After the hottest year on record, over 340 climate activists from across the DMV took the biggest plunge yet, raising awareness and funds to fight climate change.
Continue readingREPORT: DAMAGING METHANE GAS PIPELINE LEAKS HAPPEN EVERY 40 HOURS IN THE U.S.
Governor Hogan’s Plans to "Kick-Start" a Gas Expansion Across Maryland
While other states and cities are moving away from powering homes and buildings with gas—a potent climate pollutant—Maryland Governor Larry Hogan plans to spend $6.5 million this year in his effort to “kick-start” a gas expansion across Maryland. This $6.5 million is a portion of the $30 million his Administration can spend on expanding gas infrastructure after he negotiated the terms of a settlement allowing a Canadian company to acquire a local gas supplier.
Among the projects his Administration is backing: a new, 11-mile pipeline providing gas to two state-run facilities on the Eastern Shore. In repowering these state facilities, the Hogan Administration foreclosed the possibility of any other type of energy source by only requesting applications for gas. The government should be leading the way towards zero-emission buildings, especially when it comes to state facilities, not putting its thumb on the scale for gas.
“Natural” gas is primarily made up of methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas. It’s 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Methane leaks during production and transportation and gas heaters themselves are inefficient. As a result, a leading scientist concludes that it may actually be better for the climate to heat your home with coal or oil than with gas. In an era of rapid climate change, we cannot wait to replace all of these polluting fossil fuels with electricity powered by clean sources like wind and solar.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, electric alternatives exist for all major energy end uses in buildings. Space heating, water heating, and cooking account for the vast majority of direct fuel usage. Electric technologies exist, and are in use today, that can supply all of these end uses.In 2017, Hogan signed a ban on fracking for gas in Maryland, saying that his administration had “concluded that possible environmental risks of fracking simply outweigh any potential benefits.” Since signing that ban, however, the Hogan Administration has continued to call gas “a bridge fuel” and has worked consistently to kick-start a gas expansion across the State.
Read the white paper here
Activists Rally Against Governor Hogan’s Fracked-Gas Plans Ahead of MEA Meeting
Groups Slam MEA Process for Public Input on Fracked-Gas Plans as “Broken”
BALTIMORE, MD — Today, dozens of concerned Maryland residents rallied to protest Governor Hogan’s plans to “kick-start” fracked-gas infrastructure in Maryland. The rally took place just before the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) held its fourth and final public meeting on Hogan’s plan to spend $30 million in state funds on expanding fracked-gas infrastructure across the state.
The coalition rallied before going inside to make public comments. They also delivered a letter signed by five advocacy organizations opposing Hogan’s gas plans and a letter of grievances about the MEA process, saying they were “deeply frustrated” with how the process was handled, as well as a petition signed by more than 300 residents urging the administration not to spend state money on new fracked-gas infrastructure.
Patrick Grenter, Associate Director for Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign, stated: “Maryland’s own climate change website says that ‘Maryland is among the states most vulnerable to climate change.’ Given this, why would the state move forward with plans to invest millions in gas infrastructure? Marylanders don’t want this frack-fueled plan, which would lock us into decades of fossil fuel infrastructure while we’re in a climate crisis. Any investment in new fossil fuel infrastructure is incompatible with the State’s public commitment to fighting accelerated climate disruption.”
Months after Governor Larry Hogan signed a statewide fracking ban in 2017, he announced his intention to “kick-start” a fracked-gas expansion across Maryland. The Governor has launched his fracked-gas expansion even as scientists confirm that gas is essentially as harmful to the climate as coal. Despite this, he wants to spend $30 million in state money on this new fracked-gas infrastructure.
As part of AltaGas’s acquisition of local gas supplier Washington Gas, Hogan negotiated a settlement wherein AltaGas would place $30 million into the state’s Strategic Energy Investment Fund, which the state would then spend to assist gas companies in the construction of more fracked-gas pipelines all across Maryland. The agreement also opens the door for AltaGas passing $70 million onto ratepayers to do the same.
“This plan is in direct contrast to one of SEIF’s main missions, which is to ‘address global climate change concerns,’” said Anthony Field, Maryland Grassroots Coordinator at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Investing in fracked-gas is a bridge to climate disaster. If Hogan truly wanted to address climate change, he would focus on cleaning up our existing leaky pipelines as we move towards clean and sustainable sources of energy such as wind and solar.”
Under the terms of the agreement, “MEA shall use such funds in its discretion for the purpose of promoting the expansion of natural gas infrastructure . . . in Maryland.” Under Senate Bill 52, Hogan’s Maryland Energy Administration is required to develop a plan for spending the $30 million in state funds. In developing this plan, MEA was required to hold at least four separate public meetings across the state by the end of the year. More than 70 concerned Marylanders have turned out to the first three meetings, despite poor notice and planning.
The meetings were inaccessible, poorly advertised, and lacked transparency, environmental organizations argued in a letter delivered to MEA today. The letter continues:
“The process, as it is now, is broken. It seems geared at checking a box rather than giving the public a meaningful opportunity to weigh in and help inform MEA’s future plans. The meetings provided further evidence that this Administration is bent on expanding gas infrastructure, no matter the effect on the climate and no matter what the public wants.”
Annie Bristow of Frack-Free Frostburg stated: “The entire lifecycle of fracked gas must be considered from a public health perspective – from air and water pollution at extraction to end use air pollution in homes and businesses. Expansion of fracked gas pipelines in Maryland would increase risks to the health and safety of Marylanders, financially incentivize fracking of our neighbors in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and fail to address the public health threat from climate change.”
Ruth Alice White stated: “Extending the use of gas in Maryland is counter to the Maryland’s commitment to move dramatically reduce Maryland Greenhouse gases, totally counter to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act’s purpose. We can’t be implementing new gas infrastructure designed to last 30 years or more when we are striking desperately to reduce emissions. We know fracked gas leaks at every stage in extraction and piping. The gas is methane which is 84 times worse than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas over a 20 year period. We need to move rapidly to clean and renewable wind and solar.”
Tracy Cannon of the Eastern Panhandle Green Coalition stated: “Citizen and environmental groups in the Eastern Panhandle of WV were thrilled to learn that Maryland’s Board of Public Works blocked the Potomac Pipeline, which would have carried fracked gas to polluting industrial development in our counties. We find it contradictory that Maryland would now support spending $30 million on fracked-gas infrastructure. We would like to look to Maryland as an example of what a green state can be. This is disappointing.”
MEA has made access to these meetings extraordinarily difficult, giving the public very little notice, scheduling them during the workweek, even holding one at a location that required attendees to apply for a parking pass 48 hours in advance. Despite this, more than 70 concerned Marylanders have spoken out against Hogan’s fracked-gas expansion plans in person and more than 300 more have signed a letter in opposition.
CONTACT:
Denise Robbins, Communications Director, denise@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-630-1889
Anthony Field, Maryland Grassroots Coordinator, anthony@chesapeakeclimate.org, 301-664-4068
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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. For 16 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.chesapeakeclimate.org
BREAKING: Fourth Circuit Grants Stay in Endangered Species Act Case
Permits are Required Before MVP Can Proceed with Construction
RICHMOND, VA — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has put a hold on two permits that the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) requires to proceed with construction activities. By staying the Biological Opinion and Incidental Take Statement, the Court’s announcement effectively means construction must stop on the 300-mile project. Coming just hours after news broke that MVP must pay a multi-million dollar fine to the Commonwealth of Virginia, today’s announcement is a result of a request for stay filed by the Sierra Club, on behalf of a coalition of conservation organizations, including Wild Virginia, Appalachian Voices, Preserve Bent Mountain, Defenders of Wildlife, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and the Center for Biological Diversity.
In response, Sierra Club Staff Attorney Elly Benson released the following statement:
“MVP’s dangerous pipeline project has already destroyed and degraded the habitat of endangered species along its route, not to mention the threat it poses to clean air and water. That’s why, time after time, we have said MVP should stop work on this pipeline. Their rushed, shoddy permitting puts the entire project in question. And time after time, the courts have agreed. Maybe now MVP will do the smart thing, and walk away from this disastrous fracked gas pipeline once and for all.”
David Sligh, Conservation Director for Wild Virginia said:
“We applaud the court’s action. This project has already caused great harm to Virginia’s environment and people. It is time for the Fish and Wildlife Service to finally live up to its legal mandates and prohibit any further damage. This project cannot be built as proposed while protecting these rare and sensitive species and should be abandoned now.”
Anne Havemann, General Counsel, Chesapeake Climate Action Network:
“The rush to build this unnecessary and harmful pipeline has polluted drinking water, harmed livelihoods, triggered landslides, and further threatened already endangered species. Given the devastation that construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline has left in its wake, the Court was right to stay the permits. MVP should see the writing on the wall and give up on this disastrous project.”
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Top 5 Reasons Why You Need to Visit Miracle Ridge this Summer
In July, I joined activists, advocates, and property owners in Bath County to experience the pristine beauty of Miracle Ridge.
The ridgeline, named by property owners Bill and Lynn Limpert, can only be fully appreciated by visiting it in person. From the pure waterways from which the county derives its name, to the grand trees that outdate our country’s government, even one afternoon on Miracle Ridge will drive home the sheer absurdity of Dominion’s plan to blow up this ridgeline at taxpayers’ expense, just to ensure an windfall of profits in the years to come.
Here are four reasons why you need to come visit Miracle Ridge this summer:
1) Build relationships with the people that are being asked to sacrifice their land
A visit to Miracle Ridge is more than just a camp. It is a way to connect with the Limpert family and the greater Bath community. On my first official full day at the camp neighbors came from miles away to share stories on the Limperts’ north-facing front porch and talk with the media.
One couple, Jeannette and Gary, have roots extending in the community as deep as the trees themselves. They met in Bath County many years ago when Gary came to Jeanette’s house to clean her chimney. But Jeannette’s family tree extends in Bath back to 1792. Her ancestors fought for freedom and independence in the Revolutionary War. Now, she finds herself in a battle for the freedom and independence from the extractive fossil fuels industry that seeks to take the land that has been in her family for so many generations.
2) Hike Miracle Ridge
Every day upon awakening in Bath County I had the opportunity to hike Miracle Ridge. Just sixty seconds into my first hike I could see why the ridgeline is so deserving of its grand namesake. It is a nature lover’s dream.
On Saturday, Mike, Bill, Sam, Jarrod and I walked to the top of the Ridge all the way to the National Park service road. Along the way we encountered centuries-old sugar maple trees, heard the calls of numerous rare birds, and embarked on a search for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee. This bumble bee is officially listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), with climate change and increased exposure to disease has caused the bee’s population to plummet by 90% since 1990. There have been a number of Rusty Patched Bee sightings on Miracle Ridge, which if proven could prove tremendous in the fight against the ACP.
Experiencing this in person is a glaring reaffirmation that Dominion’s plan to blow Miracle Ridge by the equivalent of a two-story building is nothing short of radical and extreme.
3) Swim in some of Virginia’s most pristine water
Just down the mountain from Miracle Ridge are a number of the fresh mineral water springs from which the Bath County has received its namesake. Renowned for its healing properties, the pristine water attracts travelers and tourists from all over the continent every year.
The pure nature of the water is due to the high concentration of Karst – one of mother nature’s most powerful water filtration systems. This geological typography is characterized by a network of caves, fissures, sinkholes, and underground streams and is prone to sinking.
Many experts point to constructing the proposed pipeline of cause as a reason for alarm, as industrial-scale construction and ridgetop removal could potentially have irreversible negative impacts on the local waterways.
4) Make connections with other like-minded activists
Activists and advocates from all across the region are coming to Miracle Ridge to make a stand.
Saturday afternoon our group was joined by two activists: Holden and Gabriella who organize against the ACP in North Carolina and heard about the encampment on Facebook. Over dinner that evening we shared strategies of what was working in each of our states and reaffirmed our commitment to defending Miracle Ridge and all lands threatened by pipelines until the very end.
5) Meet Ona for herself
One of the most humbling experiences about a visit to Miracle Ridge is an opportunity to meet with Ona, the 300-plus-year-old sugar maple that has been likened to a piece of art and is making waves all across the region.
“Ona,” an ancient Hebrew name meaning “graceful,” could not have a more appropriate from one of the most visually striking features on Miracle Ridge. Standing at a jaw-dropping 60-feet with a 15-foot circumference, you can feel Ona’s magnetic presence as soon as you stand up to her. This tree, which outdates Dominion and the fossil fuels industry itself is now being threatened to be cut down to make way for a violent pipeline that will lock us into fossil fuels extraction for another generation. One trip to Miracle Ridge will reaffirm everything that we are being asked to sacrifice for Dominion’s profits and will reaffirm why we will need to continue to fight even harder in the weeks and months to come.
RSVP today to join us at Miracle Ridge!
Thousands call on Gov. Northam to protect Virginia waters from fracked-gas pipelines
Event comes on heels of after-hours DEQ announcement to allow MVP construction
Richmond, Va. — Citizens representing Virginia landowners, the faith community, scientists, people of color, water protectors and clean energy advocates today called on Governor Ralph Northam to protect Virginia’s waters by taking immediate action on the proposed Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines. The action comes the morning after Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality approved water pollution plans for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, paving the way for its construction.
At a press conference at the Bell Tower on Capitol Square, citizens presented the Northam administration with 10,000 petition signatures signed by Virginian residents. The signatories call on the governor to protect the drinking water supplies of countless Virginians from the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines, which would cross streams and other waters more than 1,400 times across the state.
For high-resolution photos (available shortly), please contact Cat McCue at cat@appvoices.org or 434-953-8672
The group also presented a petition from Change.org with more than 62,000 signatures from other concerned citizens from around the country calling on Governor Northam to reject the pipelines. In addition to the projects’ tremendous climate impacts that affect all Americans, the projects bisect national treasures including the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Appalachian Trail, and many miles of national forest land.
The petition demands that the Northam administration immediately halt the ongoing tree-felling along the routes, allow the public to review and comment on the erosion and stormwater control plans before they are finalized by the Department of Environmental Quality, and take action to ensure the state analyzes individual stream impacts, rather than the Trump administration’s Corps of Engineers.
Just yesterday evening, at 7 p.m., the Department of Environmental Quality announced it had finalized the water plans for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, authorizing the start of land-disturbing activities, without letting the public have one last chance to provide feedback on the critical water pollution plans.
“Citizens all along the MVP route have spent years educating themselves about this project and its potential impacts — everything is at stake for them. They’ve been asking Gov. Northam and his administration for one more chance to review these critical water pollution control plans before the DEQ finalized them and allowed construction to proceed. In an affront to all Virginians, this decision shut them out,” said Peter Anderson, Virginia Program Manager with Appalachian Voices.
“My question for Governor Northam is simple: did you really mean it when you said the DEQ reviews had to be thorough, transparent, and based on science? The science is clear – these projects will be the most damaging for Virginia’s waters in decades. It is time to turn your words into action,” said David Sligh with Wild Virginia.
“Governor Northam promised to hold these dangerous pipelines to the highest environmental standards,” said Jamshid Bakhtiari, Virginia Field Coordinator at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Now, we’re seeing him already go back on this promise. The DEQ will allow the Mountain Valley Pipeline to begin construction, threatening the communities of countless Virginians, without allowing for any further public input. These pipelines will lock us into fossil fuels for decades if Governor Northam doesn’t take action. Thousands and thousands of concerned residents in Virginia — and across the country — are watching.”
“The plans approved for the Mountain Valley Pipeline are not environmentally sound and, from an engineering standpoint, will not sufficiently protect the environment and our drinking water from the pipeline’s construction impacts,” Kirk Bowers, Professional Engineer and Pipelines Program Coordinator for the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, said. “Sierra Club had to utilize a Freedom of Information Act request in order to fully review the plans and come to these conclusions. Leaving those in the public without the financial and legal resources to use the FOIA in the dark is absolutely unacceptable. All Virginians should have had a chance to review and evaluate these plans for the Mountain Valley Pipeline and should get the chance for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.”
At the press conference, the citizens handed the petitions to the Administration’s office. They held different color survey tape to show the average 125-foot width of pipeline tree-felling and construction, and the 50-foot permanent right-of-way that will scar hundreds of miles of mountains, farms and fields through the commonwealth. They also held several large posters with pictures showing some of the places the pipelines will impact as well as pictures of failed erosion controls on other pipeline projects in mountainous terrain.
The event was organized by Appalachian Voices, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Natural Resources Defense Council, Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club, Virginia Interfaith Power and Light, and Wild Virginia.
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Contact:
Lara Mack, Appalachian Voices, lara@appvoices.org 540-246-9720 (m)
Jamshid Bahktiari, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, jamshid@chesapeakeclimate.org 757-386-8107
Kirk Bowers, Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club, kirk.bowers@sierraclub.org 434- 249 1439
Coalition Filings Could Halt Fracked Gas Pipeline Construction
Advocates for Clean Air and Water Seek Stay on Atlantic Coast Pipeline Pending Court Decision
RICHMOND, VA — Today, a coalition of environmental advocates filed two requests to stop construction of the controversial fracked gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) in the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. The first is a motion to stay construction pending the court’s decision on the merits in an existing case for which the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has challenged the court’s jurisdiction. The second is a petition for relief under the All Writs Act, asking the court to halt construction pursuant to the FERC Certificate pending FERC’s resolution of the coalition’s request for rehearing, which FERC contends is still pending despite the fact that the agency is allowing construction of the ACP to proceed pursuant to the challenged Certificate. The second is filed in the alternative to the first and asks that the court act on it only if it agrees with FERC that the court does not have jurisdiction over the petition for review.
These filings challenge FERC’s failure to demonstrate that the pipeline is actually needed by the public. The groups contend that the overwhelming evidence shows the true purpose of the ACP is to provide profits for the shareholders of the pipeline’s financial backers, Duke and Dominion, at the expense of those utilities’ ratepayers. The effect of the filings would be a halt to the construction of the ACP until the court considers the coalition’s existing challenges to the FERC certificate that authorizes construction. FERC and ACP have ten days to respond.
Attorneys with Appalachian Mountain Advocates filed the litigation on behalf of the Sierra Club, Appalachian Voices, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and Wild Virginia.
In response, Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign Director Kelly Martin released the following statement:
“The fracked gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline is dirty, dangerous and unnecessary and not a single foot of it should be built until the families and the communities that would be threatened by this project have their day in court.”
Anne Havemann, General Counsel for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network:
“We know the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would scar pristine mountains, damage water quality, and dramatically increase greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Yet FERC is trying to force it through without even allowing opponents their day in court. This is undemocratic and un-American and can’t be allowed.”
Peter Anderson, Virginia Program Manager for Appalachian Voices:
“The system has been rigged for years against citizens who want to challenge these interstate natural gas pipelines, which pose long-term threats to communities. FERC can essentially put legal challenges on ice while letting construction proceed, so by the time citizens have their day in court, a pipeline may be in full operation. It’s absurd, and utterly unfair. We will continue to fight to protect these communities.”
David Sligh, Conservation Director, Wild Virginia:
“For FERC to allow damage to the environment and assaults on our communities without all approvals in place and legal questions settled is irresponsible and is an assault on the way our government is supposed to work. We’ve seen where people and natural resources in Pennsylvania were harmed by premature construction activities for the Constitution Pipeline, a project that will likely never be built. FERC should be ashamed of that case and it should never be repeated.”
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Contact:
Doug Jackson: 202.495.3045, doug.jackson@sierraclub.org
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
About Appalachian Mountain Advocates
Appalachian Mountain Advocates (Appalmad) is a non-profit law and policy center dedicated to fighting for clean water and a clean energy future. Appalmad has a long history of winning precedent-setting court cases. The organization represents scores of landowners and grassroots organizations challenging four unnecessary interstate pipelines in Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Appalmad has worked for nearly 20 years to ensure the fossil fuel industry cannot continue to dump its costs of doing business onto the public. For more information, visit www.appalmad.org.
About Wild Virginia
Wild Virginia works to preserve and support the complexity, diversity, and stability of natural ecosystems by enhancing connectivity, water quality and climate in the forests, mountains, and waters of Virginia through education and advocacy.
Clean Water Advocates Challenge Army Corps of Engineers on Fracked Gas Pipeline Water Quality Review
Coalition’s Suit Says Corps Violated Clean Water Act
RICHMOND, VA — Today, a coalition of clean water advocates filed a suit contending the United States Army Corps of Engineers improperly issued a crucial permit for the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline. Under section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the Army Corps is charged with issuing a permit for the pipelines’ stream crossings that allows the project’s builders to trench through the bottom of those streams, including the Greenbrier, Elk, and Gauley Rivers, and fill the crossings with dirt during construction of the pipeline. Before the Army Corps can issue this permit, the state in which construction will occur must certify the pipeline’s construction will not degrade the state’s water quality.
The permit issued to the Mountain Valley Pipeline by the Army Corps is commonly known as a “nationwide” permit, which takes a one-size-fits-all approach that can only be used when a state has done the necessary water quality analysis. Since West Virginia waived its right to do that analysis, the Army Corps can not legally issue the section 404 permit for construction of the pipeline in West Virginia.
If successful, this suit will require the Army Corps or the state of West Virginia to do another water quality impact review before the pipeline can be built through that state.
The suit was filed by Appalachian Mountain Advocates on behalf of a coalition made up of the Sierra Club, Appalachian Voices, Indian Creek Watershed Association, West Virginia Rivers Coalition and Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
In response, Sierra Club Organizing Manager Bill Price released the following statement:
“The Army Corps of Engineers has a responsibility to protect the people and places we love and their one-size-fits-all approach to this project falls far short of fulfilling that responsibility. The fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline is a dirty, dangerous project that threatens our water, climate and communities and it shouldn’t be built until the Army Corps has done a serious analysis of how badly it would affect the water of Virginia and West Virginia at all river and stream crossings.”
Angie Rosser, Executive Director for the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, said:
“The combination of WVDEP’s waived water quality analysis and the Army Corps’ cookie-cutter approach just doesn’t cut it for a project of this scale. This illegal move greatens the risk to West Virginia’s rivers and streams and must be addressed before any construction begins.”
Anne Havemann, General Counsel for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said:
“The federal and state governments have fallen short when it comes to the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The Army Corps’ blanket permit does not come close to covering the scale and scope of this massive pipeline project. We are asking the court to make the Army Corps take seriously its responsibility to protect our waters.”
CONTACT:
Doug Jackson, Sierra Club, 202.495.3045, doug.jackson@sierraclub.org
Derek Teaney, Appalachian Mountain Advocates, 304.793.9007, dteaney@appalmad.org
Breaking: Lawmakers announce steps to combat Hogan’s fracking hypocrisy
Maryland Legislators Announce Steps to Combat Governor Hogan’s Efforts to Expand Fracked-Gas Pipelines and Combustion in Maryland
New documents show how Gov. Hogan is collaborating with TransCanada and others to ship large amounts of fracked gas into and across MD, violating the spirit of the state’s fracking ban.
Maryland assembly members announce possible legislative steps and other plans to stop costly leaking gas pipelines instead of Hogan’s major buildout plan for fracked-gas infrastructure across the state.
ANNAPOLIS, MD– Environmental leaders and legislators today sharply criticized Governor Larry Hogan’s multi-pronged effort to build fracked-gas pipelines in Maryland at the expense of the environment and consumers. During a telephone press call, two state senators offered an alternative pathway that involves repairing existing leaky gas pipelines in Maryland in a way that would help consumers, create jobs, and protect the climate. Environmental leaders, meanwhile, specifically reiterated their strong opposition to efforts by Hogan and TransCanada to build a controversial fracked-gas pipeline across Maryland and under the Potomac River.
Click here for a downloadable version of the “Hogan’s Fracking Hypocrisy” factsheet
Today’s press conference took place two days before hundreds of concerned activists plan to take part in the first-ever “citizen encirclement” of Gov. Hogan’s mansion, in a show of solidarity and opposition to TransCanada’s Eastern Panhandle Expansion Project, better known as the “Potomac Pipeline.” This unprecedented protest Thursday will be the culmination of nearly a year of opposition to this pipeline across Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Since signing a ban on fracking in 2017, Governor Hogan has worked consistently to undermine the spirit — if not the letter — of the law. For months, his administration has been actively negotiating with controversial Canadian oil and gas companies to ship large amounts of fracked gas into and across Maryland. In December his Administration explicitly called this gas, produced in neighboring states using the dangerous fracking drilling method, a “valuable resource” with “environmental benefits” . The Administration also announced its ambitious plans to “kick-start a natural gas expansion…throughout Maryland.”
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network and the Potomac Riverkeeper Network recently uncovered how Governor Hogan has been collaborating with Canadian companies to promote fracked-gas pipelines. This includes his proposal to use settlement money from the forthcoming merger between Washington Gas and Calgary-based AltaGas to construct fracked-gas pipelines at the expense of Maryland ratepayers. Governor Hogan has proposed a virtually unprecedented settlement wherein the state of Maryland would spend $33 million in settlement money to assist gas companies in the construction of more fracked-gas pipelines all across Maryland. The settlement – which must be approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission later this year — also requires that AltaGas spend an additional $70 million (which could be charged to ratepayers) to promote pipeline construction and other fracked-gas infrastructure in the state.
During the call, Senator Richard Madaleno (D-18) and Senator Paul Pinsky (D-22) proposed taking the $100 million that Hogan wants to give to the fracked gas industry and instead investing it in workers to repair leaky pipes throughout the state, similar to legislation already passed in New Jersey and Massachusetts.
Senator Richard Madaleno (D-18) stated: “While Governor Hogan collaborates with Canadian companies to push dangerous fracked-gas pipelines where people don’t want them, Maryland’s existing pipelines are leaking climate-warming methane into our atmosphere. It’s clear we need to stop new fracked-gas infrastructure like the Potomac Pipeline from endangering the people of Maryland. We can bring jobs and environmental benefits to the state by instead focusing on rebuilding and repairing our current gas infrastructure and transitioning to renewable energy.”
Senator Paul Pinsky (D-22), who is a member of Governor Hogan’s Maryland Climate Commission stated: “Governor Hogan is putting all Marylanders at risk with his plan to aggressively expand fracked-gas infrastructure across the state. We need to work to protect the people of Maryland, not the bottom-line of Canadian gas companies.”
Documents also show that Governor Hogan collaborated with TransCanada to allow the Canadian gas company to carry out a dangerous drilling method called “Horizontal Directional Drilling” without oversight from the Maryland Department of Environment. And despite repeated pleas from groups ranging from the Potomac Riverkeeper Network to the Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Hogan administration refuses to follow a standard set by Virginia and other states when it comes to reviewing impacts to water quality from fracked-gas pipelines.
Mike Tidwell, Executive Director of Chesapeake Climate Action Network, who is also a member of the Maryland Climate Commission, stated: “The Governor has launched this gas expansion effort while saying he supports the Paris Climate Agreements, even as scientists confirm that fracked gas is essentially as harmful to the climate as coal. As for clean-energy substitutes to gas, the Governor vetoed a 2016 General Assembly law expanding wind and solar power and other renewable energy sources to make up 25% of the state’s grid. Governor Hogan is trying to drag us back to the dark ages on climate.”
Brent Walls, Upper Potomac Riverkeeper, stated: “It’s hypocritical for Governor Hogan to take a stand against fracking and push so hard for fracking infrastructure — and it’s absurd for him to do so with such careless disregard for the safety of his constituents. The Potomac Pipeline was just the beginning. We need a new direction for the state of Maryland, one that leads us away from outdated gas infrastructure and towards a truly sustainable energy future.”
CCAN concluded that “Hogan’s commitment to gas infrastructure is a major threat to the state’s energy policy, a potential harm to consumers, and it creates serious legal uncertainty under NAFTA.”
CONTACT:
Denise Robbins; Chesapeake Climate Action Network; denise@chesapeakeclimate.org; 608-620-8819
Brooke Harper; Chesapeake Climate Action Network; brooke@chesapeakeclimate.org; 301-992-6875