The Greater Cost of Eliminating DEI in the Face of the Climate Crisis

Written by Kate Saylor, CCAN’S NoVa New Leaf Volunteer

The Trump administration has chosen to recklessly eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from the fabric of our federal government, and many businesses, large and small, are following suit. If only climate change would take a similar tactic and focus its efforts only on those with the means to respond to its devastating destruction, rather than taking a DEI approach by giving disadvantaged communities an equal (and often greater) taste of its wrath.

New Orleans, LA, August 30, 2005–Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

With the elimination of DEI, the administration aims to achieve more “merit-based” hires, but I fear that, as has historically been the case, hiring committees (made up of predominantly affluent white men) will hire candidates that look, sound, and feel familiar, creating a government that doesn’t understand what it’s like to grow up without wealth or privilege or with skin pigmentation that betrays one as “other.” This will be so incredibly dangerous during a time when, again, climate change does not follow the memo to target only the rich and privileged. Of course, it would be lovely for climate change to focus its devastation only on those who have, say, another house they can retreat to. Perhaps though, we could settle for it to target only those who have comprehensive home insurance, a personal vehicle or two, and excellent health insurance to cover the detrimental effects of wildfire smoke and other pollutants, heat-related risks, and even the impacts on mental health that climate change brings.

But it won’t. Climate change will not reserve its wrath for those who can afford to face it. Instead, it harms the poor, who for example, are more likely to buy houses built in areas more prone to flooding, who can’t afford to evacuate, and who don’t have access to health care when they’re impacted.  Communities of color often face higher health risks from environmental hazards (e.g., air pollution, traffic, contaminated water) and are more vulnerable to climate-related health effects due to racial and socioeconomic disparities, including lack of access to quality housing, education, and food.

Turning our backs on DEI will mean not only fewer job opportunities for intelligent, creative, qualified members of the LGBTQIA+ community but also less access for people with physical or mental disabilities. Climate change, however, is not giving up on its DEI pursuits. Those who identify as queer can still expect a more difficult time recovering from climate disasters. This may be because recovery efforts are often powered by churches and other nonprofits that sometimes turn away the LGBTQIA+ community and other minorities. Perhaps it goes without saying, but climate change also has no intention to stop targeting our community members with limited abilities. From evacuation services to recovery to maintaining support services during emergencies to everyday struggles with air quality, the negative impacts of climate change disproportionately harm people with disabilities.

Asheville’s River Arts District Five Weeks After Helene

My sister was in the hospital this fall on a ventilator. She has Downs Syndrome, and, we discovered, a very rare autoimmune disease. Because she was fighting for her life, she didn’t have to fight for saline at the time, but many others did because saline was in short supply after Hurricane Helene hit a critical manufacturer in North Carolina. Last week however, as she received life-saving treatment for her autoimmune disease, we were told that the treatment should end with a saline drip, but saline is still in short supply, so she couldn’t get it.

Eliminating DEI from the federal government eliminates the opportunity to cultivate a culture of listening to the voices of those most impacted by climate change. But here in our communities, we can still make a difference. By joining grassroots organizations like the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, we can amplify the voices of frontline communities, push for stronger policies, and advocate for a more just, sustainable future. Together, we can take concrete steps to reduce emissions, protect our environment, and ensure that those most affected by climate change have a seat at the table. Now is the time to act — our communities need us, and our planet depends on us. Get involved, stay informed, and help create real change!

Written by Kate Saylor, CCAN’S NoVa New Leaf Volunteer

The Day After Inauguration: MLK Day 2025 and the Ongoing Struggle for Environmental Justice

As we reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2025, we honor the remarkable work of a leader who fought tirelessly for justice, equality, and the upliftment of marginalized communities. King’s advocacy for civil rights extended beyond racial equality; it encompassed economic justice, peace, and ultimately, environmental justice—a fight that remains just as urgent today. This year, however, the MLK Day celebration held an additional layer of significance. It coincided with the inauguration of President Donald Trump, a leader whose environmental policies often stand in stark opposition to the principles of climate justice. 

Yesterday marked a critical juncture in American history, providing an opportunity to revisit Dr. King’s vision of justice while grappling with the future of environmental justice in an era marked by growing opposition to climate action and environmental protections. While King’s words and actions emphasize the interconnection of all life, Trump’s track record reflects a stark disregard for the environment, often prioritizing corporate interests over the well-being of marginalized communities, especially those most vulnerable to environmental pollution. 

King famously said, “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” These words resonate deeply when we consider the current state of environmental justice. Climate change and pollution disproportionately impact low-income communities and communities of color—those who are least responsible for the crisis but most affected by its consequences. Yet, under President Trump’s administration, the push for environmental protection is consistently undermined, leaving vulnerable populations even more at risk.

Dr. King’s fight for justice extended beyond racial and economic equality. He envisioned a world where everyone had access to a healthy and sustainable environment. His commitment to justice was holistic—emphasizing the connection between poverty, racism, and environmental degradation. The modern environmental justice movement, which advocates for protection from environmental harm for marginalized communities, draws from Dr. King’s understanding of justice as interconnected and inseparable from the fight for racial, economic, and social equity.

Yet, as we reflect on his legacy, we must confront the reality that President Trump’s administration has systematically rolled back environmental protections, prioritizing corporate interests over the health and well-being of the most vulnerable communities—communities Dr. King fought so hard to uplift. On his first day back as president, Trump signed an executive letter giving notice of the U.S. exit from the Paris Agreement, a global treaty seeking to combat the climate crisis. 

Dr. King’s Vision for Environmental Justice

Dr. King recognized that true justice was indivisible. In his speeches and actions, he highlighted the links between environmental harm and the struggles of the poor and people of color. In his 1967 speech, King called for systemic change, stating, “The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct, and immediate abolition of poverty.” He also acknowledged the disproportionate environmental burdens placed on marginalized communities, pointing out that pollution and ecological degradation often fell hardest on the poor, particularly communities of color. His words laid the foundation for today’s environmental justice movement, which advocates for equal protection from environmental hazards for all, with a particular focus on those most vulnerable.

Environmental Justice Under Trump’s Administration

Now, as President Trump enters his second term, the environmental landscape remains bleak for those who believe in the fight for a just and equitable future. Under Trump’s leadership, the federal government has rolled back crucial environmental protections, undermining efforts to confront climate change and safeguard vulnerable populations.

One example of this is the 2019 executive order that directed the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to ease restrictions on transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail. This decision put both the environment and public safety at risk, especially in communities already burdened by pollution and health risks. Many of the areas that would be affected by this policy are low-income and predominantly communities of color—groups that Dr. King tirelessly advocated for.

Thankfully, days before the inauguration, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned President Trump’s LNG by Rail Rule. In this instance, as in many others, corporate interests took precedence over the health and safety of the people Dr. King sought to protect. The Trump administration’s track record is a stark reminder of the ongoing need to defend environmental justice.

The Ongoing Fight for Environmental Justice

As we reflect on MLK Day 2025, it is clear that environmental justice remains a critical issue in the face of the climate crisis. Today, more than ever, we must continue to fight for Dr. King’s vision of justice, which encompasses the right to live in a healthy, sustainable environment. The rollback of protections like the 2019 LNG rail transport order represents just one piece of the puzzle in an administration that prioritizes fossil fuel interests over the needs of vulnerable communities. 

By making decisions that benefit the fossil fuel industry at the expense of environmental protections, Trump’s policies have exacerbated the injustices faced by those most vulnerable to environmental harm. Yet, despite these challenges, the fight for environmental justice continues.

King’s dream of a better, more equitable world—one in which all people can live in healthy, sustainable communities—remains alive in the work of countless activists, organizations, and communities across the globe. From grassroots movements fighting for clean water and air to calls for stronger regulations and sustainable energy solutions, the spirit of resistance against environmental injustice continues to thrive.

 

A Call to Action: Upholding Dr. King’s Legacy

As we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we must redouble our efforts to continue the fight for justice in all its forms. We must push back against harmful policies, and hold our leaders accountable for the future of our planet and its most vulnerable inhabitants.

Consider taking action:

  • Support environmental justice organizations – Join or donate to groups like CCAN that are working on the frontlines to protect vulnerable communities from environmental harm.

Dr. King’s words continue to inspire us: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” As we face the realities of the climate crisis we must remain united in the struggle for justice—today, tomorrow, and the next four years. 

In the Climate Fight, We are Not Alone

What Marching Alongside 75,000 Activists Reminds Us

My alarm went off bright and early on the morning of September 17. It was still dark as I pulled myself out of bed just before 5 am. I checked my phone and saw that Mason, CCANs Central Virginia Organizer, had already met up with a group of volunteer activists he had rallied together, boarded them all onto a charter bus, and was headed to the March to End Fossil Fuels in New York City. I splashed some water on my face, slipped on my comfiest tennis shoes, and made my way to College Park, MD where Masons’ bus was stopping to pick up myself, my colleague Mustafa, and a group of additional volunteers from the surrounding area. By 7:30 am, 47 CCANers were on the bus ready to make history.

As we drove I took a moment to look around at the people who had so graciously given up their Sunday to be with there with us. They came from all sorts of backgrounds, from teen activists and college students to retired community members. All there to protest for a liveable future. We all got to know each other on the way there, sharing why we chose to come, singing march chants to get excited, and of course, sharing what felt like a lifetime of coffees to make sure we were all properly caffeinated. 

“I felt compelled with every fiber of my being that I needed to be there,” said Gerri Carrillo of Amelia County, Virginia. 

As for me, I was there because, for the first time in a long time, climate anxiety was overriding the hope I felt about the progress we were collectively making. I turned 26 a few months ago and have been thinking about the future. I was inundated with thoughts about how climate change would affect the world I grew up in and how different it would be for my future children. I could already see it, the effects of climate change were no longer just things I read about in the news. It was happening right in front of me. Smoke from wildfires covering half the country, continuous flooding in my hometown, our fading winters. It all felt completely out of my control. It was easy to feel like I was solely responsible for a global solution. By getting on that bus that humid Sunday morning, I felt like I was taking back power over what I wanted my future to look like. When we arrived, standing there on the streets of New York City, surrounded for miles by other activists, a surge of hope rushed to my cheeks. I could see that there were thousands and thousands and thousands of people who would continue to fight with me. I was not alone. 

 As we marched with herds of other activists down 52nd Street, demands for a paradigm shift echoed in the air: End the era of fossil fuels.

The plan was this: thousands of us would flood the streets the weekend before the UN Climate Ambition Summit, demanding that President Biden lead the world away from fossil fuel reliance. It was time to call on Biden to take decisive executive action to halt new oil and gas leases in the United States. This 2023 March to End Fossil Fuels had the momentum to be not just a massive demonstration, but a crucial moment in Biden’s presidency. It marked the largest climate mobilization he had witnessed since taking office in 2021. 

And it felt like it. More than 75,000 people protested with me, demanding big changes. The number of young people there lit a fire under my butt. The barely threes on their fathers’ shoulders, or the grade schoolers playing tag through the masses (much to their guardians’ chagrin), or the college students who joined me on the CCAN bus. If they could find the courage to keep marching, so could I. Our presence in those streets was a testament to the collective power of individuals who refuse to be bystanders in the face of an escalating climate crisis. A hopeful possibility of a universal understanding that the transition away from fossil fuels was not only necessary, but imperative for the health and well-being of our planet and its inhabitants. And we were there to make it happen. 

“When the air we breathe is under attack, what do we do??” I screamed into the bullhorn Mason had so kindly given me the honor of monitoring (it was my first time using one at an event this size and I was psyched). A few hundred people shouted back, “Stand up!! Fight back!!” I continued, “When the water we drink is under attack, what do we do??” “Stand up, fight back!!”

Our message was clear, we need leaders worldwide to take meaningful climate action, now. It was a declaration that we, as citizens, were united in our determination to protect the Earth and its inhabitants. We marched for our children, our friends, the guy who cut us in line last week, our parents and siblings, the kid who used to push us on the playground, for those who could not march. That day we marched for humanity as a whole, reminded that Earth will survive climate change, but we might not. Stand up. Fight back.

Ending new drilling for gas and oil

Would be our hearts’ desire.

Deadly fossil fuels will kill us all,

Setting Mother Earth on fire!

– Frances Broaddus-Crutchfield, Midlothian, VA

We came to the end of our march path and settled in to listen to speakers such as Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, a sixteen-year-old climate leader, and even an eight-year-old activist with his mother. Hearing their speeches made me hyperaware of one thing: we were all scared – but we were all here. I was situated next to a loudspeaker, but even with my ears ringing at the end of each speech, I could hear that all of these voices echoed in part of a global chorus demanding a massive shift. We have the home team advantage in this fight, and boy do we have something to fight for. The thought of the loss we’re faced with if we do nothing is enough to make anyone shut down completely. But scared as we were, we all showed up to do something about it. 

Growing up, my dad often repeated a popular Nelson Mandela quote to us, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” Continuing to push on and advocate for justice in the face of overwhelming fear. That was us, courageously pushing forward, pushing for change. The energy and determination that coursed through the crowd was a forceful reminder that the fight against climate change was a battle we could not afford to lose. This march was not an isolated event, but a catalyst for ongoing action. It was a rallying cry that reverberated through the halls of power, calling for a transformative shift in our energy policies. The momentum generated on that day will serve as a foundation for the continued battle to end our reliance on fossil fuels.

In the aftermath of the march, as we climbed back on our bus and returned to our homes and communities in the DMV area, we carried a renewed sense of purpose. We were armed with the knowledge that we were on the front lines of the largest-ever march with the primary demand of abolishing the fossil fuel industry. Our voices could have the power to effect real change. “Being there among 75,000 other ‘drops in the bucket’ felt amazing!” said Carillo. “I am not young and I am not able-bodied, but I came home thinking, ‘I’ve got work to do and for the rest of my life!’” 

Even now, as I sit in my apartment in Rosslyn, VA, writing this piece, I am reminded that the battle has only just begun. A group of 30 climate protesters from Extinction Rebellion gather in the street below me, blocking traffic and chanting. “What do we want?” “Climate Justice!” “When do we want it?” “Now!” Revolution is in the air, can’t you smell it? I think I’ll wrap this up and head down to join them.

The March to End Fossil Fuels was inspiring and meaningful, but they remind me that the battle is yet to be won. Until it is – I’m standing up, and I’m fighting back. But I am not alone, and neither are you. 

Are you ready to take the next step to end the era of fossil fuels? Sign the petition calling on Biden to end fossil fuels now.

Then become a CCAN Action Member and find your local team.

Tell Biden: End Fossil Fuels!
Join the Movement: Become an Action Member!

Independence Day — A fossil-free future is an American future

Every year on Independence Day, Americans all over the country celebrate the values that this country was founded on. While the usual 4th of July festivities, like barbecuing, watching fireworks, and being with family, are all timeless traditions they aren’t the only way to celebrate American values. One important way is to get involved and take action to bring our communities to a fossil-free future.
Equal rights for all American citizens is a key tenet of our country’s values. This includes the right to own land, as well as the right to clean water and a healthy environment.
Unfortunately, oil and gas companies are threatening these rights of citizens all over the country with unwanted and unneeded fossil fuel infrastructure. In Virginia and West Virginia, two massive fracked-gas pipelines — the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipeline — are threatening the water, safety, and property rights of communities in their path. In Maryland, TransCanada wants to build a fracked-gas pipeline right underneath the Potomac River and C&O canal, threatening the drinking water source for millions.
Every day, American lives and values are threatened by large gas and oil companies who propose the building of these new pipelines. They are threatening the safety, freedom and security of the American people.
What does independence from fossil fuels really look like? It looks like a world run on renewable sources of energy like wind, solar, and geothermal. It looks like strong, progressive climate action. It looks like a country with healthy communities and thriving economies in a clean energy future.
Working for climate action is an inherently patriotic act. It shows a dedication to protecting your fellow citizens. It is for these reasons that hundreds of veterans descended on Standing Rock in North Dakota to protect indigenous tribes from the Dakota Access pipeline. And it is why 13 Virginia veterans recently released a letter opposing the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley fracked-gas pipelines. All across the country, Americans are coming together to protect our citizens from the greed of fossil fuel corporations.
So this year, I’ll be building on the courage of those Virginia veterans to stand for Americans and their independence from dangerous fossil fuels.
Here’s how you can help:

It’s time to celebrate our independence and freedom by saying NO to pipelines and YES to a fossil-free future.
Happy Fourth!
——
Photo at the top from Flickr user m01229 with a Creative Commons license. 
 
 
 

Community and Conservation Groups Blast FERC Findings on Fracked-Gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline

Over 100 concerned Virginians weathered the cold and rallied in Waynesboro on November 1st to stop the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

Community and Conservation Groups Blast FERC Findings on Fracked-Gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Dozens of local groups and public advocacy organizations today condemned federal regulators for ignoring evidence that the proposed 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline is not needed and puts lives, communities, drinking water supplies, private property, publicly owned natural resources and the climate at unacceptable risk.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has released its draft environmental review of the $5 billion pipeline spearheaded by Dominion Resources. For two years, the proposal has sparked fierce opposition from hundreds of landowners in the three states — including farmers, business leaders, Native American tribes and rural African-American communities — who reject the company’s plan to take their land without their consent. Their fight has drawn comparisons to the ongoing citizen-led resistance at Standing Rock against the Dakota Access Pipeline, and to the fight in Nebraska to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline.
The Atlantic Coast project would pump fracked gas across West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina, harming communities, water resources, private property, historic sites, and iconic public treasures including the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail. The groups say FERC failed to honestly assess these impacts and disregarded evidence that the project would lock consumer into decades more reliance on dirty fossil fuels.
An independent study shows there is enough existing gas supply in Virginia and the Carolinas to meet consumer demand through 2030 — negating the need for the massive pipeline and the harm it would trigger. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is one of six major pipelines proposed for the same region of West Virginia and Virginia, where experts warn the gas industry is overbuilding pipeline infrastructure. However, FERC ignored this evidence in its draft Environmental Impact Statement while also failing to assess the cumulative effects of the pipelines. The groups also fault the agency for dismissing clean energy alternatives.
In response to requests from numerous elected officials and organizations, FERC has extended the usual 45-day period for public comments; the deadline is April 6, 2017.
While legal and environmental experts are continuing to review the document, they have initially identified major gaps in FERC’s analysis, including:

  • The core issue of whether the massive project is needed to meet electricity demand, and whether alternatives including energy efficiency, solar and wind would be more environmentally responsible sources;
  • A complete analysis of the cumulative, life-cycle climate pollution that would result from the pipeline;
  • A full accounting of the negative economic consequences to communities, including decreased property values, loss of tourism revenue and other factors;
  • Any accounting of other environmental and human health damage from the increased gas fracking in West Virginia that would supply the pipeline; and
  • Thorough, site-specific analysis of damage to water quality and natural resources throughout the pipeline route.

Citizens along the route of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline — along with landowners in the path of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a 301-mile fracked-gas project proposed in the same region — vow they will continue to build resistance to stop them.

Statements from community, environmental and legal experts:

Nancy Sorrells, Augusta County Alliance, 540-292-4170, info@augustacountyalliance.org “Every foot of this route has a victim: a family that would be displaced, a farmer who would impacted, schoolchildren whose safety is compromised, and residents whose drinking water is a risk. And for what? Not for energy independence or to turn on the lights, but rather for the profit of a private corporation.”
Chad Oba, Friends of Buckingham, Cofounder and Chair, 434-969-3229, chado108@me.com “Buckingham County is being targeted for a massive, noisy, polluting compressor station — the project’s only one in Virginia — in an area of former slave plantations that is densely populated by mostly African-American Freedmen. FERC’s review omits virtually all of the cultural resource reports we submitted, effectively erasing us from the record even as we bear the greatest burden. The leaders of Standing Rock have pledged strong kinship with us as another example of environmental racism.”
Ericka Faircloth, a Lumbee Indian member of the grassroots group EcoRobeson. (For interview requests, contact Hope Taylor with Clean Water for NC at hope@cwfnc.org ) “Folks who live in Robeson County, one of the poorest and most diverse counties in North Carolina, are especially vulnerable to the empty promise of jobs. Residents of low wealth will be most severely impacted by higher utility rates to pay for the pipeline, and by lowered value for their land. Potential drinking water contamination, loss of forests and disruption of  cultural sites are among the risks many that poor communities are expected to ‘deal with’ to make way for a project that’s only about  profit.”
Joe Lovett, Appalachian Mountain Advocates, Executive Director, 304-520-2324, jlovett@appalmad.org   “We’re appalled FERC has once more refused to conduct a combined review of the massive slate of pipelines proposed to move fracked gas out of our region. FERC has the extraordinary power to grant ACP the right to take private property for private profit. Yet FERC decided that it didn’t have to do the hard work necessary to determine whether the ACP is necessary. Such a lack of diligence is truly remarkable.”
April Pierson-Keating, Mountain Lakes Preservation Alliance (W.Va.), 304-642-9436, apkeating@hotmail.com: “This pipeline would add insult to injury in West Virginia, where we are already dealing with water and health impacts due to fracking. It would lock us into decades more fossil fuel pollution when we should be moving to renewable energy. This pipeline would continue the harm done by extractive industry to the most vulnerable of us — low-income people, the elderly, the disenfranchised.”
Peter Anderson, Virginia Campaign Coordinator, Appalachian Voices, 434-293-6373, peter@appvoices.org  “This pipeline would carry highly pressurized gas across miles of steep mountain terrain that is prone to rock slides and contains many headwater streams. Routing this pipeline across the Appalachian Trail and vulnerable water resources poses an unacceptable risk, especially given that it’s not needed to meet our energy needs.”
Anne Havemann, General Counsel, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 240-396-1984, anne@chesapeakeclimate.org: “The Atlantic Coast pipeline will trigger a massive new wave of greenhouse gas pollution and climate damage. Yet, FERC’s review once again fails to add up the full impact, ignoring cumulative climate pollution from fracking wells and the ultimate burning of the gas.”
Greg Buppert, Senior Attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center, 434-977-4090, gbuppert@selcva.org “Dominion’s Atlantic Coast pipeline will not only irreparably alter our natural terrain but it is also unnecessary. The current route carves through the mountains in an area the U.S. Forest Service calls, ‘the wildland core of the central Appalachians’, for a pipeline that will lock generations of Virginians into dependence on natural gas. We already have the gas needed to bridge us from dirty to clean energy-existing infrastructure can meet our demands for natural gas for at least the next fifteen years. This is a Dominion self-enrichment project, not a public necessity.”
Kirk Bowers, Pipelines Campaign Manager, Virginia Chapter, Sierra Club, 434-296-8673, kirk.bowers@sierraclub.org “The DEIS is deficient in many respects and needs to be re-issued. It imposes absurd pre-conditions for serious consideration and fails to affirmatively seek out alternatives that would meet the presumed need while greatly mitigating harms to the public and environment, land-takings and even costs. Likewise, the Commission needs to stop approving all projects that have contract support and take seriously its duties to consider all factors affecting the public convenience and necessity, including protecting environmental interests and private property rights not to have land seized for privately owned pipelines just because another private party contracts for service.The ACP is not needed to keep the lights on, homes and businesses heated, or industries in production.”  

Over 100 concerned Virginians weathered the cold and rallied in Waynesboro on November 1st to stop the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
Over 100 concerned Virginians weathered the cold and rallied in Waynesboro on November 1st to stop the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

Standing up to Dominion's Rip-Off, in October and beyond

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What could have prepared Dominion executives for the tremendous showing of customer outrage and dissatisfaction unleashed the week of October 1st! Without our dedicated climate warriors who participated and supported the Week of Action, Dominion would continue to quietly, and legally, get away with setting up a $76 million bonus for themselves while playing keep-away with Virginia’s clean energy future. Since the Week of Action, the clean air advocates and climate protectors of Virginia got control of the ball, and for a change Dominion representatives have had to respond to some hard questions from reporters.

The Stand Up to Dominion Week of Action was so successful because of the participation of clean energy supporters from all around Virginia, and it was especially uplifting to have everyone sharing their reasons for taking action.

Continue reading

A little laugh for your Wednesday afternoon

As 60,000 barrels of oil or more spilled into the Gulf of Mexico a day, the U.S. Senate voted to preserve subsidies to the oil industry. As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency announced the planet has just come through the warmest decade, the warmest year, and the warmest April, May, and June on record, the Senate utterly failed to pass any energy, climate change, or even oil spill response legislation. As devastating floods sweep Pakistan and Russia wakes up to deep yellow skies, uncontrollable wildfires, and a chocking heat wave, the U.S. Senators continue to bury their heads in the sand and ignore the problem: we are addicted to fossil fuels and its killing us AND the earth.

Needless to say, all of us in the climate movement are a bit exasperated right now. I think we need a good laugh, especially if it comes at the expense of the group at the root of many of our current woes.

Enter Oil Change International’s newest campaign website: CleanUpTheSenate.com. Continue reading