Category: Press Releases

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

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

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

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

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CCAN applauds resounding 93-45 House vote, calls on senators to act swiftly in turn

ANNAPOLIS—Today the Maryland House of Delegates voted 93 to 45 to pass a three-year fracking moratorium—a resounding 2-to-1 margin that included bipartisan support. The bill, the Protect Our Health and Communities Act (HB 449), now moves on to the Senate.
Shilpa Joshi, Maryland Campaign Coordinator at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response:
“The House made the right choice today to protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the natural resources that are the foundation of so many Maryland livelihoods. As more than 100 Western Maryland businesses, more than 100 Maryland health professionals, and thousands of individual citizens have warned, we have a whole lot to lose and little to gain by opening our state to dangerous fracking.
“Senators should now act swiftly in passing this three-year moratorium. Polling shows that Marylanders want this moratorium, and the emerging science shows that this is the only way to safeguard our health.”
Click here to read the full statement from the “Don’t Frack Maryland” coalition. See the excerpt recapping the widespread grassroots support for the moratorium:

Business owners in Western Maryland have expressed growing concern that fracking will negatively affect the booming tourism industry in that part of the state, where fracking would occur in the Marcellus Shale. Over 100 Western Maryland business owners have signed a letter to the leadership of the General Assembly in support of the fracking moratorium. The Don’t Frack Maryland campaign has also sent over 25,000 messages supporting a moratorium. Letters signed by more than 100 health professionals, and over 50 restaurant owners, chefs, winemakers and farmers from across the state have also been delivered to the General Assembly. And last night, the Friendsville Town Council, whose city is the center of a thriving white-water rafting industry in the state, sent a letter supporting a moratorium to President Miller, urging him to encourage a vote in the Senate.

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Over 50 food professionals warn lawmakers: ‘clean water and healthy soil’ is vital to business

ANNAPOLIS—Warning that clean water and healthy soil are vital to their economic success, 56 Maryland food business owners and professionals are delivering a letter to the General Assembly today urging lawmakers to pass a moratorium on fracking in the state.
“Our livelihoods depend on pure water, healthy soil, and clean air and would be irreversibly damaged by hydraulic fracturing,” the letter states on behalf of farmers, chefs, restaurant owners, brewers, winemakers, cheesemakers, retailers, cidermakers, and more.
“Agriculture, fishing, restaurants, tourism, and food and beverage production make up a vital economic network in our state, and we rely on clean water and healthy soil to cultivate our local bounty and succeed in our business … Be our leader and pass the Protect Our Health and Communities Act (SB 409/HB 449) for the state of Maryland,” the letter concludes.
The Protect Our Health and Communities Act, which would put a long-term hold on fracking permits in Maryland, is currently awaiting action by House and Senate committees following recent bill hearings.
The food professionals signing today’s letter join more than 100 Western Maryland business owners who appealed to lawmakers last week to pass the moratorium bill. That letter warned that the highly industrial, polluting process of fracking could have “sudden and dramatic” negative impacts on the tourism-dependent economy of Mountain Maryland.
Businesses represented on today’s letter span the state, from FireFly Farms in Garrett County to Distillery Lane Ciderworks near Frederick to Hawks Hill Creamery in Harford County to Baltimore’s Woodberry Kitchen.
“Fracking near any Maryland farm or vineyard will compromise the safety of both the crop and the grower,” said Nadine Grabania, co-owner of Deep Creek Cellars Winery in Friendsville. “Many have heard by now the well-known risks to air, water and public health associated with fracking. But fracking will also harm our food and our lungs with road dust and diesel particulates as quiet country roads are turned into industrial traffic jams near Maryland farms. We’re proud to stand with fellow Maryland food growers and professionals to ask for a moratorium on fracking until we know for sure that this heavy industrial activity will not harm our health, our local food, and our thriving farm-to-table economy.”
“From the oysters in the Chesapeake to our bountiful farms, Maryland has long been known for its natural abundance,” said Spike Gjerde, founder of Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore. “The purity of our food and farmland is unparalleled, and we have a strong community of local growers and food artisans dedicated to protecting our rich agricultural heritage from fracking.”
Fracking is a controversial natural gas drilling method that involves blasting millions of gallons of water, sand and toxic chemicals underground at extreme pressure to break up rock and release the gas. Maryland’s new governor, Larry Hogan, has said he wants to move forward with drilling—despite the growing evidence of its harm and the most recent polling, which shows a clear majority of Marylanders oppose the practice.
Last week, the “Don’t Frack Maryland” coalition, which includes more than 100 public interest organizations, businesses, health professionals and faith groups, delivered over 20,000 messages to lawmakers from residents across the state calling for a moratorium.
View the full text of the letter and all 56 signers at: http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/MD-Farmers-Food-Professionals-Fracking-Moratorium-Letter.pdf
Contact:
Shilpa Joshi, 240-396-2029, shilpa@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Strong voter opposition aligns with Maryland Energy Administration, state attorney general, and Office of People’s Counsel

BALTIMORE—As Maryland utility regulators near a decision on the proposed merger between Exelon and Pepco Holdings, Inc, new poll
results show that a strong majority of Maryland voters—61 percent—oppose the deal.
The poll, conducted by the public interest research firm OpinionWorks, found that:

• Sixty-one percent of state voters oppose the merger, with only 22% expressing support and 17% unsure.
• Opposition is bipartisan, with 63% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans polled stating opposition.
• Notably, public opposition was strongest—with 73% opposed—in Baltimore City, where Exelon previously merged with BGE in 2012. City ratepayers have seen four rate hikes in three years since Exelon’s takeover.

“We now know that this merger is not only a bad deal for Marylanders, but a highly unpopular one as well,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Maryland voters do not want an Exelon monopoly in our state, and rightly so. This deal would harm ratepayers and harm our future ability to generate local, renewable energy. The Public Service Commission should reject it.”
The proposed merger, which would give Chicago-based Exelon control over 85 percent of Maryland ratepayers, is facing strong headwinds in the state. Last week, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and the Maryland Energy Administration filed a brief with the Public Service Commission (PSC) affirming the state’s outright opposition.
“The merger enjoys no support from the state or numerous affected stakeholders,” wrote Frosh and the Maryland Energy Administration. “This is not surprising. … There is nothing in this nearly $7 billion transaction that is of tangible benefit to customers or Maryland’s economy. Worse, the transaction poses significant potential harms.”
The deal is also strongly opposed by the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel, as well as consumer and clean energy advocates. Opponents contest that Exelon is seeking to shore up its own shaky financial footing—as the nation’s largest owner of aging and increasingly expensive nuclear reactors—by taking over Pepco. The company also has a long track record of opposing clean energy policies at the federal and state levels, including legislation in Maryland to spur rooftop solar and local, distributed renewable energy.
The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) is charged with determining whether or not the proposed Exelon-Pepco merger is in the “public interest.” The PSC must rule on the merger by April 8, 2015.
The OpinionWorks poll, commissioned by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, surveyed 594 randomly-selected Maryland registered voters between February 26, 2015 – March 8, 2015 and carries a margin of sampling error no greater than ±4.0%.
RESOURCES:

• View the memo on the Exelon-Pepco Maryland Voter Poll Results.
• View the brief submitted to the PSC by Attorney General Frosh and the Maryland Energy Administration.
• View the brief submitted to the PSC by the Sierra Club and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

CONTACT:
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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

 

On eve of Senate hearing, polling shows sixty-eight percent of state voters support either a legislative moratorium or a ban on fracking

ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Poll results released today show that a strong and bipartisan majority of Maryland voters—more than two-thirds—believe that the General Assembly should pass legislation to put a long-term hold on the practice of fracking for natural gas in Maryland. Advocates pointed to the poll as further evidence that 2015 fracking moratorium legislation, which is slated for a Senate hearing tomorrow afternoon, reflects the will of state voters.
In recent weeks, Washington Post and Goucher polls have also showed that a majority of Marylanders oppose fracking and are worried about major risks it would pose to water resources. The poll released today differed by specifically asking Maryland voters how they believe the state legislature should act on fracking.
The results of the poll, conducted by the nonpartisan firm OpinionWorks, show that:

• Support for action is strong: Sixty-eight percent of Maryland voters believe the General Assembly should put either a long-term moratorium (43%) or an outright ban (25%) on fracking.
• Support for action is bipartisan: A majority of Republican voters polled—56 percent—support a long-term moratorium or ban, alongside nearly three-quarters of Democrats.
• Marylanders want the General Assembly, not Governor Hogan, to make the call: In fact, more Marylanders want the General Assembly to ban fracking outright (25%) than want legislators to leave the decision up to Governor Larry Hogan (20%).

“This poll confirms that Marylanders are looking to the General Assembly for leadership,” said Shilpa Joshi, Maryland campaign coordinator at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “By passing a moratorium on fracking in 2015, state legislators will be ensuring the health and safety of all Marylanders and responding to the will of voters.”
The Protect Our Health and Communities Act (HB 449/SB 409), introduced in early February by Senator Karen Montgomery, Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo, and 51 legislative co-sponsors, will be heard Tuesday afternoon in the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. The bill would place an eight-year hold on the issuance of drilling permits in Maryland. Scientists and health professionals have said that a long-term moratorium is required to fully understand the nature and severity of the long-term cumulative health risks of drilling and fracking.
“Dozens of peer-reviewed scientific studies indicate inherent risks to public health and the environment from fracking wherever it occurs,” said Ann Bristow, PhD, a Garrett County resident who was a commissioner on the state’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission and is a cofounder of Concerned Health Professionals of Maryland. “The Maryland public is rightly worried about these risks. It’s time for the General Assembly to follow the lead of New York and take action to protect our communities from potentially irreversible harm.”
Ahead of tomorrow’s committee hearing, legislators, advocates, business owners, health professionals and scores of concerned state residents will hold a noon rally on Lawyers’ Mall in support of a long-term moratorium on fracking.
In February, more than 100 Maryland health professionals sent a letter to the General Assembly leadership in support of a long-term moratorium. Tomorrow’s rally is hosted by the “Don’t Frack Maryland” coalition, which includes more than 100 public interest organizations, businesses, health professionals and faith groups committed to passing a long-term moratorium on fracking in Maryland.
The OpinionWorks poll, commissioned by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, surveyed 500 randomly-selected Maryland registered voters between February 3, 2015 – February 11, 2015 and carries a margin of sampling error no greater than ±4.5%.
Advocates are using the hashtag #DontFrackMd to share updates and information on the legislation and related events.
View the OpinionWorks memo on the fracking poll results.
View the infographic on the poll results.
Contact:
Shilpa Joshi, 240-396-2029, shilpa@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Background: More than 425 peer-reviewed scientific studies on the effects of shale gas development now exist, and 75 percent of those have been published since January 2013. Of the 49 studies that investigated the health effects of fracking, 47 – over 96 percent – found risks or adverse health outcomes. Maryland’s Institute for Applied Environmental Health (MIAEH) also concluded that the likelihood of negative public health impacts was “high” or “moderately high” in 7 of 8 areas studied.