Wind's moving forward – Let's keep pushing!

It’s been a great week for wind power, with the signing of the first permit for offshore wind in the U.S. and, more locally, Northrop Grumman’s announcement that they will be building offshore wind turbines in Hampton Roads. Unfortunately, the only down side is that these developments are such big news in the U.S. While exciting developments, they also go to show how far behind we are in the global clean energy economy. Last year, China doubled its wind power capacity, accounting for a third of all new capacity around the world. Their market grew over 100%, while the U.S. market grew by less than half that.

That’s why Virginia is welcoming Northop Grumman’s announcement and the jobs it will bring to the Hampton Roads area. Even Gov. McDonnell praised the project as a source of new jobs for Virginians. The best part? It is just the start of what offshore wind can offer the state.

According to the Virginia Coastal Energy Resources Consortium, developing offshore wind in Virginia would create over 10,000 jobs. There’s enough wind potential off Virginia’s coasts to replace half a dozen of your average, dirty coal-fired power plants. Furthermore, when over 100 coal plant proposals have been taken off the table since 2001, developers are actively pursuing investing in offshore wind in Virginia.

From individual climate activists to big-time businesses like Northop Grumman, support is growing for offshore wind. We’re getting to where we need to be, but not nearly fast enough. That’s why this Sunday, supporters from Alexandria to Virginia Beach will be erecting mock wind turbines with a united message: It’s time to get to work promoting offshore wind and a clean energy economy! At this crucial time for wind power, will you join us?

Cape Wind: the reality

Today at the American Wind Energy Association’s annual conference, Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, and Jim Gordon, CEO of Cape Wind signed the first permit for an offshore wind farm in US waters, marking the end of a nine-year regulatory hurdle. “Responsibly developing this clean, renewable, domestic resource will stimulate investment in cutting-edge technology, create good, solid jobs for American workers, and promote our nation’s competitiveness, security, and prosperity,” Salazar said in a statement. He also reaffirmed his commitment to streamlining the permitting process for future offshore wind projects. This is something CCAN has been working very hard on. It shouldn’t take longer to permit an offshore wind farm that generates clean, renewable energy than an offshore drilling rig that can cause enough damage to shut down our entire coast, harming important industries to our coastal towns.

The Cape Wind announcement comes just days after Secretary Salazar approved the first large-scale solar-power projects on U.S. public lands in California and a announcement from President Obama about his plans to put solar panels back on the White House roof after a 30 year absence. Hopefully we will see a continued commitment to the environment from this administration.

As I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, this victory is personal for me since I spent almost 4 years working to make Cape Wind a reality. With today’s announcement, I can breathe a sigh of relief that it’s finally becoming real.

Giving back to non-profits; Cole's "Green Roof Giveaway"

It’s official: Tropical Storm Nicole has waged war against the Chesapeake Climate Action Network office. As the remnants of Nicole continue to work their way up the East Coast, the D.C. area has been hit with flash flood warnings and, in some areas, tornado warnings! Although the CCAN office stands victorious in battling the high winds and heavy rain, a leaky ceiling proves it has not gone unscathed.

And then, destiny came knocking on our front door. We caught wind that a local Baltimore-based roofing company is giving away a green roof!

Dubbed the “Green Roof Giveaway,” Cole Roofing, the region’s leading provider of green roofs, will be donating a green roof valued at $30,000 to one enterprising non-profit!

Wait a minute…is CCAN eligible?

Nonprofit: Yup!

Enterprising: You betcha’!

Problem solved, right? I wish it were that easy!

To determine the recipient of the green roof, Cole has launched www.greenroofgiveaway.com, where non-profits can submit their entry by uploading a video or submitting an essay, explaining how a green roof will help them achieve their mission.

Non-profits have until November 15 to submit their entry to be considered for the donation. Afterward, they can rally their supporters to vote for their video or essay on the web site.

Congress wants to pass the Dirty Air Act?

Ok, here’s a shocking statement (insert sarcastic tone):

As reported by The Hill on September 14th: U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Petroleum Institute, National Mining Association and National Association of Manufacturers want to block the EPA from regulating pollution that causes climate change!

Is that news to you? Of course the country’s biggest polluters want to stop action that would curb pollution Continue reading

Supporting wind in Virginia

Op ed in the Roanoke Times
September 2, 2010

From the severe winter storms in the Mid-Atlantic to the horrendous flooding in Pakistan and the intense heat waves facing many areas of the world, it is clear our climate is changing. While no one weather event can be linked to global warming, there is mounting evidence that climate change will result in more severe weather events, as the world has been experiencing over the last nine months. Because of this pattern, it is more urgent than ever that society acts to stop climate change by whatever means necessary. Every step we can take, big or small, brings us incrementally closer to solving the climate crisis. Locally, one such step is the Poor Mountain wind project.

Wind power is a clean, renewable energy resource that does not pollute our air with dirty fossil fuel emissions, which is why the Chesapeake Climate Action Network is giving its full support to the Invenergy Poor Mountain project. As the first grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC, we see the need to move forward with clean, renewable projects to seriously curb the harmful effects of climate change. With more than 3,000 miles of shoreline, Virginia is extremely vulnerable to sea level rise, making it imperative that every region of this great Commonwealth does its part. This wind project has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 98,000 tons annually in the Roanoke region, which is the equivalent to taking 20,000 cars off the road. In 2008, Virginia’s Commission on Climate Change recommended that Virginia return to year 2000 greenhouse gas emissions levels by 2025. Virginia cannot meet this goal without reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. Continue reading

A little laugh for your Wednesday afternoon

As 60,000 barrels of oil or more spilled into the Gulf of Mexico a day, the U.S. Senate voted to preserve subsidies to the oil industry. As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency announced the planet has just come through the warmest decade, the warmest year, and the warmest April, May, and June on record, the Senate utterly failed to pass any energy, climate change, or even oil spill response legislation. As devastating floods sweep Pakistan and Russia wakes up to deep yellow skies, uncontrollable wildfires, and a chocking heat wave, the U.S. Senators continue to bury their heads in the sand and ignore the problem: we are addicted to fossil fuels and its killing us AND the earth.

Needless to say, all of us in the climate movement are a bit exasperated right now. I think we need a good laugh, especially if it comes at the expense of the group at the root of many of our current woes.

Enter Oil Change International’s newest campaign website: CleanUpTheSenate.com. Continue reading

An open letter to all people and organizations working to combat global warming

Crosspost from Grist.org

This letter is from members of the 1Sky board of directors: Jessica Bailey, K.C. Golden, Bracken Hendricks, Bill McKibben, Billy Parish, Vicky Rateau, Gus Speth, and Betsy Taylor.

As we find ourselves surrounded by the tatters of the climate debate in the U.S. Congress, it seems fitting to take a moment to step back and ponder where we go from here. While the blogosphere is buzzing with assignments of blame for the failure of the Senate to act, we are much more concerned about how we move forward with urgency and clarity of purpose. Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury to pack our bags and go home as the Senate did only moments ago. We just staggered through the hottest six months in recorded history worldwide. People everywhere are being impacted by the damage we have done through decades of carbon loading, and it is clear that our ailing planet will not sit idly by as our political leaders have done. Continue reading

Your climate art judged by Philippe Cousteau and Van Jones?

CCAN has partnered with groups like Energy Action, 350.org, the Hip Hop Caucus and many more in the first online art contest exploring climate change in its many forms – how it is impacting our lives and what can be done to ensure a sustainable future for all of Earth’s inhabitants.

Participate in the CoolClimate Art Contest and get the chance to have your submission judged by Philippe Cousteau, Van Jones and the comedian Chevy Chase!

Here are the details:

Submit a work of art that explores our relationship with the climate