Daily News Opinion  September 6, 2018 Mark Reynolds –

Those of us who understand the existential threat posed by climate change have been waiting for the “Pearl Harbor moment” that galvanizes people and politicians alike into taking action to minimize that threat.

The year 2018 is turning out to be a “Pearl Harbor year,” where a majority of Americans support taking action, and we are ready for Congress to press forward.

We thought the wake-up call on climate change occurred in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina slammed and devastated New Orleans, a disaster that left 1,836 people dead and displaced tens of thousands more.

Four years later, when legislation to price carbon made a run in Congress, any sense of urgency to deal with climate change was lost amid partisan squabbling and pushback from special interests.

The next opportunity for action came in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy roared up the East Coast with a storm surge that put much of New York City under water. The cover of Bloomberg Businessweek proclaimed, “It’s Global Warming, Stupid.”

But again, nothing happened. Likewise, last year’s back-to-back-to-back storms — Harvey, Irma and Maria — left a swath of destruction from Houston to Puerto Rico totaling some $300 billion in damage. This, too, was not enough to spur action.

Fortunately, more and more Americans are connecting the dots between extreme weather disasters and climate change. That increasing awareness of the impact climate change exerts on our lives is reflected in the latest polling from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.

The Yale study found that 77 percent of U.S. adults support regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant and that 68 percent support taxing fossil fuel companies while equally reducing other taxes. That support extends to all geographical areas of America, with majorities in all 50 states and all 435 congressional districts saying they favor a revenue-neutral carbon tax.

The Yale poll should come as no surprise, given that 2018 is turning out to be a Pearl Harbor year, not just a moment:

Triple-digit temperatures in California have created conditions for the worst wildfires the state has ever experienced. In Redding, California, those conditions produced a fire tornado with wind speeds up to 165 mph and temperatures that likely exceeded 2,700 degrees.

Smoke from western wildfires is drifting east, creating hazardous breathing conditions in cities along the way.

A combination of warmer water and nitrogen runoff from farms has produced the worst “red tide” ever seen in Florida. Manatees, sea turtles and millions of pounds of dead fish have washed up on beaches and affected the tourism industry.

Hundreds of deaths around the world have been attributed to record-setting heat waves in places like Japan, where 119 people died and thousands were hospitalized.

Of all the trends related to climate change, the most encouraging is the growing movement to depoliticize the issue and get Republicans and Democrats talking to each other about solving the problem. There are now 86 members in the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, half Republican and half Democrat. In late July, the co-leader of the caucus, Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla. — joined by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla. — introduced the first Republican-sponsored bill to price carbon in nearly a decade. Curbelo’s bill is a major crack in the dam holding back effective climate legislation, and that dam is likely to burst in the months to come.

As Congress returns from August recess and members make their final reelection push, my hope is that climate change becomes a bridge issue rather than the wedge issue it’s been for so many years. Throughout our history, Americans have set aside our differences and come together in times of crisis to turn back a common foe. We can and must do that now with climate change.

The terrifying vortex of fire that swept through Redding, California, is the latest Pearl Harbor moment for climate change in a year filled with such moments. Let us hope this year of infamy, together with the growing desire for action, will finally set the wheels in motion for Congress to enact meaningful solutions.

Mark Reynolds is executive director of Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

Note: MOVCA is an associate member of Citizens Climate Lobby

Charleston Gazette-Mail Editorial September 6, 2018 Autumn Long-

Last week in the Charleston Gazette-Mail, your editorial posed a question: “If renewable energy catches up faster than expected, is WV ready to benefit?” The answer: Not yet — but it could be. And more West Virginians could be benefiting from solar right now, through third-party financing.

It is no longer necessary to speculate whether or when renewable energy will reach economic parity with fossil fuels. That reality is happening today. Our energy system is rapidly changing. The last century’s wasteful, cumbersome, centralized system powered by fossil fuels and dominated by outsized special interests is evolving into an efficient, distributed structure in which ordinary people are no longer relegated to the role of passive consumers. Rather, we can become active energy producers in a resilient, fair and more affordable energy system.

West Virginians will be left behind if our elected officials do not act quickly and assertively to create a policy environment that encourages growth, competition and diversification in this newly unfolding energy system. While neighboring states attract major investments, expand their tax bases and create thousands of new jobs in the renewable energy sector, our state offers little to encourage innovative entrepreneurship or entice large employers that increasingly demand access to renewable energy.

If West Virginia dumps all its eggs into the basket of gas, it will be repeating the same disastrous mistake that has left our public coffers overly dependent on, and exposed to the vagaries of, a single extractive industry — coal — for the past century. History will repeat itself as the latest shale gas boom turns bust and renewables take center stage as the backbone of a new energy economy.

The good news is that our lawmakers can take specific steps to encourage renewable energy development and investment in West Virginia. Chief among them is legalizing solar Power Purchase Agreements, a popular solar financing method that is available in 26 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

A solar PPA is a contract through which a third-party developer installs a solar array on a host customer’s property, and the customer purchases electricity produced by the array at a fixed rate.

Widely used by commercial businesses and tax-exempt institutions like schools, churches, hospitals and municipalities, solar PPAs allow energy consumers to install solar with zero upfront cost while lowering electric bills from day one.

Regrettably, solar PPAs are illegal in West Virginia. Meanwhile, our monopoly electric utility companies are guaranteed a rate of return on their investments, and consumer electric rates continue to rise. By legalizing solar PPAs, the Legislature would open the door to economic growth, investment and job creation in West Virginia.

Entrepreneurs could install solar arrays on our state’s businesses, manufacturing facilities, schools, hospitals and government buildings. Low-income families could access stable, affordable electricity rates through community solar projects, where customers buy a “share” of the energy produced by a centrally located solar array. Large-scale solar projects could be developed on former mine land, brownfields and other degraded sites, bringing good local jobs and investment to West Virginia communities.

Legalizing solar PPAs should attract widespread bipartisan support from our state lawmakers. This policy is pro-jobs, pro-competition, pro-growth and pro-business. It is a linchpin needed for a stronger and more diversified economic future in West Virginia.

It’s up to our state’s lawmakers to take a true leadership position and embrace a future powered by a diverse mix of energy sources in which renewables play leading roles. History, and future generations, will judge us by the decisions we make today.

Autumn Long, of Harrison County, is West Virginia program director for Solar United Neighbors.

 Note: MOVCA is a sometimes partner with Solar United Neighbors.