Environmental Community Applauds Senator McEachin's Jobs Plan

Leading members of Virginia’s environmental community today applauded Senator Donald McEachin’s energy efficiency legislation as a winning plan for Virginia. By creating energy efficiency standards for utilities, the legislation will create jobs and save families money on their energy bills while also reducing the demand for mountaintop removal coal mining and cutting pollution linked to global warming. Continue reading

4 Major Groups to Sue Mirant for Pollution Violations at Brandywine Coal Combustion Waste Landfill

Due to serious concerns about toxic pollution discharged from an unlined coal ash waste dump in suburban Washington, D.C., four environmental groups — Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and Patuxent Riverkeeper – announced today that they intend to sue Mirant MD Ash Management, LLC and Mirant Mid-Atlantic, LLC Corporation for violations of the federal Clean Water Act at the Brandywine Coal Combustion Waste (CCW) Landfill in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The Environmental Integrity Project and the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Maryland School of Law are acting as co-counsel for the four groups. Continue reading

Gov. O'Malley Receives "Climate Leadership Award" from CCAN

On behalf of its 80,000 supporters across the region, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network today named Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley as recipient of its highest annual prize. The “Maryland Climate Leadership Award” is presented to the Governor for his critical leadership in helping to pass the historic Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act in Maryland earlier this year. Continue reading

Md. Businesses Decry U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Stance on Global Warming Policy

Business leaders in Maryland today spoke out against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because of its obstruction of climate legislation. A number of major companies, including Apple and Levi Strauss & Co., have recently resigned from the Chamber because they disagree with the Chamber’s stance on global warming. Local businesses joined the national companies in declaring that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce doesn’t represent them. Continue reading

Boxer-Kerry Climate Bill Improves on House Version, but Consumer Rebates Are Needed and Nuclear Subsidies Must Go

CCAN congratulates Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and John Kerry (D-MA) for their work to curb global warming emissions and shift to a clean energy economy. It is absolutely critical that the United States take action to show its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions before the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December. The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, introduced September 30th, would put the U.S. on the right path, although it doesn’t go far enough.

Boxer-Kerry Climate Bill Improves on House Version, but Consumer Rebates Are Needed and Nuclear Subsidies Must Go
 
Statement on the
“Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act”

Statement of Mike Tidwell, Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network

October 1st, 2009

“CCAN congratulates Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and John Kerry (D-MA) for their work to curb global warming emissions and shift to a clean energy economy. It is absolutely critical that the United States take action to show its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions before the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December. The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, introduced September 30th, would put the U.S. on the right path, although it doesn’t go far enough.

“The bill is an improvement over the House-passed American Clean Energy and Security Act for two main reasons: there is a 3% increase, from 17 to 20%, in the 2020 target for emissions reductions and, more significantly, it upholds the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate global warming pollution from coal plants and other stationary sources of emissions.

“However, there are a number of areas that need strengthening or clarification when the bill is marked up (amended) by the full Environmental and Public Works committee:

“It is unclear how many of the permits to emit pollution will be auctioned and how much of the revenue raised will be returned to consumers a direct way to help offset higher energy bills during the transition to a clean energy economy. (CCAN continues to believe a “cap and dividend” approach would be far superior in this regard than the “cap and trade” approach passed by the House). Over the summer over 1,000 hand-written letters were sent to Maryland Senator Ben Cardin urging him to include strong protections for consumers. CCAN looks forward to Cardin’s continued leadership on this issue as the bill is marked up in committee.

“While the targets are stronger, the Senate bill falls short of what scientists say is necessary to avert catastrophic climate impacts: a 25-40% reduction in emissions below 1990 levels by 2020. And allowing for 2 billion tons of ‘offsets’ each year (equal to 27% of the U.S.’s total annual emissions) could mean that there will be very little actual reductions of emissions by polluting plants in the U.S. for a decade and a half.

“The Senate bill also differs from the House version in that it subsidizes expensive and unsafe nuclear energy. The Chesapeake Bay region has abundant renewable energy sources, including a huge potential for offshore wind. Investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency is a safer, faster and less expensive alternative to nukes.

“Finally, the Senate bill allows for new coal plants to be built from now until 2025 without any need to sequester carbon until as late as 2027.

“As we did for the House bill, CCAN will work actively to oppose efforts to weaken this bill and will support efforts to strengthen it.”