Category: Press Releases

–A putting green, golf cart shuttle ‘courtesy of Dominion,’ and Master’s-inspired banner are greeting DEQ employees right now
–Activists question cozy culture of influence after revelation that Virginia’s top environmental regulator, David Paylor, took a golf vacation on Dominion’s dime
Richmond, Va. — Two dozen concerned citizens are currently staging a “golf tournament” in front of the headquarters of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to highlight the questionable relationship between the agency’s director, David Paylor, and Dominion Virginia Power, the state’s largest climate polluter.
Recent reporting by Washington’s WAMU radio station revealed that Paylor, the top state official responsible for overseeing Dominion’s controversial coal ash disposal plans, let Dominion pay his way to the 2013 Master’s golf tournament, a trip valued at $2,300. Activists are concerned that this gift is emblematic of a longstanding, cozy relationship between Dominion and top state officials, one they worry is negatively impacting the quality of Virginians’ air and water.
As of 9:30 a.m. this morning, Department of Environmental Quality employees and passersby will have a chance to play mini golf on a large putting green, or hop on-board one of two golf cart shuttles offering courtesy trips to Dominion’s downtown offices. A large green banner, themed after the Master’s logo and slogan reads, “Dominion & DEQ: A tradition unlike any other.”
“Virginia’s top environmental regulator should never have considered accepting gifts, let alone a golf vacation, from Virginia’s top polluter,” said Drew Gallagher, field organizer at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “This is a glaring conflict of interest, and it raises troubling questions about who is truly looking out for the health and safety of Virginians. From coal ash pollution to pipelines to climate policy, we see Dominion’s interests being put before those of the public time and again.”
DEQ ignited a firestorm of criticism in January, when the agency and the State Water Control Board signed off on permits that allow Dominion to dump millions of gallons of toxic coal ash wastewater into the Potomac and James Rivers. Those permits allowed Dominion to discharge toxins like arsenic at levels far exceeding limits set by neighboring North Carolina. DEQ will decide this spring on additional water discharge permits, as well as solid waste permits that would allow Dominion to “cap” leaky, unlined coal ash ponds in place, where toxins could continue to leach into Virginia waterways for decades to come.
Advocates and concerned citizens say that Director Paylor’s actions have raised alarm bells beyond the issuing of these controversial permits:

• Paylor repeatedly said that “no water was discharged” into state waters in response to questions about Dominion’s secretive and potentially illegal dumping of nearly 30 million gallons of untreated coal ash wastewater into Quantico Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, in May 2015. Dominion and DEQ later admitted the dumping had happened, prompting the Potomac Riverkeeper Network and the city of Dumfries to call for a criminal investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency.
• In March of 2015, Paylor testified before the U.S. Congress in support of industry-backed legislation that would have delayed, weakened, and eliminated various health and safety provisions in new federal rules for coal ash disposal. In testifying, Paylor misrepresented himself as sharing “Virginia’s views,” even though he was not testifying on behalf of the McAuliffe administration.
• For over a decade, spanning Paylor’s tenure at DEQ, the agency has known that Dominion’s coal ash ponds at the Chesapeake Energy Center along the Elizabeth River and at the Possum Point plant along Quantico Creek have been leaking high levels of dangerous pollutants into groundwater and local waterways. Given DEQ’s failure to address this toxic contamination, the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Sierra Club have sued Dominion under the federal Clean Water Act.

Contact:
Drew Gallagher, (804) 896-2654, drew@chesapeakeclimate.org
Photos from today’s action are available for use at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chesapeakeclimate/albums/72157663967379614

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ANNAPOLIS—The Maryland House of Delegates voted by a resounding, bipartisan margin — 92-43 — this morning to advance the Clean Energy Jobs Act of 2016 (HB 1106), legislation that will accelerate the state’s reliance on solar and wind power. The bill raises Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard requirement to 25 percent by 2020, up from the current goal of 20 percent by 2022.
By creating incentives for roughly 1,300 megawatts of new clean energy, the bill is expected to create more than 1,000 new Maryland solar jobs and to reduce climate pollution by the equivalent of taking 563,000 passenger vehicles off the road every year. The bill now moves to the Senate for approval.
Provisions in the original bill coupled this renewable energy expansion with a record-large investment into job training and minority- and women-owned business development in the clean energy industry. Leaders in the General Assembly now plan to combine those provisions into a separate, comprehensive workforce development bill. Advocates remain committed to passing both.
James McGarry, Maryland policy director at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response:
“We applaud the House of Delegates for another resounding vote for climate solutions. By ensuring that more of our homes are powered by wind and solar, the Clean Energy Jobs Act will create thousands of good-paying jobs, prevent hundreds of asthma attacks, and reduce the carbon pollution causing record weather extremes. This is a win-win for our economy and for the health of all Marylanders.
“As Maryland leads in tackling climate change, we must also lead in building a clean energy economy that benefits everyone. Our lawmakers can do both this year by passing the Clean Energy Jobs Act alongside a comprehensive plan to invest in job training.”
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
James McGarry, 914-563-2256, james@chesapeakeclimate.org

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ANNAPOLIS—By an overwhelming, bipartisan margin of 100-37, the Maryland House of Delegates today gave final approval to legislation that commits the state to one of the strongest greenhouse gas reduction targets in the nation. The bill requires Maryland to reduce climate pollution economy-wide by 40 percent below 2006 levels by the year 2030, deepening the state’s existing mandate first passed in 2009. Only California and New York have set higher climate goals, which were enshrined through executive action.
“This bold, and strikingly bipartisan, commitment to stronger climate action will help protect Maryland’s economy, health, and increasingly flooded shoreline,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “As the pace of climate disruption takes off, from record-shattering heat to record rates of sea-level rise, we must pick up the pace of action. Our climate-vulnerable state is now leading the way, showing that reducing carbon pollution is not a partisan question, but an urgent necessity.”
The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act of 2016 (HB 610/SB 323) renews and extends a landmark law first passed in 2009. That law requires Maryland to reduce emissions by 25 percent below 2006 levels by the year 2020. It also spurred the creation of Maryland’s comprehensive Climate Action Plan, which contains more than 150 programs designed to reduce emissions. According to a state study, Maryland’s existing climate programs are on pace to generate between $2.5 billion and $3.5 billion in net economic benefits and to create and maintain between 26,000 and 33,000 new jobs. The Senate approved the bolder 2016 bill by a 38-8 margin in late February.
The new, forty-percent emission reduction goal was unanimously recommended by Maryland’s bipartisan Commission on Climate Change last fall – including union leaders, business and environmental advocates, and six Republican cabinet secretaries from the Hogan administration. Maryland’s Secretary of the Environment, Ben Grumbles, and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce testified in support of the stronger target during bill hearings in Annapolis.
“By leading in carbon reduction, Maryland can simultaneously lead in creating new jobs and economic opportunities through clean energy,” added Tidwell, who also serves on the state’s climate commission. “The overwhelming support we see for more aggressive climate action in Maryland is no accident. It reflects years of statewide education and organizing, as well as the proven reality that climate solutions create jobs and grow our economy. In fact, Maryland lawmakers will ensure huge new gains for solar, wind, and good-paying jobs by also voting to expand our state’s renewable energy standard in 2016.”
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
James McGarry, 914-563-2256, james@chesapeakeclimate.org

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the biggest and oldest grassroots organization dedicated to fighting climate change in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. CCAN is building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions: www.chesapeakeclimate.org.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Obama administration today released an updated draft five-year plan for oil and gas development in federal waters that would keep drilling off limits in the Atlantic, protecting coastal communities from Virginia to Georgia. This decision, a dramatic reversal from the administration’s previous plan, responds to the widespread and vocal opposition of more than 110 East Coast communities, more than 700 state and local elected officials, more than 1,000 business interests, and thousands of citizens.
Advocates have underlined that any new drilling in our oceans would usher in unacceptable risks to coastal economies while worsening global warming.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, released the following statement in response:
“This is a great step forward for Virginia’s coast and our climate. Thanks to the strong and sustained opposition of coastal cities, business leaders, and citizens, the Atlantic coast will remain safe from oil rigs for years to come. This decision will prevent disastrous oil spills while helping to protect our vulnerable coast from rising sea levels. As rising waters flood Virginia’s coast on a routine basis, we need to be investing 100% in clean energy, not digging an even deeper hole of pollution.
“Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam, the county governments on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, business and local leaders across Hampton Roads, and thousands of regular citizens deserve credit for telling the Obama administration ‘no’ to new drilling off Virginia’s coast. Thankfully, their call was heard above that of Governor McAuliffe, who stood on the wrong side of this decision. We urge Governor McAuliffe to stand up for our coast and climate now by affirming his support for President Obama’s decision.
“Ultimately, new drilling anywhere threatens our coastlines everywhere, which is why President Obama must remove the Arctic from his next draft plan, along with any new drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Climate leadership requires keeping fossil fuels in the ground, period.”
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Harrison Wallace, 804-305-1472, harrison@chesapeakeclimate.org

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the biggest and oldest grassroots organization dedicated to fighting climate change in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. CCAN is building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions: www.chesapeakeclimate.org.

WAMU reveals that Virginia’s top environmental regulator took a golf vacation on Dominion’s dime
RICHMOND—A major DC media outlet published an exposé this afternoon detailing how the money and political influence of Dominion Virginia Power has touched all levels of Virginia’s response to the company’s controversial plans to discharge toxic coal ash wastewater into rivers. In the most alarming example, Virginia’s chief environmental regulator, David Paylor, accepted lavish gifts from Dominion Virginia Power despite being the primary state official entrusted with overseeing Dominion’s compliance with state environmental laws.
The exposé, published this afternoon on Washington’s WAMU, shows that Paylor let Dominion — the state’s largest utility company and biggest polluter — pay his way to the 2013 Masters’ golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, a trip valued at $2,300. Additionally, Dominion paid for Paylor’s $1,200 party tab at a nearby Irish pub.
Paylor was already serving as director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality when he accepted these gifts — which Dominion admits would be illegal under recently updated state ethics laws. He is now the top state official responsible for regulating Dominion’s coal ash disposal plans.
“Dominion’s influence over Virginia’s General Assembly has been apparent for years, but now it appears to extend to the same regulators entrusted to police the company’s pollution,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “David Paylor vacationed on Dominion’s dime while he was simultaneously entrusted with protecting the public from Dominion’s pollution. This is a stunning conflict of interest.”
Even before today’s revelations, Paylor had come under increasing fire for lax oversight of Dominion. For months, Paylor misinformed the public about Dominion’s secretive and potentially illegal dumping of nearly 30 million gallons of untreated coal ash wastewater into Quantico Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, in May 2015. Paylor had repeatedly claimed that “no water was discharged,” a claim that was later proven false by Dominion and DEQ’s own admission. The Potomac Riverkeeper Network has called for a criminal investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency.
In January, DEQ signed off on permits that allow Dominion to release millions of gallons of coal ash wastewater into the Potomac and James Rivers without requiring the use of best available technology to first remove harmful toxins. The permits originally allowed Dominion to discharge toxins like arsenic at levels that far exceed limits set by regulators in neighboring North Carolina. Dominion has since voluntarily agreed to stronger treatment plans following numerous protests and legal challenges. The Potomac Riverkeeper Network, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, and the state of Maryland continue to challenge the Potomac permit in court.
Meanwhile, for decades, Virginia regulators have looked the other way while coal ash pollution has leaked from Dominion’s Possum Point Power Plant along Quantico Creek and the Chesapeake Energy Center along the Elizabeth River. Yet, Paylor’s DEQ is now preparing to let Dominion “cap” those pits in place without any protective lining. This plan would allow toxic leaching to continue into surrounding groundwater for decades, even as utilities in North and South Carolina move coal ash to modern, lined landfills equipped to protect against contamination.
“Virginians deserve regulators who they can trust will hold Dominion accountable to the highest standards under the law, not the lowest,” concluded Tidwell. “The decisions Paylor is making now will have a huge impact on the health of Virginia waterways and citizens for years to come. How can we trust he is putting the health of Virginians above the profits of Dominion?”
The WAMU story further documents Dominion ties to key state legislators and a member of the Water Control Board involved in votes related to the company’s coal ash plans.
Contact:
Drew Gallagher, 804-896-2654, drew@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the biggest and oldest grassroots organization dedicated to fighting climate change in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. CCAN is building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions: www.chesapeakeclimate.org.

Dominion coal ash plans show failure of DEQ to enforce health-protective standards; Virginians deserve better

In response to reports of a closed-door media briefing held by Dominion Power today, Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, released the following statement:
“From everything we know, Dominion Power’s plan to go forward with the dumping of toxic coal ash wastewater into the James and Potomac Rivers still fails to adequately protect the health of our rivers and local citizens. Instead of holding Dominion to the highest standards, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, led by David Paylor, issued lax permits that fail to require the use of ‘best available technology’ and allow Dominion to discharge toxins like arsenic at levels that exceed limits set by neighboring North Carolina. Dominion is now clearly trying to save face in response to deep public concern and calls for a federal investigation of its secretive dumping of coal ash wastewater into Quantico Creek in May of 2015.
“Instead of assurances from Dominion, Virginians need regulators setting and enforcing strict standards that safeguard human health. Neither Dominion nor Director Paylor have addressed the real root problem. Dominion wants to simply ‘de-water’ the state’s coal ash ponds and then cap the ponds in place. This allows not only for toxic liquids to be poured into the James, Potomac and other rivers, but leaves the capped pond bottoms with no protective lining, thus allowing toxic leaching to continue into surrounding groundwater for decades. This falls short of the standard being enforced in North Carolina and South Carolina.
“We believe Governor McAuliffe and Attorney General Herring must step in to halt these permits, and to hold Dominion to the highest standards under the law. The real solution is to require Dominion to use the best available technology to treat the hazardous liquid, and then to remove the remaining toxic pond solids to modern, lined landfills that are properly equipped to protect against drinking water contamination. Time and again, Dominion has shown that it will do the easiest, cheapest, quickest thing it can get away with. Virginia’s rivers and people deserve better.”
Contact:
Drew Gallagher, 804-896-2654, drew@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the biggest and oldest grassroots organization dedicated to fighting climate change in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. CCAN is building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions: www.chesapeakeclimate.org.

Mayor Bowser betrayed DC citizens while the Public Service Commission has now failed to protect ratepayers and the environment
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a decision marred by pay-to-play politics, the DC Public Service Commission (PSC) today paved the way for local utility Pepco to be sold to an ailing, out-of-state company, an outcome that advocates say would tarnish Mayor Muriel Bowser’s reputation forever.
At a hearing this morning, the PSC first voted 2-1 to reject widely contested settlement terms — struck between Mayor Bowser, Chicago-based Exelon and Pepco — as failing to satisfy the public interest. However, despite a principled dissent from Chairman Betty Ann Kane, Commissioners Joanne Doddy Fort and Willie Phillips then voted to approve a modified version of the settlement that includes only marginal changes and fails to address the core problems that led the PSC to unanimously reject the deal in August.
In her dissenting remarks, Chairman Kane stated that the fundamental “conflict of interest” remains, the revised settlement terms could “make the situation worse,” and there is “no alternative that will address the fundamental structural problem.”
Exelon, Pepco, and other settling parties will have 14 days to decide whether or not to accept the modified settlement terms. If they do, the merger will be automatically approved by way of the 2-1 PSC vote.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, released the following statement in response:
“This is a disappointing day for the nation’s capital. If these wholly inadequate changes are agreed to, the result will be the same. While Mayor Bowser and Exelon lobbyists celebrate, DC residents will brace for big rate hikes and new roadblocks to clean energy. Chairman Kane deserves praise as the only decision-maker in this whole process who has steadfastly stood up for what’s right.
“Mayor Bowser betrayed DC ratepayers and our environment in a settlement process that reeked of dirty, pay-to-play politics. And for what? For the Mayor’s pet soccer stadium project, made possible by Pepco’s $25 million payment that smells blatantly of corruption? For a slap on the back from the Mayor’s big developer friends at the now-disbanded FreshPAC? For a few shiny, vague promises from Exelon that pale in comparison to coming rake hikes?
“In the wake of this bankrupt process, the majority of PSC commissioners have failed in their duty to protect the public. As Chairman Kane emphasized, the revised deal is fundamentally no different from the deal the commission unanimously rejected last summer when it cited an inherent ‘conflict of interest.’
“If this merger goes forward, it will be a clear win for crony politics. Exelon wants this deal in order to milk DC ratepayers for maximum profits, and prop up its own troubled bottom line. After a barrage of lobbying, ads, and back-room dealing, Mayor Bowser, and now the PSC, have agreed to turn DC ratepayers over to Exelon without securing any substantive public benefit in return. In contrast, thousands of DC residents, a majority of DC’s neighborhood leaders, and faith, small business, social justice, and environmental leaders recognized the indisputable facts, and fought this deal to the very end. Today’s ruling only sharpens the need for a citywide grassroots push for structural change in our energy policy and our politics.”
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the biggest and oldest grassroots organization dedicated to fighting climate change in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. CCAN is building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions: www.chesapeakeclimate.org.

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SUMMARY OF SCANDAL-PLAGUED EVENTS LEADING UP TO EXELON-PEPCO MERGER RULING

April of 2015: FreshPAC launched. Close allies of the Mayor launch a highly controversial political action committee called FreshPAC. A quirk in DC campaign laws allows unlimited contributions to the super PAC from companies and businesses, including those with business before the Mayor and City Council. The PAC is highly criticized by the media, voters, and members of the City Council as a fund that appears open to abuse and pay-to-play politics.
August 25, 2015: Exelon-Pepco merger rejected. The DC Public Service Commission unanimously rejects the proposed Pepco-Exelon merger as a fundamental “conflict of interest.”
September 18, 2015: Pepco pays Mayor’s office $25 million in “Soccergate” deal. Pepco gives the Office of the Mayor $25 million in cash for vague naming rights of property adjacent to the proposed new soccer stadium at Buzzard Point. The structure of the deal is highly unusual. Researchers have not been able to find another deal like it in the country. Not only is all the money paid up front, at a very high price (proportionally more than the Verizon Center naming rights deal), but the brevity and minimized complexity of the two-page legal agreement is virtually unprecedented.
September 19, 2015: Exelon presents merger “settlement” financial terms the day after “Soccergate” payment. Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show that, the very next day after the soccer deal, Exelon submits new financial information to the Mayor’s office for settlement purposes.
November 10, 2015: FreshPAC is disbanded after widespread criticism. Critics charged it represented a pay-to-play PAC that tarnished DC politics and the Mayor’s public integrity. Exelon continues to refuse to say whether it was asked to donate to FreshPAC while working with the Mayor’s office on a settlement that would give the company its prized $6.8 billion merger.
December 16, 2015: WAMU reveals that former FreshPAC chair registered to lobby for Exelon on the merger. News breaks that Chico Horton, the director of FreshPAC, registered to lobby for Exelon on the merger on September 30, 2015 – the same time that Exelon was negotiating a settlement with the mayor and while FreshPAC was still active and soliciting huge donations from businesses.
January 2016: Chico Horton, the Exelon lobbyist, says he did no “lobbying.” The former head of Bowser’s FreshPAC declares that he did no lobbying – zero – for Exelon during the intense autumn negotiations between Exelon and the Mayor’s office, despite registering as an Exelon lobbyist. Horton said he simply gave the company “strategic advice” that did not officially constitute lobbying.
February 2016: Documents indicate Mayor’s office misled the public on merger negotiations. Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act indicate that the Mayor’s office repeatedly misled the public as to who in her administration actually coordinated and led the merger settlement negotiations between the city and Exelon. The Mayor claimed and still claims that City Administrator Rashad Young and Tommy Wells, head of the Department of the Environment and Energy, led the negotiations. But FOIA documents show that they were informed of key settlement terms after the deal had been negotiated by others close to the Mayor. Who actually led those talks, and what connection to Exelon or Pepco the city negotiators might have had, is still not known. But it was not Wells or Young, as was claimed. Why the discrepancy?
February 26, 2016: PSC rejects the original settlement, but then gives approval to marginally revised terms. Little substantive changes were required on top of the Mayor’s wholly inadequate settlement. Opponents assert the merger is still a fundamental “conflict of interest” and the process was clearly influenced by big-money “pay-to-play” politics.

CCAN Applauds MD Senators for Resounding, Bipartisan Vote to Require Deeper Cuts in Greenhouse Gas Pollution

ANNAPOLIS—Today the Maryland Senate voted overwhelmingly – by a 38-8 bipartisan margin – to approve one of the nation’s strongest state requirements for reducing climate pollution. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act of 2016 (SB 323/HB 610) requires Maryland to slash emissions economy-wide by 40 percent by 2030, in line with what scientists say is necessary to avert the worst impacts of climate change.
The bill, which renews and extends a landmark law first passed in 2009, now heads to the Maryland House of Delegates for final approval. The new, forty-percent emission reduction goal was unanimously recommended by Maryland’s bipartisan Commission on Climate Change last fall – including union leaders, business and environmental advocates, and six Republican cabinet secretaries from the Hogan administration.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and a member of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change, had the following statement in response:
“This vote sends a resounding message that climate action is a bipartisan, economic and health imperative in the state of Maryland. Maryland is acting in line with the Pope, with the world’s leaders in Paris, and with our proven best interests. While solar and wind power take off, so are the devastating impacts of climate disruption, driven by our reliance on dirty energy.
“By being a national leader in cutting carbon pollution, Maryland can lead the nation in capturing the benefits of clean energy. Our current carbon-cutting programs are on track to create and sustain more than 26,000 new jobs, while saving lives and reducing asthma attacks thanks to cleaner air. We fully expect the House of Delegates to follow the Senate’s bipartisan lead, and send this win-win bill to Governor Hogan for his signature.
“Next up in 2016 will be boosting our renewable energy standard, which is our state’s top policy tool for reducing carbon emissions. The Clean Energy Jobs Act (SB 921/HB 1106) is another win-win-win for our climate, health and economy in Maryland.”

Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Groups in Two States Challenge WB XPress

On behalf of conservation groups in Virginia and West Virginia, Appalachian Mountain Advocates today filed a formal protest and motion to intervene in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s permitting process for the WB XPress, an $850 million natural gas infrastructure proposal from Columbia Gas Transmission.
The project consists of two new compressor stations, 26 miles of pipeline replacement, and 2.9 miles of new pipeline in Virginia and West Virginia. Construction would impact the Monongahela National Forest, as well as privately owned forest and agricultural lands.
“The WB XPress would fragment prime forest habitat, endanger family farms and homes, and amplify the threats to drinking water and air quality in communities plagued by fracking operations,” explained Ben Luckett, Staff Attorney with Appalachian Mountain Advocates. The WB XPress is intended to boost Columbia’s capacity to pipe fracked natural gas from West Virginia’s Marcellus region. The fracked gas would be sold in markets farther south and perhaps abroad.
“We’re also highly concerned that this project will increase the pressure to build the Mountaineer XPress, which would have even more destructive impacts throughout our region,” explained Luckett. The Mountaineer XPress, proposed by a consortium owned in part by Columbia Gas, involves constructing three new compressor stations and approximately 165 miles of new pipeline in West Virginia.
This fall, these same groups filed similar challenges to the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline. These groups hope to shed light on the rash of gas projects currently pending FERC review. “Appalachian communities have been hard-hit by the fracking boom, and now face the threat of a huge build-out of natural gas infrastructure,” explained Kate Rooth with Appalachian Voices. Collectively, the projects involve thousands of miles of pipeline construction and upgrades costing tens of billions of dollars to move fracked gas out of West Virginia.
The massive network of new gas infrastructure proposed for the region has prompted many to call on FERC to perform a comprehensive analysis of the entire planned pipeline scheme. “FERC should perform one comprehensive review of these massive fossil fuel projects so we can see the entirety of the environmental and climate impacts of this proposal — not a fragmented one that fails to recognize the devastating impacts these pipelines would have,” said Kirk Bowers, Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club.
“Taken together, these pipeline projects will lock the region into decades of reliance on a fossil fuel that is just as bad as coal for our climate,” said Anne Havemann, general counsel for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
A new report by the Sierra Club found that just two of the pipeline proposals would trigger nearly twice as much total climate-disrupting pollution as all the existing stationary sources in Virginia combined. Climate-disrupting emissions from the WB XPress project will only add to the problem.
“Every dollar invested in this dirty and dangerous fossil fuel is better spent on clean energy and energy efficiency,” said Havemann. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network has found that for the same cost as building the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, for example, a utility could instead install solar panels to power over 400,000 homes.
Columbia Gas Transmission filed its application with FERC earlier this year. FERC is tasked with determining whether the project will serve the “public convenience and necessity” and coordinating an environmental review. Columbia has asked FERC for a certificate decision by Dec. 1, 2016.
Appalachian Mountain Advocates has intervened on behalf the following groups: Appalachian Voices, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and the West Virginia and Virginia chapters of the Sierra Club.
View the formal protest and motion to intervene at: http://appvoices.org/images/uploads/2016/02/Motion-to-Intervene-and-Protest-WB-XPress.pdf
Contact:
Anne Havemann, 240-396-1984, anne@chesapeakeclimate.org

Baltimore, Md.—Last night, the Baltimore City Council took its first step toward addressing the dangers of potentially explosive crude oil trains running through the city. Council President Jack Young introduced a bill that would require the first-ever city study of the health and safety risks posed by transporting crude oil by rail through Baltimore. Every member of the city council is a cosponsor of the ordinance (Bill 16-0621).
The bill would require the City Health Department to study the public health and safety risks oil trains pose to communities along rail lines. It also requires public outreach to inform residents of the study findings and directs city agencies to incorporate those findings into their incident response plans.
“Having a plan in place is instrumental to effectively tackling any situation that may unfold in the transportation of crude oil by rail,” said City Council President Jack Young. “The City of Baltimore is pleased to partner with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network to ensure the safety and health of our residents.”
Over 165,000 Baltimore residents live within a mile radius of train tracks known to transport highly volatile and explosive crude oil, putting them in the potential impact zone of a derailment and disaster. Recently, a Maryland judge ruled against rail companies CSX and Norfolk Southern, which were trying to block the state from releasing oil train routes to the public.
Released documents show that crude oil trains run along 26th street in Charles Village, through the Howard Street Tunnel, next to Camden Yards and Ravens Stadium, and over Gwynn’s Falls. Trains then travel through Morrell Park, Mt. Winans, Westport and Brooklyn on their way to a rail-to-barge terminal in the Fairfield Peninsula next to Curtis Bay, where oil is then shipped out of the harbor to East Coast refineries.
“Trains carrying North Dakota crude oil, known to be highly explosive and volatile, put neighborhoods like Westport in a vulnerable and dangerous situation,” said Keisha Allen, president of the Westport Community Association, which represents an area directly adjacent to routes used by crude oil trains. “As crude-by-rail traffic has increased, so have accidents, posing significant risks to the environment, homes, and our lives.”
“Baltimore communities deserve to know what’s at risk when oil trains roll through their neighborhoods,” said Jon Kenney, Healthy Communities Organizer with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Passing this bill is the first step to raising awareness and taking action to protect Baltimore communities. Ultimately, much more is needed at all levels, city, state, and federal, to prevent a potential human and environmental disaster.”
Five explosive oil train derailments have occurred in the U.S. and Canada over the past year. The worst North American oil train disaster occurred in July of 2013, when a train carrying explosive Bakken crude oil from North Dakota derailed and exploded in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, causing the deaths of 47 people. The closest oil train derailments to our area occurred in Mount Carbon, WV in February of 2015; and Lynchburg, Virginia in April of 2014. Because crude oil is shipped through and out of Baltimore, a similar disaster could happen here, or anywhere trains travel through Maryland to the city.
To highlight the risks oil trains pose to Baltimore residents, and discuss ways to take action, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network is holding a town hall meeting on Thursday, February 11th at 7pm in Charles Village. The event will feature a mom who lived through the Lac-Mégantic tragedy, City Council representatives, and experts on the issue. Attendees will also learn how they can get involved in city and statewide efforts to address the dangers of oil trains. The event will take place at the 2640 Space at St. John’s Church, 2640 St. Paul St., Baltimore, MD 21218.
RESOURCES:

• View information about the ordinance on the City Council website: https://baltimore.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2557511&GUID=3360B46C-5F17-48A0-B7E9-A302B8A72549&Options=ID%7cText%7c&Search=16-0621&FullText=1
• View a PDF of the ordinance at: http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Baltimore-Ordinance-Oil-Trains.pdf
• See the ForestEthics Oil Train Blast Zone map to find which Baltimore areas are in the one-mile impact zone: http://explosive-crude-by-rail.org/

Contact:
Jon Kenney, 240-396-1985, jon@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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