Poll: Strong Majority of Marylanders Oppose Proposed Exelon Takeover of Pepco

Strong voter opposition aligns with Maryland Energy Administration, state attorney general, and Office of People’s Counsel


BALTIMORE—As Maryland utility regulators near a decision on the proposed merger between Exelon and Pepco Holdings, Inc, new poll
results show that a strong majority of Maryland voters—61 percent—oppose the deal.
The poll, conducted by the public interest research firm OpinionWorks, found that:

  • Sixty-one percent of state voters oppose the merger, with only 22% expressing support and 17% unsure.
  • Opposition is bipartisan, with 63% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans polled stating opposition.
  • Notably, public opposition was strongest—with 73% opposed—in Baltimore City, where Exelon previously merged with BGE in 2012. City ratepayers have seen four rate hikes in three years since Exelon’s takeover.

“We now know that this merger is not only a bad deal for Marylanders, but a highly unpopular one as well,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Maryland voters do not want an Exelon monopoly in our state, and rightly so. This deal would harm ratepayers and harm our future ability to generate local, renewable energy. The Public Service Commission should reject it.”
The proposed merger, which would give Chicago-based Exelon control over 85 percent of Maryland ratepayers, is facing strong headwinds in the state. Last week, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and the Maryland Energy Administration filed a brief with the Public Service Commission (PSC) affirming the state’s outright opposition.
“The merger enjoys no support from the state or numerous affected stakeholders,” wrote Frosh and the Maryland Energy Administration. “This is not surprising. … There is nothing in this nearly $7 billion transaction that is of tangible benefit to customers or Maryland’s economy. Worse, the transaction poses significant potential harms.”
The deal is also strongly opposed by the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel, as well as consumer and clean energy advocates. Opponents contest that Exelon is seeking to shore up its own shaky financial footing—as the nation’s largest owner of aging and increasingly expensive nuclear reactors—by taking over Pepco. The company also has a long track record of opposing clean energy policies at the federal and state levels, including legislation in Maryland to spur rooftop solar and local, distributed renewable energy.
The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) is charged with determining whether or not the proposed Exelon-Pepco merger is in the “public interest.” The PSC must rule on the merger by April 8, 2015.
The OpinionWorks poll, commissioned by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, surveyed 594 randomly-selected Maryland registered voters between February 26, 2015 – March 8, 2015 and carries a margin of sampling error no greater than ±4.0%.
RESOURCES:

CONTACT:
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@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 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.

 

Fracking Poll: Strong Majority of Marylanders Want the General Assembly to Put a Long-Term Hold on Risky Drilling

On eve of Senate hearing, polling shows sixty-eight percent of state voters support either a legislative moratorium or a ban on fracking

ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Poll results released today show that a strong and bipartisan majority of Maryland voters—more than two-thirds—believe that the General Assembly should pass legislation to put a long-term hold on the practice of fracking for natural gas in Maryland. Advocates pointed to the poll as further evidence that 2015 fracking moratorium legislation, which is slated for a Senate hearing tomorrow afternoon, reflects the will of state voters.
In recent weeks, Washington Post and Goucher polls have also showed that a majority of Marylanders oppose fracking and are worried about major risks it would pose to water resources. The poll released today differed by specifically asking Maryland voters how they believe the state legislature should act on fracking.
The results of the poll, conducted by the nonpartisan firm OpinionWorks, show that:

  • Support for action is strong: Sixty-eight percent of Maryland voters believe the General Assembly should put either a long-term moratorium (43%) or an outright ban (25%) on fracking.
  • Support for action is bipartisan: A majority of Republican voters polled—56 percent—support a long-term moratorium or ban, alongside nearly three-quarters of Democrats.
  • Marylanders want the General Assembly, not Governor Hogan, to make the call: In fact, more Marylanders want the General Assembly to ban fracking outright (25%) than want legislators to leave the decision up to Governor Larry Hogan (20%).

“This poll confirms that Marylanders are looking to the General Assembly for leadership,” said Shilpa Joshi, Maryland campaign coordinator at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “By passing a moratorium on fracking in 2015, state legislators will be ensuring the health and safety of all Marylanders and responding to the will of voters.”
The Protect Our Health and Communities Act (HB 449/SB 409), introduced in early February by Senator Karen Montgomery, Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo, and 51 legislative co-sponsors, will be heard Tuesday afternoon in the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. The bill would place an eight-year hold on the issuance of drilling permits in Maryland. Scientists and health professionals have said that a long-term moratorium is required to fully understand the nature and severity of the long-term cumulative health risks of drilling and fracking.
“Dozens of peer-reviewed scientific studies indicate inherent risks to public health and the environment from fracking wherever it occurs,” said Ann Bristow, PhD, a Garrett County resident who was a commissioner on the state’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission and is a cofounder of Concerned Health Professionals of Maryland. “The Maryland public is rightly worried about these risks. It’s time for the General Assembly to follow the lead of New York and take action to protect our communities from potentially irreversible harm.”
Ahead of tomorrow’s committee hearing, legislators, advocates, business owners, health professionals and scores of concerned state residents will hold a noon rally on Lawyers’ Mall in support of a long-term moratorium on fracking.
In February, more than 100 Maryland health professionals sent a letter to the General Assembly leadership in support of a long-term moratorium. Tomorrow’s rally is hosted by the “Don’t Frack Maryland” coalition, which includes more than 100 public interest organizations, businesses, health professionals and faith groups committed to passing a long-term moratorium on fracking in Maryland.
The OpinionWorks poll, commissioned by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, surveyed 500 randomly-selected Maryland registered voters between February 3, 2015 – February 11, 2015 and carries a margin of sampling error no greater than ±4.5%.
Advocates are using the hashtag #DontFrackMd to share updates and information on the legislation and related events.
View the OpinionWorks memo on the fracking poll results.
View the infographic on the poll results.
Contact:
Shilpa Joshi, 240-396-2029, shilpa@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Background: More than 425 peer-reviewed scientific studies on the effects of shale gas development now exist, and 75 percent of those have been published since January 2013. Of the 49 studies that investigated the health effects of fracking, 47 – over 96 percent – found risks or adverse health outcomes. Maryland’s Institute for Applied Environmental Health (MIAEH) also concluded that the likelihood of negative public health impacts was “high” or “moderately high” in 7 of 8 areas studied.

Marylanders Rally in Annapolis to Urge Lawmakers to Increase the State's Clean Energy Goals

Citizens ask their elected officials to work together for cleaner air and water, improved public health and clean energy jobs

Annapolis, Md. – With mini-wind turbines spinning in the frigid night air and glow sticks lighting the walkway to the State House, more than 100 Marylanders rallied in Annapolis on Monday to show their support for the Clean Energy Advancement Act. Business, health, faith, labor and climate leaders headlined the rally alongside legislators, urging the General Assembly to act in 2015 to expand the state’s goals for clean electricity ahead of a key Senate hearing on the bill.
The Clean Energy Advancement Act (HB 377/SB 373), recently introduced with 16 Senate and 45 House co-sponsors, would gradually raise Maryland’s existing clean electricity consumption mandate, called the “Renewable Portfolio Standard.” The bill would require that 25 percent of Maryland’s electricity comes from clean sources by 2020 and set a trajectory to reach 40 percent by 2025, doubling the current standard. The bill is up for a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday afternoon.
“Ten years ago, we passed the first bill of this type under Governor Ehrlich and there were only a few solar companies in Maryland,” said Senator Brian Feldman, a lead sponsor of SB 373. “Now we have more than 150 solar companies employing more than 3,000 people. This legislation gives us the opportunity for clean energy to have an even greater impact on our economy.”
The bill comes at a time when Maryland is experiencing the increasingly detrimental effects of relying on fossil fuels—coal, oil, and gas—for energy, including dangerous air pollution, contaminated water and damaging weather:

  • Last year, 2014, was the hottest year on record worldwide, while recent studies show that Baltimore and Annapolis lead the nation in increased flooding driven by rising sea levels.
  • Eighty-five percent of Maryland residents live in areas that fail to meet the nation’s clean air standards, and Maryland has the 8th worst ground ozone pollution level in the nation.
  • Maryland ranks 5th in the nation in adult asthma and nearly 12 percent of Maryland children have asthma.

“Clean energy is putting Marylanders to work and cleaning up the air we breathe. It’s a critical solution to global warming, and to improving the lives of the most vulnerable among us. That’s why every member of the Maryland Latino Legislative Caucus has cosponsored this legislation, and we look forward to seeing it pass this year,” said Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk, chair of the newly formed Maryland Latino Legislative Caucus.
The Maryland faith community also rallied Monday to express concern about toxic emissions caused by power plants that result in harmful air and water pollution. The impacts from that pollution are usually worse in communities of color.
“Over 220 religious leaders across Maryland, including the bishops of seven Christian denominations, have joined together to speak out for clean energy,” said Rev. Stephen Tillett, of Asbury Broadneck United Methodist Church, who also spoke at Monday evening’s rally. “It’s not right that we still get half of our state’s energy from fossil fuels that pollute the air and make our neighbors sick. Our faith communities are showing that there is a better way.”
The National Academy of Sciences estimates that illness caused by polluting energy sources costs Maryland households an average of $73 per month. A separate analysis shows that a 40 percent clean electricity standard will prevent 200 to 450 deaths per year in Maryland.
“This is a remarkable opportunity for all Marylanders to let their policymakers know that we want to replace dirty energy making dirty, sick air with clean, renewable energy that makes our air cleaner and healthier,” said Dr. Cindy Parker, President of Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility. “We want policymakers to make the right choice to support healthy air so children, elders, people with heart or lung diseases like asthma will live longer, happier, more productive lives with much less suffering from asthma attacks, hospitalizations, and lost work and school days. “
In addition to reducing significant health costs, doubling Maryland’s renewable portfolio standard would spur significant economic gains. The policy would create nearly 1,600 new jobs per year in the state’s solar industry and spur 18,000 new jobs in the regional wind-power economy. According to the Maryland Clean Energy Center, clean energy jobs already generate more than $8.2 billion in associated salaries and wages in Maryland on an annual basis.
“The Maryland Clean Energy Advancement Act means more jobs for Maryland, including more public sector jobs, more manufacturing and constructions jobs,” added Charly Carter, Executive Director of Maryland Working Families. “That is a big win for all of Maryland’s workers and for our communities.”
“As the seas rise along Maryland’s shores, a grassroots movement for change is rising up, too,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “We’re here today to tell our legislators that we have a moral obligation to act, and we also have an opportunity to act. By getting more of our electricity from the wind and the sun, we will protect our children while growing our economy.”
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS:
Advocates are using the hashtag #CleanerMDnow to distribute information about the legislation and these supporting events.
Click here to view photos of Monday’s rally and lobby night.
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Tiffany Hartung, 248.933.2451, hartungt@nwf.org

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The mission of the Maryland Climate Coalition is to unite Marylanders to mitigate climate change to protect our environment, health, and economy. The Coalition works with a broad range of partners engaging in policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and public education. For more information about the Maryland Climate Coalition, visit http://www.marylandclimatecoalition.org.

Business Leaders Urge Lawmakers to Raise Maryland’s Clean Energy Goals as Hearings Begin in Annapolis

Leaders say legislation will expand job growth and economic development while reducing costly air and climate pollution

ANNAPOLIS—Maryland lawmakers would help spur good-paying jobs and economic development by passing legislation in 2015 to expand the state’s use of clean, renewable energy, said business leaders and workers who came to Annapolis today to testify before a key House committee.
During a morning press conference with the bill’s lead sponsors, renewable energy entrepreneurs—including a former Army Major General—emphasized that a region-leading clean electricity goal would establish Maryland as a regional hub for investment in the fast-growing solar and wind industries.
“This legislation will lock in Maryland as a leader in the clean technology sector, expanding jobs and prosperity while diversifying our economy,” said Senator Brian Feldman, lead Senate sponsor of the Maryland Clean Energy Advancement Act (HB 377/SB 373).
“This is a clear instance where cleaning up our air and water means putting people to work,” said Delegate Bill Frick, lead House sponsor of the bill. “Maryland’s solar industry now employs 3,000 workers, growing by 29 percent in 2014. In 2015, it’s time to speed up this growth by expanding our state policy.”
The legislation, which has a hearing in the House Economic Matters Committee this afternoon, would gradually raise Maryland’s existing “Renewable Portfolio Standard,” which requires that an increasing amount of the state’s electricity comes from clean sources like wind and solar power. The bill would require that 25 percent of Maryland’s electricity come from clean sources by 2020 and set a trajectory to reach 40 percent by 2025, doubling the current standard.
Among the press conference speakers was Roger Blunt, a founder and chairman of Essex Construction who is also a retired U.S. Army Major General, a former director of Pepco, and a former director of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. Essex is a Prince George’s County-based business that specializes in clean energy building projects.
“For the good of our economy, and for the good of our veterans, we need to pass the Maryland Clean Energy Advancement Act,” said Blunt. “By raising our renewable energy standard, we’ll send a strong market signal that Maryland is the place for solar and wind manufacturers to set up shop. We’ll also expand a growing clean energy workforce that employs a high percentage of veterans like me.”
Maryland is already first in the Mid-Atlantic region for green jobs per capita. Analysis shows that doubling Maryland’s use of renewable energy would create nearly 1,600 new jobs per year in the solar industry, which are well-paid and diverse. The policy could create 18,000 new jobs across the regional wind power supply chain, providing an economic lifeline to Maryland’s windy Eastern Shore and reinvigorating the state’s manufacturing base.
Executives of Baltimore-based BITHENERGY, Inc., a firm that has developed, financed, and integrated over 33 megawatts of solar projects, underscored that state policy is key to attracting businesses like theirs to Maryland.
“When we started BITHENERGY a few years ago, we had the option of starting the company in any number of states,” said Robert L. Wallace, president and CEO of BITHENERGY. “We chose the State of Maryland because of its commitment to expanding clean energy technologies and creating an economic environment that made it attractive to companies like BITHENERGY. The passage of HB 377 would significantly enhance the economic imperatives that are necessary for clean energy companies like BITHENERGY to thrive and to accelerate job formation.”
“E2 has tracked more than a quarter-million clean energy jobs nationwide the past three years, and what we’ve seen is this: states with the strongest clean energy policies get the jobs,” said Bob Keefe, executive director of Environmental Entrepreneurs, a national nonpartisan business group. “If Maryland wants more clean energy jobs, it should increase the renewables standard.”
Sustainable Energy Advantage, LLC (SEA), an independent renewable energy consulting and advisory firm, found that the ratepayer impact of increasing Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to 40% by 2025 will likely be just under $2 per month per residential ratepayer (in 2014 dollars) in 2025. The ratepayer impact of increasing Maryland’s RPS to 25% by 2020 will likely be $0.52 per month per residential ratepayer (in 2014 dollars) in 2020.
In addition to delivering significant economic benefits, the Clean Energy Advancement Act would reduce the costly impacts of relying on fossil fuels—coal, oil, and gas—for energy, including dangerous air pollution, contaminated water and damaging weather. More than 85 percent of Marylanders live in areas that fail to meet the nation’s clean air standards. Increasing the state’s clean electricity standard is the top way the state can reduce the planet-heating emissions raising sea levels and fueling strange and severe weather in Maryland.
View the executive summary (PDF) of the Sustainable Energy Advantage, LLC ratepayer impact analysis.
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS:
Friday’s press conference kicked off a series of events demonstrating broad support for the bill among Maryland businesses, faith communities, public health advocates, labor leaders, social justice and environmental groups. Advocates are using the hashtag #CleanerMDnow to distribute information about the legislation and these supporting events:

On Monday, February 23rd from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., hundreds of citizens will join legislators, faith, labor, and health leaders for a rally on Lawyers’ Mall to pass the Clean Energy Advancement Act, capping off the Maryland Climate Coalition’s citizen lobby night on the bill.

On Tuesday, February 24th at noon, ahead of a Senate Finance Committee hearing, two Maryland bishops will join other faith leaders for a tele-press conference, unveiling a letter signed by over 200 clergy of all faith traditions who are calling on legislators to expand clean energy. Journalists can join the tele-conference by dialing (605) 477-2100 and using passcode 306196#.

Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Jeff Benzak, 202-513-6248, jeff@e2.org

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Statement of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network in Support of Striking Oil Refinery Workers

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network released the following statement in solidarity with oil refinery workers currently on strike for safe working conditions and fair labor practices:
“For over 12 years, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network has been working to advance the urgently needed shift away from oil, coal and gas to a clean, efficient and renewables-based energy system and economy. We do so because we want to prevent catastrophic climate change which will dramatically impact human societies and other life forms all over the world. Our desire is for a much more democratic, just and healthy world for all life on earth.
“That is why we support the work stoppage initiated on February 1 by the United Steelworkers of America at nine oil refineries. They did so over a number of issues, including: ‘dangerous conditions the industry continues to ignore; the daily occurrences of fires, emissions, leaks and explosions that threaten local communities without the industry doing much about it; and the flagrant contracting out that impacts health and safety on the job.’ (Steelworkers International Vice-President Gary Beevers, head of the Steelworkers National Oil Bargaining Program)
“It is in the interests of workers and nearby communities to demand that the oil industry provide a healthy and safe workplace. This is true for all workplaces, no matter what the industry, but it is particularly necessary for inherently dirty, polluting and dangerous industries.
“As we support the refinery workers, we continue to work for that time in the future when all energy jobs in this country are based on safer, cleaner, and sustainable energy like wind and solar power. We support a just transition to such an economy that includes provisions for jobs and job training for workers currently employed in carbon-based energy jobs.”
Contact: Ted Glick, 240-396-2155, ted@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Baltimore-Area Delegate Introduces Bill To Shed Light on the Growing Threat of Crude Oil Trains in Maryland

In wake of West Virginia derailment and explosion, advocates applaud the bill as a crucial step to increase transparency in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS–Citing growing local safety concerns and an alarming lack of transparency, Delegate Clarence Lam (D-12) has introduced legislation in the General Assembly to require state study of the potential risks of crude oil train accidents in Maryland. The bill also requires disclosure of the volume of crude oil being transported by trains in the state.
“Many communities near our railways are not aware of the millions of gallons of highly volatile crude oil that pass only feet from their homes,” said Delegate Lam, who represents areas of Baltimore and Howard Counties. “As a strong proponent of disclosure and transparency, I believe that this information should be made public so that state agencies and local communities can plan and prepare for the possibility of rail accidents involving crude oil.”
“As we just saw from yesterday’s crude oil train derailment in West Virginia, accidents involving crude oil along our railways are becoming all too frequent, costly, and dangerous,” continued Del. Lam. “With the amount of crude oil being transported by rail, an accident in Maryland is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when.’ A similar disaster occurring in or near Baltimore could place many lives at risk, inflict tremendous environmental harm, and cripple significant parts of our economy.”
A boom in fracking in the Bakken region of North Dakota has led to a surge in the transport of highly flammable Bakken crude oil on North American rail lines in recent years. A dramatic increase in spills, derailments, and explosions has followed. Just yesterday, a CSX crude oil train derailed and exploded in West Virginia, destroying one house, setting over a dozen tankers on fire, spilling oil into the Kanawha River and forcing the evacuation of two nearby towns.
In Maryland, the oil industry is currently targeting the port of Baltimore as a new throughway for shipping oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota to East Coast refineries. Texas-based Targa Resources is seeking approval to ship millions of gallons of crude oil daily out of the port of South Baltimore. Meanwhile, rail companies CSX and Norfolk Southern are in the middle of a controversial lawsuit to prevent the state from disclosing the amounts and routes of Bakken crude travelling throughout the state.
“We applaud Delegate Lam for working to clear the fog of secrecy surrounding the movement of toxic and explosive crude oil through Maryland communities,” said Jon Kenney, Maryland Community Organizer at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “The explosion that occurred in West Virginia yesterday is yet another wake up call. The public deserves to know where this highly flammable oil is traveling by rail and how our state would respond to a worst-case spill or explosion.”
The legislation introduced by Del. Lam, HB 1073, would require the Department of the Environment and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to jointly prepare a risk assessment for the event of a crude oil-by-rail spill in Maryland, and to prepare prevention, emergency response, and contingency plans. The bill also mandates disclosure of the amount of crude oil being transported by rail through Maryland.
“If only one car was to derail and explode, at minimum a half-mile evacuation radius would be necessary to prevent loss of life, while toxic crude could simultaneously spill into our waterways and the Inner Harbor, causing potentially irreversible damage to our drinking water, economy and ecosystem,” said Will Fadely, Baltimore Program Organizer for Clean Water Action. “Is Baltimore really ready for such a devastating possibility?”
Read a fact sheet about the threat of Crude Oil-by-Rail through Baltimore here:
http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/CCAN-Baltimore-Crude-Factsheet-1.pdf
Contact:
Jon Kenney, 301-385-4187, jon@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Landmark Virginia Bill To Fight Coastal Flooding Gains Broad, Bipartisan Support, While Falling Short of Passage

Advocates applaud legislative champions on sea-level rise, say movement for solutions will only grow

RICHMOND — While the General Assembly came short of advancing landmark legislation to address rising sea levels and coastal flooding in Virginia this week, advocates are vowing to continue the fight and say they have significant momentum to pass the bill next year.
The bipartisan bill, called the Virginia Coastal Protection Act (HB 2205/SB 1428), came within one vote of passing in Senate committee and has gained key support from mayors, elected officials, and citizens in coastal Virginia and across the commonwealth.
The legislation is the first comprehensive state plan to tackle both the impacts and causes of growing flooding in Virginia’s Tidewater region. It would generate urgently needed funds to invest in coastal adaptation measures by having Virginia join a proven regional system for cutting carbon pollution. Carbon pollution is responsible for driving sea-level rise and increasingly severe weather in Virginia.
“We applaud Delegate Villanueva and Senator McEachin for their bipartisan leadership in introducing this bill, and we’ll be back next year to pass it,” said Dawone Robinson, Virginia Policy Director at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “While the General Assembly failed to make the right choice this year, there’s no question that the problem of flooding along our coast will only grow and so will the movement for solutions.”
In recent weeks, the Virginia Coastal Protection Act has gained broad and high-profile support, including from the mayors of Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach, the Norfolk City Council, the Virginia Chapter of the American Association of Pediatrics, the Virginia Housing Coalition, and the editorial boards of the Virginian-Pilot and the Washington Post.
“The Virginia Coastal Protection Act was the best solution we had this year to combating climate change,” said Chelsea Harnish, policy and campaigns manager at the Virginia Conservation Network. “While it is unfortunate this bill did not pass, there shouldn’t be any doubt that we will be back again next year to push forward on this important issue.”
“We are grateful to have strong champions in the General Assembly who recognize that sea level rise is real, and is a problem that must be addressed,” said Mike Town, director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. “Sen. McEachin and Del. Villanueva have paved a bipartisan, win-win path to reducing climate change pollution, while creating jobs and protecting citizens on the front lines of rising seas.”
“It often takes more than one try to get legislation passed. This year we were able to inform legislators on this innovative approach,” said Glen Besa, Virginia Sierra Club Director. “Next year we hope we can get this bill passed.”
The Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee came just short of advancing the bill in an 8-7 vote last Thursday. It failed to advance today in the House Commerce and Labor Committee.
The Virginia Coastal Protection Act would cut carbon emissions and generate over $200 million annually by 2020 through a market-based system called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). A full half of the funds would help Tidewater localities pay for flooding adaptation measures, while additional funds would support clean energy and energy efficiency programs statewide as well as economic development in Southwest Virginia. RGGI is already in place in nine states. Experts say that joining RGGI is also the most efficient and cost-effective way for Virginia to meet the federal Clean Power Plan.
Read a fact sheet on the Virginia Coastal Protection Act: http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/CCAN-VA-Coastal-Protection-Act-Factsheet-PDF.pdf
Contact:
Dawone Robinson, 804-767-0372, dawone@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Dominion Starts Playing Catch Up on Virginia Solar, Remains an Obstacle to Locally Generated Clean Energy

RICHMOND — Dominion Virginia Power, the state’s largest utility and largest emitter of global warming pollution, today announced plans to install 400 megawatts of utility-scale solar power in Virginia by 2020. The company currently has zero megawatts of utility-scale solar power installed in Virginia, which has the lowest installed solar capacity in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Dawone Robinson, Virginia Policy Director at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response:
“It’s beyond time for Virginia to catch up to our neighbors on solar power, one of the fastest-growing industries in America. Dominion’s announcement today, if followed through, is a significant step in the right direction, but only one step. North Carolina already has far more solar power installed, with 722 megawatts, than Dominion is saying it will build by 2020.
“We will fully celebrate Dominion’s move if and when Virginia has actual solar installed to the scale of our neighbors, and when Dominion stops making it harder for Virginia customers to put solar panels on their own property. In large part due to Dominion’s lobbying, community-owned solar power is still illegal in Virginia, and homeowners and businesses face hefty charges and fees for installing solar to offset their own energy use.
“As Dominion moves toward utility-scale solar, the company must also move out of the way to allow the growth of distributed, locally generated clean power across Virginia.”
Dominion’s influence over the General Assembly and Virginia energy policy has made headlines this week. Every single clean energy bill opposed by Dominion has so far died in committee, even as legislators advance a controversial bill to freeze regulatory oversight of significant portions of Dominion’s rates.
Contact:
Dawone Robinson, 804-767-0372, dawone@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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CCAN Condemns Obama Administration Move to Open Virginia’s Coast to Oil Drilling

RICHMOND—The Obama administration today announced a plan to open up vast areas of the Atlantic Coast, from Virginia to Georgia, to oil and gas drilling. Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response:
“The Obama administration is turning its back on the lessons of the BP disaster and opening Virginia’s coast to unacceptable and unnecessary risks. A major oil spill would cut the legs out from under coastal Virginia’s economy, imperiling critical tourism, port and naval infrastructure.
“This drilling plan also betrays President Obama’s own State of the Union warning last week that ‘climate change poses immediate risks to our national security. We should act like it.’” Rising sea levels along Virginia’s coast are not only flooding homes and businesses, but also threaten Naval Station Norfolk, which is spending millions to raise piers. Why are we talking about drilling for more of the fossil fuels causing our seas to rise, when we have vast renewable energy resources waiting to be developed?
“Offshore wind power has far more upside, and none of the same downsides as drilling. Developing the Atlantic’s vast offshore wind power resources could create more than twice as many jobs, and, within two decades, produce more than twice the energy. This is the solution to grow our economy while protecting our children.”
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Dawone Robinson, 804-767-8983, dawone@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Coastal Citizens Call on Virginia Legislators to Act on Rising Seas by Passing Bipartisan Flooding Solutions Bill

The ‘Virginia Coastal Protection Act’ would raise up to $200 million annually through a proven regional system for cutting carbon pollution
RICHMOND—Scores of coastal Virginia residents converged on Richmond today to join the largest environmental lobby day of the year, and bring this message to state lawmakers: Pass the Virginia Coastal Protection Act. This bipartisan legislation would generate urgently needed funds to help Tidewater citizens and localities adapt to rising sea levels, while also reducing emissions of the heat-trapping pollution driving climate change impacts across the commonwealth.
“The water is here now, and it’s only getting higher,” said Bob Baxter, a resident of Norfolk’s historic Riverview neighborhood and volunteer with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) who came to Richmond today. “Twice in two years, I’ve had to help my neighbor clean out a flooded home. The water even brought waste from the nearby zoo into her home. If the water rises seven more feet, as scientists say could happen in coming decades, then my house will be in danger as well. Something has to be done.”
The Virginia Coastal Protection Act (SB 1428/HB 2205), introduced by Republican Delegate Ron Villanueva of Virginia Beach and Democratic Senator Donald McEachin of Richmond, is supported by the city of Norfolk through its lead representative in Richmond and by all of Virginia’s major environmental groups. The bill is the priority focus of today’s 2015 Conservation Lobby Day, sponsored by the Virginia Conservation Network (VCN). Over 60 residents trekked to Richmond from the Hampton Roads region, joining over 100 more citizens from across Virginia.
Activists donned “Save Our Coast” stickers and carried a banner declaring “The Seas are Rising and So Are We” to show their visible support inside and outside the halls of the General Assembly building.
“As a Norfolk resident who lives in an at-risk flood zone, I’ve seen the studies showing the impact of flooding from severe weather events and sea level rise on Hampton Roads,” said Joe Cook, chairperson for the Sierra Club, Chesapeake Bay Group. “The studying has been done, so we need urgent action from the General Assembly this session to pass the Virginia Coastal Protection Act before the next Sandy strikes here.”
Coastal Virginia is second only to New Orleans in vulnerability to rising sea levels. Flooding and storm surges threaten the safety of 1.7 million residents, along with port, naval, and tourism assets that are critical to the economy of the commonwealth as a whole. Yet, no dedicated source of funding currently exists to help localities tackle necessary projects, from raising homes and roads to restoring shorelines and beaches to building water pumps and sea walls.
Del. Villanueva and Sen. McEachin’s bill would generate $200 million or more per year by 2020 by joining Virginia into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a market-based system that caps and reduces carbon pollution from power plants. A full half of the RGGI revenues would help fund coastal protection measures, while additional funds would support economic development in Southwest Virginia and energy efficiency and clean energy projects statewide.
Virginia Beach resident Gary Medlin is also in Richmond today to lobby his legislators. In a Virginian-Pilot op-ed published January 11 with CCAN director Mike Tidwell, Medlin applauded the move to join RGGI, saying, “Virginia’s budget is tightening, and there’s no multibillion-dollar fund to help the coast. Bottom line: There is no viable source of money on the table for our coastal needs—except one.”
Joining RGGI is also the most efficient and cost-effective way for Virginia to meet forthcoming federal rules the standards of the federal Clean Power Plan in a way that maximizes economic benefits and job creation, as editorialized by the Washington Post. The Clean Power Plan has set goals for states to reduce carbon pollution from existing coal-burning power plants by 2030. Virginia is already 80% of the way toward meeting its goal due to steps utilities were already planning.
“Over 200,000 Virginians have told the Environmental Protection Agency they are in favor of the Clean Power Plan and the clean energy job growth and pollution cuts it would bring,” said Jessica Greene, VCN’s Climate Organizer. “Now, we have the Virginia Coastal Protection Act to help us meet the worthy goals of the Clean Power Plan. This is a win-win for everyone.”
In addition to meetings with legislators, today’s Conservation Lobby Day included a panel discussion on climate-impacted communities across Virginia. Speakers from Hampton Roads to Southwest Virginia underscored that communities are paying a high price for Virginia’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels now, and that the costs of inaction will only grow.
Panelist John Deuel, a long-time Norfolk resident, Environmental Consultant and Conservation Chairman for the Sierra Club’s Hampton Roads Group, said: “For me and all residents of southeastern Virginia and particularly south Hampton Roads, climate change and sea level rise has become both a threat of disaster from big storms and an ongoing worry for everyday life. Every day, more of my neighbors are becoming aware and alarmed about the risks of rising sea levels and how they will adjust to this reality.”
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Dawone Robinson, 804-767-8983, dawone@chesapeakeclimate.org

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