August 2011 - EC - lists.cheatlakeclear.org

Fwd: Ad Campaign for Marcellus Gas
by James Kotcon 11 Oct '11

11 Oct '11

Please excuse cross postings, I am not sure who is on the Energy Committee list, and I will be using gmail for this action. I have been working with Darla Gage of Growth Media Services on the ad campaign for Marcellus. They are the folks that did the PATH campaign, and Frank is correct, they are a pleasure to work with, and have done a lot on a very short timeframe. (The Marcellus-WV webpage has been a major resource). Below is a discussion of some advertising options. To summarize, newspaper advertising is a blackhole, don't waste your money. TV is good for visuals, but it is hard to motivate action from people once they sit down. A combination of billboards, radio, and internet advertising makes a cost-effective package that can be on-line is a short timeframe. In particular, an internet ad on a newspaper site would allow viewers to click on our link, which could take them to our web page that might direct them to more action. I propose a conference call Monday evening at 7 PM to brainstorm options and get consensus on what to do next. Darla is talking about having a film crew out as early as Tuesday so that material can be up by Sept. 5. Whaddya Tink? Jim Kotcon ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <darla(a)growthmediaservices.com> Date: Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 6:52 PM Subject: Ad Campaign for Marcellus Gas To: jkotcon(a)gmail.com Hi there, Ok, I've checked out the website to familiarize myself more with the issues, and I have a few questions/thoughts for you. 1. You mention that you want the campaign to run Sept 5-12. Are you wanting it to run just that week, or are you looking for a more long term campaign? 2. Per our conversation, I understand that this is a public awareness campaign, similar to what we did for StopPATHWV. No politicizing, just making the public aware of the health, ecological and cost issues. The success of the StopPATH campaign relied on the fact that we conveyed the issues without appearing alarmist or radical, just calmly spreading the facts and making the communities aware of the issues. While the power company tried to stop the campaign, they couldn't because the basis of the information was 100% factual. They could not complain that we were crying "Fire" in a crowded theatre. We need to do the same thing here. We need to bring the reality of the situation home, explain the real world impact on their lives...this isn't something taking place halfway around the world, but something that could have an impact on the streams they fish, the water they drink, etc. Lots of different ways this can be done. One thing we would definitely want to show is the impact to the land. If there are any experts we could speak with regarding it, that would be a good option as well. I'll work this weekend on script ideas and avenues to pursue to have the most impact. 3. Given the quick turnaround time, your best bet to reach the most people is probably going to be online. Running a campaign on the Charleston Gazette site is probably a very good idea. (StopPATH got more responses from their video on the local paper's site than from the substantially more expensive local television networks.) The turnaround time for online advertising is also much more in line with the timeline we are looking at. 4. Google is a great fit for this. Placing the ads so that when someone does a search for Marcellus Gas, for fracking, and other critical keywords, they find your ad is a powerful tool. (Irritated Allegheny Power to no end that every time someone searched for Electric Company or Allegheny Power,they got an ad running against them!) Also, these are cost effective. Instead of paying for impression, you pay per response. With traditional media outlets (print, radio, television) you pay every time the ad runs. Through Google, you only pay when people click through to your website for more information. Definitely helps stretch the budget, and can reach ad locations that you couldn't reach on your own. (Google's network partners with major media outlets and thousands of websites to target the ads to the exact market...for example, a client who ran ads for a home show found their ads on HGTV's website. Perfect fit for their market.) 5. Direct mail is ridiculously expensive. Not really an option on this kind of thing. Billboards might be a good option. Affordable and broad reaching. And when done in a way to get their attention and make them think about it, can work well. 6. Radio may also be a good fit. If you do internet ads on the Gazette website, Google video ads and display ads, billboards and a radio campaign, you will have a great coverage area demographically. I need to double check some rates, but we should be able to do anywhere from a 30 day to 90 day campaign on all of these outlets for the budget you allocated. Let me know your thoughts. I know this is a lot of info and may seem like gibberish, so feel free to ask questions. If all of this looks good, I'll put together the official proposal and send it over...and with your go-ahead we'll start on some scripting this weekend. That way we'll be able to present you with an ad campaign on Monday. If it looks good, we'll need to get started first thing next week, in order to have the ads filmed, graphics designed, audio recorded, and everything edited approved and sent to the media outlets by the 5th. Best regards, Darla PS: One more question...need the verbage for the ad disclosure (This ad was paid for by a grant from....etc). To make sure we have all the legal avenues covered. Confidentiality Notice: The information in this e-mail and any attachments may be legally privileged and confidential. It is intended solely for the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution or any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender and permanently delete the e-mail and any attachments immediately. You should not retain, copy or use this e-mail or any attachment for any purpose, nor disclose all or any part of the contents to any other person.

6 7

DEP Public Notice - County - Monongalia - Applicant - Longview Power, LLC - Application No. WV0116238
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 31 Aug '11

31 Aug '11

Am I correct to assume that this permit is well construed? -Jonathan =========================================================== Friday, August 26, 2011 @ 4:04 PM =========================================================== STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DIVISION OF WATER AND WASTE MANAGEMENT PUBLIC NOTICE WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION'S, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE, 601 57TH STREET, CHARLESTON SE, WEST VIRGINIA 25304-2345 TELEPHONE: (304) 926-0440. APPLICATION FOR A WEST VIRGINIA NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PERMIT Public Notice No.: L-103-11 Public Notice Date: August 31, 2011 Paper: Dominion Post The following has applied for a WV NPDES Water Pollution Control Permit for this facility or activity: Appl. No.: WV0116238 Applicant: LONGVIEW POWER LLC 306 DENTS RUN RD MORGANTOWN, WV 26501 Location: MORGANTOWN, MONONGALIA COUNTY Latitude: 39:42:39 Longitude: 79:57:25 Receiving Stream: Monongahela River Activity: To operate and maintain a 695 megawatt coal fired power plant in the Morgantown area. Also to operate and maintain a 4,000 gallons per day activated sludge tertiary treatment package plant. The permittee shall operate and maintain a closed system and best management practices from which there will be no discharge of any process or non-process wastewaters (including storm water) to waters of the State of West Virginia. Business conducted: 695 megawatt coal fired power plant. Implementation: N/A On the basis of review of the application, the "Water Pollution Control Act (Chapter 22, Article 11-8(a))," and the "West Virginia Legislative Rules," the State of West Virginia will act on the above application. Any interested person may submit written comments on the draft permit and may request a public hearing by addressing such to the Director of the Division of Water and Waste Management within 30 days of the date of the public notice. Such comments or requests should be addressed to: Director, Division of Water and Waste Management, DEP ATTN: Lori Derrick, Permitting Section 601 57th Street SE Charleston, WV 25304-2345 The public comment period begins August 31, 2011 and ends September 30, 2011. Comments received within this period will be considered prior to acting on the permit application. Correspondence should include the name, address and the telephone number of the writer and a concise statement of the nature of the issues raised. The Director shall hold a public hearing whenever a finding is made, on the basis of requests, that there is a significant degree of public interest on issues relevant to the Draft Permit(s). Interested persons may contact the public information office to obtain further information. The application, draft permit and any required fact sheet may be inspected, by appointment, at the Division of Water and Waste Management Public Information Office, at 601 57th Street SE, Charleston, WV 25304-2345, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on business days. Copies of the documents may be obtained from the Division at a nominal cost. Calls must be made 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. =========================================================== To view past notices of open public comment periods or to unsubscribe from this Mailing List, login at: http://apps.dep.wv.gov//MLists2/

1 0

Re: [EC] Facemire protest Sunday
by Chuck Wyrostok 30 Aug '11

30 Aug '11

So excellent you all did this (thank you, DeniseB for the heads-up). And, Jim, thanks for the good rundown of talks. I very much agree with Leslee (below) that at these events we also have people inside as just "everyday people" concerned about Marcellus. I think this is important, as Facemire was quoted as saying "those people out there ought to be ashamed of themselves" on the day of the WV4MoM protest at the capitol....c Chuck Wyrostok Sierra Club Outreach Organizer Toll free 877 252 0257 E: outreach(a)marcellus-wv.com www.marcellus-wv.com -----Original Message----- From: Leslee McCarty [mailto:lesleemac1@frontier.com] Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 9:59 AM To: James Kotcon; ec(a)osenergy.org Cc: DSGJr(a)aol.com; Chuck Wyrostok; Denise Poole; Denise Binion; peacelovemom(a)gmail.com; garyz(a)wvcag.org; julie(a)wvcag.org; sminney(a)wvrivers.org; jkotcon(a)wvu.edu Subject: Re: Facemire protest Sunday Good for you guys!!!He is quite a talker, though, isn't he? For next time, I would recommend some folks going in civilian clothes with no signs and just circulating among the crowd. Then when you talk to them, you are a noncombatant. Some signs, some civilians? ----- Original Message ----- From: "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> To: "Leslee McCarty" <lesleemac1(a)frontier.com>; <ec(a)osenergy.org> Cc: <DSGJr(a)aol.com>; "Chuck Wyrostok" <wyro(a)appalight.com>; "Denise Poole" <deniseap(a)earthlink.net>; "Denise Binion" <dbinion(a)gmail.com>; <peacelovemom(a)gmail.com>; <garyz(a)wvcag.org>; <julie(a)wvcag.org>; <sminney(a)wvrivers.org>; <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 9:40 AM Subject: Facemire protest Sunday As you may recall, Senator Facemire held a picnic in Braxton County Sunday and Gov. Tomblin attended. About ten of us staged a small protest with picket signs, etc., calling for clean air & water, asking the Select Committee to meet, urging Facemire to do his job, etc. Four were from Morgantown, several from the Clarksburg area (Includes Facemire's district, Yeah Denise!!!), a couple from other areas, so a broad representation. (At least 6 of the ten had attended our Marcellus Training Academy in June). No press were in attendance, but it looked like about 100 locals. Our group was not allowed beyond the parking lot, but it still gave us access to a site that everyone had to pass. About half way through the event, Natalie Tennant walked down to talk with us. She indicated she would likely be signing the Emergency rules today, although she stated that they should have been stronger and she was looking to see if there was something she could do (although I think it is unlikely that the Secretary of State can do much other than approve or reject Emergency rules.) We also talked briefly to (or at least talked at) Senator Minard, and a couple other local politicians. As the event broke up, Senator Facemire came down to talk. (Some of us think he was just running interference and creating a distraction to allow Tomblin to escape). He ended up talking for two hours. He certainly wanted us to go away thinking he is our friend, but he really did not promise anything, and never really got out of "campaign" mode. He always had an answer for our points, or else he changed the subject, and he did so repeatedly. He raised a couple of issues worth discussing. 1) The Oil & Gas Inspectors Examining Board was discussed repeatedly. He said the main thing DEP wanted was to be able to move inspectors from mining or water or waste to gas, and vice versa, and Facemire wanted to keep dedicated gas inspectors. I do not think it is a problem to move an inspector from a little used position to one where there is rapid growth. Otherwise, once hired, the inspector will never do anything else, and if the industry slows down, they are sitting around not doing anything. While there should be training requirements, it should not require five years of industry experience to become a gas inspector. 2) Set-backs form houses, etc. Facemire said he did not object to 500 feet, but that the property owner should have the option of allowing it closer in cases where it might lessen the impact. While this seems reasonable, it gives the gas industry a powerful incentive to bully landowners into allowing drilling within the buffer zone. Thus, that provision has the potential to gut the set-back requirement by making it "optional". 3) public notice and comment. Facemire said he had no objection to public notice, but did not think a hearing was needed. I do not think he understood the issue as he said he did not want a comment and hearing process, and preferred to keep permitting the same as for the coal industry. I should have said something like, "If that's your position, we have a deal, because that is all we want too." 4) Facemire repeatedly made the point that the real boost in jobs comes from a cracker plant, and WV has to be producing enough gas to justify that. 5) I asked if there were specific issues in the amendments that the gas industry objected too, and Facemire never really answered that. I said that the gas industry repeatedly said at the Clarksburg hearing that they supported responsible regulations, so what exactly was the objection. Facemire changed the subject. Facemire also repeated the mantra that there has never been a case of fracking chemicals contaminating ground water. He cited the Duke study which identified methane in ground water wells, but did not find fracking chemicals. Conclusions. We agreed to disagree. Facemire stated that he did not think the Committee would meet before interims and that a lot of detailed information needed to be considered, and he would rather have a good bill than a quick one. I stated that I agreed, but that we should stop issuing permits that we know are defective, so if the Legislature established a moratorium, the Select Committee could take all the time they needed to write a good bill. He replied that the staff attorneys had told them that a moratorium would be unconstitutional, and would be thrown out as quickly as the Morgantown ban. Finally, while no minds were changed, Facemire definitely knows we exist, and we will come to his home turf to hold him accountable. I don't think that has happened before. Jim Kotcon

1 0

Re: [EC] Good news!
by James Kotcon 30 Aug '11

30 Aug '11

Note: Most county officials who have experienced Marcellus say those effects were negative. This is not the impression left by the industry or most legislators when they talk about Marcellus. Jim Kotcon >>> Candace Jordan <44ace(a)live.com> 8/29/2011 9:49 PM >>> This is a great new development. Maybe we can work with this committee. http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=106467#.Tlw50ZRo75g.facebo…

1 0

Re: [EC] Fwd: Ad Campaign for Marcellus Gas
by Frank Young 29 Aug '11

29 Aug '11

So is there a call on this tonight? If so, we need a call in phone number, and code. Frank ----- Original Message ----- From: Frank Young To: Beth Little ; 'James Kotcon' ; ec(a)osenergy.org ; 'Nicole Good' ; 'gwen jones' ; glnelson1(a)frontier.com ; jkotcon(a)wvu.edu Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2011 6:42 PM Subject: Re: [EC] Fwd: Ad Campaign for Marcellus Gas I could do a call Monday at 7:00 PM. Frank ----- Original Message ----- From: Beth Little To: 'James Kotcon' ; ec(a)osenergy.org ; 'Nicole Good' ; 'gwen jones' ; glnelson1(a)frontier.com ; fyoung(a)mountain.net ; jkotcon(a)wvu.edu Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2011 6:32 PM Subject: RE: [EC] Fwd: Ad Campaign for Marcellus Gas This sounds great. I was just musing recently that billboards would be good. The internet ads idea is the reason why we employ an ad agency. They know what to do. I never would have thought of internet ads, but I LOVE the idea of an ad of ours popping up whenever someone googles Marcellus. I can be on a call Monday after 6:00. From: ec-bounces(a)osenergy.org [mailto:ec-bounces@osenergy.org] On Behalf Of James Kotcon Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 7:30 PM To: ec(a)osenergy.org; Nicole Good; gwen jones; glnelson1(a)frontier.com; fyoung(a)mountain.net; jkotcon(a)wvu.edu Subject: [EC] Fwd: Ad Campaign for Marcellus Gas Please excuse cross postings, I am not sure who is on the Energy Committee list, and I will be using gmail for this action. I have been working with Darla Gage of Growth Media Services on the ad campaign for Marcellus. They are the folks that did the PATH campaign, and Frank is correct, they are a pleasure to work with, and have done a lot on a very short timeframe. (The Marcellus-WV webpage has been a major resource). Below is a discussion of some advertising options. To summarize, newspaper advertising is a blackhole, don't waste your money. TV is good for visuals, but it is hard to motivate action from people once they sit down. A combination of billboards, radio, and internet advertising makes a cost-effective package that can be on-line is a short timeframe. In particular, an internet ad on a newspaper site would allow viewers to click on our link, which could take them to our web page that might direct them to more action. I propose a conference call Monday evening at 7 PM to brainstorm options and get consensus on what to do next. Darla is talking about having a film crew out as early as Tuesday so that material can be up by Sept. 5. Whaddya Tink? Jim Kotcon ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <darla(a)growthmediaservices.com> Date: Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 6:52 PM Subject: Ad Campaign for Marcellus Gas To: jkotcon(a)gmail.com Hi there, Ok, I've checked out the website to familiarize myself more with the issues, and I have a few questions/thoughts for you. 1. You mention that you want the campaign to run Sept 5-12. Are you wanting it to run just that week, or are you looking for a more long term campaign? 2. Per our conversation, I understand that this is a public awareness campaign, similar to what we did for StopPATHWV. No politicizing, just making the public aware of the health, ecological and cost issues. The success of the StopPATH campaign relied on the fact that we conveyed the issues without appearing alarmist or radical, just calmly spreading the facts and making the communities aware of the issues. While the power company tried to stop the campaign, they couldn't because the basis of the information was 100% factual. They could not complain that we were crying "Fire" in a crowded theatre. We need to do the same thing here. We need to bring the reality of the situation home, explain the real world impact on their lives...this isn't something taking place halfway around the world, but something that could have an impact on the streams they fish, the water they drink, etc. Lots of different ways this can be done. One thing we would definitely want to show is the impact to the land. If there are any experts we could speak with regarding it, that would be a good option as well. I'll work this weekend on script ideas and avenues to pursue to have the most impact. 3. Given the quick turnaround time, your best bet to reach the most people is probably going to be online. Running a campaign on the Charleston Gazette site is probably a very good idea. (StopPATH got more responses from their video on the local paper's site than from the substantially more expensive local television networks.) The turnaround time for online advertising is also much more in line with the timeline we are looking at. 4. Google is a great fit for this. Placing the ads so that when someone does a search for Marcellus Gas, for fracking, and other critical keywords, they find your ad is a powerful tool. (Irritated Allegheny Power to no end that every time someone searched for Electric Company or Allegheny Power,they got an ad running against them!) Also, these are cost effective. Instead of paying for impression, you pay per response. With traditional media outlets (print, radio, television) you pay every time the ad runs. Through Google, you only pay when people click through to your website for more information. Definitely helps stretch the budget, and can reach ad locations that you couldn't reach on your own. (Google's network partners with major media outlets and thousands of websites to target the ads to the exact market...for example, a client who ran ads for a home show found their ads on HGTV's website. Perfect fit for their market.) 5. Direct mail is ridiculously expensive. Not really an option on this kind of thing. Billboards might be a good option. Affordable and broad reaching. And when done in a way to get their attention and make them think about it, can work well. 6. Radio may also be a good fit. If you do internet ads on the Gazette website, Google video ads and display ads, billboards and a radio campaign, you will have a great coverage area demographically. I need to double check some rates, but we should be able to do anywhere from a 30 day to 90 day campaign on all of these outlets for the budget you allocated. Let me know your thoughts. I know this is a lot of info and may seem like gibberish, so feel free to ask questions. If all of this looks good, I'll put together the official proposal and send it over...and with your go-ahead we'll start on some scripting this weekend. That way we'll be able to present you with an ad campaign on Monday. If it looks good, we'll need to get started first thing next week, in order to have the ads filmed, graphics designed, audio recorded, and everything edited approved and sent to the media outlets by the 5th. Best regards, Darla PS: One more question...need the verbage for the ad disclosure (This ad was paid for by a grant from....etc). To make sure we have all the legal avenues covered. Confidentiality Notice: The information in this e-mail and any attachments may be legally privileged and confidential. It is intended solely for the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution or any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender and permanently delete the e-mail and any attachments immediately. You should not retain, copy or use this e-mail or any attachment for any purpose, nor disclose all or any part of the contents to any other person.

1 0

Facemire protest Sunday
by James Kotcon 29 Aug '11

29 Aug '11

As you may recall, Senator Facemire held a picnic in Braxton County Sunday and Gov. Tomblin attended. About ten of us staged a small protest with picket signs, etc., calling for clean air & water, asking the Select Committee to meet, urging Facemire to do his job, etc. Four were from Morgantown, several from the Clarksburg area (Includes Facemire's district, Yeah Denise!!!), a couple from other areas, so a broad representation. (At least 6 of the ten had attended our Marcellus Training Academy in June). No press were in attendance, but it looked like about 100 locals. Our group was not allowed beyond the parking lot, but it still gave us access to a site that everyone had to pass. About half way through the event, Natalie Tennant walked down to talk with us. She indicated she would likely be signing the Emergency rules today, although she stated that they should have been stronger and she was looking to see if there was something she could do (although I think it is unlikely that the Secretary of State can do much other than approve or reject Emergency rules.) We also talked briefly to (or at least talked at) Senator Minard, and a couple other local politicians. As the event broke up, Senator Facemire came down to talk. (Some of us think he was just running interference and creating a distraction to allow Tomblin to escape). He ended up talking for two hours. He certainly wanted us to go away thinking he is our friend, but he really did not promise anything, and never really got out of "campaign" mode. He always had an answer for our points, or else he changed the subject, and he did so repeatedly. He raised a couple of issues worth discussing. 1) The Oil & Gas Inspectors Examining Board was discussed repeatedly. He said the main thing DEP wanted was to be able to move inspectors from mining or water or waste to gas, and vice versa, and Facemire wanted to keep dedicated gas inspectors. I do not think it is a problem to move an inspector from a little used position to one where there is rapid growth. Otherwise, once hired, the inspector will never do anything else, and if the industry slows down, they are sitting around not doing anything. While there should be training requirements, it should not require five years of industry experience to become a gas inspector. 2) Set-backs form houses, etc. Facemire said he did not object to 500 feet, but that the property owner should have the option of allowing it closer in cases where it might lessen the impact. While this seems reasonable, it gives the gas industry a powerful incentive to bully landowners into allowing drilling within the buffer zone. Thus, that provision has the potential to gut the set-back requirement by making it "optional". 3) public notice and comment. Facemire said he had no objection to public notice, but did not think a hearing was needed. I do not think he understood the issue as he said he did not want a comment and hearing process, and preferred to keep permitting the same as for the coal industry. I should have said something like, "If that's your position, we have a deal, because that is all we want too." 4) Facemire repeatedly made the point that the real boost in jobs comes from a cracker plant, and WV has to be producing enough gas to justify that. 5) I asked if there were specific issues in the amendments that the gas industry objected too, and Facemire never really answered that. I said that the gas industry repeatedly said at the Clarksburg hearing that they supported responsible regulations, so what exactly was the objection. Facemire changed the subject. Facemire also repeated the mantra that there has never been a case of fracking chemicals contaminating ground water. He cited the Duke study which identified methane in ground water wells, but did not find fracking chemicals. Conclusions. We agreed to disagree. Facemire stated that he did not think the Committee would meet before interims and that a lot of detailed information needed to be considered, and he would rather have a good bill than a quick one. I stated that I agreed, but that we should stop issuing permits that we know are defective, so if the Legislature established a moratorium, the Select Committee could take all the time they needed to write a good bill. He replied that the staff attorneys had told them that a moratorium would be unconstitutional, and would be thrown out as quickly as the Morgantown ban. Finally, while no minds were changed, Facemire definitely knows we exist, and we will come to his home turf to hold him accountable. I don't think that has happened before. Jim Kotcon

2 1

letter to McKinley
by Jim Sconyers 28 Aug '11

28 Aug '11

"As discussed, we are currently working to get folks to give permission to include their name and address on our letter to Congressman McKinley requesting an in-person meeting with him BEFORE his bad coal ash bill goes to the floor of the House for a vote." We are planning to ask Congressman McKinley to come to a town hall meeting about his position on coal ash and the disastrous bill he is pushing. We are looking for folks in his district (WV Congressional District 1) who can sign on to the letter asking him for this meeting. Can I add your name? If so, please send me your name and address (verifies to him that you are a constituent) asap = and thanks! -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

1 0

McKinley dirty donations
by Jim Sconyers 27 Aug '11

27 Aug '11

Browsing McKinley's donations. Personal donations of $4800 from Don Blankenship (formerly) of Massey, $4500 from Charlie Hugenard of Longview Power. Not even counting their corporate donations. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

1 0

Fwd: Tanker accident sends fracking chemical into White Day Creek
by James Kotcon 26 Aug '11

26 Aug '11

I finally checked the link. I especially love the quote from DEP that "the rain assisted in the clean-up" of the spilled oil. Do they wonder why nobody takes them seriously. Nine barrels is something approaching 500 gallons. JBK >>> "Chuck Wyrostok" <wyro(a)appalight.com> 8/25/2011 10:22 AM >>> Chuck Wyrostok Sierra Club Outreach Organizer Toll free 877 252 0257 E: outreach(a)marcellus-wv.com www.marcellus-wv.com _____ From: Jane Birdsong [mailto:birdjra@yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2011 7:48 AM To: Chuck Wyrostock Subject: Fw: [New post] Tanker accident sends fracking chemical into White Day Creek click on "full story with video on channel 5 news" if you haven't already read/seen it. pretty timely. Hope media keeps covering this story & watches what happens to plant life & aquatic life in the next month. I'll send to legislators. Did I ask you to send me more brochures? can't remember if I did, but I need more. Jane Birdsong Rt. 3 Box 114 Elkins, WV 26241 --- On Thu, 8/25/11, Gas wells on the Monongahela <no-reply(a)wordpress.com> wrote: From: Gas wells on the Monongahela <no-reply(a)wordpress.com> Subject: [New post] Tanker accident sends fracking chemical into White Day Creek To: birdjra(a)yahoo.com Date: Thursday, August 25, 2011, 12:17 AM <http://monongahelagas.wordpress.com/author/prickettsfort/> <http://monongahelagas.wordpress.com/2011/08/25/tanker-accident-sends-fracki ng-chemical-into-white-day-creek/> Tanker accident sends fracking chemical into White Day Creek <http://monongahelagas.wordpress.com/author/prickettsfort/> bj omanson | August 25, 2011 at 4:17 am | Categories: <http://monongahelagas.wordpress.com/?cat=3999036> tanker accident, <http://monongahelagas.wordpress.com/?cat=1151200> White Day Creek | URL: <http://wp.me/p1BiHw-3O> http://wp.me/p1BiHw-3O <http://monongahelagas.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/whitedaycreek.jpg?w=295&h =300#038;h=300> White Day Creek in Marion County A tanker accident in Marion County, WV, in the Monongahela watershed, resulted in a spill of nine barrels of a chemical used in fracking. The chemical spilled onto a road and into a stream which feeds White Day Creek. Residents were warned to keep their animals away from the stream. For more details, see <http://www.wdtv.com/index.php/home/local-news/8488-first-on-5-news-exclusiv e-tanker-truck-spills-chemicals-in-marion-county-stream> the full story with video on Channel 5 News. <http://monongahelagas.wordpress.com/2011/08/25/tanker-accident-sends-fracki ng-chemical-into-white-day-creek/#respond> Add a comment to this post <http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=monongahelagas.wordpress.com&blog=236 66362&post=236&subd=monongahelagas&ref=&email=1> WordPress <http://s.wordpress.org/about/images/logo-grey/grey-m.png> <http://wordpress.com> WordPress.com | Thanks for flying with WordPress! <http://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=bf79cf2f7be1987c9e08f67eba28f373&email= birdjra%40yahoo.com> Manage Subscriptions | <http://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=bf79cf2f7be1987c9e08f67eba28f373&email= birdjra%40yahoo.com&b=Lu31CbgLxvQgH%3DH14Bfe%26L0ac53q%25RvT-ETZVsSgFT.7u%5B zWMl> Unsubscribe | Publish text, photos, music, and videos by email using our <http://support.wordpress.com/post-by-email/> Post by Email feature. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: <http://subscribe.wordpress.com> http://subscribe.wordpress.com

1 0

Fwd: Do we have you in our hydrofracking activist database?
by Paul Wilson 26 Aug '11

26 Aug '11

have other folks received this request from the Hydrofracking Team? p ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Sierra Club Activist Network <community.manager(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 7:22 AM Subject: Do we have you in our hydrofracking activist database? To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com Paul, you have a group bulletin from *Hydrofracking Team<http://connect.sierraclub.org/Team/Hydrofracking_Team> *. *Visit Hydrofracking Team.<http://connect.sierraclub.org/Team/Hydrofracking_Team> * Message:So everyone can find and see hydrofracking activists around the country we have a database so we can keep track of individuals who are working on gas drilling and hydrofracking issues throughout the country. So if you have not done so would you please email Sheryl she7wolf(a)YAHOO.COMto add yourself to the sheet. this way if you are or someone else is looking for someone in a particular state or who is dealing with an issue similar to you, or just looking for other activists in your state you can find them quickly here. So Please contact Cheryl so we can add your name and keep you in the loop Thanks, Dave Meiser ------------------------------ *Visit Hydrofracking Team.<http://connect.sierraclub.org/Team/Hydrofracking_Team> * ------------------------------ Reply? Or other thoughts? If you have questions about the bulletin CONTENT, please visit the group's page and leave a comment<http://connect.sierraclub.org/Team/Hydrofracking_Team>, or contact the group owner. *Technical Issues?* Please reply to this message (or email community.manager(a)sierraclub.org) if you have questions or problems with the bulletin itself. If you want to stop getting email, you can either leave (unjoin) or set your email preferences<http://connect.sierraclub.org/editor/app/group/managegroupmembership.aspx?O…> . -- 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

1 0

Fwd: DEP News - DEP seeking input on Oil and Gas Standards
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 26 Aug '11

26 Aug '11

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: DEP News - DEP seeking input on Oil and Gas Standards Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:24:03 -0400 From: <dep.online(a)wv.gov> To: <freesource(a)cheat.org> The following was sent to you because you are a Member of the DEP News List mailing list. ============================================================ Thursday, August 25, 2011 @ 5:23 PM ============================================================ The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is seeking public input on its Well Site Safety Plan Standards and Casing and Cementing Standards that are referenced in the DEP’s Emergency Rule for horizontal drilling, filed Aug. 22 with the Secretary of State’s Office. As part of the rule, all applications for well work permits involving well sites that will disturb three acres or more of surface must include a well site safety plan to spell out what steps will be taken to protect persons on site, as well as the general public and the environment. The plan is to be developed in accordance with standards developed by the DEP’s Office of Oil and Gas (OOG). The Emergency Rule also includes operational rules intended to protect water quantity and quality and instructs operators to construct wells and conduct casing and cementing activities of all horizontal wells in accordance with OOG standards. Public input on the OOG standards will be accepted until Sept. 30, 2011, and can be mailed to the Office of Oil and Gas, 601 57th St., S.E., Charleston, WV., 25304 or emailed to DEP.comments(a)wv.gov. Copies of the OOG standards can be viewed by clicking on the Office of Oil and Gas section on the DEP homepage at: www.dep.wv.gov. As directed by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin on July 12 in Executive Order No. 4-11, the DEP filed its Emergency Rule to increase regulatory oversight of horizontal well development in the state. ============================================================ To Unsubscribe from this Mailing List, login at: http://apps.dep.wv.gov/MLists/

1 0

FW: We need your input
by Grubb, Karen 25 Aug '11

25 Aug '11

Which of our WV legislators do you consider to be progressive? From: Steven Biel, MoveOn.org Civic Action [mailto:moveon-help@list.moveon.org] Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2011 12:18 PM To: Grubb, Karen Subject: We need your input Dear West Virginia MoveOn member, MoveOn is in the process of ramping up our work on state-level issues, and we'd like your help identifying progressive champions in your state's legislature-the kinds of people we should look to as leaders on key pieces of legislation in the West Virginia state legislature. Click this link to share your input: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=262748&id=30241-17586165-x7Jz_Nx&t=1 Thanks for your help. -Steven, Anna, Michael, Adam Q., and the rest of the team ________________________________ Subscription Management: This is a message from MoveOn.org Civic Action. To change your email address or update your contact info, please visit: http://moveon.org/subscrip/coa.html?id=30241-17586165-x7Jz_Nx To remove yourself (Karen Grubb) from this list, please visit our subscription management page at: http://moveon.org/s?i=30241-17586165-x7Jz_Nx

1 0

Re: [EC] Fwd: Report on Shale Gas
by James Kotcon 22 Aug '11

22 Aug '11

This is from the DOE Shale gas panel that has been criticized as "dominated by industry". While I am not sure that this is entirely valid in all cases, the complaint from the Environmental Integrity Project is that 6 of 7 members have industry ties. When we went to their hearing in Washington, PA in June, they had tipped the industry folks, who got to speak early. They also clearly indicated that their mission was to determine "how" to produce gas safely, not "if" it could be done at all. Josh Fox stated at the hearing that this clearly indicated that the Commission had already made up their minds that drilling was OK, before they even gathered any evidence. We certainly want to support those recommendations such as the need for "green completions", but I think we need to go further and indicate that there should be a moratorium, no drilling permits should be issued until these are written into the rules and there is adequate enforcement to assure that the drilling is done right. JBK >>> Gwen Jones <gwenjones23(a)yahoo.com> 8/21/2011 3:33 PM >>> Okay, the source is : The SEAB Shale Gas Production Subcommittee Ninety-Day Report – August 11, 2011 Executive Summary The Shale Gas Subcommittee of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board >>> Gwen <gwenjones23(a)yahoo.com> 8/20/2011 7:15 AM >>> Have you seen this? I think we should use some of this in the convio Rodger and I are putting together as well as our letter. Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: > From: "Ted McMahon" <Ted.McMahon(a)NETL.DOE.GOV> > Date: August 19, 2011 1:38:08 PM EDT > To: "Gwen Jones" <gjones2(a)fairmontstate.edu>, "Gwendolyn Jones" <gwenjones23(a)yahoo.com> > Subject: Report on Shale Gas > > A report on recommendations regarding shale gas.

1 0

Fw: Marcellus Shale gas cleaner than coal, CMU study says
by James Kotcon 22 Aug '11

22 Aug '11

Marcellus Shale gas cleaner than coal, CMU study says Saturday, August 20, 2011 By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Burning Marcellus Shale gas instead of coal to generate electricity could reduce emissions of climate change-producing greenhouse gases by 20 to 50 percent, a recent Carnegie Mellon University study concluded. The study, published Aug. 5 in the peer-reviewed "Environmental Research Letters," also found that Marcellus Shale gas has only a marginally larger greenhouse gas footprint when compared with conventional natural gas production. This was said to be largely due to emissions related to the transportation and treatment of millions of gallons of water used to hydraulically fracture the rock and release the gas. "Shale gas is better than coal when it comes to electricity generation," said Paulina Jaramillo, an assistant research professor in CMU's Engineering and Public Policy Department and one of six authors of the study. "We looked at the life cycle of gas and coal emissions, and even though methane emissions from gas are higher than from coal, the combustion emissions from coal really overwhelm them." The study's findings estimating the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of the two fossil fuels is different than a Cornell University study in April that said shale gas methane emissions are as harmful or more harmful than carbon dioxide emissions from coal combustion. But the Cornell study uses different assumptions for drilling, fugitive gas emissions and power plant combustion efficiencies. It's also based on a 20-year global warming potential for greenhouse gas emissions instead of the CMU study's 100-year time frame. Ms. Jaramillo said the shorter time frame of the Cornell study gives more weight to methane emissions, reducing the environmental advantage of gas as a fuel. Carbon dioxide emissions can stay in the atmosphere 10 times as long as methane, but methane can have more of an effect in the short term. The CMU study's wide range of emissions reductions from Marcellus -- between 20 and 50 percent -- was necessary, Ms. Jaramillo said, because of the uncertainty of how much gas each Marcellus well will produce during its lifetime. If per-well gas production is lower, that means higher amounts of emissions per unit of gas produced. Methane emissions from Marcellus well development could be significantly reduced, the study said, if drilling companies captured the gas from completed wells instead of flaring or venting it. And flaring is better than venting, because it reduces the amount of methane released directly into the atmosphere, Ms. Jaramillo said. The natural gas drilling industry touted the CMU study, claiming it refuted the Cornell study findings. Lou D'Amico, president and executive director of the Pennsylvania independent Oil and Gas Association, said in an email that the CMU study "documents the significant environmental advantage of Marcellus Shale gas over coal," adding that the Cornell study was "rife with inaccuracies." But Deborah Nardone, Natural Gas Reform Campaign director for the Sierra Club, which provided partial funding for the CMU study, said the key points of the two studies compliment one another. "The CMU study says we need to control fugitive emissions and that methane from natural gas production is a potent greenhouse gas that needs to be controlled," Ms. Nardone said. "Natural gas is not the panacea the industry claims it is. It has a role as we transition into renewable energy sources, but it still has problems." The Sierra Club's national energy policy goal is to develop and use as little natural gas as possible, and it notes that while natural gas is cleaner than other fossil fuels, it isn't clean. According to the CMU study, development and completion of a typical Marcellus Shale well results in methane emissions the equivalent of 5,500 tons of carbon dioxide. Ms. Jaramillo said the comparisons of the Cornell and CMU findings are distracting from more important questions about water supply and quality, wastewater disposal and pipeline infrastructure construction. "Those discussions are going to be more critical to Marcellus development," she said. "The study found Marcellus gas development is not as bad as coal and is not much different than conventional natural gas. So let's not base development decisions on greenhouse gas emissions." Don Hopey: dhopey(a)post-gazette.com or 412-263-1983. First published on August 20, 2011 at 12:00 am

1 1

Re: [EC] CRS analysis of EPA regs on coal powerplants
by Paul Wilson 21 Aug '11

21 Aug '11

Greetings: there is an article on the Washington Post website about the Congressional Research Service's analysis on new EPA regs on coal-fired powerplants, of which some Congressional representatives are voicing some unhappiness(!). I have also attached the CRS report. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/getting-ready-for-a-wav… best regards, paul -- 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

1 0

Fwd: 401 State Certification for Coresco LLC coal ash landfill
by James Kotcon 20 Aug '11

20 Aug '11

By way of background, Coresco currently operates a coal ash dump on a mine next to the Longview power plant. They had proposed a significant expansion of that landfill in 2009, which they call "Disposal Area # 4". This 401 certification appears to be for that expansion (see attached May 12, 2011 comments on the 401 certification). But that permit appears to be stalled, so Coresco is also asking for a 1-year extension under their existing mining permit for Area #3 (see attached comments on Renewal of Permit # O101593, June 22, 2011). I received a nearly verbatim copy of a similar letter from DEP as the attached letter to John and Petra Wood (see pdf). DEP issued the 401 certification for the Coresco ash dump permit on August 10. Would this require a mining permit appeal, to the Surface Mine Board, or a water permit appeal to EQB, or do we wait for the 404 permit from the Army Corps? The critical paragraph from WV-DEP says: "Coresco, LLC provided a no practical alternative demonstration and compensatory mitigation plan that were reviewed and accepted by DEP personnel. Pending NPDES modification number 26 on NPDES WV1992619 will address compliance with any potential pollutants associated with the proposed activity. Groundwater monitoring sites are proposed in Coresco's pending article 3 application (O200709) to ensure compliance with groundwater monitoring requirements. Rates of coal ash application will be reviewed within the pending article 3 application." I think what they are saying is that they have decided to approve this 401 certification for Area #4 and won't really consider our issues until they get around to approving the Area # 4 permit (referred to as the Modification # 26 permit). Our comments on the application for Mod # 26 were submitted almost two years ago, and there does not seem to be any timetable for issuing that permit. In the mean time, Coresco continues to dump ash under their existing permit, and the DEP is looking the other way. This is particularly critical timing because the permit for the existing Area # 3 expires soon, and if that extension is delayed, it might affect operations of several nearby coal-fired power plants as they may not have a place to dump ash. We have until Sept. 1 to appeal. What should we do? Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home) >>> "Petra&John Wood" <pbjmwood(a)gmail.com> 8/18/2011 11:07 PM >>> We just got the attached 15 day notice today. I assume you got the same thing, Jim. The letter implies that Coresco's Coal Refuse Area #4 SMCRA permit (O200709) will be issued very soon. This is probably a stretch, but I wondered if the federal court consent decree requiring DEP to treat water at AML sites ( http://wvgazette.com/static/coal%20tattoo/specialrecsettlementsoutherndistr…) might have any influence on either the 401 certification or the SMCRA permit? Of the AML sites listed at the end of the decree, I believe that site 34-81 (S003481) is closely associated with the Maidsville Complex (see http://apps.dep.wv.gov/WebApp/_dep/search/Permits/OMR/Permit_details.cfm?pe…). If the 401 permit gives Coresco a green light to cover this AML site with coal ash, would DEP still be responsible for treating the AMD coming from S003481? We have a similar situation next to us at the New Hill West permit (S200909) with AML site S101189. The S200909 permit, which was issued last September but has been on hold thanks to the WV1017535 NPDES Mod #9 appeal, would allow Patriot Mining Company to cover the S101189 AML site with additional overburden and fly ash (via expansion of a sidehill fill). Any chance that the federal court consent decree could overrule the S200909 mining sequence plan? John On Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 10:52 AM, Petra&John Wood <pbjmwood(a)gmail.com>wrote: > Hopefully these documents may help answer your question: "Does the General > Permit have any provisions stating that it cannot be used where the stream > is already overloaded with pollution?" > > > http://www.dep.wv.gov/WWE/Programs/nonptsource/streamdisturbance/Documents/… > > > > http://www.dep.wv.gov/dmr/dmr%20forms/Documents/MR4C-Incidental%20Coal%20Re… (The > application form: Page 13 refers to water quality and the "Probable > Hydrologic Consequences" of the operation) > > There's also this, but it specifically says it's for "Non Coal Related > Facilities". > > > http://www.lrp.usace.army.mil/or/or-f/Individual%20Water%20Quality%20State%… > > > FYI, I've sent you these files before... > > Pages 8-20 of Permit Application (0003).pdf includes the Coresco's > Probable Hydrologic Consequences statement from the O-1015-93 permit > application. > > Attachment J-6.doc is Coresco's Probable Hydrologic Consequences > statement from the O-2007-09 permit application. > > > On Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 9:31 AM, James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> wrote: > > >> This appears to be the same one that I got with a comment deadline last >> month (May 14). Attached are the comments I submitted then, along with the >> location map. >> >> I have a copy of the application as of that date. If it has been modified >> since then, let me know and I can prepare follow-up comments accordingly. >> If it was not modified, could someone explain why they are re-advertising >> this? >> >> JBK >> >> P.S. When I called in response to the last legal ad, DEP staff in >> Phillipi were unaware of the ad and implied that there had been no new >> activity for some time. But I eventually got a copy of the application and >> the ad was included. >> >> >>> "Evan Hansen" <ehansen(a)downstreamstrategies.com> 6/9/2011 2:16 PM >>> >> >> Is this the same site? >> >> Evan Hansen, President >> Downstream Strategies >> 219 Wall Street >> Morgantown, WV 26505 >> 304.292.2450 >> www.downstreamstrategies.com >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: dep.online(a)wv.gov [mailto:dep.online@wv.gov] >> Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2011 1:38 PM >> To: ehansen(a)downstreamstrategies.com >> Subject: DEP Public Notice - County - Monongalia - 401 State Certification >> - Coresco LLC >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> The following was sent to you because you are a >> Member of the DEP Public Notice mailing list. >> =========================================================== >> Thursday, June 9, 2011 @ 1:38 PM >> =========================================================== >> >> 401 STATE CERTIFICATION ADVERTISEMENT >> (EACH BLANK MUST BE FILLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE 401 APPLICATION >> INSTRUCTIONS) >> ADVERTISEMENT >> Notice is hereby given that CORESCO LLC 308 DENTS RUN RD, MORGANTOWN, WV >> 26501 >> has submitted an application for State Certification as required by >> Section 401 >> of the Clean Water Act to the Department of Environmental Protection, 105 >> S >> Railroad St, Philippi WV 26416-1150. The activity is authorized by the >> U.S. >> Army Corps of Engineers General Permit No: 2008-2386 which covers SURFACE >> COAL >> MINING OPERATIONS Discharges of dredged or fill material into waters of >> the >> United States. Discharges of dredged or fill material into waters of the >> United >> States impact acres of palustrine wetlands of the Crafts Run Watershed and >> is >> located 2 miles northwest of Maidsville, in Cass of District of Monongalia >> County, Longitude 79 o 58 ' 07 " and Latitude 39 o 42 ' 25 " (Coordinates >> from >> USGS Topographic Map). >> Pursuant to Section 401 of the Federal Clean Water Act, the State may, >> either >> certify, certify with conditions, deny or waive certification that the >> proposed >> activity will comply with Sections 301, 302, 303, 306 and 307 of the >> Federal >> Clean Water Act and other appropriate requirements of State Law. When >> issuing >> certification, the \/INDEP may considered the proposed activity's impact >> on >> water resources, fish and wildlife, recreation, critical habitats, >> wetlands and >> other natural resources under its jurisdiction . >> Legislative rules governing the scope of the Department's certification, >> public >> comment, hearing and appeals are in Title 47, Series 5A. Comments on the >> proposed certification or requests for a public hearing shall be in >> writing and >> if a public hearing is requested shall state the nature of the issues >> proposed >> to be raised in the hearing. Such written comments or requests should be >> sent >> to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) at the address above, >> and >> must also reference the Article 111 \/INNPDES permit number shown above. >> Comments received by or thirty (30) days from date of publication, will >> be >> considered. >> DEP Telephone No. 304-457-3219 Article 111NPDES Permit No. WV1002619 >> LOCATION MAP >> Each ad must include a clear and accurate location map of a scale and >> detail >> found in the West Virginia General Highway Map. The map size must be at a >> minimum four (4) inches by four (4) inches with thefollowing shown on the >> map: >> 1. Clearly define the approximate limits of the proposed permit area. >> 2. Longitude and latitude lines must cross at or near the center of the >> proposed permit area. >> 3. A north arrow must be shown. >> 4. A map to scale. >> 5. District{s). >> 6. County(ies). >> https://apps. >> >> >> >> =========================================================== >> To view past notices of open public comment periods or to unsubscribe >> from this Mailing List, login at: >> http://apps.dep.wv.gov//MLists2/ >> >> >> >> >> > >

1 0

WVDEP report
by Jim Sconyers 15 Aug '11

15 Aug '11

I assume that Randy Huffman's report released today is designed to do one or both of the following: 1- Boost Tomblin's campaign (not that he needs it). 2- Weaken arguments for needed regulation. And of course to hear him say we have all the framework we need to protect the environment - laugh till you cry. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

1 0

Channel 3 TV poll about MTR
by Frank Young 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

Please vote. We need a boost. Thanks. Frank Young ----- Original Message ----- From: Nanette Nelson To: fom Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2011 10:47 AM Subject: [fom] http://www.wsaz.com/pollsPoll WSAZ is running a poll about MTR. Please go and vote! http://www.wsaz.com/polls

1 1

Fwd: Our Economy may be Vulnerable to Coal and Oil Trends
by Paul Wilson 12 Aug '11

12 Aug '11

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <frankzas(a)aol.com> Date: Fri, Jul 8, 2011 at 12:25 PM Subject: Our Economy may be Vulnerable to Coal and Oil Trends To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com Hi Paul, Some new facts on coal. I'm a Sierra Club volunteer in Michigan. frank If these trends continue, the *economy of many states and the entire US may be at risk because of our over-reliance on coal to generate electricity*. The following are details I researched. Feel free to use them. *Disturbing Coal Facts and Trends, June 2011* *1. The Delivered Price of Coal Increased Three Times Faster Than Inflation in Past 5 Years * * * *2. Cost of Transporting PRB Coal is Three Times Greater than Its Mining Costs * * * *3. Oil Has Twice the Impact of Mining on the Cost of Delivered PRB Coal * * * *4. States Dependent on Coal Had the Highest Electricity Price Increases in Past 5 Years* * * *5.* *US** Coal Mining Productivity Peaked in 2000 and Declined 20% Since* * * *6. Other Cost Pressures on Coal * * * *1. The Delivered Price of Coal Increased Three Times Faster Than Inflation in Past 5 Years * · A common measure of the price of coal delivered to US utilities in dollars per million Btu (MMBtu) to account for the different coal Btu values. · Over the past *5 years*, the average delivered price of coal to US utilities increased 54% from $1.53 in 2005 to $2.35 in March 2011. US inflation increased just 15% during the same period. http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html Table 4.2 http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ · In the past *10 years*, the delivered price of coal increased 96% from $1.20 in 2000 to $2.35 in March 2011. The US inflation increased was 30% during this time · The March year-to-date 2011 price of delivered coal rose 3% from the same period last year in MMBtu ($2.35 from $2.27) and in dollars per ton ($46.51 from $45.09). http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html#one Table 4.2 · Some Midwestern states had much higher increases 1st Q 2011 vs. 1 st Q 2010: Michigan +18%, Indiana +14%, Wisconsin +20%. http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html#one Table 4.10 A and B (It is assumed all cost increases will be passed on to electric ratepayers.) *2. Cost of Transporting PRB Coal is Three Times Greater than Its Mining Costs * · The price of Powder River Basin (PRB) coal from Wyoming has fluctuated from roughly $7 a ton to $20 a ton in the past 10 years. · In June 2011, the mine mouth price of PRB coal price was stable at $12.40 - $13.00/ton. · The rail rate for shipping PRB coal in 2010 is estimated to be 2.1 cents per ton per mile. http://www.jacksonkelly.com/jk/pdf/USCoalMarketsHeller.pdf Slide 26 · Assuming PRB coal is shipped (rail and boat) 1,600 miles to Midwestern utilities; the cost of transportation alone is $36 (a 2011 estimate). · Add the $12 PRB price to $36 transportation charges results in a delivered price of approximately $48.00 per ton. $36 divided by $48 = *75%*. · The cost of PRB coal mine mouth is only 25% of the price of * delivered* coal. This estimated transportation charge could be well underestimated. It does not reflect new 2011 contacts, recent diesel price increases and Burlington Northern’s attempt to recoup Warren Buffett’s overpayment for the purchase of all BN stock in 2010. Only two rail lines ship PRB coal out of Wyoming, Burlington Northern and Union Pacific. They share the “Joint Line” which runs parallel to the Powder River Basin (almost a monopoly?). This is the busiest 100 miles of track in the world, carrying 130 trains per day. *3. Oil Has Twice the Impact of Mining on the Cost of Delivered PRB Coal * · It is estimated that the price of diesel fuel accounts for half of the price of coal transportation · The estimated $18 cost of oil (half of the $36 transportation charge per ton) is 50% greater than the cost of PRB coal cost of $12 per ton. · Plus, oil can be 17%+ of the cost of coal mining. http://biz.yahoo.com/e/110225/cld10-k.html · The EIA conservatively forecasts the price of oil will increase roughly 3% a year faster than inflation (Inflation +2% a year, oil an additional +3%, equals +5% a year increase in the price of oil). Essentially, the price of delivered coal may increase at a rate much faster that of inflation http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/aeo/tablebrowser/#release=AEO2011&subject=0-AEO2011… http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/source_oil.cfm *4. States Dependent on Coal Had the Highest Electricity Price Increases in Past 5 Years* · The retail price of electricity in the US increased 22% over the past five years ( from 8.1¢ in 2005 to 9.9¢ in 2010) · However, two regions very dependent on coal (and located further from PRB), saw their electric bills increase the most since 2005. East South Central (TN KY MS AL) saw their rates increase 34% (from 6.14¢ to 8.21¢) and East North Central (MI OH IN IL WI) had a 32% increase (from 6.87¢ to 9.09¢) · Regions less dependent on coal experienced smaller than average electric price increases. For example, Pacific coast +17% and West South Central (TX AR LA OK) +3%. http://www.eia.gov/emeu/steo/pub/cf_query/index.cfm http://www.eei.org/ourissues/ElectricityGeneration/FuelDiversity/Documents/… *5.* *US** Coal Mining Productivity Peaked in 2000 and Declined 20% Since* · According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), improved mining technology and the shift toward more surface-mined coal promoted dramatic improvement in productivity from the Nation's mines from 1978 through 2000 when an average 7.0 tons of coal was produced per employee per hour. · Since 2000, productivity has declined in most years to an average of 5.6 tons per person in 2009. http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/annual/pdf/perspectives_2009.pdf Figure 40. · This 20% productivity decline happened in spite of improved technology, cost cutting efforts and more strip mining. · The biggest productivity decline, a 5.9% drop, occurred from 2008 to 2009 (the last year reported) · 2009 coal mining productivity dropped in all parts of the US especially for Western coal which dropped 9%. Of note: PRB surface mining productivity declined 7.5%, and Montana surface mining dropped 10.4%. http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/coal/page/acr/table21.html · Most of the PRB coal mining productivity decline probably can be attributed to increasing overburden (the amount of dirt and rock above the coal seam). It appears the typical PRB overburden is about 200 feet thick and doubling to about 400 feet thick in 8 years – a productivity killer. http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/content/wy/en/info/NEPA/documents/cfo.html *6. Other Cost Pressures on Coal * In addition to declining productivity and escalating delivery costs, there are other reasons the price of coal could continue to rise at a fast past: · US coal exports are increasing and putting upward pressure on coal prices. Exports of steam and metallurgical coal increased 38% in 2010. The largest export increase was to Asia (+176%) and particularly China (+400%) http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/coal/quarterly/html/t7p01p1.pdf · China and India are buying US coal mines and a new *coal-export port facility on the US West Coast*** · As Appalachian coal fields are depleted, Eastern and Midwestern utilities are increasing their purchase of PRB coal. The increased demand will put upward pressure on the price of PRB coal and will also further increase rail congestion and costs for coal shipments. · The total cost of coal generation must include the damage caused by coal mining, burning and ash. These externalities include damaged health, premature death, lost productivity and damage to our environment. A Harvard study estimated these costs are an additional 17.84¢/kWh. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05890.x/full · There is pressure to fund coal to liquid programs. Recently proposed GOP legislation includes a requirement that the Defense Department construct and operate a coal-to-liquids plant. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/164609-navy-on-coal-to-liquids… · Utilities planning to burn *petroleum coke* need to consider that the price of delivered petroleum coke has increased 38% from 2009 to 2010 and increased 56% in the first quarter 2011 compared with the same period last year. At $3.09 per MMBtu, pet coke is even less of a value than March 2011 coal at $2.35 per MMBtu. http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html Table 4.12.B Helping to somewhat reduce demand for coal and cost pressures are: · Some utilities may close coal plants to avoid increasing SO2, NOx, mercury and other pollutant compliance costs · Environmentally progressive companies like Johnson Controls, Haworth, Steel Case and Wal-Mart have set high goals to reduce their carbon footprint. This will require their electric suppliers to produce less electricity using fossil fuels and more from renewable sources. If these trends continue, the economies of many states (and the US) will be at a disadvantage because of our over-reliance on coal to generate electricity. This argues for more energy efficiency, renewable energy and natural gas generation to diversify their fuel supplies. We have too many eggs in one basket. Frank A. Zaski 30310 Cheviot Hills Dr. Franklin, Mi. 48025 248 855 5018 frankzas(a)aol.com Concerned citizen, former member of the 21st Century Energy Plan Energy Efficiency Work Group, Michigan Climate Action Committee RCI TWG and the Midwest Governor's Association Renewable Energy Advisory Group. -- 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

1 0

Fwd: EPA article
by Jim Sconyers 11 Aug '11

11 Aug '11

So it's not the fracking, it's the drilling and casing and cementing - which are what's done so the fracking can happen. All part of the same process. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Amanda Pitzer <amanda(a)cheat.org> Date: Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 9:58 AM Subject: EPA article To: Deb Fulton <dfvet(a)aol.com>, Duane Nichols <Duane330(a)aol.com>, "Donald C. Strimbeck" <dcsoinks(a)comcast.net>, Constance Miller <calm9654(a)gmail.com>, Jim Sconyers <jimscon(a)gmail.com> ** Inside EPA - 08/12/2011 DOE Panel Doubts Fracking's Groundwater Risks, Deflating EPA Rule Push Posted: August 10, 2011 An Energy Department (DOE) advisory panel is slated to release recommendations for mitigating environmental and safety risks associated with hydraulic fracturing in a report expected to raise doubts that the practice's injection process poses significant risks to groundwater, deflating calls for EPA regulation under the drinking water law. But the panel's report is expected to recommend expanded disclosure practices for both chemical constituents of fracking fluid and drilling wastewater as well as pre- and post-drilling monitoring of groundwater at well sites, according to sources familiar with the recommendations. The report is also expected to recommend formation of a federal interagency effort to better analyze the greenhouse gas life cycle of shale gas operations in comparison to coal and other fuels. That approach that could address uncertainty of shale gas' carbon footprint in the wake of a recent study that suggested that methane releases from fracking operations may create a larger carbon footprint than coal. The recommendations are contained in a draft report from the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) panel, which is slated Aug. 11 to release the report detailing immediate measures for mitigating safety and environmental risks associated with hydraulic fracturing. The full SEAB is expected to review the panel's draft report on Aug. 15. A second report is due out in three months on best practices for mitigating risks. While the panel's report is expected to detail potential risks to groundwater from drilling, casing and cementing the wells, one source familiar with the report says that a "key takeaway" from the recommendations is that the panel found that groundwater contamination risks associated with fracking are "remote." "Contrary to the conventional wisdom, it's the drilling, and the cementing and the encasing process" that follows the fracking itself which poses the groundwater risk, the source says. "We think the target is mis-aimed." The panel's finding is likely to inflame environmentalists seeking strict EPA regulation of the injection practice under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). A coalition of groups sent an Aug. 8 letter to President Obama urging him to use "any legal means" to block fracking operations. And the Environmental Working Group Aug. 3 released a report detailing one case, documented in a 1987 EPA report to Congress, that showed groundwater contamination from fracking injection (*Inside EPA*, Aug. 5). The panel's conclusions on risks from the fracking process could be significant for EPA as well as the agency is in the midst of a massive two-year study into the drinking water risks posed by fracking operations and is also working to craft a host of policies to address, and in some cases, to permit fracking operations. Fracking refers to the process of injecting water, sand and chemicals into horizontal wells to free trapped reserves of natural gas and oil found in deep underground shale formations. Increased use of the practice has brought huge new supplies of natural gas to power-generation markets as a cleaner-burning alternative to coal. The injection process itself, which industry argues has been practiced safely for more than 60 years, has become a flashpoint in the debate over shale gas regulation, in large part because Congress largely exempted the practice from EPA's SDWA regulation. But environmentalists are seeking to restore EPA's authority, arguing that the technological advances that have allowed the tapping of previously unattainable supplies also require unprecedented quantities of harmful injection fluid and the horizontal drilling techniques endanger groundwater. Environmentalists and many Democrats have increasingly called for Congress to restore EPA's regulatory authority by removing language contained in the 2005 energy law which prohibits EPA from regulating fracking injections under SDWA's underground injection control program. Earlier this year, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced legislation that would remove the exemption and allow EPA to regulate it. But the legislation is unlikely to move and EPA is developing a host of water, waste and other policies under existing authorities to address the issue. *The sources familiar with the DOE advisory report say that while it does not specifically* address regulations that DOE, EPA and other agencies should adopt, the first source notes that a number of the suggestions are clearly "relevant" to regulators. A second source familiar with the recommendations say they should help to get "past rhetoric and on to problem solving." For instance, the report is expected to suggest a broader mandate that companies publicly disclose all chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluid, which goes beyond requirements for FracFocus, the voluntary online registry launched by the Ground Water Protection Council and Interstate Oil & Gas Conservation Commission. Environmentalists have criticized FracFocus for only requiring disclosure of chemicals that are mandated under Occupational Safety & Health Administration workplace safety laws. The second source says the report includes a much "broader call for disclosure" and it goes "well beyond" FracFocus. The panel is also recommending that broad measures be taken to ensure better information is disclosed to the public in core areas of natural gas operations, including the volume and chemical content of wastewater generated during the well injection, which can contain high levels of naturally occurring radioactive materials as well as chemical additives used in fracking. The issue of wastewater contamination from fracking has emerged as a particularly hot topic in Pennsylvania, where EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection have struggled to stop the practice of municipal wastewater authorities treating shale gas wastewater. The first source says the recommendations will include measures aimed at better tracking what happens to wastewater after it is generated from the well site, so that regulators can determine whether it is being delivered to waste treatment facilities ill-equipped to treat it. The recommendations on tracking measures, similar to hazardous waste manifests under Resource Conservation & Recovery Act, likely stem from concerns that some Pennsylvania drillers are continuing to ship wastewater to publicly owned treatment works or to neighboring states that have limited ability to dispose of it. The draft report also carves out a greater role for the State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations (STRONGER), a multi-stakeholder group created by EPA to ensure that states are doing an adequate job of regulating oil and natural gas regulations following the agency's 1988 RCRA hazardous waste exemption for the industry sector, the source says. "STRONGER should be bigger," to encompass a broader look at different aspects of environmental regulations, including the extraction process and air emissions, and is currently underfunded, the first source says. The source says the draft report deals with four main issues: collection and dissemination of information, steps operators and regulators can take to minimize impacts on water, air and land use, establishment of a broad-based but industry led group to facilitate best practices and research and development. *Meanwhile, a host of environmental groups have asked President Obama *to issue a moratorium on the fracking process "through any legal means," saying in an Aug. 8 letter that "Despite its obvious hazards, regulation necessary to ensure that fracking does not endanger our nation's water supply has not kept pace with its rapid and increasing use by the oil industry." The letter, signed by a slew of environmentalist and public health organizations including Citizens' Environmental Coalition, Center for Biological Diversity, Food & Water Watch and Delaware River Keeper, points to "more than 1,000" instances of groundwater contamination associated with leaking of fracking fluids and methane into groundwater, refuting industry and EPA statements that a proven link between fracking and groundwater contamination has never been substantiated. Prior to release of the report, a group of environmental health and science researchers from various universities reiterated calls for panel chair John Deutch to step down from the subcommittee, saying in an Aug. 10 letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu that six of the seven panel members have financial ties to the natural gas and oil industry. "The committee appears to be performing advocacy-based science and seems to have already concluded that hydraulic fracturing is safe," says the letter. -- *Bobby McMahon & Bridget DiCosmo* -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

1 0

Fwd: Fw: *Partner Up with 350 and Moving Planet*
by Jim Sconyers 11 Aug '11

11 Aug '11

Great opportunity to do something important and fun - any ideas? ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Sally Wilts <sallywilts(a)yahoo.com> Date: Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 8:37 AM Subject: Fw: *Partner Up with 350 and Moving Planet* To: Jim Sconyers <jimscon(a)gmail.com> Did you get this? ----- Forwarded Message ----- *From:* John Wallis <johnwallis(a)350.org> *To:* shahla.werner(a)sierraclub.org *Sent:* Tuesday, August 9, 2011 1:50 PM *Subject:* *Partner Up with 350 and Moving Planet* Dear Sierra Club, I’m writing to invite your organization to partner with 350.org's next global mobilization on September 24, 2011 called Moving Planet: A day to move beyond fossil fuels. <http://moving-planet.org/> Moving Planet is a worldwide rally on September 24, 2011 to call for solutions to the climate crisis—a single day to move away from fossil fuels. In cities and towns across the world, people will take to the streets on bicycles, skateboards, foot, and more, coming together as a global community dedicated to moving our planet in a new direction. This will be the cumulative effort of hundreds of organizations and thousands of volunteer organizers across the planet, but spearheading the effort is international climate campaign, 350.org(backed by a network of over 500,000 supporters and over 1,000 partner organizations around the world). 350.org has a successful track record of spearheading massive global days action (CNN called our International Day of Climate Action in 2009 “the most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history”), and we have plenty of support and materials to offer to you in exchange for your participation. Big, exciting, and beautiful global days of action are a great way to get the attention of the public, media, and decision makers. Imagine hundreds of thousands of people out on their bicycles in the U.S. and abroad on a single day—we want your organization to be part of that story, not only because it brings people from different campaigns together for a common purpose, but because this opportunity will highlight the work that you're doing through a national and international lens. I have attached a Moving Planet partnerships document that outlines the different ways that your organization can get involved in Moving Planet, from helping with outreach (for example, an e-mail to your supporters or a shout-out on Twitter / Facebook) to sponsoring, hosting or participating in an event in a location of your choice. Please contact me at your earliest convenience so that I can connect you with our U.S. Campaigns Coordinator. She's available to discuss a potential partnership between your organization and Moving Planet on September 24. Kind Regards, John Wallis -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

1 0

Fw: Vote in MTR poll
by Frank Young 09 Aug '11

09 Aug '11

Currently showing 63 percent "No". Let's make it 90 percent! ----- Original Message ----- From: Vernon Haltom To: FOM, List ; MJSlist, MJSlist Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2011 10:59 PM Subject: [fom] Vote in poll "Should surface mining be allowed on Coal River Mountain?" Vote NO at http://wowktv.com/ -- Vernon Haltom Executive Director, Coal River Mountain Watch 304-854-2182 www.crmw.net

1 0

Fwd: We. Must. Stop. This.
by James Kotcon 08 Aug '11

08 Aug '11

Long, but interesting call to action. "Essentially game over" for the climate. That's what climate scientist James Hanson calls the proposed Keystone XL pipeline -- which would carry oil out of Canada's vast tar sands oil fields to Texas, where it will be refined, then burned across the globe, dealing a catastrophic blow to our chance of returning earth to a stable climate. See the rest below. JBK >>> "Elijah Zarlin, CREDO Action" <act(a)credoaction.com> 8/6/2011 10:19 AM >>> Tell President Obama: Stop the Keystone XL pipeline. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230956&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=20 Pres. Obama alone has the power to stop this massive blow to our climate. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230956&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=21 Clicking here will automatically add your name to this petition to President Obama: "The tar sands represent a catastrophic threat to our communities, our climate, and our planet. President Obama, you have the final word. You do not have to negotiate with Congress or industry. We urge you to demonstrate real climate leadership by rejecting the requested permit for the Keystone XL pipeline." http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230957&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=23 Automatically add your name: http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230957&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=24 Learn more about this campaign http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230956&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=26 Dear James, "Essentially game over" for the climate. That's what climate scientist James Hanson calls the proposed Keystone XL pipeline -- which would carry oil out of Canada's vast tar sands oil fields to Texas, where it will be refined, then burned across the globe, dealing a catastrophic blow to our chance of returning earth to a stable climate. This project requires a presidential permit to start building -- and it is President Obama's decision alone to grant or deny that permit. He will make the decision as soon as September. Tell President Obama: Stop the Keystone XL pipeline. Click here to automatically sign the petition. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230957&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=27 The Alberta tar sands are a carbon bomb. The 3rd largest oil field in the world, the difficult extraction and transportation of the tar sands oil ultimately produces up to three times the carbon emissions of traditional oil. (And extreme environmental devastation along the way.)1 The Keystone XL pipeline is the fuse to this bomb -- a highway to swift consumption of this dirty, dangerous crude. As if that wasn't enough, it poses a massive spill risk in the six states along the pipeline route, including over the Ogallala Aquifer which provides up to 30% of our nation's agricultural water. We. Must. Stop. This. Tell President Obama: Stop the Keystone XL pipeline. Click here to automatically sign the petition. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230957&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=28 Twenty leading climate scientists have just sent a letter to President Obama urging him to deny the permit. And from August 20th to September 3rd, there will be a massive, historic, daily sit-in outside the White House where more than 1500 people, including CREDO staff, have already signed up to risk arrest in peaceful protest. (For more about the sit-in, see below.) The administration's previous decisions on climate do not inspire confidence that they will deny the permit. Just this week, the administration approved offshore oil drilling in the Arctic. They have opened vast new areas to coal mining, and late last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton even said that she was "inclined" to approve Keystone XL. But President Obama still has the final word. He does not have to negotiate with Congress or industry. As his State Department reviews the permit, the decision -- which could have a devastating impact on the livability of our nation, and our world -- is entirely in his hands. We've lost too many climate fights already. We need a massive, historic show of pressure to make sure we don't lose this one. Please sign the petition and read below for other ways to get involved. Tell President Obama: Stop the Keystone XL pipeline. Click here to automatically sign the petition. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230957&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=29 Thank you for fighting for an oil-free future. Elijah Zarlin, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=11&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=30 1. "Keystone XL Pipeline http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230958&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=31 ," Friends of the Earth -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because this fight is so important, leading climate activists including Bill McKibben, Naomi Klein and climate scientist James Hansen are organizing a historic, daily series of peaceful protests between August 20th and Sept. 3rd. The CEOs and Directors of nearly 30 leading Environmental Organizations, including CREDO's Michael Kieschnick and Laura Scher, are urging people to participate http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230959&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=32 .. More than 1500 people from across the country, including CREDO staff, have already signed up to join the sit-in outside the White House and risk arrest. Please read the invitation letter below for more information. If you would like to sign up to join the protest, and possibly be arrested, click here to sign up. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230961&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=33 Dear Friends, This will be a slightly longer letter than common for the internet age -- it's serious stuff. The short version is we want you to consider doing something hard: coming to Washington in the hottest and stickiest weeks of the summer and engaging in civil disobedience that will quite possibly get you arrested. The full version goes like this: As you know, the planet is steadily warming: 2010 was the warmest year on record, and we've seen the resulting chaos in almost every corner of the earth. And as you also know, our democracy is increasingly controlled by special interests interested only in their short-term profit. These two trends collide this summer in Washington, where the State Department and the White House have to decide whether to grant a certificate of 'national interest' to some of the biggest fossil fuel players on earth. These corporations want to build the so-called 'Keystone XL Pipeline' from Canada's tar sands to Texas refineries. To call this project a horror is serious understatement. The tar sands have wrecked huge parts of Alberta, disrupting ways of life in indigenous communities -- First Nations communities in Canada, and tribes along the pipeline route in the U.S. have demanded the destruction cease. The pipeline crosses crucial areas like the Ogallala Aquifer where a spill would be disastrous -- and though the pipeline companies insist they are using 'state of the art' technologies that should leak only once every 7 years, the precursor pipeline and its pumping stations have leaked a dozen times in the past year. These local impacts alone would be cause enough to block such a plan. But the Keystone Pipeline would also be a fifteen hundred mile fuse to the biggest carbon bomb on the continent, a way to make it easier and faster to trigger the final overheating of our planet, the one place to which we are all indigenous. As the climatologist Jim Hansen (one of the signatories to this letter) explained, if we have any chance of getting back to a stable climate "the principal requirement is that coal emissions must be phased out by 2030 and unconventional fossil fuels, such as tar sands, must be left in the ground." In other words, he added, "if the tar sands are thrown into the mix it is essentially game over." The Keystone pipeline is an essential part of the game. "Unless we get increased market access, like with Keystone XL, we're going to be stuck," said Ralph Glass, an economist and vice-president at AJM Petroleum Consultants in Calgary, told a Canadian newspaper last week. Given all that, you'd suspect that there's no way the Obama administration would ever permit this pipeline. But in the last few months the administration has signed pieces of paper opening much of Alaska to oil drilling, and permitting coal-mining on federal land in Wyoming that will produce as much CO2 as 300 powerplants operating at full bore. And Secretary of State Clinton has already said she's 'inclined' to recommend the pipeline go forward. Partly it's because of the political commotion over high gas prices, though more tar sands oil would do nothing to change that picture. But it's also because of intense pressure from industry. The US Chamber of Commerce -- a bigger funder of political campaigns than the RNC and DNC combined -- has demanded that the administration "move quickly to approve the Keystone XL pipeline," which is not so surprising -- they've also told the U.S. EPA that if the planet warms that will be okay because humans can 'adapt their physiology' to cope. The Koch Brothers, needless to say, are also backing the plan, and may reap huge profits from it. So we're pretty sure that without serious pressure the Keystone Pipeline will get its permit from Washington. A wonderful coalition of environmental groups has built a strong campaign across the continent -- from Cree and Dene indigenous leaders to Nebraska farmers, they've spoken out strongly against the destruction of their land. We need to join them, and to say even if our own homes won't be crossed by this pipeline, our joint home -- the earth -- will be wrecked by the carbon that pours down it. And we need to say something else, too: it's time to stop letting corporate power make the most important decisions our planet faces. We don't have the money to compete with those corporations, but we do have our bodies, and beginning in mid August many of us will use them. We will, each day, march on the White House, risking arrest with our trespass. We will do it in dignified fashion, demonstrating that in this case we are the conservatives, and that our foes -- who would change the composition of the atmosphere are dangerous radicals. Come dressed as if for a business meeting -- this is, in fact, serious business. And another sartorial tip -- if you wore an Obama button during the 2008 campaign, why not wear it again? We very much still want to believe in the promise of that young Senator who told us that with his election the 'rise of the oceans would begin to slow and the planet start to heal.' We don't understand what combination of bureaucratic obstinacy and insider dealing has derailed those efforts, but we remember his request that his supporters continue on after the election to pressure his government for change. We'll do what we can. And one more thing: we don't just want college kids to be the participants in this fight. They've led the way so far on climate change -- 10,000 came to DC for the Powershift gathering earlier this spring. They've marched this month in West Virginia to protest mountaintop removal; a young man named Tim DeChristopher faces sentencing this summer in Utah for his creative protest. Now it's time for people who've spent their lives pouring carbon into the atmosphere to step up too, just as many of us did in earlier battles for civil rights or for peace. Most of us signing this letter are veterans of this work, and we think it's past time for elders to behave like elders. One thing we don't want is a smash up: if you can't control your passions, this action is not for you. This won't be a one-shot day of action. We plan for it to continue for several weeks, till the administration understands we won't go away. Not all of us can actually get arrested -- half the signatories to this letter live in Canada, and might well find our entry into the U.S. barred. But we will be making plans for sympathy demonstrations outside Canadian consulates in the U.S., and U.S. consulates in Canada -- the decision-makers need to know they're being watched. Twenty years of patiently explaining the climate crisis to our leaders hasn't worked. Maybe moral witness will help. You have to start somewhere, and we choose here and now. If you think you might want to be a part of this action, we need you to sign up here. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230961&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=34 As plans solidify in the next few weeks we'll be in touch with you to arrange nonviolence training; our colleagues at a variety of environmental and democracy campaigns will be coordinating the actual arrangements. We know we're asking a lot. You should think long and hard on it, and pray if you're the praying type. But to us, it's as much privilege as burden to get to join this fight in the most serious possible way. We hope you'll join us. Maude Barlow -- Chair, Council of Canadians Wendell Berry -- Author and Farmer Tom Goldtooth -- Director, Indigenous Environmental Network Danny Glover -- Actor James Hansen -- Climate Scientist Wes Jackson -- Agronomist, President of the Land Insitute Naomi Klein -- Author and Journalist Bill McKibben -- Writer and Environmentalist George Poitras -- Mikisew Cree Indigenous First Nation Gus Speth -- Environmental Lawyer and Activist David Suzuki -- Scientist, Environmentalist and Broadcaster Joseph B. Uehlein -- Labor organizer and environmentalist -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Share on Facebook Post to your wall http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230962&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=36 Tweet this Post to Twitter http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230967&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=38 References Visible links .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230956&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=20 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230956&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=21 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230956&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=22 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230957&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=23 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230957&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=24 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230957&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=25 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230956&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=26 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230957&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=27 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230957&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=28 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230957&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=29 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=11&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=30 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230958&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=31 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230959&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=32 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230961&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=33 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230961&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=34 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230962&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=35 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230962&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=36 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230967&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=37 .. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=230967&id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx&t=38 ________________ To remove yourself (James Kotcon) from this list, please visit our subscription management page at: http://act.credoaction.com/s?i=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx To change your email address or update your contact info, please visit: http://act.credoaction.com/subscrip/coa.html?id=25349-2577149-5IfUfNx

1 0

WSJ.com - Gas Drilling Bringing Jobs to Pennsylvania, but How Many?
by diapalino 02 Aug '11

02 Aug '11

You have received the following link from diapalino(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 - Gas Drilling Bringing Jobs to Pennsylvania, but How Many? 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. ********************

1 0

WSJ.com - Left for Extinct, a Steel Plant Rises in Ohio
by diapalino 02 Aug '11

02 Aug '11

You have received the following link from diapalino(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 - Left for Extinct, a Steel Plant Rises in Ohio 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. ********************

1 0

Fwd: EPA REFUSES TO STUDY RISKS OF COAL ASH USES IT ENDORSES
by Jim Sconyers 02 Aug '11

02 Aug '11

coal ash in cattle feed? Eeeeewww! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Russ Maddox <russmaddox(a)yahoo.com> Date: Mon, Aug 1, 2011 at 3:29 PM Subject: EPA REFUSES TO STUDY RISKS OF COAL ASH USES IT ENDORSES To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)lists.sierraclub.org http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1499 For Immediate Release: July 18, 2011 Contact: Kirsten Stade (202) 265-7337 *EPA REFUSES TO STUDY RISKS OF COAL ASH USES IT ENDORSES * — Scientists Told Agency Does Not Want Safety Concerns Raised about Coal Ash Washington, DC — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prevents its scientists from examining health risks of coal combustion wastes being added to consumer, agricultural and commercial products even though the agency promotes these practices as safe, according to documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Despite a scathing Office of Inspector General (IG) report earlier this year taking the agency to task for failing to complete a single safety review on the 60 million tons of coal ash and other combustion wastes entering the U.S. marketplace each year, EPA indicates that it has no intention of doing any risk assessments in the near future. In a June 16, 2011 reply to the IG, EPA Assistant Administrator Mathy Stanislaus stated that while “protection of human health and the environment is a critical prerequisite to promoting the beneficial use of coal combustion residuals…we do not yet have a timeline for developing the evaluation process regarding the beneficial use” of coal wastes. He indicated EPA will wait until it finalizes regulations governing coal ash (2013, at the earliest) before considering dangers of how coal ash is actually used. “EPA just gave its IG the middle finger,” said PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, noting that most all of the safety information on coal ash in products comes from the industry. “Thanks to EPA, Congress and the public have no idea which, if any, applications of coal ash are safe or environmentally benign.” Compounding this data gap, IG investigative materials PEER obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show EPA scientists’ safety concerns about coal ash are routinely “steamrolled” and ignored. Scientists could not even get the answer to the basic question of “What’s in this stuff?” For example – - EPA gave an award to a company that sold coal ash in cement “by putting the mixture into plastic bags and selling it to customers at Home Depot” despite knowing of a prominent study finding that particulate matter in these wastes “caused a morbidity and mortality spike in humans”; - Some coal combustion wastes have radiation levels comparable to those at Superfund sites but no warnings are issued for people living close to where these wastes are stored or used; and - Officials downplayed scientific recommendations against including combustion wastes in agricultural products, such as livestock feeders and soil treatments. “It is disturbing that EPA applauds consumers being sold bags of toxic waste,” added Ruch, noting that although EPA shut down its formal partnership with industry to promote coal ash reuse in mid-2010 under pressure from both PEER and the IG, it continues to push coal ash as a “beneficial use” through other programs. “EPA claims to be a science-based agency but it is bending over backward to ensure that its decisions about coal ash occur in a science-free zone.” ### Read the EPA response to the IG<http://peer.org/docs/epa/7_18_11_EPA_reply_IG.pdf> Look at the IG report and how EPA continues to promote coal ash <http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1469> See how EPA prevents scientists from asking or answering questions <http://peer.org/docs/epa/7_18_11_EPA_sci_suppression.pdf> View the array of products containing coal ash<http://www.peer.org/campaigns/publichealth/coalash/everywhere.php> Examine push to use coal ash in agricultural products despite questions<http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1266> <http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1499#top> Contact PEER <http://www.peer.org/about/contact.php> Tell-a-Friend<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/823/t/3694/tellafriend.jsp?tell_a_frie…> Your Privacy <http://www.peer.org/about/privacy.php> Ph: (202) 265-7337 • Fax: (202) 265-4192 • email: info[at]peer.org all content © peer.org 2011 website by puffinworks <http://www.puffinworks.com/> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

2 1

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

EC August 2011