VICTORIES
We Passed the Balcony Solar in Maryland!
Maryland will become the third state to authorize portable, balcony solar projects! The enabling language for balcony solar was originally proposed in the Affordable Solar Act sponsored by Delegate Lorig Charkoudian and Senator Benjamin Brooks. The balcony solar provisions were then moved into a bigger energy package proposed by legislative leadership called the Utility RELIEF (Reducing Energy Load Inflation for Everyday Families) Act (HB1532/SB841), which passed. This balcony solar provision will ensure that ALL Marylanders, whether or not they have roofs, have the opportunity to join the clean energy movement and lower their utility bills by powering their homes with the sun!
We Cleaned Up Data Centers in Maryland!
After a hard-fought campaign, the Utility RELIEF Act passed with robust language to ensure clean-energy data centers become the norm in the state. There are two provisions in the bill that are really exciting. First, the large-load registry, envisioned by Senator Katie Fry Hester, will ensure that proposed data centers have to register with the Public Service Commissions before construction. As part of this process, they would have to publicly share key details like where the data center will be built, how much energy and water it will use, and how they plan to supply that energy. Also, the registration would carry a fee of $1,000 per MW and half of the money would be dedicated to funding low-income energy assistance programs. Second, the bill establishes a “clean capacity rating system” which will encourage data centers to bring their own clean energy. This idea was originally in our priority bill, the Data Center Clean Capacity Act, sponsored by Delegate Charkoudian and Senator Hester.
We Passed the Affordable Clean Energy Package in Virginia!
We worked with legislators to pass a slate of bills promoting affordable clean energy -- and we won! Now, Virginia will have more residential solar and battery storage on homes and farms, low-income energy efficiency programs, EV-ready homes, faster solar hookups, and, most excitingly, a new technology known as balcony "plug-in" solar.
We Banned Solar Bans!
Right now, over half of Virginia localities ban or severely restrict the development of utility-scale solar projects. To combat the climate crisis, we need to build a lot of clean energy at every scale, everywhere, fast. We passed legislation that eliminates local bans on ground-mounted solar farms, ensuring projects can get a vote before the local Board, and establishes siting standards for responsible projects.
We Rejoined RGGI!
We worked with legislators to pass budget language requiring Virginia to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) immediately. RGGI caps pollution from power plants and funds flood resilience and low-income energy efficiency programs. Former Governor Youngkin illegally removed Virginia from the program.
We Passed the RENEW Act!
After another year of dangerous and costly flooding across the state, the Maryland legislature voted to override the veto of a critical bill called the RENEW Act. The legislation allows the state Comptroller’s Office to calculate the financial harm of climate change in Maryland. The study is meant as a first step toward assessing fees on the world’s largest oil companies to help pay for such damages using Superfund-like pollution laws.
Days before the override vote, Maryland Governor Wes Moore changed his positioning on the study by advancing $270,000 to the Comptroller’s Office to jump-start the study in advance of the Legislative Session. He also committed to ensuring the additional funding for the study is included in the FY2027 budget for the Comptroller and finalized a memorandum of understanding to support the work.
The Responding to Emergency Needs from Extreme Weather Act – or RENEW Act – was passed in April by veto-proof majorities in the state legislature. The bill budgeted $500,000 dollars for a study to quantify the billions of dollars in harm to the state caused by global warming in recent decades.
December's vote codifies Maryland’s commitment to the RENEW cost calculation study, requiring the Comptroller, in coordination with other agencies, to conduct a study to assess the total cost of greenhouse gas emissions in the State by December 2026. Currently, only two states, Vermont and New York, have passed climate superfund legislation. Many more states are conducting cost calculations for climate change damages.
We Passed the Community Energy Act!
Against all odds, Virginia passed a big clean energy bill in 2025. It’s called the Community Energy Act, and it’s going to help us meet our electricity needs with clean, affordable energy. Hundreds of CCANers mobilized in support for this bill, and it was so popular that it received massive bipartisan support from our state lawmakers and was signed by the Governor in early May.
The Community Energy Act will put in place community energy programs that aggregate distributed energy resources – electricity produced from rooftops, residential battery storage systems, and smart thermostats and water heaters. People who enroll their systems in the program will get paid for contributing electricity to the grid. These programs are sometimes called “virtual power plants” because when we dispatch all of these smaller resources at the same time, they serve the same function as a larger power plant. Ultimately, what the bill does is both incentivize and leverage local, renewable energy systems to meet our electricity needs and lower costs.
These are the kind of smart policies that are going to move us forward on our mission to achieve a pollution-free future for Virginians. And we couldn’t have done it without the support of CCAN advocates.
We Stopped the Balico Gas Plant!
Against all odds, Virginia passed a big clean energy bill in 2025. It’s called the Community Energy Act, and it’s going to help us meet our electricity needs with clean, affordable energy. Hundreds of CCANers mobilized in support for this bill, and it was so popular that it received massive bipartisan support from our state lawmakers and was signed by the Governor in early May.
The Community Energy Act will put in place community energy programs that aggregate distributed energy resources – electricity produced from rooftops, residential battery storage systems, and smart thermostats and water heaters. People who enroll their systems in the program will get paid for contributing electricity to the grid. These programs are sometimes called “virtual power plants” because when we dispatch all of these smaller resources at the same time, they serve the same function as a larger power plant. Ultimately, what the bill does is both incentivize and leverage local, renewable energy systems to meet our electricity needs and lower costs.
These are the kind of smart policies that are going to move us forward on our mission to achieve a pollution-free future for Virginians. And we couldn’t have done it without the support of CCAN advocates.
We Secured Battery Storage for Maryland’s Clean Energy Future!
On April 7, 2025, Maryland's General Assembly passed the Next Generation Energy Act (HB 1035/SB937), a sweeping climate and energy bill that includes a huge win for clean energy resilience: major battery storage provisions. These new policies will supercharge Maryland’s ability to store renewable energy, reduce reliance on polluting gas peaker plants, and bring more grid reliability to communities across the state.
This breakthrough came after months of grassroots pressure from advocates and residents across Maryland. Thanks to powerful organizing, lawmakers included language to procure both transmission-connected and distribution-connected battery storage—a first for Maryland. The bill also requires Community Benefit Agreements for battery projects, ensuring family sustaining jobs are baked into clean energy growth.
The bill also includes first-in-the-nation data center reforms, an end to subsidies for trash incineration, and critical utility regulations that will lower bills and slow the unnecessary expansion of gas infrastructure.
This is a big deal. Batteries will help us capture solar and wind energy when it's abundant and deliver it when it's needed most—without turning to fossil fuels. These provisions were a direct response to grassroots demands and show what’s possible when climate advocates lead the way. We're laying the groundwork for a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable grid.
We Protected Farmland and Fast-Tracked Solar!
Victory for clean energy and local communities! On April 7, 2025, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Renewable Energy Certainty Act (HB1036/SB0931), a landmark bill that charts a smarter, more just course for solar and battery development in the state.
This bill is a major win for advocates who have long called for better standards that protect farmland and accelerate solar deployment. The law caps solar development at 5% of Priority Preservation Areas, standardizes siting practices across the state, and fast-tracks the permitting process for the projects we need most.
It also includes critical protections for consumers in the rooftop solar market and requires the state to identify publicly owned land for solar development—cutting red tape and moving Maryland closer to its clean energy goals.
This is proof that we don’t have to choose between clean energy and land conservation—we can have both. Thanks to months of organizing and testimony from across Maryland, we’re now on a clearer path to clean power and community control.
We Took the First Step to Make Polluters Pay in Maryland!
On April 7, 2025, Maryland made history. Lawmakers passed the RENEW Act Study Bill (HB0128/SB0149), officially committing the state to exploring a bold idea: making fossil fuel companies pay for the damage they've caused through climate change.
This victory makes Maryland the third state in the nation — after Vermont and New York — to move toward a climate superfund law. The bill directs the state comptroller to study and quantify the cost of climate impacts in Maryland, laying the foundation for legislation that would force major polluters to cover those costs.
It didn’t happen by accident. Climate advocates, health professionals, economists, and residents fought hard for this bill, delivering testimony, organizing rallies, and demanding climate accountability from lawmakers. This is the first step in a longer fight, but it’s a huge one—and it sets the tone for future wins.
This is about justice. About fairness. About refusing to let fossil fuel companies walk away from the damage they’ve done. We’re not just dreaming of a better future—we’re building it.
We Passed the Healthy Homes Act!
On May 7, 2024, the D.C. Council voted unanimously to pass the Healthy Homes Act, trailblazing legislation that will provide free home upgrades with efficient electric appliances for 30,000 low- and moderate-income District households. These home electrification retrofits should save households between $200-600 a year in utility bills, with additional savings if combined with solar energy.
The bill was introduced and spearheaded by Councilmember Charles Allen, and co-sponsored by seven other Councilmembers: Matthew Frumin, Brooke Pinto, Zachary Parker, Brianne Nadeau, Robert White, Vincent Gray, and Janeese Lewis George. The Healthy Homes Act also received vast community support, including from almost 40 organizations that signed a letter of support in September 2023. The Healthy Homes Act is a pivotal win in the fight for climate justice. Low-income households, often among the most vulnerable to the devastating impacts of climate change, will now be first in line to receive top-of-the-line electric home upgrades. This will mean cleaner indoor air and lower utility bills for those who need it most.
We Cleaned Up the EPA!
On April 25, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a historic package of standards restricting pollution from fossil-fuel power plants throughout the nation. The new regulations require that existing coal and new gas power plants cut or capture 90% of their emissions, update and strengthen the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) limiting toxic metal contamination, and mandate safe disposal of coal ash and toxic wastewater.
These rules will benefit everyone in America, but especially low-income and minority communities that have historically suffered worse from fossil fuel pollution. They will result in thousands of fewer premature deaths each year and hundreds of millions of dollars in climate benefits. The fight to update these standards spanned multiple administrations but President Biden and Administrator Regan promised they would get it done– and now they did it! These rules are a major victory for public health and clean energy.
We Passed Shared Solar in Virginia!
Shared solar programs, also known as community solar, are small solar arrays that people can “subscribe to” – meaning that energy produced by the panels is credited to subscribers and offsets their electricity bill. It’s designed to allow people who may not be able to obtain rooftop solar to participate in the clean energy transition and receive the financial benefits that come with low-cost renewable energy.
Previously, Dominion’s shared solar program could actually raise Virginians’ electricity bills, not lower them – which it should, because these programs lower bills in every other state. And Appalachian Power did not offer any shared solar program at all. But Senator Scott Surovell and Delegate Rip Sullivan introduced legislation to task our regulators with more fairly assessing the programs costs and benefits in order to lower the cost to participate, expand the Dominion program, and create a new program for Appalachian Power customers.
This took years of work and several sessions. And now it’s law!
We passed legislation for more clean energy in Maryland!
During this year’s state legislative session, we passed two great bills to bring more solar and wind power to Maryland. The first is about offshore wind. In the fall of 2023, when the bad news broke that one of the two developers of offshore wind in Maryland, Orsted, was pulling out of its contract, Economic Matters Committee Chair C.T. Wilson sprang into action. He met with stakeholders and designed a policy that would allow Maryland’s other offshore wind developer, US Wind, to build almost all of the offshore wind that Orsted was going to build through Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Credits. That's a complicated way to say: offshore wind is coming much sooner to Maryland! Chair Wilson turned this policy into legislative text and — along with his counterpart in the Senate, Chair Brian Feldman — got the new offshore wind bill, the Electricity-Offshore Wind Projects-Alterations bill, passed. This shows tremendous leadership and commitment to clean energy as well as the ability to respond quickly to changes in the economic environment.
We also helped pass the Brighter Tomorrow Act! This bill will provide additional incentives to install solar panels on rooftops, parking lots, and more. This will significantly increase clean energy generation across our state. Passing the Brighter Tomorrow Act wasn’t easy. When the going got tough, Senator Sarah Elfreth and David Delegate Fraser-Hidalgo stepped up and did what they do best: bringing stakeholders together, finding common ground, and passing policy that will meaningfully improve the lives of Marylanders. Senator Elfreth laid the groundwork for this policy victory last year when she passed a bill creating the solar incentives task force, a body that met regularly in 2023 to develop the set of incentives that would be most beneficial to the solar industry and to the state. She then took the findings of that workgroup and incorporated them into the Brighter Tomorrow Act this year.
We passed building decarbonization bills in Maryland!
We passed two key bills in Maryland this year to lower carbon emissions from the state’s buildings. First, the EmPOWER energy efficiency program was designed to eliminate the need to build new fossil fuel power plants. This program was statutorily required to achieve annual reductions in electricity use. To fight climate change, however, we know now that we must electrify everything, so demand for electricity will increase, not decrease. Despite entrenched utility opposition, Economic Matters Committee Vice-Chair Brian Crosby introduced and passed much-needed changes to EmPOWER that will align it with Maryland’s climate goals and save taxpayers money by reducing interest rates associated with the program.
Meanwhile, Maryland Delegate Lorig Charkoudian designed an innovative and potentially game-changing building decarbonization policy called the Working for Accessible, Renewable Maryland Thermal Heat (WARMTH) Act. The WARMTH Act will require utilities in Maryland to create a pilot program for networked geothermal projects. For each project, gas pipelines for an entire neighborhood will be torn up and replaced with one connected system of geothermal heating and cooling that is entirely fossil free and the most energy efficient way to heat and cool buildings. We are hopeful that these pilots will be successful and that this solution will be scaled up across the state. CCAN Action Fund was an early supporter of the WARMTH Act, and our advocacy, along with many other organizations, helped get the bill passed, but we were not the masterminds behind this policy. Delegate Charkoudian was! She identified the need for a bill, designed the policy, and built the coalition behind it. Together with the incredible Senator Katie Fry Hester, who introduced it in the state senate, they got this big climate bill passed in one year.
We passed the Distributed Renewable Integration and Vehicle Electrification (DRIVE) Act for electric car batteries!
The DRIVE Act will allow electric vehicles and batteries to sell electricity back to the grid at peak hours, opening the door to the possibility of virtual power plants! This is the first time this policy has become law anywhere in the United States. Sponsored by Senator Brian Feldman and Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo, the DRIVE Act allows Maryland to deploy a lot more wind and solar power. While wind and solar are the cheapest ways to generate electricity today, they are intermittent, and we need to be able to make sure the electricity they generate power the grid when electricity demand peaks. By allowing electric vehicles to sell electricity to the grid, the DRIVE Act provides a cost-effective solution for shifting solar and wind generation to meet demand. The DRIVE Act passed out of the Maryland Senate's Education, Energy, and Environment Committee , which is chaired by Senator Feldman. This means that in addition to introducing the bill on the Senate side, Chair Feldman oversaw its passage out of committee.
Biden Administration Announces Pause on New LNG Export Terminals
The DRIVE Act will allow electric vehicles and batteries to sell electricity back to the grid at peak hours, opening the door to the possibility of virtual power plants! This is the first time this policy has become law anywhere in the United States. Sponsored by Senator Brian Feldman and Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo, the DRIVE Act allows Maryland to deploy a lot more wind and solar power. While wind and solar are the cheapest ways to generate electricity today, they are intermittent, and we need to be able to make sure the electricity they generate power the grid when electricity demand peaks. By allowing electric vehicles to sell electricity to the grid, the DRIVE Act provides a cost-effective solution for shifting solar and wind generation to meet demand. The DRIVE Act passed out of the Maryland Senate's Education, Energy, and Environment Committee , which is chaired by Senator Feldman. This means that in addition to introducing the bill on the Senate side, Chair Feldman oversaw its passage out of committee.
EPA Proposes Five New Pollution Rules
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been falling further and further behind in cutting pollution from dirty power plants nationwide. These regulatory delays mean that people get sick – especially in poor communities of color – and the planet keeps warming. So CCAN mobilized to urge the EPA to clean up its act, with a massive rally at EPA headquarters.
The very next day, EPA released a new rule to strengthen mercury pollution from coal plants, and in a spate of a couple months, they moved forward on five key pollution rules total, cleaning up pollution from trucks, soot, coal ash, and carbon pollution. Now they are currently in the process of finalizing two rules: tackling carbon pollution and cleaning up soot.
Maryland Passes "Powering Offshore Wind Energy Resources (POWER) Act" for Offshore Wind
Thanks to the targeted campaign of CCAN and friends, Maryland General Assembly passed the Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resources Act, or POWER Act (SB781/HB793) in the spring 2023 legislative session. Sponsored by Delegate Lorig Charkoudian (D-20) and Senators Katie Fry Hester (D-9) and Brian Feldman (D-15), the POWER Act sets a goal for 8 gigawatts of offshore wind in Maryland, enough electricity to replace coal and gas and to power every home in the state.
The bipartisan support for the legislation in both chambers is representative of the broad support for offshore wind among Maryland constituencies. The POWER Act was supported by labor unions, business associations, civil rights organizations, climate groups, and consumer advocates. It will bring thousands of new union jobs to Maryland while keeping electricity bills low for everyone.
Virginia Passes the "Affordable Energy Act”
We worked with the members of the Energy Burden Coalition to pass HB1604 and SB1321 (“the Affordable Energy Act”), which will restore regulators like the State Corporation Commission with the ability to lower utility rates when utilities like Dominion are poised to over-earn. Because Dominion has overcharged customers by billions of dollars over the last decade, this will put money back in the pocket of Virginians. The bill was met with unanimous support in both chambers.
Howard County Passes All-Electric Buildings Legislation
We worked with a broad coalition of climate advocates in Howard County to pass Bill CB5-2023, “The Clean New Buildings Climate Act,” which was introduced by Councilmember Christiana Rigby. It directs the County Executive to report by the end of 2023 on needed changes to the county building code to ensure that future homes and buildings in Howard County rely on all-electric appliances. In Howard County, 11% of the county’s climate pollution comes from combusting fossil fuels such as gas, heating oil, and propane in buildings. By beginning the process to electrify new buildings, this legislation will help Howard County meet its goal to reduce emissions 60% by 2030. This law continues the momentum for all-electric new buildings created by Montgomery County and Washington, D.C in 2022. As a result, one in five Marylanders now live in a community whose elected officials are envisioning electrifying all new buildings, moving to protect their constituents’ public health and fulfill the state’s climate goals.
Montgomery County passes All-Electric Buildings Bill
In a vote with national implications for climate policy, the Montgomery County Council in suburban DC voted 9-0 on Tuesday to exclude the use of fossil fuels in almost all newly constructed buildings by 2026. The massive county of 1.1 million people will now join DC, New York City, and other pioneering jurisdictions in codifying a policy to “electrify everything,” moving away from the combustion of methane gas and other building fuels that warm the planet and damage human health.
The “Comprehensive Building Decarbonization” legislation – Bill 13-22 – will ensure that all-electric building standards become part of the County’s building code no later than the end of 2026, with limited exceptions for hospitals and other facilities needing emergency backup systems or high-energy industrial or commercial cooking facilities.
Maryland Passes “Climate Solutions Now Act”
After years of hard work by CCAN, our partners, and thousands of climate activists across the state, the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 passed in Maryland!
This bill sets one of the most ambitious climate pollution reduction goals in the country — 60% statewide reductions by 2031 and net-zero emissions by 2045 — which is in line with what the top scientists are calling for as necessary to avoid the climate crisis. By establishing the Building Energy Performance standards, Maryland now becomes one of only a handful of states addressing the emissions that come from buildings. With the passage of this bill, Maryland leads the way on climate equity and environmental justice by prioritizing overburdened and underserved communities in mitigation efforts. It also invests in climate-focused jobs within the Maryland Chesapeake Conservation Corps.
This bill went through the wringer and our advocates were its lifeline. Though we didn’t get everything we wanted, this bill lays the groundwork for the climate action we will need throughout the next few years. Bill sponsors and climate champions Senator Paul Pinsky, Delegate Kumar Barve, Delegate Dana Stein, Delegate Fraser-Hidalgo, and Delegate Regina Boyce deserve a huge thanks for all their hard work on this bill. And of course, the thousands of activists and Maryland residents who showed up, lobbied their legislators, turned out at dozens of rallies all helped push this bill over the finish line.
Congress Passes "Inflation Reduction Act”
The U.S. Congress passed landmark climate legislation that will include historic investments in the clean energy sector. Then a few days later, President Biden signed it into federal law. The Inflation Reduction Act is a $370 billion commitment to expand clean electricity and get us on the path to net zero while creating millions of jobs, lowering the deficit, and improving public health.
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network and CCAN Action Fund have championed clean energy standards and legislation at the state level for nearly two decades. Recently, we’ve worked hard to make it happen in Congress too. For two years, CCAN engaged our supporters in West Virginia and nationwide to show support for clean energy investments, with rallies, bicycle actions, protests, and more.
Maryland Passes “Climate Solutions Now Act”
After years of hard work by CCAN, our partners, and thousands of climate activists across the state, the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 passed in Maryland!
This bill sets one of the most ambitious climate pollution reduction goals in the country — 60% statewide reductions by 2031 and net-zero emissions by 2045 — which is in line with what the top scientists are calling for as necessary to avoid the climate crisis. By establishing the Building Energy Performance standards, Maryland now becomes one of only a handful of states addressing the emissions that come from buildings. With the passage of this bill, Maryland leads the way on climate equity and environmental justice by prioritizing overburdened and underserved communities in mitigation efforts. It also invests in climate-focused jobs within the Maryland Chesapeake Conservation Corps.
This bill went through the wringer and our advocates were its lifeline. Though we didn’t get everything we wanted, this bill lays the groundwork for the climate action we will need throughout the next few years. Bill sponsors and climate champions Senator Paul Pinsky, Delegate Kumar Barve, Delegate Dana Stein, Delegate Fraser-Hidalgo, and Delegate Regina Boyce deserve a huge thanks for all their hard work on this bill. And of course, the thousands of activists and Maryland residents who showed up, lobbied their legislators, turned out at dozens of rallies all helped push this bill over the finish line.
We Stopped the Chickahominy Power Plant and Pipeline
For six years, CCAN stood alongside Concerned Citizens of Charles City County (C5) and other local residents to help get the word out about the harms of the proposed Chickahominy gas-fired power plant and pipeline. The Herndon-based Balico corporation wanted to build an 82-mile fracked gas pipeline to fuel its own merchant power plant. Merchant plants are independent power plants that supply energy into the regional grid for profit. The plant would not have provided energy directly to Virginia customers. The pipeline would have run through five counties in central Virginia, cutting through residential neighborhoods and crossing major roadways and waterways. The power plant would have been built in the middle of a majority-minority county, which is already home to a large, polluting landfill and was the proposed site of another large gas plant known as C4GT that would have been located just a mile from the Chickahominy Power site. That gas plant was canceled in July 2021.
The company struggled to find financing, was met with stiff opposition from local residents who worried about the health effects of living next to such a large plant, and faced competition from a growing clean-energy industry. In February 2022, its affiliated company Chickahominy Pipeline, LLC canceled its plans for the pipeline. In March 2022, the company announced that it was abandoning the power plant project.
We Passed Zero-Emissions Buses and 5 Million Trees in Maryland
In 2021, CCAN and CCAN Action Fund supported a groundbreaking climate bill called the “Climate Solutions Now” Act (SB 414/HB 583). This was a broad-ranging piece of legislation that would have mandated 60% emissions reductions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2045 in Maryland — it was the big climate fight in the spring of 2021 for our grassroots members from across the state. Our climate champion legislators in Annapolis also introduced key provisions of the bill as stand-alone pieces of legislation to ensure their chances of passage. These stand-alone bills included the “Zero-Emission Bus Transition” Act (SB 137) and the “Tree Solutions Now” Act (HB 991). And while the “Climate Solutions Now” Act unfortunately failed to pass in 2021, these key provisions passed!
The bus transition bill will require 100% of new state buses to be zero emission after 2022, leading to a complete transition of the fleet to electric. This is a huge win for communities whose residents live near bus terminals and breathe in fumes from idle engines. And the tree solutions bill will require the state to plant 5 million trees over the next eight years, with two-thirds of the tree-planting funding going to urban, historically-redlined and economically-disadvantaged areas. This policy will explicitly help communities that have suffered from racist policies and significantly impact people’s everyday lives. By planting trees in urban areas, this bill will increase home values, reduce crime, lessen the heat island effect, create jobs, and improve quality of life. Governor Hogan did not sign either of these bills, nor did he veto them, allowing them to become law on May 28th.
We Passed Community Choice Energy on Montgomery County
HB 0768 is a pilot program that will enable Montgomery County to negotiate on behalf of residents and businesses to both lower rates and move to a more rapid transition to renewable energy. This pilot program will be the first of its kind in Maryland.
Community Choice Energy is a win. It gives the democratically elected County officials control over where the County’s energy is sourced, and the power to negotiate lower rates for customers allowing it to both rapidly transition to renewable energy and decrease energy costs for consumers; costs which disproportionately affect our most vulnerable communities. Further, CCE can help Montgomery County protect its low-income and elderly residents who are often targeted by unscrupulous third-party energy suppliers that charge higher than standard offer service rates. That said, CCE provides for individual choice -- Individuals can opt out of CCE and continue with the utility or third-party supplier of their choice.
We Passed the Consideration of Climate and Labor Act
In 2021, Maryland took the Consideration of Climate & Labor Act over the finish line and passed common sense legislation. The Public Service Commission (PSC) has neglected the impacts of climate change and has made an inadequate consideration of labor for too long, allowing harmful projects into our communities. This legislation is a chance to ensure that future infrastructure projects will not continue to adversely affect Marylanders and their environment.
What Will the Legislation Do?
- Directs the PSC to consider climate change in its regulation of the electricity sector, based upon the best available scientific information recognized by the IPCC and achieving our state climate goals.
- Specifically, the legislation will require the PSC to consider climate impacts when reviewing applications for new electricity generating facilities, and when it approves the sites for new facilities.
- State agencies similarly would need to consider climate impacts when providing input to the PSC regarding applications for new facilities.
- Requires energy companies applying to the PSC to disclose the benefits they will give to workers on specific energy projects.
We Passed Clean Car Standards in Virginia
The Virginia General Assembly officially passed landmark climate legislation referred to as clean car standards (HB 1965). Carbon emissions from the transportation sector account for close to half of ALL emissions in Virginia. And it’s lethal, disproportionately affecting communities of color. By passing clean car standards legislation (HB 1965), the General Assembly ensured that Virginians will have access to cleaner vehicles that help improve public health, protect our environment, and expand consumer choice.
By passing HB 1965, Virginia will be expanding consumer choice and ensuring that residents have access to a wide array of electric vehicles. HB 1965 garnered broad support from a number of environmental groups, industry voices, and constituents. This vote made Virginia the first state in the Southeast to adopt clean car standards — and the first to do so with official support from the state’s auto dealer association. We could not have achieved this monumental victory without the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (VLBC).
We Beat the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
On July 5, 2020, after six years of dedicated and powerful opposition, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy announced the cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The ACP would have carried fracked gas for 600 miles from West Virginia, across the Appalachian Trail and into Virginia and the Carolinas, costing the people $8 billion and visiting immeasurable harm on the communities in its path. The ACP was an environmental justice nightmare, siting a compressor station in the historically Black neighborhood of Union Hill in Buckingham County. As US Circuit Judge Stephanie Thacker wrote in the ruling revoking an air pollution permit for this compressor station, “environmental justice is not merely a box to be checked.”
CCAN has opposed the ACP since it was announced in September 2014. From the start, we worked with a coalition of partners to organize countless rallies, marches, and protests, many of which incorporated civil disobedience. And the pipeline has been caught up in dozens of lawsuits that resulted in key permits being thrown out again and again, resulting in so many stop-work orders that only six percent of the pipeline was built in the two years it had been allowed to construct.
This victory was achieved by working with numerous state and local groups, including Friends of Buckingham, Friends of Nelson, Appalachian Mountain Advocates, Appalachian Voices, Virginia League of Conservation Voters, the SAVE Coalition, the Sierra Club, and many, many more -- not to mention thousands of volunteers and community advocates who achieved such an amazing victory.
Virginia Passes the Clean Economy Act
On March 12, 2020, the Virginia General Assembly PASSED the Virginia Clean Economy Act! This historic bill reverses decades of bad energy policy in Virginia. It mandates the shutdown of most of the state’s coal plants by 2030 and all the state’s fossil fuel plants for electricity – including gas plants — by 2045. It opens the gate to the biggest offshore wind farms in America and turbocharges the spread of solar rooftops and solar farms. It does this while creating real safeguards against Dominion Energy for ratepayers – especially for low-income families – and by mandating the use of LESS electricity statewide in the future.
The VCEA was supported by the biggest clean energy coalition ever assembled not just in Virginia but perhaps in the nation. The bill was supported by many environmental partners, including the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Southern Environmental Law Center, Audubon Society, CERES, and more; scores of clean energy companies; and constant involvement of literally dozens of climate-committed legislators. Passage of this historic bill brings Virginia from the back of the pack to the forefront of climate leadership in the nation.
Virginia Bans Offshore Drilling
The 2010 BP oil disaster gave us a stark reminder of the dangers of offshore oil drilling. America watched helplessly as millions of barrels of oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico for months, costing millions of dollars in environmental and health damages, and taking the lives of 11 workers who died in the oil rig explosion.
Over the years, CCAN has joined with many other organizations to build a groundswell of opposition to offshore drilling in the Atlantic. More than 140 East Coast communities, including Wilmington, Virginia Beach, Charleston, and Savannah, and thousands of businesses, trade groups, and tourism associations have passed resolutions opposing Atlantic drilling and seismic testing.
All this led to the Virginia General Assembly passing HB 706, a bill that blocks future oil and gas development off the state’s coastline! This was a great win for our coast and our climate.
Virginia Joins the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
After six years of fighting for Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Iniative, on February 2020, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Clean Energy and Community Flood Preparedness Act! This bill will formally join Virginia to RGGI, a carbon trading program comprised of nine East Coast states that is designed to cut carbon emissions by decreasing amounts in a way that keeps costs low. In short, Virginia’s fossil fuel plants will have to pay for their pollution as they reduce overall emissions. As a result, public health problems like asthma and acute bronchitis caused by fossil fuels will decline.
The Clean Energy and Community Flood Preparedness Act will require the revenue from this program — upwards of $1 billion — to fund flooding adaptation and energy efficiency measures. It's increasingly important protect our coastal and inland communities from flooding, which will only get worse as sea levels rise and extreme weather worsens with global warming. And the efficiency solutions will keep electricity bills low for everyone as we transition to a clean energy economy. These funds will provide safer communities and lower energy bills for ratepayers across Virginia.
Maryland Passes the Clean Energy Jobs Act
On April 8, 2019, in a watershed victory for clean energy and climate policy in Maryland, the General Assembly gave final approval to the Clean Energy Jobs Act. Both House and Senate chambers provided veto-proof margins: 95-40 in favor in the House and 31-15 in the Senate. Governor Hogan announced that he would allow the bill to become law on May 22.
The legislation will transform the way electricity is used in the state, making roof-top solar power and utility-scale solar common forms of generation in the coming years. It will also further kickstart the state’s offshore wind industry, with incentives for 1200 megawatts of ocean-based power. The bill increases the state’s renewable electricity standard to 50% of the total grid by 2030 and requires the state to examine pathways for achieving 100% clean power by 2040.
A downside of the bill is that legislators did not succeed in closing a controversial loophole that counts waste incineration as renewable power, allowing the polluting technology to receive the same incentive as clean wind and solar technologies. For the second year in a row the Maryland Senate passed a bill to remove the clean energy subsidy for burning trash; and, for the second year in a row, the House Economic Matters Committee did not move the policy change forward.
On the whole, this bill is an overwhelming win, and now makes Maryland a true national leader in the fight against climate change and in favor of clean energy.
DC Passes Strongest Climate Policy in the Country
In December 2018, the DC Council passed the "Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act of 2018." The bill mandates that 100 percent of the city’s electricity come from clean renewable power by the year 2032. It also creates enormous incentives for electric cars, sets groundbreaking efficiency standards for existing buildings, and expands a pollution fee on electricity, natural gas and home-heating oil. It then invests that carbon revenue in a special “Green Bank” for clean energy loans and efficiency and solar programs for low and moderate income residents.
This represents the strongest legislative mandate of its kind of any state in America. All told, the Clean Energy DC Act will reduce climate pollution in the District by a whopping 45%, and puts the District on track to meet our commitments under the Paris Climate Accord. And here’s the best part: the White House and Congress will be lit with renewable energy, whether they want it or not.
This bill was the result of a years-long campaign, coordinated by CCAN, involving a coalition more than 100 local businesses and organizations. Camila Thorndike, director of CCAN's DC team, offered reflections on what it took to pass the strongest climate law in the country.
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Strengthens Carbon Pollution Standards
In August 2017, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) unveiled a plan to strengthen its program to reduce carbon emissions. The program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants by 30 percent between 2020 and 2030. Maryland's participation in RGGI is already expected to reduce CO2 emissions from the State's electricity generators by roughly 10 percent from current levels by 2019.
RGGI, a cooperative effort by nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from electricity generating plants, has been an unquestioned success for Maryland and neighboring states since it began in 2009.
This victory also sets a strong bar for Virginia as the state considers joining RGGI as a path to meet Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe's Executive Directive 11 to reduce carbon emissions.
Nation’s largest offshore wind farms approved for Maryland
In May 2017, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) approved applications for two offshore wind farms, paving the path for Maryland to become a national leader in offshore wind energy. The PSC’s approval will bring the nation’s largest offshore wind projects to the coasts of Maryland, creating almost 9,700 new jobs, generating 368 megawatts of clean power and preventing hundreds of thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide from entering into the atmosphere.
This big step forward for clean energy in Maryland was propelled by the dozens of grassroots activists who attended project hearings in the spring of 2017 in addition to the immense grassroots support for the passage of the 2013 Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act.
Maryland Passes Permanent, Statewide Ban on Fracking, with Nationwide Implications
In May 2017, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) approved applications for two offshore wind farms, paving the path for Maryland to become a national leader in offshore wind energy. The PSC’s approval will bring the nation’s largest offshore wind projects to the coasts of Maryland, creating almost 9,700 new jobs, generating 368 megawatts of clean power and preventing hundreds of thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide from entering into the atmosphere.
This big step forward for clean energy in Maryland was propelleMarch 2017d by the dozens of grassroots activists who attended project hearings in the spring of 2017 in addition to the immense grassroots support for the passage of the 2013 Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act.
MD Enacts "Clean Energy Jobs Act" by Overriding Hogan's Veto
In an historic move, the Maryland General Assembly overrode Governor Larry Hogan’s veto of the Clean Energy Jobs Act (SB 921/HB 1106), bringing into law a 25% clean electricity target, which the state must meet by 2020. The overwhelming support to restore this leading piece of legislation comes on the heels of nearly four years of persistent grassroots support for more clean energy, improved public health, and progressive climate action.
The Clean Energy Jobs Act will create nearly 1,000 new high-paying jobs annually through 2020 by creating incentives for roughly 1,300 megawatts of wind and solar. That’s enough clean energy to power 279,000 homes annually. The measure will also reduce carbon emissions equivalent to taking 563,000 passenger vehicles off the road each year, which will mitigate the impacts of climate change while preventing up to 600 asthma attacks each year.
DC Enacts 50% Clean Energy Standard
In June 2016, the District of Columbia Council unanimously approved the Renewable Portfolio Standard Expansion Amendment Act of 2016 (B21-650), which expanded D.C.’s clean energy target to 50 percent by 2032. The bill was signed into law by Mayor Bowser on July 25, 2016, setting in motion one of the top-five mandatory clean energy goals among U.S. states.
By creating incentives for 1,500 Megawatts of new wind and solar power, the bill will quadruple jobs in D.C.’s solar industry, which currently employs 1,000 people. The legislation will also reduce climate pollution at a rate equal to taking 500,000 cars off the road per year while also establishing a “Solar for All” program to cut the electric bills of 100,000 low-income District households in half by 2032.
Targa Resources Nixes Plans for Crude Oil Terminal in Baltimore
As a result of two years of legal and citizen pressure, Houston-based Targa Resources withdrew plans for a new crude oil shipping terminal in South Baltimore in July of 2016. Targa’s plan involved shipping over 383 million gallons of crude oil by rail through the city and the Chesapeake Bay per year. CCAN worked with the Environmental Integrity Project to submit detailed legal comments to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) challenging Targa's permit application in 2014, in addition to working with community members to generate hundreds of written comments to MDE. MDE put Targa's permit on hold, requesting more information about air pollution impacts, in June 2015, leading the company to withdraw its application a year later.
This victory will prevent an immediate increase in dangerous oil trains rolling through Baltimore neighborhoods, where 165,000 people live in the potential 1-mile "blast zone" of a derailment.
Prince George's County Bans Fracking
On April 12th, 2016, the Prince George’s County Council voted unanimously to ban hydraulic fracking, better known as fracking, within the county. The measure, which amends county zoning laws to prohibit fracking, was introduced by Councilwoman Mary Lehman and succeeded with a unanimous 8-0 vote.
Prince George’s County was the first in Maryland to ban fracking following the Maryland General Assembly’s passage of a two-year moratorium on the practice in 2015. As a result of this victory, which came after months of work by citizens supported by CCAN and allied groups, fracking is now banned in Maryland’s two most populous counties. Montgomery County approved a similar zoning change in 2014.Prince George’s County sits atop the Taylorsville Basin, which is estimated to contain more than 500 billion cubic feet of gas.
Maryland's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act Renewed
On April 4th, Governor Larry Hogan signed the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act of 2016 (SB 323) into law. The bill was introduced by Senator Paul Pinsky and Delegate Kumar Barve, and requires Maryland to slash emissions economy-wide by 40% below 2006 levels by 2030. The bill deepens the state’s existing emissions reduction mandate first passed in 2009. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 100-37 and the Senate by a vote of 38-8, with bipartisan support in both chambers.
The state's existing law requires Maryland to reduce emissions by 25 percent below 2006 levels by the year 2020. According to a state study, Maryland’s climate programs are on pace to generate between $2.5 billion and $3.5 billion in net economic benefits and to create and maintain between 26,000 and 33,000 new jobs.
Obama Administration Protects Atlantic Coast From Offshore Drilling
Thanks to the thousands of people across the East Coast, the Obama administration released an updated draft five-year plan for oil and gas development in federal waters that would keep drilling off limits in the Atlantic, protecting coastal communities from Virginia to Georgia. This decision, a dramatic reversal from the administration’s previous plan, responds to the widespread and vocal opposition of more than 110 East Coast communities, more than 700 state and local elected officials, more than 1,000 business interests, and thousands of citizens.
CCAN worked with Virginia's activists to submit hundreds of public comments to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Department of Interior, as well as urged our Virginia Senators to come out strong against offshore oil drilling.
President Obama Rejects the Keystone XL Pipeline
Keystone XL was a proposed tar sands pipeline that would connect Alberta, Canada with Gulf Coast refineries that would carry 800,000 barrels per day of tar sands oil across the United States to be refined, exported and burned. CCAN played a major role in organizing actions to stop this project, from massive marches, submitting comments, birddogging the President across the region, and getting arrested at the White House.
Keystone XL required a Presidential Permit to move forward, and on November 6, 2015, the Obama administration rejected the pipeline, stating that "The Keystone XL pipeline does not serve the national interests of the United States".
Fracking Moratorium in Maryland
After years of statewide organizing, CCAN and our allies pushed Maryland’s first legislative moratorium over the finish lines in 2015! The bill prohibits gas companies from fracking for natural gas in Maryland through at least October 1st, 2017 protecting our communities from this dangerous drilling practice. The bill passed the General Assembly with broad, bipartisan support and became law on May 29th after Governor Larry Hogan neither signed nor vetoed it. We now have 2.5 years to develop an even stronger grassroots movement to permanently ban fracking in the state of Maryland and keep this fossil fuel in the ground!
Solar Net Metering Bill Passes the Virginia Legislature
On February 23rd, the Virginia legislature passed HB1950 and SB1395, raising the non-residential net metering project cap from 500 kw to 1MW- a concrete step to grow Virginia’s clean energy economy!
Here are the details of the bill:
- Doubles Virginia’s Cap to 1MW. The bill raised the non-residential project cap for solar net metering customers from 500 kilowatts to 1 megawatts.
Thanks to the bills sponsors, Senator Rosalyn Dance and Delegate Jennifer McClellan for leading the way and carrying this critical legislation. Virginia is now comparable in terms of its non-residential solar cap with neighboring North Carolina (also 1MW cap). This legislation means that businesses across the state can now increase their solar usage!
Another victory came from HB 2267, introduced by Del. Tim Hugo, that will establish a Solar Development Authority for Virginia. The authority will smooth the way for the solar industry to expand in Virginia. Most importantly, the authority is tasked to bring online at least 400 megawatts of solar by 2020 -- enough to power at least 100,000 homes!
Major Loophole Closed in DC Clean Electricity Standard
December 2014 marked the end of a nearly two-year campaign effort to dramatically increase the use of wind- and solar-powered electricity in the District by closing a major loophole in DC’s most important clean energy law. Following a unanimous DC Council vote in December, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the “Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard Amendment Act of 2014” into law on January 26th, 2015.
The law will make sure that D.C. ratepayers no longer subsidize the burning of dirty “black liquor” and inefficient wood waste – energy sources that pollute on par with coal – under D.C.’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) law. As a result, we’ll reduce carbon pollution by the equivalent of taking 142,000 cars off the road every year — and incentivize the equivalent of about four new utility-scale wind farms throughout our region!
Proposed Frederick, MD Incinerator Defeated
Since 2010 CCAN has worked with the community in Frederick to fight the proposed waste-to-energy incinerator on the shores of the Monocacy River. In a 3-2 vote, Commissioners President Blaine Young and commissioners Kirby Delauter and David Gray voted to kill the $471 million incinerator project by canceling the contract and related permits. Read the latest news on the cancelled incinerator.
Virginia Hybrid Tax Repealed
CCAN activists were instrumental in leading the grassroots backlash to the annual $64 tax on hybrid vehicles that passed the Virginia General Assembly in 2013. Hybrid car owners paraded around the capitol in Richmond in February 2013 and CCAN partnered with Sen. Adam Ebbin and Del. Scott Survell in delivering over 7,000 signatures urging then-Governor McDonnell to veto it. In 2014, the General Assembly repealed this unfair attack on Virginians trying to do their part for cleaner air and a stable climate with overwhelming bipartisan support.
EPA Agrees to Deadline for First-Ever US Coal Ash Regulations
In the aftermath of the Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill, the EPA proposed various regulatory options in May 2010 and held seven public hearings in August and September of that year. Environmental and public health groups, community organizations, Native American tribes and others generated more than 450,000 public comments on EPA’s proposed regulation, calling for the strongest protections under the law. But since then, despite coal ash contamination at more than 200 sites nationwide, the EPA has failed to finalize the protections. In October, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the EPA has a mandatory duty to review and revise its waste regulations under the Resource and Conservation Recovery Act. The EPA announced plans to finalize first-ever federal regulations for the disposal of coal ash by December 19, 2014.
Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act
On September 23, 2010 at St. Paul's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Ocean City, Maryland, CCAN and other advocates held our first town hall in the campaign to bring offshore wind power to the state. Over two and a half years later, on April 9th, 2013, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley signed Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013 into law. This landmark legislation will put Maryland on the path to tapping our vast wind energy resource, by incentivizing more than 200 megawatts of wind power ten miles off the coast of Ocean City. This is just the first step toward a goal of over 1,000 megawatts of ocean-based wind development in coastal Maryland.
R. Paul Smith Coal-Fired Power Station shut-down
CCAN and the Environmental Integrity Project celebrated a major legal victory to end dirty coal electricity in Maryland by threatening legal action against the R. Paul Smith Power Station for non-compliance with air emission standards. Subsequently, the company that owns the power plant decided to shut it down. This is a significant victory for the health of Maryland communities, the health of the Chesapeake Bay, and efforts to fight climate change in the mid-Atlantic region. This plant closure will reduce annual emissions of carbon dioxide by more than 200,000 tons annually, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by at least 2,000 tons, and particulate matter by 120 tons.
Potomac River Coal-Fired Power Plant shut-down
For 62 years, GenOn Energy's Potomac River Generating Station was burning coal in Alexandria, VA. On October 1, 2012, the plant ceased its operations. This will reduce the Washington, D.C. area’s carbon emissions by the equivalent of taking 300,000 cars off the roads. CCAN, Interfaith Power and Light (MD.DC.NoVA), the Sierra Club, and Greenpeace stood united to shut this plant down.
1500 MW Surry County Coal Plant Indefinitely Delayed
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) was considering spending $6 Billion to build a massive new coal-fired power plant just 32 miles from the Chesapeake Bay in Surry County, Virginia.
Maryland Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act (GGRA)
The passage of this law, which requires a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions below 2006 levels by 2020, makes Maryland one of five leadership states in the country implementing some form of state law that requires specific mandatory GHG emissions reductions. In an effort to ensure that this law is implemented as strongly as possible, CCAN continues working closely with the O’Malley administration make sure that GGRA meets its reduction goal and grows Maryland’s green economy at the same time.
The EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act
One of the most aggressive energy efficiency laws in the country, EmPOWER directs Maryland utilities to reduce per-capita electricity usage and peak demand by 15 percent below 2007 levels by 2015. CCAN supported this law when it was passed, and we continue to support strengthening and expanding this law to drive further efficiency gains by 2020.
Virginia Voluntary Renewable Energy Portfolio Goal
For 62 years, GenOn Energy's Potomac River Generating Station was burning coal in Alexandria, VA. On October 1, 2012, the plant ceased its operations. This will reduce the Washington, D.C. area’s carbon emissions by the equivalent of taking 300,000 cars off the roads. CCAN, Interfaith Power and Light (MD.DC.NoVA), the Sierra Club, and Greenpeace stood united to shut this plant down.
DC Clean Cars Act
The District joins 18 other states, including Maryland, in adopting California's stricter tailpipe emissions standards. The DC Clean Cars Act will regulate carbon dioxide emissions from all cars registered in the District beginning in 2011 and ensures that DC will greatly reduce its contribution to global warming.
Maryland Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
RGGI is the first carbon dioxide cap-and-trade program in the United States. Originally composed on nine northeast and Mid-Atlantic States, CCAN and others lobbied hard for Maryland to become the tenth member when we passed the MD Healthy Air Act.
Maryland Clean Cars Act
The Maryland Clean Cars Act will require cleaner and more efficient cars to be sold in Maryland. This policy will bring more hybrids to Maryland, reduce cancer-causing pollution, and take the first steps towards regulating carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas, from Maryland cars.
Maryland Healthy Air Act
One of the strongest air pollution standards in the country, this bill requires a 70 to 80 percent cut in ozone and mercury emissions by 2013. It also directs Maryland to join the nation’s first and strongest regional cap-and-trade program.
District of Columbia Renewable Portfolio Standard
Building on the success of Maryland, a D.C. legislative RPS victory quickly followed suit. The law required to 11% of the District’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2022.
Maryland Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard
CCAN’s first major legislative battle, Maryland’s RPS was signed into law in 2004. It required 7.5% of Maryland’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2019, and its passage marked the beginning of the modern clean energy movement in this region.
