CCAN Summer Newsletter 2022
Letter from the Director
We did it! Against the backdrop of killer floods, wildfires, drought, and record heat worldwide, the US Congress passed the biggest climate legislation in history. And, a few days ago, President Biden signed it into federal law.
Officially called the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), this bill will help cut US emissions up to 40% by 2030 while creating 1.4 million new jobs. It will expand the US economy by nearly one full percentage point, mostly through domestic manufacturing of wind and solar components. And by cleaning our air, it will avoid 100,000 asthma cases per year and up to 3,900 deaths. In addition, it will reduce the cost of prescription drugs and healthcare premiums, and pay down the national debt to reduce inflation.
I founded CCAN 20 years ago precisely with the goal of making this day happen. With the help of supporters like you, we passed laws and adopted policies at the state and regional levels that finally helped build pressure for transformative federal legislation. We’ll celebrate at our 20th-anniversary party on October 20!
Unfortunately, as much as we at CCAN love the pro-health, anti-warming features of the new federal law, we don’t like its PRO fossil fuel aspects. The IRA will open up millions of acres of US land and water to potential drilling for oil and gas. Worse – in a wholly separate bill – House and Senate leaders agreed to bring to a vote legislation that would fast-track possible construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). That pipeline would cross nearly 1000 streams and wetlands to transport fracked gas from West Virginia to Virginia and possibly to overseas markets. We unequivocally oppose the MVP and any legislation that would greenlight it.
But here’s some clarifying information about the IRA: According to modeling done by the highly respected think tank Energy Innovation, the bill will reduce 24 times more greenhouse gasses – through incentives for wind, solar, heat pumps, and electric vehicles – than it would increase emissions with policies favoring oil, coal, and gas. Again: there is 24 times more good stuff for the climate than bad in this bill.
So first, let’s celebrate! Then we’ll turn our full attention to killing any subsequent legislation that would facilitate the construction of the MVP – a climate-warming, land-destroying, family-wrecking pipeline that is utterly unacceptable to us. And we’ll continue fighting for climate progress at the local, state, and national level.
Onward!
Mike Tidwell
Director, CCAN and CCAN Action Fund
Explore CCAN Updates
Federal
A National Breakthrough!
For 20 years, CCAN has fought successfully to cut emissions at the state and local levels. We’ve always intended that our work would one day inspire federal action to address the climate crisis. In August 2022, our decades of effort paid off, culminating in the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). This groundbreaking legislation invests $370 billion into climate solutions, including $60 billion for environmental justice, and is expected to reduce US emissions by up to 40% below 2005 levels by 2030.
Take a deep breath with us and pause for a moment to be grateful for and proud of everything you’ve done to help make this possible. We achieved this victory together and we’re proud of the role we and our sister organization, CCAN Action Fund, played in passing the IRA.
What’s next? We keep fighting – because despite the net positive – the Inflation Reduction Act has some harmful provisions, including opening millions of acres of public lands to fossil fuel extraction. We’ll continue to fight alongside our partners across the country to block all new fossil fuel infrastructure. We’ll work to make sure the IRA funding going to states is spent equitably – meeting President Biden’s commitment of sending 40% of all climate investments to disadvantaged communities. We’ll organize together to defeat the “permit reform” package that Majority Leader Schumer promised to bring to a vote in exchange for Senator Manchin supporting the IRA. That package would fast-track the approval process for the Mountain Valley Pipeline and make it harder to block energy infrastructure projects in the future.
While a 40% reduction below 2005 levels is a huge victory – it falls short of President Biden’s goal of 50-52% by 2030. That means our work at the state level is more important than ever as we strive to close that 10% gap over the next 8 years. We’ll also continue to push for more federal action by demanding President Biden declare a climate emergency, and we’ll advocate for additional federal legislation.
We have a lot of work ahead but – for the first time – we see a clear and viable pathway to reduce our emissions as quickly as science demands. Over the past 20 years, CCAN and the rest of our movement have come close to cutting US emissions in half. Over the next 20 years, let’s eliminate them entirely!
Support CCAN Action Fund and Maybe Win A Tesla Or Rivian Electric Truck!
CCAN Action Fund is in the middle of hosting their 4th Annual EV Raffle for the Climate! This year the winner will get to choose between a custom-built Tesla worth up to $135,990 or a launch edition Rivian electric truck.
Tickets are only a $200 donation.
Enter today and support CCAN Action Fund’s work at www.evraffle.org.
Maryland
We Passed the Climate Solutions Now Act!
Our sister organization, CCAN Action Fund, was hard at work this past winter and spring. In April, after 3 years of tenacious campaigning, the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 (CSN) became law! This bill sets one of the most ambitious climate pollution reduction goals in the country while making Maryland one of the only states addressing 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.
We were also able to incorporate provisions from one of our other priorities – the Grid Reliability and Inclusive Distribution Act – into the final CSN language, ensuring that any electric grid upgrades prioritize emissions reductions and clean energy development, harness federal funding opportunities, and result in regulations for distribution system planning that will help us meet our climate goals! We didn’t get everything we wanted but CSN sets a strong science-based goal and establishes a foundation for more transformative climate policy.
Looking ahead to next year, we launched our Electrify Maryland Roadshow this summer to educate Marylanders on the climate and economic benefits of building electrification. We’ve reached hundreds of residents and will continue the roadshow throughout the year, keep an eye out for a roadshow near you!
Takoma Park Tree Savers
Barely a year ago, trees choking to death from vines
like English Ivy were almost everywhere in Takoma Park, MD – along playgrounds, outside downtown businesses, and even surrounding city hall. Over the last 15 months, hundreds of volunteers used a first-in-the-nation plan to rescue 80% of all trees dying from noxious vines. On June 30, using garden clippers and a pruning saw, volunteers saved the 4,000th tree – a 75-year-old red oak.
The program has received numerous inquiries from people and organizations wanting to adopt our model. We’re currently preparing to train at least two nearby community group. Donate today to support our tree saver program.
Virginia
Defending Virginia's Climate Progress
For two years, Virginia’s state legislature and executive branch boasted climate-minded majorities. In those two years, we made significant progress – passing bills that will decarbonize the power sector, pave the way for more electric vehicles, and enabled Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a program that raises hundreds of millions of dollars for climate resilience. Now, we face political headwinds in Richmond that call us to stand up and defend our progress.
Our organizers are up to the task. This July, CCAN and allies hosted “March Backwards” to protest Governor Youngkin’s undemocratic attempts to withdraw the state from RGGI, just one of his many attempts to move us backwards. A heartfelt thank you to all the CCAN members who rallied with us in Richmond!
We are not calling the next three years a wash. We’re still working hard to fight polluting, destructive pipeline infrastructure. We’re taking on the newly proposed “Virginia Reliability Project” in Hampton Roads, as well as continuing to push against the Mountain Valley Pipeline, both of which are disasters for Virginia, frontline communities, and the planet. We’re also focused on expanding and modernizing our public transit systems so that fewer Virginians need to rely on cars, a double win that improves quality of life and cuts transportation emissions.
Fighting to Stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline
The Mountain Valley Pipeline (303-mile fracked gas pipeline) is an over-budget, over-timeline boondoggle that analysts consider a bellwether for future endeavors. This pipeline’s climate impact would be equivalent to 23 coal-fired power plants – and we need to stop it!
Since the pipeline was proposed in 2015, we’ve been battling it. Today, our fight continues. In May, the pipeline company reapplied for two permits that were previously rejected – not once, but twice – by the courts!
One of the permits being sought again is the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Biological Opinion and Incidental Take Statement under the Endangered Species Act. What stands in the way? The endangered candy darter. The court admonished the Fish and Wildlife Service, stating that “if a species is already speeding toward the extinction cliff, an agency may not press on the gas.” Without this permit, the Army Corps of Engineers cannot issue an additional permit needed for MVP to cross streams and wetlands. Our legal team is working with partners on this case.
The second federal permit being sought is for authorization to cross the Jefferson National Forest. On January 25, 2022, the Fourth Circuit vacated — for the second time — the approvals granted by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management for MVP to cross 3.5 miles of the Jefferson National Forest. The judges concluded that the “Forest Service and the BLM… inadequately considered the actual sedimentation and erosion impacts of the Pipeline.”
Stay tuned as this fight continues and evolves and donate to support our legal team.
CCAN Action members
New Program: Making Strides, Taking Pride
Our Action Membership program has continued to grow! In this evolution of CCAN’s organizing, we’re focused on building a community committed to engaging more deeply and intentionally in our work. Whether by volunteering with an action team or supporting our work through monetary donations.
Over the last year, our organizing team launched “Power Hours” to orient new and long-term supporters to our new approach. We are now offering expanded training on skills such as writing letters to the editor, honing in on the power of storytelling, and we’re holding monthly update meetings to keep you all informed and engaged.
We’re especially proud of our team of Action Members in Northern Virginia. They played a significant role in the decision by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to commit over $750k in funding for Fairfax County Parks. The funding will go to programs that help sequester carbon, and keep all parks better maintained. This group of members canvassed in their communities, held public education events, and contacted elected officials to make this happen!
Whether you’re new to CCAN or have been taking action with us for years, our hope is that this Action Member program will give you a better sense of the organization, put our mission into concrete terms, and give you a clearer picture of the role or roles you can play.
80 Miles to Celebrate 80 Years
Would you walk 80-miles to celebrate your 80th birthday? CCAN
supporter, Pat Munoz, did just that. Pat hit the trails while also raising funds for two of her favorite nonprofits, CCAN and Potomac Riverkeepers. Her friends made pledges to support her endeavor for every mile walked – raising over $3000 in support of our work. Thank you, Pat!
“This was SO much fun, and SO inspirational for me,
and I think my friends and family actually got a big kick out of it, too. Everyone my age should give it a try!” ~ Pat
If you would like to conduct a friends-and-family fundraiser to support CCAN, please contact jessica@chesapeakeclimate.org.
New CCAN Staff
Over the past few months we’ve had many new CCANers join our team. We’re thrilled that they have chosen to share their passion and talents with CCAN.
Victoria Higgins, Virginia Director:
What fiction character would you like to meet and why? Seeking culinary companionship and inspiration from the rat from Ratatouille
Charles Brown II, Hampton Roads Organizer:
What is a life goal of yours? Getting the key to the city of my hometown – Hampton, Virginia.
Jess Rampulla, Major Gifts and Events Officer
Fun Fact? I am really good at identifying pasta shapes, purely because of how much pasta I consume.
Nicole Schroyer, Communications Manager:
Current hobby? Gardening! I have a community garden plot in NW DC, and I have been testing out growing new types of veggies that I have never grown before! It's a lot of trial and error.
James Brady, Maryland Organizer:
If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what would it be? What is the secret of Oak Island?
Celebrate 20 Years of CCAN on Oct 20
Over the past two decades, CCAN has grown and evolved. We’ve achieved many amazing victories and redoubled our efforts after every setback. Now, we’d like to invite you to join us in savoring the progress we’ve made and look ahead to continuing the fight against the climate crisis.
Support CCAN
In this new climate era, we need to build a people-powered climate movement. Your tax-deductible donation to the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) promotes policies that keep fossil fuels in the ground and that advance clean energy in Maryland, Virginia, DC, and nationwide. Give today!
