In Virginia, People Power is Finally Eroding Dominion’s Power

I don’t know about you, but for me, November 8th 2016 feels like decades ago. So much has changed since the election of Donald Trump in such a short amount of time — good and bad. Around the country, we are seeing record numbers of new activists, reinvigorated old volunteers coming back to the climate movement, and local climate leaders stepping up like never before. Here in Virginia that new energy is eroding the influence of our resident energy monopoly, Dominion Energy, which once seemed impossible to overcome. Our movement started before Trump, but it is has only become more formidable with this new challenge of having a climate denier in the Oval Office.
You would think Dominion Energy had their own office at the Capitol considering how much influence they have on our state leaders. They also have no problem brushing off  ethics for the benefit of their bottom line. Dominion spends more than any other company on political campaign donations to both sides of the aisle. And their influence on Virginia’s politics has become clear. Everything from weak coal ash regulations to an easy permitting process for dangerous fracked-gas pipelines are in play when the energy giant put its finger on the scale.
Meanwhile, the size and strength of Virginia’s climate movement — and opposition to Dominion’s dirty tactics — has become unlike anything we have ever seen.
This year, the spring season brought new life to our movement. In April, after months of organizing and recruiting, over 6,000 Virginians joined together with concerned climate activists (on an unseasonably hot Saturday) for The People’s Climate March. While the march was focused on the Trump administration, the Virginia Contingent had brought a special message to our local leaders who were too cozy with Dominion: people over polluters!

Flickr user Becker1999 with a Creative Commons license.
Photo from Flickr user Becker1999 with a Creative Commons license.

The People’s Climate March was inspiring, it was rejuvenating, it was historic. A lot of that success was because of activists in the Commonwealth who sacrificed countless hours to recruit their neighbors and friends to defend their climate. This show of might led to huge acts of resistance from mayors and governors across the country, who bucked the Trump administration by pledging to continue working towards our commitments to the Paris Climate Accord.
pastor-dominionThis wave of action continued at the Dominion Energy shareholders meeting. Just days after the People’s Climate March, over 100 people descended on Richmond to show the utility that their lives are worth more than the trajectory of Dominion’s stock prices. The actions outside scared them enough for Dominion executives to hide their view with curtains. I think Pastor Paul surmised our feelings perfectly when he proclaimed outside the venue that “Dominion had gotten too big for their britches!”
Our activism spread beyond the streets too: many climate conscious shareholders used their voice in the room to push clean energy resolutions. This year witnessed a resolution that called for the company to report on how it would work to address global warming. The resolution received unprecedented support, with 48% voting in favor. Virginians are putting Dominion executives on notice. 
Finally, candidates in Virginia’s state elections for 2017 have joined the wave of resistance against Dominion. Earlier this year, gubernatorial candidate Tom Perriello kicked off his campaign for governor with a pledge to not take any money from Dominion and to oppose the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline. We’ve also seen a wave of new and incumbent candidates for state delegate seats across the commonwealth who have pledged to refuse campaign donations from Dominion.
Our work now is more important than ever. With the help of activists like you, along with new recruits to the climate fight, we will lead Virginia into a clean energy future.

Spread the Word about "Put A Price On It D.C."

Can you remember the moment you decided to really fight for climate action? It probably wasn’t a Facebook post or a cynical tweet. More likely you had startling conversation, formed a new relationship, or discovered a new community and a way to get involved.
Real social change requires face-to-face interactions. That’s why we need you to help us reach out to our communities this summer and build a powerful base to support our campaign to put a price on carbon pollution once and for all.
In her new book, “Twitter and Tear Gas,” writer and social scientist Zeynep Tufekci reminds us of life before social media. Mobilizations like the March on Washington once grew out of years of painstaking recruiting, training, and coordination. Paradoxically, it was the very difficulty of face-to-face organizing that forged leaders and decision-making structures strong enough to weather storms of the opposition.  
Today we are faced with the intense challenge of transitioning to a clean and efficient energy economy before we fry ourselves alive. The speed of online communication suits the urgency of climate change. However, the strength of the fossil fuel empire demands an unprecedented depth of commitment and relationships among us. That means smiles, high-fives, and conversations with – gasp! – eye contact. (Which is what we all really want, right?)
To win a solution so powerfully scalable as a carbon fee and rebate in Washington, D.C., our movement must be made of a living web of trusting relationships that can flex, focus, and keep growing through the ups and downs of this ambitious campaign. That’s why the 30+ organizations in our coalition have spent the past two years getting to know one another. Now we want to know every neighborhood in our city.
Mark your calendars for a community outreach event in YOUR neighborhood. Read on for the schedule and details!

Find the community outreach event in your neighborhood:

 

 
Why be part of the action? Allow me to testify: there’s nothing quite so fulfilling to offer other concerned people a chance to really DO something about the climate crisis. It’s weighing on all of our hearts and minds, and by getting out there to recruit new people to the campaign, you’re doing them a favor of empowerment.
So let’s hit the streets this summer!


 
PS: Sierra Club will be hosting a volunteer training on Monday, July 10. You’ll get all your questions answered, and receive top-notch training on how to win the support of DC council members, ANCs, Civic and Citizen Associations, businesses, and your neighbors at the farmers market. We want to be sure you’re fully trained and ready for these opportunities to build an unstoppable power base for climate action in DC. Click HERE to RSVP!
 

Maryland Fracking Ban To Become Law, With Nationwide Implications

Senate passes bill with GOP governor support, following six years of grassroots resistance across the state of Maryland

ANNAPOLIS – With game-changing support from Republican Governor Larry Hogan, the Maryland state Senate Monday night gave final approval to a bill to forever ban the practice of fracking in Maryland. This move culminates years of protests against fracking for gas from landowners, health leaders, and environmentalists. It also sets a nationally significant precedent as other states grapple with the dangerous drilling method.

Maryland will now become the first state in America with proven gas reserves to ban fracking by legislative action. New York has banned the drilling process via executive order. Vermont has a statutory ban but the state has no frackable gas reserves at present.

The Maryland ban is sending political waves across the East Coast and the nation. From Virginia (where leaders have imposed or proposed local bans at the county and municipal level) to the state of Florida (which is looking to follow Maryland’s statewide ban), the “keep-it-in-the-ground” movement is gaining new bipartisan steam even as President Donald Trump recklessly works to approve disastrous pipelines like Keystone XL.

“Let the news go forth to Congress and the White House: fracking can never be done safely,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “The Republican governor closest to DC – Larry Hogan of Maryland – has joined scientists and health leaders in agreeing that fracking must be banned. This is a win for Marylanders and for citizens nationwide as we move away from violent fossil fuels and toward sustainable wind and solar power.”

With Senate passage late Monday night, the Maryland bill will now be sent to Gov. Hogan’s desk in the next few days for signing.

The push to ban fracking in Maryland began six years ago as gas companies swarmed into western Maryland to tap the Marcellus Shale basin. This is the same pool of gas that has been widely fracked in Pennsylvania and West Virginia with negative consequences. But then-Governor Martin O’Malley (D) imposed a temporary moratorium before any drilling occurred. Over the years, the movement for a permanent ban came to include farmers, doctors, students, faith leaders, environmental groups, and others – constituting the largest statewide grassroots movement ever seen in Maryland on an energy issue. Former member of the House of Delegates Heather Mizeur was a leading figure in sparking the statewide ban effort. With time, multiple counties and cities in the state banned fracking locally and public polling consistently showed growing support for a statewide ban. Finally, earlier this month, with overwhelming support among Democratic lawmakers, even the previously pro-fracking Republican governor saw the wisdom of a ban.

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network has been honored to play a leading role in this campaign along with our friends in the Don’t Frack Maryland Coalition, including Food and Water Watch, Citizen Shale, Engage Mountain Maryland, the Sierra Club, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, Physicians for Social Responsibility and many others.

The Maryland fracking ban bill also could not have succeeded without the extraordinary leadership of Kumar Barve (D-Montgomery County) and David Fraser-Hildago (D-Montgomery County) in the Maryland House of Delegates. The same must be said of Bobby Zirkin (D-Baltimore County) and Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George’s County) in the Maryland Senate. But Senator Zirkin, more than any other legislator, fought tirelessly for the fracking ban and refused to compromise on the road to this historic victory.

CONTACT: Denise Robbins; denise@chesapeakeclimate.org; 608-620-8819

Activists who laugh together, stay together. Join us Thursday for climate comedy in DC!

Clear skies, blooming trees, warm breezes; spring has sprung in Washington DC — 22 days too early. If you’re like me, this warm weather is making you freak out about global warming.
Which is why LAUGHTER has never been more important. Seriously, hear me out. With Donald Trump’s presidency, we environmentally minded citizens have never needed to stick together more. So why not enjoy some laughs, and help advance climate action along the way?
That’s why our friends at Grassroots Comedy DC are hosting a stand-up comedy benefit for climate action this Thursday!
Come join us at the Super Spectacular Comedy Showcase For The Climate, 7:30pm on Thursday, March 2nd, at The Bier Baron Tavern (1523 22nd St NW, D.C.). Invite everyone you know!
The evening’s headliner is award-winning stand-up comedian Robert Mac. He’s been a finalist on Billy Crystal’s Mr. Saturday Night Contest, the San Francisco International Comedy Competition and the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon Talent Search. He’s also appeared on Montreal’s Just For Laughs, Gilda’s LaughFest and took the grand prize at Comedy Central’s Laugh Riots. There will be plenty of other hilarious comics as well; and, you will get a chance to connect with like-minded climate allies from our region.
By coming out for laughs, you will also be helping the climate movement here in DC. All proceeds will go to CCAN’s campaign  to put a price on carbon in DC, with the country’s first progressive and equitable carbon fee and rebate policy.
We know that putting a price on carbon is one of the most straightforward and cost-effective ways to fight climate change. By making fossil fuel polluters pay for the real and damaging costs of their emissions, we can unleash the clean energy solutions we need, and make DC families better off in the process.
The coalition to put a price on carbon in DC is starting to take off. Our diverse, multi-sector, city-wide coalition is now more than 20 organizations strong, and we have begun positive conversations with City Council members and key agency leads. Read more about that here.
So help CCAN work to give clean energy a chance to compete and keep the dirty stuff where it belongs: underground.
Join the climate movement in DC, and come to the Super Spectacular Comedy Showcase For The Climate, 7:30pm on Thursday, March 2nd, at The Bier Baron Tavern (1523 22nd St NW, D.C.). RSVP on Facebook, or buy tickets directly here.
Hope to see you there!


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VIDEO: To ban fracking once and for all, we need YOU to march on Annapolis

On March 2nd, concerned citizens, business owners, health professionals, and activists from across the state will gather for the “March on Annapolis to Ban Fracking” in Maryland. This comes at a crucial time as the current moratorium on fracking is set to expire in October. Without a ban, oil and l gas companies will be free to move in, threatening the health, economy, and environment of communities all across the state.
Watch these citizens explain why they plan to march in Annapolis:

“You want to get things done properly you have to engage your government.”

Fracking has been linked to dangerous health impacts, and has been proven to contaminate water hundreds of times in neighboring Pennsylvania. Fracking also brings us one step closer to climate disaster through the burning and leakage of the powerful greenhouse gas methane. “It’s going to impact the entire state, because watersheds and air move beyond boundaries,” said one citizen.
So, what are we, the active citizens, to do? Every one of us can make our voice heard by rallying and marching in Annapolis on March 2nd.
Hope to see you there!

Does your vision of Calvert County include Dominion?

Virginia-based Dominion Resources has never been the first thing that’s come to mind when I think about Calvert County. I think about trail-running in the American Chestnut Land Trust, or fossil-hunting as a kid at Calvert Cliffs, or sharing stories with friends in Solomons. To me, Calvert County is famous for its friendly communities, fresh air and natural beauty.
Yet, for the past 6 months, Dominion has been changing that. After hiring non-local construction workers, creating traffic jams and clearing forests, they are continuing to build their massive Cove Point export facility to process and ship billions of gallons of fracked gas from the Marcellus Shale overseas.
As CCAN gears up its legal battle to challenge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval of Cove Point, a relentless and growing group of community members from across Southern Maryland continue to organize: holding meetings, presenting at weekly Board of Calvert County Commissioners’ meetings, knocking on neighbors’ doors, and pushing against a behemoth company to protect their neighborhoods. And it’s all leading up to an exciting rally, march, and comm11067452_1583367431927907_5019736124691377819_nunity picnic on May 30th — The March for Calvert County to be Dominion-Free!
The day will begin with an inspiring rally at the Solomons boardwalk at 9AM. Following that, you can “join the flock” for a six-mile walk through Lusby ending at Cove Point Park, where we will celebrate everything we love about Calvert County. Join friends and community members for a family picnic and fellowship at 1PM.
Click here to join us at the March for Calvert County to be Dominion-free. On May 30th, we will show Calvert County that Dominion’s dirty fracked gas facility is not a done deal. 
Since construction started, Dominion has failed the community, and now, it’s time to speak up. Show Calvert County and beyond that your vision of Calvert county is Dominion-Free. Let them know, we want our communities to be healthy and thriving, not polluted with more fracking wells or pipelines just so this corporation can make bigger profits.
Here are the details:
WHAT: March for Calvert County to be Dominion-free
WHEN: May 30th, 2015
WHERE: 9AM – Rally at Solmons Boardwalk in Solomons, MD
9:30AM – March! 6 miles from Solomons through Lusby
1PM – Picnic and Fellowship at Cove Point Park
750 Cove Point Rd, Lusby, MD 20657

See you May 30th at the March for Calvert County to be Dominion-free!