Category: Press Releases

$3.2 billion pipeline is the second of four major gas industry projects proposed in Virginia to file for federal approval

Analysis shows clean energy alternatives would create more jobs while protecting the climate

RICHMOND—Today, Mountain Valley LLC, a joint venture of companies led by EQT Midstream Partners, filed its federal application to build the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline. This $3.2 billion, 42-inch-wide fracked gas pipeline would stretch 301 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia, require up to three compressor stations, and is the second of four pipeline projects proposed for the same region of Virginia and West Virginia to apply for federal approval. Just last month, Dominion Resources filed its application to construct the controversial 564-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is calling on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to fully assess the harm both projects would inflict on the climate as part of a comprehensive environmental review that also considers clean energy alternatives.
Drew Gallagher, Virginia Organizer for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement:
“Virginia is facing an unprecedented expansion of fracked-gas infrastructure, with potentially disastrous consequences for our climate, health, homes and unique natural resources. Along with Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline, the Mountain Valley Pipeline would lock us into decades more reliance on a dirty fossil fuel that’s as bad as coal for the climate.
“In conducting its review, FERC must stop turning a blind eye to the climate harm of fracked gas, and start prioritizing truly clean alternatives. Studies show methane traps heat 86 times more effectively than carbon dioxide. No review will be adequate unless FERC considers the full cycle of greenhouse gas pollution that the project will trigger from fracking wells to compressor stations to all 301 miles of pipeline to the burning of the gas.
“A Chesapeake Climate Action Network analysis shows that investing $3.2 billion into clean energy alternatives, instead of another fossil fuel pipeline, would be a far better deal for Virginia. For instance, if Mountain Valley LLC invested $3.2 billion in solar energy, it could conservatively fund the installation of enough solar panels to power more than 273,000 Virginia homes and reduce carbon emissions at a rate equal to taking more than 407,000 cars off the road.[1]
“Investing this $3.2 billion in wind energy would bring similar benefits while creating 4,770 jobs during construction and 1,180 permanent jobs annually.[1] By contrast, a widely criticized study funded by Mountain Valley LLC estimated that the pipeline would support 4,300 construction jobs, and 34 permanent jobs, which doesn’t factor in the significant economic costs or job losses that could result from leaks, explosions, declining property values, and harm to natural resources.
“FERC and Governor McAuliffe must wake up to the reality that we can and must meet our energy needs without jeopardizing Virginians’ homes, health, and climate.”
The Mountain Valley Pipeline is one of four interstate gas pipeline projects currently proposed for the central Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountain region of Virginia and West Virginia—along with Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Williams’ Appalachian Connector Pipeline, and the Columbia Pipeline Group’s WB Xpress Project.
On Monday, CCAN will join pipeline foes and bipartisan legislators for a tele-press conference to demand a single, comprehensive regional review of all four proposed projects. The coalition will release a joint letter to FERC from more than 30 groups.
Contact:
Drew Gallagher, 804-896-2654, drew@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
1. Solar and wind energy analysis is based on U.S. Energy Information Administration data and National Renewable Energy Laboratory modeling.

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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.

**MEDIA ADVISORY**

Saturday, October 24:
Prince George’s Expo to Showcase Clean Air and Community Benefits of Expanding Climate Action in Maryland

Del. Dereck Davis and Councilwoman Toles to join over 20 civic, government, clean energy business, environment, and faith groups

Event is part of a six-stop fall ‘Clean Energy Roadshow’ highlighting benefits of increasing Md.’s renewable energy standard

DISTRICT HEIGHTS—On Saturday, October 24th, Delegate Dereck Davis and Councilwoman Karen Toles will join the Maryland Climate Coalition and over 20 green business, civic, faith, government, and environmental groups for an “Energy, Health & Climate Expo” at the Suitland Community Center.
Through a panel discussion, workshops, and interactive booths, the event will showcase how Marylanders can participate in and benefit from climate solutions—from making their homes more energy efficient to exploring solar job opportunities to speaking out for stronger clean energy policies in the General Assembly.
The expo in Prince George’s County is part of a six-stop “Clean Energy Roadshow” organized by the Maryland Climate Coalition this fall. Each event is highlighting how renewing Maryland’s landmark 2009 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act, which must be reauthorized in 2016, and expanding the state’s clean energy standard to 25% by 2020 will benefit our health, economy and environment.
WHAT: “Energy, Health & Climate Expo: Renewing Maryland Together,” including a panel discussion with Delegate Dereck Davis and Councilwoman Karen Toles, interactive booths with over a dozen organizations and green businesses, and family-friendly activities on energy efficiency and public health. Participants will find resources on saving energy and money by going green at home.
WHERE: Suitland Community Center, 5600 Regency Ln, District Heights, MD 20747
WHEN: Saturday, October 24th, 1-4pm. Panel discussion will begin at 1:30pm.
WHO: Panel discussion on the state policies we need to grow Prince George’s clean energy economy will feature:

• Maryland Delegate Dereck Davis, District 25, Prince George’s County
• Commissioner Karen Toles, Prince George’s County Council
• Adam Ortiz, Director for the Department of the Environment of Prince George’s County
• Sara Via, Department of Biology at the University of Maryland, College Park

Participating organizations and green businesses include:

The EmPowers: energy-saving superheroes! * Shepherd Energy * Prince George’s County Department of the Environment * Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation* Eco Beco * Chesapeake Climate Action Network * Maryland Organizing for Action * Climate Change Maryland * Groundswell clean energy purchasing groups* Solar City * Complete Home Solutions * Community Forklift * Grid Alternatives * Prince George’s Greens * Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility * Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake * Watt Watchers * Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development * Greenbelt Climate Action Network * Climate Change is Elementary * PEPCO * Boy Scouts of America * National Wildlife Federation

CONTACT: Kelly Trout, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
The next three clean energy roadshow stops will be:

November 12th, 5-8pm
Boys and Girls Club, 2002 Cedar Dr, Edgewood, MD 21040

November 17th, 7-9 pm
Columbia East Library, Center for Aging, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD 21045

November 21st, 1-4pm
Baltimore City Community College, 2901 Liberty Heights Ave, Baltimore, MD 21215

Advocates are using the hashtag #CleanerMDnow to distribute information about the 2016 legislation and these supporting events.

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The Maryland Climate Coalition brings together environmental, faith, labor, and civic organizations to advance clean energy and climate policies in Maryland. For more information about the Maryland Climate Coalition, visit http://www.marylandclimatecoalition.org.

CONTACT:
Dawone Robinson, 804-767-8983, dawone@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

Real leadership must involve real action on VA’s coastal flooding crisis

This week, Governor McAuliffe is expected to focus on his energy agenda in Virginia. But it remains to be seen if this week of energy action adds up to the real leadership Virginia needs on climate change.
As Pope Francis reminded us last week, “courageous” action is needed to “redirect our steps” and protect our common home. As the latest images of flooded streets and sidewalks in Hampton Roads remind us, Virginia has no time to lose. The homes of tens of thousands of Virginians, businesses, and vital military infrastructure are at risk now from rising sea levels driven by fossil fuel pollution. A massive, coordinated investment is needed now to keep 1.7 million coastal citizens safe and dry.
These are the top three ways we’ll be looking for Governor McAuliffe’s “energy action” to translate into real climate action this week:

1. Will Gov. McAuliffe’s “energy action” bring real resources to Virginia communities on the front lines of climate change now?

Of the flooding crisis in Hampton Roads, Gov. McAuliffe said in July 2014, “We can’t bury our head in the sand anymore.” However, Gov. McAuliffe has yet to bring meaningful solutions to the massive challenge localities face in funding sea level rise and flood-protection measures.
A bipartisan, win-win solution is gaining momentum: joining the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI. This proven, market-based program would lower emissions from power plants in Virginia while generating about $200 million annually through 2030 in new state revenue, providing a dedicated source of funding for adaptation measures. The Virginia Coastal Protection Act — state legislation that would commit Virginia to joining RGGI and dedicate half of the funds to coastal adaptation efforts — has the support of a growing, bipartisan coalition of city governments, state legislators, low-income advocates, and health, social justice and environmental groups. Gov. McAuliffe’s administration could be laying the groundwork to move Virginia into RGGI. Will he step up and embrace this solution?

2. Will Gov. McAuliffe leverage the Clean Power Plan as a springboard for comprehensive clean energy and adaptation action?

The federal Clean Power Plan sets a new minimum requirement for Virginia to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, a requirement that Virginia is already well on its way to achieving. Gov. McAuliffe must go above and beyond. He must leverage the Clean Power Plan in a way that responds to Virginia’s biggest climate challenges: an overreliance on fracked gas — at the expense of energy efficiency and clean energy investments — and an urgent need for coastal adaptation funding.
On both counts, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative again rises to the top as a win-win solution. By setting a declining cap on carbon emissions, the RGGI program would incentivize investments in Virginia’s clean energy economy instead of new fossil fuels. Investing RGGI revenue in new energy efficiency programs (in addition to coastal adaptation measures) would lower Virginians’ utility bills while eliminating the need for costly new gas-fired power plants. Will Gov. McAuliffe embrace action that goes above the bare minimum of the Clean Power Plan, mobilizing money for our coast and moving Virginia beyond fracked gas?

3. Will Gov. McAuliffe stop endorsing action that makes climate change worse?

During his time in office, Gov. McAuliffe has taken several major positions that move Virginia in the wrong direction on energy. Massive new pipelines for fracked gas, including the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines, would lock Virginia into decades of more reliance on fossil fuels while putting our communities at risk. A growing number of studies show reliance on fracked gas is just as harmful to the climate as coal. Methane that leaks from fracking wells, pipelines, and gas processing facilities is 86 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
Paving the way for new investments in dirty fossil fuels is the exact opposite of climate leadership, especially when Virginia has vast, untapped resources of solar, wind and energy efficiency waiting to be developed. Will Gov. McAuliffe use this energy action week to refocus 100% of his attention on making Virginia a true leader on clean, renewable energy development?
RESOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION:

• Fact sheet on RGGI’s benefits to Virginia: http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/VA-RGGI-Fact-Sheet-UPDATED-8.10.15.pdf
• Analysis Group study on the economic and consumer benefits of the RGGI program: http://www.analysisgroup.com/uploadedfiles/content/insights/publishing/analysis_group_rggi_report_july_2015.pdf
• Washington Post op-ed by CCAN director Mike Tidwell on Gov. McAuliffe’s climate legacy: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/protect-norfolk-from-drowning/2015/08/14/86d2aa68-4102-11e5-8ab4-c73967a143d3_story.html
• See stories of Virginians on the front lines of rising sea levels: http://floodofvoices.tumblr.com/

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Contact:
Kelly Trout, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 717-439-0346 (cell), kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Joelle Novey, Interfaith Power & Light, 202-256-1450, joelle@gwipl.org
Note: Journalists can contact Kelly Trout at 717-439-0346 (cell) or kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org to connect with participating congregations in a particular geographic area or denomination.

Weekend ‘Climate in the Pulpits / On the Bimah’ events show multi-faith support for raising Md’s clean energy goals

BALTIMORE—On the heels of Pope Francis’ visit to the region, 85 Maryland congregations with over 10,000 members will be preaching about climate justice from the pulpit or the bimah this weekend, reiterating the Pope’s call for climate action during services and special events in Baltimore, Annapolis, Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties, and beyond.
In the spirit of Pope Francis’ call yesterday for “courageous” action from representatives in Congress, faith communities will invite their members to sign postcards to state legislators, urging them to expand Maryland’s renewable energy standard (RPS) to 25% by 2020 and renew the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act. These policies are the top ways Maryland can carry out the Pope’s teaching that “highly polluting fossil fuels … need to be … replaced without delay.”
This weekend’s coordinated, multi-faith effort, called “Climate in the Pulpits / on the Bimah,” comes at a crucial time to renew and strengthen Maryland’s Climate Action Plan. The 2009 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act, Maryland’s legal requirement for reducing carbon pollution, will be up for renewal in the 2016 legislative session. The surest way to reduce emissions is to increase the amount of clean electricity—like solar and wind power—that powers our homes and communities. More than three-quarters (76%) of Maryland Catholics support strengthening Maryland’s renewable energy mandate, according to polling released this week.
“It’s not right that 80% of the energy we use to light our sanctuaries still comes from fossil fuels,” reads the bulletin insert which congregations will distribute to thousands of Marylanders this weekend. “Dirty energy is polluting our air and water and making our children and elders sick … our use of dirty energy is pouring heat-trapping climate pollution into our atmosphere, hurting our poorest neighbors around the world.”
Father Ty Hullinger, who serves three Catholic parishes in Baltimore City, is among over 80 Maryland religious leaders who are bringing “Climate in the Pulpits” to their congregations.
“We’re told in Genesis not to be owners and manipulators of this world, but stewards and caretakers,” said Father Hullinger. “We’re already seeing the impacts of climate change, and the families I work with in Baltimore are personally affected by industrial pollution. The Holy Father’s visit is pushing me and my colleagues to take the call to stewardship more seriously.”
Maryland State Delegate Dereck Davis (D-25 Prince George’s) is participating by speaking on clean energy during the Sunday service at Forestville New Redeemer Baptist Church in District Heights. “Pope Francis has reminded us that addressing climate change is one of the great moral issues of our time,” said Del. Davis. “It is imperative that Maryland acts on climate so that we can create real, broad, and sustainable prosperity.”
Maryland congregations will be participating in different ways. Many plan to have clergy or guest speakers deliver a sermon on climate and Creation care, and to distribute bulletin inserts. Some Jewish communities are studying the Pope’s encyclical on Yom Kippur and some congregations are incorporating Creation care into religious education classes or holding special workshops.
Maryland’s faith community has been a leading voice for stronger clean energy policies over the past year. During the 2015 General Assembly, seven Maryland bishops and senior ecumenical leaders joined over 230 faith leaders in calling on state lawmakers to expand Maryland’s renewable energy standard. Bishop Wolfgang Herz-Lane, president of the Ecumenical Leaders Group of central Maryland, penned an op-ed in the Baltimore Sun this July echoing the Pope’s encyclical on climate change and stressing that “the survival and flourishing of all people depends on our ability to move from temporary and destructive fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.”
Participating congregations include:
* Friday, 9/25 in Montgomery County, 6:30-10 pm
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cedar Lane, 9601 Cedar Ln. Bethesda
Earth Celebration featuring music, dance, and creation of a mandala.
* Saturday, 9/26 in Anne Arundel County, 11 am
St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 730 Bestgate Rd. Annapolis
Rev. Kip Banks, Sr. of Upper Marlboro will give a Creation care workshop.
Contact: Father Randy Callender, 410-353-6263 randycallender@yahoo.com
* Sunday, 9/27 in Prince George’s County, 10 am
Forestville New Redeemer Baptist Church, 7808 Marlboro Pike, District Heights
State Delegate Dereck E. Davis will speak to the congregation about clean energy during the service starting at 10 am
* Sunday, 9/27 in Baltimore City, 9:30 am
St. James Episcopal Church, 1020 West Lafayette Ave. Baltimore
Rev. Darriel Harris of the Baltimore Food & Faith Project will preach during the Sunday worship service.
* Sunday, 9/27 in Baltimore City, 10:30 a.m. / 11:30 a.m.
St. Dominic Catholic Parish (10:30 a.m), 5302 Harford Road, Baltimore
St. Anthony’s Catholic Parish (11:30 a.m), 4414 Frankford Ave., Baltimore
Father Ty Hullinger will preach during two Sunday worship services
Contact: 301-707-7147 or THullinger@archbalt.org
* Sunday, 9/27 in Anne Arundel County, 10 am
St. Luke’s Eastport, 1101 Bay Ridge Ave. Annapolis
Shantha Ready Alonso of Creation Justice Ministries will preach during the Sunday worship service.
* Sunday, 9/27 in Montgomery County, 10 am service, 11:30 am solar dedication
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville, 100 Welsh Park Dr. Rockville
Dedication of new solar photovoltaic system following the Sunday worship service.

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Climate in the Pulpits is a joint program of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA).

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the biggest and oldest grassroots organization dedicated to fighting climate change in Maryland, Virginia 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.

Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA) engages hundreds of congregations of all faiths across Maryland and the DC area in saving energy, going green, and responding to climate change. IPL-DMV is one of forty state affiliates of Interfaith Power & Light mobilizing a national religious response to the climate crisis: www.mdipl.org

Studies show fracked natural gas is as bad as coal for the climate

RICHMOND—Dominion Resources today filed its federal application to build the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline, the first of four proposed gas pipeline projects in Virginia. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is calling on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to fully assess the cumulative harm this project would inflict on the climate as part of its environmental review.
FERC is now charged with preparing an Environmental Impact Statement for Dominion’s proposed $5 billion, 564-mile pipeline from West Virginia, across Virginia, to North Carolina. This review must account for the many dangers the pipeline poses to public health and safety, the environment and the climate—as well as readily available alternatives to a pipeline, such as solar, wind and energy efficiency.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement:

“Dominion’s pipeline threatens to unleash a huge new pulse of greenhouse gas pollution. To do its job, FERC must assess the pipeline’s cumulative impact on the climate, including leaks of heat-trapping methane and other greenhouse gases from fracking wells, compressor stations, and all 564 miles of pipeline.

“Numerous studies show fracked gas disrupts the climate on par with coal. That’s because methane is 86 times more potent of a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. It’s frankly sad that Dominion and Governor Terry McAuliffe continue to trumpet this project as ‘clean’ when it’s for a volatile, planet-heating fossil fuel.

“Thankfully, Virginia has plenty of clean energy alternatives to building a 564-mile pipeline, and FERC is legally obliged to consider them. For instance, if Dominion invested its $5 billion in solar power instead of a dangerous pipeline, we could install enough solar panels to power over 400,000 Virginia homes. Installing and maintaining this industry would create 2,500 temporary construction jobs and support 216 permanent jobs annually, plus additional jobs due to lower energy prices over time, and improved health outcomes of workers across the state.[1]

“FERC, Dominion, and Governor McAuliffe must wake up to the reality that we can and must meet our energy needs without jeopardizing Virginians’ homes, health and climate.”

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is one of four interstate gas pipeline projects currently proposed for the central Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountain region of Virginia and West Virginia—along with the Mountain Valley Pipeline, the Appalachian Connector Pipeline, and the WB Xpress Project.
CCAN is also joining landowner and environmental groups in calling on FERC to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for all four pipelines in order to fully evaluate the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of pipeline development in this region.
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Monique Sullivan, 202-440-4318, monique@chesapeakeclimate.org
1. Solar power and jobs data is based on U.S. Energy Information Administration data and National Renewable Energy Laboratory modeling.

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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, D.C. We’re building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – American faith activists today delivered 166 copies of the Pope’s “climate change” encyclical to every Catholic member of the US Congress. In an accompanying letter, the activists asked the lawmakers to act on Pope Francis’ call to action on global warming by supporting HR 1027, “The Healthy Climate and Family Security Act.”
“We are reaching out to Catholic lawmakers today because – right now – they can take the kind of bold action the Pope is calling for worldwide on climate change,” said Patrick Carolan, director of the Franciscan Action Network. “Congress has a moral obligation to act, and Catholic lawmakers should – like the Pope – lead on this issue.”
Carolan called on the members of Congress to support HR 1027. The bill, introduced by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), would cap US carbon emissions, require fossil fuel companies to pay a fee to pollute, and then rebate the collected revenue back to all Americans in equal-sized quarterly “carbon dividend” payments. This so-call “cap-and-dividend” approach to climate policy has been growing in popularity in recent years in Congress and across the country.
“The Pope in his encyclical calls for a morally thoughtful and socially fair solution to climate change,” said Mike Tidwell, a Presbyterian activist and director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “In our view, HR 1027 is both an effective tool for reducing carbon pollution and a just tool that makes sure vulnerable Americans actually prosper during the transition to clean energy.”
Click here to read the letter delivered to Congress.
Contact:
Patrick Carolan, Franciscan Action Network, 203-522-2324, pcarolan@franciscanaction.org
Mike Tidwell, Chesapeake Climate Action Network 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, Virginia and Washington, D.C. We’re building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions.

Washington, D.C.—The District of Columbia Public Service Commission (PSC) today announced it is blocking a proposed merger between Chicago-based utility giant Exelon and regional utility Pepco. D.C. regulators’ decision to reject the deal is being hailed by climate and consumer advocates as a major victory against corporate monopoly and for a clean, reliable and efficient 21st century electric grid.
This decision came after especially effective organizing and opposition from the Power DC coalition, led by Anya Schoolman, Rob Robinson, and other leaders across the District.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, a group that intervened before the PSC in Maryland against the proposed merger, released the following statement in response:
“Today’s ruling is a major victory for people across D.C., Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey and for the growth of clean energy across our region. In the end, all of Exelon’s money, lawyers and lobbyists couldn’t mask the overwhelming facts, confirmed today by the D.C. PSC, that this deal would be a boon for Exelon and Pepco shareholders and bad for virtually everyone else.
“We applaud the PSC for recognizing that this nearly $7 billion proposed merger would have raised rates and stunted wind and solar development, as well as efficiency gains, across D.C.’s customer base for electricity. In the end, the D.C. PSC joined with the District’s environmental community, six Councilmembers, 27 out of DC’s 40 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC), the Office of People’s Counsel, and many others in rejecting this deal.
“Now that this harmful, monopolistic proposal has been rejected, it is time to give new life to real solutions to D.C. and Maryland’s energy challenges. These solutions include a significant expansion of wind and solar power, energy efficiency gains, community-based energy systems and microgrids, and improved overall grid reliability. One good idea that emerged from the proposed Exelon-Pepco was to create a PSC-guided process to explore ‘performance-based ratemaking.’ Utilities should be rewarded based on how well they perform on energy improvements that enhance our economy and reduce carbon emissions and climate change. Hopefully, we can now move on to these solutions.”
Contact:
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@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. We’re building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions.

Methane leakage from existing natural gas infrastructure exceeds previous estimates, and will not be impacted by new White House methane regulations

WASHINGTON, D.C.—According to a new study released this week as part of an ongoing research effort by the Environmental Defense Fund, natural gas “gathering” facilities for piping and processing natural gas in the United States leak about 100 billion cubic feet of gas per year — a figure that is eight times larger than the EPA’s estimates and could make gathering facilities the biggest source of methane emissions in the oil and gas supply chain.

The gathering process consolidates gas from multiple wells in a single area and feeds it into processing plants or main transmission pipelines. When these emissions are taken into account, EPA’s estimates of the total emissions from the natural gas supply chain would increase by 25 percent, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. EPA’s current inventories conservatively estimate that natural gas infrastructure leaks methane at a rate of 1.3%. When overlaid with this latest report, that leakage rate would increase to about 1.6% — a level that makes US liquefied natural gas (LNG) worse than coal when exported to Asia when the climate impacts of methane leakage are measured over a 20-year timeframe.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released an environmental report analyzing the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions resulting from liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. Over a 20-year timeframe, DOE found that the lifecycle leakage rate would need to stay below 1.4% when exporting U.S. LNG to Asia.
Dominion Resources intends to invest $3.8 billion to export up to 5.75 million metric tons of LNG to India and Japan each year out of Cove Point, Maryland. These latest findings provide more evidence that domestic methane leakage rates are high enough to negate any climate benefits of exported natural gas when compared to regional coal-fired electricity in those countries. Furthermore, as the Chesapeake Climate Action Network explained in a white paper on the subject, if domestic leakage rates are higher than EPA estimates, or if the natural gas pipeline infrastructure in India or Japan leak methane at higher rates than U.S. pipelines, then the immediate climate impacts of LNG from Cove Point would be much worse for the climate than coal if exports began today.
This new EDF study comes on the heels of the Obama Administration’s first-ever proposed methane pollution standards for new and modified oil and gas facilities, a landmark announcement on August 18th that will blunt the projected growth of methane and smog-forming pollution produced by the industry. While the standards proposed by the administration would cover new and modified facilities, existing oil and gas equipment would be exempt from the rule, thereby allowing operators to continue to pollute our air with methane and toxic chemicals.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement:
“This new study on gas industry pollution emissions proves yet again that the Cove Point gas export facility in Maryland will be worse for global warming than burning coal. We now know the lifecycle methane and carbon emissions from U.S. gas exports will exceed total greenhouse gas emissions of coal burned overseas. As a result, the U.S. must immediately target both new and existing natural gas infrastructure in order to reduce climate-disrupting emissions from natural gas within a timeframe consistent with stabilizing global greenhouse gas emissions. It is shocking, meanwhile, that the natural gas industry continues to claim that federal emissions standards are unnecessary.
“We applaud the Obama administration for announcing steps this week for reinforcing its commitment to reducing climate change pollution by introducing the first-ever proposed methane pollution standards for new and modified oil and gas facilities. But this latest study from the Environmental Defense Fund on methane emissions from existing natural gas infrastructure makes it abundantly clear that much more needs to be done. Even with these new federal standards in place, existing oil and gas equipment will still be responsible for an estimated 90 percent of methane emissions in 2018.
“Federal standards targeting new oil and gas infrastructure are an important first step towards a comprehensive methane strategy. We hope that the President will use his remaining time in office to introduce equally stringent standards on existing oil and gas infrastructure so that the U.S. can finally have a national framework in place to limit methane emissions from all natural gas operations.”

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the biggest and oldest non-profit organization dedicated to fighting climate change in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. We’re building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions.

CSX and Norfolk Southern lose unprecedented lawsuit aimed at keeping records secret

BALTIMORE—A state judge ruled Friday that Maryland residents have a right to access information about the movement of dangerous and potentially explosive crude oil trains in their communities.
Rail companies CSX and Norfolk Southern had sued the Maryland Department of the Environment last summer to prevent the state from releasing information about the routes and estimated amounts of crude oil traveling through the state. But Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Fletcher-Hill ruled on Friday that the public has a right to access this information under the Maryland Public Information Act (PIA). In separate orders against CSX and Norfolk Southern, the judge found the rail companies’ arguments for confidentiality without merit. Judge Fletcher-Hill’s ruling will take effect September 4, 2015, pending appeals from the rail companies.
“This is a significant victory for transparency and for Maryland residents living along the path of oil trains,” said Anne Havemann, General Counsel for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Judge Fletcher-Hill affirmed that communities have a right to know whether dangerous oil trains are running through their backyards. Shedding light on the risks is the first step toward stronger state and local action to safeguard our communities.”
After the federal government enacted an emergency “transparency” order last year requiring railways to alert states about upcoming shipments of so-called Bakken crude oil, the companies pushed states to sign nondisclosure agreements. Maryland was one of only 14 states that signed an agreement.
The lawsuit was triggered by a PIA request from news outlets McClatchy and the Associated Press and represented the first time a railroad had gone to court to prevent disclosure. CCAN, along with the Environmental Integrity Project, also filed a request for information under the PIA on August 8, 2014, asking for rail shipment information provided to MDE by CSX and Norfolk Southern.
The federal government has made clear that route information is not exempt from the federal sunshine laws. The most recent directive from the Federal Railroad Administration reiterated the government’s commitment to transparency. “Transparency is a critical piece of the federal government’s comprehensive approach to safety,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “And we understand the public’s interest in knowing what is traveling through their communities.”
Previously, advocates used mapping data and eyewitness accounts to estimate where the trains traveled through Maryland and Baltimore in particular. Analysis of the mapping data paired with census data indicates that 165,000 Baltimore residents live within the potential impact zone of an oil train derailment, as defined by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Maryland court ruling applies to trains carrying crude oil from the fracked oil wells of North Dakota. These trains have routinely derailed and exploded across the country. The worst explosion happened two years ago, when a train derailed in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, killing 47 people and incinerating 30 buildings.
The judge’s decision comes on the heels of a “Stop Oil Trains” rally and oil train public information hearing in Baltimore City in early July. Residents expressed their concern about the safety and health hazards of oil trains that already roll through the city in large numbers. One company shipped more than 100 million gallons of crude oil out of the Fairfield Peninsula in South Baltimore over the years 2013 and 2014 (up from zero gallons the previous two years). Other companies have applied for permits to build additional export facilities in the city.
Community, environmental, and public safety advocates are calling on the Baltimore City Council and mayor to pass an ordinance that would temporarily halt expansion of crude oil terminals until the city can study the health and safety risks of transporting the dangerous cargo through the city.
View Judge Fletcher-Hill’s opinion in CSX v. Maryland Department of the Environment: http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/CSX-Transportation-Inc.-v.-MDE-Memorandum.Opinion.pdf
View Judge Fletcher-Hill’s opinion in Norfolk Southern v. Maryland Department of the Environment: http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Norfolk-Southern-Railway-Company-v.-MDE-et-al-Memorandum-Opinion-Order.pdf

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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. We’re building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today the Obama administration took the most significant federal action yet to tackle climate change, issuing final rules to cut carbon emissions from power plants by 32% by 2030 under the Clean Air Act.
Maryland is well-positioned to meet its state-level requirement for reducing emissions, thanks to climate and clean energy policies enacted over the past decade. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network notes that Maryland has a significant opportunity to lead in realizing the public health, consumer, and economic benefits of the federal Clean Power Plan by strengthening those existing state policies.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement:
“CCAN welcomes the Clean Power Plan and its goal to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants nationwide. Maryland is ahead of the curve in reducing harmful carbon pollution thanks to clean energy policies adopted over the past decade.
“But Maryland can and must do much more, especially as a state extremely vulnerable to the impacts of rising sea levels and smog. Maryland has significant progress yet to make on clean energy, and it starts with expanding our clean electricity standard to 25% by 2020. Increasing our reliance on wind and solar is the top recommendation for cutting greenhouse gas pollution under Maryland’s Climate Action Plan. It will lead to greater economic prosperity and healthier air.”
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, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. We’re building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions.