Cove Point: Calvert County Citizens Keep Up the Fight

I joined CCAN’s staff three weeks ago today and since day one I’ve been inspired by the “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over” spirit the community members we have the honor of working with bring to their work. That spirit is nowhere more visible to me than in the work of the Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community, the citizen group that formed in opposition to Dominion Virginia Resources proposed liquefied natural gas export facility at Cove Point.
CCAN’s Southern Maryland Organizer, Jon Kenney, and I spent Monday in Calvert County, meeting with some of the leaders of CCHC. Inspired by last Sunday’s rally and undeterred by the construction work that has already started on Cove Point Road, CCHC’s leaders are ramping up their call on Governor O’Malley to step in where federal regulators have failed to and order a Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA). A QRA is a basic and customary type of safety assessment that would determine the extent to which an accidental explosion or other catastrophe at the plant could put CCHC’s members and their neighbors in danger.

Water park abutting Dominion's plant.
Water park abutting Dominion’s plant.

The reality of what’s at stake if the Governor ignores the citizens of Calvert County really hit home for me Monday. Jon and I went for a drive through Cove Point Park – a beautiful park that shares a fence with Dominion’s plant. Jon told me that this park – with its two playgrounds, baseball diamonds and crowded water park – is the place where kids in Calvert County go to play. And it shares a fence with the plant. Imagine the horrific scene if there were an explosion like the one that occurred at an LNG facility this spring in Plymouth, Washington.
And I met Leslie Garcia, one of the creative minds behind CCHC. With her husband, Leslie has been putting blood, sweat and tears into renovating their home – a home I had a hard time leaving after an hour, let alone 20 years. They feel like they’ll have no choice but to leave if Dominion wins. They’re in Dominion’s backyard: their home is less than a 5 minute walk from the overlook facing Dominion’s current import platform and a short drive from the plant. Imagine locking the door and walking away from the home you’d hoped to live the rest of your life in because you know that staying is too dangerous.
View from Solomon's Island, looking towards the future site of Dominion's pier.
View from Solomon’s Island, looking towards the proposed site of Dominion’s pier.

Before leaving, we walked along the pier at Solomon’s Island, looking out over the scenic Patuxent River towards the Thomas Johnson Bridge – Dominion plans to build a temporary pier next to the bridge for the loading and unloading of construction materials. And right next to it, one of the largest, most productive, and most beautiful farms in Calvert County – Dominion plans to use the field abutting this farm for the loading and unloading of construction materials coming off of the pier. Imagine the scene.
Construction may have started on Cove Point Road, but that doesn't mean this fight is over.
Construction may have started on Cove Point Road, but that doesn’t mean this fight is over.

As we drove through neighborhoods on our way home, we noticed that a bunch of the old Cove Point lawn signs (“Cove Point: We need answers!”) had started to disappear. The construction work on Cove Point Road has gotten some folks started thinking this fight is over; Dominion has already won.
But the members of CCHC will tell you that it isn’t, that too much is at stake to stop fighting now. Just a few days after our visit, CCHC members traveled to Annapolis to join 52 organizations and residents for a press conference urging the Governor to protect the safety of Calvert County residents and order a QRA. As the fight against Cove Point continues, CCAN will be supporting CCHC at every step – whether that’s on the streets, in the media or in the courts – and what an honor it is for us to do so.

O'Malley crafts stricter plan to fight climate change

The Baltimore Sun

By Erin Cox and Tim Wheeler

The O’Malley administration’s aggressive new plan to fight climate change calls for Maryland residents to further cut their energy use or face higher monthly utility bills.

The plan, to be released Thursday by Gov. Martin O’Malley, also requires that more of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2020.

Maryland’s goals for reducing greenhouse gases are among the most ambitious in the nation. The plan requires stricter measures than previously proposed to meet the requirement set by the General Assembly in 2009 to cut carbon emissions that scientists say drive climate change.

Continue reading

Maryland to Sue Gas Company Over Fracking Spill

It seems the news just keeps getting worse these days for those in the Marcellus Shale gas-fracking business. First there was the damning new Cornell University study which revealed the worse-than-coal climate impacts of the natural gas drilling procedure. Then, the Chesapeake Energy Corporation experienced the mother of all bad press days when one of its Pennsylvania wells experienced a massive blowout, spewing thousands of gallons of frack fluid into a nearby stream. In a poetic touch, the blow-out occurred on the one-year anniversary of the gulf oil spill.

While nowhere near the scale of the BP blowout, the Chesapeake Energy frack-up certainly echoed the massive gulf disaster in terms of the outrageous incompetence and recklessness of the well’s owners.

According to a Pro-Publica article it took the company a full 13 hours to respond to the accident. The reason for the egregious delay: despite widespread fracking activity in the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale, the state did not have a single team of specially trained fracking accident responders, and instead had to fly in workers from Texas. In the end, thanks to the holdup, it took no less than two days from the time of the accident before workers managed to cap the spill. Continue reading

Maryland Wind Opponents Admit They're "Motivated By Fear"

Fear and money, as these past few years of recession have made abundantly clear, are two very powerful political forces especially when combined. And as we’re seeing right now in places like Wisconsin, powerful political and corporate players are hard at work exploiting fears over money to advance their political agendas. It’s the worst form of cynical political ploys Continue reading

An Energetic Start for the Maryland Wind Bill

The last time the United Steelworkers and clean-energy activists descended on the Maryland State House on the same issue in 2008 they were going toe to toe, and the steelworkers managed to kill the global warming bill the clean energy activists were working on. But yesterday, when the old adversaries descended on the opening ceremonies of the 2011 Maryland General Assembly they stood arm in arm in support of Md. Governor Martin O’Malley’s forthcoming offshore wind energy bill.

The rationale for this unlikely but inspiring alliance is encapsulated in the slogan printed across the front of the bright-blue t-shirts we all sported at the statehouse yesterday: “Good Jobs, Clean Power”. The development of clean energy has long been touted as a dual solution to the economic and environmental woes facing the world today, and Maryland is a perfect case study of that promise with over 4000 jobs, and significant greenhouse-gas pollution reductions projected to accrue to the state if the Governor’s wind bill passes. For the steelworkers and clean-energy activists, the bill represents the quintessential win-win situation that makes for really successful political initiatives. Continue reading

MD General Assembly 2010 – Clean Energy Victories and Session Summary

This year, CCAN and our partners continued the fight to keep Maryland at the national forefront on clean energy policy. We fought for a number of bills aimed at shoring up Maryland’s hard-won carbon cap and building on other clean energy policy victories of recent years. It was a tough fight, given the state budget difficulties and a state Senate that environmental groups were ready to declare an environmental dead zone at the end of the session. But, thanks to the hard work and dedication of grassroots activists across the state and many dedicated environmental advocates, we managed to score some victories for the climate at the final hour. At the top of our agenda this year was the fight to get a comprehensive energy plan for Maryland. Having a statewide comprehensive plan is absolutely essential to ensuring that Maryland is able to meet its ambitious climate and clean energy policy goals while creating thousands of new clean energy jobs in the process. House Bill 522 and Senate Bill 910, if passed, would have required the creation of a state energy plan that is consistent with all state environmental laws and required the Public Service Commission to review proposals with respect to that state plan. Sadly, both bills died in committee. However, thanks to the clear public support for this important energy blueprint, some legislative leaders recommended administrative action. So we are now working with Governor O’Malley and his administration to create a comprehensive energy plan. Stay tuned for more info on this effort. In addition to the comprehensive energy plan, CCAN fought for a variety of other important clean energy initiatives including an expansion and acceleration of the solar portion of the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, the creation of clean energy loans programs, improvements the state’s net-metering policies, and an effort to prepare the state to cope with the stronger storms we are starting to face as a result of climate change.

Here a summary of how those bills fared:

Solar Energy: SB 277/HB 471 (WIN!) The Administration bill accelerating solar energy production in Maryland passed. However, the targets for accelerating the solar energy production were significantly weakened in the final version passed by the House.

Net Metering: SB 355 and HB 801 (WIN!) Both bills will improve our net metering law, requiring utilities to pay for excess power generated by solar power or other on-site generators.

Clean Energy Loans: SB 720/HB 1014 (LOSS) This common sense bill would have helped property owners afford clean energy projects, but was ultimately defeated, largely because of hard-fought lobbying efforts by the banking industry, which would have faced competition from the loan program.

Climate Adaptation: SB 1092 (LOSS) This bill would have empowered the state to study the connection between this past winter’s historic snowstorms and climate change, assess the future likelihood of such strong storms, and take steps to finance our emergency and disaster preparedness forces to deal with such future storms. Despite dying in Finance committee, the committee leadership is planning to work with the governor’s office to try to accomplish the goals of the bill.

With three wins and two losses, this Session wasn’t a perfect one for climate and clean energy policy but it certainly was one in which we carried Maryland further down the path towards the clean energy future. Big thanks to all of you amazing activists out there who proved that even in a tough year for environmental legislation, the power of grassroots action can achieve wins for the climate. We’re looking forward to continuing to work alongside you next session, and in the coming months in our ongoing efforts to win victories for the climate.

Thank you activists: MD's Climate Bill is Done!

Dear CCAN activists,

It is with great pride that I announce that today, on the last day of the 2009 session of the MD General Assembly, the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act jumped through the last logistical legislative hoop, and is headed to Governor O’Malley’s desk for signing. If you haven’t already done so, take a moment to thank/spank your legislator for their vote on the bill.Remember this? Rally for Global Warming in the snow!

I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for all the hard work you did over the past few years. Thank you for calling your legislator – and calling others in your district to tell them to make a call as well. Thank you for coming to Annapolis during a snow storm to show Governor O’Malley and the General Assembly that we were serious about passing this bill. Thank you for coming BACK to Annapolis to lobby and to thank the Governor for his support. Thank you for organizing constituent meetings in your district, attending town hall meetings across the state, and making sure that every legislator in the state knows that fighting global warming is a top priority for MD voters.

And the timing couldn’t be better: we’re gearing up for a big fight on the federal level, with two climate bills already introduced. Here in MD, we can be proud of doing our part to add to the pressure Congress is feeling to pass something strong – and we need to make sure that our elected officials on Capital Hill know that we plan on holding them accountable to passing strong climate legislation, just like we did on the state level.

Thanks again for all your hard work,

Holly, MD Campaign Coordinator, and the rest of the CCAN team

PS – Keep your ears open for details on a thank you celebration and victory party, to be scheduled some time in May.

MD's Climate Bill

You all probably all know this by now, but the MD House of Delegates passed the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act 107-31 last Friday. Woo! Celebrate! (you should probably get your beer-drinking in while you still can)

Now you’re probably wondering a few things: What else needs to happen for the bill to become law? And, more importantly, what exactly will this piece of legislation do, and what does it mean for MD and the US?

Easy question first. The bill will go back to the Senate, where they will vote again to accept the minor amendments passed by the House (things like a provision to make sure that the Department of Agriculture is involved in discussions of offset programs). Then, it will be headed off to Governor O’Malley’s desk. To find out how your elected officials voted, click here (enter your zip code to see your legislators), and then send them a thank you email (or a spank you email, if they are still thinking that global warming is actually caused by sunspots).

So what does GGERA actually do, and why do we love it so much? GGERA sets a hard cap on carbon – meaning that the state has a mandate to reduce our global warming pollution at least 25% below 2006 levels by 2020. In addition, GGERA calls for the Maryland Department of the Environment to create a comprehensive plan on how we’ll get to these reductions by 2012. This does NOT mean that we are holding off on taking action until 2012 – instead, that is the date by which MDE must have all of the necessary programs up and ready to go. For more details on the nitty-gritty of the bill, check out this factsheet put together by MDE.

This bill has broader implications as well. First off (time for me to brag about MD), this is the STRONGEST bill passed by any state on climate legislation, especially when it comes to short term reduction targets. This also means that MD’s passage of a strong climate bill will help push our federal officials into passing a strong bill. Want to help? Become a Climate Precinct Captain, and organize for federal solutions in YOUR community.

MD Gov. O'Malley is a Clean Energy Hero!

O'Malley clean energy heroGov. Martin O’Malley announced his support today for a global warming bill CCAN and the Alliance for Global Warming Solutions have been pushing for the last two years. Sponsored by Sen. Paul Pinsky, Del. Kumar Barve, and O’Malley as lead, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act will protect Maryland’s environment and economy while also spurring action at the federal level to address global warming nationwide.

Join us in thanking him for his leadership>>

This makes Maryland the sixth state in the nation in calling for statewide reductions in global warming pollution. The bill requires reductions in statewide greenhouse gas emissions of 25% from 2006 levels by 2020, and directs the Maryland Department of the Environment to craft a plan and a timeline to achieve those goals.

“This law will put Maryland at the forefront of controlling greenhouse gas emissions and should push the federal government to follow our lead and get serious about this issue,” said Del. Barve. The bill follows the recommendations of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change, established by Governor O’Malley in 2007, and closely resembles the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008. The commission offered 42 specific policy proposals to achieve the 2020 reductions, and the authors emphasized the importance of those early and aggressive actions if we hope to mitigate future global warming. Continue reading