Position Announcement: Virginia Organizing Internships

Chesapeake Climate Action Network is hiring two part-time summer interns to assist our organizing team in Virginia.

An organizing internship is a terrific opportunity to develop your skills in outreach, developing leaders, and building grassroots power to fight the climate crisis. Interns will educate the community, mentor and train new activists, and urge faster and more equitable change to address the climate crisis. The ideal candidates are energized by empowering others and are looking to put their creativity to work. We are hiring two paid positions: one in Northern Virginia and one in Hampton Roads. 

About Us 

Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is a mission-driven non-profit dedicated to making a better world by addressing the climate crisis and systemic inequities in Maryland, Virginia, and DC. For 20 years, we have run winning campaigns that have transformed our region. We have banned fracking in Maryland, passed the strongest clean energy legislation in the American South, created the first in the nation Building Energy Performance Standards in Washington, D.C., and helped pass the national Inflation Reduction Act. Every year, our work brings us closer to the day when our needs are met without fossil fuels poisoning people or the planet in the process.  

We are deepening and expanding our base of grassroots activists throughout Virginia. Our Northern Virginia local chapter–CCAN NoVA New Leaf–is advancing an electrification campaign and a ‘reconnection’ campaign. In Hampton Roads, we are educating and mobilizing our neighbors to fight the Virginia Reliability Project pipeline, which is endangering our environment and communities.

What You Will Do

  • Grassroots Organizing Issue Education
    • Speak at public forums or partner events on grassroots organizing, including ways to join CCAN and theories of change.
    • Table at community events to identify and recruit potential supporters and volunteers.
  • Content Creation & Written Advocacy Work
    • Write Letters to the Editor regarding climate issues and priority campaigns to raise community awareness and promote action.
    • Contribute to CCAN’s blog and social media platforms to engage and activate our supporter base.
  • Grassroots Community-Building
    • Participate in community outreach, including in-person canvassing, phonebanking, texting, and virtual events like online town halls.
    • Gather comments on critical issues or policies from members of impacted communities. 
    • Strengthen grassroots efforts to protect the most vulnerable and marginalized communities that are under threat from fossil fuel expansion and climate change.

Qualifications 

  • Commitment to environmental justice and solving the climate crisis.
  • Dedication to justice, equity, and inclusion and amplifying the voices of those most impacted by extreme extraction and the effects of climate change, including Indigenous Americans, Black and Latino communities, low and moderate-income communities, rural communities, and struggling farm families.
  • Comfortable engaging members of the public and asking people to get involved.
  • Creative ideas for events and actions to engage volunteers.
  • Proficient in speaking and writing in English. Spanish proficiency is a plus! 

The Details

Interns will work from home and can expect to travel locally for community outreach events at least 2x per week. In Northern Virginia, most events will take place in Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Prince William, and Loudoun. In Hampton Roads, most events will take place in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, Chesapeake, Hampton, Virginia Beach, and Suffolk. 

Mileage or public transportation reimbursement is available for all CCAN-required travel except travel to and from the office (commute). The Northern Virginia intern reports to the Northern Virginia Coordinator. The Hampton Roads intern reports to the Hampton Roads Coordinator.

Compensation is $16.10 per hour for 10 hours per week during the summer over a period of 12 weeks. Exact schedule will be determined based on the intern’s availability.

To Apply

Please complete the Google form application to answer short questions and submit a resume. We will accept applications until the position is filled. Our target start date for this position is June 12, 2023. 

CCAN provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

U.S. Forest Service lets Mountain Valley Pipeline rip through Jefferson National Forest – CCAN protests

Richmond, VA — Today, the U.S. Forest Service published its Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) for the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), a proposed 303-mile fracked gas pipeline through Virginia and West Virginia that would contribute the equivalent of 26 coal plants’ worth of carbon emissions. The FSEIS allows MVP to cross 3.5 pristine miles of the Jefferson National Forest and represents the company’s third attempt to receive approval for the controversial crossing. MVP suffered another blow last week when a crucial water permit for construction in West Virginia was thrown out. 

Outcry from impacted communities in Appalachia has been immense. Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) supporters submitted more than 4,000 comments over the last year in opposition to the pipeline during comment periods for numerous permits, including several hundred during the Forest Service comment period. Moreover, construction of large, new fossil fuel projects is incompatible with both national climate goals and global commitments, including President Joe Biden’s pledge to reduce emissions by over 50% by 2030.

Anne Havemann, the General Counsel for CCAN, stated: 

“We are gravely disappointed in the Forest Service’s decision to allow the Mountain Valley Pipeline to rip through the cherished Jefferson National Forest. With this decision, the Forest Service is not fulfilling its mission to ‘sustain the health of the nation’s forests’ so as to ‘meet the needs of present and future generations.’ Present and future generations need a pristine environment and a stable climate, not a fracked-gas pipeline that destroys forests, pollutes waterways, and exacerbates global warming. CCAN is committed to ensuring that no gas ever flows through the Mountain Valley Pipeline.”

In the last several weeks, MVP has had permits both vacated and issued by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Industry analysts are now skeptical of a 2023 in-service date. Federal “permitting reform” to speed fossil fuel project approval is stagnant, and new legal challenges have been mounted against MVP’s recently reissued Biological Opinion by CCAN and partners. 

Contact:
Anne Havemann, 240-630-2146,  anne@chesapeakeclimate.org
KC Chartrand, 240-620-7144, kc@chesapeakeclimate.org

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INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY: COMMUNICATIONS AND SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN

DESCRIPTION

Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) works with partners across the Chesapeake region to promote renewable energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and stop the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure. Our campaigns focus on passing legislation that will dramatically reduce climate change pollution across the region, while cleaning up our air, improving the health of our communities, and creating good-paying new jobs.

We’re looking for smart, talented students for summer internships to stand up and take climate action. 

We’re the largest and oldest grassroots group fighting for bold and just solutions to climate change in the Chesapeake region of Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland. We’ve put a stop to new coal plants in Virginia, brought 100% clean power to Washington DC, and fully banned fracking in Maryland.

OUR CAMPAIGNS

In 2023, we’re still fighting: to stop massive fracked-gas pipelines across the farms and forests of Virginia, to bring a Climate Stimulus to Maryland, and to enact strong climate action at the federal level.

We and our supporters surrounding the nation’s capital are going to keep building the powerfully diverse grassroots climate movement our region needs – building local resistance, raising our voices, and taking concrete action.

OUR COMMUNICATIONS INTERNSHIP

Interns at CCAN work side-by-side with our experienced communications experts to create compelling content and run impactful media campaigns across our region. They gain valuable experience for careers in the communications and media industries. 

SPECIFICALLY, YOUR TASKS MAY INCLUDE

  • Learning the ins-and-outs of managing media lists and reaching out to reporters.
  • Drafting social media posts using brand templates, web graphics, factsheets, and/or analyzing social media content.
  • Working in coordination with the comms manager to use WordPress to make minor content edits to our website ensuring content is relevant and timely.
  • Making edits to our events calendar to keep supporters in the know with all CCAN happenings
  • Conceptualizing, editing, and/or drafting blog posts and language for the website.
  • Assisting our  fundraising team with the creation of digital assets and ad materials for our annual “EV Raffle”
  • And having an amazing opportunity to learn what it’s like to work at an organization that climate activist Bill McKibben has called the “best regional climate organization in the world.”

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

  • Passion to learn more about climate policy; familiarity with climate issues is a plus.
  • Commitment to environmental justice and amplifying the voices of those being victimized by extreme extraction and the effects of climate change.
  • A keen eye for new communications platforms and tools 
  • Strong organizational skills.
  • Excellent written and verbal skills, and an ability to share important information in creative, attention-grabbing, and humorous messages.
  • A quick learner.
  • A good understanding of social media spheres.
  • Experience with graphic design.
  • Strong dedication to justice, equity, and inclusion. 

DETAILS

This position is based in CCAN’s Takoma Park office. The CCAN team is currently working on a hybrid schedule (Tuesday/Thursday in the office, Monday/Wednesday/Friday remote). There will be occasional opportunities to work throughout the region. Mileage reimbursement is available for all CCAN-required travel except travel to and from the office (commute). The intern reports to the Communications Director. 

Compensation is $16.10 per hour for 20 hours per week during the summer over a period of 12 weeks. Exact schedule will be determined based on the intern’s availability.

TO APPLY

To apply, fill out the following Google Form Application, where you will be prompted to upload your resume, cover letter and a writing sample. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Equal Employment Opportunity: CCAN provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

 

Environmental and Justice Groups March on Biden’s EPA, Demanding an End to Delays on Power Plant Rules

“EPA: Please Stop Smoking!” rally demands that the agency break its bad habit of missing industry pollution rule deadlines, endangering our health and climate.

LIVESTREAM HERE (Photos Below)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, for the first time under the Biden Administration, over 150 environmental and justice advocates protested loudly outside the office of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C. to demand faster action on clean-up of deadly fossil fuel power plants. A broad coalition of environmental and justice speakers insisted that EPA quit delaying rules to curb harmful pollution that kills thousands of Americans every year. They said that the EPA has recently taken steps in the right direction, proving that progress is possible, but now the agency needs to move faster and further.

Recent media reports – and this groundbreaking new report from Evergreen Collaborative – confirm that the EPA has missed key deadlines on carbon emissions and other power plant pollutants. EPA has made important progress recently by releasing its Good Neighbor Plan to cut smog and approving the California Clean Trucks Rule to set the pace for nationwide vehicle pollution standards, as well as being poised to publicly release a stronger mercury and air toxics standard proposal in the next few days. Yet, EPA is still lagging behind badly on other critical power plant rules that address a range of issues from carbon pollution and coal ash to implementation of cumulative impact analysis in permitting.

“For the sake of good health, justice, and the climate, we need action NOW from the EPA,” said
Quentin Scott, Federal Policy Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), the group that took the lead in organizing the rally. ”Any further delays by the agency will put lives in danger and create the risk of a future hostile administration arriving in time to reverse everything. We’re gratified that EPA has been listening over the past few months, since we started this campaign. We’re here today with our allies to urge the EPA to build on recent momentum and break the bad habit of delaying industry pollution rules.”

See a complete list of the protesters’ demands.

Dr. Lois Wessel, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, said: “Over 100,000 Americans die of air pollution every year. EPA’s habit of delaying rules for dirty-energy power plants means that those plants are continuing business as usual – so people are getting sick, especially in poor communities, and the planet keeps warming. EPA was scheduled to release their carbon pollution rules in June 2022 and then in March 2023 but they punted both times. Now the EPA needs to fulfill that promise and issue those rules before the end of April. Our lungs and planet can’t wait!”

Russell Armstrong, Climate Policy Director, Hip Hop Caucus, said: “The EPA has a legal and moral responsibility to ensure our air and water is clean, which requires protecting frontline communities from the adverse health impacts and toxic pollution from coal and gas plants. The Biden administration claimed to make environmental justice and climate action top priorities yet has repeatedly failed to deliver on its own self-imposed deadlines. EPA finalizing these power plant rules is a vital step in fulfilling campaign promises to help vulnerable Americans and set our nation on the path to a cleaner, greener, and more equitable future.”

Over a dozen groups joined CCAN as cosponsors of this protest action including: Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Integrity Project, Food & Water Watch, Green New Deal for DC, Hip Hop Caucus, Interfaith Power & Light, Labor Network for Sustainability, Loudoun Climate Project, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Piedmont Environmental Council, Rachel Carson Council, Third Act, and 350.org Montgomery County.

If you would like to interview one of today’s speakers for additional comments, please contact KC Chartrand at kc@chesapeakeclimate.org or 240-620-7144.

Below are photos from the event, including speakers, banners, and more. 


EPA Do Your Job! – Freedom Plaza

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Marching on Pennsylvania Avenue

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Quentin Scott, Federal Policy Director of CCAN

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Russell Armstrong, Climate Policy Director, Hip Hop Caucus

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Dr. Lois Wessel, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments


Bringing Our Message to EPA Headquarters

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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, West Virginia, and Washington, DC.

CCAN condemns Mountain Valley Pipeline permit news

US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upholds Mountain Valley Pipeline water permit; CCAN objects


Richmond, VA — On March 29, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to uphold the Clean Water Act 401 permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). The Court found the DEQ’s granting of this critical stream-crossing permit “was neither arbitrary nor capricious.”  

The Clean Water Act 401 permit addresses water crossings in the state of Virginia. This permit would allow for both trenchless and boring construction under protected waterways. The MVP is currently facing legal challenges to the 401 permit in West Virginia. Additionally, it lacks the Clean Water Act 404 permit – the federal companion permit issued by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline is a 303-mile fracked gas pipeline running through West Virginia and western Virginia. If completed, it would account for the carbon equivalent of 26 new coal fired power plants annually. The pipeline has been the subject of national debate with Sen. Joe Manchin’s attempts to push the project through Congress by limiting oversight and relaxing regulations. MVP LLC is additionally seeking a new permit to cross the Jefferson National Forest. Lacking these permits, the MVP cannot begin any construction.

Elle De La Cancela, the Virginia Campaign Coordinator for CCAN, stated: 

“We are disappointed in the court’s ruling today. Time and time again, the MVP has shown that it has been unable to maintain water quality standards in the Commonwealth. We fear the impending impact on wildlife and the climate if construction were resumed.”

With a formal application in 2015, the Mountain Valley Pipeline was scheduled to be completed in 2018. It is now years past its deadline and $6 billion over budget, due to mounting concerns on construction and legal challenges. Prior cases over water quality violations resulted in millions paid to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. 

Contact:
Victoria Higgins, 201-937-7017,  vhiggins@chesapeakeclimate.org
KC Chartrand, kc@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-620-7144

# # #

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. For 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Thousands Call on Air Pollution Board to Keep Virginia in RGGI

Thousands call on Air Pollution Board to keep Virginia in RGGI

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is widely supported by Virginians and law in the General Assembly – but Youngkin’s Air Board persists with its plan to pull out.

Richmond, VA – Thousands of Virginia residents have spoken up to keep Virginia in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), opposing Governor Glenn Youngkin’s efforts to remove Virginia from this highly popular and successful climate program. 

As of 9:08 AM on March 31, the final day for public comments on the Virginia Air Pollution Board’s proposal for withdrawal, more than 6,000 Virginians had submitted comments, with an overwhelming 87% majority in favor of RGGI. During the previous Notice of Intended Regulatory Action (NOIRA) public comment period, about 95% of comments – surpassing 750 in total – expressed opposition to the proposed repeal and in support of ongoing participation in RGGI. This shows that a consistently vast majority of Virginians have spoken out in favor of keeping the state in RGGI during each round of public comments.

Virginia joined RGGI by law through HB 981, the Clean Energy and Community Flood Preparedness Act, which requires Virginia to participate in the allowance auction process through RGGI. This year, 61 legislators affirmed that HB 981 requires Virginia to participate in RGGI, and that removal via the air board is “improper and illegal.”

Victoria Higgins, Virginia Director at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, stated: “The proposed action by the air board offends our democratic norms and the rule of law, bypassing the will of the people and their chosen representatives in the General Assembly. HB 981 is not a vague directive for state agencies to administer RGGI when and as they see fit. It is a mandate.” 

Students, elected officials, and citizen advocacy groups from all walks of life have spoken out in support of RGGI, a regional carbon market that sets a cap on overall carbon emissions from power plants and provides funding for climate-vulnerable neighborhoods. It sends money to coastal communities to protect themselves from floods and to low-income Virginians for energy efficiency upgrades to their homes. This program also helps clean up air pollution and drives economic growth, bringing more than half a billion dollars to the Commonwealth in its first year. 

“The importance of Virginia’s participation in RGGI cannot be overstated,” said Sen. Lynwood Lewis, D-Accomack, who carried the 2020 legislation allowing Virginia’s participation. “It is by and large the most consequential piece of legislation I sponsored during my two decades in the Virginia legislature… Not only is the legal authority of the Governor to remove Virginia from RGGI in question, but to do so would put the future of our flood-prone and environmentally vulnerable communities in serious jeopardy.”

Grace Holderman, student at Brown College, said in a public comment: “As a Virginia college student, RGGI impacts me personally because it helps protect the future of my generation and generations to come. RGGI has already reduced greenhouse gas emissions in Virginia and other states, so repealing it would put us back on track to endanger the health and future of all people, especially young people like me and those in vulnerable communities.”

Daniel Walden, medical student and representative of Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action, wrote in a comment: “Since Virginia joined RGGI in 2021, it has helped thousands of us avoid health problems. Data from other RGGI states indicate that, over five years, improved air quality saved residents of those states from over 6,000 asthma attacks, over 100 preterm births, and, potentially, over 500 deaths. Those same benefits now apply to Virginians. Those arguing against RGGI say it’s too expensive for taxpayers. But sickness costs taxpayers, too. The EPA has estimated that improving air quality results in public health benefits that exceed the costs by over 30 times. Put simply, for every dollar we put into RGGI and programs like it, we taxpayers save $30 down the line–and we are healthier for it, too.” 

There has been an immense outpouring of support for RGGI around the state. Concerned residents have marched, rallied, lobbied, and called their officials. A recent poll found that overwhelming, bipartisan majorities of Virginians—including a plurality of Republicans—want to stay in RGGI. Yet four appointees on the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board – all hand-picked by Gov. Youngkin – voted to remove the Commonwealth from RGGI. 

Already, RGGI has: 

  • Lowered emissions. Since RGGI was founded, emissions from power plants in RGGI states have dropped by 50%, double the amount that emissions have dropped in non-RGGI states.

  • Improved public health. Even just in its initial 5 years, over 8000 asthma attacks were avoided.

  • Provided money to Virginians:

    • Over $265 million to the Community Flood Preparedness Fund – VA’s only source of proactive flood prevention. 

    • Over $294 million to fund energy efficiency retrofits for low and moderate income homes and new, energy efficient affordable housing.

The Virginia legislature had the opportunity to change the law during the 2023 General Session, but one bill was introduced that would do so, which was swiftly voted down in committee. Despite this, the Board is expected to continue ignoring the will of the people and Virginia’s elected representatives and continue with this unpopular, unlawful move. 

“Members of the Air Board are not intended to be political pawns at the whim of the Governor,” Higgins continued. “This action is expressly political in nature, being carried out solely based on campaign promises made by the Governor. It violates the duties and distorts the character of the Air Board. It is a dangerous precedent to set that should alarm all parties invested in the existence of nonpartisan Citizen Boards which fairly administer the regulations of the Commonwealth.”

Learn more about RGGI and its importance to Virginia. 

 Virginians rally to support the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. For 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, West Virginia,  Virginia, and Washington, DC. Learn more: www.chesapeakeclimate.org 

Breaking news: Exxon ending all fossil fuel projects immediately!

Breaking news:

Breaking news: Exxon ending all fossil fuel projects immediately!

Did you hear? Exxon has had a change of heart and decided to end all fossil fuel projects immediately! It is leaving oil and gas behind and will now be a 100% clean, renewable energy company. It’s even got a new name. No more Exxon. Now it is “Ex-Exxon.” 

Can you believe it? Can you believe that “Ex-Exxon” is going to abandon dirty fossil fuels and lead the way in the fight against climate change?

If so, I’m sorry to have to say…

Happy April Fools’ Day!

We totally made it up. We only wish it was true. But now YOU can take one small step to fight back against greedy oil companies that are fueling our climate crisis.

Play the ultimate April Fools’ prank on big oil and gas by donating to climate action today. When you support the work of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) you’re saying “No More Fossil Fools.” 

CCAN is currently tackling three major fossil fuel projects. You may have heard of them –  Mountain Valley Pipeline, Virginia Reliability (Ripoff) Project, and the highly controversial Willow Project. These dirty-energy projects have huge repercussions for future generations, with lifetimes of 30 to 40 years, and climate damages lasting centuries.

We’re fighting these projects every step of the way, and you can too! Oil and gas companies are only concerned with one thing, lining their own pockets. They destroy our waterways, pollute our airways, and spew heat-­trapping methane into our fragile atmosphere. 

Help us keep up the fight against oil and gas companies by chipping in $5.00 a month. Every single donation makes a difference and, when you give monthly, our team can better plan for future campaigns. It’s also a pretty great April Fools’ prank on “Fossil Fools!”

If one of every ten CCAN supporters donated just $5.00 a month we would raise a massive $611,730 in one year! That is almost a third of our annual income and would be a huge boost to our team, allowing us to do even more to battle climate change. 

Thanks for all you do.