Month: December 2021

CCAN Winter News

Message from the Director

Dear friends,

I founded Chesapeake Climate Action Network nearly 20 years ago with the hope that one day, if we worked hard enough, the US Congress would enact a truly transformative climate bill. In mid-November, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act that invests $550 billion in climate solutions. But, as you’ve probably heard, Senator Joe Manchin now says he cannot vote for the bill as currently written.

It is up to all of us to change his mind. In the days and weeks ahead, CCAN will use its on-the-ground organizing in Manchin’s home state of West Virginia to make it happen.

We can’t let Build Back Better die because we need it for a livable future. We need BBB investments to fuel the clean power sector, increase access to electric vehicles, and support communities most severely impacted by changing climate. We need BBB to create over 300,000 good jobs in a new Civilian Climate Corps and 150,000 in clean manufacturing. We need BBB to install 500,000 EV charging stations across the country as well as convert more than 60,000 diesel school buses to clean electric buses. And that’s just the beginning.

CCAN is already making plans to renew the battle for climate sanity in 2022 and beyond. We’ll do whatever it takes to get the White House and Congress to deliver bold climate action when they reconvene. And after the Build Back Better Act is enacted, we will continue to press ahead because there is more work to be done. .

Modeling shows that, while the Build Back Better Act gets us close, it doesn’t achieve the full 50 percent reductions in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that scientists say we need by 2030. But don’t worry. Individual states can and will make up the difference. Our teams in Maryland, Virginia, and DC are going to keep pushing for state-level reductions. We’ll join other states nationwide to mandate that all new buildings are powered by electricity, not gas. We’ll push for pedestrian-friendly communities while fighting new fossil fuel infrastructure projects. And we’ll make sure all new federal climate spending — tens of billions of dollars in our region — is invested wisely.

Because of our grassroots supporters, we’ve made incredible progress… but there is so much still to do. Help us make 2022 — CCAN’s 20th year — our best year yet. Join us as a member here, sign up to volunteer here or make an end-of-year donation here.

Thanks again for your support… and Happy New Year!

Mike Tidwell
Director, CCAN and CCAN Action Fund

Federal News

News from the Hill

On November 19th, the US House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act. It’s the strongest climate legislation ever passed by a legislative body and will keep millions of Americans out of poverty. You can find a helpful description of what’s included in the plan at this link.

Our sister organization, CCAN Action Fund (CCAN AF), worked tirelessly and in close collaboration with allies across the country over the past year to help pass this plan. A half dozen Democrats in the House initially refused to vote for the bill! So, the coalition of activists went to work and our targeted, coordinated advocacy helped get those holdouts to vote YES.

Today, this legislation still needs to pass the Senate. CCAN Action Fund has been working all year to communicate to Senator Joe Manchin why the people of West Virginia support the Build Back Better Act. We‘ve recruited hundreds of constituents to call his office, projected images of climate disasters onto his local office, convinced community organizations to sign resolutions, and so much more. And now we will redouble our efforts in order to achieve success in early 2022.

The Build Back Better Act will get us into the ballpark of reducing our emissions 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. You can find a detailed projection of the plan at this link. Reaching the 50 percent reductions called for by 2030 will require further executive action and state legislation to close the gap, and our powerful community of advocates and grassroots members will help make sure that happens. That means we need you. Join us as a member for as little as $1 per year.

We’re suing the EPA

Represented by our friends at the Environmental Integrity Project, we announced on December 9th our intention to file suit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to properly regulate pollution from landfills, including potent greenhouse gas, methane. The EPA’s model for measuring emissions is based on a set of methods called “emission factors” which the EPA is required to consider updating every three years. These factors haven’t been updated since 1998. The underestimation of emissions results in landfills avoiding regulation and prevents regulators and the public from realizing the full extent of air pollution coming from landfills. We expect our lawsuit to result in the EPA updating these 1998 emission factors and better regulating landfills across the country. See our press release.

Join CCAN’s Annual Polar Bear Plunge to Celebrate the Climate Movement

Join us on February 12, 2022, for our annual Polar Bear Plunge (also our inaugural event to launch and celebrate CCAN’s 20th Anniversary)! We’re holding a “hybrid” Plunge this year, meaning you can join us from anywhere — in person at National Harbor, just outside of DC, or you can take the Plunge from your backyard or a water body of your choosing.

So grab your friends and family and #TakeThePlunge.

Maryland

We passed the strongest climate bill in the country… in 2019. What’s next?

Though landmark renewable energy legislation was passed in 2019, we haven’t yet adequately addressed the two other top-emitting sectors — transportation and buildings. We’ve been working with a broad coalition since the summer, vetting policies and preparing for big wins in Annapolis in 2022.

This year, we’ll be working on policies to electrify our transportation sector and decarbonize buildings. We’ll also be working on crucial legislation to divest Maryland pension funds from fossil fuels and put the environmental human rights amendment to the Maryland Constitution on the 2022 ballot. Learn more about our Climate Platform Resolution and show your support.

In the last few weeks before the legislative session begins, our sister organization, CCAN Action Fund, will hold lobby trainings, legislative previews, and preparation and planning meetings with our partners and volunteers. We hope you can join us! Contact victoria@chesapeakeclimate.org to learn more, or sign up here to volunteer.

Virginia

Looking ahead at legislation

The transportation sector is the number one climate polluter in Virginia and nationally. Our “Mobility for All” campaign pushes for a comprehensive approach to decarbonizing transportation by rapidly electrifying as many vehicles as possible and providing folks with safe, reliable, and affordable alternatives to driving such as transit, biking, and walking. Our sister organization, CCAN Action Fund, had a number of key legislative victories on this front in the 2021 session and we plan to continue this work in the upcoming year.

The recent election results in Virginia mean CCAN Action Fund will likely have to defend a number of recent climate victories in the Commonwealth, like the Virginia Clean Economy Act of 2020. We’ll be working closely with partners to ensure that state senators and delegates understand the health and economic benefits of transitioning to a clean energy economy. If you want to help advocate for continued progress and protect the strides already made, please encourage your friends and family to join CCAN as a member. Members receive monthly updates on our legislative and political campaigns, have access to training and discussions, and learn how they can best plug in to our campaigns.

Keeping up the fight against the Mountain Valley Pipeline

On December 14th, the Virginia State Water Control Board sided with a polluter in approving a key water permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. This happened a few short days after hundreds of pipeline fighters got together for the “NO Mountain Valley Pipeline Violation Vigil,” which highlighted the more than 300 water violations — yes, 300 — that the pipeline company has already committed. The fight is not over. We will continue to fight, as we await decisions from our neighbors in West Virginia, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. We’re eyeling legal and other action — stay tuned. See CCAN’s statement.

Membership

Launching a new program to meet new challenges

The climate and political challenges today are even bigger and more complex than when CCAN was founded 20 years ago. Which means we have to adapt. In September we launched a new Membership program to build volunteer leadership capacity, which is critical to building a movement at the scale needed to solve today’s challenges. If you’ve made a gift to our work in the past year, you were automatically enrolled in our Membership program. If not, you can join for as little as $1 per year. Find more information on the Membership program at this link. Or contact mustafa@chesapeakeclimate.org to connect with a CCAN organizer.

Several members have already taken on new projects and leadership roles. Here are a few highlights:

Training up

Rob, longtime CCAN supporter (now member), designed a Letter to the Editor training we recently used to prepare dozens of volunteers in Maryland to write LTEs around our legislative priorities. Meanwhile, volunteers in Virginia wrote LTEs to encourage Virginia’s Water Control Board to deny a 401 permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

National action teams

Pamela and Christy are working together to develop Friends, Family and Neighbors Action Teams. These teams will offer a mechanism for members across the country to gain information, strategies, and general support on reaching out to and engaging friends, family, and neighbors (FFN) in the climate movement.

Thank you, Neighborhood Sun!

Thank you to our Polar Bear Plunge sponsor, Neighborhood Sun.

Neighborhood Sun is a community solar company and certified B Corp that works to bring clean, affordable, and local solar energy to thousands of residents and small businesses who can’t have or don’t want solar panels on their rooftops.

Anyone who pays an electric bill is eligible to subscribe to a solar project and receive a majority of their electricity from locally-generated solar energy! You can find the latest on their projects at neighborhoodsun.solar.

CCAN Responds to Virginia Water Control Board Approval of MVP Permit: “This is a Major Step in the Wrong Direction”

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) joined other climate activists today in reacting to the Virginia State Water Control Board’s decision to approve a water permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Below is the statement from CCAN:

“The decision to permit a pipeline that has already amassed over 300 violations of existing permits is not only reckless, but works against the interests of residents of the Commonwealth and threatens the existence of all living things,” said Elle De La Cancela, Central Virginia Grassroots Organizer for Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “We need to act on climate now, and this is a major step in the wrong direction. The MVP will undoubtedly continue to destroy areas of private and public land, only to line the pockets of CEOs and investors. We will continue to fight, as we await decisions from our neighbors in West Virginia, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.”

See below for the complete press release from activists opposing the MVP Pipeline. ______________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 14, 2021

Contact:
Denali Nalamalapu, (302) 307-6966, denali@powhr.org
Dan Radmacher, (540) 798-6683, dan@appvoices.org

Virginia Water Board Approves Key Permit for Mountain Valley Pipeline

RICHMOND, VA — Today, the Virginia State Water Control Board approved a water permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) via a 3-2 vote, finalizing state approval for the MVP to build across hundreds of Virginia waterways.

The Board is an independent regulatory body composed of seven private citizens appointed by the Governor. Despite significant evidence to the contrary, the Board accepted the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s recommendation and found that the agency’s draft permit will adequately protect more than 200 water bodies in the state from the pipeline’s impacts. Under the Clean Water Act, projects like pipelines that release pollutants into U.S. waters must secure both federal and state permits that assure water quality standards will not be violated. The MVP has already violated Virginia’s water protection laws more than 300 times and has been heavily fined for failing to control erosion and sediment.

Despite this decision, the fight to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline continues. The project still needs authorizations from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in order to cross water bodies. Additionally, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has yet to rule on MVP’s request to bore under waterways in West Virginia and Virginia.

Roberta Bondurant, Co-Chair of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights Coalition (POWHR) responded: “As we reflect on the losses of neighbor landowners and communities suffering MVP’s destructive effects on land, forests and waters, in the midst of an intensifying climate crisis, Virginia’s Water Board has marked for itself an infamous place in history. In granting MVP, a 300 plus repeat offender, a Clean Water Act 401 permit, Virginia regulators have shown its willful indifference to the stark reality of climate catastrophe and squandered an opportunity to do real environmental justice for the people of Southwest Virginia.

“MVP’s chosen route for its mega-pipeline, blasting and barreling across steep, landslide and earthquake prone mountain slopes, our pristine streams, and protective wetlands, multiplies already high risks of drinking water pollution and fiery explosions, imposing constant threats upon vulnerable and often silent witnesses in its path — including the elderly, single, low- and fixed-income residents, people of color, military veterans, and the disabled. MVP at once renders whole communities either ‘pipeline prisoners,’ or if they are fortunate enough to be able to leave, ‘environmental refugees.’ The result today, shameful but not surprising, leads us to brace for MVP’s continued wrath upon our people and their great places. We will go forward– relentless in pursuit of environmental justice — for the livable future that is the birthright of today’s and future generations.”

Peter Anderson, Virginia Policy Director for Appalachian Voices said: “While we are very disappointed with Virginia regulators’ decision today, the Mountain Valley Pipeline still has a long and uncertain road ahead. We remain convinced that this pipeline cannot be built in compliance with the law, and we will continue to stand with impacted communities as they fight this unnecessary and dangerous project.”

Lynn Godfrey, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter Community Outreach Coordinator, said, “The Mountain Valley Pipeline mainline is billions of dollars over budget, three years behind schedule, and has racked up more than $2 million in fines for water quality-related violations in Virginia and West Virginia. The MVP project already threatens 236 of Virginia’s waterways and this latest permit would signify the continued disregard of water sources essential to maintain a healthy ecosystem with lasting and permanent impact to Southwest Virginia’s waterways. We will not stand by as regulators continue to give a free pass to corporate polluters and will pursue all legal avenues to ensure that this pipeline is never completed.”

Elle De La Cancela, Central Virginia Grassroots Organizer for Chesapeake Climate Action Network: “The decision to permit a pipeline that has already amassed over 300 violations of existing permits is not only reckless, but works against the interests of residents of the Commonwealth and threatens the existence of all living things. We need to act on climate now, and this is a major step in the wrong direction. The MVP will undoubtedly continue to destroy areas of private and public land, only to line the pockets of CEOs and investors. We will continue to fight, as we await decisions from our neighbors in West Virginia, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.”

# # #

EPA Underestimates Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Landfills by at Least 25 Percent

Environmental Groups File Notice of Intent to Sue EPA Over Undercounting of Greenhouse Gases from Waste Dumps

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Three environmental groups today announced their intention to sue EPA for failing to update its methods for estimating emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants from landfills across the U.S., despite the agency’s conclusion in 2008 that the current methods underestimate emissions by at least 25 percent.

The Environmental Integrity Project, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and Sierra Club filed their notice of intent to sue EPA under the Clean Air Act, which requires the agency to review and, if necessary, revise its emissions calculation methods every three years.

According to EPA’s estimates for 2019, the rotting of discarded food and other household waste at municipal waste landfills emitted about 4.38 million tons of methane – a potent greenhouse gas that is 86 times more powerful at warming the climate than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Based on the agency’s current estimation methods, landfills are responsible for about 15 percent of human-caused methane emissions in the U.S., second only to the natural gas and agricultural industries.

“When it comes to pollution, it’s very difficult to manage what you can’t measure,” said Ryan Maher, Attorney for the Environmental Integrity Project. “EPA needs to fix how it estimates emissions from this massive source of methane and other air pollutants–not only to help us understand the full extent of the landfills problem, but also to make sure that we’re holding polluters accountable and regulating these facilities properly.”

Jane Williams, Chair of the Sierra Club’s National Clean Air Team, said: “In environmental justice communities that host landfills, their emissions are often the largest source of local air pollution. Landfills emit not only methane, but also nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds – and this legal action will help inform the public about how much of these pollutants they are being exposed to.”

Anne Havemann, General Counsel with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said: “The world’s leading scientists recently concluded that climate change poses a ‘code red for humanity. Among the easiest and most consequential actions we can take is to limit methane emissions from large sources such as landfills. EPA must update its methods so that regulators can fully understand and better regulate the climate and other air pollutants coming from landfills.”

There are as many as 2,000 municipal waste landfills operating in the U.S. today, and an additional 3,200 that have closed since 1980 but may still produce gas. Currently, an estimated 850 of these landfills are subject to EPA regulations that require emission controls, such as the burning or converting into energy of the methane produced by the decay of household waste.

However, this number of regulated landfills will likely increase—requiring more landfills with pollution control systems — if the current methods are revised and updated to reflect increased emissions estimates. This is because EPA regulations require landfill gas collection and control systems only for the larger sources of emissions.

Back in 2008, EPA last evaluated its methods for estimating emissions from municipal waste landfills. This assessment culminated in a conclusion that the existing EPA equations and values should be revised, partly because they underestimate emissions of methane and other air pollutants from landfills by at least 25 percent. The agency recognized that the current methods failed to account for the well-established fact that gas collection systems at landfills do not collect gas produced by the landfill with 100 percent efficiency, but instead collect about 75 percent of the gas that is generated or less.

EPA released a draft of its updated methods to the public for comment in May 2009. However, it failed to take further action and the updated methods were neither finalized nor implemented.

The environmental groups are urging EPA to update and revise its emissions methods for estimating greenhouse gases and other air pollutants (including volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide) from landfills, using the 2008 EPA assessment as an example of why the current methods are inaccurate. Very few landfills actually measure how much methane rises from trash heaps, so formulas and estimates are used by EPA and the states as a substitute.

The environmental organizations are also challenging EPA’s failure to develop methods for estimating nitrous oxide emissions from landfills. While landfills emit only small amounts of nitrous oxide, it is even more potent than methane as a greenhouse gas, with a warming effect that is 298 times greater than that of carbon dioxide.

For a copy of the notice of intent to sue EPA, click here. Under the federal Clean Air Act, plaintiffs are required to file a notice of intent to sue at least 60 days before they file a lawsuit.

In June 2021, the Environmental Integrity Project released a report that concluded that Maryland had been underestimating the amount of greenhouse gases released by its municipal waste landfills by a factor of four – and that annual emissions were about 51,500 tons per year, not 12,500 tons. The Maryland Department of the Environment responded by correcting its estimation methods and updating its greenhouse gas inventory with a much larger total.

The Environmental Integrity Project is a 19-year-old nonprofit organization, based in Washington D.C. and Austin, Texas, that is dedicated to enforcing environmental laws and strengthening policies to protect public health and the environment.

The Sierra Club’s mission is to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the largest and oldest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to fighting for bold and just solutions to climate change in the Chesapeake region of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

###

Activists Stop Traffic to Get the Build Back Better Act Moving

With only days left in 2021, intersections surrounding the US Capitol are blocked as Americans demand Congress pass Build Back Better and Voting Rights Bills

WASHINGTON, DC — Members of Congress and their staff were surprised Tuesday morning to realize that the roads they usually take to the US Capitol were shut down. Americans deeply impatient with Congress’ inaction on the most pressing issues of our time blocked roadways all around the nation’s capital in order to grab lawmakers’ attention and urge them to move forward NOW.

“We are the people, and we hold the power,” said Mike Tidwell, executive director of the CCAN Action Fund, “We elected leaders to every position of power in DC with a clear mandate to act on climate justice and defend democracy. So far, we’ve not seen our leaders close the deal on these priorities, so this morning we are reminding them who holds the power.”

**CCAN Action Fund and Arm in Arm block traffic and call for passage of Build Back Better.**

ATTEND LIVE OR WATCH ON FACEBOOK LIVE

The CCAN Action Fund and the group Arm in Arm worked together to blockade the intersection of 4th Street and C Street NE from 7:00 AM to 9:30 AM, while other intersections were blocked by other organizations under the banner of Shutdown DC.

Together, these groups are shutting down business as usual in Washington DC and demanding immediate passage of the Build Back Better Act. They are calling on Congress to move forward as soon as possible because this historic legislation addresses a host of intersecting issues including not only climate change but also justice for indigenous people, Black Lives Matter, housing, childcare, DC Statehood, immigration, and ending war.

The House of Representatives has passed the Build Back Better Act, but the Senate has yet to follow suit. This legislation would reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by more than a gigaton by 2030 and put the country on track to reduce emissions 45% below 2005 levels. Action on climate is long overdue, and it cannot wait until next year. Congress must send the Build Back Better Act to President Biden’s desk in 2021.

“Turning Up the Heat on Cooling Down the Planet”: Abell Foundation Report Explains How Maryland Can Reestablish Leadership Fighting Climate Change

Baltimore, MD — The Abell Foundation released a new report today called “Turning Up the Heat on Cooling Down the Planet: Comparing the Climate Leadership Actions of Maryland and Massachusetts.” This report explains that Maryland was once a leader in climate change action but has since fallen behind states like Massachusetts. It also provides a list of key priorities Maryland should consider to re-establish itself as a national leader on climate change.

This report, by climate change and energy experts Tom Peterson and Rex Hazelton, identifies key characteristics of governmental leadership required to implement climate solutions at scale and offers a detailed review and comparison of actions in Maryland and Massachusetts, including identifying shortfalls and leadership response needs.

The Abell Foundation is fully dedicated to the enhancement of the quality of life in Maryland, with a particular focus on Baltimore. The Foundation addresses all kinds of issues that impact the disenfranchised, such as climate change, because no community can thrive if those who live on the margins of it are not included.

If you would like our assistance connecting with the Foundation or the report’s authors, please let us know. In addition, CCAN’s own climate and energy experts will be happy to provide quotes on the issues raised in this report.

To access the report, visit the Abell Foundation website. For more information on climate change in our region, visit chesapeakeclimate.org.