RGGI Helps You Keep More $$$ In Your Pockets

Amazing things happen when states support the expansion of energy efficiency programs: electricity bills decline, fossil fuel pollution decreases, and the public at-large benefits. These were among the many conclusions of a highly anticipated report released last week by Analysis Group. The report studied the recorded costs and benefits of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) from 2012 through 2014 to the nine northeast states that voluntarily participate.
RGGI is a cooperative effort that caps and reduces carbon emissions from power plants. Power plants in participating states (from Maine to Maryland) purchase allowances for every ton of carbon pollution that they emit. RGGI states agree on how many pollution allowances to offer for sale each year, setting a declining cap, and the revenue from the sale of allowances is returned to individual states. (For a background explanation of RGGI, see this CCAN fact-sheet.)
In short, the report states that directing resources to energy efficiency programs “stands out as the most economically beneficial use of RGGI dollars.”
These findings are important, particularly due to the report’s timing. In a matter of weeks the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to finalize the rules of the Clean Power Plan which will require Virginia to cut its carbon pollution by over one-third within the next fifteen years. RGGI is a solution to the Clean Power Plan and could provide Virginians with numerous other benefits as well.

Analysis Group Report: In Detail

One very important detail: This new Analysis Group report focuses solely on the economic costs and benefits of RGGI. The report acknowledges that RGGI was originally formed for the expressed purpose of reducing fossil fuel pollution to combat climate change. RGGI certainly has benefits to the environment, public health, and other areas that the researchers don’t consider as a part of the scope of this study. Analysis Group measured only the impacts of RGGI on the economy in the nine participating states.

On Energy Efficiency

RGGI states’ successful usage of energy efficiency investments paved the way towards $460 million in total electricity bill reductions for consumers in the past three years, while lowering carbon pollution faster than these states expected. The report concedes that there are many other ways states benefited by participating in RGGI, which includes both direct and indirect costs throughout the region. On the whole, Analysis Group found that the enormous benefits to consumers via energy efficiency resources created through RGGI dramatically outweighed the costs of participation in the program.
Specifically, the report found the following:

“RGGI-funded expenditures on energy efficiency depress regional electrical demand, power prices, and consumer payments for electricity. This benefits all consumers through downward pressure on wholesale prices, even as it particularly benefits those consumers that actually take advantage of such programs, implement energy efficiency measures, and lower both their overall energy use and monthly bills. These savings stay in the pockets of electricity users directly.”

In short, RGGI-supported energy efficiency dollars save consumers money. According to the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average residential customer’s electricity bills in the nine RGGI states is $108.43. That figure is nearly $17 lower than the average monthly residential electricity bill Virginians pay of $125.36. The national average is $111.08.
Why do customers in RGGI states pay lower electricity bills than customers in Virginia? The answer is simple: customers in RGGI states use a lot less electricity. Again referencing the latest EIA data, the average residential user’s energy consumption in RGGI states is 702 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month, far below Virginia’s average consumption in the residential sector of 1,156 kWh monthly. The national average is 909 kWh monthly.
Statewide energy efficiency programs like lighting and appliance upgrades, home insulation inspections and improvements, and general consumer efficiency education all help customers consume less electricity, which ultimately reduces customers’ bills and decreases fossil fuel generation and pollution. Customer bills in RGGI states are lower than the national average even though electricity rates in RGGI states are indeed higher than the national average. The important factor is electricity consumption, and it’s a fact that RGGI leads to less energy consumption and consumers in RGGI states use less electricity than Virginians.
Critics of RGGI and the Clean Power Plan argue that they’re too costly. However, independent studies and documented government data strongly suggest the opposite. If done correctly, Virginia can craft its plan of compliance in a way that is extremely cost-effective and actually lowers bills for consumers. RGGI is the smartest path forward for Virginia.

Other RGGI Benefits

Even though Analysis Group concludes that energy efficiency provided the most “bang for your buck” and produced the most direct economic value to consumers, the report points out that states have been increasingly more creative in the use of RGGI dollars to advance various state priorities.

“The states’ use of allowance proceeds not only provide economic benefits, but also has helped them meet a wide variety of social, fiscal and environmental policy goals, such as addressing state and municipal budget challenges, assisting low-income customers, achieving advanced energy policy goals, and restoring wetlands, among other things.”

Sea level rise from climate change is threatening our coast. Electricity bills in Virginia are among the nation’s highest. The EPA is requiring states to reduce their carbon footprint for the public’s health and welfare. It’s time for bold, yet practical solutions in Virginia to meet these challenges.
We can begin solving all of these problems by joining RGGI and wisely reinvesting our allowance resources in adaptation, energy efficiency, and other statewide priorities. The evidence is here. The program works. Now we need the wisdom and resolve to join our neighbors by becoming the 10th state participating in RGGI.

Packed Room at Baltimore Kickoff for Statewide Climate Hearings

Cheryl Arney held up a picture of her granddaughter in a crowded room in the Patterson Park Library in Baltimore City. As she held up the photo of a young smiling girl she stated, “I am here because of her — this is her century and we must protect the Earth for her.” Cheryl was one of 21 people who testified in front of the Maryland Climate Commission.
The Maryland Climate Commission — a stakeholder group of government, industry, and nonprofits including Chesapeake Climate Action Network — are working to get public input on Maryland’s Climate Action Plan.
The Baltimore City meeting which took place on Tuesday, July 14th  was the first in a series of public forums to be held on climate change. More than twenty activists and concerned citizens said they want to see more aggressive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase usage of clean, efficient energy in Maryland.
On November 15th, the commission will release a report to the General Assembly with recommendations about next steps for climate action in Maryland, and the purpose of these listening sessions is to help inform that report.
CCAN and our allies have been encouraging activists to attend these sessions, and this kickoff event was a great success! Leaders from the faith community, environmental groups, labor organizations, low-income advocates, and several concerned citizens packed the room and delivered a clear message to the commission. They said they want the state to stay on course to achieve the science-based carbon cuts required by the Maryland Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act of 2009. That law needs to be renewed in 2016 by the General Assembly. Many of those present said lawmakers should not only renew but also strengthen the landmark law.
Several activists also referred to the state’s clean electricity standard (the Renewable Portfolio Standard or RPS), saying it should be increased to at least a 25% by 2020 standard. With the RPS too, many activists urged the commission to consider going even beyond 25% by 2020. Many activists also addressed the importance of statewide energy efficiency measures, again encouraging decision makers to strengthen existing goals.
There are several other Commission hearings planned across the state:

  • Frostburg – UMCES Appalachian Laboratory – 7/28, 6pm
  • Avenue – All Saints Episcopal Parish Hall – 8/4, 6pm
  • Largo – PG County Department of Environment Resources – 8/6, 6pm

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to raise your voice and hold our state accountable to strong climate action at the next listening session!

Baltimoreans come out to say ‘Stop Oil Trains’ at city’s first public hearing

On Wednesday, over 70 concerned Maryland residents rallied in front of Baltimore City Hall before the City Council’s first public hearing about the dangers of crude oil trains travelling through the city.
Our rally joined the North American “Stop Oil Trains” week of action, uniting communities across the U.S. and Canada fighting to protect people’s safety and our climate from extreme oil.
As the rally kicked off at 5:30 p.m. in 90-degree heat, a sea of red shirts and stickers converged on the green lawn across from City Hall. Rally-goers assembled a replica “oil train” marked with the dates and sites of accidents that have occurred across North America in 2015 alone — in West Virginia, North Dakota, Illinois, and Ontario. A last-minute sign repair pulled my attention away from the beginning rally. By the time I looked up, the amount of red had doubled.
The rally-goers listened intently as each speaker expressed his or her concerns about oil trains rolling through Baltimore. This week marked the two-year anniversary of the worst oil train disaster in North America, in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, which killed 47 people.
“It’s clear that a crude oil train derailment in densely populated areas like Baltimore City could lead to a disastrous loss of life and property,” said Delegate Clarence Lam, MD, MPH (District 12—Howard and Baltimore Counties), who spoke at the rally and testified before the City Council.
“Oil trains don’t have to explode to be dangerous,” said Trisha Sheehan, Regional Field Director at Moms Clean Air Force. “They leak toxic chemicals, endangering everyone’s lungs, especially those most vulnerable to air pollution—our children.”
19511563806_19b5095613_o
Mike Tidwell, director of CCAN, wrapped up the rally with a fiery speech. “Baltimore is in the blast zone,” he exclaimed. “City Hall is in the potential blast zone!”
The “blast zone” is the one-mile radius around railroad tracks that could be impacted by an oil train derailment and fire. In all, ForestEthics calculates that this zone includes 165,000 Baltimore residents.
The rally closed with Mike starting some chants and leading the crowd into City Hall. As I waited in a line to get into City Hall, I asked a fellow rally-goer what brought him out: “Once you know about an issue as threatening as crude oil by rail it’s hard to not stand up and do something,” said Cullen Simon.
This was the first hearing on oil trains City Councilmembers had held, and our crowd filled the seats with red “No Bomb Trains in Baltimore” stickers.
Speakers called on city and state leaders to act now to protect local rail communities. Specifically, the City Council should place a moratorium on approving permits for crude oil shipping terminals until local emergency management, health and safety officials study the associated dangers.
Presenters included Delegate Lam, Dr. Ana Rule, an air pollution researcher from Johns Hopkins University, Fred Millar, a rail safety expert, and Jon Kenney, Maryland Community Organizer at CCAN.
IMG_9990
The presenters urged the City Council to place a moratorium on permits for crude oil shipping terminals as a step to prevent vulnerable city neighborhoods from becoming a gateway for even more of this dangerous cargo.
While federal regulations govern the movement of oil on railways, city officials have the power to regulate terminals where the oil is unloaded to be shipped on barges to East Coast refineries. The Baltimore Sun has reported that over 100 million gallons of highly volatile, toxic and climate-polluting oil has been shipped out of Baltimore over the previous two years — up from zero gallons the two years before.
The rally and hearing coincided with over 80 events planned across North America during the week of July 6th to draw attention to the growing threat oil trains pose to our health, safety, and climate. Organizers of the week of action are demanding a federal ban on dangerous oil trains.
Thanks to everyone who turned out in Baltimore, we made a big impact in getting this issue on the radar of city officials and important media outlets. The Baltimore Sun, WYPR radio, and the Baltimore Brew all ran stories on the protest and hearing, which will help educate more residents about this growing problem.
As the national week of action closes on Sunday July 12th, CCAN and supporters will continue to press forward to pass a moratorium on crude oil shipping terminal permits in Baltimore.

Charlottesville City Council Endorses Major Step Forward on Climate in Virginia

The July 4th weekend ended with a bang on Monday night when the Charlottesville City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging Virginia’s legislature to clamp down on climate pollution.
The resolution calls on Virginia to join the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). This program would make Virginia’s biggest polluters pay for the carbon they emit and send the money back to our state. We’re not talking chump change: RGGI is projected to generate $200 million annually for Virginia by 2020 to invest in clean energy and energy efficiency projects statewide, and to prepare Virginia’s vulnerable coast for rising seas. You can learn more about this policy solution on our Safe Coast campaign page.
With the Council’s 5-0 vote, Charlottesville became the second city after Norfolk to pass a resolution urging our General Assembly to act on this climate solution. Across the state, CCAN is urging city councils to pass resolutions in favor of Virginia joining RGGI. It’s a key part of our plan to build momentum in the lead up to next year’s legislative session.
We’ve got momentum behind us. In the 2015 General Assembly, CCAN worked with Del. Ron Villanueva (R-Virginia Beach) and Sen. Donald McEachin (D-Richmond) to introduce a bipartisan bill — called the Virginia Coastal Protection Act — that would have made Virginia the first southern state to join this successful pollution-cutting program. We came within one vote of passing the bill out of a key Senate committee, and saw an outpouring of support from Virginians across the state.
Building on this victory in Charlottesville, CCAN will push forward with supporters in other cities and counties across Virginia to pass resolutions. Email Statewide Organizer Charlie Spatz at charlie@chesapeakeclimate.org to get involved with a local campaign, or start your own!

Help Keep Maryland on Track to Tackle Climate Change

With the release of Pope Francis’s sweeping climate change encyclical, quickly followed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s comprehensive report on the stunning economic costs of runaway global warming, the national spotlight is on climate change now more than ever. Here in Maryland, we are poised to make some momentous decisions related to climate action this year. Which of course means that we all have our work cut out for us!
First, we will need to make sure Maryland stays committed to achieving science-based reductions in statewide greenhouse gas emissions. In the next General Assembly session in Annapolis, we will need to pass legislation renewing the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act, which expires at the end of 2016. First passed in 2009 – thanks in large part to CCAN activists like you – this landmark law requires that we slash statewide carbon emissions by at least 25% below 2006 levels by the year 2020. Renewing this law is of tremendous importance for climate-vulnerable Maryland, as explained in this recent Baltimore Sun letter to the editor by CCAN fellow Jamie DeMarco. In order to achieve those reductions, this law also required the creation of Maryland’s Climate Action Plan, which was released in 2013.
At the same time, we have to ensure Maryland actually achieves those science-based reductions, and that means we need to make serious headway towards a clean energy economy. That’s why one of the most important pieces of the Climate Action Plan is ramping up Maryland’s clean electricity standard. Looking ahead to 2020, we’re currently on track to get about 18% of our power from renewable sources like wind and solar energy. In the 2016 legislative session, we will want to accelerate that increase to a full 25% clean electricity standard by 2020, and put ourselves on track to double our commitment to 40% by 2025.
So how are we going to both renew Maryland’s premier carbon cap law and also take the steps necessary to achieve it? By engaging Marylanders across the state to get involved, make their voices heard, and demand that legislators and agency officials do right by our climate. There will be several ways to do that this summer:

  1. Participate in the Maryland Climate Commission Listening Sessions The Maryland Climate Commission, in which CCAN is heavily involved, is a broad stakeholder group charged with making recommendations about next steps for climate action in Maryland. This summer is your opportunity to tell this commission that you want to see Maryland continue to be a climate leader! It’s also your opportunity to further shape Maryland’s Climate Action Plan. This commission will be hosting listening sessions across the state to update residents on the progress the state has made towards greenhouse gas reductions, as well as to hear from local communities about ways that we can continue to address climate change in Maryland.
  2. Put your faith into action by joining Climate in the Pulpits/On the Bimah/In the Minbar! Following the Pope’s DC visit, CCAN and our partners at Interfaith Power & Light will be asking faith communities across Maryland to answer Pope Francis’ call to address climate change. Dozens of faith leaders and their communities will be dedicating their worship services to creation care the weekend of September 25-27th.
  3. Sign up to be part of CCAN’s advocacy committee! Throughout the region we are looking for passionate, dedicated volunteers who can help influence their legislators to act. You’ll receive the training and the tools you need to convince your leaders in Annapolis that in 2016, Maryland should renew its premier carbon cap law and takes the steps necessary to achieve that law, staving off the worst impacts of climate change and building a clean energy economy in our state.

No doubt about it, we have our work cut out for us this year. But the need to act has never been so great, and the opportunity to build a new, clean and healthy future for Maryland has never been so great!

Letter from the Director: The Pope leads on climate justice

Dear CCANers,
“All is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start.”
These are the words of Pope Francis, issued June 18th as part of his historic “encyclical” on climate change and the environment. Encyclicals are Papal letters to the clergy and laity of the church that are considered highly authoritative. In this 184-page document, Francis spells out the urgency of the climate crisis, describes the spiritual and economic failures underpinning the crisis, and – most importantly – emphasizes the need for immediate and sustained ACTION from our leaders and from grassroots citizens worldwide like you and me.
Action. It’s the only way we can “rise above” the moral obscenity of profligate fossil fuel use and make a “new start” with clean wind and solar power. All too often we see people move from outright denial over climate change to outright paralyzing despair when the denial finally ends, without pausing in between on action, on actually doing something about the crisis. And now the most-recognized moral leader in the world – Pope Francis – has called on all the people of the world, not just Catholics, to see and repair the scourge of climate change.
Most moving to me as I read through the encyclical – titled “Laudato Si’,” or “Praise Be to You” – was the emphasis throughout on the appalling and unfair impacts global warming will bring to the world’s poor, who are least to blame for the problem. As a Christian myself – Presbyterian – and as a former Peace Corps Volunteer in the Congo, this issue hits home for me. In the tiny African village where I lived in the 1980s, it wasn’t a question of dirty coal-fired electricity versus clean wind power. These villagers had NO electricity whatsoever. And still don’t. And no cars. And virtually no carbon-intensive meat consumption. Yet the poorest villages worldwide are being walloped – as we speak – by the floods and droughts and extreme weather they cannot adapt to. It’s totally unfair.
Thankfully, there are lots of actions we can take right now here in Maryland, Virginia and DC to right this wrong. The Pope will be bringing his message directly to DC in September with an address to Congress and a Mass at Catholic University. As an act of solidarity with the Pope, won’t you join me and thousands of others for a “Moral March” on Sunday, September 20th? It’s being organized by our friends at the group “Moral Action On Climate.” It’s going to be big and it’s going to be spirited. And – especially if you are Catholic or religious – please make plans to attend a prayer vigil on the capitol grounds on the week of September 20th, more details will be sent out soon. Learn more about local Catholic leaders putting the Pope’s call into action by visiting this great resource page from our friends at Interfaith Power and Light.
Of course there’s also plenty to do beyond the Pope’s visit. CCAN, since its founding 13 years ago, has proudly included the word “action” in our very name. So get ready for a busy summer and fall taking action across the region: phone banking, door knocking, emailing, and marching for clean energy right here where we live. We’ll be working to pass a statewide carbon cap in Virginia, implementing a carbon tax in DC, and dramatically expanding wind and solar power development in Maryland.
As a people, we are indeed capable of rising above ourselves and choosing again what is good. The Pope just gave the world a big reminder of the core truth. And CCAN is here to help give you a way to make it happen every day.
Power to the people!
mike-tidwell
Mike Tidwell

Maryland's two-year FRACKING MORATORIUM: A GRASSROOTS VICTORY, A GRASSROOTS OPPORTUNITY

On Friday, May 29, a two and half year moratorium on the practice known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, became law in the state of Maryland – making Maryland the first state with significant gas reserves to put a legislative moratorium on fracking (under a pro-fracking Governor no less).
This victory was inspiring not just because of what it means for staving off the impacts of drilling to Marylanders’ health, air and water, and not just because of what it means for keeping two years’ worth of harmful greenhouse gas emissions from fracking out of our atmosphere. It was inspiring because of HOW it was won: this was a true grassroots victory.
Marylanders from the mountains to the shore have fought for years to protect our air, water, economy, and climate from the gas industry, and this year was no 17567552282_b14cc6d9f7_zdifferent: the grassroots movement behind this two and half year moratorium was unrelenting.

  • Nearly 200 groups signed on in support of the campaign, launching a brand new website in January, and together flooding legislator’s offices with phone calls and emails, and organizing huge rallies in Annapolis month after month after month.
  • Nearly 50 students descended on Annapolis in February, meeting with dozens of legislators to show them that future generations of Marylanders don’t want to live with the toxic legacy of fracking.
  • More than 120 small businesses signed on in support of the campaign in less than two weeks in March, begging the question: is fracking really the right move for Western Maryland’s growing tourism and agriculture economy?
  • Over 50 farmers and food artisans joined together to bring their message against fracking to lawmakers, hosting a first-ever Farmers Against Fracking reception in Annapolis.
  • And, finally, when we passed the bill through both Maryland’s House and Senate with bipartisan, veto-proof majorities in April, sending it to Governor Hogan’s desk, his office received thousands of emails and hundreds of calls urging him to let it become law.

16520756389_524d945e43_zThis victory belongs to the Marylanders who pushed every step of the way. And we won’t let up now.
The grassroots movement that flooded the General Assembly and Governor Hogan’s office with calls and emails this spring will only grow and get louder over the next two and a half years, building the movement it will take to make sure fracking never comes to Maryland.
We hope you’ll join us! Because we know that the gas industry isn’t giving up, as long as there are profits to be made. In fact, industry lobbyists are already maneuvering to put fracking on the fast-track as soon as the moratorium lifts in October 2017.
We can’t let that happen, so CCAN is hitting the ground running THIS SUMMER to build the movement for a permanent, statewide ban on fracking. Here’s what you can do right now to help:
Sign the petition: Add your name to the call for a permanent ban on fracking in Maryland, and then spread the word to your friends to build our movement.
Get involved with city and county-level efforts to ban fracking by emailing CCAN’s Maryland Campaign Coordinator Shilpa Joshi at shilpa@chesapeakeclimate.org. We’re building the momentum from the ground up by getting local municipalities to go on the record for banning fracking in Maryland!
 
 
 

Meet a CCANer: VA Student Climate Activist Samyukta Venkat

This May, a group of Virginia students embarked on a bike ride across Virginia to build the movement against Dominion’s proposed 550-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The project would carry fracked gas from West Virginia to North Carolina, threatening treasured natural resources and our climate.
Samyukta Venkat was one of 19 students who joined the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Resistance Ride (ACPRR), following the path of Dominion’s project in Virginia and meeting with impacted landowners. After the ACPRR concluded, the memories and empowerment stayed with her. The ride helped launch Samyukta into a world of climate activism:
Your name: Samyukta Venkat
Your age: 18
Where you live: Herndon, VA
Where you go to school / what are you studying? University of Virginia, Computer Engineering (hopefully)
What are the impacts of climate change that hit closest to home for you?
Things are changing so fast. Learning about the history of the planet has taught me how the changes in climate have occurred so slowly in the past. They were hardly noticeable on the time scale of human lives. The planet exists with a beautiful system to monitor and adjust climate change so that even if it fluctuates, it remains habitable. In the past fifty years humans have somehow managed to emit enough CO2 to basically kill a system that has worked for billions of years. I’m so young and in my short life I’ve already seen Virginia’s climate changing; it is definitely something that is directly affecting us. We hear about the fires and drought on the west coast, the rising of sea levels and so many other consequences of climate change. To believe in a future for our planet, I’ve realized I need to get up and do something.
Why did you decide to get involved in taking action on climate?
My mother has always been a huge advocate for being green at home – people always laugh at me when I tear off tiny pieces of paper towels in lieu of a whole sheet. She always said we should do whatever we can to preserve the planet for our future – every little action is like spare change that adds up. Past that, I didn’t really take action until the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Resistance Ride (ACPRR). Learning about the pipeline has ignited a new passion in me. I’m so ready to learn more about climate justice and what I can do to take action. I’ve been converted, radicalized, and climate-actioned!
What has inspired you most working in your community?
In my community, I’ve done my best to share my experiences of the ACPRR and try to talk to people about what I’ve learned about climate action. People have been really receptive and a lot of them want to learn more which is really awesome.
Why did you decide to join the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Resistance Ride?
I joined the ride because one of my hall-mates, Maria, told she was participating. It seemed like a great way to start the summer and I really wanted to learn more about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and natural gas infrastructure as a whole, and what resisting climate change looks like.
What impacted you the most on the ACPRR?
Picking one thing that impacted me the most is so incredibly difficult. Our trip was packed with opportunities for me to see how the pipeline would hurt the land and its people. I remember watching a documentary while we were at Sherando in which a woman was returning to Virginia after years of living in Texas. She was talking about how the pipeline is ruining her dream of moving back. With tears streaming down her face she said, “They’re ripping up my mountains.” That really hit home the connection these people have with the land and how much they love it. Also, the experience of actually biking through Virginia opened my eyes to what exactly was being destroyed. I have always seen Virginia through the filter of growing up in Northern Virginia, but I’ve learned that there is so much more to this lovely state. I think it’s also worth mentioning how empowering the light brigade was [where activists lit up a “Dominion: No Pipeline” message overtop of a Dominion-sponsored concert at night in Richmond]! It showed me that a small group of people can find such creative ways to have their voices be heard by many.
How do you plan to continue resisting the Atlantic Coast Pipeline & other fossil fuel infrastructure in VA?
At this point, my plan is to spend the summer meeting with and talking to the people I met during the ride to keep learning about fossil fuel infrastructure. I’m trying to spread the word about it at home, and I’m trying to help out by doing analysis of input sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by citizens. In the fall, I want to join the Climate Action Society at UVa and see where that takes me!
What do you like to do when you’re not advocating in your community?
My spare time is occupied by making music, cooking, reading, doing yoga, taking an obscene amount of photos, and now a bit of bike riding! I’ve also recently gotten hooked onto House of Cards.
Who would you high five?
I would high five everyone I’ve met so far during this wonderful introduction to the world of climate justice. This is a community of absolutely the most welcoming human beings – I have never felt so at home with people so quickly before. Special two-handed high five to Maria DeHart for starting me on this journey and Kendall King for helping me to continue it.

Safe Coast Campaigns Launch Statewide

Our Safe Coast Virginia Campaign is off and running this summer as we work to build support across the Commonwealth to pass the Virginia Coastal Protection Act in the 2016 legislative session. We’re kicking things off at the city council level by passing resolutions in favor of this critical climate legislation. Already we’ve passed a resolution in Norfolk and we’re eagerly anticipating a favorable vote in Charlottesville next month. Across the state we’re working to pass resolutions everywhere from Alexandria to Harrisonburg to Virginia Beach.
Safe Coast ReportThe Virginia Coastal Protection Act would direct Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative — a cooperative effort including nine East Coast states from Maine to Maryland that caps carbon emissions from power plants, requiring utilities to purchase carbon allowances for the pollution they emit. The annual proceeds from RGGI would help fund coastal adaptation and climate resilience efforts as well as renewable energy and energy efficiency programs statewide. Read more about this policy solution by clicking here.
By passing resolutions at the city council level, we can show legislators in Richmond that communities across Virginia are demanding action on climate. There’s no limit to how many resolutions we can pass and we welcome you to get more involved.
Campaigns Underway:
Albemarle County
Alexandria
Arlington
Fredericksburg
Hampton
Harrisonburg
Leesburg
Portsmouth
Richmond
Roanoke
VA Beach
If you or a group you’re affiliated with would like to join an existing campaign or start your own, please get in touch with me at Charlie@chesapeakeclimate.org. We can get you connected with groups already running local campaigns or help you get started on your own. Working at the city council level is an easy way to familiarize yourself with lobbying and we’re here to help throughout the entire process.

Spring Warms up with Fiery Actions against Dominion's Dirty Energy Policies

This spring, CCAN sprung into action to challenge Dominion Virginia Power, Virginia’s largest monopoly power company and #1 climate polluter.
The action kicked off in early May, when over 150 protesters gathered in front of Dominion’s shareholder meeting in Glen Allen to protest Dominion’s proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline and other dirty energy investments. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a planned 42-inch fracked gas pipeline threatening to cut through Virginia, and riling up resistance all along its route from West Virginia to North Carolina. Following the meeting, 19 students from the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition (VSEC) pedaled off to ride the proposed route of the pipeline, talking to front-line communities about why they oppose the project along the way. When the riders arrived in Richmond, they joined with local city activists to illuminate a special message during Dominion’s premier green-washing event of the year.
Read on for a photo recap of all of the action. As spring gives in to summer, the actions against Dominion’s dirty energy polices continue with screenings of Won’t Pipe Down, a documentary about the pipeline and those fighting it, and “Music for the Mountains,” a concert event hosted in Nelson County.
With Virginia climate activists, pipeline fighters, and the media alike shedding increasing light on Dominion’s dirty energy pollution, this summer will be the perfect time to keep turning up the heat!
May 6th, 2015 – At Dominion’s annual shareholder meeting, a huge crowd turned out to express opposition to Dominion’s dirty energy investments and dirty politics. Buses full of pipeline fighters from communities in Augusta, Nelson and Buckingham county joined the protest to get their voices heard. While the energy was high on the outside of the meeting, Dominion executives faced opposition inside as well. Six out of the eight shareholder resolutions presented demanded the company to take action on climate change. 
17392088591_4fec2c8568_o
 
May 9th, 2015 – The Atlantic Coast Pipeline Resistance Ride begins in Augusta County, Virginia. The students from VSEC rode a total of 235 miles along the proposed route of the pipeline before converging at a rally in Richmond, Virginia.
ACPRR
 
May 13, 2015 – The student activists stopped along their bike route to talk to those living on the front lines of the pipeline fight. Jack Wilson shows the riders his beautiful property in Nelson County that is threatened by the pipeline. Like Wilson’s story, the students met others along the path and gathered their stories, which reaffirmed the cause they rode for. 
ACPRR Visiting
 
May 15th, 2015 – Student activists rally in Richmond, Virginia before starting on a Critical Mass bike ride to Dominion’s green-washing event Riverrock, the biggest outdoor festival in Richmond hosted annually by Dominion Power.
ACPRR Rally
 
May 15th, 2015 – On the way to Riverrock, the riders stopped at Dominion’s headquarters in Richmond, where they circled the plaza outside donning bright blue No Pipeline t-shirts.
critical mass ride
 
May 15th, 2015 – A “light brigade” of activists spells out a special message for Dominion, as a packed crowd below enjoys one of Riverrock’s nighttime concerts.
Dom Greenwash  DSC_0099
 
May 16, 2015 – Anti-pipeline activists go into the crowds at Dominion’s Riverrock to give out information, petition and take over Dominion’s event hashtag #SeenAtRiverRock.
#seenatriverrock (2)
 
In the lead up to all of this grassroots action, CCAN and anti-pipeline allies united to deliver 5,000 petitions to Governor Terry McAuliffe urging him to rescind his support of the pipeline. CCAN activists also submitted over 500 public comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in April. Through the comments, we urged federal regulators to conduct a thorough environmental review that considers the full climate-disrupting impact of the fracked gas the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would carry — as well as the environmental benefits of NOT building it at all.
With Virginia climate activists, pipeline fighters, and the media alike shedding increasing light on Dominion’s dirty energy pollution, this summer will be the perfect time to keep turning up the heat — with your help!

Next Actions

July 2nd – CCAN sponsors a screening of Won’t Pipe Down, a short film telling the story of the people and places caught in the path of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, on July 2nd in Richmond, Virginia. The viewing is followed by a panel with a group of grassroots organizers fighting the pipeline. Join us Thursday July 2nd at 7pm for an active movie night! 
July 18th – Pipeline fighter groups Friends of Nelson County and Friends of Augusta are coming together to host a music event on Saturday, July 18th in Nelson County. Join neighbors from across the Commonwealth to enjoy “Music for the Mountains,” a festival raising funds to fight the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Join us Saturday July 18th at 3pm for a fun grassroots event!

Learn More

Visit domtruth.org to learn the full truth about Dominion’s dirty energy investments.
Domtruth-banner-website