Top environmental leaders gathered on the U.S. Capitol steps today to launch “40 days of action” before next month’s 40th-anniversary Earth Day celebration. Virginia activists, meanwhile, held up an oversized pen and asked Senator Jim Webb – an accomplished author – to help write legislation to solve global warming and enhance America’s national security. Continue reading
Record Snow Storms Prompt Maryland Bill to Prepare for Emergencies Fueled by Climate Change
A Maryland State Senator today unveiled a bill that would quantify the economic harm inflicted on Maryland by this winter’s weird weather and prepare the state for future storms related to climate change. The bill is considered the first legislative proposal of its kind from a state hit hard by the “snowmaggedon” storms this year along the east coast. Continue reading
Senate Committee Votes Against 10,000 New Jobs for Virginia
The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee today rejected Senate Bill 71, the “Virginia Jobs and Efficiency Act” patroned by Senator Donald McEachin. The legislation would have held utilities accountable for cutting energy waste through set efficiency standards, creating jobs in Virginia, saving families and businesses money and cutting pollution linked to global warming. Continue reading
Coal Plant Foes Undeterred by Dendron Town Vote Approving ODEC Plans
Following a series of close votes by the Dendron Town Council last night approving zoning changes for Old Dominion Electric Cooperative’s proposed coal-fired power plant, the Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition vowed to continue fighting plans for what would be the largest coal-fired power plant in Virginia, and one of the top polluters in the state. Continue reading
New Economic Report Shows Few Jobs From Proposed coal Plant in Surry County Would Go To Local Residents
At a public hearing tonight, the Dendron Town Council will receive the first publicly available analysis of the economic impacts that Old Dominion Electric Cooperative’s proposed coal-fired power plant would have on Dendron and Surry County. Among other things, the report estimates that, during the peak construction year, only three jobs would go to current Dendron residents and Surry County residents would get only 14% of the construction jobs. Continue reading
Hundreds of Local Climate Activists Brave Icy Water in Fifth Annual "Polar Bear Plunge"
Hundreds of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. residents plunged into an icy Chesapeake Bay today to express their alarm over the rapid advance of global warming, and to highlight their demand for action at the state and federal levels. Continue reading
Environmental Groups Applaud State for Taking Enforcement Action Against Coal Ash Landfill
Environmental groups announced their support today for the Maryland Department of the Environment’s decision to take enforcement action against Mirant MD Ash Management, LLC and Mirant Mid-Atlantic, LLC for violations of the federal Clean Water Act and state law at the Brandywine coal ash landfill. The groups include the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and the Patuxent Riverkeeper. Continue reading
Environmental Community Applauds Senator McEachin's Jobs Plan
Leading members of Virginia’s environmental community today applauded Senator Donald McEachin’s energy efficiency legislation as a winning plan for Virginia. By creating energy efficiency standards for utilities, the legislation will create jobs and save families money on their energy bills while also reducing the demand for mountaintop removal coal mining and cutting pollution linked to global warming. Continue reading
4 Major Groups to Sue Mirant for Pollution Violations at Brandywine Coal Combustion Waste Landfill
Due to serious concerns about toxic pollution discharged from an unlined coal ash waste dump in suburban Washington, D.C., four environmental groups — Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and Patuxent Riverkeeper – announced today that they intend to sue Mirant MD Ash Management, LLC and Mirant Mid-Atlantic, LLC Corporation for violations of the federal Clean Water Act at the Brandywine Coal Combustion Waste (CCW) Landfill in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The Environmental Integrity Project and the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Maryland School of Law are acting as co-counsel for the four groups. Continue reading
Gov. O'Malley Receives "Climate Leadership Award" from CCAN
On behalf of its 80,000 supporters across the region, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network today named Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley as recipient of its highest annual prize. The “Maryland Climate Leadership Award” is presented to the Governor for his critical leadership in helping to pass the historic Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act in Maryland earlier this year. Continue reading