nitrogen into Virginia’s air for generations to come. Even if you can’t make it in person, email the DEQ right now! |
All's quiet on the DEQ front
I am writing from the lobby of the Marriot Hotel in Innsbrook, just outside Richmond. Its still three hours before the final hearing of the Department of Env. Quality on the Wise County Power Plant. There’s free wireless, and I’m in good company with CCAN’s campus organizer Tom Owens. But why am I here 4 hours before the hearing anyway? Paranoia!
For the last two hearings (before the State Corporation Commission and Department of Env. Quality), opponents to the power plant have arrived early in an attempt to sign up to speak, only to wait 2-5 hours to testify. Most recently in St. Paul, opponents to the power plant did not get called to speak until after 11:00 PM, despite signing up early. Now, there may be logical explanations in both cases. For the SCC, maybe there was an advanced sign-up we didn’t know about. For the DEQ hearing, Dominion beat us to the punch, getting supporters there early with the lure of a hospitality suite.
I’ve been assured by Cindy Bernt at DEQ that sign-up won’t start until 4:45, but I figure, better safe than sorry. And so we wait. And wait. More to come in a few hours. Continue reading
Wise Co. Coal DEQ Hearing…
Live from Dominion Boulevard at the beautiful Marriott in Glenn Allen, Virginia, here is your live blog on the last Department of Environmental Quality hearing for Dominion’s proposed Wise County coal fired power plant…
(6:15pm)First and foremost, seriously, this hearing is on Dominion Blvd. I think that is because we are in close proximity to a Dominion office, or it is because Dominion owns this road… one or the other… Either way, the irony that an environmental hearing is taking place on Dominion Blvd is not lost on this attendee.
There are about 300 people here, many of whom oppose the plant. For the first time in the series of hearings on the Wise Co. plant, opponents were one of the first ones to sign up to testify. At other hearings, Dominion’s supporters (which include employees…) testified for up to two hours before any opponents got a chance to speak. This is due in large part to the fact that the actual sign up time posted by the DEQ is often very different than the posted sign up time. Today, sign up was scheduled to begin at 4:45pm. The first sign up sheet was posted at 3:00pm. But thankfully, we learned our lesson and got we were staked out at the hearing location starting at 9:30am this morning in preparation for this predictable twist.
Josh Tulkin was the first opponent to testify today. His testimony was highlighted when he asked all the opponents of the plant at the hearing to stand up. Half the room stood up, and DEQ Chairman immediately said, “Mr. Tulkin, you are out of order!” To which Mr. Tulkin coyly replied, “I respectfully withdraw my request.”
Other testimony include a statement from Gerald E. Connolly, the Chairman of the Fairfax County Board, in which he respectfully asked Dominion to explore alternatives to the coal plant that would harm the air quality in Fairfax and totally offset all the progress that counties like Fairfax have made through local initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Oh, and a side note, I would like to thank Dominion for feeding me.
(7:36pm) About half the people here have left. The break was festive and the students seemed have an an expectational time. I get the feeling that the plant opponents of the plant now far outnumber the proponents… now the party can really begin.
The best quote of the night so far came from one JMU student (I already forgot his name) who stepped up to the microphone and said, “My name is Joe Smith, and I am not a former employee of Dominion…” We all laughed…
(7:48pm) A man just walked up to me as I was sitting and told me how there is, “no Mountain Top removal in the state of Virginia.” Seriously. He said that, and I don’t think he was joking. I respectfully informed him that he was mistaken and that I could show him pictures taken from a tour of the Mountains of Wise County that I took last week. The Bristol-Herald Courier also took the same tour… I guess what we saw doesn’t exist…
FYI, 25% of Wise County’s total land area has already been leveled due to mountain top removal.
(7:55pm) Richmond City Councilman Marty Jewell just testified. He is very concerned about global warming and how the proposed power plant would effect Richmond’s air quality.
“I like cream in my coffee, not sludge!” — Councilman Jewell, in reference to mountain top removal mining.