When I came on staff with CCAN in October, I knew that I was going to be working my tail off to pass the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act in the 2012 legislative session. I expected the late night strategy sessions and the phone banking and the petitioning. I did not, however, expect that I would also be jumping (all the way) into the icy Potomac in January. That definitely was not in the job description. And yet, on January 21st, myself and around 100 others charged into the frigid waters wearing (in most cases) little more than a bathing suit. Watch this video to get the full effect. Continue reading
CCANers bring the fight for real renewables to Richmond!
Today, CCANers from all over Virginia visited the Capitol to express frustration, disappointment, and even outrage at all the ways our renewable portfolio standard has been weakened during this legislative session.
Update from the Virginia General Assembly
Bills are flying through the General Assembly this session! All of the bills we have been working on have already gone through committee meetings and I’m happy to announce that one of our RPS reform bills, Del. McClellan’s HB 1166, has unanimously passed the house and its companion, Sen. McEachin’s SB 382, will most likely sail through the Senate by the end of the week!
My highlights from the Polar Bear Plunge
On January 21st over 100 people ran into the cold Potomac River as part of CCAN’s 7th Annual Polar Bear Plunge. We braved the ice and snow (about an inch worth) that came down the night before, and leftover light rain, to do the first of these seven plunges with precipitation on the ground.
R. Paul Smith Slated for Shutdown
On January 26 2012, CCAN and EIP celebrated our first major victory in the fight against dirty power plants in Maryland. when First Energy announced that it will close the R. Paul Smith coal-fired power plant in Williamsport by September 1, 2012!
R. Paul Smith coal plant slated for shut down!
On January 26 2012, CCAN and EIP celebrated our first major victory in the fight against dirty power plants in Maryland when First Energy announced that it will close the R. Paul Smith coal-fired power plant in Williamsport by September 1, 2012!
Dominion's bait and switch
The Virginian-Pilot
By Mike Tidwell
Imagine a teenager’s very messy room. Family members plead for a clean up. Finally, for a $10 “incentive” payment, the teen straightens up, declares compliance and dashes off to the 7-11 for $10 of snacks and soda. But sadly, family members enter the room only to find mounds of dirty dishes, soiled clothes and used tissues stuffed under the bed. A con job.
Now imagine that the room in question is Virginia’s historically polluted air and our over-reliance on dirty, unsustainable fossil fuels. Who’s the take-the-money-and-run offender in this case? Why, it’s Dominion Virginia Power.
Continue reading
Video: Keystone XL Victory
We stopped the Keystone XL pipeline! Take a moment to pat yourself on the back. I sure tried to enjoy the moment, as well as the flood of emails I received from friends and family across the county who were just as excited as I am.
The video below is an excellent wrap up of the campaign and has Jane Kleeb of Bold Nebraska and Bill McKibbin of 350.org’s immediate thoughts after the victory.
Bill also plugs the action happening on Tuesday the 24th here in DC. As Congress returns to business, we’ll be ready to blow the whistle on their corruption. Hundreds will gather at the Capitol dressed in referee uniforms, and then heading to the American Petroleum Institute – Big Oil’s top lobby – to do the same. Check out the facebook event here if you are interested in attending!
As Bill McKibbin said in this video- this is a “real victory for people standing up. ” So here’s to standing up for what you believe in!
Important info for Saturday's Polar Bear Plunge
Hello Polar Bear Plungers!
We’re very excited about how things are looking for this Saturday’s 7th annual Polar Bear Plunge at National Harbor on the Potomac River. Thanks for all you’re doing to solicit sponsors of your plunge and for participating in this important action!
This blog post is filled with IMPORTANT logistical information, so please read the whole thing:
Volunteering: We are a little short of volunteers to help make the event run smoothly. If you and/or someone coming to support you can get there by 10 am to do this, please contact Ted Glick at ted@chesapeakeclimate.org or 240-396-2155.
Arrival time: You should plan to arrive at 10:30 am so you can park, get registered and be able to listen to our short program beginning at 11am, featuring Mike Tidwell, James Hansen, Congresswoman Donna Edwards, and a few other special guests – we promise to keep it brief! We’ll move over to the changing tents by 11:30.
Waiver forms: Please print out the waiver forms, sign them and bring them with you on Saturday, even if you checked off the box about this when you signed up at the website. We need you to personally sign these two forms. It will help a lot to expedite the registration process and move things along if you’ve done so in advance. You will receive these via email tonight (Tuesday) or tomorrow, but you can also email Ted and ask for them if you missed that – ted@chesapeakeclimate.org.
Offshore Wind activists an unmatched force at Maryland General Assembly opener
If measured by the turnout at the rally at the Annapolis state house yesterday, of all the issues confronting the Maryland General Assembly as it reconvenes this week, offshore wind power enjoys the most energetic public support.
Maintaining the grassroots momentum from a statewide series of packed “Wind Works” town hall forums, over 100 citizen clean energy advocates from across Maryland descended on Lawyers’ Mall on Wednesday morning to greet returning state lawmakers with an unequivocal message: “Get it done in 2012! Wind works for Marylanders’ health, jobs, climate and energy costs!”
Decked out in blue campaign t-shirts, wind advocates were the most visible activist presence on the opening morning of the 2012 legislative session. The impressive show of support for a cold weekday morning jibed with recent statewide poll results which showed that nearly two-thirds of Marylanders support developing the state’s robust offshore wind energy resources, even if it means a small initial bump in energy costs.
Speaking to the rally crowd, state Senate Majority Leader, Rob Garagiola scoffed at charges from critics that Marylanders can’t afford to invest in offshore wind: “The price of coal goes up; the price of gas goes up. Does the price of wind ever go up?
The crowd responded with a resounding, “No!”
“That’s right,” Garagiola continued, “It doesn’t go up. This is going to save ratepayers money.”
Other speakers included the state House Majority Leader Kumar Barve, climate justice and health advocate Vernice Miller Travis, Chesapeake Climate Action Network Director Mike Tidwell, MD Delegate Tom Hucker, Johns Hopkins student Tippy Patrinos, business innovator Joe Gaskins, and state Senator Paul Pinsky.
After the rally, the sea of blue shirts shifted from the mall to the inside of the state house and the legislative office buildings where activists took the wind works message to legislators and other dignitaries.
On his way to address the opening session, Governor Martin O’Malley stopped to greet wind activists distributing fliers on the mall, and reiterated his support for pushing the bill through the Assembly this year. The Governor’s new offshore-wind energy bill is expected to drop in the next few weeks along with the rest of his ambitious legislative package. With other big ticket issues like same-sex marriage, a proposed sales or gas tax increase on the agenda clean energy advocates certainly have their work cut out for them in keeping wind at the top of the priority list. But if advocates keep bringing the same grassroots energy they brought to Annapolis on Wednesday, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Learn more about the “Wind Works for Maryland” campaign and get involved at www.marylandoffshorewind.org.