Tell Sen. Kaine and Warner: Say ''No'' to offshore drilling now!

In less than three weeks, President Obama’s Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) is expected to release the final draft of its five-year plan for oil and gas development in federal waters. The first draft would have opened up Virginia’s coastal waters to offshore drilling for the first time — and thousands of Virginians pushed back.
As the Obama administration finalizes its draft plan, this is a critical time to keep the pressure on — and we need Virginia’s most powerful voices in Washington, D.C. to stand with us. That’s why we’re joining our allies, including the Virginia Sierra Club, Oceana and others, in urging Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner to declare their opposition to offshore drilling now.
Click here to tell U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner: Now is the time to say NO to offshore drilling for Virginia. Let’s protect our coast, not inflict more damage!
From Georgia to North Carolina to Virginia, a movement against drilling is growing. None of us wants to be the next Gulf Coast — where tar balls are still washing up on beaches from the disastrous BP oil spill. Since BOEM first announced plans to open the Atlantic Coast to drilling, more than 100 municipalities, 700 state and local officials, and roughly 1,100 businesses up and down the coast have said NO to drilling.1
For three decades, there has been a ban on offshore oil drilling in the Atlantic. Why risk so much now? Our coastal communities are already being flooded by rising sea levels. We can’t afford to enable more of the fossil fuel pollution driving climate change. Nor can we afford to endanger our growing coastal economy or some of our region’s greatest environmental treasures.
Instead, we can and should use our coast for offshore wind expansion: wind energy can lead to more energy and jobs in the future without putting our coast in harm’s way.
Now is the time. Urge Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner to say NO to offshore drilling!
While Senators Kaine and Warner have advocated for drilling off Virginia’s coast in the past, we’re beginning to see Virginia politicians — including the Virginia Beach City Council — back away from previous support. Now is the perfect time for our U.S. Senators to do the same.
Urge Senators Kaine and Warner to stand up for our coast: Say NO to offshore drilling!
This is another crucial moment in Virginia’s climate fight. This is just the beginning of an aggressive campaign across the state to keep these dirty fuels in the ground. With your help, I know we can do it.
1. “Grassroots Opposition to Atlantic Drilling,” Oceana.

2016 VA General Assembly Preview: It Was Not A Coastal Event

We built a movement. Two years ago, CCAN unveiled a new campaign with a singular focus: highlight the urgent need for solutions to flooding and climate change in at-risk areas of Virginia. Over the past two years, CCAN supporters and partnering organizations have advanced our Safe Coast Virginia campaign and turned our top priority legislation, the Virginia Coastal Protection Act (VCPA), into one of the most talked-about climate bills in the state.
We’re not done yet. On Wednesday, the General Assembly convenes for the 2016 legislative session and passage of the VCPA is our main goal. Republican delegate Ron Villanueva and democratic senator Donald McEachin have reintroduced a bill that is badly needed in order to help solve the crisis of flooding in Virginia that is fueled by climate change.
The bill has seen an evolution of late – for the better. In September of last year, Gov. McAuliffe declared a state of emergency for an impending weather event that wreaked havoc in many communities along the east coast – and could’ve been much worse. A McAuliffe administration official said that the severe rain event that caused millions of dollars in damages throughout the commonwealth “was not a coastal event.” Homes in every part of the state were affected by this storm and more homes will be at risk in the future due to climate change.
When this campaign first began, CCAN helped shed light on the significant costs associated with sea level rise along the coast. By now, we all know that the cost to help Hampton Roads adapt to sea level rise is in the billions of dollars. These figures are far too great for localities to bear themselves. What has become increasingly clear is that climate change is fueling severe flooding events throughout the state with more frequency, making communities incredibly vulnerable in every part of the state.
The reintroduced version of the VCPA will provide revenues to localities throughout the state to assist with flooding and climate resilience efforts. I’m proud to have gained the support of the Virginia Municipal League, an organization representing localities throughout the state, who has enthusiastically endorsed the VCPA as a solution to flooding and climate change and will work for its passage. In addition, individual localities from Staunton to Leesburg to Virginia Beach have stepped up to support the VCPA.
There are other bills that we’ll be following this year as well. We’re going to hold legislators accountable for attempts to stall on climate progress by delaying implementation of the Clean Power Plan. We will continue to fight for strengthened clean energy laws and promote the expansion of solar, wind, and efficiency programs as we have successfully done in the past few years. And we will monitor efforts by gas companies to accelerate development of natural gas infrastructure which leads to devastating local and climate impacts.
But one of the biggest challenges facing our lawmakers this session is how to secure the massive amount of resources necessary to begin implementing solutions to sea level rise in Hampton Roads and flooding from severe rain events in localities throughout Virginia. Our elected leaders can take a step forward on climate and begin addressing this problem by passing the VCPA in a few short weeks.
We’ll keep you posted on the VCPA’s progress and other climate-related bills as they make their way through the legislative process in Richmond.

Fredericksburg, Leesburg pass resolutions in support of RGGI

In the final two week of November, the city of Fredericksburg and the town of Leesburg both passed resolutions in support of the Virginia Coastal Protection Act. The votes came on the heels of a number of cities in the Hampton Roads, including Hampton and Virginia Beach, that have also voted to support the bipartisan legislation to allow Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
RGGI is a cooperative effort among nine east state from Maine to Maryland that caps and reduces their emissions from power plants. Under RGGI, power plants in participating states purchase allowances for every ton of carbon pollution that they emit. Virginia could receive as much as $209 million annually from the proceeds from the the allowances, which would be directed towards climate-related flooding mitigation, energy efficiency, renewable, and economic development in southwestern Virginia.
With the General Assembly session just around the corner, momentum is building once again for the Virginia Coastal Protection Act. Last year, the bill narrowly failed to make its way out of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources Committee. The bipartisan patrons of last year’s bill, Del. Ron Villanueva (R-Virginia Beach) and Sen. Donald McEachin (D-Richmond), are expected to reintroduce the legislation in the coming weeks.
This time around we’ve built an even broader and more diverse coalition of supporters. Businesses large and small, as well as, housing advocates and social justice organizations are all on board. Scientists are saying that 2015 is well on its way to being the warmest year on record, and we need solutions for coastal Virginia now.
As we approach General Assembly session in January, we will need your help to pass the Virginia Coastal Protection Act. You can find out how to get involved by emailing me at Charlie@chesapeakeclimate.org.
 

RGGI Helps You Keep More $$$ In Your Pockets

Amazing things happen when states support the expansion of energy efficiency programs: electricity bills decline, fossil fuel pollution decreases, and the public at-large benefits. These were among the many conclusions of a highly anticipated report released last week by Analysis Group. The report studied the recorded costs and benefits of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) from 2012 through 2014 to the nine northeast states that voluntarily participate.
RGGI is a cooperative effort that caps and reduces carbon emissions from power plants. Power plants in participating states (from Maine to Maryland) purchase allowances for every ton of carbon pollution that they emit. RGGI states agree on how many pollution allowances to offer for sale each year, setting a declining cap, and the revenue from the sale of allowances is returned to individual states. (For a background explanation of RGGI, see this CCAN fact-sheet.)
In short, the report states that directing resources to energy efficiency programs “stands out as the most economically beneficial use of RGGI dollars.”
These findings are important, particularly due to the report’s timing. In a matter of weeks the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to finalize the rules of the Clean Power Plan which will require Virginia to cut its carbon pollution by over one-third within the next fifteen years. RGGI is a solution to the Clean Power Plan and could provide Virginians with numerous other benefits as well.

Analysis Group Report: In Detail

One very important detail: This new Analysis Group report focuses solely on the economic costs and benefits of RGGI. The report acknowledges that RGGI was originally formed for the expressed purpose of reducing fossil fuel pollution to combat climate change. RGGI certainly has benefits to the environment, public health, and other areas that the researchers don’t consider as a part of the scope of this study. Analysis Group measured only the impacts of RGGI on the economy in the nine participating states.

On Energy Efficiency

RGGI states’ successful usage of energy efficiency investments paved the way towards $460 million in total electricity bill reductions for consumers in the past three years, while lowering carbon pollution faster than these states expected. The report concedes that there are many other ways states benefited by participating in RGGI, which includes both direct and indirect costs throughout the region. On the whole, Analysis Group found that the enormous benefits to consumers via energy efficiency resources created through RGGI dramatically outweighed the costs of participation in the program.
Specifically, the report found the following:

“RGGI-funded expenditures on energy efficiency depress regional electrical demand, power prices, and consumer payments for electricity. This benefits all consumers through downward pressure on wholesale prices, even as it particularly benefits those consumers that actually take advantage of such programs, implement energy efficiency measures, and lower both their overall energy use and monthly bills. These savings stay in the pockets of electricity users directly.”

In short, RGGI-supported energy efficiency dollars save consumers money. According to the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average residential customer’s electricity bills in the nine RGGI states is $108.43. That figure is nearly $17 lower than the average monthly residential electricity bill Virginians pay of $125.36. The national average is $111.08.
Why do customers in RGGI states pay lower electricity bills than customers in Virginia? The answer is simple: customers in RGGI states use a lot less electricity. Again referencing the latest EIA data, the average residential user’s energy consumption in RGGI states is 702 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month, far below Virginia’s average consumption in the residential sector of 1,156 kWh monthly. The national average is 909 kWh monthly.
Statewide energy efficiency programs like lighting and appliance upgrades, home insulation inspections and improvements, and general consumer efficiency education all help customers consume less electricity, which ultimately reduces customers’ bills and decreases fossil fuel generation and pollution. Customer bills in RGGI states are lower than the national average even though electricity rates in RGGI states are indeed higher than the national average. The important factor is electricity consumption, and it’s a fact that RGGI leads to less energy consumption and consumers in RGGI states use less electricity than Virginians.
Critics of RGGI and the Clean Power Plan argue that they’re too costly. However, independent studies and documented government data strongly suggest the opposite. If done correctly, Virginia can craft its plan of compliance in a way that is extremely cost-effective and actually lowers bills for consumers. RGGI is the smartest path forward for Virginia.

Other RGGI Benefits

Even though Analysis Group concludes that energy efficiency provided the most “bang for your buck” and produced the most direct economic value to consumers, the report points out that states have been increasingly more creative in the use of RGGI dollars to advance various state priorities.

“The states’ use of allowance proceeds not only provide economic benefits, but also has helped them meet a wide variety of social, fiscal and environmental policy goals, such as addressing state and municipal budget challenges, assisting low-income customers, achieving advanced energy policy goals, and restoring wetlands, among other things.”

Sea level rise from climate change is threatening our coast. Electricity bills in Virginia are among the nation’s highest. The EPA is requiring states to reduce their carbon footprint for the public’s health and welfare. It’s time for bold, yet practical solutions in Virginia to meet these challenges.
We can begin solving all of these problems by joining RGGI and wisely reinvesting our allowance resources in adaptation, energy efficiency, and other statewide priorities. The evidence is here. The program works. Now we need the wisdom and resolve to join our neighbors by becoming the 10th state participating in RGGI.

Virginia Power Shift

The youth of Virginia are ready to turn up. They are ready to bring it squarely to the jaw of the fossil fuel polluters. I know this because 350 students showed up in Fredericksburg, Virginia in February for Virginia Power Shift 2015. They chose to spend their Valentine’s Day weekend rallying for Global Divestment Day & building a loving movement, and that is why I know we will win.

Virginia Power Shift Keynote by Reverend Lennox Yearwood
Virginia Power Shift Keynote by Reverend Lennox Yearwood

Looking back just 10 short months ago, when Virginia Power Shift 2014 drew in about 150 attendees. Or a little farther back to Virginia Power Shift 2011, which played host to fairly similar numbers as 2014. While correlation may not be causation, I’m going to declare that the Virginia youth climate movement is growing. It is growing fast. And if I made my money by intentionally dumping greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, I would be shifting uncomfortably in my seat right now.
Virginia Power Shift was kicked off by an action in tune with Global Divestment Day meant to elevate the noise of the Divest UMW’s (University of Mary Washington) divestment campaign one week before they met with their Board of Visitors. Over 200 students marched across the campus cheering “Hey BOV, Listen to me, We want to be – fossil free!” and “Show me what democracy looks like,” before lining up to take a few aerial shots.
Later that evening, students were invited to participate in an open mic event facilitated by Good Clear Sound, an award winning slam poetry group from Virginia Commonwealth University. I never knew it was possible to feel that intimately connected with a room full of hundreds of strangers. Originally slated to end at 10 pm, the event ran until 11 pm as the flood of students eager to share their stories never relented to dry up. They shared really personal and inspired stories touching on issues such as gender identity, racial discrimination, sexual orientation and how their lives have been shaped. Music was performed, poetry was read, and laughs were had. It undeniably helped shape the weekend from a convergence into a genuinely inclusive community.
Saturday kicked off with a convergence wide training on systems of power and anti-oppression. No small task when you’ve got a room filled with more than 300 students!
Virginia Power Shift Anti-Oppression Training led by Maryland Campaign Coordinator Shilpa Joshi
Virginia Power Shift Anti-Oppression Training led by Maryland Campaign Coordinator Shilpa Joshi

(Thanks to our awesome facilitators who willingly chose to develop and facilitate an anti-oppression training for 300 people!)
The rest of the day was a blur of workshops, trainings, and panels on topics from fighting fracking to Black Lives Matter organizing, from food justice to direct action training to queer organizing in the south. The halls were buzzing with new ideas, friendships, and energy.
Saturday evening capped off with two standing-ovation drawing keynotes from Elise Keaton and Reverend Lennox Yearwood. Elise Keaton lives in West Virginia and has spent her life fighting mountain top removal mining and new fracked gas pipeline expansions. Reverend Yearwood is the founder of the Hip Hop Caucus to engage hip hop’s political and social voice. I won’t capture a fraction of their eloquence, and I don’t intend to not do justice to their words by trying to reiterate their keynote addresses. I can tell you both of them left the crowd on their feet screaming for more. At the end of their talks students were hugging, jumping, and cheering. The room was electric, the energy was tangible, and the students were ready to forge the future right then and there.
Sunday, we dug in. We took the energy and the knowledge gained over the weekend and funneled it into a strategic plan for the year. The Virginia Student Environmental Coalition is ready to jump into the next level of its organizing capacity, and after what happened in Fredericksburg I don’t think anyone would doubt the likelihood of that happening. Dominion, we’re coming for you.

Meet the newest members of our CCAN Virginia team

We are so lucky to have had three new organizers recently join our staff to build power in Virginia! Lauren Goldman and Charlie Spatz are new CCAN organizers working out of our Richmond office, alongside Virginia Policy Director Dawone Robinson and Virginia Campus Organizer Drew Gallagher. Harrison Wallace is our new organizer based in Hampton Roads.
Read on to learn more about our newest Virginia team members.
Your age:
Charlie Spatz, Virginia Statewide Organizer: 23
Harrison Wallace, Hampton Roads Organizer: 25
Lauren Goldman, Virginia Campaign Coordinator: 28
Where you live:
Charlie: Richmond, Virginia
Harrison: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Lauren: Richmond, Virginia
Why are you a CCAN employee?
Charlie: I joined CCAN for the opportunity to work on the front lines of climate change here in Virginia. While coal mining continues in the western half of the state, the tidewater area of Virginia is already experiencing sea level rise. In fact, coastal Virginia is the 2nd most vulnerable coast in the nation to sea level rise. This presents an opportunity for a Southern state to take bold steps forward on climate change and hopefully lead others in its direction. I’m excited to be working on our Safe Coast Campaign to make this a reality.
Harrison: I grew up in the commonwealth, I went to college here, and my family has long-standing roots here. I love Virginia because it has the best of both worlds: a beautiful coastline and breathtaking mountains. So, I joined CCAN to do my part to make sure that our wonderful natural resources will be here for my future children and grandchildren. We are at a crossroads in history and I will work tirelessly to make sure that Virginia ends up going in the right direction.
Lauren: I’m a CCAN employee because I care about conservation of fragile ecosystems, and I love solar energy! Also, I lived in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and my house flooded in Hurricane Sandy in Greenpoint, Brooklyn so I am concerned about extreme weather.
What has inspired you most working for CCAN so far?
Charlie: The incredible activists that I get to work with every day. Day in and day out, they are committed to fighting for climate solutions.
Harrison: Listening to Reverend Yearwood’s speech and joining over 100 activists in running into freezing water for our annual polar plunge.
Lauren: I’ve been inspired by the willingness of volunteers to engage with their elected officials through lobbying and call-ins during this 2015 legislative session. I think engaging with elected officials on a regular basis and holding them accountable for their decisions on key issues is something we all need to do more of.
What have you contributed to bringing about a clean energy revolution that you are most proud of?
Charlie: Before joining CCAN, I worked on the People’s Climate March as an organizer for Greenpeace USA. It was an incredible opportunity to work on a team with some of the best organizers from around the country on what became the largest climate change march in history. The People’s Climate March flooded New York City streets with over 400,000 people in September of 2014.
Harrison: Organizing over 40 coastal residents to travel to Richmond and lobby their representatives in the General Assembly. We made sure our voices were heard in the legislature and within the McAuliffe Administration via a great meeting with Chief Resilience Officer Brian Moran.
Lauren: I’ve organized a series of solar phone banks and call-ins during this legislative session, and CCAN supporters across Virginia have been eager and willing to talk to their representatives about legislation that takes away barriers to solar energy in Virginia.
Who would you high five?
Charlie: Famed labor and environmental organizer Chico Mendes, who worked to save the Brazilian Amazon.
Harrison: President Obama.
Lauren: A polar bear (with proper protection) and Yoko Ono for her work against fracking.

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.

Coastal Residents Bring the Fight Against Sea Level Rise to Richmond

The residents of Virginia’s Hampton Roads and Tidewater areas are well aware of the dangers that climate change and sea level rise present to them and their communities. Not because they see it on TV or read about it in their local newspaper, but because they are living with the constant fear that their neighborhood could be underwater tomorrow.
A Norfolk resident and passionate CCAN volunteer, Bob Baxter, shared his fears with me just last week: “Twice in two years, I’ve had to help my neighbor clean out a flooded home… If the water rises seven more feet, as scientists say could happen in coming decades, then my house will be in danger as well. Something has to be done.”
Hampton Roads is the most populous region in the Commonwealth and home to the nation’s largest navy base. It’s also second only to New Orleans as the U.S. population center most at risk from rising sea levels. But there is currently no legislation on the books that goes beyond studying the issue of coastal flooding to implementing solutions. That is simply reckless and unacceptable.
On Monday, January 26th, over 40 residents of coastal Virginia (including myself) woke up at 6:00 AM to drive to Richmond and let their representatives know that there is no more time for procrastination: we need to act now! These amazing activists were participants in the Virginia Conservation Network’s (VCN) 2015 Conservation Lobby Day. We came from every major city near the coast to urge our representatives to support the Virginia Coastal Protection Act (HB 2205/SB 1428). This bipartisan bill will raise urgently needed funds for coastal flooding protection measures by joining Virginia into a nine-state regional system for capping carbon emissions._DSC0050
Even though we were met by dreary weather conditions in the morning, the event was an amazing success. We started the day with very constructive meetings with delegates and state senators from both parties. It was truly powerful to witness so many coastal residents explain to their representatives how coastal flooding is a real problem within their districts at this very moment. Our incredible volunteers were not only voicing their concerns, but also standing up for hundreds of thousands of coastal residents, and I truly believe that the General Assembly was forced to recognize that on Monday.
If the day had ended there, then I could already call it a success. But we still had more work to do in Richmond! After a whirlwind morning full of lobbying in the General Assembly office buildings, a few coastal residents joined Mike Tidwell (CCAN’s Executive Director) and I for a meeting with Virginia’s Chief Resilience Officer, Brian Moran, and a couple other members of Governor Terry McAuliffe’s administration.
This meeting allowed some of our most active volunteers a chance to share their stories with a representative of the executive branch. Mike also laid out the benefits of the policy for them and we had a positive discussion on the next steps. It was an added bonus that Secretary Moran is the Co-Chair of the Governor’s Climate Change and Resiliency Update Commission, so he understood the importance of taking immediate and swift action against climate change. So, by shortly after lunchtime, we had lobbied multiple coastal General Assembly members and an important member of the Governor’s administration: I’d say that’s well worth a couple hours on I-64!_DSC0061
The Conservation Lobby Day was a very important step in the movement towards commonsense legislation that will enable Virginia to meet the coming EPA Clean Power standards and provide substantial revenue for coastal flooding adaptation. However, we are still in the middle of a sprint towards the end of the General Assembly session and the passage of the Virginia Coastal Protection Act.
If you really want to see our legislators take this problem seriously, call your state delegate and let him or her know how important the Coastal Protection Act (HB 2205/SB 1428) is!
After that, it’s time to take the next step: e-mail me at harrison@chesapeakeclimate.org to find out how you can get more involved. After all, our future depends on it.
 

Coastal Residents Learn About Real Time Climate Solutions at Town Hall Meeting

The impacts of climate change are already apparent in Hampton Roads.  The state’s vulnerable coastline continually floods communities, impacting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people throughout the region. Coastal residents are eager to learn and act on solutions to protect the communities they love from the rising tides. On Tuesday, December 2, nearly sixty people came out to CCAN’s “Save Our Coast” town hall and book event to do just this.
Folks who attended the event first heard from Stephen Nash, author of Virginia Climate Fever. Nash spoke about the impacts of climate change on Virginia’s communities and the drastic need for clean energy solutions throughout the state. He warned that the average temperature in the state is on the rise, and Virginia could see double the amount of about 90ºF days by 2065. The first ten months of 2014 have been the hottest on record, since temperature monitoring began around 130 years ago.DSC_0275
Hampton Roads has it much worse though. The region stands as the most vulnerable climate impact zone in Virginia and could see triple the amount of 90ºF days by 2065 – a threat to their beloved ecosystems and public health alike. Even more frightening is the fact that the rate of sea level rise is accelerating along the state’s coast, and it’s already at the doorsteps of thousands of residents. Much of the development in Hampton Roads rests on subsiding land, putting the region at risk for higher rates of sea level rise than will be seen elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast.
This scale of climate disruption does not have to become a reality though, as Virginians can still take action to curtail its greenhouse gas emissions. Nash explained that Virginia can still make the switch to renewable energy at a fast pace to lessen the impacts of climate change on the state. If Virginia acts now to curtail its greenhouse gas emissions, the rate and extent of relative sea level rise will be significantly less than it will be if the state continues to ground its energy consumption on fossil fuels.
One person in the audience asked Nash what the most important thing to be done is. He proceeded to say that taking part in the public conversation is the most important thing for people to do if change is to occur. Mike Tidwell, CCAN’s Executive Director, also answered this question. His response, to which Nash conceded, was for the state to pass the Virginia Coastal Protection Act that would commit the state to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Dawone Robinson, CCAN’S Virginia Policy Director, went on to explain the Virginia Coastal Protection Act and RGGI to coastal residents, activists and students alike who gathered for the town hall.  RGGI is a cooperative effort between nine states that caps carbon pollution from power plants while requiring them to purchase allowances for every ton of carbon pollution they emit in a given year. By committing to RGGI, the state of Virginia could see over $200 million in revenue by 2020. This revenue would then be appropriated as follows: (1) 50% to Hampton Roads for coastal adaptation efforts; (2) 35% to statewide energy efficiency and clean energy programs; (3) 10% to southwest Virginia for economic development assistance; and (4) 5% to RGGI for programmatic expenses.
Nash and Tidwell both touched on the difficulty of passing bills that support clean energy in Virginia’s legislature. Dominion, the state’s largest energy provider, is highly engrained in the state’s politics, often leaving the statehouse polarized on issues. However, the circumstances for reducing fossil fuel emissions in Virginia have changed radically with the EPA’s Clean Power Plan Rules that will be finalized next summer. The Clean Power Plan is calling on Virginia to reduce its carbon emissions by 38% by 2030, and RGGI stands as the best mechanism for the state to meet its emissions reduction goals while providing funding for essential climate adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development measures across specified regions of the state.
DSC_0271So what is the most important thing that needs to be accomplished to lessen the impacts of global climate change on Virginians? How can people on the ground help to push for climate solutions that will alleviate the sea level rise impacts that coastal Virginians are facing now, while protecting the future livelihoods of citizens across the state? Each of the featured panelists had a similar position on this question, which was asked by a dedicated activist who attended the town hall and book event. The answer? Get out there and join the public conversation. Talk to your friends, family members, acquaintances, and anyone else you can about bringing climate solutions to the state.
Teresa Stanley of Virginia Organizing, the first panelist that the group heard from on Tuesday night, spoke about the importance of collective action to make climate solutions a reality for the state. Communities need to be informed of the risks that Virginia faces under climate change, and communities need to be further mobilized to ensure that the state’s precious neighborhoods, culture and landscapes are protected from the projected devastating impacts.
Quan Williams of Virginia New Majority, the event’s second panelist, said that for her, the most important thing is to get the Virginia Coastal Protection Act passed. Climate change is an issue that know no races, borders, or classes. It will affect us all. And for many of us, climate change is a phenomenon that is capable of presenting itself in life or death situations. We must start acting now, together, to take charge of state initiatives that will turn the tide in the people’s favor.
The last panelist, Dr. Michelle Covi of Old Dominion University, spoke of planning and infrastructure initiatives that need to be updated to best prepare for sea level rise and climate change impacts along the state’s coast, home to the largest naval station in the world. Dramatic storm events are no longer the only driver on flooding in Hampton Roads; heavy downpours and high tides are now of high concern for flooding as well. Municipalities in Hampton Roads need to start working now to improve the resiliency of their highly prized social fabric. Evacuation routes need to be readjusted to include transportation to low-income neighborhoods and houses need to be raised to fight recurrent flooding.
But all of this will come at a cost. Improving infrastructure in Hampton Roads to combat the extensive occurrence of flooding that the region already experiences will need funding to occur, and fast. This is a problem that each and every single municipality in coastal Virginia is facing, and their solution may come sooner than expected. That is if the Virginia Coastal Protection Act passes. In a regular year, CCAN would not dream of getting this bill passed in such a short amount of time. But the fact is that the playing field has changed in Virginia.
The EPA’s Clean Power Plan will be finalized in the summer of 2015, and the state will need to cut 38% of its emissions by 2030. No matter what, the state will need to curb its carbon pollution, and the best option for Virginia is to get ahead of the game and start generating revenue by capping emissions. CCAN has already collected hundreds of petitions to support the Coastal Protection Act and is working to organize communities in support of the bill.
So what’s next? For one, sign the petition to urge your legislators to act if you haven’t already. Also be on the lookout for CCAN’s next actions, which will include a press conference on the bill with the support of coastal elected officials and a coastal lobby day at the state house to push the bill forward. State legislators must understand the immediacy of the threat in Hampton Roads. Together, we can make this happen.

Recap and Look Forward: Governor McAuliffe’s Energy Plan

Yesterday, Governor Terry McAuliffe formally unveiled his highly-anticipated energy plan for Virginia. The nearly 500-page document was officially released two weeks ago, but the administration presented the plan with analysis for the first time before a room of 200 interested clean energy advocates, utility representatives, business associates, and the general public.
Speaking on the plan, Governor McAuliffe spoke passionately about his desire to catch up to neighboring states in renewable development. Specifically, McAuliffe stated affirmatively that “climate change exists and humans contribute to climate change.” He also declared that “it’s time for the commonwealth to lead on solar and wind generation.” I couldn’t agree more.
The details of the Virginia Energy Plan offer some glimpses into exactly how the governor will accomplish his pledge to use renewables to “diversify and build a new Virginia economy.” Although none of the recommendations in the energy plan are binding in any way, the plan provides an opportunity to lay forth a strong vision for clean energy. On the whole, the plan is fairly strong with some notable exceptions. Without further ado, here’s a recap on the Virginia Energy Plan and a look forward into Virginia’s near future.
A Recap on Renewables
Grow. Strength. Diversity. Those three words were the self-described “hallmarks” of McAuliffe’s energy plan. McAuliffe pledged to make solar a priority and that is evident in his plan. The first set of recommendations deals mostly with solar and calls for the increase of this zero-emitting resource. Among several recommendation, the plan calls for an increase from 1% to 3% in the net-metering program cap. Tripling the total limit would be great if we were anywhere close to the existing 1% cap on net-metering.
(note: the 1% program cap refers to a limit of the percentage of customer-owned net-metering energy in Virginia. Currently, the max is 1% of peak-load from the previous year)
As you know, one of the reasons why Virginia hasn’t sniffed the 1% net-metering limit is because utilities have moved heaven and earth to stop the growth of customer-owned solar dead in its tracks. Current laws place onerous standby charges on solar homeowners and place limits on the size of systems that residents and businesses may install and net-meter on their own property.
But Governor McAuliffe has a solution to at least one of these problems. His energy plan proposes doubling the allowed maximum net-metered system size for both residential and non-residential customers, from 20 kw to 40 kw for residential and 500 kw to 1 MW for non-residential customers.
Additionally, the energy plan recommends the creation of a Solar Energy Development Authority to facilitate the development of 15 MW of solar on state and local government facilities and an additional 15 MW of solar on commercial, industrial, and residential facilities by July of 2017.
These are terrific ideas, but I would’ve taken them a few steps further. The net-metering non-residential project cap should be increased to 2 MW rather than the 1 MW proposed in the plan. Both Maryland and Florida for instance have similar project caps at 2 MW. Although our neighbors to the south, North Carolina, has a 1 MW cap similar to McAuliffe’s proposed new limit, it’s worth mentioning that North Carolina has a very generous state tax credit which is helping to drive solar in the state (Virginia was denied this opportunity by our General Assembly last year and this needed solution is not recommended in the plan). North Carolina also has a mandatory RPS with a solar carve-out (Virginia was denied this opportunity by our utilities and our General Assembly virtually every year and this needed solution is also not recommended in the plan.)
Georgia has a project cap less than Virginia, but benefits significantly due to their state Public Service Commission recently issuing an order mandating the state’s largest utility to increase its solar development by 525 MW by 2016. I can’t imagine our State Corporation Commission doing the same to Dominion Virginia Power.
And while we’re talking total megawatts installed, having an energy plan that specifically calls on 30 MW of additional solar in a state that only has about 15 MW installed may sound great if it were not for the fact that North Carolina has 627 MW of solar currently installed and Maryland has 161 MW. If the governor wants to truly play catch-up to our neighbors, we should set more ambitious goals. All that being said, the eagerness of this administration to grow solar in the state is fairly evident in the plan.
By now you may be wondering why this section summarizing renewables within the energy plan so heavily focuses on solar and not, for instance, offshore wind. Well, that’s because concrete recommendations for offshore wind in the energy plan are hard to come by. The plan mentions the need to develop offshore wind in the 112,000 acres Dominion exclusively leased in September of last year, but there’s no actionable recommendation to be found.
The administration could have, and should have, specifically recommended that Dominion develop this resource as soon as possible and include offshore wind in their 15 year Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) mandated by the SCC. But the plan doesn’t go “there”.
A Recap on Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas
The plan encourages more coal exports. The plan endorses offshore oil and gas drilling. The plan doubles-down on increasing natural gas pipelines like Dominion’s behemoth 550-mile pipeline that is generating so much controversy. How can a governor, who so passionately talks about the need to address climate change, endorse the three-headed monster of coal, oil, and gas expansions?
Well, the administration will tell you that it’s a part of the governor’s “all of the above” energy strategy, although the governor assures the environmental community that he is serious about addressing climate change. For what it’s worth, I have zero doubt about Governor McAuliffe’s sincerity in fighting the climate battle, but the mixed message is tough to ignore.
I’ll let others explain how we can encourage Virginia companies to export coal products abroad so other countries can burn it there while stressing the need to address global climate change. It’s akin to a father asking his child to clean his room but allowing the child to shovel clothes under the bed. Out of sight out of mind? Unfortunately climate change doesn’t work that way.
We all know the dangers of offshore oil and gas drilling. Racing to dig deeper and burn more fossil fuels is not the answer. Nor is supporting Dominion’s gas pipeline. But the McAuliffe administration got an earful from 30 or so protesters, mostly from Nelson County, who vented their frustration about the pipeline during his speech yesterday. That’s all I have to say about that.
A Look Forward to Efficiency
What can we expect in the immediate future as a result of the energy plan? That answer has to do with energy efficiency, which aside from solar, is easily the 2nd biggest component of the energy plan and topic that Governor McAuliffe seems most excited about pursuing. Virginia currently has a goal of reducing energy consumption 10% by 2022 according to 2006 levels. Of course the goal is voluntary for Virginia loves its toothless, voluntary targets.
The energy plan states that the governor will create a new Virginia Board on Energy Efficiency through executive order whose task will be to achieve the 10% reduction target by 2020, two years earlier than the original goal. The new Board will be convened quickly – the plan states by the end of the year. Fast action is necessary as Virginia has achieved less than 1% reductions to-date.
Governor McAuliffe took things one step further in the effort to make Virginia a “leader on efficiency” by stating in the plan that he will appoint a Chief Energy Efficiency Officer in his administration to oversee the aforementioned efforts and jumpstart crucial efficiency programs in state facilities.
As the governor said himself during his speech yesterday, “the cheapest energy is the energy we don’t use.” We need to aggressively explore our efficiency options which has the added benefit of saving homeowners money and creating thousands of new jobs in the state. Here the governor deserves unquestioned praise.
Summary
Virginia has incredible untapped potential in renewables and energy efficiency. While it’s disappointing the administration supports increases in fossil fuels generation and exploration, the level to which Governor McAuliffe openly talks about the need to address climate change is encouraging, and several of the policy proposals outlined in the plan are good steps in the right direction.