Del. Moran Offsets Virginia Convention Delegation's Carbon Emissions

By: Lowell
Published On: 8/21/2008 4:13:24 PM

This is mainly symbolic, but it's definitely the right idea. Good work by Del. Moran. Now, can you please tell Dominion Power where to shove its mountaintop removal coal, and where it can stick its reception  for the Virginia delegation this Sunday evening in Colorado?  Thanks.

Moran Offsets Va.'s Denver Delegation Carbon Footprint

~ Sign of his commitment to protecting the environment ~

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian Moran announced today that he has purchased carbon offsets to neutralize the carbon footprint of the Virginia Delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Carbon offsets were purchased through Native Energy, a partner with the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC). According to the DNCC, the Virginia Delegation will produce approximately 115 tons of carbon-based pollution from their air and ground travel, accommodations and waste - approximately one ton per delegate. Each carbon offset will be invested in renewable energy and reduce future carbon output by the amount that otherwise would be in our atmosphere.


"Democrats have a long track record as champions of our environment," Moran said. "Leaving a clean and healthy world for the next generation is both a moral obligation and an economic necessity. It's important we show our commitment to this cause with both our words and our actions."

The last 10 years have each been one of the 25 warmest on record. The year 2006 was the hottest year on record. The United States is the world's largest global warming polluter. Americans create 25 percent of all emissions while making up only 5 percent of the world's population. The U.S. Geological Survey predicts that Glacier National Park will have no glaciers left in only 20 years.

Specific information on the program and the project list are available from the DNCC at http://www.demconvention.com/c...

Of the 115 tons of carbon produced by the Virginia Delegation, 44 tons have already been offset by delegation members. Delegate Moran's offset for those 44 delegates will help reduce the overall carbon footprint of the convention. Although he is not a delegate to the convention, Moran also purchased an offset for his own carbon impact.

Comments



Huh? (TheGreenMiles - 8/21/2008 4:32:38 PM)
Which of these projects supported by the DNCC offset funds are "mainly symbolic"?
* The Wray, CO, School District Wind Turbine in Wray, CO, a community-owned utility-scale wind turbine built in January, 2008 in reliance on exclusive carbon funding from NativeEnergy (10% of blend).

* The Focus the Nation Wind Turbine at the Williamson Family Farm in Rosedell Township, Minnesota, a distributed-scale wind turbine built in January, 2008 in reliance on exclusive carbon funding from NativeEnergy (10% of blend).

* The Hillcrest Saylor dairy farm methane project located in Rockwood, PA, built in early 2007 in reliance on exclusive carbon funding from NativeEnergy (20% of blend).

* The Des Plaines Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project located in Des Plaines, Cook County, Illinois (60% of blend).

Have you told the students in Wray, CO the clean energy coming out of their sockets is just for show?  ;)


The point is, these offset deals are (Lowell - 8/21/2008 4:37:06 PM)
good, but they're miniscule.  To seriously reduce our carbon emissions, we're going to need a massive shift in our national energy policy away from carbon-based fuels, and having Dominion sponsoring an event for the Virginia delegation in Denver is NOT a good start towards doing that.