COMPANY WITHDRAWS PLANS FOR CRUDE OIL TERMINAL IN BALTIMORE

Decision by Texas-based Targa Terminals Reduces Dangerous Bakken Oil by Rail Through City

Baltimore, Md. – Environmental groups today applauded a decision by a Houston-based company to withdraw plans for a crude oil terminal in the Fairfield area of South Baltimore that could have shipped over 383 million gallons of crude by rail through the city and the Chesapeake Bay.
“It is great news for residents of South Baltimore living near rail lines that Targa Terminals has now withdrawn its application for a crude oil terminal permit,” said Leah Kelly, attorney for the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP).   “Bakken crude oil is volatile and potentially dangerous, and this permit would have allowed one 35-car train per day of Bakken crude to travel through South Baltimore neighborhoods to the terminal.”
Rail shipments of crude oil from the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota have been involved in several large explosions since 2013 following train derailments, including an explosion in the Canadian town of Lac-Megantic that killed 47 people and destroyed the downtown area. Last month, a crude oil train explosion and fire in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge resulted in an evacuation and cancelation of the last week of school in a nearby town.
Late on Friday, July 8, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) informed EIP that Targa had withdrawn its request for a permit to ship crude oil through its existing terminal in the Fairfield area of South Baltimore.
“This is a victory for Baltimore communities and for the climate,” said Jon Kenney, Healthy Communities Organizer with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Thanks to citizen and legal pressure, Targa has terminated its plan to ship more dangerous crude oil out of Baltimore, and bring a new surge of oil trains through our communities. However, we know there are still thousands of gallons of crude oil rolling through Baltimore every week, putting communities in danger. As a next step, the City Council must act on legislation requiring health and safety studies of oil trains.”
Targa Terminals applied in 2014 for a permit from MDE that would have allowed crude oil shipment and storage at its Fairfield terminal.  The company specifically requested approval to handle Bakken crude oil.
In May 2015, MDE put its review of Targa Terminals’ crude oil permit application on hold in response to legal comments filed by attorneys with EIP on behalf of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Sierra Club, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation. MDE said at the time it was not moving forward with any further review “until the department receives additional information from the company.”
On June 29, 2016, Targa Terminals withdrew that application rather than provide the information required by MDE.  In a responsive letter dated July 8, 2016, MDE advised the company that, until a crude oil permit is granted, the company is “prohibited from receiving, storing, and/or transferring crude oil at the Baltimore Terminal.”
“We’re happy and relieved that Targa Terminals has chosen not to pursue constructing a crude oil storage and loading facility in South Baltimore,” said Jennifer Kunze, Maryland State Organizer for Clean Water Action.  “If it had been constructed, this would have increased the air pollution in an already-overburdened area of Baltimore, where neighbors just won the fight to stop construction of the nation’s largest trash-burning incinerator.  It also would have meant more trains carrying volatile crude oil through South and Southwest Baltimore, neighborhoods where people’s homes, parks, churches, and businesses are just yards from the tracks – putting them at risk of an explosion if one of those train cars derailed.”
Contact:
Tom Pelton, Environmental Integrity Project, 443-510-2574 or tpelton@environmentalintegrity.org
Kelly Trout, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Jennifer Kunze, Clean Water Action, 410-235-8808.  jkunze@cleanwater.org

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Governor McAuliffe Falls Far Short on Energy Executive Order

Chesapeake Climate Action Network * Virginia Organizing * Virginia Student Environmental Coalition

Background and statement from Virginia Organizing, the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition (VSEC), and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN):
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe’s executive order on energy today is a small step that falls well short of what he should be doing in the fight against climate change. In April, Governor McAuliffe received a D-plus grade from Virginia clean energy advocates. Over 60 groups statewide are now planning to march to his house on July 23rd (www.marchonthemansion.org) to demand bolder and better leadership for clean energy now.
Unfortunately, the Governor’s announced executive order today was not nearly enough to reverse his other highly harmful energy policies. The Governor today pledged that his administration would study ways to reduce carbon emissions from power plants.
If the Governor is truly serious about combating climate change, he would use his existing authority to do much more. Specifically, he could:
1) Announce that we will end his all-out blanket support for massive fracked gas pipelines proposed for construction across nearly 1,000 miles of Virginia. These pipelines, if built, would trigger greenhouse gas emissions equal to nearly DOUBLING the total current global warming pollution from all of Virginia’s existing power plants. The Governor should instead announce that he will protect citizens from the harm of these pipelines by using his Clean Water Act authority to challenge permits for these pipeline projects that threaten local drinking water.
2) Announce that he will commit Virginia to a state implementation strategy under the federal Clean Power Plan that puts a leak-proof, mass-based cap on carbon emissions from existing and future power plants. Any other plan would lead to actual increases in harmful climate pollution. Such an increase, incredibly, is precisely what utility Dominion Power has proposed in response to the Clean Power Plan. The Governor has yet to reject Dominion’s preferred approach, despite his claim that he wants to address climate change in the state.
3) Announce his opposition to offshore drilling for oil and gas in Virginia. Such drilling could increase greenhouse gas emissions equal to adding 24 million cars to the road every year while exposing the Virginia coast to a BP-like oil spill disaster.
Concluding statement from VSEC, Virginia Organizing, and CCAN:

With his executive order today, Governor McAuliffe wants Virginians to believe he’s serious about climate change even though he supports massive new pipelines for fracked gas and offshore drilling for oil. Only when the Governor stops supporting major policies that make global warming much worse will he have any credibility on minor environmental policies like today’s executive order.

Contact:
Mike Tidwell, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 240-396-2022 (cell), mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org
Amanda Pohl, Virginia Organizing, 804-337-1912, amanda@virginia-organizing.org
Drew Shannon, Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, (561) 512-8843
Ian Ware, Virginia Student Environmental Coalition

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D.C. Council Unanimously Approves 50% Renewable Energy Target

D.C. Council Unanimously Approves Region-Leading 50% Renewable Energy Target

The bill commits D.C. to 50% clean power by 2032; creates a program to cut bills in half for 100,000 low-income families
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The nation’s capital took another step toward nation-leading climate action today, as the District of Columbia Council unanimously approved legislation (B21-650) to expand D.C.’s renewable energy target to 50 percent by 2032.
“Today’s vote is a major step toward growing the District’s clean energy economy,” said Councilmember Mary Cheh (Ward 3), lead sponsor of B21-650. “This bill will create good-paying jobs, more affordable energy, and healthier air for all District residents.”
The bill, which heads to the desk of Mayor Muriel Bowser, sets one of the top-five mandatory clean energy goals in the nation at the state level. By creating incentives for 1,500 Megawatts of new solar and wind power, the bill will quadruple jobs in D.C.’s solar industry, which currently employs 1,000 people. It will also reduce climate pollution at a rate equal to taking 500,000 cars off the road per year.
On top of expanding D.C.’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, the bill establishes a “Solar for All” program that aims to cut the electric bills of 100,000 low-income District households in half by 2032 using clean energy and energy conservation.
“The D.C. Council is setting an example of strong climate action that leaders on Capitol Hill and across our region should follow,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Solar and wind are the fastest growing sources of power, and D.C. is positioning itself to capture the benefits of cleaner air, thousands of new jobs, and a better future for all residents.”
Clean energy is already a growing source of power and a driver of economic development in the District. D.C.’s existing renewable energy standard requires 20% of the District’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020, a target the city is on pace to exceed. D.C. currently has over 250 clean energy companies, which are positioned to grow under the new policy.
“Washington, D.C. is already seeing a solar boom, and it’s about to get a whole lot bigger,” said Atta Kiarash, Construction Manager at D.C.-based Solar Solution, LLC. “Today’s vote will create an estimated 4,000 new D.C. jobs in the solar industry that pay middle class wages and offer career pathways for D.C. workers.”
The bill passed today will assist D.C.’s low-income residents in particular. Low-income households spend a high proportion of their income on energy bills. By connecting low-income families to low-cost clean energy and money-saving energy efficiency upgrades, the bill will help D.C. residents cover basic needs like food, housing and education. More clean energy will also reduce toxic air pollution that disproportionately impacts the health of low-income people and people of color.
“With Mayor Bowser’s signature, D.C. will join the ranks of a number of cities and states leading a clean energy revolution,” said Chris Weiss, Executive Director, of the DC Environmental Network. “The D.C. Council is taking the steps necessary to more aggressively curb carbon emissions that cause climate change. Additionally, the Solar for All program will make sure clean and affordable renewable energy is available to all District residents. The DC Environmental Network urges Mayor Bowser to sign this bill as soon as possible.”
D.C. has more than enough renewable resources at hand to meet and exceed the 50% target approved today. D.C. can meet its higher goal by tapping just 11 percent of the wind power already in queue to be developed in the region. Meanwhile, D.C.’s total solar potential is 2 Gigawatts, or four times greater than the 5% solar “carve-out” set by the new legislation.
Resources:

Contact:
Kelly Trout, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-396-2022
James McGarry, james@chesapeakeclimate.org, 914-563-2256

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CCAN Applauds D.C. for Divesting its $6.4 Billion Pension Fund from Fossil Fuels

Washington, D.C. – Today, D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen joined environmental and philanthropic leaders to announce that the District of Columbia Retirement Board (DCRB) has divested its $6.4 billion fund from all direct investments in 200 of the world’s most polluting fossil fuel companies. On Tuesday, June 7th, the D.C. Council will vote on a ceremonial resolution honoring the DCRB’s action.
This week’s announcement follows a three-year campaign led by DC Divest, a citizens group dedicated to promoting divestment in the District of Columbia.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), issued the following statement in response:
“The District of Columbia Retirement Board deserves our applause for taking bold and decisive action to divest from fossil fuel companies. Global warming is already causing record flooding, heat and storms in D.C. and across our region, threatening our health, economy and future. We must take immediate action, and the District is taking a big step forward by cutting financial ties with oil, gas and coal companies that are responsible for creating this crisis and blocking our path to solutions.
“We cannot and must not back down when it comes to fighting for a cleaner, safer future. This win on divestment is one of many more to come in making the nation’s capital a leader on climate action.”
See the DC Divest press release at: http://dcdivest.org/2016/06/06/dc-divests-pension-fund-oil-gas-coal-companies/

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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, DC. CCAN is building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions: www.chesapeakeclimate.org.

Hogan vetoed clean energy progress. Call him today!

Last Friday, just before the long holiday weekend, Governor Larry Hogan made a deeply harmful and hypocritical decision to veto the Clean Energy Jobs Act.
The Baltimore Sun called the Governor’s move “short-sighted.”1 Bill sponsor Delegate Bill Frick called it “infuriating.” I‘d call it flat-out wrong. And, with your help, we WILL overturn it.
Thousands of Marylanders like you fought to pass this bill, and increase our state’s renewable energy standard to 25% by 2020. With this shocking veto, Governor Hogan has frozen the promise of thousands of new jobs, cleaner air, and a safer climate. And he’s put the jobs of hundreds of Maryland solar installers at immediate risk.2
As a first step, we need to make sure Governor Hogan understands the line he’s crossed.
Pick up the phone and call Governor Hogan today. Tell him Marylanders will not stand by and let him stall our clean energy progress!
In his veto letter, Governor Hogan misleadingly called the Clean Energy Jobs Act a “tax” on ratepayers. We know it’s an investment in a brighter, more just future.
Marylanders pay a high cost for dirty energy now — every time a business floods from rising seas or a child misses school for asthma. With an investment of less than a penny per day per resident, we can get a quarter of our electricity from clean sources within five years, saving lives through cleaner air and lowering bills over the long-term. In fact, the Hogan administration’s own study confirms that our current clean energy standard is a multi-billion dollar boon to Maryland’s economy.
With his veto, Governor Hogan not only misled the public, he backtracked on his own policy. The Governor recently signed legislation requiring a 40% cut in greenhouse gas pollution by 2030. Now he’s vetoed our number one tool to curb emissions. So what’s his plan?
Call Governor Hogan now. Tell him Marylanders want action — not empty promises — on climate change.
Thanks to your action, we passed the Clean Energy Jobs Act with bipartisan support and veto-proof majorities in the General Assembly. Over 71% of Marylanders and over 170 small businesses across the state support expanding our use of renewable energy.
Governor Hogan sent a message that he is not listening to his constituents, the General Assembly, or business leaders.
Now it’s time for us to send a message to Governor Hogan.
Next, we will work together to override this veto!

CCAN Condemns Hogan's Veto of Bill to Expand Clean Energy and Jobs in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, Md.–Despite its passage with overwhelming, bipartisan, and veto-proof support, Governor Larry Hogan today vetoed legislation that would expand Maryland’s use of solar and wind power, create thousands of family-sustaining jobs, and help thousands of Maryland households reduce their electric bills through solar energy.
The Clean Energy Jobs Act (SB 921/HB 1106), sponsored by Senator Catherine Pugh and Delegate Bill Frick, would commit Maryland to getting 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, up from the current goal of 20 percent by 2022. This step would create incentives for roughly 1,300 Megawatts of new clean energy.
A 2016 poll conducted by the nonpartisan firm OpinionWorks showed that nearly three-quarters of Maryland voters, including a majority of Republicans, back the renewable energy expansion.
Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, released the following statement in response:
“Governor Hogan’s veto of the bipartisan Clean Energy Jobs Act is a shock to business leaders and Marylanders who value clean air and water.
“While we fully expect the General Assembly to override this veto, Governor Hogan has ushered in harm to our economy and environment in the meantime. This veto will likely cause immediate job losses in the solar industry, while temporarily delaying reductions in harmful air, water and climate pollution. It’s deeply hypocritical for the Governor to say he supports reducing greenhouse gas pollution and now to veto the top policy solution.
“In defending his veto, Governor Hogan ignored the overwhelming economic and consumer benefits of clean energy, while using misleading statistics to distort the cost impact of the bill. In fact, the Clean Energy Jobs Act does not impose any new taxes while it will help Marylanders save money through affordable solar and better health. Meanwhile, the costs of fossil fuels to our health and climate keep rising.
“In a state that’s experienced so much clean energy job growth and is so vulnerable to sea level rise, the Governor’s veto is bad for business, bad for our environment, and bad politics.”

Expanding Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard to 25% by 2020 will:

  • Grow Jobs: Over 1,000 new high-paying Maryland solar jobs will be created in addition to Maryland’s 4,300 existing jobs in the solar sector.
  • Protect Health: Significantly improve the state’s air quality while preventing 25 to 50 premature deaths per year and increasing regional economic growth by $200 million to $450 million annually due to better health outcomes.
  • Combat Climate Change: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 2.7 million metric tons per year. That’s the carbon equivalent of taking 563,000 passenger vehicles off the road every year.

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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, DC. CCAN is building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions: www.chesapeakeclimate.org.

Protest Greets Dominion CEO at Annual Meeting in South Carolina

Photo credit: Ian Ware

Dominion Greeted by Protests Over Rigged Democracy and Dirty Energy Outside Annual Shareholder Meeting in Columbia

Activists from Md., Va., N.C. and S.C. unite to challenge business practices that jeopardize shareholders, communities, and the climate

Columbia, S.C. — Activists from across the Southeast converged outside Dominion Resources’ annual shareholder meeting in Columbia this morning, urging the company to abandon its drive for decades of more dirty energy investments and instead lead the region’s transition to renewable energy.
Under banners reading “Our Climate, Our Democracy. SOLD to the highest bidder: Dominion,” and “No more business as usual. Keep it in the ground,” roughly 20 protesters greeted the arriving utility executives, board members and shareholders by staging a mock auction of citizens’ clean air, clean water, climate and democracy. “Dominion officials” repeatedly outbid “the people,” using their deep pockets to buy off elected leaders and block meaningful clean energy solutions.
Inside the meeting, activist shareholders presented five separate environmental resolutions aimed at forcing the company to clean up its act.
“Dominion is putting short-sighted profits ahead of our right to clean air and water, a stable climate, and a functioning democracy,” said Dyanna Jaye with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and one of the protest organizers. “As Dominion pours cash into our political system, it gets a license to keep pouring toxins into our waters and pumping heat-trapping pollution into our atmosphere.”
Dominion is a primary force behind a massive overbuild of new infrastructure for fracked gas across the region — including its controversial proposed 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline — and a major campaign contributor to state politicians in Virginia, where the company is headquartered. A report released last month shows that Dominion’s $5.1 billion pipeline is part of a significant overbuild by the gas industry that puts landowners, ratepayers and investors at risk.
Protesters traveled from as far as Lusby, Maryland, where Dominion is constructing its Cove Point gas export facility, to highlight the harm these investments have on local communities.
“I live in one of the 2,365 houses within a two-mile evacuation radius around Dominion’s Cove Point facility,” said Ana Ojeda of Lusby, who is a member of We Are Cove Point and Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community. “I’m lucky enough to be able to take a day off and drive all the way down to Columbia. I’m here to express how anguished and heart-broken our community is at having to host this toxic facility. We’re going to suffer so Dominion can profit.”
Lusby residents were joined by activists from Virginia, where Dominion is facing public backlash and a lawsuit for polluting the state’s rivers and drinking water with toxic coal ash. In February, more than 600 people marched through the streets of downtown Richmond to protest state permits allowing Dominion to dump half a billion gallons of coal ash wastewater into the James River and a tributary of the Potomac River. Two weeks later, more than 30 students staged a sit-in at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality amidst revelations that Virginia’s top regulator, David Paylor, took a 2013 golf vacation on Dominion’s dime.
“Dominion’s plans to invest billions in fracked-gas power plants and pipelines will shackle its customers and its shareholders to the health and financial risks of dirty energy for generations to come,” said Hannah Wiegard, Virginia Campaign Coordinator at Appalachian Voices. “With the solar industry booming, energy efficiency immediately at hand, and the costs of climate change rising, clean energy is the safest and savviest investment today.”
Activists from Columbia and nearby North Carolina joined today’s action in solidarity against Dominion’s multi-billion-dollar pipeline plan that would trample property rights and worsen climate change.
“South Carolina legislators listened to their constituents and spoke out against the Palmetto Pipeline that threatened local property rights and our environment,” said Drew Hudson, a Columbia resident (Earlwood) and director of Environmental Action. “But Dominion is seizing land and paving pipelines across hundreds of families in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and beyond. What’s fair here should be fair everywhere — no more seizing private property for corporate profit and at the expense of our water, air and climate.”
Shareholders presented resolutions inside the meeting pushing Dominion to acknowledge the financial risks climate change would pose to its bottom line, to include an environmental expert on the company’s board, to make public its rationale for funding the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) — a group known for its aggressive support of climate change denial and attacks on clean energy — and more.
Ruth Amundsen, a shareholder who traveled from Norfolk, Virginia, said: “This is really a pivotal time. So many utilities are learning that a new business model is needed. They need to fully commit to renewable energy, and learn to profit from a distributed generation network. If Dominion can be flexible enough to do that, they can remain a thriving business into the future, and help not only local economies and job markets, but make our energy network more resilient and less polluting to boot. Remaining tied to fossil fuels because that is the way they have always worked — that model is not going to be successful in the future. To quote Arnold Schwarzenegger: It’s like being the last horse-and-buggy salesman in the age of cars, or the last investor in Blockbuster in the dawn of Netflix.”
The five accountability resolutions are Items 4,5,7,8 and 9 in the 2016 proxy statement: https://www.dom.com/library/domcom/pdfs/investors/proxy-2016.pdf?la=en
Photos from the outside protest are available at: http://chesapeakeclimate.org/press-releases/protest-greets-dominion-ceo-at-annual-meeting-in-south-carolina/
CONTACT:
Dyanna Jaye, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 757-375-0678, dyanna@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Hannah Wiegard, Appalachian Voices, 804-536-5598, hannah@appvoices.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, DC. CCAN is building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions: www.chesapeakeclimate.org.

Appalachian Voices is an award-winning nonprofit organization that brings people together to protect the communities and natural resources of the Appalachian region. We promote a shift from harmful, polluting energy practices — including mountaintop removal coal mining and natural gas fracking — to a cleaner, more just and sustainable energy future: www.appvoices.org.

The Grades are In on Governor McAuliffe

Here at CCAN, we believe grading “curves” have their place. But not when it comes to climate leadership. When the stakes are so high — when coastal neighborhoods are already flooding at “normal” high tides and when extreme heat, storms, ice melt, and wildfires keep shattering records — we believe it’s our job to hold our leaders to the highest standards. When scientists warn we must keep 80% of the world’s known fossil fuel reserves in the ground to have a chance of stabilizing the climate, climate leadership requires championing clean energy solutions 100% of the time.
From this perspective, we released a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive report card this week, giving Governor Terry McAuliffe some mid-term feedback on his two-year climate and energy record in Virginia.
The Governor earned an interim “D+” average across five categories. Governor McAuliffe has fallen far short compared to his promises as a candidate and in light of the growing urgency of the climate crisis. You can read the full report and read why here.
While we give the Governor credit for positive steps – like modest solar and efficiency measures, a veto of coal tax credits, and securing federal funds to combat sea-level rise – his championing of decades more reliance on fracked gas threatens to have a far more substantive, long-term negative impact.
For example, Governor McAuliffe has lobbied for major new fracked gas pipelines – Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Mountain Valley Pipeline – that could trigger more greenhouse gas pollution than all of the state’s current coal- and gas-fired power plants combined. He’s also pushed for opening up Virginia’s coastal waters to offshore drilling (only to see that plan, thanks to an outpouring of grassroots opposition, withdrawn by President Obama).
But Governor McAuliffe also gets a major “incomplete” – and a major chance to rescue his average – when it comes to the federal Clean Power Plan.
Some great allies – leaders with Virginia Organizing, the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, and Interfaith Power & Light (DMV), as well as landowners fighting fracked gas pipelines and riverkeepers fighting to protect our rivers from coal ash – joined CCAN Director Mike Tidwell on a conference call with reporters to get this message out. And it was picked up by news stories we generated in the Roanoke Times, on Washington’s WAMU radio station, in the Virginian-Pilot, on Blue Virginia, in the Bay Journal, and more.
As Joelle Novey, director of Interfaith Power & Light, said, “We’re calling on Gov. McAuliffe now to implement a strong Clean Power Plan in Virginia that maximizes reductions in heat-trapping climate pollution.”
By designing a state plan that puts a strong cap on total pollution from both existing and future power plants – and fully embraces wind, solar and efficiency solutions – the Governor can still transform his legacy. Of course, this will require standing up to the state’s biggest polluter and biggest non-party campaign donor, Dominion Virginia Power. Not surprisingly, Dominion would rather the Governor adopt a “rate-based” workaround, rather than put a so-called “mass-based” cap on total emissions. That would allow the company to continue its heavy reliance on fracked gas and to continue increasing its carbon emissions for decades to come.
If the Governor is serious about his campaign promises – to act on climate and to let science be a strong guide – he has a clear chance now to get back on track.
As Laura Cross, a University of Virginia sophomore and member of the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, said during the call with reporters, “We won’t settle for less because the climate crisis demands no less.”
Scroll through the full report here:
McAuliffe-Report-Card-Climate-Energy

Report Card Warns Gov. McAuliffe is Close to ‘Flunking Out’ on Climate and Clean Energy Priorities

Va. environmental, justice, student, and faith groups give the Governor a ‘D+’ average, weighed down by fracked-gas pipeline and coal ash failings

McAuliffe can rescue his legacy by developing a strong ‘Clean Power Plan,’ say advocates

RICHMOND—A coalition of environmental, social justice, faith, student, and community leaders issued Governor Terry McAuliffe an interim grade of “D+” today in releasing a first-of-its-kind report card on his two-year record on climate change and clean energy priorities in Virginia. The report finds that the Governor’s record so far has been a “significant disappointment” compared to his promises as a candidate and in light of the growing urgency of the climate crisis.
The report is available to view and download at: http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/McAuliffe-Report-Card-Climate-Energy.pdf
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Virginia Organizing, the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, and Interfaith Power & Light (MD.DC.NoVA) released the report, which grades Governor McAuliffe across five categories. He received the lowest marks—an “F” and “D-” respectively—for enabling toxic coal ash pollution and for promoting the largest proposed fossil fuel expansion Virginia has seen in a generation, including massive pipelines and new power plants fueled by fracked gas.
The high-pollution impact of the Governor’s support for fossil fuels threatens to overshadow his modest steps forward to spur clean energy and to address sea-level rise, the groups warn.
“When coastal Virginia is flooding at ‘normal’ high tide, we’re out of time for Governor McAuliffe’s ‘one step forward, two steps back’ approach,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Climate leadership, at its core, means keeping fossil fuels in the ground, not lobbying for decades more reliance on fracked gas and offshore oil drilling. In this regard, the Governor has failed the climate, and the health and safety of Virginians, in a major way.”
Leaders with the Potomac Riverkeeper Network and landowners fighting the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines joined a tele-press conference this morning.
“Governor McAuliffe gets a double ‘F’ on coal ash just like his name. His administration has failed to protect its citizens by giving Dominion virtually a free license to pollute our rivers and drinking water. His regulatory agency has totally failed to provide any meaningful oversight of Dominion,” said Dean Naujoks, Potomac Riverkeeper. “Virginia’s chief regulator, David Paylor, has acted as a partner to Dominion, joining Dominion on a lavish golf trip before covering up a 27.5 million gallon coal ash wastewater dump into the Potomac River. Yet, the Governor has done nothing to rectify the situation.”
The groups give Governor McAuliffe an “incomplete” for his response to the federal “Clean Power Plan,” which they cite as the Governor’s biggest opportunity to transform his record.
“Virginia Organizing is committed to clean energy to create new jobs and, most importantly, to protect our precious natural resources,” said LaDelle McWhorter, Chairperson of Virginia Organizing. “It is time for Governor Terry McAuliffe to take action and for that action to be in the interest of the people of Virginia, not those who represent the big polluters.”
Governor McAuliffe has sole authority to prepare a state plan to implement the federal rules, which are designed to reduce carbon pollution from power plants. Previously, McAuliffe lobbied with the state’s largest utility company, Dominion Virginia Power, to lower Virginia’s requirements. His design of a state plan could either fully embrace clean energy or allow Dominion to invest in more polluting gas and increase carbon emissions for years to come.
“Climate change presents an urgent moral challenge to Governor McAuliffe and all people of goodwill across the Commonwealth,” said Joelle Novey, director of Interfaith Power & Light (MD.DC.NoVA). “Virginia’s faith communities are already doing everything they can to shift to cleaner power, and today we call on Governor McAuliffe to follow our lead by developing a strong ‘Clean Power Plan’ that faithfully lowers pollution using real solutions: solar, wind and efficiency. We all are called to act on climate for the sake of our neighbors and future generations.”
The report and the speakers on today’s call noted other key areas where Governor McAuliffe’s administration can rectify low marks, from requiring utilities to move toxic coal ash to modern, lined landfills to using the state’s Clean Water Act authority to block key pipeline permits.
“Governor McAuliffe has so far abandoned landowners like me, as we fight to protect our natural heritage and homes from multi-billion dollar corporations and a derelict federal agency,” said Scott Ballin, an Augusta County landowner whose home lies in the path of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. “By joining calls for a combined regional pipeline review, and denying state water permits, Governor McAuliffe could yet become an ally.”
“The Governor’s support of fracked gas pipelines and infrastructure that blasts through venerable mountain forests, sullying streams, creeks and groundwater and destroying whole watersheds in its path to export terminals, is extremely short sighted,” said Roberta Bondurant, a long-time Bent Mountain resident and a member of POWHR (Protect Our Water, Heritage, and Rights) and Preserve Roanoke/Bent Mountain, groups fighting the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline. “Among those in the pipeline opposition is a cadre of incredibly capable and talented environmental and energy scientists, and the Governor should avail himself of their experience and wisdom to protect our water resources. He has the opportunity, in the Clean Power Plan, to establish his legacy of renewable energy. We encourage him to seize it.”
A concern repeated throughout the report is the role of Dominion—the largest non-party campaign donor and largest climate polluter in Virginia—in influencing the McAuliffe administration’s policies.
“Students are deeply concerned that Governor McAuliffe is putting the profits of Dominion before a healthy future for all Virginians,” said Laura Cross, a second year student at the University of Virginia and a member of the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition. “We hope this report card is a wake-up call for the Governor. We need real leadership, and we need it now.”

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Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Amanda Pohl, 804-337-1912, amanda@virginia-organizing.org

Meet a CCANer: Fracking Fellow Darien Pusey

As a CCAN spring fracking fellow, Darien was a major part of the successful campaign to ban fracking in his home of Prince George’s County!
Your age: 23
Where you live: Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Your profession: I am a recent graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park with a degree in Environmental Science and Policy. I just started working as a Program Assistant at the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment.
What are the impacts of climate change that hit closest to home for you?
An impact of climate change that hits closest to home for me is asthma. As an Upper Marlboro resident in the lower third of Prince George’s County, I am all too familiar with the dangerous effects that power plants and other major emitters of pollutants and greenhouse gases can have. These sources of pollution are often placed in minority, low-income and rural areas, with any complaints of their harmful effects disregarded or not properly addressed. There are several members in my family who have developed asthma as a result of factors such as poor air quality due to pollution from these sources.
Why did you decide to get involved in taking action on climate?
I decided to get involved in taking action on climate when I noticed the correlation between environmental issues and low-income or minority communities. These communities within the U.S and around the world feel the effects of climate issues the most and often have little to no knowledge or resources to fight it. I felt as though it was my duty to not only protect the health of those people, but to be sure to do my best to give them the tools necessary so that they can also fight for themselves and teach others to do the same.
What has inspired you most working with CCAN?
The thing that inspired me the most working with CCAN, particularly on the Prince George’s fracking ban campaign, was seeing the large variety of supporters coming together, regardless of age, race or economic background in order to push for the common goal of banning fracking in Prince George’s County, eventually resulting in the fracking ban coming to pass! CCAN and their allies were able to draw support from church leaders, community organizations, students, and everyday Prince George’s County residents; without which, the victory against fracking might not have been possible.
What do you hope to see happen in the next year to address climate change in Maryland?
In the next year, I hope to see the whole state of Maryland follow the example set by places such as New York and Prince George’s County and ban the dangerous practice of fracking throughout the state.
What do you like to do when you’re not advocating in your community?
Spending time with family and friends, playing sports (basketball and football), and listening to music
Who would you high five?
I’d high five all of the Prince George’s County residents who gave support, signed petitions, and met with their councilmembers to keep fracking out of Prince George’s County, and who continue to fight to keep the county healthy and safe for all residents.