Month: August 2022

Virginia Will Ban New Gas Car Sales Starting in 2035! – CCAN Announces Support

Statement by CCAN’s Virginia Director, Victoria Higgins

“CCAN is thrilled that Virginia will move forward with Advanced Clean Car Standards. We are in a pivotal moment of opportunity for the climate movement. Emissions must come down steeply over the course of this decade, and for Virginia to do its part, that means addressing our number one emitter: gas-burning vehicles. These updated standards come on the heels of a massive influx of federal dollars for electric vehicles and at a time when the demand for electric vehicles has never been higher. Virginia’s adoption of Clean Cars II is a massive win for our health, our economy, and our planet.”

Virginia Automobile Dealers Association

Reprinted from VADA https://vada.com/blog/2022/08/29/carb-august-22/

CALIFORNIA DECISION IMPACTS ON VIRGINIA

August 29, 2022

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is responsible for evaluating the emission control systems and setting mandates for zero-emissions new vehicles and engines in California. On August 25, California established a year-by-year roadmap so that by 2035, 100% of new cars and light trucks sold in California will be zero-emission vehicles, including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. States can chose to follow the California standards or the corresponding federal standards under the Clean Air Act.

In 2021, Virginia lawmakers adopted the stringent California CARB mandates — a move that can help pave the way for more EVs in Virginia.

The Virginia Office of Attorney General last week ruled that the Commonwealth is “bound” by the California decision to go fully electric by 2035 because the Commonwealth’s leaders chose to be “statutorily and regulatorily aligned with California.” To change that may require an amendment or repeal of the legislation, the office said. (Read more at The Virginia Mercury).

In Virginia, the budget to actually implement CARB here included no funding, nor direction to actually meet the standards. As we have previously said, if Virginia isn’t interested in making a real commitment to electric vehicles and a cleaner future, it must revisit CARB.

Regarding the requirement that by 2035 all new cars and trucks sold in California are fully electric (which could also impact Virginia), a statement from VADA President and CEO Don Hall:

“The EV Revolution is here. Auto manufacturers are committed globally to EVs. As we have seen from the direction of manufacturers and in global politics, electric is the future of transportation and adoption of Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) standards positions Virginia as a leader in a worldwide movement.

Virginia’s new car dealers are embracing the future of electric vehicles. VADA dealer members supported the adoption of the ZEV standards as part of the state’s commitment to fostering EV adoption, along with charging infrastructure and EV purchase incentives. The state must step up and do its part with all the related policies, in addition to these standards.

Our position in support of the ZEV mandates was not the traditional posture of dealer associations. We believe we charted the right course for Virginia dealers. We would not have been in the position to affect the EV issue more broadly had we taken a different position on this issue. We drove home the point that much more investment is needed on many fronts to make the adoption of EVs in Virginia a success.

Dealers in states with ZEV standards in place are getting EVs. Auto manufacturers send most EVs where they need to get credit for selling them – that is in states that have adopted and implemented the Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) standards.

EV adoption will be achieved only with the investment of all parties: manufacturers, dealers, electric utilities, environmental groups, government, and consumers. We are doing our part.”

We Need to Fight against Manchin’s Dirty Deal

US Senator Joe Manchin will stop at nothing to strong-arm fossil fuel boondoggles into existence, especially the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) in West Virginia and Virginia. His approach this time? A Dirty Deal with US Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to pass so-called “permitting reform” legislation.

This label is misleading because the bill would actually sacrifice frontline communities to fast track permits for all kinds of risky, destructive fossil fuel projects.

The MVP is a climate-warming, land-destroying, family-wrecking pipeline that is utterly unacceptable to us. Which is why we have been fighting it from the day it was proposed in 2015. That pipeline would cross nearly 1000 streams and wetlands to transport fracked gas from West Virginia to Virginia and possibly to overseas markets. We unequivocally oppose this pipeline and any legislation that would greenlight it.

The Dirty Deal bill has a difficult path to passage, but we need to pull out all the stops. No one has seen the official legislation yet, but the one-page summary of the deal that was leaked is a disaster – it guts bedrock environmental protections, endangers public health, fast-tracks fossil fuels, and pushes approval for Manchin’s pet project, the Mountain Valley Pipeline – and a draft legislative text that’s circulating is just as bad, it even bears a watermark from the American Petroleum Institute!

American Petroleum Institute watermark on the draft deal: https://twitter.com/jimrwalsh/status/1555223445637632000/photo/1

Manchin’s deal will not only attempt to force through the Mountain Valley Pipeline, it’ll also threaten the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock environmental policy.

Here’s what the draft deal claims to do if passed:

Shorten the timeline for permitting reviews to two years for major projects and one year for lower-impact projects
Allow for more categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Cut climate change out of consideration
Prohibit Tribal agencies from requesting applicants to withdraw their applications

…and more. Read the full text at this link.

Lengths of pipe placed the ground along the under-construction Mountain Valley Pipeline near Elliston, Virginia, U.S. September 29, 2019. Picture taken September 29, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller (Newscom TagID: rtrleleven529716.jpg) [Photo via Newscom]

This is a dirty deal written by and for the fossil fuel industry. It’ll also sacrifice frontline communities to fast-track permits for other fossil fuel projects. Leader Schumer could attach this legislation to a must-pass government spending bill this September, so we must do everything we can to stop this legislation in its tracks.

Manchin’s deal will not only attempt to force through the Mountain Valley Pipeline, it’ll also threaten the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock environmental policy.

We will not stand for this.

Manchin’s Dirty Deal would have monumental repercussions. It would gut existing environmental law by cutting public input and dismissing tribal authority. The clear result would be more dangerous fossil fuel infrastructure that decimates public health and accelerates out-of-control climate chaos.

No one should be sacrificed for profit. We have to fight back and urge our elected officials to do all they can to stop this terrible legislation.

Send a message to your members of Congress. Tell them to say NO to Manchin’s Dirty Deal!

Historic climate bill just passed! This changes EVERYTHING!

I will remember today for the rest of my life. Today The House of Representatives passed The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and sent it to President Biden for his signature. Today kicks off a clean energy revolution that will save thousands of lives, prevent countless climate disasters, and shape the carbon record for millennia.

CCANers thanking their Congressman for passing Inflation Reduction Act — _upscale

While it is not perfect, this groundbreaking legislation will reduce US emissions 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, create 1.4 million new jobs, expand the U.S. economy by nearly one full percentage point, and prevent up to 3,900 premature deaths annually, mostly in communities of color. It will also expand health insurance and lower the cost of prescription drugs.

The Inflation Reduction Act is the first sweeping climate legislation to be passed by Congress, and it would not have been possible without the advocacy we have been doing for years. Thank you. It has been an honor to build this movement together with you. Now our job is to build more power and pass even bolder legislation. We must make this the first, and the smallest, climate legislation Congress passes.

CCAN Action Fund is enthusiastically applauding House passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. A side agreement of the bill, however, could accelerate approval of oil and gas pipelines, drawing fierce opposition from groups like CCAN Action Fund with pledges to defeat this separate measure in September.

The climate features of the bill are described in more detail here. CCAN Action Fund advocated for the removal of the provisions that would open up new leases for fossil fuel extraction, and we are disappointed to see that these provisions were included in the final bill. We will continue our decades-long practice of fighting all fossil fuel infrastructure.

While the Inflation Reduction Act does not affect the Mountain Valley Pipeline in any way, its passage is linked to a separate bill to greenlight the Mountain Valley Pipeline through a deal between Senators Manchin and Schumer. Even as we celebrate our representatives for finally passing sweeping climate legislation, we need to let them know that they must vote against ANY legislation that facilitates construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

Please, take a moment to contact your representative about their vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, and demand they block the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

Statement from Mike Tidwell, Executive Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and CCAN Action Fund:

“Today’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act by the US House of Representatives is a game-changing step in the fight to rescue our planet from extreme climate change. The bill will be remembered as a turning point in the nation’s move to ‘electrify everything’ with clean energy while protecting our most vulnerable communities from climate impacts and energy cost burdens.

“In the Chesapeake region of Maryland, Virginia, DC, and West Virginia, this bill will greatly incentivize manufacturing for wind and solar energy systems while growing our offshore wind industry with smart and strategic tax credits. It will mean many more affordable electric cars throughout our region with a rapidly growing network of charging stations in addition to funding for more walkable communities.

“Also, thanks to the tireless efforts of Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, this bill will create America’s first national Green Bank with $9 billion. The bank will transform American homes with loans and grants for heat pumps, electric water heating systems, and other low- and zero-carbon energy systems.”

“Many thanks also to Stacey Abrams of Georgia. Her tireless efforts over the years to register Georgia voters and fight for justice led directly to the US Senate election victories of Rafael Warnock (D-GA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in 2021. Without Abrams’ visionary efforts, the Senate would not have had the votes to win today on climate and prescription drugs. Period.”

“But the climate fight will be far from over. We must do more to right the wrongs of climate injustice and continue our effort to make communities of color, that have been disproportionately impacted, whole again. CCAN Action Fund is committed with hundreds of other groups to stopping any ‘permit reform’ legislation – proposed for a September vote – that could ease approval of unimaginably destructive fossil fuel pipelines like the Mountain Valley Pipeline proposed for West Virginia and Virginia. We will fight as hard to stop that bill as we’ve fought to pass this climate bill.”

Again, please take a moment to contact your representative about their vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, and demand they block the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

Learn more about the campaign to pass a federal climate bill through budget reconciliation

CCAN Statement on SCC Ruling in Favor of Virginia Coastal Offshore Wind Project

RICHMOND, VA: “With this ruling, Virginia is poised to take its place as a climate leader by ushering in more offshore wind than anywhere else in the country. On top of its central role in allowing us to meet our 100% clean energy goals, the Virginia Coastal Offshore Wind project will generate thousands of jobs across the state and bring in millions in tax revenue. I applaud the State Corporation Commission for including robust consumer protections and look forward to the project being completed in a least-cost, timely manner. Virginia’s clean energy future is on the horizon.”

-Victoria Higgins

Virginia Director

Chesapeake Climate Action Network

vhiggins@chesapeakeclimate.org

Background:

The State Corporation Commission (SCC) has approved an application by Dominion Energy Virginia for cost recovery associated with its proposed Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project (CVOW). The project consists of 176 wind turbines, each designed to generate 14.7 megawatts, to be located approximately 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.

The Commission further stated that significant concerns were raised throughout the proceeding regarding the affordability of the project and the financial risk to ratepayers. With a project of this magnitude, the SCC ordered the following consumer protections:

Dominion shall file a notice with the SCC within 30 calendar days if it determines that the total project costs are expected to exceed the current estimate, or if the final turbine installation is expected to be delayed beyond February 4, 2027.
Each annual Rider OSW update application filed by Dominion prior to the project’s commercial operation shall include any material changes to the project, the most recent biannual project update, and a written explanation as to the reason for any cost overruns above the most recent estimate provided by the company to include the reasonableness and prudence of the additional costs.
Beginning with the commercial operation and extending for the life of the project, customers shall be held harmless for any shortfall in energy production below an annual net capacity factor of 42 percent, as measured on a three-year rolling average.

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the first grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. Founded in 2002, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.chesapeakeclimate.org