Senate Finance Committee Hearing On Climate Change Legislation

Guest post by Shannon Goggin, Global Warming and Energy Program Intern.

The Senate has returned from the Independence Day recess and jumped right in to discussions on a comprehensive climate bill. Yesterday, the Senate Finance Committee met to discuss international trade implications of climate legislation like the ACES bill that passed out of the House on June 26th.

Testifying at the event were: Eileen Claussen, President of the PEW Center on Global Climate Change; Loren Yager, Director of International Affairs and Trade at the Government Accountability Office; and Gary Horlick from the Law Offices of Gary Horlick.  These witnesses fielded questions about the impact of a cap and trade bill on international trade.  Among other things, the committee discussed the best way to motivate the rest of the world to join the United States in this effort, should we succeed in passing this bill.

Kentucky coal Senator Jim Bunning, who has consistently worked to block the development and support of new clean energy technology, contended that the United States should wait until the rest of the world acts before making any meaningful movement ourselves. Senator Kerry accurately pointed out that if the United States shows up in Copenhagen without a meaningful bill, “we’re all in trouble.”

Senator Kerry is right! With the talks in Copenhagen coming up in December, it is urgent that we pass legislation this year showing our commitment to cleaning up our act- and if we can show this, it will be that much easier to get the rest of the world to join us. The time to wait around for others to lead has passed. Now is our chance to lead the world in clean energy technology or get left painfully behind.

European Trading Scheme Costs Consumers No More Than a Few Good German Beers

This post was written by Justin Guay, Apprentice for the Sierra Club Global Warming & Energy Team.

The senate committee on foreign relations held a hearing yesterday entitled “Industrial Competitiveness under Climate Policies: Lessons from Europe”. The Panel included Steven Fries Chief Economist for Shell, Wolfgang Weber Head of the Energy and Climate Policy for BASF Group, Ben Lieberman Senior Policy Analyst for Energy and Environment for the Heritage Foundation, and Dr. Felix Matthes Research Coordinator for Energy and Climate Policy for the Institute for Applied Ecology.

The hearing focused primarily on the issues of carbon leakage and job creation with a few wonderfully wacky, off-base comments from Ben Lieberman -- including his assertion that cap and trade legislation-heralded as a market based solution to climate change-is a “centrally planned option”. Dr. Felix Matthes helped to deflect Lieberman’s “quirky” assertions, by assuring the senator that the socialist planners he grew up with in East Germany would not agree.

Matthes proved to be the most interesting, and supportive of cap and trade of the panel members providing a list of lessons to be taken from the EU experience, including the need for a robust system that avoided providing a “huge potential for perversion” through the free distribution of allowances to the power sector. Though he acknowledged the need to curb leakage-the burning of carbon in nations not covered by cap and trade legislation-to countries such as China, he continually disagreed with Wolfgang Weber on the need to auction allowances.

Though Wolfgang was promoting industry handouts, Matthes stuck his ground and demonstrated effectively that the allowances must be auctioned. In perhaps the most entertaining portion of the hearing, Matthes, with the help of some on the spot calculations, determined that the cost passed on to European consumers was no more than 90 Euro per year. According to Matthes this was no more than “9-18 good German beers a year”. Now that's an energy policy worth considering!

The 100th Coal Plant Milestone

This is the weekly blog post from Bruce Nilles, director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.

As of today, 100 coal plants have been defeated or abandoned since the beginning of the coal rush. Late yesterday, news came down that Utah-based Intermountain Power Agency is abandoning plans for a third coal-fired generator in the state.

This news comes as President Obama is at the G8 summit in Italy discussing action on global warming. As other countries like China say they will not act until the U.S. does, these 100 stopped plants are a sign from Americans. We are taking action against global warming, and it's time to join us.

This also comes just a week after Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the city would end coal use by 2020, and was announced the same day as a decision by Basin Electric Power in South Dakota to pull plans for a new coal-fired power plant. The decision marks a significant milestone in the shift to clean energy.

Broken Record: LiveBlogging the Senate Climate Hearings

It's time! Follow the action below, or by following #brokenrecord on Twitter.

Why Broken Record? Because some folks who are testifying today will most likely be spouting off the same old climate change denying and dirty energy supporting rhetoric that's long been debunked. Here's a list of the speakers speaking at today's Senate Environment and Public Works hearing entitled "Moving America Toward a Clean Energy Economy and Reducing Global Warming Pollution: Legislative Tools."

Live-Blogging the Senate Climate-Energy Bill Hearing

Tomorrow (Tuesday) will be a busy day for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee as they hold a hearing entitled "Moving America Toward a Clean Energy Economy and Reducing Global Warming Pollution: Legislative Tools." What that long name really means is they'll be discussing climate and energy legislation, all directly related to the U.S. House's recently passed American Clean Energy and Security Act.

To keep you up to date on the hearing and who says what, we'll be live-blogging and twittering the hearing all day. Just keep your browser right here on Compass, or you can also follow along using the #brokenrecord hashtag on Twitter. Why Broken Record? Because some folks who are testifying tomorrow will most likely be spouting off the same old climate change denying and dirty energy supporting rhetoric that's long been debunked.

The list of speakers for tomorrow's hearing is a good one. We have the EPA head Lisa Jackson, Dept. of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Dept. of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Dept. of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. That's not to mention a Pennsylvania mayor, an enviro, the vice president of Dow Chemical's Energy Division, and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (who used to be an energy lobbyist).

So, be here tomorrow at 10am when the live-blogging begins!

Poverty Near The “High Hazard” Coal Ash Sites

This is the weekly post from Bruce Nilles, director of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.

The public's right-to-know scored a victory this week when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finally released the list of the 44 coal ash sites deemed "high hazard." This comes two weeks after a coalition of organizations including the Sierra Club filed a Freedom of Information Act request demanding the release of the list.

Since then we've been crunching some numbers to learn more this list of coal ash storage sites. First of all, we've put the 44 sites onto Google Maps so you can see just how close you are to one.

Here's an example of one of the sites.
Moundsville, WV coal pond

The "high hazard potential" coal ash storage sites listed by EPA are all located near coal-fired electric power plants concentrated in 10 states; with 12 sites in North Carolina and nine sites in Arizona alone. We also see many of the same energy offenders in the release: Topping the list with 11 sites electric utility giant American Electric Power, followed closely by Duke Energy and Arizona Electric Power Cooperative.

An Update on ACES

So of course you're heard by now that the American Clean Energy & Security Act (ACES) passed in the U.S. House of Representatives last week. We were thrilled with the news. It's a great step forward for a clean energy future in the U.S., but the bill still needs strengthened before it hits the President's desk.

That of course means our target now is the Senate. Take a look at our updated video on ACES to learn more.

That link again to check how your Representative voted and write her/him is

http://action.sierraclub.org/aces_housevote

Stay tuned for the hard work in the Senate!

California Gets Its Waiver

This is a guest post from Jesse Prentice-Dunn of the Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign.

Great news! After four years of waiting and a misguided rejection by the Bush Administration, the EPA has finally granted California the waiver necessary to implement its clean car standards. This is a real victory for California and the fourteen other states that have adopted the greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles.

California's standards, which require automakers to sell cleaner, more efficient vehicles, are more stringent than the current national fuel economy regulations and will cut oil consumption and global warming pollution. While new national greenhouse gas standards for vehicles will apply to vehicles in 2012-2016, this decision will allow California and other states to implement tailpipe standards in the years leading up to 2012. In 2010, automakers will have to meet California's greenhouse gas standards (PDF) in California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington.  In 2011, Maryland and New Mexico will join the program.

It's important to note that California retains the Clean Air Act authority to set global warming standards in the future. In adopting clean car standards, California has proven that it can lead the nation in developing policies that will curb global warming and drive innovation.

Also, check out California's Environmental Performance label for vehicles (the image above), which allows consumers to see how a new vehicle stacks up against others in terms of greenhouse gas and smog forming emissions. Eight states have adopted California's Environmental Performance label. While automakers must make cleaner vehicles, providing consumers with this information will allow them to factor global warming and pollution into their purchasing decisions.

So happy Waiver Day, everyone! Granting the California waiver is yet another concrete step by the Obama Administration to reduce emissions – let's keep this snowball rolling downhill!

The Golden State en Route to Being a Green State

Hi this is Malia, one of the new media interns for the summer...enjoy!

Yesterday, the California Air Resources Control Board voted in favor of several green regulations.  

Among the most effective of these regulations requires all new cars sold in the state of California to have energy efficient windshields by 2012.  These windshields will prevent 45% of the sun’s total heat producing rays from entering the car meaning a reduction in the use of the air conditioner, an increase in fuel efficiency and an overall reduction of greenhouse emissions.  Moreover, by 2016, car manufacturers will be mandated to install windows in new cars that prevent over 60% of heat producing rays from entering the car.

Experts calculate that these two new measures will be the equivalent to taking nearly 140,000 cars off the road.  Of course, we could just ask people to stop using their air conditioning to eliminate even more greenhouse gasses, but this is just one small step in making California comfortable and even more ahead of the curve.

On top of the new car regulations, the board also voted to require methane controls in 14 city landfills by 2012 and is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 million metric tons!  This is great news, but why not require methane controls on all landfills? 14 sounds like a pretty slim number.

Although more can always be done, all of these new regulations are small steps to making California the fleeting example of how green the USA can be. One last question, why wasn’t this done earlier?

Public Transportation is Getting More Expensive, but Biking is Still Free

This week's post from Sierra Club Media Intern Natalie Gaber

In case you hadn’t noticed, life is more expensive these days, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any cheaper.

As a Berkeley resident commuting to San Francisco three days a week, I’ve especially noticed this cost-of-living increase in public transportation Three of the Bay Area’s largest public transportation agencies, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), AC Transit, and MUNI, are all sticking customers with fare increases starting July 1.

BART, the local subway system, is faced with a $249 million budget deficit over the next four years and is implementing a 6.1% cost-of-living based fare increase, which amounts to an average fare increase of 20 cents.

AC Transit, the East Bay bus system, and MUNI, San Francisco’s public transit agency, are engaging in similar fare increases. Fares will soon rise for both agencies by 25 to 50 cents. 

To add insult to injury, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that AC Transit is considering service cuts of up to 15%, which translates to 905 hours of weekday operation and 458 hours of weekend operations disappearing. Clarence Johnson, spokesman for AC Transit, says he hopes the cuts won’t be “too draconian,” but who is he kidding? If AC Transit revenue is down, then they should be providing incentives for people to ride the bus, not reasons to avoid the bus (i.e. increasing fares and cutting service). 

House Vote on American Clean Energy & Security Act

We're all closely watching C-Span this morning as the U.S. House of Representatives debates the American Clean Energy & Security Act (ACES). We've been hearing that a vote will come around 2pm. If you can't watch C-Span to hear all the debate, then you can follow along on Twitter. Many reporters and other folks are tweeting the debate and using the #aces hashtag, including excellent Grist reporter Kate Sheppard.

Want to learn more about ACES? Check out our information page - and take action by calling or emailing your member of Congress right now to tell them to support ACES. Reach your member at 202-224-3121, or use this webpage.

Stay tuned - it's a big day for clean energy and the fight against global warming.

MTR Hearings LiveBlog - Stop Mountaintop Removal Now!

Sierra Club will be microblogging on Twitter from the MTR hearing in DC today starting at 3:30pm ET. Want to follow along? We've embedded a widget right here on Compass for you to follow along with.

You can watch the hearings live .

Want to participate? Go on Twitter and use the hashtag #stopmtr to voice your opinion!

Making the Best of Cash for Clunkers

This is a guest post from Ann Mesnikoff, head of the Sierra Club's Green Transportation Campaign.

Yesterday President Obama signed the bill that includes the "Cash for Clunkers" program into law. So, what are we getting? For one thing, this is a smaller program – one billion taxpayer dollars toward the purchase of new vehicles in exchange for retiring “clunkers” – instead of the original four billion dollar proposal. But the fact remains that the overall structure of the program is overly weak when it comes to ensuring taxpayer dollars go toward the purchase of gas "sippers." 

The Environmental Protection Agency will have just a few weeks to issue the rules that will govern this program. Cash for Clunkers will be coming to a dealer near you soon!

The one thing we can do is urge those who turn in gas guzzling clunkers – vehicles that travel 18 miles to the gallon or less – is to use their vouchers toward the purchase of the most fuel efficient of vehicles on dealer lots.  There are plenty of cars to chose from – the Chevy Malibu (conventional and hybrid), the Ford Focus, the Chevy Cobalt, and more. Let’s not forget that GM advertises that it has more models that get over 30 miles to the gallon (on the highway) – but still, the point is that a $4,500 voucher should help consumers buy the best fuel economy. 

Gas prices are going to go up.  We need to end our addiction to oil and curb global warming pollution.  This Cash for Clunkers program could subsidize the sale of 250,000 new cars – let’s make sure those are 250,000 efficient ones!

Reporting Back from the ACES Press Conference

 
I'm back from a fantastic press conference on the American Clean Energy & Security Act (ACES) over at the Capitol here in Washington, DC. We had a phenomenal list of speakers all urging members of the U.S. House of Representatives to pass ACES when it comes to the floor this Friday:

• Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA)
• Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA)
• Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
• Representative Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM)
• Larry Schweiger, President, National Wildlife Federation
• Jon Soltz, Chairman, VoteVets
• Dave Foster, President, Blue-Green Alliance 
• Linda Delgado, Legislative Director, Oxfam America
• Jerome Ringo, President, Apollo Alliance
• Sister Sharon Dillon, Catholics United

At the last minute Rep. Mike Doyle from Pennsylvania and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan from New Mexico also joined the rally. All the speakers emphasized that investing in clean energy will create more jobs, secure our energy independence and fight global warming. Some led the big crowd in cheers about clean energy, and others just got them riled up for clean energy in general.

UPDATE: And here's the video! Enjoy

More photos and details after the jump! (click on any of the photos to see a larger version)

Dirty Energy Wednesday

We're talking coal and tar sands today, friends.

First up, the good news: a planned coal plant in Nevada is now officially off the books. Yesterday NV Energy shelved its plans for the 1,500 megawatt Ely Energy Center.

Second, time for you to take some action. This information comes from my excellent fellow Compass blog poster Nithin Coca:

We're at a critical juncture on the fight against one of the dirtiest fuels on Earth: tar sands from Alberta, Canada. While America is finally beginning to move down the path towards a Clean Energy Economy, forces are trying to slip in more dirty fuel into our mix, pipeline by pipeline, refinery by refinery, permit by permit. Yet it is a single, massive project planned and executed by Big Oil and their allies in Canada’s government.

A major piece of the project—the Alberta Clipper pipeline — is up for approval by the U.S. State Department in just two weeks. Now only one person has the power to stop the dirtiest oil project on earth: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

We want to make sure Secretary Clinton knows about this pipeline - just one part of a dirty oil mega-project, which includes dozens of oil refineries and pipelines that are crossing the border and being retooled to make us over-dependent on their dirty, dangerous oil. If this gets approved, it's a slippery, tarred slope to a dirty-fuels future.

Tell Secretary Clinton to say no to tar sands!

Tar sands photos by David Dodge, Pembina Institute. Click on each to see the full size versions.

Bad News Monday?

Blech, today's news has not been great so far. The Supreme Court decision came down earlier today that the Kensingon gold mine in Alaska can dump its waste into Lower Slate Lake even though the waste will kill just about everything in the lake.

Why? Because the justices referred to a Bush Administration era definition of "fill" - which can include contaminated waste. This of course is terrible news for those around Lower Slate Lake, but it also has national implications. Using this definition of fill can mean even more bad news for those of us trying to put an end to mountaintop removal coal mining - where mining companies can just dump their waste into streams in Appalachia and it's all perfectly legal.

Stay tuned, we'll soon have an action you can take to help stop this type of waste dumping.

But, related to mountaintop removal coal mining, this Thursday at 3:30pm ET on Capitol Hill is a Senate subcommittee hearing on that very practice. We'll have people there and be live-blogging the hearing right here on Compass, so stay tuned!

Solar Day 2009

This is the first post from Natalie Gaber, Sierra Club Media intern for the summer. Give her a warm welcome, she'll be posting here weekly on various Energy/Global Warming issues.

Everyone knows that Sunday is Father’s Day (and if you didn’t know, now you do, so no excuses!), but I bet you didn’t know that Sunday, June 21 is also the first annual Solar Day. According to www.solarday.com, “SolarDay™ 2009 is the first in an annual, state-by-state and national day of recognition for the growth of solar energy in the U.S. and a celebration of the growth in our energy independence.” Solar Day was created by Elevator Communications, LLC, and the company hopes to make Solar Day a first-day-of-summer tradition.

For example, San Francisco is hosting several events to celebrate Solar Day, such as a Solar Water Heating Tour & Exhibit, where various San Francisco residents and businesses will be showing off their money-saving, carbon-reducing solar water heaters. In addition to pariticpating in organized activities, the organizers of Solar Day are encouraging communities to take matters into their own hands, whether that means conducting home energy audits, hosting a solar oven competition (added bonus: use your oven to cook something delicious for Dad!), or organizng a Solar Day walk-a-thon or Run for the Sun (to burn off whatever you cooked in your solar oven). For more ideas, check out the website.

Coal Ash Sites Kept Secret, While Industry Works to Prevent Regulations

This week’s blog post is co-written by Mary Anne Hitt, deputy director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign.

If you lived near a dump site where the hazardous waste was so toxic it could increase your cancer risk to as high as a staggering 1 in 50, wouldn’t you want to know about it? What if there was one near your child’s school, but you had no way of knowing about it because the list of the most dangerous sites was being kept secret? Well, it turns out there are dozens of such sites across the nation, and our government is refusing to tell us where they are.

The toxic waste is coal ash, a byproduct of burning coal to generate electricity, the same black goo that devastated a Tennessee town last December when a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) dam failed and released 1 billion gallons of the heavy metal-laden sludge into area rivers.

photo credit Lyndsay Moseley

Today, the Sierra Club is joining with allies to demand the release of that information. We have formally asked the Obama Administration to make public the list of 44 the nation’s most hazardous coal ash disposal sites. The Freedom of Information Act request was submitted to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Army Corp of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by the Sierra Club, Earthjustice, the Environmental Integrity Project, and Natural Resources Defense Council.

What's the Deal with the American Climate & Energy Security Act?

You've probably heard a lot by now about the American Climate and Energy Security Act (ACES, HR 2454), or as some others are calling it, the Waxman-Markey Bill (named for the two House reps who authored it). This clean energy jobs/climate plan has been winding through U.S. House of Representatives subcommittees and committees since early Spring, and it's expected to end up on the floor of the House next week.

As you can imagine, it's bringing a lot of debate, discussion and controversy along with it. There are so many people, organizations and industries involved in shaping the bill that you might be confused about it now. Let us help you figure it all out!

We have a new page up now all about ACES and what needs to be done - and there's also a way for you to take action on it. You can help strengthen the bill to bring a clean energy future to the U.S. that will boost our economy, create jobs, and fight global warming. Win, win, win.

Learn, take action - and then tell your friends to do the same. Do it all now at http://action.sierraclub.org/stronger

And as if we needed any more reminding, global warming predictions are getting more dire every day. Just look at yesterday's report out from the White House.

Deja-Vu. Oil Prices Rising (again)

It's time to party like its 2008 - because, the way gas prices are rising right now (prices are double what they were just a few months ago in February) it looks like we might be in for a redux of last summer. Can anyone think of a catchy sequel for "Drill, Baby, Dill"?

Why are gas prices rising? I'm no economics expert, but this article from Fortune gives a great overview for us dummies.

Deutsche Bank's Sieminski agrees that prices are going higher over time. "Our forecast has been that oil will be at $100 in 2015 and it could happen faster if the economy recovers," he says. Because oil is generally considered an "inelastic" commodity -- meaning it takes a big increase in price to produce a small change in demand -- the chances of a spike increase once supplies get tight.

"If you get close to the balance, prices can go haywire very quickly and there's very little that can be done about it," says Sieminski. "Something happens on the margin to put pressure on the market and instead of the price adjustment being gradual it's a step change. Last time gasoline had to go to $4 a gallon and crude had to go to $150 a barrel to rebalance things. And that's how we could get there again."

Diversifying our energy sources - instead of overelying on fossil fuels - would be a great solution to protect our economy from the whims of the oil market - and would help reduce the inelasticity of oil due the abundance of alternate energy sources (called "substitutes"). How many substitutes are there right now for the gas your pump into your car?

One thing not being mentioned? The strange preposity of higher gas prices resulting in higher profits for big oil. Hmmm..

Clean Energy News Round-Up

There are some good and interesting articles in news out there on the clean energy front, so I thought I'd share a few that caught my eye.

First up, a segment from NPR on an oil worker who chose to become a wind turbine technician.

From the article: "You know, my dad was in oil in the early '80s when it went bust," (Kim Johnson) says. "It's here one day and gone the next. But with these windmills, they put them up, they're there. They're not going away."

Next up, there's been a lot of talk lately about how painting our roofs white could help slow global warming and lower our energy bills. Now even U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu is talking about it:

In his talk, Chu cited new research from his former laboratory, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, which imagined the result of painting about 63 percent of the roofs white in 100 large cities in tropical and temperate areas worldwide.

It estimated that would provide about the same climate benefits as taking all the world's cars off the road for 10 years.

Third story of note - the Department of Homeland Security doesn't want the locations of the high-risk coal ash storage sites revealed to the public. DHS says revealing the sites would compromise national security.

And finally, the debate over the American Clean Energy & Security Act (ACES) continues in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill's expected to hit the floor next week, but it's bringing a lot of controversy with it.

Mixed Bag on MTR Coal Mining Decision from Obama Administration

This post was co-written by Bruce Nilles and Mary Anne Hitt, director and deputy director, respectively, of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign.

Today the Obama Administration announced steps to end the fast-tracking of certain mountaintop removal coal mine permits and to add tougher enforcement in Appalachia, important steps that – with additional actions – could greatly reduce the devastation to communities, waterways and mountains. However, these new policies alone will not necessarily improve conditions in Appalachia unless additional steps are taken and enforcement is stepped up significantly, and hundreds of mountains remain in peril.

That is why the Sierra Club is launching a new website today, called "What's At Stake," where you can track all the mountaintop removal permits now before the Obama Administration and learn more about the mountains and communities whose fate hangs in the balance.

After a West Virginia court ruled against it recently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today proposed revoking the nationwide "one-size-fits-all" permit it had used to authorize the dumping of coal mining waste into hundreds of miles of Appalachian headwater streams. The bad news, though, is that the Obama Administration says it will continue to allow mountaintop removal mining to bury streams under tons of mining waste.

UPDATED WITH VIDEO! - Sierra Club's Carl Pope Debates Chevron CEO Dave O'Reilly

Chevron CEO Dave O'Reilly (left) listens to Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope. Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

As promised here is a video clip from last night's debate - where Carl Pope gets Dave O'Reilly to agree to work with him against the coal industry.

Last night out in San Francisco was a long-awaited debate between our own executive director Carl Pope and Chevron CEO Dave O'Reilly. The debate was organized by the Commonwealth Club. I will now point you toward some good news articles about the debate.

First up - my favorite story on it, from Reuters: "Chevron CEO Says U.S. 2050 Carbon Goals Too Ambitious." Why is it my favorite? Because it includes this excellent back and forth between the two:

Pope criticised U.S. energy regulation for not forcing utilities to buy more low-carbon electricity.

"Well, if you can get the government to move faster, then good luck," O'Reilly said.

Pope replied, to applause: "It would help if you would get out of the way."

Nice!

If you'd like to read a great first person account of what it was like to be at the debate, then check out our Scrapbook blog.

And then there are five other articles up so far:

San Francisco Chronicle
CNN Money article
GreenTech Media article
KTVN TV blurb
CBS-TV blurb (great video included, on right side of page)

Reporting Back from the RFS Hearing

Yesterday was the Environmental Protection Agency's hearing on a Renewable Fuels Standard. We had many Sierra Club staffers and clean energy advocates there, and here are two write-ups from our folks on how the hearing went.

Ann Mesnikoff, director of the Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign:
It was a packed room!  Biofuels draws a crowd . EPA has taken on an enormous task to bring together the best science to ensure we get biofuels right. EPA is following the directions from Congress to do a full life-cycle analysis of biofuels, including indirect land use change, to ensure ethanol measures up. 

Unfortunately, many in the business of growing crops for fuels are playing the uncertainty card.  Using uncertainty as a reason to ignore the best science available today has caused delay on action to curb global warming and it must not be used now to block appropriate standards for biofuels. The best science must govern and EPA is undertaking an open and transparent process so that all voices can be heard, to make the best decision it can to ensure that biofuels help reduce overall global warming pollution from vehicles. 

We applauded EPA for joining on May 19th with the President on the historic announcement to speed up fuel economy standards, but we also need EPA to ensure that the fuels we pump into our cleaner vehicles are lower carbon ones.

(Ann Mesnikoff's full testimony is after the jump)

Jesse Prentice-Dunn of the Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign:
EPA hearings are usually a test of endurance – hours of testimony, one person after the next. But yesterday's EPA hearing on its proposed Renewable Fuel Standard left me energized.

Sierra Club volunteers and staff testified on more than half of the panels that spanned seven hours of testimony, but were hardly alone in letting the EPA know that biofuels must be a part of the solution to global warming, not part of the problem.  Academics, innovative businesses, and even some agriculture industry representatives spoke in favor of making sure the EPA accounts for all greenhouse gas emissions from biofuels, from the field to the tank, including changes indirect land use.

I can't say I'm surprised, though. It seems that more and more people get the Big Picture – that we need every piece, from clean cars and biofuels to wind mills and caulk guns, to solve the global warming puzzle.
-----

If you didn't get to testify yesterday, don't worry! You can still send your comments about about the Renewable Fuel Standard to EPA. We'll even help you out with what to say. Simply head over to our Big Picture website to take action.

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Weatherizing Buildings in Warm States?

Now, color me uninformed, but I figured when we were talking about weatherizing homes and offices so they were more energy efficient (making them better for the environment and saving people money), we were talking about buildings in hot and cold climates.

Yet this article in today's NY Times discusses some controversy about stimulus funding going to warmer states to weatherize homes so their cooling bills will be lower.

From the article:

Many environmentalists say cutting electricity use for cooling is just as worthwhile as reducing the use of oil or gas for heating. But there are substantial questions about whether it is the most efficient way to save energy.

The nation spends twice as much on heating as on cooling, according to the federal Energy Information Administration, and it consumes more energy heating homes than cooling them. When it comes to emissions of heat-trapping gases, the department found, home heating is responsible for emitting twice as much carbon dioxide as home cooling. And a 2005 survey of home energy use by the agency found that the average household in New England spent $1,188 a year on heating, while the average household in Florida spent $597 on air-conditioning.

What are your thoughts? Should stimulus funds also be used to weatherize buildings so they cool more efficiently?

The Growing Grassroots Movement Against Coal

This post was co-written by Bruce Nilles and Mary Anne Hitt, director and deputy director, respectively, of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign.

Everyday we see signs of the growing grassroots movement for clean energy in the U.S. Americans are not just demanding that we switch from coal to clean energy, they’re getting together to take action on a local and national scale.

We’ve got some great examples of this for you. First, on Tuesday night as part of the Sierra Club’s Big Picture campaign, more than 320 people got together at 71 house parties across the U.S. to discuss and plan our next action on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) global warming endangerment finding.

Some of these parties attracted 20 people or more. Attendees listened to a national conference call on the issue. The conference call was even inspiring enough to get one of the operators from the conference call service to stay on afterwards to tell us that the call was fascinating and ask how she could get involved.
 
As a result of these parties, we now have dozens of new climate leaders involved across the nation. As one house party attendee told us: "It was such a boost to see young, new energy inspired by the campaign!"

Watch this video to see the momentum growing with our Big Picture campaign.



Another party-goer from Boulder, Colo., told us his group eagerly discussed local clean energy issues and filled out comment cards to send to EPA.

Our second example is this weekend’s Midwest Coal Conference for Sierra Club staffers and volunteers. More than 100 of them are gathering in Chicago before the REAMP conference to discuss how to switch from coal to clean energy on the local, state and national level.

And finally, there is great action at the local level across the U.S., but we want to share a story from Glen Hooks, the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Eastern Regional Director. Glen and other clean energy advocates in Arkansas regularly work against the planned coal-fired power plants in the state, but this story is a little different.

He and a coalition of local organizations came together recently to install the first wind turbine in Little Rock, Arkansas. The group raised the necessary money and put the wind turbine up at the Dunbar Community Garden on Wednesday - where it will help generate clean energy to power their greenhouse.  

Glen says it's the first wind turbine in the whole state that uses a feed-in meter, meaning that the energy generated goes into the grid and is bought by Entergy at peak rates.

“Since the Dunbar Garden is technically a city park, the city is now technically a power producer for Entergy--and that power is wind power,” said Glen. “About 600 school-kids come thru the garden every month to learn about nutrition and gardening. This bad boy will now be spinning away and generating clean energy for them to learn about.”

He added that it was a great partnership there between ECO, Audubon Arkansas, the Sierra Club, the Dunbar Middle School, Dunbar Community Garden, Entergy, and the City of Little Rock.  

There are stories like this from around the U.S., cementing the fact that there is a groundswell of support for cleaner energy sources. We can move beyond coal together – the will-power and the solutions are there. Let’s get to work.

Sneak Peek – EPA Biofuels Hearing

This is a guest post by Jesse Prentice-Dunn of the Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign.

Usually I look forward to Tuesdays because of my evening softball league; however, next Tuesday promises to be more exciting. On June 9th, the EPA will hold a public hearing in Washington, DC, on its proposed Renewable Fuel Standard. The proposed regulations will oversee a Congressionally-mandated increase in biofuels, from 9 billion gallons in 2008 to 36 billion gallons in 2022. Importantly, for the first time the EPA will require biofuels to reduce their life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to gasoline.

In the hearing on Tuesday, the EPA will be asking the public to comment on the agency's program to increase the use of biofuels. We're expecting that turnout will be high and that testimony will be both  highly critical and supportive of the EPA's plans.

Here’s a quick preview:

For the past two weeks, Colin Peterson, the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee in the House of Representatives, has threatened to work to defeat comprehensive energy and climate legislation unless extensive changes are made to the RFS to eliminate environmental safeguards and further prop up the corn ethanol industry. Peterson's bluster is no laughing matter, as the entire House Agriculture Committee has co-sponsored his bill (HR 2409). Similar viewpoints asking the EPA to ignore science and environmental safeguards will no doubt be expressed at Tuesday's hearing.

The recent spotlight on biofuels has made the EPA's hearing that much more important. We'll be at the EPA's hearing to show that the public supports a strong, science-based standard that makes sure biofuels reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and are a part of the solution to global warming, not the problem. It is imperative we increase our use of biofuels responsibly by taking a big picture account of the full lifecycle emissions of these fuels - from the field to the tailpipe, including consequences for land use as we grow more crops for fuel.

Get involved and join our new Green Transportation group on Climate Crossroads for more information.

Big Picture House Parties A Big Success

We've got an update on the June 2nd Big Picture House Parties up over on the campaign's Climate Crossroads page. Go check it out! And while you're there, join the Climate Crossroads Big Picture group to stay up to date on the campaign's activities.

Big Picture Momentum

We'll have an update soon on how last night's Big Picture House Parties went, but for now I wanted to share this great new video we have updating how the campaign is going. Enjoy! (And if you haven't joined the Big Picture group over on our Climate Crossroads website, do it now!)

Party for the Big Picture: Clean Energy

We've been saying it all along with our Big Picture campaign: President Obama sees the Big Picture. He knows that we can create economic prosperity, reduce our dependence on oil and coal, and tackle global warming at the same time. But to achieve his vision he will need a strong grassroots base willing to take on the millions of dollars Big Oil and Coal spend lobbying Washington D.C.

So now as the next piece of the puzzle, it's a hugely fun event: House parties. Who doesn't like a good excuse to party? We're holding Big Picture House Parties tomorrow night, June 2nd - all around the country.

The parties will be quite fun. You'll get to:

• Watch "behind the scenes" videos of the Virginia and Seattle EPA global warming endangerment hearings.
• Hear more about the Big Picture campaign on a conference call with Sierra Club leaders.
• Discuss the issues and actions that you the volunteers believe will make the greatest impact in bringing about a clean energy future.
• Meet new people who are just as concerned about our clean energy future as you are!
  

So, RSVP for one near you now. And if there isn't one near you - it's very easy to host one and invite a few friends over. It's not too late!

Coal Industry Loophole One Step Closer to Being Closed

This post is co-written by Bruce Nilles, director of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign, and Lyndsay Moseley, Washington Representative for the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign.

Recently the Sierra Club, along with a coalition of more than 100 organizations signed a letter calling on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson to move quickly to develop strong regulations for the handling and disposal of coal combustion waste to prevent a repeat event like the December 2008 Tennessee Valley Authority coal ash disaster in Kingston, Tenn.

This disaster demonstrated first hand how the coal industry has enjoyed a giant loophole for far too long. Under this loophole, they get to store billions of gallons of highly hazardous waste in a less responsible manner than household waste has to be treated.

Our letter outlined 12 key principles including the phase-out of wet storage facilities all together. The coal ash storage sites like the one that breached in Kingston are a tremendous threat, as demonstrated in an extensive EPA report unveiled by the Environmental Integrity Project: “An EPA risk assessment documents excess cancer risks of up to 1 in 50 for residents living near unlined ash ponds.”

This week, we received a response from Administrator Jackson that outlines some of the steps EPA has already begun to take regarding coal combustion waste, including a survey of structural integrity of existing impoundments. Jackson reiterated her intent that EPA is committed to developing regulations by the end of the year, and indicated that she will consider our input in developing those regulations. 

What's New Online

Been a little quiet around here lately - Congress is in recess, we just had Memorial Day weekend. But that doesn't mean there's nothing happening in the world.

Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. From an environmental standpoint, we believe this is a fantastic choice.

France is moving toward a Clean Energy economy - aiming to become the leader in solar power by installing 300MW by 2011. That's what bold action looks like.

And the Oil Drum has a interesting post on how Oil Shortages might not result in high oil prices - if we actually work to move to clean energy options.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Global Warming and the Places You Love

This is a guest post from fellow Sierra Clubber Jenny Coyle.

There's an old saying that residents of inland California may suddenly own waterfront property after the next big earthquake shakes up the state. Because, you know, the coast would fall off into the ocean. Climate change gives us a twist on that way of thinking. Sea-level rise would have ocean waves crashing onto land that is now well inland, and would submerge entire coastal communities in saltwater.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: "Landscapes will undergo radical alterations. Semi-arid regions will turn into deserts, coastlines will become saturated by rising sea levels, and the remains of the Amazon and other rain forests will turn into savannas."

Aside from cities and residential area, sea-level rise and the melting of glaciers would also have devastating effects on our wild places and wildlife. We're the stewards of the earth, and our actions -- or inaction -- have consequences for the planet and the flora and fauna we share it with and that we love to see along our favorite hiking trails.

And that subject gives me the chance to share with you a new social network we've launched, in which we celebrate all things related to being in the Great Outdoors. It's called Sierra Club Trails, and its centerpiece is a collection of trails -- both land and water -- along with discussion forums, tips, an events calendar, photo sharing, and much more. Compass readers are invited to sneak-preview the site and be among the first to add trails. We're in beta mode, getting Sierra Club Trails ready for the world -- but we need lots of trails added first. Click here for a sneak preview of this beautiful new website -- and add some trails!

Report From the Seattle EPA Global Warming Hearing

The huge mid-day rally in Seattle. Photo by Dan Ritzman.

Yesterday was the EPA's second public hearing on its global warming endangerment finding and we've got a great review of how it went over on our Big Picture Campaign blog. Go check it out! Sounds like everything went great!

Follow EPA Hearings Live...on Compass

Today's EPA Global Warming Hearing in Seattle

Just a reminder - today is the big day in Seattle. It's time for the second EPA public hearing on its global warming endangerment finding. If you can't be there in person, but you're on Twitter, then follow the hashtag #nocoal to get updates from our folks who are in the hearing and attending the huge mid-day rally. The hearing starts at 9am pacific time. More details here on the EPA hearing website.

Hundreds Tell EPA to Regulate Global Warming Pollution

Bruce Nilles is on vacation this week. This post is by Mary Anne Hitt, deputy director of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign.

On Monday, close to 300 Sierra Club members and activists, clergy and people of faith, scientists, health professionals, and even a former 007 turned out for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) global warming endangerment hearing in Arlington , VA.

Support for the endangerment finding and further regulation of cars and coal plants overwhelmed any opposition, with an unofficial estimate of more than 90% of testimony in favor of the endangerment finding.

The day began with a representative from the State of New York speaking on behalf of Gov. David Paterson, and a representative from the Association of Clean Air Agencies – and from then on it was one excellent speaker after another all urging EPA to take action on regulating global warming pollution.

We heard doctors talk about the health impacts, scientists discuss the climate models, regular citizens tell personal stories, and many clergy people talking about why we should take action and why their faith communities are involved.



"(They) were really amazing," said one Sierra Club staffer. "To hear perspectives from almost every major tradition on the importance of acting on global warming was a powerful experience-- one that the EPA panel was still talking about during one of the breaks."

Keely and Pierce Brosnan also showed up to testify and really enjoyed themselves. We were all appreciative of the willingness of the Brosnans to stay through additional testimony after they spoke, spend some time afterward talking to hearing attendees, and take a few pictures.

(Then the paparazzi chased the Brosnans’ car - which I was riding in - from the hearing all the way back to DC, and then the cameras followed us into a Barnes and Noble, where security finally chased them away. The good news is that I loaded the Brosnans up with good books on coal and global warming.)

EPA moved very quickly through all the testimony, and the hearing wrapped at 8pm.

We agree whole-heartedly with David Bookbinder, Sierra Club’s Chief Climate Counsel, who said Monday that  “it's clear, from the crowd of people who turned out today, and the thousands of people who have already submitted comments, that there is broad public support for strong action on global warming."

Tomorrow in Seattle is the second EPA public hearing on the global warming endangerment finding. You can sign up to attend our mid-day rally, and if you can’t make that – then be sure to send your comments to the EPA about why they should regulate global warming pollution.

President Obama Announces Two Great Vehicle Decisions

This is a guest post from Ann Mesnikoff, director of the Sierra Club's Green Transportation Campaign.

The White House Rose Garden is the perfect place to be on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, especially when the President is announced a fabulous deal on achieving higher fuel economy standards and a national greenhouse gas standards for new cars and trucks. I was there today for this announcement and it was truly historic.

Sierra Club can be very proud of decades of work to raise fuel economy standards in Congress and our hard work to support California's Pavley greenhouse gas tailpipe standards, which 14 other states have adopted – it all came together today. 

Report from the 1st EPA Global Warming Endangerment Hearing

 
The crowd at our mid-day EPA hearing press conference.

I had the pleasure of attending much of yesterday's first public hearing from the Environmental Protection Agency on its global warming endangerment finding. This hearing was held at the EPA office in Arlington, VA, and featured a great crowd of people who want the EPA to do the right thing and regulate global warming pollution.

While I only saw the speakers from the hearing's start at 9am until noon, it featured a good variety of people from all types of backgrounds. There were many activists and staffers from the Sierra Club, as well as from many other environmental organizations. There were state environmental employees, faith leaders, business leaders, professors, scientists, doctors, and more - almost all of which were on our side.

The testimony from the day's speakers ranged from scientific findings to personal stories, and to inspirational calls to action.

EPA Global Warming Endangerment Hearings

Phew - just got back from today's first big public hearing on the EPA's global warming endangerment finding. Today's was held at the EPA office in Arlington, VA, and it drew a great crowd of folks who believe the EPA must take action against global warming. I will have a better wrap-up of it tomorrow, but for now, enjoy this photo of Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) who spoke at our big press conference during the lunch break of the hearings today. He's a great clean energy advocate!

Also, if you're on Twitter and you'd like a short recap of how it went as it happened, just search with #nocoal to see updates from our folks who twittered during the hearing. We'll also have folks twittering from Thursday's other hearing on this issue in Seattle.

On the Road to Seattle

It's less than a week now until the EPA's first Endangerment finding hearings in Seattle, Washington. Are you going?

Sierra Club activists in Portland are ready to make the trek - here's a video our Portland office put together on why these hearings matter, and why the Endangerment finding is more important.

You can learn more about Endangerment, and other actions the Obama administration is taking, and should take, on our Big Picture campaign page.

Misc. Energy News

 
I have two good stories to share with you this morning, one is fantastic and the other is...something. First up, the fantastic - Veterans Green Jobs is a non-profit that trains and places veterans into green jobs. Really cool idea, and you can read more about them in this NY Times Green Inc. blog post.

Secondly, there's an activist currently lobbying in DC about a very different way we could solve global warming: UFOs. From the NY Times/Greenwire article:

The government has in its possession "extraterrestrial vehicles," lobbyist Stephen Bassett said. As in flying saucers. Imagine the power source, he said, behind a 30-foot wide saucer that weighs the same as a tractor-trailer yet hurtles through galaxies at 20,000 miles per hour.

Mm hmm. Learn more about Bassett's "Exopolitics Institute" on their website.

Kansas Coal - More on Gov. Parkinson's Dirty Deal

As a native Kansan, I pay close attention to the happenings in my home state, where my parents still live and my brother still goes to college. Lately, Kansas has been at the center of the coal fight, with former Governor Kathleen Sebelius standing up for clean energy by stopping the construction of two massive polluting coal power plants meant to ship every to other states.

Now, new Governor Parkinson has tarnished Sebelius's legacy by agreeing to a dirty, backroom deal with big coal. Carolyn Szczepanski at Kansas City metro weekly "the Pitch" has the details.

When Gov. Mark Parkinson capitulated to Sunflower Electric Power Corporation and gave his stamp of approval to a monstrous coal-fired power plant in Western Kansas, he sucker-punched his predecessor Kathleen Sebelius, who had mustered the political courage to oppose the pollution-spewing facilities for a solid two years.

The new governor also gave the finger to thousands of Kansans who put exceptional pressure on their elected officials to hold the line against the dirty idea.

What's more? The so called "green" provisions in the deal...are anything but. From "imaginary offsets," to escape clauses for biomass, not to mention those two plants sunflower "agreed" to shut down.

The agreement calls for the decommission of two oil-fired power stations owned by Sunflower in Garden City. The governor's office suggested scrapping those old clunkers would save 60,000 tons of carbon per year. Actually, governor, that number is a big fat zero. Even Sunflower officials admit the facilities have been inoperable for years.

Read the entire article here. This fight's not over yet.

EPA Hearings and House Parties – Taking Care of Coal?

This week’s blog post is co-written by Mary Anne Hitt, deputy director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign.

This week, friends of big oil and coal fired one of their first shots across the bow of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the agency’s power to set limits on global warming pollution. The frenzy that followed in Washington and in the media should serve as a wake up call to anyone who has not yet weighed in to support EPA’s proposed finding that global warming pollution endangers public health and welfare.

By pulling one line out of an obscure government document and circulating it out of context, Republicans in Congress tried to make the case that they had found a “smoking gun” revealing that the Obama White House predicts economic collapse should the EPA regulate global warming pollution. The White House quickly issued a statement making it clear they had said no such thing, in a statement with the fitting title “Clearing the Air.”  A hat tip to David Roberts at Grist for unraveling how this non-story became national news.

Fortunately, you now have the chance to weigh in and counter the fear mongering by demonstrating that Americans want strong action on global warming.

Monday marks the first of two public hearings on EPA’s draft endangerment finding issued in mid-April, a historic finding by the agency that global warming pollution endangers public health and welfare. The endangerment finding is a comprehensive science based review of expected threats that our nation faces from global warming, including more severe heat waves, disease epidemics, water shortages, and crop failures.

We need to turn these hearings into a powerful demonstration that our country's future will not be set by the coal industry and their allies.

Bike to Work Day 2009

Talk about saving one form of energy and expending another - tomorrow is the annual Bike to Work Day across the U.S. and Canada. Any Compass readers out there taking part? I myself take the commuter rail into work, and it's a long ride, so biking to work isn't as much an option for me. I am jealous of those who get to do it, though! Many of my coworkers are lucky enough to commute this way.

Cities across the U.S. are planning organized group bike rides, so google Bike to Work Day and your community's name to see what fun activities are planned for your area.

And if you take part, let us know how it went!

(and as a quick addition here - are you on our social networking site Climate Crossroads yet? The Bicycle Group on there is discussing Bike to Work Week, too.)

Big Week for Biofuels

This is a guest post from Jesse Prentice-Dunn of the Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign.

With so much talk of climate change legislation coming from Capitol Hill and play-by-play accounts of President Obama’s visit to one of my favorite local burger joints, Ray’s Hell Burger, it’s easy for significant environmental news to slip through the cracks. In case you didn’t notice, this has been a big week for biofuels.

On Tuesday the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its proposed rule for a Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which will ramp up the use of renewable fuels from 9 billion gallons in 2008 to 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel by 2022.  EPA projects that this increase in renewable fuels, mandated in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, will create greenhouse gas reductions equivalent to taking 24 million cars off the road, while also displacing 11% of gasoline and diesel consumption in 2022.

The bottom line – with such a large mandate for renewable fuels, it is important that EPA issue a strong, science-based RFS to ensure that renewable fuels actually reduce global warming pollution emissions.

Recent studies have found (PDF) that increases in biofuel production can raise international commodity prices, leading farmers in other countries to plow up sensitive high-carbon ecosystems, such as the South American rainforest, to grow biofuel feedstock crops. EPA must continue to consider indirect land use change when determining each fuel’s greenhouse gas emissions to ensure that we don’t merely ship our global warming emissions overseas.

Additionally, EPA must limit special treatment of certain fuels, particularly corn-based ethanol. While some argue that corn ethanol emits less greenhouse gas than conventional fuels when burned, its lifecycle emissions are similar, if not greater, than those of gasoline. This week Secretary Vilsack (USDA), Secretary Chu (DOE) and Administrator Jackson (EPA) all agreed that corn is a temporary bridge to the next generation of biofuels, not a permanent solution. The proposed RFS carves out 15 billion gallons of corn ethanol that would not have to reduce greenhouse emissions. The EPA must be careful that propping up the corn industry doesn’t cook the planet.

The EPA will soon be asking for public comment on the proposed Renewable Fuel Standard, so stay tuned more information on the RFS and how you can help keep it strong. In the meantime, check out our recent report with WorldWatch Institute, Smart Choices for Biofuels (PDF).

Good and Bad News About Coal (Plus Video)

This is the weekly post from Bruce Nilles, director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.

Just like the blog title states, this week we saw both sides of the fight for clean energy. I’ll start with the bad news – which comes straight from Kansas. (And stay with me til the bottom of the post, when I’ll share something both laughable and shocking)

This week new Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson offered a deal to Sunflower Electric Kansas, the company that had been lobbying for their coal-fired power plants for well over a year now - and which former Kansas Gov. and now Health and Human Services Director Kathleen Sebelius had repeatedly blocked.

Gov. Parkinson is allowing Sunflower to build one of these coal plants – saying concessions were made for both sides. According to our Kansas chapter, with this settlement Governor Parkinson offered to Sunflower Electric, Kansas has given up its place as a national leader on clean energy.

Stephanie Cole, our chapter leader in Kansas, said that under former Gov. Sebelius, Kansas was well-positioned to make contributions to slow global warming.  This agreement is a significant set back.  The concessions made to the coal industry will greatly outweigh any so-called benefits for the state.  For instance, the carbon "offsets" cited in the agreement are generally questionable, unenforceable, and won't result in a reduction in global warming pollution.

The new coal plant actually increases Kansas' contributions to global warming (PDF).  While the country is moving away from polluting fossil fuels, Kansas has opened the door for outdated, dirty technology other states are rejecting.  The agreement appears to invite Sunflower Electric to build another coal plant in two years.  This is not a compromise, but a giveaway to the coal industry Kansans have stood up against.

As such, the fight will continue in the sunflower state.

But I will at least end this post with the good clean energy news. On May 1, LS Power suspended plans for its planned Midland, Michigan, coal-fired power plant.

According to our Michigan chapter, LS Power had resisted complying with the environmental regulations needed to get a coal plant approved in Michigan, in particular meeting standards for mercury emissions.  This unwillingness to meet public health and environmental standards was blamed, but one major factor in the demise of this proposal was the decision by its partner Dynegy to drop this project and others in January 2009 after a successful campaign by Sierra Club to point out the financial foolishness of investing in coal plants. 

Congratulations to the citizens of Michigan and to our chapter there, which works so hard to bring clean energy to the state.

And now for your laugh/shock of the day: The West Virginia Coal Association just published on its website some cell phone ringtones touting the greatness of coal. Yes, you read that correctly: coal-positive ringtones that you can download for your cell phone.

We here at the Sierra Club thought those ringtones worked better with video, because we wanted to show there is nothing great about coal.

Let's Meet (and Eat!) at the Crossroads

You’ve been reading about various calls to action here at Compass. Now you can post your own actions at Sierra Club’s new social network, Climate Crossroads, which allows you to interact with like-minded people in search of climate-change solutions.

Once you register (which is super easy) and fill in your profile, you'll be able to join groups and actions based on your interests, post your eco-events, and upload photos. (I'm a fan of the walkabout and biking groups so far).

Do you have a killer recipe? You can add your sustainable recipes to our food section. And eventually, we will even have free downloadable music by eco-friendly artists.

Crossroads launched just recently, so come join us in making it a vibrant place to take action!

An Update on the American Clean Energy and Security Act

This is a guest post by Megan Fletcher, intern for the Sierra Club Global Warming and Energy Team.

The past few weeks have been lively as the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 begins to move through the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  This draft legislation was proposed by Chairmen Henry Waxman (D-CA-10) and Ed Markey (D-MA-7) to include comprehensive steps that will pave the way for America’s clean energy economy.  The bill will create secure clean energy jobs, save consumers money on their energy bills, and curb global warming pollution.

Cash for Clunkers Bill Update: At Least the Senate Still Has Time

This is a guest post from Ann Mesnikoff, head of the Sierra Club's Green Transportation Campaign.

Detroit automakers got their way – pulling a “cash for clunkers” deal down to a gas guzzling rock bottom.  The Senate should not take this deal without scrutiny.  There have been no hearings, no analysis, and no studies to help shape what will be a multi-billion dollar investment.  The Senate should ensure “cash for clunkers” achieves a reasonable balance of stimulating auto sales while providing taxpayers a modest return for their investment.  In this case the return would come in reducing our addiction to oil and cutting global warming pollution as gas guzzlers are crushed. 

Even small changes in the miles-per-gallon (MPG) of what gets crushed and what gets purchased with a taxpayer assist can make a difference between subsidizing the sale of vehicles that don’t meet today’s fuel economy standards and those that do. 

Coal Victory in TN & KY; Coal Challenge in AZ

 There's some good coal news out of Kentucky and Tennessee today: Companies are being held responsible for their illegal coal mining activists in both states.

A coalition made up of Sierra Club, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC), Save Our Cumberland Mountains (SOCM) and Tennessee Clean Water Network (TCWN) today announced two settlements over separate legal claims against coal companies that operated mountaintop removal coal mines without permits. Appolo Fuels, Inc. will pay for having destroyed streams at its Jellico mine site in Claiborne County, Tennessee. TECO Coal and subsidiary Clintwood Elkhorn will pay for its illegal coal mining practices in Pike County, Kentucky.

You can read more about the illegal mining and the decision in this press release.

And out of Arizona, another coalition of clean energy advocates (again including the Sierra Club) are urging the National Park Service to take action against those coal-fired power plants causing haze near the Grand Canyon. From the press release:

A group of conservation and tribal organizations petitioned the National Park Service to declare that the pollution from the coal-fired Navajo Generating Station in Page, Arizona, is clouding views of Grand Canyon National Park. This action follows a call last week from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a review of the permit for Desert Rock, a proposed coal-fired power plant in New Mexico that, if built, would pollute 27 national parks in the region, including the Grand Canyon.

You can read the press release on this action here (PDF): Download Grand Canyon Haze News Release.

Clean Energy and the Manufacturing Sector

The NY Times' excellent Green Inc blog had an interesting post yesterday on whether clean energy can revive the U.S. manufacturing industry. The post discusses manufacturing facilities in Oregon and Texas, and I found this quote interesting:

"...many renewable-equipment manufacturers want to set up operations in the United States because they perceive it to be the largest market for the technologies in the years ahead."

This brings to mind the benefits touted in the draft clean energy jobs/global warming legislation (the American Clean Energy and Security Act) from Reps. Waxman and Markey now being discussed in the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee - what do you think that will do for the U.S. manufacturing sector?

Maps You Should See

I've been getting links to some interesting maps lately and wanted to share them. The first two maps go together. NPR released a fantastic interactive map showing  where our country's current and proposed electrical transmission lines are, as well as current power plants, solar and wind power potential and the transmission lines for those.

Then Piedmont Environmental Council released a supplemental map to NPR's, showing just how the coal industry could push to get transmission lines used for new coal power rather than for our country's vast wind energy potential.  Both these maps are really helpful when trying to envision just what types of transmission lines are country needs and has planned for our various power sources. You can learn more about the Sierra Club's stance on responsible transmission line planning in this great blog post by Bruce Nilles, director our of Beyond Coal Campaign.

And the other map I'd like to share is Organizing for America's interactive map showing just how funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have benefited each state in the U.S. Individual success stories are included, too.

More About "Cash for Clunkers"

This is a guest post by Ann Mesnikoff, Director of the Sierra Club's Green Transportation Campaign.

 “I think that like any investor, the American taxpayer has a right to scrutinize what's being proposed and make sure that their money is not just being thrown down the drain.”  ---President Obama

Now that we are all part owners of two of what were once called the Big 3 – GM and Chrysler, we need to make sure our dollars are not being thrown down the drain – or worse, helping to move gas guzzlers off the lot.  With Congress on the verge of a “cash for clunker” deal, Americans must stay involved. This could be another bailout or it could be good policy.

100 Days of Coal

This is the weekly post from Bruce Nilles, director of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.

As everyone talks about the Obama Administration’s first 100 days, I thought I’d join the conversation and give a status report on what they’ve done to end the use of coal and the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining.

The steps taken so far on coal-fired power plants are definitely putting the U.S. on the right track toward clean energy:

EPA Opposes Big Stone II Coal Plant in South Dakota: On January 23, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) overturned approval of this proposed coal-fired power plant. EPA's decision came after the state failed to require state-of-the-art pollution controls for the coal plant - controls that would address harmful soot, smog and global warming pollution. This decision showed that EPA is back to enforcing long-standing legal requirements fairly and consistently nationwide and that they're concerned about pollution and global warming.

A Major Step Toward Regulating CO2 From Coal Plants: On February 17, President Obama's EPA took the first step toward regulating carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. EPA, under the new leadership of Administrator Lisa Jackson, granted a petition from the Sierra Club and other groups calling for reconsideration of a memo issued by former EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson which sought to prohibit controls on global warming pollution from coal plants.

Gore Rips Blackburn

Watch Al Gore take it to Rep. Marsha Blackburn at today's hearings

Scroll down to see our minute-by-minute take on the four long days of historic hearings!

Day 4 - Broken Record LiveBlog of House Climate Hearings

We've heard some whoppers (scroll down to see days 1-3's liveblogs). But we still have an entire day to go, and who knows what we'll hear today. Highlights include Newt Gingrich and Al Gore, click here to see the full list of today's speakers at the House Energy & Commerce hearings on the "American Clean Energy & Security Act of 2009."

Green Reflections

This post is by Kyle McEvilly, Intern for the Sierra Club's Global Warming & Energy Team.

My internship experience with the Sierra Club reaches a conclusion today.  In the past three months, I have worked energetically to advance the aims of this non-profit environmental group.  The Club's goals are lofty, but when its initiatives attain realization, the residents of this blue and green sphere will emerge as the real winners.

The Sierra Club is clearly a successful organization, as witnessed by its elevating membership, increasing congressional influence, and expanding sense of relevancy in the 21st century.  The organization will continue its relationship with decision-makers here in Washington, D.C. and will strengthen associations with communities around the United States.  This action ensures environmental improvement at a grassroots level, which is how the green movement initially began.  It is astonishing to view the environment's arduous journey from the local to the national scene.  The Obama administration does indeed offer hope--hope for current and future citizens of this Earth to live in a world composed of clean air, pristine landscapes, and ecological soundness.

Day 3 LiveBlog - "Broken Record" House Climate Hearings

Are you ready? Day 1 and Day 2 archives below.

Our opponents will say anything - not matter how factually inaccurate, how patently untrue, or how ridiculous it sounds - to stop progress on climate and energy legislation. We're here to call them out. You can participate too - leave a comment below, or use #BrokenRecord on Twitter.

Helping Henry Waxman Get the Job Done

This is the weekly blog post from Bruce Nilles, director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.

Two weeks ago U.S. Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA), a longtime clean energy and public health champion, released a discussion draft outlining his ambitious plans to combat global warming and create jobs.  (Hearings are currently being held for this draft bill too, check out the Sierra Club's liveblogging of them on this very blog).

Waxman laid out a bold plan that holds the promise to renew and rebuild our economy, shift U.S. energy production toward clean, modern, and cheap sources like the wind and the sun, and slash our dependence on oil and coal—all while reducing global warming and creating millions of new jobs.

What makes this bill a good start?

• a strong target to cut pollution twenty percent over the next decade,
• a robust renewable electricity standard requiring 25 percent clean electricity by 2025, and
• many strong measures to reduce energy waste and help businesses and residents save money. 

What you missed today

Here's a taste of what you're missing at the Energy and Commerce hearings, courtesy of Congressman Joe Barton (TX)

Check back here at 9:30 tomorrow morning for tomorrow's LiveBlog!

Day 2 LiveBlog - "Broken Record" House Climate Hearings

And they're at it again. Follow our LiveBlog of the goings-on during the second day of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Climate Hearings.

Our opponents will say anything - and we mean ANYTHING - to cloud the truth. That's why we're here, to make sure they get called for spreading misinformation.

On Twitter? Want to join in the conversation? We're using the #BrokenRecord hashtag on Twitter.

The Broken Record: Liveblogging the Energy and Commerce Committee's Climate Hearings

Welcome to Sierra Club's first ever interactive LiveBlogging Event!

Why "Broken Record"? This alludes to the fact that opponents of action will repeat the same discredited arguments that they have for years and that they're completely unable to do anything but push for policies that protect Big Oil and other polluters-- to the detriment of both consumers and the environment.

When they lie, we'll call them out. We want your help. We'll have liveblogs setup everyday monitoring what's happening in the hearings. Did your Representative say something that's patently untrue? Or is your Representative a hero? Type in your comments below and let us know!

We're Live! Click below to follow and participate!

EPA: Carbon Dioxide Endangers Human Health

This is the weekly post from Bruce Nilles, director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.

(UPDATED with EPA news release) Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a finding that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases constitute a danger to public health and welfare and are subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act. This is a significant and historic decision with wide-ranging effects, not the least of which is the regulation of carbon emissions from major polluting industries like coal.

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA is now obligated to issue rules regulating global warming pollution from all major sources, including cars and coal-fired power plants.  The law specifically states that EPA “shall” (i.e. must, not may) regulate dangerous pollutants once they are found to endanger public health or welfare.

Now there is no longer a question of if or even when the U.S. will act on global warming. Today’s bold action shows that President Obama is following through on its campaign promise to show American leadership on global warming.

Upcoming Drilling Hearings, and Spam

If you're anywhere near the San Francisco area on Thursday, you should stop by the major rally being held outside the fourth of four Department of the Interior Off-Shore Drilling Hearings. Thousands are expected to turn out to call for clean energy solutions rather than drilling off our coasts and staying chained to oil as an energy source.

The other three hearings were held in Atlantic City, New Orleans and Anchorage. Matt Kirby from the Sierra Club Lands Team attended the Atlantic City hearing and wrote up his experience for the lands blog, so go check that out. And if you missed the hearings and can't to Thursday's in San Francisco, the Department of the Interior has video from each one up on their website.

You can also submit your comments on off-shore drilling before the Sept. 21 deadline by going to this website.

In other news - not like you needed another reason to dislike email spammers, but a new study from McAfee says email spam contributes to global warming:

The report concluded that the electricity needed to process a single spam message results in 0.3 grams of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere - the equivalent of driving 3 feet in a car.

Lovely. Thanks spammers!

AWEA Releases Wind Power Report

Our friends over at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) released their annual wind industry report today, and it's got some great information.

From their news release:
"The new listings, based on 2008 year-end numbers, show Texas leading in wind capacity and largest wind farms installed, Minnesota and Iowa both generating over 7% of their electricity from wind, and Indiana as the state with the fastest growth in wind on a percentage basis."

Mt. Lebanon: Residents Unite

This post is by Kyle McEvilly, Intern for the Sierra Club's Global Warming & Energy Team.

The Cool Cities Program is an initiative of the Sierra Club aimed at addressing global warming by cutting greenhouse gas emissions at a localized level.  To become an official Cool City, a mayor must sign the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement.

In 2008, the city of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania became a Cool City, one of 915 cities that has made the environment a priority.  To ensure the city's commitment and achieve the goal of reducing carbon emissions, residents have developed strong community relationships and partnerships working together to improve their city.

The municipality will transform all traffic lights from incandescents to light emitting diodes (LED).  Mt. Lebanon also intends to team up with environmental firms--Envinity and Seeds--in order to fashion a greenhouse gas survey.  Actions like these, while seemingly minor, will achieve greater energy efficiency and diminish Mt. Lebanon's cost of energy.

Cool Cities also delivers practical results.  Loretta Hoglund, a member of the Environmental Community Action Team in Mt. Lebanon, said that when mayors opt for the Cool Cities agreement, the outcome is a more attractive community for prospective homeowners.  In a document (PDF) regarding the community of Mt. Lebanon, Hoglund claimed, "Making these changes saves money and it's also good for our image as a progressive community."

It is refreshing to witness this kind of community involvement under a common purpose.  In addition to combating global warming, Cool Cities has encouraged a greater sense of community as well.  Strengthening interpersonal relationships between citizens is critical to any campaign, but in the environmental movement, it has had positive implications for both the planet and its temporary inhabitants.

Keeping Clean Energy -- and Public Comments -- on the Table

This is the weekly post from Bruce Nilles, director of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.

We’ve been big fans of Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire because she’s a great supporter of clean energy and fighting global warming. This week she even wrote about those issues in an excellent OpEd for the Seattle Times. Yet while we support many of Gov. Gregoire’s actions, we must also take issue when coal power gets a boost and the public is not allowed to voice its concerns.

In the past week, controversy arose when the Washington State Department of Ecology announced the results of a deal brokered between the Governor’s office and the TransAlta Corporation, owners of the Centralia Coal Power Plant in Central Washington.

The deal rewrites the state’s pollution rules for the Centralia Coal Plant and is the result of several months of closed door negotiations discussing several air quality issues which are normally openly regulated under the Clean Air Act. Although some of the specifics of the confidential agreement were disclosed at a recent Department of Ecology meeting, a spokesperson for the department has announced that the full discussions from the mediation process will remain confidential and that there are no plans to allow public comment or involvement in the mediation process or on the deal itself.

Earth Day - What Are You Doing?

Earth Day is just around the corner. What are you doing this year to help raise awareness about Green Jobs, Clean Energy, and America's economic potential?

Luckily, we have a great Earth Day website up with some great toolkits to help you quickly organize a fantastic, successful Earth Day event.

We have toolkits on organizing:

1 - Green Career Day
2 - Energy Film Festival
3 - Green Living Tips Workshop
4 - Stream Clean Up

Go to our site and take a look at how the Seven Ways to Heaven on Earth Day 2009

Coal to Wind and Coal Controversy

Two news stories caught my eye yesterday and today - first up is a good choice of words from U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who said yesterday that "ocean winds can generate 1 million megawatts of power, roughly the equivalent of 3,000 medium-sized coal-fired power plants."

The comment came during the first of four hearings in the U.S. about off-shore energy resources, including whether we should be drilling off our coasts for oil.

The other story getting some notice is a recent coal deal in Washington State, where Gov. Christine Gregoire and the state's Department of Ecology met behind closed doors with coal company TransAlta to negotiate a deal. Read more in this Seattle Times article.

Join the Climate Ride

Now’s the time to sign up for the second annual Brita Climate Ride: More than two hundred cyclists will join together from September 26 - 30, 2009, to embark on a journey from New York City to the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.  The ride makes a powerful statement about the need for renewable energy and climate change awareness throughout this beautiful 300-mile bicycle ride.

Learn more at the Climate Ride website. There are photos and videos from the 2008 Ride, and for a limited time, early registrants will receive a discounted sign-up fee of $60 (regularly $100) through May 1st. They also have a number of fundraising prizes and incentives this year including an all-expense paid trip to the December 2009 Climate Conference in Denmark!

Jesse Prentice-Dunn from the Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign took part in the Climate Ride last year and wrote up a little about what it was like:

Last September, I hopped on my trusty road bike and joined hundreds of cyclists for a ride from Maryland all the way to Capitol Hill. The cyclists I joined were no ordinary pedal pushers, they had just completed the first Climate Ride, winding from New York City to Washington, DC to raise awareness about climate change and advocate for global warming solutions (watch a great video recap of the ride here). As we biked up Capitol Hill with a full police escort to be addressed by Members of Congress, I couldn’t help but think that both the public and Congress were beginning to warm to the bold action on global warming that is so necessary.

I’m happy to say that Climate Ride is back in a big way. From September 26-30, more than 200 riders will venture from the Big Apple to DC, listening to exciting speakers and raising awareness about climate change along the way. Registration is open, so get on it.

Check out www.climateride.org for all the information you could possibly want. Also, I recommend watching a quick video from David Kroodsma, who fit Climate Ride in as part of his 21,000 mile bike journey across the western hemisphere. See you all on the ride!

So, go sign up now for the 2009 Brita Climate Ride!

Coal Ash Regulation: Questions & Concerns Linger Over the TVA Spill

This week's post from Bruce Nilles, director of the Beyond Coal Campaign.

Primarily, we are worried about our children. Our kids are sick with chronic illnesses that are passed off as merely asthma. Parents don’t know where to go for answers and are struggling to pay for the medical bills they are acquiring.

Those are the words of Sarah McCoin, member of the Tennessee Coal Ash Survivors Network and a seventh generation resident of Harriman, Tenn. – site of the devastating December 2008 Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal ash spill.

McCoin testified Tuesday before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at a hearing about the TVA spill (read her testimony here – PDF). Committee members said they continue to investigate the potential causes of the coal ash spill at TVA’s Kingston Fossil Plant, the response and cleanup, as well as hear about potential water quality implications from the ash spill.

Saving Money While Saving The Environment

This post was written by guest writer Megan Fletcher, an intern for Global Warming and Energy.

Don’t let retail costs of energy efficient and environmentally friendly products fool you. Investing in clean energy products will actually save you cash and save the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Purchasing something as small as reusable grocery bags and as large as fuel efficient vehicles are great investments that will save you money in the long run.

The average family uses roughly 1,000 plastic bags annually to haul their purchases home from supermarkets and drug stores. While the cost of a plastic bag to the consumer may seem “free”, the environmental costs are high. A reusable canvas bag will help cut our greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the energy and petroleum needed to make plastic bags. A reusable bag usually costs about one dollar to purchase and every time the bag is reused, about five cents per bag is deducted from your purchase. If you reuse the bag at least 20 times, it has paid for itself and then begins to pay you

Once you have committed to one dollar reusable bags it is time for a larger purchase - energy efficient light bulbs. Energy efficient bulbs save consumers money on energy bills because they use 75 percent less energy and last up to ten times longer than standard bulbs. Per bulb, a consumer will see a $30 price savings on energy bills in its lifetime. Energy efficient light bulbs are not only friendly to your pocketbook but to our environment. If every household in America replaced just one light bulb with an energy efficient bulb, the emissions reductions would be equivalent to emissions of 800,000 cars. 

Another way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money is to purchase a fuel efficient car. A 2009 Toyota Prius will cost a consumer $22,000 to purchase. With fuel economy at 48/45 it will cost consumers on average $640 per year in fuel costs. Compared to a popular car, the Chevy Malibu, it will cost the consumer relatively the same amount to buy the car, but with a MPG rating of 33/22, the Malibu will cost between $1,200 to $1,500 in annual fuel costs, not including higher environmental costs associated with more greenhouse gas pollution.

Don’t let up-front costs fool you - there are simple ways that you can save money while protecting the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Even in an economic recession you can make smart purchases that will return your investment in an environmentally friendly way.

 

RES Benefits and State Energy Efficiency Funds

Our friends over at the Union of Concerned Scientists released some new numbers on the benefits of a national 25% by 2025 Renewable Electricity Standard. Here are the highlights:

Job Creation
297,000 new jobs from renewable energy development.

Economic Development
$263.4 billion in new capital investment; $13.5 billion in income to farmers, ranchers, and rural landowners; and $11.5 billion in new local tax revenues.

Consumer Savings
$64.3 billion in lower electricity and natural gas bills by 2025 (growing to $95.5 billion by 2030).

Climate Solutions
Two percent reduction in power plant global warming pollution from today's levels by 2025-the equivalent of taking 45.3 million cars off the road.

In other good energy news, the Department of Energy now has a helpful website up revealing how much each city will receive in energy efficiency funds from the recently passed economic recovery package. Check it out here on the DOE website.  (hat tip Green Inc)

Earth Hour and Global Warming News

Are you ready to turn your lights off at 8:30pm tomorrow? Saturday, March 28th is the third annual Earth Hour, where people and communities around the globe will turn off the lights for an hour at 8:30pm local time.

This year Earth Hour is trying to get one billion people to sign up - and they're calling it a vote for the Earth. The organizers are also taking all the names of participants to show leaders at the December 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Talks.

So, signed up yet? It's easy and makes a difference, and many U.S. cities are signed up as well. Monuments in cities like Washington DC, Baltimore, Seattle and San Francisco will go dark, too. Sign up now and encourage your friends, family and neighbors to do the same. Use that hour to chat with neighbors or friends about global warming and clean energy and the steps we can take to make a difference.

Also, want to stay up on global warming news? We can help with that - sign up for the Sierra Club's bi-weekly Hotline e-newsletter. It's chock full of info on the latest in legislative news, news articles you should read, and ways you can take action. Sign up now!

Breaking News: EPA Orders Time Out On All New Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Permits

This week's post is from Bruce Nilles, Director, and Mary Anne Hitt, Deputy Director, of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.

The Obama Administration just made a major announcement – they have directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to not issue any new mining permits until the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a chance to take a hard look at well over 100 pending permits to bury streams with mining waste, an essential part of the mountaintop removal coal mining process.

Beginning with EPA’s recommendation today to deny a permit to bury a stream in West Virginia, this review, using the best available science, will likely halt the flood of permits that was unleashed by the 4th Circuit court decision last month.

That federal court of appeals decision left it up to the Army Corps of Engineers – and several companies had already utilized their permits to start blasting away. These dozens of permits would have obliterated huge swaths of Appalachia—all to continue our dependence on outdated and dirty energy.

20th Anniversary of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Tuesday, March 24 marks the 20th anniversary of one of the worst environmental disasters in history, the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Sadly, two decades after the disaster, oil spills are still a regular occurrence. Earlier this month, a tanker off the coast of Australia crashed, spilling 52,000 gallons of oil and shutting down local fisheries.

Read more about it in our news release, and stay tuned for some ways you can take action to help end our dependence on oil.

UPDATE: We've gotten some good press on the anniversary, including this OpEd in the San Francisco Chronicle and this mention in the Wall Street Journal.

The Power of a Story

This post is by Kyle McEvilly, intern for the Sierra Club's Global Warming and Energy Team

According to a recent poll, 38% of people feel that global warming will produce a "serious threat" toward their individual lifestyle within their lifespan.  The number is significantly low when considering the scientifically-proposed urgency of the issue at hand.  Many individuals, in fact, may believe that global warming and energy problems are rather forward-looking.  Storytelling, of all things, may adjust these attitudes.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the PowerShift 2009 conference.  Due to time constraints, I was only able to attend the opening workshop, which revolved around the topic of "Personal Narrative Training."  Storytelling was a prominent feature at this electrifying event.  The workshop was parceled into three sections, which all linked to an environmental theme.  "Story of Self" elucidated a personal moment in one's life that shaped who they are today.  "Story of Us" articulated components that unite a group of people around a common thread.  And "Story of Now" encouraged people to employ these connections in order to take bold action on an issue.

Rolling Stone's Agent of Change, Bruce Nilles!

Rolling Stone just released their list RS 100 - Agents of Change. Sierra Club's Bruce Nilles, just recently announced as Grist's Eco-Hero of the year, upended Taylor Swift, Neil Young, and Jack White to be the #74 agent of change.

Michael Brune of RAN says it best -

Bruce is running the most successful campaign the environmental movement has seen in more than a decade

Congratulations Bruce! See the entire list here.

Shifting From Coal to Clean Energy

This is this week's post from Bruce Nilles, director of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.

Utilities and coal companies would like you to believe that if we don’t build new coal-fired power plants, we will all have to spend the rest of our lives shivering in the dark. But in the news this week, we find a very different story about what really happens when energy companies look beyond coal: they invest in clean, renewable energy instead.

Earlier this year, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission denied a proposal by Alliant Energy to build a coal-fired power plant. Now, the company has decided to invest that money in clean energy – specifically, wind power.

In a story with an incredible headline – “Denial of Coal Plant Blows Utility Toward Turbine Deal” – Alliant Spokesman Rob Crain says, "The PSC expressed concern over carbon, and we listened."

Sales Slow Down for Hybrids

The LA Times has an interesting article today about the massive slowdown in sales of hybrid vehicles. The article details how the price of gas clearly has quite an impact on what people want to drive around:

Last month, only 15,144 hybrids sold nationwide, down almost two-thirds from April, when the segment's sales peaked and gas averaged $3.57 a gallon. That's far larger than the drop in industry sales for the period and scarcely a better showing than January, when hybrid sales were at their lowest since early 2005.

In July, U.S. Toyota dealers didn't have enough Prius models in stock to last two days, and many were charging thousands of dollars above sticker price for the few they had.

Today there are about 80 days' worth on hand, and dealers are working much harder -- even with the help of $500 factory rebates -- to move the egg-shaped gas-savers off lots from Santa Monica to Miami.

What are your thoughts? Do you think hybrid sales will jump again this summer when gas hits its highs again?

Democracy Now! on Powershift 2009

Miss Powership 2009? Check out this great recap from Democracy Now, and partake, at least distantly, in the action packed, historic weekend.

Miss it? Ashley Judd Livechat Recap

Did you miss yesterday livechat with Sierra Club's Mary Anne Hitt and film/Mountain Top Removal activist Ashley Judd?

Over 90,000 people watched the livechat, which took place for over an hour. 200 people asked questions and posted comments, and there were over a million page views during the entire hour - one of the most popular livechats in DailyKos' history.

The movement to end the destructive practice of Mountaintop Removal is gaining steam as more and more people realize that true scale and horror of the destruction being wroth throughout Appalachia.

Viewers were especially impressed with Ashley's knowledge of the issues - but not us at the Sierra Club. We've known what an advocate she's been (have you seen the video yet?) for protecting her backyard and fellow Kentuckians legacy.

Check out the text of the chat here. And if you haven't yet done so, take action to stop MTR now.

EPA Planning Historic Action on Global Warming in April

This is this week's post from Bruce Nilles, director of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.

The news from Greenwire today is excellent and unprecedented – a leaked Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) document shows that the agency “is fast-tracking its response to the Supreme Court's 2007 climate decision with plans to issue a mid-April finding that global warming threatens both public health and welfare.” (Greenwire article is here)

This is very big, very historic, very exciting news – this action by EPA will set the stage for the first-ever national regulation of CO2 in US history. This so-called endangerment finding is the first step the Obama administration must take to start regulating global warming pollution from cars, coal plants, and other sources. Once again, it is clear that the Obama Administration is serious about fighting global warming.

EPA is planning to issue the endangerment finding on April 16, followed by a 60-day public comment period and two public hearings. When that happens, the EPA will need to hear from you, and everyone you know who cares about global warming, so stay tuned to this blog for further updates.  

News of Note

Three news-worthy things I wanted to highlight today. First up, and most important: "The Obama administration is fast-tracking its response to the Supreme Court's 2007 climate decision with plans to issue a mid-April finding that global warming threatens both public health and welfare," according to the news outlet Greenwire.

That is huge news, check out the article for more details - and our press release. Also, our Beyond Coal Campaign Director Bruce Nilles will have a post on this announcement later today.

Second, the Maryland Department of the Environment is reporting that a pipeline leaked 4,000 gallons of coal ash into the Potomac River north of Washington, DC. (hat tip to Switchboard) This is yet another sign of how much we need to regulate coal ash.

Third, I thought the "Public Transit Ridership Hits Highest Level in 52 Years" story in yesterday's Washington Post was very interesting. From the article:

The 10.7 billion transit trips Americans took last year amounted to a 4 percent increase over trips taken in 2007; at the same time, Americans drove measurably less, according to the Transportation Department....

The (American Public Transportation Association) survey found that ridership increased last year on all modes of transit all across the country. Ridership rose on 14 of the nation's subway systems (3.5 percent), 20 of 21 commuter rail systems (4.7 percent) and 20 of 26 light-rail systems (8.3 percent).

How 'bout you - have you started taking public transit more in the past year or so?

A Million Words for the EPA?

This is a guest post by Jesse Prentice-Dunn of the Sierra Club's Green Transportation Program.

Last Thursday, the EPA’s Potomac Yards Conference Center in Arlington, VA was packed. Representatives for the California Air Resources Board, automobile dealers, environmental groups, and automakers were all in the room to testify in the EPA’s only hearing on reconsidering granting a waiver for California’s clean car standards.

Testimony was predictable and straightforward – supporters stressed that California’s standards are necessary and technically feasible, while opponents argued for a national standard.

After a slow morning, something made the EPA panel crack ear-to-ear grins. In the middle of her testimony, Ann Mesnikoff, the Director of Sierra Club’s Green Transportation Campaign, flashed a large EPA logo on the projector screen. The catch – this wasn’t your standard EPA logo, it was comprised of more than 1,000 pictures submitted by concerned people across the country of themselves holding their keys (click on the image above to see it full-size). The message, both in Ann’s testimony and the thousand pictures on the projector, was clear – EPA holds the keys to clean cars.

 At the end of the six-hour-long hearing, it seemed to me that the image of more than 1,000 citizens urging the EPA to let California cut emissions from their cars made more of an impact than rare testimony from a sitting U.S. Senator, Carl Levin. With our photo-petition, we made it clear that there is broad support for California’s clean car standards.

To all of you who submitted photos, thanks so much! To all those who hadn’t heard of the photo-petition, submit your own photo now! We’ll be compiling photos until the close of the EPA docket on April 6, when we’ll submit them to the record.

Watch: Ashley Judd’s Call to Action to End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

 By Bruce Nilles, Director, and Mary Anne Hitt, Deputy Director, Sierra Club's Move Beyond Coal Campaign

Just a few weeks ago we discussed a controversial court decision that could unleash a new wave of mountaintop removal coal mining permits. Now, it’s time for you to take action, and film star Ashley Judd has joined us in sending out the call for help far and wide.

In the past 24 hours, almost 30,000 people have answered that call, asking the Obama Administration to step in and protect the mountains, streams and people of Appalachia.

On our special web site you can ask the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to freeze the permitting of any new mines. Action-takers can also request that the EPA provide long-term protection for the waterways and communities of Appalachia by initiating a rulemaking process to prevent the use of mining waste as fill material.

In the wake of the devastating February court decision, Ashley Judd teamed up with the Sierra Club to step up the campaign to end mountaintop removal coal mining. With a new personal letter, video and this online “take-action,” Ashley Judd is asking the Obama Administration to prevent the issue of new permits to bury streams, and to end mountaintop removal once and for all.

Judd grew up in Eastern Kentucky and is like so many other Appalachia residents: tired of seeing such a beautiful place destroyed for coal.

 “Our mountains are our heritage and our legacy to future generations,” she said. “But big coal companies are using explosives to literally blow the tops off the mountains, extract the coal and destroy Appalachia.”

The whole truth and nothing but the truth . . . this is a familiar phrase – except perhaps at General Motors.

This post was written by guest writer Megan Fletcher, an intern for Global Warming and Energy.

 

Take a glance at Chevrolet’s website and it is easy to identify the key marketing strategy of Chevy’s parent company, General Motors: high fuel economy. It is also the claim it is making to convince the Obama Administration to throw billions more of tax payers dollars its way.

“Chevy offers more models than Toyota or Honda with 30 MPG HWY or better.”

 

Pay close attention to the term “HWY,” the definition of which is highway.. Highway fuel economy is a good measure of how your car will perform driving at its peak performance -- say when you are driving a on a nice smooth open road with no abrupt stopping for other vehicles or various wildlife that may be crossing the road ahead of you. 

 

It is probably a safe bet that none of us spend all of our time driving this way (or even most of it).  In fact, we are all more likely to find ourselves driving with cold air blasting (or in DC today, the heat on), and pushing our foot to the floor to race a guy in the minivan to the next red light.  For these reasons a combined estimate of highway and city driving is more suited for real-life fuel economy.  

 

The EPA has recorded the combined fuel economy of most vehicles on its website. It is true that 24 of Chevy’s cars are rated over 30 MPG HWY (including manual versions and various engine types). If we look at how many of these 24 cars with over 30 MPG HWY have an on-road combined fuel economy of  30 MPG or more, the total is  very unimpressive -- 3 cars.

GM brags about the mileage of its Chevy cars.   We noted last week, General Motors is particularly proud of its new Chevy Malibu which is advertised at 33 MPG HWY, but in reality gets 22 MPG city and a combined fuel economy of 26 MPG.

 

Is it too much to ask for GM to give the whole truth and nothing but the truth to consumers, the taxpayers and the US Treasury?

A PowerShift from Coal to Clean Energy

This is this week's post from Bruce Nilles, director of the Sierra Club's Move Beyond Coal Campaign

This weekend I experienced something amazing. More than 12,000 youth activists took part in PowerShift 2009, and one of the hottest issues all weekend was coal – how to stop using coal and switch to clean energy.

This was a historic convergence on Washington, DC, and I was honored to be a part of such a powerful event that brought together so many great young leaders. It’s clear to anyone who attended PowerShift that he movement to move America away from coal is powerful, growing, and fired up.

Young people from every part of the U.S. and affected by every part of the dirty coal cycle attended – from Appalachia where mountaintop removal coal mining devastates communities and the environment, to American Indian reservations where water is polluted by the mining and burning of coal, and states across the nation where coal-fired power plants spew their pollution and greenhouse gases.

Last Chance to Get Your Mug Seen at the EPA Hearing

We told you about it last week, but it's time to remind you one more time before tomorrow's big Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing on the clean car issue. You've got a little more time to take a photo of yourself holding up your car keys and send it to us to help convince the EPA that they hold the key to clean cars.

Want to know more about this issue? Our own Greg Haegele wrote an interesting column on its background for the Treehugger blog.

We're almost to 1,000 photos - help us get there by sending in your photo today!

Creating a Clean Energy Corps

The Center for American Progress (CAP) released an interesting report last week on creating a national Clean Energy Corps. According to CAP, the Corps "will be a combined service, training, and job creation effort to combat global warming, grow local and regional economies and demonstrate the equity and employment promise of the clean energy economy."

It's a pretty interesting proposal - here are some highlights from their website. The Clean Energy Corps will:

• Directly engage millions of Americans in diverse service, service-learning, and volunteer work related to climate protection;

• Work with employers, unions, educators, and community organizations to put more Americans, particularly the low-income and unemployed, on green-collar career pathways— providing them the training, credentials, work experience, job placement, and other essential elements for good and secure jobs in the clean energy economy;

• Preserve and enlarge green public spaces, strengthen community defenses against climate disruption, and enlist America's public lands in the fight against climate change by planting trees and restoring wetlands and rivers; and

• Launch a national effort to comprehensively apply cost-effective energy efficiency measures to our nation's building stock. This effort will generate demand for hundreds of thousands of jobs, and significantly reduce our national energy costs and contribution to global warming. It will also more than pay for itself by recovering a portion of the energy savings achieved.

You can also learn more about the Corps in this news article.

The Truth about Fuel

Check out the trailer for this new documentary on fuel - which won the audience award at Sundance. It covers many of the same issues about oil, and coal, that we're been talking about here at Compass for months and months.

Right now it's only playing in limited release, but check your movie listings. It might be coming to an arthouse near you soon. And, definitely, bring a friend. I personally can't wait!

A Variety of Clean Energy Videos You Should Watch

It's Friday, so perhaps you're slacking off at work looking for something to watch online. Well you're in luck, I've got some ideas for you.

First up, the Sierra Club's Cool Cities Campaign now has its own YouTube Channel, featuring a video on the basics of Cool Cities, one on what it's like to have your own Cool City, and lots of videos introducing the great staff members on that campaign.

Second, a few weeks ago I was live-blogging from the Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference here in Washington, DC, put on by the Blue Green Alliance. That conference featured some phenomenal speakers from a variety of backgrounds and organizations. The Blue Green Alliance now has all those videos on their YouTube channel - including Van Jones, Winona LaDuke, Richard Trumka, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Senators Amy Klobuchar, Debbie Stabenow and Sherrod Brown - and many many more.

I would link them all here, except that many of the speeches are too long for one YouTube video, so just go to the main Blue Green Alliance Channel page to watch them in order.

Finally, Sierra Club Board President Allison Chin gave me an interview during the conference about what it all meant to her and the Sierra Club, and then I also spoke with Dr. Donald Kennedy about the Sierra Club's new six-tier Climate Recovery Campaign.

Leadership Responds to Activism: Coal Leaves the Capitol

Another post from Bruce Nilles, director of the Sierra Club's Move Beyond Coal campaign.

Twenty four hours before 10,000 students are slated to descend on Washington urging Congress take strong and immediate action on global warming (Power Shift 2009), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have requested the Capitol Power Plant stop burning coal and instead switch to clean burning natural gas.

As the coal burning facility remaining in Washington D.C. the plant is a symbol of our country’s dependence on out-dated, dirty and dangerous energy sources. Sierra Club and our allies Friends of the Earth and Earthjustice, have been investigating this plant and just yesterday had sent a letter to Congressional leaders requesting their support to end coal burning in the District.

Today’s action shows change is here in Washington.  We have responsive leaders who are listening to Americans’ desire for clean energy and green jobs.  They can continue to build on this and show that we can and will solve climate change.  Today’s action also shows 10,000 young Americans that are coming here to the Power Shift 2009 gathering this weekend that democracy is alive and well in the Nation’s capitol.(We are a supporter of the conference).

"Quick Cash a Backlash?"

This post is by Kyle McEvilly, Intern for the Sierra Club's Energy & Global Warming Team.

With the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act officially signed into law last week, the appropriated money will now begin its long-awaited journey to the states.  With $40 billion of the funds being directed toward energy, this bill contains high potential for transforming the relationship between communities and their energy usage.  The stimulus package affirms that money is to be allocated to weatherization efforts, federal building updates, and other energy efficiency measures.

I recently read an article that discussed a particular case study pertaining to this topic.  Tennessee is one state that has already begun to explore the ways in which it can spend the stimulus money most appropriately.  Nashville has formulated plans to invest their share of the cash in updating energy aspects of fire stations, libraries, and several city buildings.  Other parts of Tennessee are going to arrange for insulation improvement and light bulb replacement in order to produce more energy efficient buildings.  I commend Knoxville for taking the critical initial steps in devising a plan to spend the funding from the federal government.

But what about other states?  How have they been preparing for this massive influx of money?

The dollars now rest in the powerful palms of state government officials.  But these governmental bodies have a duty to spend that money correctly, in terms of producing green jobs and fostering a clean energy economy.  Under economic constraints, it is tempting to pour the funds into the system immediately, but this would ultimately be a "loosey-goosey" application of resources.

In order to gain public trust, state governments across the nation must ensure that the money is spent in the most effective manner possible.  Who knows--by ensuring tangible results, the citizens of the United States just may begin to rethink their attitude toward the federal government.

New Coen Brothers Video Shows Truth Behind “Clean” Coal

This is this week's post from Bruce Nilles, director of Sierra Club's Move Beyond Coal campaign.

Earlier today I took part in a press conference unveiling the latest ad from the Reality Campaign. The ad, entitled “Air Freshener,” was directed by the Coen Brothers (Fargo, The Big Lebowksi).

We support the Reality Campaign because it gets the truth out about “clean coal”: The reality being that there is no such thing as “clean coal”.  Not a single home is America is powered on coal that does not contribute to global warming. And instead of researching whether it is possible mine and burn coal more responsibly, the coal industry is spending tens of millions of dollars on lobbying and advertising to mislead decision makers and delay strong action on global warming.

The ad uses humor about a serious topic. The coal industry wants you to think they can clean it up – but they’d rather just keep things the way they are and hope we don’t notice enough to do something about their dirty habits.

Take Action: EPA Holds the Key to Clean Cars

Here's a fun take action for you all to participate in - On March 5, the EPA will hold a hearing in Washington, DC, to consider granting California a waiver to implement clean car standards that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from passenger cars and trucks. Fourteen other states have adopted CA's standards and are also waiting for the green light. These states cover 40% of the U.S. auto market. Implementing clean car standards would make a huge dent in our global warming emissions.

While you may not be able to fly your private jet to the hearing, there's still a way for you to be in the room. Just take a picture of yourself, your family and friends, holding car keys and email it to us. At the hearing we'll present 1000s of photos with this message: "EPA Holds the Keys to Clean Cars!"

We've already gotten more than (Update - 300!) photos in two days, so add yours to the group!

New NY Times Section on Energy

The New York Times has unveiled a new energy section - up to date with articles on all aspects of the energy and climate world. I found this article about the failed launch of the NASA climate satellite interesting and thought I'd share. Sad to see a $278 million satellite that took nine years of work to launch end up in the ocean.

Coal Casualties from the New EPA Rules

This is this week's post from Bruce Nilles, director of Sierra Club's Move Beyond Coal campaign.

It did not take long for the first few rejections and cancellations of coal-fired power plants after last Tuesday’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision on carbon emissions. The building blocks of carbon regulation are coming together more quickly these days, and coal is taking a serious hit.

First from Oklahoma, AES announced that it’s pulling plans for its 320-megawatt Shady Point coal plant.

Then on Friday, EPA rejected Northern Michigan University’s air permit for its proposed coal plant in Marquette and ordered Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality to consider regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

All this in response to the EPA announcing that it will reconsider the midnight memo issued by former Administrator Steven Johnson, meaning that new coal-fired power plants could soon be forced address their carbon dioxide pollution, the main cause of global warming.

These cancellations will be the first of many, we imagine, due to the increasing costs related to impending carbon legislation. Harlan Hentges, from our Oklahoma coalition partner Center for Energy Matters, put it well in one news article:

With (the) EPA ruling, the cost to AES to clean up carbon emissions from their existing Panama plant, much less a new plant twice the size, would make any company’s shareholders think twice about using coal to generate electricity, especially when cleaner technologies exist.

This is yet another sign that it’s a bad time to be in the coal business – and a great time to be in the clean energy business.

President Obama is making great strides for a clean energy economy, and more states and companies in the U.S. are starting to realize that’s the way of the future.

International Mercury Treaty Nears Approval

Guest post by Eric Uram, International Heavy Metals Liaison to Sierra Club.

The 25th United Nations Environmental Program Governing Council / Global Ministerial Environmental Forum in Nairobi, Kenya has agreed to initiate negotiations for a legally binding international treaty on controlling mercury pollution.

Sierra Club applauds this outcome. After years of stagnation on this issue, and others like it, President Obama has given a clear indication that the United States is ready to again lead on issues of global concern.

The largest sources of incidental mercury releases to the environment are from refining or combusting mined raw materials such as coal and cement.  Other sources include purposeful uses such as a catalyst for chemical production.