Public Health and Environmental Advocates Call for A Clean Energy Vision in Dominion and AEP’s Forthcoming Energy Plans

Groups Ask State Corporation Commission to Ensure Utilities Invest in Clean Air, Clean Energy, and Green Jobs for Virginia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chesapeake Climate Action Network: Beth Kemler, 804-335-0915
Southern Environmental Law Center: Frank Rambo: 434-977-4090
Sierra Club: Glen Besa: 804-225-9113, x104
Appalachian Voices: Tom Cormons: 434-293-6373

Richmond, VA – With the commonwealth’s largest utilities submitting their long term plans for meeting Virginia’s electricity needs to Virginia’s regulators later this week, a group of public health and environmental organizations called for a vision for a clean energy future.  Appalachian Voices, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Sierra Club, and Southern Environmental Law Center are calling on the State Corporation Commission to ensure that “Integrated Resource Plans” from Dominion and AEP address the needs and concerns of Virginia’s ratepayers, workers, and citizens by increasing investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy, rather than spending billions of ratepayer dollars to extend the lives of some of the companies’ oldest and dirtiest energy sources or investing in risky new coal-fired power plants.  

Advocates hope to see specific elements in Dominion and AEP’s forthcoming Integrated Resource Plans.  They expect that the State Corporation Commission will ensure that the plans include:

•    No plans for new coal-fired power plants.
•    No further investment in the Commonwealth’s oldest and dirtiest coal-fired power plants, such as Chesapeake, Yorktown, Glen Lyn, and Clinch River. Even with expensive, ratepayer-funded retrofits, these plants would continue to emit millions of tons of carbon pollution annually, together with dangerous pollutants like mercury and soot- and smog-forming chemicals that contribute to respiratory disease and premature death.
•    Investment in the generation of wind power off the coast of Virginia, which could provide over 10,000 gWh of clean, renewable energy per year within the next decade without releasing any pollution.  The industry could also provide 10,000 jobs and $1.9 billion a year in state GDP.
•    Increased achievement of energy efficiency in Virginia, which has a potential for reducing energy needs by 39,000 gWh and shaving 11,000 MW (or more than 20 average size coal plants) off of peak demand by 2025 while saving a cumulative $15 billion for ratepayers and creating 10,000 jobs, according to a 2008 study by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.  

“Virginia ratepayers shouldn’t be forced to invest more money in old coal-fired power plants like Chesapeake, Yorktown, Glen Lyn, and Clinch River so they can continue poisoning our air and water and costing Virginians hundreds of millions of dollars in premature deaths and increased health costs,” said Glen Besa, Director of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club.  “It is past time to end the harmful pollution from these coal plants and invest instead in a new clean energy future and jobs for our workers with energy efficiency, wind, and solar power.”

Air pollution in Virginia from coal-fired power plants contributes to 647 premature deaths and 896 heart attacks annually, according to research by the Clean Air Task Force: http://www.catf.us/coal/problems/power_plants/existing/map.php?state=Virginia.  Across the four-state central Appalachian region, over 2,000 miles of streams and 500 mountains have been destroyed by mountaintop removal in order to produce coal for power plants in Virginia and nationwide, causing elevated rates of cancer, heart disease, and birth defects in surrounding communities.  Rather than continuing to spend money retrofitting old, dirty coal-fired power plants in order to comply with modern environmental regulations, the groups called on utilities to invest in renewable energy, such as offshore wind power.

“The price of coal in our region is skyrocketing – and that’s not counting the enormous cost imposed on society when it’s mined, processed, and burned. We simply cannot afford to pour billions in ratepayer dollars into these coal plants and effectively lock Virginia into greater dependence on this destructive and increasingly expensive fuel for decades to come,” said Tom Cormons, Virginia Director for Appalachian Voices.

Dominion has been participating in discussions of offshore wind power and has an executive, Mary Doswell, on the board of the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority.  However Dominion has yet to commit to investing in this energy source in its official plans.  Advocates worry that without a utility leading the way, Virginia will not only lose out on the thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in GDP associated with developing the commonwealth’s offshore wind industry but will likely also lose the race for the associated supply chain businesses to other states.  

“Hurricane Irene shined a spotlight on the need for our utilities to transition to clean, renewable energy, instead of stubbornly sticking with fossil fuels,” said Beth Kemler, Virginia State Director for Chesapeake Climate Action Network.  “While coal, oil and biomass power plants release greenhouse gases that contribute to more extreme weather events and rising sea levels through climate change, offshore wind turbines are a clean source of energy.  In addition, the offshore wind power industry could provide thousands of much-needed jobs to Virginians.  Environmentalists and policy-makers can talk about these benefits all we want but it’s really the utilities who have the power to flip the switch on this new industry.”

“Energy efficiency is a win-win-win for Virginia.  Utilities can control their costs by weaning themselves from fossil fuels whose prices fluctuate dramatically. Workers across the state can benefit from implementing a suite of locally based energy-efficiency programs. Citizens will save money by using less energy. And everyone will breathe easier,” said Frank Rambo, head of the Clean Energy and Air Program at the Southern Environmental Law Center.  

Dominion and AEP customers are also encouraged to contact the State Corporation Commission after the plans are filed – http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case/PublicComments.aspx.  

###

Statement from Chesapeake Climate Action Network Virginia State Director Beth Kemler on Announced Closure of the Potomac River Generating Station in Alexandria, Virginia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jamie Nolan, 410.463.9869, jamie@chesapeakeclimate.org

“We applaud the City of Alexandria and GenOn for their decision to retire the Potomac River coal-fired power plant.

This coal plant is one of the largest sources of planet-warming carbon emissions in the DC area, and retiring it is a necessary step in preventing the dangerous impacts of climate change in our region.

Just this weekend, Irene shined a spotlight on the future we could face if we don’t stop releasing greenhouse gases — one where climate change causes more frequent and more severe extreme weather events. GenOn’s decision is a step in the right direction — it will reduce the Washington, D.C. area’s carbon emissions equivalent of taking 300,000 cars off the roads. However, GenOn owns three more ancient, polluting power plants in the DC region that date back to the Kennedy, Eisenhower, and Johnson administrations: Dickerson, Chalk Point, and Morgantown. These plants must be shut down as well. 

GenOn’s announcement is a sign that the momentum is on our side to move the region away from its reliance on dirty fossil fuels and towards a clean energy future.”

For more information about the coal plant closure, click here.

See photos of CCAN’s April 2011 candlelight vigil at the coal plant here. 

###

Statement from CCAN on Introduction of the Virginia Outer Continental Shelf Energy Production Act of 2011

Bill would risk coastal tourism and human health for just three weeks worth of U.S. oil demand

RICHMOND — Conservation groups across Virginia are deeply disappointed by the harmful coastal drilling legislation introduced today by Virginia Senators James Webb and Mark Warner. The Virginia Outer Continental Shelf Energy Production Act of 2011 could lead to dangerous oil drilling just a few miles off the coast of Virginia Beach and other fragile coastal communities as soon as 2012.

STATEMENT FROM CCAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MIKE TIDWELL:

“On behalf of our 30,000 supporters across Virginia, CCAN strongly opposes the offshore drilling bill introduced today by Senators Webb and Warner. At best, there may be three weeks worth of U.S. oil off the coast of Virginia at current consumption rates. Why risk damage to the state’s $19 billion tourism industry and critical fishing industry over just three weeks worth of oil? As the Deepwater Horizon spill demonstrated in Louisiana, all it takes is one platform disaster to affect millions of people and destroy thousands of jobs. For a modern solution to our energy woes, Virginia should develop offshore wind power, not oil. Using modern wind turbines of the sort already deployed at 45 offshore wind sites in Europe, Virginia could harness wind power off its own coastline sufficient to power at least 750,000 homes – forever. This same amount of energy could power 3.4 million electric cars, moving vehicles at the astonishing cost equivalent of about $1.30 per gallon! That’s real pump relief. And wind power helps solve the climate change crisis that is triggering sea-level rise worldwide and creating disastrous potential impacts for all of coastal Virginia. Offshore oil drilling in Virginia will create few jobs, fail to lower gas prices, endanger coastal tourism, and accelerate the crisis of climate change. Congress should reject this dangerous legislation introduced by Senators Webb and Warner and turn its attention to wind power instead.”

Local leaders plan White House arrests

Dear Friend,
tar sands devastation

President Barack Obama will decide as early as September whether to light a fuse to the largest carbon bomb in North America. That bomb is the massive tar sands field in Canada’s Alberta province. And the fuse is the 1,700-mile long Keystone XL Pipeline that would transport this dirtiest of petroleum fuels all the way to Texas refineries.

As concerned leaders from Maryland, Virginia, and DC, we’re writing you now because the Keystone XL Pipeline is a climate and pollution horror beyond description. From August 15th to September 5th, thousands of Americans – including Bill McKibben, Danny Glover, and NASA’s Dr. James Hansen – will be protesting at the White House, day after day, demanding Obama reject this tar sands nightmare. Given the high stakes, many protestors will also engage in peaceful civil disobedience, day after day.

Won’t you join us – for at least one day – during this historic protest? Pick a day between Aug. 15 and Sept. 5 and let the world hear your voice. Learn more here.

If built, the Keystone XL Pipeline would lock America into a future of planet-warming energy dependency. Indeed, Dr. Hansen – America’s top climate scientist – has said that full exploitation of Canada’s tar sands would constitute a “game over” scenario for efforts to solve climate change.

This development is doubly tragic for the Maryland, Virginia and DC area. That’s because, as a region, we are right on the cusp of developing our own major new energy resource: offshore wind power. Indeed, there is enough clean, harness-able wind power off the coasts of Maryland and Virginia to power millions of electric cars – forever. With zero pollution.

President Obama alone – without input from Congress – has the power to approve or reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. He will decide as soon as September whether to honor his campaign pledge to create a clean-energy economy – including wind power for the mid-Atlantic and beyond – or to lock us in as a nation that cooks and distills filthy tar sands for much of our energy. Make no mistake: building this pipeline will be an economic and moral setback for clean-energy sources of all types. This is a line in the sand. The tar sand!

So won’t you pick one day between August 15th and September 5th and join us at the White House?

Those of us who live in the greater Washington region have a special opportunity – and responsibility – to act on behalf of Americans everywhere. The goal is to have dozens of people arrested each day. Peacefully. With dignity. We’ll wear professional clothes and many will dig out old “Obama ‘08” campaign buttons as a reminder of promises once embraced.

Learn more and register here. We hope to see you at the White House.

Sincerely,

Mike Tidwell, Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network

Nora Pouillon, Owner, Restaurant Nora

George Leventhal, Montgomery County Councilmember, Maryland

Anya Schoolman, President, DC Solar United Neighborhoods

Andy Shallal, Owner, Busboys and Poets Bookstore & Restaurant

Gary Skulnik, Clean Energy Executive

E. Ethelbert Miller, Board Chair, Institute for Policy Studies

Lise Van Susteren, Advisory Board Member, Center for Health and the Global Environment

Joelle Novey, Faith Activist for Climate Change

Scott Sklar, President, The Stella Group, Ltd.

Dr. Cindy Parker, Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility

Governor McDonnell Signs Residential Solar Energy Legislation

CONTACT:
Jamie Nolan
240.396.2022
jamie@chesapeakeclimate.org

Measure will provide low-cost loans for residential solar energy projects

RICHMOND – Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell today signed the Voluntary Resource Fund Bill (HB 2191 and SB 975), which sets up a revolving loan fund for residential solar energy projects. The loan program, which passed through the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates unanimously, will promote economic development and the production of clean, renewable energy at no cost to the state.

Environmentalists touted the bill as a win-win-win for all major parties involved: the citizens of Virginia who will receive the loans, the commonwealth’s solar energy industry, and utilities with an interest in distributed solar power.

Chelsea Harnish, Virginia Policy Coordinator for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said: “This program presents an exciting opportunity for Virginians who want to reduce their carbon footprint by powering their homes with renewable energy, but might not be able to afford the up-front costs associated with installing solar panels.”

Virginia possesses some of the mid-Atlantic region’s best solar energy potential as well as exceptionally strong consumer demand. The 2009 federal stimulus package included rebates to Virginia homeowners for renewable energy projects. Demand was so high that this fund was exhausted within a matter of just days and 500 households remained on the rebate list. To date, the Virginia state legislature has done very little to encourage the development of solar energy.

“This is a great start, but we hope that this is just the beginning of a new commitment on Governor McDonnell’s behalf to do whatever he can to support the development of renewable energy sources and make Virginia the CLEAN Energy Capitol of the East Coast,” Harnish said. “Virginia has two extraordinary natural resources – its solar and offshore wind energy potential – and both are vital to the commonwealth’s clean energy future.”

Delegate Adam Ebbin (D-49), patron of the House version of the bill, said: “Virginia has some of the highest solar energy potential in the region, but we’re being outpaced by neighboring states like Maryland, which only has two-thirds of our population but 13 times the number of homes powered by solar energy. This fund will ensure that more Virginians have the opportunity to power their homes with cheap, clean, renewable energy and help our companies stay competitive in the growing solar energy market.”  

The fund will grow over time as consumers repay their loans. If just one percent of Virginians give $5 a month during the fund’s first year, it will generate $1.8 million for loans.

The fund is expected to begin accepting donations in July 2011 and begin accepting loan applications in July 2012. To learn more about applying for a residential solar energy loan, consumers should contact the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy.

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is the first grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Our mission is to build and mobilize a powerful grassroots movement in this unique region that surrounds our nation’s capital to call for state, national and international policies that will put us on a path to climate stability.

###

Hundreds Gather at First Grassroots Offshore Wind Energy Conference in Virginia; Call on Dominion & Governor McDonnell to Bring Offshore Wind Energy to the Commonwealth

Participants include business leaders, environmentalists and political leaders

CONTACT:

Jamie Nolan 

jamie@chesapeakeclimate.org

410.463.9869

RICHMOND – Nearly two hundred notable leaders and grassroots activists from across Virginia gathered in Richmond Saturday to promote new jobs and clean energy at the commonwealth’s first citizens’ conference on offshore wind power—Energize Virginia. Political leaders and environmentalists sat next to investment partners with Google Inc. to make the case for offshore wind energy, ending with a colorful march to the steps of the State Capitol. 

“In a stalled economy, few industries have the potential to bring more jobs to the commonwealth than the renewable offshore wind industry,” said Terry McAuliffe, clean energy advocate and Chairman of GreenTech Automotive Corp. “Offshore wind relies on American ingenuity and innovation to provide the clean, domestically-produced energy we need, while offering an opportunity to provide thousands of quality jobs for Virginians.”

Sponsors and key participants at the daylong conference called on Dominion Virginia Power to include offshore wind energy in its 2011 Integrated Resources Plan, a ten-year plan laying out how the utility intends to meet future electricity demand. They also called on Governor Bob McDonnell and the General Assembly to remove policy barriers and create incentives for the development of offshore wind energy, working with Dominion to ensure that Virginia claims its position as a leader in the burgeoning offshore wind energy industry.

Participants included renowned business leaders and clean energy advocates Terry McAuliffe and Robert Mitchell of Atlantic Wind Connection, the Trans-Elect/Google, Inc. offshore wind transmission project, State Senator Donald McEachin, and notable environmental leaders like Mike Tidwell with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Jackie Savitz with Oceana, among others.

Studies show that Virginia could power 700,000 homes by the end of this decade with modern wind turbines placed ten miles or more off the Atlantic shoreline. This would create thousands of jobs and help stabilize electricity rates while reducing harmful global warming pollution.

“Rarely do you see such a strong coalition of environmentalists and political and business leaders united behind a common cause,” said Mike Tidwell of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, one of the key sponsors of the event. “But when you’ve got the chance to create jobs, protect consumers from rising fossil fuel prices, and help fight climate change, you’ve got the ultimate win-win-win.

Energize Virginia: A Citizens’ Summit on Offshore Wind Energy was sponsored by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club, Green Jobs Alliance, Interfaith Power & Light, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and the Virginia Conservation Network.

###

Virginia Environmental Advocates Call on Dominion to Make Swift Move Toward Offshore Wind

Initiative could create 10,000 jobs, provide power for 700,000 homes

CONTACT:

Jamie Nolan, jamie@chesapeakeclimate.org, 410-463-9869

RICHMOND – A coalition of Virginia environmental, labor, and business leaders today announced the creation of the VA4Wind coalition, which aims to make Virginia the offshore wind energy capital of the east coast. Because Dominion Virginia Power is the commonwealth’s largest electric utility, the coalition is calling on the company to develop a large-scale offshore wind energy project off of Virginia’s coast. VA4Wind’s primary members, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the Green Jobs Alliance, Interfaith Power & Light, and the Sierra Club Virginia chapter, formally announced the launch of their effort at a press conference this morning in Richmond. Representatives of Virginia’s labor, business, and faith communities joined VA4Wind leaders at the campaign launch.

At the event, VA4Wind leaders touted the plentiful benefits of offshore wind energy and the opportunities it provides for the commonwealth, including the addition of thousands of new jobs and a new revenue source for Virginia’s economy, cleaner air and water, and stable long-term energy prices. With plentiful offshore winds, a deepwater port and a skilled and experienced labor force, Virginia could easily be the east coast capital for America’s new offshore wind industry.

“It’s really incredible how much clean, domestic energy is untapped, right here off of Virginia’s coast,” said Beth Kemler, Virginia State Director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “If the commonwealth takes action now, offshore wind could power 700,000 Virginia homes within a decade, while completely avoiding the risks associated with burning fossil fuels. Unlike conventional energy sources, wind power doesn’t explode, spill, or combust.”

In just a matter of weeks, VA4Wind has already collected more than 3,000 signatures from Virginians who want to see Dominion take concrete steps towards developing offshore wind power. In addition, more than 60 Virginia businesses and organizations have already pledged their support for offshore wind energy. Leaders applauded Dominion for its recent decision to study offshore wind transmission potential off the coast of Virginia Beach, but noted that research isn’t enough. As proof that offshore wind is a mature technology, the advocates pointed out that America’s first offshore wind farm, Cape Wind in Massachusetts, was given a green light by the federal government in April and plans to start construction as early as this fall.

Randy Flood, Executive Director of Green Jobs Alliance, said, “If we’re ever going to fully recover from this recession, the United States needs to return to making our own products. Developing an offshore wind industry right here in Virginia is a common sense solution to put Virginians back to work, and no other industry can promise the kind of job creation that offshore wind can offer.”

“Today, we’re calling on Dominion to join our team and work together with us to bring offshore wind energy to Virginia,” said Glen Besa, director of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. “We’d really like to see plans to build large-scale offshore wind in Dominion’s 2011 Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) as it moves forward with plans to retire its obsolete coal-fired power plants. Dominion’s interest in entering the offshore wind market should be reflected in its IRP filings before the Virginia State Corporation Commission this September.”

Trieste Lockwood with Virginia Interfaith Power and Light was on hand to discuss the importance of addressing climate change through clean energy. “Members of Virginia’s faith communities are legitimately concerned about climate change and how it will affect their children and grandchildren,” Lockwood explained. “It’s our responsibility to do all we can to protect the planet for future generations, and harnessing clean, renewable energy is a crucial part of this. By embracing wind technology, Virginia can truly become the energy capitol of the east coast.”

Learn more about the coalition of Virginians promoting wind energy at www.va4wind.com.

###

Offshore Wind Bill Stalls in Annapolis; Advocates Pledge to Fight Again in 2012

CONTACT:
Jamie Nolan; jamie@chesapeakeclimate.org; 240-396-2022

ANNAPOLIS — “After months of productive debate and legislative progress, the Maryland General Assembly will fall short this year in its effort to pass the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2011. The bill would have created thousands of new jobs in the fight against climate change while helping to stabilize electricity rates and lower energy costs over time. But the biggest hurdle confronting the bill this year was simply tradition. The Maryland General Assembly rarely passes a landmark bill the first year it’s introduced. Therefore it was always a strong challenge for this new and transformative bill — sponsored by Governor Martin O’Malley — to become law this year. We, the major advocates of this bill, now pledge to continue our campaign in 2012 for passage.

We thank Governor O’Malley and his staff for their extraordinary leadership on this vital issue this year. We thank Senator Mac Middleton and Delegate Dereck Davis for their leadership in key committees. And we thank all the concerned citizens all across Maryland — doctors, union members, environmentalists, business leaders, local governments, and faith groups — who worked so hard to bring this issue to the center of public discussion in Annapolis. We will be back!”

Statement on behalf of:

– Chesapeake Climate Action Network
– United Steelworkers of Maryland
–  League of Women Voters Maryland
–  Environment Maryland
–  Sierra Club Maryland Chapter
–  National Wildlife Federation
–  Maryland League of Conservation Voters

###