Author: CCAN Supporter

4/7 Building a Climate Justice Movement: Event Resources

Thank you so much for attending last week’s climate justice panel. I’ve put together these resources based on the recommendations of the panelists and organizations that helped organize the event.
Dr. Jalonne L. White-Newsome, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Our dedicated website to providing an EJ perspective on the Clean Power Plan: www.weact.org/ejcleanair
The Principles for Environmental Justice:
http://www.weact.org/Home/PrinciplesofEnvironmentalJustice/tabid/226/Default.aspx
The Principles of Climate Justice:
http://weact.org/portals/7/EJ%20leadership%20forum%20principles.pdf
One-pager on EJ asks around the Clean Power Plan
Hannah Wiegard, Appalachian Voices
Appalachian Voices has extensive resources on mountaintop removal and the solutions we’re pursuing for our region on our website, and we are getting ready to launch a campaign that refocuses attention on particular communities that are the most at risk from extreme fossil fuel extraction practices. (http://www.appalachianvoices.org/)
I would add one thing in response to a question asked about how more people can start to consider themselves climate activists – Reverend Lennox Yearwood has pointed out that the movements that swept the country half a century ago were accompanied by music and culture, and with examples like the hip hop album H.O.M.E. (this track is edited and safe for family listening) and the record is an example of artists incorporating political and ecological messages to start to provide a soundtrack for our struggle – these artists deserve support.
Dr. Mary Finley-Brook, University of Richmond
Check out the following sources for additional reading.
Finley-Brook, Mary. 2014. “Climate Justice Advocacy.” Public Diplomacy, 12: 11-15. http://publicdiplomacymagazine.com/climate-justice-advocacy/
Finley-Brook, Mary and Curtis Thomas. 2010. “Treatment of displaced indigenous populations in two large hydro projects in Panama,” Water Alternatives, 3: 269-290. http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/volume3/v3issue2/93-a3-2-16/file
Many sources for Selam Yemeru’s research can be found at http://content.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/smokestack/index.
Please feel to reach out to me at mbrook@richmond.edu
Montina Cole, NRDC
“Bridging the Clean Energy Divide: Affordable Clean Energy Solutions for Today and Tomorrow” report I spoke about, the three factsheet handouts provided at the panel event, as well as other related information can be found here. The factsheets are the following:

“Clean Energy Packs Savings for Seniors”
“Clean Energy Brings Savings and Jobs to Rural, Low-Income America”
“Clean Energy Brings Jobs and Savings to Low-Income, Urban Communities”

The handout regarding Virginia and the EPA’s Clean Power Plan — “Virginia’s Clean Energy Future: Opportunities to Cut Carbon Pollution under the Clean Power Plan” – is here.

Co-Sponsor Websites
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
chesapeakeclimate.org/virginia/
Justice RVA
https://www.facebook.com/Justice4RVA
New Virginia Majority
http://newvirginiamajority.org/
Southerners on New Ground
http://southernersonnewground.org/our-work/state-pages/virginia/
VA Sierra Club
http://vasierraclub.org/

Upcoming Events
Saturday 4/18, 11am-5pm
Earth Day Celebration at Great Shiplock Park, Richmond VA
April 21st, 12:30pm
Nature, Virginia’s Economy Climate, and the Climate Threat Ukrop Auditorium, University of Richmond (RSVP by emailing URCLIMATE4.21@GMAIL.COM)
Thursday, April 30th, 7pm
CCAN Activist Meeting in Richmond. (RSVP by clicking here)
Wednesday, May 6th, 8am
Take Back the Power: Mobilize at Dominion’s Doorstep (click here for more info)
Email charlie@chesapeakeclimate.org if you have any questions!

Annapolis wrap-up: What happened in the 2015 Maryland Legislative Session?

The final gavel came down close to midnight in Annapolis yesterday, marking the end of this year’s Maryland legislative session.
Here’s the best and biggest news: The fracking moratorium bill (HB 449) won final passage through the General Assembly with a resounding, bipartisan House vote of 102-34 last Friday afternoon! The bill — which prohibits gas companies from fracking for natural gas in Maryland through at least October 1, 2017 — is now officially headed to Governor Larry Hogan’s desk.
This victory was only possible because of our powerful grassroots movement pushing every step of the way for the past five years, and we won’t let up now.
The fracking fight proves that overcoming powerful interests and politics to pass bills in Annapolis is often a multi-year process — which leads me to the disappointing news:
Despite a fierce and broad-based campaign, our landmark bill to raise Maryland’s clean electricity standard (HB 377/SB 373) fell short. In a vote last Thursday, the Senate Finance committee failed to pass the Clean Energy Advancement Act. But there’s a silver lining. The committee chair and vice-chair both voted with us, giving us a strong foundation to build on next year. We’ve also built significant momentum behind the bill in numerous other ways — thanks to the persistent action of CCAN volunteers like you, as well as the faith, business, health, and labor leaders who joined the call for cleaner energy. Click here for a round-up of the momentum you helped build in 2015, and get ready to keep pushing.
Here’s an update on the other bills we’ve worked on in 2015 — including a significant clean energy bright spot:

VICTORY on local solar solutions: The General Assembly passed a bill to establish a 3-year “community solar” pilot program in Maryland! Starting in 2016, the bill (HB 1087/SB 398) will set up a process for groups of Marylanders (i.e. not just individual homeowners) to split the credits for electricity generated by a shared solar installation. This will introduce a new model to Maryland that gives renters and low- and moderate-income residents access to the benefits of solar energy.

Shedding light on the risks of crude oil trains: We got halfway there in advancing legislation (HB 1073) to require a state study of the risks of crude oil train accidents in Maryland. The House of Delegates voted overwhelmingly — 123 to 14 — to pass the legislation, but the bill then stalled in the Senate Finance Committee. As more and more tankers carrying explosive oil from North Dakota move through Maryland, CCAN will continue to work at multiple levels to protect our communities. Stay tuned!

Paid sick days for a healthy Maryland: CCAN added our voice to the campaign to pass paid sick days legislation in 2015, along with the Working Matters coalition of more than 130 faith, labor, civil rights and environmental groups. Unfortunately, this bill (SB 40/HB 385) also stalled in the General Assembly. Thanks to everyone who took action for a healthy environment and healthy people in Maryland — this fight will continue.

Our long-term goal at CCAN is to ensure clean solar panels and wind turbines spread across Maryland, not dirty coal-fired powered plants, toxic fracking wells or emerging threats like crude oil trains.
We’ve made significant progress so far in 2015, even where we didn’t get across the finish line. And it’s because of all of the ways you’ve made our movement for climate solutions a part of your life — meeting with your legislators, flooding their offices with calls and emails, joining rallies in Annapolis, writing letters to the editor, and more.
We’ll keep you updated as the fracking moratorium bill heads to Gov. Hogan.
For now, THANK YOU, and let’s keep rolling!

Maryland General Assembly Passes Fracking Moratorium Bill on to Governor Hogan

ANNAPOLIS—The Maryland House of Delegates voted 102-34 on Friday afternoon to give final approval to a bill (HB 449) that would prohibit fracking for natural gas in the state through October 1, 2017. The bill now heads to the desk of Governor Larry Hogan.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response:
“Thousands of people from every corner of Maryland have called on their legislators to protect our state from dangerous fracking. Lawmakers have now followed the will of state voters by sending a fracking moratorium bill to the governor’s desk. The bill will guarantee that no gas company can drill into Maryland soil for at least two and a half years. It will give legislators important time to evaluate mounting evidence that fracking would pose unacceptable risks to our health, environment, and tourism economy.
“It’s now up to Governor Hogan to sign the moratorium bill into law, and it should be an easy choice. The General Assembly passed this bill with overwhelming, bipartisan support, and polling shows that a clear majority of Marylanders oppose fracking.
“Ultimately, the General Assembly’s landmark passage of fracking moratorium legislation is a testament to a strong and growing grassroots movement in Maryland. For five years, Marylanders have been fighting to protect our beautiful state from potentially irreversible harm at the hands of the gas industry. A fracking moratorium bill now sits on Governor Hogan’s desk. This much is certain: our movement will keep growing and not let up until Maryland communities are fully protected from the serious risks of fracking.”
Contact:
Shilpa Joshi, 503-998-8630, shilpa@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the biggest and oldest grassroots organization dedicated to fighting climate change in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. We’re building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions.

5,000+ Messages Delivered to Gov. McAuliffe! What’s next in the fight against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline?

On Tuesday, CCAN and our allies made it clear to Governor Terry McAuliffe that he can’t be a leader on climate while supporting Dominion’s multibillion dollar investment in the new Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
In October, just a month after the the $5-billion, 550-mile project was announced, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Dominion CEO Tom Farrell at a press conference to show us all his unequivocal support. CCAN spoke out in opposition, immediately urging the governor to withdraw his support.
More recently, Governor McAuliffe has dismissed or downplayed the project’s serious threats to public safety, to private property rights, and to natural resources that sustain local economies.
On Tuesday, CCAN and our allies responded. delivering over 5,000 petitions to the Governor’s Richmond office demanding that he rescind his support for Dominion’s dirty and dangerous project.
What’s next?The Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC) is accepting public comments on the scope of it’s upcoming Environmental Impact Statement on Dominion’s proposed pipeline project. The deadline for submitting comments is April 28th. Submit your comment here.
In supporting the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Governor McAuliffe failed to mention the scientific data showing that methane, which leaks from fracking wells andpipelines, is as much as 87 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in heating the atmosphere over a 20-year period. Nor did he acknowledge the fact that this proposed pipeline would inevitably drive demand for new “fracking” in our region.
On Tuesday, CCAN, along with allies living along the proposed route of the pipeline, told Governor McAuliffe: No New Pipelines! We showed up in front of the Governor’s downtown Richmond office with boxes of petitions and a 40-foot inflatable pipeline. We invited reporters to listen to moving statements from Nancy Sorrells of the Augusta County Alliance, Joanna Salidis of Friends of Nelson County, and Heather Nolen of Friends of Buckingham County and others.
Read what the media said about our event:

After the press conference, we met with the Governor’s Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources, Evan Feinman. In the hour and a half long conversation, CCAN and our allies pressed that the Governor withdraw his support. Joanna didn’t mince words: “I really believe that the Governor is failing people living along the route.”
For now, Governor McAuliffe remains committed to seeing Dominion’s pipeline get built. We need your help to keep the pressure on him. And we need your help keeping the pressure on FERC. Tell FERC that this project isn’t right for Virginia’s climate future. Submit a comment to FERC today. The deadline is April 28th. Submit your comment here.
Thank you for your continued support.

Maryland Senate passes fracking moratorium bill! What's next?

Thanks to the tireless work of our strong, growing, statewide grassroots movement, we are closer than ever to passing legislation to put a moratorium on fracking in Maryland: On Monday night, senators voted overwhelmingly to pass an amended moratorium bill that would guarantee this dangerous form of gas drilling stays out of Maryland through at least October 1, 2017.
This marked the first time that a fracking moratorium bill has gotten a vote — let alone passed — on the Senate floor in the history of our five-year campaign. This is undeniably because of the constant grassroots pressure you’ve put on our state senators. As WBAL reported on Friday, “opponents of fracking seem to have out-demonstrated, out-lobbied and outdone those who support the controversial process.”
Where are we headed next? The Senate-passed bill, SB 409, was amended (see the full update below), and differs from the moratorium bill passed two weeks ago by the House. The bill now heads back to the House for final approval before it can move on to Governor Hogan’s desk.
Here’s the next step you can take: Click here to email Governor Hogan. Tell him that Marylanders deserve protections against fracking — and we need a moratorium now!
Even if Gov. Hogan signs a fracking moratorium into law, we know our fight is far from over. While the Senate moratorium bill guarantees that no fracking permits can be issued in Maryland for two and a half years, it was changed in ways we don’t like. A provision establishing a new panel to review health and economic studies was cut. The bill also now requires draft regulations currently under review by the Hogan administration to be completed by October 2016, giving legislators a year to review them while the moratorium remains in effect. We know that there is no peer-reviewed evidence that fracking can be effectively regulated. This moratorium would give us two and a half years to make that case to the General Assembly.
Know this above all: Your action has created a tipping point. Legislators are moving the fracking moratorium bill forward now because of the tidal wave of grassroots pressure we’ve brought to Annapolis from all corners of Maryland.
If we push this bill over the finish line and on to Gov. Hogan’s desk, we will have passed legislation that guarantees NO gas company can drill into our soil for two and a half years.
As Nadine Grabania, co-owner of Deep Creek Cellars in Western Maryland, put it:

This moratorium would mean two more years of my loved ones not being on the road with thousands of those trucks. It’s two more years of being able to operate my tourism-sector business. Two more years of being able breathe our mountain air without having to go to the doctor with worsening asthma.

It’s also guaranteed time in which we WILL organize and educate an even bigger, bolder grassroots movement.
Take action now by emailing Gov. Hogan: Tell him that Marylanders deserve protections against fracking — and we need a moratorium now!
We are closer than ever to achieving something we’ve never had before in Maryland: Legislation that puts an explicit, binding moratorium on the gas industry and their efforts to frack in Maryland.
And, with your help, we’ll keep pushing — over these final few days of the 2015 General Assembly and until our communities are fully protected from the many harms of fracking!

Landowners, Environmental Advocates Deliver 5,000+ Messages Challenging Gov. McAuliffe Over Controversial Dominion Pipeline

Activists bring a 40-foot ‘pipeline’ to the governor’s offices in Richmond to dramatize the risks Dominion is forcing on Virginia communities

RICHMOND—Citizens in the path of Dominion Resources’ proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline joined with environmental advocates in Richmond today to deliver over 5,000 messages to Governor Terry McAuliffe demanding that he rescind his support for the massive fracked gas project. Activists brought their own 40-foot inflatable “pipeline” prop emblazoned with the words “No New Pipelines!” to the Patrick Henry Building for a noon press conference, and then hand-delivered the petitions.
View photos from the press conference, including the pipeline prop, at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chesapeakeclimate/sets/72157651811591031/
Speaking ahead of the delivery, landowners called on Gov. McAuliffe to stand with them in defending the safety, natural resources, and economic security of Virginia communities—instead of paving the way for Dominion’s private gain. Environmental advocates stressed further that the proposed pipeline flies in the face of the governor’s commitment to tackling climate change, given studies showing gas extracted through the controversial practice of fracking disrupts the climate on par with coal.
“Our homes, farms and rural lifestyle should not be taken from us against our will to build an ‘energy superhighway’ for Dominion,” said Joanna Salidis, president, Friends of Nelson County. “Our confidence that the regulatory process, or our government itself, will protect the public, has been severely eroded, especially as we see how Dominion controls energy policy in Virginia. The interdependence between our government, at every level, and the fossil fuel industry is seriously compromising our rights to safety, health, and due process.”
Today’s petition delivery follows the March launch of pipeline opponents’ “All Pain, No Gain” advertising and online campaign, which refutes Dominion’s claims about the project’s benefits.
“For the people in western Virginia, this proposed pipeline has no up side,” said Nancy Sorrells, co-chair of the Augusta County Alliance. “Our property rights are ignored, our precious water resources are threatened, our public safety is compromised, our environmental and historic resources ravaged, and our farm and properties devalued. In return we get nothing! Are the precious headwaters of the James and Shenandoah Rivers worth the gamble? For those who depend on clean drinking water in the Shenandoah Valley, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, the answer should be no.”
“Why would our Governor support a project that threatens Virginia residents with eminent domain, property seizures, a decline in property values, known risks to human health and a complete disruption to our quality of life in Buckingham County?,” said Heather Nolen, chair of Friends of Buckingham County, where Dominion has proposed siting a gas compressor station along the pipeline route. “Buckingham citizens continue to operate in a vacuum of information, even as our research shows compressor stations are heavily polluting. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has enabled Dominion’s campaign of silence and furthered a process that continues to overlook one of the most impacted communities along the pipeline route. Who will stand up for our interests?”
The Augusta County Alliance, Friends of Nelson and Friends of Buckingham partnered with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Sierra Club, Virginia Chapter, and Environmental Action to gather and deliver the petitions.
“Governor McAuliffe can’t be a leader on climate while supporting Dominion’s multi-billion dollar investments in dirty and dangerous fracked gas,” said Lauren Goldman, Virginia Campaign Coordinator at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Largely thanks to Dominion, Virginia ranks near the bottom regionally for energy efficiency and solar power, while having some of the highest average electric bills. Why endanger our farms, homes and natural resources with new gas pipelines when we could see greater economic gains, more stable prices, and less pollution through efficiency measures, solar and wind power?”
“Significant environmental damage would occur as a result of construction of the pipeline in karst topography, over mountainous terrain and through sensitive environmental areas including the George Washington and Monongahela National Forests, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail,” said Kirk Bowers, Pipeline Organizer, Virginia Sierra Club. “The Sierra Club is submitting petitions to the Secretariat of Natural Resources expressing our request for consideration of the serious environmental consequences of constructing large diameter pipelines in Virginia.”
“Environmental Action stands with Virginia property owners and concerned citizens from the shipyards of Norfolk to the mountains of Blacksburg,” said Anthony Rogers-Wright, Policy and Organizing Director, Environmental Action. “This is not a liberal or a conservative issue, it’s a case of right and wrong for our people and the planet we all depend on. Dominion primarily wants to maximize its profit, while we in Virginia get stuck with the contaminated drinking water, leaking pipelines, and inevitable damage.”
BACKGROUND:
In September, Governor Terry McAuliffe stood with Dominion CEO Thomas Farrell to endorse the company’s proposal to build a $5 billion, 550-mile, 42-inch high pressure pipeline to carry fracked natural gas from West Virginia, across central Virginia, to North Carolina. The project is one of three proposed pipelines to carry fracked natural gas across the state. While Gov. McAuliffe recently asserted he’s in “constant communication” with Dominion, he has yet to meet directly with Virginians concerned about the potential harm the pipeline and associated compressor stations could cause to local property values, human health, agricultural, cultural and water resources, and public lands that sustain local economies.
Landowners, farmers, business owners, students, environmentalists and other concerned residents have mobilized a strong and growing grassroots resistance to oppose pipeline construction. Concerned residents packed recent scoping meetings held by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. To counteract inflated claims about the project’s benefits, Friends of Nelson, the Augusta County Alliance, and Friends of Buckingham have also commissioned an independent impact study of the economic losses that the project could inflict.
CONTACT:
Nancy Sorrells, Augusta County Alliance, 540-292-4170, lotswife@comcast.net
Joanna Salidis, Friends of Nelson, 434-242-5859, josalidis@gmail.com
Monique Sullivan, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 202-440-4318, monique@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Montgomery County Council Says Exelon-Pepco Deal is Insufficient on Clean Energy and Efficiency

ROCKVILLE—Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response to the Montgomery County Council’s passage of a resolution this morning finding that a proposed county settlement on the Exelon-Pepco merger falls short of protecting the public interest:
“Today, the Montgomery County Council joined a growing list of opponents – including the Maryland Attorney General – in criticizing the major inadequacies of the proposed merger between energy companies Exelon and Pepco. The Council rightly pointed out, with leadership from Councilmember Roger Berliner, that Exelon has not offered the Montgomery County government and the rest of the state nearly enough clean energy to serve the ‘public interest.’ CCAN could not agree more.
“In an era of rapid climate change – with Antarctic ice vanishing and extreme weather affecting all Marylanders – the public interest can only be met if Exelon commits to becoming a national leader in wind and solar power development as well as energy efficiency. Instead, Exelon clearly intends to prop up its aging and unprofitable nuclear energy fleet by expanding its base of paying customers to include the entire Pepco service territory. This is not good for the economy, ratepayers, or the environment.
“We commend the Montgomery County Council for demanding that Exelon do more as part of this proposed merger. To its credit, Exelon has pledged to significantly increase service reliability in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. Now the company must go further and make Maryland a reliable national leader in cleaning our air and developing climate-friendly wind and solar power on a large scale. We agree with the County Council that, without such a commitment, this merger is not in the public interest of the county or the state.”
The background text to the resolution passed today warns that the county settlement “does not adequately address the overarching issues that have led the State, the Office of People’s Counsel, the environmental community, and other public interest organizations to maintain that the merger is contrary to the public interest.”
The resolution states: “The Montgomery County Council urges the Maryland Public Service Commission to mitigate the serious risks to the public interest by insisting, at a minimum, on very strong, verifiable, and financially accountable commitments by Exelon (a) to holding down costs to ratepayers and (b) to national leadership in clean, renewable, distributed energy and energy efficiency, with a commitment to a renewable energy standard that is in line with top-performing states.”
View a copy of the full resolution text at: http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Montgomery-County-Resolution-on-Pepco-Exelon-Settlement.pdf
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Dominion Plan for New Gas-Fired Power Plant Would Worsen the Climate Crisis

RICHMOND—Dominion Resources, already the top emitter of planet-heating greenhouse gas pollution in Virginia, announced a proposal this morning to build a new 1,600-megawatt gas-fired power plant in Southside Virginia. If approved, the plant would be the largest gas-fired power plant in the state.
Kirsten Collings, deputy director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response:
“You can’t solve the climate crisis by investing in more fossil fuels. A growing body of evidence shows that fracked gas could be worse for the climate than coal over the next 20 years because of leaks of heat-trapping methane. Governor McAuliffe has his facts wrong in endorsing this project as ‘clean,’ just as he did when endorsing Dominion’s massive Atlantic Coast pipeline for fracked gas.
“The reality is that Virginia simply doesn’t need and can’t afford new investments in fossil fuels. Dominion could more than offset the need to build a new gas-burning power plant by investing in modest energy-saving technologies that would reduce demand along with Virginians’ utility bills. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Virginians pay the 7th highest average electric bills in the nation, and our state ranks near the bottom on energy efficiency. Dominion should be investing in the commonwealth’s vast clean energy resources, which would create jobs, lower bills and reduce emissions of climate-disrupting pollution.”
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Gov. Hogan Criticized for Joining Cove Point Gas Export Project Ceremony

LUSBY—Governor Hogan spoke at 11:00 a.m. this morning at a groundbreaking ceremony for Virginia-based Dominion Resources’ massive — and massively polluting — fracked gas export facility located along the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County.
Calvert County citizen and statewide environmental leaders had the following statements in response:
Tracey Eno, spokesperson for Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community, said:
“The residents of Lusby are NOT celebrating Dominion’s ‘TOWN-breaking Ceremony’ today. It’s no surprise that this event was kept a secret until the last minute and is closed to the public ‘due to security concerns,’ according to Dominion PR spokesperson, Karl Neddenien. If Dominion is worried about security, they should think twice about building a dangerous liquefaction train next to the 20,483 residents of Lusby. We worry about security every day and the risk of vapor clouds and explosions of propane and LNG, with potential for grave catastrophe. The 2006 Maryland Department of Natural Resources study shows that 360 families are at risk of a flash fire right now.
“We look forward to meeting with Governor Hogan to tell him the truth. We can only assume he hasn’t studied the details of the project. We recommend he Google ‘Images Skikda Algeria 2004’ as a primer.”
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said:
“The Cove Point fracked gas export plant will harm the environment, bring unprecedented safety risks to local residents, and raise gas prices for all Marylanders. It is disappointing that Governor Hogan is standing today with a company, Virginia-based Dominion, that has repeatedly withheld critical safety information in disregard for the health and well-being of residents in harm’s way of its project.
“We encourage Governor Hogan to meet with the many Marylanders who oppose this project, including citizens in Calvert County, experts who warn about climate change, and landowners who could see new fracking wells, pipelines and other gas infrastructure invade their communities. In the future, we hope that Governor Hogan will commit to developing truly clean energy in our state like solar and wind power, instead of harmful fracked gas.”
Contact:
Mike Tidwell, 240-396-2022, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Maryland House Advances Bipartisan Bill to Require ‘Bomb Train’ Risk Study

Advocates applaud vote as a first step toward transparency, say much more is needed to protect public safety from the growing threat of crude oil trains

ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland House of Delegates voted 123 to 14 today to advance legislation (HB 1073) that would require state study of the risks of crude oil train accidents in Maryland. The bill, sponsored by Delegate Clarence Lam, also requires disclosure of the volume of crude oil being transported by trains in the state.
Since February, four crude oil trains have derailed and exploded across the U.S. and Canada, destroying one home, forcing evacuations, and causing fires that burned for days. Today’s vote comes as the oil industry targets the port of Baltimore as a new throughway for shipping highly flammable oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota to East Coast refineries.
“This bill is an important first step toward understanding the risks that so-called ‘bomb trains’ pose to the health and safety of Marylanders. We applaud Delegate Lam for his leadership, and the House of Delegate for voting overwhelmingly to pass this bill. It is time now for the Senate to follow suit,” said Jon Kenney, Maryland Community Organizer for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
“At the same time, further action is needed,” continued Kenney. “Communities are still left in the dark when it comes to basic information. For instance, since the amended bill does not require companies to disclose where these oil trains are traveling, communities have no way of knowing if trains are running through their neighborhoods.”
In Baltimore, Texas-based Targa Resources is currently seeking approval to establish a crude oil shipping facility in the community of Curtis Bay. This plan would create a market for sending millions of gallons of crude oil daily on rail lines through Baltimore, bringing serious safety risks to South Baltimore and the city as a whole.
“In Baltimore, action must be taken on the city level. The City Council must require a full Health Impact Assessment (HIA) before crude oil trains are running through the center of the city on their way to Curtis Bay, and should make that study available to the public,” added Kenney. “This study would give communities that live near rail lines the opportunity to understand how to handle an emergency evacuation should a derailment and disaster occur.”
“If only one car was to derail and explode, at minimum a half-mile evacuation radius would be necessary to prevent loss of life, while simultaneously spilling toxic crude oil into our waterways and the Inner Harbor, causing potentially irreversible damage to our drinking water, economy and ecosystem,” said Will Fadely, Baltimore Program Organizer for Clean Water Action. “Is Baltimore really ready for such a devastating possibility?”
To date, Maryland remains one of the last states in the country that has not yet disclosed crude oil train routes. Meanwhile, rail companies CSX and Norfolk Southern are in the middle of a controversial lawsuit to prevent the state of Maryland from disclosing the amounts and routes of Bakken crude travelling throughout the state.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, a minimum of a half-mile evacuation radius would be necessary should one train car carrying explosive crude oil derail from the tracks.
Read a fact sheet about the threat of Crude by Rail through Baltimore here:
http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/CCAN-Baltimore-Crude-Factsheet-1.pdf
Contact:
Jon Kenney, 301-385-4187, jon@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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