Oil Spill Hits Louisiana Shoreline, White House Suspends New Drilling

This is looking like its going to be a complete disaster.  Check out this article in the Washington Post about the oil spill hitting the Louisiana shoreline.

I think Grist’s Tom Philpott puts in fine words how valuable of an ecosystem is being harmed by this spill:

“The Gulf of Mexico is a magnificent resource: a kind of natural engine for the production of wild, highly nutritious foodstuff. Here’s how the EPA describes it:

Gulf fisheries are some of the most productive in the world. In 2008 according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the commercial fish and shellfish harvest from the five U.S. Gulf states was estimated to be 1.3 billion pounds valued at $661 million. The Gulf also contains four of the top seven fishing ports in the nation by weight. The Gulf of Mexico has eight of the top twenty fishing ports in the nation by dollar value.

According to the EPA, the Gulf is the home of 59 percent of U.S. oyster production. Nearly three-quarters of wild shrimp harvested in the United States call it home. It is a major breeding ground for some of the globe’s most prized and endangered fish, including bluefin tuna, snapper, and grouper.”

Here part of an insightful post at Planet Forward by one of their members in Louisiana:

“Shrimp is big down here. If you’ve been to New Orleans, Lafayette, Baton Rouge or any of the small towns that dot the map, you’ve had some of the best meals you’ll find anywhere on Earth. Nearly all of them are smothered in shrimp. Order grits at breakfast and you’re asked if you want shrimp with that. Fried, boiled, or stuffed you better like shrimp. Don’t think people aren’t worried about the shrimp industry – both because of the economy and the gastronomy. There are stories of folks buying a hundred pounds of the crustaceans to cram in their freezers.

I heard a policy maker today say that the oil spill has already reached the Capitol building. He was talking metaphorically, of course, but regulation, safety and oil prices are even hotter topics today then they usually are.

It really is too early to tell what’s going to happen, but this is a disaster that is playing itself out in slow motion. Our local media are doing a good job at reporting what they know. Unfortunately, nobody knows a whole lot right now. A lot of oil is about to gum up the works, but how bad and for how long is anyone’s guess.”

Below is a useful press release from the Sierra Club which summarizes from of what facts about the spill and BP that you should know.

White House Suspends New Drilling
Oil Spill Hits Gulf Coast Shoreline

GULF COAST – As oil from a massive Gulf Coast offshore drilling disaster began to touch the shoreline, White House senior adviser David Axelrod announced on Good Morning America that “no additional drilling has been authorized and none will until we find out what happened here.”

In response to the spill, Sierra Club has created an online Oil Spill Action Center with updated information, and volunteer sign-ups.

Statement of Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune:

We are pleased that the White House is signaling a suspension of any new off-shore drilling during the investigation, but there should be no doubt left that drilling is too dirty and dangerous for our coasts and the people who live there. This offshore facility was supposed to be state-of-the-art. We’ve been assured again and again that the hundreds of offshore drilling rigs along our beaches are completely safe. Now, we’ve seen workers tragically killed. We’ve seen our ocean lit on fire, and now we’re watching hundreds of thousands of gallons of toxic oil seep towards wetlands and wildlife habitat.

This same disaster could happen at any one of the hundreds of drilling platforms off our coasts, at any moment. It could happen at the drilling sites they’ve proposed opening along the beaches of the Atlantic Coast.

We don’t need to pay this price for energy. We have plenty of clean energy solutions already in place that will end our dependence on dirty fossil fuels, create good, safe jobs, and breathe new life into our economy. We can save more oil through simple efficiency measures than could be recovered by new drilling on our coastlines.

This disaster changes everything. We have hit rock-bottom in our fossil fuel addiction. This tragedy should be a wake up call. It’s time to take offshore drilling off the table for good.

Oil Spill Facts:

• The oil spill exceeds the worst-case scenario predicted by BP when it filed its exploration plan with the government. The spill is estimated at roughly 210,000 gallons a day. In BP’s exploration plan, the company outlined a worst-case scenario of 162,000 gallons a day.
• The disaster may have been prevented by a special shut-off switch, but BP did not purchase the switch and after drilling companies questioned its cost and effectiveness, the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service, which oversees offshore drilling, decided the device wasn’t needed. [Wall St. Journal 4/30/2010]
• At its current rate, the spill could surpass by next week the size of the 1969 Santa Barbara spill that helped lead to the far-reaching moratorium on oil and gas drilling off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts
• Some estimates show it could take 3-4 months to contain the spill. By that time, the spill could exceed the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska.
• 59 Fatalities, More Than 1,300 Injuries, 853 Fires.  There have been nearly 60 casualties and more than 1,300 injuries on the rigs in the Gulf of Mexico alone since 2001.  “Working in the oil industry is more dangerous than working in coal mines.”   [CBS, 4/22/2010]

BP Facts:

• $5.6 Billion In Profits.  During the first quarter of 2010, “BP said its profit rose to $6.08 billion from $2.56 billion during the same period of 2009. Excluding the impact of energy prices on unsold inventories as well as $49 million of one-time items, and BP would have earned $5.65 billion, topping consensus estimates by about $900 million.”  Profits increased 135% from 2009.  [Bloomberg, 4/27/2010]
• 41% Raise For BP’s CEO.  “Chief Executive Tony Hayward’s total remuneration and share awards rose 41% in 2009 on performance bonuses from improved operations which made the company one of the best performing oil majors in the fourth quarter, despite lower full-year profits due to the fall in the oil price.” [Wall Street Journal, 3/5/2010]
• $16 Million In Lobbying.  BP spent $16 million lobbying in 2009. [Opensecrets]
• $3 Billion In The World’s Dirtiest Oil.  Meanwhile the company invested $3 billion in 2007 in the dirtiest source of oil on earth: Canadian tar sands. “The result will be the development of a major new Canadian oil field and the modernization and expansion of the Toledo refinery to allow far greater use of Canadian heavy oil and to increase clean fuels production by as much as 600,000 gallons a day.”  [Climate Progress, 12/18/2007]
• $900 Million In Alternative Energy Budget Cuts.  In 2009, BP cut its alternative energy budget to between $500 million and $1 billion from $1.4 billion in 2008.  “BP has shut down its alternative energy headquarters in London, accepted the resignation of its clean energy boss and imposed budget cuts in moves likely to be seen by environmental critics as further signs of the oil group moving “back to petroleum.” [The Guardian, 6/28/2009]

Interior secretary approves Cape Wind, nation’s first offshore wind farm

Finally some good news on clean energy!  As we’ve recently been reminded, offshore drilling is a bad idea for the environment.  Offshore wind is the way to go.  It was announced today by the Interior Secretary that he would approve the “controversial” Cape Wind project off the coast of Cape Cod.  I quote controversial since the opponents never struck me as being very credible in their arguments.

This decision should have a great impact on prospects for Maryland’s offshore possibilities.  Notable excerpts below!  Below this is the press release from the US Dept. of Interior.

“In a groundbreaking decision that some say will usher in a new era of clean energy, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said today he had approved the nation’s first offshore wind farm, the controversial Cape Wind project off of Cape Cod.”

“This will be the first of many projects up and down the Atlantic coast,” Salazar said at a joint State House news conference with Governor Deval Patrick. The decision comes after nine years of battles over the proposal.”

“Senator John F. Kerry said he was convinced any concerns have been dealt with during the nine years it has taken to issue a permit for the project.  I believe the future of wind power in the Massachusetts and the United States will be stronger knowing that the process was exhaustive, and that it was allowed to work and wind its way through the vetting at all levels with public input,” said Kerry in a statement. “This is jobs and clean energy for Massachusetts.”

“Audra Parker of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, an organization that opposes Cape Wind, said the group would move quickly to seek a court injunction to prevent construction from beginning. “We will win in the courts based on facts, not politics,” she said, arguing that the project would violate historic preservation and environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act.

But one legal expert said it was very unlikely that the project’s foes could obtain a federal injunction. At best, said Pat Parenteau, who teaches at Vermont Law School, they might be able to file a suit that delays completion for a couple of years.

“It would be very difficult to get an injunction to stop a project that’s been through nine years of review by the state and by the federal government,” he said. “People have been poring over this project with a fine-tooth comb for so long that my litigator’s instincts tell me it’s going to be very hard to find a fatal flaw in what they’ve done.”

“Salazar said the project would create 1,000 construction jobs and produce energy equivalent to that of a medium-sized coal-fired power plant. He said it would reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of 175,000 cars.

Cape Wind Associates has said the wind farm could produce enough wind power to handle three-quarters of the electric needs of the Cape and Islands. The price of its electricity is expected to be higher than power from coal and gas. The company is still in negotiations with National Grid, the utility, that has agreed to purchase some of the power the facility produces.”

But George Bachrach, president of the Environmental League of Massachusetts, hailed the decision, saying it was “a critical step toward ending our reliance on foreign oil and achieving energy independence. ”  “Those who continue to resist and litigate are simply on the wrong side of history,” he said.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Contact: Kendra Barkoff, DOI (202) 208-6416
Leann Bullin, MMS (703) 787-1755

Secretary Salazar Announces Approval of Cape Wind Energy Project on Outer Continental Shelf off Massachusetts

BOSTON, Mass – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today approved the Cape Wind renewable energy project on federal submerged lands in Nantucket Sound, but will require the developer of the $1 billion wind farm to agree to additional binding measures to minimize the potential adverse impacts of construction and operation of the facility.

“After careful consideration of all the concerns expressed during the lengthy review and consultation process and thorough analyses of the many factors involved, I find that the public benefits weigh in favor of approving the Cape Wind project at the Horseshoe Shoal location,” Salazar said in an announcement at the State House in Boston. “With this decision we are beginning a new direction in our Nation’s energy future, ushering in America’s first offshore wind energy facility and opening a new chapter in the history of this region.”

The Cape Wind project would be the first wind farm on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, generating enough power to meet 75 percent of the electricity demand for Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island combined. The project would create several hundred construction jobs and be one of the largest greenhouse gas reduction initiatives in the nation, cutting carbon dioxide emissions from conventional power plants by 700,000 tons annually. That is equivalent to removing 175,000 cars from the road for a year.

A number of similar projects have been proposed for other northeast coastal states, positioning the region to tap 1 million megawatts of offshore Atlantic wind energy potential, which could create thousands of manufacturing, construction and operations jobs and displace older, inefficient fossil-fueled generating plants, helping significantly to combat climate change.

Salazar emphasized that the Department has taken extraordinary steps to fully evaluate Cape Wind’s potential impacts on traditional cultural resources and historic properties, including government-to-government consultations with the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and that he was “mindful of our unique relationship with the Tribes and carefully considered their views and concerns.”

Because of concerns expressed during the consultations, Interior has required the developer to change the design and configuration of the wind turbine farm to diminish the visual effects of the project and to conduct additional seabed surveys to ensure that any submerged archaeological resources are protected prior to bottom disturbing activities.

Under these revisions, the number of turbines has been reduced from 170 to 130, eliminating turbines to reduce the visual impacts from the Kennedy Compound National Historic Landmark; reconfiguring the array to move it farther away from Nantucket Island; and reducing its breadth to mitigate visibility from the Nantucket Historic District. Regarding possible seabed cultural and historic resources, a Chance Finds Clause in the lease requires the developer to halt operations and notify Interior of any unanticipated archaeological find.

Salazar said he understood and respected the views of the Tribes and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, but noted that as Secretary of the Interior, he must balance broad, national public interest priorities in his decisions. “The need to preserve the environmental resources and rich cultural heritage of Nantucket Sound must be weighed in the balance with the importance of developing new renewable energy sources and strengthening our Nation’s energy security while battling climate change and creating jobs,” Salazar said.

“After almost a decade of exhaustive study and analyses, I believe that this undertaking can be developed responsibly and with consideration to the historic and cultural resources in the project area,” Salazar said. “Impacts to the historic properties can and will be minimized and mitigated and we will ensure that cultural resources will not be harmed or destroyed during the construction, maintenance, and decommissioning of the project.”

He pointed out that Nantucket Sound and its environs are a working landscape with many historical and modern uses and changing technologies. These include significant commercial, recreational and other resource-intensive activities, such as fishing, aviation, marine transport and boating, which have daily visual and physical impacts, and have long coexisted with the cultural and historic attributes of the area and its people.

A number of tall structures, including broadcast towers, cellular base station towers, local public safety communications towers and towers for industrial and business uses are located around the area. Three submarine transmission cable systems already traverse the seabed to connect mainland energy sources to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island. Visual and physical impacts associated with Nantucket Sound and its associated shorelines abound; it is not an untouched landscape.

Salazar disagreed with the Advisory Council’s conclusion that visual impacts from the proposed wind farm, which will be situated between and at substantial distance from Cape Cod, Nantucket Island and Martha’s Vineyard, provide a rationale for rejecting the siting of the project. The viewshed effects are not direct or destructive to onshore traditional cultural properties. In no case does the turbine array dominate the viewshed. The project site is about 5.2 miles from the mainland shoreline, 13.8 miles from Nantucket Island and 9 miles from Martha’s Vineyard.

Nevertheless, Interior has required the developer to reduce the number of turbines and reconfigure the array to diminish its visual effects. Moreover, the developer will be required to paint the turbines off-white to reduce contrast with the sea and sky yet remain visible to birds.

No daytime Federal Aviation Administration lighting will be on the turbines, unless the U.S. Coast Guard requires some “day beacons” to ensure navigation safety. FAA nighttime lighting requirements have been reduced, lessening potential nighttime visual impacts. The upland cable transmission route was located entirely below ground within paved roads and existing utility rights of way to avoid visual impacts and potential impacts to unidentified archeological or historic resources.

These mitigation measures, coupled with the overall distance from which the turbine array will be viewed at any location, will reduce the visual impacts of the project. Lease terms also require the developer to decommission the facility when the project has completed its useful service life, deconstructing the turbines and towers and removing them from the site.

The Secretary also disagreed that it is not possible to mitigate the impacts associated with installation of piers for wind turbines in the seabed, noting that piers for bridges, transmission lines and other purposes are routinely built in relatively shallow waters consistent with those found in Horseshoe Shoals. A number of marine archaeological studies have indicated that there is low probability that the project area contains submerged archaeological resources. Most of the area has been extensively reworked and disturbed by marine activities and geological processes.

Nonetheless, Interior will require additional and detailed marine archaeological surveys and other protective measures in the project area. A full suite of remote sensing tools will be used to ensure seafloor coverage out to 1000 feet beyond the Area of Potential Effect. More predictive modeling and settlement pattern analyses also will be conducted as well as geotechnical coring and analyses to aid in the identification of intact landforms that could contain archaeological materials. Moreover, the Chance Finds Clause in the lease will not only halt operations if cultural resources or indicators suggesting the possibility of cultural habitation are found but also allow the Tribes to participate in reviewing and analyzing such potential finds.

The Advisory Council’s regulations provide that the Interior Department must take into account the Council’s comments on particular projects. The Department, as the decision-making authority, is required to consider the Council’s comments but is not legally bound to follow its recommendations or conclusions.

The Cape Wind Associates, LLC facility would occupy a 25-square-mile section of Nantucket Sound and generate a maximum electric output of 468 megawatts with an average anticipated output of 182 megawatts. At average expected production, Cape Wind could produce enough energy to power more than 200,000 homes in Massachusetts. Horseshoe Shoals lies outside shipping channels, ferry routes and flight paths but is adjacent to power-consuming coastal communities. One-fifth of the offshore wind energy potential of the East Coast is located off the New England coast and Nantucket Sound receives strong, steady Atlantic winds year round. The project includes a 66.5-mile buried submarine transmission cable system, an electric service platform and two 115-kilovolt lines connecting to the mainland power grid.

The Cape Wind Fact Sheet, Project Site Map and the Secretary’s Response to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation are available at
http://www.DOI.gov/news/doinews/Secretary-Salazar-Announces-Approval-of-Cape-Wind-Energy-Project-on-Outer-Continental-Shelf-off-Massachusetts.cfm or at http://go.usa.gov/iE2. More information on the project can be found at http://www.mms.gov.

BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Demonstrates That Oil is Dirty, Dangerous, and Deadly

Just as President Obama announces new offshore drilling provisions, we have an explosive oil spill.  This is on the heels of a Massey coal mine accident from a few weeks ago.  Maybe we should burn less fossil fuels?

Here’s a press release from the Sierra Club on the spill.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 27, 2010
CONTACT: Kristina Johnson, 415.977.5619
Josh Dorner, 202.675.2384

BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Demonstrates That
Oil is Dirty, Dangerous, and Deadly

Washington, D.C.–On the same day oil giant BP reported that its quarterly profit jumped an astounding 135 percent to some $5.6 billion, a massive oil spill from a BP well continues unabated in the Gulf of Mexico, drawing nearer to crucial fishing areas, sensitive coastal wetlands, and beaches.

Statement of Athan Manuel, Director of Sierra Club Lands Protection Program

“Our hearts go out to the families of those still missing after last week’s drilling rig disaster.  This terrible tragedy is a sad reminder that oil is dirty, dangerous, and deadly.  Instead of risking our lives, our coasts, our clean air, and our security by perpetuating our addiction to oil, it’s time to build a clean energy economy that means more jobs, less pollution, and real energy independence.  More offshore oil drilling has no place in a clean energy future.”

• DIRTY: Oil continues to pour from the leaking well–a well drilled using the most advanced technology available–at a rate of 42,000 gallons a day.  It could be weeks before the well, located in some 5,000 feet of water, is capped.  Meanwhile, the ever-growing spill now covers more than 1,800 square miles of ocean–an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.  The massive spill threats environmentally-sensitive and economically-important coastal areas of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.

• DANGEROUS: The Huffington Post reports today that Big Oil, including BP and Deepwater Horizon operator TransOcean, “aggressively opposed new safety regulations proposed last year by a federal agency that oversees offshore drilling — which were prompted by a study that found many accidents in the industry.”

• DEADLY: Eleven workers from the Deepwater Horizon remain missing after last week’s explosion. In 2005, an explosion at BP’s Texas City Refinery killed 15 workers.  In response to safety violations at that facility, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration levied a record fine of $87 million against BP, which BP promptly challenged in court.

Op-Ed on Electric Cars

I got to test drive the Chevy Volt last week.  I thought I’d follow up by writing a column about electric cars and their arrival.  Enjoy!

Volt: Test-driving the comeback car

By Matt Dernoga

I found myself behind the steering wheel of General Motors’ highly anticipated Volt, driving around the campus last Wednesday. The Volt is a plug-in hybrid car with a battery that powers the car for up to 40 miles combined with a gas engine with a range of 300 miles if you need it. It was pretty sweet.

Just a few years ago, I wouldn’t have expected it. I remember the famously depressing 2006 documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? that took a look at what forces were responsible for the demise of the EV1, a fast, highly efficient electric car that was produced in the early 1990s. Since then, gas prices rose to painful levels, our oil dependence became a major environmental and national security issue, and automakers finally figured out you can go green and still make green.

After test-driving the Volt and reading about Nissan’s all-electric 100 mile-range “Leaf,” I’m more optimistic than I’ve ever been that electric cars are here to stay. Both these cars are mainstream and coming out near the end of this year. Throw all the electric car stereotypes out the window. After a $7,500 tax credit from the federal government for these advanced battery vehicles, the prices are in the range of ordinary, gas-powered sedans. The Volt accelerated with ease, so highway speed will be no problem. The average daily commute of 75 percent of Americans is 40 miles or less, meaning the ranges on both cars will cover the majority of our trips. Special outlets for charging aren’t necessary, just an outlet and an extension cord.

Part of the appeal is how cheap it is to buy the electricity to power the car versus buying gas. For example, fully charging the battery of the Volt will cost the average American less than a dollar a day. Last time I looked, a gallon of gas around here had come close to $3 and was climbing. Charging a battery could be even cheaper if you do it in off-peak hours with a utility company that offers variable pricing based on real-time electric demand. This is typically at night when few appliances are at use, and electricity is dirt cheap.

The presumption that most of us would charge our cars at night, when electricity demand is low and prices are cheap, is important. One criticism of electric cars is they’ll likely be powered by dirty energy, or add so much new demand to the grid that we’ll have to build more power plants. The reality is the electric power grid has a large amount of generated but unused electricity every night that goes to waste. Much of the added demand from electric cars to the grid would just take advantage of energy that would ordinarily go to waste anyway.

I think President Barack Obama’s goal of a million plug-in cars on our roads by 2015 is too low. This technology is here now, it’s affordable and if we’re going to move away from oil, the electric car is our best bet. We need to invest more in the technology so we dominate this emerging industry, and bring manufacturing jobs back to America.

It’s very fitting that a new documentary is in the works titled Revenge of the Electric Car. Success for these new vehicles would be sweet revenge.

Matt Dernoga is a senior government and politics major. He can be reached at dernoga at umdbk dot com.

US Senator Ben Cardin Speaks with UMD Students about Federal Climate Legislation

This past Friday, UMD for Clean Energy hosted US Senator Ben Cardin at the University of Maryland for a Clean Energy Town Hall.  It went pretty well, we had a good turnout, I counted 70-80 attendees  at the event, tough and smart questions, and a good speech by Cardin about the need for the US to act.  While there was some disagreement with the Senator over the merits of nuclear power, common ground was largely found on the rest of his articulated positions, particularly over the need to not have offshore drilling of the coast of Maryland, which would threaten the Chesapeake Bay.  Cardin expressed appreciation for the leadership efforts of students at the university, and the strong showing of support for US leadership on climate.  He said he can go back to DC and point to examples like us to his colleagues as reasons why our country has no excuse not to act.

Below is the article in The Diamondback about the event (it called nuclear power renewable, I will ask for a correction), as well as a video UMD for Clean Energy made.  We showed it to Senator Cardin at the start of the town hall.  What’s impressive about this video is that none of these statements by students were scripted.  This highlights how knowledgeable and engaged students at UMD are on this issue.

Cardin pushes for clean energy legislation

By Leyla Korkut

An upcoming federal bill aimed at tackling the country’s numerous environmental issues should enable the country to make progress toward clean, renewable energy by offering reforms such as protecting the Chesapeake Bay from offshore drilling, Sen. Ben Cardin told a group of students Friday.

Cardin (D-Md.) spoke to a few dozen students in the Stamp Student Union’s Benjamin Banneker Room at a town hall forum sponsored by UMD for Clean Energy. The event was designed to give students a chance to question the senator about upcoming environmental legislation.

One climate bill in particular — which has already passed the House of Representatives — may come before Cardin and his colleagues in the Senate within the next week, he said.

Cardin said he hopes this bill will protect the Chesapeake Bay from offshore drilling, institute cap-and-trade policies and invest in renewable forms of energy, which are issues Cardin said should be tackled now — strengthening what he called a watered-down bill passed by the House.

“Environmental issues are mainstream America. It’s a popular issue,” Cardin said. “As a result, we’ve been able to pass some far-reaching bills — all have been passed with the last 40 years. We’re trying to protect our environment, and now that [President Barack] Obama’s been elected, the Environmental Protection Agency is actually protecting the environment.”

However, Cardin argued citizens of the state should not take this opportunity for granted because the Chesapeake Bay is constantly at risk for pollution.

“The problem today is our great water bodies are being polluted, and they’re very difficult to clean up,” Cardin said. “It’s our responsibility to make sure it’s there for future generations.”

Cardin said one of the primary ways to preserve the Chesapeake Bay and other bodies of water is to create an energy policy that will rely less on polluting fossil fuels — including oil, particularly from foreign sources — and more on renewable sources of energy, such as nuclear, solar and wind energy.

“We can argue energy policy based on national security,” Cardin said. “We spend a billion dollars a day importing oil; we’re financing people who’d like to see us go away. The only way we can become energy independent is to develop renewable sources. We know that we have to do much better on an energy policy that relies on renewable energy sources.”

Cardin also described a proposal to create a national cap-and-trade system, in which each company would be allocated an amount of pollutants its operations may emit and a company with minimal pollution could sell its allocation to one that is less eco-friendly. Cardin’s proposal would remove a set price for carbon emissions, letting the market decide the value of carbon pollution.

Students at the forum largely agreed with Cardin’s policy proposals, but junior environmental science and policy major Cara Miller said she was not completely convinced nuclear energy was worth investing in considering nuclear waste’s potential danger.

“I came in on the fence about the issue,” she said, “and he didn’t sway me one way or the other.”

Senior government and politics major Matt Dernoga, a Diamondback columnist and UMD for Clean Energy’s campaign director, said that among the numerous issues that Cardin hopes to tackle, the most important was ensuring federal standards would not prevent this state from excelling in its environmental goals.

Cardin told students Friday that he was especially optimistic about the climate bill given how much the university has improved its sustainability practices in recent years.

“I’m convinced we’ll pass a global energy climate bill,” he said. “We’re going to be able to pass those goals. I’m more optimistic today knowing what you’re doing at the University of Maryland. If UMD can do it as a campus, there’s no reason why industry can’t do it.”

korkut@umdbk.com

Image Credit: Charlie DeBoyace, Diamondback

News on College Sustainability Efforts

Every so often I like to list some of the strides being made by universities across the country on sustainability issues.  Here as some highlights.

Central College Receives Kresge Grant for Green Building
Central College (UA) has met a Kresge Foundation’s challenge to raise $3.59 million for its education and psychology building, which opened in August and has received LEED Platinum certification. By reaching its fundraising goal, the foundation provided an additional $850,000 in grant money. The structure is home to Central’s new Center for Global Sustainability Education.

Central Florida U Debuts Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
Central Florida University has partnered with Ford Motor Company and Progressive Energy to host the state’s first Ford Escape plug-in hybrid electric vehicle on its campus. The University’s Smart Solar Plug-in Research Facility includes parking spaces for four electric-powered vehicles where solar panels above the spaces can recharge vehicles. The vehicle can achieve up to 120 miles per gallon and will be tested in Florida.

Louisiana State U Students Use Community Garden
Louisiana State University students can now have their very own nine-by-five foot plot to grow vegetables for $10 a semester at the campus farm. The four-acre Hill Farm will allow students to use eco-friendly gardening practices to grow food.

U Albany to Install 49 kW Solar Panel System, Purchases RECs
The University at Albany has received more than $287,000 in federal stimulus money to fund the installation of a 49-kilowatt solar panel system on a campus building. The project is expected to save approximately $63,000 a year. The University also purchased Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and carbon offsets.  The institution purchased 800,000 kilowatt hours of wind energy with the RECs, which will help support wind farms in New York State.

Texas A&M U Students Vote for Green Fee
Texas A&M University students have voted to impose a $3 per semester student fee in order to support environmental services on campus. The fee will create the “Aggie Green Fund” and will generate $300,000 annually to carry out sustainability initiatives. This comes a year after the Texas state legislature approved a measure allowing students to implement student-driven fees.

U Illinois Urbana-Champaign Passes Student Green Fee
Students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have passed a referendum that proposed increasing the current student green fee from $5 to $14. The first fee was implemented in the spring of 2007. One of the current programs that will continue to benefit from the newly-increased fee is the student sustainable farm, which sells produce to the university’s dining halls. The farm is relatively new, celebrating its first full harvest year. The increased fee will help plant new seeds for future farm projects

Berea College Hotel Earns LEED Gold
The Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant at Berea College (KY) has received LEED Gold certification. Boone Tavern, built by Berea College in 1909 as a campus guest house, recently underwent an $11.3-million renovation during 2008-2009 to make significant upgrades to the building’s infrastructure, improve efficiency, lower operating costs, and add modern technologies and other features for improved guest service and comfort. The renovation earned points for sustainable site work, water and energy efficiency, materials and construction methods, indoor environmental quality, use of recycled and regional materials, and innovation in design processes. As a member of the Green Hotel Association, Boone Tavern’s ongoing operating practices also demonstrate a commitment to environmental responsibility.

Bakersfield College to Install Solar Field
Bakersfield College (CA) has announced plans to cover one of its parking lots with solar panels that will track the sun as it moves across the sky. The power generated by the $8.3 million installation is expected to provide about one third of the College’s energy needs. The power produced when classes are not in session will be sold back to the power grid. The system, which will provide shade for 756 parking spaces, could go live as early as the fall of 2010.

U Texas Austin, Rice U Students Approve Green Fees
Students at the University of Texas at Austin and at Rice University (TX) have passed referendums to establish green funds on campus. UT Austin students approved a $5 a semester fee which could be added to tuition bills beginning in 2011. The money raised by the fees will be used for such projects as subsidizing internships for green jobs and paying for a community garden. Students at UT passed the measure with 71 percent in favor and 29 percent opposed, with 8,917 total votes cast. One out of five dollars in the UT proposal would go toward financial aid. The $9 a semester green fee at Rice will create the Rice Endowment for Sustainable Energy Technology (RESET), which will be used for campus sustainability projects.
See also: Blog Post on Rice U Green Fee

5 U Florida Buildings Receive LEED Certification
Five different University of Florida buildings and additions, located both on and off campus, have received LEED certifications. These structures include: the Steinbrenner Band Hall (Gold), the UF Dental Clinic in Naples (Gold), the Graham Center for Public Service at Pugh Hall (Silver), the NIMET Nanoscale Research Facility (Certification), and the IFAS Biological & Agricultural Research Facility in Fort Pierce (Certification).  UF adopted the LEED criteria for design and construction in 2001 for all major new construction and renovations projects.

Clemson U Baruch Institute Receives LEED Gold Certification
LEED Gold certification has been awarded to the Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science at Clemson University (SC). The 12,600-square-foot facility includes room for 14 faculty and staff members and large multipurpose rooms and smart classrooms that connect Clemson students statewide. Green features include censored lights, an air-conditioning system that uses an energy recovery wheel to recycle heat byproduct, natural lighting, local and natural building materials, and a storm water management system. Clemson has committed to achieve at least LEED Silver ratings for all newly constructed buildings and major renovations.

U Notre Dame Geddes Hall Receives LEED Gold
The University of Notre Dame’s Geddes Hall has received LEED Gold certification. The 65,500-square-foot home of Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns and Institute for Church Life opened in August of 2009 and contains a variety of materials made from both rapidly renewable materials and pre- and post-consumer recycled content. 97 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfills, including the waste from the demolition the former home of the Center for Social Concerns, previously located on the same site. The use of low-flow plumbing fixtures reduced water consumption by 45 percent and the landscape design minimizes grassed lawns while employing an irrigation system with new control technology and drip irrigation. In addition, 31 percent of the building materials were manufactured within a 500-mile radius.

U Toledo Completes 1.2 MW Solar & Wind Installation
The University of Toledo (OH) has completed a 1.2 MW solar and wind power system through an agreement with a Constellation Energy subsidiary. The project utilizes thin-film-on-glass photovoltaic solar technology that was originally developed based on research at the University of Toledo. A 132-foot wind turbine was also installed at the site.

Southern Illinois U Carbondale Green Fee Funds Campus Projects
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale has approved 17 projects for funding from its Green Fund. Projects that offered educational opportunities, student involvement, improvements to campus life and collaboration between multiple departments were more likely to receive money. The fund, generated by a green fee, gave out $151,174.50 to projects this semester.

U Kansas Enters $25M Energy Contract
The University of Kansas has entered into a $25 million contract with Overland Park energy company to help increase the campus’s energy efficiency. KU expects to save nearly $2 million per year by addressing aging heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; by reducing energy and water use; and by educating the campus about responsible stewardship of resources. Work has begun and is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2011.

George Washington U Res Hall Certified LEED Gold
The George Washington University’s (DC) newest residence hall has received LEED Gold certification. South Hall opened in September 2009 and houses 474 fourth-year students in single-bedroom apartment-style living. Design and construction of the residence hall incorporated strategies for sustainable site development, water conservation, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. South Hall offers students bike storage, fuel efficient vehicle parking, and recycling facilities on each floor of the ten-story building. Prior to occupancy, rigorous air quality testing was completed. Low VOC paints were used throughout the building to reduce odor and irritation for indoor air contaminants. Highly insulated wall systems, energy efficient windows with double pane, low-e glass, and an Energy Star white roof improves energy performance of the building by 24.5 percent over the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards for residential buildings.

Northern Arizona U Building Earns LEED Gold
The facility housing in Northern Arizona University’s Extended Campuses has been awarded LEED Gold certification. The 23,000-square-foot extension to the School of Communication houses classrooms, offices, and production studios to support NAU’s Extended Campuses programs. The building uses about 43 percent less energy than a typical building of the same size through passive ventilation, solar-preheating of outside heating air, an HVAC system called “active chilled beams,” and sophisticated lighting and environmental controls. Water use is reduced more than 60 percent through low-water use plumbing fixtures and irrigating with municipal reclaimed water. More than 30 percent of building materials have significant recycled content and were attained and manufactured locally.

Bucks County CC Completes Green Campus Building
Bucks County Community College (PA) has unveiled its expanded Upper Bucks Campus. The $15 million, 28,000-square-foot project features solar-powered hot water, geothermal heating and air conditioning, and a vegetation-covered roof to reduce storm water runoff.

Update: Graham Withdraws Support for Climate Legislation

Following up on the earlier news on Graham’s threat, he has officially withdrawn his support for climate legislation.  This after the Democrats indicated they would prioritize immigration reform over climate legislation.

“The move forced the other two authors of the bill,Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joseph I. Lieberman(I-Conn.), to cancel a news conference planned for Monday that would have unveiled the climate and energy plan they negotiated with Graham, the only Republican who had been participating in the discussions.

In an interview Saturday, Graham said he did not see how the Senate could pass any climate and energy bill this year if Senate Democratic leaders and President Obama pushed for immigration reform, as they suggested they would last week.

“The political environment that we needed to have a chance [to pass the bill] has been completely destroyed” by the push for immigration, Graham said. “What was hard has become impossible. I don’t mind doing hard things. I just don’t want to do impossible and stupid things.”

If Obama doesn’t take control of this fast and force the Senate Dems to back down on immigration reform, this will have been one of the most idiotic moves I’ve ever seen out of Washington DC.   Dave Roberts at Grist sums it up well:

“I can’t imagine Kerry is happy about this. And I can’t believe Obama (or Rahm) will stand by and let Reid do it. The administration has reaffirmed multiple time in past weeks that they want a comprehensive climate/energy bill this year. Obama himself called it a “foundational priority.” Is he willing to let it get lost in the shuffle in a futile bid to save Reid’s ass? If he does he’ll either look powerless over his own party or insincere about his own professed values and priorities. This is test of leadership.”

Ironically, the highest ethnic group in support of climate action is Hispanics, according to recent Gallup polling:

“A recent Gallup poll shows 48 percent of Americans think the seriousness of global warming is exaggerated, up from 41 percent in 2009 and 31 percent in 1997, when Gallup first began asking about the issue. But as the Obama administration gears up for this debate, public opinion on the issue shows Hispanics bucking the national skepticism, according to the latest poll, coommissioned by the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC). Conducted by Yale and George Mason universities, the poll found that 81 percent of Hispanics believe global warming is happening compared to only 69 percent of non-Hispanic whites. Some 62 percent of Hispanics said they thought climate change was “very bad,” while only 41 percent of non-Hispanic whites thought so. Hispanics were also more convinced about the scientific evidence of global warming, while many whites believed the science remains controversial.

When it comes to the government taking action, 66 percent of Hispanics said tackling climate change should be a “high” or “very high” priority, compared to only 48 percent of non-Hispanic whites. Some 41 percent of Hispanics said a “large scale effort” is required even if it has a big economic cost attached. An impressive 48 percent of Hispanics support the regulation of carbon emissions, compared to 28 percent of non-Hispanic whites. And an overwhelming 70 percent of Hispanics favor cap-and-trade legislation that places a limit on carbon emissions. Only 50 percent of non-Hispanic whites back the idea.

By contrast, only 17 percent of Hispanics support drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, compared to 29 percent of non-Hispanic whites.
“The Hispanic community has a deep tradition of environmental protection and haa approached the issue with less cynicism than other segments of the population,” says Adrianna Quintero, director of La Onda Verde, a Hispanic outreach arm of NRDC, one of the nations’ largest environmental groups.”

And the impacts of climate change on the Hispanic community will be disproportionate:

“The percentage of Hispanics living in areas where air pollution levels exceed federal air quality standards is consistently higher than it is for any other population,” NCLLL points out. A study by the National Coalition of Hispanic Health and Human Services Organizations, found that 71 percent of Latinos live in areas with high concentrations of ozone. Their children develop asthma at a rate 2.5 times more than non-Hispanic white children.

Twenty-two percent of Hispanics live below the poverty line and 13.9 million do not have health insurance. As a result, they could suffer more than other segments of the population in the event that floods, heat waves, and severe storms become more frequent as a result of global warming.

Hispanics are also more likely to be directly affected by the consequences of climate change on agriculture, where they comprise a majority of the labor force in states such as California, Florida, and Texas.”

Smart politics would be to take up clean energy and climate legislation first, as its politically popular, further along in the legislative process, and can pass.  Immigration reform legislation is in its early stages, and the word out of DC is it will likely fail.

Senator Lindsay Graham Threatens to Halt work on Climate Bill because of Immigration Bill

There have been reports that the President and Congress have decided to tackle immigration reform before climate legislation, which will likely doom the ability to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation this year if its true.  It’s also completely idiotic since Senators Lindsay Graham, John Kerry, and Joe Lieberman have been working on clean energy legislation since last fall.  Their bill is ready to go next week.  Climate legislation has already passed the House.  Immigration reform is nowhere as far as I know.  So now Lindsay Graham is threatening to halt his work on the climate legislation if President Obama and Senate leaders move immigration to the front of the line.

I hate to say it, but I can see Graham’s point.  I’m pissed just at the idea that Washington could be this stupid, and Graham/Kerry/Lieberman have been working on this for a long time.  Excerpts are below, along with the letter Graham sent.

“Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) threatened to abandon his effort to push a climate and energy bill Saturday, saying he will only continue if Democratic leaders promise to relinquish plans to bring up immigration legislation first.”

“In a letter to leaders of the effort to enact climate and energy legislation, Graham wrote, “I want to bring to your attention what appears to be a decision by the Obama Administration and Senate Democratic leadership to move immigration instead of energy. Unless their plan substantially changes this weekend, I will be unable to move forward on energy independence legislation at this time. I will not allow our hard work to be rolled out in a manner that has no chance of success.”

“A source familiar with the negotiations said key players in the climate effort had made “flurries of phone calls over the past twenty-four hours” to ask Senate leaders if they could say they would place the energy bill ahead of immigration. “That was never answered in a satisfactory manner,” the source said.”

“Graham told reporters Thursday he was outraged at the idea that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) had raised the idea of bringing up immigration before an energy bill, especially since he and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had spent weeks working on a bipartisan immigration measure and had not been alerted to the change in plans.

“Am I supposed to write every bill for the whole country?” Graham asked. “This comes out of left field.”

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Dear XXX,

I want to bring to your attention what appears to be a decision by the Obama Administration and Senate Democratic leadership to move immigration instead of energy. Unless their plan substantially changes this weekend, I will be unable to move forward on energy independence legislation at this time. I will not allow our hard work to be rolled out in a manner that has no chance of success.

Recent press reports indicating that immigration — not energy — is their priority have not been repudiated. This has destroyed my confidence that there will be a serious commitment and focus to move energy legislation this year. All of the key players, particularly the Senate leadership, have to want this debate as much as we do. This is clearly not the case.

I am very disappointed with this turn of events and believe their decision flies in the face of commitments made weeks ago to Senators Kerry, Lieberman and me. I deeply regret that election year politics will impede, if not derail, our efforts to make our nation energy independent.

I truly appreciate Senators Kerry, Lieberman, and their staff for the long hours of work. They have been tremendous partners who have negotiated in good faith and stood ready to make the tough choices necessary to bring forward a comprehensive energy bill.

I continue to believe our nation’s reliance on ever-increasing amounts of foreign oil poses a direct threat to our national security and economic well-being. I know we can create thousands of jobs by pushing for a renaissance in nuclear power, expanded offshore drilling, and unleashing America’s innovative spirit. One only needs to look to China and Europe, where 21st Century clean energy jobs are currently being created while we fail to act.

Like you, I share the belief that becoming energy independent and better stewards of our environment are complementary — not competing — standards. I was greatly looking forward to the opportunity to address these issues on the floor of the U.S. Senate as we pushed energy independence legislation forward into law. But it appears President Obama and the Senate Democratic leadership have other more partisan, political objectives in mind.

Moving forward on immigration — in this hurried, panicked manner — is nothing more than a cynical political ploy. I know from my own personal experience the tremendous amounts of time, energy, and effort that must be devoted to this issue to make even limited progress.

In 2007, we spent hundreds of hours over many months with President Bush’s Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, and nearly every member of the U.S. Senate searching for a way to address our nation’s immigration problems. Unlike this current “effort,” it was a good-faith attempt to address a very difficult national issue.

Some of the major provisions we embraced in 2007 — such as creation of a Virtual Fence using cameras, motion detectors and other technological devices to protect our borders — have been scrapped for the time. Other issues we found agreement on at the time, such as a temporary guest worker program, have unraveled over the past three years.

Expecting these major issues to be addressed in three weeks — which appears to be their current plan based upon media reports — is ridiculous. It also demonstrates the raw political calculations at work here.

Let’s be clear, a phony, political effort on immigration today accomplishes nothing but making it exponentially more difficult to address in a serious, comprehensive manner in the future.

Again, I truly appreciate the tremendous amount of time you have committed to the effort to make our nation more energy independent. I look forward to continuing to work with you so that when the U.S. Senate finally decides to address this issue we will be prepared for battle and confident of a successful outcome in the effort to make our nation energy independent once and for all.

Lindsey O. Graham
United States Senator

Earth Day Revolution: The Final Check

This is a great video by the Consequence campaign!

UMD for Clean Energy Hosting Ben Cardin Friday

*** MEDIA ADVISORY***

CONTACT: Susan Sullam, 410-962-4436

April 21, 2010

SENATOR CARDIN TO ADDRESS UMCP STUDENT GROUP ON ENVIRONMENT & IMPORTANCE OF CLEAN ENERGY

Senator Urges Passage of Clean Energy Bill to Reduce Carbon Emissions

On Friday, April 23, U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) will address members of the University of Maryland for Clean Energy about the need for our nation to develop a clean energy policy that will “shift us away from dirty, unsafe fuels of the 19^th Century to cleaner, safer fuels of the 21^st Century.”

The Senator is a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and has been a strong supporter of clean energy and climate change legislation.  He has co-sponsored the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, which would provide significant investment in the clean fuels, clean vehicles and public transportation. He also has co-sponsored the International Climate Change Investment Act, which promotes the economic leadership and competitiveness of clean energy.

• WHAT: Senator Cardin to address members of University of Maryland for Clean Energy

• WHEN: Friday, April 23 at 2 pm.

• WHERE: University of Maryland College Park,

Stamp Student Union, Benjamin Banneker Room (2^nd Floor)

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Find out more about our event and our efforts on climate legislation here