The document outlines a campaign by the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club called "Dominion: Coal to Clean Energy" which aims to transition Dominion, Virginia's largest utility, away from its reliance on fossil fuels like coal towards cleaner energy sources. It discusses how Dominion is heavily invested in coal and is an obstacle to developing wind and solar in the state. The campaign's plan is to get Dominion to create 3,000 megawatts of new wind and solar in Virginia by 2020 in order to power 700,000 homes and move the state beyond its dependence on coal. The document calls on readers to get involved by signing a petition and joining the volunteer team working to promote clean energy in Virginia.
17. SIZING THE PROBLEM
• Dominion spews more industrial carbon and mercury
pollution than any other business in Virginia
• Not developed one single wind farm or solar project in our
state
• By2015, Dominion projects that it will spend $3.8 billion to
build new power plants
18. A MONOPOLY WITH INFLUENCE
• Controls 70% of Virginia’s energy and is a major economic and
political player
• Loopholes in the Renewable Portfolio Standard
• $45 million for coal subsidies each year
• True cost of fossil fuels and value of price stability
• Attack on small, solar businesses
19. VIRGINIA’S
RENEWABLE PORTFOLIO STANDARD
• 15% by 2025 of non-nuclear generation
(so really only 10% for Dominion)
• Dominion
has met with old, mostly out of state dams, trash
and wood—no wind and no solar
• Meeting RPS gives Dominion $37 million/year; unearned
bonus, charged to ratepayers
20. DOMINION: ATTACK ON SOLAR
BUSINESSES
• Adopted a “stand-by” charge
• Says power purchase agreements violate its monopoly
• Issued two cease-and-desist letters
• Successfully opposed bill this year
21. OFF-SHORE WIND:
WILL DOMINION DELIVER?
• Dominion wants entire VA lease area
• No plans for offshore wind
• Cites costs of up to 28 cents/kWh
22. THE PLAN
Customer EPA
Campaign Defenders
Dominion should lead the way by creating 3,000
megawatts — enough to power 700,000 homes — of
new Virginia-made wind and solar energy and
energy efficiency by 2020.
23. EPA DEFENDERS
MERCURY SAFEGUARD
Dominion — biggest emitter
of toxic-mercury in Virginia
Major factor in retiring out-
dated coal plants
Must defend the safeguard
from constant attacks
24. EPA DEFENDERS
INDUSTRIAL CARBON POLLUTION
SAFEGUARD
Dominion is the biggest source
of industrial carbon pollution in
Virginia
Could prevent any future coal-
fired plants in Virginia
Help our EPA defenders
beyondcoal.org/dirtytruth/carbon
26. GET STARTED TODAY
• Sign our petition
http://action.sierraclub.org/CleanEnergy4Virginia
• Join one of our volunteer teams
http://vasierraclub.org/CleanEnergy
• Contact Phillip Ellis at 571.970.0275 or
phillip.ellis@sierraclub.org for more information
SCNovaHub
SCNovaHub
VA Sierra Club
27. DOMINION:
COAL TO CLEAN ENERGY
• Move beyond coal
• Clean energy solution
• Dominion is the obstacle
• 3000 MW’s of Virginia-made
clean energy by 2020
• We need you on our team
• Let’s continue this movement
Hinweis der Redaktion
\n
\n
These are the three basic values that guide the Sierra Club. If we are to confront the dominance of fossil fuels on american politics and economy, then we must build partnerships with diverse organizations outside the environmental base. We must engage the community on shared values that builds the movement necessary to protect the health of our families and communities. \n
The problem (fossil fuel) I am focusing on today is coal because coal is where the pollution is. Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of industrial carbon pollution which is the main contributor to climate change. Pollution from coal-fired power plants are also linked to life-threatening air pollution like asthma-inducing smog, making it a serious hazard to Americans’ health and future.\n
Richmond, the location of Dominion’s headquarters, is the asthma capital of the US, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Over 20,000 children suffer asthma there.Annually, pollution from Dominion coal-fired power plants account for 332 Premature Deaths, 5,528 Asthma Attacks and 293 Asthma ER Visits in Virginia (Clean Air Task Force).\n
The Sierra Club is extremely active in Virginia to transition the Commonwealth from its Dirty Coal Past.....These next few slides are meant to show that we have momentum in this campaign, and to instill trust in the audience that we can make the necessary change.\n
This a candlelight vigil outside of the Genon Potomac River Coal Plant in Alexandria, Virginia where we worked diligently with the community to retire this iconic plant by October of this year. Additionally, we continue to work across the state to ensure the announced retirement of the Chesapeake and Yorktown plants continue to move forward.\n
The Sierra Club is actively opposing (and has stalled) the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC)'s proposed construction of a $6 billion, 1500 MW coal-fired power plant in Hampton Roads with the Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition. If established, this plant would emit 11.6 million tons of CO2 per year - equal to adding over 2 million cars to our roads annually. \n
For the first time in the history of our country mercury pollution coming from coal-fired power plants will be regulated. The Sierra Club working with partners across Virginia and the nation collected nearly a million comments in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s mercury safeguard that was enacted this past December.\n
This past July, Mayor Bloomberg recognized the incredible work the Sierra Club is accomplishing by giving $50 million dollars to support the Beyond Coal Campaign. The backdrop chosen for this historic announcement was the Genon Potomac River Coal Plant in Alexandria. 5 weeks later Genon formally declared the retirement of this plant. \n
In nearly every state proposed coal plants were defeated because it was too dirty, too expensive, and a threat to the climate. This is a map of the coal plants our volunteers and communities have defeated across the country. We have confronted the dominance of coal, and are winning.\n
This slide is a picture of City of Alexandria councilwoman, Del Pepper, at our Moving Planet event last year in Alexandria. The next few slides are meant to show the solutions by introducing solar, wind and energy efficiency. \n
The potential for off-shore wind is enormous. Virginia is one of ten states that have enough good wind in shallow water wind to supply our entire energy demand. The Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium (VCERC) calculated that full build out of Virginia’s offshore wind industry would net over 10,000 jobs.\n
This Virginia Tech study showed that we could meet up to 19% of Virginia’s electricity demand through solar energy. Currently, Virginia has less that 3MW’s installed. By comparison, New Jersey which has far less solar power potential than has 650MW’s on the ground, and is proposing to build over 500 more MW’s of solar power.\n
Energy efficiency is the cheapest, cleanest resource to meet Virginia’s energy needs.\n
Dominion’s holding Virginia back. Right now Dominion hasn’t built a single wind farm or major solar project in our state, nor it is on their planning horizon. We can breathe cleaner air and create thousands of jobs if we invest in clean energy now. We can do better. Dominion should lead the way.”\n
\nNearly 70% of Virginia’s energy market and is the third largest utility in the nation \n
Public health impacts can more than double the true cost of electricity. Dominion does not currently consider the human toll from coal when creating their long-term energy plan. Ignoring these costs makes them no less real.\n
Dominion passes off to each of us the costs involved with satisfying Virginia’s renewable energy law. And what kind of renewable energy are we paying for? Dams, trash and wood. No wind and no solar. Worse still, the energy from dams, trash and wood is mostly generated out-of-state and from old facilities built seventy years ago.\n
\n
\n
Our Goal — Dominion should lead the way by creating 3,000 megawatts — enough to power 700,000 homes — of new Virginia-made wind and solar energy and energy efficiency by 2020. \nOur strategy is to squeeze Dominion by exposing the company to its customer base and empowering them to take action from one side while working to pass strong EPA safeguards from the other. \n
Mercury pollution, much of it coming from coal-fired power plants, represents a particularly widespread threat to families in Virginia. Last December, the EPA passed a critical air quality standard to protect Americans against life-threatening air pollution such as mercury and arsenic from power plants, which until that point emitted air toxics with no limits. This mercury safeguard was a major factor in the retirement announcements of Chesapeake, Yorktown and Potomac River coal-fired power plants as Dominion and coal companies are faced with a choice to put it in the necessary pollution controls or simply retire these out-dated coal plants. Believe it or not this safeguard remains under constant attack especially from our Attorney General, Ken Cucinelli, Governor Bob McDonnell and U.S. Representative Eric Cantor. The Sierra Club worked with communities across the nation to collect nearly 1 million comments in support of this safeguard, and will continue to defend it.\n\n\n
There are currently no federal limits on the amount of carbon pollution being spewed into the air we breathe. The EPA has proposed a new safeguard (Friday, March 13, 2012) under the Clean Air Act that would protect Americans from carbon pollution from any new power plants. It is based on health and science-based standards that will spur innovation in the clean energy sector, protect public health and tackle climate change. EPA will accept public comments on its proposal over the next 60 days (middle of June). Limiting carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution from coal–fired power plants will reduce threats to our health from smog, soot, and mercury pollution.\n
This campaign has momentum! We are moving Beyond Coal, standing up to Tar Sands and passing the EPA safeguards needed to protect our families, communities and environment. Our nation is at crossroads on how it will produce energy for the next 40 — 50 years. This transition must move us away from dirty coal, minimize our future dependence on dirty fuels such as natural gas and maximize new, clean energy infrastructure.\n
