Federal Review of Atlantic Coast Pipeline Fails People and the Environment

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s flawed analysis of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline fails the public and the environment.
An analysis of environmental impacts for the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline is completely inadequate and falls far short of legal requirements.  This is the overwhelming consensus of thousands of comments filed this week with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).  The agency had issued on December 30 a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on the proposed 600-mile natural gas pipeline that would go from central West Virginia, through Virginia and terminate in southern North Carolina.  April 6 is the deadline for public comments.
“FERC’s inability to provide a sound analysis of this project is a violation of the National Environmental Policy Act,” said Lewis Freeman, Chair and Executive Director of the Alleghany-Blue Ridge Alliance, a coalition of 51-organizations opposing the project. “What’s more, the Commission is poised to make a decision that will reverberate for decades based on inadequate information.”
The shortcomings of the DEIS are considerable because of its failure to:

  • Assess the true market demand for natural gas in the region of the proposed pipeline;
  • Take a hard look at the effects the proposed route planned through predominantly minority and low-income neighborhoods would have on communities;
  • Consider the devastation to mountaintops construction would have across steep, forested Appalachian ridges;
  • Provide adequate environmental information. The DEIS lacks sufficient information about the ACP and its potential environmental impacts on a wide variety of resources, including water resources, wetlands, cultural resources, threatened and endangered species and climate change implications; and
  • Identify, consider, and analyze all reasonable alternatives.

“The federal government is glossing over the massive impacts this 600-mile pipeline would have on neighboring communities and climate change,” said Alison Kelly, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Greenlighting this pipeline without a sufficient review of the damage it would cause is a disservice to the people who life in its path and treasure this part of Appalachia.”
Greg Buppert, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said: “FERC is only telling one side of the story, and that story fails to answer the critical threshold question – is this project even necessary?”  Buppert points out that recent energy demand forecasts have cast serious doubt on the need for the ACP.  Furthermore, two-thirds of new generating capacity being added in the United States is based on renewable sources, not natural gas. Building the ACP would be contrary to the future growth of the electric utility industry.
“ACP refused to do the necessary impact analysis, so we have had to hire engineers to find out what will actually happen,” said Ben Luckett, a senior attorney with Appalachian Mountain Advocates. “We’ve learned the pipeline would create millions of cubic yards of excess dirt and rock for which ACP has no disposal plan and will level many of our scenic ridgetops, much like a mountaintop removal coal mine. We fear the most likely resting place for all of that construction spoil will be in our rivers, lakes, and streams. It is truly a slap in the face to hear FERC dismiss these impacts as ‘insignificant’ or, worse yet, to see that they have failed to analyze them at all.”
“The Atlantic Coast Pipeline environmental review failed to adequately address the threats it poses to our communities and our environment. This dirty and dangerous pipeline creates concern for significant risks of adverse impacts due to the nature of the terrain that the line would cross. Based on multiple unresolved environmental issues and potential hazards, and the magnitude of this project, FERC must reject the application. The stakes are very high and the risks are far too great,” said Kirk Bowers, Virginia Chapter, Sierra Club.
Anne Havemann, Senior Counsel at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said: “The Atlantic Coast Pipeline would be a disaster for the climate. It will trigger a massive new wave of fracking, bringing climate pollution equivalent to 20 new coal-fired power plants. FERC’s own former chairman Norman Bay said that the agency should reconsider how it analyzes environmental impacts of pipelines like ACP, including analyzing lifecycle climate emissions. FERC should heed his advice and revise its analysis, or reject the pipeline.”
Peter Anderson, Virginia Program Manager for Appalachian Voices, noted: “A couple of months ago, the former Chairman of FERC raised significant doubts that the agency adequately analyzes pipeline need and climate impacts. This draft environmental impact statement is no different. FERC should rescind this DEIS and start over, this time with final route proposals, completed surveys, climate analysis that accounts for the entire life cycle, and a critical analysis of market demand and alternatives.”
“We know that projects like these are invariably placed near communities of low-income, people of color, or the elderly. In usual fashion, the ACP places a heavy burden on the poor and elderly, perhaps by design. These folks may not have the energy, stamina, and resources to fight, and that’s what these companies are banking on. This is an example of outside interests that plan to use our resources and toxify our land for their own benefit. It’s an old story that continues to play out the same way, despite the best efforts of local people to change our energy landscape,” said April Pierson-Keating Mountain Lakes Preservation Alliance, Upshur County, WV.

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Contacts:
Lewis Freeman, Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance, 703-298-8107, lewfreeman@gmail.com
Greg Buppert, Southern Environmental Law Center, 434-977-4090, gbuppert@selcva.org
Ben Luckett, Appalachian Mountain Advocates, 404-645-0125, bluckett@appalmad.org

Activists who laugh together, stay together. Join us Thursday for climate comedy in DC!

Clear skies, blooming trees, warm breezes; spring has sprung in Washington DC — 22 days too early. If you’re like me, this warm weather is making you freak out about global warming.
Which is why LAUGHTER has never been more important. Seriously, hear me out. With Donald Trump’s presidency, we environmentally minded citizens have never needed to stick together more. So why not enjoy some laughs, and help advance climate action along the way?
That’s why our friends at Grassroots Comedy DC are hosting a stand-up comedy benefit for climate action this Thursday!
Come join us at the Super Spectacular Comedy Showcase For The Climate, 7:30pm on Thursday, March 2nd, at The Bier Baron Tavern (1523 22nd St NW, D.C.). Invite everyone you know!
The evening’s headliner is award-winning stand-up comedian Robert Mac. He’s been a finalist on Billy Crystal’s Mr. Saturday Night Contest, the San Francisco International Comedy Competition and the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon Talent Search. He’s also appeared on Montreal’s Just For Laughs, Gilda’s LaughFest and took the grand prize at Comedy Central’s Laugh Riots. There will be plenty of other hilarious comics as well; and, you will get a chance to connect with like-minded climate allies from our region.
By coming out for laughs, you will also be helping the climate movement here in DC. All proceeds will go to CCAN’s campaign  to put a price on carbon in DC, with the country’s first progressive and equitable carbon fee and rebate policy.
We know that putting a price on carbon is one of the most straightforward and cost-effective ways to fight climate change. By making fossil fuel polluters pay for the real and damaging costs of their emissions, we can unleash the clean energy solutions we need, and make DC families better off in the process.
The coalition to put a price on carbon in DC is starting to take off. Our diverse, multi-sector, city-wide coalition is now more than 20 organizations strong, and we have begun positive conversations with City Council members and key agency leads. Read more about that here.
So help CCAN work to give clean energy a chance to compete and keep the dirty stuff where it belongs: underground.
Join the climate movement in DC, and come to the Super Spectacular Comedy Showcase For The Climate, 7:30pm on Thursday, March 2nd, at The Bier Baron Tavern (1523 22nd St NW, D.C.). RSVP on Facebook, or buy tickets directly here.
Hope to see you there!

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Why I'm Marching To Ban Fracking In Maryland

Guest post from Elisabeth Hoffman of HoCo Climate Change
When I march Thursday for a fracking ban, I’ll be calling on Maryland to heed the warning of the canary that is Pennsylvania. And West Virginia, Colorado, Oklahoma and the others.
No state has gotten fracking right, because fracking can’t be made safe or even safe enough.
Everywhere this industry goes, residents rise up to defend their homes and farms, their children and pets, and their forests and towns from the noise and lighting, the truck traffic and ruined roads, the polluted air and water, and even earthquakes. No regulations are sufficient to corral the fracking industry.
Other states let industry experiment on their communities. From studies in fracked areas, we know that fracking is linked to increases in asthma attacks; preterm births and high-risk pregnancies; anxiety, fatigue, migraines and sinus ailments; and hospitalizations for heart and neurological problems. New research finds a link between fracking and a form of childhood leukemia. Thanks to documents from a freedom of information request, we are also learning that Pennsylvania officials suppressed thousands of residents’ complaints about water contamination and other problems. We know too that much damage remains hidden in legal settlements: Industry pays up only after residents take a vow of silence about what happened.  
Along with the fracking come the pipelines and compressor stations and export factories that bring yet more destruction to towns, fields and forests; spikes of toxic pollution, and threats from explosions. Communities must fight not only industry but the rubber-stamping Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has cozy ties to industry and refuses to take into account the cumulative damage from these fracked-gas projects. In Pennsylvania, for example, residents are rebelling against the 350-mile Mariner East pipeline that will take fracked gas from the Marcellus Shale to export for Scotland to make plastics, of all things; the 124-mile Constitution pipeline that slashed through a sugar maple forest, before it was denied key approvals; and the nearly 200-mile-long Atlantic Sunrise pipeline, slated to cut through preserved farmland and communities in Lancaster and four other counties. Lancaster-area opponents have built The Stand, a wooden watchtower in the path of construction that will be the base for peaceful resistance should Williams Corp. show up.
My county, Howard, is one of only four in Maryland with no shale gas underground. Yet even here, fracking is elbowing its way in. Williams plans to expand and modernize a half-century-old compressor station to connect with that contentious Atlantic Sunrise project. And so we are joined quite literally to our friends fighting this pipeline. Maryland, too, must make a stand. We can’t let the fracking industry invade our state.
Of course, along with the fracking and the infrastructure comes the climate-disrupting methane, which is on the rise in fracked Pennsylvania. Fracked gas is no bridge fuel for our climate emergency.
Fracking and building pipelines is like installing more phone landlines – but with the added dangers. We need to be done with these antiquated fossil fuels, not doubling down on them.
What’s clear is that cheap fracked gas (and oil) is an oxymoron from industry’s playbook of alternate facts. Industry won’t pay for the lifetime of medical bills. Or clean up the air, soil and water. Or compensate for carved-up forests or climate chaos. Or monitor the toxic water it leaves underground.  Or cover the losses to the tourism industry and property values. These costs and much more remain off the industry’s books, instead showing up in our community and household balance sheets.
Even the prospect of fracking is discouraging investment in Western Maryland’s tourism businesses. Industry is fighting this ban too hard – with ads and in the state legislature – for us to be persuaded (as some have claimed) that it has little interest in Maryland. Perhaps industry just doesn’t want to be told what to do.
Yet that’s exactly what we must do. Maryland is where we say no to the whole fracking package. Instead, we’ll invest in renewables and efficiency. As a friend in fracked Pennsylvania says: “Good neighbors don’t ask you to put yourself in harm’s way so they can turn a profit. Good neighbors don’t engage in practices that may have long-term consequences for the health and welfare of the community. Good neighbors are neighborly. They don’t knowingly pollute the air, soil and water. They don’t ruin roads and disturb tranquility. Good neighbors are invested in the community, less interested in extracting wealth than building lasting bonds. Good neighbors leave a place better for having been there.”
Join me this Thursday in marching to ban fracking in Maryland.
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The Road to Clean Energy Victories in Maryland

underwater press conference
My second week at CCAN I stood knee deep in the Baltimore Harbor in a dress and waders cleaning up debris that the tide had washed in. I knew at that moment that I had joined an organization that would do anything to bring clean energy to Maryland. That morning, Mike Tidwell, CCAN’s director, stood waist-deep in the Inner Harbor along with members of the Sierra Club, Working Families, the MD State Chapter of the NAACP, faith and student leaders to show why clean energy was desperately needed in Maryland.
As a broad, diverse coalition spoke behind a podium immersed in water — we began our journey to fight for a 40% clean energy standard in Maryland. The initiative was bold, innovative — yet not impossible. It would take all of us across Maryland working together for years to raise Maryland’s clean energy standard.
We are proud to announce that we have had a momentous year for climate change legislation in Maryland. Governor Hogan signed into law the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act that will slash emissions by 40% by the year 2030. On Monday, April 11th, on the final day of the 2016 session, the Clean Energy Jobs Act passed the Maryland General Assembly. The Clean Energy Jobs Act raises Maryland’s clean electricity standard to 25% by 2020 and opens up new avenues of funding for minority, small and women-owned businesses in the renewable energy industry. The Clean Energy Jobs Act will ensure that Maryland keeps dirty fossil fuels in the ground while diversifying and expanding Maryland’s wind and solar industry.
For those of you that have worked alongside us for the past few years — you know that these victories did not come easily. It took all of us working together and exploring bold new ways to secure a clean energy future for Maryland.
On the opening day of session in 2015, over 200 activists stood out in the bitter, January cold, holding windMD-Campaign-RPS-Feature turbines and placards demanding a clean energy future for Maryland. Lawyer’s Mall was crowded with legislative champions Senators Feldman and Madaleno along with labor, civil rights, health and faith voices. Trisha Sheehan, of Mom’s Clean Air Force stated, “Children are among the most vulnerable to climate change, especially from extreme heat events, widespread disease and increased air pollution. Maryland has the ability to double its use of clean energy by 2025. We need to act now to cut our reliance on the dirty fossil fuels that are polluting our air and making us sick.”
We worked hard throughout the session to show legislators that reaching a 40% clean energy standard was an achievable goal. A goal that was not only supported by environmentalists — yet was a vital component of our state’s pursuit towards achieving a higher standard of public health, economic well-being and to turn the tide on the injustices that the fossil fuel industry had wrought on low-income and minority communities.
Over a hundred activists gathered once again in Annapolis to meet with their legislators and rally through the 16449235219_a09bfcc716_znight in February of 2015. Despite the tremendous show of support we ultimately did not pass clean energy legislation in the 2015 session. Legislators balked at the idea of a 40% goal and instead we began to work on a 25% by 2020 standard. We knew that if we hit this critical benchmark that it would put us on the trajectory to achieve a 40% clean energy standard by the year 2025, and we could truly double wind and solar in Maryland. The bill failed in the Senate Finance Committee — yet the result of all of our efforts was that we built an unshakeable foundation and garnered the support of powerful Senate leaders and built a groundswell of grassroots activists.
After the 2015 session, we did not rest. Instead we continued to work so that we would flood Annapolis with voices from across Maryland. In September, Pope Francis arrived in D.C. with a message for people of faith and conscious, “Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last 200 years….Yet all is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start.”
davis climate in the pulpitsFaith communities across Maryland answered the Pope’s call to care for creation. Together with Interfaith Power and Light, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network hosted “Climate in the Pulpits” — a statewide effort of faith communities to raise up creation care and climate change in their worship services. On the weekend of September 23rd, over 87 congregations celebrated Climate in the Pulpits by inviting climate activists to give sermons, dedicating their worship message to climate change and signing postcards to their legislators urging them to pass the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act and the Clean Energy Jobs Act. Maryland State Delegate Dereck Davis (D-25 Prince George’s) participated by speaking on clean energy during the Sunday service at Forestville New Redeemer Baptist Church in District Heights. “Pope Francis has reminded us that addressing climate change is one of the great moral issues of our time,” said Del. Davis. “It is imperative that Maryland acts on climate so that we can create real, broad, and sustainable prosperity.”
Communities across Maryland also spoke out for the Maryland Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act (GGRA) — Maryland’s legal mandate to curb greenhouse gas emissions which was set to expire in 2016. The Maryland Climate Commission held meetings across the state from the Eastern Shore to Frostburg, MD. Activists told the Maryland Climate Commission members that not only did they want the to renew the GGRA, they also wanted to strengthen the benchmarks and goals, in order to address the growing threat of climate change.
Next, CCAN and the Maryland Climate Coalition hit the road and embarked on our Energy, Health, and Climate Expo tour throughout Maryland to build a strong alliance of clean energy advocates across the state. Events were held in Baltimore City/County, Charles County, Harford, and Howard Counties. Each event featured our clean energy champions from across the state including — Senator Middleton, Delegate Davis, Delegate Brooks, Delegate Robinson, Maryland Congresswoman Donna Edwards, and spokespeople from Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen’s office. Green organizations came together to teach community members about sustainability and how we can work together to combat the growing threat of climate change. This effort culminated in growing our grassroots movement and increased the amount of minorities and low-income community members engaging in our campaigns and advocating for clean energy policies in Maryland.
At the start of the 2016 session, we gained a powerful ally in Maryland State Senator Catherine Pugh, who introduced the Del. Dereck Davis addresses the congregation at Forestville Baptist Church as part of Climate in the Pulpits.Clean Energy Jobs Act — a bill with a landmark $40 million investment in workforce development and grants for small, minority, and women-owned businesses in the renewable energy industry. On the first day of session, Senator Pugh, lead sponsor of the Clean Energy Jobs Act, gathered with key committee leaders at a press conference in support of the Clean Energy Jobs Act and stated, “We’ll grow Maryland’s clean energy economy in a way that increases the diversity of workers and business owners. As we create more than 1,000 new solar jobs per year, we’ll also give more Marylanders pathways to good-paying careers.”
Throughout the 2016 legislative session our activists never let up. After record-setting blizzard Jonas, our activists dug themselves out and attended lobby days urging their legislators to vote YES on both the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act and the Clean Energy Jobs Act. Over the course of the last four months we held over a hundred legislative meetings with many grassroots advocates lobbying for the first time. Tracey Waite, founder of Harford County Climate Action and first time grassroots lobbyist said to one staffer, “When I think about climate change and our future, I feel as if I am in a boat and it has all these holes in it. If someone doesn’t plug the holes then this boat is going to sink. You have the power with both of these bills to stop the ship from sinking, Will you support these bills?”
Governor Hogan signs the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act into lawOn March 17, the Maryland General Assembly approved the landmark Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act of 2016. The bill, SB 323/HB 610, renews the 2009 Maryland law that set a goal to reduce climate-polluting greenhouse gas emissions statewide by 25 percent by 2020. The 2016 bill further extends the goal to a 40 percent reduction by 2030, requiring deep, long-term cuts in pollution. It received final approval by the House of Delegates after the Senate approved the bill in a 38-8 bipartisan vote in late February.
The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act commits Maryland to one of the highest climate goals in the country, following California and New York.
Following this victory, Mike Tidwell proclaimed, “This bold, and strikingly bipartisan, commitment to stronger climate action will help protect Maryland’s economy, health, and increasingly flooded shoreline. Our climate-vulnerable state is now leading the way, showing that reducing carbon pollution is not a partisan question, but an urgent necessity.”
And in the final hours of the 2016 Maryland General Assembly, the Clean Energy Jobs Act was sent to Governor Hogan’s desk. The Clean Energy Jobs Act passed with an overwhelming bi-partisan majority of members of the House of Delegates with a vote of 92-43 and in the Senate with a vote of 31-14. Lead Senate Sponsor, Catherine Pugh stated, “This vote is a major step toward growing Maryland’s clean energy economy. This bill will create good-paying jobs and healthier air for communities in Baltimore and across Maryland that urgently need both.”
The journey that started with an underwater press conference in Baltimore City has now spread across the state of Maryland. Thanks to all of you that have made this possible and let’s continue to win more victories for Maryland, for our climate, and for our future.

Meet Me In Annapolis

This is our moment. This year, climate activists across Maryland have the opportunity to pass bold climate legislation that will pave the way for a clean energy future.
This year, we can slash climate-disrupting emissions by not only renewing the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act, but also strengthening and extending its goal — to achieve a 40% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
This year, we can chart the way to power our homes and communities with wind and solar. The Clean Energy Jobs Act will raise our clean energy standard to 25% by 2020 and invest a landmark $40 million into workforce development training in under-served communities.
With the support of legislative champions, including Senators Catherine Pugh and Mac Middleton and Delegate Dereck Davis, we are in a strong position to reach the finish line.
But to get this legislation to Governor’s Hogan’s desk, we need one critical thing: For you to raise your voice in Annapolis and demand that your legislators vote YES!
We are hosting a series of regional lobby nights to ensure our legislators hear our voices before every key hearing and vote. Come to Annapolis and raise your voice for clean energy with fellow climate activists from your community.
You’ll have the opportunity to meet with fellow climate activists in your district and receive the latest political updates on where your legislator stands on our priority climate bills. Following a training and orientation, you’ll meet face-to-face with your legislator.
Sign up for your regional lobby night by clicking on the link that corresponds to your area:

By passing both the the Clean Energy Jobs Act and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act, we will slash greenhouse gas emissions, create thousands of good green jobs, and power more of our homes and communities with clean, renewable sources like wind and solar. We’ll also invest millions of dollars into job training to help underserved communities gain pathways to family-sustaining jobs.
Join us in Annapolis and let’s keep building Maryland’s clean energy future.

Activists Across Maryland Advocating for Clean Energy

This fall CCAN activists and allies advocated for climate change in their communities and in congregations across the state. From over 85 congregations raising up climate justice from the pulpit, to creative community action highlighting the dangers of sea level rise, to our six-stop “Clean Energy Roadshow” sweeping Maryland this fall, we’re engaging hundreds of new people in our movement to strengthen Maryland’s most important climate policies.
After we renew Maryland’s landmark Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act, our top legislative priority in 2016 will be expanding Maryland’s clean electricity standard. This is the number one way we can drive investment into new solar and wind power, moving our state away from fossil fuels, cleaning up our air, and creating thousands of new jobs in the process. Thanks to all of our volunteers and allies, we’re building great momentum behind this campaign this fall!
Sign up for our upcoming roadshow events in Harford County, Howard County or Baltimore City to get involved.

Davis CIP 2
Delegate Davis addresses New Redeemer Baptist Church as part of Climate in the Pulpits

On the weekend of September 27th over 87 congregations participated in a joint initiative between the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Interfaith Power & Light. Faith communities lifted up climate change and creation care following the Pope’s visit to our region. Congregations held workshops, hosted local climate activists and dedicated their services to addressing climate change. Maryland State Delegate Dereck Davis spoke at  Forestville New Baptist Church and quoted Pope Francis. He stated, “Climate change is real, humans are contributing it … it disproportionately impacts the poor and most importantly people must persuade their elected officials to lead the way.” He then added, “It is imperative that Maryland act on climate change so that we can create real sustainable prosperity and to protect future generations and I will honor that promise.” We were happy to have Delegate Davis along with thousands of parishioners across Maryland advocating for Maryland’s two top environmental legislative priorities — expanding Maryland’s clean energy standard and renewing Maryland’s Climate Action Plan.
Harford County Climate Action Commemorates Hurricane Isabel
On October 19th, Harford County Climate Action marked the one-year anniversary of the People’s Climate March and the 12th anniversary of Hurricane Isabel by bringing community awareness to the dangers of sea level rise driven by climate change.
Harford County residents gathered in Havre de Grace at the Tidewater Grill. Climate activists carried a 25-foot blue banner to demonstrate the effect that sea level rise caused by climate change would impact their community.
Tracey Waite, President of Harford County Climate Action warned about the impacts of inaction and retold the story of the devastating damage that Hurricane Isabel wrought on the Havre de Grace community — destroying their boardwalk and damaging many of the city’s streets. Waite addressed the crowd stating, “Global warming has caused sea levels to rise just over one foot since the beginning of the industrial revolution, when carbon-based fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas became the primary source of power.  We are supposed to see another foot of sea level rise by 2045. … If we do nothing, we are on track for approximately another four feet of sea level rise by the end of the century.  If we do nothing about greenhouse gas emissions, if we go about ‘business as usual, the data indicates that we can expect an increasing risk of very high storm surges. The hundred year flood will become the every year flood.”
CCAN activists and allies like Harford County Climate Action are working to mitigate the impacts of climate change and turn the tide on sea level rise by transitioning away from dirty fossil fuels. By working to enact policies like a 25% clean energy standard, we can protect businesses like the Tidewater grill which are only 2 feet above sea level and communities such as Havre De Grace.
On the Road with CCAN
This fall, CCAN along with the Maryland Climate Coalition, hit the road with our “Energy, Health, and Climate Expos”. The
Prince George's County Clean Energy Expo
Prince George’s County Clean Energy Expo

expos are designed to bring new activists into the climate movement by partnering with green energy businesses, elected officials and environmental advocates. Each expo shows Marylanders across the state how they can act at home, in their communities and in the halls of Annapolis to address climate change.
In Baltimore County, residents joined Delegates Dana Stein, Benjamin Brooks, Shelly Hettleman, Adrienne Jones, Steve Lafferty and Dan Morhaim to discuss policies such as renewing the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act – a landmark law that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020 – as well as increasing Maryland’s clean energy standard. Residents enjoyed vegan soul food and visited with green businesses. Young climate activists had an opportunity to learn more about the different kinds of energy and their impact with the fun, interactive Energy Arcades program from Climate Change Maryland.
In Southern Maryland, residents learned about why there is such a great need to transition away from dirty fossil fuels, as they heard Cindy Peil speak about the Cove Point gas export facility under construction in Lusby and the dangers of fracked gas. Senator Middleton pledged to support a 25% by 2020 clean energy standard and to work to ensure that minorities and underserved communities benefit from clean energy legislation through workforce development and training programs. Residents also heard how they can act in Charles County from Commissioner Ken Robinson — who installed the first residential wind turbine on his property and helped to fight the expansion of the Morgantown coal-powered generating station. Residents had the opportunity to visit with local solar companies such as Solar Tech and learn how to make their homes more energy efficient with local businesses such as Complete Home Solutions.
At the Prince George’s County expo over 100 residents were able to hear about grants and opportunities available to them to make their homes more energy efficient. Residents also heard from their local and state elected officials about the progress that Prince George’s County is making on climate change. From inspiring speakers such as Adam Ortiz from the PG Dept. of Environment who spoke on local initiatives to make clean energy and environmental measures affordable for residents. He also spoke about how Prince George’s is leading the state in waste diversion from landfills, and about the need to fight polluting sources of energy being concentrated in certain neighborhoods. Delegate Davis again pledged his support for increasing Maryland’s clean energy standard and spoke about how dirty energy impacts Prince George’s county’s most vulnerable residents. Expo attendees also were able to interact with local advocacy groups such as Greenbelt Climate Action Network, University Park Solar as well as local green businesses and agencies.
Join Delegate Lisanti in Harford County on November 12th at the Edgewood Boys and Girls Club. Hear from our own Mike Tidwell and Delegate Lam in Howard County on November 17th in Columbia. Learn about how our clean energy policies will take shape in the coming year at the Baltimore City Roadshow being held on November 21st! Sign up for a roadshow near you today!

Packed Room at Baltimore Kickoff for Statewide Climate Hearings

Cheryl Arney held up a picture of her granddaughter in a crowded room in the Patterson Park Library in Baltimore City. As she held up the photo of a young smiling girl she stated, “I am here because of her — this is her century and we must protect the Earth for her.” Cheryl was one of 21 people who testified in front of the Maryland Climate Commission.
The Maryland Climate Commission — a stakeholder group of government, industry, and nonprofits including Chesapeake Climate Action Network — are working to get public input on Maryland’s Climate Action Plan.
The Baltimore City meeting which took place on Tuesday, July 14th  was the first in a series of public forums to be held on climate change. More than twenty activists and concerned citizens said they want to see more aggressive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase usage of clean, efficient energy in Maryland.
On November 15th, the commission will release a report to the General Assembly with recommendations about next steps for climate action in Maryland, and the purpose of these listening sessions is to help inform that report.
CCAN and our allies have been encouraging activists to attend these sessions, and this kickoff event was a great success! Leaders from the faith community, environmental groups, labor organizations, low-income advocates, and several concerned citizens packed the room and delivered a clear message to the commission. They said they want the state to stay on course to achieve the science-based carbon cuts required by the Maryland Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act of 2009. That law needs to be renewed in 2016 by the General Assembly. Many of those present said lawmakers should not only renew but also strengthen the landmark law.
Several activists also referred to the state’s clean electricity standard (the Renewable Portfolio Standard or RPS), saying it should be increased to at least a 25% by 2020 standard. With the RPS too, many activists urged the commission to consider going even beyond 25% by 2020. Many activists also addressed the importance of statewide energy efficiency measures, again encouraging decision makers to strengthen existing goals.
There are several other Commission hearings planned across the state:

  • Frostburg – UMCES Appalachian Laboratory – 7/28, 6pm
  • Avenue – All Saints Episcopal Parish Hall – 8/4, 6pm
  • Largo – PG County Department of Environment Resources – 8/6, 6pm

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to raise your voice and hold our state accountable to strong climate action at the next listening session!

Help Keep Maryland on Track to Tackle Climate Change

With the release of Pope Francis’s sweeping climate change encyclical, quickly followed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s comprehensive report on the stunning economic costs of runaway global warming, the national spotlight is on climate change now more than ever. Here in Maryland, we are poised to make some momentous decisions related to climate action this year. Which of course means that we all have our work cut out for us!
First, we will need to make sure Maryland stays committed to achieving science-based reductions in statewide greenhouse gas emissions. In the next General Assembly session in Annapolis, we will need to pass legislation renewing the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act, which expires at the end of 2016. First passed in 2009 – thanks in large part to CCAN activists like you – this landmark law requires that we slash statewide carbon emissions by at least 25% below 2006 levels by the year 2020. Renewing this law is of tremendous importance for climate-vulnerable Maryland, as explained in this recent Baltimore Sun letter to the editor by CCAN fellow Jamie DeMarco. In order to achieve those reductions, this law also required the creation of Maryland’s Climate Action Plan, which was released in 2013.
At the same time, we have to ensure Maryland actually achieves those science-based reductions, and that means we need to make serious headway towards a clean energy economy. That’s why one of the most important pieces of the Climate Action Plan is ramping up Maryland’s clean electricity standard. Looking ahead to 2020, we’re currently on track to get about 18% of our power from renewable sources like wind and solar energy. In the 2016 legislative session, we will want to accelerate that increase to a full 25% clean electricity standard by 2020, and put ourselves on track to double our commitment to 40% by 2025.
So how are we going to both renew Maryland’s premier carbon cap law and also take the steps necessary to achieve it? By engaging Marylanders across the state to get involved, make their voices heard, and demand that legislators and agency officials do right by our climate. There will be several ways to do that this summer:

  1. Participate in the Maryland Climate Commission Listening Sessions The Maryland Climate Commission, in which CCAN is heavily involved, is a broad stakeholder group charged with making recommendations about next steps for climate action in Maryland. This summer is your opportunity to tell this commission that you want to see Maryland continue to be a climate leader! It’s also your opportunity to further shape Maryland’s Climate Action Plan. This commission will be hosting listening sessions across the state to update residents on the progress the state has made towards greenhouse gas reductions, as well as to hear from local communities about ways that we can continue to address climate change in Maryland.
  2. Put your faith into action by joining Climate in the Pulpits/On the Bimah/In the Minbar! Following the Pope’s DC visit, CCAN and our partners at Interfaith Power & Light will be asking faith communities across Maryland to answer Pope Francis’ call to address climate change. Dozens of faith leaders and their communities will be dedicating their worship services to creation care the weekend of September 25-27th.
  3. Sign up to be part of CCAN’s advocacy committee! Throughout the region we are looking for passionate, dedicated volunteers who can help influence their legislators to act. You’ll receive the training and the tools you need to convince your leaders in Annapolis that in 2016, Maryland should renew its premier carbon cap law and takes the steps necessary to achieve that law, staving off the worst impacts of climate change and building a clean energy economy in our state.

No doubt about it, we have our work cut out for us this year. But the need to act has never been so great, and the opportunity to build a new, clean and healthy future for Maryland has never been so great!

Crossover 2015: 29 Days of Progress

It wouldn’t be a Virginia General Assembly session without high-stakes drama, last-minute surprises, and a host of political maneuvering. True to form, the first 29 days of the 45 day 2015 General Assembly session have produced more twists and turns than a Hollywood thriller. Thankfully, I can confidently say CCAN’s climate agenda has withstood a bevy of attacks and we’re on pace to seal a very successful legislative session.
Today is officially “crossover,” or the legislative midway point. As of today, all legislation that passed in the House or Senate must officially “cross over” into the other chamber and proceed through the same committee and floor voting process.
At this midway point, here’s a recap of CCAN’s top priorities with an eye of what’s to come in the future.
The Virginia Coastal Protection Act
Richmond-area Democrat Sen. Donald McEachin and Virginia Beach Republican Ron Villanueva championed the most important and aggressive piece of climate legislation we’ve ever introduced. SB 1428 and HB 2205, called the Virginia Coastal Protection Act, would join Virginia into a highly successful multi-state carbon emissions reduction program called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The legislation would generate millions of dollars to protect residents in Tidewater Virginia from sea level rise and invest in other important climate measures like solar and energy efficiency.
This effort was the top priority of our Safe Coast Virginia report released last July. Numerous organizations, from the conservation community to low-income housing partners to the Virginia Chapter of the American Association of Pediatrics, supported this bipartisan campaign. The bill was supported by Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms, the city of Portsmouth, and the city of Norfolk, which was quick to pass a city council resolution in support of the bill and whose mayor personally lobbied for its passage. The Virginian-Pilot editorial board fully endorsed our Virginia Coastal Protection Act and even the Washington Post editorial board called joining RGGI the smart way to reduce emissions.
In short, CCAN’s Virginia Coastal Protection Act quickly became THE most positively embraced environmental legislative initiative we’ve seen in some time. It’s a no-brainer: providing funds to fight flooding while also meeting our carbon reduction goals in a cost-effective manner is a win-win for the state.
However, the bill failed to pass out of a key House subcommittee and came within one vote of passage in the full Senate committee. Delegate Villanueva and Senator McEachin deserve credit for their passion and leadership on this issue. Our supporters also deserve a tremendous amount of credit for helping to put this issue on the radar for so many people. Even though the legislation failed to pass in its first year, we have all the momentum we need to build off this year’s success and come right back next year to pass this urgently needed solution for our coast. Stay tuned for the next steps of this campaign.
Increasing Solar Development
CCAN worked with Sen. Rosalyn Dance and Del. Jennifer McClellan to introduce SB 1395 and HB 1950, which doubles the maximum size of a solar project that businesses can install on their property to help offset their energy usage. Virginia notoriously lags far behind its neighbors in solar development, so this legislation is an important step forward.
Building off the success we made last year when we worked with Sen. Hanger, Sen. Wagner, and Del. Hugo to exempt solar equipment from punishing local taxes, this year’s effort from Sen. Dance and Del. McClellan will continue to advance the state towards a clean energy future. Thanks to our patrons, friends in the solar industry, and the utilities and co-ops who have worked on this legislation, the bill has passed both the full House and full Senate, positioning us for a victory.
Withstanding the Attacks on the Clean Power Plan
Heading into session, we were on full-blown defense in fighting off attacks of President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which mandates that Virginia cut its carbon pollution by 38% by 2030. The program is much needed and long overdue. Of course that didn’t stop big business, big coal, and its defenders in the legislature from pulling out all stops to delay Virginia’s implementation of policies to help us meet our emissions goals.
In all, there were several bills in each chamber designed to delay or prevent us from meeting our goals. Thankfully, due to your protests, calls, emails, letters to the editor, and many other actions, all of these bills have been killed in the first 29 days. The only surviving piece of legislation, SB 1365 from Sen. Watkins, merely requires the state to consult with the General Assembly and others instead of deferring action to the General Assembly so that lawmakers can press pause on implementing the plan. Chalk this up as an enormous win for the climate and a giant blow to opponents of the Clean Power Plan.
What About Dominion?
If you’re following the news on the Virginia legislative session, you’re probably plenty familiar with Sen. Wagner’s SB 1349, legislation that some consumer advocates are calling a massive ratepayer boondoggle. I’m only writing about this bill because Dominion cleverly decided to use the Clean Power Plan as a boogeyman to scare legislators into voting for it.
For more information on this bill and for some insight regarding how some of our friends feel about the jist of this legislation, see this Richmond Times-Dispatch op-ed from Sierra Club Virginia Chapter Director Glen Besa.
The most important aspect of this very complicated bill and series of events is to note that Dominion, whose power and influence is unrivaled in Virginia, was boxed into a corner by the combination of the fierce, negative public reaction of this bill, the strong, growing momentum of the environmental community, and the leadership of climate champions in the Senate who demanded more clean energy from the utility giant.
SB 1349, which seeks to establish a freeze on base rates and prevent the State Corporation Commission from reviewing whether utilities made too much profit, was recently amended – for the better of the climate community. Although final details are still being worked out, the changes would secure more than 400 MW of new utility-scale solar in Virginia in addition to the creation of new energy efficiency programs from both utilities.
In years past, this controversial bill would’ve likely sailed through the legislature without the need to amend it to appeal to the environmental community. As we continue to build power on climate and clean energy in Virginia, we can secure more positive legislative breakthroughs.
That’s all for now. I’ll have more when the 2015 legislative session officially concludes.