CCAN Hails Rejection of Exelon-Pepco Merger Plan by D.C. Regulators

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.

New Study Deepens Case that Gas Exports at Cove Point Will Be Worse for the Climate than Coal

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.

Judge Orders Public Disclosure of Dangerous Oil Train Shipments in Maryland

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.

 

CCAN Applauds Major Federal Step Forward on Climate, but Emphasizes that Md. Must Continue to Lead

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.

Clean Power Plan is Win-Win Solution for Virginia

Clean Power Plan Gives Va. Win-Win Way to Tackle Coastal Flooding While Saving Consumers Money

By joining proven regional system, Va. can cut emissions efficiently and generate $200 million annually to invest in solutions
RICHMOND, Va.—Today the Obama administration issued the first nationwide rules for cutting carbon emissions from power plants under the Clean Air Act. The “Clean Power Plan” standard represents the most significant federal action yet to tackle climate change, which is driving the sea-level rise already routinely flooding Virginia’s coastal communities. The final rules allow states to work together to develop regional compliance plans to reduce carbon dioxide pollution through 2030, and provide incentives to states who choose this option.
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network, joining a wide range of advocates across the state, believes that the best path forward for Virginia to meet the new federal standard is to join an existing nine-state pollution reduction system called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
By incentivizing investments in energy efficiency, the RGGI program is proven to save consumers money. By capping carbon pollution and requiring power plants to buy emissions permits, the market-based RGGI system would send much-needed funds back to Virginia. Virginia would receive about $200 million annually through 2030 to reinvest in solutions, such as flooding adaptation projects, energy efficiency, and job training.
Dawone Robinson, Virginia Policy Director at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response:
“Virginia has a win-win solution at its fingertips. Joining the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is the smartest path forward for Virginia to lower emissions, while creating jobs and generating resources to invest in solutions. Over the past three years, RGGI has saved consumers $460 million, generated $1.30 billion in net economic value, and created 14,200 new jobs, all while reducing carbon pollution faster than the rest of the nation. Virginians currently pay some of the highest average electric bills in the country, primarily because we lag far behind on energy efficiency, a problem that RGGI resources would help solve.
“Notably, RGGI is the only plan on the table to jump-start a shared solution to sea-level rise in Virginia. Our coast needs a massive, coordinated investment to protect citizens, critical infrastructure, economic assets, and the world’s largest naval base from flooding that’s here now and only getting worse. Bipartisan legislation that would move Virginia into the RGGI system — a bill called the Virginia Coastal Protection Act — would help Virginia meet the requirements of the Clean Power Plan while creating the state’s first dedicated funding stream for flooding adaptation projects, which would also be a major job creator.
“The General Assembly has a huge opportunity to maximize the benefits of the Clean Power Plan by passing the Virginia Coastal Protection Act in 2016 and moving Virginia into RGGI.”
Background: The Virginia Coastal Protection Act is a bipartisan solution introduced in the 2015 General Assembly by Senator Donald McEachin of Richmond and Delegate Ron Villanueva of Virginia Beach. In 2015, the bill gained broad and high-profile support, including from the cities of Portsmouth and Virginia Beach, the Virginia Chapter of the American Association of Pediatrics, the Virginia Housing Coalition, and statewide environmental groups. The bill would join Virginia into RGGI and create the Commonwealth Resilience Fund to reinvest the funds generated into statewide climate solutions. A full half of the funds would help localities pay for flooding adaptation measures, while additional funds would support energy efficiency and clean energy programs statewide, as well as economic development in Southwest Virginia.
Contact:
Dawone Robinson, 804-767-8983, dawone@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, D.C. We’re building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions.

Baltimore City Council Moves to Endorse Statewide Fracking Ban

Committee advances resolution urging permanent ban on dangerous drilling; full Council hearing scheduled for August 17

Statement of ‘Don’t Frack Maryland’ Coalition Members Mitch Jones, Shilpa Joshi and Andy Galli

Baltimore, MD – On Tuesday, the Baltimore City Council took its first step toward urging a statewide ban on the dangerous practice of fracking in Maryland. After hearing public testimony, the Council’s Judiciary Committee voted 3-0 to advance a resolution calling on the state to place an outright ban on fracking due to its harmful health, environmental and economic impacts. The resolution currently has 13 co-sponsors and is scheduled for a vote by the full Council on August 17.
Earlier this year, the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill that prohibits the state from issuing fracking permits through October 2017. The bill became law this May. The resolution, introduced by Councilmember James Kraft last week, calls on the state to enact permanent protections for Maryland communities, noting, “There is no scientific research supporting claims that [fracking] can be carried out in a way that reduces health and environmental risks to an acceptable level.”
In response, several representatives of the “Don’t Frack Maryland” coalition issued the following statements:
“Just since the General Assembly approved a two-year moratorium important new public health studies have confirmed the risks fracking poses to our state,” said Mitch Jones, Senior Policy Advocate at Food & Water Watch. “Studies showing increased hospitalizations in heavily fracked areas, correlations between lowered birth weights for newborns and proximity to fracked wells, and the distance that air pollution from fracking can travel are just the latest in the mountain of research that shows fracking is dangerous to our health. Fracking’s impacts are widespread and don’t just affect people living next to fracked wells – which is what Baltimore realizes.”
“The Baltimore City Council is taking the right step for both communities and our climate,” said Shilpa Joshi, Maryland Campaign Coordinator at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Studies show that fracked gas could be worse for the climate than coal because the fracking process leaks methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. With so much of Maryland’s economic activity at risk due to rising sea levels and growing flooding, we can’t afford to take steps backward toward another dirty fossil fuel.”
“Just as the City Council lead in 2013 with legislation to ban the treatment of fracking wastewater, they are leading again with a resolution to ask for a statewide fracking ban. Council members certainly understand the best way to protect Baltimore’s water and the public’s health from fracking is not to frack at all. We applaud their decision,” said Andy Galli of Clean Water Action.
Contact:
Kelly Trout, (240) 396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Background: More than 100 groups came together and worked tirelessly to empower Marylanders to form the Don’t Frack Maryland Campaign and fight for a long-term moratorium on fracking. During the 2015 General Assembly, more than 100 Western Maryland business owners joined this call, and Marylanders sent over 25,000 messages to legislators supporting a moratorium. Letters signed by more than 100 health professionals, and more than 50 restaurant owners, chefs, winemakers and farmers from across the state were also delivered to the legislature. Even actor and Maryland native Edward Norton helped the effort, providing a radio ad appealing to the Governor to sign the bill. Two commissioners of the “Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative,” released a letter in January outlining the commission’s study did not incorporate a great deal of the recently-released studies exploring the health effects of fracking.

Maryland Adopts One of the Highest Energy Efficiency Targets in America for Electricity

PSC also commits to major gas efficiency

Environmentalists praise historic move: New policy is equivalent to retiring a major coal plant every two years or tripling the state’s existing wind farms annually

BALTIMORE—On Thursday, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) launched Maryland into the top tier of electricity-saving states by embracing one of the highest energy efficiency targets in the country. The PSC also ordered, for the first time, that natural gas usage reduction goals will be adopted for all gas companies in Maryland. The long-awaited decision, incorporating input from a wide range of stakeholders, gives a huge boost to the state’s “EmPOWER Maryland” program, designed to help consumers while fighting climate change.
Thursday’s order requires that Maryland’s electric utilities achieve annual incremental electricity savings of 2.0% of retail sales per year in perpetuity. That is a significant increase over today’s levels. In 2013, Maryland achieved gross savings equal to 1.3% of retail sales. To put Maryland’s new goals into a national perspective, only two other states—Rhode Island and Massachusetts—achieved saving levels higher than 2% last year. In terms of future targets, Maryland’s new goals are among the top five in the country.
“The state of Maryland has just taken a huge step in showing that action on air pollution and climate change can go hand in hand with consumer savings,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “The PSC deserves praise for hearing the public’s voice that efficiency is a win-win. We now hope other states will follow suit at this same high level.”
The impacts of the PSC decision on Maryland’s electricity grid and the resulting carbon reductions are significant. The new EmPOWER rules will require utilities to save over 1.2 million megawatt-hours per year.[1] That’s the energy equivalent of closing a 460 megawatt coal-fired plant every two years, [2] and will reduce carbon at levels equivalent to taking 173,000 cars off the road annually [3]. To put that another way, today’s new EmPOWER rules will reduce carbon emissions at a rate equivalent to building 470 megawatts of new wind power every year. That’s nearly three times greater than Maryland’s installed wind capacity today.
The Commission’s decision to extend the EmPOWER Maryland program to all gas companies is also a potential game-changer for energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions. While a handful of gas companies already offer some energy savings options to their customers, the state lacks a unified natural gas savings goal. Given that direct consumption of natural gas accounts for 10% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, reductions in this sector are imperative as part of a comprehensive climate change strategy. The PSC did not establish specific goals for natural gas in this order, but they did establish a timeline for developing those goals and prescribed certain minimum parameters that must be observed during the process. This order ensures that natural gas savings options will eventually be made available to customers statewide.
CCAN worked very closely with a large and diverse coalition of energy efficiency advocates to achieve Thursday’s important victory. We look forward to continuing our work with this coalition, the PSC, and other state actors to ensure these rules are fully implemented to achieve maximum energy savings.
View the PSC’s order at: http://167.102.231.189/case-decisions/order-no-87082-case-nos-9153-9157-9362-empower-md-energy-efficiency-goal-allocating-and-cost-effectiveness/
REFERENCES:
1. Maryland 2013 retail sales: 61,899,478 MWh per EIA-826, <http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia826/>. 2% of 2013 sales is 1,237,990 MWh.
2. Based on 2014 annual coal capacity factor (60.9%) <http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_6_07_a>
3. Assumes offset emissions factor of 1,480 lbs/MWh. From the Maryland Energy Administration’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act analysis of EmPOWER
Contact:
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 717-439-0346, 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 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.

Baltimore Residents Protest Dangerous Oil Trains as City Council Weighs Action

Analysis indicates 165,000 Baltimore residents live within the potential oil train blast zone
City Council urged to place a moratorium on permits for crude oil shipping terminals
BALTIMORE—Over 70 concerned citizens gathered outside City Hall and packed a hearing room on Wednesday evening to protest the growing public safety and environmental dangers of potentially explosive oil trains moving through Baltimore. The rally preceded the Baltimore City Council’s first informational public hearing on the issue, and was organized as part of the “Stop Oil Trains” week of action uniting dozens of cities across North America. This week marks the two-year anniversary of the worst oil train derailment and explosion in North America, in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec.
Oil companies are increasingly targeting Baltimore as a gateway for shipping crude oil to East Coast refineries. In recent years, the industry has used trains to move millions of gallons of highly toxic and flammable Bakken crude oil to and through Baltimore—past homes, schools, churches, hospitals, and likely the Inner Harbor—and over tracks that were never designed for this dangerous cargo.
The nonprofit organization ForestEthics calculates that 165,000 Baltimore residents—and City Hall itself—are within the potential oil train “blast zone,” the one-mile evacuation zone recommended by safety officials in the case of a derailment and fire.
“It’s clear that a crude oil train derailment in densely populated areas like Baltimore City could lead to a disastrous loss of life and property,” said Delegate Clarence Lam, MD, MPH (District 12—Howard and Baltimore Counties), who spoke at the rally and also testified before the City Council. “Communities should be informed about the potential dangers they face, and reasonable steps undertaken to reduce the risk to residents living nearby.”
To underscore those risks, rally-goers assembled a replica “oil train” marked with the dates and sites of accidents that have occurred across North America, including the tragedy in Lac-Mégantic, which killed 47 people.
Speakers called on city and state leaders to act now to protect local rail communities. Specifically, the City Council could place a moratorium on approving permits for crude oil shipping terminals until local emergency management, health and safety officials study the associated dangers. Vancouver, WA, and Albany, NY, have already enacted similar city moratoria on permits for crude oil shipping facilities.
“The City Council has taken an important first step to shed light on the risks of oil trains,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “A city moratorium on permits is the sensible next step. If we want fewer code-red air days and less extreme weather, we cannot allow oil companies to use Baltimore as a gateway for extremely toxic, explosive, and climate-disrupting oil.”
During the 2015 legislative session, Delegate Lam introduced a state bill that would have required rail companies to disclose the route, frequency and volume of crude oil being transported by rail through Maryland. CSX and Norfolk Southern have sued the state to prevent the public release of this information. Neither company sent representatives to the City Council hearing.
“Oil trains put the lives of hundreds of thousands of Baltimoreans at risk, including me, my family, and my neighbors, all for the benefit of dirty energy,” said Pastor Amy Sens, a pastor at six:eight United Church of Christ who lives near train tracks in Morrell Park. “Oil trains are an equal opportunity danger, and one we ignore to our peril.”
“Baltimore does not need another environmental injustice that lets ‘Big Oil’ use our city as a throughway to East Coast refineries,” said Will Fadely, Baltimore Program Organizer at Clean Water Action. “Oil trains put our water at risk of spills of oil and other toxic chemicals, and will run right through the heart of the most vulnerable communities in the city. The environmental, community health, and safety impacts far outweigh any benefits.”
“Oil trains don’t have to explode to be dangerous,” said Trisha Sheehan, Regional Field Director at Moms Clean Air Force. “They leak toxic chemicals, endangering everyone’s lungs, especially those most vulnerable to air pollution—our children.”
Wednesday’s rally in Baltimore was organized by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Clean Water Action, and the Maryland Environmental Health Network.
It coincided with over 80 events planned across North America during the week of July 6th to draw attention to the growing threat oil trains pose to our health, safety, and climate. Organizers of this week of action are demanding a federal ban on dangerous oil trains.
Reporting by the Baltimore Sun shows that the oil industry has used the Fairfield Peninsula in South Baltimore to unload and ship over 100 million gallons of crude oil over 2013 and 2014, up from zero gallons the previous two years. In addition to bringing significant safety dangers, oil trains threaten to worsen air quality in communities like South Baltimore, where residents already breathe in some of the dirtiest air in Maryland.
Nationally, oil train traffic has grown by 4,000 percent in the past six years, due to the rapid increase in fracking for oil in the Bakken shale fields of North Dakota and in tar sands oil extraction in Canada. The oil moving by train—which represents a small percentage of overall U.S. oil consumption—is more volatile and flammable than conventional oil. Five derailments and explosions occurred in North America in the first five months of 2015.
RESOURCES FOR JOURNALISTS:

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

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In Grassroots Victory, Two-Year Fracking Moratorium Becomes Law in Maryland

The following news release is from the Don’t Frack Maryland coalition:

Gov. Hogan quietly allows fracking moratorium bill to become law without his signature

Annapolis, Md. – At the end of the day today, Friday May 29, a two and a half year fracking moratorium will become law in Maryland. Over Memorial Day weekend, Governor Hogan announced that he would not veto the bill (HB 449/SB409) and will allow it to pass into law without his signature. This past legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed the bill with veto-proof majorities (60%) in each house. The Maryland House of Delegates passed the bill 103-33 and it passed 45-2 in the Senate.
“I am relieved and delighted that Governor Hogan will allow mine and Delegate Fraser-Hidalgo’s bill for a 2 year moratorium on fracking to become law without his signature,” said Senator Karen Montgomery, the bill’s Senate sponsor. “Now we have two years to continue to compile indisputable scientific data.”
“Governor Hogan neither signed nor vetoed the bill, so it becomes law, said Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo, the bill’s House sponsor. “We would have liked the moratorium to span 8 years according to the original bill to allot more time for public health and scientific study of the industry, but we are satisfied that no fracking will take place in Maryland before October 2017. This is a significant accomplishment for the state and one that we believe all counties and localities in Maryland will benefit.”
The Don’t Frack Maryland Campaign has worked across the state in support of this moratorium and brought together a broad coalition of Marylanders from health professionals, business owners, farmers, families and residents from across the state. Over 100 groups came together and organized to collect and deliver letters to the Governor and the Maryland General Assembly in support of the moratorium. The group backed an ad recorded by actor and Maryland native, Edward Norton, targeting the Governor to sign the bill. The Baltimore Sun also editorialized in favor of the moratorium, calling it “the kind of compromise that … Gov. Larry Hogan ought to embrace.”
“Governor Hogan is rightly following the will of the public in allowing Maryland’s first statutory moratorium on fracking to become law,” said Shilpa Joshi, Maryland campaign coordinator at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “This victory belongs to the citizens from Mountain Maryland to the Eastern Shore who have fought for years to protect our air, water, economy, and climate from the gas industry. The grassroots movement that flooded Governor Hogan’s office and the General Assembly with emails and calls this spring will only grow and get louder over the next two years to ensure our communities remain protected.”
“The movement behind this moratorium was unyielding,” said Mitch Jones, Common Resources Director for Food & Water Watch. “Passing a moratorium under a pro-fracking Governor is a testament to the effectiveness that organizing can have. As more and more scientific studies show the health and environmental problems with fracking, more and more Marylanders oppose the practice. When we are used to seeing moneyed interests rule, it is encouraging to see elected officials heed the will of the people to protect their communities.”
Rebecca Ruggles, Director of the Maryland Environmental Health Network said, “In the short time since the legislature passed this bill, we have already seen new health threats being documented. There is a new University of Maryland study published which raises questions about Maryland air pollution from fracking in other states, a new review of the risks to communities, and a study looking at impacts on vulnerable populations. We really need at least 30 months to monitor and assess this flow of health studies and analyses.”
“This moratorium will give us time to assess the constant flow of new studies about the health, economic and societal effects of fracking before it comes to our home,” said Dr. Ann Bristow, a commissioner who served on Governor O’Malley’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission. “Proactive and preventive action through community-based education and citizen engagement is necessary in policy decisions that will effect people’s health. Hitting the pause button on fracking is the most responsible and ethical way for public health and safety policy to move forward.”
“For the growing numbers of western Maryland residents and business owners who live in fear that fracking will ruin our communities, natural resources, property values and thriving tourism economy, this moratorium is a relief,” said Nadine Grabania of Citizen Shale and owner of Deep Creek Cellars. “We now have two years to explore fracking’s threats to public health and safety and potential to drive away visitors, homeowners, and businesses, who, for over a century have vacationed and invested in our mountains for reasons that a vast majority of Marylanders hold dear.”
“Clean Water Action is pleased that HB 449 and SB 409 have become law,” said Andy Galli Clean Water Action’s Maryland Program Coordinator. “However we were hoping that the Governor would affirm his commitment to protecting Maryland and its citizens from the many dangers of fracking by signing the law, which was passed by both houses with a large bi-partisan majority. Clean Water believes that in two years many more accounts of the health impacts, water pollution, environmental degradation as well as violations and legal cases, will cause the Legislature and Administration to reach the conclusion at the end of that time that the only future path regarding fracking in Maryland is the one taken by New York.”
Contact:
Shilpa Joshi, 240-396-2029, shilpa@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Background: More than 100 groups came together and worked tirelessly to empower Marylanders to form the Don’t Frack Maryland Campaign and fight for a long-term moratorium on fracking. This Don’t Frack Maryland campaign brought together more than 100 Western Maryland business owners and has also sent over 25,000 messages to legislators supporting a moratorium. Letters signed by more than 100 health professionals, and more than 50 restaurant owners, chefs, winemakers and farmers from across the state were also delivered to the legislature. Even actor and Maryland native Edward Norton helped the effort, providing a radio adappealing to the Governor to sign the bill. Two commissioners of the “Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative,” released a letter in January outlining the commission’s study did not incorporate a great deal of the recently-released studies exploring the health effects of fracking.

CCAN Condemns Maryland Decision to Approve Exelon-Pepco Merger

Group says Public Service Commission failed utterly by approving monopolistic deal that will harm ratepayers and the environment for years to come

BALTIMORE—The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) today deeply harmed the interests of ratepayers and the environment by approving a widely contested merger between Chicago-based utility giant Exelon and regional utility Pepco. The Maryland regulators’ 3-2 decision to approve the deal is being denounced by environmental and consumer advocates as a major blow to the state’s ability to achieve a clean, reliable and efficient 21st century electric grid.
Click here to read the Maryland PSC order on the Exelon-Pepco Merger.
The D.C. Public Service Commission has yet to rule on the merger, and could still block the deal.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, a group that intervened before the PSC against the proposed merger, released the following statement in response:
“The PSC has made a grave error today in approving the Exelon-Pepco merger. This approval, with no meaningful conditions added by the commissioners, threatens to negatively affect Marylanders for decades to come. The PSC has totally failed in its responsibility to protect the ratepayers from exactly the sort of monopolistic harm that they have now ushered in. The PSC has put the profits of a Chicago-based corporation over the public interest of Marylanders, despite the overwhelming opposition of the state’s attorney general, the Office of People’s Counsel, the Maryland Energy Administration, and Maryland’s environmental community.
“This decision today by the PSC will prove to be historic – and the commissioners themselves long-remembered in the sharpest negative light – for the rate increases soon to follow and the harm to the environment and the economy. Of particular note, Commissioner Kelly Speakes-Backman – an O’Malley appointee to the commission and a staunch advocate for environmental protection through clean energy – defied expectations and cast the swing vote in the 3-2 decision, joining Chairman Kevin Hughes and Commissioner Lawrence Brenner. (Commissioners Anne Hoskins and Harold Williams dissented, voting against the merger). Speakes-Backman has simply stunned the environmental and renewable energy industry with her inexplicable support of a decision that will now make her effectively known for years for the negative consequences to come.
“As the PSC commissioners themselves noted in their decision, this nearly $7 billion merger raised unusually deep concerns across the state about risks to consumers, businesses, and the environment in Maryland. The merger could raise rates and inhibit wind and solar development, as well as reduce efficiency gains, across 85 percent of the state’s customer base for electricity. Unless D.C. PSC regulators make the right choice where Maryland went wrong, these negatives impacts are almost certain to occur with today’s flawed approval. Maryland attorney General Brian Frosh spoke for many opponents before this decision in saying ‘no amount of money or structural changes can make this deal into one that’s in Maryland’s best interest.’ Yet the PSC today, tragically, ruled otherwise.
“As the Commissioners surely know, Exelon will now become the largest utility in America and will almost certainly double down on its established business model of protecting its aging and unprofitable nuclear fleet at all costs while fighting any significant expansion of wind and solar power in Maryland. Likewise, the company will likely continue to oppose significant increases in energy efficiency gains or meaningful development of community-based energy systems and micro grids.
“Exelon’s application is still pending before the D.C. Public Service Commission. Just this week, several D.C. Council members called on the mayor to oppose the merger. Hopefully, D.C.’s Public Service Commissioners will heed the call of leaders and residents throughout the District, and reject this woefully insufficient merger proposal.”
Contact:
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 717-439-0346, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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