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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Mary Anne Hitt's latest: The untold Grassroots History of Iowa's Clean Energy Transformation
by James Kotcon 03 May '16

03 May '16

As we gear up to fight FirstEnergy's proposal to buy yet another coal-fired power plant (later this summer), it is helpful to hear what the Club has accomplished in Iowa. Why not West Virginia? Jim Kotcon The Untold Grassroots History of Iowa's Clean Energy Transformation <http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/4/28/1521207/-The-Untold-Grassroots-Hi…> Mark Kresowik will never forget Merle Bell, the Iowa farmer whose property near Waterloo, *which had been in his family for more than 100 years* <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhkPx0STmVo>, was to be the site of a proposed coal plant. “Merle wanted to see his kids and grandkids inherit their farm, but had been told that he had virtually no choice but to sell his property and watch the coal plant developers bulldoze his family’s legacy,” said Mark. “Instead, more than 500 of his friends, neighbors, and supporters banded together to protect their land and their lungs, and prevent the dirty project from ever moving forward.” When Mark was hired by the Sierra Club in 2006 as our first organizer in Iowa fighting the Bush-era new coal rush, 75 percent of Iowa’s electricity came from coal, and there were three more new coal plants on the drawing board, including the project slated for Merle’s farm. Fast forward to earlier this month, when Warren Buffett’s Iowa-based utility*MidAmerican announced* <http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/2016/04/14/midamerica…> it will invest $3.6 billion in a 2,000-megawatt wind project that’s the largest economic development project in state history. It will bring the utility to 85 percent wind power by 2020, and it won’t raise electricity rates by one cent. What in the world just happened in Iowa? There’s an untold story here. It begins on that farm in Iowa. Mark had been hired to fight those proposed Iowa coal plants after one had already slipped through the cracks, and the news landed on the desks of Bruce Nilles and Verena Owen, the founders of the Beyond Coal Campaign, who were based in Illinois. It was 2002, and they were astonished to learn that not only had a giant new 800-megawatt coal plant been approved in Iowa – to be built by MidAmerican, no less – but not one single, solitary person or organization had even submitted a comment in opposition to the plant. And so with three more Iowa coal plants on the drawing board, part of a wave of 200 planned coal plants nationwide, they vowed to never again allow a proposed coal plant to be left unopposed. They started in Iowa by hiring a recent college grad, Mark, who had been inspired by a concerned legislator, then state representative Rob Hogg, to organize opposition to the proposed Waterloo coal plant. Mark proceeded to channel his boundless energy into logging thousands of miles and hours crisscrossing his home state, organizing opposition to all the remaining coal plants and supporting clean energy, working with partner organizations large and small. Ultimately, the allies defeated all three, including the plant proposed by Dynegy and LS Power adjacent to Merle’s farm. As Mark remembers it, “More than 300 people turned out to an obscure zoning hearing in Waterloo, dozens testified against coal and in favor of clean energy before the Iowa Utilities Board in Marshalltown, and state officials and electric companies hadn’t seen anything like it before. Merle, his neighbors Gail Mueller and the Shatzers, and advocates like Plains Justice’s Carrie La Seur completely turned the public tide against coal and toward wind and solar power for all Iowans.” All told, around the nation this movement stopped 184 proposed coal plants from being built. Blocking those new coal plants changed everything, in Iowa and nationwide. Specifically, it changed three things: 1) it opened up new market opportunities for renewable energy, 2) it pulled us back from the brink of a massive and irrevocable 50-year investment in our most carbon intensive fossil fuel that would have doomed our climate, and 3) it increased pressure on the remaining coal plants, which weren’t going to be replaced by new coal, and therefore faced investment decisions about whether to modernize or retire. Since then, our Beyond Coal network has grown to include over 100 organizations and thousands of leaders in 50 states. In Iowa, through litigation and grassroots advocacy we have secured the retirement of over 2,100 megawatts of existing coal at 35 coal boilers, including the nation’s *200th coal plant* <http://www.sierraclub.org/compass/2015/07/beyond-coal-milestone-coal-plant-…> to announce retirement, which happened last year. As part of that advocacy, we pushed hard to secure ambitious renewable energy commitments from the state’s utilities as well. In a federal court settlement with MidAmerican, they agreed to one of the state’s first solar projects – a new array at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. And that brings back us to MidAmerican’s recent announcement that it will generate 85 percent of its power from wind energy by 2020 – putting the utility on track to realize its vision of becoming a 100 percent renewable energy utility. As *Bruce Nilles put it* <http://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2016/04/warren-buffet-s-midame…>, “MidAmerican made clean energy history, and raised the bar for every other utility in the United States.” In just over a decade, MidAmerican’s generation of electricity has gone from 70 percent coal to 35 percent coal, and now they’re doubling down again. In Iowa, an astonishing 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy has been installed, clean energy is a bi-partisan issue, and it is entirely possible with a little more prodding that the state’s two utilities, MidAmerican and Alliant Energy, will cease burning coal entirely within the next decade. Here’s the best part – this is the kind of state-by-state transformation we’re working for and realizing all across the country. To be clear, this kind of progress is moving slower in other states, and with 300 coal plants still chugging along and coal country in need of support for an economic transition, we have plenty more work to do. But we’re making progress on the scale that matters. While market pressures, federal policy, and innovation all played a role in that transformation, grassroots advocacy was a critical factor that tipped the scales and made the difference, harnessing all those forces into a smart, sustained campaign that is changing the world. In Iowa there would have been no market opportunity for clean energy investment today if the state had built three additional coal plants a decade ago. Our nation’s climate leadership is built on this solid grassroots foundation, one that is not going to shift with the political winds. With one third of US coal plants announced to retire, renewable energy providing the majority of new power on the grid in 2015, and unlimited opportunity ahead, this clean energy transformation is not just our vision. We’re making it a reality. *Join us* <http://content.sierraclub.org/coal/victories>. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Heather Moyer <heather.moyer(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Apr 28, 2016 at 4:47 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Mary Anne Hitt's latest: The untold Grassroots History of Iowa's Clean Energy Transformation To: #Coal <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Media <media-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Coal-Volunteers <coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Hi folks, Mary Anne Hitt's latest is about the road from coal to clean energy in Iowa - please share it far and wide! *Retweet:* https://twitter.com/sierraclub/status/725782930430251009 *Possible tweet:* The Untold Grassroots History of Iowa's Clean Energy Transformation: bit.ly/1NXNS9F <https://t.co/4RC0VLDkW5> (by @beyondcoal's @maryannehitt) *LINKS* *Compass:* http://bit.ly/1NXNS9F *DailyKos:* http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/4/28/1521207/-The-Untold-Grassroots-Hi… *Huffington Post:* http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-anne-hitt/the-untold-grassroots-his_b_97… -------- *Social media question or request? Please email social-list(a)sierraclub.org <social-list(a)sierraclub.org>* *Heather Moyer* Senior Content Producer 202-675-6276 Sierra Club 50 F Street, 8th Floor Washington, DC 20001 -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org.

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Louisiana CPP meeting
by James Kotcon 28 Apr '16

28 Apr '16

Seems to me we did this back in December with our Solar Summit. Perhaps we should do one where we invite the media? JBK A small group of energy efficiency and environmental justice representatives met Thursday to begin putting together a plan that the state of Louisiana could institute to meet requirements of the federal Clean Power Plan <https://www.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan/clean-power-plan-existing-power-plants>. The Clean Power Plan went into effect October 2015 and is meant to help reduce the release of carbon dioxide from power plants. The plan has been... Full story is at: http://theadvocate.com/news/15630527-81/environmental-groups-gather-to-cons…

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Fwd: FW: See the Climate Hustle movie next Monday, May 2, 7:00 PM Regal Theaters, Morgantown
by James Kotcon 28 Apr '16

28 Apr '16

See thread below. Should we plan an action? JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Matthew Golub <msgolub(a)mix.wvu.edu> Date: Thu, Apr 28, 2016 at 12:00 PM Subject: Re: FW: See the Climate Hustle movie next Monday, May 2, 7:00 PM Regal Theaters, Morgantown To: James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> Cc: wvussc(a)googlegroups.com It seems that the professor who sent the email made a special arrangement with the Regal in Morgantown to have a screening, but it doesn't appear to be on the website yet. On Apr 28, 2016 11:57 AM, "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> wrote: > Thanks for catching this. According to their website, it is being shown > May 2 in Nitro and Bridgeport. > > > Is there a Morgantown showing? Is this something for a protest action? > > > Jim Kotcon > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* wvussc(a)googlegroups.com <wvussc(a)googlegroups.com> on behalf of > Matthew Golub <msgolub(a)mix.wvu.edu> > *Sent:* Thursday, April 28, 2016 11:23 AM > *To:* wvussc(a)googlegroups.com > *Subject:* Fwd: FW: See the Climate Hustle movie next Monday, May 2, 7:00 > PM Regal Theaters, Morgantown > > This email was just sent to all Engineering majors. I checked the film's > website, and found this interesting tidbit: "CLIMATE HUSTLE will be in > theaters for a one-night event on Monday, May 2nd, and will include an > exclusive panel discussion following the film *featuring Gov. Sarah Palin*..." > I expect credibility to be at an all-time high for this nationwide > screening. If it were free, I would consider going. I could sure use a good > laugh to get me through the end of the semester. > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Statler-StudentServices <Statler-StudentServices(a)mail.wvu.edu> > Date: Thu, Apr 28, 2016 at 10:29 AM > Subject: FW: See the Climate Hustle movie next Monday, May 2, 7:00 PM > Regal Theaters, Morgantown > To: CEMR-STUDENTS(a)listserv.wvu.edu > > > Students and Faculty: > > > > While I was in Washington DC two weeks ago I had a chance to review the > substance of the movie Climate Hustle. It was shown in the Whitehouse and > in a variety of forums in Congress. Since we as engineers are often asked > to opine on situations that relate to the environment and energy production > and more importantly we are required to implement solutions that come from > the policies that are passed based on the current understanding of the day, > I felt it important to provide this same movie in the area for your > edification. I asked the manager at Regal to provide the film for a 7:00 > PM showing this coming Monday May 2nd. This film will be shown once at > hundreds of theaters across the country. I hope you will take the > opportunity to go and see this documentary on Climate Change. Thanks. > > > > Jim Smith > > Professor, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering > > > > ******** > > > > > *Climate Hustle* Be sure to see this movie Monday, May 2 – during its > one-night nationwide engagement > > Without presenting it to the US Senate, as required by the Constitution, > President Obama has signed the Paris climate treaty. He is already using it > to further obligate the United States to slash its fossil fuel use, carbon > dioxide emissions and economic growth … control our lives, livelihoods, > living standards and liberties … and redistribute our wealth. Poor, > minority and working class families will suffer most. > > China, India and other developing economies are under no such obligation, > unless and until it is in their interest to do so. For them, compliance is > *voluntary* – and they cannot afford to eliminate the fossil fuels that > supply 85% of all global energy, generate some 90% of developing nations’ > electricity, and will lift billions of people out of abject poverty. That’s > why these countries have built over 1,000 coal-fired power plants and are > planning to build 2,300 more – while unaccountable EPA bureaucrats are > shutting down US coal-fired generators, and getting ready to block natural > gas production and use. > > *What if the entire foundation for this energy and economic insanity were > erroneous, groundless, fabricated … a climate con job – **a Climate > Hustle? * > > That is exactly what CFACT’s new movie demonstrates is actually going on. > > *Climate Hustle* is the perfect antidote to the destructive, demoralizing > climate alarmism that dominates political decisions and obsesses the Obama > White House and EPA. You owe it to yourself to see it. > > *It’s coming to a theater near you on Monday, May 2, for a special > one-night engagement. * > > I saw *Climate Hustle* April 14, at its U.S. premiere on Capitol Hill in > Washington. The film is informative and entertaining, pointed and humorous. > As meteorologist Anthony Watts > <https://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/04/25/my-review-skeptic-film-climate-hustl…> > says, it is wickedly effective in its using slapstick humor and the words > and deeds of climate alarmists to make you laugh at them. > > It examines the science on both sides of the issue … presents often > hilarious planetary Armageddon prophecies of Al Gore, Leonard Nimoy and > other [image: > https://gallery.mailchimp.com/8fe89cf100dfd0bf13664d610/images/25e3c393-4e0… > … and lets 30 scientists and other experts expose the climate scares and > scams, explain Real World climate science, and delve deeply into the > politics and media hype that have surrounded this issue since it was first > concocted several decades ago > > Sizzling temperatures. Melting ice caps. Destructive hurricanes, > tornadoes, floods and droughts. Disappearing polar bears. The end of > civilization as we know it! The end of Planet Earth! > > Emissions from our power plants, cars, factories and farms are causing > catastrophic climate change! > > Or are they? Is there really a “97% scientific consensus” on this? Or is > “dangerous manmade climate change” merely the greatest overheated > environmentalist con-job and shell game ever devised to advance the Big > Green anti-energy agenda? > > See this amazing film on May 2, and find out for yourself. To learn where > it’s showing near you, and to buy tickets, visitwww.ClimateHustle.com > > You’ll be glad you did. > > > > *Climate Hustle* is hosted by award-winning investigative journalist Marc > Morano. A former communications director for the U.S. Senate Committee on > Environment and Public Works, Morano is publisher of CFACT’s > ClimateDepot.com. The film is a production of the Committee For A > Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) and CDR Communications. See the movie. Bring > your friends. Make it a party. www.ClimateHustle.com > > Paul Driessen > > > > > > -- > "Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his > right hand and chop off his left." ~ Aldo Leopold > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "WVU Sierra Student Coalition" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to wvussc+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/wvussc. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- "Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left." ~ Aldo Leopold --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "WVU Sierra Student Coalition" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to wvussc+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/wvussc. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

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Fw: WV Team call today at 10:30AM
by James Kotcon 27 Apr '16

27 Apr '16

________________________________ From: Rudhdi Karnik <rudhdi.karnik(a)sierraclub.org> Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2016 5:20 PM To: Seth Long Cc: Bill Price; James Kotcon; Laura Yokochi; Liz Wiles; David W. Sturm; David Muhly; Nachy Kanfer; Bridget Lee Subject: Re: WV Team call today at 10:30AM Clip from today's event! http://www.statejournal.com/story/31831308/firstenergy-customers-ask-psc-to… [http://wvstate.images.worldnow.com/images/10423601_G.jpg]<http://www.statejournal.com/story/31831308/firstenergy-customers-ask-psc-to…> FirstEnergy customers ask WV PSC to enforce aggressive energy efficiency targets<http://www.statejournal.com/story/31831308/firstenergy-customers-ask-psc-to…> www.statejournal.com FirstEnergy customers are taking a stand to drive the electric utility to shift away from coal-fired power toward cleaner energy. On Tue, Apr 26, 2016 at 11:04 AM, Seth Long <seth.long(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:seth.long@sierraclub.org>> wrote: Here are the edited and unedited letters from the online petition. 145 unedited and about 15 edited. I noticed that there's some extra blank pages at the bottom of the docs, so you may want to delete those to save time and paper when printing. On Tue, Apr 26, 2016 at 8:25 AM, Bill Price <bill.price(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:bill.price@sierraclub.org>> wrote: Hi all, We will have our regular WV Team call today at 10:30. Please let me know of any agenda items other than final prep for the PSC event tomorrow. I know we need to discuss that. Call in number 866-501-6174<tel:866-501-6174> Access code 33907431892 Bill Price, Senior Organizing Representative Sierra Club Environmental Justice Program Beyond Coal to Clean Energy Campaign 922 Quarrier Street, Room 206 Charleston, WV 25301 Phone 304-389-8822<tel:304-389-8822> (cell) Email: bill.price(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:bill.price@sierraclub.org> "If there's no struggle, there's no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet renounce controversy are people who want crops without plowing the ground..." Frederick Douglass 1817-1895 -- Thanks, Seth --- Seth Long - Regional Online Organizer Beyond Coal Campaign, Sierra Club Work: 202-675-6693 | Cell: 603-852-3622<tel:603-852-3622> Email: seth.long(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:seth.long@sierraclub.org> | URL: http://www.sierraclub.org<http://www.sierraclub.org/> Regional Online Organizers' Resource Center<https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/regional-online-organizing-resour…> Represented by John Muir Local 100 -- Rudhdi Karnik Associate Press Secretary, Federal Affairs Sierra Club, Beyond Coal Campaign (<mailto:rudhdi.karnik@sierraclub.org>o) 202.495.3055

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First Energy Rejects Calls for Public Hearing
by James Kotcon 25 Apr '16

25 Apr '16

First Energy says 7 utilities filed IRPs, but theirs is the only one being picked on! This looks like an opportunity to expand the news attention, and emphasize our message.. http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/20160423/first-energy-says-15-year-plan-d… Should we plan a call Monday to get our action in order? JBK

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Earth Day- Environmental advocates sue WVDEP to urge mine cleanup
by James Kotcon 23 Apr '16

23 Apr '16

Great story in WV State Journal. JBK http://www.statejournal.com/story/31792677/environmental-advocates-sue-wvde… A coalition of environmental and community groups are taking legal action to hold West Virginia accountable for cleaning up abandoned coal mine sites. In two separate lawsuits, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, West Virginia Rivers Coalition and Sierra Club allege West Virginia is violating the Clean Water Act by allowing excessive amounts of pollutants to discharge from former coal mine sites in Barbour, Nicholas and Preston counties. When mine operators in West Virginia go out of business before they complete all of the reclamation required by law, the groups explained, the state becomes responsible for finishing the cleanup, including managing any water pollution coming from the site. However, many coal mines in the state continue to generate harmful water pollution long after the mines are shut down, they continued. “It is by now beyond question that coal mines — even reclaimed mines or mines in the process of reclamation — discharge harmful mining pollutants into West Virginia streams,” said Liz Wiles, Chair of West Virginia Sierra Club. “When the State of West Virginia takes responsibility for these toxic sites, it needs to do everything in its power to prevent them from threatening our communities and our clean water.” The lawsuits, filed in two U.S. District Courts for West Virginia’s Northern and Southern districts April 20, allege seven former mine sites in the state are discharging excessive pollutants into various creeks and streams in the state. The groups say this underscores the need for the DEP to require mine operators to pledge additional funds to cover the costs of reclamation or water treatment, in light of the recent, dramatic downturn of the coal industry that has thrown many mining companies into bankruptcy. “By burying their heads in the sand these past two decades and ignoring how the looming crisis of bankrupt coal companies would further deplete the state's inadequate Special Reclamation Fund, West Virginia lawmakers have virtually guaranteed that citizens and taxpayers will be the ones responsible for cleaning up these coal company messes,” said Cindy Rank of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy. However, DEP officials have previously told The State Journal <http://www.statejournal.com/story/31283157/wv-environmentalists-plan-to-sue…> that the high rate of bankruptcy filings does pose a threat to the state’s reclamation funds, but they’re not panicking yet. “We have several companies in bankruptcy right now in West Virginia. Bankruptcy is a very complicated situation, but the fact that the company has filed for bankruptcy does not mean they’re forfeiting bonds,” said Harold Ward, acting mining director for the DEP's Division of Land Restoration. “We have bankruptcies more frequently than we would like to see, but we generally see a restructuring plan worked out.”

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New McKibben article
by Jim Sconyers 08 Apr '16

08 Apr '16

Have you seen Bill McKIbben's article "Global Warming's Terrifying New Chemistry" in *The Nation*? http://www.thenation.com/article/global-warming-terrifying-new-chemistry/ The layperson's take-away: We all, including EPA, have been badly under-reporting methane emission. New data suggests that rather than reducing greenhouse gas effects in recent years, they may have actually increased. Conclusion: every bit of fosil fuels - including coal, oil, and now most notably natural gas - must stay in the ground. Conclusion: referring to gas as a "bridge fuel" is absurd at best, subversive at worst. I would love to see how we can reboot some of our energy work in West Virginia to reflect this "terrifying new chemistry." -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Maryland passes 25 % RPS Jobs Bill
by James Kotcon 08 Apr '16

08 Apr '16

"As much a jobs bill as clean energy legislation, Maryland's new expanded RPS not only targets solar and wind energy but also seeks to bolster minority- and women-owned energy businesses. ... Supporters of Maryland's higher RPS say the move ensures 1,300 MW of new clean energy will be generated, and 1,000 solar jobs and 4,600 wind positions created. Maryland's solar industry currently employs 4,300." I think we should start now and begin pushing something similar for WV. We should emphasize the need to transition coal-field economies. And we should make it clear that any politician whose only campaign pitch is to rail about "Obama's War on Coal" is simply not helpful to WV. Full story at: http://www.utilitydive.com/news/maryland-senate-passes-25-rps-in-clean-ener… Thanks to Sally Wilts for posting this first. Jim Kotcon

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Oil and gas wastewater disposal may harm West Virginia waterways
by Paul Wilson 08 Apr '16

08 Apr '16

Oil and gas wastewater disposal may harm West Virginia waterways <https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160407150800.htm> Posted: 07 Apr 2016 12:08 PM PDT Unconventional oil and gas operations combine directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking,' to release natural gas and oil from underground rock. Studies have centered on potential water pollution from this process that may increase endocrine disrupting chemicals in surface and ground water. Now, researchers report high levels of EDC activity in the surface water near a hydraulic fracturing wastewater disposal facility in West Virginia. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=yaV…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=yaV…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=yaV…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=yaV…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=yaV…> I posted this on the WV Marcellus group facebook page... -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Major Companies Back Obama's Climate Regulations In Court
by frank young 04 Apr '16

04 Apr '16

"Four big companies have joined the legal battle in favor of the Obama administration's signature climate change regulations that would curb emissions from coal-fired power plants. "Software maker Adobe, candy company Mars, furniture giant IKEA, and insurance behemoth Blue Cross Blue Shield filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., in support of the Clean Power Plan, which aims to reduce climate change-causing pollution." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/companies-climate-regulations_us_56fee2f ee4b083f5c607c33d?utm_hp_ref=business

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from Washington Post: Can coal companies afford to clean up coal country?
by Paul Wilson 02 Apr '16

02 Apr '16

Can coal companies afford to clean up coal country? <http://link.washingtonpost.com/click/6422318.174542/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGl…> A wave of bankruptcies is stoking concern that taxpayers could be stuck with billions of dollars in cleanup costs across a landscape of shuttered mines stretching from Appalachia to the northern Plains. By Steven Mufson and Joby Warrick • Read more » <http://link.washingtonpost.com/click/6422318.174542/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGl…> -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Another Climate Change Denier on Big Coal’s Payroll
by James Kotcon 01 Apr '16

01 Apr '16

This would be a long shot, and likely would mostly grab headlines, but what if we launched a "claw back" suit to recover those ill-gotten gains for the benefit of Alpha's environmental legacies and miner pension funds? http://www.triplepundit.com/2016/04/another-climate-change-denier-cashes-co… The guy's take may be only $30,000, but this is clearly money spent to deceive and mislead investors (not to mention political leaders, etc.) Perhaps we could do the same with campaign contributions. (there may be all kinds of laws against it, but a guy can dream, and today is April Fools!). JBK

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from the United Steel Workers e-newsletter: Scotland's Last Coal Plant Shut Down
by Paul Wilson 30 Mar '16

30 Mar '16

*Photo/Audios/Videos/Books* *Watch The Final Moments Before Scotland's Last Coal Plant Shut Down* - For the first time in more than a century, no power produced in Scotland will come from burning coal … more <http://listserv.steelworkers.org/t/283285/1028185/153415/31/> -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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April 8: National Energy Conference 2016 @ WVU
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 24 Mar '16

24 Mar '16

http://energy.law.wvu.edu/events/conference2016 Coal communities in the Central Appalachian region are bearing the consequences of a global energy transition. Demand for coal continues to decline as utilities switch to natural gas-fired generation and renewable energy resources, while regulation of fossil fuel pollutants has become more stringent due to concerns about public health and the global climate. Policymakers at the federal level are recognizing the pressing need for addressing the devastating impacts being borne by coal communities arising from this “clean energy” transition. The fifth annual National Energy Conference, hosted by the West Virginia University College of Law, will examine the cause and effect of these trends in the coal industry, the economy-wide repercussions within Central Appalachia, and possible solutions for West Virginia that would put the state on a more resilient path. This free, one-day conference features speakers from industry, academic institutions, public policy organizations, and environmental groups, highlighted by keynote speaker Senator Jay Rockefeller. Other featured speakers include Charles Patton of Appalachian Power, Adele Morris of the Brookings Institution, Michael Gerrard of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School, and John Deskins of the WVU Bureau of Business and Economic Research. -Jonathan

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Fw: Registration Open: Renewable Energy in West Virginia Conference
by James Kotcon 23 Mar '16

23 Mar '16

I won't be able to make it, but is there someone in the WV Chapter we might send? JBK ________________________________ From: wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com <wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com> on behalf of Angie Rosser arosser(a)wvrivers.org [wvec-board] <wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com> Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2016 11:11 AM To: 'wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com' Subject: [wvec board & supporters] Registration Open: Renewable Energy in West Virginia Conference egistration now open! [http://files.ctctcdn.com/37865898201/2ffa0ad0-57f5-44e5-a517-3e9f1ef523fb.p…] Thursday, May 12, 2016 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. The Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall Marshall University 519 John Marshall Drive Huntington, WV 25703 [http://files.ctctcdn.com/37865898201/f7467fea-5fa2-423d-8450-68b2f62e1b0e.g…]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001iuIGjpv-2JRlmukTBls89BZiX6Ngmsu9YCPD8zIUzbd6…> The Renewable Energy Conference will bring together organizations and individuals with experience implementing and managing renewable energy projects in West Virginia. This event will feature presentations from West Virginia-based business, research and project development leaders in the realm of renewable energy. Attendees will hear about a wide variety of projects underway in the areas of hydropower, solar, enhanced geothermal, biomass, CO2 uptake by forests and production of CO2 offsets through reforestation. Projects include current production and development efforts as well as ideas to expand future resource utilization. [http://files.ctctcdn.com/37865898201/e7c69df8-f057-45e7-969c-97f41fbf95ea.j…]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001iuIGjpv-2JRlmukTBls89BZiX6Ngmsu9YCPD8zIUzbd6…>[http://files.ctctcdn.com/37865898201/d7eee367-7f2f-453d-9379-90bca299259c.p…] Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), 907 Third Avenue, Huntington, WV 25701 SafeUnsubscribe(tm) arosser(a)wvrivers.org<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001q3uXgJtd8jcTeB5uwEeE6Q%3D%3…> Forward this email<http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=td9kyekab&m=1110408783987&ea=…> | Update Profile<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=oo&m=001q3uXgJtd8jcTeB5uwEeE6Q%3D%3…> | About our service provider<http://www.constantcontact.com/legal/service-provider?cc=about-service-prov…> Sent by cbowden(a)njrati.org<mailto:cbowden@njrati.org> in collaboration with [Constant Contact]<http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=PM_B2BC> Try it free today<http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=PM_B2BC> __._,_.___ ________________________________ Posted by: Angie Rosser <arosser(a)wvrivers.org> ________________________________ Reply via web post<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/conversations/messages/5428;…> * Reply to sender <mailto:arosser@wvrivers.org?subject=Re%3A%20Registration%20Open%3A%20Renewable%20Energy%20in%20West%20Virginia%20Conference> * Reply to group <mailto:wvec-board@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20Registration%20Open%3A%20Renewable%20Energy%20in%20West%20Virginia%20Conference> * Start a New Topic<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/conversations/newtopic;_ylc=…> * Messages in this topic<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/conversations/topics/5428;_y…> (1) ________________________________ <https://yho.com/13fl5l> Save time and get your email on the go with the Yahoo Mail App Get the beautifully designed, lighting fast, and easy-to-use, Yahoo Mail app today. Now you can access all your inboxes (Gmail, Outlook, AOL and more) in one place. Never delete an email again with 1000GB of free cloud storage. <https://yho.com/13fl5l> ________________________________ Visit Your Group<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmcDI5Y2IyBF…> [Yahoo! Groups]<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo;_ylc=X3oDMTJlaGEwcm5nBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkA…> * Privacy<https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/groups/details.html> * Unsubscribe<mailto:wvec-board-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> * Terms of Use<https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> . __,_._,___

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Life-cycle analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from Compressed gas vehicles
by James Kotcon 12 Mar '16

12 Mar '16

Compressed natural gas in vehicles yields no significant reductions, compared to .buses or diesel, but did reduce emissions when substituted for coal in electricity generation. Int. J. of Global Warming, 2016 Vol.9, No.2, pp.254 - 273 http://www.inderscience.com/info/inarticle.php?artid=74960 JBK

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Article from the Rhodium Group: The Hidden Cause of America's Coal Collapse
by Paul Wilson 28 Feb '16

28 Feb '16

Thought this may be of use to some folks. fyi, paul w. -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Fwd: [wvec board & supporters] Good News? LEEP Bill passes Committee vote.
by Vickie Wolfe 26 Feb '16

26 Feb '16

You are welcome to use the WVEC's handy contact page for the EIM cmte, which has all the e-dresses, phone nos. etc, on one page, and all the e-dresses in one place for copy-and-paste! http://wvecouncil.org/aa-boilerplate/senate-energy/ ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: 'frank young' fyoung(a)mountain.net [wvec-board] < wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com> Date: Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 10:41 PM Subject: [wvec board & supporters] Good News? LEEP Bill passes Committee vote. To: wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com *From WVEC board member Jim Kotcon:* *From:* ec-bounces(a)osenergy.org [mailto:ec-bounces@osenergy.org] *On Behalf Of *James Kotcon *Sent:* Thursday, February 25, 2016 9:59 PM *To:* ec(a)osenergy.org *Subject:* [EC] LEEP Bill passes Committee vote. I was in the Senate EIM meeting when the LEEP bill passed out. Unanimously! It is in the Senate Rules Committee which could schedule it for a floor vote as early as this Sunday, The bill must pass the Senate by Wednesday in order to be considered in the House. Can someone help prepare an e-mail alert to our members to ask for calls to all Senators. The message is simple, please ask that SB 370 be put on the agenda for a vote, and then vote for SB 370. And for those writing to Senators on the EIM Committee, add a 'Thank you' for voting to pass the bill out of Committee. EIM COMMITTEE MEMBERS Senator Boso <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Boso>- *Chair * Senator Blair <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Blair>- *Vice-Chair * Senator Boley <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Boley> Senator Facemire <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Facemire> Senator Gaunch <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Gaunch> Senator Kirkendoll <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Kirkendo…> Senator Maynard <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Maynard> Senator Mullins <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Mullins> Senator Snyder <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Snyder> Senator Sypolt <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Sypolt> Senator Williams <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Williams> Senator Woelfel <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Woelfel> Senator Yost <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Yost> Jim Kotcon __._,_.___ ------------------------------ Posted by: "frank young" <fyoung(a)mountain.net> ------------------------------ Reply via web post <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/conversations/messages/5349;…> • Reply to sender <fyoung@mountain.net?subject=Re%3A%20Good%20News%3F%20%20LEEP%20Bill%20passes%20Committee%20vote%2E> • Reply to group <wvec-board@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20Good%20News%3F%20%20LEEP%20Bill%20passes%20Committee%20vote%2E> • Start a New Topic <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/conversations/newtopic;_ylc=…> • Messages in this topic <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/conversations/topics/5349;_y…> (1) Visit Your Group <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmdGk2MWtqBF…> [image: Yahoo! Groups] <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo;_ylc=X3oDMTJlMDVla2FoBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkA…> • Privacy <https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/groups/details.html> • Unsubscribe <wvec-board-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> • Terms of Use <https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> . __,_._,___ -- ```````````````````````````````````````````````````` Vickie L. Wolfe E-MAIL: IBTreehugger(a)gmail.com ```````````````````````````````````````````````````` "It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save our environment." -Ansel Adams Read *Hot, Flat and Crowded* by Tom Friedman.

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LEEP Bill passes Committee vote.
by James Kotcon 25 Feb '16

25 Feb '16

I was in the Senate EIM meeting when the LEEP bill passed out. Unanimously! It is in the Senate Rules Committee which could schedule it for a floor vote as early as this Sunday, The bill must pass the Senate by Wednesday in order to be considered in the House. Can someone help prepare an e-mail alert to our members to ask for calls to all Senators. The message is simple, please ask that SB 370 be put on the agenda for a vote, and then vote for SB 370. And for those writing to Senators on the EIM Committee, add a 'Thank you' for voting to pass the bill out of Committee. EIM COMMITTEE MEMBERSSenator Boso <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Boso>- *Chair * Senator Blair <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Blair>- *Vice-Chair * Senator Boley <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Boley> Senator Facemire <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Facemire> Senator Gaunch <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Gaunch> Senator Kirkendoll <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Kirkendo…> Senator Maynard <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Maynard> Senator Mullins <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Mullins> Senator Snyder <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Snyder> Senator Sypolt <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Sypolt> Senator Williams <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Williams> Senator Woelfel <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Woelfel> Senator Yost <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Yost> Jim Kotcon

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Clean Power Plan ahead of schedule
by James Kotcon 24 Feb '16

24 Feb '16

This article suggests that the combined imopact of efficiency and renewables has already gotten the US over half way to meeting CPP targets, and continued tax credits will likely get us there 14 years ahead of schedule. Renewables are already cost competitive with both coal and gas,. The good news is that the solar industry already employs more people than the gas and pipeline industries combined. Now all we have to do is to keep the fossil industry from taking us down with them as they go under. JBK http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/270544-achieving-c…

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Science Teachers Confused About Climate Change
by James Kotcon 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

This is troubling, particularly in light of the on-going debates over climate education in state science education standards. Most middle and high school science teachers appear to be unaware of the overwhelming scientific consensus, or want to teach "both sides of the issue" (ever have anyone want to "teach both sides" of the Law of Gravity?). Nearly one-third of teachers emphasize that recent global warming is likely due to natural causes-and tell their students that many scientists say the same thing. Even among teachers who agree that human activities are mainly to blame for climate change, almost half could not name the percentage of scientists (81 to 100 percent) who share their view. http://www.newsweek.com/science-teachers-confused-climate-change-425650 Jim Kotcon

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Talk Line comments on the Supreme Court stay of the CPP
by James Kotcon 11 Feb '16

11 Feb '16

Here is part of what was said on Hoppy's show this morning. A key point Hoppy raised (although it did not make it into this article) is that the CPP would reduce global CO2 emissions by 0.2 %, so why do something so economically devastating for so little gain? I have heard that one before, including from Congressman McKinley, so we should identify a short sound-bite rebuttal. Suggestions? JBK Full story at: http://wvmetronews.com/2016/02/10/murray-ceo-supreme-court-stay-portends-ep… The president and CEO of Murray Energy Corporation is taking Tuesday’s decision from the U.S. Supreme Court to temporarily halt the implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan as a sign that the entire plan will eventually be tossed. “It portends that we will overturn the illegal climate change agenda of the destructive Obama Administration,” predicted Bob Murray on Wednesday’s MetroNews “Talkline,” a day after the Supreme Court granted an emergency request for a delay until legal challenges are resolved. Three years ago, Murray Energy filed the lawsuit against the EPA’s proposed emission limits for existing coal-fired power plants and, at that time, Murray said he knew would be “an uphill fight.” Later, 29 states, including West Virginia, joined the effort. “It is our case and I’m very happy that we’ve been able to stay this illegal government overreach for our coal miners and for the state of West Virginia,” Murray told Hoppy Kercheval. The temporary stay may be an indication a majority of justices are skeptical about the Clean Power Plan’s legality, according to court observers. Those in the majority with the 5-4 decision were Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Anthony Kennedy, Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito. All were appointed by Republicans. “It’s good news and, good heavens, we need some good news. There’s no question about that,” said Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, of the stay. “Anything like this is a good, positive story — an arm of the federal government has, all of the sudden, had a positive decision about something that is so devastating and that we’ve been dealing with for years here.” ... “This rule would destroy so many lives,” Murray said. “We are fighting for our survival here.”

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Supreme Court stay of Clean Power Plan - statement tonight, more resources tomorrow morning
by James Kotcon 10 Feb '16

10 Feb '16

In case you have not seen it, here are talking points from the Club. I already had one press call, More to come soon, I'm sure. JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Mary Anne Hitt <maryanne.hitt(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Tue, Feb 9, 2016 at 9:01 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Supreme Court stay of Clean Power Plan - statement tonight, more resources tomorrow morning To: #Coal <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Coal-Volunteers < coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Beyond Coal team, This evening, the Supreme Court announced it would temporarily stay the Clean Power Plan. Our Sierra Club statement is below. While this is a disappointing development, we don't believe it reflects on our likelihood of prevailing on the merits of the case. The DC Circuit has put this case on an expedited hearing schedule, with oral arguments beginning June 2. Tomorrow morning, we will provide you with talking points and a frequently asked questions document, to guide your conversations with local supporters, allies, and reporters. In the meantime, please re-direct all media inquiries to Trey Pollard and Brian Willis in our Communications Department. We will also provide you with social media guidance tomorrow. Tonight, our team is burning the midnight oil to make sure our view of this is covered in the press - Joanne Spalding has been on the phone with reporters all evening. Thanks to everyone who is working so hard tonight! Let us know if you have any questions. Mary Anne http://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2016/02/sierra-club-statement-… *Sierra Club Statement on Supreme Court Delay of Clean Power Plan* Tuesday, February 9, 2016 Contact: Brian Willis: 202.675.2386, Brian.Willis(a)sierraclub.org WASHINGTON, DC - Tonight, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a temporary stay on the implementation of the historic Clean Power Plan. *Joanne Spalding, the Sierra Club’s Chief Climate Counsel, Released the Following Statement in Response:* “We are disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision today to delay the job-creating, life-saving Clean Power Plan. However, the court’s decision does not overturn the historic policy or decide its legal merits. This is a pause, and we are confident the Clean Power Plan and all of its benefits ultimately will be implemented across the nation. In fact, the Clean Power Plan follows trends that are already occurring in the electric sector and we are already dramatically reducing carbon pollution as we transition to clean, renewable energy. Large majorities of Americans support those efforts and the Clean Power Plan. “The Supreme Court has already upheld the EPA’s authority to limit carbon pollution from power plants under the Clean Air Act and we believe that the Clean Power Plan is a valid exercise of that authority. We fully expect the Clean Power Plan to ultimately prevail in the courts.” -- [image: photo] *Mary Anne Hitt* Director, Beyond Coal Campaign Office: 304-876-7064 Cell: 540-239-0073 Twitter: @maryannehitt <https://twitter.com/maryannehitt> www.sierraclub.org -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org.

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Supreme Court Blocks Clean Power Plan
by James Kotcon 09 Feb '16

09 Feb '16

I did not expect this. JBK http://news.yahoo.com/u-supreme-court-blocks-obama-carbon-emissions-plan-23… Supreme Court blocks Obama carbon emissions plan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday delivered a major blow to President Barack Obama by blocking federal regulations to curb carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, the centerpiece of his administration's strategy to combat climate change. On a 5-4 vote, the court granted a request made by 27 states and various companies and business groups to block the administration's Clean Power Plan. The move means the regulations will not be in effect while litigation continues over whether their legality. The brief order from the justices said that the regulations would be on hold until the legal challenge is completed. The court's five conservatives all voted to block the rule. The order noted that the four liberals would have denied the application. A U.S. appeals court in Washington had turned away a similar request on Jan. 21. The states, led by coal producer West Virginia and oil producer Texas, and several major business groups in October launched the legal challenges seeking to block the Obama administration's plan. More than a dozen other states and the National League of Cities, which represents more than 19,000 U.S. cities, filed court papers backing the Environmental Protection Agency's rule. The appeals court still must hear oral arguments on June 2 and decide whether the regulations are lawful.

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AEP and FE (et al.) comments on CPP feasibility and SIP
by James Kotcon 09 Feb '16

09 Feb '16

I finally got around to reading the comments submitted by utilities to DEP's request for input on their CPP feasibility study and SIP. Here are some notes. These documents are posted at: .http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060030942 In summary, everyone agrees that WV should seek a 2-year extension, and utilities see trading emissions credits as the main way to comply, unless HB 2004 is amended. Note: It appears the utilities got the input request Aug. 18, with supplemental request Sept. 18. Comments were filed Nov. 6. That may explain the timing of Patton's remarks last fall. Our letter from DEP was dated Oct. 7, so they got a two-month head start. *AEP* AEP says that a SIP is not feasible under HB 2004 because "may' is interpreted to mean "may only" consider inside the fence controls, etc. The only option is to trade ERCs with other states. But 22-5-18 which authorizes trading is limited to criteria pollutants and would not authorize a trading program for CO2. Existing statutes, 22-5-4(a)(15) and (16), limit ability of DEP to require monitoring of EE or renewables on homeowners. AEP says they cannot give specific details on costs without knowing what will be required from DEP. AEP says none of their units (Amos, Mitchell or Mountaineer) will retire before 2030 deadline for the CPP. Recommends changes to HB 2004 and prefers a SIP to a FIP. *FE*: FE cites Texas study to say rates will increase, but has no WV-specific information. FE cites NY study that higher electric rates negatively affect health of low-income populations (Children's Health Watch, "The Impacts of Increasing Household Energy Prices on Health and Health Care Cost in New York State," May 2013. ) FE says costs cannot be predicted until state rules have been established. FE (and AEP) says many plants have shifted from base-load operation to :"load-following" which adversely affects heat rate. FE says their pants typically have a 70-year lifespan. (But Hatfields Ferry closed at 43 years old, Albright and Willow Island closed at 63). FE currently operates Pleasants, Harrison and Fort Martin plants in WV (currently 35-45 years old). FE says the emissions rates are not feasible, but WV should seek an extension to 2018. *Dominion* Operates Mount Storm plant.(3 units- 42-50 years old) Says HB 2004 precludes outside the fence controls. Would need to rely on ERCs from trading. Increasing costs and lower utilization increases likelihood of plant closings. Closings will lead to higher "Capacity" costs. Recommends trading with other states and multi-year averaging of emissions. WV should allow fuel switching etc. *Longview* Currently operates newest and lowest heat rate of any WV plant (8700 btu/kwh). Would need to acquire ERCs to keep operating. Recommends they be allocated to EGUs "without cost". Since Longview transports coal via conveyor belt, not trucks, that )house load" electricity would count against its calculated generation and point of transmission,effectively penalizing Longview for avoiding impacts of truck traffic. No comments on limits of HB 2004, or on preference for SIP versus FIP. *UMWA (Cecil Roberts)* Recommends DEP seek 2-year extension and avoid a FIP. Recommends state use bonding authority through PEA to create new base-load gas-coal co-fired plants. Also wants legislation to assure cost recovery for developers. Prefers mass-based approach to take advantage of coal plant retirements since 2012.. Recommends "in-state" trading and renewables to meet targets. Says HB 2004 imposes "constraints" on fuel switching, etc. Says legislature should beef up EE programs for utilities. Says the endangerment finding means a lower carbon future regardless of which party wins the White House. *Dept. of Commerce (Keith Burdette)* Developers are bringing gas plants on-line that will meet CPP standards. But America will need WV's existing base load power for the foreseeable future. Estimates that compliance will reduce WV generating capacity by 4200 MW and cost 435 power plant job and 3770 mining jobs. Low electric rates is one of the advantages WV has to recruit new industry. Recommends allowances be allocated to EGUs based on current generation. Recommends using credits form CEI program and EE from Low Income EE programs. Rate increases will incentivize EE and RE. Recommends using forests for carbon mitigation. Existing forests take up 10 % of CO2 emitted, and SIP should take advantage of this. *Attorney General Morrisey* WV should seek 2-year extension, "under protest" as CPP is unlawful. Repeated their legal objections. Jim Kotcon

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Central Appalachia flatter due to mountaintop mining
by Paul Wilson 06 Feb '16

06 Feb '16

Central Appalachia flatter due to mountaintop mining <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160205134955.htm> Posted: 05 Feb 2016 10:49 AM PST Forty years of mountaintop coal mining have made parts of Central Appalachia 60 percent flatter than they were before excavation, researchers say. This study, which compares pre- and post-mining topographic data in southern West Virginia, is the first to examine the large-scale impact of mountaintop mining on landscape topography and how the changes influence water quality. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=TZ_…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=TZ_…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=TZ_…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=TZ_…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=TZ_…> -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Fwd: The Next Quantum Leap in Energy Efficiency
by James Kotcon 03 Feb '16

03 Feb '16

This is likely to be the key to our strategy for the IRP, the CPP and energy policy in WV generally. While renewables are cost competitive for new generation, they do not yet compete with old plants that have been mostly paid off. To close these existing facilities, we need to reduce overall demand quickly, and that is what the big utilities are afraid of. Read the report, Click on the webinar. This is the stuff we need to know. Jim Kotcon ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ned Ford <Ned.Ford(a)fuse.net> Date: Wed, Feb 3, 2016 at 12:14 PM Subject: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Fwd: The Next Quantum Leap in Energy Efficiency To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)lists.sierraclub.org This report by some old friends (The Quantum Leap) addresses how to raise efficiency standards above 2% per year. This goal is an essential component of a strategy which can still, at this date, eliminate fossil fuel generation by about 2030. Without the efficiency savings, the cost of renewables is a high barrier, since what we want is not just renewables at parity with fossil generation (we already have that) but new capital investment to replace existing fully amortized coal, gas and nuclear plants at a rate which hasn't existed in this country since the 1960's. And on a much larger scale than the coal rush in the 1940-1970 era. This report may be useful in regulatory work, but it is certainly a great place to start a conversation about how we cut carbon as fast as possible. - Ned -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: The Next Quantum Leap in Energy Efficiency Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2016 08:26:55 -0800 (PST) From: Regulatory Assistance Project <info(a)raponline.org> <info(a)raponline.org> Reply-To: info(a)raponline.org To: ned.ford(a)fuse.net Can't read or see images? View this email in a browser <http://zc1.campaign-view.com/ua/viewinbrowser?od=11287eca45b58a&rd=18d88732…> [image: RAP Newsletter Heading] <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> *Energy Solutions for a Changing World* *The Next Quantum Leap in* *Energy Efficiency - Game On* *-David Farnsworth* Ten years ago, the most aggressive electric efficiency efforts in the country were achieving first-year electric savings of about 1.0 percent of annual sales. Today, at least five different states have—or plan to—double those levels of savings, achieving between 2.0 and 2.5 percent first-year savings annually. Since 2006, nationwide customer efficiency spending has nearly quadrupled, from $1.6 to $5.9 billion, and substantial additional savings have been realized through federal equipment efficiency standards, building codes, and other regulatory mechanisms. By many measures, we have made solid progress on energy efficiency over the last decade. But there continues to be room for more of this low-cost, high-benefit resource. “It looks like many states are getting the message,” says Rich Sedano, RAP principal and US program director. “Every state may want to take a fresh look at the possibilities for upping their game on energy efficiency—there continues to be considerable space to grow.” We at RAP think that the efficiency bar could be raised substantially. In our recent paper, *The Next Quantum Leap in Efficiency: 30 Percent Electric Savings in 10 Years* <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…>, we examine whether it would be possible to meet 30 percent of electricity system needs in ten years with efficiency. Continue Reading <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> ------------------------------ *Webinar: The Energy Efficiency Quantum Leap * A recent RAP webinar explores the next quantum leap in efficiency savings. Chris Neme of Energy Futures Group (EFG) shared the findings of a study <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> (mentioned above) he co-wrote with Jim Grevatt for RAP demonstrating how states can achieve persistent savings of 30 percent of load over ten years. This quantum leap in efficiency cannot be brought about without major policy changes, including increasing ratepayer funding of energy efficiency, making efficiency more profitable for utilities, aligning efficiency goals with long-term objectives, and creating new models for acquiring efficiency. View Webinar <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> ------------------------------ *Recognizing Early Action Under The Clean Power Plan* *-Ken Colburn* Data suggest that the electric power sector’s long march toward decarbonization <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> was already well underway before the EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) rulemaking, let alone the final rule’s compliance period, which doesn’t begin until 2022. If so, then the emissions reduction obligations imposed by the CPP might be characterized as consistent with the dramatic changes already underway within the power sector as much as they are a driver of those changes. This is an encouraging characterization, because it suggests that compliance with the CPP is likely to be accomplished without departing greatly from the utility resource planning and state policy pathways already in motion. Some are concerned, however, that the CPP could temporarily slow the adoption of cleaner, more renewable energy sources and more efficient end-use of energy. Continue Reading <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> ------------------------------ *Webinars* ------------------------------ *Teaching the Duck to Fly - Second Edition * March 3, 2016 1 p.m. EST Join us for a webinar <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> where Jim Lazar shares new insights on opportunities that have arisen and technologies that have evolved since his 2014 paper *Teaching the Duck to Fly <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…>. *Drawing from the soon-to-be-released *Teaching the Duck to Fly - Second Edition*, Mr. Lazar will discuss each of the strategies, how they can be deployed and managed, and how each affects the load shape that remains, thus demonstrating that the amount of flexibility they can provide has increased. Together, these measures enable utilities to adapt to a supply portfolio containing a high level of variable renewable energy resources and still provide adequate, reliable, and economical service to consumers. Register Now <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> ------------------------------ *RAP in Action* ------------------------------ Ken Colburn discusses energy efficiency and state planning requirements <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> during a panel about the Clean Power Plan at the Association of Energy Services Professionals' National Conference and Expo <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> in Phoenix. RAP staff will be attending the 2016 Winter Committee Meetings of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> in Washington, DC, later this month. Find us in the halls, and be sure to stop by our table and pick up copies of our publications, including two hot-off-the-press reports, *The Next Quantum Leap in Efficiency: 30 Percent Electric Savings in 10 Years* <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…>, and *Teaching the Duck to Fly – Second Edition*. Hope to see you there! In early March, Chris James will highlight the role of markets for clean energy <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> under the Clean Power Plan at the Climate Leadership Conference in Seattle <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> . ------------------------------ *Global Highlights* ------------------------------ Demand response is important for Europe to meet clean energy targets reliably and efficiently <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…>, according to a new RAP policy brief. ------------------------------ Manage your Subscription <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=11287eca45b58a&repDgs=18d88732ee…> This email was sent by info(a)raponline.org to ned.ford(a)fuse.net Not interested? Unsubscribe <http://zc1.maillist-manage.com/ua/optout?od=11287eca45b58a&rd=18d88732ee12d…> Regulatory Assistance Project | 50 State Street, Suite 3 | Montpelier VT 05602 <http://www.raponline.org>www.raponline.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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

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Fwd: FYI If your chapter is fighting gas pipelines, ...
by James Kotcon 02 Feb '16

02 Feb '16

Wow, I knew they were big. But this is bigger than I thought. JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Glen Besa <glen.besa(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Fri, Jan 29, 2016 at 5:53 PM Subject: FYI If your chapter is fighting gas pipelines, ... To: CONS-FRED(a)lists.sierraclub.org Find report here: Report on climate impacts of pipelines <http://sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/sce/virginia-chapter/d…> For Immediate Release January 28, 2016 CONTACT: Glen Besa 804-387-6001 *Climate Disrupting Pollution from Atlantic Coast and * *Mountain Valley Pipelines nearly twice that of Virginia power plants and other stationary sources* A new report by the Sierra Club finds that greenhouse gas pollution from the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines would be almost twice the total climate-changing emissions from existing power plants and other stationary sources in Virginia. The report, prepared by Richard Ball, PhD., a retired US EPA and DOE scientist who served as a lead author on the First and Second Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments and is the Energy Chair for the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, estimates total carbon dioxide gas equivalent from each of the two pipelines over the natural gas fuel cycle, including fugitive emissions of methane from fracking in the gas fields, leakage during transmission and storage, and combustion of the delivered gas. It also shows the estimated planetary heating from all four proposed pipelines for Virginia. Last week, the US EPA urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to require applicants for new pipelines to assess a project’s indirect impacts, including potential increases in gas production and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions[1]. “Our report provides an assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions of the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines as the EPA suggests,” said Dr. Ball. “We urge FERC to consider this report and to require the pipeline developers to address climate concerns in a programmatic environmental impact statement that takes a comprehensive look at impacts from all proposed new or expanded pipelines.” “Statements made by gas industry executives and public officials, including Governor McAuliffe, that natural gas is a clean fuel ignore the significant climate impact of increased reliance on gas,” said Kirk Bowers, an organizer for the Sierra Club working with communities opposing the new natural gas pipelines in Virginia and West Virginia. The report’s emission estimates from production and processing operations, including fracking, are based on a 2013 published analysis by Laurenzi and Jersey, researchers with ExxonMobil. Total pipeline emission estimates in the report include production and processing as well transmission and storage, and combustion of the delivered gas. In addition to emitting large amounts of CO2 when burned, natural gas is a major contributor to climate change in the extraction and transmission stages, where significant amounts of methane escape from wells and pipeline leaks. Methane is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2, and these “fugitive emissions” of methane have emerged as an area of serious concern that undercuts the case for natural gas as a cleaner substitute for coal. “Natural gas only seems like a cheap and easy fix for climate change,” said Glen Besa, Director of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, “In reality, methane pollution is a serious problem that makes natural gas a dead-end solution. We have to stop kidding ourselves. Virginia should be investing in wind and solar and energy efficiency, not expanding infrastructure for more fossil fuel burning.” The lowest estimates of greenhouse gas emissions for Atlantic Coast Pipeline at 40.7 million metric tons per year (MMT/yr) are more than 5 times the annual carbon pollution from Dominion’s Chesterfield Power Station (7.2 MMT/yr), the largest coal fired plant in Virginia, and equal to more than 80% of the total carbon pollution (49.4 MMT) from all 177 stationary sources in the EPA’s 2014 inventory of GHG emissions in Virginia [2]. The larger capacity Mountain Valley Pipeline’s total emissions of 54.3 MMT/yr would be 7.5 times the emissions of Dominion’s Chesterfield Power Station and actually exceed the total 2014 emissions from all of Virginia’s stationary sources as estimated in the EPA’s 2014 inventory. *If both the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines were to be built, their combined climate disrupting pollution would total 192%, of the emissions from Virginia’s existing power plants and other stationary sources.* Emissions from the other two proposed pipelines, the WB Xpress and the Appalachian Connector, would nearly double the total emissions from the ACP and MVP for a total of 185 MMT CO2eq at a GWP of 25 in the base case, the ExxonMobil rates, or 3.7 times the EPA GHGRP (stationary source inventory) total for Virginia. These comparisons illustrate the magnitude of the pollution these pipelines would generate; however, actual pollution from these pipelines would also occur in West Virginia where the natural gas is produced by fracking and in North Carolina as well as Virginia where the gas would be burned. “There are more immediate and familiar concerns with these pipelines including property rights and water pollution,” said Besa, “but climate change impacts should be considered by FERC particularly in light of the recent Paris agreement committing the United States to reducing our total emissions of greenhouse gas pollution.” XXX *Richard Ball has a Ph.D. in physics and worked on scientific research on the planet Earth and on energy issues for 10 years at the Rand Corp. He has 27 years’ experience working on energy policy and technology analysis, atmospheric science of acid precipitation, and climate science at the U.S.EPA and the U.S. Dept. of Energy, including serving as a lead author on the First and Second IPCC assessments of climate change. Now retired, Dr. Ball serves as volunteer Chair of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter's Energy Committee.* ------------------------------ [1] FERC Should Review Indirect Impacts, GHG Emissions From NatGas Projects, EPA Says, NGI’s Shale Daily, Jan 21, 2016; http://www.naturalgasintel.com/articles/105081-ferc-should-review-indirect-… [2] EPA’s “Flight database” from its Greenhouse Gas Reporting system. http://ghgdata.epa.gov/ghgp/main.do Glen Besa, Director Sierra Club-Virginia Chapter 422 E. Franklin St, Suite 302 Richmond, VA 23219 glen.besa(a)sierraclub.org P-804-387-6001 F-804-225-9114 Web: sierraclub.org/virginia - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/terms

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Mary Anne Hitt's latest: Coal bankruptcies leaving workers, communities behind
by James Kotcon 01 Feb '16

01 Feb '16

Pretty good into to coal bankruptcies. This will be the emerging coal issue of 2016, so we will want to know something about it. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/01/28/1476412/-Coal-Bankruptcy-101-Compa… JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Heather Moyer <heather.moyer(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Jan 28, 2016 at 3:28 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Mary Anne Hitt's latest: Coal bankruptcies leaving workers, communities behind To: #Coal <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Coal-Volunteers < coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Media <media-list(a)sierraclub.org> Hi friends- Beyond Coal director Mary Anne Hitt's latest column is now live. It's a great piece penned with attorney Peter Morgan about how coal companies that are going bankrupt are leaving many in the lurch, esp as company execs gets millions in bonuses. *Retweet:* https://twitter.com/sierraclub/status/692805692202336257 *Possible Tweets:* Coal Bankruptcy 101: Companies Are Leaving Workers & Communities In the Lurch bit.ly/23wnflZ <https://t.co/1xiVMqxngw> Coal bankruptcy 101: Give execs millions in bonuses, leave workers & communities in the lurch bit.ly/23wnflZ <https://t.co/1xiVMqxngw> *LINKS* *Compass:* bit.ly/23wnflZ <https://t.co/1xiVMqxngw> *Daily Kos: * http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/01/28/1476412/-Coal-Bankruptcy-101-Compa… *Huffington Post:* http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-anne-hitt/coal-bankruptcy-101-compa_b_91… -------- *Social media question or request? Please email social-list(a)sierraclub.org <social-list(a)sierraclub.org>* *Heather Moyer* Senior Content Producer 202-675-6276 Sierra Club 50 F Street, 8th Floor Washington, DC 20001 -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org.

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PBS Mine Wars documentary
by Paul Wilson 26 Jan '16

26 Jan '16

*Photo/Audios/Videos/Books* *PBS “Mine Wars” documentary tells a complex tale* - On Tuesday from 9 to 11 p.m., the Emmy Award-winning PBS history series “American Experience” will premiere a documentary called “The Mine Wars.” The documentary brings the early 20th century history of the conflict into more complete focus, through photos, archival footage (including film unearthed of the aftermath of the Battle of Blair Mountain) and interviews with a raft of historians, miners and others … more <http://listserv.steelworkers.org/t/277340/1028185/152900/18/> -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Supreme Court supports demand response
by frank young 26 Jan '16

26 Jan '16

http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/20160125/supreme-court-rules-against-power -suppliers The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against a group of power companies and several Republican attorneys general, including West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, in a case that deals with the federal government's ability to regulate regional energy markets. In a 6-2 ruling, the Supreme Court voted to overturn a lower court's opinion that challenged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's ability to regulate what is known in the power industry as demand response. Demand response is a practice that allows large industrial or commercial electric customers - or larger groups of residential customers - to get paid for reducing the amount of power they use when electricity demand is at its highest.

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Fw: [WV Sierra Club Energy Efficiency Leaders] FYI - a major victory for demand-side resources, ...
by James Kotcon 25 Jan '16

25 Jan '16

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Our Clean Energy Future Moves Closer: D.C. Circuit Denies Petition to Stay the Clean Power Plan
by Duane 23 Jan '16

23 Jan '16

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sierra-club-environmental-law-program/our-cle… Our Clean Energy Future Moves Closer: D.C. Circuit Denies Petition to Stay the Clean Power Plan Sierra Club Environmental Law Program Legal Team, Sierra Club By Joanne Spalding, Sierra Club Chief Climate Counsel and Alejandra Núñez, Sierra Club Staff Attorney, Huff Post, January 22, 2016 Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied a petition by a coalition of fossil fuel industry interests and hostile states to suspend ("stay") implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan (Plan or rule) pending judicial review of its merits. The Clean Power Plan sets the first-ever limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants, which are responsible for almost 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in our country. EPA anticipates that carbon dioxide emissions from these plants will decrease 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 upon full implementation of these flexible, achievable standards. The standards will also help to significantly reduce the pollutants that cause soot and smog that harm our health. As a result of an unprecedented stakeholder process, the Plan includes important, hard-won provisions aimed at ensuring that minority and low-income communities that have historically been subject to harmful and toxic pollution from power plants do not experience any adverse impacts and that they actually receive the important health and economic benefits that will result from the rule's implementation. The stay was requested by fossil fuel industry interests, including utilities and coal mining companies, and allied states, who argued that they would suffer irreparable harm if the Court did not suspend the effectiveness of the rule; that they were likely to succeed on the merits; and that a stay would be in the public interest, among other requirements set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court under Winter v. NRDC, 555 U.S. 7 (2008). Petitioners submitted reams of briefing and declarations in support of their motions, unpersuasively predicting catastrophic results if the Clean Power Plan remains in place. EPA and numerous intervenors, including a coalition of 17 states and cities led by New York, clean energy interests, and health and environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club, opposed these motions, showing that petitioners failed to satisfy every single one of these requirements. The Plan builds on existing trends in the power sector that have allowed many states around the country to reduce pollution at a rapid rate over the last decade. Once in effect, emissions reductions will phase in gradually through 2030, allowing each state to determine an optimal 'glide path' to reduce their carbon pollution. The intervenors also submitted expert declarations that forcefully countered the petitioners' declarations with persuasive evidence that the rule will be a boon not just to fighting climate change in this country and internationally, but also to creating jobs and a just clean energy economy. In one of the many declarations supporting the intervenors' brief, former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright emphasized the international consequences of staying the Plan. A legal stay, she warned, "could derail" and even "irreparably harm" the international momentum to reduce carbon pollution from power plants, the primary driver of dangerous climate change. Black and Latino leaders responded to a report from the fossil fuel backed-National Black Chamber of Commerce that incorrectly alleges that the rule will cause increased poverty in environmental justice communities. On the contrary, these leaders warned that a stay would contribute to the continuation of the dangerous air pollution that causes respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses in their communities, and would prevent early action efforts to help reduce electricity bills and increase good jobs through investments in renewable clean energy and efficiency. Dr. Robert Bullard, Dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, Texas Southern University, stated, "The Clean Power Plan provides a historic opportunity for the enactment of just laws and regulations that address longstanding disparities . . . . The Clean Power Plan will not only enable our communities to transition toward clean energy; it will also set a precedent on how to integrate environmental justice into rule making and its implementation, both at the federal and state levels of government." Members of coal country communities also urged the Court to preserve the effectiveness of the rule, as its public participation requirements provides an opportunity to advocate for federal and state aid for the transition to clean energy that will improve their health, create good jobs, and allow the diversification of their economies. The Court agreed with EPA and the intervenors, reasoning that petitioners failed to meet the "stringent requirements for a stay pending court review." The parties are now moving on to the fast-track litigation on the merits of the rule, as the Court scheduled oral arguments for June 2, 2016. The D.C. Circuit Court's denial of petitioners' stay motion is fantastic news for the environment, public health, and for our nation. The most important implication of this order is that a procedural cloud of uncertainty over the implementation of the rule has now been lifted and states and utilities will continue their planning efforts to implement the rule. The decision is also a big win for environmental justice communities. The Plan requires states to ensure meaningful participation from communities in the state plan development process. The initial deadline for states to submit their plans is September 6, 2016, and any states seeking an extension beyond that deadline must still submit initial plans by September, demonstrating how they have engaged communities and explaining how they intend to ensure their continued involvement in the planning process. Sierra Club and our many environmental and community allies will be working hard to ensure the development of these plans and implementation of the rule benefits the communities most affected by fossil fuel pollution and by the transition away from coal, both in terms of reduced air pollution and increased economic opportunities. While we still have to wait for the full litigation on the merits to run its course for the success of the rule in the long-term, this is a big, positive development, which will help provide momentum as we accelerate the transition to 100% clean energy.

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Clean Power Plan stay motion denied! Full steam ahead on implementation!
by Jim Sconyers 21 Jan '16

21 Jan '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Mary Anne Hitt" <maryanne.hitt(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Jan 21, 2016 4:25 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Clean Power Plan stay motion denied! Full steam ahead on implementation! To: "#Coal" <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org>, "#Coal-Volunteers" < coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Cc: Hello Beyond Coal team, Fantastic news breaking this afternoon - the federal DC Circuit Court of Appeals has denied an industry-backed motion to stay, or block, the Clean Power Plan while the court reviews the merits of the case. They have also scheduled oral arguments on a fast track, for June 2. This means that a procedural cloud of uncertainty over states is now lifted, and they can proceed full steam ahead with drafting their implementation plans. While we still have to wait for the full litigation to run its course, this is a very big positive development, and will provide more wind at our backs as we accelerate the transition to 100% clean energy. Sample tweets and our press statement are below. If you have any questions, reach out to me or your nearest ELP contact. And give them an high-five while you're at it! Our legal team has been working hard for years to bolster up the Clean Power Plan, and today we are seeing the results of their hard work and dedication. Mary Anne ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rudhdi Karnik <rudhdi.karnik(a)sierraclub.org> Suggested tweets: BREAKING: Federal Court Rejects Fossil Fuel Industry Effort to Delay # CleanPowerPlan <https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CleanPowerPlan> Implementation http://bit.ly/1SAb3wB NEWS: Federal Court Rejects Fossil Fuel Industry Effort to Delay # CleanPowerPlan <https://twitter.com/hashtag/CleanPowerPlan?src=hash> Implementation http://bit.ly/1SAb3wB <https://t.co/rVzax2Pmua> # ActOnClimate <https://twitter.com/hashtag/ActOnClimate?src=hash> On Thu, Jan 21, 2016 at 4:12 PM, Rudhdi Karnik <rudhdi.karnik(a)sierraclub.org > wrote: > FYI this just went out to reporters-- woo hoo, big win! > > > ### > > > > > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > > Thursday, January 21, 2016 > > Contact: Rudhdi Karnik, Rudhdi.Karnik(a)sierraclub.org, 202-495-3055 > > View as webpage > <https://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2016/01/federal-court-rejects…> > > Federal Court Rejects Fossil Fuel Industry Effort to Delay Clean Power > Plan Implementation > > Court rejects motions to block nation’s first-ever limits on carbon > pollution > > Washington D.C.-- Today, in a decision applauded by clean energy > companies, public health and environmental groups, and many states, the > D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the fossil fuel industry’s legal > attempt to block the implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection > Agency’s Clean Power Plan (CPP), which sets the first-ever protections > against dangerous carbon pollution from U.S. power plants. > > Under the Clean Power Plan, states will have 15 years to fully implement > the new standards, which incorporate a broad array of flexible, > cost-effective compliance options to reduce dangerous pollution. The CPP > builds on existing trends in the power sector that have allowed many states > around the country to reduce pollution at a rapid rate over the last > decade. > > In response Joanne Spalding, Sierra Club’s Chief Climate Counsel, released > the following statement: > > “We applaud the Court’s denial of polluter-backed efforts to block the > Clean Power Plan. This decision clears the way for states to continue > implementing this common-sense standard. The only people who won’t be > cheering this decision are those who profit from pollution and their > political allies. > > “This is just the latest attack from the fossil fuel industry on the Clean > Power Plan to be rejected by a federal court, and it won’t be the last. The > fact is, the Clean Power Plan is based on legislation passed by Congress, > upheld by the Supreme Court, and implemented by the President. It's a > vital, lifesaving policy that draws on the strength and ingenuity of > American innovation to curb dangerous carbon pollution being dumped into > our air, while driving investment and creating jobs in energy efficiency > and clean energy. In limiting the pollution that is causing climate > disruption, the Clean Power Plan will also reduce pollution that causes > serious respiratory diseases, heart conditions, and premature death -- > effects that disproportionately burden communities of color and the most > vulnerable members of our society. > > “Today’s decision allows states, power providers, and clean energy > companies to continue building on the momentum from the Paris climate > summit, moving us closer to powering the nation with 100% clean energy.” > > -- > Rudhdi Karnik > Associate Press Secretary, Federal Affairs > Sierra Club, Beyond Coal Campaign > ( <rudhdi.karnik(a)sierraclub.org>o) 202.495.3055 > > > > > -- Rudhdi Karnik Associate Press Secretary, Federal Affairs Sierra Club, Beyond Coal Campaign ( <rudhdi.karnik(a)sierraclub.org>o) 202.495.3055 -- [image: photo] *Mary Anne Hitt* Director, Beyond Coal Campaign Office: 304-876-7064 Cell: 540-239-0073 Twitter: @maryannehitt <https://twitter.com/maryannehitt> www.sierraclub.org -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org.

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Clean Power Plan stay motion denied! Full steam ahead on implementation!
by James Kotcon 21 Jan '16

21 Jan '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Mary Anne Hitt <maryanne.hitt(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Jan 21, 2016 at 4:25 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Clean Power Plan stay motion denied! Full steam ahead on implementation! To: #Coal <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Coal-Volunteers < coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Hello Beyond Coal team, Fantastic news breaking this afternoon - the federal DC Circuit Court of Appeals has denied an industry-backed motion to stay, or block, the Clean Power Plan while the court reviews the merits of the case. They have also scheduled oral arguments on a fast track, for June 2. This means that a procedural cloud of uncertainty over states is now lifted, and they can proceed full steam ahead with drafting their implementation plans. While we still have to wait for the full litigation to run its course, this is a very big positive development, and will provide more wind at our backs as we accelerate the transition to 100% clean energy. Sample tweets and our press statement are below. If you have any questions, reach out to me or your nearest ELP contact. And give them an high-five while you're at it! Our legal team has been working hard for years to bolster up the Clean Power Plan, and today we are seeing the results of their hard work and dedication. Mary Anne ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rudhdi Karnik <rudhdi.karnik(a)sierraclub.org> Suggested tweets: BREAKING: Federal Court Rejects Fossil Fuel Industry Effort to Delay # CleanPowerPlan <https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CleanPowerPlan> Implementation http://bit.ly/1SAb3wB NEWS: Federal Court Rejects Fossil Fuel Industry Effort to Delay # CleanPowerPlan <https://twitter.com/hashtag/CleanPowerPlan?src=hash> Implementation http://bit.ly/1SAb3wB <https://t.co/rVzax2Pmua> # ActOnClimate <https://twitter.com/hashtag/ActOnClimate?src=hash> On Thu, Jan 21, 2016 at 4:12 PM, Rudhdi Karnik <rudhdi.karnik(a)sierraclub.org > wrote: > FYI this just went out to reporters-- woo hoo, big win! > > > ### > > > > > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > > Thursday, January 21, 2016 > > Contact: Rudhdi Karnik, Rudhdi.Karnik(a)sierraclub.org, 202-495-3055 > > View as webpage > <https://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2016/01/federal-court-rejects…> > > Federal Court Rejects Fossil Fuel Industry Effort to Delay Clean Power > Plan Implementation > > Court rejects motions to block nation’s first-ever limits on carbon > pollution > > Washington D.C.-- Today, in a decision applauded by clean energy > companies, public health and environmental groups, and many states, the > D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the fossil fuel industry’s legal > attempt to block the implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection > Agency’s Clean Power Plan (CPP), which sets the first-ever protections > against dangerous carbon pollution from U.S. power plants. > > Under the Clean Power Plan, states will have 15 years to fully implement > the new standards, which incorporate a broad array of flexible, > cost-effective compliance options to reduce dangerous pollution. The CPP > builds on existing trends in the power sector that have allowed many states > around the country to reduce pollution at a rapid rate over the last > decade. > > In response Joanne Spalding, Sierra Club’s Chief Climate Counsel, released > the following statement: > > “We applaud the Court’s denial of polluter-backed efforts to block the > Clean Power Plan. This decision clears the way for states to continue > implementing this common-sense standard. The only people who won’t be > cheering this decision are those who profit from pollution and their > political allies. > > “This is just the latest attack from the fossil fuel industry on the Clean > Power Plan to be rejected by a federal court, and it won’t be the last. The > fact is, the Clean Power Plan is based on legislation passed by Congress, > upheld by the Supreme Court, and implemented by the President. It's a > vital, lifesaving policy that draws on the strength and ingenuity of > American innovation to curb dangerous carbon pollution being dumped into > our air, while driving investment and creating jobs in energy efficiency > and clean energy. In limiting the pollution that is causing climate > disruption, the Clean Power Plan will also reduce pollution that causes > serious respiratory diseases, heart conditions, and premature death -- > effects that disproportionately burden communities of color and the most > vulnerable members of our society. > > “Today’s decision allows states, power providers, and clean energy > companies to continue building on the momentum from the Paris climate > summit, moving us closer to powering the nation with 100% clean energy.” > > -- > Rudhdi Karnik > Associate Press Secretary, Federal Affairs > Sierra Club, Beyond Coal Campaign > ( <rudhdi.karnik(a)sierraclub.org>o) 202.495.3055 > > > > > -- Rudhdi Karnik Associate Press Secretary, Federal Affairs Sierra Club, Beyond Coal Campaign ( <rudhdi.karnik(a)sierraclub.org>o) 202.495.3055 -- [image: photo] *Mary Anne Hitt* Director, Beyond Coal Campaign Office: 304-876-7064 Cell: 540-239-0073 Twitter: @maryannehitt <https://twitter.com/maryannehitt> www.sierraclub.org -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org.

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Fwd: From ClimateWire -- EXCLUSIVE: In the heart of coal country, calls for carbon trading
by James Kotcon 21 Jan '16

21 Jan '16

I got a call from this E&E reporter late yesterday, they had done a records request at DEP and got the comments filed on the CPP. Here is the story they ran today. http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060030942 Of greatest interest to me is the side bar, which has links to the comment letters posted by the utilities, the WV Dept of Commerce, UMWV and the Attorney General. I would really love to see what the WV Coal Association filed, but it is not up there. Most feel (and Tom Clarke of DEP says) that DEP cannot go outside the fenceline and therefore cannot file a compliant SIP without changes to HB 2004. That sounds like they agree with Mark Kresowick's interpretation of the language, although I still think the word "may" means it is discretionary, not restrictive. I am swamped today, but will read through these tomorrow. Jim Kotcon ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: eharball <email_this(a)eenews.net> Date: Thu, Jan 21, 2016 at 9:21 AM Subject: From ClimateWire -- EXCLUSIVE: In the heart of coal country, calls for carbon trading To: jkotcon(a)gmail.com In the heart of coal country, calls for carbon trading *This ClimateWire story was sent to you by:* eharball(a)eenews.net *Personal message:* Here you go! Thanks again for your time yesterday. We will definitely be in touch. [image: ClimateWire] <http://www.eenews.net/cw> AN E&E PUBLISHING SERVICE EXCLUSIVE: In the heart of coal country, calls for carbon trading Elizabeth Harball <http://www.eenews.net/staff/Elizabeth_Harball> and Emily Holden <http://www.eenews.net/staff/Emily_Holden>, E&E reporters Published: Thursday, January 21, 2016 Major electricity providers and some government officials in West Virginia, the state leading the charge against federal climate change regulations, want to use carbon trading to meet their greenhouse gas reduction targets, according to public records obtained by *ClimateWire*. More than a dozen documents reveal for the first time that despite political pushback against U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan, key interests in the state are searching for ways to comply in case legal challenges fail. Image removed for email: E&E Power Plan Hub Logo West Virginia's politicians are among the loudest critics of the climate regulation. The state attorney general, Patrick Morrisey (R), is leading a 24-state lawsuit to kill it, and the state Legislature last year passed a law <http://www.legis.state.wv.us/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB2004%20SU…> that limits the kind of plan that the state's environment agency, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), can write to meet federal goals. But comments filed to the agency show that important players in West Virginia -- including utilities and a member of the governor's Cabinet -- want the flexibility to use carbon trading to comply. They say trading is the cheapest option for companies and consumers, and argue that they cannot meet EPA's goals under the current state law. "If the [Clean Power Plan] is implemented in West Virginia, credits or allowances will be required for coal plants to continue to operate," said Longview Power LLC, which boasts it owns the cleanest coal plant in the state, during a December presentation. Longview Power CEO Jeff Keffer said in an interview that feedback the environment agency has received from power companies likely reflects broad agreement from the power sector that the state can't meet EPA's targets without legislative changes. "The first step DEP has is to develop a feasibility study," said Keffer. "I suspect that feasibility study will highlight the conflicts between the preparation of a [state compliance plan] and that state statute and the limitations that they have enacted." 'We just can't get there' The missives come as West Virginia, many other states and numerous trade groups are fighting in court to stall or nix the Clean Power Plan. They show how companies affected by the rule are encouraging entrenched opponents of EPA to make backup plans to comply in case legal attacks don't succeed. EPA requires states to cut their power plant carbon dioxide emissions rates by varying amounts by 2030. West Virginia -- which relies almost entirely on coal power and also depends on mining to drive the state's economy -- must make a reduction of 37 percent. EPA's rule allows states to ramp up renewable energy and natural gas usage to reach goals. It also lays out guidelines for carbon trading, which lets power generators buy allowances or credits from cleaner electricity sources to meet required CO2 levels. Power companies in many states are looking to use carbon trading to comply (*ClimateWire* <http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/19/stories/1060030764>, Jan. 19). But opponents, including Morrisey and members of West Virginia's Legislature who crafted H.B. 2004, argue that EPA legally can only require specific changes to make coal plants run more efficiently. The law restricts West Virginia's environment agency to writing a carbon-cutting plan based on efficiency improvements that can be made at plants. It calls on DEP to analyze the Clean Power Plan and tell legislators whether the standards are feasible in light of the law's restrictions. DEP finished collecting comments late last month to conduct that analysis. Inspired by the American Legislative Exchange Council, the law also requires the Legislature to approve any plan before state officials send it to EPA (*ClimateWire* <http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060014519>, March 5, 2015). Asked if West Virginia's coal units can meet EPA's carbon targets under the state law, DEP senior policy adviser and counsel Thomas Clarke said, "We just can't get there." "Other than capturing carbon, which has yet to be shown to be feasible ... there's really not anything else you can do at the unit," Clarke said. West Virginia's power companies agreed. Utility American Electric Power said "the obvious conclusion" is that developing a state plan to meet EPA standards is "not feasible given the constraints imposed by H.B. 2004." "The legislation limits West Virginia's ability to craft an implementation plan that would meet the targets in the Clean Power Plan and be approved by the EPA," AEP spokeswoman Tammy Ridout said in an emailed statement. "The state could then be subjected to a federal plan, which if finalized as proposed, would take a 'one size fits all' approach that will not be tailored to the unique infrastructure, economic needs or policy objectives of individual states." Opponents call Clean Power Plan 'illegal' Power company Dominion, which operates three coal-fired units subject to the Clean Power Plan in West Virginia, recommended that the state develop a carbon-cutting plan that uses interstate trading. Officials argued that there are "very limited economically viable options for achieving the CPP standards" otherwise. And "in general, market-based approaches are the most cost effective if properly constructed," said holding company FirstEnergy Corp. on behalf of its subsidiaries Monongahela Power Co., Potomac Edison and Allegheny Energy Service Corp. FirstEnergy spokeswoman Jennifer Young said in an emailed statement, "responding to West Virginia's questions regarding West Virginia House Bill 2004 was the first step in what will likely be a lengthy process and conversation about the state's implementation plan." West Virginia's attorney general interpreted the comments to DEP as evidence that the state can't comply with EPA's rule without changing state laws and reaching beyond the coal plant "fence line," allowing for carbon trading or relying on cleaner sources of power. Morrisey said in an emailed statement that the comments to DEP "further demonstrate the need for an immediate stay of the illegal Power Plan, a plan already causing real and irreversible changes on the ground in the states." State Sen. Gregory Boso (R), chairman of the West Virginia Senate's Energy, Industry and Mining Committee, did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication, and neither did other members of the West Virginia Legislature, including co-sponsors of H.B. 2004. Even mine workers union calls to study trading Despite current law, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) is requiring that the state write a blueprint to cut emissions, rather than be forced to comply with a federal version (*ClimateWire* <http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060027050.>, Oct. 28, 2015). To retain West Virginia's role as an electricity exporter to other states, to limit job losses and to keep power prices low for customers, the state should "maximize whatever flexibility is offered under the Clean Power Plan," stated comments from Commerce Department Secretary J. Keith Burdette, who works under the governor. That flexibility should include allowing utilities to purchase allowances in a carbon trading system, Burdette wrote. [image: Miner statue] As West Virginia battles federal climate change regulations in court, its utilities and coal miners -- made famous in this state sculpture -- are quietly seeking ways to comply. Photo courtesy of the West Virginia Legislature. The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), which is also suing EPA, said it is confident that legal challenges will halt the rule. The union doubts the merits of interstate trading but nonetheless called for more comprehensive analysis into various compliance approaches "to determine the best course for West Virginia in the event that it must comply with the final rule." UMWA President Cecil Roberts wants the state to seek a two-year extension to submit a plan, which means filing a status report to EPA in September. "This would allow WV DEP to proceed with stakeholder meetings in the meantime to assess the merits of alternative compliance pathways," Roberts wrote to the state. Greens blast 'war on coal' rhetoric Meanwhile, environmental advocates with the Sierra Club's West Virginia Chapter interpreted the law differently than both the power companies and DEP. In their comments, activists said that while H.B. 2004 requires "unit-specific" standards for coal plants, that does not prohibit carbon emissions trading. "We recommend that DEP conclude that compliance is technically feasible, because it is," the Sierra Club said. The West Virginia Chapter's Energy Committee chairman, Jim Kotcon, acknowledged in an interview that other legal experts might disagree. "If read in its most restrictive way, then DEP is probably unable to construct a [state plan] that would comply with EPA's rule," Kotcon said. "I certainly do not want to discount the political influence of our utilities and electric generating industries with the Legislature -- they far exceed my limited influence," Kotcon said. "At the same time, so many of our West Virginia legislators have been so locked onto the friends of coal and the 'EPA war on coal' rhetoric that it is going to be interesting to see if they can backpedal enough to actually vote for a [state implementation plan]." But DEP senior policy adviser and counsel Clarke said in a December interview that the law's language may leave it open to changes down the road. H.B. 2004 "asks us to analyze the need for legislative or other changes to state law. And so what we may do is tell the Legislature, 'Gee, if you want to submit a plan, some of these things that you've put in House Bill 2004 that limit what we can do in a state plan need to come out of state law,'" Clarke said. Want to read more stories like this? Click here <http://www.eenews.net/trial?r=emailed_story_1060030942> to start a free trial to E&E -- the best way to track policy and markets. ABOUT CLIMATEWIRE – The politics and business of climate change ClimateWire is written and produced by the staff of E&E Publishing, LLC. It is designed to provide comprehensive, daily coverage of all aspects of climate change issues. From international agreements on carbon emissions to alternative energy technologies to state and federal GHG programs, ClimateWire plugs readers into the information they need to stay abreast of this sprawling, complex issue. [image: E&E Publishing, LLC] <http://www.eenews.net/> E&E Publishing, LLC 122 C St. NW, Ste. 722, Wash., D.C. 20001 Phone: 202-628-6500 Fax: 202-737-5299 www.eenews.net All content is copyrighted and may not be reproduced or retransmitted without the express consent of E&E Publishing, LLC. Click here <http://www.eenews.net/eep/learn_more/privacy_policy> to view our privacy policy.

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Today's Editorial in WVU Daiily Athenaeum
by James Kotcon 15 Jan '16

15 Jan '16

This may be a sign for the Power Plus campaign. JBK http://www.thedaonline.com/opinion/article_698b302e-bb37-11e5-9cfc-97286551… [http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thedaonline.com/content/tncms/a…]<http://www.thedaonline.com/opinion/article_698b302e-bb37-11e5-9cfc-97286551…> Securing W. Va.'s economic future<http://www.thedaonline.com/opinion/article_698b302e-bb37-11e5-9cfc-97286551…> www.thedaonline.com With decreasing profits from prominent industries like natural gas and coal, Tomblin urged people to consider reinvesting in West Virginia's mining communities. Like President Barack Obama, West Virginia governor Earl Ray Tomblin is reaching the end of his second and final term. In his final State of the State address on Wednesday, Tomblin addressed current issues in West Virginia and offered potential solutions to the problems. With decreasing profits from prominent industries like natural gas and coal, Tomblin urged people to consider reinvesting in West Virginia's mining communities. He also advocated for an increase in taxes, as the state continues to see budget gaps that are projected to only increase in size over time. Though coal is West Virginia's most notable industry, it's no surprise that this state will eventually run out of all minable resources. The decline in both the national gas and coal industries in the state indicates the beginning of what can only be a continuous economic fall. Without any other industry to support this state's residents, families will end up in poverty if an alternate source of jobs for unskilled workers isn't found. West Virginia is too mountainous to hold any true farmland, and though the tourism industry draws many fisherman, hikers and whitewater rafters, it may not be enough to support this state's economy. However, If miners can currently remove entire mountaintops as a way to harness energy, building wind turbines on untouched mountaintops and training workers to maintain them should solve both our energy needs and create new sources of jobs and revenue in West Virginia. In 2014, West Virginia only had 327 wind turbines while Pennsylvania had 720. Wind energy jobs are already found in every state, and looking into the possibility of expanding our wind energy output may be the start of a slow transition away from relying upon mining onto permanently utilizing renewable energy. Tomblin should stop hanging onto the ways of the past and start spearheading the search for new industries and livelihoods able to support West Virginians permanently. Getting this process started for our next governor to continue during his or her time in office is critical in ensuring the protection of West Virginia's economic future.

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Fw: Sign up for our Webinar on home energy efficiency Jan. 20
by James Kotcon 14 Jan '16

14 Jan '16

________________________________ From: Autumn Long <autumnlong11(a)gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2016 3:28 PM To: Laura Yokochi; John Bird; David Sturm; James Kotcon Subject: Sign up for our Webinar on home energy efficiency Jan. 20 Thought the EE team might be interested in this. I'm signing up for it. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Elizabeth Payne <lee.payne(a)appvoices.org> Date: Thursday, January 14, 2016 Subject: Sign up for our Webinar on home energy efficiency Jan. 20 To: autumnlong11(a)gmail.com [http://appvoices.org/images/AppVoicesemailheader.jpg]<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=6xg52fT6LSwb5FBZtMBu%2BwBHlc4M…> [http://appvoices.org/images/uploads/2016/01/webinar2016_energyefficiency.jpg]<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=AqofcVUxxbgPbgPZsshYvfhOHf36FO…> Dear Autumn, Appalachian Voices will host the first in our free four-part webinar series about environmental issues facing the Appalachian region on Wednesday, January 20, at 2 p.m. "Improve the Efficiency of Your Home" will focus on energy efficiency since waste is a key source of energy usage. Most homes use - and pay for - at least 20% more electricity than they need to due to energy lost through such things as inefficient appliances and drafty windows. >> Register for the webinar now!<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=7j3EerRmdoWmMxrjZ7mXJPhOHf36FO…> Energy efficiency provides a way to use less energy without changing your lifestyle, because it reduces the amount of electricity wasted in our daily lives. And by using less electricity you can lower your utility costs, while reducing your consumption of fossil fuels. This means more money in your pocket and less pollution in our air and water! This webinar will provide information about the importance of energy efficiency, offer suggestions for how you can improve the efficiency of your homes, and introduce programs that can help finance and promote greater energy efficiency. Join our discussion and share your questions with our featured panelists: [http://appvoices.org/images/uploads/2016/01/webinar2016_1.jpg] * Jennifer Alldredge, the education program manager for the Alliance to Save Energy, a national coalition advocating energy efficiency as a solution to global energy needs. * Marcus Renner, owner and project manager of Conservation Pros, an Asheville-based business that specializes in providing energy efficiency and weatherization solutions for homeowners and businesses in western North Carolina. * Rory McIlmoil, the energy policy director for Appalachian Voices, an environmental nonprofit focused on reducing the impact of coal in central and southern Appalachia and working toward a * cleaner energy future. Learn more and register now!<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=jfJoO7oJ9YrD1GsC0%2FY70wBHlc4M…> [http://appvoices.org/images/staff/lee_payne_sm.jpg] Thanks and I hope you'll be able to join us! [http://appvoices.org/images/staff/lee_sig.jpg] Elizabeth E. Payne AmeriCorps Project Conserve Communications Associate [Facebook]<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=F79f5WCKImxZ1UTJ4AtTVfhOHf36FO…> [Twitter] <http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ff8ucTjWLgTt3g%2F5aP3kfPhOHf36…> You are receiving this message because you signed up to receive general email alerts from Appalachian Voices. AppVoices.org<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=KHOLdlDx0txKS8l6T7l7l%2FhOHf36…> | Contact Us<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2BY%2BTizJWg9fXCe9VOWEmEPhOHf…> | Unsubscribe<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2BlaELPw9ZNTIuUayMEd49PhOHf36…> -- Autumn

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Re: [EC] [Coal Volunteers List] Helpful post on "self-bonding" by coal companies, by Peter Morgan
by Paul Wilson 13 Jan '16

13 Jan '16

Tomorrow's Diane Rehm Show on NPR will have a "Future of Coal Industry" discussion on the first hour. IF you do not get that show on your NPR station. listen online at drshow.org or wamu.org. fyi, paul w. On Mon, Jan 11, 2016 at 5:06 PM, Mary Anne Hitt < maryanne.hitt(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: > Hello all, > > In the wake of the Arch Coal bankruptcy announcement today, I wanted to be > sure everyone had seen this blog post by our very own Peter Morgan, with > the Environmental Law Program, which explains the racket that is > "self-bonding" by coal mining companies. It's a very concise, accessible > summary of how we taxpayers may be left footing the bill for the mess these > companies leave behind. > > I always found this whole process rather confusing, and this post is one > of the most clear explanations of how it works that I've come across, so I > wanted to pass it along. We're lucky to have Peter and Aaron Isherwood > navigating us through the murky world of coal company bankruptcies. > > Mary Anne > > > http://www.sierraclub.org/planet/2016/01/big-coal-mining-companies-want-gam… > > January 6, 2016 > Big Coal Mining Companies Want to Gamble on the Coal Market -- Using Your > Money > By Peter Morgan <http://www.sierraclub.org/other/authors/peter-morgan> > > [image: Mountaintop removal coal mining at Berry Branch Mine, Ohio.] > *Berry Branch Mine, West Virginia. Photograph by Vivian Stockman, Ohio > Valley Environmental Coalition <http://ohvec.org/>.* > > The coal mining industry in the United States is undergoing a historic > shift. Coal prices, and coal production, continue to decrease. Major mine > operators, many of whom over-leveraged and took on massive debt when the > coal market was at its peak just a few years ago, are being swept up in a > wave of bankruptcies. Rather than give in to these market conditions and > fold, some mine operators are seeking to reorganize and emerge from > bankruptcy. How do they plan to do this? By underwriting their risky > gambles with taxpayer money -- *your* money –- in the form of > self-bonding. > > One of the major contributors to the downward force pressing on the coal > industry is the continuing oversupply of coal. A recent report from > McKinsey consultants dubbed this phenomenon "zombie mines": mines that lose > money, but that keep operating because it is too expensive to shut them > down. But the cost of shuttering these mines isn't the only factor in play. > Each of the major mine operators wants to be the last man standing. Some > market for coal will persist in the U.S., and each company wants to secure > the major share of that market. > > But how can a bankrupt coal company hope to scrape together the funding > necessary to emerge from their dire financial straits and gamble on future > coal mining profits? Easy: they'll use your money. One of the most > fundamental components of state and federal surface mining laws is the > requirement that before coal removal can start, a mine operator must post a > bond sufficient to cover the costs of reclaiming the site should it go out > of business. That reclamation cost can be in the tens of millions of > dollars for a single site. For big companies that hold a lot of permits –- > like Alpha Natural Resources and Arch Coal –- the total reclamation > obligation is in the hundreds of millions of dollars. So what does a mine > operator do if it doesn't have hundreds of millions of dollars to secure > those bonds? It convinces state regulators to let it off the hook from > these reclamation bonding obligations by authorizing the use of > "self-bonds" –-essentially an unenforceable promise from the company to the > regulator that the company will complete reclamation. That means that if > the company liquidates or abandons a mine site before it completes > reclamation there will be no money left to pay for the cleanup. Instead, > taxpayers –- you and me –- will shoulder that cost. > > This exact scenario is playing out right now. In August, Alpha Natural > Resources –- one of the largest coal producers in the country –- filed for > Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Despite the significant decline of the > coal industry and Alpha's plummeting stock value, state regulators in > Wyoming and West Virginia had allowed Alpha to keep operating its mines > under self-bonds. In Wyoming, Alpha's self-bonded reclamation liability is > $411 million. In West Virginia, the self-bonded liability is $244 million. > When the inevitable came to pass and Alpha filed for bankruptcy, state > regulators opted to allow Alpha to keep operating under its now worthless > self-bonds rather than require the company or its funders to provide > substitute bonds. This means the state regulators are choosing to place the > risk on the backs of their own citizens rather than on the company or the > big banks currently propping it up. > > Alpha and the state regulators claim that continued self-bonding is > necessary only during the bankruptcy process itself and that Alpha will > substitute those reclamation bonds when it emerges from bankruptcy. Neither > Alpha, the regulators, or anyone else has made any attempt to explain where > the bankrupt company will come up with the more than $650 million in > funding that would be required to provide complete and secure reclamation > bonds. Much more likely, and consistent with recent events, is that the > regulators will allow Alpha to keep mining based on less-than-complete > reclamation bonding. In other words, Alpha will be mining -– disturbing > more land that will need to be reclaimed –- while taxpayers bear the risk > of paying for that reclamation. Because Alpha will be operating in the > current market of low coal prices and high production costs, the chance of > further defaults and a return to bankruptcy are quite high. And when that > happens, the company will be forced to liquidate its assets and will cease > to exist. But Alpha need not worry about that: once it's time to pay for > the reclamation, Alpha won't be around anymore. You and I will be the ones > left holding the bill. > > -- > [image: photo] > *Mary Anne Hitt* > Director, Beyond Coal Campaign > Office: 304-876-7064 > Cell: 540-239-0073 > Twitter: @maryannehitt <https://twitter.com/maryannehitt> > www.sierraclub.org > > -- > To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: > https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ > > To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the > subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "#Coal-Volunteers" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. > To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. > -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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IRP Review
by James Kotcon 10 Jan '16

10 Jan '16

Here is my quick summary of the Mon Power, ApCo, and Wheeling Power IRPs Top Ten Talking Points on Mon Power & Potomac Edison's IRP 1. MP/PE ignores the CPP. No specific plans until DEP imposes requirements. 2. Since Mon Power provides all generation for PE, these are combined under Mon Power. 3. MP projects a capacity shortfall by 2016, with the shortfall growing to 850 MW by 2027. 4. Propose two options: A) Purchase 850 MW of new capacity in 2017, or B) Retrofit existing plants (Harrison and Fort Martin) to co-fire with up to 30 % gas. Cost of conversion would be $55-80 million at each plant.. (What happened? I though the purchase of Harrison was supposed to provide excess capacity for decades!) 5. Current Capacity is 1984 MW from Harrison, 1098 MW from Fort Martin, 488 MW from Bath County pump-storage ; 50 MW from MEA, 80 MW from Grant Town, and 31 MW from New Martinsville Hannibal Hydro Project. 6. Actual peak growth 2010-2014 was 3.1 %, mostly from growth in the natural gas drilling and processing sector. Projected peak load forecast is 2.2 % per year for 2015-2020. 7. Mon Power apparently did not consider ANY new EE or DR options for meeting new capacity needs. Existing Phase I and Phase II EE Plans will reduce energy use by cumulative 1 % by 2018. 8. Claims the Mercury rule was a key factor in closing Albright, Rivesville and Willow Island Sept. 1, 2012. 9. Concludes that solar, geothermal, and new hydro are not cost-effective, but wind or biomass co-firing are most viable options for renewable generation. 10. New generation could be acquired by building or buying an additional power plant. Co-firing would add "fuel diversity" at existing plants. (It is not clear to me how co-firing helps resolve the capacity shortfall?) Top Ten Talking Points on ApCo's IRP (Based on a review of the Executive Summary) 1. ApCo Ignores the CPP. No specific plans until DEP imposes requirements. Models assume a "cost of carbon dioxide" of $15-20/ton over a 30-year period. 2. FERC Capacity requirements (Peak Demand & Reliability assurance) differ from expected generation (actual energy requirements of customers), both will be important. Intermittent sources such as wind and solar will have limited "capacity" potential, driving ApCo to retain more base load and peaking facilities. ApCo expects a slight capacity shortfall between available generation versus expected demand by 2021, based on PJM's Capacity Performance rule (reserve margin requirements). 3. ApCo assumes average growth in demand of 0.3%, with peak demand increasing 0.2 % annually. 4. ApCo continues operation of Amos and Mountaineer plants. 5. Convert Clinch River Units 1 & 2 from coal to gas, but retires them in 2026. 6. Additional Demand side resources in the form of EE and Volt-Var Optimization = 3.1 % of energy needs, reducing capacity requirements by 118 MW by 2025. 7. Add 10 MW of large-scale solar by 2018. 8. Add 150 MW in 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2025 (750 MW total). 9. Assumes customers add distributed solar increasing by 5 % annually, totaling 14 MW by 2025. (The analysis assumed the ITC expired in 2016, so I think we can expect faster growth. For example, the average growth rate in residential solar for the last 10 years has been around 40 % per year, so continuing that rate should get us over 200 MW). 10. Adds 10 MW of battery storage by 2025. Four Talking Points on Wheeling Power's IRP Based on a review of the Executive Summary) 1. Ignores CPP 2. Assumes growth in demand of 0.4 % and in peak Demand of 0.5 % per year. 3. All of WPCo's capacity comes from 50 % ownership in Mitchell plant. 4. No new resources are proposed, but some demand-side management options may be proposed in the future.

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Fw: Links to IRPs
by James Kotcon 06 Jan '16

06 Jan '16

A few more filings, including the original order can be found by searching for General Order # 184.35 The links from Dave below take you to the actual cases filed by the utilities. To see the filing, click on the case number, then click on "Activities" at the top of the page. To find the complete listing of filings for a case: Go to the PSC web page, then click on "Case Information" in the column on the left side of the page. This opens the "web Docket" page. Then click on "Case: under "Search by" on the left side. Enter the case number (e.g. 15-2002) in the box after "Case Number contains" and click "Search" This takes you to the Case List. Click on "Activities" and a full listing of all filings under that case will appear. The actual IRP will open in a new page and is fairly large, so it will take a few minutes to download. JBK ________________________________ From: David Sturm <davidsturm(a)ymail.com> Sent: Tuesday, January 5, 2016 10:00 PM To: James Kotcon Subject: Links to IRPs These are from the Activities pages (where filings are kept), from links on the case number pages. With my browser, Download is much quicker. 15-2002-E-P<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/viewCaseForWebViewForm.cfm?Cas…> 12/30/2015 Incoming Document View PDF<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI…> / Text<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewText.cfm?CaseActivityID=44…> / Download<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDownload.cfm?CaseActivityI…> Monongahela Power Company and The Potomac Edison Company 15-2003-E-P<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/viewCaseForWebViewForm.cfm?Cas…> 12/30/2015 Incoming Document View PDF<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI…> / Text<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewText.cfm?CaseActivityID=44…> / Download<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDownload.cfm?CaseActivityI…> Appalachian Power Company 15-2004-E-P<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/viewCaseForWebViewForm.cfm?Cas…> 12/30/2015 Incoming Document View PDF<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI…> / Text<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewText.cfm?CaseActivityID=44…> / Download<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDownload.cfm?CaseActivityI…> Wheeling Power Company 15-2004-E-P<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/viewCaseForWebViewForm.cfm?Cas…> 12/30/2015 Incoming Document View PDF<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI…> / Text<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewText.cfm?CaseActivityID=44…> / Download<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDownload.cfm?CaseActivityI…> Wheeling Power Company 15-2009-E-P<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/viewCaseForWebViewForm.cfm?Cas…> 12/31/2015 Incoming Document View PDF<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI…> / Text<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewText.cfm?CaseActivityID=44…> / Download<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDownload.cfm?CaseActivityI…> City of New Martinsville 15-2010-E-P<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/viewCaseForWebViewForm.cfm?Cas…> 12/31/2015 Incoming Document View PDF<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI…> / Text<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewText.cfm?CaseActivityID=44…> / Download<http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDownload.cfm?CaseActivityI…> Harrison Rural Electrification Association, Inc.

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Could the Hatfield's Ferry plant see a reboot?
by Duane 05 Jan '16

05 Jan '16

http://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/companies/2016/01/05/Hatfie… Could the Hatfield's Ferry plant see a reboot? By Anya Litvak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 5, 2016 Although few in the electric power industry could believe that FirstEnergy Corp. would follow through on its promise to close Hatfield’s Ferry — a huge coal power plant in Greene County with $700 million worth of relatively new pollution control equipment — the company shut the doors in October 2013 and stamped the plant retired. But quietly, the Ohio-based utility has been making plans for a possible reboot. In a process begun in 2014, FirstEnergy is now asking the region grid operator for permission to start supplying power from Hatfield’s back into the grid in summer 2019. The future of the 1,700-megawatt plant may depend on the price of natural gas, or how the current menu of environmental regulations shakes out in court, or on any other factors currently being considered by engineers and number crunchers to determine if restarting the plant makes sense. Hatfield’s Ferry is the only shuttered plant out of 11 that FirstEnergy has closed across Appalachia since 2011 that the company is evaluating for a restart and it’s the one with the most potential for future use, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Young. She said FirstEnergy is working through an engineering study to, once again, consider retrofitting Hatfield’s Ferry to burn natural gas along with coal. If it decides to go through with that plan, the plant won’t be ready until June 2019. The company is also studying restarting it as a coal plant or converting it entirely to gas. “This really was about keeping the options open,” Ms. Young said. “We haven’t done any work to restart that plant.” Hatfield’s, near Masontown, was shuttered at the same time as a smaller, 370-megawatt Mitchell Power Station in Courtney, with FirstEnergy blaming low electricity demand, cheap natural gas and environmental compliance costs for the closures. About 380 people lost their jobs at the facilities, though the company found many of them replacement work at other sites. Andy Sinclair was one of them. He worked as an instrument controls technician at Hatfield’s before it shut down. He now works at West Penn Power, which is also owned by FirstEnergy. A few months ago, when Mr. Sinclair was invited to have breakfast with FirstEnergy’s CEO Chuck Jones, he said he asked Mr. Jones what the company had in mind for Hatfield’s and was told there were no plans to reopen the power station. He didn’t know about the company’s current studies or about its request to the grid operator. “I can’t believe I didn’t hear about this until today,” Mr. Sinclair said. But he had heard of rumors of engineers wandering through the plant last winter to assess the possibility of restarting it to run on coal and gas. “I heard they got up to so much money that it was out of control,” he said. FirstEnergy said as much two years ago. Jim Lash, president of FirstEnergy Generation, told legislators in 2013 that the company had already evaluated adding natural gas to the mix at Hatfield’s and determined it wouldn’t be economical. On at least one occasion, Mr. Lash said it would be cheaper to build natural gas power plants from scratch than to convert a coal plant to co-fire with gas. “That was a snapshot in time and things do change over time,” Ms. Young said this week. It could be that retrofitting makes more sense now, she said, but the company isn’t far enough along in its evaluation to make that call. “It’s been three years now and market conditions have changed,” she said. What also changed was how PJM Interconnection Inc., the regional grid operator that coordinates the flow of electricity for 13 states including Pennsylvania, ensures that there is enough generation in the grid to feed demand in future years. After a push by generators, with FirstEnergy at the front of the pack, PJM revamped its process to favor more predictable, baseload generation. The PJM changes are a positive for FirstEnergy, but Ms. Young said that hasn’t been enough to compel the company to buy new generation or think about restarting shuttered plants quite yet. Hatfield’s Ferry was outfitted with scrubbers before it was acquired by FirstEnergy in 2011 as part of the Ohio company’s takeover of Greensburg-based Allegheny Energy Inc. The scrubbers were designed to keep sulfur dioxide emissions from the air and have the added effect of reducing mercury emissions. Ms. Young said that in order to comply with the mercury emissions rules that went into effect last year, the plant would need additional investment. She said an exact figure isn’t available. “Conversion to another fuel type would require significant investments as well,” she said. “It’s too soon to speculate what future operation of the plant might entail.” www.FrackCheckWV.net

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Fw: [WV Sierra Club Energy Efficiency Leaders] This doesn't really fit into this group, since...
by James Kotcon 17 Dec '15

17 Dec '15

This is important. I am reminded of a story last year when football practice had to be cancelled in Chicago due to high heat in August. When climate change starts to interfere with the WVU Mountaineer football team, we will start to see action on climate change in West Virginia! Jim Kotcon ________________________________ From: Emmett Pepper <notification+zlrdzo1f(a)facebookmail.com> Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2015 10:12 AM To: WV Sierra Club Energy Efficiency Leaders Subject: [WV Sierra Club Energy Efficiency Leaders] This doesn't really fit into this group, since... Emmett Pepper posted in WV Sierra Club Energy Efficiency Leaders . Emmett Pepper December 17 at 10:12am This doesn't really fit into this group, since this is focused on efficiency, not climate change, but I don't know what the best WV-based climate Facebook group is. Charleston, WV is slated to have the most "danger days" by 2050, due to climate change, according to a report from August comparing 144 cities across the country. I don't remember seeing it in my feed in August, though I may have just not been paying attention. http://grist.org/climate-energy/top-10-cities-facing-the-most-danger-days-d… Top 10 cities facing the most "danger days" due to climate change grist.org Climate change will make danger days a lot more common over the next 15 years. Like Comment Share [https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yk/r/_2faPUZhPI6.png]<https://www.facebook.com/n/?groups%2F273746069448855%2Fpermalink%2F55516804…> Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/n/?groups%2F273746069448855%2Fpermalink%2F55516804…> Emmett Pepper<https://www.facebook.com/n/?emmett.poivre&aref=1450365137249134&medium=emai…> posted in WV Sierra Club Energy Efficiency Leaders<https://www.facebook.com/n/?groups%2F273746069448855%2F&aref=14503651372491…>. [https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hprofile-ak-xft1/v/t1.0-1/p100x100/123…]<https://www.facebook.com/emmett.poivre> Emmett Pepper<https://www.facebook.com/emmett.poivre> December 17 at 10:12am This doesn't really fit into this group, since this is focused on efficiency, not climate change, but I don't know what the best WV-based climate Facebook group is. Charleston, WV is slated to have the most "danger days" by 2050, due to climate change, according to a report from August comparing 144 cities across the country. I don't remember seeing it in my feed in August, though I may have just not been paying attention. http://grist.org/climate-energy/top-10-cities-facing-the-most-danger-days-d… [https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQCbyEHmnM798uNg&w=158&h…]<http://l.facebook.com/l/rAQGT2xJMAQE2L_RfXhlOpFYhEn7aaiFuYf18j9e58CoTMg/gri…> Top 10 cities facing the most "danger days" due to climate change<http://l.facebook.com/l/QAQECZYHvAQEq6QqzAjFdIQyGv2jZxy9HluusG0Q3suz2Gw/gri…> <http://l.facebook.com/l/QAQECZYHvAQEq6QqzAjFdIQyGv2jZxy9HluusG0Q3suz2Gw/gri…> grist.org Climate change will make danger days a lot more common over the next 15 years. <https://www.facebook.com/n/?email%2Fufi%2Fclick&action=like&target=55516804…> [https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yM/r/aL-TjjYppK9.png] Like<https://www.facebook.com/n/?email%2Fufi%2Fclick&action=like&target=55516804…> <https://www.facebook.com/n/?email%2Fufi%2Fclick&action=comment&target=55516…> [https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yK/r/pydUbhpFodk.png] Comment<https://www.facebook.com/n/?email%2Fufi%2Fclick&action=comment&target=55516…> <https://www.facebook.com/n/?email%2Fufi%2Fclick&action=share&target=5551680…> [https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yU/r/1xTlxxl7Lck.png] Share<https://www.facebook.com/n/?email%2Fufi%2Fclick&action=share&target=5551680…> <https://www.facebook.com/n/?groups%2F273746069448855%2Fpermalink%2F55516804…> <https://www.facebook.com/n/?groups%2F273746069448855%2Fpermalink%2F55516804…> View on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/n/?settings&aref=1450365137249134&medium=email&mid…> <https://www.facebook.com/n/?settings&aref=1450365137249134&medium=email&mid…> Edit Email Settings Reply to this email to comment on this post. This message was sent to jkotcon(a)wvu.edu<mailto:jkotcon@wvu.edu>. If you don't want to receive these emails from Facebook in the future, please unsubscribe<https://www.facebook.com/o.php?k=AS3f6chL3nIXRexi&u=1081364345&mid=52719293…>. Facebook, Inc., Attention: Community Support, Menlo Park, CA 94025 [https://www.facebook.com/email_open_log_pic.php?mid=527192936e09cG40744f79G…]

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Rare earth elements from coal mining waste
by James Kotcon 16 Dec '15

16 Dec '15

FYI. Acid Mine Drainage may be valuable feedstock. JBK See more at: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2015/12/14/wvu-leads-efforts-to-study-recovery-of… West Virginia could become one of the country's significant sources for rare earth elements, the "vitamins of modern industry," without the expense or environmental cost of opening new mines. Last week, the United States Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory, or NETL, selected West Virginia University to conduct a $937,000 research project in support of DOE's program to Recover Rare Earth Elements from Coal and Coal Byproducts. Rare earth elements, or REEs, are chemical elements in Earth's crust that are essential ingredients in modern technologies such as cell phones, rechargeable batteries, DVDs, GPS equipment, medical equipment and many defense applications. Conventional rare earth extraction grinds large volumes of hard rock and removes rare earths through acid extraction. The process is energy intensive, disturbs large areas of pristine land, and generates large volumes of toxic tailings. Because of this and the cost of developing domestic sources, the U.S. imports nearly all of its REEs. There are other methods for obtaining REEs. Some coal-related waste streams are enriched with REEs, sparking interest in evaluation of these wastes as a potential domestic supply. WVU's project, "Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from Coal Mine Drainage," brings together academia, state regulators and industry to collaborate on finding a successful recovery technology for total REEs from acid mine drainage, or AMD. Paul Ziemkiewicz, director of the West Virginia Water Research Institute and principal investigator for the project, and co-investigators Xingbo Liu, professor of mechanical engineering, and Aaron Noble, professor of mining engineering, will test different sources of AMD solids and methods for extracting valuable REEs. The team has already identified solids precipitated during treatment of AMD, as an enriched source of REEs, particularly the more valuable, heavy elements. AMD is a waste stream generated by Appalachian coal mining that is created when sulfide minerals in rocks are exposed to air and water. Active coal mines are required to treat this water resulting in the precipitation of AMD solids which must be disposed of. In Pennsylvania and West Virginia alone, it is estimated that AMD generates more than 45,000 tons of total REEs per year or about three times the current U.S. demand for total REEs. The team will work with industry partners Mepco Inc., Consol Energy and Rosebud Mining as well as the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Special Reclamation to not only identify enriched AMD solids but to develop ways to integrate rare earth extraction with their current mine drainage treatment operations. WVU's approach capitalizes on the fact that acid mine drainage is an existing source of acid which extracts rare earths from coal-related rock. As the coal industry treats this acid water to meet regulatory requirements it generates huge volumes of solids which require disposal. "Those solids are our feedstock," Ziemkiewicz said. "And in a sense, it's already pre-processed." Liu and Noble will develop ways to further concentrate REEs so that it can supply the metal refining industry. No new mines will be needed to generate this domestic supply of rare earths, and rejects will be returned to the AMD treatment plant's disposal system requiring a negligible environmental footprint. -

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from ScienceDaily e=newsletter: Fracking plays active role in generating toxic metal wastewater, study finds
by Paul Wilson 16 Dec '15

16 Dec '15

Fracking plays active role in generating toxic metal wastewater, study finds <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151215134653.htm> Posted: 15 Dec 2015 10:46 AM PST The production of hazardous wastewater in hydraulic fracturing is assumed to be partly due to chemicals introduced into injected freshwater when it mixes with highly saline brine naturally present in the rock. But a new study investigating the toxic metal barium in fracking wastewater finds that chemical reactions between injected freshwater and the fractured shale itself could play a major role. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=e40…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=e40…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=e40…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=e40…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=e40…> I posted this on the Marcellus Campaign Facebook page, but think it is important enough to spread around via other lists etc. fyi, paul w. -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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from Jim Hightower in Otherwords
by Paul Wilson 09 Dec '15

09 Dec '15

Put This Coal Kingpin in the Stocks Disgraced CEO Don Blankenship won’t serve more than a year for effectively killing 29 of his workers. By Jim Hightower <http://otherwords.org/authors/jim-hightower/> [image: Jim Hightower] <http://otherwords.org/authors/jim-hightower/> Disgraced coal baron Don Blankenship didn’t get what he deserves in his recent federal trial. But he richly deserves what he got. “Guilty <http://www.wvgazettemail.com/article/20151203/GZ15/151209810/1419>,” declared all 12 West Virginia jurors, who convicted this arrogant and avaricious former CEO of Massey Energy of willfully conspiring to violate America’s mine safety laws. As a result of that conspiracy, 29 miners were essentially murdered by the corporation in a horrific explosion deep inside Massey’s Upper Big Branch coal mine back in 2010. Blankenship — a multimillionaire right-wing ideologue, union-buster, and political heavyweight — ran the doomed mine as a lawless operation. This kingpin of King Coal relentlessly put profit over people, recklessly endangering miners. He made Upper Big Branch one of the most dangerous workplaces in the country, [image: Powered by Pollution, an OtherWords cartoon by Khalil Bendib] Powered by Pollution, an OtherWords cartoon by Khalil Bendib But coal is indeed king in West Virginia, where the royals can count on being coddled <http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/09/blankenship-trial-king-coal-wes…>. Thus, Blankenship faces a maximum of just one year in prison. And his diamond-studded legal team intends to have the jury’s unanimous verdict tossed down the dark shaft of judicial favoritism for the rich. What the mining baron deserved was to be put in stocks and subjected to a steady stream of derision from the families of mineworkers who were hurt, sickened, and even killed to haul up coal so Blankenship could live in luxury. He escaped that justice, but he’ll never shake off the guilty judgment of the jurors. The month-long, widely covered trial fully documented the rank immorality of this man and his ill-gotten fortune. Blankenship undoubtedly thinks he got away with murder. But in the court of public opinion, he’s turned his name into a four-letter word. OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is a radio commentator, writer, and public speaker. He’s also the editor of the populist newsletter, The Hightower Lowdown <http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/>, and a member of the Public Citizen board. OtherWords.org <http://otherwords.org/>. Tagged: coal <http://otherwords.org/tag/coal/>, corporate crime <http://otherwords.org/tag/corporate-crime/>, Corporate Greed <http://otherwords.org/tag/corporate-greed/>, Massey coalmine <http://otherwords.org/tag/massey-coalmine/>, West Virginia <http://otherwords.org/tag/west-virginia/>, workplace safety <http://otherwords.org/tag/workplace-safety/> -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Fw: Invitation to Webinar: Energy Efficiency and the Clean Power Plan
by James Kotcon 09 Dec '15

09 Dec '15

I will be at a Marcellus workshop, but ti would be great if someone form the EECT could participatye in this webinar and report back what you learned. Synapse Energy is a consulting firm we have used in some past PSC cases, and they are rapidly gaining a national reputation as the go-to guys for this kind of stuff. It is credible, detailed, and very specific technical information delivered in a format that is easy for lay people like us to use. JBK ________________________________ From: Synapse Energy Economics <messenger(a)webex.com> Sent: Wednesday, December 9, 2015 11:45 AM To: James Kotcon Subject: Invitation to Webinar: Energy Efficiency and the Clean Power Plan [https://synapse-energy.webex.com/ec3000/downloadServlet/emailImage?USID=5a4…] Energy Efficiency and the Clean Power Plan Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2015 Time: 2 PM EST Duration: 1 hour Energy efficiency is widely recognized as an abundant and low-cost option for complying with the requirements of EPA's Clean Power Plan. Whether states choose a mass-based or a rate-based approach to compliance, energy efficiency should be the primary strategy for complying with the Clean Power Plan.<http://synapse-energy.com/about-us/blog/does-energy-efficiency-have-role-ma…> However, concerns about fairness between customer types-those who participate in programs and see immediate reductions in bills and those who do not-create a barrier to widespread implementation of efficiency programs. Synapse will release a factsheet and accompanying report next week that discuss strategies to increase customer participation, enhancing fairness. [http://www.synapse-energy.com/sites/default/files/synapse-header-logo.png]<http://synapse-energy.com/about-us/blog/does-energy-efficiency-have-role-ma…> Does Energy Efficiency Have a Role in Mass-Based Clean ... Yes, it does. Unfortunately, some confusion persists about how energy efficiency measures can be applied to mass-based compliance within the Clean Power Plan. Read more...<http://synapse-energy.com/about-us/blog/does-energy-efficiency-have-role-ma…> We invite you to join us for a webinar discussing these strategies and how states can leverage funds generated by Clean Power Plan compliance to further implement efficiency. Jennifer Kallay and Kenji Takahashi, Synapse experts on energy efficiency, will present and answer questions from participants. This webinar is free and open to the public. To register for the online event: ------------------------------------------------------- 1. Go to https://synapse-energy.webex.com/synapse-energy/onstage/g.php?MTID=eb66d4e4… 2. Click "Register." 3. On the registration form, enter your information and then click "Submit." Once the host approves your registration, you will receive a confirmation email message with instructions on how to join the event. Please note: The webinar software does not support computer audio on Mac computers. If you plan to use a Mac, please call into the conference line provided when you join the event. When calling in to the conference line, please enter the attendee number displayed under the access code. ------------------------------------------------------- For assistance ------------------------------------------------------- You can contact Synapse at: webinar(a)synapse-energy.com

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Benefits and trade-offs of low-carbon energy
by Paul Wilson 02 Dec '15

02 Dec '15

Benefits and trade-offs of low-carbon energy <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151130125019.htm> Posted: 30 Nov 2015 09:50 AM PST Policymakers, industry and government officials will have to invest US $2.5 trillion for electricity generation over the next 20 years. A new report presents the environmental costs and benefits linked to different renewable energy sources, and makes one thing abundantly clear: anything is better than coal. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=V7O…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=V7O…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=V7O…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=V7O…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=V7O…> -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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McKinsey's take on the future of mining......dim.....but then, that's good if you're speculating for a possible big gain on future market changes
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 19 Nov '15

19 Nov '15

Is there hidden treasure in the mining industry? Low equity prices may offer important M&A opportunities for the mining industry. November 2015 | byMichael Birshan, Guillaume Decaix, Nelson Ferreira, and Harry Robinson *Where is the mining industry* headed? Commodity prices are now far below their 2011 peaks—metallurgical coal by more than 70 percent, seaborne iron ore by more than 65 percent, and copper and gold by more than 30 percent—and the mining industry’s stock-market valuation has followed prices down. The big mining houses have been working hard on cutting costs, reducing capital expenditures, and boosting productivity. Still, the specter of a return to the bleak pre-China-boom period of sustained low profitability hangs over the industry. Amidst this gloom, there is an alternative reading of the industry’s mid- to long-term prospects. Our commodity-by-commodity modeling suggests that stock-market sentiment may have overshot—once again. In many commodities, declining ore quality and limited accessibility of new deposits will squeeze supply in coming years, potentially driving a commodity-price rebound as global demand continues to rise. If lessons of previous cycles hold, mining equity prices could be expected to spike as well. Such an outlook provides a moment of real opportunity. Growth is the big strategic conundrum in the mining sector. Exploration productivity has underperformed expectations for a full decade, project execution has been slow and costly, and government interventions to increase the take from new-project revenues has caused substantial slowdowns or outright withdrawal from prospective geographies. For mining leaders looking to grow or reposition their portfolios, current low equity prices could represent an important opportunity. We do not know exactly when the mining sector will rebound, and our analysis suggests the outlook is not equally rosy for all commodities, but the recent sparks of M&A interest indicate that some industry participants have a similar view and suggest that more of this kind of activity is likely as bid-ask spreads narrow. Building a picture of the industry’s prospects Equity prices are down . . . The metals and mining industry has a history of large swings in capital-market performance (Exhibit 1). From 1973 to 2000, industry total returns to shareholders (TRS) were low—below cost of capital in many years—and volatility was high. Exhibit 1 - Enlarge This pattern changed dramatically in the first decade of the new millennium, the China-driven “supercycle.” TRS doubled, while volatility increased further. From 2012 onward, however, slower demand growth in China has triggered a steep fall in the mining industry’s TRS. Mining and steel depart from comparable capital-intensive peers, overperforming in the boom periods and underperforming at other times, but always with substantially higher volatility than these other sectors. Valuing cyclical companies is challenging, because swings in product price radically affect profitability.1 <http://www.mckinsey.com/Insights/Energy_Resources_Materials/Is_there_hidden…> The mining sector is no exception; extreme commodity-price movements during the supercycle have made the sector very difficult to value. As a result, the market heavily weights the short term, and equity prices largely track commodity prices. Indeed, our analysis shows that the correlation between the two is significantly higher for mining companies than for similarly capital-intensive industries, such as oil and gas (Exhibit 2). Exhibit 2 - Enlarge . . . but demand and production continue to grow A look at mining fundamentals offers a less gloomy view. Demand for metals continues to grow worldwide, albeit at a slower pace, as does production. For almost all commodities, production is at record levels. For example, since 2003, copper production grew by almost 40 percent, coal by 55 percent, and seaborne iron-ore production by 70 percent. The slower rate of demand growth in China has let growing supply overtake demand in a number of commodities, and this overcapacity has pulled prices down—for now. Our analysis suggests that the steadily deteriorating quality of accessible resources, combined with the current cuts in new mine investment, will likely squeeze supply in the face of slow, steady demand growth, causing prices to rebound. So where is the industry really headed? To get beyond generalizations, we have developed a new approach to modeling the industry. This approach combines insights from three areas: drivers of supply and demand, mining cost and capital expenditure (capex) inflation, and pricing regimes and price premiums. Supply and demand Projecting out both supply and demand drivers over the next decade, we conclude that geological shortage is likely to be a stronger determinant of future price movements than variations in demand. We examined geological factors such as grade erosion and depletion on a mine-by-mine basis, and the combination of declining resource levels and delays in new projects raises the likelihood of increasingly severe shortages. The commodities likely to be most severely affected by ore-quality decline are copper, gold, and phosphate rock. (We also looked at how competitive behaviors among producers and substitution patterns for different metals could affect the supply-demand balance, but these generally have less impact than the geological factors constraining supply.) Cost inflation The principal drivers of cost inflation vary by commodity, so we have identified and projected the most important costs for each commodity. In the 2000 to 2013 period, cash cost inflation for the marginal producer has been close to 20 percent annually for copper, iron ore, and potash (coal has been lower at around 11 percent), primarily due to the geological factors just described. Inflation is influenced by external factors (for example, local consumer prices, increase in wages and diesel prices, and local-currency appreciation versus the US dollar) and internal ones (for example, productivity, metal grade, and geological mine conditions). Assuming a scenario of lower oil and diesel prices and a strengthening US dollar versus the local currencies of mining producers, our analysis suggests that external cost factors will be flat, or even negative, for most commodities. Inflation due to internal factors, however, is here to stay. Even with productivity gains, mines will increasingly suffer from declining ore grades and deteriorating mine conditions, such as deeper shafts, worsening stripping ratios, and longer hauling distances. We expect the level of geological cost inflation will continue to be the main determinant of cost increases, and that total inflation will average 4 to 7 percent per year going forward. Price regimes Price projections in minerals are typically based on reversion to historical price levels at a pace derived from supply and demand projections, plus political and environmental factors. Taking this approach has shortcomings. First, it does not take account of geological inflation. Second, these elements give an incomplete picture of margin evolution, which is crucial to capital-investment decisions—decisions that can substantially change the future balance of supply and demand. To fill this gap, our modeling looks separately at the two building blocks of commodity pricing. The first is the evolution of the cash cost of each commodity’s marginal producer, explicitly considering geological inflation per commodity. The second is the “price regime”—that is, the margin over cash cost that marginal producers will earn—which marries a commodity’s historical price dynamics with our simulation of its future supply-demand balance. There are four basic price regimes. The lowest is cash cost: price levels are close to the cash cost of the marginal producer, and there is minimal incentive to invest. The next one is brownfield inducement pricing, with prices high enough to justify extending the life of existing mines. More attractive to miners is greenfield inducement pricing, which would justify investing in new greenfield projects. The final regime is fly-up pricing, where demand grows so fast and capacity utilization is so tight that prices temporarily soar well above levels dictated by the cost curve. Mapping the price regimes for each commodity over the past 20 years, as well as the price premiums associated with those regimes (that is, the commodity’s price minus the cost of the marginal producer), can indicate what might lie ahead. Our analysis shows that while a single commodity can go through different price regimes, the price premiums associated with each regime are much more stable than commodity prices themselves. Better insights can therefore come from exploring the structural factors that influence which price regime will be in place than from attempting to predict actual commodity prices. The expected future price regime, the associated price premium, and our view on future costs can then be used to simulate industry cash flows for each commodity. By aggregating this information across mining commodities, we have developed an overall outlook for the industry—and the picture it reveals is not as bleak as current equity prices would suggest. The road to recovery Indeed, when all drivers are considered, our analysis suggests that after a 6 percent per year decline between 2011 and 2014, industry-wide mining revenues could grow at around 4 to 6 percent over the next decade. EBITDA performance for the industry overall is also projected to rebound over the same period, at 3 to 4 percent per year, held back by steady cost increases. So the mining industry will likely continue growing, albeit with lower margins. The outlook for different commodities clearly varies significantly, but applying this modeling approach to 11 important metals and minerals suggests that several of them are well positioned to achieve attractive returns again (Exhibit 3). Exhibit 3 - Enlarge Phosphate and some base metals such as zinc and copper seem to have a more attractive short-term outlook. Prices of bulk minerals, the stars of the previous boom decade, are nowadays close to cash-cost regimes. In any case, our analysis shows more than half the mining commodities studied in healthier, greenfield price regimes by the end of the decade; the exceptions include aluminum, nickel, iron ore, and potash. Building an action plan Investing countercyclically, whether in M&A or organic growth, is an often-stated mantra that is rarely executed. Today’s relatively low share prices for metals and mining companies and the expectation of increased commodity prices over the medium to long term should encourage miners to pursue M&A now. For those who do, here are three points to consider. 1. Weigh the merits of diversification Whether diversification across commodities provides benefits to mining companies—and their shareholders—has been debated over the years. In 2008, for instance, miners with precious metals or oil in the portfolio were buoyed despite the falloff in most mining commodities. However, achieving effective diversification has become more difficult. Commodities closely tied to the build-out of China’s infrastructure have become more tightly correlated. With such a high degree of correlation between commodities, many companies cannot convincingly claim to have a diversified portfolio. True diversification involves finding exposure to commodities that counterbalance one another or at least move in ways that are uncorrelated. Two opportunities for diversification are still open to the major mining houses. The first is fertilizer, where prices move differently from those of other mining products, driven by food consumption rather than infrastructure investment. The second is precious metals, where prices demonstrate limited correlation with those of other commodities during times of economic crisis. 2. Consider nonoperating stakes Miners should consider whether the split-ownership model prevalent in oil and gas could provide opportunity. Indeed, some mining companies active in the oil sector are already involved in such partnerships on oil-production assets. These smaller nonoperating stakes are less common in the mining industry, and a broader uptake could offer mining companies two advantages. First, they reduce risk, as the minority owner can rely on the expertise of an operator with greater local knowledge. Second, they potentially allow greater diversification faster and more cost-effectively, since the same amount of capital can buy multiple minority participations without paying control premiums. 3. Act while the stars are aligned Mining companies are currently well resourced for M&A. As Exhibit 4 shows, the financial capacity of mining companies relative to asset prices is starting to increase again. While the ratio is far away from the 2011 peak, when many players took advantage of the opportunity to acquire distressed assets from cash-strapped players, it is gradually increasing above historical average values. Exhibit 4 - Enlarge The mining industry has a history of procyclical investments, which have in many cases ended with disappointing shareholder returns. While it’s well recognized that swimming against the tide of the cycle is difficult, the companies that are able to move successfully today could reverse that record. About the authors *Michael Birshan* is a principal in McKinsey’s London office, *Guillaume Decaix* is a principal in the Rio de Janeiro office, *Nelson Ferreira* is a principal in the São Paulo office, and *Harry Robinson* is a director in the Southern California office and global head of the Metals & Mining Practice. The authors wish to thank Marcelo Azevedo, Tiago Berni, Henrique Ceotto, Friso De Clercq, Mark Dominik, Alessandro Mady, and Siddharth Periwal for their contributions to this article. - PDF - Print - E-mail <http://www.mckinsey.com/Insights/Energy_Resources_Materials/Is_there_hidden…> - Share Related articles [image: Productivity-in-mining-operations_1536x1536_Thumbnail] <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/energy_resources_materials/productivity_in…> article Productivity in mining operations: Reversing the downward trend <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/energy_resources_materials/productivity_in…> May 2015—A new metric shows just how far mining productivity has declined. It also points to ways to improve productivity more effectively.more <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/energy_resources_materials/productivity_in…> [image: Riding-the-resource-wave_1536x1536_Thumbnail] <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/sustainability/riding_the_resource_wave> article Riding the resource wave: How extractive companies can succeed in the new resource era <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/sustainability/riding_the_resource_wave> August 2014—With economic and social expectations rising in resource-rich countries, extractive companies must re-think how they do business.more <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/sustainability/riding_the_resource_wave> [image: MGIResourceDrivenEconomiesC_1536x1152_Thumbnail] <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/energy_resources_materials/reverse_the_cur…> report Reverse the curse: Maximizing the potential of resource-driven economies <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/energy_resources_materials/reverse_the_cur…> December 2013—In 20 years, almost half of the world’s countries could depend on their resource endowments for growth. These economies have a huge opportunity to transform their prospects, and a new model could help governments capture the coming resource windfall instead of squandering it. more <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/energy_resources_materials/reverse_the_cur…> - includes: - [image: MGIResourceRevol2013_LargeFeature_1536x1152_Thumbnail] <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/energy_resources_materials/resource_revolu…> report Resource revolution: Tracking global commodity markets <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/energy_resources_materials/resource_revolu…> September 2013—Commodity prices, though off recent peaks, still reflect emerging-market demand, a challenging geology, innovative technology, and improved resource productivity.more <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/energy_resources_materials/resource_revolu…> - includes: - - PDF - Print - E-mail <http://www.mckinsey.com/Insights/Energy_Resources_Materials/Is_there_hidden…> - Share McKinsey Insights [image: McKinsey Insights] <http://www.mckinsey.com/features/ipad_and_android_app> Get our latest thinking on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device. more <http://www.mckinsey.com/features/ipad_and_android_app> For iOS <https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id674902075?mt=8> For Android <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mckinsey.mckinseyinsights> About this content The material on this page draws on the research and experience of McKinsey consultants and other sources. To learn more about our expertise, please visit the Metals & Mining Practice <http://www.mckinsey.com/client_service/metals_and_mining>. Most Popular 1. The new consumer decision journey <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/marketing_sales/the_new_consumer_decision_…> 2. What it takes to deliver breakthrough customer experiences <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/organization/what_it_takes_to_deliver_brea…> 3. A better way to understand internal rate of return <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/corporate_finance/a_better_way_to_understa…> 4. The digital future of consumer-packaged-goods companies <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/consumer_and_retail/the_digital_future_of_…> - includes: - 5. Five myths about the Chinese economy <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/winning_in_emerging_markets/five_myths_abo…> Stay connected - E-mail alerts <http://www.mckinsey.com/user_registration/edit_subscriptions> - Twitter <https://twitter.com/McKinsey> - Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/mckinsey> - LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/mckinsey-&-company> - McKinsey Insights <http://www.mckinsey.com/features/ipad_and_android_app> - YouTube <http://www.youtube.com/mckinsey> - RSS <http://www.mckinsey.com/Insights/rss.aspx> About Insights & Publications - The creation of knowledge supports McKinsey’s core mission: helping our clients achieve distinctive, lasting, and substantial performance improvements. We publish our insights and those of external experts to help advance the practice of management and provide leaders with facts on which to base business and policy decisions. Views expressed by third-party authors are theirs alone. - Contact us <http://www.mckinsey.com/contact_us> - Frequently asked questions <http://www.mckinsey.com/frequently_asked_questions> - Site map <http://www.mckinsey.com/site_map> - Terms of use <http://www.mckinsey.com/terms_of_use> - Local language information <http://www.mckinsey.com/local_language_information> - Privacy policy <http://www.mckinsey.com/privacy_policy> - © 1996-2015 McKinsey & Company William V. DePaulo, Esq. 122 N Court Street, Suite 300 Lewisburg, WV 24901 Tel 304-342-5588 Fax 866-850-1501 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com www.casasanta.org

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from Jim Hightower: Will This Lord of the Manor Get Locked Up?
by Paul Wilson 12 Nov '15

12 Nov '15

Will This Lord of the Manor Get Locked Up? Former coal CEO Don Blankenship is in the hot seat for putting money above everything else. By Jim Hightower <http://otherwords.org/authors/jim-hightower/> [image: Jim Hightower] <http://otherwords.org/authors/jim-hightower/> Don Blankenship had it all. The West Virginia coal baron had personal wealth, absolute control over his workers, and unmatched political power that extended through every branch of state government — and deep into the back rooms of Washington policymakers. In the house of Big Coal, Master Blankenship lorded over the manor. But soon, he could be moving into an even bigger house — as in “the big house.” The former Massey Energy CEO is presently on trial for intentionally neglecting mine safety laws, conspiring to cover up the violations, and effectively causing an explosion of methane and coal dust that killed 29 miners in Massey’s Upper Big Branch mine in 2010. It was the worst mine disaster in modern American history. [image: Powered by Pollution, an OtherWords cartoon by Khalil Bendib] <http://otherwords.org/powered-by-pollution/> Powered by Pollution, an OtherWords cartoon by Khalil Bendib In a rare turn of events for the corporate world, the boss himself has now been brought before a jury of common West Virginians to answer criminal charges that could put him in prison for 31 years. This is no mere formality. Already, four of Blankenship’s top assistants have been convicted for criminally risking the miners’ lives. And federal prosecutors have testimony, documents, and audio recordings <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/17/us/coal-barons-trial-may-turn-on-his-secr…> revealing that the CEO himself was “plainly cheating” on rules to protect workers. Blankenship bares his soul on one tape, declaring that it’s OK to demand that miners increase production of coal at the expense of their own safety. “This game is about money,” he explained. Quite a few other gamers ought to be in the dock with Don — George W. Bush, for example, along with the bipartisan bunch of Congress critters who took Big Coal’s campaign cash in exchange for defunding, denigrating, and discouraging the federal regulators who dared to stand up to Blankenship. Those for-hire political fixers are co-conspirators in Massey Energy’s corporate murders. OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is a radio commentator, writer, and public speaker. He’s also the editor of the populist newsletter, The Hightower Lowdown <http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/>, and a member of the Public Citizen board. OtherWords.org <http://otherwords.org/>. Tagged: coal <http://otherwords.org/tag/coal/>, corporate crime <http://otherwords.org/tag/corporate-crime/>, Massey coalmine <http://otherwords.org/tag/massey-coalmine/>, West Virginia <http://otherwords.org/tag/west-virginia/> -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] from High Country News; Bankruptcy expected for Arch Coal, a reflection of industry woes
by James Kotcon 11 Nov '15

11 Nov '15

Stock in Peabody coal was selling for over $1000 per share in 2011, not it is at $13.00 Arch Coal was at $3600 in 2011, now it is at $1.50. The WV Legislature is convinced that "Coal's Best Days Are Ahead!" Thanks to Paul for the story at the link below. JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Date: Tue, Nov 10, 2015 at 4:02 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] from High Country News; Bankruptcy expected for Arch Coal, a reflection of industry woes To: Coal Alerts <coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Bankruptcy expected for Arch Coal, a reflection of industry woes <http://list.hcn.org/t?r=3391&c=3558&l=1&ctl=6B6C:9DD3FCF87D66B19654BB1AB8D5…> Climate policies make a rebound for coal unlikely. -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20 -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org.

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Fwd: I'll be retiring-- Internal Job Announcement - Director, Virginia Chapter
by James Kotcon 06 Nov '15

06 Nov '15

FYI. JBK ----- Original Message ----- *From:* Glen Besa <glen.besa(a)sierraclub.org> *To:* CONS-FRED(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG *Sent:* Thursday, November 05, 2015 10:02 AM *Subject:* FYI : I'll be retiring-- Internal Job Announcement - Director, Virginia Chapter Hi folks, dear colleagues, After almost 20 years with the Sierra Club, I'll be retiring the end of May 2016. It's been a great ride, and I expect to stay active as a volunteer--too much fun holding politicians accountable, especially climate deniers. In any case, the VA Chapter is beginning an intensive search for my replacement. Below is the internal posting that will go public next week. There is no anticipated successor at this stage so please forward to interested persons. We are fortunate to have a fairly stable $700,000 annual budget and 9 dedicated staff so this is a big job in a perpetual swing state--Dems just got their butts kicked on Tuesday--ugh! I will not see you at the colloquium because I'll be at the Paris climate talks (on my own dime--not the club's). I hope to see many of you before I retire or in some voluntary capacity after I retire. Thanks, Glen ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: HRD <hrd(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Nov 4, 2015 at 5:16 PM Subject: Internal Job Announcement - Director, Virginia Chapter To: SierraClub HRD <hrd(a)sierraclub.org> *Announcement of Job Openings for Internal Employees:* *JOB:* *Director, Virginia Chapter* For full details and to apply as an internal applicant*: https://chj.tbe.taleo.net/chj01/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=SIERRACLUB&… Internal Deadline: *11/11/15* Category: *4* Region: *2* Union: *Chapter/Non-Rep* *Only current Sierra Club staff or recall candidates may apply using the link included above. External applicants must apply via Sierra Club's careers website (www.sierraclub.org/careers) after the internal deadline passes. -- Human Resources Department Sierra Club National Headquarters Shar-De Herr: 415.977.5615 Brett Johnson: 415.977.5586 Fax: 415.977.5796 ***You can now submit HR issues via the HelpDesk! Please create a ticket via HelpDesk (https://helpdesk.sierraclub.org <https://helpdesk.sierraclub.org>)** OR by emailing HR.Help(a)sierraclub.org <HR.Help(a)sierraclub.org> directly*. *Please only choose one option when submitting your issue.*** ***Please allow up to 5-7 business days for HRD to review and respond to any request and/or inquiry sent to this address. If you haven't heard back within this time frame, please follow up as needed.*** *NOTE: This communication contains information that is confidential, and proprietary to The Sierra Club. If you are not the intended recipient, please note that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify sender immediately and delete it from your system. * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-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-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-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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Costs iof Harrison Power Plant - See We Told You So.
by James Kotcon 04 Nov '15

04 Nov '15

Full story at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/article/20151103/GZ01/151109834 Tuesday, November 3, 2015 Testimony highlights costs of Harrison Power Plant purchase By Andrew Brown, Business Reporter The full cost of the Public Service Commission’s decision to approve MonPower’s takeover of the Harrison Power Plant north of Clarksburg is now being revealed. On Monday, testimony from the PSC staff, the state’s Consumer Advocate Division and the West Virginia Energy User’s Group was filed as part of MonPower and Potomac Edison’s ongoing expanded net energy case. The testimony details the companies’ request for an additional $144.5 million to cover the cost of coal supplies, energy purchases and 17 months of operating expenses for the Harrison plant, which MonPower purchased for $1.1 billion in 2013 from FirstEnergy, its parent company. As it stands, the proposal could increase the average residential customer’s monthly bill by more than $7 a month, and industrial electric customers in the state could see their rates increase by 19.6 percent on average. All of the parties in the case offered up adjustments to the $144.5 million request, based on a number of factors. The PSC staff suggested delaying some costs and reducing the current request by more than $17 million. The consumer advocate’s office proposed a reduction of $30.9 million to account for pension costs and current coal purchase contracts. And the West Virginia Energy User’s group proposed shrinking the request to a $65.7 million increase. According to the various testimony, a large part of the $144.5 million request stems either directly or indirectly from MonPower’s deal to take over the remaining 79 percent of the Harrison plant that it didn’t own in 2013 — an arrangement critics warned the commission not to approve. More than $44 million — roughly 31 percent — of the proposed increase is the result of underestimated operating costs at the Harrison plant, including $22.6 million charged during an outage in December 2014. Officials with the West Virginia Energy User’s Group questioned whether all of those under-recovered costs are fair and whether some of those operating expenses should have been handled before MonPower’s takeover. “A significant portion of the under-recovery is associated with what appears to be deferred maintenance while the units were owned by Allegheny Generating Company,” the energy user group’s testimony states. At the same time, testimony filed by the consumer advocate and FirstEnergy officials points out that the company’s choice to take over the roughly 1,983 megawatts of capacity at the Harrison plant has not paid off like the company expected in 2013. FirstEnergy officials had hoped that the takeover would benefit their customers in West Virginia by selling excess electricity from their coal-fired power plants onto the regional market, which would have brought down costs for MonPower and Potomac Edison customers in West Virginia. But because of lower-than-expected prices for wholesale electricity and increased competition from gas-fired power plants, MonPower has not been able to sell as much energy as it estimated. The consumer advocate’s testimony points out that between July 2014 to June 2015 MonPower produced an additional 4,829 gigawatt-hours beyond what their customers in West Virginia needed, and throughout much of that time, the company was not netting as much profit from that excess electricity as it would have liked. As an example, the company estimated it would make about $42 million from the regional markets in July and August of this year, but in reality, MonPower only netted $29 million in those two months, according to the consumer advocate’s testimony. Company officials have said that they expect the purchase of the Harrison plant to benefit customers in the long run. But that outcome is dependent on wholesale prices going back up, as a result of market conditions and new rules put in place by the PJM Interconnection, the company that controls the grid for West Virginia and 12 other states. The consumer advocate division didn’t challenge the companies’ forecasts that show wholesale sales increasing for MonPower, but it did question if the company could accurately predict the regional market. “If PJM energy prices recover, the company will be in a position to achieve additional net PJM energy revenues,” the consumer advocate’s testimony stated. “However, if PJM energy prices remain low, it is difficult to see how the company will be able to reap substantial revenues from the PJM market.”

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Harness the Sun
by Duane 28 Oct '15

28 Oct '15

“Harness the Sun” for the Earth in West Virginia by S. TOM BOND on OCTOBER 28, 2015 WV SUN meetings scheduled Commentary on “Harness the Sun” by S. Tom Bond, Lewis County, WV A recent issue of Science, the Journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, ran a book review titled “A bright future,” a review of a book called “Harness the Sun, America’s Quest for a Solar-Powered Future,” by Philip Warburg. It concerns the amazing progress and prospects for the future of solar. “A Bright Future” says the solar is scaling up faster than cell phones did. In Australia solar rooftop installations have been adopted at 10 times the rate of California, a similar climate. In some places 90% of the homes have it. In 2013 China added more solar capacity than the U. S. has since. Photovoltaic has popped up everywhere from inner city, to tribal lands to military bases. In remote locations like wells, electric fences and road signs it allows the use of electronics without power lines. Solar is the fastest growing energy source Solar has fallen in price more than 100 fold since 1975, and 80% in just the last five years. Warburg, the author of “Harness the Sun,” explains both photovoltaic and concentrating solar plants, which use mirrors to reflect the sun’s light on boilers in an easy to understand way. He goes into government subsidies, and how financial arrangements can be made to make solar available to renters and low income people. He covers “net metering,” which allows homeowner to sell the excess power back to the grid. He also explains domestic solar power politics, and trade disputes. Some interesting facts come out is that there is a potential for 5.5 trillion watts being generated on land in the U. S. that is contaminated “brown fields” and not suitable for many other uses. Rooftops, brownfields and commercial buildings could provide a great deal of the area needed, but the area around dedicated installations could be pastured. This appeals to me as a farmer because it would keep the grounds clear (remember the White House lawn pastured sheep in WWII) and would have no effect on the production of electricity, plus would produce beef, mutton or goat meat. It could also be wildlife habitat, for example. Solar efficiency has risen from 13.5% in 2008 to 21% at present. Then there is the matter of global warming potential and toxic emissions. Solar has very little, if any. Most cost accountings do not place a value on them in comparison. Warburg claims they must be considered to make solar comparable. However, the reviewer points to the increase in efficiency and notes that several more recent accountings, namely “Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Laurence Berkley National Laboratory, and half-dozen major financial houses have found that utility grade solar, now averaging under a nickel, generally beats gas plants’ lifetime cost per kilowatt-hour even without carbon or the volatility of gas cost.” This value estimate includes the federal solar subsidy (which is set to fall from 30% to 10% after 2016).” However “permanent subsidies for non-renewable energy” are generally larger. The reviewer notes some additions he would like to see. One is the resilience of solar. Some 90% of the billion watts of solar in New Jersey survived Hurricane Sandy. As a result, new installations are being designed to work without being hooked to the grid in emergencies. There is no discussion of ways to accomplish storage. Flexible loads, distributed thermal storage, and other substitutes for electrical storage should be considered. We now have lithium batteries at the point they can be purchased for home use – at prices just over $7000, but that is expected to fall rapidly.) Third, business models need to be transformed to include renewable energy. This author wishes to include two more. One is the nature of the work. Hydrocarbon burning is capital intensive, low labor and low skill labor, for the most part. Men spend a lot of time away from their wife and family, working atrocious hours in very seriously dangerous and dirty jobs. Many are the equivalent of “high plains drifters” made famous by the movie of that name starring Clint Eastwood. Alternative energy is more highly skilled, doesn’t require living away from home, work is eight on, five days a week, and much safer. The other is that the neighbors of the extraction industries’ huge installations have no negotiating power against what those industries want to do, and must endure noise and night lights as well as air and water borne chemicals, uglification of the neighborhood, and loss of property values. These are costs externalized on people living in the neighborhoods where the industry establishes itself. On the other hand alternative energy is smaller in scale (or in appropriate places like deserts or mountain tops) and do not involve characteristics so intrusive on the senses, health, esthetics and pocketbook. # # # # # # # # # # WV SUN ground rules: 1. Be respectful. 2. Keep discussions focused on solar energy. 3. No advertising. I’m super excited to be headed up to the lovely town of Thomas for an info session at the historic Buxton & Landstreet building at 571 Douglas Road, October 28th at 7 PM. Corey Chase, a small business owner and resident of Thomas has organized the Tucker County Renewables Cooperative and they will be hosting us and getting the word out around town. I have also been in touch with April Keating in Upshur County and she is helping reserve time and space in Buckhannon for a meeting on November 12th at the Public Library. So, help promote that meeting. We also want a meeting in Elkins for Randolph County. Questions:solarteam@wvsun.org See also: www.wvsun.org/solar-coops/tucker Sincerely, Karan Ireland, October 27, 2015 << Duane Nichols, Cell- 304-216-5535, www.FrackCheckWV.net >>

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Gov. Tomblin says WV will do a SIP for the Clean Power Plan
by James Kotcon 27 Oct '15

27 Oct '15

Undecided about whether to ask for a two-year extension. The really interesting part is what Bill Raney says: "Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, said he agreed with Roberts that the state should ask for the two-year extension in implementing the Clean Power Plan, but it was too soon to say if the state should submit its own plan. “We don’t know if it’s even possible to submit a plan that we can be on board with,” Raney said in an interview." Full story at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/article/20151027/GZ01/151029571 JBK >>>>> Tomblin will submit plan to comply with Clean Power Plan By David Gutman, Political Reporter ROANOKE, W.Va. -- Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin intends to submit a state plan for West Virginia to cut greenhouse gas emissions in compliance with the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, bucking calls from state and national Republicans to ignore the environmental regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan requires each state to cut carbon emissions from power plants by a certain amount, but leaves it to states to decide how to reach those goals. If states do not submit plans, they are threatened with the federal government implementing a plan for them, likely some sort of carbon cap-and-trade system. Republicans, most prominently U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have called on governors across the country to refuse to submit state plans. Tomblin said West Virginia would not follow that advice.“If we do not [submit a plan], like some have suggested and some are doing around the country, obviously EPA will say, ‘OK, if you don’t have a plan you’re going to buy our plan,’” Tomblin said in an interview following his speech at the state Energy Summit at Stonewall Jackson Resort. “I’d prefer to have a plan in place when the time comes. If they don’t agree with it then we’ll at least have a starting point where we can talk.” The Clean Power Plan was finalized -- published in the federal register -- on Friday. That same day, West Virginia and 23 other states, along with several coal companies, sued the EPA to block the regulations. The United Mine Workers of America is also a part of that litigation. Despite that, UMWA President Cecil Roberts said Tuesday that he also thinks the state should go forward with developing its plan to comply with the regulations, intended to help the U.S. secure an international agreement to fend off the worst effects of climate change. Roberts called for a state-implemented plan to build a new fleet of power plants, co-fired by coal and natural gas, that would use carbon capture and storage technology to meet the EPA’s new greenhouse gas emission standards. “Shaking our fists at Washington, D.C., and retreating behind our mountains simply won’t cut it anymore,” Roberts said in prepared remarks. “It doesn’t solve the problem.” States must submit plans, or ask for a two-year extension, by late next year. Roberts pushed for taking the extension, a decision Tomblin said he is still considering. The finalization of the Clean Power Plan started a 180-day countdown, during which time the state Department of Environmental Protection must complete a feasibility study on the prospects of a West Virginia compliance plan. Under a law passed earlier this year, based on model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council, a national conservative group, that study must be submitted to the Legislature, which must approve any state plan. Tomblin said he hoped the Legislature would be receptive to the plan his administration comes up with. “To do nothing, or just ignore the EPA, in my opinion is something we should not do. They are the federal regulatory agency,” Tomblin said. “If we can show that we put a lot of time and study into a plan for West Virginia, we would have a better chance of hopefully lessening the pain that they may inflict upon us.” Tomblin’s openness to comply comes as the state’s congressional delegation continues to fight the regulations. On Tuesday, U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin, along with 45 other senators, introduced a resolution to block the Clean Power Plan, just the latest piece of legislation they have pushed to block the EPA. All such legislation would face an almost certain veto from President Barack Obama. In his speech, Roberts told the crowd of mostly energy executives and lobbyists that, no matter the result of lawsuits against the Clean Power Plan, the next president will still be bound by the Supreme Court’s 2007 decision giving the EPA authority to regulate carbon emissions. “We can’t ignore that fact,” Roberts said. “Over the next 40 years different presidents will use that authority in different ways.” Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, said he agreed with Roberts that the state should ask for the two-year extension in implementing the Clean Power Plan, but it was too soon to say if the state should submit its own plan. “We don’t know if it’s even possible to submit a plan that we can be on board with,” Raney said in an interview. Roberts called for the Legislature to take advantage of a 1985 law that allows a state agency to issue public bonds to construct new power plants, using a public-private partnership.

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Re: Mary Anne Hitt's latest: New Report Finds U.S. Leads the World in Moving Beyond Coal
by James Kotcon 27 Oct '15

27 Oct '15

Latest article from the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal director, and West Virginia's own, Mary Ann Hitt. This is awesome news and hope for the planet! Jim Kotcon >>> THU OCT 22, 2015 AT 01:00 PM PDT We Are Changing the World: New Report Finds U.S. Leads the World in Moving Beyond Coal <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World…> byMary Anne Hitt <http://www.dailykos.com/user/Mary%20Anne%20Hitt>Follow <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World…> forDK GreenRoots <http://www.dailykos.com/blog/DK%20GreenRoots> - - - 12 Comments / 12 New <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World…> This is what changing the world looks like. A new report out <http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/10/21/climatechange-g-idUKL8N12L1BB20151…> this week finds the U.S. leads the industrialized nations of the world in shifting away from coal, a feat even more remarkable because we are home to the world's biggest fleet of coal plants. This remarkable progress has been over a decade in the making <http://www.politico.com/magazine/politico50/2015/mary-anne-hitt-bruce-nilles>, and was made possible by Beyond Coal activists who first stopped utilities from building a wave of new coal plants, and then proceeded to win dozens of campaigns to retire existing coal plants across the United States and replace them with clean, renewable energy. Even better, the news comes in the lead-up to international climate negotiations in Paris this fall <http://actinparis.org/>, where the U.S. is positioned to lead thanks to this unprecedented progress on coal and clean energy. As the report <http://www.e3g.org/news/media-room/japan-isolated-as-usa-leads-the-way-in-g…> released by E3G puts it, the U.S. is "leading a clear move away from coal evident across all G7 members" (with one exception - Japan). That's because, since 2005, 184 proposed new coal plants, valued at $273 billion, have been cancelled at various stages of development. Retirements of existing coal plants are gathering pace, with 205 plants representing 84 gigawatts of capacity already confirmed for retirement. And that progress will accelerate over the coming months, as we work toward our goal of securing replacement of half the nation's coal plants with clean energy by 2017 <http://www.sierraclub.org/compass/2015/04/doubling-down-bloomberg-philanthr…> . This report confirms what I’ve been living and breathing for many years now: Communities who want clean energy and no more dirty coal power are a force to be reckoned with. They comprise a sophisticated network of grassroots activists across America <http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/05/inside-war-on-coal-000002> who are moving the global needle on climate, carbon pollution, and clean energy. Together they have been successfully challenging coal operators who are trying to prop up aging plants, and they are unstoppable, because they’re driven by the very real and present danger coal poses to our climate, clean air, and clean water. Overall, coal is the largest source of carbon pollution in the U.S., as well as the nation's largest source of mercury, sulfur dioxide, and toxic water pollution. We recently announced the retirement of the 200th coal plant <http://content.sierraclub.org/coal/200> nationwide (we're now up to 204), which represents the phase out of nearly 40 percent of the 523 U.S. coal plants that were in operation just five years ago. attribution: None Specified While we knew this was big news domestically, this new report confirms that it’s a big deal for the planet as well. The work of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign and more than 100 allied organizations to retire these plants and replace them with clean energy has enabled the United States to lead the industrialized world in cutting global warming pollution, and has put the White House on firm footing to push for a strong international climate accord in Paris at the end of this year. As the report states <http://www.e3g.org/news/media-room/japan-isolated-as-usa-leads-the-way-in-g…> , The USA is leading the charge despite facing the largest challenge given the scale of its existing coal use. With 288GW of capacity, the scale of the coal fleet in the U.S. is more than twice the size of the other G7 members combined. Nevertheless, the USA is making the most positive progress of all the G7 countries; recent retirement announcements amount to more than 84GW by 2020, with new policies reducing coal pollution and setting the framework for investment in clean energy. I continue to be in awe of our tireless activists nationwide – they are not only cleaning up our air and water, but they’re also giving our climate a fighting chance. And they’re working hard to ensure that coal power is replaced by clean, renewable energy. In the lead-up to Paris, this grassroots rebellion <http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/04/beyond-coal-plant-activism> is moving the global carbon needle, and I’m so grateful for everyone involved in this game changing campaign. TAGS ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Heather Moyer <heather.moyer(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Oct 22, 2015 at 4:21 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Re: Mary Anne Hitt's latest: New Report Finds U.S. Leads the World in Moving Beyond Coal To: #Coal <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Coal-Volunteers < coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Media <media-list(a)sierraclub.org> Sorry, Huffington Post link is this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-anne-hitt/we-are-changing-the-world_b_83… --- Heather Moyer Senior Content Producer 202-675-6276 Sierra Club 50 F Street, 8th Floor Washington, DC 20001 On Thu, Oct 22, 2015 at 4:09 PM, Heather Moyer <heather.moyer(a)sierraclub.org > wrote: > Hi folks, > Beyond Coal director Mary Anne Hitt's latest column is now live - and it's > about a report out this week showing that the US is leading G7 nations in > moving beyond coal. Please help share it! > > *Retweet:* > https://twitter.com/sierraclub/status/657286899342659585 > > *Possible tweets:* > We Are Changing the World: New Report Finds US Leads the World in Moving @ > BeyondCoal <https://hootsuite.com/dashboard#>: bit.ly/1W77Zph > <https://t.co/bovOt4ZKke> (by @maryannehitt > <https://hootsuite.com/dashboard#>) #coal > <https://hootsuite.com/dashboard#> > > Report Finds US Leads the World in Moving Beyond #Coal; "Made possible by > @BeyondCoal activists" says @maryannehitt: bit.ly/1W77Zph > > > *LINKS* > *Compass:* http://bit.ly/1W77Zph > > *Daily Kos: * > http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World… > > *HuffPost:* > http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World… > > --- > Heather Moyer > Senior Content Producer > 202-675-6276 > > Sierra Club > 50 F Street, 8th Floor > Washington, DC 20001 > -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org.

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First Energy ENEC case
by James Kotcon 16 Oct '15

16 Oct '15

EEWV has intervened in this case before the PSC, and is requesting help to fund an expert witness from ACEEE. In August, First Energy filed a request for a $165 million rate increase. Most of this is associated with under-recovered costs for the Harrison Power plant acquisition due to lower than projected electricity prices at PJM (see we told you so). They are also proposing to reduce funding for their energy efficiency programs. They have a rate surcharge to cover the cost of EE programs, but have collected more than they spend, so instead of spending more on EE, they propose to cut the surcharge. EEWV (as WV-CAG) has intervened in this case ( case number 15-1351-E-P) and needs an expert witness to testify. They have identified someone from ACEEE, but do not have the funds to cover this cost. They are asking if we can contribute $10,000. This is one of the major issues for the Chapter's Energy Efficiency campaigns, and has the potential to produce a lot more EE than most of our other projects, but we have not intervened in the case, and I think that opportunity has passed. The deadline for filing the testimony is Nov. 2 with a hearing Nov. 19-20, so if we are going to be involved, we need to do something soon. Is this something we can afford? Is this something we should do? How else can we get our members involved? Jim Kotcon

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Re: [EC] Governor Tomblin Appoints Kara Cunningham Williams to Public Service Commission
by James Kotcon 12 Oct '15

12 Oct '15

Allan, April, et al.: We are currently pushing various political bodies to support full funding of the President's Power Plus Plan. That would provide a billion dollars for Abandoned minelands clean-up, more money for economic diversification, and a couple billion to shore up miners health and retirement funds, etc.. Unfortunately, this has run into opposition from the Coal Association who thinks that any support for funding for "economic diversification" means you support a death sentence for coal. So most of our congressional delegation is either silent or actively opposes bringing billions in federal funding to the coal fields. (Where is Senator Byrd when we need him?) Nevertheless, we must support economic transition in the coalfields or we will have abandoned those communities to the tender mercies of the coal companies. An opportunity to speak to the PSC may be coming up soon, as the utilities must file their "Integrated Resource Plans" with the PSC in about 10 weeks. At that point, the PSC will open a case to take public input, and I think this will be an important venue to get the PSC to think long-term about where the electric industry is going in the next 5-10 years. The PSC has directed the utilities to describe how they will address the Clean Power Plan in their IRP, so this promises to be a fairly comprehensive and important case. Jim Kotcon ________________________________ From: April Pierson-Keating <aprilkeating(a)gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, October 11, 2015 9:25 PM To: Citizens Climate Lobby of West Virginia Cc: James Kotcon; EC(a)osenergy.org; Mark.Kresowik(a)sierraclub.org; bridget.lee(a)sierraclub.org; bbraun(a)compositetranstech.com; garyz(a)wvcag.org; janet.ovec(a)gmail.com; fyoung(a)mountain.net Subject: Re: [EC] Governor Tomblin Appoints Kara Cunningham Williams to Public Service Commission Great ideas, Allan. I want to be part of it. Whatever JB comes up with, please let me in on it. -april On Friday, October 9, 2015 at 1:02:19 PM UTC-4, Allan Tweddle wrote: James Disappointing, but not surprising. We have known that the Governor preferred to find a woman from outside Charleston. But as a lawyer with Steptoe & Johnson, are there any conflict issues? That firm is heavily involved with the utilities and coal industry. And, with all due respect for the legal profession, he has appointed “another lawyer?” With no background in the technologies, and especially with the current ant-net metering posture that is pervasive, there is no one is in the PSC to press for embracing the future energy technology and economic trends that are well underway...instead of accepting AEP & friends to thwart progress. I’m admittedly prejudiced, but there needs to be a non lawyer voice, preferably an engineering voice either on, or in front of the PSC. So isn’t it time to pull together a very vociferous ground swell of citizenry that demands progress...instead of clinging to the past and preventing progress? All the environmental organizations, plus AARP, plus Union of Concerned Scientists, plus who else? I may seek an opportunity to testify in the PSC debate over net metering, as the current trend is to embrace the Koch Brother’s ALEC approach to defeat all efforts for growth of solar energy nation wide. I’ve also asked John Christiansen if he has any detailed statistics of the physical potential of solar in West Virginia...a market analysis so that I/we could present the economic potential to the Governor, and Legislature, with loud and consistent public statements, op-eds, etc. Preaching to the choir won’t do it. We must loudly educate the non coal aligned citizens of WV that as coal continues to decline, solar has real economic potential for the state to 1. offer miners a place to be retrained... 2. maybe attract our young talent to stay in the State with jobs aligned with the future 3. stimulate economic growth... 4. including tax revenue... 5. reduced unemployment... 6. be a way to comply with the CPP,...rather than wasting tax dollars suing the EPA.. Any thoughts? Allan From: James Kotcon Sent: Friday, October 09, 2015 12:05 PM To: WV Chapter Energy Committee ; Mark Kresowik ; Bridget Lee Subject: [EC] Governor Tomblin Appoints Kara Cunningham Williams to Public Service Commission FYI. JBK http://www.governor.wv.gov/media/pressreleases/2015/Pages/Governor-Tomblin-… 10/9/2015 Page Content CHARLESTON, W.Va. (October 9, 2015) – Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin today announced the appointment of Kara Cunningham Williams to the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC), effective immediately. Williams will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Commissioner Jon McKinney. “There are a number of important issues pending before the PSC, which is why I took the time to find the most appropriate person for this important job,” Gov. Tomblin said. “Kara’s professional background and community involvement in both the Lewisburg and Charleston communities make her experienced and knowledgeable on a variety of issues that come before our state’s PSC. She will be a great asset to the Commission moving forward.” A graduate of Washington & Lee University and Harvard Law School, Williams began her career in a commercial litigation practice at Hunton & Williams in Washington, D.C. In 1999, she returned home to West Virginia, where she worked at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. During her time at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, she served on the Recruiting and Ethics Committees, while practicing commercial litigation before state and federal courts and agencies. Williams has also served as an adjunct lecturer at West Virginia University College of Law, teaching courses in Payment Systems and Appellate Advocacy. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Public Service Commission, and I appreciate Governor Tomblin’s confidence in me to serve the people of West Virginia,” Williams said. “I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners in this new role.” Williams shares her personal time and community service in both Lewisburg and Charleston. Since 2006, she has served as a volunteer at the YWCA of Charleston, where she is a past President of the Board of Directors. In addition, Williams currently serves on the Board of Directors for Carnegie Hall, Inc. in Lewisburg, where she has chaired the Legislative Affairs/Arts Advocacy Committee and served as a member of the Finance Committee. Williams’ term expires June 30, 2017. In addition to appointing Williams, Gov. Tomblin reappointed current Commission Brooks McCabe to a term that expires June 30, 2021. Contact Information 304-558-4977 ________________________________ _______________________________________________ EC mailing list E...(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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Utilities want higher charges placed on rooftop solar customers
by frank young 10 Oct '15

10 Oct '15

"To be sure, any customer who purchases less electricity than the average is 'subsidized,'" Young wrote. "It is the average rate structure, not net metering, that shifts costs among retail customers." http://www.wvgazettemail.com/article/20151005/GZ01/151009735/1102

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Governor Tomblin Appoints Kara Cunningham Williams to Public Service Commission
by James Kotcon 09 Oct '15

09 Oct '15

FYI. JBK http://www.governor.wv.gov/media/pressreleases/2015/Pages/Governor-Tomblin-… 10/9/2015 Page Content CHARLESTON, W.Va. (October 9, 2015) - Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin today announced the appointment of Kara Cunningham Williams to the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC), effective immediately. Williams will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Commissioner Jon McKinney. "There are a number of important issues pending before the PSC, which is why I took the time to find the most appropriate person for this important job," Gov. Tomblin said. "Kara's professional background and community involvement in both the Lewisburg and Charleston communities make her experienced and knowledgeable on a variety of issues that come before our state's PSC. She will be a great asset to the Commission moving forward." A graduate of Washington & Lee University and Harvard Law School, Williams began her career in a commercial litigation practice at Hunton & Williams in Washington, D.C. In 1999, she returned home to West Virginia, where she worked at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. During her time at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, she served on the Recruiting and Ethics Committees, while practicing commercial litigation before state and federal courts and agencies. Williams has also served as an adjunct lecturer at West Virginia University College of Law, teaching courses in Payment Systems and Appellate Advocacy. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Public Service Commission, and I appreciate Governor Tomblin's confidence in me to serve the people of West Virginia," Williams said. "I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners in this new role." Williams shares her personal time and community service in both Lewisburg and Charleston. Since 2006, she has served as a volunteer at the YWCA of Charleston, where she is a past President of the Board of Directors. In addition, Williams currently serves on the Board of Directors for Carnegie Hall, Inc. in Lewisburg, where she has chaired the Legislative Affairs/Arts Advocacy Committee and served as a member of the Finance Committee. Williams' term expires June 30, 2017. In addition to appointing Williams, Gov. Tomblin reappointed current Commission Brooks McCabe to a term that expires June 30, 2021. Contact Information 304-558-4977

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Interesting graphs on how each state's power mix has changed in past 10 years
by James Kotcon 19 Sep '15

19 Sep '15

Click on the link from Mary Ann to see how WV compares to surrounding states in electricity generation. Jim Kotcon ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)gmail.com> Date: Sat, Sep 19, 2015 at 1:44 PM Subject: Re: [Coal Volunteers List] Interesting graphs on how each state's power mix has changed in past 10 years To: Ned Ford <ned.ford(a)fuse.net> Cc: coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org Ned, it looks like the first chart on the link is the US total, and the numbers seem to match pretty closely with those from your chart, although it is not clear as this one ends in 2013. There have been some reports showing that fossil fuel use for electricity generation was up slightly in 2014, although that may have been weather related-due to the Polar Vortex and exceptionally cold winter in the eastern US. I note that West Virginia is falling further and further behind other energy-producing states like Texas, Wyoming, the Dakotas and Illinois, in RENEWABLE energy generation. Thank you for sharing. Jim Kotcon On Wed, Sep 16, 2015 at 2:02 PM, Ned Ford <Ned.Ford(a)fuse.net> wrote: > This is particularly good because it is based on MWh generation, and > avoids the mistake a lot of efforts make, which is to base assumed > generation on the relative shares of capacity. > > I wish they had included the total U.S. I'm pasting a graph that shows > total U.S. data over a similar period. > > - Ned > > > > On 9/16/2015 1:17 PM, Mary Anne Hitt wrote: > > Hello Beyond Coal team, > > I wanted to pass along this very interesting set of graphs, created by > NPR, on how each state's power mix has changed over the past 10 years, from > 2004 - 2014. Fascinating to see the the fall of coal and the rise of > renewables in so many states. While it's not all good news, especially the > rise of gas in some places, the trends are pretty remarkable (and to my > brothers and sisters in WV and KY, there's nowhere to go but up!). I > thought you might enjoy geeking out on these as much as I did. > > > http://www.npr.org/2015/09/10/319535020/coal-gas-nuclear-hydro-how-your-sta… > > Cheers, > Mary Anne > > -- > Mary Anne Hitt > Director, Beyond Coal Campaign > Sierra Club > Blog <http://sierraclub.typepad.com/compass/coal-director/> | Twitter > <http://twitter.com/#%21/maryannehitt> (@maryannehitt) > > 304-876-7064 (w) | 540-239-0073 (c) > www.beyondcoal.org > > -- > To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: > <https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/> > https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ > > To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the > subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "#Coal-Volunteers" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. > To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. > > > -- > To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: > https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ > > To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the > subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "#Coal-Volunteers" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. > To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. >

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“Just Saying No” Won’t Stop the Clean Power Plan
by James Kotcon 19 Sep '15

19 Sep '15

It is looking more and more like WV will continue to oppose EPA's Clean Power Plan (Well, Duh!). There is still no clear answer as to whether DEP will move forward with a State Implementation Plan, but such a Plan would need legislative approval, which seems highly unlikely. In the event that WV does not submit either a SIP, or a Request for a SIP extension by Sept. 6, 2016 (less than a year away), a Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) will be imposed. Below is an excellent summary of what a FIP would look like (This was written by the Sierra Club's attorney, Elena Saxonhouse, and some of you may remember her from our work on the PATH line and the coal-to gas plant in Mingo County).. While the exact details will not be clear for a while, the general outlines are emerging. I encourage you to read this over, as we will need to be well-informed to be effective in the current political climate. http://www.sierraclub.org/compass/2015/09/just-saying-no-won-t-stop-clean-p… At this time, EPA has not yet published the final rule in the Federal register, and it seems likely not to do so until sometime into October, so DEP is unwilling to start planning until they have the exact wording in front of them. On the other hand, the DC Circuit Court this week threw out AG Patrick Morrisey's lawsuit against the CPP because the final rule has not yet been published. In addition, EPA will not have final details of the FIP rule until sometime next year, but it is already clear that a FIP will leave WV with less flexibility, fewer incentives, and less of a role for energy efficiency, all of which will increase costs to ratepayers. But n the end, EPA's rule is likely to survive, and the FIP will likely be implemented under approximately the same timetable, so all the posturing by our political leaders may score political points with the coal industry, but is unlikely to change the outcome. Jim Kotcon

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Fw: Come to the stream protection hearing Sept 17
by James Kotcon 16 Sep '15

16 Sep '15

FYI: I attended the Pittsburgh, PA hearing last Thursday. We organized a bus with 11 people from Morgantown, and 8 more from Waynesburgh and Washington, PA. The OSM allowed 2 minutes per speaker, but also had rooms set up for individuals to give comments to an OSM rep, or to submit written comments. Due to a press conference, most of us did not sign up until just before the hearing started, so we went later in the evening. Robert Murray of Murray Mining was present, and used the event to blast the Obama Administration, claiming that the OSM rules were blatantly illegal and an attempt to kill the coal industry, cripple America, and destroy our way of life. He was followed by a couple dozen of his employees who largely repeated the Murray Mining mantra. It was clear that Murray had bussed in a large number of miners (50-100), but they were mostly respectful. They all got up to leave when Murray left an hour into the hearing, and it appears they were just there because they were paid to be. But since most of them went first, they tended to get more press, so it was good to get our press conference in early. One issue that came up repeatedly was the request for a 180-day extension of the comment period. ODM has already extended it by 30 days (to Oct. 26), so this appears to be an attempt to delay the rule until after the Obama Administration leaves office. While I support public comment, it is important to keep in mind that we have already waited many years for this rule, and each day of delay is another day of polluted water, another day that the problems become worse, another stream that dies, and another family that loses their water. OSM needs to act now, not analyze this to death. For another story on the Pittsburgh hearing, see the story by Don Hopey at the link below. http://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2015/09/11/Both-sides-sound-of… [http://www.post-gazette.com/libercus/default/graphics/PGFacebook_ICON_1500x…]<http://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2015/09/11/Both-sides-sound-of…> Both sides sound off at hearing on new federal stream protection rule | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The OSMRE says adoption of the rule would protect about 6,200 miles of streams nationwide over the next two decades. Read more...<http://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2015/09/11/Both-sides-sound-of…> Jim Kotcon ________________________________ From: WVEC - Bill Price <bill.price(a)wvecouncil.org> Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2015 7:33 AM To: James Kotcon Subject: Come to the stream protection hearing Sept 17 [Donate]<http://wvecouncil.org/> West Virginia Environmental Council Action Alert Sep 16, 2015 View / Comment Online<http://wvecouncil.org/come-to-the-stream-protection-hearing-sept-17/> [Donate] <http://wvecouncil.org/join/> Hi to all those who care about West Virginia's streams Over the past two weeks, OSM has held hearings in Lexington, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Denver on the draft stream protection rule that will help protect our most valuable natural resource: water. As a Sierra Club representative, I personally attended the Lexington and St. Louis hearings and can say that people are being heard when they step up and say that clean water is vital to our economy and our lives. The number of speakers in support of the rule has increased at each hearing. In St. Louis citizens matched the number of industry executives and polluter allied politicians. It's great to see the increased momentum as the series of hearings continues. We are not done yet! On Thursday, September 17th the hearing will be held at the Charleston Civic Center. This is the final hearing in the series and we should make it the best. I'd love to see you there supporting clean safe water and letting the Office of Surface Mining know that we support the efforts to protect our streams. The hearing begins at 5pm. You are welcome to attend our pre-hearing event at the Holiday Inn Express across the street beginning at 3pm. We will have some food, be able to prepare our comments and find out more about the hearings. Thank you! Bill Price, President West Virginia Environmental Council >From the WVEC Action Alert E-mail List Subscribe or Unsubscribe Online<http://wvecouncil.org/archive/action-alerts/>

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Stream Protection Rule Hearing in Pittsburgh - Sept. 10
by James Kotcon 27 Aug '15

27 Aug '15

Here is more info on our bus trip to Pittsburgh. We will leave from the WVU Coliseum Parking lot at 1:30 PM. We are working with the Center for Coalfield Justice and there will be stops at Waynesburg and Washington, PA. There will also be free t-shirts and food for bus riders. To sign up on the bus, go to the link below: http://coalfieldjustice.org/blog/protect-our-streams-protect-our-communitie… Or send me your name, mailing address, phone number, e-mail address, and tee-shirt size (S, M, L, XL, or XXL). If you have several people, let me know how many seats to reserve for you and your group. At this point, we plan a press event at the hearing, and would like a good turn-out for that. Thee will also be picketing outside, so bring a posterboard with slogans such as - Protect Our Water, Protect Our Future - Protect Our Streams, Protect Our Communities - OSM: Pass Strong Stream Protections NOW - Stand with coalfield communities - We all live downstream - HONK if you want clean water! - King coal has got to go! So log on and sign up at: http://coalfieldjustice.org/blog/protect-our-streams-protect-our-communitie… Tell your friends, colleagues, neighbors and co-workers. Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home) P.S. Perfect is Good, Done is Better. Make the Commitment. Sign up NOW! http://coalfieldjustice.org/blog/protect-our-streams-protect-our-communitie…

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Public Hearing on Rule to Protect Streams from Mining, Pittsburgh, Sept. 10
by James Kotcon 24 Aug '15

24 Aug '15

I borrowed the text below from the Allegheny Group web page. The Beyond Coal Campaign wants to organize a bus from Morgantown for the hearing. I am collaborating with the CCJ folks in Greene County for a bus that would leave Morgantown, (probably from the WVU Coliseum at 1:30 PM), with stops in Waynesburg and Washington, PA to be at the hearing from 5-8 PM. Current plans include food and free t-shirts (Our Water, Our Future) for people on the bus. Analysis of the rule, and laymen talking points will be out later this week.Please pass the word to anyone who might be interested, invite a friend, and join us on the bus. A A link to a Google-Form for bus sign-up will be coming soon. And drop me a line to let me know who is planning to join me! Just 17 days to go till the hearing! Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (OFFICE) 304-594-3322 (HOME) >>>>> Public Hearing on Rule to Protect Streams from Mining, Pittsburgh, Sept. 10 <http://alleghenysc.org/?p=25631> September 10, 20155:00 pmto9:00 pm <http://alleghenysc.org/?attachment_id=20892> Photo: Mountain Justice A scientifically-based <http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/08/15/Environmentalists-coal-op…> new Stream Protection Rule <http://www.osmre.gov/programs/rcm/streamprotectionrule.shtm> proposed by the Office of Surface Mining will protect more than 6,000 miles of streams from the impacts of both surface and underground coal mining. With only six hearings scheduled in the country, here in Pittsburgh the public will have an opportunity to comment on the proposed rule at: *5:00 to 9:00 pm, Thursday, September 10* Double Tree Hotel in Green Tree 500 Mansfield Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15205 The Center for Coalfield justice is partnering with the Sierra Club to provide free transportation to and from Pittsburgh for the hearing. Included in the proposal is improved monitoring and data collection of water quality, but of concern to environmentalist groups dealing with mountain top removal in Appalachia is the maintenance of the buffer zones between mining operations and streams <http://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2015/07/groups-urge-stronger-p…>. In 2008 the Bush administration modified the Buffer Zone Rule to provide a ‘minimum’ distance. After a court case in February 2014 the 100 feet wide buffer was restored. Now the OSM proposes to weaken the Buffer Zone Rule.

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Drill Baby Drill study
by Beth Little 21 Aug '15

21 Aug '15

http://shalebubble.org/drill-baby-drill/ This is a fascinating report. The abstract is below along with a paragraph from the Executive Summary about Shale gas. It comes from the website http://fracdallas.org/ which has so much info (like all the local citizen bans on fracking, the thousands of pipeline accidents, etc) that I don't know where to start. Abstract It's now assumed that recent advances in fossil fuel production - particularly for shale gas and shale oil - herald a new age of energy abundance, even "energy independence," for the United States. Nevertheless, the most thorough public analysis to date of the production history and the economic, environmental, and geological constraints of these resources in North America shows that they will inevitably fall short of such expectations, for two main reasons: First, shale gas and shale oil wells have proven to deplete quickly, the best fields have already been tapped, and no major new field discoveries are expected; thus with average per-well productivity declining and ever-more wells (and fields) required simply to maintain production, an "exploration treadmill" limits the long-term potential of shale resources. Second, although tar sands, deepwater oil, oil shales, coalbed methane, and other non-conventional fossil fuel resources exist in vast deposits, their exploitation continues to require such enormous expenditures of resources and logistical effort that rapid scaling up of production to market-transforming levels is all but impossible; the big "tanks" of these resources are inherently constrained by small "taps." Shale gas Shale gas production has grown explosively to account for nearly 40 percent of U.S. natural gas production; nevertheless production has been on a plateau since December 2011 -80 percent of shale gas production comes from five plays, several of which are in decline. The very high decline rates of shale gas wells require continuous inputs of capital-estimated at $42 billion per year to drill more than 7,000 wells-in order to maintain production. In comparison, the value of shale gas produced in 2012 was just $32.5 billion. The best shale plays, like the Haynesville (which is already in decline) are relatively rare, and the number of wells and capital input required to maintain production will increase going forward as the best areas within these plays are depleted. High collateral environmental impacts have been followed by pushback from citizens, resulting in moratoriums in New York State and Maryland and protests in other states. Shale gas production growth has been offset by declines in conventional gas production, resulting in only modest gas production growth overall. Moreover, the basic economic viability of many shale gas plays is questionable in the current gas price environment.

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Town hall meeting with Senator Manchin September 4
by Sally Wilts 15 Aug '15

15 Aug '15

Kingwood Civic Center, 11 am, doors open 10:30am. For info 304-329=0090 or jdahlia(a)prestonnj.comThe editor. John Dahlia just published his editorial that few in Congress understand the war on coal and what a staunch defender of coal Manchin is.Do we want to try and attend? Not a warm reception for those of us in favor of the Clean Power Plan.

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Will Clean Power Plan Chart WV's Energy Course?
by frank young 04 Aug '15

04 Aug '15

Jim Kotcon, energy committee chair with the <https://westvirginia.sierraclub.org/> Sierra Club West Virginia Chapter, says the plan should reduce the amount of electricity produced by coal in the state to between 70 and 80 percent, which he sees as a start toward energy diversity. "There are already plans for more wind energy, new natural gas-fired power plants and so on," he says. "I think that's good for West Virginia." http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2015-08-04/environment/will-clean-power-pla n-chart-west-virginias-energy-course/a47448-1

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Demand response legal challenge.
by James Kotcon 20 Jul '15

20 Jul '15

A recent DC Circuit Court decision invalidated a FERC rule allowing Demand Response resources to be bid into wholesale markets. FERC had developed a rule to regulate how demand response by customers could be bid into wholesale markets, which they regulate. The Electric Powers Supply Association appealed, arguing that retail sales are regulated by states individually, and FERC did not have authority to impose a federal rule. Generally, states have been slower to adopt time-of-use pricing practices, so the FERC rule allowed individual customer DR resources to be aggregated and bid at a pre-approved rate in wholesale markets. The EPSA argues that DR is nothing like power generation, thus FERC should not have authority to regulate it. Obviously, EPSA wants to sell more electricity (especially the really high priced electricity they can sell at peak demand times), and objects to efforts to reduce demand. The story below describes an appeal to the US Supreme Court. It is not clear whether the Court will accept the case, or when they might rule. Does anyone else think this might affect the Solar Holler model, or our efforts to get DR into WV utility IRP plans? Jim Kotcon http://breakingenergy.com/2015/07/14/ferc-grid-operator-others-file-supreme… [http://breakingenergy.sites.breakingmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/20…]<http://breakingenergy.com/2015/07/14/ferc-grid-operator-others-file-supreme…> FERC, Grid Operator, Others File Supreme Court Briefs In Demand Response Case « Breaking Energy - Energy industry news, analysis, and commentary The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), a grid operator, states, and other parties just filed briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in a case that could decide whether Americans have access to low-cost, clean and reliable electricity. The case, EPSA v. FERC, revolves around demand response, a resource that helps keep prices low and the lights on - and does so while also being environmentally friendly. In 2013, for example, demand response saved customers in the mid-Atlantic region close to $12 billion. And during the polar vortex, which threatened the North-East with freezing cold in 2014, the same resource helped prevent black-outs. The clean energy rule at issue in this case is called FERC Order 745. EDF has been writing about this demand response case throughout the past year. We've been fighting for low-cost demand response and we'll keep fighting in the Supreme Court. History of the Case The case involves a FERC rule that allows demand response - a low-cost, clea Read more...<http://breakingenergy.com/2015/07/14/ferc-grid-operator-others-file-supreme…>

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New Senator Markey Statement on The Stream Buffer Zone Rule
by william.depaulo 19 Jul '15

19 Jul '15

http://politicalnews.me/?id=34454&keys=COAL-MINING-STREAM-BUFFER Sent via the Samsung Galaxy Note® II, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone

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Link to Utica Shale story amd my EE response.
by James Kotcon 15 Jul '15

15 Jul '15

Just FYI. What I should have said is that we need to keep most of the fossil fuels we have already found in the ground, so finding more is a really poor investment of resources. JBK http://www.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view§ion=5-News&item=WVU-Releases-Study-o…<http://www.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view&section=5-News&item=WVU-Releases-Stu…> [http://www.wdtv.com/content/images/Jobs-Economy/gas(1).jpg]<http://www.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view&section=5-News&item=WVU-Releases-Stu…> WDTV.COM 5 News: WVU Releases Study on Utica Shale; Environmentalists Respond A two year study led by WVU researched the Appalachian basin for Utica shale exploration and presented what they're calling a "Utica Play Book" in... Read more...<http://www.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view&section=5-News&item=WVU-Releases-Stu…>

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Fwd: Very interesting. The Mighty Southern to offer solar - going head to head w/third party installers.
by James Kotcon 15 Jul '15

15 Jul '15

Here is an interesting idea from the Georgia Chapter. Can we get AEP or First Energy to offer their own home solar program? There was an interesting editorial earlier this year which suggested that "if a utility has to fight battles against solar, they have already lost the war". The smart utilities win by figuring out how to serve their customers by providing what the customer wants. JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Colleen Kiernan <colleen.kiernan(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Jul 1, 2015 at 1:52 PM Subject: Re: Very interesting. The Mighty Southern to offer solar - going head to head w/third party installers. To: CONS-FRED(a)lists.sierraclub.org --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, I'm not sure if referring customers to solar contractors and home improvement loan banks really qualifies as a "solar program." I guess it's more of a "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" posture. I still hope Sungevity gets here soon and we can kill it on the Sierra Club Solar Homes program! If so, first round is on the Georgia Chapter at the Colloq :D Colleen Kiernan Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Director 404-607-1262 x224 sierraclub.org/georgia Click HERE <http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=xwH75dZUf1g&offerid=343370.100…> to join Sierra Club today! On Wed, Jul 1, 2015 at 1:44 PM, Glen Besa <glen.besa(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: > --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- > ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Wow. Adapt or die! Any insights Colleen? > > Sent from my iPhone > > Begin forwarded message: > > *From:* Bruce Nilles <bruce.nilles(a)sierraclub.org> > *Date:* July 1, 2015 at 12:06:34 PM EDT > *To:* "#Coal" <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org> > *Subject:* *Very interesting. The Mighty Southern to offer solar - going > head to head w/third party installers.* > > > SOLAR:Georgia Power rolls out state's first rooftop program -- 'we're > putting our brand behind it' > > Kristi E. Swartz <http://www.eenews.net/staff/Kristi_E_Swartz>, E&E > reporter > Published: Wednesday, July 1, 2015 > > Southern Co.'s Georgia Power rolled out details of its rooftop solar > installation program as the Peach State's new law allowing for solar > competition takes effect today. > > The law makes rooftop solar systems more accessible for residents and > businesses by permitting long-term financing arrangements to alleviate > pricey upfront panel costs. > > For Georgia, the law means letting competition into a state dominated by a > regulated utility. As expected, Georgia Power is getting into the business > in its own way, through an unregulated subsidiary. > > Initially, this means the utility will sell and install rooftop solar > panels, said Norrie McKenzie, Georgia Power's vice president of renewable > development. It will not finance or lease them right now, he said. > > That may change as time goes on, he said. At this point, Georgia Power's > unregulated Energy Services group will work with subcontractors to sell and > install the panels. > > The utility also will refer customers to a "financing partner" to get a > so-called personal home improvement loan, McKenzie said. > > The company continues to finalize the subcontractor list and did not > release names currently on it. Any rooftop solar contract would be between > the homeowner and Georgia Power, however, not with the subcontractor, > utility executives clarified. > > "We're putting our brand behind it," said Ervan Hancock, Georgia Power's > manager of renewable development implementation. > > Georgia Power also is updating and expanding the portion of its website > about rooftop solar. The site walks customers through a series of questions > about their home, roof and monthly electric bill to determine whether to > move forward with installing solar panels. > > Additional steps include talking with a "solar energy expert" at Georgia > Power who will review a customer's bill to determine how much money will be > saved with a rooftop solar installation. Customers may be referred to one > of the roughly two-dozen certified solar contracts on the company's > website, or work with the Energy Services group, McKenzie said. > > "By the time you get to the point where you want to buy a system, we will > walk the customer through to make sure it is really a value or not," he > said. > An opening for solar providers > > Georgia's law throws open the door for national solar providers to enter > the state, though some such as SolarCity and Sunrun are calling for > additional policy changes. A few national solar players have entered the > Southeast whether or not third-party solar financing has been available. > > NRG Energy has pushed into the residential solar market in North Carolina, > a state that prohibits such long-term financial arrangements (*EnergyWire* > <http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/02/25/stories/1060013976>, Feb. > 25). Sunrun recently announced a move into South Carolina, which last year > enacted a wide-ranging renewable energy law that includes third-party > leasing. > > Any of those companies now are welcome in Georgia and can enter into > leasing arrangements with homeowners or businesses where the monthly > payment is based on the solar system's production. Those companies still > cannot directly sell power, McKenzie said. > > "The lease payments are based on output," he said. "Only a utility can > sell power." > > The solar financing law marks a continued transformation of Georgia and > the Southeast from a place that was resistant to renewables to one that has > a patchwork of pro-solar policies for residents, as well as utility-scale > operations that have added solar to the grid. > > A surge in solar installations in Georgia over the first three months of > 2015 also spurred nearly 3,000 new jobs and burnished the state's status as > an emerging hot spot for clean energy in the Southeast (*ClimateWire* > <http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060021074/>, June 30). > > Georgia Power also is close to having 1 gigawatt of solar on its grid by > the end of next year. The state had roughly 11 megawatts five years ago. > > "This rooftop solar business is just the next evolution of us," Hancock > told *EnergyWire*. > Twitter: @BizWriterKristi <https://twitter.com/BizWriterKristi> | Email: > kswartz(a)eenews.net > <https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=kswartz@eenews.net> > > -- > Bruce Nilles > Sierra Club > 415-977-5640 (o) > 608-712-9725 (c) > www.beyondcoal.org > twitter: @brucenilles > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To > unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: > CONS-FRED-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-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-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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Solar Open House
by frank young 02 Jul '15

02 Jul '15

SOLAR OPEN HOUSE Sunday, July 12th 1-4pm @ the home of Dan Harrington & Autumn Long 2127 Big Elk Rd, Wallace WV 26448 You are invited to a solar open house here at our farm! Come check out our new net-metered solar PV array and find out more about going solar! Light refreshments will be provided. Questions? Call or email Autumn: 304-796-4677 autumnlong11(a)gmail.com Feel free to share this invitation on social media and with anyone who wants to learn more about residential solar power.

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Just released: New report on water toxics, coal plants, and health
by Paul Wilson 18 Jun '15

18 Jun '15

Check out this new report and fwd to others. fyi, paul w. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Mary Anne Hitt <maryanne.hitt(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Jun 17, 2015 at 12:25 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Just released: New report on water toxics, coal plants, and health To: #Coal <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Coal-Volunteers < coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Hello Beyond Coal team, Today, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Sierra Club, Environmental Integrity Project, Clean Water Action and Earthjustice are releasing a report entitled "Selling Our Health Down River." We're releasing the report in advance of EPA's September deadline to issue a final rule for coal water toxics, including mercury, arsenic, and lead. The report highlights the public health benefits of a strong final standard. It makes the case that EPA must finalize strong toxic water pollution safeguards to protect the rivers, lakes, and streams where Americans fish, swim, and get their drinking water. Our press release is here <https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.sierraclub.org%2Fpress-r…>, and the report is attached. I'll have a blog up about the report shortly that Heather Moyer will circulate, which you can share on social media and with your networks. Casey Roberts from our Environmental Law Program was one of the authors of the report, and our federal policy and communications teams did a lot of work on the report as well. Thanks to everyone who helped get this over the finish line! I hope all of you will find it to be a valuable resource for your work. Our communications team in DC is working hard today to get this out through all their channels. If you have additional questions or ideas about how to use the report locally, please reach out to your campaign representative or your regional press secretary. My best, Mary Anne -- Mary Anne Hitt Director, Beyond Coal Campaign Sierra Club Blog <http://sierraclub.typepad.com/compass/coal-director/> | Twitter <http://twitter.com/#!/maryannehitt> (@maryannehitt) 304-876-7064 (w) | 540-239-0073 (c) www.beyondcoal.org -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outdoors Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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"misguided strategies of environmental funders"
by frank young 17 Jun '15

17 Jun '15

Why the Environmental Movement Is Not Winning A new report places the blame on misguided strategies of environmental funders. By Peter Montague <http://www.alternet.org/authors/peter-montague> February 24, 2012 A searing new report says the environmental movement is not winning and lays the blame squarely on the failed policies of environmental funders. The movement hasn't won any "significant policy changes at the federal level in the United States since the 1980s" because funders have favored top-down elite strategies and have neglected to support a robust grassroots infrastructure. Environmental funders spent a whopping $10 billion between 2000 and 2009 but achieved relatively little because they failed to underwrite grassroots groups that are essential for any large-scale change,the report <http://www.ncrp.org/files/publications/Cultivating_the_grassroots_final_low…> [3] says. Released in late February by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy <http://www.ncrp.org/> [4], Cultivating the Grassroots was written by Sarah Hansen, who served as executive director of the Environmental Grantmakers Association <http://ega.org/> [5] from 1998 to 2005. Environmental funders mainly support large, professionalized environmental organizations instead of the scrappy community-based groups that are most heavily impacted by environmental harms. Organizations with annual budgets greater than $5 million make up only 2 percent of all environmental groups, yet receive more than half of all environmental grants and donations. The report makes the simple but profound argument that the current environmental funding strategy is not working and that, without targeting philanthropy at communities most impacted by environmental harms, the movement will continue to fail. "Our funding strategy is misaligned with the great perils our planet and environment face," Hansen writes. "Environmental activists and funders all share a gnawing sense that something has to change. No sensible environmental activist would argue that we, as a field, have done what is needed to respond to environmental degradation," Hansen said in an interview. Instead of funding community-based groups to generate ideas, strategies and political support for transformative change, environmental donors have thrown their weight behind narrow lobbying campaigns in Washington, D.C. -- for example, the failed inside-the-beltway campaign in 2009-2010 to pass "cap and trade" legislation to curb global warming. For their part, mainstream environmental groups hang pleas for environmental change on the apolitical hook of rational appeals, expecting that decision-makers confronted with powerful evidence will do the right thing. But this strategy has not worked because "a vocal, organized, sustained grassroots base is vital to achieving sustained change," the report asserts. How Does Change Happen? "In movements throughout history, the core of leadership came from a nucleus of directly impacted or oppressed communities while also engaging a much broader range of justice-seeking supporters." In other words, successful movements for social change -- anti-slavery, women's suffrage, labor rights, and civil rights -- have always been inspired, energized, and led by those most directly affected. Yet these are the very groups within the environmental movement that are starved for funds. Analysis of environmental grantmaking, 2007-2009, reveals that only 15 percent of environmental grant dollars are classified as benefiting marginalized communities, and only 11 percent are classified as advancing "social justice" strategies, such as community organizing. The report makes a distinction between internet activism or getting your neighbor to sign a petition, and real community organizing. "Community organizing builds power by helping people understand the source of their social or political problems, connect with others facing the same challenges and, together, take action to win concrete change." Community organizing is messy and takes time. The report also distinguishes between "national organizations that might parachute into local communities for one-time policy campaigns versus authentic, local organizations that not only work on those same short- term campaigns but, just as importantly, build long-term leadership and capacity in the community to amplify change in the future." The report points out that the U.S. is growing racially and ethnically more diverse each year and by 2042 will be majority people of color. "New immigrants may come from countries with robust histories of social change movements that, combined with the increasing racial diversity of America's communities, provide an opportunity to diversify the ethnic composition of the environmental movement," the report says. And: "Unlike many of the professional advocates in Washington, D.C., people of color, immigrants, poor people and young people often are living face to face with the devastating impacts of environmental degradation. These growing communities have the self-interest to do something and, increasingly, the collective power to potentially make real change but may lack the support or resources to organize." "In this context, it is arguable that any push for environmental change which fails to prioritize communities of color is a losing strategy," the report says. And, "Until the broader concerns... of all communities are on the radar of environmentalists, it will be hard for environmentalists to be on the radar of all communities." In a stunning revelation, the report offers evidence that, compared to the average of all philanthropic donors, environmental funders avoid supporting disadvantaged people: "There is a seemingly contradictory correlation: analysis shows the greater a funder's commitment to the environment, the less likely it is to prioritize marginalized communities or advance social justice in its environmental grantmaking." Advice for Environmental Funders The report offers a four-point roadmap for "funding the grassroots to win:" 1. Fund work that benefits communities of the future Environmental funders should earmark somewhere between 20 and 50 percent of their total giving to underserved communities. Nearly half of all children in the United States today are black, Latino or Asian American and by 2042, a majority of Americans will be people of color. This is a powerful new constituency ready to take action on environmental issues, the report says. "Prioritizing funding for lower-income communities of color is not only strategic given that these communities are becoming the majority and support environmental change, but also because change that targets the most impacted populations has a multiplier effect for society as a whole," Hansen writes. 2. Invest 25 percent of grant dollars in grassroots action Speaking directly to environmental funders, the report says, "We recommend that you allocate at least 25 percent of your grant dollars for social justice purposes, specifically with a focus on grassroots advocacy, organizing and civic engagement led by the communities most affected by environmental ills and climate change." "The way to build a broad movement around environment and climate solutions is to mobilize diverse communities of people around issues that are much closer to their self-interest (such as stopping toxic pollution, creating viable new jobs and reducing energy bills) and then work intentionally to connect those individuals and campaigns to a larger understanding of communal and global interests. Grassroots groups need resources to be able to engage effectively at all levels (local, state, national and international)." 3. Build supportive infrastructure As the highly-successful right wing in the U.S. can tell you, social movements grow large and powerful only when they are served by a deep infrastructure of organizations offering technical assistance and know-how. Local groups need to be able to find each other, share strategies, develop leadership, communicate their message, identify allies, and gain a wide range of skills. Such an infrastructure requires sustained funding and without it no movement can succeed. 4. Take the long view, prepare for tipping points "Supporting grassroots organizing may require a paradigm shift in a foundation's grantmaking strategy. Depending on how your philanthropy currently supports grassroots organizations or does not, this can mean shedding expectations of microscopic, quick deliverables and embracing the slow, patient process of movement building. Legal work to overturn Jim Crow laws began in the early 1930s with Thurgood Marshall representing the NAACP lawsuits in Maryland. Imagine if early funders of the Civil Rights Movement had tried to "evaluate the impact" of their grants in the ensuing 20 years - before the popular movement took hold. Movement building takes time. "In his important monograph Just Another Emperor: The Myths and Realities of Philanthrocapitalism, former Ford Foundation director Michael Edwards cautions that one of the downsides of increasingly infusing the nonprofit world with business ideals is that social change organizations are expected to churn out good, quarterly metrics. Extreme advocates of these ideas expect social change organizations to report mounds of data and compete with one another for funding based on "numbers" and "deliverables." But on February 1, 1960, sitting at a "Whites Only" lunch counter at a Woolworth's in Greensboro, N.C., there were only four African American students from a local college. Although those may not appear to be impressive metrics, consider the scale and scope of the movement they helped launch." Peter Montague is a historian and journalist whose work has appeared in Counterpunch, Huffington Post, the Nation and many other publications. He has co-authored two books on toxic heavy metals. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mountain Party Executive Committee" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mountainpartyexcom+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to mountainpartyexcom(a)googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mountainpartyexcom. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

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Interesting study out of Princeton: 20 Years Of Data Reveals That Congress Doesn't Care What You Think
by Paul Wilson 05 Jun '15

05 Jun '15

Makes you think about how far Birth Place of Rivers NM or Energy Efficiency goals will get in our current delegation.... *20 Years Of Data Reveals That Congress Doesn't Care What You Think* - For the last few years, I've had this sense that everything I learned as a kid about how America's government works is completely wrong. But I had no idea how bad things actually were until I saw one simple graph … more <http://listserv.steelworkers.org/t/257586/1028185/151336/17/> Here's the link if you want to go directly to the website: http://www.upworthy.com/20-years-of-data-reveals-that-congress-doesnt-care-… enjoy, paul -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outdoors Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Wind and Solar Provide 100% of New Generating Capacity in April
by James Kotcon 26 May '15

26 May '15

?These data from the US Energy Information Agency show that, for the first four months of 2015, renewables provided 84 % of new capacity added to the grid, while gas added the remaining 16 %. Oil coal, and nukes had no added capacity so far this year. Renewables was 100 % f new capacity for the month of April. These data count utility scale generation, and do not include distributed generation such as residential roof-top solar. Full story at: http://ecowatch.com/2015/05/26/wind-solar-april-capacity/ Wind and Solar Provide 100% of New Generating Capacity in April According to the latest report from FERC's Office of Energy Projects, renewable energy accounted for all new generating capacity in April. Wind and solar accounted Read more...<http://ecowatch.com/2015/05/26/wind-solar-april-capacity/> Jim Kotcon

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US House Committee cuts $300 million from NASA budget for climate change research.
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 26 May '15

26 May '15

May 6, 2015 The G.O.P.’s War on Science Gets Worse By Elizabeth Kolbert <http://www.newyorker.com/contributors/elizabeth-kolbert> During last fall’s midterm election campaign, “I’m not a scientist” became a standard Republican answer to questions about climate change. The line seemed to invite parody, and Stephen Colbert (among others) obliged. He played clips of House Speaker John Boehner, then Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Florida Governor Rick Scott all offering, more or less word for word, the same refrain. “Everyone who denies climate change has the same stirring message,” Colbert observed <http://gawker.com/stephen-colbert-calls-out-im-not-a-scientist-climate-1656…>. “ ‘We don’t know what the fuck we’re talking about.’ ” The line worked—or, at least, didn’t *not *work—and Republicans won both houses of Congress. Now, it seems, they are trying to go one better. They are trying to prevent even scientists from being scientists. Last week, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, headed by Texas Republican Lamar Smith, approved a bill that would slash at least three hundred million dollars from NASA’s earth-science budget. “Earth science, of course, includes climate science,” Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Texas Democrat who is also on the committee, noted <http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/240549-congress-we-have-a-problem>. (Smith said <http://www.hq.nasa.gov/legislative/hearings/4-16-2015_SMITH_OPENING_STATEME…> that the White House’s NASA budget request favored the earth sciences “at the expense of the other science divisions and human and robotic space exploration.”) Johnson tried to get the cuts eliminated from the bill, but her proposed amendment was rejected. Defunding NASA’s earth-science program takes willed ignorance one giant leap further. It means that not only will climate studies be ignored; some potentially useful data won’t even be collected. The vote brought howls of protest from NASA itself and from wider earth-science circles. The agency’s administrator, Charles Bolden, issued a statement <http://www.wset.com/story/28947047/nasa-administrator-statement-on-house-au…> saying that the bill “guts our Earth science program and threatens to set back generations worth of progress in better understanding our changing climate.” In an opinion piece for the Washington* Post*, Marshall Shepherd, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Georgia and the former president of the American Meteorological Association, said that he could not sleep after hearing about the vote. “None of us has a ‘vacation planet’ we can go to for the weekend, so I argue that NASA’s mission to study planet Earth should be a ‘no-brainer,’ ” he wrote <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/05/01/cutt…> . The vote on the NASA bill came just a week after the same House committee approved major funding cuts to the National Science Foundation’s geosciences program, as well as cuts to Department of Energy programs that support research into new energy sources. As Michael Hiltzik <http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-gop-attack-on-climate-chan…>, a columnist for the Los Angeles *Times,* noted, the committee is “living down to our worst expectations.” The practical implications of the proposed cuts are certainly disturbing. (It’s going to be hard for D.O.E. to find new energy sources if it isn’t even looking for them.) But perhaps even more distressing is the mindset that led to them. The “I’m not a scientist” line is basically a declaration of willed ignorance. You might think people entrusted by voters to craft public policy would be embarrassed to acknowledge, to paraphrase Colbert, that they have no idea what they’re talking about, and don’t want to. “Well, I’m not a scientist, either. But you know what? I know a lot of really good scientists at NASA, and at N.O.A.A., and at our major universities,” President Barack Obama put it a few few months ago, in his State of the Union address <https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/20/remarks-president-st…>, referring to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “And the best scientists in the world are all telling us that our activities are changing the climate.” Cutting NASA and the N.S.F.’s climate-science budgets isn’t going to alter the basic realities of climate change. No one needs an advanced degree to understand this. Indeed, the idea that ignoring a problem isn’t going to make it go away is one that kids should grasp by the time they’re six or seven. But ignoring a problem does often make it more difficult to solve. And that, you have to assume, in a perverse way, is the goal here. What we don’t know, we can’t act on. “It’s hard to believe that in order to serve an ideological agenda, the majority is willing to slash the science that helps us have a better understanding of our home planet,” Representative Johnson wrote. Hard to believe, but, unfortunately, true. ---------------------------------------- Elizabeth Kolbert has been a staff writer at *The New Yorker* since 1999.

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Coal mines closing
by James Kotcon 23 May '15

23 May '15

Murray Energy and Alpha announce over 1600 mining job layoffs in West Virginia. The story highlights the blaming: "Murray Energy cited "the vastly increased use of natural gas in the Ohio Valley to generate electricity," the "ongoing destruction of the United States coal industry by President Barack Obama," and - for the West Virginia workforce cuts - the state's "excessive coal severance tax." But Murray's move comes two months after he invested $1.4 billion to buy Illinois coal reserves. So while he is investing in the competition, he blames Obama and WV's excessive coal severance taxes. The WV Legislature (under new Republican leadership) is currently reviewing our tax structure, and many legislators seem likely to buy into Murray's blaming of Obama and severance taxes, without considering Murray's efforts to shift resources from West Virginia to Illinois. I think we need to highlight this in a response as soon as possible. The two major issues that the Legislature is studying are taxes and roads. A recent roads report suggested several ways to raise money for road repairs, but does not appear to address overweight trucks, or fuel taxes. I think an OP/ED connecting the two issues with the Murray efforts to drain ever more resources from our states to competitors might be well received. Whaddya Tink? Full story is at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150522/GZ01/150529712 Jim Kotcon

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Court says records about WVU mining health research protected
by James Kotcon 23 May '15

23 May '15

Another important news story. See full story at link below. JBK West Virginia does not have an "academic freedom" exemption to its public records law, but certain documents about a former university researcher's examination of mountaintop removal mining's impacts on public health are protected from disclosure as "internal memoranda," the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a case brought by Alpha Natural Resources<http://www.courtswv.gov/supreme-court/docs/spring2015/14-0370.pdf>. Justices concluded that "the involuntary public disclosure" of former WVU researcher Michael Hendryx's "research documents" would "expose the decision-making process in such a way as to hinder candid discussion" by university faculty and "undermine WVU's ability to perform its operations." Alpha lawyers had sued to try to force WVU to release thousands of documents<http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150304/GZ01/150309626> related to a series of papers by Hendryx<http://ohvec.org/issues/mountaintop_removal/articles/health/> that linked mountaintop removal coal mining to increased risk of birth defects, cancer, and a variety of other illnesses among coalfield residents. Among other things, Alpha wanted copies of correspondence between Hendryx, various co-authors, and any outside organizations, such as environmental groups or scientists who peer-reviewed the Hendryx papers. - See more at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150521/GZ01/150529798/1419#sthash.rhBnFR…

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Greenhouse gas emissions in China
by James Kotcon 15 May '15

15 May '15

?I found this to be very interesting. JBK http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/15/3659355/china-coal-use-drops/ [http://d35brb9zkkbdsd.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/shutterstoc…]<http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/15/3659355/china-coal-use-drops/> It Only Took Four Months For China To Achieve A Jaw-Dropping Reduction In Carbon Emissions | ThinkProgress When China's greenhouse gas emissions fall, they fall hard. Read more...<http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/15/3659355/china-coal-use-drops/>

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Fw: Sad News for all concerned
by James Kotcon 24 Apr '15

24 Apr '15

?Many of us knew Bill Howley. His Calhoun PowerLine blog has been indispensable for anyone following West Virginia utility issues. He will be missed. Jim Kotcon ________________________________ From: Bill Price <bill.price(a)sierraclub.org> Sent: Friday, April 24, 2015 9:37 AM To: James Kotcon; Liz Wiles; David W. Sturm; David Muhly; Adam Beitman; Mark Kresowik; Bridget Lee; Daniel Chiotos; Seth Long Subject: Fwd: Sad News for all concerned See email below. This is a shock to us all. Bill did not always agree with the Sierra Club positions, but he was one of the most knowledgable and passionate people around cleaner energy that I know. Bill Price, Organizing Representative Sierra Club Environmental Justice Program Beyond Coal to Clean Energy Campaign Phone: 304-389-8822 (Cell) Email: bill.price(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:bill.price@sierraclub.org> "If there's no struggle, there's no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet renounce controversy are people who want crops without plowing the ground..." Frederick Douglass 1817-1895 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Christensen <jbc4re(a)yahoo.com<mailto:jbc4re@yahoo.com>> Date: Fri, Apr 24, 2015 at 9:07 AM Subject: Sad News for all concerned To: Patience Wait <pwaitster(a)gmail.com<mailto:pwaitster@gmail.com>>, Keryn Newman <keryn(a)frontiernet.net<mailto:keryn@frontiernet.net>>, John Case <jcase4218(a)gmail.com<mailto:jcase4218@gmail.com>>, John Unger <john.unger(a)wvsenate.gov<mailto:john.unger@wvsenate.gov>>, Mary Hott <mary(a)mtvsolar.com<mailto:mary@mtvsolar.com>>, Mike Manypennny <globalimpactman(a)gmail.com<mailto:globalimpactman@gmail.com>>, Gary Zuckett <garyz(a)wvcag.org<mailto:garyz@wvcag.org>>, Jeff Kessler <jeff.kessler(a)wvsenate.gov<mailto:jeff.kessler@wvsenate.gov>>, Evan Hansen <ehansen(a)downstreamstrategies.com<mailto:ehansen@downstreamstrategies.com>>, Aaron Sutch <asutch(a)mountain.org<mailto:asutch@mountain.org>>, Than Hitt <thanhitt1(a)gmail.com<mailto:thanhitt1@gmail.com>>, Dan Conant <conantd(a)gmail.com<mailto:conantd@gmail.com>>, Daniel Chiotos <trouserdude(a)gmail.com<mailto:trouserdude@gmail.com>>, Chuck Wyrostok <wyro(a)appalight.com<mailto:wyro@appalight.com>>, Don Garvin <dsgjr(a)aol.com<mailto:dsgjr@aol.com>>, Connigl <connigl(a)aol.com<mailto:connigl@aol.com>>, Denise Poole <deniseap(a)earthlink.net<mailto:deniseap@earthlink.net>>, Bill Price <bill.price(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:bill.price@sierraclub.org>>, Cathy Kunkel <cathykunkel(a)gmail.com<mailto:cathykunkel@gmail.com>>, Vickie Wolfe <ibtreehugger(a)gmail.com<mailto:ibtreehugger@gmail.com>>, Emmett Pepper <emmett(a)eewv.org<mailto:emmett@eewv.org>>, Ron Miller <ronald.miller(a)wvsenate.gov<mailto:ronald.miller@wvsenate.gov>> It has come as a shock to me to hear the news of long-time power utility activist and solar advocate extraordinaire Bill Howley has died suddenly in a car crash while making a trip to Charleston. Words are hard to come by for me as Bill was one of my personal mentors and friends. I am heartbroken for his wife Lauren who was away at the time of his death. I think a memorial of some kind in his memory will be forthcoming. I hate to bring this news but it reminds us all how precious life is. John

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Does anybody have information on risks associated with the disposal of natural gas drilling waste into underground injection wells?
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 09 Apr '15

09 Apr '15

[image: Print] <http://www.wvgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150409/GZ01/150409244…> Thursday, April 9, 2015 Board: Fayette injection wells can’t operate without permit *The Associated Press* BECKLEY, W.Va. – A state board says two underground injection wells in Fayette County can’t operate without a permit. The West Virginia Environmental Quality Board says the Department of Environmental Protection violated state law when it allowed Danny Webb Construction to operate the injection wells in Lochgelly without a permit. The Register-Herald reports that the board issued its ruling on Wednesday. The DEP had revoked the company’s permit to inject natural gas drilling waste underground on March 4, 2014. But the DEP allowed the wells to continue operating until the company’s application to renew the permit is approved or denied. The board gave the DEP 30 days to reissue a permit for the wells. The wells must cease operation if they don’t receive a permit. 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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Fwd: Natural gas: runaway train or helping hand? Tune in April 9.
by Paul Wilson 06 Apr '15

06 Apr '15

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: UCS Science Network <sciencenetwork(a)ucsusa.org> Date: Mon, Apr 6, 2015 at 12:19 PM Subject: Natural gas: runaway train or helping hand? Tune in April 9. To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com <#14c8f8997aa6ef04_>[image: Union of Concerned Scientists] <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=Xbl_fs7V7xoanMIL4kMkMA> [image: Science Network] Sign up for this Thursday's webinar briefing on the implications of our growing reliance on natural gas for electricity and what you can do about it. *Join Us April 9* Sign up for this Thursday's webinar briefing on the implications of our growing reliance on natural gas for electricity and what you can do about it: April 9, 1:30-2:30 p.m. EDT. *Register Today <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=OqlG4StjE2y5AhxfQxk7pw>* Related Links The Natural Gas Gamble <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=fBQSHW4lGXZlbTmJW37vFQ> Natural Gas and the Clean Power Plan <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=hAvrJ6Ad4_umL0vvwXQZSQ> Risks of Natural Gas <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=wsyRIm05Uxog-GncgxbZcA> Tell A Colleague Please encourage your colleagues to sign up <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=T-MOm5CnH3ki-iCTycG1hA> and help increase our effectiveness in creating a healthy environment and a safer world. CLICK HERE <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=NlrGc4cD6PHZyjPdFmQErQ> . EVENT INVITATION The Natural Gas Gamble: Addressing Our Growing Reliance on Natural Gas Dear Paul, The Union of Concerned Scientists invites you to a webinar briefing on the implications of our growing reliance on natural gas for electricity and what you can do about it. *The Natural Gas Gamble: Addressing Our Growing Reliance on Natural Gas <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=VVHqV0Zilyy5iJ7Qyd8rWw>* *Date:* Thursday, April 9 *Time:* 1:30-2:30 p.m. EDT *Register Today <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=wpjrPkh9RDbxq5wrXmXh9w>* Electric power producers are turning to natural gas to generate electricity at an unprecedented rate as they retire aging coal plants. While this shift is providing some near-term environmental and economic benefits, a dramatically expanded use of natural gas to generate electricity poses complex risks including persistent price volatility and heat-trapping emissions. Join UCS energy analysts for a discussion about our new analysis that demonstrates how we can reduce our reliance on natural gas by greatly expanding the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency in our power supply. Sincerely, [image: Megan Rising] Megan Rising Energy Campaign Manager Climate and Energy Program Union of Concerned Scientists *P.S.* Right now, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing limits on global warming emissions from power plants. If you haven't already, *urge the EPA to issue a final Clean Power Plan that encourages a shift to truly low-carbon resources <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=j1JTDT3M0lLkm1uBIHBDbQ>*, such as wind and solar, and avoids the risks of an overreliance on natural gas. [image: donate today] <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=55EnNiZ1437y_aGsTEVy5Q> Science for a healthy planet and safer world UCS is a 501(c)(3) organization. All gifts are tax deductible. You can be confident your donations to UCS are spent wisely. *About UCS* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=PFhK9Ta3dHVxJBip4AO1tQ> | *Take Action* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=Zu7eIC4IqN5htD-Mft4Kqg> | *Donate* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=RuCKbXwM9fvZkECBE3yJvQ> | *Contact Us* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=jsxQa0Ok2L7tgxaIAkn2hw> | *Privacy Policy* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=wRVPkd2V3XjkfvrCE2Kg7g> | *Unsubscribe* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/CO?i=-T5jZFYMoLT_EpEermKYbe8gdo4mvIOV&cid=178…> | *Update Your Profile* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=rhC1HFr7BRz9aFXBEhqyjw> *Union of Concerned Scientists* 2 Brattle Square | Cambridge, MA 02138-3780 © Union of Concerned Scientists. All rights reserved. www.ucsusa.org <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=5_4cD72C3XTHcx5ejVNx6g> [image: powered by Blackbaud] <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=F8cd-mwVqoKSyIRrzXlrSg> nonprofit software <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=6wx0OnNqYmYX8QiILnQfrQ> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outdoors Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Fwd: Read about Preserving Sacred Appalachia conference in Charleston Gazette
by Paul Wilson 05 Apr '15

05 Apr '15

anybody else get this? Looks interesting..... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Michael Barrick <michaelbarrick56(a)gmail.com> Date: Sun, Apr 5, 2015 at 9:10 AM Subject: Read about Preserving Sacred Appalachia conference in Charleston Gazette To: Update from the Appalachian Chronicle <http://appalachianchronicle.com/> ‘Then & Now from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Allegheny Plateau’ *From Today’s Charleston Gazette:* *Michael M. Barrick: Gas industry remarks demand response from faith community <http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150405/ARTICLE/150409671>* Thanks for reading. Please share this with others. Blessings and peace, Michael Appalachian Preservation Project, LLC <http://appalachianpreservationproject.com/#/home> Appalachian Chronicle <http://appalachianchronicle.com/> On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/appalachianpreservationproject On Twitter: @appchronicle -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outdoors Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Solar Energy Advocates Find Unexpected Ally In Tea Party
by James Kotcon 02 Apr '15

02 Apr '15

?Here is a transcript of an NPR story from Florida. This one follows on a Tea Party & Sierra Club alliance last year that killed a utility attempt to block net metering. I recommend we follow up and see if this leads to some shared interests herein WV regarding an IRP, or other solar initiatives. JBK Florida is one of several states where the Tea Party has embraced a new cause: solar energy. Tea Party groups are teaming up with progressive organizations to open up the solar energy industry. It's an unusual coalition and puts them at odds in some states with another conservative grassroots organization, the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity. Full story is at: http://www.npr.org/2015/02/24/388796105/solar-energy-advocates-find-unexpec… Solar Energy Advocates Find Unexpected Ally In Tea Party : NPR Florida is one of several states where the Tea Party has embraced a new cause: solar energy. Tea Party groups are teaming up with progressive organizations to open up the solar energy industry. It's an unusual coalition and puts them at odds in some states with another conservative grassroots organization, the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity. Read more...<http://www.npr.org/2015/02/24/388796105/solar-energy-advocates-find-unexpec…>

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Energy Efficiency saves for Monongalia County Schools!
by James Kotcon 31 Mar '15

31 Mar '15

?From the Morgantown Dominion Post. We did not have a lot to do with this one, but that doesn't mean we can't use it anyway. Take this to your local school board. When everyone else wants more money, we can save $100,000 per year! Then let's use that good will to get support for more EE measures! Jim Kotcon Full story from: http://thedpost.com/Partnership-saves-schools-tens-o >>>>> Partnership saves Mon schools more than $350K Conor Griffith TheDPost.com MORGANTOWN - A partnership between Monongalia County Schools and an energy services company has produced more savings than initially expected. Assistant superintendent Donna Talerico said the school district has been working with Indiana-based Energy Savings Group (ESG), an energy services provider, for the past five years to find ways to save the district money on energy costs by switching over to more efficient equipment. Audra Blackwell, business development manager for ESG, delivered a savings report to the Mon County Schools Board of Education at its Tuesday, March 24 meeting. >From September 2011 to October 2012, no savings were guaranteed, but $98,677 was saved. From November 2012 to October 2013, the district saved $131,122 on energy costs, but only $88,039 was guaranteed. That same amount was guaranteed for the period of November 2013 to October 2014 and $123,671 was saved. All totaled, ESG guaranteed to save Mon County Schools $176,078 and ended up saving $353,470, twice the amount that was promised.

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Clean energy future: New cheap and efficient electrode for splitting water
by Paul Wilson 18 Mar '15

18 Mar '15

Clean energy future: New cheap and efficient electrode for splitting water <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/j-s…> Posted: 17 Mar 2015 06:31 AM PDT Scientists have developed a highly efficient oxygen-producing electrode for splitting water that has the potential to be scaled up for industrial production of the clean energy fuel, hydrogen. The new technology is based on an inexpensive, specially coated foam material that lets the bubbles of oxygen escape quickly. Unlike other water electrolyzers that use precious metals as catalysts, the electrode is made entirely from two non-precious and abundant metals -- nickel and iron. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=j-s…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=j-s…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=j-s…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=j-s…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=j-s…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outings Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Energy Efficiency and the Clean Power Plan
by James Kotcon 14 Mar '15

14 Mar '15

?The news article below is about a recent PJM study of costs of implementing EPA's Clean Power Plan, and includes a statement near the end that suggests that retaining more energy efficiency would lower CO2 prices and reduce the number of power plants at risk for retirement. Anybody seen any more details of this scenario? JBK However, according to the analysis, retaining more nuclear generation and adding energy efficiency and renewable energy would likely lower CO2 prices, which could reduce the amount of fossil steam resources at risk for retirement. The report also suggested state-by-state compliance options would increase the amount of capacity at risk for retirement because some states, namely states that already have a high concentration of coal in their resource mix, would likely face higher CO2 prices in an individual compliance approach. http://www.statejournal.com/story/28476864/standalone-cpp-compliance-could-… [http://WVSTATE.images.worldnow.com/images/7101871_G.jpg]<http://www.statejournal.com/story/28476864/standalone-cpp-compliance-could-…> Standalone CPP compliance could be costly for states - Business, Government Legal News from throughout WV In complying with federal emissions reduction standards, a PJM Interconnection analysis suggests states team up with their neighbors to lower costs and capacity retirements. Read more...<http://www.statejournal.com/story/28476864/standalone-cpp-compliance-could-…>

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Global energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide stalled in 2014
by James Kotcon 14 Mar '15

14 Mar '15

Very interesting data in the news this week, but it is not getting a lot of coverage in WV. The International Energy Agency reports that greenhouse gas emissions from energy in 2014 were stable, compared to 2013, even though the global economy expanded by 3 %?. This marks the first time in 40 years of monitoring that stalled emissions growth occurred in the absence of economic recessions, and gives hope that greenhouse gas reduction efforts are more successful than many had expected. Global energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide stalled in 2014 http://www.iea.org/newsroomandevents/news/2015/march/global-energy-related-… The same IEA report suggested that China played a big part, and reduced their coal consumption by 2.9 % last year, and intends to boost non-fossil energy capacity to 15 % of consumption by 2020. China's coal consumption dropped almost 3 % in 2014 http://rt.com/business/238301-china-energy-pollution-coal/ This does NOT mean that coal is finished, or that West Virginia's "Slaves to Coal" (AKA the WV Legislature) won't do incredible destruction to our economy, our environment, or to local communities as the industry goes through the inevitable death throes. Jim Kotcon

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A victory! EQB upholds DEP decertification of Appalachian Laboratories
by frank young 12 Mar '15

12 Mar '15

Yes! The EQB has upheld the DEP’s revocation of the certification of Appalachian Laboratories based on the guilty plea to falsification of water sampling reports bf one of App Labs samplers. Attached is a copy of the EQB Final Order for Appeal No. 14-17-EQB (Appalachian Laboratories). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “However, as mentioned, Mr. Shelton's admission is evidence of falsification/tampering within the lab, regardless of how many additional employees, if any, were involved. Also, the certification rules give WVDEP authority to revoke the' certification if "any" falsification has occurred. W. Va. CSR 47-32-3.12.4. Thus, the regulation d.oes not require that the falsification/tampering he undertaken by a certain number of employees and/or by an employee who fills a certain hierarchy within the lab in order for WVDEP to issue a revocation order. As a result of the forging, it is ORDERED by the Board that WVDEP's order is affirmed. The parties have a right to judicial review of this order pursuant to W. Va. Code §22B- 3~3 and W. Va. Code §29A~5~4. The Party seeking judicial review must file its appeal within 30 days after the date the party received notice of this final order.”

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It is our great collective misfortune.....
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 09 Mar '15

09 Mar '15

It is our great collective misfortune that the scientific community made its decisive diagnosis of the climate threat at the precise moment when an elite minority was enjoying more unfettered political, cultural, and intellectual power than at any point since the 1920s Naomi Klein Pacific Ocean V (Gladstones 4 Fish), Santa Monica, USA 2001 © Nadav Kander. Courtesy Flowers Gallery, London. The second in a major series of articles on the climate crisis and how humanity can solve it <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/06/climate-change-guardian-…>. In this extract taken from the Introduction to This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein, the author calls the climate crisis a civilisational wake-up call to alter our economy, our lifestyles, now – before they get changed for us. You can read the first extract here <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/06/dont-look-away-now-the-c…> . --------------------------- The alarm bells of the climate crisis have been ringing in our ears for years and are getting louder all the time - yet humanity has failed to change course. What is wrong with us? Many answers to that question have been offered, ranging from the extreme difficulty of getting all the governments in the world to agree on anything, to an absence of real technological solutions, to something deep in our human nature that keeps us from acting in the face of seemingly remote threats, to – more recently – the claim that we have blown it anyway and there is no point in even trying to do much more than enjoy the scenery on the way down. Some of these explanations are valid, but all are ultimately inadequate. Take the claim that it’s just too hard for so many countries to agree on a course of action. It is hard. But many times in the past, the United Nations has helped governments to come together to tackle tough cross-border challenges, from ozone depletion to nuclear proliferation. The deals produced weren’t perfect, but they represented real progress. Moreover, during the same years that our governments failed to enact a tough and binding legal architecture requiring emission reductions, supposedly because cooperation was too complex, they managed to create the World Trade Organisation – an intricate global system that regulates the flow of goods and services around the planet, under which the rules are clear and violations are harshly penalised. The assertion that we have been held back by a lack of technological solutions is no more compelling. Power from renewable sources like wind and water predates the use of fossil fuels and is becoming cheaper, more efficient <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/09/solar-power-drives-renew…>, and easier to store every year. The past two decades have seen an explosion of ingenious zero-waste design, as well as green urban planning. Not only do we have the technical tools to get off fossil fuels, we also have no end of small pockets where these low carbon lifestyles have been tested with tremendous success. And yet the kind of large-scale transition that would give us a collective chance of averting catastrophe eludes us. Advertisement Is it just human nature that holds us back then? In fact we humans have shown ourselves willing to collectively sacrifice in the face of threats many times, most famously in the embrace of rationing, victory gardens, and victory bonds during world wars one and two. Indeed to support fuel conservation during world war two, pleasure driving was virtually eliminated in the UK, and between 1938 and 1944, use of public transit went up by 87% in the US and by 95% in Canada. Twenty million US households – representing three fifths of the population – were growing victory gardens in 1943, and their yields accounted for 42% of the fresh vegetables consumed that year. Interestingly, all of these activities together dramatically reduce carbon emissions. Yes, the threat of war seemed immediate and concrete but so too is the threat posed by the climate crisis that has already likely been a substantial contributor to massive disasters in some of the world’s major cities. Still, we’ve gone soft since those days of wartime sacrifice, haven’t we? Contemporary humans are too self-centered, too addicted to gratification to live without the full freedom to satisfy our every whim – or so our culture tells us every day. And yet the truth is that we continue to make collective sacrifices in the name of an abstract greater good all the time. We sacrifice our pensions, our hard-won labour rights, our arts and after-school programmes. We accept that we have to pay dramatically more for the destructive energy sources that power our transportation and our lives. We accept that bus and subway fares go up and up while service fails to improve or degenerates. We accept that a public university education should result in a debt that will take half a lifetime to pay off when such a thing was unheard of a generation ago. The past 30 years have been a steady process of getting less and less in the public sphere. This is all defended in the name of austerity, the current justification for these never-ending demands for collective sacrifice. In the past, calls for balanced budgets, greater efficiency, and faster economic growth have served the same role. It seems to me that if humans are capable of sacrificing this much collective benefit in the name of stabilising an economic system that makes daily life so much more expensive and precarious, then surely humans should be capable of making some important lifestyle changes in the interest of stabilising the physical systems upon which all of life depends. Especially because many of the changes that need to be made to dramatically cut emissions would also materially improve the quality of life for the majority of people on the planet – from allowing kids in Beijing to play outside without wearing pollution masks to creating good jobs in clean energy sectors for millions. Time is tight, to be sure. But we could commit ourselves, tomorrow, to radically cutting our fossil fuel emissions and beginning the shift to zero-carbon sources of energy based on renewable technology, with a full-blown transition underway within the decade. We have the tools to do that. And if we did, the seas would still rise and the storms would still come, but we would stand a much greater chance of preventing truly catastrophic warming. Indeed, entire nations could be saved from the waves. So my mind keeps coming back to the question: what is wrong with us? I think the answer is far more simple than many have led us to believe: we have not done the things that are necessary to lower emissions because those things fundamentally conflict with deregulated capitalism, the reigning ideology for the entire period we have been struggling to find a way out of this crisis. We are stuck because the actions that would give us the best chance of averting catastrophe – and would benefit the vast majority – are extremely threatening to an elite minority that has a stranglehold over our economy, our political process, and most of our major media outlets. That problem might not have been insurmountable had it presented itself at another point in our history. But it is our great collective misfortune that the scientific community made its decisive diagnosis of the climate threat at the precise moment when those elites were enjoying more unfettered political, cultural, and intellectual power than at any point since the 1920s. Indeed, governments and scientists began talking seriously about radical cuts to greenhouse gas emissions in 1988 <http://www.aip.org/history/climate/index.htm> – the exact year that marked the dawning of what came to be called “globalisation,” with the signing of the agreement representing the world’s largest bilateral trade relationship between Canada and the US, later to be expanded into the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) with the inclusion of Mexico. The three policy pillars of this new era are familiar to us all: privatisation of the public sphere, deregulation of the corporate sector, and lower corporate taxation, paid for with cuts to public spending. Much has been written about the real-world costs of these policies – the instability of financial markets, the excesses of the super-rich, and the desperation of the increasingly disposable poor, as well as the failing state of public infrastructure and services. Very little, however, has been written about how market fundamentalism has, from the very first moments, systematically sabotaged our collective response to climate change. The core problem was that the stranglehold that market logic secured over public life in this period made the most direct and obvious climate responses seem politically heretical. How, for instance, could societies invest massively in zero-carbon public services and infrastructure at a time when the public sphere was being systematically dismantled and auctioned off? How could governments heavily regulate, tax, and penalise fossil fuel companies when all such measures were being dismissed as relics of “command and control” communism? And how could the renewable energy sector receive the supports and protections it needed to replace fossil fuels when “protectionism” had been made a dirty word? Even more directly, the policies that so successfully freed multinational corporations from virtually all constraints also contributed significantly to the underlying cause of global warming – rising greenhouse gas emissions. The numbers are striking: In the 1990s, as the market integration project ramped up, global emissions were going up an average of one percent a year; by the 2000s, with “emerging markets” like China now fully integrated into the world economy, emissions growth had sped up disastrously, with the annual rate of increase reaching 3.4% a year for much of the decade. That rapid growth rate continues to this day <http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v2/n12/full/ngeo689.html>, interrupted only briefly in 2009 by the world financial crisis. Emissions rebounded with a vengeance in 2010, which saw the largest absolute increase since the Industrial Revolution <http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v2/n1/full/nclimate1332.html>. 0:00 / 9:35 Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgu.com%2Fp%2F46d5…> Twitter <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Naomi+Klein%3A+This+Changes+Everythin…> Pinterest <http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?description=Naomi+Klein%3A+This…> This Changes Everything - excerpt from work-in-progress feature documentary With hindsight, it’s hard to see how it could have turned out otherwise. The twin signatures of this era have been the mass export of products across vast distances (relentlessly burning carbon all the way), and the import of a uniquely wasteful model of production, consumption, and agriculture to every corner of the world (also based on the profligate burning of fossil fuels). Put differently, the liberation of world markets, a process powered by the liberation of unprecedented amounts of fossil fuels from the earth, has dramatically sped up the same process that is liberating Arctic ice from existence. As a result, we now find ourselves in a very difficult and slightly ironic position. Because of those decades of hardcore emitting, exactly when we were supposed to be cutting back, the things we must do to avoid catastrophic warming are no longer just in conflict with the particular strain of deregulated capitalism that triumphed in the 1980s. They are now in conflict with the fundamental imperative at the heart of our economic model: grow or die. Once carbon has been emitted into the atmosphere, it sticks around for hundreds of years, some of it even longer, trapping heat. The effects are cumulative, growing more severe with time <http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/369/1934/20>. And according to emissions specialists like the Tyndall Centre’s Kevin Anderson (as well as others), so much carbon has been allowed to accumulate in the atmosphere over the past two decades that now our only hope of keeping warming below the internationally agreed-upon target of 2C is for wealthy countries to cut their emissions by somewhere in the neighbourhood of eight to 10% a year <http://kevinanderson.info/blog/eu-2030-decarbonisation-targets-and-uk-carbo…>. The “free” market simply cannot accomplish this task. Indeed, this level of emission reduction has happened only in the context of economic collapse or deep depressions. What those numbers mean is that our economic system and our planetary system are now at war. Or, more accurately, our economy is at war with many forms of life on earth, including human life. What the climate needs to avoid collapse is a contraction in humanity’s use of resources; what our economic model demands to avoid collapse is unfettered expansion. Only one of these sets of rules can be changed, and it’s not the laws of nature. Fortunately, it is eminently possible to transform our economy so that it is less resource-intensive, and to do it in ways that are equitable, with the most vulnerable protected and the most responsible bearing the bulk of the burden. Low-carbon sectors of our economies can be encouraged to expand and create jobs, while high-carbon sectors are encouraged to contract. The problem, however, is that this scale of economic planning and management is entirely outside the boundaries of our reigning ideology. The only kind of contraction our current system can manage is a brutal crash, in which the most vulnerable will suffer most of all. [image: Pacific Ocean VIII (Gladstone 4 Fish), Santa Monica, USA, 2001 © Nadav Kander. Courtesy Flowers Gallery, London.] <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/08/how-will-everything-chan…> Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgu.com%2Fp%2F46ap…> Twitter <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=How+will+everything+change+under+clim…> Pinterest <http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?description=How+will+everything…> Pacific Ocean VIII (Gladstone 4 Fish), Santa Monica, USA, 2001 © Nadav Kander. Courtesy Flowers Gallery, London. So we are left with a stark choice: allow climate disruption to change everything about our world, or change pretty much everything about our economy to avoid that fate. But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us. Gentle tweaks to the status quo stopped being a climate option when we supersized the American Dream in the 1990s, and then proceeded to take it global. And it’s no longer just radicals who see the need for radical change. In 2012, 21 past winners of the prestigious Blue Planet Prize – a group that includes James Hansen, former director of Nasa’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway – authored a landmark report <http://mahb.stanford.edu/nodal-activities/blue-planet-laureates-environment…>. It stated that, “in the face of an absolutely unprecedented emergency, society has no choice but to take dramatic action to avert a collapse of civilization. Either we will change our ways and build an entirely new kind of global society, or they will be changed for us.” That’s tough for a lot of people in important positions to accept, since it challenges something that might be even more powerful than capitalism, and that is the fetish of centrism – of reasonableness, seriousness, splitting the difference, and generally not getting overly excited about anything. This is the habit of thought that truly rules our era, far more among the liberals who concern themselves with matters of climate policy than among conservatives, many of whom simply deny the existence of the crisis. Climate change <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change> presents a profound challenge to this cautious centrism because half measures won’t cut it: “all of the above energy” program, as US president Barack Obama describes his approach, has about as much chance of success as an all-of-the-above diet, and the firm deadlines imposed by science require that we get very worked up indeed. The challenge, then, is not simply that we need to spend a lot of money and change a lot of policies; it’s that we need to think differently, radically differently, for those changes to be remotely possible. A worldview will need to rise to the fore that sees nature, other nations, and our own neighbours not as adversaries, but rather as partners in a grand project of mutual reinvention. That’s a big ask. But it gets bigger. Because of our endless procrastination *,* we also have to pull off this massive transformation without delay. The International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that if we do not get our emissions under control by a rather terrifying 2017, our fossil fuel economy will “lock-in” extremely dangerous warming. “The energy-related infrastructure then in place will generate all the CO2 emissions allowed” in our carbon budget for limiting warming to 2C – “leaving no room for additional power plants, factories and other infrastructure unless they are zero-carbon, which would be extremely costly”. This assumes, probably accurately, that governments would be unwilling to force the closure of still profitable power plants and factories. As Fatih Birol, the IEA’s chief economist, bluntly put it <http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204358004577027542955102790>: “The door to reach two degrees is about to close. In 2017 it will be closed forever.” In short, we have reached what some activists have started calling “Decade Zero” of the climate crisis: we either change now or we lose our chance. All this means that the usual free market assurances – A techno-fix is around the corner! Dirty development is just a phase on the way to a clean environment, look at 19th-century London! – simply don’t add up. We don’t have a century to spare for China and India to move past their Dickensian phases. Because of our lost decades, it is time to turn this around now. Is it possible? Absolutely. Is it possible without challenging the fundamental logic of deregulated capitalism? Not a chance. I was struck recently by a mea culpa of sorts, written by Gary Stix, a senior editor of Scientific American*. *Back in 2006, he edited a special issue on responses to climate change and, like most such efforts, the articles were narrowly focused on showcasing exciting low-carbon technologies. But in 2012 Stix wrote <http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/03/17/effective-world…> that he had overlooked a much larger and more important part of the story – the need to create the social and political context in which these technological shifts stand a chance of displacing the all too profitable status quo. “If we are ever to cope with climate change in any fundamental way, radical solutions on the social side are where we must focus, though. The relative efficiency of the next generation of solar cells is trivial by comparison.” In other words, our problem has a lot less to do with the mechanics of solar power than the politics of human power – specifically whether there can be a shift in who wields it, a shift away from corporations and toward communities, which in turn depends on whether or not the great many people who are getting a rotten deal under our current system can build a determined and diverse enough social force to change the balance of power. Such a shift would require rethinking the very nature of humanity’s power – our right to extract ever more without facing consequences, our capacity to bend complex natural systems to our will. This is a shift that challenges not only capitalism, but also the building blocks of materialism that preceded modern capitalism, a mentality some call “extractivism”. Because, underneath all of this is the real truth we have been avoiding: climate change isn’t an “issue” to add to the list of things to worry about, next to healthcare and taxes. It is a civilisational wake-up call. A powerful message – spoken in the language of fires, floods, droughts, and extinctions – telling us that we need an entirely new economic model and a new way of sharing this planet. Telling us that we need to evolve. Some say there is no time for this transformation; the crisis is too pressing and the clock is ticking. I agree that it would be reckless to claim that the only solution to this crisis is to revolutionise our economy and revamp our worldview from the bottom up – and anything short of that is not worth doing. There are all kinds of measures that would lower emissions substantively that could and should be done right now. But we aren’t taking those measures, are we? The reason is that by failing to fight these big battles that stand to shift our ideological direction and change the balance of who holds power in our societies, a context has been slowly created in which any muscular response to climate change seems politically impossible, especially during times of economic crisis*. * On the other hand, if we can shift the cultural context even a little, then there will be some breathing room for those sensible reformist policies that will at least get the atmospheric carbon numbers moving in the right direction. And winning is contagious so, who knows? For a quarter of a century, we have tried the approach of polite incremental change, attempting to bend the physical needs of the planet to our economic model’s need for constant growth and new profit-making opportunities. The results have been disastrous, leaving us all in a great deal more danger than when the experiment began. Looking for a Moose <http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/688211.Looking_for_a_Moose> is one of my two-year-old son’s favourite books. It’s about a bunch of kids that really, really, really want to see a moose. They search high and low – through a forest, a swamp, in brambly bushes and up a mountain, for “a long legged, bulgy nosed, branchy antlered moose”. The joke is that there are moose hiding on each page. In the end, the animals all come out of hiding and the ecstatic kids proclaim: “We’ve never ever seen so many moose!” On about the 75th reading, it suddenly hit me: he might never see a moose. I tried to hold it together. I went back to my computer and began to write about my time in northern Alberta, tar sands country, where members of the Beaver Lake Cree Nation told me about how the moose had changed – one woman described killing a moose on a hunting trip only to find that the flesh had already turned green. I heard a lot about strange tumors too, which locals assumed had to do with the animals drinking water contaminated by tar sands toxins. But mostly I heard about how the moose were simply gone. And not just in Alberta. “Rapid Climate Changes Turn North Woods into Moose Graveyard,” reads a May 2012 headline in <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rapid-climate-changes-turn-north-…>Scientific American <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rapid-climate-changes-turn-north-…>*. *A year and a half later, The New York Times was reporting <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/science/earth/something-is-killing-off-th…> that one of Minnesota’s two moose populations had declined from four thousand in the 1990s to just one hundred today. Will he ever see a moose? Then, the other day, I was slain by a miniature board book called Snuggle Wuggle <http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1300618.Snuggle_Wuggle>*. *It involves different animals cuddling, with each posture given a ridiculously silly name: “How does a bat hug?” it asks. “Topsy turvy, topsy turvy.” For some reason my son reliably cracks up at this page. I explain that it means upside down, because that’s the way bats sleep. But all I could think about was the report of some 100,000 dead and dying bats <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-08/hundred-thousand-dead-bats-after-qld-…> raining down from the sky in the midst of record-breaking heat across part of Queensland, Australia. Whole colonies devastated. Will he ever see a bat? When fear like that used to creep through my armour of climate change denial, I would do my utmost to stuff it away, change the channel, click past it. Now I try to feel it. It seems to me that I owe it to my son, just as we all owe it to ourselves and one another. But what should we do with this fear that comes from living on a planet that is dying, made less alive every day? First, accept that it won’t go away. That it is a fully rational response to the unbearable reality that we are living in a dying world, a world that a great many of us are helping to kill, by doing things like making tea and driving to the grocery store and yes, okay, having kids. Next, use it. Fear is a survival response. Fear makes us run, it makes us leap, it can make us act superhuman. But we need somewhere to run *to*. Without that, the fear is only paralysing. So the real trick, the only hope, really, is to allow the terror of an unlivable future to be balanced and soothed by the prospect of building something much better than many of us have previously dared hope. Yes, there will be things we will lose, luxuries some of us will have to give up, whole industries that will disappear. Climate change is already here, and increasingly brutal disasters are headed our way no matter what we do. But it’s not too late to avert the worst, and there is still time to change ourselves so that we are far less brutal to one another when those disasters strike. And that, it seems to me, is worth a great deal. Because the thing about a crisis this big, this all-encompassing, is that it changes everything. It changes what we can do, what we can hope for, what we can demand from ourselves and our leaders. It means there is a whole lot of stuff that we have been told is inevitable that simply cannot stand. And it means that a whole lot of stuff we have been told is impossible has to start happening right away. Can we pull it off? All I know is that nothing is inevitable. Nothing except that climate change changes everything. And for a very brief time, the nature of that change is still up to us. - Extracted from THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING: Capitalism vs the Climate <http://bookshop.theguardian.com/catalog/product/view/id/281655/> by Naomi Klein published this week in paperback by Penguin, £8.99 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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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Climate science literacy unrelated to public acceptance of human-caused global warming
by James Kotcon 06 Mar '15

06 Mar '15

This is a pretty important article for those of us trying to engage our neighbors and communities on climate change. We have a tendency to think of our opponents as scientifically challenged (to put it mildly), but these data show that opponents of climate action are at least as knowledgeable of what climate scientists think as climate action supporters. After 20+ years of hearing about it, they know the scientific arguments, but the problem is that they view it through the lens of protecting their values and culture. Many opponents view this as an issue of Big Government taking away their communities. The author cites the interesting example of South Florida, where local groups developed a local action plan to protect against rising sea levels. When communities come together to work out how to solve local problems, even the Republicans want to use sound science. I suggest we need to use this concept to develop plans for climate action in West Virginia that avoid debates over global issues. Instead, our focus needs to be on how West Virginia communities can adapt to the changes ahead. The vast majority of West Virginians both support the coal industry, and know that it is declining. The vast majority also pay electric bills, and know that electric rates are going up. And almost all political leaders know that the state budget will face a really big hole as coal severance taxes decline. If we can get a conversation going about solutions to these problems, instead of getting hung up on an "Us versus Them" mentality, we may get some traction. Whaddya Tink? Jim Kotcon ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, Feb 26, 2015 at 8:17 AM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Climate science literacy unrelated to public acceptance of human-caused global warming To: Resilient Habitats Listserve < CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS(a)lists.sierraclub.org>, Coal Alerts < coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Climate science literacy unrelated to public acceptance of human-caused global warming <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/4JD…> Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:38 AM PST Deep public divisions over climate change are unrelated to differences in how well ordinary citizens understand scientific evidence on global warming. Indeed, members of the public who score the highest on a climate-science literacy test are the most politically polarized on whether human activity is causing global temperatures to rise. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=4JD…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=4JD…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=4JD…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=4JD…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=4JD…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outings Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20 -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org.

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SOLAR NOW EMPLOYS MORE AMERICANS THAN COAL
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 23 Feb '15

23 Feb '15

[image: Moneybox] <http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox.html> A blog about business and economics. Feb. 23 2015 12:42 PM The Solar Business Now Employs More Americans Than Coal Mining By Jordan Weissmann <http://www.slate.com/authors.jordan_weissmann.html> [image: 104627690-woker-finishes-installing-solar-panels-funded-by] *You know what this guy isn't going to get? Black lung.* My colleague Dan Gross has a great piece <http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_juice/2015/02/apple_kaiser_perma…> on *Slate* about the green energy business' latest coup: Companies like Apple are now buying mass quantities of solar power, as its production costs have fallen far enough in some regions to compete economically with fossil fuels. This, of course, bodes well for the future of renewables; it's one thing when local governments start purchasing solar- or wind-generated electricity as a political gesture; it's a whole other when the private sector jumps on board for the sake of dollars and cents. Anyway, Dan's article reminded me of a cool tidbit I noticed in last week's Economic Report of the President <http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/cea_2015_erp.pdf>: While solar may just be gaining traction with corporate America, by some measures it already employs more workers than coal mining. Here's the story in two graphs from the White House. First the decline of big coal, which according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics directly employs about 80,000 workers these days. [image: pres_coal_oil_1] Economic Report of the President <http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/cea_2015_erp.pdf> And now, the rise of solar. While BLS doesn't break out data for the industry, the Solar Foundation conducts a censuslike survey of employers to track employment trends. As of now, it counts almost 174,000 workers <http://www.thesolarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Factsheet-Nati…> . [image: pres_solar] You can argue about whether this specific comparison is fair since, as PolitiFact has reported <http://www.politifact.com/rhode-island/statements/2014/jul/06/sheldon-white…>, other organizations have estimated much higher levels of coal industry employment. A survey by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, for instance, reports that there are more than 123,000 coal workers if you include contractors at mines. Add in transportation jobs, such as the hands who move coal on rail or barges, and the National Mining Association says the industry directly employees some 195,000 Americans. Which number should we rely on? Its a little tough to say. Contractors at mines should obviously be counted. Transport workers are a little trickier, since many of them might still be working if, say, their railroad retooled in order to ship other kinds of freight. But even if you give the trade-group figures the benefit of the doubt, and concede that coal currently supports more jobs than solar, that could change by next year: The Solar Foundation projects <http://www.thesolarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Factsheet-Nati…> industry employment will grow to 210,000 by the end of 2015. Whether that's sustainable is an open question. Most solar workers are hired to do installations. Presumably, as solar's growth rate slows down at some point in the future, some of those jobs will naturally disappear. And, as *Grist* notes <http://grist.org/climate-energy/solar-coal-economy-jobs/>, that day could come sooner rather than later, as an important federal tax credit for renewables is scheduled to expire in 2017. So, from an employment perspective, coal may have a built-in advantage—you need workers to constantly dig more of it out of the ground to burn. Of course, that's also coal's biggest problem.

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Fwd: The Number of U.S. Oil Rigs Continues to Tumble - Bloomberg Business
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 15 Feb '15

15 Feb '15

ICYM THIS http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-13/number-of-u-s-oil-rigs-co…

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Coal has tumbled more than oil......
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 07 Feb '15

07 Feb '15

http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/02/06/u-s-coal-producers/ U.S. Coal Producers Facing Unprecedented Times <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/02/06/u-s-coal-producers/>*Published Fri, Feb 6, 2015 * | Tim Maverick <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/author/tim-maverick/>, *Commodities Correspondent* [image: Print This Post] <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/02/06/u-s-coal-producers/print/> [image: Email This Post] <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/02/06/u-s-coal-producers/email/> [image: U.S. Coal Producers Facing Unprecidented Times] <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/02/06/u-s-coal-producers/> While oil is grabbing all the headlines lately, another fuel used to generate heat and light has tumbled even more than the black gold. Global thermal coal prices have tumbled 52% since 2011 alone. And the rout shows no signs of abating with global seaborne thermal prices hitting $62 per metric ton (mt) recently. The reason behind coal’s fall is the same as oil’s – the shale revolution led to a surplus of thermal coal globally, just as demand from China and India started weakening. And like oil, producers around the world are ramping up production, even as prices fall for the fifth year in a row! The strategy is similar to OPEC’s – the lowest-cost coal producers around the world are trying to drive the higher-cost producers out of business. Black Cloud Engulfing U.S. Coal Also as with oil, some of the thermal coal producers in the most trouble are right here in the United States. Thermal or steam coal accounts for over 90% of all domestic coal output. The CEO of *Alpha Natural Resources *(ANR <http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=ANR&ql=0>), Kevin Crutchfield, said the conditions facing the U.S. industry are “unprecedented.” In a similar vein, Greg Boyce, CEO of *Peabody Energy *(BTU <http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=BTU&ql=0>), the largest U.S. coal producer, said conditions were “challenging.” And these executives are not exaggerating… U.S. thermal coal prices are at six-year lows, and Appalachian coal recently hit $45.75 per ton, down from more than $56 a ton a year ago. That isn’t far from the $42.20 per ton price hit in the depths of the financial crisis in April 2009. The downturn in domestic demand for coal has been accelerated by the 44% drop in natural gas prices since June. This pushed many utilities, looking to save money, to switch from coal. Exports, which have been a strength the past few years, are also being affected by the aforementioned global glut in thermal coal. Plus, U.S. coal producers are being socked from an unexpected direction too. You see, financial pressure on Russia is forcing the value of the ruble done, which has turned Russia into a competitive low-cost coal producer. These unprecedented conditions can be clearly seen in the price actions of the U.S. coal company stocks. Collapsing Under the Weight In the past five years, Peabody has lost 87% of its value, Alpha 98%, and *Arch Coal *(ACI <http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=ACI&ql=0>) 96%. And in the last six months, Peabody is down 59%, while both Alpha and Arch are both down 69%. The stocks have plunged because the financials aren’t pretty. For example, Peabody recently reported an after-tax loss of $787 million for 2014 and slashed its quarterly dividend by 97% to $0.0025 a share. And its operating cash flow of $337 million was less than its interest payment of $414 million, according to the *Financial Times*. Yes, the future for U.S. coal companies looks bleak as conditions continue to worsen, including regulatory pressure from the Obama administration. Unfortunately, exports will not be a salvation. China seems to be serious about cutting pollution coming from coal plants. In fact, many industry observers think we may soon reach peak coal demand in China. Imports of foreign coal into China fell by 11% last year to 292 million mt, says *Bloomberg*. And Chinese consumption of seaborne coal is expected to fall another 9% to 195 million mt this year. So what is the likely end result for U.S. coal producers? As Nomura analyst Curt Woodworth told the *Financial Times*, “I think you’re going to see multiple bankruptcies in U.S. coal over the next 12 to 18 months.” However, that does not mean all U.S. coal firms are headed for the dust bin of history. Peabody has seen some insider buying, and it has more higher-quality assets around the globe, including in Australia, than its peers. So at least it looks to be a survivor. And the chase continues, Tim Maverick Tim Maverick boasts decades of experience in the investment world. He spent 20 years at a major brokerage firm - as a trading supervisor and broker working directly with clients. *Learn More >> <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/author/tim-maverick/>* <https://www.facebook.com/WallStreetDaily> <https://twitter.com/TimMaverickWSD> <https://plus.google.com/104571546762047448905/posts> <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/02/04/sugar-bear-market/> <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/01/13/a-change-to-your-subscription/> <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/01/14/copper-prices-deficit/> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "kfc-organizers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to kfc-organizers+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to kfc-organizers(a)googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

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New generation capacity from renewables exceeds coal, oil and nukes combined in 2014
by James Kotcon 06 Feb '15

06 Feb '15

?It even beat out new capacity from natural gas! JBK http://theenergycollective.com/globalwarmingisreal/2188916/renewable-energy… [http://theenergycollective.com/sites/theenergycollective.com/files/renewabl…]<http://theenergycollective.com/globalwarmingisreal/2188916/renewable-energy…> New Energy Capacity Installation and Measurement | The Energy Collective It was a close race, but in the end new generating capacity from renewable sources beat out new natural gas capacity by 1.16% in 2014. Of the 49.81% of new capacity from renewable energy, more than one-quarter, or 26.52%, came from wind energy while solar power provided another 20.40% of the total. Read more...<http://theenergycollective.com/globalwarmingisreal/2188916/renewable-energy…>

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NYTimes.com: Investing in Energy Efficiency Pays Off
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 06 Feb '15

06 Feb '15

OK, not exactly a bulletin, but useful information re what it takes to persuade owners to make investment. William V. DePaulo, Esq. Sent by william.depaulo(a)gmail.com: Investing in Energy Efficiency Pays Off <http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=InCMR7g4BCKC2wiZPkcVUo7tyCrVLZeR&use…> By David Bornstein Colleges are finding that refitting buildings with greener heating and ventilating systems can pay for itself in a few years. Or, copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://nyti.ms/1ELe1HQ <http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=InCMR7g4BCKC2wiZPkcVUo7tyCrVLZeR&use…> To get unlimited access to all New York Times articles, subscribe today. See Subscription Options. <http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KVBjmEgFdYACDuqzkg7rwCIjbQi…> To ensure delivery to your inbox, please add nytdirect(a)nytimes.com to your address book. Advertisement <http://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=goto&opzn&page=secure.ny…> Copyright 2015 <http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KVBjmEgFdYACMlEhIhWVuPIxgan…> | The New York Times Company <http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KUv6vqdu/zT/DtUzLlQEcSh&use…> | NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

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from ScienceDailye-newsletter: Biologists partner bacterium with nitrogen gas to produce more, cleaner bioethanol
by Paul Wilson 03 Feb '15

03 Feb '15

Biologists partner bacterium with nitrogen gas to produce more, cleaner bioethanol <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/891…> Posted: 02 Feb 2015 06:21 PM PST Biologists believe they have found a faster, cheaper and cleaner way to increase bioethanol production by using nitrogen gas, the most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere, in place of more costly industrial fertilizers. The discovery could save the industry millions of dollars and make cellulosic ethanol -- made from wood, grasses and inedible parts of plants -- more competitive with corn ethanol and gasoline. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=891…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=891…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=891…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=891…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=891…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outings Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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NYTimes: XL Pipeline needs crude oil at $65 to $75 to breake even; crude now at $50
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 03 Feb '15

03 Feb '15

Energy & Environment <http://www.nytimes.com/pages/business/energy-environment/index.html> FEB. 2, 2015 Lower Oil Prices Strike at Heart of Canada’s Oil Sands Production By IAN AUSTEN <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/ian_austen/ind…> OTTAWA — For as long as 400-ton dump trucks have been rumbling around the open pit mines of Canada <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/ca…>’s oil sands <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/o/oil_petroleu…>, crews from Kal Tire have been on hand to replace and repair their $70,000, 13-foot diameter tires. But the relationship, going back over a decade, didn’t spare the company when oil <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/oil-petroleu…> prices began plummeting. Dan Allan, the senior vice president of Kal’s mining tire unit, said that customers immediately began looking for price concessions. Others asked Kal to withdraw personnel from some sites or swiftly canceled plans to add more maintenance crews. “We’re sort of caught at the sharp end of the spear,” said Mr. Allan, who is now looking to relocate some employees. “It’s really difficult.” Canada’s oil sands <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/o/oil_petroleu…> — and the 167 billion barrels of reserves — prompted an unprecedented expansion over the last decade. But the roughly $155 billion spending spree left the industry with unusually high production costs. Now, oil sands operators are scrambling to limit the damage, as crude prices hover near seven-year lows <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/13/business/energy-environment/oil-prices.ht…> . Photo An oil sands operation near Fort McMurray, Alberta, last September. Production costs are high in the oil sands, and low oil prices are a threat to profitability. Credit Todd Korol/Reuters Suncor, the largest oil sands operator, announced plans to eliminate about 1,000 contract jobs. Shell Canada said it would cut its oil sands work force by about 10 percent. Cenovus Energy said that it would reduce investment spending by 27 percent, and set aside plans for two oil sands project expansions. A camp for workers in Northern Alberta, the heart of the oil sands, was permanently closed and another was temporarily shut. Several proposed oil sands projects and expansions are under review or have been deferred. The cuts, though, won’t necessarily translate into lower production. Oil sands production is expected to increase by 25 percent, to 4.8 million barrels a day, according to January estimates by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, partly because of new projects moving into production. The enormous projects are just too difficult to switch off, and the companies must keep pumping crude to cover the sizable debt on their multibillion-dollar investments. They also don’t want to cede market share to producers in other countries. Imperial Oil, which is controlled by Exxon Mobil, said on Monday that fourth-quarter earnings dropped by 36 percent. Even so, the company plans to start production at two new oil sands projects this year. “It really makes no economic sense to bring down production at this point because most of the costs are sunk,” said Stewart Glickman, an energy equity analyst with S&P Capital IQ Equity. While production may keep humming along, the big question is whether oil sands producers can break even at current prices. An oil sands project takes five to 10 years to design and build, and they have a life span of 25 to 50 years. Fort Hills, a project now under construction in a partnership led by Suncor, has a budget of 13.5 billion Canadian dollars (about $10.7 billion). Once such projects are up and running, the expenses are significant, given the process needed to get the oil <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/oil-petroleu…>-laden bitumen from the ground. It must either be dug up or blasted from under the ground using steam. Two energy-hungry steps are then needed to separate the bitumen from the sand and to turn it into usable oil known as synthetic crude. A frequently cited study <http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/documents/organization/221135.pdf> prepared for the United States State Department’s review of the Keystone XL <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/k/keystone_pip…> pipeline estimated that many oil sands projects become unprofitable at prices of $65 to $75 a barrel. Prices are now below $50. But the State Department review, which was released in January 2014, doesn’t necessarily account for the changing environment. Andrew Leach, an economist and professor of energy policy at the University of Alberta, said that the American figure inflated the break-even point by including a 12 percent profit margin for oil producers. The drop in the Canadian dollar has also provided an added cushion for domestic oil companies that are paid for their products in the now more valuable American currency. When those factors are combined, Mr. Leach said, “you’re looking at a reduction of the growth rate at current prices, a stall.” He estimates that the production cost for synthetic crude from the major open pit mine projects is $31 to $39 a barrel, at current exchange rates. He added, though, that a few projects with production problems had much higher costs. The industry thinking, he said, is, “I’m willing to burn through cash on this project because in the long term it will be worth it.” As a result, most oil sands operators are reviewing future projects rather than considering production cuts or stopping projects already under construction. They are also looking to cut costs as swiftly as possible. “Nobody in the oil industry feels very secure,” said Ken Smith, president of the Unifor union local that represents about 3,600 Suncor employees who operate the giant dump trucks and excavators. “We’re kind of at the mercy of these big players like the Saudis and Russia.” Mr. Smith said he believed that none of Suncor’s 1,000 layoffs would involve his members. Sneh Seetal, a spokeswoman for Suncor, said the company had yet to determine the specifics, but noted that it would involve a mix of contract positions and employees spread across the company’s domestic operations, which include refining and gasoline retailing. Companies in supporting roles — such as suppliers for safety boots and cleaning services — are feeling the most immediate squeeze. Photo A Suncor oil sands mining operation near Fort McMurray, Alberta. Such enormous projects are difficult to switch off. Credit Todd Korol/Reuters The Fort McMurray branch of Finning International, a Caterpillar dealer that sold many of the $5 million to $6 million heavy-haul dump trucks, recently laid off about 60 workers. At the end of December, Civeo <http://www.civeo.com>, which is based in Houston, said it was mothballing an oil sands work housing complex with 2,005 rooms and was permanently closing another with 510. Trevor Haynes, the president and chief executive of the Black Diamond Group <http://www.blackdiamondlimited.com/main/index>, another supplier of work housing based in Calgary, Alberta, said he was not yet being pressured to cut rates by oil companies and did not expect to have to close any of the housing in the oil sands. But that does not mean that he is sanguine. “It comes down to one word, which is ‘uncertainty,’ ” Mr. Haynes said. “Those of us who have been around awhile have seen these periods before, so it feels familiar, if vaguely disconcerting.” Continue reading the main story <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/business/energy-environment/lower-oil-pri…> Continue reading the main story <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/business/energy-environment/lower-oil-pri…> Continue reading the main story <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/business/energy-environment/lower-oil-pri…> His main concern is that new construction projects may be indefinitely postponed. If so, he plans to fill the void by supplying housing to proposed liquefied natural gas <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/natural-gas/…> plants in British Columbia as well as that province’s recently announced plan to build a major hydroelectric <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/h/hydroelectri…> dam. Not everyone is upset or worried about the slowdown in the oil sands. Melissa Blake, the mayor of the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo, which includes Fort McMurray and most of the major oil sands sites, said she welcomed it. After trying to keep up with a population increase of more than 125 percent since 2000, Ms. Blake said, Fort McMurray needs a break. “The past few years have been just been catching up with the growth we’ve had,” the mayor said. “There’s a bit of an advantage from having a less robust industry.” A break, Ms. Blake, said should allow the community’s infrastructure to finally catch up with its growth. Ms. Blake said she had seen no obvious signs of a slowdown around town, like emptier stores and restaurants. But that, she said, is probably because most of the 79,000 full-time residents of Fort McMurray are in less vulnerable jobs. That’s probably not the case, she acknowledged, for about 39,000 people who fly in to work on oil sands projects but make their homes elsewhere, often on the other side of Canada. But Ms. Blake acknowledged that if the slump in prices proved to be sustained, few would escape its effects. “There’s going to have to be a real battening down of the hatches,” she said.

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