House sends historic climate package to Biden’s desk

Written by

For Immediate Release:
Friday, Aug. 12, 2022

Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
(434) 989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

Inflation Reduction Act is largest effort to-date from Congress to tackle climate change, expand clean energy

 

RICHMOND – Today, the House of Representatives voted to pass the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, sending this package to President Biden for his signature and paving the way for the largest win on climate action and clean energy in our nation’s history. 

In response to this historic vote, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, released the following statement: 

“Today’s vote was truly a pivotal moment in the climate fight, and one that will reverberate large here in Virginia, building on progress we’ve already made growing a clean energy economy, creating jobs, and cutting harmful pollution. This package, while historic, isn’t a moonshot and cannot be the only consequential vote Congress takes on climate change. Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we will continue pushing for aggressive climate action while fighting unnecessary and destructive fossil fuel infrastructure that threatens our health and our future.”

Background:
The $370 billion in investments in clean energy and climate action under the IRA will result in an estimated 40 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, getting our nation closer to the threshold it needs to hit in order to prevent the worst impacts of climate change into the future (a full rundown of these investments is available here). 

In the process, the IRA will lower inflation, cut household and healthcare costs for families, and help create an estimated 9 million jobs in the clean energy sector, while yielding huge health benefits. Due to the pollution reductions that will be realized because of the IRA, our nation will avoid as many as 3,900 premature deaths per year in 2030, with reductions concentrated in communities of color. Avoided air pollution would also prevent up to 100,000 asthma attacks and up to 417,000 lost workdays in 2030. 

About us:
We build a stronger, more diverse, and more engaged conservation voter movement in order to protect the natural environment and improve the quality of life of all Virginians. We envision an equitable and just Virginia, where all communities enjoy clean air and water, open space, a liveable climate, and a democracy that works for all Virginians. For more information, visit www.valcvef.org.

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Virginia LCV applauds transformational Inflation Reduction Act of 2022

Written by

For Immediate Release:
Friday, July 29, 2022

Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
(434) 989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

RICHMOND – Yesterday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WVa.) announced he had reached an agreement with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which if passed would be the largest climate action funding package in our nation’s history, resulting in a 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.

In response to this historic announcement, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, released the following statement:

“This is a huge, transformative moment in the climate fight. After months of negotiations and a full-court press by advocates, we now have the largest climate investments in our nation’s history. This legislation will build on progress we’ve already made here in Virginia by taking meaningful action that invests in a sustainable, just future, cuts pollution, and expands clean energy alongside efforts to reduce everyday household costs for Virginians. This package, and the negotiations that got it here, are not perfect – we are concerned about an apparent agreement outside of this bill to ease infrastructure permitting – but the benefits to our climate and our future outweigh any downside that we can see. The Senate must act to get this done.”

About us:
We build a stronger, more diverse, and more engaged conservation voter movement in order to protect the natural environment and improve the quality of life of all Virginians. We envision an equitable and just Virginia, where all communities enjoy clean air and water, open space, a liveable climate, and a democracy that works for all Virginians. For more information, visit www.valcvef.org.

Extreme SCOTUS ruling shows importance of Congressional climate action, defense of climate progress here in Virginia

Written by

For Immediate Release:
Thursday, June 30, 2022

Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

RICHMOND – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court significantly curtailed the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to address climate change by reducing power plant emissions in ruling that the Clean Air Act doesn’t give EPA “broad authority” to regulate greenhouse gas pollution from the energy sector.

In response to today’s ruling, Michael Town, Executive Director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, issued the following statement:

“In yet another radical ruling by an extreme Supreme Court, the fight to address climate change just got that much more difficult. Today’s decision putting the onus to address this crisis back on Congress should light a fire under a stalled Senate to finish the job on reconciliation by passing $555 billion in climate and clean energy investments that cut pollution, create good-paying jobs, and put vulnerable, impacted communities first.

Today’s ruling also shows just how important it is for us to protect the gains we’ve made here in Virginia to cut pollution and secure a clean energy future. Virginia LCV will continue fighting to defend our climate policies from attacks here in Virginia, and holding the Youngkin Administration accountable when they work to roll back the vital progress we’ve made growing a clean energy economy, protecting impacted communities, and cutting the harmful pollution that threatens our health and our planet.”

About us:
We build a stronger, more diverse, and more engaged conservation voter movement in order to protect the natural environment and improve the quality of life of all Virginians. We envision an equitable and just Virginia, where all communities enjoy clean air and water, open space, a liveable climate, and a democracy that works for all Virginians. For more information, visit www.valcvef.org.

 

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Northam’s outgoing budget makes critical investments to protect clean water, natural resources

Written by

For Immediate Release:
Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021

Media contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
(434) 989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org

RICHMOND – Today, outgoing Governor Ralph Northam unveiled his 2022-2024 budget to a joint meeting of the House Appropriations, House Finance, and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees.

The proposed budget contains nearly $1 billion in investments that will increase access to nature, safeguard clean water, and protect our natural resources.

In response to this announcement, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, issued the following statement:

“A state budget reflects a state’s values. The investments unveiled today by Governor Northam show a strong commitment to protecting our environment in an equitable way that expands access to nature and ensures all Virginians benefit from protected lands and cleaner water. We will be working to defend these investments in 2022 and look forward to working with lawmakers to pass a budget that prioritizes a clean and healthy environment and invests in rural Virginia.”

About us:
We build a stronger, more diverse, and more engaged conservation voter movement in order to protect the natural environment and improve the quality of life of all Virginians. We envision an equitable and just Virginia, where all communities enjoy clean air and water, open space, a liveable climate, and a democracy that works for all Virginians. For more information, visit www.valcvef.org.

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Virginia LCV-EF Condemns Water Permitting Decision for Mountain Valley

Written by

For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021

Media contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
(434) 989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

RICHMOND – Today, the State Water Control Board voted 3-2, with two members absent, to approve an incredibly flawed permit allowing Mountain Valley Pipeline to proceed with construction across water bodies in Southwest Virginia, a decision that ignores a track record including hundreds of violations of Virginia’s water quality laws, and one that flies in the face of robust public opposition.

In response to today’s decision, Lee Francis, Deputy Director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, issued the following statement:

“Throughout this project, MVP has shown no respect to Virginia’s water quality or the Virginians that live in the path of this project. Today’s vote ignores science, overlooks one of the poorest environmental track records in state history, puts an out-of-state corporation’s interests ahead of what’s right for clean water and our environment, and comes even as another state citizen board acted to do the right thing for Virginians by rejecting MVP’s license to pollute earlier this month. While this outcome is disappointing, our work fighting this project isn’t done, and there remain multiple pathways to protecting clean water even if state regulators refuse to.”

About us:
We build a stronger, more diverse, and more engaged conservation voter movement in order to protect the natural environment and improve the quality of life of all Virginians. We envision an equitable and just Virginia, where all communities enjoy clean air and water, open space, a liveable climate, and a democracy that works for all Virginians. For more information, visit www.valcvef.org.

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Virginia LCV-EF applauds Air Board decision to reject permit for MVP Compressor Station

Written by

For Immediate Release:
Friday, Dec. 3, 2021

Media contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
(434) 989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

CHATHAM, VA – Today, acting through the lens of the Virginia Environmental Justice Act, the State Air Pollution Control Board rejected a permit that would have allowed Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) to operate a compressor station in an environmental justice community alongside existing fossil fuel infrastructure already negatively impacting public health in this part of Pittsylvania County.

This decision deals a major blow to MVP’s second-phase plans to continue into North Carolina, dubbed “Southgate,” and comes just days before the State Water Control Board will weigh whether to grant MVP permits it needs to lay pipe through hundreds of sensitive water bodies along the main part of the route – a vote that could seal this project’s fate.

In response to today’s action, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, issued the following statement:

“Congratulations to all the activists and community leaders who have been fighting this destructive project tooth and nail! Today’s vote is great news for clean air and our climate, and shows just how far Virginia’s come on issues of environmental justice in just the past few years. With the Air Board acting today to protect citizens in the path of this project, we hope the Water Board, too, will do the right thing here in the coming days for our environment, citizens’ health and safety, and clean water.”

About us:
We build a stronger, more diverse, and more engaged conservation voter movement in order to protect the natural environment and improve the quality of life of all Virginians. We envision an equitable and just Virginia, where all communities enjoy clean air and water, open space, a liveable climate, and a democracy that works for all Virginians. For more information, visit www.valcvef.org.

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Virginia LCV-EF applauds House passage of Build Back Better Act

Written by

For Immediate Release:
Friday, Nov. 19, 2021

Media contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
(434) 989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org

RICHMOND – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the landmark Build Back Better Act, which contains a $555 billion investment in clean energy and climate action – the largest in our nation’s history and one that puts us on a pathway to cutting carbon pollution in half by 2030 and meeting the urgency of the climate crisis.

In response to this historic announcement, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, issued the following statement:

“Today’s vote in the House paves the way for the largest step we’ve ever taken as a country to address climate change, cut pollution, and expand clean energy. The members of Virginia’s House Delegation who supported the Build Back Better Act should be proud of the votes they cast today – this landmark effort will grow Virginia’s economy, protect vulnerable communities, and put us on the path we need to cut carbon pollution in half by 2030. The decision whether to respond accordingly to the largest environmental threat we’ve ever faced now rests with the Senate, and we thank U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine for helping us get to this point. We are confident they will continue to be on the right side of history.”

About us:
We build a stronger, more diverse, and more engaged conservation voter movement in order to protect the natural environment and improve the quality of life of all Virginians. We envision an equitable and just Virginia, where all communities enjoy clean air and water, open space, a liveable climate, and a democracy that works for all Virginians. For more information, visit www.valcvef.org.

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Virginia LCV-EF applauds Build Back Better framework

Written by

For Immediate Release:
Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021

Media contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
(434) 989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org

RICHMOND – Today, after months of negotiations, President Biden announced a compromise Build Back Better framework that contains a record $555 billion investment in clean energy and climate action – the largest in our nation’s history that, if passed by Congress, will put us on a pathway to cutting carbon pollution in half by 2030.

In response to this historic announcement, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, issued the following statement:

“Congress is close to delivering on the strong climate action that Virginians deserve, efforts that will build on the incredible progress we’ve made in Virginia over the past two years, helping us further grow a clean energy economy all while securing cleaner air and a healthier future for all of us who call the Commonwealth home. We are at a critical moment, and it’s time for Congress to finish the job on what, if passed, will be our nation’s most significant effort to-date to address climate change.”

Background: 
On top of a number of investments that will help families, boost the middle class, and improve the lives of Virginians and people across the America, the framework announced today contains these specific clean energy and climate action investments:

  • Clean Energy Tax Credits ($320 billion): Ten-year expanded tax credits for utility-scale and  residential clean energy, transmission and storage, clean passenger and commercial vehicles, and  clean energy manufacturing.

  • Resilience Investments ($105 billion): Investments and incentives to address extreme weather  (wildfires, droughts, and hurricanes, including in forestry, wetlands, and agriculture), legacy  pollution in communities, and a Civilian Climate Corps.

  • Investments and Incentives for Clean Energy Technology, Manufacturing, and Supply  Chains ($110 billion): Targeted incentives to spur new domestic supply chains and technologies, like solar, batteries, and advanced materials, while boosting the competitiveness of  existing industries, like steel, cement, and aluminum.

  • Clean Energy procurement ($20 billion): Provide incentives for government to be a purchaser of next-generation technologies, including long-duration storage, small modular reactors, and clean  construction materials.

  • Advance Environmental Justice: A new Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator that will invest in projects around the country, while delivering 40% of the benefits of investment to disadvantaged communities, as part of the President’s Justice40 initiative.

About us:
We build a stronger, more diverse, and more engaged conservation voter movement in order to protect the natural environment and improve the quality of life of all Virginians. We envision an equitable and just Virginia, where all communities enjoy clean air and water, open space, a liveable climate, and a democracy that works for all Virginians. For more information, visit www.valcvef.org.

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Virginia LCV-EF mourns the loss of W. Tayloe Murphy, dedicated conservationist, former Delegate and Secretary of Natural Resources

Written by

For Immediate Release:
Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021

Media contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
(434) 989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org

RICHMOND – Today, we learned of the passing of W. Tayloe Murphy, a former Delegate and Secretary of Natural Resources whose immense dedication to the Chesapeake Bay and protecting our environment helped shape policy-making for years and will always be remembered.

In response to this sad news, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, issued the following statement:

“The Virginia LCV family was truly saddened to hear of the passing of Secretary Murphy. He was a champion for the Chesapeake Bay and protecting Virginia’s natural resources, and our environment is cleaner today because of his dedication. Tayloe Murphy will be sorely missed and we send his family our heartfelt condolences during this difficult time.”

About us:
We build a stronger, more diverse, and more engaged conservation voter movement in order to protect the natural environment and improve the quality of life of all Virginians. We envision an equitable and just Virginia, where all communities enjoy clean air and water, open space, a liveable climate, and a democracy that works for all Virginians. For more information, visit www.valcvef.org.

Virginia LCV-EF applauds efforts to protect 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030

Written by

For Immediate Release:
Thursday, May 6, 2021

Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

RICHMOND – Today, the Biden Administration issued a report entitled “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful,” which outlines a voluntary nationwide conservation goal to protect 30 percent of our lands and waters by the end of the decade, action that will help restore and protect sensitive ecosystems, address the climate crisis, and ensure equitable access to parks and outdoors spaces in communities that need them here in Virginia and across the nation.

In response to today’s announcement, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, issued the following statement:

“Every 30 seconds in America, we lose the equivalent of a football field of natural space to development. This pace of deforestation is unsustainable, and it isn’t just a threat to our forests and open spaces – the water we drink, the air we breathe, and our health and climate are also at risk.  We also know that not everyone has the same access to parks and the outdoors in their community, which is why it’s so vital that as we work toward conserving more open space, we’re also addressing these inequities. What the Biden Administration rolled out today is a huge step forward for conservation, our climate, and our health, and we look forward to working here in Virginia to preserve more lands for more Virginians.”

About us:
We build a stronger, more diverse, and more engaged conservation voter movement in order to protect the natural environment and improve the quality of life of all Virginians. We envision an equitable and just Virginia, where all communities enjoy clean air and water, open space, a liveable climate, and a democracy that works for all Virginians. For more information, visit www.valcvef.org.

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