Real Results For Virginia's Environment
1. Going farther on a gallon of gas
New gas mileage standards for cars and trucks, championed by Environment Virginia through our federal office and approved in 2007, will reduce U.S. global warming pollution by 424 million metric tons per year by 2030.
2. Advancing cleaner, greener cars and power
New clean cars programs in 13 states will cut global warming pollution from vehicles up to one third. Our research and grassroots action prodded many of these states to adopt the policy. We've also helped ensure that 25 states get more energy from renewable sources.
3. Stopping global warming and air pollution
America is lagging in the fight to stop global warming, but grassroots action is pushing the country in the right direction. We've helped win the nation's strongest global warming laws in California and New Jersey, as well as commitments from 13 governors to cap global warming pollution from power plants.
4. Protecting our national parks
There are places - like the Grand Canyon - that must be protected from harm. We are leading the fight to prevent mining claims that could harm these national treasures - including the Shenandoah and George Washington National Parks.
5. Fighting toxic pollution
Our research indicates that chemicals linked to birth defects, cancer, and asthma are found in the bodies of nearly every American. With our partners, we've won action in California, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, and Washington to phase out the worst chemicals, and we will work to pass similar measures here in Virginia.
6. Preserving the Arctic Refuge
Despite the power and influence of the Bush administration and ExxonMobil, our broad-based coalition and the bipartisan support we’ve helped to build stopped Congress from opening the Arctic Refuge to drilling every time it has been proposed.
7. Protecting Virginia's bays, rivers, and streams
With our partner groups throughout the mid-Atlantic we won new restrictions on runoff pollution into the Chesapeake Bay, and sued some of the nation's worst polluters to protect our rivers and streams.
8. Standing up for wild forests
Our staff and members helped win protection for nearly 60 million acres of our pristine national forests. When President Bush rewrote these rules, we mobilized thousands of Virginians to counter attempts to log or drill for gas and oil in forests from Alaska to Maine.
9. Restoring our oceans to health
California sea turtles, northern right whales and other wildlife stand a better chance of survival thanks to our efforts to prevent oil and gas drilling in sensitive coastal waters, curb overfishing and prohibit cruise ship dumping in the Atlantic Ocean.
