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We are a group of environmental advocates united in providing a one-stop source for Virginia's environmental news. We each focus on different issues, but share the vision of a Commonwealth that preserves and protects its natural resources. Please join us!
Statement of Virginia Chapter-Sierra Club Assistant Director JR Tolbert on Court's Rejection of Cuccinelli Lawsuit:
Richmond - "We applaud the court's decision to reject Attorney General Cuccinelli's frivolous lawsuit against the University of Virginia. Multiple independent investigations have proven that Professor Mann is clear of any wrong-doing".
"This case was nothing more than a witch hunt by Attorney General Cuccinelli. This administration, led by Attorney General Cuccinelli, has been waging war against science and the men and women who practice it since they took office. Rather than acknowledging a clear and present threat to our Commonwealth they have chosen to stick their heads in the sand".
"While these ploys may win political points with other climate deniers it overlooks the real threats associated with global warming. Rising sea levels in the Chesapeake Bay threaten tidewater Virginia, invasive species in trees could radically alter the Shenandoah Valley and more instances of droughts threaten Virginia's number one industry, agriculture".
"Mr. Cuccinelli calls his attack on science good for Virginians. Today, Judge Peatross did what was best for Virginia by throwing out this reckless lawsuit."
The man who brought Virginia a ban on same-sex marriage and an exemption from federal health care is at it again. This time Delegate Bob Marshall has his sights set on protecting the good people of Virginia from higher efficiency homes and anything else associated with tackling climate change.
What does this mean for the people of Virginia?
Well, HB 1397 which Del. Marshall pre-filed earlier this month would exempt Virginia homeowners from a variety of energy efficiency measures if a federal climate bill were to pass the US Senate and House of Representatives.
First off, the climate bill does not seem to be going anywhere. The Senate has failed to act on comprehensive reform and we're not sure when it will see the light of day. So, it would appear that Delegate Marshall has jumped the gun on this one.
Secondly, when we take a look at the pieces of this bill two questions come to mind:
1. Why shouldn't Virginia residents have a right to know if the house they are purchasing is an energy hog or not? The benefit of requiring energy disclosure as part of selling a home is that consumers are able to make a more informed decision.
2. Is Delegate Marshall this committed to costing ratepayers money? Currently, Virginia's buildings consume 47 percent of our energy.
Furthermore, according to the Energy Information Administration Virginia has the 14th highest per capita utility cost in the country. Improving the efficiency of our homes is common-sense. By reducing our energy consumption we can save consumers money.
But then we remember what's at stake here.
Delegate Marshall has long made a career out of attacking common-sense. Whether the issue is equality, health care or the environment Bob Marshall has always proudly stood up for Republican ideology over common-sense.
This segment of "60 Minutes" aired last night and features the "beneficial use" by Dominion in building the Battlefield golf course in Chesapeake. I'm sure the invitation still stands for any Dominion official to eat dinner at area residents' homes with meals prepared using their tap water.
You gotta love the lobbyist at the end who tells Leslie Stahl to trust state regulations and utility management to do the right thing. "Environmental protection is expensive" he says, as if that's an excuse not to do it.
Help protect our water by speaking out at this EPA Hearing on the Proposed Coal Ash Rule, Monday, August 30th from 10am-9pm, Hyatt Regency Crystal City, 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202. Sign up today at: http://action.sierraclub.org/coalash_arlington. Car pooling from various areas of Virginia may be available. For more info contact Kate Pollard at kate.pollard@sierraclub.org.
You've probably been following the McDonnell administration's attacks on the environment over the past eight months. They've advocated for drilling off our coast, proposed closing five state parks, tried to cut funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration by over $11 million and seem to want every square inch of the commonwealth paved for yet another road. Just last week McDonnell's Secretary of Natural Resources stated that the US EPA was requiring the state of Virginia to make the James River too clean. So just how clean is too clean?
Now's our chance to tell the Governor directly that we reject his vision for Virginia. The Governor is holding eight town halls across Virginia this month to include this upcoming meeting in Norfolk.
McDonnell's Townhall Meeting
Monday, August 9, 2010, 7:00pm-8:30pm
Old Dominion University, Webb University Center, Hampton/Newport News Room
4201 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk
We need to show up in force and question the Governor on his environmental plan. In order to make these town halls as effective as possible we've scheduled regional conference calls for our members and activists to join for an issues and tactics briefing.
The Sierra Club Teleforum for Norfolk is scheduled for tonight, Thursday, August 5 at 7 PM. Email eileen.levandoski@sierraclub.org for conference call instructions.
Click here for our talking points and suggested questions to make this super easy, but don't hesitate to come up with your own issues to share with the Governor.
As we suffer through what is likely to be our hottest July on record after experiencing the hottest first six months of a year on record, VA Attorney General Cuccinelli continues to persist in his flat earth denial of climate change.
Cuccinelli will continue to pursue his challenges to climate change in federal court as well as in suing UVA alleging fraud by respected climate scientist Michael Mann, but today the US EPA came out officially to deny Cuccinelli's petition that the EPA reconsider its regulation of green house gases. That is welcome but not unexpected news. The only fraud involved in this matter is the fraud Cuccinelli is perpetrating on the tax payers of Virginia who are incurring the costs of this frivilous litigation.
On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rejected the petitions of AG Ken Cuccinelli and 9 other groups that challeneged their finding that carbon dioxide is a threat to human health. EPA declared that "the petitioners' arguments and evidence are inadequate, generally unscientific, and do not show that the underlying science supporting the Endangerment Finding is flawed."
RICHMOND, Va. (July 15, 2010) - Today, residents from the Gulf Coast traveled to local Richmond restaurant Louisiana Flair to describe the influence the recent oil spill has on their lives, and their desire for passage of a comprehensive clean energy and climate policy this year. This comes on the heels of a recent fly-in where Gulf residents met with leaders in Congress to discuss their firsthand experiences of the Gulf oil spill and why they want the Senate to pass clean energy policies to end our country's oil addiction.
This event featured a broad group of Gulf residents who spoke about the damage this catastrophe has had on their way of life and local communities. Those affected by the oil spill are asking Virginia's senators to make a choice: move forward with a comprehensive climate and energy bill in 2010 or stand on the side of Big Oil.
"I traveled to Virginia to share my story," said Aimee Dominique, a clinical social worker from Lafayette, La. "Together with other Gulf residents, we told them the best way to respond to this devastating 'gusher' is by writing a letter to our senators urging an end to our nation's dangerous dependence on oil."
The participants represent workers and business owners from a variety of industries hit hardest by the oil spill, putting a human face to the tragedy that continues to unfold in the Gulf.
Here's a great new video from the Surfrider Foundation featuring surfing legend Laird Hamilton. My only issue is mention of the "m" word (moratorium). I think we can get somewhere if instead we say "no new drilling" which is essentially the same thing, but easier for the pols to swallow.
The following (below the fold) is a transcript from the presentation I gave before Senator Mary Margaret Whipple's Virginia Commission on Energy and the Environment on Thursday, July 8.
Especially in light of the Gulf Coast oil spill disaster, it is vitally important that we gain resolution to the position that exploration for offshore oil and gas only be considered after Federal regulatory policies, drilling and production technology, and oil spill response capability have been upgraded to ensure that there is no possibility either a major spill or recurring small spills having a negative impact on our critically important tourism, outdoor recreation, and commercial and sport fishing industries.
I wrapped up my remarks with a call to set a high bar in any allowances for drilling off our Virginia beaches. It is a conditional call we are now making to the Virginia Beach City Council and the Virginia Beach Hotel Motel Association, each of which has previously passed resolutions in support of drilling. These are conditions that the Mayor's Alternative Energy Task Force is currently working into its final report thanks to the stellar work of Task Force member, Joe Bouchard.
On June 26, over 1,700 people joined "Hands Across The Sand" along the Virginia Beach's Oceanfront, Sandbridge, and North End, as well as Norfolk's Ocean View and Hampton's Buckroe Beach. We stood together calling for the protection of our beautiful clean Virginia beaches and for the end of our harmful addiction to oil. I believe the VBHMA and the City Council indeed also fully understand how integral the health and welfare of our coastal environment is to so many livelihoods within especially our resort community. I believe they will do the right thing and back away from the resolutions of drilling support.
(Photo by Stephanie Himel-Nelson, Light Hearted Photography)
The Richmond Times-Dispatch recently asked Virginia's US Senators, Congressmen, and Gov. McDonnell for their opinions on climate change.
Some of the responses are fascinating and give great insight into the politics that have thus far prevented meaningful action from taking place. There seems to be broad acknowledgment that climate change is happening (though not universal buy-in to the idea that humans contribute to it).
The real divergence comes when you get to the "What do we do about it" part. Opponent's of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, passed last year by the House, fall reflexively into "Cap-and-Tax!" mode without offering any real alternatives that would change the current dynamics of the energy sector to the point where real investments in renewable energy and efficiency would emerge. Assigning real cost to the environmental, health, and societal damage caused by the buring of fossil fuels seems to be necessary to shake us out of the status quo in which we find ourselves stuck.
What are your thoughts on how best to tackle the problem of climate change?
Last week, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters released the 2010 General Assembly Conservation Scorecard. This year, 1 Senator and 18 Delegates were designated "Conservation Heroes" for scoring 100% on a variety of conservation related votes ranging from offshore drilling to air quality to bipartisan redistricting.
The offshore drilling votes have gained added significance since the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, the Virginian Pilot spoke with a number of legislators who said thye would vote differently if those votes were held today. See additional news coverage of the Scorecard below.
We've been inundated with heartbreaking images of oil covered birds and devastated fishermen struggling in the wake of the BP oil disaster. While officials are working to clean up the mess, we need to work to make sure this never happens again.
While we applaud President Obama's decision to cancel Virginia's lease sale, we are not out of the woods on drilling. Virginia, along with our Atlantic coast neighbors, is still enrolled in a leasing program that could allow drilling as close as just 3 miles off our coast and our Chesapeake Bay!
The Obama Administration superseded the 2010-2015 program with its own 2012-2017 program for the Atlantic from Delaware south. That's what we are fighting.
Keep in mind that there are no moratoriums protecting the Atlantic. In 2008, President Bush cancelled a presidential moratorium and Congress allowed a congressional ban to expire.
Virginians are urged to join Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation and Oceana for HANDS ACROSS THE SAND, a national day of action, on Saturday, June 26. We'll join hands and form a line in the sand to say "No" to offshore drilling and "Yes" to clean renewable energy.
HANDS ACROSS THE SAND will be held on these Virginia beaches:
- Virginia Beach Oceanfront between 19th and 31st Streets (Click here to RSVP.)
- Sandbridge, Little Island Park, 3820 Sandpiper Road, Virginia Beach (Click here to RSVP.)
- Ocean View, Community Beach Park, 700 E. Ocean View Ave., Norfolk (Click here to RSVP.)
- North End, 81st Street and Atlantic Ave., Virginia Beach (Click here to RSVP.)
At 11am, we'll start gathering at each beach. We'll join hands from 12:00 to 12:15.
HANDS ACROSS THE SAND started in Florida earlier this year as over 10,000 Floridians locked hands over 80 beaches in opposition to oil drilling. "This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our shoreline, our waterways, our tourism, our coastal military missions and our quality of life," said Dave Rauschkolb, founder of HANDS ACROSS THE SAND.
HANDS ACROSS THE SAND is a National Day of Action with hundreds of events happening across the country on the same day, Saturday, June 26. Together we will call on President Obama to move America beyond oil over the next two decades. For more information, visit http://www.HandsAcrossTheSand.com.
Even as oil spews from the bottom of the Gulf, Big Oil and its allies are doing everything they can to dangerously drill off our coasts. Attend Hands Across the Sand to protect our oceans, beaches, and wildlife from more offshore drilling!
Over one hundred Virginia Clergy have united to send a message to Senators Webb and Warner that climate change is moral issue and their action is required. Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light's release on the letter's delivery:
RICHMOND, Va. -- As the US Senate prepares to take up climate and energy legislation, over 100 religious
leaders from across Virginia delivered letters to Senators Webb and Warner today, making a moral case for comprehensive
climate legislation that includes strong emission reductions, international adaptation assistance, and protections for low-income families.
The letters were delivered in person to senate staff during meetings in Richmond today by a representative group of signers. Numerous others are calling the Senators' DC offices to deliver their message. Transcending the intense lobbying from special interest groups, the faith community is calling on lawmakers to honor the values of caring both for our neighbors and for God's creation.
"As religious leaders from across the Commonwealth, we are writing to express our alarm at the state of environmental stewardship here in Virginia, and nationwide," the letter states. "For us as people of faith, this is an issue of basic fairness and justice; not only because we are called to care for Creation, but because of who will be harmed most by inaction: the poor and voiceless."
The clergy who joined this effort reflect tremendous religious and geographical diversity. They are speaking out from five religious traditions - Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Unitarian Universalism and seven denominations of Christianity -- and hail from all corners of the Commonwealth.
"Our senators might get the impression from recent headlines that the basic science of climate change remains controversial in our state," says Joseph R. Stanley III, the director of the Virginia Interfaith Center's Interfaith Power & Light program. "But the fact that more than 100 local leaders of sacred communities are acting together speaks volumes. For them, the facts are in. They see what's happening to our world. Climate change is real, and they feel called as people of faith to respond."
"When you ask the pastors, rabbis, and imams who joined this letter why they signed on, not one of them mentions politics. It's much bigger than politics," says Joelle Novey, the director of Greater Washington Interfaith Power & Light, which works with congregations across Northern Virginia. "We are calling on Senators Webb and Warner to pass comprehensive climate legislation out of a sense of moral responsibility to care for our neighbors and for Creation. And we are asking that any legislation do right by the poor around the world, and close to home."
"I believe that we have a responsibility to care for, and not destroy, the miraculous world God created," says Rabbi Jeffrey Saxe in Falls Church.
"This world is God's creation, beloved and whole, and we are charged with its care," says Rev. Mollie Douglas Turner, an Episcopal priest in Williamsburg.
"As a faith leader, the scriptures instruct us that human beings have been placed on Earth to be the trustees and guardians of this planet and its people," says Imam Johari Abdul-Malik of Falls Church. We believe that in order for us to have a sustainable planet ... personal stewardship and community efforts are not enough. Systemic change regarding climate requires legislation in order to guide our corporate societal behavior."
"I signed onto this letter because all of creation praises God: the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, the animals of the forest, the wind, the rain, even the trees," says Rev. Diane Walton Hendricks, a Presbyterian minister in Falls Church. As stewards of creation we must enable the voices of all creation to continue to be raised in their own unique songs of praise. We dare not allow our actions to silence the song."
"The Creation, all of it, not just our own little part, is meant to be lived in full community," says Rev. Mochel Morris, a Methodist minister in Falls Church. "We who are stewards must care for all of it, especially for the 'least of these' who have little or no voice -- people, creatures, plants -- all of it."
"Each of us bears a personal moral responsibility and imperative to be a positive contributor to sustaining life," says Rev. Kate Walker in Fairfax County. "My ordination compels me as a minister; I take on the responsibility to lead."
The letter effort was convened jointly by the Virginia and Greater Washington Interfaith Power & Light programs, and was circulated initially by five clergy: Imam Johari Abdul-Malik (Muslim, Falls Church), Rev. Dr. Morris Hudgins (Unitarian Universalist, Charlottesville), Bishop Charlene Kammerer (United Methodist, Richmond), Rev. Dr. Janet Parker, (United Church of Christ, Arlington), and Rabbi Jeffrey Saxe (Jewish, Falls Church). The letter is signed by Rt. Rev. Holly Hollerith, the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, and Rev. Dr. G. Wilson Gunn, Jr., General Presbyter of the National Capital Presbytery (which includes Northern Virginia).
The Daily Press is reporting on the just released Department of Defense report reiterating its opposition to oil drilling in most of the area of Virginia's shores.
The zone is used by Naval Station Norfolk and other military installations for a wide array of training, including explosives, submarine exercises and Navy SEAL training.
The report calls for 72 percent of the zone, or roughly 2 million acres, to be closed to drilling. Five percent, or roughly 230,000 acres, would bar any permanent oil or gas platforms. One percent would be subject to unspecified stipulations and the rest, about 630,000 acres, would be unrestricted to drilling.
Former Delegate Joe Bouchard has warned for years that drilling off Virginia's coast is incombatible for National Security needs and this report only further confirms that fact.
Governor Bob McDonnell likes to talk about an "all of the above" approach to energy. The problem is, the only energy he seems to want to focus on is the old, dirty kind. Fans of offshore drilling had a big week last week when President Obama announced the opening of additional offshore areas (including Virginia) for potential oil drilling. Gov. McDonnell has made pushing for offshore drilling in Virginia a cornerstone of his first year.
Unfortunately, He doesn't seem to have the same commitment to offshore wind, which holds far more potential for long-term energy production, economic development and energy independence for Virginia and the United States. The Governor has pulled Virginia out of the bipartisan Governor's Wind Energy Coalition. The Governor is upset that the Coalition has backed a mandatory Renewable Electricity Standard. The Washington Post has more.
What the Governor doesn't understand is that the actions of Virginia with regards to offshore drilling and wind send the message that Virginia is committed to drilling but not to wind. If you are a wind energy company, are you going to invest in a state that hasn't shown the slightest commitment to helping you establish a market for your new and promising product? Answer: NO
The Governors' Wind Energy Coalition released recently its 2010 Wind Energy Recommendations. The full report (available here) is entitled "Great Expectations: U.S. Wind Energy Development". Here's a summary of its recommendations:
Adopt a Renewable Electricity Standard The nation's wind energy industry and supporting infrastructure will not reach their full potential unless the nation sets a minimum requirement for the use of renewable electricity.
Develop New Interstate Electric Transmission System Infrastructure as Needed to Provide Access to Premier Renewable Energy both On-Shore and Offshore Developing the states' rich domestic renewable resources will require improvements to the electric transmission system.
Support Coastal, Deep Water, Offshore Wind Energy Technology Research and Development If the nation is to meet the goal of providing 20 percent of its electric needs from wind power by 2030 and then continue wind's expansion to provide even greater contributions in both the electricity and the transportation sectors, it must develop and use all the nation's wind energy resources, including the rich wind areas along the nation's coastal and Great Lake states.
Streamline Permitting Processes for Both Offshore and On-Shore Wind Development Projects Congress must approve legislation that will allow for the efficient and timely review of wind projects on federal lands and in off shore coastal regions. While legislation is needed to improve the permitting process, dramatically improved coordination among state, federal and industry participants is equally important.
Dramatically Expand Wind Research, Innovation, and Collaboration Wind power technology is one of the best economic development opportunities for our states. Production of wind energy components and systems can help revitalize the manufacturing sector, and will provide substantial benefits to the nation's economy through domestic and export markets.
Extend the Treasury Department Grant Program Created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Adopt a Long-Term Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) with Provisions to Broaden the Pool of Investors Eligible to Participate An extension of the Treasury Department grant program is necessary while financial markets continue to recover. Over the longer-term, the Production Tax Credit, which has been the primary federal incentive for wind energy, should be extended for at least five years to provide a stable incentive for wind energy investment.
Senator Chap Petersen recently wrote on his blog, Ox Road South, about an amendment that he fought to include on House Bill 1300. Sen. Petersen claims that his amendment is a "Rare Enviro Victory." From our perspective, it was in no way a victory.
HB 1300 (and its Senate counterpart SB 128) would restrict the Air Pollution Control Board from prohibiting power plants within non-attainment areas from trading pollution credits. Currently, the Air Board is able to restrict trading and force plants to reduce NOx and SO2 emissions that lead to ozone pollution. Sen. Petersen's amendment was intended to "carve out" areas that are already in non-attainment so that the Air Board can still restrict trading in those areas.
Here are the problems with this approach, which have been shared repeatedly with the State Senate and the House of Delegates:
While Northern Virginia is currently the only area that is in non-attainment, under new EPA standards expected to be released in March 2011, the air quality in Hampton Roads, Richmond and other areas will be designated as non-attainment, meaning that the air in those regions does not meet levels that are "requisite to protect public health" (Clean Air Act, Section 109(b)(1)).
The "carve-out" may not even have the intended effect in Northern Virginia because the new EPA designations (which will include a new stricter standard for Northern Virginia) are just that... NEW designations. It could be argued that the new designation for NoVa won't be carved out because it became effective after January 1, 2010.
Prohibiting the Air Board from restricting trading means they will be limited in their ability to go after the largest and dirtiest polluters in non-attainment areas and will be forced instead to regulate small businesses and others who emit much smaller amounts of pollution. This will cause a huge financial burden on everyone from drycleaners to every individual citizen who owns a lawnmower or car, while power plants are able to continue polluting at high levels.
It makes more sense to preserve the Air Board's ability to restrict trading so that they can have access to this tool that will help them most efficiently reduce pollution in the dirtiest parts of the state, helping improve economic development opportunities and public health.
While Sen. Petersen intentions may have been laudable, the outcome of his amendment is bad for the environment in Hampton Roads, Richmond, Northern Virginia and the rest of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Delegate Albert Pollard joined sixteen Democratic General Assembly members at a press conference yesterday in the Capitol, urging Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to withdraw challenges to a federal decision on global warming, claiming that questioning established science is a frivolous waste of tax money. Two legal actions were filed last month by Cuccinelli seeking to block the federal move to regular emissions and gases linked to global warming.
Delegate Pollard's comments reminded Cuccinelli that global warming is an "established fact."
I just attended a press conference with other legislators urging Attorney General Cuccinelli to reconsider his position on his lawsuit against the Federal government over whether the EPA has the authority to regulate sources of carbon dioxide as a pollutant.
Mr. Speaker, there are plenty of reasons to be upset about Federal overreach, but their efforts to control pollution is not one of them. At a time when the Federal government is doing everything from trying to establish standards for local schools to dictating how our fishing licenses are written - there are very legitimate reasons to be concerned about federal overreach. But, Mr. Speaker, it is an established fact that the earth is warming - that our climate is changing.
Democratic legislators held a press conference in the Capitol on Tuesday in what was a sharp rebuke of the Attorney General's decision to challenge the EPA's authority to regulate green house gas emissions. We are proud of the leadership and committment that these seventeen legislators showed in the fight to combat climate change. Here are a few stories that discuss what went on at the press conference:
Dr. James V. Koch, former president of ODU, has yet again backed away from his 2005 "report" on revenues resulting from Virginia's offshore drilling. "I surely wouldn't want to go to the cross over the quick once over that I gave to this important topic", he wrote in a recent email to me.
First, this really doesn't qualify as a report. Indeed, I don't even have a copy. I was given about 48 hours to produce a very quick estimate of the economic benefits (jobs, income, taxes) that might be generated by drilling off shore. Since I had no Virginia data, and no time to produce any, I looked at what had happened previously in Louisiana and a Canadian province as a guide. I did not have time to take environmental costs, etc., into account. I do not list this work on my C.V. because I did not invest the considerable time and attention that I give to the many economic impact studies that I do.
There's not much more to say. Those who pose my weekend of work as a full-blown study are making way too much of it. This was not the thorough study that needs to be done and I think should be done. By the same token, the numbers that I produced aren't fictional; they are based upon what has happened other places in roughly similar circumstances.
Nonetheless, that report is the exclusive basis for McDonnell's legislative agenda whereby offshore drilling revenues fund our transportation fixes.
Meanwhile the State of Florida has the novel idea of commissioning a state sponsored report as part of a state Senate review of whether a ban on offshore drilling should be lifted.
As reported in the Miami Herald, the report concludes that "[e]stimated reserves in Florida waters would provide the United States with less than a week's worth of oil and have no discernible effect on prices at the pump or U.S. reliance on foreign oil."
The report is the latest indication that the push to open Florida waters as near as three miles from the state's beaches may be waning, at least for this year.
Another is that all 12 lobbyists for Florida Energy Associates, a group of independent petroleum explorers known as "wildcatters," that's been pushing for lifting the ban have withdrawn, according to the Legislature's lobbyist registry.
According to DOI, Virginia too has less than a week's worth of oil off its shores - 6.5 days to be exact. But that's not the truth that Bob McDonnell and his merry band of Flat Earth Society members want to run with. They'll continue to run with a "report" that the author himself doesn't want to claim.
And who are we kidding?!? Could you ever imagine Virginia's legislature actually ordering a report to support their policy decisions?!?
In the Richmond Times-Dispatch today, Glenda Booth, with the National Audubon Society, wrote that about the reasons why Virginia should be taking climate change seriously. Our position on the coast and at a relatively low sea level makes us particularly vulnerable to its negative effects. Glenda lays out the national security, wildlife/hunter/fisher and economic reasons why Virginia must act soon.
Given the state's $4 billion budget shortfall, perhaps legislators could be convinced by a cost-saving argument. Virginia, ranking 34th in energy efficiency, can cut emissions, reduce energy use, and save money in state operations.
It was particularly great to read this well-reasoned and thoughtful call to action, coming on the heels of Virginia's new Attorney General's less than well-reasoned or thoughtful action taken against the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday.
Read about Ken Cuccinelli's petition to the EPA in Chelsea's previous post, view the first part of his press conference after the jump and then view part 2, part 3 and part 4.
Today was another day for Virginia to make headlines. Like most headlines of late, this wasn't a good one either. Our new Attorney General has made healthcare and the environment his top priorities. Shouldn't this be a GOOD thing you ask? In some instances, yes, but not when his priority is to make every federal law regulating green house gas emissions and mandating healthcare for all citizens illegal in our state. He is taking these issues full on as public enemies #1 and #2.
After sending out an email to his listserv last week disputing global warming all together, our AG, Ken Cuccinelli held a press conference today, announcing his petition to the EPA to reconsider its finding that global warming threatens our livelihood. His reasoning for this petition? Climategate. Remember that little mole hill climate deniers successfully made into a mountain? Our state government has decided this is such an important issue that we should spend staff time and taxpayer money on it. Meanwhile, we're looking at a $1.2 billion budget shortfall. Great idea guys. Let's spend money on this.
So let's recap here. While our new Governor is backroom wheeling and dealing over serious budget cuts, including a $730 million cut to K-12 education programs over 2 years, and more Virginians are out of work and without healthcare, the new Administration is spending money on frivolous lawsuits against the EPA because they are concerned the EPA is finally going to do its job. Whew, glad to see this Administration has their priorities in order.
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Statement of Virginia Chapter-Sierra Club Assistant Director JR Tolbert on Court's Rejection of Cuccinelli Lawsuit:
The man who brought Virginia a ban on same-sex marriage and an exemption from federal health care is at it again. This time Delegate Bob Marshall has his sights set on protecting the good people of Virginia from higher efficiency homes and anything else associated with tackling climate change.
You've probably been following the McDonnell administration's attacks on the environment over the past eight months. They've advocated for drilling off our coast, proposed closing five state parks, tried to cut funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration by over $11 million and seem to want every square inch of the commonwealth paved for yet another road. Just last week McDonnell's Secretary of Natural Resources stated that the US EPA was requiring the state of Virginia to make the James River too clean. So just how clean is too clean?
From 
The following (below the fold) is a transcript from the presentation I gave before Senator Mary Margaret Whipple's Virginia Commission on Energy and the Environment on Thursday, July 8.
The Governors' Wind Energy Coalition released recently its 2010 Wind Energy Recommendations. The full report (
Senator Chap Petersen recently wrote on his blog, 
