SCC Hears Virginians Say No to Coal!

Boy: Global Warming Starts Here

On January 8th, hundreds of people from all over the state descended upon Richmond to have their voices heard by the State Corporation Commission on the issue of whether to build another coal fired power plant in Wise County. By our count, there were over 300 dissenters at the hearing (a number so large that we required a spillover courtroom to hold us all), 177 of which were registered to testify. These numbers are in addition to the 815 people who submitted written testimony to the SCC by the December deadline. The testimony was strong, and the message was clear: we don’t want coal!

Lawyers who have been working with the SCC for upwards to 30 years have said that they have never seen anything like the public turnout that the Wise County plant is receiving.

But this is more than just the sheer numbers; this is about who was there, where they were from, and how they got there.

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Clean Energy Future Act – First Action Steps

You’ve changed your lightbulbs. You bought a hybrid? What can you do now to help stop global warming? Fight for the Clean Energy Future Act!

Senator Chap Petersen has officially submitted the Clean Energy Solution Act, bill SB 446. This bill will usher in the clean energy revolution in Virginia, mandating that we get 20% of our energy from clean sources like wind and solar, reduce our electricity by 10%.

It’s gonna be a tough fight. The first step is to build support for this. Legislators have until January 18th to being official “co-patrons” on the bill. Is your legislator on board? Even before the vote, your elected official can show their support by becoming a Co-Patron of the bill, but they have to sign on by Jan 18th.

  1. Send them an email by clicking here
  2. Call your legislator and deliver a personal message of support. Find your legislator at legis.state.va.us
  3. Register for Clean Energy Lobby Day on Jan 21st. www.lobbycleanenergy.org

For a basic script and talking points Continue reading

Today's the Day

The State Corporation Commission is holding a hearing RIGHT NOW on Dominion’s plans for another coal plant. This proposed new plant would cost at least $1.6 billion of your hard-earned money, exacerbate mountaintop removal, and pump out 5.8 million tons of CO2 every year.

Hundreds of you already submitted comments on the subject – and that was a great first step. But comments are not enough. Many more have ditched school, taken off from work, and are taking this next crucial step. People from all across Virginia today will speak their mind to the SCC- the agency charged with deciding Virginia’s energy future!

Our fight against Dominion Virginia Power’s proposed coal plant really picked up speed at the end of last year. Arlington, Blacksburg and Charlottesville have all passed resolutions opposing new coal. And just yesterday the Bristol Herald Courier, the local Southwest Va. paper, wrote an amazing editorial calling the plant a raw deal in an unprecedented about-face.

Stay tuned for updates!

Flooding Annapolis

Things are heating up in Maryland- quite literally, with temperatures here in Takoma Park hitting the high-60s. Which is why I’m excited about kicking off session with a big celebration and rally for global warming solutions right here in the Old Line State. Because if we don’t act soon, Annapolis may well start to look like this…

Image Courtesy of MD League of Conservation Voter

Next Thursday, January 17th, hundreds of activists will be gathering on Lawyer’s Mall at 11 am to show support for the Global Warming Solutions Act, cheer on their legislators as they pledge to co-sponsor the bill, and get pumped up about getting this bill passed by April. Want to join us? Register today!

This event is sponsored by the Alliance for Global Warming Solutions. Part of an organization and want Maryland to pass the Global Warming Solutions Act? Join the alliance today!

Virginia's energy future looks brighter

Before dozens of supporters, Senator Chap Petersen unveiled the “Clean Energy Future Act,” at a press conference yesterday. The bill is a comprehensive new vision for Virginia’s energy future. It comes amidst growing concern over Virginia’s current energy path, and just weeks after Governor Kaine announced the formation of the Virginia Climate Commission. Faith, student and environmental leaders joined together to welcome this bold new vision for Virginia.

CCAN had a hand in all aspects of the bill and worked with Senator Petersen from the very beginning to make this a truly groundbreaking bill. This way, at the same time that we’re opposing Dominion’s proposed 1.6 billion dollar catastrophe (aka its new coal plant), we can also be for something. Needless to say, we are 101% behind the bill and will be working over the next couple of months to rally some serious grassroots support.

Finally, Senator Chap Petersen deserves a huge thank-you. He gets it, and is not afraid to step out in front on the crucial issues of our day. He will be introducing the bill tomorrow, the first day of the Virginia legislative session. You can find a fact sheet on the bill on our website.

Below is our press release. You can read more coverage of the bill on Raising Kaine, in the Richmond Times Dispatch and on WDBJ7.
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Show Virginia Where Global Warming Starts

I know what you’re thinking. “I want to show my concern about global warming, but I don’t want to stop dressing like my idol Ashton Kutcher. Why can’t I do both?”trucker hat

Well rest easy. Now you can. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network has opened an online store where you can buy a trucker’s hat emblazoned with “Dominion: Global Warming Starts Here.”

OK, so you might actually prefer the t-shirt printed on 100% organically-grown cotton. Or the bumper sticker, ready-made for slapping on your Prius. Or the mug, which will advertise that you and your coffee are hotter than they should be.

It’s a purchase you can feel good about because not only will you get high-quality merchandise, but a portion of all sales will go to benefit CCAN and its fight to cut our region’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Can I have a private conversation with The Green Girlfriend for a minute here? Just skip down to the next paragraph. OK? Thanks. Here goes: Yes, I’m buying a trucker’s hat. No, I won’t wear it around you. Yes, I promise never to be photographed wearing it. Or tell anyone you’re my girlfriend while I’m wearing it. Or admit we ever met while I’m wearing it.

Whether you decide to help usher in the new trend of climate fashion or not, please take action now to tell your legislator to support the Virginia Clean Energy Future Act. The legislation, sponsored by State Sen. Chap Peterson, would create incentives for in-state renewable energy and manufacturing, create a Green Jobs training program, and set a statewide standard of 20% renewable energy and 10% improvement in efficiency!

Cross-posted from TheGreenMiles.net

Clean Coal is Still Coal – Herald Tribune

Now they’re talking about the problems with clean coal in Florida.   Who knew we were so influential?  But seriously folks, we’re on a roll with this campaign, let’s keep it up.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080102/OPINION/801020440/1030

HERALD TRIBUNE

‘Clean coal’ is still coal

Conversion process could create new environmental problems

Several Democratic and Republican presidential front-runners are touting”clean coal” technology as part of the solution to the nation’senergy woes. Congress and President Bush have devoted funding to research anddevelop the effort. And coal companies, of course, are all for the concept.But some electric utilities appear to be losing enthusiasm for the idea becauseof uncertainty about costs, regulatory requirements and the reliability of akey part of the technology.In the past year, at least eight proposed clean-coal plants have been canceled,rejected or postponed, according to USA Today. That’s one-third of suchprojects in the works.Advocates of clean-coal plants see tremendous potential in the process, whichconverts coal into a gas and cuts down on harmful emissions of mercury as wellas pollutants linked to acid rain and smog.One of clean coal’s biggest selling points has been its ability to reduceemissions of carbon dioxide, widely viewed as the chief contributor to globalwarming.But the technology’s promise may not be as clear as proponents contend.Environmental regulators and even electric utilities are expressing concernabout a key element of the process, which involves capturing the carbon,liquefying it and pumping it into the ground.Critics fear that a massive expansion of underground carbon storage, in use inonly a few parts of the world, could create new environmental problems.In October, Tampa Electric Co. dropped its plans for a $2 billioncoal-gasification plant in southwestern Polk County, about 40 miles northeastof Bradenton.Company officials cited several reasons for their decision, including anexecutive order signed by Gov. Charlie Crist last summer that calls forutilities to reduce carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2025.Even with the clean-coal technology, the plant still would have emitted about 4million tons of carbon dioxide each year.Another factor in TECO’s decision was uncertainty about the risks associatedwith underground storage, according to company President Chuck Black.If the carbon “leaks out of the ground some place like HardeeCounty,” he told the St. Petersburg Times, “what have weaccomplished?”A similar question might be asked about the entire movement to expand the useof coal-fired plants, which already generate 40 percent of U.S. carbonemissions.Even if those emissions are reduced and the storage concerns are minimized, the”clean” effort does nothing to address the environmental damagecaused by a now-prevalent type of mining known as mountaintop removal.America’s policy-makers and utilities would be far wiser to invest their energy– and our tax dollars — in the development of renewable energy resources.Investing more in coal, a relic of the past, will accomplish little. _______________________________________________

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Where are the Wind Farms in Maryland?

The Baltimore Sun

By Mike Tidwell

With ominous global warming accelerating year after year, why can’t Maryland construct a single clean-energy wind farm within its borders? Al Gore wins a Nobel Peace Prize and Gov. O’Malley’s own blue-ribbon commission says we must get off fossil fuels very, very soon. But our state – one the most vulnerable in America to global warming and one the most politically liberal – can’t achieve even the baby step of a single commercial wind farm? What’s the problem? West Virginia has dozens of modern windmills. Pennsylvania even more.

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Bristol Herald editorializes AGAINST Wise County Coal Plant

Two weeks ago, the US Forest Service wrote the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality concerned that the proposed Wise County Power Plant would pollute a national park in North Carolina. Citizens spoke out against the proposed plant at a hearing last week. Charlottesville, Blacksburg, and Arlington have all passed resolutions against the proposed plant.But NONE of those come close to today’s development. The Bristol Herald (which last week endorsed Senator William Wampler) just editorialized AGAINST the Wise County Power Plant. Check it out!

BY Bristol Herald Courier Editorial Board

Dominion Power plant is no bargain for the region

Tuesday, Dec 18, 2007

All along, Dominion Power Co. has touted its planned coal-burning plant in Wise County as a boon to the region.The plant, we were told, will create as many as 800 construction and coal mining jobs, along with jobs running the plant, and inject wealth into an economically depressed area. It will supply much-needed energy to fellow Virginians. It will exclusively burn Virginia coal.Sounded good until we read the fine print. Many of the jobs are temporary and the number has decreased over time. The plant, while cleaner than older coal-fired facilities, isn’t clean enough. It is still a polluter. Continue reading