Biden Administration issues woefully insufficient offshore wind lease areas for the Central Atlantic

On July 31, the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) failed to live up to President Joe Biden’s promise of an all-of-government approach to tackling the climate crisis. The offshore wind lease areas for the Central Atlantic that BOEM issued are woefully insufficient. Combined, the new lease areas total only 356,550 acres, which is not enough space for the region to meet its offshore wind energy goals.  

Offshore wind has the promise to bring good union jobs to our region, lower energy prices, and slash pollution, but the maps BOEM released today will limit the benefit wind will be able to bring to the Central Atlantic. At a time when heat waves are costing the US billions of dollars, President Biden should be clearing the way for as much affordable, clean energy as possible. We urge President Biden to direct BOEM to open up more federal waters for offshore wind development and to ensure that the B-1 lease area is not shrunk any further. We also urge BOEM to open up a new Central Atlantic leasing process for additional shallow and deep water areas within one year.  

NextEra to Drop Methane Gas Assets, Signaling Critical Threat to Mountain Valley Pipeline

CCAN says: “MVP’s other investors would be wise to come to the same conclusion”

Richmond, VA On Tuesday, NextEra Energy, Inc. announced that it will drop all of its methane gas assets by 2025 and focus exclusively on renewable energy investments. NextEra is currently a major investor in the long-delayed Mountain Valley Pipeline, 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 news comes a year after NextEra took an $800 million impairment charge for its stake in the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) in West Virginia. These losses are not unique to NextEra. Equitrans Midstream, MVP’s largest investor, recorded a $329 million net loss in 2022 and a whopping $1.5 billion net loss in 2021, all attributable to impairment charges associated with MVP. NextEra has a 31% interest in the MVP project. 

NextEra executives pointed to recently passed federal incentives for renewable energy through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act as motivation for this change in their investment portfolio. While they announced their intentions to sell existing pipelines, it is unclear what the impact may be for their investment in the incomplete and wildly over-budget MVP. 

 Victoria Higgins, Virginia Director for Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), stated:  

“The fossil-fuel chickens have come home to roost for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Global, federal, and state level policy in our region all point to the same truth: the methane gas industry is not long for this world. MVP’s other investors would be wise to come to the same conclusion as NextEra and abandon their investment in a soon-to-be obsolete market for the good of their business as well as our people and planet.”

Chesapeake Climate Action Network has been involved in the fight to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline since 2015 through organizing and legal action. With our partners, CCAN successfully defeated attempts to build the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Chickahominy Gas Plant and Pipeline in Virginia, as well as numerous other fossil fuel infrastructure projects.

# # #

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 more than 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

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

Image

Marching on Pennsylvania Avenue

Image

Quentin Scott, Federal Policy Director of CCAN

Image

Russell Armstrong, Climate Policy Director, Hip Hop Caucus

Image

Dr. Lois Wessel, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments


Bringing Our Message to EPA Headquarters

Image

# # #

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.

Maryland County of One Million People Moves to Eliminate Fossil Fuel Use in New Buildings by 2026

Maryland County of One Million People Moves to Eliminate Fossil Fuel Use in New Buildings by 2026

ROCKVILLE, MD – In a vote with national implications for climate policy, the Montgomery County Council in suburban DC voted 9-0 on Tuesday to exclude the use of fossil fuels in almost all newly constructed buildings by 2026. The massive county of 1.1 million people will now join DC, New York City, and other pioneering jurisdictions in codifying a policy to “electrify everything,” moving away from the combustion of methane gas and other building fuels that warm the planet and damage human health.

The “Comprehensive Building Decarbonization” legislation – Bill 13-22 – will ensure that all-electric building standards become part of the County’s building code no later than the end of 2026, with limited exceptions for hospitals and other facilities needing emergency backup systems or high-energy industrial or commercial cooking facilities. In a state – Maryland – committed to a carbon-free electrical grid in coming years, the Montgomery County bill guarantees that almost all new buildings will be equipped with electric hot water systems and heat pumps for space heating and cooling, creating a zero-greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions future. Typically for an urban jurisdiction, buildings account for more than 50% of Montgomery County’s total carbon emissions.

“We’ve taken a giant step toward cleaner buildings and a better climate today,” said Councilmember and bill lead-sponsor Hans Riemer (D-At Large). “We are confident that other Maryland counties will now follow our lead – and the state General Assembly will follow with its own mandate for fossil-free new construction in just a couple of years.”

Said fellow Councilmember and bill co-sponsor Will Jawando (D-At Large): “A fully electric new home or business is cheaper to build, operate, and better for our kids and our environment.”

Added Mike Tidwell, executive director of CCAN Action Fund: “Hats off to every member of the Montgomery County Council. They have taken global climate science and translated it into sound local policy that benefits everyone. We know our newly elected Maryland governor and leaders nationwide will be inspired by this progress.”

The electrification bill passed despite the robust opposition of the fossil fuel industry and several trade associations and business groups. A coalition of nearly two dozen local and state citizens groups representing thousands of Montgomery County residents encouraged today’s action with rallies, petitions, letters, phone calls, meetings with legislators, and “Electrify MoCo” signs placed in yards throughout the county. In addition to the bill’s climate benefits, advocates focused on electrification’s lower ongoing fuel costs for homeowners and tenants. A recent study from the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel shows how capital spending by the state’s top three utilities to replace and expand the gas system will cost ratepayers upwards of $35 billion over the next 80 years.
Monica O’Connor, one of the organizers of the citizens’ actions, said “The passage of this critical bill would not have have been possible without committed partners such as the Sierra Club, CASA, Interfaith Power and Light, 350 MoCo, The Climate Mobilization Montgomery County, the Montgomery County Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Climate Reality MoCo, the Elders Climate Action Maryland, the Takoma Park Mobilization Environment Committee and many others. We are so grateful to our many partners and allies for their climate leadership and advocacy.”

Advocates also focused arguments on the health impacts of fossil fuels. A growing body of peer-reviewed science shows that the fossil gas piped into many of America’s homes can create significant childhood asthma and other respiratory problems during combustion, as well as constantly leaking cancer-related chemical compounds. Both the American Medical Association and the American Public Health Association have recently warned consumers about the dangers of using fossil gas. Damaging and often fatal gas explosions are also a too-frequent result of gas use in homes and buildings.

Montgomery County has been at the forefront of local climate leadership for several years. Today’s action builds on a Climate Action Plan that anticipates county-wide carbon neutrality by 2035 and recently adopted Building Energy Performance Standards for existing commercial buildings.

For more information, see Electrify MoCo coverage on CCAN Action Fund.

 

In a First-of-Its-Kind Program, Volunteers Rescue 4,000 Trees From Killer Vines in Takoma Park, MD

Takoma Park rescues 4000 trees from invasive vines

After a novel survey of dying trees in 2021, volunteers systematically rescued huge swaths of urban forest plagued by English Ivy and other invasive vines. Results: More than 80% of dying trees saved, creating a model for cities nationwide.

TAKOMA PARK, MD – Using a first-of-its-kind system pioneered here in 2021, hundreds of volunteers in Takoma Park, Maryland have systematically rescued more than 4,000 trees previously identified as dying from invasive vines such as English ivy. Meeting on Saturday mornings for just over a year and equipped with simple garden clippers and pruning saws, the volunteers have now saved 80% of the infested trees in this city of 18,000 people, creating a blueprint for communities nationwide.

According to a report released today by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), the 4,000th tree – a 75-year-old red oak – was rescued by volunteers on June 30th. Now, in a city where dying trees were once a common sight on both public and private land, it is rare to see any trees choking from such killers as English ivy, Wintercreeper, Porcelainberry, Oriental bittersweet, Chinese wisteria, and others. 

“It’s not an exaggeration to say this city has been transformed,” said Mike Tidwell, CCAN executive director and a resident of Takoma Park. “We had dying trees everywhere – downtown, on playgrounds, around city hall. Now it’s hard to find such trees. That’s good for homeowners, for public health, for local ecosystems, and for the global climate.”

Two steps were key to this success, according to the report released today. First, CCAN commissioned a trained invasive plant specialist to walk and visually survey all 36 miles of streets and roads in the city during wintertime, when many evergreen vines are starkly visible. Five thousand mature trees – from age 20 to more than a century – were determined likely to die within 5-7 years without action. As a second step – using this data and the recorded tree locations – volunteers then set out block-by-block and park-by-park to safely cut, clip, and saw vines.

According to an extensive internet search, no baseline survey of dying trees like the one undertaken in Takoma Park had ever been done before in the United States. This simple walking survey, using a smartphone to record the location of every infested tree, gave volunteers a sense of the scale of the problem and gave them a way to chart progress. Just over a year later, only about 1,000 infested trees remain, mostly on private land where permission to access has not yet been granted. Efforts are ongoing to rescue these remaining trees.

For more information, visit the CCAN page on Invasive Plants and Climate Change. It includes links to the report itself and video of volunteers saving the 4,000th tree.

BACKGROUND

Trees are one of our best solutions for combating climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide. They also provide countless other benefits to people and wildlife, including helping to filter air and water, controlling stormwater, and providing wildlife habitat. They reduce noise and provide places to recreate while strengthening social cohesion, spurring community revitalization, and adding economic value to communities. Trees also add significant value for homeowners: mature trees can add 7 to 19 percent to a home’s value, and can reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 50%. Yet dead trees can cost thousands of dollars to remove. Non-native, invasive vines pose a significant threat to trees. 

With this in mind, in February 2021, CCAN commissioned what may be the first assessment of its kind in the nation. The startling results in a small city known to highly value its tree canopy likely signals that the scale of invasive vine destruction in similar towns nationwide is far beyond previous assumptions. The study also identified relatively low-resource, commonsense solutions to the problem. Many of the trees in the survey can be saved in 10-15 minutes by volunteers using common garden clippers and pruning saws.

Upon release of the assessment, CCAN began hosting volunteer events on Saturday mornings. Since April of 2021, CCAN has engaged 334 volunteers, including 191 unique volunteers. The majority of events were group activities where volunteers would remove invasive vines in predetermined areas, primarily local parks and public areas. Volunteers also visited 571 of the 840 (68%) homes where threatened trees had been identified. Contact was made with a resident at 262 (46% of 571) homes and of the homes where contact was made, 194 of those (75% of 262) agreed to let volunteers and staff remove invasive vines. When homeowners weren’t home, volunteers left an informational flier with contact information. For those homeowners who then reached out to CCAN, a core group of dedicated volunteers then made follow-up house calls to remove vines from trees. This seemingly high response rate indicates that homeowners are willing to take action when made aware of the threat to their trees. Most of the trees saved (2342 or 46%) were on public property, the majority of which was parks. The remainder (1671 or 33%) was on private property, the major part of which was single-family homes. CCAN worked closely with Montgomery Parks’ Weed Warrior program to reach 4000 trees saved. The Weed Warrior program helped direct volunteers to CCAN-led events and provided trained – and trainee – Weed Warriors who provided assistance during events. Of the trees freed in Takoma Park, 1706 were on Montgomery Parks’ property. 

The Takoma Tree Saver program has clearly inspired people both within Takoma Park and around the region. In Takoma Park, it appears to have struck a chord with the public. The work of CCAN’s volunteers is obvious around town, as evidenced by dying vines, and appears to be catching on – there are signs that people are undertaking vine cutting on their own outside of the program. 

The program has received numerous inquiries from people and organizations wanting to adopt CCAN’s model or simply learn from its experiences. CCAN staff have presented to multiple organizations and consulted with various groups throughout the region. Staff are currently preparing to train at least two community groups in nearby jurisdictions. 

It is obvious that people’s participation in this relatively simple climate action energizes and empowers them, and they are transferring this enthusiasm to others. It appears to be successful because, primarily, it is a tangible climate action that people can take relatively simply. People can see the results of their labor, it is tactile, and it engages people in saving their beloved urban forest. 

# # # 

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

Virginians March BACKWARDS to Protest Youngkin’s Backward Climate Policies

Unusual backwards march around the State Capitol demonstrates opposition to Governor’s plan to withdraw from RGGI program that reduces carbon emissions while funding coastal resilience and energy efficiency

Richmond, VAAt 12 noon on Friday, July 1, Virginians will march BACKWARDS around the state capitol to protest Governor Glen Youngkin’s scheme to withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). This first-ever march of its kind in Richmond will be led by brass musicians and protesters chanting – while walking backwards – that Youngkin must stop moving the state backwards on climate change.

Friday’s march coincides with Youngkin’s scheduled completion of the process of stacking the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board with hand-picked members and using it to undermine the General Assembly. After only three days of public notice, this board could use an “emergency declaration” to march Virginia backwards – out of the popular RGGI cap-and-trade program,which provides essential funding for progress on climate solutions and clean energy. 

Since Virginia joined RGGI, industrial carbon polluters have paid over $300 million in fees. Those funds are used to insulate the homes of low-income Virginians and cover the cost of infrastructure improvements to minimize the impacts of sea-level rise and flooding associated with climate change. 

Youngkin’s plan to withdraw from RGGI ignores the desire of more than two-thirds of Virginians, who support the program, and directly conflicts with recent legislative votes and proposed budget amendments from the General Assembly. Youngkin has also declined to join 11 other East Coast states to partner more closely with the Federal government on offshore wind development. 

On Friday, Virginians from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Third Act Virginia, Appalachian Voices and Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions will demonstrate against the Governor’s efforts to withdraw from RGGI. Live music and refreshments will be provided at Friday’s visually engaging event, where marchers will physically march backwards in protest. 

WHO:   Community members, environmental advocates

WHAT:   Demonstration with featured speakers, march

WHEN:  Friday, July 1 from 12 PM to 1 PM

WHERE:  The event begins on the Capitol Grounds at the Bell Tower with several speakers and is followed by a March Backward, starting on the sidewalk at 9th and Franklin Streets.   

Below are statements from several of the event organizers:

“Governor Youngkin portrays himself as a business leader – but his pro-pollution agenda is hurting businesses and damaging the climate. It’s becoming a national embarrassment. Currently, Virginia is benefitting tremendously from a market-based initiative that reduces carbon pollution while investing in coastal flooding protection and energy efficiency. Youngkin’s goal of withdrawing Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative would harm families and reward polluters. It’s a giant step backwards. The Governor must be stopped.”
– Mike Tidwell, Chesapeake Climate Action Network  

“Gov. Youngkin’s plan to withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is short-sighted and dangerous.The report this administration uses for rationale has been falsely interpreted as bad for consumers. Third Act Virginia supports the science and expert opinions that show the Initiative works as intended. In our current climate catastrophe, we don’t have time for backwards measures and partisan divide. We want a future we can all live in, and urge the governor to prioritize the health and wellbeing of our citizens.” 
– Deborah Kushner, Third Act Virginia

“We are praying that Governor Youngkin has a change of heart on his opposition to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. This successful, bipartisan program is cutting planet-warming pollution, helping low income Virginians save money with energy efficiency, and protecting our communities from the ravages of increased flooding. It’s simply common sense to stay in RGGI.”

– Andrea McGimsey Executive Director, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions

For more information, visit the organizers’ shared event registration page.

#   #   #

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

More information: 

Virginia Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative: Youngkin is Dragging Virginia Backwards On Climate

Hanover’s Brown Grove Community Recognized As A Virginia Historic District, Raises Awareness for Environmental Justice

Virginia Department of Historic Resources honored the Freedmen-founded community of Brown Grove and incorporated it into the Virginia Landmarks state registry. 


Sweet Briar, VA
– On Thursday June 16, the Virginia Board of Historic Resources and the State Review Board voted to recognize Hanover’s Brown Grove as a historic district with local significance. The Brown Grove Historic District is a historically African American rural community south of Ashland in Hanover County established by freed slaves during the Reconstruction Era. It is an excellent example of the rural landscape of African American heritage that grew from the plantation economy to a self-sufficient agricultural community, and transitioned in the twentieth century into a middle-class residential neighborhood.

Those who spoke to advocate on behalf of the Brown Grove community included Diane Drake and Lakshmi Fjord, and was presented by Marc Wagner of the Eastern Region of the Department of Historic Resources. 

“It is indeed a wonderful blessing to celebrate Brown Grove Rural Historic District with the  Virginia Registry of Historic Places,” said Diane Smith Drake. “‘Let Freedom Ring’ even louder on this Juneteenth Celebration day!”

“What a seismic shift over a very short space of time into DHR now taking a far more community-based approach to preservation of historic African American and Indigenous historic communities and historic resources,” said Lakshmi Fjord, visiting scholar at the University of Virginia’s department of anthropology.

In 1870, Brown Grove was founded by formerly enslaved people and a bustling community was built. Most members of the community now can trace their lineage to Ms. Caroline Morris, the matriarch of Brown Grove. The district as a whole continues to strongly embody a sense of a rural, working-class, African American settlement and the continued occupancy of multi-generational descendants of early inhabitants, the continued visitation and maintenance of historic cemeteries, and the vibrant and engaged congregation of Brown Grove Baptist Church reinforce the district’s robust integrity. 

Throughout the decades, several heavy industrial facilities have threatened the fabric of this area. With this designation, likely fewer if any of those types of development would come to fruition. The close-knit community is pleased with the good news and nods to the timing with Juneteenth. The community also continues to await incorporation into the National Historic Registry. 

Listing an area as a Historic District is only an honorary designation, but has real benefits in educating communities about their unique cultural, historic and natural assets. This education often leads to a greater effort to preserve that history for future generations.

“The Chesapeake Climate Action Network could not be more pleased with the good news. Brown Grove has been the site of environmental injustice for decades, and hopefully now the community will have some protection from extractive industries,” says CCAN Virginia organizer Elle De La Cancela. “Today is a day to celebrate and to begin to redress the wrongs of the past.”

Several organizations and individuals contributed to this historic decision’s success. Some of these include: Virginia League of Conservation Voters, Sunrise Movement – Richmond Chapter, Delegate Elizabeth Guzman, Hanover County NAACP, SELC, VA EJ council, Friends of Buckingham, African American Redress Network, Howard University, Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center Columbia University, International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), Resolutions Addressing Systemic Racism (RASR), and Namati.

#   #   #

The Brown Grove Preservation Group is a group of people who are dedicated to continue the work our ancestors started.  We are committed to see our community grow by building homes not industry.  We use faith and heart to work toward the betterment of the Brown Grove Community.  

CCAN Applauds Cancellation of Chickahominy Power Plant: Gas-Fired Plant Faced Stiff Opposition from Local Residents

Baltimore, MD — Yesterday, Chickahominy Power, LLC announced it had “terminated” its 1,600 megawatt, $1.64 billion gas-fired power plant planned for Charles County, Virginia. The plant would have been one of the largest gas plants in Virginia and would have sold electricity into the grid as a business venture instead of providing power directly to Virginia customers. This termination follows the suspension of a pipeline that would have crossed five counties to carry gas to the power plant.

Both the plant and the pipeline faced strong opposition from Charles City County residents. The county is already home to a large, polluting landfill and was the proposed site of another large gas plant known as C4GT that would have been located just a mile from the Chickahominy Power site. That gas plant was canceled last July.

In response to the cancellation, Anne Havemann, General Counsel of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said:

“The Chesapeake Climate Action Network was honored to fight the proposed Chickahominy gas-fired power plant alongside Concerned Citizens of Charles County and other local residents over the past six years. The cancellation of the plant illustrates that gas is not the energy of Virginia’s future but the energy of the past.

“The company struggled to find financing, was met with stiff opposition from local residents who worried about the health effects of living next to such a large plant, and faced competition from a growing clean-energy industry. Instead of relocating to Ohio or West Virginia, as Chickahominy Power’s press release threatens, the company should see the writing on the wall and invest in clean energy instead of sinking $1.64 billion into more climate-wrecking fossil fuels.”

For more information see “Chickahominy Power cancels plans for natural gas plant in Charles City” by Sarah Vogelsong, The Virginia Mercury.

#   #   #

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

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.