Dear Virginian,

Virginia has made significant progress in recent years in the fight against global warming. We’ve achieved a de fact moratorium on new coal plants in the state, our solar industry is growing, and oil drilling off the coast has been put on indefinite hold. Tragically, however, none of these advances will mean much if President Obama soon approves the dirtiest energy project ever conceived by human beings: The Alberta tar sands pipeline.

As early as September, Obama will decide – on his own, without Congress – whether to approve construction of the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline. This pipeline would pump climate-wrecking tar-sand sludge all the way from western Canada to refineries in Texas. Simply put: this is a full-blown climate crime. Period. And we must stop it! You and me. Us. Together. I’m proud to say I’ve already pledged to join the likes of Bill McKibben, Danny Glover, and NASA’s Dr. James Hansen in calling for peaceful civil disobedience day after day at the White House from August 20 to September 5. Won’t you join me? This truly is a line in the sand. The tar sand!

Join other Virginians in fighting the tar sands pipeline here.

Meanwhile, I wish tar sands were the only new energy threat on our horizon. Not so. Earlier this month, Virginia U.S. Senators James Webb and Mark Warner made the huge mistake of introducing legislation to move forward on offshore oil drilling in Virginia. Thankfully, this bill has little chance of success because people like you have voiced so much opposition to Congress in recent months. Learn more and read CCAN’s official response to the Webb-Warner bill here.

And by now, you’ve probably heard about the major push in the Appalachian region to conduct hydrologic fracturing drilling – better known as “fracking” – for natural gas in parts of Virginia. Now some Virginia lawmakers even want to frack in the pristine George Washington National Forest. Yes, drilling insanity has set in among some elected officials. But you can stop it. Tell the U.S. Forest Service that you oppose all such drilling in this pristine forest.

Of course, the best alternative to tar sands and natural gas drilling in our region is wind power. Specifically ocean-based wind power off the coast of Virginia. We’ve made great progress during the past year on this issue, including sponsoring the historic Energize Virginia conference last month in Richmond. More good news continues to pour in. This week the U.S. Department of the Interior released a draft Environmental Assessment saying a vast stretch of ocean water ten miles or more off the coast of Virginia could be safely used for offshore wind farm development. That’s really good news. Now Dominion Power needs to move forward and invest in this energy of the future.

Finally, as the words above confirm, the climate movement is all about motion. It’s about moving away from dirty energy sources like tar sands and toward wind and solar power. Which is why CCAN is so happy to be part of the international Moving Planet day of action on Saturday, September 24th. If you have a bike, a baby stroller, a skateboard, a set of roller blades or anything else that rolls without pollution – you’re going to want to be part of this creative, unifying, inspiring day of global action.

So please join thousands of Virginians in Alexandria, Richmond or Virginia Beach on September 24 for the international Moving Planet event sponsored by our good friends at 350.org. See you there.

Onward,
Mike Tidwell