EC April 2011

ec@lists.wvsierraclub.org

6 participants
19 discussions

WSJ.com - House Democrats Say Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids Contain Toxic Ingredients
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 17 Apr '11

17 Apr '11

*Please note, the sender's email address has not been verified. You have received the following link from william.depaulo(a)gmail.com ******************** If you are having trouble with any of the links in this message, or if the URL's are not appearing as links, please follow the instructions at the bottom of this email. Title: WSJ.com - House Democrats Say Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids Contain Toxic Ingredients This article will be available to non-subscribers of the Online Journal for up to seven days after it is e-mailed. Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to access the sent link: http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMail… Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to SAVE THIS link: http://www.savethis.clickability.com/st/saveThisPopupApp?clickMap=saveFromE… Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to forward this link: http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=forward&etMailT… ******************** Email pages from any Web site you visit - add the EMAIL THIS button to your browser, copy and paste the following into your Web browser: http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=browserButtons&…" ********************* Instructions: ----------------------------------------- If your e-mail program doesn't recognize Web addresses: 1. With your mouse, highlight the Web Address above. Be sure to highlight the entire Web address, even if it spans more than one line in your email. 2. Select Copy from the Edit menu at the top of your screen. 3. Launch your Web browser. 4. Paste the address into your Web browser by selecting Paste from the Edit menu. 5. Click Go or press Enter or Return on your keyboard. ********************

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Fwd: Huge Clean Air Victory -- TVA Phasing Out 18 Coal Plants
by James Kotcon 14 Apr '11

14 Apr '11

>>> Oliver Bernstein <oliver.bernstein(a)SIERRACLUB.ORG> 4/14/2011 11:50 AM >>> *HUGE news! Congrats to everyone who worked so hard on this.* http://action.sierraclub.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=203101.0 For Immediate Release – April 14, 2011 Contacts: Shannon Andrea, National Parks Conservation Association, 202.365.5912 Tiffany Schauer, Our Children's Earth Foundation, 415.596.5576 Oliver Bernstein, Sierra Club, 512.477.2152 *Blockbuster Agreement Takes 18 Dirty TVA Coal-Fired Power Plant Units Offline;* * * *Southeastern U.S. Takes Huge Step to Slash Air Pollution Thanks to Pressure from Environmental Groups, State and Federal Officials* CHATTANOOGA, TENN. – The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board of directors approved a landmark agreement today with three citizen groups, four states and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), marking one of the largest pollution reduction agreements in the nation’s history. This agreement requires TVA to phase out 18 units at dirty, coal-fired power plants and install modern pollution controls on three dozen additional units, thanks to more than 11 years of pressure from environmental groups, Southeastern states and the EPA. The blockbuster agreement – which includes the affected states of Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee – represents the largest ever reduction in air pollution in the Southeastern United States. This agreement permanently retires an unprecedented 2,700 megawatts of dirty coal-fired electricity and will drastically reduce TVA’s emissions of dangerous sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury and carbon pollution. Clean Air Task Force estimates that coal-fired power plants in the region cause more than 1,800 premature deaths and more than 2,400 heart attacks each year in the four-state region, and are a major source of area air pollution woes. TVA’s coal plants are also responsible for visibility problems and acid rain damage in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the country's most visited national park. "For decades, the Smoky Mountains has suffered from a slow motion crisis," said *Don Barger, senior regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association*. "Air pollution from TVA’s coal-fired power plants has degraded scenic vistas, damaged plant species, and impaired human health. Today’s settlement halts that trend and sends us in the right direction." The settlement, approved today in conjunction with TVA charting out a new course as laid out in its new 10-year Resource Plan, represents a welcome change in focus for the federally owned utility. Under the agreement, TVA will modernize its aging infrastructure, invest in clean energy and slash its pollution. Specifically the settlement agreement requires TVA to reduce pollution at its 59 coal-fired power generating units, phasing out 18 of those units no later than 2018. This phase-out represents a major victory for clean air and public health, with 10 units at TVA’s Johnsonville Plant in middle Tennessee to be taken offline, along with two units at the John Sevier Fossil Plant in eastern Tennessee and six units at the Widows Creek Fossil Plant in northern Alabama. The John Sevier Fossil Plant and Widows Creek Fossil Plant are some of the oldest units in the TVA system, dating back to the early 1950's, and have never upgraded with modern pollution controls. In addition, the agreement also requires TVA to invest $350 million in the four states of Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee on additional air pollution-reduction projects over the next five years, including funds to help consumers and business cut their energy bills, support local businesses that are creating jobs in local clean energy projects and cut carbon pollution. "There is a demonstrated link between pollution and asthma in children," said *Tiffany Schauer, Executive Director of Our Children's Earth Foundation *. "Thanks to today's action, every family in Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee can breathe a little easier." This agreement resolves a series of legal challenges against TVA brought by the environmental groups and the four states. The legal actions stemmed from allegations that TVA had unlawfully extended the life of its coal plants without installing modern pollution controls, otherwise known as the New Source Review program. "Today's landmark agreement is a game changer for how we power our homes and businesses in the Southeast, said *Mary Anne Hitt, Director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign."* By phasing out the most dangerous coal plants and charting a course focused on less pollution and more clean energy, TVA is demonstrating that we don’t have to choose between clean air and affordable energy – we can and must have both." The plaintiff groups – National Parks Conservation Association, Our Children's Earth Foundation and the Sierra Club – are represented by George Hays, William Moore, Wade Davies, Reed Zars, and Mike Costa. For a copy of the settlement agreement please contact Oliver.Bernstein(a)sierraclub.org. ### -- Oliver Bernstein National Communications Strategist Sierra Club Phone: 512.477.2152 Cell: 512.289.8618 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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all WV reps sign on to coal ash bill
by Grubb, Karen 14 Apr '11

14 Apr '11

McKinley Introduces Coal Ash Legislation with Bipartisan, Cross-Industry Support Apr 7, 2011 Issues: Economy and Jobs<http://mckinley.house.gov/issue/economy>, Energy<http://mckinley.house.gov/issue/energy> McKinley Introduces Coal Ash Legislation with Bipartisan, Cross-Industry Support Freshman lawmaker aims to strip EPA power to regulate coal ash as hazardous Washington, DC - Rep. David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-WV) introduced legislation (H.R. 1391) late Wednesday evening that would prohibit the EPA from moving forward with plans to classify fossil fuel combustion waste, also known as coal ash or fly ash, as a hazardous waste under subtitle C of the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Regulating coal ash, which is recycled into dry wall and concrete and widely used in schools, homes and public buildings such as the one housing EPA itself, as a hazardous waste would trigger a large increase in disposal expenses for coal-fired power plants and other coal ash generators, likely increasing energy costs for manufacturers and consumers. Ten Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee - including Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY) and Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), Chairman Emeritus and senior Republican on the committee - and three Democrats signed on as original co-sponsors of H.R. 1391<http://www.congress.gov/cgi-lis/bdquery/D?d112,d111:1:./temp/~bdQ2Id:dbs=y:…>. West Virginia Rep. Nick Rahall is one of those Democrats, and Reps. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Bob Gibbs of southeast Ohio are also among the original co-sponsors. A broad cross-section of companies and organizations representing various industries have also endorsed the bill (see below). In a floor speech Thursday, McKinley discussed the economic harm that would be caused if the EPA's plans on coal ash are not stopped. For video of McKinley's speech as delivered, click here<http://www.youtube.com/user/RepMcKinley?feature=mhum>. "Fly ash is an unavoidable byproduct of burning coal to produce electricity, and the EPA has repeatedly studied and approved its beneficial use prior to President Obama," McKinley said. "Not only would the EPA's plan reduce demand for coal - by design to be sure - but it would also increase costs for dozens of industries, having a ripple effect that would ultimately destroy jobs and raise electricity prices. Recycled fly ash helps to keep electric generation costs down which in turn keeps electricity affordable for consumers. If the EPA persists with its plans to designate fly ash as a hazardous material, the expense of handling the material will increase logarithmically and so will our energy prices. Why would this administration want to increase the cost of electricity on our senior citizens, hospitals, schools and working families? By increasing the cost of power, it causes the price of producing American-made products to increase and puts America at a severe disadvantage against our foreign competition. President Obama's relentless 'War on Coal' has now expanded to include the many industries and consumers that depend on coal. It's critical that we stop the EPA now, and that's why I'm proud to introduce this bill with bipartisan support." McKinley's legislation has been referred to the Energy and Commerce Committee. The bill is similar to one of McKinley's amendments, #217, to the long-term continuing resolution passed by the House in February. The amendment overwhelmingly passed the House<http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll136.xml>, with 19 Democrats in support. Organizations and companies supporting McKinley's legislation include: American Coal Ash Association AEP First Energy Allegheny Power National Rural Electric Cooperative Association National Mining Association American Public Power American Municipal Power American Road & Transportation Builders Association Citizens for Recycling First National Ready Mixed Concrete Association Ash Grove Resources ASK Chemicals Beneficial Reuse Management Boral Material Technologies CERATECH, Inc. Charah, Inc. Clayton Engineering and Consulting, LLC DC Goss LLC Electric Energy, Inc Essex Cement LLC Full Circle Solutions Gypsoil, LLC Headwaters Resources Intermountain Power Agency John Ward Inc. LB Industrial Systems Muscatine Power & Water National Gypsum Company Phoenix Cement Company PMI Ash Technologies Public Service of New Hampshire Richard W. Goodwin Environmental Engineering Rosenmerkel Engineering SEFA Group Separation Technologies LLC Southern Illinois Power Cooperative Sphere One, Inc. Taulbee Chemical Consulting, LLC Titan America LLC USC Technologies U.S. Minerals, Inc.

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Fw: Lawsuits challenge waste dumping by gas drillers
by Frank Young 14 Apr '11

14 Apr '11

BlankTrying again.- Frank -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- April 13, 2011 Lawsuits challenge waste dumping by gas drillers By Ken Ward Jr. The Charleston Gazette CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A federal judge in Wheeling this week issued a temporary restraining order against Chesapeake Energy in one of three pending cases that challenge widespread waste-dumping practices of northern West Virginia's growing natural gas industry. U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp blocked Chesapeake from hauling contaminated soil out of a waste pit it built on a Wetzel County couple's property while the couple pursues its demand for a more comprehensive cleanup plan. Larry and Jana Rine allege that Chesapeake unlawfully disposed of drilling wastes in the pit, then buried it and planned to leave it on a 210-acre property the Rines use as a part-time home and hunting camp at Silver Hill, east of New Martinsville. Now, they allege, the company is using repair of a slip on its well pad as an excuse to haul away the wastes and potentially cover up what was really dumped into the pit. Preliminary testing found the soil contained diesel fuel, benzene and a variety of other contaminants, court records show. Complete article at: http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201104131039?page=1

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Fwd: Studies Say Natural Gas Has Its Own Environmental Problems (Attn: T. Boone
by James Kotcon 13 Apr '11

13 Apr '11

Energy Committee: As I think about this, I believe that this Cornell study adds weight to our call for a moratorium on drilling Marcellus until adequate regulations are in place. The quote from Dave Hawkins of NRDC in the article below emphasizes that this is only one study (although NRDC has a reputation for trying to find business-friendly solutions) and the gas industry simply does not recognize this as a problem. What is becoming clear is that the amount of gas that leaks during fracking is substantial, that capturing at least part of that gas is technically possible and may be profitable, and that the states with the strongest air regs require the equipment that will significantly reduce the air emissions. Since West Virginia has no air regs on gas drilling at all, and negligible regs on compressors, pipelines, tanks, etc., we are in a worst-case situation. Hence, a conservative, prudent, reasonable, and scientifically-defensible approach is to put a moratorium on new well permits until we identify the kinds of regulations needed to protect the environment, and this should include requirements for appropriate pollution control equipment to limit air emissions using the Best Available Control Technologies. Jim Kotcon On 4/12/11, Edward Mainland <emainland(a)comcast.net> wrote: > > http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/business/energy-environment/ > 12gas.html?_r=1&ref=business > > April 11, 2011 > Studies Say Natural Gas Has Its Own Environmental Problems > By TOM ZELLER Jr. > New York Times > > Natural gas, with its reputation as a linchpin in the effort to wean > the nation off dirtier fossil fuels and reduce global warming, may not > be as clean over all as its proponents say. > > Even as natural gas production in the United States increases and > Washington gives it a warm embrace as a crucial component of America’s > energy future, two coming studies try to poke holes in the > clean-and-green reputation of natural gas. They suggest that the rush > to develop the nation’s vast, unconventional sources of natural gas is > logistically impractical and likely to do more to heat up the planet > than mining and burning coal. > > The problem, the studies suggest, is that planet-warming methane, the > chief component of natural gas, is escaping into the atmosphere in far > larger quantities than previously thought, with as much as 7.9 percent > of it puffing out from shale gas wells, intentionally vented or flared, > or seeping from loose pipe fittings along gas distribution lines. This > offsets natural gas’s most important advantage as an energy source: it > burns cleaner than other fossil fuels and releases lower carbon dioxide > emissions. > > “The old dogma of natural gas being better than coal in terms of > greenhouse gas emissions gets stated over and over without > qualification,” said Robert Howarth, a professor of ecology and > environmental biology at Cornell University and the lead author of one > of the studies. Mr. Howarth said his analysis, which looked > specifically at methane leakage rates in unconventional shale gas > development, was among the first of its kind and that much more > research was needed. > > “I don’t think this is the end of the story,” said Mr. Howarth, who is > an opponent of growing gas development in western New York. “I think > this is just the beginning of the story, and before governments and the > industry push ahead on gas development, at the very least we ought to > do a better job of making measurements.” > > The findings, which will be published this week, are certain to stir > debate. For much of the last decade, the natural gas industry has > carefully cultivated a green reputation, often with the help of > environmental groups that embrace the resource as a clean-burning > “bridge fuel” to a renewable energy future. The industry argues that it > has vastly reduced the amount of fugitive methane with new technologies > and upgraded pipe fittings and other equipment. > > Mark D. Whitley, a senior vice president for engineering and technology > with Range Resources, a gas drilling company with operations in several > regions of the country, said the losses suggested by Mr. Howarth’s > study were simply too high. > > “These are huge numbers,” he said. “That the industry would let what > amounts to trillions of cubic feet of gas get away from us doesn’t make > any sense. That’s not the business that we’re in.” > > Natural gas is already the principal source of heat in half of American > households. Advocates like the former oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens have > also long sought to promote it as a substitute for coal in electricity > generation or gasoline in a new generation of natural gas cars. And the > development of new ways to tap reserves of natural gas means production > is likely to increase sharply. > > Two weeks ago, President Obama included natural gas in his vision for > America. Clark Stevens, a White House spokesman, said that the > administration’s energy priorities were not about picking one energy > source over another, but about diversifying the nation’s energy mix. > “This process will continue to be based on the best science available > to ensure our energy sources, including our nation’s natural gas > reserves, are developed safely and responsibly,” Mr. Stevens said on > Friday. > > The ability to pull natural gas economically from previously > inaccessible formations deep underground has made huge quantities of > the resource available in wide areas of the country, including Texas, > Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Wyoming and Colorado. > > Such unconventional gas production accounts for nearly a quarter of > total production in the United States, according to the latest figures > from the Energy Information Administration. That is expected to reach > 45 percent by 2035. > > But the cleanliness of natural gas is largely based on its lower carbon > dioxide emissions when burned. It emits roughly half the amount of > carbon dioxide as coal and about 30 percent that of oil. > > Less clear, largely because no one has bothered to look, are the > emissions over its entire production life cycle — that is, from the > moment a well is plumbed to the point at which the gas is used. > > Methane leaks have long been a concern because while methane dissipates > in the atmosphere more quickly than carbon dioxide, it is far more > efficient at trapping heat. Recent evidence has suggested that the > amount of leakage has been underestimated. A report in January by the > nonprofit journalism organization ProPublica, for example, noted that > the Environmental Protection Agency had recently doubled its estimates > for the amount of methane that is vented or lost from natural gas > distribution lines. > > Chris Tucker, a spokesman for Energy in Depth, a coalition of > independent oil and natural gas producers, dismissed Mr. Howarth as an > advocate who is opposed to hydraulic-fracturing or “fracking,” a > practice associated with unconventional gas development involving the > high-pressure injection of water, sand and chemicals deep underground > to break up shale formations and release gas deposits. Mr. Howarth said > his credentials as a scientist spoke for themselves. > > Mr. Howarth included methane losses associated with flow-back and > drill-out processes in hydraulic fracturing and other unconventional > gas drilling techniques. > > The study combined these emissions with studies of other methane losses > along the processing and distribution cycle to arrive at an estimated > total methane loss range from 3.6 to 7.9 percent for the shale gas > industry. > > The researchers include a recent study from the Goddard Institute for > Space Studies at NASA suggesting that an interaction of methane with > certain aerosol particles significantly amplifies methane’s already > potent greenhouse gas effects, particularly over a 20-year time > horizon. When all is factored together, Mr. Howarth and his colleagues > conclude that the greenhouse gas footprint of shale gas can be as much > as 20 percent greater than, and perhaps twice as high as, coal per unit > of energy. > > David Hughes, a geoscientist and research fellow at the Post Carbon > Institute, an energy and climate research organization in California, > used Mr. Howarth’s research as part of a broader look at natural gas as > a substitute for coal in electricity generation and oil in > transportation. > > Mr. Hughes’s full report is scheduled to be released in May, but in a > draft version shared with The New York Times, Mr. Hughes suggested that > while natural gas would play an important role in the nation’s energy > mix, both cases were practical impossibilities. > > “I think it’s going to be very challenging, to put it mildly, to ramp > up shale gas production by fourfold, which is the federal government’s > projection for 2035,” Mr. Hughes said. “I’m not saying it can’t be > done, but if it was done, the amount of drilling you’re looking at to > make that happen is staggering.” > > Mr. Hughes, using Mr. Howarth’s calculations, also concludes that > replacing coal with natural gas for base load electricity production > will most likely make greenhouse gas emissions worse. It would be > better, he argues, to improve energy efficiency, rely on natural gas in > niche vehicle markets and balance continued construction of wind and > solar power to produce electricity. > > David Hawkins, the director of climate programs with the Natural > Resources Defense Council, said that much could be done by regulators > to nudge drillers to capture more of the fugitive methane, but that it > is often more economical for industry to simply let it escape. > > Mr. Hawkins also said that too little was known about just how much > methane was being lost and vented, and that studies like Mr. Howarth’s, > while needed, relied on too slim a data set to be considered the final > word. > > “This is a huge and growing industry, and we just don’t have the > information we need to make sure that this resource is being developed > as cleanly as it can be,” Mr. Hawkins said. > > “We view his shining a flashlight into this dark closet to be a > service,” Mr. Hawkins added, “but the flashlight is still a dim one, > and we still can’t see everything in the closet.” > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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Fw: ANNOUNCEMENT: small grant application now available
by pjgrunt＠gmail.com 13 Apr '11

13 Apr '11

Fyi, Paul Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry® -----Original Message----- From: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)PRODIGY.NET> Sender: "Announcements from the National Coal Campaign team." <COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG> Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2011 20:58:23 To: <COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG> Reply-To: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)PRODIGY.NET> Subject: ANNOUNCEMENT: small grant application now available Below please find the new application form for the Beyond Coal Campaign's small grant program. There is money still available. Verena Owen ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ BEYOND COAL SMALL GRANT Small grant money is available at two levels: up to $5000 and up to $10,000 to Sierra Club entities: chapters, groups or ad hoc teams, to work on Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign priorities: 1. Stop construction of new coal-fired power plants (incl. coal-to-liquid and coal-to-gas) 2. Replace 500 existing coal-fired power plants with clean energy no later than 2030 3. Keep the massive US coal reserves underground and out of world markets Preference will be given to creative projects that cover a geographical or content area where the Beyond Coal Campaign has not put enough resources yet. We are looking especially for ideas that enable Club activists to work on the Club-wide strategies: 1. Confront the dominance of coal and oil on the American economy, politics, and our environment. 2. Cultivate an activist base that is capable and willing both to take action at the Sierra Club’s behest and also to self-organize within their networks. 3. Build powerful alliances with those communities that have a vested interest in the success of a clean energy economy, including clean-tech businesses and entrepreneurs, people of color groups, organized labor and low-income organizations. Reimbursement will be directly to Chapters; reimbursable items are limited to C3 and non-staff time expenses. There is no deadline for applying. All projects must have prior Chapter approval. Please fill out the below application and send to Judy.Hofrichter(a)sierraclub.org NAME OF PROJECT AND CHAPTER: WHO: is applying: name of entity; names, email, phone number of team member(s) WHAT : do you want to do: Briefly first describe the problem and what you want to see happen and then share your project idea. Show how the project can help achieve your outcome. HOW : How will your project further the goals of the Beyond Coal Campaign? How will you use some the Club strategies outlined above? WHEN : Please give a start date, important milestones, and an end date. HOW MUCH: What is your budget and what will the money be spent on? Does your budget cover the entire project or please list who will cosponsoring it. You will be required to use a budget template. If you apply for the second level of funding, up to $10,000, you will also be required to develop an MOU and a work plan. REPORT: A written, video and/or oral report or reports will be required. Please identify the responsible person. Name, email, telephone. ALL materials produced (fact sheets, post cards, t-shirts, etc) for a project MUST HAVE C3 approval from Sierra Club compliance prior to distribution. Please identify the person responsible: Name, email, telephone Note that HELP is available for the asking, contact Judy Hofrichter . Once an application is accepted as complete, a decision takes 2-4 weeks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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Rockefeller needs thank you
by Jim Sconyers 12 Apr '11

12 Apr '11

Forwarded from WV Sierra Club webpage <below>. Senator Rockefeller voted right - to continue to enable the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases. Please call and thank him. 202-224-6472 "Senator" Manchin voted wrong - to take away the EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gases. Please call and let him know you are disappointed that he feels burning West Virginia coal is more important than protecting the health of all humans and the future of the Planet. 202-224-3954 "Our Senator Rockefeller voted against removing the power from the EPA to regulate Greenhouse gases. I believe this is a time we need to call and thank him for taking this action, and remember our other senator who voted to take this power away from the EPA." Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: Clean Energy Webinar Invite
by Paul Wilson 08 Apr '11

08 Apr '11

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)prodigy.net> Date: Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 9:00 PM Subject: Clean Energy Webinar Invite To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Friends, We hope you can join us for our first Beyond Coal Webinar on Monday, April 11 at 8 PM ET /7 CT/ 5 MT/ 5 PT. Members of the Beyond Coal Campaign's leadership team will present how the Campaign is working to replace coal with clean energy and energy efficiency. There will be an overview, a presentation and time for Q and A. You need to register in advance and space is limited! Please go here to reserve your seat: *https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/530765040* After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar. PRESENTERS: Mary Anne Hitt, Director, National Coal Campaign. Vanessa Pierce, Deputy Director, Beyond Coal Campaign Verena Owen, Volunteer co-lead Dick Fiddler, coal leadership team member TECHNICAL ISSUES: First time Webinar participants: Don't worry, this is easy! Please log into the webinar 5-10 minutes before the call to ensure that you are able to see the presentation when we begin. In testing the system, we found that Google Chrome required some additional effort. We recommend logging in using Firefox or Internet Explorer. Finally, if you are unable to get the technology to work, you can simply join the conference call and follow the presentation manually. We will send out the call-in number shortly before the call. System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer See you Monday, Mary Anne, Vanessa, Verena and Dick - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: Explore Appalachia's Enchanted Flatlands.....
by James Kotcon 01 Apr '11

01 Apr '11

You will want to open the photo too! JBK >>> Jeff Schmidt <jeff.schmidt(a)sierraclub.org> 4/1/2011 12:47 PM >>> Happy April Fool’s Day!! Exploring Appalachia's Enchanted Flatlands April 1, 2012 Photo: Alice McKeown Trip Number: 124001a Price: $4,111 (12-15) Deposit: $400 Capacity: 15 Leader: Don Blankenship Highlights: · Explosions · Toxic rubble · Buried streams · Monster trucks & exhaust Includes: · Guides, cooks, lobbyists, and all equipment for the ride · Ride in stretch Hummer · Non-local, factory-farmed food Itinerary | Accommodations | Equipment | References | Leader The Trip Photo: Alice McKeown This exhilarating, once-in-a-lifetime foray will take you into the ripped-open heart of some of the most recently exposed scenery in Appalachia. Your friendly trip leader will provide nonstop tutorials on the hidden beauty (and intense profitability) of a once-lush mountain that's just been blown to smithereens. In your two days amid the magnificent rubble, you will experience the awesome silence of a newly buried stream. Gaze in disbelief as a toxic rainbow slick dances atop a sun-dappled waste pond. Playfully dive for cover as a herd of monster coal trucks rumbles past. And then, just when you think you've seen it all, witness the wonder of an explosion lofting ancient and precious forest habitat into the bright Kentucky sky. The shockwave will reverberate forever in your soul. Up to Top Itinerary Day 1: We meet you at the airport in our special stretch Hummer and travel directly to the site of a thriving mountaintop-removal coal mine. The drive itself is often a thrill as we plow through a line of hippie protestors at the gate. Some of them are pretty smelly, so keep those windows rolled up! Once inside, no lollygagging. We immediately don our hazmat suits and wade into the waste pond, a rich stew of heavy (we prefer "precious") metals like arsenic, lead, mercury, and selenium. The day ends with a long, hot shower and scrub-down in our relaxing decontamination chamber. Day 2: We journey to the site of a stream that's been forever preserved beneath the rich overburden produced by ripping apart pristine forest habitat. It's not an arduous journey, because such waterways abound: more than 2,000 miles of degraded streams in Appalachia alone! Many people weep with joy at the sight of this cornucopia of environmental destruction. Getting There The trip begins with pick-up from Frankfort, KY. The leader will provide guidance and contact information for a recommended travel agent who can arrange flights from your home city once you are approved for the trip. Up to Top Accommodations and Food Photo: Alice McKeown Double-occupancy rooms are included with the trip. Our hotel features rooms with private baths, hot showers, and decontamination facilities. It's centrally located within walking distance of formerly hilly terrain. Up to Top Trip Difficulty If you're not much of a hiker, don't worry: All mountainous terrain has been repurposed and horizontally optimized for retail and commercial development. Up to Top Equipment and Clothing A detailed equipment list will be sent to approved trip participants. Hazmat suit will be provided, but you will need to bring your own waterproof and chemical-resistant footwear as we will be fording some seriously degraded waterways. Up to Top References Books: The following books should give you a feel for what the trek will be like. Your local library is also a good resource. a.. Barton, Joe, Cry, the Beloved Mountaintop Removal b.. Donahue, Tom, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Guide to Winning Friends and Influencing Politicians c.. Gingrich, Newt, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mercury in My Water Maps a.. Available at any service station. Be sure not to get a topographical map -- it will be out-of-date after the first dynamite blast. Conservation Coal is not yet critically endangered in America, but failure to destroy the mountain habitats that shelter it could lead to its extinction. Already, many majestic old-economy power plants on which coal depends have been shut down because they were unable to adapt to clean-energy standards. Coal extraction is also seriously threatened by clean-water standards, public-health concerns, and common sense. Up to Top Trip Price This trip requires a $200 per-person deposit. An additional payment of $300 per person is due six months prior to trip departure. International trip prices are subject to change and are based on double-occupancy or group accommodations as described above. Single rooms may not be available or may cost more than the listed price. If you have any questions regarding double occupancy, please contact the trip leader. See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy. The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner. The Sierra Club accurately and fairly budgets and prices our trips. However, unforeseen costs such as devaluation of the dollar compared to other currencies and fuel surcharges assessed by our international providers may necessitate adjustment in trip price. We will make every effort to mitigate and absorb these fees. If a price increase is necessary, however, you will have 14 days after announcement to cancel without penalty. ----------------------------------------------------------------------

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EC April 2011