6. Landfills in the DMV
District of Columbia--0
Maryland—27
Virginia—152 (In 2010, out of a
total of 19 million tons of waste in
landfills, Virginia received nearly
6million tons of waste from MD, NY,
and other states)
20. Maryland Failing Coal Plants
City Plant 3-mile State 3-Mile Grade
Name Average Income P.O.C.
Income Percentage Population
Curtis Bay Brandon $23,050 90.0% 7.8% F
Shores
Cumberla AES Warrior $12,982 50.7% 10.7% D-
nd Run
Baltimore CP Crane $22,693 88.6% 14.9% D
Curtis Bay Herbert A $23,403 91.4% 6.5% D
Wagner
Newburg Morgantown $19,047 74.4% 26.2% D+
22. Failing Coal Plants in Virginia
Plant Owner-Parent City and State
Company
Chesapeake Virginia Electric /Dominion Chesapeake, VA
Potomac River Mirant Potomac River/Mirant Alexandria, VA
Spruance Genco Spruance Operating Richmond, VA
Services/Spruance Operating
Services
Cogentrix Cogentrix—Virginia Leasing Portsmouth, VA
Portsmouth Corp/Energy Investors Funds
Group
James River James River Cogeneration/Energy Hopewell, VA
Cogeneration Investors Funds (Cogentrix)
Clover Virginia Electric/Dominion Clover, VA
Bremo Bluff Virginia Electric/Dominion Bremo Bluff, VA
41. Anti-Regulatory Investments
Company Total Spent on Lobbying in
2010
Southern Company $13,220,000
Edison International $13,080,000
American Electric Power $10,313,196
Duke Energy $4,800,000
Dominion $2,050,000
First Energy $1,865,000
Xcel Energy $1,720,000
DTE Energy $1,500,000
42. Fighting Renewable Energy
Southern Company successfully
opposed a plan to create a national
electricity market in 2004 and has
dedicated significant money and
effort to fighting the Renewable
Portfolio Standard (RPS), which
would require utilities to purchase
15% of their power from renewable
sources by 2020.
43. CNN NEWSROOM-Hurricane Issac
MALVEAUX: And Senator, finally, why is it that
Plaquemines Parish did not get that support for a
levee?
LANDRIEU: Because the Corps of Engineers has a
formula that they use to determine where they are
going to build or reinforce the levees, based on
economic impact ….you get less points if there is
less of an economic impact……
44. CEO Compensation for 2010 at
Companies Owning the Top EJ Offenders
Company CEO Name CEO
Compensation
Edison International Theodore F. Craver Jr. $9,536,038
Dominion Thomas F. Farrell II $16,924,385
DTE Energy Gerald M. Anderson $5,601,383
Duke Energy James E. Rogers $8,815,181
Xcel Energy Richard C. Kelly $9,956,433
Southern Company Thomas A. Fanning $6,019,151
First Energy Anthony J. Alexander $11,627,657
[i] AFL-CIO CEO Pay Database, Accessed November 2011 http://www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/paywatch/ceou/industry_2011.cfm
45. Deepening Disparity
The average CEO compensation for
these companies in 2010 was
$9,782,889 while the average
worker in these companies made
$33,840.
On average the CEOs at these
companies were compensated at
289 times the rate of compensation
for the average worker.
47. Our Overall Economic Plight
While the national rate of unemployment
during February 2012, was 8.3% that rate
is nearly double of African Americans at
14.1%.
A report by the Pew Research Center
revealed that the wealth divide between
whites and people of color hit a record
high in 2009, with the median wealth of
white households 20 times higher than
black households
50. Achieving 75% waste
diversion in
2030 would:
• Create 1.5 million new jobs
• Lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
by 515 million tons
(~72 coal plants or 50 million cars)
• Significantly reduce pollution impacting
human & ecological health
51. $8 million for
$600 million
1,500 ton-
for 1,500 ton-
per-day
per-day
recycling
incinerator
center
Slide courtesy Brenda Platt, ILSR
52. Recycling
Recology, San Francisco’s primary
recycling, composting and waste
company, employs more than 1,000
workers who are represented by the
Teamsters.
Some 118 new employees have been
hired in recent years to sort recyclables
and monitor the collection routes in order
to meet San Francisco’s aggressive
recycling goals.
53. Diversion from Landfills=JOBS
In Seattle 2009, nearly 100,000 tons
of organic waste was diverted from
landfills by the city of Seattle’s
program. The city of Seattle’s waste
diversion efforts not only benefit the
environment, but also sustain family-
supporting jobs for the more than
1,000 solid waste and recycling
drivers and transfer station
employees in Seattle and King County
who are represented by the Teamsters
Union.
54. California 115,000 jobs in recycling
Illinois 40,000 jobs in recycling
New York 32,200 jobs in recycling
Minnesota 18,000 jobs in reuse
North Carolina 15,000 jobs in recycling
Massachusetts 13,900 jobs in recycling
San Francisco 1,000 union jobs
55. Promoting Local Ownership
Local ownership programs can
create two to three times as
many jobs per megawatt
produced. And these local jobs
keep over three times as much
money and wealth in a community
compared to big companies.
57. Why Progressive Energy Policies?
ENERGY EFFICIENCY: The less energy we
use, the less we are polluting, the less our
communities are exposed to pollution ,and the
less we are advancing climate change, which
also disproportionately harms our
communities.
CLEAN ENERGY: The more clean energy we
use, the less harmful energy we are using
saving our community health, property values,
and the sustainability of our environment.
63. Defining Progressive Energy Policies
Renewable Portfolio Standards —States commit to a
minimum amount of their energy mix that will come from
renewable sources
Should be mandatory
Should be at least 25% by 2025
Energy Efficiency Standards —States commit to reducing
their energy consumption
Should be mandatory
Should be at least 1% annual reduction of previous year retail
electricity sales.
Net Metering– Utility customers who generate their energy
through renewable sources are able to sell excess energy
generated back to the grid for the same purchasing price
utility companies charge for electricity.
64. Progressive Energy Policies in
Region VII
STATE ENERGY RENEWABLE NET
EFFICIENCY ENERGY METERING
STANDARD STANDARD
District of NO YES YES
Columbia
Maryland YES YES YES
Virginia YES YES YES
80. !! JOIN US !!
Start an Environmental and Climate Justice
Committee
Conduct a Community Assessment and Develop an
Action Plan
Start a Coal Blooded Campaign
Start a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard
Campaign
Start an Energy Efficiency Standard Campaign
Start a Net Metering Campaign
Initiate a Clean Energy or Energy Efficiency
Demonstration Project
Develop a Disaster Plan
Start an Eco-District in Your Municipality
Launch a Youth and College 10,000 Steps Campaign
81. Our Resources
2010 Climate Justice Toolkit
Coal Blooded: Putting Profits Before People—National
Report
Coal Blooded Action Toolkit
10,000 Steps Youth and College Toolkit
Beasts of the Southern Wild Discussion Guide
Coming Soon
Just Energy Policies State By State Compendium
ECJ Comprehensive Toolkit
Black Church ECJ Toolkit
82. Thank You
Jacqui Patterson
Director, Environmental and Climate Justice Program
443-465-9809
jpatterson@naacpnet.org
Editor's Notes
Our natural resources are being sold at top dollar with no regard for impact on people or the environment
Picture of one of the landfills that received the oil waste. This is what our communities are living with disproportionately
Every community that received waste from the BP oil spill had a POC population that was higher than the national average. The one white county that was going to receive the waste put up such a protest that they ended up not sending the waste there.
Picture of biomass facility, also disproportionately located in our communities and emitting toxins such as benzene, cadmium, lead, tricholorethylene, mercury, etc. toxins tied to respiratory illnesses, cancers, birth defects, etc.
Just bit of grim humor
You can point out that this is a picture of a mother feeding her three headed bird, a grim reference to the birth defects that result from exposure to toxic waste.
Cesar Chavez High School in Houston Texas. African American and Latino school. That oil refinery is one of 5 within a 10 mile radius of that school which concentrates the level of pollution to which these kids are being exposed. There are no zoning laws in Houston, which is why facilities like these can be on top of our communities.
BP Oil Drilling Disaster which impacted the culture, livelihood, and health of communities across the gulf
For some their only voice was through expressing their frustration through lawn signs
Or wall murals
Nuclear facilities are disproportionately located in our communities.
What makes coal fired power plants in our communities all the scarier is that these facilities are built next to water ways because they use the water to generate steam which is part of the electricity generation process. What’s unfortunate, is that while it takes from the water, it also pollutes the water. Our communities are disproportionately subsistence fisherfolks. So we fish to put food on the table, just like this fellow fishing out of the greenish-brown muck that is polluted by a neighboring plant. One NAACP executive tells the story of fishing out of the Hudson river when rent time was coming up and money was low. He said he stopped when he pulled a fish out of the water and all of the scales fell off.
As we know, there are three impacts of climate change. Superstorms like Katrina and Sandy are going to become commonplace.
Devastation wrought by katrina
We’ve also seen a surge in damaging torndados
A community that no longer exists in Pratt City Alabama after the tornados of 2011…
A dream home destroyed…now the Clark Family has to move back to the city because the insurance and FEMA money was insufficient to cover the damage
A flooded home in Mississippi in Port Gibson, a majority black community, in frightening proximity to the Grand Gulf Nuclear station. With only one escape route for the town, disasters are a double-threat.
This is what once fertile ground looks like now…..
Our communities are disproportionately food deserts which means we are less likely to have a supermarkets offering nutritious foods within 3 miles of our homes. So the picture on the left is more our reality than the one on the right.
The result is that, coupled with the fact that we are also less mobile so not even as able to drive to a supermarket, we have more access to life sapping foods than life lengthening foods. Our supply includes foods high in additives, preservatives, sugar, and sodium rather than the rich anti-oxidant, immune boosting fresh fruits and vegetables.
CabinetMeeting held underwater in the Maldives Islands because the President wanted to send a clear message, both to his own country and the world that the Maldives is facing imminent displacement within 20 years, due to rising sea level.
The imminent displacement isn’t limited to the Maldives. Kivalina Island in Alaska and Thibodaux in Louisiana are also preparing to have to move whole communities as they are losing large degrees of land mass daily!
The companies that run the industries that are polluting our communities and advancing climate change are fighting hard to hold on to their profits. They are investing millions of dollars in lobbying against regulations that protect public health and the environment. They are also investing heavily in keeping officials in office that support their industries while fighting against the re-election of President Obama and others who want to preserve communities and the environment.
They fight against regulations that safeguard public health AND they fight against any attempt to shift to policies supporting clean energy and energy efficiency that don’t harm people.
I was in Louisiana following Hurricane Isaac and saw a CNN commercial which featured the above dialogue which demonstrates the policy making that prioritize preserving investments over protecting people.
Companies are driven by protecting profits and they pay top dollar to their executives for decision making that protects the bottom line
Self explanatory….
40b---amount African Americans spent on energy in 20091.1%--percentage of energy jobs held by African Americans (compared to our 12% proportion of the population).01%--revenue African Americans reaped from the multibillion dollar energy sector which takes so much of our spending….
While we continue to suffer from double-digit unemployment and extreme wealth disaparity
It doesn’t have to be this way…..there are many things we can do to seize the new energy economy and build financial stability while protecting the health and wellbeing of our communities and our environment!!
Case study--Self explanatory
Another Self explanatory case study
We can do the same thing in Region VI!!!
Zero waste initiatives, by definition, are local which keeps jobs in the community and cuts down on monopolies that concentrate wealth at “the top” with CEOs and other executives.
A friend who is completely self-sustaining on clean energy. He gets all of his electricity through solar energy and he generates so much that he can sell the excess back to the grid for the same rate that he would have purchased it. He also heats his house through geothermal system….
A church in Alabama gets its energy from solar panels and stores the energy when they aren’t using it, in these batteries in the church utility closet!
Self Explanatory
Which states have which policies in Region VII
We are hosting education sessions in local communities
We are organizing NAACP member delegations to testify at EPA
We are hosting strategy sessions like this one with HBCUs and government agencies in Louisiana to connect our institutions with the resources we need to advance justice for our communities.
We are uplifting African American entrepreneurs like Robert Wallace who owns BithEnergy, a clean energy company that operates throughout the US and globally!
We are joining with allies like this group in South Africa who is taking it to the streets to call for corporate social responsibility!
In South Africa, calling out the ending profits over people.
We are linking with partners who are targeting cutting off financing of industries that are harming our communities.
In Chicago, community activism was successful in shutting down two polluting coal plants that were in the ids of African American and Latino communities, providing no jobs to those communities but providing pollution at the expense to especially the children and aging populations of those communities.
Civic engagement is critical to make sure we have folks in office who represent our interests.
The NAACP has entered into a legal intervention against the coal industry which is suing EPA as they fight for their “right” to continue polluting communities with mercury, arsenic, lead and other toxins as they fight for the repeal of the Mercury and Air Toxics Regulation that limits the amount of toxins coal plants can spew into the air.
Youth leadership is key to mobilization and to bring new ideas and new energy to the movement.
In Berkeley, this community grows its own food including a garden and chicken coop. They also have a tool library and transportation collective.
It’s not just the hippy Californians. In Pittsburgh, the Landslide community grows their own food, has a chicken coop and feeds indigent persons on Wednesdays from the bounty of their community garden.
Linking with partners like the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization has been the key to success. Pictured here is Reverend Theresa Dear, NAACP National Board Member, who led a prayer vigil in front of the now-closed Crawford Coal Plant in Chicago.
What do you want to do? Will you commit today to launching a campaign/project in your community? If you commit, we will commit to support you!!!