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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!
In the heated debate over offshore drilling, policymakers have only addressed "how much": how much gas and oil, how much tax revenue, and how many new jobs they think it would create. Yet, from the standpoint of healthy oceans, they've largely ignored the coastal environment and economies that would be subjected to potential harm from new offshore drilling such as off Virginia's coast.
Sometimes as an aside to their calls to "drill, baby, drill" comes the condition that drilling be done in an "environmentally safe manner." But what does that mean?
Lost in the debate is the realization that drilling has not occurred off our Atlantic coast for almost 30 years, and thus information on the possible effects of Atlantic drilling "is 30 years out of date," as Interior Secretary Ken Salazar points out.
Revealed at a Department of Interior workshop in Williamsburg in December 2008, large data gaps exist when it comes to endangered and protected species, fish and fisheries, the benthos and biology of the ocean floor, the ecosystems found in Virginia's offshore ocean canyons and coral reefs, as well as physical and geological oceanography.
In the interest of thorough environmental study, Salazar is rightly resistant to the rush to drill that is currently sweeping Virginia. For not only are there huge gaps in the scientific information needed to evaluate the impact of drilling off Virginia's coast, but Virginia's offshore zone is a small microcosm in a much larger coastal and oceanic ecosystem.
Rather than singling out a small area off a single state for an environmental study, the Atlantic coast as a whole needs to be studied. Tidal flows, ocean currents and winds often carry oil spills far from their source. Popular beaches, protected wetlands, sensitive marine habitats, and commercial and sports fishing all up and down the East Coast could be threatened by a large spill in Virginia's offshore zone.
Offshore oil and gas platforms continue to experience catastrophic failures despite the technological advances touted by drilling advocates. The recent blowout on the barely 2-year-old oil platform off the coast of Australia spilled an estimated 6-9 million gallons of oil during the 10 weeks it took to cap the well. Growing to almost the footprint size of New Jersey and observable from space, the spill has now contaminated Indonesian waters with its 5,800-square-mile spread.
It is disturbing that in their rush to drill, oil and gas drilling advocates in Virginia would oppose prudent studies on the impact of drilling on our precious Chesapeake Bay, our sensitive coastal wetlands, and our highly lucrative tourism and fishing industries that are completely dependent on clean beaches and healthy ocean waters.
Offshore drilling advocates cannot have it both ways. If they are being honest when they call for drilling to be done in an environmentally safe manner, then they should endorse Salazar's insistence on thorough studies of the environmental impact of drilling. If, instead, they oppose those studies in their rush to drill, then it is clear that they have failed to appreciate the bounty we have in coastal Virginia and how much we stand to lose if oil drilling were to occur irresponsibly.
Getting smarter about the way we use energy will save families money and create jobs right here in Virginia. Energy experts agree that by far the cleanest, cheapest and quickest way to produce more energy is through efficiency. That is why energy efficiency is again our top goal this legislative session in Richmond. And we need your help!
Call your State Senator and urge support for Senator McEachin's Senate Bill 71, which calls on Virginia utilities to take the lead by requiring them to reduce energy consumption 12% by 2022 by investing in readily-available energy-efficiency improvements.
Last year we gained some unlikely support on the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee (the key committee for energy efficiency bills) right after we flooded legislators' offices with calls and emails in support of efficiency. The bottom line: Your calls work! So, let's do it again this year.
The McEachin bill would create up to 10,000 new jobs in the Commonwealth. It's exactly the "Jobs Plan" Virginia needs right now! Efficiency investments will boost Virginia's economy and create a demand for energy efficient construction and weatherization, energy auditors and engineers, and other jobs.
Enacting strong energy efficiency programs not only creates jobs in Virginia, it also saves families and businesses money on their electric bills while also cutting harmful air and water pollution and reducing the threat of climate change. Efficiency is an emissions-free approach to meeting a large portion of the state's energy needs. It's available today with more efficient appliances and industrial processes, and improved weatherization and HVAC systems for offices, schools, homes and other buildings.
Efficiency would enable Virginia to meet its energy needs without constructing new, expensive power plants like the 1500-megawatt coal-fired plant proposed for the Hampton Roads area (Surry County), estimated to cost as much as $6 billion - the most costly coal plant in the U.S. The plant would be the biggest in Virginia and would release over 14 million tons of global warming pollution every year.
Washington, DC., January 21, 2011. In a widely-anticipated decision today, the Supreme Court ruled that oil giant Exxon Mobil has a federal constitutional right to marry. Exxon merged with Mobil more than ten years ago but, according to the opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, "Restricting corporations to mergers denies them one of the central rights of personhood, and effectively creates a separate and unequal class of persons comprised only of corporations."
Exxon and Mobil were formally married in Alaska earlier this year after the state law there was changed to legalize corporate marriages. Though several members of the Alaskan legislature had initially expressed reluctance, they changed their minds after Exxon Mobil contributed a million dollars to each of their campaign funds.
Exxon promptly sought to have its marriage recognized by the federal government, which resulted in its challenge to the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act." In yesterday's decision, the high Court agreed with Exxon that the law's restriction of marriage to "one man and one woman" violated the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution.
The court made clear, however, that the Defense of Marriage Act would continue to bar the recognition of marriages between homosexuals. "We would be guilty of overreaching were we to hold otherwise," concluded Roberts.
(Thanks, KnowWhere. Gosh, and now we know where Del. Comstock can put her survey! - promoted by Eileen)
Every good trial lawyer knows that you never ask a witness a question to which you do not know the answer. And if you phrase the question right, you can almost always get the answer you want.
Delegate Barbara Comstock shows she has learned a few tricks from trial lawyers in putting together her "2010 Legislative Survey," an compendium of neatly-worded leading questions--or in many cases, misleading questions--that no lawyer would have gotten past a judge. And just to make sure that she gets the "right" answers, she appears to have sent the surveys only to the Republicans among her constituents. (Others can find the survey online at www.DelegateComstock.com.)
Take the question about the state budget, which she says faces a shortfall not only because of the nation-wide recession but also because of "overly optimistic budget estimates." Really? How much optimism have any of us been hearing out of our state government in the past couple of years?
But having primed us to think that our legislators and governor have all been a bunch of free-spending budget Polyannas up to this very moment, when the Comstocks of the world arrived to save us, our response to the question of our budget priorities must be obvious. Who could agree to "raise taxes" when another choice suggests we could just "cut wasteful spending"? Gee, why hasn't anyone ever thought of that?
Or how about the question on offshore drilling, which asks if we "support environmentally safe exploration of natural gas and oil off the coastal water areas of Virginia and dedicating much of this money to transportation?" Let's start with that oxymoron, "environmentally safe oil drilling." Is that sort of like calling it "victim-safe rape" if the assailant wears a condom? ("They have very low failure rates these days, your honor.")
But having assured us by how she asks the question that the oil companies wear Kevlar condoms, isn't that a great transportation funding plan? Well, if you've followed the debate, which her target audience almost certainly has not, you know that a) no one has found this wealth of oil off our coasts yet, b) it would take about a dozen years to develop any wells if they did find it--which is rather a long time to wait for a transportation plan, and c) current federal law assigns all those hoped-for royalties to the U.S. treasury, not the state. So it's like balancing the family budget by counting on an inheritance from your rich uncle. Who, darn it, shows no signs of ill health and has fifty kids.
There are more of these kinds of questions in the Comstock survey. We especially like the questions on the federal health care plan and climate legislation. No, our state delegate has no say in federal legislation, but who cares? It's red meat for tea baggers. A trial judge would rule the questions irrelevant and prejudicial, but there is no judge here. There is only Delgate Comstock herself, who will surely announce soon that an overwhelming majority in her district agrees with her completely on every point. After all, in surveys like these, it's not finding out what people think that matters. It's getting the answers you want.
On the same day that the Washington Post reported that a NASA study found this past decade was the warmest on record and that 2009 was the second warmest year, Virginia freshman Delegate James Morefield introduced legislation (HB1357) that would prohibit the director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality from enforcing any federal law restricting the emissions of carbon dioxide. Despite a United States Supreme Court case that upheld the authority of the U.S. EPA to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act the bill goes on to say "carbon dioxide shall not be considered air pollution."
Delegate Morefield (R) hails from a coal mining district so it is in his perceived economic self interest to deny the scientific truth of climate change. Despite the dubious legality of this measure, it is within the realm of possibilities that this bill could pass the Republican controlled Virginia House of Delegates and should it clear the Senate, I would expect that our new Governor just might sign the bill.
The Virginia General Assembly that prides itself as the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere has in more recent times gained national notoriety for considering "droopy drawers" legislation requiring young men to pull up their pants. One of the sharper wits in the Assembly once quipped that they ought to have a standing committee just for the unconstitutional bills the legislators serve up for their constituents.
The good news is that in Virginia, the General Assembly only meets for 60 days in even years and 45 days odd years. In a few weeks, it will be over.
Two bills in particular were the subject of a stakeholders' meeting held today by the new Virginia Offshore Wind (VOW) Coalition. Sen. Donald McEachin and Delegate Bill Janis with their respective SB577 and HB389 are proposing creation of a Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority "to facilitate and support the development of wind-powered electric energy facilities located off the coast of the Commonwealth beyond the Commonwealth's three-mile jurisdictional limit".
The Commission is charged with, among other tasks, (i) collecting metocean data, (ii) identifying existing state and regulatory or administrative barriers to the development of the offshore wind industry, (iii) upgrading port facilities to accommodate the manufacturing and assembly of offshore wind energy project components and vessels that will support the construction and operations of offshore wind energy projects, (iv) securing federal loan guarantees, and (v) developing, constructing, and operating interconnection facilities on the Virginia shoreline to connect offshore wind energy projects to the electric grid.
Both bills have been sent to their respective body's Commerce and Labor committee. SB577 is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Commerce and Labor committee on 01/25/2010. It meets on Monday, 2:00 P.M. - Senate Room B. No assignment yet for HB389.
Virginia's environmental community had a fantastic "Conservation Lobby Day" on Mon., Jan. 18th. But now it's time to roll up our sleeves and get to work! So here's your legislative update for Thurs., Jan. 21st...
One of our marquee bills this session is the "Stream Saver" bill, SB564. (Click here for more info and to watch a video on this important bill.) The good news here is that the bill, introduced by Sen. Patsy Ticer, has picked up additional 5 more co-patrons, including Senators Whipple, Howell, Northam and Marsden. If you have a minute please call today at (800) 889-0229 and ask your Senator to co-patron this important bill!
However there is bad news with submission of SB 128 from Sen. Ryan McDougle. This bill would limit the Air Pollution Control Board's ability to address impacts on non-attainment areas (such as now the Hampton Roads area), in power plant permitting (such as ODEC's Surry coal plant in Hampton Roads).
SB564 is scheduled for a hearing on Feb. 11 at 4:00pm before the Senate Ag committee. (This is a correction to what was earlier posted here.)
Senators on this committee include Patsy Ticer, Harry Blevins, Creigh Deeds, Emmett Hanger, Mamie Locke, Ryan McDougle, Don McEachin, Ralph Northam, Mark Obenshain, Phil Puckett, Roscoe Reynolds, Frank Ruff, Richard Stuart, John Watkins, and Mary Margaret Whipple. Especially if these Senators represent you, please be sure to contact them and urge their opposition to SB128. (Click here for contact info for these members.)
An active association of forty-seven garden clubs, whose members collectively form a group of more than 3,300 civic leaders from around the Commonwealth, the Garden Club of Virginia exists to celebrate the beauty of the land, to conserve the gifts of nature and to challenge future generations to build on this heritage. We encourage our members to be informed advocates for proper land management practices, particularly those involving long-term protection of air, water, and soil qualities; and we encourage local organizations and governing bodies to support responsible residential and commercial development.
With these objectives in mind, the Garden Club of Virginia Board approved a resolution on December 11, 2009 to oppose the Cypress Creek Coal-Fired Power Plant proposed by ODEC for Dendron in Surry County. The resolution follows:
GCV Resolution
WHEREAS, the Garden Club of Virginia strives for the preservation of Virginia's beauty and natural heritage-including clean air and water, healthy terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and intact landscapes-from the Tidewater and the Chesapeake Bay to the mountains and streams in the western portion of the state;
WHEREAS, the coal-fired power plant proposed for Hampton Roads by Old Dominion Electric Co-operative could:
• Exacerbate mountaintop removal coal mining, a practice that permanently destroys the mountains, forests and headwater streams of southwest Virginia-treasured and irreplaceable parts of our natural heritage that provide clean water to communities, harbor a diversity of plants and animals unequaled in other regions of the United States, and enrich the lives of residents and visitors alike;
• Annually emit millions of tons of carbon dioxide, making it a major contributor to climate change, a severe threat to Virginia's more than 3,300 miles of tidal shoreline, its agricultural sector, and its sensitive wildlife habitats;
• Annually emit thousands of tons of the air pollutants that cause smog, soot, ground-level ozone, and acid rain, impairing human health and natural ecosystems;
• Contribute significantly to excessive levels of nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay-the most serious problem facing the Bay-through deposition of airborne nitrogen oxide emissions, worsening algal blooms that deplete oxygen levels, killing fish and shellfish and creating "dead zones" in the Bay;
• Also emit a large quantity of airborne mercury in close proximity to the Chesapeake Bay and major tributaries, contributing to mercury deposition leading to the contamination of fish and other aquatic life in waters already subject to fish consumption advisories due to excessive mercury levels;
THEREFORE, be it resolved that the Garden Club of Virginia will work to oppose construction of the proposed plant and continue to advocate for investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy in the state.
With this move, the Garden Club of Virginia has joined the former Director of the VA DEQ and 2008 recipient of the GCV Dugdale Award Bob Burnley in opposing construction of the Cypress Creek plant. Groups fighting to stop the plant include the Chesapeake Bay Foundation; Chesapeake Climate Action Network; Wise Energy for Virginia; Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards; Sierra Club; Physicians for Social Responsibility; Surry Justice; and the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Today is the one year anniversary (Dec. 22, 2008) of the day when, as Treehugger writes, "2.6 million cubic yards (the equivalent of 525.2 million gallons, 48 times more than the Exxon Valdez spill by volume) of coal ash sludge broke through a dike of a 40-acre holding pond at TVA's Kingston coal-fired power plant covering 400 acres up to six feet deep, damaging 12 homes and wrecking a train."
Adds NPR today: "One year later, clean-up is going slower than expected and it's more expensive too." "Residents of area say nosebleeds, breathing problems part of life now" writes the area's Knoxville News Sentinel.
Nearly a year later, living near the ash spill disaster zone remains an unrelenting horror story, those residents say.
Neighborhoods are desolated, and the noise from trains and trucks is almost nonstop.
Coal ash dust is everywhere, and sudden nose bleeds and respiratory problems are grim facts of life.
"It's just a nightmare," said Gary Topmiller, who lives on Emory River Road in Kingston. "It's like being captive in your own home."
Meanwhile, the EPA's promised regulations to tighten down on the handling and disposal of toxic ash from coal-fired power plants has been delayed.
Industry groups argue that if coal ash is regulated as a hazardous waste (no, duh!), it "could force nearly 200 coal-fired power plants nationwide to close". And that's a bad thing?
"A national coal combustion products regulation will alter the technology and economics of coal-fired power plants," Ken Ladwig of the Electric Power Research Institute told a House subcommittee. "Some owners would decide to prematurely shut down rather than incur the costs of compliance, while others would convert their ash handling and disposal systems and continue to operate in the post-regulation market."
"It is impossible to imagine that the imposition of basic landfilling standards will bring down the U.S. power industry," shot back Earthjustice attorney Lisa Evans.
"Generally, coal-ash is not subject to any concrete set of national standards to govern the safety of the impoundments or toxic pollution that leaches from them. Rules vary widely from state to state", writes Ken Ward in the Charleston Gazette.
There are many things that are being said about the shortcomings of the Copenhagen negotiations, but with the science telling us we must take action now if we are to protect our climate as well as the people impacted by climate change and the rich bio-diversity of this planet we call home, there is little time to debate the outcome. The time has come to act.
Coming out of Copenhagen, we have a political agreement by the leaders of the largest emitter nations who, eye ball to eye ball, hammered out the Copenhagen Accord; an agreement that goes beyond Kyoto to secure first time commitments to reduce emissions from the US as well as developing countries like China, India and Brazil.
Admittedly, the agreement does not go far enough to keep the average temperature of the earth from exceeding two degrees centigrade, but these new commitments by the US and by developing countries are a historic step forward, as President Obama noted in comments after the agreement was struck. The objection to the agreement of small island nations like Tuvalu, that face extinction if further progress is not achieved, is understandable. Clearly, this first step can not be the last.
For Americans who recognize the risks of climate change, there is one overwhelmingly important task that flows from this agreement: we must pass a clean energy and climate bill in 2010, and with mid-term elections bearing down on us, it is essential that Congress act before Earth Day, April 22, 2010.
President Obama has taken the political risk to commit the United States to the vision of a clean energy future with greenhouse gas emission reductions consistent with the legislation now pending before the Congress. It is now up to us to compel the Senate to act. We must not fail, we can not fail, in taking this first step toward a clean energy future protected from the risks of climate change.
Glen Besa, has spent the last two weeks in Copenhagen as a member of the Sierra Club's delegation to the UN Climate Conference. He is the director of the Virginia Chapter of Sierra Club.
Just about every one has scene the Sci-Fi classic, The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). (I did not see the recent remake.) In some ways what is happening today in Copenhagen is a real day when the earth stood still awaiting an outcome at the UN climate negotiations.
As in the movie, the fate of the earth is being decided, but this time the threat is not alien, it is of our own making-climate change. Just as in the movie there is high drama but here it is world leaders who must decide the course we will take.
Unlike in the movies, there will be no dramatic final ending here this week. Whatever the outcome, we face months or years of additional negotiations and years of hard work fighting fossil fuel interests who will resist implementation of any international agreement or federal legislation adopted by the US Congress. After Copenhagen, the work begins again!
Since those of us in Copenhagen are locked out of the UN negotiations, you can join us watching history being made (we hope) on line at :
Sierra Club's Virginia Chapter Director, Glen Besa, is in Copenhagen for the UN Climate Change conference. Last week he had the opportunity to take a boat tour of Middelgrunden (Denmark) offshore wind farm. Glen recorded this 1 minute video interview with Jakob Lau Hoist with the Danish Wind Industry Association discussing wind energy jobs. The tour was sponsored by Wind Power Works. Enjoy!
Sierra Club's Virginia Chapter director Glen Besa is in Copenhagen for the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Glen is blogging from the conference. His first post on Day 1, "On the Eve of Copenhagen" is here at Sierra Club's Climate Crossroads blog.
Yesterday Day 2, Glen interviewed several of the 18 students with the Sierra Student Coalition are a part of our delegation to Copenhagen. "Hear what five of these student leaders have to say about why these climate negotiations are so important to their future", he writes.
(Additional videos from students are below the fold.)
As world leaders gather in Copenhagen to negotiate a new global climate agreement, 350.org is hosting candlelight vigils around the world, with several such vigils taking place in Virginia.
Folks in Southside Hampton Roads will gather starting at 6:30 on Friday, December 11 at the Unitarian Church of Norfolk, 739 Yarmouth Street on the Hague. Speakers include ODU Professor and scholar David Burdige, Department of Ocean Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. For more information, contact Rev. Phyllis L. Hubbell, 410-916-1793, phubbell@uuma.org.
Click here to cast your vote in the Angry Mermaid Award and help decide which company or lobby group is doing the most to sabotage effective action on climate change.
Voting is open until Sun., Dec. 13, 2009. The winner of the Angry Mermaid Award will be announced in Copenhagen on Tues., Dec. 15, 2009.
"Crucial UN climate talks take place in Copenhagen this December. While people, organisations and social movements around the world are calling for strong action to prevent climate change and ensure climate justice, big business has been lobbying to block effective action to tackle the problem, while also seeking to benefit from it. Lobbying is defined as attempting to influence the decision-making process.
The Angry Mermaid Award has been set up to recognise the perverse role of corporate lobbyists, and highlight those business groups and companies that have made the greatest effort to sabotage the climate talks, and other climate measures, while promoting, often profitable, false solutions.
Named after the iconic Copenhagen mermaid who is angry about the destruction being caused by climate change, the Angry Mermaid Award winner will be decided by a public poll. Read the story of the Angry Mermaid.
Video from the Angry Mermaid is below the fold. Image above by Polyp.
"The fact is, these things happen", said Louisiana's Sen. Mary Landrieu, amazingly trying to dismiss the overwhelming risks associated with offshore drilling. Standing in front of a large poster of the flaming Australian oil platform at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week, she even went as far as to accuse drilling opponents of lying and scare-mongering!
"All we did was testify about real things that have really happened, to make the point that despite advances in technology, mistakes are still made and accidents still happen - and with offshore oil production, the consequences still can be severe", writes Sky Truth's John Amos who was invited to testify on several significant oil spill incidents they've investigated over the past few years.
These investigations include "the recent Montara platform blowout and spill in the Timor Sea off Western Australia; this summer's spill in the Gulf of Mexico from the Eugene Island Pipeline operated by Shell; and the spills from hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, and Ike in 2008, that exposed the Achilles heel of offshore production: the vulnerability and severe spill risk posed by the coastal infrastructure - especially pipelines and storage facilities - that is necessary to support offshore drilling."
Sky Truth was also commissioned to produce the image depicting the Australian oil spill off Virginia's coast. Click here to view image.
As an LTE in today's Virginian-Pilot points out (not online yet - see below the fold), politicians hinge their support of offshore drilling on its capacities to be done in an environmentally safe manner. The Australian spill especially shoots that pro-drilling argument to hell. The truth hurts and thus the knee-jerk reaction of people like Sen. Landrieu saying basically "shit happens".
Why in the world do we want shit to happen off our Virginia coasts?
Last week at its monthly Hampton Roads Planning District Commission meeting, a new organization, the Virginia Offshore Wind Energy Coalition, introduced itself and presented a report regarding the status of Atlantic coast offshore wind projects, the economic development opportunities for Hampton Roads, and their legislative strategies for the 2010 General Assembly. (Click here to read entire report.)
According to the report, the Department of Energy estimates long term offshore wind energy potential off Virginia's shoreline at 6572 megawatts. The Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium (VCERC) estimates the near term offshore wind energy potential at 3500 megawatts with a capital investment of up to $10 billion.
The Federal government's Mineral Management Services (MMS) released its offshore renewable energy development regulations in June this year. Already two companies have submitted lease applications for projects off Virginia's coasts.
Capital investment in the East Coast offshore wind energy industry for the coming 10 years is expected to be in excess of 15 billion. And everyone up and down the Atlantic seaboard wants a piece of this action.
New Jersey and Rhode Island head the pack with potentially the first commercial utility scale projects expected to be online as early as 2012. Procurement of wind turbines, installation vessels and other main components of these first projects will occur in the coming 6-12 months.
VCERC estimates $2.4 billion investment in the local economy. It is expected that more than 50% of offshore wind energy scope of supply will be manufactured locally. The thousands of jobs include engineering and fabrication of installation and service vessels, fabrication of towers and foundation monopoles and heavy turbine components. Amongst its East Coast neighbors, Virginia and specifically Hampton Roads with its deep water port and ship building industry, is envisioned as being the manufacturing hub for the industry.
With impending renewable energy standards and cap-and-trade requirements imposed by both the Federal and state government, Virginia's offshore wind will provide a clean energy source that keeps these carbon credits within the Commonwealth, instead of importing them from the Midwest wind energy sources which involves building more transmission lines.
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative wants to build the largest coal plant in Virginia in the Hampton Roads region. On Monday, Nov. 23rd, the Surry County Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on whether to grant local zoning approval for this controversial plant and allow ODEC to amend the Comprehensive Plans of Surry County and the Town of Dendron. This is a crucial time to speak out against this monstrosity of a coal plant and to maintain control of the direction of our communities!
The proposed plant, located only a few miles from one of the Commonwealth's greatest treasures, the Chesapeake Bay, would poison surrounding waterways with 116 pounds of mercury per year. The plant would create nearly 60 tons of poisonous coal ash a day, to be stored in Surry County, and would increase the demand for coal extracted using mountaintop removal mining. In addition, it would add nearly 15 million tons of global warming pollution to our air every year.
Please plan to attend this critical meeting on Monday, Nov. 23 starting at 7:00pm at the Surry County Government Center, 45 School St. in Surry, VA. Visit the Wise Energy for Virginia site for more information.
The presidential administration and its cohorts in the Senate, such as John Kerry, have been steadily working on a new bill that aims to reduce global warming and step up green energy solutions. According to an article in the New York Times, Energy Secretary Stephen Chu remains confident that the United States efforts in clean energy technologies and research will surpass all other countries.
While politicians on the capitol are doing their part to create real, tangible results in legislation, President Obama visited a solar-energy center in Arcadia, FL, vowing to invest in clean electricity and a new energy system. Vice President Biden visited an old General Motors plant in Delaware where he discussed the importance of transporting our auto industry to one of hybrid vehicles.
After decades of no results and the continuing of lackluster environmental policies, we are beginning to see real action taking place in the social, political and legislative areas in regards to moving towards a green paradigm. From new methods of energy, transforming the auto industry and construction, we have already seen steps in the right direction.
There is a lot of confusion and misinformation circulating about the cap and trade mechanism in the energy and climate legislation being debated before Congress. By capping and trading carbon emission we can reduce greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
While cap and trade may seem like a confusing concept, it has actually been around for almost 20 years effectively reducing sulfur dioxide that causes acid rain and nitrogen oxides that cause smog.
The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, signed into law by George H. W. Bush, established the first cap and trade program that now serves as a model for the program being proposed to reduce carbon emissions.
Cap and trade was proposed by business interests and Republicans as a means of using market forces to reduce pollution more efficiently than the alternative of requiring each polluter to reduce their pollution by a fixed amount.
How does cap and trade work? First, we calculate all the pollution being emitted and by whom; this becomes the initial "cap." In the 1990s, that pollution was sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides; today it is carbon. Under the legislation being considered in Congress only very large emitters would be included.
Next you determine your goal for reducing that pollution. Let's say our goal is to reduce carbon, global warming pollution, 20 percent by 2020. That means each year the total amount of pollution that may be released, the "cap," would decrease by two percent per year between now and 2020.
Here is where the trading comes in.
Each year the large companies that emit carbon regulated under the cap have to decide how they will effectively reduce their carbon by two percent. Some businesses will find it in their best interest to make an investment that could substantially reduce their carbon pollution emissions by more than two percent.
Despite the nor-ester hitting Hampton Roads, the GreenUp Expo goes on.
The first session that I attended was supposedly entitled "Renewable Energy Resources/Clean Energy". I say "supposedly" because one of the speakers was Cathie France, director of government relations with Virginia Natural Gas.
She talked about natural gas as the "bridge" to renewable energy. Makes no sense! Why invest $ in a nonetheless dirty fossil fuel that reeks havoc on the environment w/ its production process? The "bridge" fuel is bio-diesel, geo-thermal, energy efficiency, etc. But hey, the fat cats in t...he oil & gas industry can't pad their wallets w/ those resources. Drill, baby, drill.
I'm now sitting in a session on "Eco-tourism". Only 1 of the 3 speakers showed up. The moderator, a guy I've met before and whose name escapes me, is pitch hitting. This guy is the recycling coordinator for the City of Newport News. He told me they have a new Sustainability Plan for Newport News. It's not online yet, but I'm anxious to see it. I'm working with Virginia Beach to develop their Sustainability Plan. The City Council wants it by the end of December 2009.
I'm feeling obnoxious so I had to ask how the Virginia Beach Hotel & Motel Association could endorse offshore drilling considering how spills happen despite the "new technology" (note Australian oil spill) and the devastation to our tourism and fishing industries.
Alright, I'm moving on to the third session, "Marketing Green".
"Gross" is how CCAN's Lauren Glickman describes a kids coloring book produced by the West Virginia Coal Association and obtained and scanned by the Center for American Progress.
Friends of Coal (FOC) is a front group created by the West Virginia Coal Association. Its mission is to "inform and educate West Virginia citizens about the coal industry" and "provide a united voice" for the industry. To make dirty coal seem appealing, FOC has sponsored or initiated license plates, football games, basketball practices, plane jumps, fishing events, and scholarships.
The FOC Ladies Auxiliary has been handing the coloring book out to children around West Virginia as part of a "Coal in the Classroom" campaign. Coal officials go into schools and give presentations about the importance of coal. "We'd really like this to be statewide, that it be mandatory in the schools that they learn about coal," said FOC ladies auxiliary president Regina Fairchild in January. The ladies auxiliary is also recruiting members for its "junior" FOC group, open to "girls and boys ages 8 to 16."
Additionally, FOC ladies auxiliary members have visited children in West Virginia hospitals to give them a "special present": Mr. Coal, "a small, black Labrador stuffed puppy meant to bring a smile to kids' faces during hospital stays."
How easy it would be to create our own version of this coloring book - depict mountain top removal, polluted tap water, road dust from coal trucks, kids with inhalers for their asthma, sludge ponds looming in the mountains over elementary schools, poisoned fish, money grubbing politicians, backroom deals, etc., etc. Let's do it!
This is awful. Absolutely terrible. Its already pretty bad that the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) used the anti American, anti-democracy Bonner and Associates as their PR firm even though they are known for breaking the law by impersonating public groups and private individuals to promote such things as smoking in the workplace. Even though its a known fact that in order to create a false sense of public support for an issue they hire temp employees, pay them hourly with no benefits, give them two hours of training on an issue, and then tell them to generate as many phone calls and letters to congress as possible in an office that has been repeatedly referred to as a "white collar sweatshop".
They even sent a fake letter to Virginia Congressman Tom Perriello from a non-profit group in his district that focuses on issues of importance to Hispanics encouraging Perriello to vote no on important climate change legislation. They also used the same tactic several on several other congressmen; faking letters from grassroots groups in their districts asking them to vote no on climate legislation -complete with fake letterhead and signatures.
It's even worse that the new group "Faces of Coal" turned out to be complete farces of coal when their website, which was supposed to be showing the faces of people who supported coal, turned out to be photos purchased from istockphoto.com.
Jack Bonner, the president of Bonner & Associates, told the House Select Committee on Global Warming and Energy Independence on Thursday that around June 22 the firm had discovered that a temporary employee had sent letters to Congress falsely representing local chapters of the NAACP, AAUW and other groups.
The panel has been investigating the forged letters since their discovery last summer. It released the results of its investigation at a hearing on Thursday.
The House voted on the bill on June 26, meaning Bonner knew of the forgeries as many as four days prior to the vote.
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Getting smarter about the way we use energy will save families money and create jobs right here in Virginia. Energy experts agree that by far the cleanest, cheapest and quickest way to produce more energy is through efficiency. That is why energy efficiency is again our top goal this legislative session in Richmond. And we need your help!
On the same day that the Washington Post reported that a NASA study found this past decade was the warmest on record and that 2009 was the second warmest year, Virginia freshman Delegate James Morefield introduced legislation (
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From Merry A. Outlaw, Williamsburg Garden Club:
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As world leaders gather in Copenhagen to negotiate a new global climate agreement, 
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Old Dominion Electric Cooperative wants to build the largest coal plant in Virginia in the Hampton Roads region. On Monday, Nov. 23rd, the Surry County Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on whether to grant local zoning approval for this controversial plant and allow ODEC to amend the Comprehensive Plans of Surry County and the Town of Dendron. This is a crucial time to speak out against this monstrosity of a coal plant and to maintain control of the direction of our communities!
There is a lot of confusion and misinformation circulating about the cap and trade mechanism in the energy and climate legislation being debated before Congress. By capping and trading carbon emission we can reduce greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
Despite the nor-ester hitting Hampton Roads, the 
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This is awful. Absolutely terrible. Its already pretty bad that the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) used the anti American, anti-democracy Bonner and Associates as their PR firm even though they are known for 
They even sent 
