Year: 2016

Dozens From Around the US Rally Against Dominion’s LNG Export Terminal at Cove Point
Sunday, March 13th
Press Release
Contact: Kelly Canavan, (301) 237-5040

Hi-res photos available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wearecovepoint/

We Are Cove Point, SEED, the Backbone Campaign and other groups from the mid-Atlantic and beyond gathered in kayaks and on land to show opposition to Dominion’s fracked gas terminal and the impacts it has on communities.

Solomons Island, MD — In protest of the construction of Dominion’s FERC-approved liquefied natural gas export terminal, dozens of activists and community members held a rally on March 13 on the boardwalk at Solomons Island that was accompanied by a flotilla of kayaks in the Patuxent River. Among those assembled were people fighting LNG export terminals in Texas and Oregon, as well as those fighting fracked gas infrastructure throughout the mid-Atlantic. The action was organized by a coalition of groups that coalesced at the recent Cove Point Spring Break camp, including We Are Cove Point, SEED, the Backbone Campaign and many others.

People convened at Solomons Island to emphasize the importance of protecting the water and our communities. Solomons Island is the primary tourist area in Southern Maryland, and has been impacted by Dominion’s “Offsite B” construction area right at the entrance to Solomons. Dominion notoriously destroyed oyster beds in the Patuxent to construct its pier next to the Thomas Johnson Bridge, which connects Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties, and has made life more difficult for residents along Cove Point Road and elsewhere near its terminal construction in nearby Lusby.

“I came to Maryland because the courage of the people fighting Cove Point is known throughout the United States, and I wanted to lend support first-hand from the people in Oregon working against the same brutal industry,” said Ted Gleichman, a volunteer leader in national and Oregon Sierra Club chapters who has been fighting the LNG export terminal and pipeline at Jordan Cove in Coos Bay, Oregon, that was rejected this week by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

“We’ve been watching this situation in horror because the Cove Point project is so egregious. The fact that Dominion is willing to endanger the life and property of the surrounding community has taught those of us in other LNG frontline communities that this is being regulated by a system that is unwilling to act within the best interests of people,” added Stefanie Herweck, a resident of a community fighting multiple LNG export terminals in deep south Texas.

“Just because they’re not currently fracking in Western Maryland doesn’t mean the impacts of fracking don’t affect myself and those around me,” said Gabriel Echeverri, a Western Maryland farmer, botanist and activist also at the rally. “I can drive five miles north and be at a fracking well in Pennsylvania. I can drive five miles south and be at a fracking well in West Virginia. If the Cove Point LNG facility goes on line, that gas will come out of the ground and go past my home on its way to Cove Point. That, in addition to the negative effects of the Cove Point LNG facility, have boxed us in to a place where we feel the need to act — not just on behalf of our own homes, but the homes and land of those across the region who would be impacted with us.”

After recent toxic oil and coal ash spills in the region caused by Dominion, as well as lawsuits seeking non-consensual access to private property in Virginia to survey for massive pipelines, and the constant impacts of construction on southern Calvert County residents, Dominion has made countless people feel fed up. Organizers estimated 700 people participated in a “Dump Dominion” march in Richmond, Virginia, on February 20 over the issue of Dominion wanting to dump millions of gallons of coal ash-laden water per day into Virginia rivers.

Around 130 people attended Cove Point Spring Break, a camp held this past week in Southern Maryland to bring together people fighting natural gas infrastructure projects. Panels included focuses on environmental justice, Pennsylvania pipelines, Virginia and West Virginia pipelines, the Cove Point terminal, and a “Connecting the Dots” panel that featured people working to stop the gas industry on each level, from fracking to pipelines to compressor stations to exports. The Backbone Campaign came from the Puget Sound in Washington to teach “kayaktivism” tactics, and other workshops covered organizing skills, action trainings and issues-based discussions. FERC was mentioned frequently through the course of the camp.

Today’s rally was a message that people won’t stand by as their communities are overrun by corporations looking to make a profit at the expense of our health and well-being.

More information about Cove Point Spring Break can be found at http://www.covepointspringbreak.org.

Taking Steps to a Renewable Future 
Press Release
March 9, 2016

Contact Name:  Cate Woolner
Sugar Shack Alliance
Phone Number: 413 834 0112
Email: sugarshackalliance@gmail.com

EVENING EVENTS FINALIZED ACCOMPANYING TAKING STEPS TO A RENEWABLE FUTURE:

INTERGENERATIONAL WALK TO STOP PROPOSED FRACKED GAS PIPELINE March 17, 18, 19, 20,

With just days until the walk begins in Windsor MA on March 17^th, well over 130 people have signed on to walk some or all four days, with a large contingent of college students as well as walkers from outside Massachusetts and even outside New England joining the walk. There are also over 55 organizations, campuses, religious groups, environmental groups, social justice groups and individuals that have signed on as endorsers. In addition to the walk itself, Sugar Shack Alliance has organized three evening events which are open to the public and free/donations requested.

Thursday night March 17th at 7 PM, at the Congregational Church on 429 Main Street in Ashfield, Oscar Nominated director Josh Fox (GASLAND) will be there to screen the local premier of his newest film,  How to Let Go of the World and Love All The Things Climate Can’t Change, recently premiered at Sundance Film Festival. Fox will be available for Q&A following the film.

Friday night March 18^th, Sugar Shack Alliance presents the irreverent Rev. Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir, “…earth loving urban activists…we compel action in those who have never been active, revive exhausted activists and devise new methods for future activism. We also put on a great show.” The show will be at 7PM at Cowell Gym in Shelburne Falls.   http://www.revbilly.com

Saturday night March 19^th, from 7 to 9 PM, Rally and Celebration, St. James Episcopal Church, Greenfield, Mass. There will be a personalized message from Bill McKibben of 350.org. There is a lineup of people speaking briefly and to date include: Jimmy Betts, Beyond Extreme Energy, Attorney Cristobal Bonifaz, Ben Clark, Clarkdale Orchards, Jim Cutler, Sustainable Energy, Activist, Lisa McLoughlin, Nolumbeka Project, Carolyn Ness, Chair Deerfield Select Board, Ryan O’Donnell, Northampton City Counselor, Jed Proujansky, Northfield Select Board, Leigh Youngblood, Mount Grace Land Trust. In addition, there will be brief stories from two Hampshire College walkers as well as poetry. Musicians: Moonlight, Ben Grosscup, Court Dorsey and Dineen O’Rourke.    Stay tuned for additional surprise guests! This event concludes Day Three of the four-day “Taking Steps to a Renewal Future” walk.

In addition, Sugar Shack Alliance is sponsoring trainings in Non-Violent Direct Action in preparation for future events. Those trainings, next on April 9th in Conway MA, are also listed on the website, http://sugarshackalliance.org/non-violent-direct-action-trainings/

WWW.SUGARSHACKALLIANCE.ORG

SUGARSHACKALLIANCE@GMAIL.ORG

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Governor Cuomo and DEC Commissioner Seggos can stop this!

A Call To Action from People, Not Pipelines

We have recently learned that trees are falling not only in Pennsylvania, BUT IN NEW YORK STATE TOO. 

How can this be? NYS DEC hasn’t granted Constitution Pipeline a 401 Water Quality Certificate, FERC hasn’t issued a Notice to Proceed, and NYS Attorney General Schneiderman wrote forcefully that the felling of trees would constitute the start of construction. But miles of trees along the proposed pipeline route have already been cut in New York. Are landowners trying to salvage the valuable timber they anticipate losing, even though this pipeline may never be approved?  Did “Constitution” pressure landowners to cut their trees? Did Constitution contractors do the cutting? Whatever the reason, those trees — both in Pennsylvania and in New York State — have been cut for no good reason.

As you may have already heard, Constitution Pipeline announced on Thursday that it will delay its projected “in-service” date from late 2016 to late 2017. But OUR GOAL REMAINS THE SAME — FOR CUOMO TO DENY THE 401. Here’s the timeline: Cuomo has until the end of April to deny the 401. If he doesn’t, the project will move forward. That means we have JUST 6 WEEKS TO STOP THIS PIPELINE and all the dirty infrastructure that would follow in its wake.

Look at the damage that’s already been done. Not only in Pennsylvania, where Constitution Pipeline cut down a family’s maple sugar bush and thousands of other trees, but now in New York State, too. 

We are grateful to Governor Cuomo and the DEC Commissioner Seggos for not granting a 401 Water Quality Certificate so far.

Now they need to DENY THE 401 once and for all!

1. CALL GOVERNOR CUOMO:877-235-6537 or 518-474-8390

     Message: 

– DENY the 401 Water Quality Certificate for Constitution Pipeline once and for all!

2. CALL DEC COMMISSIONER SEGGOS: 518-402-8545

     Message: 

– DENY the 401 Water Quality Certificate for Constitution Pipeline once and for all!

3. FOLLOW UP WITH AN EMAIL TO DEC COMMISSIONER SEGGOS

(cut and paste the message below, or write your own):

TO: basil.seggos@dec.ny.gov

CC: eric.schneiderman@ag.ny.gov

Dear Commissioner Seggos,

New York State deserves a future free of dirty fossil fuel infrastructure.

I call on you to DENY THE 401 for Constitution Pipeline and lead us to a truly renewable energy economy.

The time is now!

Sincerely,

Name:

Address:

4. AND EMAIL THE SAME MESSAGE TO GOVERNOR CUOMO  on his contact page: www.governor.ny.gov/contact

Dear Governor Cuomo,

New York State deserves a future free of dirty fossil fuel infrastructure.

I call on you to DENY THE 401 for Constitution Pipeline and lead us to a truly renewable energy economy.

The time is now!

Sincerely,

Name:

Address:

BREAKING: Thirty Five Students Refuse to Leave DEQ HQ Without Answers on Coal Ash

Students demand answers from David Paylor on illegal dumping of coal ash wastewater before further dumping is allowed in Virginia waterways.

(Virginia Student Environmental Coalition Press Release)

Richmond, VA — Monday, March, 7: 35 activists from the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition (VSEC) refuse to leave the DEQ lobby until Director of the DEQ, David Paylor, complies with their demands regarding Dominion Resources’ dumping of coal ash wastewater into the James River and Quantico Creek. This action is taking place in light of information that Dominion illegally dumped 33.7 million gallons of untreated wastewater into Quantico Creek over the past summer. The demands are as follows:

1. That the DEQ repeals the permits issued to Dominion to begin dumping coal ash wastewater from their Bremo and Possum Point power plants.

2. That the current permits are re-issued only after an investigation into the 2015 dumping of untreated wastewater into Quantico Creek.

3. That the permits for coal ash wastewater release are rewritten to comply with the best available technology standards, in accordance with the Clean Water Act, and that a mechanism for independent third party monitoring is implemented.

Students from The University of Virginia, The University of Mary Washington, The College of William & Mary, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Commonwealth University entered the headquarters, located at 629 E Main St, Richmond VA, at 10:00 am and presented their intentions and demands, requesting to speak with Paylor immediately. A rally is also taking place outside of the building.

“David Paylor can’t keep his story straight regarding the wastewater dumping that took place last summer. If this is because he is covering for Dominion’s illegal activities, then how can we trust him to make future decisions regarding our environmental safety? If this is not the case, then why is he failing to address the issue now?” – Sarah Kinzer, Sophomore, University of Mary Washington.

“If David Paylor cannot adequately meet the health and safety needs of Virginia residents, then he is not fulfilling his role as DEQ Director, and we are prepared to demand his resignation.”- Kendall King, VSEC Coalition Chair.

“These incidents of environmental injustice are not isolated. In Flint, Michigan, we’ve recently seen what devastating effects that water containing concentrations of heavy metals can have on communities. This national pattern of water safety violations is indicative of widespread systemic issues.”- Jong Chin, Senior, James Madison University.

“The coal ash wastewater dumping is only one example of Dominion’s tendency to value profit over the safety of Virginians. This corporation continually endangers our health and safety by burning fossil fuels and building fracked gas pipelines. This is why, as students, we fight for fossil fuel divestment while simultaneously working to prevent Dominion from further endangering our safety. We need to cut all ties with fossil fuel companies.”- Aaron Tabb, Junior, Virginia Commonwealth University.

The Virginia Student Environmental Coalition (VSEC) is a statewide organization dedicated to unifying Virginia students and creating a network for education, advocacy, and action.

Background: On June 18th, 2015, the Southern Environmental Law Center contacted Department of Environmental Quality Director David Paylor to report that a coal ash pond at Dominion’s Possum Point Power Plant may have been illegally drained. One day later, on June 19th, Director Paylor responded that, “our best information is that no water was discharged to state waters.” On Monday, February 8th 2016, InsideNova released a story in which Dominion spokesman Dan Genest confirmed that 33.7 million gallons of untreated wastewater had been dumped into Quantico Creek last May. One day later, Department of Environmental Quality officials presenting at the Prince William County Board of Supervisors meeting stated that they were aware of Dominion’s untreated discharge in May of 2015.

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Contact: Drew Shannon, (561) 512-8843, VSEcoalition@gmail.com; Ian Nakayama , (703) 795-9652
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Sign on VSEC’s letter to David Paylor demanding that the Coal Ash dumping permits are revoked.

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Who does #DavidPaylor really work for? @DomVAPower or the @VirginiaDEQ? COME DOWN PAYLOR! #RepealThePermits pic.twitter.com/aMsjf0oMzS

— ⠀ (@anadmeadac) March 7, 2016

We demand investigation into @DomVAPower‘s illegal dumping of #coalash water into Quantico creek before new permits pic.twitter.com/0TYkM4jDKN

— VSECoalition (@VSECoalition) March 7, 2016

By Ted Glick (reprinted from Future Hope)

The Constitution Pipeline Company, aka Williams Partners, came in force onto the Holleran family land in New Milford, Pa., yesterday. Federal marshals armed with assault rifles accompanied workers armed with chain saws across the open field up to where the woods began. Talk about overkill. Talk about exposing the ugly truth of how things really work in the gas industry.

Supporters of the Hollerans had painted “freedom flags” in red, white and blue onto about 14 trees right at the edge of the field. As the workers did their dirty work, they seemed to avoid cutting any of them at first. Finally, after an hour or so of cutting other trees farther in, they came back and cut most of the freedom trees.

These should-be-unconstitutional acts of the Constitution Pipeline Co. were sanctioned by a federal judge who said in court on Feb. 19 that if people had problems with their land being taken by eminent domain for private profit, their recourse was to petition Congress. Hah!

The Holleran family and the scores of supporters rallying behind them had a much better understanding of how our very flawed democracy is supposed to work. In the best traditions of this country — Shays’ Rebellion, abolitionists, suffragists, labor organizers, civil rights and gay rights movements — they took grassroots-based direct action to hold off the Williams gang, doing so for 31 days, garnering widespread media coverage in the Scranton/Binghamton area and far beyond. Without question, their stand inspired many other landowners who are facing the same abuse of eminent domain for corporate gain.

It should be noted that it took Williams Partners 11 days to get it together to come to the Holleran family land after claiming in federal court Feb. 19 that they were facing an emergency situation and the judge had to act quickly.

Indications are that part of the reason for their slowness, maybe the main part, was the support of the chainsaw workers imported from around the country — Louisiana, Oregon, Washington — for the stand being taken by the Hollerans. Two weeks ago, I went with local people to a bar where conversations had been going on for a couple of weeks with the workers after work. I talked to one of them from Oregon. He told me that if the same thing the Hollerans were experiencing happened to him and his family, those eminent domain-ing them would be met with shotguns.

I asked him where the crew of workers stood on what the Hollerans were doing. He said, “its about 50-50.” So I was elated to hear, about four days ago, that the workers were now united 100 percent against going on to the Holleran land. We knew that didn’t necessarily mean that they would put down their chainsaws and remain in their trucks and cars if they were told to walk across that Holleran field. We knew the threat of being fired for doing so was no small thing. But we were still gratified and hoping for the best.

As it turned out, yesterday the company brought other chainsaw workers, at least in part. And despite the presence of dozens of us with our cameras and signs and our call-outs when the chainsaws were silent, standing 150 feet away from the land taken by eminent domain where Williams wants to build its pipeline, about half of the trees were cut down. It’s expected they will return today to try to finish up.

There was a lot of media presence yesterday. TV news crews from Scranton and Binghamton. A Time Warner cameraman. NPR from Philadelphia. Megan Holleran doing radio interviews via cell phone. And more.

So the fracked gas industry won one yesterday, and the Hollerans and the people lost. But the fight to prevent the Constitution pipeline from being built and to prevent the construction of new fracking or other fossil fuel infrastructure was strengthened by this battle. Many more people in the area now know the truth about the kind of company Williams is. They know that there is a small army of people willing to support those landowners willing to fight for their land and their rights. And that army is growing, all over the country.

In North Carolina, it has rigged our political system. Our governor, Pat McCrory worked for Duke for 28 years. Ed Finley, who leads the NC Utilities Commission, did legal work for Duke before being appointed to the commission. Duke is a “regulated” monopoly, which means it is guaranteed a profit on all its operations, including construction of new facilities. It also means that in NC third parties can sell electricity to no one other than Duke. Some in Asheville would like the city to become its own municipal utility and sell power. (Boulder, Colorado, has done this). But in NC, that is illegal. This past January North Carolina, under pressure from ALEC and the Koch Brothers, among others, put an end to tax credits on home solar installations, which some in the power industry fear will challenge the utilities’ monopolies..

Even though it refuses to and probably cannot provide documentation proving need, Duke has recently proposed what it calls an Energy Modernization Plan, which centers on building a 752 MW gas fired power plant in Asheville. It has also proposed building a total of about 11,000 MW of new gas fired power in the rest of the state. Of course, whether this power is needed or not is of no concern to Duke. It is guaranteed a 10 percent profit on construction. And of course, Duke is not concerned that the price of gas, now very low, may increase 10 times in the next 10 years. It is guaranteed a 10 percent profit on operations. The higher the price of gas goes, the more money Duke makes. (And of course, the more the people of NC will be impoverished).

​

RECENT PROTESTS

So let’s do it. If we can stop Duke’s party, we can stop its “Energy Modernization Plan.”

ResistAIM Defenders form Human Chains to Halt Hudson River Drilling for AIM Pipeline
Drilling at the Verplanck site is on-ongoing for Spectra’s new AIM Pipeline
ResistAIM Press Release (Contact: Courtney Williams, 609-468-7080, resistAIM@gmail.com) 

 

Activists at the Gate: Anti-Gas Groups Take Protest to FERC Leaders’ Homes

by Sean Sullivan, senior reporter for SNL.com
Friday, February 26, 2016
Originally published on SNL.com.

Some groups fighting the use of natural gas in the U.S. and FERC’s role in permitting gas transportation infrastructure are moving beyond protests held at the commission to protests lodged at the commissioners’ homes.

The FERC Valentine Project encourages participants to send mock Valentine’s Day cards during February to commissioners’ homes with messages on the health and environmental impacts of decisions to grant permits for gas pipelines and LNG terminals. A campaign website includes the commissioners’ home addresses. A sample card reads, “Dear FERC: pipelines, LNG and fracking are no ‘love story’ for front-line communities.”

Lee Stewart, an organizer for Beyond Extreme Energy, said more than 50 people reported sending letters to FERC commissioners through the mail and “hundreds of messages have been sent via social media.” He added that messages have been hand-delivered to all four commissioners’ homes.

“When we delivered messages to the FERC commissioners in person on February 17th, none of the commissioners were home,” Stewart said in a Feb. 22 email. “Someone did come to the door at [Commissioner Cheryl] LaFleur’s apartment in Washington, D.C., as well as [Commissioner] Colette Honorable’s home in Arkansas.

“In both cases,” he continued, “once the person discovered we were there to deliver the Valentine messages, they said they were instructed not to accept it. We left all the messages, including oversized Valentine’s cards, flowers and balloons, on their doorsteps.”

This reach into commissioners’ private lives is a new step, at least in the past few years of protests. FERC would not comment on the campaign. But the agency has taken steps to increase security in response to protests at commission headquarters in Washington.

FERC Chairman Norman Bay has encouraged protesters to follow the commission’s procedures for public comment and cracked down on disruptions of FERC meetings. LaFleur said during her chairmanship that she respects the views of those who are against gas infrastructure, but the chairman has an obligation to make sure FERC staff can work “safely and without harassment.” Federal laws prohibit intimidation of government officials performing public duties.

FERC, as the federal permitting agency for interstate gas transportation infrastructure, has seen more protests in the past few years. Industry observers have said the agency, with public comment opportunities in reviews under the Natural Gas Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, is an easy place for opponents to attack the entire oil and gas industry.

The groups behind the Valentine Project and other environmental and landowner organizations have expressed frustration with a FERC review process that gives them a voice but in their view no power to stop pipelines and LNG terminals.

Some groups, such as the Sierra Club and Earthjustice, make arguments in FERC filings and appeal FERC decisions in federal court. Other groups put together protests that hit FERC out in the world. Beyond Extreme Energy has interrupted FERC monthly meetings and marched and fasted outside the building.

“We plan to hold FERC commissioners accountable until FERC stops issuing fossil fuel infrastructure projects and dedicates itself to rapidly transitioning America to a locally sourced, decentralized and democratic energy system,” Stewart said.

CONGRESSMAN ENGEL CRITICIZES FERC’S DECISION NOT TO REHEAR ALGONQUIN PIPELINE

02/08/16 – originally posted: https://engel.house.gov/latest-news1/congressman-engel-criticizes-fercs-decision-not-to-rehear-algonquin-pipeline/

Feb. 17, 2016 — In a carefully coordinated, rolling cross-country action, Beyond Extreme Energy (BXE) and SWRL (Stop the West Roxbury Lateral pipeline) delivered humorous but sharply pointed Valentine’s cards to the homes – and DC residences –  of the four commissioners of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), reminding them that “pipelines, LNG and fracking are no ‘Love Story’ for frontline communities.” The valentine was hand-delivered today to the homes of Cheryl LaFleur in Wellesley, MA; and Colette Honorable in Little Rock, AR. It will soon be delivered to Chairman Norman Bay in Albuquerque, NM; and Tony Clark in Bismarck, ND.

“The valentine speaks for itself,” said BXE member Don Weightman. “FERC has hardly ever met a fracked gas pipeline project it didn’t approve. And, as the impacts of the climate crisis occur ever more frequently with ever more devastation, the commissioners are resisting calls from the Environmental Protection Agency to take climate change into account when determining which projects to green-light, even though methane is 86 times worse for the climate than CO2.”

“Fracked ‘natural’ gas, which is mostly methane, is not a bridge to a clean energy future, as politicians and fossil fuel CEOs like to claim,” said BXE member Jimmy Betts. “Leaks – huge ones like at Porter Ranch near Los Angeles, and smaller ones all over the country – are devastating to local communities’ health and well-being, not to mention the very real threat of deadly explosions. We need clean energy now!”

As the City of Boston prepares to challenge FERC’s final approval of the West Roxbury Lateral Pipeline in federal court, SWRL delivered the valentine to former FERC Chair and current Commissioner Cheryl LeFleur at her home in Wellesley Wednesday evening, decrying that project as unsafe and unnecessary.

Members of BXE also delivered the valentines (and flowers) to the commissioners at their D.C. area residences, and many others sent in their own creations to ask them to love the people and the planet and approve #NoNewPermits.