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King Coal Can't Intimidate Us
by Jim Sconyers 18 Oct '09

18 Oct '09

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Mary Anne Hitt, Sierra Club <membership.services(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: From: Mary Anne Hitt, Sierra Club <membership.services(a)sierraclub.org> Subject: King Coal Can't Intimidate Us To: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 12:32 PM Sierra Club #yiv1124586513 #yiv1124586513 .normal, #yiv1124586513 , #yiv1124586513 p, #yiv1124586513 td, #yiv1124586513 tr, #yiv1124586513 h1, #yiv1124586513 h2, #yiv1124586513 h3, #yiv1124586513 h4, #yiv1124586513 h5, #yiv1124586513 h6, #yiv1124586513 ul, #yiv1124586513 li, #yiv1124586513 div, #yiv1124586513 input, #yiv1124586513 textarea, #yiv1124586513 option, #yiv1124586513 select { font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-style:normal;} #yiv1124586513 .normal, #yiv1124586513 , #yiv1124586513 p, #yiv1124586513 td, #yiv1124586513 tr, #yiv1124586513 li, #yiv1124586513 div, #yiv1124586513 input, #yiv1124586513 textarea, #yiv1124586513 option, #yiv1124586513 select {font-size:12px;} #yiv1124586513 .normal {color:#000000;} #yiv1124586513 {background-color:#ffffff;} #yiv1124586513 #yiv1124586513 a {color:#333366;} #yiv1124586513 a:visited {color:#666666;} #yiv1124586513 a:hover {color:#3333ff;} #yiv1124586513 #yiv1124586513 .blackborder {border-color:#000000;} #yiv1124586513 #yiv1124586513 .smalltext {font-size:10px;} #yiv1124586513 .verysmalltext {font-size:9px;} #yiv1124586513 #yiv1124586513 H1, #yiv1124586513 .header { font-size:14px;color:#000000;font-weight:700;} #yiv1124586513 .issueheader { margin-bottom:5px;color:#669900;} #yiv1124586513 #yiv1124586513 H2, #yiv1124586513 .subtitle { font-size:12px;color:#669900;font-weight:700; } View a web version of this email. Dear Jim, Last Chance to Submit Comments Opposing Streamlined Permits for Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining! Last week the Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) held 6 hearings on its proposal to end streamlined mountaintop removal coal mining permits in Appalachia. The clean energy proponents who turned out at the Kentucky and West Virginia hearings were verbally and physically threatened by the pro-coal faction and were removed before the hearing by police for "security reasons."1 We can’t let King Coal silence the opposition to mountaintop removal coal mining--send a comment to the Corps supporting an end to streamlined permits before the October 26th deadline. Coal companies are telling the people of Appalachia that projects polluting their water sources and destroying their mountains are critical to their economy. But the truth is that mountaintop removal coal mining costs state budgets more than it generates, and other types of mining already employ more Appalachian workers.2 It's time to end the lies. The Corps needs to hear the truth from you today. If you listen to the coal companies, then you might believe that mountaintop removal coal mining is critical to keeping energy prices low. The truth is that ending mountaintop removal would have a negligible effect on electricity prices in the eastern United States, where mountaintop removal coal is currently burned.3 Coal companies don’t just want to keep you in the dark about the abundance of cost-effective alternatives to mountaintop removal coal, they want to keep using this destructive practice that actually destroys the mountains and valleys necessary to develop clean energy sources like wind, small-scale hydropower, and solar.4 Turning to clean energy will benefit Appalachia's economy and protect its communities, and the first step is ending the streamlined permits for mountaintop removal coal mining projects that are standing in the way. Thanks for all that you do to protect the environment. Mary Anne Hitt Sierra Club Big Picture Campaign P.S. Please forward this message and help spread the word to your friends and family! [1] Check out Sierra Club Beyond Coal Director Bruce Nilles’ blog on the hearings and the video of clean energy activists being harassed outside of the West Virginia hearing. [2-4] Read more about how studies show mountaintop removal coal mining costs local economies more than it provides. (pdf) If you do not wish to receive future emails like this, click here to be removed from this type of email contact. Update My Profile | Manage My Email Preferences | Update My Interests Sierra Club 85 Second St. San Francisco, CA 94105

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Re: [EC] NY Times editorial Shale and Our Water
by Paul Wilson 18 Oct '09

18 Oct '09

October 17, 2009 New York Times Editorial Shale and Our Water New York State’s environmental regulators have proposed rules to govern drilling in the Marcellus Shale — a subterranean layer of rock curving northward from West Virginia through Ohio and Pennsylvania to New York’s southern tier. The shale contains enormous deposits of natural gas that could add to the region’s energy supplies and lift New York’s upstate economy. If done carefully — and in carefully selected places — drilling should cause minimal environmental harm. But regulators must amend the rules to bar drilling in the New York City watershed: a million acres of forests and farmlands whose streams supply the reservoirs that send drinking water to eight million people. Accidental leaks could threaten public health and require a filtration system the city can ill afford. Natural gas is vital to the nation’s energy needs and can be an important bridge between dirty coal and renewable alternatives. The process of extracting it, however, is not risk-free. Known as hydraulic fracturing, it involves shooting a mix of water, sand and chemicals — many of them highly toxic — into the ground at very high pressure to break down the rock formations and free the gas. The technique is used in 90 percent of the oil and gas operations in the United States. And while most drilling occurs without incident, “fracking” has been implicated in hundreds of cases of impaired or polluted drinking water supplies in states from Alabama to Wyoming. The dangers are particularly acute in the Marcellus Shale, which, unlike the relatively shallow formations found elsewhere, lies miles underground. Getting the gas out will require far more water and heavy doses of chemicals. While the rules would require drillers to take special precautions in the watershed, there are too many points — from the delivery of the fluid to the drilling site to the removal of spent fluid after it surfaces — where poisoned water could escape into the water supplies. Quarantining the watershed also makes economic sense. The shale contains only one-tenth of the gas in the southern tier. One big accident could undo everything the city and state have done — buying up property, creating buffer zones around the reservoirs — to protect the watershed from development and pollution. State officials worry that if they deny landowners the right to lease the mineral resources under their property — 70 percent of the watershed is privately owned — they will face expensive “takings” claims. But the state has a right and responsibility to prevent drilling that poses a clear danger to public health. The state insists it has made a good-faith effort to assess the hazards, and its 800-page report is replete with scientific analysis. But it is the state’s analysis. What the state has not done, and what it must do, is give those who have serious doubts about drilling in the watershed a fair chance to state their case. New York City’s acting environmental commissioner, Steven Lawitts, has warned of “chronic and acute impacts to water quality.” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and the Manhattan borough president, Scott Stringer, have asked the state for extensive public hearings. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has commissioned an independent scientific study of the risks to the watershed. A fair review will not be possible unless the state’s absurdly quick Nov. 30 deadline for public comment is extended. The mayor’s study will not even be completed until mid-December. It is dangerously irresponsible to rush this decision. -- 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

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WV Lung Assoc. on PATH
by Frank Young 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

Blank"While it is understood that the electricity transmission network has deficiencies in terms of its stability and its capability for dealing with new major power sources such as wind and solar, the Board believes that there are serious questions about whether any need to upgrade the grid is being used more to favor the status quo of dirtier electric power sources rather than as an opportunity to help more intentionally and unreservedly transition to cleaner energy sources while simultaneously taking serious steps to reduce demand. In contrast to the American Lung Association's national policy of encouraging the transition of power plants from burning coal, it appears that a significant outcome of implementing PATH would be to assist the coal-fired mode of electricity generation to become even further entrenched. Indeed, in the words of Bill Raney, President of the West Virginia Coal Association, in a May 18, 2009 letter to the West Virginia Public Service Commission in support of PATH, "Enhanced transmission capacity helps increase the amount of low-cost, coal-fired generation dispatched into the regional grid. This helps preserve the future of existing power plants already on line, justifies additional investment in these plants and increases the likelihood that new, clean-coal electric fired generation will be constructed in the state." Despite Mr. Raney's claim for producing electricity using "clean-coal'' generation, it is the Board's observation that, on several counts, ranging from land degradation to water contamination to, of course, air pollution, the promise of “clean coal” has not come close to being achieved. Given the increased likelihood of new coal-fired electricity generation appearing along this transmission corridor, it is the burden of American Electric Power and Allegheny Energy to demonstrate that such a consequence of the implementation of their PATH proposal would in fact result in no deterioration of air quality. That this demonstration could be prepared seems unlikely to the Board." http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI…

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Fw: [fom] Randy Huffman and Enviironmental justice???
by Frank Young 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

This guy is a joke. Subject: [fom] Randy Huffman and Enviironmental justice??? http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/64482622.html

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Mingo Co. Waste Wood Power Plant
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

*http://tinyurl.com/ygo3bgy* MINGO --- The president of American Clean Energy (ACE) announced today the company will build a $150 million alternative energy facility in Mingo County at the Harless Wood Products Industrial park. The West Virginia Economic Development Authority approved a resolution that will allow American Clean Energy to issue up to $100 million in tax-free bonds for the facility's construction. The plant will use waste material from wood products to create electricity. Tom Loehr, president of American Clean Energy, told the Daily News.

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Wind in Keyser WV
by Frank Young 15 Oct '09

15 Oct '09

October 15, 2009 Two Mineral commissioners support proposed wind farm KEYSER, W.Va. -- The Mineral County Commission is backing a proposed $131 million wind farm on Green Mountain near Keyser. By The Associated Press Advertiser KEYSER, W.Va. -- The Mineral County Commission is backing a proposed $131 million wind farm on Green Mountain near Keyser. Pinnacle Wind Force is seeking approval from the state Public Service Commission to build 23 turbines that would generate about 55 megawatts of power. The County Commission voted 2-1 Tuesday to support the project. Commission President Wayne Spiggle opposed the motion, saying it was premature. He unsuccessfully sought to delay the vote until after the PSC holds an evidentiary hearing on the developer's application. The hearing is setCommissioners Cindy Pyles and Janice LaRue cited the jobs and tax revenue that the wind farm would create. Maria Gunnoe www.ohvec.org www.southwings.org www.goldmanprize.org

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Fwd: Phone Parties on October 14th
by James Kotcon 12 Oct '09

12 Oct '09

To: WV Energy Committee: At SierraFest this weekend, we agreed to organize one of these call-in parties this Wednesday to support a strong climate protection bill. So plan on joining us Wednesday night from 6-9 PM, for a few minutes or as much time as you can spare. You can call from your home phone, with your computer in front of you, and this will allow you to talk to other Sierra Club members, to ask them to call their Senators. Best of all, if they agree (and most of them will), you will be able to patch them through to their Senator immediately, during that same call. No more worrying about whether they will actually follow through, and no more guilt on those who said they would but never get around to it. This is a GREAT system! JBK --- On Tue, 10/6/09, Christina & Nicole, Sierra Club <online.advocacy(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: From: Christina & Nicole, Sierra Club <online.advocacy(a)sierraclub.org> Subject: Sorry - Phone Parties on October 14th To: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2009, 9:00 PM View a web version of this email. Jim, The National Call in day and phone parties will take place on Wednesday, October 14th. Thanks for leading the way, Nicole Ghio Sierra Club Online Organizing Join the National Call In Day for a Strong Climate Bill! Sign Up to Host a Phone Party on October 14th. Last Wednesday Senators Kerry and Boxer introduced the Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act in the Senate, a historic bill that will create more jobs, less pollution and greater security, but polluters like Big Oil and Coal are doing all they can to stand in the way of progress. They're spending tens of millions of dollars lobbying for billions in giveaways, and they're fighting to get rid of the tools that hold them accountable--like EPA's authority to regulate global warming pollution. Spread the word! We can't let Big Oil and Coal weaken the Clean Energy Jobs Bill--host a phone party on October 14th. Hosting a party is easy! We have a guide with all the information you'll need. You and your friends can make calls from any touch tone phone or mobile phone, so ask everyone to bring their cell. Where: Your home, office, or venue! When: Wednesday October 14th from from 6-10pm ET / 3-7pm PT. Join for as long as you can, whether its a few hours or 30 minutes. Training: We'll hold 2 optional conference calls both days at 6:00 pm ET/3:00 pm PT and at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT. RSVP: http://action.sierraclub.org/climateleaders_octphone We'll be calling Sierra Club members in key states and patching them through to their Senator's voicemail so they can leave a message supporting a strong bill. Our goal is to fill up as many Senate voicemails as possible, and we'll keep you updated as we fill the boxes throughout the night! Sign up to host a national call in day phone party today! Here's what's coming up: Help Push Back Against Big Oil and Coal Misinformation Don't Let Polluter's Control the Story - join the Rapid Response Team! Our opponents will do anything to stop the Climate Bill - including spreading lies and misinformation through the media. You've seen the articles, espousing lies about costs, attacking the scientific consensus behind Global Warming, even forging letters to make their ill-informed points. Join our Rapid Response team and help write Letters to the Editor highlighting the truth - why moving America to clean energy will generate millions of clean jobs, break our dependence on oil and reduce the carbon pollution that causes global warming. Make Calls for a Strong Climate Bill this Wednesday! Join this week's Winning Wednesday phone bank! You don't have to wait for the National Call in day to make calls for a strong Climate Bill! We are making calls every Wednesday night from 6-10pm ET, 3-7 pm PT. Join us for as long as you can, whether it's few hours or thirty minutes, as we use our cutting edge new phone banking tool that allows you to connect other Sierra Club activists directly to their member of Congress, all from the comfort of your own home. What: Call Sierra Club activists in key states and connect them directly to their Senator's office so they can leave a message. When: Every Wednesday night from 6-10pm ET, 3-7 pm PT. Join us for as long as you can, whether it's few hours or thirty minutes. Training: We'll do a training call at 6pm ET/3pm PT and again at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT on Wednesday so you can get familiar with the phone banking tool. Where: Your living room! RSVP: http://action.sierraclub.org/climateleaders_phone Thanks for leading the way, Christina Yagjian National Conservation Organizer Nicole Ghio Sierra Club Online Organizing If you do not wish to receive future emails like this, click here to be removed from this type of email contact. Update My Profile | Manage My Email Preferences | Update My Interests Sierra Club 85 Second St. San Francisco, CA 94105

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Fwd: Public News Service-WVNS story for October 12, 2009 Climate Change As An Issue Of
by James Kotcon 12 Oct '09

12 Oct '09

The Air Force considered using airplane fuel made from coal, but McGinn says it didn't work because of cost and technical issues. "The notion of coal to liquid, when you first take a look at it seems appealing, but when you look at some of the technical difficulties in actually doing it, it's pretty much a non-starter." "Wow" says Jim Kotcon. See article below. JBK >>> "Public News Service" <wvns(a)publicnewsservice.org> 10/12/2009 9:40 AM >>> Public News Service-WV October 12, 2009 Climate Change As An Issue Of National Security CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Because of the importance of the coal industry in West Virginia, climate change is usually a domestic, economic issue in that state. However, according to a dozen three- and four-star retired military officers, climate change is a serious U.S. national security threat. Retired Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn says people in failed states such as Afghanistan and Somalia often turn to extremism. And he says natural disasters like floods, droughts or hurricanes, which some people have linked to climate change, can push weak nations over the edge. "Imagine, around the world, fault lines along religious, ethnic, economic and political lines. Put a big magnifying glass on top of those fault lines, increase them in frequency and intensity, and that's what the climate change dynamic will do." McGinn says the military is moving strongly towards energy conservation and alternative fuels. He says the Department of Defense wants to save money and protect the country from the possible security threats ensuing from its dependence on imported oil, and that one possible solution is domestic, renewable energy. "The Navy is investigating use of algae-based oils for ship and airborne use. In fact they're planning on flying an F-18 Super Hornet next year, using algae-based oil." The Air Force considered using airplane fuel made from coal, but McGinn says it didn't work because of cost and technical issues. "The notion of coal to liquid, when you first take a look at it seems appealing, but when you look at some of the technical difficulties in actually doing it, it's pretty much a non-starter." Some coal executives, including Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship, have disputed whether industrial activity is having an impact on the climate. McGinn says it's already causing important water problems in parts of Central and South Asia. The U.S. Senate is now debating a bill on climate change. A report written by the CNA Military Advisory Board, which includes Admiral McGinn, is available online at www.cna.org Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/10887-1 --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org and put the word "remove" in the subject line.

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Re: [EC] FW: 1st Cement Plant CO2 Sequestration Project
by Jim Sconyers 07 Oct '09

07 Oct '09

Very nice analysis. Two thoughts: Offshore wind is politically more palatable than onshore. There are plenty of existing examples, just not in the US. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Mon, 10/5/09, Ned Ford <Ned.Ford(a)FUSE.NET> wrote: From: Ned Ford <Ned.Ford(a)FUSE.NET> Subject: Re: FW: 1st Cement Plant CO2 Sequestration Project To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Date: Monday, October 5, 2009, 12:28 AM In order to be precise, each specific project must be evaluated, and then it doesn't always turn out as expected. The industry seems to have an average cost of about ten cents per KWH from new state of the art plants in good locations. I believe but cannot parse the data from where I sit, that this includes the production tax credit, which effectively reduces the capital cost even though it is applied to specific KWH's generated. Offshore wind is generally thought to cost about four cents more, of which maybe two cents is recaptured due to the better wind thought to be available. There are very few existing offshore projects, and I don't know when the ones that are under construction are going to be completed, or when the industry will publicize useful information. 12 miles is a specific measure. You would have to look at the coastal maps and see how much shallow coast in good wind areas there is. I would think that in most places 12 miles offshore would be very deep, and pointless to try to do. The more important point here is that onshore wind is presently slightly cheaper than new coal without CCS, and that when you add the price of CCS new coal becomes about as expensive as nuclear power or solar PV. CCS is unlikely to become economic at any point in time. (Solar PV, by contrast, has a large potential to reduce prices substantially - the difference is that with solar we can see where research may help, and with CCS, there isn't much about it that isn't already pretty well defined, especially the energy requirements of compression and pumping). These projects represent $3.4 billion being spent on behalf of three major industries which collectively take in about a trillion dollars a year (the petroleum and gas markets are so volatile that if you want a more specific dollar amount you need to specify the year). The research projects which inject post-combustion CO2 to enhance fossil fuel recovery are NOT CCS projects, and it is good to see them included here because it illustrates the lack of credibility that the entire group of projects have. The more responsible projects here are ones such as the C6 project which is injecting into a deep saline formation. That doesn't mean it will work, and it doesn't mean it has a greater likelihood of being economically viable. It just means it isn't obvious in the course of a summary paragraph that it is going to fail the test of keeping the carbon out of the atmosphere for ten thousand years, destroy any water tables or move toxic aromatics to the surface. I think we have enough onshore wind to do most of what wind can do for us. Efficiency is the heavy lifter in the next decade. We can triple current levels by spending $9 billion per year, which is about half of what we spent on wind last year. Doing that will triple the energy savings of last year's wind, which was nearly identical to last year's efficiency. That level of efficiency spending can be sustained for several decades. We can triple it again, if we really think it matters, in which case we might run out of efficiency potential in less than twenty years (this level of spending will eliminate electric sector CO2 in about 25 years). I advocate spending as much as we can on efficiency, because each dollar saves three. Any rate increase to fund efficiency pays for sustained efficiency for as long as we want to keep on saving more money. Part of the saving should be used to fund more wind, and if we're good investors in about five years or so we should have solar that is cheap enough to pick up the major action that wind presently has. Once that happens we get to eliminate just about all CO2. There are some concerns about how to get power in the middle of the night, and while solar thermal answers that best in my mind, there are other solutions. But figuring that out is much less important than recognizing that it doesn't matter how many coal plants there are if we are cutting total use with efficiency, and building as many renewables as we can afford to. We've already achieved our first year of net reductions, partly due to the recession but partly due to efficiency and renewables. We can keep it up, and we do that best by concentrating on the right levels of investment in efficiency and renewables. CCS will never compete in that sort of an environment. - Ned Dolph Honicker wrote: Has anyone done a study on how much it would cost to put windmills 12 miles off our coast?. A recent you tube video by a Sierra Club representative detailed how they could supply all the electricity the U.S. needs, and quickly. Capturing CO2 from coal fired plants does not address the problem of mountain top removal. I suggest that we compare the costs of off shore windmills, the time it will take to bring them on line in a big way, and calculate how much CO2 can be eliminated as an alternative to this program. Has there been an eis? There should be, as this is a major federal action. Alternatives must be examined in all eis's. If we are serious about global warming, we will immediately act to solve the problem. We don't have 50 years to wait. This is another massive subsidy for the petroleum and coal industries Jeannine Honicker Date: Sun, 4 Oct 2009 09:58:57 -0700 From: doris(a)CELLARIUS.ORG Subject: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] FW: 1st Cement Plant CO2 Sequestration Project To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass p.ecxMsoNormal, #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass li.ecxMsoNormal, #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass div.ecxMsoNormal {margin-bottom:.0001pt;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:'Times New Roman', 'serif';} #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass h2 {margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:18.0pt;font-family:'Times New Roman', 'serif';} #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass h3 {margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:13.5pt;font-family:'Times New Roman', 'serif';} #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass a:link, #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass span.ecxMsoHyperlink {color:blue;text-decoration:underline;} #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass a:visited, #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass span.ecxMsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple;text-decoration:underline;} #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass span.ecxHeading3Char {font-family:'Cambria', 'serif';color:#4F81BD;font-weight:bold;} #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass span.ecxHeading2Char {font-family:'Cambria', 'serif';color:#4F81BD;font-weight:bold;} #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass span.ecxEmailStyle21 {font-family:'Calibri', 'sans-serif';color:#1F497D;} #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass .ecxMsoChpDefault {} _filtered #yiv1686792534 {} #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass div.ecxSection1 {} #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass ol {margin-bottom:0in;} #yiv1686792534 .ExternalClass ul {margin-bottom:0in;} .. Secretary Chu on Carbon Capture .Public support of CCS R&D is essential, and for this reason, $3.4 billion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money is being invested by the US Department of Energy (DOE) in CCS R&D...There are many hurdles to making CCS a reality, but none appear insurmountable. The DOE goal is to support R&D, as well as pilot CCS projects so that widespread deployment of CCS can begin in 8 to 10 years. This is an aggressive goal, but the climate problem compels us to act with fierce urgency. “ DOE Makes First Awards from $1.4B for Industrial Carbon Capture and Storage Projects 3 October 2009 The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 12 projects for the first round of funding from $1.4 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the capture carbon dioxide from industrial sources for storage or beneficial use. The first phase of these projects will include $21.6 million in Recovery Act funding and $22.5 million in private funding for a total initial investment of $44.1 million. The remaining Recovery Act funding will be awarded to the most promising projects during a competitive phase two selection process. Projects selected include large-scale industrial carbon capture and storage projects that capture carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sources—such as cement plants, chemical plants, refineries, paper mills, and manufacturing facilities—and store the carbon dioxide in deep saline formations=2 0and other geologic systems. -- The initial duration of each project selected is approximately seven months. Projects will be subject to further competitive evaluation in 2010 after successful comp letion of their Phase 1 activities. Projects that best demonstrate the ability to address their mission needs will be in the final portfolio that will receive additional funding for design, construction, and operation. Secretary Chu on Carbon Capture Energy Secretary Steven Chu wrote an editorial for the 25 September 2009 special issue of the journal Science on carbon capture, in which he addressed the magnitude of the challenge. Noting that coal accounts for roughly 25% of the world energy supply and 40% of the carbon emissions. Chu said that it was highly unlikely that the US, Russia, China and India, which account for two-thirds of the coal reserves, “will turn their back on coal anytime soon .” ...for this reason, the capture and storage of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel power plants must be aggressively pursued. ...The scale of CCS needed to make a sign ificant dent in worldwide carbon emissions is staggering. Roughly 6 billion metric tons of coal are used each year, producing 18 billion tons of CO2. In contrast, we now sequester a few million metric tons of CO2 per year. At geological storage densities of CO2 (0.6 kg/m3), underground sequestration will require a storage volume of 30,000 km3/year. This may be sufficient storage capacity, but more testing is required to demonstrate such capacity and integrity. ...We should pursue a range of options for new coal-fired power plants (such as coal gasification, burning coal in an oxygen atmosphere, or post-combustion capture) to determine the most cost-effective approach to burn fuel and reduce the total amount of CO2 emitted. No matter which technology ultimately proves best for new plants, we will still need to retrofit existing plants and new plants that will be built before CCS is routinely deployed. Each new 1-gigawatt coal plant is a billion-dollar investment and, once built, will be used for decades. ...Public support of CCS R&D is essential, and for this reason, $3.4 billion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money is being invested by the US Department of Energy (DOE) in CCS R&D...There are many hurdles to making CCS a reality, but none appear insurmountable. The DOE goal is to support R&D, as well as pilot CCS projects so that widespread deployment of CCS can begin in 8 to 10 years. This is an aggressive goal, but the climate problem compels us to act with fierce urgency. —Dr. Steven Chu, Science Large-scale industrial carbon capture and storage selections (by amount of DOE award) include: ConocoPhillips. ConocoPhillips will demonstrate new advancements that improve conversion efficiency and economies of scale for carbon capture systems at a petcoke-based 683-megawatt integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant adjacent to its existing refinery in Sweeny, Texas. About 85% of the CO2 from the process stream will be captured and over 5 million tons sequestered into a depleted oil or gas field. (DOE Share: $3,014,666) C6 Resources. Objective is to capture and transport by pipeline approximately 1 million tons per year of CO2 streams from facilities located in the Bay Area, Calif., to be injected more than 2 miles underground into a saline formation. C6 Resources, an affiliate of Shell Oil Company, will conduct the project in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (DOE Share: $3,000,000) Shell Chemical Capital Company. The objective of this project is to capture, condition, and transport by pipeline approximately 1 million tons per year of by-product and off-gas CO2 streams from facilities located along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans for geologic storage. (DOE Share: $3,000,000) Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative Inc. Investigators will demonstrate advanced amines and additives supplied by Hitachi and Dow to capture 300,000 tons of CO2 per year. Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative will be building a 600-megawatt circulating fluidized bed power plant near Rogers City, Mich. (DOE Share: $2,723,512) University of Utah. More than 1 million tons of CO2 per year will be captured from various industrial sources, compressed, and transported via two new intra-state pipelines for CO2 enhanced oil recovery and deep saline sequestration research in Kansas. Beneath each enhanced oil recovery target, a major saline aquifer spanning most of the State of Kansas will be used for CO2 injection. (DOE Share: $2,696,556) Praxair Inc. Praxair will partner with BP Products North America, Denbury Resources, and Gulf Coast Carbon Center to demonstrate capture and sequestration of CO2 emissions from an existing hydrogen-production facility in an oil refinery into underground formations for CO2 enhanced oil recovery. This demonstration will be performed at the BP refinery, and a lateral pipeline will be built to connect to Denbury’s Green Pipeline to transport 1 million tons of CO2 per year. (DOE Share: $1,719,464) Archer Daniels Midland Corporation. Archer Daniels Midland Company, a member of DOE’s Midwes t Geological Sequestration Consortium, will partner with other research organizations to demonstrate Dow ALSTOM’s advanced amine process to capture CO2 from industrial flue gases and sequester the CO2 in the Mt. Simon Sandstone reservoir. (DOE Share: $1,480,656) CEMEX Inc. CEMEX USA will partner with RTI International to demonstrate a dry sorbent CO2 capture technology at one of its cement plants in the United States. CEMEX will design and construct a dry sorbent CO2 capture and compression system, pipeline (if necessary), and injection station. This commercial-scale carbon capture and sequestration demonstration project will remove up to 1 million tons of CO2. (DOE Share: $1,137,885) Air Products and Chemicals Inc. A system to concentrate CO2 from two steam methane reformer waste streams will be designed, constructed, and demonstrated at Port Arthur, Texas. More than 1 million tons of CO2 will be delivered per year via pipeline for sequestration into the Oyster Bayou oilfield for enhanced oil recovery by Denbury Onshore LLC. (DOE Share: $961,499) Leucadia Energy LLC. Leucadia Energy and Denbury Onshore will demonstrate advanced technologies that capture and sequester CO2 emissions from an industrial source. Mississippi Gasification LLC, a Leucadia affiliate, is building a petcoke-to-substitute natural gas plant in Moss Point, Miss., to demo nstrate large-scale recovery, purification and compression of 4 million tons per year of CO2. (DOE Share: $840,000) Leucadia Energy LLC. Partnered with Denbury Onshore, Leucadia Energy will demonstrate advanced technologies that capture and sequester more than 4 million tons of CO2 emissions at the Lake Charles co-generation petroleum coke-to-chemicals (methanol) project to be located near Lake Charles, La. The project will transport compressed CO2 through a 12-mile pipeline that connects to Denbury’s Green Line pipeline system in Louisiana so that it can be used for enhanced oil recovery in the Hastings and Oyster Bayou oilfields in Texas. (DOE Share: $540,000) Battelle Memorial Institute, Pacific Northwest Division. Battelle researchers will partner with Boise White Paper LLC and Fluor Corporation to demonstrate geologic CO2 storage in deep flood basalt formations in the State of Washington. Fluor Corporation will design a customized version of its Econamine Plus carbon capture technology for operation with the specialized chemical composition of exhaust gases produced from combustion of black liquor fuels. (DOE Share: $500,00 0) Additionally, the Department has also made conditional selections of 16 projects that demonstrate innovative concepts for beneficial carbon dioxide use. These conditional selections are subject to additional merit reviews and technical evaluation. Resources Science special issue on carbon capture - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-AIR-CEMENT-KILN-FORUM list, send any message to: CONS-AIR-CEMENT-KILN-FORUM-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

2 1

Fw: Re: FW: 1st Cement Plant CO2 Sequestration Project
by Jim Sconyers 05 Oct '09

05 Oct '09

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Mon, 10/5/09, ROBERT KELLER <rkeller49(a)VERIZON.NET> wrote: From: ROBERT KELLER <rkeller49(a)VERIZON.NET> Subject: Re: FW: 1st Cement Plant CO2 Sequestration Project To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Date: Monday, October 5, 2009, 2:16 PM FYI - Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium (VCERC) has studied the engineering feasibility, cost, and economic development potential of Virginia’s offshore wind resource. These studies indicate that multi-megawatt wind turbines placed beyond sight of Virginia’s beaches could provide more than enough energy to meet 25% of the state’s electricity needs by 2025, creating thousands of new jobs throughout the state, with a cost of energy less than that from a new coal-fired generating plant. George Hagerman is the Senior Research Associate at the Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute in Arlington and VCERC Director of Research. Members of the Virginia Chapter have met and talked with Hagerman who has been working on the project for about five years. He has estimated, conservatively, that if Virginia had the will there could be wind turbines off the coast of Norfolk in six years (the Navy is looking at a wind turbine project in the area to help it meet its mandatory RPS). A link for reference information - http://www.eesi.org/071709_offshore Rick Keller Energy Chair, Mount Vernon Group, Virginia Chapter rkeller49(a)verison.net ----- Original Message ----- From: F.J. Morris To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 11:52 AM Subject: Re: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] FW: 1st Cement Plant CO2 Sequestration Project Also, 90% of the US population lives within 50 miles of the coast, and the near constant sea breezes are a very reliable source of energy. Off shore turbines would probably would put electricity where the population is. Of course, efficiency first. fm From: Chp & Grp Global Warming Energy Chairs [mailto:CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG] On Behalf Of Jim Sconyers Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 11:13 AM To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Subject: Re: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] FW: 1st Cement Plant CO2 Sequestration Project Very nice analysis. Two thoughts: Offshore wind is politically more palatable than onshore. There are plenty of existing examples, just not in the US . Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Mon, 10/5/09, Ned Ford <Ned.Ford(a)FUSE.NET> wrote: From: Ned Ford <Ned.Ford(a)FUSE.NET> Subject: Re: FW: 1st Cement Plant CO2 Sequestration Project To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Date: Monday, October 5, 2009, 12:28 AM In order to be precise, each specific project must be evaluated, and then it doesn't always turn out as expected. The industry seems to have an average cost of about ten cents per KWH from new state of the art plants in good locations. I believe but cannot parse the data from where I sit, that this includes the production tax credit, which effectively reduces the capital cost even though it is applied to specific KWH's generated. Offshore wind is generally thought to cost about four cents more, of which maybe two cents is recaptured due to the better wind thought to be available. There are very few existing offshore projects, and I don't know when the ones that are under construction are going to be completed, or when the industry will publicize useful information. 12 miles is a specific measure. You would have to look at the coastal maps and see how much shallow coast in good wind areas there is. I would think that in most places 12 miles offshore would be very deep, and pointless to try to do. The more important point here is that onshore wind is presently slightly cheaper than new coal without CCS, and that when you add the price of CCS new coal becomes about as expensive as nuclear power or solar PV. CCS is unlikely to become economic at any point in time. (Solar PV, by contrast, has a large potential to reduce prices substantially - the difference is that with solar we can see where research may help, and with CCS, there isn't much about it that isn't already pretty well defined, especially the energy requirements of compression and pumping). These projects represent $3.4 billion being spent on behalf of three major industries which collectively take in about a trillion dollars a year (the petroleum and gas markets are so volatile that if you want a more specific dollar amount you need to specify the year). The research projects which inject post-combustion CO2 to enhance fossil fuel recovery are NOT CCS projects, and it is good to see them included here because it illustrates the lack of credibility that the entire group of projects have. The more responsible projects here are ones such as the C6 project which is injecting into a deep saline formation. That doesn't mean it will work, and it doesn't mean it has a greater likelihood of being economically viable. It just means it isn't obvious in the course of a summary paragraph that it is going to fail the test of keeping the carbon out of the atmosphere for ten thousand years, destroy any water tables or move toxic aromatics to the surface. I think we have enough onshore wind to do most of what wind can do for us. Efficiency is the heavy lifter in the next decade. We can triple current levels by spending $9 billion per year, which is about half of what we spent on wind last year. Doing that will triple the energy savings of last year's wind, which was nearly identical to last year's efficiency. That level of efficiency spending can be sustained for several decades. We can triple it again, if we really think it matters, in which case we might run out of efficiency potential in less than twenty years (this level of spending will eliminate electric sector CO2 in about 25 years). I advocate spending as much as we can on efficiency, because each dollar saves three. Any rate increase to fund efficiency pays for sustained efficiency for as long as we want to keep on saving more money. Part of the saving should be used to fund more wind, and if we're good investors in about five years or so we should have solar that is cheap enough to pick up the major action that wind presently has. Once that happens we get to eliminate just about all CO2. There are some concerns about how to get power in the middle of the night, and while solar thermal answers that best in my mind, there are other solutions. But figuring that out is much less important than recognizing that it doesn't matter how many coal plants there are if we are cutting total use with efficiency, and building as many renewables as we can afford to. We've already achieved our first year of net reductions, partly due to the recession but partly due to efficiency and renewables. We can keep it up, and we do that best by concentrating on the right levels of investment in efficiency and renewables. CCS will never compete in that sort of an environment. - Ned Dolph Honicker wrote: Has anyone done a study on how much it would cost to put windmills 12 miles off our coast?. A recent you tube video by a Sierra Club representative detailed how they could supply all the electricity the U.S. needs, and quickly. Capturing CO2 from coal fired plants does not address the problem of mountain top removal. I suggest that we compare the costs of off shore windmills, the time it will take to bring them on line in a big way, and calculate how much CO2 can be eliminated as an alternative to this program. Has there been an eis? There should be, as this is a major federal action. Alternatives must be examined in all eis's. If we are serious about global warming, we will immediately act to solve the problem. We don't have 50 years to wait. This is another massive subsidy for the petroleum and coal industries Jeannine Honicker Date: Sun, 4 Oct 2009 09:58:57 -0700 From: doris(a)CELLARIUS.ORG Subject: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] FW: 1st Cement Plant CO2 Sequestration Project To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG .. Secretary Chu on Carbon Capture .Public support of CCS R&D is essential, and for this reason, $3.4 billion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money is being invested by the US Department of Energy (DOE) in CCS R&D...There are many hurdles to making CCS a reality, but none appear insurmountable. The DOE goal is to support R&D, as well as pilot CCS projects so that widespread deployment of CCS can begin in 8 to 10 years. This is an aggressive goal, but the climate problem compels us to act with fierce urgency. “ DOE Makes First Awards from $1.4B for Industrial Carbon Capture and Storage Projects 3 October 2009 The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 12 projects for the first round of funding from $1.4 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the capture carbon dioxide from industrial sources for storage or beneficial use. The first phase of these projects will include $21.6 million in Recovery Act funding and $22.5 million in private funding for a total initial investment of $44.1 million. The remaining Recovery Act funding will be awarded to the most promising projects during a competitive phase two selection process. Projects selected include large-scale industrial carbon capture and storage projects that capture carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sources—such as cement plants, chemical plants, refineries, paper mills, and manufacturing facilities—and store the carbon dioxide in deep saline formations=2 0and other geologic systems. -- The initial duration of each project selected is approximately seven months. Projects will be subject to further competitive evaluation in 2010 after successful comp letion of their Phase 1 activities. Projects that best demonstrate the ability to address their mission needs will be in the final portfolio that will receive additional funding for design, construction, and operation. Secretary Chu on Carbon Capture Energy Secretary Steven Chu wrote an editorial for the 25 September 2009 special issue of the journal Science on carbon capture, in which he addressed the magnitude of the challenge. Noting that coal accounts for roughly 25% of the world energy supply and 40% of the carbon emissions. Chu said that it was highly unlikely that the US, Russia , China and India , which account for two-thirds of the coal reserves, “will turn their back on coal anytime soon .” ...for this reason, the capture and storage of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel power plants must be aggressively pursued. ...The scale of CCS needed to make a sign ificant dent in worldwide carbon emissions is staggering. Roughly 6 billion metric tons of coal are used each year, producing 18 billion tons of CO2. In contrast, we now sequester a few million metric tons of CO2 per year. At geological storage densities of CO2 (0.6 kg/m3), underground sequestration will require a storage volume of 30,000 km3/year. This may be sufficient storage capacity, but more testing is required to demonstrate such capacity and integrity. ...We should pursue a range of options for new coal-fired power plants (such as coal gasification, burning coal in an oxygen atmosphere, or post-combustion capture) to determine the most cost-effective approach to burn fuel and reduce the total amount of CO2 emitted. No matter which technology ultimately proves best for new plants, we will still need to retrofit existing plants and new plants that will be built before CCS is routinely deployed. Each new 1-gigawatt coal plant is a billion-dollar investment and, once built, will be used for decades. ...Public support of CCS R&D is essential, and for this reason, $3.4 billion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money is being invested by the US Department of Energy (DOE) in CCS R&D...There are many hurdles to making CCS a reality, but none appear insurmountable. The DOE goal is to support R&D, as well as pilot CCS projects so that widespread deployment of CCS can begin in 8 to 10 years. This is an aggressive goal, but the climate problem compels us to act with fierce urgency. —Dr. Steven Chu, Science Large-scale industrial carbon capture and storage selections (by amount of DOE award) include: ConocoPhillips. ConocoPhillips will demonstrate new advancements that improve conversion efficiency and economies of scale for carbon capture systems at a petcoke-based 683-megawatt integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant adjacent to its existing refinery in Sweeny , Texas . About 85% of the CO2 from the process stream will be captured and over 5 million tons sequestered into a depleted oil or gas field. (DOE Share: $3,014,666) C6 Resources. Objective is to capture and transport by pipeline approximately 1 million tons per year of CO2 streams from facilities located in the Bay Area, Calif. , to be injected more than 2 miles underground into a saline formation. C6 Resources, an affiliate of Shell Oil Company, will conduct the project in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (DOE Share: $3,000,000) Shell Chemical Capital Company. The objective of this project is to capture, condition, and transport by pipeline approximately 1 million tons per year of by-product and off-gas CO2 streams from facilities located along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans for geologic storage. (DOE Share: $3,000,000) Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative Inc. Investigators will demonstrate advanced amines and additives supplied by Hitachi and Dow to capture 300,000 tons of CO2 per year. Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative will be building a 600-megawatt circulating fluidized bed power plant near Rogers City, Mich. (DOE Share: $2,723,512) University of Utah. More than 1 million tons of CO2 per year will be captured from various industrial sources, compressed, and transported via two new intra-state pipelines for CO2 enhanced oil recovery and deep saline sequestration research in Kansas . Beneath each enhanced oil recovery target, a major saline aquifer spanning most of the State of Kansas will be used for CO2 injection. (DOE Share: $2,696,556) Praxair Inc. Praxair will partner with BP Products North America, Denbury Resources, and Gulf Coast Carbon Center to demonstrate capture and sequestration of CO2 emissions from an existing hydrogen-production facility in an oil refinery into underground formations for CO2 enhanced oil recovery. This demonstration will be performed at the BP refinery, and a lateral pipeline will be built to connect to Denbury’s Green Pipeline to transport 1 million tons of CO2 per year. (DOE Share: $1,719,464) Archer Daniels Midland Corporation. Archer Daniels Midland Company, a member of DOE’s Midwes t Geological Sequestration Consortium, will partner with other research organizations to demonstrate Dow ALSTOM’s advanced amine process to capture CO2 from industrial flue gases and sequester the CO2 in the Mt. Simon Sandstone reservoir. (DOE Share: $1,480,656) CEMEX Inc. CEMEX USA will partner with RTI International to demonstrate a dry sorbent CO2 capture technology at one of its cement plants in the United States . CEMEX will design and construct a dry sorbent CO2 capture and compression system, pipeline (if necessary), and injection station. This commercial-scale carbon capture and sequestration demonstration project will remove up to 1 million tons of CO2. (DOE Share: $1,137,885) Air Products and Chemicals Inc. A system to concentrate CO2 from two steam methane reformer waste streams will be designed, constructed, and demonstrated at Port Arthur , Texas . More than 1 million tons of CO2 will be delivered per year via pipeline for sequestration into the Oyster Bayou oilfield for enhanced oil recovery by Denbury Onshore LLC. (DOE Share: $961,499) Leucadia Energy LLC. Leucadia Energy and Denbury Onshore will demonstrate advanced technologies that capture and sequester CO2 emissions from an industrial source. Mississippi Gasification LLC, a Leucadia affiliate, is building a petcoke-to-substitute natural gas plant in Moss Point , Miss. , to demo nstrate large-scale recovery, purification and compression of 4 million tons per year of CO2. (DOE Share: $840,000) Leucadia Energy LLC. Partnered with Denbury Onshore, Leucadia Energy will demonstrate advanced technologies that capture and sequester more than 4 million tons of CO2 emissions at the Lake Charles co-generation petroleum coke-to-chemicals (methanol) project to be located near Lake Charles , La. The project will transport compressed CO2 through a 12-mile pipeline that connects to Denbury’s Green Line pipeline system in Louisiana so that it can be used for enhanced oil recovery in the Hastings and Oyster Bayou oilfields in Texas . (DOE Share: $540,000) Battelle Memorial Institute, Pacific Northwest Division. Battelle researchers will partner with Boise White Paper LLC and Fluor Corporation to demonstrate geologic CO2 storage in deep flood basalt formations in the State of Washington . Fluor Corporation will design a customized version of its Econamine Plus carbon capture technology for operation with the specialized chemical composition of exhaust gases produced from combustion of black liquor fuels. (DOE Share: $500,00 0) Additionally, the Department has also made conditional selections of 16 projects that demonstrate innovative concepts for beneficial carbon dioxide use. These conditional selections are subject to additional merit reviews and technical evaluation. Resources Science special issue on carbon capture - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-AIR-CEMENT-KILN-FORUM list, send any message to: CONS-AIR-CEMENT-KILN-FORUM-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. 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Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.420 / Virus Database: 270.14.3/2414 - Release Date: 10/05/09 06:19:00 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

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Fwd: Chapter position on proposed change to national Sierra Club policy on drilling for natural gas
by James Kotcon 05 Oct '09

05 Oct '09

Ross: I am forwarding this message to the rest of our Chapter Energy Committee for comment. We are also quite concerned about Marcellus shale gas, as West Virginia has weaker regulation and enforcement than many surrounding states. We are experiencing problems with brine disposal, fracing fluids, and more, not to mention the unscrupulous land agents that are now engaged in a land rush to buy up mineral rights from surface property owners. We through the West Virginia Environmental Council) are including a "Surface Owners Bill of Rights" on our legislative agenda in the state capitol because the problems are so widespread. We also have widespread problems with coal-bed methane, although the issue of mountaintop removal mining for coal remains our top coal-related priority. Thanks for bringing your position to our attention, as I am sure the Chapter will want to comment on this. Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home) >>> Ross Gould <rgouldesq(a)gmail.com> 10/4/2009 11:55 PM >>> Fellow Sierran: My name is Ross Gould.I am a representative from the Atlantic Chapter's Natural Gas Task Force and I have been asked to contact chapter leaders on this important issue.I am reaching out to you because the national club is suggesting a major change in Sierra Club’s 2006 Energy Resources Policyand to implement a new Sierra Club policy regarding unconventional sources of natural gas, namely “deep shale gas” as a transitional fuel. The conclusion, that “gas from shales and tight sandstones is an acceptable transitional fuel if produced using best practices to limit environmental damage” represents a major shift in policy from the Sierra Club’s 2006Energy Resources Policywhere “new onshore natural gas” was specifically categorized as “resources opposed by the Sierra Club.” The previous policy only condoned the use of natural gas from existing fieldsas an acceptable transitional fuel. The Club's proposed policy can be found at: http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/conservation/policy/unconventional-natural-… The comment period on this proposed policy ends on October 10, 2009. The Atlantic Chapter takes this change seriously, as the rush to produce in the Marcellus and Utica shale formations threatens to transform as much as a third of New York State into a grid work of pipelines and well pads. We have yet to see evidence that this type of extraction can be executed in a manner that is sufficiently protective of our air, water, and remaining wild places. In the past year the chapter has successfully campaigned against the expansion of natural gas extraction resulting in the State mandated environmental review the process, which has also served as a de facto moratorium for new well permits since July of 2008. We are concerned that this change in national Sierra Club policy will undermine our credibility with grass roots activists through out the state who do not share the sentiment that their water, air and landscape should be sacrificed for the advancement of a transitional fuel. Our Chapter is against this proposed policy change. We are reaching out to other chapters around the country to get a feel for their position. I have attached a copy of our Chapter's recent resolution relating to Shale Gas drilling. I have also attached an article from Scientific American which outlines water pollution and other threats related to drilling for natural gas. We look forward to your response, your comments and discovering your chapter's position on this significant policy change. Please note that the comment period on this proposed serious policy change ends on October 10, 2009.We are reaching out to ask for your support in our proposed policy and for your chapter to submit comments opposing this significant change in policy. Thank you,Ross -- Ross H. Gould 10 Park Ave, 5L New York, NY 10016 T: 917-658-7144 E: rgouldesq(a)gmail.com ~ Think green. Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail ~

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Fwd: A new month and a new chance to get your story out
by Paul Wilson 02 Oct '09

02 Oct '09

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: West Virginia News Service WVNS <wvnsnews(a)gmail.com> Date: Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 11:53 AM Subject: A new month and a new chance to get your story out To: Hi Friends, October is suddenly on us and I'm looking for stories. Let me know if you have anything that you want to get out... drh -- West Virginia News Service (WVNS) Toll Free: 1-800-317-6705 Fax: 540-301-0801 E-mail: wvns(a)publicnewsservice.org -- 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

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Fw: EPA Research Fellowships of $46,500 each available
by Frank Young 29 Sep '09

29 Sep '09

Subject: 30 New EPA Research Fellowships of $46,500 Each Available The EPA is making available 30 grants of $46,500 each to enhance and support quality environmental education for undergraduates. The hope is that this assistance will encourage more students to continue their education beyond the baccalaureate level and pursue careers in environmentally related fields. Eligibility: Students at an accredited college or university. Deadline is Dec. 10. The fellowships are intended to help defray costs associated with environmentally oriented study leading to a bachelor's degree. Fellowships are funded in the following fields of study: · Natural and Life Sciences (Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-F2009U-GRO-P1). · Environmental Science and Interdisciplinary (Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-F2009U-GRO-P2). · Engineering (Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-F2009U-GRO-P3). · Social Sciences and Decision Making (Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-F2009U-GRO-P4). · Physical Sciences (Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-F2009U-GRO-Q1). · Mathematics and Computer Science (Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-F2009U-GRO-Q2). For all the details including contact information on this and other new funding opportunities, just click on or cut and paste the following link into your Web browser to get free access: http://www.cdpublications.com/d092 When you reach our site just scroll down the page and check off Federal & Foundation Assistance Monitor! The details are in the issue beginning the week of Sept. 14. Click here to forward this message to a friend. Any questions? Call us at 1-800-666-6380. CD Publication is a family-owned publisher established in 1961, 8204 Fenton Street, Silver Spring, Md. 20910. Pam Nixon Environmental Advocate WV DEP 601 57th Street, SE Charleston, WV 25304 Phone: 1 (800) 654-5227, Ext. 1328 Email: Pamela.Nixon(a)wv.gov

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Morgantown Solar Tour - October 3
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 26 Sep '09

26 Sep '09

Here is a press release that I received for a tour of Solar houses in and around Morgantown sponsored by American Solar Energy Society and Eco-Structures, LLC (John Garlow) on Saturday October 3 between 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. -Jonathan

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Fw: Victory! Clean Air Act safe... for now
by Jim Sconyers 25 Sep '09

25 Sep '09

Defeat of amendment that would have taken away EPA's authority to regulate CO2 global warming pollution. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Fri, 9/25/09, Steven Biel, MoveOn.org Political Action <moveon-help(a)list.moveon.org> wrote: From: Steven Biel, MoveOn.org Political Action <moveon-help(a)list.moveon.org> Subject: Victory! Clean Air Act safe... for now To: "James Sconyers" <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> Date: Friday, September 25, 2009, 3:15 PM #yiv595710679 , #yiv595710679 td, #yiv595710679 font {font-size:10pt;} #yiv595710679 #yiv595710679 td p {margin:0em;} #yiv595710679 p {margin:1em 0em;} #yiv595710679 td div p {margin:1em 0em;} #yiv595710679 #yiv595710679 .X0uMP p {margin:1em 0;} Dear MoveOn member, Great news: The Clean Air Act is safe, for now. The Murkowski amendment, which would have blocked limits on global warming pollution from coal plants and other big polluters, was withdrawn yesterday in the face of rising opposition from the White House and key senators. This was an amazing turnaround in just a few days. It just wouldn't have happened without thousands of phone calls and about a quarter-million petition signatures from MoveOn members and other allies—plus a big push from EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. You can read all about it on The Wall Street Journal website: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=84774&id=17340-9116415-WxBnsBx&t=1 Without question, the coal industry will come after these crucial limits on coal pollution again. Without the Bush administration to protect them, the coal industry is bent on repealing key sections of the Clean Air Act before President Obama can enforce the law. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid deserves credit. President Obama and EPA Administrator Jackson deserve credit. And so do you. Please send a quick note of thanks to Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, who led efforts to block Murkowski's amendment. You can post a message on his website here: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=84777&id=17340-9116415-WxBnsBx&t=2 Thanks for all you do.–Steven, Kat, Eli, Anna, and the rest of the team Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here. PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to James Sconyers on September 25, 2009. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

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Fw: [energy activists] Updates and ACTION: Stop Obstructionist Amendments!
by Jim Sconyers 24 Sep '09

24 Sep '09

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Wed, 9/23/09, Christina.Yagjian(a)sierraclub.org <Christina.Yagjian(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: From: Christina.Yagjian(a)sierraclub.org <Christina.Yagjian(a)sierraclub.org> Subject: [energy activists] Updates and ACTION: Stop Obstructionist Amendments! To: Christina.Yagjian(a)sierraclub.org Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2009, 5:34 PM The Senate is currently considering their 2010 Interior appropriations bill. This bill aims to invest in a clean energy economy, support a cleaner, healthier environment, and pave the way for comprehensive climate legislation this year. Not surprisingly, numerous obstructionist amendments have been offered to derail these goals. Please call your senators and ask them to oppose all weakening amendments to the Interior appropriations bill. Find your Representative: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd Warm Regards, Christina Marie Yagjian National Conservation Organizer Sierra Club, Global Warming and Energy 202.675.7911 __________________________________________________________________ INFORMATION BELOW Senate Climate Bill Senate Interior Appropriations Bill United Nations Special Session on Climate Change Latino Partnerships Materials CLIMATE BILL Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and John Kerry (D-MA) are closer to introducing the initial draft of their version of comprehensive climate legislation. The majority of the bill has been sent to legislative council for review and we expect it to be introduced next week. The Environment and Public Works Committee will likely take up the bill some time in the second half of October. Unlike the bill that passed the House earlier this year, we expect that the bill that Boxer will introduce will not limit the EPA?s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources like coal plants and oil refineries under the Clean Air Act (CAA). This is something that we are pleased with. We are still not sure how Max Baucus (D-MT) and Arlen Specter (D-PA) will react to leaving EPA authority over coal plants in the bill. Meetings with staff have not gone well. Assuming that Boxer is successful, we expect the issue of EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the CAA will come under attack as the Senate debate gets underway, however, and we will work to defend it as the bill moves to the Senate floor. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) has agreed to lead a ?dear colleague? letter in defense of CAA authority for the Senate floor debate. We will circulate the draft letter when it is finished. Phone bank to build support to strengthen and pass a Senate climate bill this year: Sierraclub.org/climateleaders INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS The Senate is currently considering the 2010 Interior appropriations bill. The bill which passed out of the Appropriations Committee provides the tools necessary to invest in a clean energy economy, support a cleaner, healthier environment, and pave the way for comprehensive climate legislation this year. Not surprisingly however, numerous obstructionist amendments have been offered to undermine this work. The Sierra Club is most concerned with an amendment filed by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) which will strip all funding for the EPA to fight global warming. Call your senators and ask them to oppose all weakening amendments to the Interior appropriations bill. These amendments undermine our work to improve the health, security, and economic strength of our communities through investments in a clean energy future. Find your Representative: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd Please see attached letter to the Senate from the environmental community to review additional amendments that we are watching. UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL SESSION ON CLIMATE CHANGE By Justin Guay In what was billed as a much needed momentum boost for the international negotiations on climate change the United Nations hosted a special session on climate change this week. The Alliance of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS), a block of low lying islands who are ground zero for climate change impacts framed the event with their new motto ?1.5 to stay alive? referring to the need to keep global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius to ensure their future survival. Sadly, key countries who were supposed to deliver at this summit, primarily the United States and China, failed to do so. The promise of ?game-changing? announcements were fulfilled with vague promises by the Chinese to ?cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by a notable margin by 2020? as well as a lack of new commitments from President Obama. True leadership at the summit came from the ?Japanese Obama?, Prime Minister Hatoyama, who reiterated Japan?s commitment to a 25% emissions reduction cut as well as unveiling his ?Hatoyama Initiative? which calls on developed countries, including Japan, to contribute new and additional public financing and promote the transfer of low-carbon technologies. The failure of the United States to seize this critical opportunity to provide momentum for Copenhagen demonstrates the need to demand action from the Senate. This is the only way to allow the President to make strong declarations in international forums. We can't afford these opportunities to keep passing by. LATINO PARTNERSHIPS MATERIALS Thanks to those who joined last night?s energy activist call. As promised, below are materials that should help in your work with Latino communities. First National Poll on Latinos and the Environment: http://www.sierraclub.org/ecocentro/survey/default.aspx Latinos and Global Warming Fact Sheet: http://www.sierraclub.org/energy/factsheets/globalwarming-latinos.pdf

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PATH Public Hearings and Sierra Club members
by James Kotcon 22 Sep '09

22 Sep '09

All: If you are planning to attend any of the public hearings on PATH, it is recommended that you speak as individuals, rather than as representing the Club. It is important that members testify as individuals, AND that you mention that you are a Sierra Club member who is affected by PATH, and how you personally will be affected. (i.e., you live nearby, you will have scenic impacts in areas where you recreate, you live downwind of the power plants that will supply the line, you live near coal mines that supply coal to supply the line, you have children that will face global warming issues that will be exacerbated because of the PATH line, etc.). But the PSC has ruled that intervenor testimony won't be accepted at public hearings and it is critical that we serve all other intervenors with any official testimony on behalf of the Club. Go to the hearings, speak out, but do it carefully. Jim Kotcon PM >>> See below. Do you know if any Sierra Club members are planning on testifying? We would want them only to testify on their own behalf as individual citizens, not as representatives of Sierra Club, but they can mention that they are members. Elena Saxonhouse Sierra Club Environmental Law Program 85 Second St., 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 977-5765 (415) 977-5793 (fax) ----- Forwarded by Elena Saxonhouse/Sierraclub on 09/22/2009 04:04 PM ----- wburns(a)burnslegal.net 09/22/2009 04:03 PM Please respond to wburns(a)burnslegal.net To "William V. DePaulo" <william.depaulo(a)gmail.com>, "Abigail Dillen" <adillen(a)earthjustice.org>, "Elena K. Saxonhouse" <elena.saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org>, "Willard R. Burns" <wburns(a)burnslegal.net> cc Subject Fw: Public Hearings Set Bill: You should consider having some of the Sierra Club members who will be directly affected by the PATH line testify at some of the public input hearings to ensure that the record shows the SC has standing - i.e. have SC members testify that they are SC members and how they will be directly affected (going through or near their property, rate increases, viewshed, their kids or they use the area or play nearby, etc.). Wil Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry -----Original Message----- From: Patience Wait <waitp(a)stoppathwv.com> Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:39:05 To: <wburns(a)burnslegal.net> Subject: Public Hearings Set To all our friends helping us try to STOP THE PATH PROJECT: The West Virginia Public Service Commission has scheduled two days of hearings in Jefferson County next week. PATH will disrupt hundreds of people's lives in Jefferson County, and many more elsewhere in West Virginia. Our rates will go up, but we will get none of the electricity. Electricity demand is dropping, but the power companies want to push it through anyhow because they'll make a guaranteed 14.3% profit! It will continue - even expand - the use of coal to generate electricity, even though states up and down the East Coast are trying to increase investment in renewable resources. And despite the power companies' advertising, it WILL NOT strengthen the grid - if anything, long-distance transmission makes the grid more unreliable, according to testimony before Congress in 2008!! If you want to express your views on the Potomac Appalachian Transmission Highline project, these hearings (and others scheduled around the state) are your only chance to participate and make your feelings known! The hearings are scheduled for the Frank Arts Center, on the west campus of Shepherd University. The schedule is: Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 12:30 and 6:30 Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 8:30 a.m. The 140 intervenors in the case from Jefferson County - including the Jefferson County Commission - are not allowed to testify. So it's up to all the other citizens of the county to show up and give voice to your opposition to this project. Go to www.stoppathwv.com for more information and to find many of the arguments against PATH. You also can check out http://calhounpowerline.wordpress.com for a great summary of information on the case! If you have family, friends, co-workers who still don't know about PATH, we're holding a Citizens Information Meeting this Sunday, Sept. 20, at the Sam Michaels Park community center from 3-5 p.m. We will have maps and handouts that show everything that's wrong with this project - wrong for Jefferson County, wrong for West Virginia, and wrong for the country! We send our heartfelt thanks to the many individuals who have donated to StopPATH WV Inc. We are in desperate need of funds to pay for expert witnesses and legal fees to help stop PATH from destroying our community. Please consider making a donation to our fight, no matter how small. Checks can be made payable to StopPATH WV Inc. and mailed to P.O. Box 203, Shepherdstown, WV 25443. We appreciate your generosity and spirit of community as we all come together to perserve our environment, health, safety, property values, historic and cultural resources, property rights and the very character of our community. "Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together." - Vesta M. Kelly Patience Wait and Keryn Newman You have received this e-mail because you opted to do so. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list please click here http://www.fatcow.com/utils/UnSubscribeMe.bml?Name=moo.keryn&List=biglist1&… .

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Fw: Re: Upcoming public hearing in WV on mountaintop removal
by Jim Sconyers 22 Sep '09

22 Sep '09

On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 2:51 PM, <aaron.isherwood(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: Dear WV Chapter : I wanted to be sure you all know about the upcoming hearing in Charleston on October 13 (more details below). It is very important, in my view, that we turn out as many as possible to support the administration's proposal to modify the nationwide permit such that it can't be used for MTR. If you have questions, please let me know. Best, Aaron Aaron Isherwood Senior Staff Attorney Sierra Club Environmental Law Program 85 Second Street, 2d Floor San Francisco, CA 94105-3441 Phone: (415) 977-5680 Fax: (415) 977-5793 CONFIDENTIAL LEGAL COMMUNICATION/WORK PRODUCT This e-mail may contain privileged and confidential attorney-client communications and/or attorney work product. If you receive this e-mail inadvertently, please reply to the sender and delete all versions on your system. Thank you. ----- Forwarded by Aaron Isherwood/Sierraclub on 09/16/2009 11:39 AM ----- "Mary Anne Hitt" <maryanne.hitt(a)sierraclub.org> 09/16/2009 11:36 AM Please respond to <maryanne.hitt(a)sierraclub.org> To <#coal(a)sierraclub.org> cc Subject Upcoming public hearings on mountaintop removal Coal fighters, I wanted to be sure everyone was aware of these upcoming public hearings on mountaintop removal, especially those are already working on mountaintop removal as part of their work plans and campaigns. More details about the hearings and the proposed rule, including specific hearings locations and times, are pasted below. The focus of the hearings is the Army Corps’ decision to stop issuing rubber-stamp permits called “nationwide permits” in Appalachia, a type of permit that was designed to be used for projects with minimal environmental impact. During the Bush Administration, the Army Corps regularly granted nationwide permits for valley fills, even after federal judges found that the practice was illegal. 1. October 13, 2009, in Charleston, West Virginia 2. October 15, 2009, in Cambridge, Ohio 3. October 13, 2009, in Pikeville, Kentucky 4. October 13, 2009, in Knoxville, Tennessee 5. October 15, 2009, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 6. October 15, 2009, in Big Stone Gap, Virginia If anyone would like to put together a quick call to strategize around these hearings, please reply to me off list and I would be happy to coordinate a call. Mary Anne Contents Federal Register Vol. 74, No. 174 Thursday, September 10, 2009 Engineers Corps NOTICES Public Hearings: Proposed Suspension and Modification of Nationwide Permit (21) , 46582–46583 [E9–21792] [TEXT] [PDF] ~~~~~~~~ SUMMARY: In the July 15, 2009, issue of the Federal Register (74 FR 34311) the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published a proposal to take two actions concerning Nationwide Permit 21, which authorizes discharges of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States for surface coal mining activities. The two proposed actions are to suspend NWP 21 to prohibit its use to authorize surface coal mining activities in the Appalachian region of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, and then to modify NWP 21 to make that prohibition permanent until NWP 21 expires on March 18, 2012. In the July 15, 2009, notice we also offered commenters opportunity to request a public hearing. In the August 13, 2009, issue of the Federal Register (74 FR 40815), we extended the comment period to September 14, 2009. We have received several requests to hold public hearings, and have determined that hearings would afford us the opportunity to gain additional information to assist us in reaching decisions on these two proposed actions. Therefore, we will be holding public hearings in each of the six affected states. Written comments to supplement the hearing records may be submitted until October 26, 2009. .... .... The public hearings will be held on the following dates and at the following locations: 1. Huntington District: October 13, 2009, in Charleston, West Virginia at the Charleston Civic Center, Little Theatre. The public hearing will start at 7 p.m. Additional information on this public hearing will be available at: http://www.lrh.usace.army.mil/permits/ publicnotices/wv/. 2. Huntington District: October 15, 2009, in Cambridge, Ohio at the Pritchard Laughlin Civic Center. The public hearing will start at 7 p.m. Additional information on this public hearing will be available at: http://www.lrh.usace.army.mil/permits/publicnotices/oh/. 3. Louisville District: October 13, 2009, in Pikeville, Kentucky at the East Kentucky Expo Center. The public hearing will start at 7 p.m. Additional information on this public hearing will be available at: http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/. 4. Nashville District: October 13, 2009, in Knoxville, Tennessee. The public hearing will start at 7 p.m. Additional information on this public hearing will be available at: http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/cof/ special_notices.htm. 5. Pittsburgh District: October 15, 2009, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The public hearing will start at 7 p.m. Additional information on this public hearing will be available at: http:// www.lrp.usace.army.mil/or/or-f/public_notice.htm. 6. Norfolk District: October 15, 2009, in Big Stone Gap, Virginia at Mountain Empire Community College. The public hearing will start at 7 p.m. Additional information on this public hearing will be available at: http://www.nao.usace.army.mil/technical%20services/ Regulatory%20branch/PN/PN.asp. Specific information for each public hearing, including the addresses of the hearing locations, will be posted on the district Web sites listed above. -- Mary Anne Hitt Deputy Campaign Director Beyond Coal Campaign Sierra Club 304-876-7064 (w) 540-239-0073 (c) maryanne.hitt(a)sierraclub.org www.sierraclub.org/coal

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Fwd: NY Times: States can sue utilities over emissions
by James Kotcon 22 Sep '09

22 Sep '09

Holy Moly! This may be a game changer, or at least another hole in the rapidly crumbling dike of denial. JBK >>> Vickie Wolfe <ibtreehugger(a)gmail.com> 9/22/2009 12:30 PM >>> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/22/science/earth/22carbon.html -- ```````````````````````````````````````````````````` Vickie L. Wolfe PHONE: (304) 744-8777 E-MAIL: IBTreehugger(a)gmail.com ```````````````````````````````````````````````````` "It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save our environment." -Ansel Adams Every step in human progress, from the first feeble stirrings in the abyss of time, has been opposed by the great majority of men. Every valuable thing that has been added to the store of man's possessions has been derided by them when it was new, and destroyed by them when they had the power. They have fought every new truth ever heard of, and they have killed every truth-seeker who got into their hands. --H. L. Mencken

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FYI - Ken Ward's COAL TATOO reference to Raleigh Herald story on arrest of drunk who assaulted Kayford Mountain 4th of July gathering, and Ralegih Herald article itself
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 18 Sep '09

18 Sep '09

Drunken nonsense update: Arrest in Kayford incident *by* Ken Ward Jr. Remember the drunks who showed up and disrupted the July 4 celebration<http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2009/07/06/drunken-nonsense-is-this-w…>at mountaintop removal activist Larry Gibson’s place up at Kayford Mountain? Well, State Police have apparently made an arrest in the incident, according to this story<http://www.register-herald.com/policecourts/local_story_260224624.html>in the Beckley Register-Herald: *Adam Pauley, 24, of Daniels, was charged with disorderly conduct, public intoxication and assault (verbal), Lt. S.F. Van Meter said. Sgt. M.A. Smith of the Whitesville detachment arrested Pauley Thursday, and Pauley was released on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond.* *The charges against Pauley stem from an alleged July 4 incident, Van Meter said. On that day, Larry Gibson was hosting a party at his Kayford Mountain home in Raleigh County’s Coal River area. The people attending were anti-mountaintop removal activists. Pauley showed up at the party uninvited and reportedly caused a disturbance.* Thanks to a Coal Tattoo reader who pointed this story out to me … and if you don’t recall, here’s the video<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjc7Jg_gMy0&feature=player_embedded>of what happened (careful — the language is pretty bad). 1 comment 1<http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2009/09/18/drunken-nonsense-update-ar…> *Nanette *{ 09.18.09 at 11:03 am } Thank you, thank you, thank you Ken!!! We have gotten so much heat over this by coal people who said that this was all made up! Somtimes the wheels of justice turns slowly, but finally an arrest has been made!!! ------------------------------- *MAN ARRESTED FOR DISORDERLY CONDUCT AT HOLIDAY PARTY* *The Register-Herald -- Fri - Sept 18, 2009* A Raleigh County man was arrested Thursday after State Police say he crashed a July 4 party while intoxicated and caused a disturbance. Adam Pauley, 24, of Daniels, was charged with disorderly conduct, public intoxication and assault (verbal), Lt. S.F. Van Meter said. Sgt. M.A. Smith of the Whitesville detachment arrested Pauley Thursday, and Pauley was released on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond. The charges against Pauley stem from an alleged July 4 incident, Van Meter said. On that day, Larry Gibson was hosting a party at his Kayford Mountain home in Raleigh County’s Coal River area. The people attending were anti-mountaintop removal activists. Pauley showed up at the party uninvited and reportedly caused a disturbance. No further information was available on the incident. — Amelia A. Pridemore -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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SIERRA CLUB MOTION TO INTERVENE, RULE 24 (c) STATEMENT AND RELATED DOCUMENTS
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 17 Sep '09

17 Sep '09

ATTACHED ARE THE PLEADINGS FILED IN LOGAN COUNTY AND SERVED ON PARTIES IN CHIEF LOGAN PARK CASE ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: William V. DePaulo, Esq. <william.depaulo(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, Sep 17, 2009 at 9:09 PM Subject: SIERRA CLUB MOTION TO INTERVENE, RULE 24 (c) STATEMENT AND RELATED DOCUMENTS To: "Timothy M. Miller" <tmm(a)ramlaw.com>, acb(a)ramlaw.com, Raymond.S.Franks(a)wv.gov, lgeorge(a)larrygeorgelaw.com, "Tom W. Rodd" < trodd(a)calwelllaw.com> Cc: William DePaulo <william.depaulo(a)gmail.com> Counsel: Attached are pleadings served by fax tonight on Cabot Oil & Gas Corp, the Lawson Heirs, Inc and the DEP. They will be filed tomorrow with the Logan County Circuit Court. Best regards, William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email. -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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WVEC Fall Conference Schedule and Registration
by Grubb, Karen 17 Sep '09

17 Sep '09

Here are the handouts for the upcoming WV Environmental Council Fall Conference. Please consider attending this fun and informative weekend meeting September 25-27. Karen Grubb WV Sierra Conservation Chair

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FW: [energy activists] ACTION: "Congress, 'Don't Stand in the Way of EPA Action on Climate Change!' "
by Grubb, Karen 17 Sep '09

17 Sep '09

-----Original Message----- From: Christina.Yagjian(a)sierraclub.org [mailto:Christina.Yagjian@sierraclub.org] Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 11:54 AM To: Christina.Yagjian(a)sierraclub.org Subject: [energy activists] ACTION: "Congress, 'Don't Stand in the Way of EPA Action on Climate Change!' " PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR LISTS! Congress, "Don't Stand in the Way of EPA Action on Climate Change!" The Senate is currently considering legislation that will fund the EPA for the next year, and opponents of action on climate change are looking to prevent the EPA from acting to curb global warming pollution or accurately measure the potential climate impacts of biofuels. It is vital that both Congress and EPA work quickly together if we are to make real progress on global warming. Prohibiting EPA from addressing global warming pollution ignores science and undermines existing laws. It also takes away some of our country's most valuable tools for curbing global warming. Tell the Senate to move us towards a clean energy economy, and not to stand in the way of EPA action on climate change: http://tinyurl.com/nntmom Warm Regards, Christina Marie Yagjian National Conservation Organizer Sierra Club, Global Warming and Energy 202.675.7911

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FW: PATH Schedule WV, VA, MD
by Grubb, Karen 16 Sep '09

16 Sep '09

From: Elena.Saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org [mailto:Elena.Saxonhouse@sierraclub.org] Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 12:57 PM To: adillen(a)EARTHJUSTICE.ORG; alana.wase(a)mdsierra.org; daveol(a)earthlink.net; glenbesasc(a)earthlink.net; Grubb, Karen; rmarmet(a)pecva.org; william.depaulo(a)gmail.com Subject: PATH Schedule WV, VA, MD (Bill, please forward to WV Highland Conservancy) Maryland October 9: Deadline for PATH to inform PSC whether it will re-file an application [No other deadlines set] Virginia October 14 - Our direct testimony due December 22 - PATH rebuttal testimony January 12, 2010 - Written comments due January 19, 2010 - SCC hearing begins West Virginia Public hearings: 9/22/2009, 12:30 pm & 6:30 pm & Wednesday 9/23/2009, 8:30 am in Shepherdstown, WV at Shepherd University, Frank Arts Center, 260 University Drive 9/28/2009, 12:30 pm & 6:30 pm in Sutton, WV at Days Hotel & Conference Center in Flatwoods, 2000 Sutton Lane, 1-79, Exit 67 10/2/2009, 12:30 pm & 6:30 pm in Charleston, WV at Culture Center State Theater, Plaza Level of the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex, 1900 Kanawha Blvd E 10/13/2009, 12:30 pm & 6:30 pm in Davis, WV at Canaan Valley Resort & Conference Center, Spruce Room, Route 32 N, Canaan Valley State Park 10/22/2009, 12:30 pm & 6:30 pm in Buckhannon, WV at West Virginia Wesleyan College, Campus Center Social , Hall, 59 College Avenue November 13 - Our direct testimony due February 8-February 23, 2010 - PSC Hearing June 21, 2010 - PSC decision Elena Saxonhouse Sierra Club Environmental Law Program 85 Second St., 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 977-5765 (415) 977-5793 (fax) Elena Saxonhouse/Sierraclub 09/15/2009 04:38 PM To adillen(a)EARTHJUSTICE.ORG, rmarmet(a)pecva.org, william.depaulo(a)gmail.com, <alana.wase(a)mdsierra.org>, <daveol(a)earthlink.net>, <glenbesasc(a)earthlink.net>, <Karen.Grubb(a)fairmontstate.edu> cc Subject Reminder - Important PATH call tomorrow Link <Notes:///882574D3007C8366/DABA975B9FB113EB852564B5001283EA/C21C039D7D03 85768825762C0055DE97> Hi everyone, Please remember we are having a PATH call tomorrow with Sierra Club chapter leaders from WV, MD, and VA to update them on the overall legal strategy, and discuss how their organizing strategy fits in with the legal proceedings. The call-in info is: 1-866-501-6174 2030289# Attorneys please call in at 1 pm ET if you can, everyone else at 1:30 ET. Thanks! Elena Saxonhouse Sierra Club Environmental Law Program 85 Second St., 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 977-5765 (415) 977-5793 (fax) Elena Saxonhouse/Sierraclub 09/09/2009 08:39 AM To Willard Burns, Abigail Dillen, William DePaulo, Rob Marmet cc Subject PATH call today 1pm ET Sorry for the late reminder - let's check in today at 1pm ET. Same call-in info: 1-866-501-6174 2030289# Elena Saxonhouse Sierra Club Environmental Law Program 85 Second St., 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 977-5765 (415) 977-5793 (fax)

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Fwd: Notice of Joint Agency/Public/Tribal Meetings
by James Kotcon 16 Sep '09

16 Sep '09

The attached announcement describes a publi hearing for a hudropower project proposed for the Robert C Byrd Lok and dam ner Apple grove, mason County, WV. The hearing is Oct. 1. Anyone interested in attending? I have not looked over the detail, but would like to support a project that meets the criteria for Low Impact HydroPower. JBK

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PATH - PART 5 OF 5
by William DePaulo via YouSendIt 15 Sep '09

15 Sep '09

You have a priority delivery from YouSendIt Click here to download file: https://rcpt.yousendit.com/740136301/5939ebd80e48978565915781156ab021 Sent by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com File to pick up: PATH DISK 4 - 2009-09-11.zip File will remain active for: 14 days File too big for email? Try at http://www.yousendit.com YouSendIt Inc. : http://www.yousendit.com Terms of Service: http://www.yousendit.com/cms/termsofservice Privacy Policy : http://www.yousendit.com/cms/privacypolicy DMCA Policy: http://www.yousendit.com/cms/dmca Opt Out: http://www.yousendit.com/blocking.php?action=optout&email=EC@osenergy.org&k…

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PART 4 OF 5
by William DePaulo via YouSendIt 15 Sep '09

15 Sep '09

You have a priority delivery from YouSendIt Click here to download file: https://rcpt.yousendit.com/740136009/ac6c6e99faddaab5bb0f0517fc54f5db Sent by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com File to pick up: PATH DISK 3 - 2009-09-09.zip File will remain active for: 14 days File too big for email? Try at http://www.yousendit.com YouSendIt Inc. : http://www.yousendit.com Terms of Service: http://www.yousendit.com/cms/termsofservice Privacy Policy : http://www.yousendit.com/cms/privacypolicy DMCA Policy: http://www.yousendit.com/cms/dmca Opt Out: http://www.yousendit.com/blocking.php?action=optout&email=EC@osenergy.org&k…

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PART 3 OF 5
by William DePaulo via YouSendIt 15 Sep '09

15 Sep '09

You have a priority delivery from YouSendIt Click here to download file: https://rcpt.yousendit.com/740135597/25e5f11288adf8296aeea566c3e59ae5 Sent by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com File to pick up: PATH DISK 2 - 2009-09-09.zip File will remain active for: 14 days File too big for email? Try at http://www.yousendit.com YouSendIt Inc. : http://www.yousendit.com Terms of Service: http://www.yousendit.com/cms/termsofservice Privacy Policy : http://www.yousendit.com/cms/privacypolicy DMCA Policy: http://www.yousendit.com/cms/dmca Opt Out: http://www.yousendit.com/blocking.php?action=optout&email=EC@osenergy.org&k…

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PATH - PART 2 OF 5
by William DePaulo via YouSendIt 15 Sep '09

15 Sep '09

You have a priority delivery from YouSendIt Click here to download file: https://rcpt.yousendit.com/740135187/f39f831a3112c7fecd9514fe17f7237f Sent by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com File to pick up: PATH DISK 1 - 2009-09-08.zip File will remain active for: 14 days File too big for email? Try at http://www.yousendit.com YouSendIt Inc. : http://www.yousendit.com Terms of Service: http://www.yousendit.com/cms/termsofservice Privacy Policy : http://www.yousendit.com/cms/privacypolicy DMCA Policy: http://www.yousendit.com/cms/dmca Opt Out: http://www.yousendit.com/blocking.php?action=optout&email=EC@osenergy.org&k…

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PATH DISCOVERY RESPONSE TO SIERRA-WVHC DISCOVERY REQUESTS - PART 1 OF 5
by William DePaulo via YouSendIt 15 Sep '09

15 Sep '09

You have a priority delivery from YouSendIt Attached is the first of five links to download the various responses by PATH to the Sierra-WVHC<wbr /> discovery requests at the PSC. The second thru fifth links will follow. Click here to download file: https://rcpt.yousendit.com/740134753/ab52bbb4c8e9e06634a35e845ebdddce Sent by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com File to pick up: PATH - DISCOVERY OBJECTIONS AND File will remain active for: 14 days File too big for email? Try at http://www.yousendit.com YouSendIt Inc. : http://www.yousendit.com Terms of Service: http://www.yousendit.com/cms/termsofservice Privacy Policy : http://www.yousendit.com/cms/privacypolicy DMCA Policy: http://www.yousendit.com/cms/dmca Opt Out: http://www.yousendit.com/blocking.php?action=optout&email=EC@osenergy.org&k…

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New York Times article on Water Quality
by James Kotcon 13 Sep '09

13 Sep '09

This article is really cool. If you check out the database link on the article, the permit for the MEA power plant on Beechurst Avenue was last inspected in 1992. Inspections for every other permit in the Morgantown area are even older, if they happened at all. In fact, it looks like the last time WV-DEP did an inspection of an NPDES permit anywhere in WV was over 10 years ago, and then they "inspected" Canaan Valley State Park. JBK http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/13water.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

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Fwd: Bruce Nilles' blog post: "MTR Permits Violate Clean Water Act"
by James Kotcon 13 Sep '09

13 Sep '09

WOW!!! EPA said Friday that everyone of 79 pending MTR permits will violate water quality standards. We need to comment on this to press. Letters to the editor anyone? Is the Manchin Administration "soft on crime"? JBK >>> Heather Moyer <Heather.Moyer(a)SIERRACLUB.ORG> 9/11/2009 12:10 PM >>> Howdy folks-- Bruce Nilles' latest blog post (co-written by Mary Anne Hitt) is now available. It's entitled "EPA: All Pending MTR Permits Violate Clean Water Act." Please comment and Recommend - and forward to your local lists. Grist - http://www.grist.org/member/11566/ Daily Kos - http://www.dailykos.com/user/Bruce%20Nilles Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-nilles Compass - http://sierraclub.typepad.com/compass/coal-director/ Opposing Views - http://www.opposingviews.com/tags/environment SF Green - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/contribute/sn/persona?plckPersonaPage=Persona… Climate Crossroads - http://connect.sierraclub.org/post/ClimateCrossroadsBlog/epa_all_pending_mo… Also posted on - SE Green, Alltop Green, and Alternet ____________ Heather Moyer Media Writer Sierra Club (202) 675-6276 www.sierraclub.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

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Fwd: Coal Front Group Loses Another Member
by James Kotcon 10 Sep '09

10 Sep '09

>>> Virginia Cramer <virginia.cramer(a)SIERRACLUB.ORG> 9/9/2009 3:36 PM >>> FYI, went out to reporters earlier today. Here's a link to the Greenwire story on it that is posted on the NYT right now. <http://tiny.cc/85opM> http://tiny.cc/85opM - ginny View a web <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=lN6b5fWn0aGKzE56VbO5Zw..> version of this email. <http://www.sierraclub.org/raw/images/blackpixel.gif> <http://www.sierraclub.org/raw/images/blackpixel.gif> <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=8JliS_pQUay6CHCfYjvgaQ..> Press Room: For Immediate Release <http://www.sierraclub.org/raw/images/blackpixel.gif> Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet <http://www.sierraclub.org/raw/images/tagline_white.gif> <http://www.sierraclub.org/root_images/spacers/space.gif> September 9, 2009 Contact: Virginia Cramer, 804-225-9113 x 102 Coal Front Group Loses Another Member Just a week after the nation’s third largest utility, Duke Energy announced it was of the terminating its membership in the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, French giant Alstom power today followed suit. The company, which makes pollution control technologies for coal plants, cited “questions that have been raised about ACCCE’s support for climate legislation” as the reason for leaving. In response, Bruce Nilles, Director Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign issued the following statement. “The coal industry has been actively fighting clean energy jobs legislation using any means necessary, including contracting with groups connected to admitted forgery scandals and ethically questionable astroturf campaigns. Today’s announcement by Alstom is just more confirmation that ACCCE has gone too far—that the thin veneer of concern about the future of our country has cracked to reveal only concern for preserving the dirty status quo for coal. “We cannot let our clean energy economy be sacrificed to extreme coal interests that have only their bottom line, not the best interests of the American people, at heart. We need a clean energy jobs bill that benefits everyone, not just coal. We hope that other companies who consider the public interest part of their mission will resign from or at least condemn groups like ACCCE and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for their efforts to kill clean energy jobs.” ### <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PixelServer?j=nySMyr60nP0qS0Dm1_1LFw..> <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=qvpF0i-xV-AMGM0Tr2nuRA..> Click here to sign up for Raw <http://www.sierraclub.org/root_images/spacers/space.gif> <http://www.sierraclub.org/raw/images/blackpixel.gif> Sierra <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=bWV2pEMxmFRBe28lHGSGPw..> Club | 85 Second St., San Francisco, CA 94105 | Change Media <mailto:sierra.news@sierraclub.org?subject=Media Type> Type | Contact <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=-zBe5mxTc5YOIeyTStPxFw..> Us | Visit the <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=1MihNjex4qh1chAHPnfnHQ..> Press Room Update My <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=en0hhRZhGRfm-ZWI2o5BvQ..> Profile | Manage <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/CO?i=6c22YpOS3O0LyRp155dV17w9MTyd3me1&cid =1961> My Email Preferences | Update My <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=C1sThtiaJmYf6XpW_DuOzA..> Interests | Unsubscribe <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=f6GYZ34GLAUVoZ-gxvRflw..> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Informed discussion of competing interests of gas v coal in cap & trade legislation
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 07 Sep '09

07 Sep '09

-- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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Fwd: New Bills/Laws & Resources -- 9-24
by James Kotcon 06 Sep '09

06 Sep '09

You might find some of this useful. JBK >>> Paula Carrell <Paula.Carrell(a)sierraclub.org> 9/3/2009 7:50 PM >>> --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS 1. Learn about the "Smart Grid" 2. N. Carolina debates Wind on mountain ridges 3. Recycling Compact Fluorescent Bulbs -- Maine 1. Is it smarter than a 5th grader? Ivy Main, a volunteer leader in Virginia, unearthed the below-noted reports. Completely TMI, but still you might share them with your Energy Committee and encourage them to poke around a bit for some basic education. The states' role is ensuring that *renewable* energy can get on the grid through strong state interconnection standards. Both the Department Of Energy (DOE) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued reports this summer on the nation's energy grid. The DOE report is "Smart Grid System Report," at http://www.oe.energy.gov/DocumentsandMedia/SGSRMain_090707_lowres.pdf contains a good discussion of the status of the smart grid. It also explains the relevance of interconnection standards to the smart grid and describes the overlapping federal/state jurisdiction in this area, making it clear that a lot of states are lagging on adopting acceptable interconnection standards. (See the section starting on page 20.) The FERC document, at http://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/comm-meet/2009/071609/E-3.pdf announces a policy to promote and set standards for transmission system upgrades. FERC claims it has authority to set standards for transmission, but it is apparently not saying these are mandatory. 3. The wind blows where it chooses . . . The North Carolina State Legislature spent some time this past session talking about wind as well as contributing to it. The legislation before them was S 1068, which can be found at http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2009/Bills/Senate/PDF/S1068v3.pdf Molly Diggins says about the bill, "North Carolina's greatest wind resources are off-shore, but there are also commercially viable resources in the mountains and on the coast (sounds). The state currently has no commercial wind and also lacks and environmental permitting process. The bill before the legislature is well-thought out and well-crafted. It is written in two sections--wind on the coast and wind in the mountains. Other Atlantic coastal states may want to review the bill thoughtfully. And here's the view of the "Charlotte Observer" Editorial Board from Aug. 08, 2009: Senate right to block ridgetop wind farms Should North Carolina allow huge wind turbines on its mountain ridges to help meet future energy needs? We don't think so. But it also ought not short-circuit the potential for wind power projects in other mountain areas that may not spoil the views millions of Americans revere. We start with this proposition: One of the wisest things the legislature did in the 1980s is to adopt the mountain ridge law. It bans certain development on ridgetops in Western North Carolina to prevent the spoilage of the state's magnificent vistas. Among the things prohibited are tall condo projects and other structures that alter the viewscape. It's a good law. But controversy has risen over whether its provisions halt development of large wind turbine farms that, under a new sustainable energy law lawmakers adopted a few years ago, would help provide alternative power sources. The goal is to produce 12.5 percent of the state's energy requirements by 2021 with renewable sources such as solar and wind. To meet that goal, many environmentalists argue, the state must use available resources, including the Western N.C. winds that blow most steadily along ridgetops. We don't believe mountaintops are an appropriate place to put wind farms, collections of dozens of wind turbines that can tower up to four hundred feet high, measured from their base to the tips of their rotors. We believe the best spot is along parts of North Carolina's windswept coastline, either offshore or in its more protected sounds. In many of those areas, wind farms could be constructed that do not substantially mar the view and which could take advantage of more reliable winds than many mountain areas. We think Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, D-Dare, has this one right: The coast would be ideal for concentrations of wind farms that could produce significant amounts of electricity. He has talked with Duke Energy about such a possibility in our offshore areas, he says. That's why we like several things about a bill the Senate passed 45-1 Thursday. It sets up a careful process for assessing and issuing permits for coastal area wind farms. And it reasserts the value of the mountain ridgetop law by banning commercial windmill operations. It does allow smaller windmills for residential use. But we'd like to see legislators find a way to encourage the development of emerging wind turbine technology that might be appropriate for some Western N.C. slopes. That includes devices that use much less intrusive turbines than the three-rotor turbines found on many Western United States and European wind farms, for example. There may not be time left in the current legislative session for the House to make suitable revisions to the Senate bill that would allow research and development of mountain wind projects to go forward. But legislators should put their minds to finding a way, before they reconvene next year, to develop appropriate wind energy projects in Western N.C. that do not threaten the very landscape that North Carolinians hold so dear. 3. The Brightest Bulb Maine's LD 973 provides a free and easy way for consumers to recycle compact fluorescent bulbs and sets a standard for the amount of mercury that can be contained in them. Bill text: http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_124th/chappdfs/PUBLIC272.… ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To get off this list, send email to: LISTSERV(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Make the message text (not the Subject): SIGNOFF CONS-FRED

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Re: [EC] {GT} Some Buildings Not Living Up to Green Label
by Chris Haddox 03 Sep '09

03 Sep '09

thanks, jim. i saw this, or another similar article, recently. i agree that the focus on energy is not strong enough. i can dig up some other articles that strive to show leed buildings are not always performing as expected. some are, some do better, some do worse. unfortunately, our states' first leed building, the dep building, has no benchmarking or tracking of energy costs (at least that is the word from a very knowledgeable inside source). when i asked rep. martin to get the dep's numbers for energy, he replied with the same story.....no one is keeping track of that information. chris J. Chris Haddox, MBA, LEED AP, GA/R Visiting Assistant Professor, Sustainable Design Division of Design & Merchandising West Virginia University 704M Allen Hall Box 6124 Morgantown, WV 26505 E-Mail: chris.haddox(a)mail.wvu.edu Phone: (304) 293-3657 Program Website: http://www.design.wvu.edu >>> "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> 09/03/09 11:28 AM >>> This article suggests, among other things, that on-going energy monitoring and management are critical to meeting the environemtnal goals of LLED-certified buildings. Enjoy. JBK SCIENCE / ENVIRONMENT | August 31, 2009 Some Buildings Not Living Up to Green Label By MIREYA NAVARRO Builders covet a green certification, but many buildings do not save as much energy as their designs predicted. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/science/earth/31leed.html?emc=eta1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THIS E-MAIL This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service. For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help(a)nytimes.com. NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MorgantownGreenTeam" group. To post to this group, send email to morgantowngreenteam(a)googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to morgantowngreenteam+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/morgantowngreenteam?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

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Some Buildings Not Living Up to Green Label
by James Kotcon 03 Sep '09

03 Sep '09

This article suggests, among other things, that on-going energy monitoring and management are critical to meeting the environemtnal goals of LLED-certified buildings. Enjoy. JBK SCIENCE / ENVIRONMENT | August 31, 2009 Some Buildings Not Living Up to Green Label By MIREYA NAVARRO Builders covet a green certification, but many buildings do not save as much energy as their designs predicted. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/science/earth/31leed.html?emc=eta1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THIS E-MAIL This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service. For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help(a)nytimes.com. NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company

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new wind farm proposed for southern WV
by Frank Young 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Blank This would be in southeastern Raleigh County- closer to Hinton than to Beckley.- Frank --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- County plans hearing on Pluto wind farm proposal. A property owner in Pluto is preparing to make his case this month for the advent of a wind farm, installing as many as 18 turbines to generate electricity as an example of clean, renewable energy in Appalachia. Earl Long will get the floor Sept. 15, the next meeting of the Raleigh County Commission, to outline his proposal. Actually, the idea had been advanced earlier, but after Tuesday’s meeting, commission president John Humphrey said, “We felt they were not quite prepared to present everything.” “We need to set it up for a public hearing and to let anyone in that area come in and say whatever is on their mind,” Humphrey said. “I’m not here today saying this will happen. We’re saying we need to let the public know first of all and give them an opportunity to share concerns for a wind farm.” Some months ago, an environmental group used economic data in support of another proposed wind farm on the opposite end of Raleigh County as an alternative to coal production. Long told reporters the idea in his region is being promoted through a management team known as Jobs Project in Williamson, “working to get renewable energy throughout southern Appalachia, the coalfields.” Some 200 acres would be put up for the project by Long and some of his relatives. “It’s going to be a joint effort,” he said. “It will be known as Angel Winds.” To date, no opposition has been voiced to either Long or the commission. “We’re going to have a community awareness meeting, let the people know what we’re doing,” he said. “Most of the neighbors are in favor so far, but we haven’t spoken to everyone.” Long said the project would generate some 20 megawatts of power annually. “It will be put back into the main power grid and offset the carbon from coal-fired power plants,” he said. If not for love, then what? There is no wealth but life. (John Ruskin 1819-1900) http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_244222653.html

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PATH letter Washington Times
by Grubb, Karen 01 Sep '09

01 Sep '09

Mike Costello <http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=25817887&ref=nf> I might not always be the biggest fan of the Washington Times, but congrats to my mom, Nancy Williams, for getting published in the Citizen Journalism section. Check out her article about the destructive PATH powerline. <http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=144448957256&h=ljsg6&u=GqBVV& ref=nf> <http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=144448957256&h=ljsg6&u=GqBVV& ref=nf> <<Picture (Device Independent Bitmap)>> CITIZEN JOURNALISM: High-voltage opposition to a power plan - Washington Times <http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=144448957256&h=ljsg6&u=GqBVV& ref=nf> Source: www.washingtontimes.com Proposed power line opposed by residents in three states.

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Green Party speaks up against Verizon support of MTR rally
by Frank Young 01 Sep '09

01 Sep '09

Here is one more reason why I am proud to be a Green Party / WV Mountain Party member. Frank Young Subject: Is it True? From: Brent McMillan Date: 9/1/2009, 11:53 AM To: Dennis.Strigl(a)verizonwireless.com Is it true that Verizon Wireless is co-sponsoring a pro-mountaintop removal rally on a strip mine site on labor day in West Virginia? Please take note: We are one of your customers and we most certainly do not approve! Global Warming is real and is happening now! Perhaps you should read the recent, "Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States" report that was recently released by the U.S. Global Change Research Program. The report summarizes the science of climate change and the impacts of climate change on the U.S. now and in the future. I urge you to demonstrate some real leadership (and future focus) and withdrawl your sponsorship of this event. Sincerely: Brent McMillan, Executive Director Green Party of the United States 202-319-7191 brent(a)gp.org __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Members | Calendar Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Recent Activity Visit Your Group Give Back Yahoo! for Good Get inspired by a good cause. Y! Toolbar Get it Free! easy 1-click access to your groups. Yahoo! Groups Start a group in 3 easy steps. Connect with others.. __,_._,___

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FW: Money for media presentations - PATH
by Grubb, Karen 31 Aug '09

31 Aug '09

FYI From: Frank Young [mailto:fyoung@mountain.net] Sent: Monday, August 31, 2009 10:38 AM To: keryn(a)stoppathwv.com; Sally Wilts Cc: pwaitster(a)gmail.com; o6redleg(a)aol.com Subject: Re: Money for media presentations Hi Sally & Keryn & all, As Keryn notes below, WV Highlands Conservancy (WVHC) is the fiscal agent for the Stop PATH video / audio project- as the National Trust for Historic Preservation grant could only go to a 501(c)3 organization. And yes, WVHC is an IRS designated tax-exempt organization. If you need our tax-exemption number, I can send it to you separately. I would send that number in this message, but there is one e-mail address here I do not recognize. I will produce a Word file invoice that includes our tax-exempt number, and send it to you. Thank you, Sierra Club, for the generous contribution. And I agree with Keryn that as it is SC and the NTHP that is putting up the direct $$$ for this, it is fitting that SC and NTHP receive appropriate recognition. Also, I think I recall from being on the SC Energy Committee call that your funds can be used only for production costs, and not for air time, right? Let us know for sure on that. And I would say that yes, the grant will be used for grassroots public education about a conservation issue. And as the gatekeeper for these funds, I will insist that they be used for that purpose. Please make the check payable to WV Highlands Conservancy, and send it to me at Rt. 1 Box 108 Ripley WV 25271. That is not WVHC's usual address; but I need to know what funds are coming in for this purpose to see that it is credited to the proper line item in WVHC's budget. Thanks again. Frank Young, coordinator WVHC Stop PATH sub-committee ----- Original Message ----- From: Keryn Newman <mailto:keryn@stoppathwv.com> To: Sally Wilts <mailto:sallywilts@yahoo.com> Cc: pwaitster(a)gmail.com ; fyoung(a)mountain.net ; o6redleg(a)aol.com Sent: Monday, August 31, 2009 8:44 AM Subject: Re: Money for media presentations Hi Sally, We very much appreciate the WV Chapter of Sierra Club's generous donation to our campaign to counter the misleading advertising being aired by the PATH companies. All donations we have collected for the media campaign have been in the name of West Virginia Highlands Conservancy. WVHC is the official organization that received the grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Please make donation check payable to WVHC and mail to Frank Young. By copy of this email, I'm asking Frank if he can create and send the invoice. The grant is for the purpose "....to help produce advertisements about proposed powerlines in West Virginia, which will have a broad and negative impact on nationally significant historic resources, as well as environmental and recreational resources." I don't think there would be any problem with adding a "sponsored by WV Sierra Club" somewhere in the ad, along with the required credit to the National Trust. Keryn Newman StopPATH/Jefferson County On Sun Aug 30 16:16 , Sally Wilts sent: Hi Keryn, I am the treasurer of the WV Chapter of Sierra Club. The Executive committee voted to give your group $1000 to use for expenses of broadcasting the media that you have had produced with grant from WVHC. The board asks that you present an invoice of some sort to us and they are wondering if Sierra Club will get any credit for this donation. Is Stop Path WV a nonprofit? Do you have a taxpayer ID number? The national SC has to account for all donations to IRS. Would you say the money was being used for grassroots public education about a conservation issue? Let me know if you need clarification and if I have the scenario about right.

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Beech Ridge wind farm TAC - First meeting
by Frank Young 28 Aug '09

28 Aug '09

Sierra Club energy committee: As per below, the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for the Beech Ridge wind farm is coming together. Studies should commence late winter / early spring 2010. The wind farm is expected to become partially operational (about 69 turbines) before the end of December, 2009. Frank Young wind energy sub-committee ----- Original Message ----- From: Miner, Laura To: Bystriansky, Steve ; Groberg, Dave ; wtidhar(a)west-inc.com ; dyoung(a)west-inc.com ; emelton(a)psc.state.wv.us ; laura_hill(a)fws.gov ; craigstihler(a)wvdnr.gov ; fyoung(a)mountain.net ; Cynthia D. Ellis ; ross.conover(a)glenville.edu Sent: Friday, August 28, 2009 2:33 PM Subject: Beech Ridge TAC - First meeting When: Thursday, September 10, 2009 9:00 AM-1:00 PM (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada). Where: 611 Nicholas Street, Apt 5, Rupert, WV Note: The GMT offset above does not reflect daylight saving time adjustments. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Please join us at the first meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Beech Ridge Post-Construction Monitoring Program. For those who cannot attend in person, we will have conference call capability (instructions to follow). Preliminary Agenda (EST): 10:00 Introductions including an overview of the Beech Ridge development 10:15 Overview of PSC Order and discussion of the TAC role and guidelines 10:45 Outline of Monitoring Protocol with Q&A and Discussion 12:00 Lunch (catered or at a nearby establishment) 1:00 Site tour (optional) 2:00 Adjourn Additional materials to follow before the meeting (such as draft protocol and TAC guidelines). Preliminary membership: PSC Earl Melton FWS Laura Hill (or designee) DNR Craig Stilher BWEC TBD Sierra Club Frank Young Brooks Bird Club Cynthia Ellis Glenville State College Ross Conover (unconfirmed) Consultant: WEST, Inc. Wendy Tidhar WEST, Inc. David Young Beech Ridge: Vice President David Groberg Asset Manager Steve Bystriansky Program Manager Laura Miner

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Fwd: Public News Service-WVNS story for August 28, 2009 City of Morgantown Saving Mone
by James Kotcon 28 Aug '09

28 Aug '09

FYI. News story that went out. Let's chalk this one up as a victory. JBK >>> "Public News Service" <wvns(a)publicnewsservice.org> 8/28/2009 10:40 AM >>> Public News Service-WV August 28, 2009 City of Morgantown Saving Money and Cutting Carbon CHARLESTON, W. Va. - Even in a state where electricity is relatively cheap, local governments can save money and reduce their carbon footprints by conserving energy - and local officials in Morgantown say they're proving it. The municipal government is in the middle of a long-term effort to reduce energy use by 20 percent and save money in the process. Morgantown City Manager Dan Boroff lists a number of changes to be made in the next eight months, that are expected to pay off for years. "A new air conditioning system at the airport; a new chiller system at ice rink; new lighting throughout the parking garages, even down to the stop lights in the city, replacing them with LED systems." All that, plus new boilers and insulation for city buildings are on the ambitious agenda. It is a $2.7 million investment, not including hybrid or fuel-efficient replacements for the city fleet as old vehicles are retired. Boroff says Morgantown is guaranteed to make its money back over 15 years - or the contractors have to pay back the difference. According to Mayor Bill Byrne, theirs was a hardheaded business decision that also had environmental advantages. "We had an opportunity to both save money and improve the quantity of carbon that we put into the environment. We're doing it for economic reasons, and also, because it's positive for the environment." A study released this summer found nationwide, homes and businesses could reduce energy use by nearly one-fourth though steps like upgrading appliances and sealing leaky air conditioning and heating ducts. The study found returns would double the investment in 11 years. Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/10297-1 --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org and put the word "remove" in the subject line.

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PATH - DISCOVERY REQUESTS FOR SIERRA CLUB AND WEST VIRGINIA HIGHLANDS CONSERVANCY
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 19 Aug '09

19 Aug '09

Attached are six sets of discovery requests submitted to PATH today in the West Virginia proceeding, and on behalf of the Sierra Club and the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy. The requests are the product of all of the lawyers and consultants assisting these clients, but principally Wil Burns. -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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Fwd: News links re cap and trade
by James Kotcon 18 Aug '09

18 Aug '09

I had an inquiry for a response to the developing stories about the forged letters and astroturf campaigns by fossil fuel companies against the Cap and Trade Bill (see the web sites below). Does anyone have any juicy sound bites that brings up some local West Virginia angles? JBK http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/sensitive_oil_industry_me… http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/lobby_firm_sent_forged_cl…

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Fwd: Good time to pitch a story
by Paul Wilson 18 Aug '09

18 Aug '09

assume others got this? paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: West Virginia News Service WVNS <wvnsnews(a)gmail.com> Date: Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 2:42 PM Subject: Good time to pitch a story To: Hi Friends, Dan Heyman here. I've got space for some stories at the moment, so if you have anything you think might be news worthy, now would be a good time to pitch it. best, drh -- West Virginia News Service (WVNS) Toll Free: 1-800-317-6705 Fax: 540-301-0801 E-mail: wvns(a)publicnewsservice.org -- 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

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Fw: Montana Consumer Counsel v. FERC Telebriefing
by cindyrank 18 Aug '09

18 Aug '09

Thought some of you might be interested ---- or know someone who is and can use the 1 CLE. cindy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Montana Consumer Counsel v. FERC August 21, 2009 10:00 AM PDT, 11:00 PM MDT, 12:00 PM CDT, 1:00 PM EDT Download or view the program agenda here. Ms. Rank: We are pleased to present a one-hour expert analysis by phone of the recent appellate case, Montana Consumer Counsel v. FERC, which is the first to review FERC's revised guidelines for granting market-based rate authority to a wholesale electricity seller. In this decision, a Ninth Circuit panel rejected a challenge to FERC's grant of market-based rate authority to several affiliates of PPL Corporation (PPL Companies) in a control area covering most of Montana. In doing so, the Court stated that it felt a need to "afford great deference" to FERC's rate determinations and expressed reluctance to "second guess [FERC's] judgment on questions of policy within its expertise." Although the ruling is unpublished and generally not considered binding precedent, it should offer insight into how the Court will approach its pending review of the general market-based rate policies in FERC Order Nos. 697 and 697-A. In this one-hour teleconference, one neutral moderator and two prominent energy lawyers close to the case will discuss the practical implications of the decision on the electric energy industry and its ratepayers, as well as cost recovery implications for transmission planning and development. Register quickly. You can call in from anywhere. Intended Audience Attorneys, industry executives, representatives of customer and environmental intervenors, and state officials involved in FERC wholesale ratemaking or transmission planning and development Registration Register here or call us at (800) 854-8009 Tuition Tuition is $125 per caller and $50 each for any additional people on the same line who desire continuing education credit. 1.0 CLE Credit Available in the Following States: a.. AK b.. AZ c.. BC d.. CA e.. GA f.. IL g.. MO h.. MS i.. NC j.. ND k.. NM l.. NV m.. NY n.. TX o.. UT p.. VA q.. WA r.. WV s.. WA t.. Other credits available, please call I hope you can join us. Kate Johnson President Note: If you do not want to receive email notice of upcoming professional education programs, or want to limit the topics you receive, you can safely tell us by replying to this email. You also can give us a quick call at (800) 854-8009 or go to LSI News Assistant. LSI News, Inc. 800 Fifth Avenue, Suite 101 Seattle, WA 98104

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7th Circuit opinion overturning FERC rule that was basis for pass thru of transmission line costs to WVa in FERC cases involving TRAIL and PATH
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 17 Aug '09

17 Aug '09

Some of you may have already seen the attached opinion by Judge Posner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which is based in Chicago and is the intermediate appellate court between US District Courts and the Supreme Court. In essence, Posner struck down the FERC rule that allowed PJM to recoup the costs of construction of a new high voltage electric transmission line -- even in part -- from utilities that derived no discernible benefit from the line. Importantly, the court deemed the value associated with "reliability" -- the chief benefit cited as justification for the TRAIL and PATH lines in W. Va. -- to be negligible and, in any event, insufficient to justify the pass thru of costs to utilities who received no other tangible economic benefit. Although the decision repeats, in a very different context (one relating to recoverable transmission rates, not authority to construct transmission lines) many of the arguments we made last year in TRAIL and will make this year in PATH, it will be some time before we will use the decision in our own case. Additionally, there was a powerful dissent, quoting the conflicting opinion of then Judge John Roberts in a DC Circuit case which reached the opposite outcome, obviously for the purpose of highlighting the fact that there is now a "conflict of decisions among circuits" (one of the grounds SCOTUS uses to decide whether to hear an appeal) and attempting to draw the attention of now Chief Justice John Roberts. Stand by.... -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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Fwd: Federal court could stop PATH/TrAIL
by James Kotcon 16 Aug '09

16 Aug '09

Bill Howley sent me the link below. The story is on his blog. This could mean lower electric rates for WV, and it means back to the drawing board for financing TrAIL. JBK >>> Bill Howley <billhowley(a)hughes.net> 8/15/2009 7:15 PM >>> This just came in on the Sierra Club listserv. Here's my post on The Power Line <http://calhounpowerline.wordpress.com/2009/08/15/blockbuster-federal-court-…>. This could be big news. Bill Blockbuster Federal Court Decision Could Doom PATH & TrAIL 2009 August 15 Here is the news from SNL, a financial news Web site: In a decision that could significantly hamper efforts to build major new transmission facilities nationwide, a divided three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on Aug. 6 overturned a FERC order signing off on the PJM Interconnection LLC’s postage-stamp rate design for new transmission lines operating at voltages of 500-kV or more. After reviewing the arguments, the majority said the stakes are high, noting, for example, that under FERC’s decision, Commonwealth Edison Co. [an Illinois utility] may be required to contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to help pay for the proposed “Project Mountaineer,” when under the old policy it wouldn’t have had to pay a dime. The problem, according to Judge Richard Posner, who penned the court’s decision in which Judge John Tinder joined, is that FERC never looked at the consequences of switching to the new pricing policy. “No particulars are presented concerning the contribution that very high-voltage facilities are likely to make to the reliability of PJM’s network. Not even the roughest estimate of likely benefits to the objecting utilities is presented,” Posner recalled. Posner suggested that the new policy is unfair to customers in the western portion of PJM, where power plants are located relatively close to their customers and relatively low-voltage, mainly 345-kV, transmission facilities are used. In contrast, generating plants that serve the eastern portions of PJM are generally located long distances from load, and therefore 500-kV and even higher-voltage transmission facilities are used to deliver the power. Yet, FERC never took this disparity into consideration, Posner maintained. Instead, he said, the agency relied on the fact that the eastern utilities that created PJM many years ago agreed to share the costs of certain facilities through pro rata sharing agreements. “The fact that these utilities thought it appropriate to share costs in 1967 says nothing about the advantages and disadvantages of such an arrangement in the larger, modern PJM network,” the judge wrote. “The fact that one group of utilities desires to be subsidized by another is no reason in itself for giving them their way.” The case was in the Seventh Circuit Federal Court in Minnesota because public utilities commissions in Illinois and Ohio had sued PJM over their rate scheme for Project Mountaineer, which included both TrAIL and PATH lines. As noted on Who Pays for PATH, more than 40% of the costs of TrAIL and PATH will be paid for by rate payers west of the Allegheny Mountains. The Seventh Circuit says that can’t happen. There are two alternatives. Either only east coast utilities pay for PATH and TrAIL because they are getting the power, or AEP and Allegheny Energy pay for PATH and TrAIL because they are getting the profit.

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WVEC announcement/Please forward widely!
by Grubb, Karen 14 Aug '09

14 Aug '09

West Virginia Environmental Council Join America's #1 Populist Jim Hightower at WVEC's Annual Fall Conference It's Our 20th Anniversary Celebration! Friday, September 25th - Sunday, September 27th Holly Gray Park, Sutton WV (Braxton County) - Exit # 67 off I 79 Please join us as we celebrate our 20-year history and build from it to pass strong environmental policy in 2010. Founded in 1989 to be the legislative arm for the environmental movement in West Virginia, WVEC now marks 20 years of policy work at the legislature as we continue to be your voice at the capitol. Conference will feature: * Key-note address- by JIM HIGHTOWER, nationally known progressive commentator and co-Editor of America's hottest newsletter, the Hightower Lowdown. We expect to hold a Friday evening reception for Jim. And Saturday morning Mr. Hightower will deliver the Keynote Address for our 20th birthday celebration! * The best of West Virginia's environmental movement as we hold educational workshops on top issues, and organizing training to help improve the effectiveness of your organization; Setting our 2010 Legislative Priorities - incorporate your voice into our organization through discussions and electing representatives of the regions in WV to our Board of Directors; Saturday evening offers a panel of our founders discussing the fascinating history of WVEC. * The weekend will have it's fun, too: Our traditional Silent Auction (bring a contribution or two and be prepared to outbid your friends of course); Booths on environmental issues / Artists / Green Businesses; Recreational Outings as we enjoy the gorgeous scenery of Holly Gray Park, fishing lessons and more; Saturday Night Birthday Bash (musicians to be announced). Please come out to build your connection with the statewide environmental movement in WV, your organization's connection with our lobbying resources - and simply have a great time with our most special guest, Jim Hightower! Registration: Only $15 adult / $10 seniors, students, low income. Youth ages 12 and under receive free registration. Sleeping accommodations: On-site - includes bunk beds in cabins ($10 per night) and unlimited camping ($5 per tent, per night). Please see the registration form <http://www.wvecouncil.org/calendar/WVEC_2009_Fall_Conf_Registration_For m.pdf> at http://www.wvecouncil.org <http://www.wvecouncil.org> . Cost details and off-site accommodations in the area are listed on the registration form. Meals: Breakfasts Saturday & Sunday: $5 each Lunches Saturday & Sunday: $5 each Saturday night dinner - Pot Luck ... Please brings a dish to share. The full Agenda for the weekend will be sent out and posted on our website in August as details are completed. Please stay tuned ...... Download Registration form here. <http://www.wvecouncil.org/calendar/WVEC_2009_Fall_Conf_Registration_For m.pdf> : http://www.wvecouncil.org <http://www.wvecouncil.org> West Virginia Environmental Council Representing West Virginia "Special Interests"- People Who Want to Breathe Clean Air and Drink Clean Water 2206 Washington Street East, Charleston WV 25311 (304) 414-0143 www.wvecouncil.org <http://www.wvecouncil.org/>

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Fwd: Membership
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 12 Aug '09

12 Aug '09

Mark I represented the Highlands Conservancy in the first wind turbine case ever filed with the Public Service Commission in 2005 [CORRECTION 2000], and I represent them (and the Sierra Club) now in proceedings at the PSC relating to AEP/Allegheny's proposed construction of PATH, a high voltage electric transmission line from the John Amos coal-fired electric plant in Winfield to Maryland -- through 225 miles of West Virginia, including vast swaths of forest. I think it is inaccurate to state the Sierra has stated a blanket policy in favor of absolutely any and all wind turbines. There clearly is a strong desire to build them, and as many as possible, but there is no blank check. HC dropped its opposition to the first wind turbine in 2005 [CORRECTION 2000] when the developer agreed to make changes moving the turbines further away from Dolly Sod. See the attached agreement. The Highlands Conservancy has adopted what I regard as an impossible standard for wind turbines, in effect, the exact opposite of blanket approval. HC's requirement that wind turbines demonstrate that they will result in the shut down of some equivalent MW of coal or other fossil fuel plant is just unrealistic, especially in a world where more generation capacity is being built all of the time. The reality is that no wind turbine, in the absence of the authority as the owner of a coal fired plant to shut down the plant, could ever meet that standard. None would be approved, ever, anywhere. Can you show me a single wind turbine project the HC is currently supporting under its recently announced standard? Of any size, in any location? I hope you can. Honestly. Best regards, Bill On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 8:14 PM, Mark Blumenstein <markb(a)mountain.net>wrote: > Thanks Bill for the effort to help me understand the issueI am fully > aware of all You bring to this issue but the relevant point I make and will > repeat > is A Blank policy that all WInd projects are good without close examination > of the details and the effects on individuals and communities will only lead > to a watered down effort . There are thousands of citizens and much animal > life that will be negatively effected by this local Beach Ridge project and > without compensation for property devaluation etc. and will reap nothing > from it except more power for the grid so the Pittsburgh suburbs can > flourish . And the green credits mean more pollution by a dirty industry > that buys or owns them! Yes there are many negative issues you did not > address in your email > I dont care to argue the fine points . > > Just look at the WV Highland Conservancy turn around position on Wind > projects in WV > Their reversal on this is an epic decision for an environmental org of WV > and is very commendable ! > So I would suggest that the WV SC also have a closer l@@K at its position > ALL WIND PROJECTS ARE NOT GOOD and therefore a blanket statement endorsing > these only hurts the membership issue > as in my case and the image of the org. > > Thanks for the consideration > Mark > > On Aug 12, 2009, at 6:29 PM, William V. DePaulo, Esq. wrote: > > But trust me when I tell you that uninformed moral fervor will not deter > the Sierra Club from aggressively pursuing realistic energy and > environmental solutions. > > > > > * > Mark Blumenstein* > > *HC73 BX11 Alderson WV 24910* > > *304 445 7822* > > * * > > * markb(a)mountain.net* > > > > -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email. -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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Re: [EC] Membership
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 12 Aug '09

12 Aug '09

Mark Jim Kotcon is a very polite guy, and both courteous and elegant in his communications. I would rather open your eyes. First, the easy one. Carbon offsets are, by definition, required only of energy generated by sources relying up a carbon based fuel, like coal, petroleum, natural gas, and other fossil fuels (methane, butane, propane, the list goes on). Wind, which is roughly 90% nitrogen and 10% oxygen, has no carbon content. There is no predicate, therefore, for requiring a "carbon" offset. That would be making green energy sources offset the damage caused by other, non-green energy sources. That makes no sense as a matter of public policy. Period. View shed issues are more difficult. They are inherently subjective. What upsets one, pleases another, or may leave them indifferent. I am largely indifferent to wind turbines; I don't think of them as visual phenomena any more than I assess the aesthetics of an Exxon station when I pull into a gas station to fill up my gas tank (lacking as I do an electric car that could be charged at night by electricity generated by a wind turbine or solar panel). It's true, wind turbines frequently, if not always, require trees to be cut down. So does toilet paper, in significantly greater numbers....what did the wise man say? DETOGT (don't even think of going there). If you wanna see a LOT of trees cut down go look at the 10,000 acre wasteland that surrounds Kayford Mountain, 20 miles south of Charleston, the legacy of a fifteen year, ongoing mountain top removal project. At the same time I find the visual image of thousands of 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 year-old soldiers -- returning to the United States in caskets -- upsetting. *Very* god damned upsetting. I blame the fact that we are now engaged in wars in three countries in the Middle East on the fact that the oil companies were able to prevail upon their fraudulently elected lap dogs to embark on a war in Iraq primarily -- if not exclusively -- to control Iraqi oil fields. And that was not done as a "favor" to US citizens; it was the war crime known as aggressive war. I also react negatively (yeah, angry, exasperated, pissed off, pick any phrase you like, they all fit) when serious efforts to end American economic imperialism, and the squandering of environmental resources, are frustrated by misguided efforts -- however well intended -- to obstruct increases in domestically generated, and environmentally sustainable, energy sources. Like wind turbines. There are no risk or cost free choices in life. Either we continue to purchase (and steal) tremendous volumes of foreign crude oil, or we produce energy here in volumes sufficient to substitute for it. Or, even more difficult, we embark on the virtually impossible political task of persuading people to dramatically reduce their life styles. A footnote: China's per capita ownership of automobiles right now is about where the US's per capita ownership was in, buckle your seat belt, 1906. They are not going to accept that as a standard of living; they not about to *reduce* anything. They are going to *increase* vehicular use, geometrically. And there are 1.2 billion Chinese. Ditto for 1 billion residents of India, who in fact have a faster growing population. Either we find a way -- worldwide -- to generate electricity for electric cars, and simultaneously avoid both coal and petroleum, or we're going to be literally underwater. And the population displacements caused by rising sea levels will wreck civilization as we know it. Should we encourage on a wholesale basis conservation in every possible way? Of course, from the use of efficient appliances and cars, to constructing efficient buildings, and lighting them with compact flourescent lights (or better yet, even more efficient by several orders of magnitude, LED's, which hopefully with mass production will drop dramatically in price). Yes, all of these are desperately needed. But energy use is still going to go up, not down, under any realistic scenario. So we have got to find additional energy sources that don't require delivery routes guaranteed by the Pentagon's Central Command, or the generation of unlimited amounts of CO2. If you start out recognizing that 50-55% of electricity in this country is generated from coal, and that a very substantial majority of petroleum is imported, it becomes very difficult to find realistic alternative fuels in any volume that offers relief from either of those problems. Wind and solar, in vast quantities, are the only candidates for substitution, although many serious environmentalists now advocate greatly increased use of nuclear power. Got any thoughts on that alternative? Some advocate greatly increased use of natural gas, which has its own environmental problems related to water use (at least in the largest domestic discovery known as the Marcellus Shale), and only cuts the carbon generation by about half of that generated from coal. But there's lots of it. Wanna punch holes all over Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and parts of Virginia? There are gas exploration companies dying to enlist your support. So don't get me wrong. It's good you're thinking about this stuff, and it's laudable that you make decisions based on principal. But trust me when I tell you that uninformed moral fervor will not deter the Sierra Club from aggressively pursuing realistic energy and environmental solutions. If you want to impact policy -- whether of the US or the Sierra Club -- you need to answer the question of what alternative offers any prospect for relief from our dilemmas. When you find an answer better than wind turbines, call us. We'll waive your dues to get back in. Seeya. Bill -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 4:57 PM, Mark Blumenstein <markb(a)mountain.net>wrote: > Dear JimWithout a plan that mandates a cut in carbon for every Turbine > built > We will only > be just adding a new source of power without reducing the current input > and future inputs of carbon > I can see that a turbine might offset slightly the power needed to generate > but we have no comprehensive plan > that cut emissions as we add generation > AND MY OBJECTION is directly linked to the endorsement of what I see as a > DAMAGING > installation of giant turbines on our southeastern ridges > I THING THE WV SC NEEDS TO BE MORE SELECTIVE IN THEIR ENDORSEMENT > for this is just a shell game for the GREEN CREDITS might just bring us > more pollution > in the future > Mark > > On Aug 12, 2009, at 4:33 PM, James Kotcon wrote: > > Mark: > > I respectfully disagree with your assessment of wind farms. By their very > nature, wind farms generate electricity that offsets carbon emissions. I > am aware of some wind opponents who deny that this is true, but the hard > data make it very clear that wind offsets fossil fuel emissions. While it > is not a 100 % kilowatt for kilowatt offset, it is still one of the least > carbon-emitting sources of energy available. > > I also recognize that the scenic impact is a concern, but that is an issue > that should be handled by county planning ordinances. I would have no > object to a scenic restriction on windfarms if it also applied to coal-fired > power plants, transmission lines, ski resorts and second home development. > But to restrict one type of development, in this case wind, is to > indirectly subsidize fossil fuel power instead. There is no perfect > source of energy, but any objective evaluation would have to conclude that > wind is cleaner than most. > > I also have no objection to compensating the parties affected by energy > generation, but this rule has to be applied to all power sources. As long > as it is required of wind farms but not coal mines or power plants, it > becomes, again, an indirect subsidy for coal and a barrier to the cleaner > sources we claim to want. > > I agree that there are adverse impacts to some birds and bats, but there is > no credible evidence that this has an adverse effect on the "populations". > Until we can compare the effect of a wind farm against the impacts of a > strip mine, there is no basis for singling out one energy source for > additional restrictions, but allow other energy sources to operate without > restriction. > > The Sierra Club would be easily dismissed if we oppose every form of > energy. We need a more rational energy policy to get support from a > majority of Americans. We do not support every wind farm application, but > we also would not be credible if we opposed them all. > > I hope you will reconsider your membership. Feel free to contact me if > you wish to discuss this in more detail. > > Jim Kotcon, Chair > Energy Committee > 304-293-8822 (office) > 304-594-3322 (home) > > P.S. We are currently compiling a subcommittee of Club members to review > additional wind farm permit applications in West Virginia. Let me know if > you are interested in being part of that evaluation. > > Mark Blumenstein <markb(a)mountain.net> 8/12/2009 4:11 PM >>> > > > Since the WV SC has taken a position on wind turbines on our historic > ridges in WV especially without WITHOUT a carbon offset > I will not be renewing my membership. > Wind turbines have their place but cutting down mountaintops and > deforesting ridgetops > and forever changing our historic ridges in eastern WV in site of > farms and families > WITHOUT any compensation to the effected parties is a poor decision > and these poorly located devices are BAT and Migrant Bird Killers > > I believe THE WV & NATIONAL SIERRA CLUB should reevaluate their > position > > If this only reaches the membership committee in this email I wish > for you to pass along > this those that make policy > > Mark Blumenstein > HC 73 BX 11 > Alderson WV 24910 > > ps. I think Whale Wars has shown that action not banners change policy > Stop the Whaling by stopping the Whalers! > > > > Mark Blumenstein > HC73 BX11 Alderson WV 24910 > 304 445 7822 > > markb(a)mountain.net > > > > > > * > Mark Blumenstein* > > *HC73 BX11 Alderson WV 24910* > > *304 445 7822* > > *http://www.markblumenstein.com* > > * markb(a)mountain.net* > > > >

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Fwd: Bruce's Blog: VICTORY: Dynegy Out of the New Coal Business
by Paul Wilson 12 Aug '09

12 Aug '09

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Nithin Coca <nithin.coca(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Tue, Aug 11, 2009 at 4:48 PM Subject: Bruce's Blog: VICTORY: Dynegy Out of the New Coal Business To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org *Please comment and Recommend - and forward to your local lists.* Grist - *http://www.grist.org/member/11566/*<http://www.grist.org/member/11566/> Daily Kos - *http://www.dailykos.com/user/Bruce%20Nilles*<http://www.dailykos.com/user/Bruce%20Nilles> Huffington Post - *http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-nilles*<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-nilles> Compass - *http://sierraclub.typepad.com/compass/coal-director/*<http://sierraclub.typepad.com/compass/coal-director/> Opposing Views - *http://www.opposingviews.com/tags/environment*<http://www.opposingviews.com/tags/environment> SF Green - * http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/contribute/sn/persona?plckPersonaPage=Persona… *<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/contribute/sn/persona?plckPersonaPage=Persona…> Climate Crossroads - http://connect.sierraclub.org/post/ClimateCrossroadsBlog/victory_dynegy_out… Also posted on - SE Green, Alltop Green, and Alternet _________________________ Nithin Coca Grassroots Media Coordinator * Sierra Club (o) 415.977.5761 (m) 913.940.1571 nithin.coca(a)sierraclub.org follow me on Twitter - twitter.com/excinit - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp -- 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

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Fw: re: Media Advisory: Mollohan Schedules Town Meeting
by Jim Sconyers 11 Aug '09

11 Aug '09

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Frank Slider <fslider(a)verizon.net> wrote: From: Frank Slider <fslider(a)verizon.net> Subject: re: Media Advisory: Mollohan Schedules Town Meeting To: "Undisclosed Recipients" <fslider(a)verizon.net> Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 1:45 PM FW: Media Advisory: Mollohan Schedules Town Meeting Media Advisory: Mollohan Schedules Town Hall Meeting August 10, 2009 – Congressman Alan B. Mollohan announced today that he will be having a town hall meeting 6:00 PM on Friday, August 14, 2009 at Wheeling Jesuit University, Troy Theater in Swint Hall. He will be available to listen to his constituents on matters that are of concern to them.

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Monday: Transmission Tax on Interim Agenda
by James Kotcon 10 Aug '09

10 Aug '09

The August Legislative Interim committee meetings schedule and agendas were posted very late Friday. The most notable (and important) meeting this month is on Monday, Aug. 10, when Finance Subcommittee B, chaired by Senator Walt Helmick, will take up SCR 57- requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance study the proposed new state business and occupation tax on high-voltage electric power transmission lines. The committee will have a presentation on the Governor's proposed transmission line tax from Jonathan Deem, the Governor's General Counsel. The meeting is from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM in the Senate Finance Committee meeting room. This is an incredible opportunity. Those who are in town for the status hearing should make every effort to get to the Capitol at 4 PM in massive numbers. The Legislature needs to hear about the problems with the Transmission line process, and be told in no uncertain terms that a vote for this tax is a vote to take people homes and farms! Instead of a transmission tax, the PSC siting process needs to be reformed by: 1) Mandate that applicants provide written notification to all affected property owners, 2) Direct the PSC to balance the needs of ratepayers against the need for transmission lines; 3) Direct the PSC to evaluate alternatives to new transmission lines (including demand-side management alternatives) where feasible, less-impacting alternatives exist. 4) Protect designated scenic areas; and 5) Consider indirect as well as direct impacts. Currently, only those property directly crossed by the line are compensated, neighbors suffer real losses, but get nothing. 6) Consider the increased air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from plants producing the electricity to be carried by these lines. Make sure the Legislature knows that phony fixes are not acceptable, and the transmission tax is a fraudulent "bait-and-switch". I suspect that even the Governor knows it is unconstitutional, but it would allow the Governor and the PSC to claim that the line benefits West Virginia, and then, by the time it is challenged in court and tossed out, the line will have been built. I plan to attend the hearing, and urge anyone else to attend. Attached is a draft fact sheet that we put together for our alternative, the PSC Reform Act. Please let me have comments before noon Monday. JBK

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Monday: Transmission Tax on Interim Agenda
by James Kotcon 10 Aug '09

10 Aug '09

The August Legislative Interim committee meetings schedule and agendas were posted very late Friday. The most notable (and important) meeting this month is on Monday, Aug. 10, when Finance Subcommittee B, chaired by Senator Walt Helmick, will take up SCR 57- requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance study the proposed new state business and occupation tax on high-voltage electric power transmission lines. The committee will have a presentation on the Governor's proposed transmission line tax from Jonathan Deem, the Governor's General Counsel. The meeting is from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM in the Senate Finance Committee meeting room. This is an incredible opportunity. Those who are in town for the status hearing should make every effort to get to the Capitol at 4 PM in massive numbers. The Legislature needs to hear about the problems with the Transmission line process, and be told in no uncertain terms that a vote for this tax is a vote to take people homes and farms! Instead of a transmission tax, the PSC siting process needs to be reformed by: 1) Mandate that applicants provide written notification to all affected property owners, 2) Direct the PSC to balance the needs of ratepayers against the need for transmission lines; 3) Direct the PSC to evaluate alternatives to new transmission lines (including demand-side management alternatives) where feasible, less-impacting alternatives exist. 4) Protect designated scenic areas; and 5) Consider indirect as well as direct impacts. Currently, only those property directly crossed by the line are compensated, neighbors suffer real losses, but get nothing. 6) Consider the increased air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from plants producing the electricity to be carried by these lines. Make sure the Legislature knows that phony fixes are not acceptable, and the transmission tax is a fraudulent "bait-and-switch". I suspect that even the Governor knows it is unconstitutional, but it would allow the Governor and the PSC to claim that the line benefits West Virginia, and then, by the time it is challenged in court and tossed out, the line will have been built. I plan to attend the hearing, and urge anyone else to attend. Attached is a draft fact sheet that we put together for our alternative, the PSC Reform Act. Please let me have comments before noon Monday. JBK

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Summary of allocation of revenues from allowances under climate bill
by James Kotcon 07 Aug '09

07 Aug '09

To: Energy Committee This report identifies the funding allocated by state for energy efficiency in the Cap and Trade Bill (ACES). They estimate that West Virginia would get over $2.7 billion for energy efficiency during the 2012 to 2019 period. This would create an estimated 24,000 jobs. And since each dollar spent on energy efficiency generates three dollars n savings for the consumer, that means the bill saves consumers in West Virginia an estimated $8 billion dollars!!!!! We need to get this story our there. How do we do it? JBK >>> Ned Ford <Ned.Ford(a)FUSE.NET> 8/6/2009 1:52 AM >>> A group called Environment Northeast has developed an analysis of the ASES (climate) legislation which passed the House on Micheal Jackson/Farrah Fawcett day (June 25th). The allocation of allowances to the states for different purposes identifies four areas in which funding will be provided, in hundreds of millions of dollars, to billions of dollars, depending on formulae in the bill. The majority of this money will save three dollars for each dollar spent. Those of you who are meeting with Senators and staff may want to be familiar with this or present the report. It is a huge amount of money. http://www.env-ne.org/resources/open/p/id/895. Both funding levels and estimates of benefits are included. - Ned - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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Fw: WInd turbines on Allegheny Mtn in VA
by Frank Young 07 Aug '09

07 Aug '09

This communication, just below, is about a wind farm proposed for Highland County, VA- just east of Pendleton County, WV. I have no other information about this proposed wind facility. Frank Young ----- Original Message ----- From: Martinjul(a)aol.com To: dawn(a)brightsideacres.com Cc: wvhcboard(a)yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 1:51 PM Subject: [WVHCBOARD] Re: WInd turbines on Allegheny Mtn In a message dated 8/7/2009 12:26:47 P.M. Central Daylight Time, dawn(a)brightsideacres.com writes: Hello Martin, I am writing to ask you and The Highlands Voice to look into what is going on in Highland County Virginia regarding the county's recent approval of Highland County Wind Development, LLC to erect a 19-tower wind generating facility on Tamarack Ridge (the highest point in Highland County and approximately 1600 feet from the West Virginia line. These 19 towers will each be 400 feet tall, and will be in clear view from the Camp Allegheny Battlefield, which is on the National Register of Historic Places; as well as from multiple sites on County Route 3 (the Old Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike, which is a National Historic Backway.) Apparently, Highland County's Technical Review Committee simply approved the site plan submitted yesterday, eventhough environmental reviews, impact statements or permits normally required by the federal government have neither been obtained nor formally waived. No photo-simulation to evaluate the visual impact of the turbines on the Camp Allegheny Battlefield and historic surrounds has been conducted. >From everything I have read in The Recorder, the impact of this wind farm on West Virginia has not been considered whatsoever. Perhaps it is a matter for the Department of Interior? Perhaps, if brought to Nick Rahall's attention, a cease and desist order could be issued by a Federal Court? I believe that the Pocahontas County Commission is looking into this as of their meeting yesterday. Do you know Commissioners David Fleming or Martin Saffir? Could The Highland's Voice be of help to them? According to yesterday's Recorder, Highland County Wind Development intends to break ground next week. Please see the link below for articles regarding this issue. Swift action is required to preserve the natural and historic integrity of an historically significant and environmentally pristine area of WV. http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2009/08/06/wind-utility-headed-into-construc… Thank You, Dawn Baldwin "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, things aren't going to get better, they're not!" From The Lorax by Dr. Suess For The Mountains Julian Martin Vice-President for State Affairs West Virginia Highlands Conservancy www.wvhighlands.org 1525 Hampton Road, Charleston, WV 25314 Contact me(martinjul(a)aol.com) for a trip to Kayford Mountain to see active and so-called reclaimed mountain top removal. Go to www.wvhighlands.org for I Love Mountains t-shirts, hats, I Love Mountains and Friends Of The Mountains bumper stickers and for speakers on environmental issues in West Virginia.

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PSC Procedural Order of August 4, 2009
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 07 Aug '09

07 Aug '09

Dear Mr. Watkins: I am forwarding this email to you for distribution to the Commission, and in response to the Commission's August 4 procedural order. I am forwarding it in advance of the hearing on August 10, in an attempt to convey some thoughts that might assist the Commission in resolving the issues surrounding the manner and level of participation by the 200+ would-be intervenors in the PATH proceeding. I also convey these thoughts now, in advance of the August 10 hearing, so that the idea of breaking the Jefferson County and Ashton Woods groups down into more effective groups can percolate within the Commission before Monday. I recognize that it is possible that the idea, if it has any merit at all, could be lost in the sea of advocates that will appear Monday. I acknowledge that this email does not conform with the requirements of a formal pleading before the Commission, and I do not request that it be accorded any formal status. At the same time, I have copied it by email to counsel for PATH and as many of the Allegheny Energy personnel as I can; I have no email addresses for AEP personnel. Additionally, I have copied other intervenors whose email addresses I know, and by this email request that two persons, Patience Wait and Tom Hildebrand, forward the email to the two large groups whom they are associated with, respectively, Jefferson County intervenors and Ashton Woods intervenors. In light of this dissemination, I would submit that it is not an ex parte communication. I have blind-copied the email to a much larger list in the interest of allowing as many people as possible have the benefit, however minimal, of these thoughts in advance of Monday. I will file a hard copy with the Executive Secretary for service on others as soon as the email list is disseminated. Of the 200+ intervenors, I am advised that fully 140+ are from Jefferson County and 40+/- are from Ashton Woods. Stated otherwise, fully 180 of the 200 intervenors -- no less than 90% -- are by the terms of the August 4 order to be represented by 2 persons. The remaining 20+/- intervenors will be represented, presumably, by 20+/- attorneys or others spokesmen, for a total of 22 representatives. I do not know if the Commission was aware of this statistical breakdown at the time the August 4 order was entered. However, I believe the statistically disproportionate representation of Jefferson County and Ashton Woods intervenors in the total suggests that the Commission might achieve its legitimate objective of making the PATH proceeding manageable in a more effective fashion. Specifically, if the Commission did nothing more than allow the 140+ intervenors from Jefferson County break themselves down into 5 groups, the effectiveness of the representation of the intervenors would increase dramatically, while the incremental burden on the Commission in dealing with the PATH proceeding would be minimal. That is, the number of spokesmen would only increase from 22 to 27. Why would this be more effective for the participants from Jefferson County? Because they are, apparently, themselves geographically diverse. And they will absorb a disproportionate impact in total from the PATH line's passage through their community. For instance, I am advised that there is a geographically segregable group from a neighborhood called "Blue Ridge" which has an interest in the proceeding that is very localized to them, and runs the risk of being lost in the background noise of a pleading, written or verbal, on behalf of 140 people. Similarly, there is another identifiable group interested in the impact not on their residence or business, per se, but on the schools they send their children to. There are undoubtedly other readily identifiable subgroups in the 140 who could rationally be separated from the 140 aggregation and who, as a result, would have a much more effective representation before the Commission, again with a minimal incremental impact on the efficiency of the PATH proceeding. I apologize for not getting this to the Commission earlier, but I have only come by the facts I relate here since August 4. I want to emphasize that I do not represent anyone in their capacity as a resident of Jefferson County or Ashton Woods (although I assume there must be some Sierra Club and/or Highlands Conservancy members in one or both communities, whether or not they have intervened individually). I make these suggestions merely as one lawyer among many with an interest in assisting the Commission achieve its stated goals. I convey these thoughts now only because it strikes me that the disproportionate representation of these two communities in the total intervenor group might be more rationally dealt with in a manner other than aggregation by County, and that the alternative of disaggregating these two large groups can achieve the Commission's stated goal of efficiency while making the intervenors' participation more effective, another goal which the Commission clearly wanted to achieve, within the bounds of practicality, in its August 4 order. Best regards, William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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Fw: MSNBC (Rachel Maddow) on fraudulent coal lobby letter and MTR
by Jim Sconyers 06 Aug '09

06 Aug '09

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Thu, 8/6/09, aaron.isherwood(a)sierraclub.org <aaron.isherwood(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: From: aaron.isherwood(a)sierraclub.org <aaron.isherwood(a)sierraclub.org> Subject: MSNBC (Rachel Maddow) on fraudulent coal lobby letter and MTR To: "Jim Sconyers" <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com>, "Regina Hendrix" <reginahendrix999(a)gmail.com>, "William DePaulo" <william.depaulo(a)gmail.com> Date: Thursday, August 6, 2009, 1:25 PM This is a must-see: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#32307765 Aaron Isherwood Senior Staff Attorney Sierra Club Environmental Law Program 85 Second Street, 2d Floor San Francisco, CA 94105-3441 Phone: (415) 977-5680 Fax: (415) 977-5793 CONFIDENTIAL LEGAL COMMUNICATION/WORK PRODUCT This e-mail may contain privileged and confidential attorney-client communications and/or attorney work product. If you receive this e-mail inadvertently, please reply to the sender and delete all versions on your system. Thank you.

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"BLACKOUT" - REVIEW OF BOOK QUESTIONING LONGEVITY OF COAL RESERVES (AND STUDY ON WHICH IT IS BASED)
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 05 Aug '09

05 Aug '09

Review: *Blackout* by Richard Heinberg by Frank Kaminski *Blackout: Coal, Climate and the Last Energy Crisis* By Richard Heinberg 201 pp. New Society Publishers – May 2009. $18.95. Richard Heinberg’s new book *Blackout* tries to demolish current assumptions about the world’s remaining coal endowment: namely, that it is immense beyond belief, barely tapped and will last for centuries to come. Heinberg argues that these assumptions are off-base, misleading and not at all supported by recent studies that suggest global coal production could peak in less than two decades. He warns that an impending shortage of minable coal threatens to plunge our civilization into one final, irreversible Blackout unless we act wisely. Heinberg makes his case well. One of the things that I’ve always admired about his writing is the way he tries to avoid any potential for bias by considering all possible viewpoints and contributing factors with regard to a given issue, even those that might weaken his argument. Nowhere is this even-handed approach more evident than in *Blackout*, where he discusses not only the pessimistic reports on remaining coal reserves, but also those that he considers to be overly optimistic. In short, Heinberg can always be counted on to give us fact without inflammation. And yet, my mind still isn’t quite made up about the book's central thesis. Common sense tells me that it's probably more right than wrong—not only because of Heinberg's sound analysis of the reserves data, but also because imminent declines in oil production will surely place additional pressure on coal supplies, which could hasten coal's peak. But quite a few people within the peak oil community simply aren’t buying this case for a peak in coal production within our lifetimes. According to these skeptics, peak coalers underestimate the ability of emerging technologies to extract a larger proportion of the resource than what is currently considered to be recoverable. On the advice of one such skeptic and personal friend, I spent several days researching innovative coal technologies like underground coal gasification (UCG) and microbial coal prior to writing this review. And, being anything but an energy scientist myself, I still find that I can’t reach a firm conclusion about the degree of promise held by these technologies. Thus, the remainder of this review will focus solely on Heinberg’s analysis of reserves data, rather than on the merits of the various emerging coal technologies. The impetus for *Blackout* came two years ago, with the publication of a report titled “Coal: Resources and Future Production<http://www.energywatchgroup.org/fileadmin/global/pdf/EWG_Report_Coal_10-07-…>.” Authored by a group of independent analysts for Energy Watch Group in Germany, the report analyzed the latest available data on the world’s remaining coal deposits, and came to some sobering conclusions. Above all, it found that our current data on global coal reserves are of very poor quality, since many countries’ reserves figures are woefully out-of-date, having not been updated, in some cases, in several decades. And of the nations that have actually made the effort to update their proven reserves figures, all but two—India and Australia—have revised them substantially *downward* over the past two decades. Some of these downward revisions have been staggering. For example, Botswana, Germany and the United Kingdom have all downgraded their proven reserves by more than 90 percent (Germany’s downgrades were the sharpest, with proven hard coal reserves plummeting by a stunning 99 percent!). Further, the report found that the United States, which we’ve all been told has something like two centuries’ worth of coal left, has in fact *already peaked* in its production of high-quality coal. And even the world’s total in-situ coal resources have been reduced by 60 percent over the past 25 years, from 10 trillion tons of hard coal equivalent to 4.2 trillion tons. The study authors conclude that such drastic reductions are far too significant to simply represent the quantities of coal that have been mined and produced in the time since reserves were last assessed. Instead, they are most likely the result of coal-producing countries having better data now than they once had. And the authors see global coal production peaking, in the best case, in 2025 at 30 percent above present levels of production. Heinberg picked up this story on his *MuseLetter* blog when it first came to light, and it became the basis for a series of essays that he went on to write on peak coal. Over the past two years, the study’s findings have been bolstered by subsequent research carried out by the Institute for Energy (IFE), Caltech Professor David Rutledge and Uppsala University in Sweden, among others. Heinberg draws on all of this research in *Blackout*. The book follows a simple structure. Its first two-thirds are devoted to assessing the reserves of the world’s major coal-producing nations, country by country. This is followed by two brief chapters that deal with the implications of continued coal burning for climate change and the potentialities and limitations of new coal technologies, respectively. Lastly, Heinberg devotes a chapter to three potential scenarios that he believes could be in store for us, depending on how successfully we’re able to rise to the challenges of developing a renewable energy infrastructure and averting catastrophic climate change. I’ve already said all that I think I can about emerging coal technologies. As for the chapter on coal and climate, Heinberg dissects each of the various, differing viewpoints on the implications that continued coal consumption will have for climate change policy—and vice versa—and argues for a “combined approach” to addressing fossil fuel depletion and climate change. This combined approach would ensure that we don’t address each crisis with policies that make the other one worse (as for example by alleviating fuel shortages through the increased use of dirty hydrocarbons like tar sands and shale oil, which would accelerate climate change by ratcheting up carbon emissions). Heinberg also adds his voice to the clamor among leading climate scientists for a global campaign to keep atmospheric CO2 levels to within 350 parts per million (ppm), which is currently deemed the safe upper limit for atmospheric CO2. The three future scenarios that Heinberg foresees are a business-as-usual scenario involving the continued wholesale liquidation of the world’s remaining coal reserves; a clean tech scenario in which we continue using coal as quickly as possible, but mitigate its climate effects through massive investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS); and a scenario in which we successfully transition to a renewable energy infrastructure. The business-as-usual scenario would have the worst environmental consequences out of the three. And the clean tech scenario would entail the worst economic consequences, since it would require tremendous investments in CCS infrastructures on the part of economies already ravaged by skyrocketing coal prices and shortages. The renewable energy scenario would involve the least environmental harm, and it’s also the only one in which we would be able to avert total economic and societal collapse. But Heinberg has no illusions that it will be easy to find the political will necessary in order to make this latter scenario a reality. Heinberg may be right that our modern world is doomed to descent into one great, irrevocable Blackout within our lifetimes barring some unprecedented, coordinated worldwide switch to renewables. On the other hand, it may be that innovative technologies will dramatically increase the total amount of economically extractable coal, bringing on a decades-long glut of the stuff—as well as great peril to our environment. But whichever winds up being the case, Heinberg is certainly right about the need to cut our carbon emissions as quickly as we can, just in case Earth’s climate turns out to be far more sensitive to our emissions than we’re currently able to fathom. I don’t know which side is right in the peak coal debate—but I do know that *Blackout* is an important and timely book. In the form of this compact volume, one of the best and most productive peak oil authors working today has turned his customary scholarship, wisdom, wit and writing prowess to some of the most critical issues now unfolding on our planet. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editorial Notes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Frank Kaminski is a member of Seattle Peak Oil Awareness, a connoisseur of post-oil novels and a regular book reviewer for Energy Bulletin. He can be reached at frank.kaminski AT gmail.com. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original article available here <http://www.seattleoil.com/> -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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Fw: Club-wide teleconference - Tuesday, August 4th
by Jim Sconyers 04 Aug '09

04 Aug '09

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Tue, 8/4/09, Jennifer.Pecota(a)sierraclub.org <Jennifer.Pecota(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: From: Jennifer.Pecota(a)sierraclub.org <Jennifer.Pecota(a)sierraclub.org> Subject: Club-wide teleconference - Tuesday, August 4th To: rickestes_92595(a)yahoo.com, karen(a)karenmerriam.com, jscorbett(a)mindspring.com, jheising(a)usd.edu, kjohnflaherty(a)yahoo.com, katibug1959(a)aol.com, davidhornbecklaw(a)msn.com, wyh(a)xmission.com, puffin(a)mbay.net, ddickson(a)burlingtontelecom.net, fewmit(a)comcast.net, jimdougherty(a)aol.com, jim_scon(a)yahoo.com, marthamdelrio(a)yahoo.com Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009, 5:42 PM As we work to create a clean energy economy and solve our climate crisis we face incredible opposition from groups funded by Big Oil and Coal. You are invited to join a Club-wide teleconference “Call to Action on Global Warming and Energy” to hear how you can help create the groundswell of support needed to move these priorities forward this year. When: Tuesday, August 4 th at 8:30pm Eastern Number: 866.501.6174 code: 223 9223 Draft Agenda: - Welcome and Context - International and Federal Legislative Action - Administrative Action: Big Picture Campaign - Questions and Answers Hope you can make it!

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Re: [EC] National Trust grant project for PATH
by Frank Young 31 Jul '09

31 Jul '09

To follow up- I have reason to believe that WV Highlands Conservancy could put some of its own matching $$$ into this. And Patience and Keryn have some matching funds already- but I do not know how much. So it would likely be a multi-organizational effort. Frank ----- Original Message ----- From: Frank Young To: ec(a)osenergy.org Sent: Friday, July 31, 2009 2:28 PM Subject: Fw: National Trust grant project for PATH Jim and all- On last week's call some of us expressed an interest in producing anti-PATH radio / TV spots for airing. A few months ago some of us doing Stop PATH work got a $ 2,000 National Trust grant to produce anti-PATH ad spots for radio / TV airing. This grant must be used to produce spots, not for air time. The grant requires $2,000 of matching funds. Could Sierra Club put some up $$$ to help meet the match requirement, and we work collaboratively on this? We have the $2,000 of National Trust grant monies in hand. But we can't spend it until we have matching $$$$. A natural question might be, "Then who would be managing this"? Currently Patience Wait and Keryn Newman (both eastern panhandle Stop PATH activists who Karen and perhaps others of you know) have been managing it, with me as the liaison with WV Highlands Conservancy- the fiscal agent for the NT grant. And if there are Sierra Club folks with some relevant talent to offer, we would welcome it. Frank Young ----- Original Message ----- From: Keryn Newman To: Patience Wait ; Frank Young Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 9:22 AM Subject: Re: National Trust grant project for PATH My thoughts -- if the Sierra Club is willing to kick in some $$ to match the grant funds, we could get started tomorrow creating the ads. I'd be willing to work with Sierra Club to get this underway. We've been treading very carefully to be sure we do everything within grant guidelines. Someone from the Sierra Club with grant experience could be very helpful in letting us know what/what not to do. Maybe we're being too careful? I dunno... Keryn ----- Original Message ----- From: Patience Wait To: Frank Young Cc: Keryn Newman Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 8:13 PM Subject: Re: National Trust grant project for PATH We're trying to finish raising the matching $2K we have to have on hand before we can start spending it. We have ideas for rebuttal ads - as we read the grant, we can use the funds to create the ads, but not to run them. So if we can get them made, then we can make them available to anyone who is willing to pay for space (or time, if TV or radio). I'll talk to Keryn and see if we can give you a target date when we think we can get to spend it! P. On Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 7:43 PM, Frank Young <fyoung(a)mountain.net> wrote: Re: National Trust grant project for PATH Patience, what is happening on this? Sierra Club is interested in seeing some radio/TV response PSAs to the current barrage of PATH company advertising. I think Sierra may have few $$$ or so to put into it. Could this be a collaborative effort with Sierra Club folks? Or are you and Keryn well along on this on your own? Frank ---- Original Message ----- From: Patience Wait To: Frank Young Cc: Keryn Newman Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 12:58 PM Subject: Re: Grant follow-up Perfect, thank you. And we will be exceptionally cautious! P. On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 12:52 PM, Frank Young <fyoung(a)mountain.net> wrote: Being as it is all in my name and WVHC, you will not need to sign anything. But what I need you / Keryn to do is take great care to document all needs for disbursements before we write a check(s), and to document all expenses afterward. I cannot over-emphasize the need for adequate documentation. When you see the award letter, you will understand why this is important. I will bring copies of both the award letter and our letter of agreement with the grant requirements to the meeting Saturday- one copy each for you and Keryn. Frank ----- Original Message ----- From: Patience Wait To: Frank Young Cc: Keryn Newman Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 9:42 AM Subject: Grant follow-up Frank - Do you need Keryn's signature as well as mine on the grant paperwork? I'll be at the WVEC meeting Saturday, but Keryn won't; if you're coming, can you bring the paperwork (or a copy) so I can sign it and we can begin identifying what the guidelines are for getting bids on some of the work? There's probably more I ought to say, but I've got to head into town for a 10 a.m. meeting. I'll be back this afternoon if you want to chat. P.

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Fw: National Trust grant project for PATH
by Frank Young 31 Jul '09

31 Jul '09

Jim and all- On last week's call some of us expressed an interest in producing anti-PATH radio / TV spots for airing. A few months ago some of us doing Stop PATH work got a $ 2,000 National Trust grant to produce anti-PATH ad spots for radio / TV airing. This grant must be used to produce spots, not for air time. The grant requires $2,000 of matching funds. Could Sierra Club put some up $$$ to help meet the match requirement, and we work collaboratively on this? We have the $2,000 of National Trust grant monies in hand. But we can't spend it until we have matching $$$$. A natural question might be, "Then who would be managing this"? Currently Patience Wait and Keryn Newman (both eastern panhandle Stop PATH activists who Karen and perhaps others of you know) have been managing it, with me as the liaison with WV Highlands Conservancy- the fiscal agent for the NT grant. And if there are Sierra Club folks with some relevant talent to offer, we would welcome it. Frank Young ----- Original Message ----- From: Keryn Newman To: Patience Wait ; Frank Young Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 9:22 AM Subject: Re: National Trust grant project for PATH My thoughts -- if the Sierra Club is willing to kick in some $$ to match the grant funds, we could get started tomorrow creating the ads. I'd be willing to work with Sierra Club to get this underway. We've been treading very carefully to be sure we do everything within grant guidelines. Someone from the Sierra Club with grant experience could be very helpful in letting us know what/what not to do. Maybe we're being too careful? I dunno... Keryn ----- Original Message ----- From: Patience Wait To: Frank Young Cc: Keryn Newman Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 8:13 PM Subject: Re: National Trust grant project for PATH We're trying to finish raising the matching $2K we have to have on hand before we can start spending it. We have ideas for rebuttal ads - as we read the grant, we can use the funds to create the ads, but not to run them. So if we can get them made, then we can make them available to anyone who is willing to pay for space (or time, if TV or radio). I'll talk to Keryn and see if we can give you a target date when we think we can get to spend it! P. On Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 7:43 PM, Frank Young <fyoung(a)mountain.net> wrote: Re: National Trust grant project for PATH Patience, what is happening on this? Sierra Club is interested in seeing some radio/TV response PSAs to the current barrage of PATH company advertising. I think Sierra may have few $$$ or so to put into it. Could this be a collaborative effort with Sierra Club folks? Or are you and Keryn well along on this on your own? Frank ---- Original Message ----- From: Patience Wait To: Frank Young Cc: Keryn Newman Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 12:58 PM Subject: Re: Grant follow-up Perfect, thank you. And we will be exceptionally cautious! P. On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 12:52 PM, Frank Young <fyoung(a)mountain.net> wrote: Being as it is all in my name and WVHC, you will not need to sign anything. But what I need you / Keryn to do is take great care to document all needs for disbursements before we write a check(s), and to document all expenses afterward. I cannot over-emphasize the need for adequate documentation. When you see the award letter, you will understand why this is important. I will bring copies of both the award letter and our letter of agreement with the grant requirements to the meeting Saturday- one copy each for you and Keryn. Frank ----- Original Message ----- From: Patience Wait To: Frank Young Cc: Keryn Newman Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 9:42 AM Subject: Grant follow-up Frank - Do you need Keryn's signature as well as mine on the grant paperwork? I'll be at the WVEC meeting Saturday, but Keryn won't; if you're coming, can you bring the paperwork (or a copy) so I can sign it and we can begin identifying what the guidelines are for getting bids on some of the work? There's probably more I ought to say, but I've got to head into town for a 10 a.m. meeting. I'll be back this afternoon if you want to chat. P.

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Fwd: looking for the stop the PATH signs
by Paul Wilson 26 Jul '09

26 Jul '09

Greetings: we now have 500 signs in 5 boxes plus 10 boxes of wire stands (50 per box). We want to keep 100 here in the EP, but can move the rest to Morgantown or other locales. So who needs them and how do we get them out to you?? let me know. Keryn may make a trip to the Aug. 10th hearing in Charleston and that may be a good time. Otherwise I can load up some in my truck and meeting someone, somewhere! cheers,paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: StopPath <stoppath(a)frontiernet.net> Date: Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 9:48 PM Subject: Re: looking for the stop the PATH signs To: Kim Bjorgo-Thorne <bjorgo(a)wvwc.edu> Cc: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Hi Kim, The Sierra Club just had 500 Stop the PATH signs printed. They are selling them for $3.00 per sign. I currently have them in my garage in Shepherdstown (Jefferson County). How many signs are you looking for? We may be traveling to Charleston on Aug. 9/10 for the intervenors' status hearing and could possibly drop them off on the way, or if you're traveling this way, you're welcome to pick them up. I am copying the WV Sierra Club Rep. on this -- perhaps he knows of some of their folks heading your way. Best regards, Keryn Newman StopPATH/Jefferson Co. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kim Bjorgo-Thorne" <bjorgo(a)wvwc.edu> To: <stoppath(a)frontiernet.net> Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 9:51 PM Subject: looking for the stop the PATH signs Hi there- we live in WV and would like to get some of the Stop the PATH > signs. How would I go about getting those? Thanks for your help! > > Cheers, > Kim > -- > > > > Kim Bjorgo-Thorne, Ph.D. > > bjorgo(a)wvwc.edu <mailto:bjorgo@wvwc.edu> > > Assistant Professor of Environmental Science > > West Virginia Wesleyan College > > 59 College Avenue Box 61 > > Buckhannon, WV 26201 > > (304) 473-8126 > > Environmental Science Website < > http://www.wvwc.edu/aca2/dept/biol/envirosci/> > > > > NTMail K12 - the Mail Server for Education > > -- 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

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so sorry!
by Jim Sconyers 22 Jul '09

22 Jul '09

Mea culpa! I can only apologize for screwing up the conference call tonight. I got sidetracked by some things I was working on, and it simply slipped my "mind." I am terribly sorry. I hope we can reschedule soon. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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FW: US Wind Force
by Grubb, Karen 22 Jul '09

22 Jul '09

Here is what Frank Young sent. He is now helping Energy Committee with wind energy issues, so please include him on emails. From: Frank Young [mailto:fyoung@mountain.net] Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 10:44 PM To: Grubb, Karen; kevin fooce Subject: Re: US Wind Force Karen & Kevin, U.S. Wind Force operates under several wholly owned subsidiary corporate names, including Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC . U.S. Wind Force was also the applicant for the Liberty Gap Wind Force wind farm in Pendleton County last year- which Sierra Club opposed- and which was eventually denied by the State Public Service Commission. I will have more time next week to look further into this and another proposed wind farm in the same general area. But a quick search found the following two "initial filing" documents- one by the applicant, the other by an opposing intervener. I will try to research and explain the specific environmental issues at debate in this case when I get back next week. Frank Young ---------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivi tyID=261962&NotType='WebDocket' JACKSON Kelley J ATTORNEYS AT LAW PLLC I600 LAIDLEY TOWER * PO. BOX 553 * CHARLESTON,WESTVlRGlNlA 25322 TELEPHONE: 304-340- IO00 e TELECOPIER: 304-340- I I30 m.jacksonkelly. corn E-Mail: snchambcrs(~iacksonkellv.corn State Bar No. 694 DIRECT TELEPHONE: (304) 340- 12 14 DIRECT TELECOPIER: (304) 340-1 080 March 17,2009 Sandra Squire, Executive Secretary Public Service Commission of West Virginia 201 Brooks Street Charleston, West Virginia 25301 Re: CASENO. 09 -E-CS Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC Application for a Siting Certificate to Authorize the Construction and Operation of an Electric Wholesale Generating Facility and Related Transmission Support Line of Less than 200 kV and Associated Interconnection Facilities in Mineral County, West Virginia. Dear Ms. Squire: Please find enclosed an original and twelve copies of a Siting Certificate Application for the Pinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage in Mineral County, West Virginia ("Application") filed by Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC ("Pinnacle"). In its Application, Pinnacle requests that the Commission grant a Siting Certificate authorizing it to construct, own, and operate an electric generating facility and associated facilities known as the Pinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage ("Project"), to be constructed on Green Mountain, southwest of the City of Keyser, Mineral County, West Virgnia. The Project will consist of up to 23 wind turbines, each with an anticipated nameplate capacity of 2,400 kilowatts (KW), capable of producing a combined total of approximately 55.2 megawatts (MW) of electric power. It should be noted that in my letter of January 30, 2009, advising the Cornmission of the forthcoming filing of this application, it is stated that the Project will consist of 23 wind turbines with a nameplate capacity of 2 MW. The stated total capacity in my prior letter was based on the potential use of 2,500 KW turbines. At this time, only 2,400 KW turbines are available, and that is the capacity of the turbines generally referenced in the Application. Nevertheless, Pinnacle seeks the flexibility to use 2,500 KW turbines should they become available by the time the Project is ready to commence construction. Consequently, the enclosed filing fee, in the amount of $29,000, is based on a total capacity for the Project of 58 MW. The Project also includes the construction of 0.75 miles of 138 kV transmission line to connect the Project to the existing Albright-Black Oak 13 8 kV transmission line. The construction and operation of the Project will provide substantial economic benefits to Mineral County and the State of West Virginia. Pinnacle has previously briefed members of the Commission Staff on the Project and the expected filing of the Application. In addition to its request for a Siting Certificate, Pinnacle also respectfully requests that the Commission waive hearing on the Application if no substantial protest is received and grant such additional authorizations, waivers, approvals, and other relief as may be, necessary to permit Pinnacle to begin construction-related activities of the Project in the first calendar quarter of 201 0. Pinnacle asserts that because it is not a public utility within the meaning of West Virginia Code 5 24-2-1 1 , considerations relevant to the issuance of a certificate of convenience and necessity, such as the need for the Project and the infomation required by Tariff Rule 42, should not be addressed by the Commission. Therefore, Pinnacle requests a waiver of the Public Service Commission's filing requirements to provide certain information, including the utility service rendered, proposed rates, project construction costs, project financing and estimates of operating revenues and expenses, and the information required by Tariff Rule 42 (e.g., statements of net income, operating revenues, depreciation, West Virginia jurisdictional rate base, plant in service and capital structure). In addition, because Pinnacle will not be regulated by the Commission as a public utility following completion of the Project, it requests a waiver of all the Commission's filing and reporting requirements, metering requirements, customer relations, inspections and tests, standards and quality of service, promotional practices, consumer reimbursement program, uniform accounting requirements, and the requirement to allow Commission inspection of books, papers, reports and statements that are specific to regulated public utilities whose practices impact captive ratepayers. In an effort to make the Application and its supporting materials more readily available to the public, Pinnacle will also be forwarding a copy of the Application, including the appendices thereto, to the Keyser Public Library, the Elk Garden Community School, and the Piedmont Public Library. The Application will also be available at the following website: www.uswindforce.corn. Please note the appearance of Chstopher L. Callas and Stephen N. Chambers as counsel to Pinnacle. ------------------------------------- Also: http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivi tyID=265119&NotType='WebDocket' PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF WEST VIRGINIA CHARLESTON CASE NO. 09-0360-E-CS PETITION TO INTERVENE OF ALLEGHENY FRONT ALLIANCE The Allegheny Front Alliance ("the Alliance"), pursuant to Rule 12.6 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, respectfully petitions the Commission to intervene as a party in the above-styled case. The Alliance is an organization primarily comprised of residents of the counties of the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. The Alliance seeks to intervene in order to ensure that the Commission and the public receive complete and accurate information regarding the burdens imposed by wind energy development. The Alliance believes that its membership and the State as a whole would be substantially adversely affected by the construction and operation of the project proposed by Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC ("Pinnacle"). Accordingly, the Alliance seeks relief in the form of denial of the application of Pinnacle. ----- Original Message ----- From: Grubb, Karen <mailto:Karen.Grubb@fairmontstate.edu> To: kevin fooce <mailto:fmoose39@hotmail.com> Cc: Frank Young <mailto:fyoung@mountain.net> Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 9:48 PM Subject: RE: US Wind Force Frank Young is helping Energy Committee with Wind issues. He may be away from email for a few days, but I suggest asking him. From: kevin fooce [mailto:fmoose39@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 9:36 PM To: Jim Kotcon; Jim Sconer; Jonathon Rosenbaum; Grubb, Karen; Beth Little; Bill DePaulo; Bill Price; Mary Davis; Mike Price; Paul Wilson Subject: I need some info. on US Wind Force "Pinnacle Wind Farm". Anyone know anything about this project! I have looked over the PSC, fish and wildlife, etc. listings but find nothing about the environment besides the view. Kevin Fooce fooce(a)hotmail.com 304-593-2875 EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me <http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Home/?source=EML_WLHM_GreaterGood>

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Fwd: [WVUSSC] Coal Electricity down 14%, Oil down 27%, wind up 35%
by James Kotcon 22 Jul '09

22 Jul '09

Check out the US-DOEs Energy Information Agency data for electricity generation, April 2008 versus April 2009. Solar - up 2.3 % Hydro - up 18 % Wind - up 34.8 % coal - down 13.9 % Gotta love growth industries JBK >>> Nathan Askins <nate.askins(a)gmail.com> 7/21/2009 11:04 PM >>> http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/tablees1a.html -- Nathan Askins Bachelor of Arts Candidate Multi-Disciplinary Studies: Environmental Protection & Economics and Sustainable Design West Virginia University (724) 561-6349 Morgantown, WV 26501 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SSCWVU" group. To post to this group, send email to SSCWVU(a)googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to SSCWVU+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SSCWVU?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

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Reminder: Energy Committee Conference call 6:30 PM tonight
by James Kotcon 22 Jul '09

22 Jul '09

Conference Call tonight (Wednesday, June 22) at 6:30 PM. Dial 866-501-6174. Conference Code 1005700# Agenda: 1) New Energy Committee members. (Jim Kotcon, Jim Sconyers?) 2) Wind Farms. Several new proposals are before the PSC. I have asked Frank Young to monitor these, but it needs 1-2 more people. 3) Coal-To-Liquids (TransGas Development, LLC in Mingo County). The Club's Environmental Law Program in San Francisco is monitoring this one closely, and will likely want us to intervene. Bill Price has contacts with citizens in Mingo County, but we need 1-2 more volunteers. 4) Carbon Capture and Sequestration (Mason County) Also a CCS Working Group at WV-DEP is preparing rules for CCS facilities, so we should be monitoring both. 5) Fly Ash impoundments. Jim Sconyers and I drafted comments on the Kammer facility, and new federal and state rules are needed. 6) PATH. This is our big one. Bill DePaulo, Jim Kotcon, and at least 2-3 others are needed. I suggest we do one subcommittee on "local organizing", one on "fund raising", and one on "technical experts/legal strategy". Barbara Fallon is doing fundraising on this, and 1-2 more people are needed to make stuff happen on that. 7) Cap and Trade. This federal legislation is the main driver for everything we do, and so far, that anti-cap and trade folks have had all the demonstrations and media attention. We need 2-3 people who will follow up on the bill, lobby Rockefeller and Byrd, and organize local media events in support of whatever we are in support of. The Sierra Club's position is that we support Cap and Trade, but the House bill needs major strengthening. (Note: WVEC has taken the position that the House bill is hopelessly weak and complex, and they support a carbon tax as a quicker, simpler alternative. I don't see it happening, unless the Waxman bill dies.) I got a call from Associated Press Friday, asking for a response from someone in favor of it, because no one except the opponents is saying anything. We are almost invisible in West Virginia. 8) Longview Mitigation Fund. Bill Depaulo, Jim Sconyers and Jim Kotcon. This will take some effort this summer and fall, but it looks like it is a "Go". 9) Landfill gas. Methane recovery facility at the Greenbrier Landfill. Kevin Fooce? 10) Mountaintop removal. Jim Sconyers I have promised that this call will not go beyond 8 PM, so it will be important that we move expeditiously. My primary goal is to assign tasks and get subcommittees started on these issues. So this is not the time for long-winded brainstorming on issues, and if I get too long-winded, someone cut me off. The average time per issue must not exceed 7.5 minutes. JBK

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Energy Committee Conference Call
by James Kotcon 20 Jul '09

20 Jul '09

I have come to recognize that it is time to get several issues organized for the Chapter Energy Committee. How is everyone's schedule for a conference call this week? I propose 6:30 PM, Wednesday evening, but am pretty flexible all week except Tuesday and Thursday night. I propose that we identify major issues, and assign subcommittees of 2-3 people to take the lead on each. That way, no one is working alone, but no one has to do the homework to become the expert on every issue, and 2-3 people is small enough that things can actually get done with a phone call or two. So look over the list of issues and volunteer for the one or two you will be able to commit to. Here are some items to consider: 1) New Energy Committee members. (Jim Kotcon, Jim Sconyers?) 2) Wind Farms. Several new proposals are before the PSC. I have asked Frank Young to monitor these, but it needs 1-2 more people. 3) Coal-To-Liquids (TransGas Development, LLC in Mingo County). The Club's Environmental Law Program in San Francisco is monitoring this one closely, and will likely want us to intervene. Bill Price has contacts with citizens in Mingo County, but we need 1-2 more volunteers. 4) Carbon Capture and Sequestration (Mason County) Also a CCS Working Group at WV-DEP is preparing rules for CCS facilities, so we should be monitoring both. 5) Fly Ash impoundments. Jim Sconyers and I drafted comments on the Kammer facility, and new federal and state rules are needed. 6) PATH. This is our big one. Bill DePaulo, Jim Kotcon, and at least 2-3 others are needed. I suggest we do one subcommittee on "local organizing", one on "fund raising", and one on "technical experts/legal strategy". Barbara Fallon is doing fundraising on this, and 1-2 more people are needed to make stuff happen on that. 7) Cap and Trade. This federal legislation is the main driver for everything we do, and so far, that anti-cap and trade folks have had all the demonstrations and media attention. We need 2-3 people who will follow up on the bill, lobby Rockefeller and Byrd, and organize local media events in support of whatever we are in support of. The Sierra Club's position is that we support Cap and Trade, but the House bill needs major strengthening. (Note: WVEC has taken the position that the House bill is hopelessly weak and complex, and they support a carbon tax as a quicker, simpler alternative. I don't see it happening, unless the Waxman bill dies.) I got a call from Associated Press Friday, asking for a response from someone in favor of it, because no one except the opponents is saying anything. We are almost invisible in West Virginia. 8) Longview Mitigation Fund. Bill Depaulo, Jim Sconyers and Jim Kotcon. This will take some effort this summer and fall, but it looks like it is a "Go". Dos anyone else have other issues that the Energy Committee should be dealing with over the next year? Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home) P.S. Jonathon, could you add Frank Young to the EC List-serve? Then send me a current list of who is on this List-serve Thanks. JBK

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] CEC Decision Means U.S.-Wide Rooftop PV Capacity Has Great Relevance to RPS Go
by James Kotcon 20 Jul '09

20 Jul '09

This is a huge decision, with relevance to PATH/TrAILCo and related West Virginia issues. If on-site urban photovoltaics can come in at 9-11 cents per kilowatt (compared to the current cost of 5-6 cents for new coal plants), and if local utilities can avoid the cost of multi-billion dollar transmission lines, new fossil fuel plants are not needed, at least not for peaking power. As carbon emissions costs get factored in (adding 20-50 % to the cost of coal-fired electricity), the challenge for generators will be to decide how to ramp down and phase out existing fossil fuel plants. JBK >>> Edward Mainland <emainland(a)COMCAST.NET> 7/19/2009 8:00 PM >>> Landmark decision: In June California's Energy Commission ruled that PV solar arrays on rooftops and parking lots may now be considered a viable alternative to gas turbine projects. The decision's relevance to RPS goals is clear, according to Bill Powers (see below) who says it has far-reaching implications for renewable energy development in California and the nation. California's investor-owned utilities now will have more difficulty ignoring or neglecting this resource, which Bill estimates nationally as more than one million MW (more than twice the average U.S. electrical load). Utilities no longer can so easily promote more gas peaker plants, large remote solar thermal projects and new transmission lines in wild lands at the expense of distributed power closer to consumers. For CEC, the urban PV alternative is now the potential "first in line" generation resource. Proponents of any new gas-fired generator or large, remote renewable facility arguably must now pass a much more rigorous urban PV litmus test to gain CEC project approval. See below an exchange between Bill Powers and Carl Zichella. See also Bill's attached article in "Natural Gas & Electricity Journal". -- Ed M. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

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Re: [EC] Fwd: Wind Research at WVU?
by Jim Sconyers 19 Jul '09

19 Jul '09

Totally garbled...but once you decipher it, sounds fascinating. More juice from less wind, less impact...what's not to like? Wish it had mentioned cost issues. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Fri, 7/17/09, James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> wrote: From: James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> Subject: [EC] Fwd: Wind Research at WVU? To: ec(a)osenergy.org Date: Friday, July 17, 2009, 2:48 PM >>> Nathan Askins <nate.askins(a)gmail.com> 7/16/2009 10:51 AM >>> http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/news/page/7895/ -- Nathan Askins Bachelor of Arts Candidate Multi-Disciplinary Studies: Environmental Protection & Economics and Sustainable Design West Virginia University (724) 561-6349 Morgantown, WV 26501 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SSCWVU" group. To post to this group, send email to SSCWVU(a)googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to SSCWVU+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SSCWVU?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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Fwd: Wind Research at WVU?
by James Kotcon 17 Jul '09

17 Jul '09

>>> Nathan Askins <nate.askins(a)gmail.com> 7/16/2009 10:51 AM >>> http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/news/page/7895/ -- Nathan Askins Bachelor of Arts Candidate Multi-Disciplinary Studies: Environmental Protection & Economics and Sustainable Design West Virginia University (724) 561-6349 Morgantown, WV 26501 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SSCWVU" group. To post to this group, send email to SSCWVU(a)googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to SSCWVU+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SSCWVU?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

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Manchin on power lines 2006
by Jim Sconyers 14 Jul '09

14 Jul '09

<a friend sent me this> Here are quotes from Governor Manchin's letter to Samuel Bodman, US Dep. Energy secretary, dated 10/3/2006. Let me know if you want a copy. "I am writing to extend my congratulations on your efforts regarding National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors.... and to provide a Governor's perspective on the benefits of such designations. West Virginia is in a unique position. ..we border one of two areas in the nation identified as severely deficient in electric transmission infrastructure. To our north and east, we see regional issues of high energy prices, exacerbated by lack of suitable sites for new generation facilities. To our south and west, and within our own state, we see low-priced generation in existing power plants that have been retrofitted to comply wit. new environmental regulations --- clean coal plants...." NOW REALLY EVEN MORE SICKENING "On May 8 of this year, I attended a celebration of the last line splice on American Electric...Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry 765 kV transmission line....This 90 mile line stretches from West Virginia to Virginia, and provides vital reliability benefits for a significant portion of my state. Due to a number of largely unrelated issues, the line took 13 years to site..........The state of the U.S. electric grid along the urban East Coast is ........a matter of national security. We must move forward with expediency......so siting and construction can begin." Then he says he supports two proposed projects which I believe are PATH and TRAIL. Oh he gives a brief mention of wind. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: Friday Festivities!
by James Kotcon 10 Jul '09

10 Jul '09

Looks like I am committed to going. Anyone interested in riding along. I will leave from Evansdale around 5 PM. JBK >>> Sara Lampo <revlis04(a)hotmail.com> 7/10/2009 10:13 AM >>> Hi all! Governor Manchin will be attending a house party tonight at 7:30pm in Aspen Village on Timberline Rd. There will be a peaceful, passive, protest there to show him that the people of Tucker County do not want the HUGE PATH transmission line plowing through WV. It is a great opportunity SO CLOSE TO HOME!!! (This is much easier than traveling to Charleston!) Some people from Morgantown are making the trip down here tonight to join us as well. We are meeting at the Timberline Parking Lot at 7:00pm tonight. We will go to Aspen Village together from there. The MORE PEOPLE, the more impact we can have. No obligations, let's just bring the masses. We have 'STOP THE PATH' yard signs if you're interested. If you have one, bring it to the event tonight. Bring your friends and make it fun! Please call 2 or 3 people to help us spread the word! For Tucker County, sara _________________________________________________________________ Insert movie times and more without leaving Hotmail®. http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/QuickAdd?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutor…

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Re: [EC] Fwd: Fw: "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope."
by Will Reilly 10 Jul '09

10 Jul '09

If we really care about the future of this planet, this crap and trade bill should die in its boots. Kucinich got it right, but the rest of the so-called "democrats' totally blew it. We in the environmental movement have to face the reality that we have failed to convince the public of what's going on with the climate. But this bill will not work, and will only serve to set us back 20 years, and that's time we do not have. It's as if we had cancer and the doctor refuses to do surgery and radiation but says" Take two aspirin and call me back in 20 years." He won't tell us the truth, because he's afraid we won't take drastic action. --- On Fri, 7/10/09, Jim Sconyers <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> wrote: From: Jim Sconyers <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [EC] Fwd: Fw: "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope." To: "WV Chapter Energy Committee" <EC(a)osenergy.org>, "Jonathan Rosenbaum" <freesource(a)cheat.org>, "Karen Grubb" <kgrubb(a)fairmontstate.edu>, "kevin fooce" <fmoose39(a)hotmail.com>, "Mike Price" <mikeprice54(a)suddenlink.net>, "Sally Wilts" <sallywilts(a)yahoo.com>, " Esq.William V. DePaulo" <william.depaulo(a)gmail.com>, "Paul Wilson" <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Date: Friday, July 10, 2009, 9:09 AM So depressing. Byrd is following in Dick Cheney's footsteps, hiding out in an undisclosed location. I take it for granted that Byrd and Rockefeller, like our House folks, will vote against ACES. Reading the piece below: The miners say it's about jobs, right right wingnuts say it's about electric bills. None of them mention that it's about f***ing up the world and ruining it for all generations to come. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Fri, 7/10/09, Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> wrote: From: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Subject: Fwd: Fw: "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope." To: "WV Chapter Energy Committee" <EC(a)osenergy.org>, "Jim Sconyers" <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com>, "Jonathan Rosenbaum" <freesource(a)cheat.org>, "Karen Grubb" <kgrubb(a)fairmontstate.edu>, "kevin fooce" <fmoose39(a)hotmail.com>, "Mike Price" <mikeprice54(a)suddenlink.net>, "Sally Wilts" <sallywilts(a)yahoo.com>, "William V. DePaulo, Esq." <william.depaulo(a)gmail.com> Date: Friday, July 10, 2009, 8:52 AM seen this one? ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <Bruce.Hamilton(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 5:53 PM Subject: Fw: "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope." To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com, robinmann(a)earthlink.net In case youy missed this gem. ----- Forwarded by Bruce Hamilton/Sierraclub on 07/09/2009 02:52 PM ----- "Mary Anne Hitt" <maryanne.hitt@si erraclub.org> To <#conservation-carbon(a)sierraclub.or 07/09/2009 02:41 g> PM cc Subject Please respond to "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our <maryanne.hitt@si only hope." erraclub.org> Thought everyone might appreciate the view from West Virginia. Please note that this is one of the conservative papers in the state. A somewhat creepy excerpt: I dream that Sen. Byrd is healthy enough to return to the Senate and be a part of this debate about a bill that will cost the poorest West Virginians their last heating and electricity dollars. Though injured, like Darth Vader at the end of "Return Of The Jedi," he will have the strength to intercede as Emperor Obama slowly chokes the life out of a young warrior named Manchin. The irony of Byrd pitching the emperor down a reactor shaft or some such with a deciding Senate vote against cap and trade should not be lost. "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope." The State Journal (WV) Byrd's Vote Can Be Key on Climate Debate July 9, 2009 Byrd remains a critical vote as the cap-and-trade legislation from the House heads down the hall later this summer for Senate deliberation. The last few weeks have been filled with the now-rumbling din of concern for the health of West Virginia's senior U.S. senator. It's safe to say that something is more than a half-bubble off when we know more about the health of a backup quarterback at West Virginia University than that of someone still in the actual order of presidential succession. For example, courtesy of the Charleston Daily Mail, we know this about a Parade All-America quarterback now in Morgantown named Eugene Smith. "Smith will need six to eight weeks to recover after fracturing the navicular bone, which is on the inside of the foot and at the base of the ankle... . Smith had X-rays and a CT scan last Thursday and began his rehabilitation Friday. He's on crutches and wearing a protective boot, but is under orders to keep weight off the foot." Anyway, the obfuscation that surrounds Sen. Byrd has been embarrassing for a long time. It's a disservice to the voters and citizens not to be represented when critical national issues are being decided in Washington. Byrd remains a critical vote as the cap-and-trade legislation from the House heads down the hall later this summer for Senate deliberation. It is assumed he will be a vote to protect coal or energy interests in our state, or at least enough of an impediment to those who would stop a filibuster by topping the 60-vote mark. I expect our junior senator, currently wavering on Waxman-Markey in public, to go back to his roots and vote for most any sort of anti-energy bill that comes down the pike. I sense the antipathy Rockefeller showed in the 1970s for coal is still just below the skin and worry that if he is in his last turn in the Senate as well, little will keep him from voting his VISTA conscience. The best possible scenario? The one that occurs in my dreams? The one that gives our state probably its last Senate relevance for a while? Well, it's based in my viewing of one of the "Star Wars" movies a couple weeks ago. I dream that Sen. Byrd is healthy enough to return to the Senate and be a part of this debate about a bill that will cost the poorest West Virginians their last heating and electricity dollars. Though injured, like Darth Vader at the end of "Return Of The Jedi," he will have the strength to intercede as Emperor Obama slowly chokes the life out of a young warrior named Manchin. The irony of Byrd pitching the emperor down a reactor shaft or some such with a deciding Senate vote against cap and trade should not be lost. "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope." It would be a fitting final act for our greatest senator, showing he's not with the party but with the people and their family budgets, selfless to the end, with nothing to lose and doing the right thing for West Virginia. Of course later, while we all celebrate with the Ewoks our short-term win over those who would end our way of life, we'd see the senator again, as we want to remember him. A little younger, maybe playing that fiddle in a life-like hologram like at the end of the movie. He might be surrounded by other heroes of our past. Arthur Boreman, Stonewall Jackson, whomever floats your boat. We'll inevitably find out that Joe Manchin and Shelley Capito are ideological siblings, much like Luke and Princess Leia. We'll send them on to Washington for Byrd and Rockefeller someday soon. We just have to find our cowboy, Han Solo-type to make my dream work. Not sure even who that is yet. But auditions to be the next governor and look good in a leather vest will be under way. Get your measurements in soon. Rob Cornelius of Parkersburg writes about energy for The State Journal. His e-mail address is robcwv(a)gmail.com. Copyright 2009 West Virginia Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. -- Mary Anne Hitt Deputy Campaign Director Beyond Coal Campaign Sierra Club 304-876-7064 (w) 540-239-0073 (c) maryanne.hitt(a)sierraclub.org www.sierraclub.org/coal -- 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 -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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Re: [EC] Fwd: Fw: "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope."
by Jim Sconyers 10 Jul '09

10 Jul '09

So depressing. Byrd is following in Dick Cheney's footsteps, hiding out in an undisclosed location. I take it for granted that Byrd and Rockefeller, like our House folks, will vote against ACES. Reading the piece below: The miners say it's about jobs, right right wingnuts say it's about electric bills. None of them mention that it's about f***ing up the world and ruining it for all generations to come. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Fri, 7/10/09, Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> wrote: From: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Subject: Fwd: Fw: "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope." To: "WV Chapter Energy Committee" <EC(a)osenergy.org>, "Jim Sconyers" <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com>, "Jonathan Rosenbaum" <freesource(a)cheat.org>, "Karen Grubb" <kgrubb(a)fairmontstate.edu>, "kevin fooce" <fmoose39(a)hotmail.com>, "Mike Price" <mikeprice54(a)suddenlink.net>, "Sally Wilts" <sallywilts(a)yahoo.com>, "William V. DePaulo, Esq." <william.depaulo(a)gmail.com> Date: Friday, July 10, 2009, 8:52 AM seen this one? ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <Bruce.Hamilton(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 5:53 PM Subject: Fw: "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope." To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com, robinmann(a)earthlink.net In case youy missed this gem. ----- Forwarded by Bruce Hamilton/Sierraclub on 07/09/2009 02:52 PM ----- "Mary Anne Hitt" <maryanne.hitt@si erraclub.org> To <#conservation-carbon(a)sierraclub.or 07/09/2009 02:41 g> PM cc Subject Please respond to "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our <maryanne.hitt@si only hope." erraclub.org> Thought everyone might appreciate the view from West Virginia. Please note that this is one of the conservative papers in the state. A somewhat creepy excerpt: I dream that Sen. Byrd is healthy enough to return to the Senate and be a part of this debate about a bill that will cost the poorest West Virginians their last heating and electricity dollars. Though injured, like Darth Vader at the end of "Return Of The Jedi," he will have the strength to intercede as Emperor Obama slowly chokes the life out of a young warrior named Manchin. The irony of Byrd pitching the emperor down a reactor shaft or some such with a deciding Senate vote against cap and trade should not be lost. "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope." The State Journal (WV) Byrd's Vote Can Be Key on Climate Debate July 9, 2009 Byrd remains a critical vote as the cap-and-trade legislation from the House heads down the hall later this summer for Senate deliberation. The last few weeks have been filled with the now-rumbling din of concern for the health of West Virginia's senior U.S. senator. It's safe to say that something is more than a half-bubble off when we know more about the health of a backup quarterback at West Virginia University than that of someone still in the actual order of presidential succession. For example, courtesy of the Charleston Daily Mail, we know this about a Parade All-America quarterback now in Morgantown named Eugene Smith. "Smith will need six to eight weeks to recover after fracturing the navicular bone, which is on the inside of the foot and at the base of the ankle... . Smith had X-rays and a CT scan last Thursday and began his rehabilitation Friday. He's on crutches and wearing a protective boot, but is under orders to keep weight off the foot." Anyway, the obfuscation that surrounds Sen. Byrd has been embarrassing for a long time. It's a disservice to the voters and citizens not to be represented when critical national issues are being decided in Washington. Byrd remains a critical vote as the cap-and-trade legislation from the House heads down the hall later this summer for Senate deliberation. It is assumed he will be a vote to protect coal or energy interests in our state, or at least enough of an impediment to those who would stop a filibuster by topping the 60-vote mark. I expect our junior senator, currently wavering on Waxman-Markey in public, to go back to his roots and vote for most any sort of anti-energy bill that comes down the pike. I sense the antipathy Rockefeller showed in the 1970s for coal is still just below the skin and worry that if he is in his last turn in the Senate as well, little will keep him from voting his VISTA conscience. The best possible scenario? The one that occurs in my dreams? The one that gives our state probably its last Senate relevance for a while? Well, it's based in my viewing of one of the "Star Wars" movies a couple weeks ago. I dream that Sen. Byrd is healthy enough to return to the Senate and be a part of this debate about a bill that will cost the poorest West Virginians their last heating and electricity dollars. Though injured, like Darth Vader at the end of "Return Of The Jedi," he will have the strength to intercede as Emperor Obama slowly chokes the life out of a young warrior named Manchin. The irony of Byrd pitching the emperor down a reactor shaft or some such with a deciding Senate vote against cap and trade should not be lost. "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope." It would be a fitting final act for our greatest senator, showing he's not with the party but with the people and their family budgets, selfless to the end, with nothing to lose and doing the right thing for West Virginia. Of course later, while we all celebrate with the Ewoks our short-term win over those who would end our way of life, we'd see the senator again, as we want to remember him. A little younger, maybe playing that fiddle in a life-like hologram like at the end of the movie. He might be surrounded by other heroes of our past. Arthur Boreman, Stonewall Jackson, whomever floats your boat. We'll inevitably find out that Joe Manchin and Shelley Capito are ideological siblings, much like Luke and Princess Leia. We'll send them on to Washington for Byrd and Rockefeller someday soon. We just have to find our cowboy, Han Solo-type to make my dream work. Not sure even who that is yet. But auditions to be the next governor and look good in a leather vest will be under way. Get your measurements in soon. Rob Cornelius of Parkersburg writes about energy for The State Journal. His e-mail address is robcwv(a)gmail.com. Copyright 2009 West Virginia Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. -- Mary Anne Hitt Deputy Campaign Director Beyond Coal Campaign Sierra Club 304-876-7064 (w) 540-239-0073 (c) maryanne.hitt(a)sierraclub.org www.sierraclub.org/coal -- 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

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Fwd: Fw: "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope."
by Paul Wilson 10 Jul '09

10 Jul '09

seen this one? ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <Bruce.Hamilton(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 5:53 PM Subject: Fw: "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope." To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com, robinmann(a)earthlink.net In case youy missed this gem. ----- Forwarded by Bruce Hamilton/Sierraclub on 07/09/2009 02:52 PM ----- "Mary Anne Hitt" <maryanne.hitt@si erraclub.org> To <#conservation-carbon(a)sierraclub.or 07/09/2009 02:41 g> PM cc Subject Please respond to "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our <maryanne.hitt@si only hope." erraclub.org> Thought everyone might appreciate the view from West Virginia. Please note that this is one of the conservative papers in the state. A somewhat creepy excerpt: I dream that Sen. Byrd is healthy enough to return to the Senate and be a part of this debate about a bill that will cost the poorest West Virginians their last heating and electricity dollars. Though injured, like Darth Vader at the end of "Return Of The Jedi," he will have the strength to intercede as Emperor Obama slowly chokes the life out of a young warrior named Manchin. The irony of Byrd pitching the emperor down a reactor shaft or some such with a deciding Senate vote against cap and trade should not be lost. "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope." The State Journal (WV) Byrd's Vote Can Be Key on Climate Debate July 9, 2009 Byrd remains a critical vote as the cap-and-trade legislation from the House heads down the hall later this summer for Senate deliberation. The last few weeks have been filled with the now-rumbling din of concern for the health of West Virginia's senior U.S. senator. It's safe to say that something is more than a half-bubble off when we know more about the health of a backup quarterback at West Virginia University than that of someone still in the actual order of presidential succession. For example, courtesy of the Charleston Daily Mail, we know this about a Parade All-America quarterback now in Morgantown named Eugene Smith. "Smith will need six to eight weeks to recover after fracturing the navicular bone, which is on the inside of the foot and at the base of the ankle... . Smith had X-rays and a CT scan last Thursday and began his rehabilitation Friday. He's on crutches and wearing a protective boot, but is under orders to keep weight off the foot." Anyway, the obfuscation that surrounds Sen. Byrd has been embarrassing for a long time. It's a disservice to the voters and citizens not to be represented when critical national issues are being decided in Washington. Byrd remains a critical vote as the cap-and-trade legislation from the House heads down the hall later this summer for Senate deliberation. It is assumed he will be a vote to protect coal or energy interests in our state, or at least enough of an impediment to those who would stop a filibuster by topping the 60-vote mark. I expect our junior senator, currently wavering on Waxman-Markey in public, to go back to his roots and vote for most any sort of anti-energy bill that comes down the pike. I sense the antipathy Rockefeller showed in the 1970s for coal is still just below the skin and worry that if he is in his last turn in the Senate as well, little will keep him from voting his VISTA conscience. The best possible scenario? The one that occurs in my dreams? The one that gives our state probably its last Senate relevance for a while? Well, it's based in my viewing of one of the "Star Wars" movies a couple weeks ago. I dream that Sen. Byrd is healthy enough to return to the Senate and be a part of this debate about a bill that will cost the poorest West Virginians their last heating and electricity dollars. Though injured, like Darth Vader at the end of "Return Of The Jedi," he will have the strength to intercede as Emperor Obama slowly chokes the life out of a young warrior named Manchin. The irony of Byrd pitching the emperor down a reactor shaft or some such with a deciding Senate vote against cap and trade should not be lost. "Help us Robert C. Byrd; you're our only hope." It would be a fitting final act for our greatest senator, showing he's not with the party but with the people and their family budgets, selfless to the end, with nothing to lose and doing the right thing for West Virginia. Of course later, while we all celebrate with the Ewoks our short-term win over those who would end our way of life, we'd see the senator again, as we want to remember him. A little younger, maybe playing that fiddle in a life-like hologram like at the end of the movie. He might be surrounded by other heroes of our past. Arthur Boreman, Stonewall Jackson, whomever floats your boat. We'll inevitably find out that Joe Manchin and Shelley Capito are ideological siblings, much like Luke and Princess Leia. We'll send them on to Washington for Byrd and Rockefeller someday soon. We just have to find our cowboy, Han Solo-type to make my dream work. Not sure even who that is yet. But auditions to be the next governor and look good in a leather vest will be under way. Get your measurements in soon. Rob Cornelius of Parkersburg writes about energy for The State Journal. His e-mail address is robcwv(a)gmail.com. Copyright 2009 West Virginia Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. -- Mary Anne Hitt Deputy Campaign Director Beyond Coal Campaign Sierra Club 304-876-7064 (w) 540-239-0073 (c) maryanne.hitt(a)sierraclub.org www.sierraclub.org/coal -- 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

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Fwd: PATH signs and Friday Festivities
by James Kotcon 09 Jul '09

09 Jul '09

PATH Powerline Protest Friday in Tucker County. Anyone else interested in joining us? JBK 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home) >>> Sara Lampo <revlis04(a)hotmail.com> 7/8/2009 3:15 PM >>> Hey Friends! Bring as many people as you can!! We're going to meet at the Timberline Ski Area parking lot at 7:00pm. Thanks!!! :) 1. We have 100 "NO PATH" signs to distribute! We need to get them out and around Davis, Thomas, Parsons, and Canaan, Deerfield, T-line, etc. ASAP. Gov. Manchin is coming to town this Friday (2 days!) and ideally we can get most of them out beforehand. It will make a mark in his visit if he sees that the people of Tucker County don't want this PATH coming through. The signs are at my house in Benbush and I'm looking for people to help distribute. Megan is going to take some to Hellbender's and Sirianni's tonight. Can anyone else help? Or know anyone who would be interested in helping? The more, ther merrier! 2. Manchin will be attending a 'party' this Friday at 7:30pm in Aspen Village at the base of Timberline. There will be a peaceful, passive, protest there. The more people, the more impactful it will be. No obligations, let's just bring the masses. Please call 2 or 3 people and tell them! See you soon, sara _________________________________________________________________ Lauren found her dream laptop. Find the PC that’s right for you. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/choosepc/?ocid=ftp_val_wl_290

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Fwd: DEP Public Notice - County - Greenbrier - Notice of Intent to ApprovePermit R13-2802 - Greenbri
by James Kotcon 09 Jul '09

09 Jul '09

To the Energy Committee: Here is yet another issue. This is a new permit application for a facility that wants to use landfill methane as an energy source, and to claim the carbon credits under cap and trade for that methane reduction. The difficulty is that the Sierra Club recently announced a policy shift to oppose landfill gas applications because, such facilities manage the landfill to maximize methane production, but are unable to collect it efficiently. As such, the facilities may actually allow 80 % of the methane to escape into the atmosphere. The draft permit should be available on the DEP web page later today. let me know if anyone wants to tackle this one. JBK >>> <duane330(a)aol.com> 7/7/2009 7:27 PM >>> Methane reduction facility....... this is a new one on me; maybe they will be burining methane to make carbon dioxide, just to reduce the greenhouse effect? Duane -----Original Message----- From: dep.online(a)wv.gov To: duane330(a)aol.com Sent: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 3:34 pm Subject: DEP Public Notice - County - Greenbrier - Notice of Intent to Approve Permit R13-2802 - Greenbrier Clean Energy, LLE's Greenbrier Methane Reduction Facility he following was sent to you because you are a ember of the DEP Public Notice mailing list. ========================================================== uesday, July 7, 2009 @ 3:34 PM ========================================================== IR QUALITY PERMIT NOTICE Notice of Intent to Approve n May 7, 2009, Greenbrier Clean Energy, LLC applied to the WV Department of nvironmental Protection, Division of Air Quality (DAQ) for a permit to onstruct and operate a methane reduction facility located on Harper Siding oad, 4 miles northeast of Lewisburg, Greenbrier County, WV. A preliminary valuation has determined that all State and Federal air quality requirements ill be met by the proposed facility. The DAQ is providing notice to the public f its preliminary determination to issue the permit as R13-2802. he following potential emissions will be authorized by this permit action: articulate20Matter less than 10 microns, 1.12 tons per year (TPY); Sulfur ioxide, 1.09 TPY; Oxides of Nitrogen, .47 TPY; Carbon Monoxide, 24.30 TPY; Volatile Organic Compounds, 0.14 TPY. ritten comments or requests for a public meeting must be received by the DAQ efore 5:00 .m. on Monday, August 10, 2009. A public meeting may be held if the Director f the DAQ determines that significant public interest has been expressed, in riting, or when the Director deems it appropriate. he purpose of the DAQ’s permitting process is to make a preliminary etermination if the roposed construction will meet all state and federal air quality requirements. he purpose of the public review process is to accept public comments on air uality issues relevant to this determination. Only written comments received t the address noted below within the specified time frame, or comments resented orally at a scheduled public meeting, will be considered prior to inal action on the permit. All such comments will become part of the public ecord. erry Williams II, P.E. WV Department of Environmental Protection Division of ir Quality 601 57th Street, SE Charleston, WV 25304 Telephone: 304/926-0499, xt. 1223 FAX: 304/926-0478 dditional information, including copies of the draft permit, application and ll other supporting materials relevant to the permit decision may be obtained y contacting the engineer listed above. The draft permit and engineering valuation can be downloaded at: ww.wvdep.org/daq == ======================================================== o view past notices of open public comment periods or to unsubscribe from this ailing List, login at: ttp://www.wvdep.org//MLists2/

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FW: [wvec-board] *Save the Date* WV Environmental Council's Fall Convention
by Grubb, Karen 06 Jul '09

06 Jul '09

Please come and invite others in the environmental community. From: wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:wvec-board@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Daniel Chiotos Sent: Thursday, July 02, 2009 8:41 PM To: Daniel Chiotos Subject: [wvec-board] *Save the Date* WV Environmental Council's Fall Convention SAVE THE DATE! West Virginia Environmental Council <http://www.wvecouncil.org> 20th Annual Fall Meeting Convention September 25-27th, 2009 Holly Grey Park, Sutton, WV <http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=holly+grey+park+sutton,+wv&fb=1&s plit=1&gl=us&ei=XVNNSv2vN4i0NqTt-IoK&cd=1&hl=en&sll=38.680883,-80.658680 &sspn=0.032302,0.139804&cid=38694342,-80600429,14016315784179428332&li=l md&ll=38.713376,-80.60051&spn=0.141446,0.220757&z=12> *Please save the date for our 20th annual Fall Convention which will feature discussions & workshops on WV Environmental Issues, planning for our 2010 Legislative Priorities, a great keynote speaker as well as great music, great people, and an evening birthday party for the WV Environmental Council. More information will be coming out about this throughout the summer. 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Kucinich's comments on Climate Bill
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 01 Jul '09

01 Jul '09

A good read: http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/20090627_kucinich_says_climate_… And good news about EPA allowing Cal. their own stricter tailpipe guidelines with 14 states adopting this. WV? http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j4gSi9g13wy_f-JBmD42bk-Lm…

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Re: [EC] Waxman-Markey Crisis from the Center for Media Advocacy
by Jim Sconyers 30 Jun '09

30 Jun '09

And now both our senators say they'll vote against it, just like all 3 of our Congresspersons. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Tue, 6/30/09, Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> wrote: From: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Subject: [EC] Waxman-Markey Crisis from the Center for Media Advocacy To: "WV Chapter Energy Committee" <EC(a)osenergy.org> Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2009, 5:55 PM The Waxman-Markey Crisis Source: Mother Jones, June 22, 2009 As the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill nears a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, environmental groups are "teetering at the edge of existential crisis," writes Josh Harkinson. "Almost all environmental groups agree that Waxman-Markey is far from ideal," but some are supporting it, while others "believe the bill is so deeply flawed it might actually make matters worse." Critics say the bill "lines the pockets of polluters with little to show for it. The most it would cut carbon emissions by 2020 is 17 percent below 1990 levels, nowhere near the 25 to 40 percent reduction sought by scientists and international climate negotiators." Other concerns are that the bill may decrease clean energy production, as it would overrule higher renewable mandates in states like California; it would strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its ability to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants; and it would auction just 15 percent of emissions permits, giving a whopping 50 percent "to the fossil fuel industry for free." Some environmentalists blame the United States Climate Action Partnership, "a coalition of industry and moderate environmental groups," for sticking with a "quietly hammered out" agreement developed during the Bush administration. Others criticize President Obama, "who spoke out in favor of auctioning off pollution permits during his campaign ... but is now thought likely to sign whatever bill crosses his desk." Meanwhile, the industry front group Cooler Heads Coalition is planning efforts to oppose the bill, with "scientific skeptics and legislative critics," reports Greenwire. -- 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 -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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Waxman-Markey Crisis from the Center for Media Advocacy
by Paul Wilson 30 Jun '09

30 Jun '09

The Waxman-Markey Crisis<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2B0X5wX2ZukvihVxYcK…> Source: Mother Jones, June 22, 2009 As the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=iIRY1XcDd9OecSQPx41C…>nears a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, environmental groups are "teetering at the edge of existential crisis," writes Josh Harkinson. "Almost all environmental groups agree that Waxman-Markey is far from ideal," but some are supporting it, while others "believe the bill is so deeply flawed it might actually make matters worse." Critics say the bill "lines the pockets of polluters with little to show for it. The most it would cut carbon emissions by 2020 is 17 percent below 1990 levels, nowhere near the 25 to 40 percent reduction sought by scientists and international climate negotiators." Other concerns<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=HYFQcGvCbtv2aq8a1vaQ…>are that the bill may *decrease* clean energy production, as it would overrule higher renewable mandates in states like California; it would strip the Environmental Protection Agency<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=x6b%2BkkoPx%2BetcuQV…>of its ability to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=L64ixFEWEMKyt8zwci8T…>; and it would auction just 15 percent of emissions permits, giving a whopping 50 percent "to the fossil fuel industry for free." Some environmentalists blame the United States Climate Action Partnership<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=EdOkpB4klxdIi7PSbFPU…>, "a coalition of industry and moderate environmental groups," for sticking with a "quietly hammered out" agreement developed during the Bush administration<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=CfBgJ8qqWZhKf%2FWW%2…>. Others criticize President Obama<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=5%2FsgQo%2FcwysNTq%2…>, "who spoke out in favor of auctioning off pollution permits during his campaign ... but is now thought likely to sign whatever bill crosses his desk." Meanwhile, the industry front group<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=HDRLsFykvu4jKrqU3Eyt…> Cooler Heads Coalition<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ZgWlqhJ4htdkc4hM5NER…>is planning efforts to oppose the bill, with "scientific skeptics<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Iw5BkoXVHGBi71VFSnwO…>and legislative critics," reports Greenwire<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=JXFikPOGNEZt6u%2BNhN…>. -- 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

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poor Allegheny Energy
by Jim Sconyers 29 Jun '09

29 Jun '09

I contacted Allegheny to apply to their corporate giving program for a grant for my nonprofit. Reply: They have no money in their giving program for 2009. Poor little rich corporation - boo hoo for them! Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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Two green workshops sponsored by the DEP
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 29 Jun '09

29 Jun '09

A colleague sent this to me and I thought this may be of interest. DEP is sponsoring two workshops at http://www.wvdep.org/registration . 1). Putting Green Building Concepts To Work For You! on August 5. 2). Environmental Management System Workshop on August 18-19. Both of these events will be in the Charleston area. -Jonathan

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Study: 100 New Reactors Would Result In Up To 4 Trillion Dollars In Excess Cos
by James Kotcon 24 Jun '09

24 Jun '09

New study from Vermont discusses the cost of nukes. I particularly enjoyed this quote from a former NRC Commissioner. See full story at the link below. JBK Commenting on the study, former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Peter Bradford said: "This study makes clear that new nuclear reactors can only be built if taxpayers or customers assume the very large risks that investors would normally bear in the U.S. economy. Such subsidy to a mature industry - already heavily subsidized - is contrary to the fundamental free enterprise principles that protect customers and allocate resources efficiently. The risks of cost overruns, reactor cancellation, poor operation and the development of less costly competitors are real. All have happened to nuclear power in the U.S. before. If the enormous financial burden of assuming these risks falls on the taxpayers (in the form of loan guarantees), it will increase our national deficit and crowd out other borrowers needing federal credit support. If it falls on customers (in the form of ratemaking guarantees), it will create additional economic hardship and job loss ... Setting a quota of 100 new nuclear reactors by a certain date presumes - against decades of evidence to the contrary - that politicians can pick technological winners. Such a policy combines distraction, deception, debt and disappointment in a mixture reminiscent of other failed federal policies in recent years." >>> Marc Vayssières <marcv(a)DCN.DAVIS.CA.US> 6/22/2009 11:42 PM >>> An interesting study reported on nuclearpowerdaily.com: http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/100_New_Reactors_Would_Result_In_U… l Marc Vayssières - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

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PATH - SIERRA CLUB AND WVHC MOTION TO ALTER FILING AND SERVICE RULES
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 24 Jun '09

24 Jun '09

Mr. Watkins I attach a copy of the motion filed by the Sierra Club and the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy today requesting that the commission modify the rules applicable to this case to permit electronic filing and service in lieu of the costly and cumbersome hard copy filing and service rules currently applicable. For the Commission's information, I attach the USPS receipt in the amount of $29.28 for the postage on this one filing, which was served by mail. This was a five-page document, forty percent of which consisted of the two-page service list, which was typed in 10 point font and three columns wide in order to fit it on just two pages. Briefs filed in the TRAIL proceeding last year frequently had $2 and $3 postage requirements. And, of course, there is no cost shown here for copying. When you get to 20, 30 and 40 page briefs the costs escalate quickly to several hundreds of dollars per filing. Individuals and non-profits cannot afford these costs, and they are not necessary for the efficient operation of the Commission's business. William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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Value of Biofuels on reclaimed mine land
by James Kotcon 23 Jun '09

23 Jun '09

This is a press release from WVU News Service, about a recent presentation given by Paul Ziemkiewicz. The link to the actual PowerPoint is interesting, and we might look at the last couple slides. I was aware of the switchgrass project, but this is the first report of results I have seen. Strictly for your educational enjoyment. JBK PRESENTATIONS: 4) WVU expert discusses renewable energy production on mined lands in Appalachia to group in Washington D.C. A nationally recognized WVU expert on sustainable energy production discussed how energy production can remain a viable part of the Appalachian economy for years to come to a group in Washington, D.C. recently. Paul Ziemkiewicz, director of the West Virginia Water Research Institute at WVU, addressed the Washington Coal Club about new innovations for renewable energy resources on mine-scarred lands at the group’s monthly luncheon forum. Coal Club members heard about the work WV WRI is doing on keeping energy production in the Appalachian economy viable. Ziemkiewicz, who is recognized nationally and internationally for his work in mine land reclamation, described WV WRI studies that could lead to sustainable energy production on former mine sites. Many of these sites offer opportunities for the development of renewable energy resources such as biomass, wind and solar generated power. Ziemkiewicz’s presentation is available at http://wvwri.nrcce.wvu.edu. For more information, visit http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/news/page/7842/ RECOGNITION:

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Fw: [ Email Story ] Plan to fight climate change will mean more coal burning
by Jim Sconyers 22 Jun '09

22 Jun '09

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Mon, 6/22/09, jim_scon(a)yahoo.com <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> wrote: From: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> Subject: [ Email Story ] Plan to fight climate change will mean more coal burning To: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com Date: Monday, June 22, 2009, 7:02 AM jim_scon(a)yahoo.com sent you this article ----- June 21, 2009 Plan to fight climate change will mean more coal burning p>The Associated Press By Jim Tankersley Tribune Washington Bureau (MCT) WASHINGTON - Coal-fired power plants are the largest sou ... Read more -----

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INFO RE: Kathy Mattea and Sierra Club TV commercial?
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 20 Jun '09

20 Jun '09

Does anybody have any information about a television ad Kathy Mattea either made or is going to make with/for the Sierra Club? It may not have been run yet. If you have any info please fwd to me. Tx -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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MTR action alert
by Jim Sconyers 08 Jun '09

08 Jun '09

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Fri, 6/5/09, aaron.isherwood(a)sierraclub.org <aaron.isherwood(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: From: aaron.isherwood(a)sierraclub.org <aaron.isherwood(a)sierraclub.org> Subject: MTR action alert To: "Jim Sconyers" <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com>, "Regina Hendrix" <reginahendrix999(a)gmail.com>, "William DePaulo" <william.depaulo(a)gmail.com>, Bill_Price.SIERRACLUB(a)sierraclub.org Date: Friday, June 5, 2009, 7:34 PM Hi everyone: Apologies if I already sent this (can't recall), but I wanted to be sure you're aware of the Club's recent action alert. Obviously, it's an important time to be putting pressure on the administration, so hope you all can help. See Jim Hightower's below, too; phone calls also helpful. Thanks! Aaron Aaron Isherwood Senior Staff Attorney Sierra Club Environmental Law Program 85 Second Street, 2d Floor San Francisco, CA 94105-3441 Phone: (415) 977-5680 Fax: (415) 977-5793 Help Protect Streams and Communities The Obama administration has taken an important step toward putting an end to the reckless coal mining that has gone on for the past eight years. Carefully reviewing permits for new mountaintop-removal coal mines is essential to protect waterways. However, oversight is not enough. To truly end the destruction, we need a new rule that prohibits dumping mining waste into waterways Stopping the Desecration of Mountaintop Removal Jim Hightower Obama spaketh, and it was good: "We have to find more environmentally sound ways of mining coal than simply blowing the tops off mountains," he proclaimed. And, yea, in the mountains and down through all the valleys of the ancient land of Appalachia, hearts were filled with joy, for here was a prophet of hope who was signaling that a change was coming — at last, the endtime was at hand for the brutish coal-mining method called "mountaintop removal," which is an abomination. Even as the people rejoiced at this good news, coal barons trembled in their temples of black gold. For a decade, these mighty extractors of wealth had been allowed to accumulate unto themselves enormous profits by exploding the tops off the peaks in Appalachia, the oldest mountain range in all the land. With the top third of these awesome, forested mountains reduced to rubble, the barons used giant machines to strip out seams of coal, and then they simply shoved the rubble and toxic coal waste down the mountainsides, burying the valleys and streams below. It was a desecration — but the love of mammon made it the law of the land. Then, behold, now the prophet became president, so he was in a position to put his words into action. And act, he did. On May 15, it was announced that Barack Obama's Environmental Protection Agency had quietly approved 42 of 48 new Appalachian mining permits sought by the coal barons. Say what? The prophet of change and hope just OK-ed more desecration by coal mining profiteers? What in the name of a mysterious God is going on here? Politics. Politics at its weaseliest. Industry supporters point out that while Obama had expressed his concern about this detestable practice in last year's presidential race, he had not actually promised to halt it. Cute, huh? Once he was in office, coal executives, lobbyists and other enthusiasts for bang-and-shove mining went to work on him. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.V., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and a full-throated cheerleader for whatever his state's coal industry wants, met with the head of the EPA, the chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff. "In each of these meetings," says Rahall, "I received assurances. The Obama administration knows that it cannot turn its back on coal." Of course, that's not the question. There are many ways to mine coal besides blowing up the environment. The question is whether Obama will turn his back on the mountains, the people and his own integrity. The industry rationalizes its greed in the name of creating jobs for this hard-hit region — but mountaintop removal relies on dynamite and huge machines, not workers. In fact, thousands of mining jobs have been lost as corporations switched to this method. In all of Appalachia, there are only 19,000 jobs connected to every form of surface mining — and the tiniest fraction of those are in mountaintop removal. A much brighter job future is to develop Appalachia's boundless green-energy potential — a blue-green initiative that's supposed to be one of Obama's top priorities. The good news is that the approval of these 42 permits does not mean the debate is over, even in the White House. Some 200 other applications are pending, involving much larger projects, and it's known that top Obamans are very divided on allowing any more of this crass destruction. This is a case where public outrage can make a difference. Obama and team snuck out the 42 permits without even notifying the public, but they won't be able to ambush us on the other applications. Rather than throwing up our hands in disgust at their first action, now is the time for us to flex some grass-roots political muscle. To let him know we expect no more weaseling on his pledge to stop "blowing the tops off mountains," call the White House operator and ask for Nancy Sutley. She heads Obama's Council on Environmental Quality and needs to hear that We the People give a damn: (202) 456-1414. To find out more about Jim Hightower, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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anti PATH video
by Jim Sconyers 06 Jun '09

06 Jun '09

Excellent anti-PATH video on today's "Coal Tattoo." http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2009/06/05/friday-roundup-june-5-2009/ Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: State Supreme Court won't hear wind farm case
by James Kotcon 04 Jun '09

04 Jun '09

Check out the questions from our WV Supreme Court judges, Ketchum and Benjamin, at the end of this article. Although they declined to hear the case, and thereby let the wind farm proceed, the questions imply a clear bias in favor of coal, as if supporting "Green Energy" was a bad thing. For the "Friends of Coal" it is, and that gives us an idea of how far we have to go in WV. JBK >>> <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> 6/4/2009 7:29 AM >>> jkotcon(a)wvu.edu sent you this article ----- June 3, 2009 State Supreme Court won't hear wind farm case ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200906030496 ) By The Associated Press The state Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to hear an appeal by a group seeking to stop construction of a wind farm intended to meet anticipated power demands across the Mid-Atlantic. Read more ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200906030496 ) -----

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Fw: PJM leading polluter
by Jim Sconyers 02 Jun '09

02 Jun '09

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Tue, 6/2/09, Elena Saxonhouse <Elena.Saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: From: Elena Saxonhouse <Elena.Saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org> Subject: Fw: PJM leading polluter To: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2009, 12:47 PM ----- Forwarded by Elena Saxonhouse/Sierraclub on 06/02/2009 09:48 AM ----- John Howley <john.howley(a)verizon.net> 06/02/2009 08:44 AM To Elena.Saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org cc Subject PJM leading polluter Take a look -- comments welcome! http://marylandenergyreport.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/pjms-carbon-bigfoot/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM list, send any message to: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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PATH - PETITION TO INTERVENE OF SIERRA CLUB AND WEST VIRGINIA HIGHLANDS CONSERVANCY
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 02 Jun '09

02 Jun '09

Mr. Watkins: I attach a copy of the Petition to Intervene in the PATH proceeding on behalf of the Sierra Club and the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy. The original and twelve copies of the petition will be filed with the Commission's Executive Secretary today. Please call me if you have any questions regarding this filing. William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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PATH APPLICATION AND RELATED FILINGS
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 18 May '09

18 May '09

ARE AT THE PATH WEB PAGE -- HERE<http://www.pathtransmission.com/meetings/westvirginia.asp> -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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PATH - APPLICATION TO BE FILED FRIDAY MAY15
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 15 May '09

15 May '09

FYI: Counsel for PATH today advised that -- on Friday of this week -- PATH intends to file with the Public Service Commission of West Virginia, its application for a certificate of convenience and necessity to construct a 765 kV electric transmission line from AEP's John Amos plant in Winfield, WV to Maryland. We will get a hard copy and a digital copy. I will forward the digital copy on receipt, but it will also be available shortly after filing from the PSC web page. Bill -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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ALSO FWIW, COMMENTS BY CONGRESSPERSON SHELLY MOORE CAPITO TO 30th annual Eastern Coal Council conference
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 15 May '09

15 May '09

Coal Future: 'End Game' Is In Sight May 12 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Debra McCown Bristol Herald Courier, Va. The message was twofold Monday at the first day of the 30th annual Eastern Coal Council conference: coal is a path to American energy security, but the industry that fuels half the nation's electricity could have a short future in the current political climate. "We're in the end game here," said Kenneth Nameth, executive director of the Southern States Energy Board, as members of Congress debate legislation that would cap emissions of carbon dioxide. "Now the time has hit." Nameth recalled the early 1970s, when there was fear of global cooling caused by the burning of fossil fuel -- and then the late 1970s, when it was global warming, not cooling, that was the concern. He said the market and the need for energy -- not the latest political bandwagon on climate trends -- should determine the nation's energy future. "Are we tearing down our energy infrastructure today, or are we building it up? This week in Congress will determine that," Nameth said. "[According to some members of Congress,] we want to reduce our carbon dioxide by 80 percent by 2050. So, OK, that means Americans by then instead of 20 tons would be putting out about 4 tons a year, and so you ask yourself the question: When did we last emit about 4 tons of carbon dioxide a year? And the answer is when the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock." U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-1st, of Tennessee, told those attending the event at MeadowView Conference Center that the cost of a carbon cap-and-trade system would mean an estimated $3,000 per family in added cost of living and the loss of three million American manufacturing jobs. "The absolute worst time in the world you can increase taxes or prices is during the middle of a recession," he said. He pointed to efforts made while he was mayor in Johnson City, Tenn., heating with landfill gas, using more fuel-efficient cars and improving the energy efficiency of buildings and traffic lights, as a better model than heavy-handed taxes. *U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, of West Virginia, said the uncertainty of the coal industry's future stalls funding and investment in coal-related businesses.* * "This is an issue that is extremely important to the productivity of our communities to the individuals to the job base to the manufacturers and really to the lifeblood of our singular state but also to the region," Capito said. "We have been supplying the energy and the resources for this country to be powered that we're now going to be penalized because that's where we happen to live and have developed or have used our resources to power this country and move it to the economic prosperity we have."* Daniel Roling, president of National Coal Corp., called on those in the industry to start telling their side of the story because the political pressure is not going away. He said taxes that drive up the price of energy in the U.S. would mean jobs shipped overseas to countries willing to provide cheap power -- meaning a weaker nation, as well as a worse global environment because such nations have few environmental controls. "The mining industry needs to quit hiding under a bushel basket and start telling its story," Roling said. "The vocal minority in this country has perfected the art of getting attention. ... I believe there's a very large silent majority in the United States that needs to be heard; they need to speak up before it's too late." The conference concludes today, followed by a meeting of the Southern States Energy Board Committee On Clean Coal. dmccown(a)bristolnews.com| (276) 791-0701 -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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"ENERGY INSIDER" DISCUSSES AEP'S CARBON CAPTURE PROJECT
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 15 May '09

15 May '09

ATTACHED FWIW IS A DISCUSSION BY *"ENERGY INSIDER"* OF AEP'S CARBON CAPTURE PROJECT IN MASON COUNTY MAY 15, 2009 Wide-scale deployment is at least five years away. But the architects behind the first-ever power plant to attempt to capture and store carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will fire up a pilot project in September in a test that could last up to three years. If the 20-megawatt trial at the Mountaineer Plant in New Haven, W.V., is deemed successful, then American Electric Power (AEP) will implement the same technology in 2011 at another facility in Oklahoma in a 200-megawatt project. After that and around 2015, AEP says that the operations that will use chilled ammonia to scrub the CO2 emissions can be ready for prime time. Those releases would then be compressed and stored permanently underground or be used to help retrieve oil deposits. Clearly, it's now possible to dramatically cut such pollutants as nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. But it's also becoming increasingly real to trap CO2 in trees or bury it underground. By most accounts, energy usage will rise in the coming decades and coal will remain the primary fuel source to generate electricity. Carbon capture and storage therefore holds the key to future power plant production using fossil fuels. "We have seen over time that lab initiatives work well in a controlled environment," says Bill Sigmon, vice president of engineering for AEP. "But as you upgrade to commercial scale, it may not work as advertised. We need to go in steps to give surety. If we can get to the 200-megawatt range, then it will give us the surety we need to say that we can count on it." Power companies contribute 33.3 percent of all CO2 emissions in the United States, according to the Congressional Research Service. Older coal-fired facilities could be retrofitted so as to trap the CO2 before it leaves the smokestack. But such remedies are expensive and less efficient than building modern coal gasification facilities that have the potential to concentrate the CO2, making it easier to capture. In Wisconsin, WE Energies is piloting a 1.7-megawatt project that is only trying to capture the CO2 using chilled ammonia, which is said by AEP to be more effective than existing options. Others that include "amine" require 30 to 40 percent of a unit's output be diverted for carbon capture. But "ammonia" necessitates just 15 percent. *Powerful Initiative* AEP's endeavor is patterned after that of WE. However, it is different in that it will be the only power plant in operation to both capture and store the CO2. The utility will follow a dual course of retrofitting older plants while also building modern facilities that have the potential to capture carbon emissions. The Mountaineer plant will capture and bury 8,500 feet underground about 200,000 tons of CO2 a year -- a small portion of the roughly 8.7 million tons a year that the plant now emits. "Our partnership with AEP will result in the world's first clean coal power plant and will be applicable not only for new plants but also for existing power plants," says Philippe Joubert, president of Alstom Power Systems in France, which has developed the chilled ammonia processes now being used by both WE and AEP. Alstom says that its process has demonstrated the potential to detain more than 90 percent of CO2. It's all part of a clean coal initiative set up under the Bush administration. The program, begun in 2005 and which allocates $2 billion to the cause, provides the means to demonstrate those projects that can capture and bury CO2. The government will provide up to half the money to help commercialize viable technologies. AEP is part of the program but was unable to say just how much of the roughly $100 million price tag associated with the Mountaineer plant that the U.S. government would pay or how much could be passed through to the customers who would benefit from it all. The key question is not whether the carbon can actually be captured. It can. Rather, it is whether the CO2 can be safely stored underground and whether a given geological disposition will work or have enough capacity for such burial. In AEP's case, it says that the Mountaineer site has been chosen because it is laden with cap rock that will ensure the CO2 stays safely buried 8,500 feet under. "The technology, along with renewable energy and energy efficiency, has great promise for climate change," says Neeraj Gupta, project manager for the Mountaineer project with Columbus-based Battelle that is working on the sequestration part. "We are trying to figure out if CO2 can be injected in the deep layers and if so, where and at what cost." AEP's Mountaineer project may be a turning point. The best scenario for it would be if the technology works as advertised and it could be scaled up from 20 megawatts to the next level of 200 megawatts. The worst situation would be that the saline aquifer won't hold the injected CO2 while the chilled ammonia would not perform up to snuff, requiring too much of the unit's energy to trap the carbon. "We should probably wait and see how the AEP pilot project goes," says Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch. "I think if Congress set a carbon cap that declines over time, it will really jump start a lot of projects like this." AEP's venture could sputter. But it could also succeed and become a harbinger of things to come with respect to carbon capture and sequestration. Today's technologies, however, may not be prevalent down the road. Lots of ideas are being tested that have yet to gain visibility. It's a slow process but one that the coal generators must pursue if they are to remain relevant. More information is available from Energy Central: - Coal Topic Center <http://www.energycentral.com/powergeneration/coal> - Emissions & Environmental Topic Center<http://www.energycentral.com/powergeneration/emissionsandenvironmental> - Chilled Ammonia Gets a Warm Reception - Tackling Carbon Dioxide, EnergyBiz, May/June 2008<http://energycentral.fileburst.com/EnergyBizOnline/2008-3-may-jun/Tech_Fron…> - Underground Solutions - Closing in on Carbon Sequestration, EnergyBiz, May/June 2007<http://energycentral.fileburst.com/EnergyBizOnline/2007-3-may-jun/FA_CO2.pdf> -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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