I wanted to take a quick moment to tell you about the larger movement for a clean energy future that is building across the South — and to tell you about a tremendous opportunity that is fast approaching to make your voice heard on global warming.
CLEAN ENERGY MOVEMENT GROWING IN THE SOUTH
A recent series of reports from four southern states has demonstrated what many supporters of Wise Energy for Virginia already know: clean energy, rather than new coal plants, represents the best investment for our future. Click here to read the Virginian-Pilot’s article on a new report our Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition just commissioned on the proposed Hampton Roads Coal Plant.
The reports — produced for Virginia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Louisiana — highlight the clear economic benefits of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and show that coal plants present serious financial risks to southern utilities and ratepayers.
Those financial risks are likely to increase as the federal government begins to mandate reductions of carbon dioxide emissions.
Complying with these expected new federal rules is likely to increase the cost of generating power at new coal-fired plants by tens to hundreds of millions of dollars each year — making coal an even more expensive option than energy efficiency and renewable resources.
As Elizabeth Crowe of the Kentucky Environmental Foundation said about the reports, “More and more people from all walks of life, all over the South, are realizing that clean energy makes good fiscal sense.”
To read more about the reports, click here:
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD GLOBAL WARMING ON MAY 18 IN ARLINGTON
On May 18th, those of us in Virginia will have a major opportunity to stand up and demand bold federal action to combat global warming.
President Obama has promised swift action on global warming and a new era guided by science.
As part of that action, the EPA recently issued an “endangerment finding” — a historic finding that global warming pollution threatens public health and welfare.
Now, the EPA is requesting public input on the finding at a public hearing on May 18th in Arlington. This is one of only two such hearings in the US!
We know that Big Coal and their industry lobbyists will be on hand to try and block bold federal action on climate change.
And that’s why we need you to take action by attending the EPA’s public hearing on May 18th.
For more information on the hearing, click here:
http://epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment/hearing_washington-may18.html
Please note that to speak at these hearings, you need to sign up in advance. You can sign up here:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment.html
The coal industry will be at the hearing in force. We need to out-organize them. So in addition to signing up yourself, please sign up five friends who are willing to voice their support for bold federal action on climate change.
Thank you for everything you do.
Kathy Selvage
Wise Energy for Virginia
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