CCAN Statement on the Francis Scott Key Bridge Disaster

Baltimore, MD – The Chesapeake Climate Action Network mourns the tragic loss of life on March 26 with the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Our hearts go out to the families of those who are presumed dead after the collapse. Our thoughts are with the immigrant community whose loved ones had been working on the bridge at the time of the collapse.

Hundreds of thousands of people in the greater Baltimore community rely on the Francis Scott Key Bridge and have had their daily life and commute disrupted.  As Baltimore seeks a path forward in the wake of this disaster, the entire staff and board of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network are thinking of our members most affected by the collapse and everyone in the Baltimore region.

EPA Announces Strong Final Soot Rule Offering More Protection for Communities

CCAN applauds as Biden Administration sets tougher industry standards that could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars


Washington, DC — Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took another bold step to curb carbon pollution with their announcement of a final rule update to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Particulate Matter (PM 2.5), more commonly known as the soot rule. The new rule is EPA’s first change to the annual exposure limit for fine particles in more than a decade.

The EPA’s new soot rule is expected to save an estimated 4,500 lives and deliver $46 billion in health benefits by 2032 by setting an average yearly soot exposure standard of 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air, down sharply from the current threshold of 12 micrograms.

President Joe Biden and EPA Administrator Michael Regan deserve tremendous credit for finalizing a strong soot rule that will save lives and provide cleaner air in our communities, especially communities of color overburdened by deadly particulate matter from power plants.

Statement from Quentin Scott, Federal Director for Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN):

“Nearly one year ago we gathered at EPA headquarters demanding a strong final soot rule. On behalf of CCAN and our members, we applaud President Biden and Administrator Regan for listening and acting on the concerns of more than 150 environmental justice, frontline, faith, and community leaders. We look forward to the EPA finalizing additional pollution rules in the coming weeks and months to further curb pollution from power plants and protect the most vulnerable.” 

# # #

Saturday Feb. 10: University of Maryland President to Join Largest-Ever Polar Bear Plunge for the Climate Into the Potomac River at National Harbor

Saturday Feb. 10: University of Maryland President to Join Largest-Ever Polar Bear Plunge for the Climate Into Potomac River at National Harbor

UMD President
Darryll J. Pines

National Harbor, MD — University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines will join a record crowd of polar bear plungers on the Potomac River this Saturday to draw attention to climate change. Last year was the hottest year on record by a wide margin! And now climate activists are stepping up their efforts like never before. This Saturday, February 10, Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) will hold its 19th Annual Polar Bear Plunge dedicated to raising awareness and funds to fight climate change. This year’s event at National Harbor, MD, is expected to bring together more than 300 hardy activists and volunteers, making this CCAN’s biggest plunge to date! 

At Saturday’s event, Pines will join climate activists from across the District, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) region in spotlighting the need for climate action. For over 20 years, CCAN has been building a people-powered climate movement and driving transformation to a clean energy future. Just two weeks ago, the Biden administration responded to pressure from CCAN and other climate organizations nationwide by announcing a pause on pending approvals of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports. That federal effort is just one of many CCAN campaigns planned for 2024 across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region and beyond. The annual Polar Bear Plunge provides funding that is essential to those campaigns – raising more than one-third of individual donations made to CCAN each year. This year’s Plunge goal is $210,000. 

For more information about the 2024 CCAN Polar Bear Plunge, see below:

WHAT: 19th Annual “Keep Winter Cold” Polar Bear Plunge. For more information, visit www.keepwintercold.org. 

WHEN: Saturday, February 10, 2024, 10 AM EST

      • 10:00 – 11:00 AM: Arrive and check in at the Capital Canopy! We’ll have action tables, music, games, face painting, warm drinks, and yummy snacks.

      • 11:00 – 11:40 AM: Pre-Plunge rally featuring our guest speakers and costume contest.

                                                                                       *GREAT PHOTO OP*

        • 11:40 – 11:50 AM: March to the Plunge point and get ready to Plunge.

        • 11:50 AM – 12:10 PM: PLUNGE TIME! 

                                                                                          *GREAT PHOTO OP*

          • 12:15 – 2:30 PM: Celebrate at the Capital Canopy with fellow plungers! We’ll have pizza, a hot cocoa bar, and a FREE beer from Denizens Brewery (for Plungers age 21 and over), plus games and music!

        WHERE: National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Maryland. 

            • Staging area: National Harbor’s Capital Canopy (on the Pier, near the giant Ferris wheel). 

          SPEAKERS:

              • Darryll J. Pines, President, University of Maryland

              • Andreana Lim, Youth Member of the CCAN NoVa New Leafs

              • Andres Jimenez and his daughter Emma; CCAN Board Member, Executive Director of Green 2.0; Fairfax Co. Board of Supervisors

              • Quentin Scott, CCAN Federal Director

            SPONSORS:

            •  Green 2.0 

            •  US Wind

            •  Neighborhood Sun 

            •  International Brotherhood of  Electrical Workers (IBEW) 

            •  MAREC Action 

            •  Evergreen Action 

            •  Rewiring America 

            •  EDF Renewables

            Speakers will be available after the rally for interviews. If you would like to coordinate an interview, please contact: KC Chartrand, kc@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-620-7144; or, Ariel Cassell, ariel@chesapeakeclimate.org, 710-718-6760. 

            ###

            Chesapeake Climate Action Network, is the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with climate change 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, Washington, D.C. and beyond.

            Offshore Wind Continues to Grow Exponentially on the East Coast

            Offshore Wind Continues to Grow Exponentially on the East Coast

            Even as individual projects have repositioned themselves in order to get to market, new commercial offshore wind projects are moving ahead and coming online up and down the East Coast.  

             

            ANNAPOLIS, MD —On January 2, 2024, Vineyard Wind, the first commercial offshore wind project in Massachusetts, started delivering electricity to the grid. In December of 2023, SouthFork Wind, the first offshore wind project in New York, started selling electricity to the grid. In Virginia, Dominion Energy has offshore wind turbines selling electricity to the grid, and is currently building the nation’s largest offshore wind farm. In Maryland, US Wind is plowing ahead with their plans to build an offshore wind farm and deliver clean electricity to the state.

            Up and down the East Coast, offshore wind infrastructure is being built and coming online more than ever before. Offshore wind energy can reduce air pollution, improve health outcomes, create good union jobs, and help the state meet its climate mandates. There has never been a better time for offshore wind in America.

            Amid this boom in offshore wind, some individual companies and projects have hit speed bumps. On January 25, Orsted announced that it is repositioning its offshore wind projects Skipjack 1 and 2. Those projects are no longer planning to provide the Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Credits to help Maryland meet its clean energy goals. However, Orsted says that it does still plan to build the offshore wind projects. The company is simply looking for a different mechanism to get to market. This announcement is different from Orsted’s announcement in New Jersey where the projects were canceled entirely.

            Jamie DeMarco, Maryland Director at CCAN, stated:

            “Anytime a new technology is deployed at scale there will be individual projects that face challenges, but the overall trend in the offshore wind industry in the United States is exponential growth.

            “Maryland’s Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resources (POWER) Act of 2023 provided the Department of General Services the authority to purchase up to 5 million megawatt hours of offshore wind energy. Maryland should make full use of this new authority.”

            Contact:
            Jamie DeMarco, CCAN, Jamie@chesapeakeclimate.org , 443-845-5601
            KC Chartrand, CCAN, kc@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-620-7144

            #   #   #

            The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is dedicated to driving change in public policies at the local, state and national level to address the climate crisis. Through voter education, lobbying, and participation in the electoral process, we seek to advance our country’s leadership in the global movement towards clean energy solutions — focusing our efforts primarily in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. We know that a vibrant democracy is central to our success so we work to defend democratic integrity wherever we can.