Sierra Club Honors Ebbin, Favola

By Drew Hansen and Jason Spencer

The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club has honored two state senators who represent Arlington County in the General Assembly.

Democratic Sen. Adam Ebbin was awarded the organization's 2013 Water Champion Award on Tuesday at Alexandria City Hall. Sen. Barbara Favola, also a Democrat, was honored earlier this month in McLean with the club's Energy Freedom Award.

This is the first time the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club voted to recognize members of the General Assembly for their work in Richmond.

The group chose to honor Ebbin for his work on litter reduction.

“I am honored to receive the recognition of the Sierra Club,” he said in a statement. “Together, we will reduce bag pollution and improve the health of our streams, rivers, wildlife, and communities.”

Ebbin, who lives in Alexandria, introduced legislation to limit the use of plastic bags by placing a small fee on their use in the grocery store. A large percentage of the fee would be used to fund environmental cleanup and restoration efforts as well as provide free reusable bags to Virginians.

Ebbin has introduced the bill for four consecutive years. It has never passed.

“With a single bill, Senator Ebbin proposed an incentive for consumers to make the switch to reusable grocery bags and established new revenues to support cleanup of our affected streams and rivers,” said Susan Stillman, legislative chairwoman of the Virginia Chapter. “That’s an elegant solution.”

Earlier this month, the group praised Favola for passing legislation that requires utility companies, like Dominion Virginia Power, to study the effects of their pricing models on energy conservation and efficiency, as well as equity.

"My legislative success was possible because members of the Sierra Club worked to educate lawmakers on the public benefits associated with good environmental policies," Favola said in a statement.

The goal of Favola's legislation is to move away from price structures that put an extra burden on businesses and individuals who don't use much energy and to encourage smaller carbon footprints, according to a news release.

“Senator Favola made a valiant effort to bring greater fairness into the Dominion rate structure. Currently residents who use less energy pay a higher rate overall than the people who use the most energy. In effect, the poor subsidize the rich, and the efficient subsidize the wasteful. This legislation will require a re-evaluation of the rate structure,” Stillman said in a statement.

The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club also plans to recognize state Sen. Janet Howell, D-Reston, and Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, according to the Sun Gazette.