Report Card Warns Gov. McAuliffe is Close to ‘Flunking Out’ on Climate and Clean Energy Priorities

Va. environmental, justice, student, and faith groups give the Governor a ‘D+’ average, weighed down by fracked-gas pipeline and coal ash failings

McAuliffe can rescue his legacy by developing a strong ‘Clean Power Plan,’ say advocates

RICHMOND—A coalition of environmental, social justice, faith, student, and community leaders issued Governor Terry McAuliffe an interim grade of “D+” today in releasing a first-of-its-kind report card on his two-year record on climate change and clean energy priorities in Virginia. The report finds that the Governor’s record so far has been a “significant disappointment” compared to his promises as a candidate and in light of the growing urgency of the climate crisis.
The report is available to view and download at: http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/McAuliffe-Report-Card-Climate-Energy.pdf
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Virginia Organizing, the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, and Interfaith Power & Light (MD.DC.NoVA) released the report, which grades Governor McAuliffe across five categories. He received the lowest marks—an “F” and “D-” respectively—for enabling toxic coal ash pollution and for promoting the largest proposed fossil fuel expansion Virginia has seen in a generation, including massive pipelines and new power plants fueled by fracked gas.
The high-pollution impact of the Governor’s support for fossil fuels threatens to overshadow his modest steps forward to spur clean energy and to address sea-level rise, the groups warn.
“When coastal Virginia is flooding at ‘normal’ high tide, we’re out of time for Governor McAuliffe’s ‘one step forward, two steps back’ approach,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Climate leadership, at its core, means keeping fossil fuels in the ground, not lobbying for decades more reliance on fracked gas and offshore oil drilling. In this regard, the Governor has failed the climate, and the health and safety of Virginians, in a major way.”
Leaders with the Potomac Riverkeeper Network and landowners fighting the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines joined a tele-press conference this morning.
“Governor McAuliffe gets a double ‘F’ on coal ash just like his name. His administration has failed to protect its citizens by giving Dominion virtually a free license to pollute our rivers and drinking water. His regulatory agency has totally failed to provide any meaningful oversight of Dominion,” said Dean Naujoks, Potomac Riverkeeper. “Virginia’s chief regulator, David Paylor, has acted as a partner to Dominion, joining Dominion on a lavish golf trip before covering up a 27.5 million gallon coal ash wastewater dump into the Potomac River. Yet, the Governor has done nothing to rectify the situation.”
The groups give Governor McAuliffe an “incomplete” for his response to the federal “Clean Power Plan,” which they cite as the Governor’s biggest opportunity to transform his record.
“Virginia Organizing is committed to clean energy to create new jobs and, most importantly, to protect our precious natural resources,” said LaDelle McWhorter, Chairperson of Virginia Organizing. “It is time for Governor Terry McAuliffe to take action and for that action to be in the interest of the people of Virginia, not those who represent the big polluters.”
Governor McAuliffe has sole authority to prepare a state plan to implement the federal rules, which are designed to reduce carbon pollution from power plants. Previously, McAuliffe lobbied with the state’s largest utility company, Dominion Virginia Power, to lower Virginia’s requirements. His design of a state plan could either fully embrace clean energy or allow Dominion to invest in more polluting gas and increase carbon emissions for years to come.
“Climate change presents an urgent moral challenge to Governor McAuliffe and all people of goodwill across the Commonwealth,” said Joelle Novey, director of Interfaith Power & Light (MD.DC.NoVA). “Virginia’s faith communities are already doing everything they can to shift to cleaner power, and today we call on Governor McAuliffe to follow our lead by developing a strong ‘Clean Power Plan’ that faithfully lowers pollution using real solutions: solar, wind and efficiency. We all are called to act on climate for the sake of our neighbors and future generations.”
The report and the speakers on today’s call noted other key areas where Governor McAuliffe’s administration can rectify low marks, from requiring utilities to move toxic coal ash to modern, lined landfills to using the state’s Clean Water Act authority to block key pipeline permits.
“Governor McAuliffe has so far abandoned landowners like me, as we fight to protect our natural heritage and homes from multi-billion dollar corporations and a derelict federal agency,” said Scott Ballin, an Augusta County landowner whose home lies in the path of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. “By joining calls for a combined regional pipeline review, and denying state water permits, Governor McAuliffe could yet become an ally.”
“The Governor’s support of fracked gas pipelines and infrastructure that blasts through venerable mountain forests, sullying streams, creeks and groundwater and destroying whole watersheds in its path to export terminals, is extremely short sighted,” said Roberta Bondurant, a long-time Bent Mountain resident and a member of POWHR (Protect Our Water, Heritage, and Rights) and Preserve Roanoke/Bent Mountain, groups fighting the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline. “Among those in the pipeline opposition is a cadre of incredibly capable and talented environmental and energy scientists, and the Governor should avail himself of their experience and wisdom to protect our water resources. He has the opportunity, in the Clean Power Plan, to establish his legacy of renewable energy. We encourage him to seize it.”
A concern repeated throughout the report is the role of Dominion—the largest non-party campaign donor and largest climate polluter in Virginia—in influencing the McAuliffe administration’s policies.
“Students are deeply concerned that Governor McAuliffe is putting the profits of Dominion before a healthy future for all Virginians,” said Laura Cross, a second year student at the University of Virginia and a member of the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition. “We hope this report card is a wake-up call for the Governor. We need real leadership, and we need it now.”

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Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Amanda Pohl, 804-337-1912, amanda@virginia-organizing.org

D.C. Circuit Court Hears Environmental Challenge to Feds’ Approval of Cove Point Gas Export Facility in Maryland

Groups argue that FERC illegally overlooked harm from expanded fracking, explosion risks, and tanker traffic in the Chesapeake Bay

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Environmental groups faced off with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals today, arguing that the agency illegally overlooked significant pollution and human safety risks in approving a massive liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal along the Chesapeake Bay in southern Maryland.
The $3.8 billion Cove Point facility was approved in October 2014 and is currently under construction by Cove Point LNG, LP, a subsidiary of Dominion Resources. It would be the first LNG export terminal on the East Coast and, the groups argue, would play a major role in expanding harmful fracking operations across the Mid-Atlantic region.
Earthjustice filed the lawsuit (Case No. 15-1127) in May 2015 on behalf of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Patuxent Riverkeeper, and the Sierra Club, after FERC ended nearly seven months of delay and officially denied the groups’ request for a rehearing. The case is part of a steady line of lawsuits challenging FERC for facilitating a massive expansion of gas export infrastructure and pipelines without fully accounting for the public and environmental harms.
“FERC once again shirked its duty under federal environmental law, and the result could be a disaster for both the climate and communities scarred by fracking wells and pipelines,” said Deborah Goldberg, managing attorney at Earthjustice, who presented oral arguments to the court today. “We are asking the court to require that FERC go back to the drawing board and fully evaluate the many ways in which this project will degrade the environment.”
Specifically, the petitioners are asking the federal court to require FERC to prepare a more rigorous Environmental Impact Statement, and to order Dominion to halt construction in the meantime.
The groups contend that FERC circumvented the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to credibly consider the significant new amounts of air, water, and climate pollution that would be triggered by expanded fracking and fracked-gas infrastructure “upstream” of the Cove Point facility. Dominion is permitted to export nearly one billion cubic feet of gas per day. Analysis indicates that, accounting for emissions triggered across the lifecycle of fracking, piping, liquefying, shipping and burning the gas, the Cove Point terminal could cause more greenhouse gas pollution than all eight of Maryland’s coal-fired power plants combined.
“It defies logic and the law for FERC to claim that it can’t determine whether exporting massive new amounts of gas will involve new fracking, or new emissions of heat-trapping methane,” said Anne Havemann, general counsel at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Based on a shoddy environmental review, FERC has already subjected residents of Calvert County to irreparable harm. We look to the court to step in before an ounce of gas is exported, causing even more harm to our climate and worsening record heat, storms, sea-level rise, and flooding.”
“The stated purpose of this and other export terminals is to provide a market for increased gas production,” said Nathan Matthews, staff attorney at Sierra Club, who is litigating Sierra Club’s challenges to other LNG export approvals. “Exports plainly mean more drilling, more fracking, and more climate-disrupting pollution, but FERC has consistently refused to consider any of these impacts.”
The groups’ legal petition further cites FERC’s failure to adequately address the safety threats to nearby residents in Lusby, Maryland—where the liquefaction plant would be built in closer proximity to residences than any other facility previously approved by FERC. Additionally, the groups contend that FERC did not thoroughly consider how foreign tanker ships discharging dirty ballast water will harm the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay or how an increase in tanker traffic could threaten the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale.
Lawyers for Dominion and the American Petroleum Institute joined FERC in court today to defend the agency’s limited environmental review.
The D.C. Circuit has previously heard challenges by Sierra Club and Galveston Baykeeper to FERC’s approval of LNG export facilities at Sabine Pass, Louisiana, and Freeport, Texas, but has yet to rule in those cases. Sierra Club has also challenged FERC’s approval of the Corpus Christi, Texas, LNG export facility. That case is fully briefed, but has not yet been set for oral argument.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:

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CONTACT:
Kelly Trout, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 240-396-2022 (office), kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kathleen Scatassa, Earthjustice, 212-845-7380 (office) kscatassa@earthjustice.org

Maryland's Prince George’s County Approves Ban on Fracking

Prince George’s County Council unanimously passes a zoning change to prohibit dangerous drilling

Upper Marlboro, MD — Today, the Prince George’s County Council voted unanimously to ban hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, within the county. The measure, introduced by Councilwoman Mary Lehman and approved 8-0, amends the zoning ordinance to prohibit the gas drilling technique in all areas of the county, which sits atop a known gas basin. The ban goes into effect immediately, and comes after months of work by citizens supported by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Food & Water Watch, and the Sierra Club.
“The public health and environmental dangers of fracking are far too real,” said Martha Ainsworth, Chair of the Sierra Club’s Prince George’s County Group, welcoming the ban. “We cannot risk our and our children’s future by allowing this to happen in Prince George’s County.”
Prince George’s, Maryland’s second most-populous county, is the first county to adopt a ban on fracking since the Maryland General Assembly passed a two-year moratorium on the practice last year. The moratorium comes to an end in October 2017, leaving the state vulnerable to this dangerous drilling process. To date, one other Maryland county has taken similar action. In the fall of 2014, the Montgomery County Council adopted a change to its county zoning laws that essentially prohibits fracking.
“Prince George’s County is showing that the grassroots opposition to fracking is only growing across Maryland,” said Thomas Meyer, Maryland Organizer with Food & Water Watch. “The Council listened to residents and the science, and made the right move by banning fracking. The Maryland General Assembly should follow Prince George’s lead and do the same.”
Outside of Western Maryland, Prince George’s County is one of the Maryland counties most at risk for fracking. The southeastern third of the county sits on top of the Taylorsville Basin, which extends northeast from Richmond, Virginia, to Annapolis, Maryland, and is estimated to contain more than 500 billion cubic feet of gas. (1) Across the Potomac River in Virginia, a Texas-based company has already leased more than 80,000 acres for potential fracking in the Taylorsville Basin. Parts of Charles, Anne Arundel, Calvert, and St. Mary’s Counties also sit atop this basin.
“Today’s vote follows months of citizen organizing, driven by concern for the county’s air and water quality, for real estate values, and for the climate,” said Monique Sullivan, Field Director at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “The County Council’s action will keep dirty fuels in the ground and protect the health and safety of citizens. In the coming year, this same citizen movement will push our General Assembly to follow suit.”
In the lead up to today’s vote, organizers and volunteers held film screenings and presentations at community meetings and churches across the county, gathered over 1,000 petitions to County Councilmembers, delivered a letter of support signed by more than 25 organizations and businesses, and packed the room at fall and spring hearings on the ban measure.
“We are working hard to protect our agricultural and rural resources in the part of the County that would be most affected by fracking,” said Joanne Flynn, a farm owner and Vice President of the Greater Baden Aquasco Citizens Association. “I am proud to see our County Council being forward thinking in addressing this issue, and hope that the State of Maryland will follow Prince George’s lead and ban this dangerous and toxic industry statewide.”
Southeastern Prince George’s County is primarily rural, with more than 4,000 drinking water wells—and a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, the Patuxent River—potentially impacted by contamination from the fracking process. Homeowners in the county were some of the hardest hit by the 2008 recession, and recent studies show drilling activity can have a chilling effect on property values.
The affected area of the county is particularly vulnerable to the threat of fracking due to its proximity to several existing or planned gas-fired power plants and a planned liquefied natural gas export facility at Cove Point, in neighboring Calvert County.
Contact:
Kelly Trout, (240) 396-2022, Kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Thomas Meyer, (202) 683-4945, tmeyer@fwwatch.org
Josh Tulkin, 240-764-5307, josh.tulkin@mdsierra.org

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1. United States Geological Survey (USGS). 2011. “Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the East Coast Mesozoic Basins of the Piedmont, Blue Ridge Thrust Belt, Atlantic Coastal Plain, and New England Provinces”.  Table 1.
 

Maryland Senate Approves Significant Clean Energy Expansion

Legislation will increase use of wind and solar while creating family-sustaining jobs and healthier air
Annapolis, M.D.— Today, the Maryland Senate voted by a resounding 31-14 margin to approve legislation that will significantly expand the state’s renewable energy standard. The bill, called the Clean Energy Jobs Act (SB 921) will ensure Maryland gets 25 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources like wind and solar by 2020, up from the current goal of 20 percent by 2022. The accelerated target would rank Maryland sixth nationally in terms of ramping up clean energy use by 2020, right behind Vermont, California, Hawaii, New York, and Connecticut.
The House of Delegates passed the Clean Energy Jobs Act (HB 1106) by a bipartisan 92-43 margin last month. The House and Senate must take final votes to approve the same version of the bill before it heads to Governor Larry Hogan’s desk.
“Maryland is on the cusp of cementing its national leadership role among states in solving climate change,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “After approving deeper climate pollution cuts, the General Assembly is now poised to accelerate clean energy solutions.”
Expanding Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard to 25 percent means roughly 1,300 new megawatts of clean energy will be generated. Maryland’s solar industry already includes more than 170 companies and over 4,300 jobs today. This increase will create over 1,000 new Maryland jobs during construction per year and new solar companies in Maryland too. In addition, it will create approximately 4,600 direct jobs in our region from wind.
“Today’s vote is a major step toward growing Maryland’s clean energy economy,” said Senator Catherine Pugh, lead sponsor of SB 921. “This bill will create good-paying jobs and healthier air for communities in Baltimore and across Maryland that urgently need both.”
“2016 is proving to be a landmark year for clean energy progress in Maryland,” said Delegate Bill Frick, lead sponsor of HB 1106. “Maryland has a real opportunity to harness clean energy as a new economic engine for our state.”
The Senate version of the Clean Energy Jobs Act will also advance Maryland’s efforts to build a diverse clean energy workforce. SB 921 was amended to create a working group process among government agencies and clean energy stakeholders to examine the best funding opportunities through new and existing programs to invest in job training and to remove barriers to entry for minority- and women-owned clean energy businesses. The bill also makes small minority- and women-owned businesses in Maryland eligible to receive dedicated funding for market growth through the state’s “Strategic Energy Investment Fund.”
“This bill is a big win for working families in Maryland, ensuring that solar, especially community solar, continues to grow in our state, giving everyone a chance to finally participate in the clean energy future,” said Nadya Dutchin, of Groundswell.
Contact: Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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The Maryland Climate Coalition brings together environmental, faith, health, labor, and civic organizations to advance clean energy and climate policies in Maryland. For more information about the Maryland Climate Coalition, visit http://www.marylandclimatecoalition.org.

CCAN Applauds Attorneys General of Maryland, Virginia and DC For Joining First-of-its-Kind Climate Coalition

NEW YORK — The Attorneys General of Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. announced today that they are joining a first-of-its-kind coalition of state attorneys general to defend and push for more aggressive action on climate change.
Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring joined a press conference this morning. At the event, the attorneys general of Massachusetts and the U.S. Virgin Islands indicated they are joining New York and California in investigating whether Exxon deliberately defrauded investors and the public by concealing climate science for decades. Frosh indicated he is considering joining by stating that ExxonMobil and other companies need to “tell the truth about climate change.” Herring said he will look at whether there are legal cases his office needs to be involved in.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response:
“We applaud Attorneys General Frosh, Herring and Racine for joining this unprecedented coalition and committing to put their legal muscle into aggressive climate action. Fossil fuel corporations, top among them ExxonMobil, have lied about climate change for years, and communities across our region are already seeing the consequences. After flooding our democracy with millions of dollars aimed at suppressing the truth, ExxonMobil’s pollution is now flooding our shorelines from Norfolk to Annapolis. These actions were clearly immoral and, as was found with Big Tobacco, likely illegal too.
“We are especially encouraged by Attorney General Frosh’s comments indicating that he is considering joining his colleagues in investigating Exxon. Brian Frosh has consistently championed climate action, and joining a probe of Exxon would be a natural next step. We urge Attorney General Mark Herring and Attorney General Racine to add their legal muscle to a joint investigation as well. Our region is fortunate to have three top law enforcement officials who recognize the urgency of climate change, and we urge them to use every tool at their disposal to act.”
Contact: Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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DC Decision to Approve Exelon-Pepco Merger Will Harm the Environment and Ratepayers For Years to Come

WASHINGTON, D.C — In a stunning decision, the D.C. Public Service Commission voted 2-1 today to rubber-stamp a widely opposed merger deal that allows Chicago-based utility giant Exelon to take over Pepco.
Commissioners Joanne Doddy Fort and Willie Phillips approved the deal, while Chairman Betty Ann Kane remained steadfast in her opposition, based on the fundamental conflict between Exelon’s failing business model and D.C.’s commitment to clean, affordable energy.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, released the following statement in response:
“This decision will go down in history as one of the worst ever by the D.C. PSC, and as a big setback for ratepayers and the environment across the District and Maryland. Commissioners Fort and Phillips have turned D.C. ratepayers over to a Chicago-based corporation interested only in propping up its own bottom line.
“The Commissioners’ approval of the Exelon-Pepco deal, after it had lost the support of every other major party from the mayor to the People’s Counsel, defies logic and shows a stunning lack of judgment. It also defies the overwhelming will of D.C. citizens, neighborhood, faith, small business, social justice, and environmental leaders. While Exelon lobbyists are cheering, DC residents must now brace for big rate hikes and new roadblocks to clean energy.
“Today’s ruling sharpens the need for a regionwide grassroots push for structural change in our energy policy and our politics. Exelon has a vested interest in protecting its aging nuclear fleet at all costs, including suppressing the growth of community-based clean energy and micro-grids. This merger will make it harder for DC — and Maryland — to fulfill official commitments to address climate change. But we are determined to fight harder than ever to protect our region’s clean energy progress, and to enact laws that keep Exelon from poisoning climate solutions along with our politics.”
For more information on the broad-based D.C. coalition that fought the Exelon-Pepco merger, see: http://www.powerdc.org.
Contact:
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838 (cell), mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 717-439-0346 (cell), kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Activists Launch ‘Golf Cart Shuttle’ Between DEQ and Dominion Headquarters to Highlight Cloud Over Coal Ash Decisions

–A putting green, golf cart shuttle ‘courtesy of Dominion,’ and Master’s-inspired banner are greeting DEQ employees right now
–Activists question cozy culture of influence after revelation that Virginia’s top environmental regulator, David Paylor, took a golf vacation on Dominion’s dime
Richmond, Va. — Two dozen concerned citizens are currently staging a “golf tournament” in front of the headquarters of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to highlight the questionable relationship between the agency’s director, David Paylor, and Dominion Virginia Power, the state’s largest climate polluter.
Recent reporting by Washington’s WAMU radio station revealed that Paylor, the top state official responsible for overseeing Dominion’s controversial coal ash disposal plans, let Dominion pay his way to the 2013 Master’s golf tournament, a trip valued at $2,300. Activists are concerned that this gift is emblematic of a longstanding, cozy relationship between Dominion and top state officials, one they worry is negatively impacting the quality of Virginians’ air and water.
As of 9:30 a.m. this morning, Department of Environmental Quality employees and passersby will have a chance to play mini golf on a large putting green, or hop on-board one of two golf cart shuttles offering courtesy trips to Dominion’s downtown offices. A large green banner, themed after the Master’s logo and slogan reads, “Dominion & DEQ: A tradition unlike any other.”
“Virginia’s top environmental regulator should never have considered accepting gifts, let alone a golf vacation, from Virginia’s top polluter,” said Drew Gallagher, field organizer at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “This is a glaring conflict of interest, and it raises troubling questions about who is truly looking out for the health and safety of Virginians. From coal ash pollution to pipelines to climate policy, we see Dominion’s interests being put before those of the public time and again.”
DEQ ignited a firestorm of criticism in January, when the agency and the State Water Control Board signed off on permits that allow Dominion to dump millions of gallons of toxic coal ash wastewater into the Potomac and James Rivers. Those permits allowed Dominion to discharge toxins like arsenic at levels far exceeding limits set by neighboring North Carolina. DEQ will decide this spring on additional water discharge permits, as well as solid waste permits that would allow Dominion to “cap” leaky, unlined coal ash ponds in place, where toxins could continue to leach into Virginia waterways for decades to come.
Advocates and concerned citizens say that Director Paylor’s actions have raised alarm bells beyond the issuing of these controversial permits:

  • Paylor repeatedly said that “no water was discharged” into state waters in response to questions about Dominion’s secretive and potentially illegal dumping of nearly 30 million gallons of untreated coal ash wastewater into Quantico Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, in May 2015. Dominion and DEQ later admitted the dumping had happened, prompting the Potomac Riverkeeper Network and the city of Dumfries to call for a criminal investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • In March of 2015, Paylor testified before the U.S. Congress in support of industry-backed legislation that would have delayed, weakened, and eliminated various health and safety provisions in new federal rules for coal ash disposal. In testifying, Paylor misrepresented himself as sharing “Virginia’s views,” even though he was not testifying on behalf of the McAuliffe administration.
  • For over a decade, spanning Paylor’s tenure at DEQ, the agency has known that Dominion’s coal ash ponds at the Chesapeake Energy Center along the Elizabeth River and at the Possum Point plant along Quantico Creek have been leaking high levels of dangerous pollutants into groundwater and local waterways. Given DEQ’s failure to address this toxic contamination, the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Sierra Club have sued Dominion under the federal Clean Water Act.

Contact:
Drew Gallagher, (804) 896-2654, drew@chesapeakeclimate.org
Photos from today’s action are available for use at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chesapeakeclimate/albums/72157663967379614

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Maryland House Advances Major Bill to Expand Renewable Energy

ANNAPOLIS—The Maryland House of Delegates voted by a resounding, bipartisan margin — 92-43 — this morning to advance the Clean Energy Jobs Act of 2016 (HB 1106), legislation that will accelerate the state’s reliance on solar and wind power. The bill raises Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard requirement to 25 percent by 2020, up from the current goal of 20 percent by 2022.
By creating incentives for roughly 1,300 megawatts of new clean energy, the bill is expected to create more than 1,000 new Maryland solar jobs and to reduce climate pollution by the equivalent of taking 563,000 passenger vehicles off the road every year. The bill now moves to the Senate for approval.
Provisions in the original bill coupled this renewable energy expansion with a record-large investment into job training and minority- and women-owned business development in the clean energy industry. Leaders in the General Assembly now plan to combine those provisions into a separate, comprehensive workforce development bill. Advocates remain committed to passing both.
James McGarry, Maryland policy director at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response:
“We applaud the House of Delegates for another resounding vote for climate solutions. By ensuring that more of our homes are powered by wind and solar, the Clean Energy Jobs Act will create thousands of good-paying jobs, prevent hundreds of asthma attacks, and reduce the carbon pollution causing record weather extremes. This is a win-win for our economy and for the health of all Marylanders.
“As Maryland leads in tackling climate change, we must also lead in building a clean energy economy that benefits everyone. Our lawmakers can do both this year by passing the Clean Energy Jobs Act alongside a comprehensive plan to invest in job training.”
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
James McGarry, 914-563-2256, james@chesapeakeclimate.org

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MD Lawmakers Approve One of the Nation’s Strongest Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals

ANNAPOLIS—By an overwhelming, bipartisan margin of 100-37, the Maryland House of Delegates today gave final approval to legislation that commits the state to one of the strongest greenhouse gas reduction targets in the nation. The bill requires Maryland to reduce climate pollution economy-wide by 40 percent below 2006 levels by the year 2030, deepening the state’s existing mandate first passed in 2009. Only California and New York have set higher climate goals, which were enshrined through executive action.
“This bold, and strikingly bipartisan, commitment to stronger climate action will help protect Maryland’s economy, health, and increasingly flooded shoreline,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “As the pace of climate disruption takes off, from record-shattering heat to record rates of sea-level rise, we must pick up the pace of action. Our climate-vulnerable state is now leading the way, showing that reducing carbon pollution is not a partisan question, but an urgent necessity.”
The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act of 2016 (HB 610/SB 323) renews and extends a landmark law first passed in 2009. That law requires Maryland to reduce emissions by 25 percent below 2006 levels by the year 2020. It also spurred the creation of Maryland’s comprehensive Climate Action Plan, which contains more than 150 programs designed to reduce emissions. According to a state study, Maryland’s existing climate programs are on pace to generate between $2.5 billion and $3.5 billion in net economic benefits and to create and maintain between 26,000 and 33,000 new jobs. The Senate approved the bolder 2016 bill by a 38-8 margin in late February.
The new, forty-percent emission reduction goal was unanimously recommended by Maryland’s bipartisan Commission on Climate Change last fall – including union leaders, business and environmental advocates, and six Republican cabinet secretaries from the Hogan administration. Maryland’s Secretary of the Environment, Ben Grumbles, and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce testified in support of the stronger target during bill hearings in Annapolis.
“By leading in carbon reduction, Maryland can simultaneously lead in creating new jobs and economic opportunities through clean energy,” added Tidwell, who also serves on the state’s climate commission. “The overwhelming support we see for more aggressive climate action in Maryland is no accident. It reflects years of statewide education and organizing, as well as the proven reality that climate solutions create jobs and grow our economy. In fact, Maryland lawmakers will ensure huge new gains for solar, wind, and good-paying jobs by also voting to expand our state’s renewable energy standard in 2016.”
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
James McGarry, 914-563-2256, james@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. CCAN is building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions: www.chesapeakeclimate.org.

In Grassroots Victory, Obama Administration Protects Virginia and the Atlantic Coast from Offshore Drilling

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Obama administration today released an updated draft five-year plan for oil and gas development in federal waters that would keep drilling off limits in the Atlantic, protecting coastal communities from Virginia to Georgia. This decision, a dramatic reversal from the administration’s previous plan, responds to the widespread and vocal opposition of more than 110 East Coast communities, more than 700 state and local elected officials, more than 1,000 business interests, and thousands of citizens.
Advocates have underlined that any new drilling in our oceans would usher in unacceptable risks to coastal economies while worsening global warming.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, released the following statement in response:
“This is a great step forward for Virginia’s coast and our climate. Thanks to the strong and sustained opposition of coastal cities, business leaders, and citizens, the Atlantic coast will remain safe from oil rigs for years to come. This decision will prevent disastrous oil spills while helping to protect our vulnerable coast from rising sea levels. As rising waters flood Virginia’s coast on a routine basis, we need to be investing 100% in clean energy, not digging an even deeper hole of pollution.
“Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam, the county governments on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, business and local leaders across Hampton Roads, and thousands of regular citizens deserve credit for telling the Obama administration ‘no’ to new drilling off Virginia’s coast. Thankfully, their call was heard above that of Governor McAuliffe, who stood on the wrong side of this decision. We urge Governor McAuliffe to stand up for our coast and climate now by affirming his support for President Obama’s decision.
“Ultimately, new drilling anywhere threatens our coastlines everywhere, which is why President Obama must remove the Arctic from his next draft plan, along with any new drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Climate leadership requires keeping fossil fuels in the ground, period.”
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Harrison Wallace, 804-305-1472, harrison@chesapeakeclimate.org

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the biggest and oldest grassroots organization dedicated to fighting climate change in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. CCAN is building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions: www.chesapeakeclimate.org.