Today a group of Virginia climate change activists stopped by Senator Webb’s Falls Church district office to urge him to stand up for the Clean Air Act. Armed with hand-made signs and “Stop CO2” stickers, they talked to his staff about the importance of opposing the Murkowski Amendment. The amendment would block the Clean Air Act’s ability to limit global warming pollution by stripping the EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite already hearing from many of his constituents, Senator Webb is still considering supporting this crippling amendment. We delivered almost 100 more comments from clean air supporters today, and we have to keep the pressure on. Don’t wait to add your voice by calling his office today to tell him to stand up to big polluters and protect the Clean Air Act!
Today was another day for Virginia to make headlines. Like most headlines of late, this wasn’t a good one either. Our new Attorney General has made the environment one of his top priorities. Shouldn’t this be a GOOD thing you ask? In some instances, yes, but not when his goal is to make every federal law regulating greenhouse gas emissions illegal in our state.
After sending out an email to his listserv last week disputing global warming all together, our AG, Ken Cuccinelli held a press conference today, announcing his petition to the EPA to reconsider its finding that global warming threatens our livelihood. His reasoning for this petition? Climategate. Remember that little mole hill climate deniers successfully made into a mountain? Our state government has decided this is such an important issue that we should spend staff time and taxpayer money on it. Meanwhile, we’re looking at a $1.2 billion budget shortfall. Great idea guys. Let’s spend money on this.
So let’s recap here. While our new Governor is backroom wheeling and dealing over serious budget cuts, including a $730 million cut to K-12 education programs over 2 years, and more Virginians are out of work and without health care, the new AG is spending money on frivolous lawsuits against the EPA because he is concerned that the EPA is finally going to do its job. Whew, we are not off to a good start.
First the good news: Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. just announced that it is testing the waters of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle charging stations in anticipation of the cars hitting Greater Baltimore streets later this year.
There’s no doubt that cars with cords are coming. According to Wired, most of the major automakers are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the development of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, and at least two of them
On January 23, 2010 nearly 350 people gathered on a beach outside the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Annapolis to draw attention to the climate crisis and highlight the number everyone living on this planet needs to know: 350.
Check out the video from CCAN’s 5th plunge to Keep Winter Cold below (it’s my first video). Enjoy!
A junior at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Andrew Swoboda, recently won a $10,000 scholarship for his research in reducing the amount of platinum needed to make hydrogen fuel cells, reducing the overall cost of production. He is making an effort to cut the cost of alternative energy that could help reduce the demand for mountaintop removal coal mining and other dirty sources. Meanwhile, his elected official, VA state Senator Richard Saslaw, has been an obstacle to investing in energy efficiency measures that would also reduce the demand for coal. Last year he was the decisive vote to block efficiency legislation in committee.
There’s no doubt that energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest, cleanest way to meet Virginia’s energy needs and create jobs, which is why it’s one of our top priorities this year in Virginia. Do you think hydrogen fuel cells have a place in making the switch to a clean energy future?
One year ago, Barack Obama was inaugurated as President. Hopes were high among progressive-minded people, including climate activists. Finally, we had a President who got it on the need for action to address the deepening climate crisis.
But here we are a year later and things look very different. The United States, including Obama, played a generally problematic role up to and at the Copenhagen climate conference, dismissing the widespread call by a big majority of the world’s countries for emissions reductions consistent with the climate science. The Obama administration played this role despite the bad-weather impacts and sea level rise already being seen and felt in Africa, small island nations and elsewhere.
As far as the U.S. Congress, Obama has certainly not made it a priority so far to advance efforts to enact climate legislation in this session. It’s looking very possible, even likely, that no comprehensive climate legislation will be passed in 2010. Continue reading
Yesterday at the Virginia Conservation Network’s annual lobby day, 235 Virginians from all across the Commonwealth flooded the halls of Virginia’s General Assembly Building. There were many priority issues on the agenda but upon reading the meeting feedback forms at lunch it became clear that almost everyone was talking about two things: energy efficiency and mountaintop removal. The final tally isn’t back yet, but SB 564 and SB 71 were creating a buzz for sure.
I’d like to focus for just a brief minute on SB 564, the Virginia Stream Saver Bill. It was introduced by Senator Patsy Ticer from Northern Virginia but four women from Wise County traveled the distance to Richmond to thank both Senator Ticer and Senator Whipple (first co-patron), for taking a stand on issue so important to them. It was certainly a special moment when Kathy Selvage from Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards presented Senator Ticer with a book entitled “Plundering Appalachia” that illustrates the devastating impacts this practice is having across Appalachia. Kathy brought two jars of water from her neighborhood to show just how impacted her water quality is. With all of our combined efforts the Stream Saver Bill SB 564 now has five co-patrons, including Senators Whipple, Howell, Northam and Marsden. If you have a minute please call today at (800) 889-0229 and ask your Senator to co-patron this important bill!
The New York Times and Greenwire have picked up the first major grassroots action of the year to tell the Senate to pass strong climate change legislation in 2010!
A couple weeks ago Senator Jim Webb introduced a bill that would subsidize the nuclear industry and could divert money away from much needed solutions to the climate crisis. We flooded his office with hundreds of emails asking him what his plan was to solve global warming. Senator Webb has raised real concerns about cap and trade — handing money over to polluters for free, complicated offsets, and Wall Street gaming among them. Just last week, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a bill that represents a new approach to capping carbon that avoids these pitfalls. Over the past year, in meetings with CCAN members, Sen. Webb has indicated interest in this new approach.The Cantwell-Collins “Carbon Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal” (CLEAR) Act is simple, fair and built to last. With this bill all polluters pay and there are no complicating offsets. Instead of most permits given away for free and subsidies for corporations, every American would get a check each month through a monthly carbon “dividend.” Learn more>>Call Senator Webb and ask him to co-sponsor this new approach to reducing global warming pollutionSen. Webb: (202)-224-4024Call Script>>Under the Cantwell-Collins bill, the federal government would auction off carbon shares to the nation’s 2,000 or so fuel producers such as coal and oil companies. Every two years, the shares would expire and, over the years, the U.S. government would offer fewer and fewer shares for sale as a way to reduce carbon consumption. Seventy-five percent of the money raised would be rebated directly to U.S. citizens. Cantwell’s office estimated that an average family of four would receive a total of about $1,100 a year in the form of tax-free monthly checks.The other 25 percent of the money raised would be used exclusively for clean-energy research and development, energy efficiency programs and for assistance to communities and workers transitioning to a clean energy economy.Call Senator Webb now and ask him to co-sponsor the CLEAR ActSen. Webb: (202)-224-4024Call Script>>Thanks for all you do, and happy holidays!
CALL SCRIPT
Hello. My name is ____ and I live in ______.
I’m calling to let Senator Webb know about the Cantwell-Collins CLEAR Act, which was introduced last Friday.
The bill is a simple, fair and enduring way for the United States to address global warming.
Given the Senator’s desire to address climate change, and his concerns about the complexities of a cap-and-trade system, I strongly urge him co-sponsor this important bill.
Report your Call
After you’ve made your call, please email Lauren Glickman at lauren@chesapeakeclimate.org so we can keep track of how many calls are placed and to let us know how the call went!
As of Wednesday morning the international treaty talks have turned chaotic and discouraging. The summary: The United States is emerging more and more as the country blocking any meaningful progress. Despite efforts by activists worldwide to highlight the importance of 350 parts per million as the only safe level of carbon in the atmosphere, the US is doing its best to persuade all nations to abandon any talk of science-based reductions and simply wants to collect all the currently weak emissions reduction pledges and just crank out a watered-down treaty most convenient for America.
The scene here at the Bella Center in Copenhagen has been tense. Hundreds of activists and delegates walked out earlier this morning to protest the restriction of access. Many leaders of American climate NGOs are either already denied access to the center or will lose access soon. It’s a disgrace. Friends of the Earth activists and others have spent the morning sitting down in protest outside the center.
Security here and throughout the city is intense. Police dogs outside the center. Coming through the airport-like x-ray machines, I was asked to demonstrate that my water bottle was not poison by taking a swallow in front of security representatives.
I’ve talked to several leaders of the climate movement — including Gillian Caldwell of 1Sky and Jessy Tolkan of Energy Action — and everyone is sort of in a mixed state of anger, panic, and sadness. How can the US be so intransigent? Obama actually telephoned the presidents of Bangladesh and Ethiopia Tuesday to basically try to charm them away from science-based demands.
Danish diplomat Connie Hedegaard, official head of these treaty talks, told delegates yesterday you can leave on Friday in “fame or shame.” Tragically, the latter looks more likely at this point, although miracles can happen.
There appears to be some progress on rainforest protection today, according to the New York Times. But the two other main issues — financing clean energy development in poor nations and rich-nation commitments to serious emissions cuts — are totally unresolved.
I think Greenpeace International best described the current situation in the press release exerpt below. Also visit www.earthbeatradio.org for my complete radio broadcast from the conference, as well as video interviews soon with Jessy Tolkan and Gillian Caldwell.
Onward, Mike Tidwell Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Greenpeace International statement Wednesday morning from Copenhagen:
“This situation is ridiculous and unacceptable to the millions of people around the world demanding that heads of state agree a climate saving deal this week.
“The talks are still stalled – because the industrialised country Ministers appear to have left their political will at home. Lets hope their heads of state don’t forget to pack theirs” said Kaisa Kosonen, of Greenpeace International.
At the heart of the problem was the US’s insistence that governments abandon any idea of science-based, legally binding targets and instead try to simply add up any targets on the table and make that the overall outcome for the talks.
The US was also trying to toughen obligations on developing countries, whilst trying to get away with a weaker obligation on themselves.
“The US, the world’s richest country with the largest historical emissions is holding these talks hostage. If Obama doesn’t put new targets and long term finance on the table this week, he will be the leader remembered for causing a breakdown in Copenhagen and guaranteeing climate chaos,” said Damon Moglen of Greenpeace US.
First the good news: Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. just announced that it is testing the waters of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle charging stations in anticipation of the cars hitting Greater Baltimore streets later this year.
Yesterday at the 
Call Senator Webb TODAY!
CALL SCRIPT 