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Fwd: Coal to liquid plant on schedule
by James Kotcon 10 Jan '13

10 Jan '13

I am not clear on how TransGas can say that this is "on schedule" when they don't have financing or a contractor. They claim to have "started construction" June 20, 2011, but admit it is only minor things like moving in an office trailer, so it does not seem that would meet the legal definition needed to retain their air permit. A later press release said they would "start major construction" in 2012, a later one said they would close on financing by the end of 2012, and now they say they will close in 2013, but are still negotiating with a contractor. I think we could argue that they have not met the legal requirement to start construction, and they certainly have not met the requirement to maintain construction. (Under 45-CSR-13, if they have not started, or halt construction, for 18 months, the air permit can be suspended.) Thanks to Viv for keeping up on the latest PR. JBK >>> "Vivian Stockman" <vivian(a)ohvec.org> 1/10/2013 8:09 AM >>> Coal to liquid plant on schedule By Jennifer Smith in News | January 09, 2013 at 11:43AM http://wvmetronews.com/coal-to-liquid-plant-on-schedule/ A multi-billion dollar coal to liquid plant in Mingo County is still on schedule despite some hurdles. TransGas Development Systems announced the project back in 2008, which will be the largest coal to liquid plant in the U.S. And while there’s no bricks and mortar to judge the progress, Randy Harris, with the Mingo County Redevelopment Authority, says they’re moving forward. “We’re still well under the window of time it takes to take a project from concept to this stage,” says Harris. The design for the $4-billion project, located near Gilbert, is already complete. Site preparations are underway. TransGas is negotiating with the main contractor. “In some regards like permitting, we’re well ahead of our original schedule,” says Harris. “In other aspects, like financing, the uncertainty of the election slowed down the whole process,” according to Harris. “People just weren’t prepared to make decisions.” The EPA has waged a war on coal over the past three years with the blessing of President Barack Obama. Harris says that makes a lot of people with the money to invest a little skittish. “It has slowed down the investment community. Bankers don’t understand the difference between a coal fired plant and a chemical plant like we are. They just look at it and say it’s all coal,” explains Harris. But he says there’s a big difference between burning coal for fuel and liquifying coal into gasoline, petroleum gas and propane. He says when they sit potential buyers down and explain the difference most of that concern goes away. Once the financing is in place, construction can get underway. “Right now all the contractors are telling us that it’s going to take about 3 and a half years to go from where we are now to commissioning, which is the point where it’s turned over from the construction company to the [plant] operators.” That means the TransGas plant should be up and running in late 2016, early 2017.

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Solar is competitive without subsidies in 2013
by James Kotcon 10 Jan '13

10 Jan '13

Available at: http://www.economist.com/news/21566414-alternative-energy-will-no-longer-be… JBK Sunny uplands Alternative energy will no longer be alternative Nov 21st 2012 | from The World In 2013 print edition Rebranding is always a tricky exercise, but for one field of technology 2013 will be the year when its proponents need to bite the bullet and do it. That field is alternative energy. The word “alternative”, with its connotations of hand-wringing greenery and a need for taxpayer subsidy, has to go. And in 2013 it will. “Renewable” power will start to be seen as normal. Wind farms already provide 2% of the world’s electricity, and their capacity is doubling every three years. If that growth rate is maintained, wind power will overtake nuclear’s contribution to the world’s energy accounts in about a decade. Though it still has its opponents, wind is thus already a grown-up technology. But it is in the field of solar energy, currently only a quarter of a percent of the planet’s electricity supply, but which grew 86% last year, that the biggest shift of attitude will be seen, for sunlight has the potential to disrupt the electricity market completely. The underlying cause of this disruption is a phenomenon that solar’s supporters call Swanson’s law, in imitation of Moore’s law of transistor cost. Moore’s law suggests that the size of transistors (and also their cost) halves every 18 months or so. Swanson’s law, named after Richard Swanson, the founder of SunPower, a big American solar-cell manufacturer, suggests that the cost of the photovoltaic cells needed to generate solar power falls by 20% with each doubling of global manufacturing capacity. The upshot (see chart) is that the modules used to make solar-power plants now cost less than a dollar per watt of capacity. Power-station construction costs can add $4 to that, but these, too, are falling as builders work out how to do the job better. And running a solar power station is cheap because the fuel is free. Related topics Solar energy United States Industries Electricity companies Utilities Coal-fired plants, for comparison, cost about $3 a watt to build in the United States, and natural-gas plants cost $1. But that is before the fuel to run them is bought. In sunny regions such as California, then, photovoltaic power could already compete without subsidy with the more expensive parts of the traditional power market, such as the natural-gas-fired “peaker” plants kept on stand-by to meet surges in demand. Moreover, technological developments that have been proved in the laboratory but have not yet moved into the factory mean Swanson’s law still has many years to run. Running a solar power station is cheap because the fuel is free Comparing the cost of wind and solar power with that of coal- and gas-fired electricity generation is more than just a matter of comparing the costs of the plant and the fuel, of course. Reliability of supply is a crucial factor, for the sun does not always shine and the wind does not always blow. But the problem of reliability is the subject of intensive research. Many organisations, both academic and commercial, are working on ways to store electricity when it is in surplus, so that it can be used when it is scarce. Progress is particularly likely during 2013 in the field of flow batteries. These devices, hybrids between traditional batteries and fuel cells, use liquid electrolytes, often made from cheap materials such as iron, to squirrel away huge amounts of energy in chemical form. “Grid-scale” storage of this or some other sort is the second way, after Swanson’s law, that the economics of renewable energy will be transformed. One consequence of all this progress is that subsidies for wind and solar power have fallen over recent years. In 2013, they will fall further. Though subsidies will not disappear entirely, the so-called alternatives will be seen to stand on their own feet in a way that was not true in the past. That will give them political clout and lead to questions about the subventions which more traditional forms of power generation enjoy (coal production, for example, is heavily subsidised in parts of Europe). Enlarge Fossil-fuel-powered electricity will not be pushed aside quickly. Fracking, a technological breakthrough which enables natural gas to be extracted cheaply from shale, means that gas-fired power stations, which already produce a fifth of the world’s electricity, will keep the pressure on wind and solar to get better still. But even if natural gas were free, no Swanson’s law-like process applies to the plant required to turn it into electricity. Nuclear power is not a realistic alternative. It is too unpopular and the capital costs are huge. And coal’s days seem numbered. In America, the share of electricity generated from coal has fallen from almost 80% in the mid-1980s to less than a third in April 2012, and coal-fired power stations are closing in droves. It may take longer to make the change in China and India, where demand for power is growing almost insatiably, and where the grids to take that power from windy and sunny places to the cities are less developed than in rich countries. In the end, though, they too will change as the alternatives become normal, and what was once normal becomes quaintly old-fashioned. Geoffrey Carr: science editor, The Economist from The World In 2013 print edition

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IOGA Intervenes in First Energy Harrison case
by James Kotcon 09 Jan '13

09 Jan '13

THE STATE JOURNAL IOGA wants gas represented fairly in Mon Power coal gen case Posted: Jan 07, 2013 6:38 PM EST Updated: Jan 08, 2013 11:57 AM EST By Pam Kasey West Virginia natural gas producers want a say in Mon Power's proposal to buy coal-fired generation — but not to argue against it. "What we're not interested in doing is kicking the coal industry when they're down," said Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia President Dennis Xander. Mon Power has a large deficit in generation capacity to serve its customers and those of Potomac Edison, IOGA reiterated in its Jan. 4 petition with the Public Service Commission of West Virginia to intervene in the case for Mon Power's proposed solution. The utility proposes to increase its installed capacity by almost 1,500 megawatts, primarily through the acquisition of the 80 percent of the coal-fired Harrison Power Station that it does not already own. "IOGA desires the opportunity to express its views to the commission about using natural gas as an inexpensive, clean and reliable fuel for power generation, and believes that its views will materially assist the commission in reaching a decision in this case," IOGA wrote in its petition. That doesn't mean IOGA is going to argue that natural gas would be better, Xander said. "We don't intend to take any kind of position in that," he said. "However, to the extent that the commission wants someone to step up and say, ‘Hey, look, the industry has an abundance of inexpensive, clean fuel that is an alternative,' we'll do that." IOGA also wants to be sure to keep the record straight on what natural gas can and cannot do in the electric power industry. "You're going to see a whole bunch of spreadsheets come out where people are going to calculate what the cost per kilowatt-hour would be under various scenarios," he predicted from long experience. "By intervening, we want to make sure whatever information the commission gets is right." If the suggestion came up that the Harrison plant should pursue gas co-firing — burning natural gas with coal, something FirstEnergy already is considering ( http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/blog/energy/2012/10/firstenergy-consi… ) at Harrison — IOGA would be behind that idea, Xander said. "But we did not intervene for the purpose of trying to replace coal with natural gas," he said. "West Virginia needs coal jobs and coal severance taxes." Follow Mon Power's generation resource transaction case on the PSC's website ( http://www.psc.state.wv.us/ ): case number 12-1571.

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] New Report: Next Generation Energy Efficiency Programs Can Yield High Energy Savings
by Paul Wilson 09 Jan '13

09 Jan '13

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jennifer Miller <jen.miller(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Jan 9, 2013 at 11:03 AM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] New Report: Next Generation Energy Efficiency Programs Can Yield High Energy Savings To: #Coal <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Coal-Volunteers < coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Chapter-Groups < chapter-groups-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Staff-Chapter < Staff-chapter-list(a)sierraclub.org> Efficiency Warriors - ACEEE has a new report out in which they review the best practices for utility efficiency programs. See below. Also, stay tuned, because I will be hosting ACEEE to discuss this report for Sierra Club staff and volunteers on Feb 7 (time still TBA). Thanks jen ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: ACEEE News <aceeenews(a)aceee.org> Date: Wed, Jan 9, 2013 at 10:19 AM Subject: New Report: Next Generation Energy Efficiency Programs Can Yield High Energy Savings To: jen.miller(a)sierraclub.org [image: logo] NEWS RELEASE Media Contact: Patrick Kiker 202.507.4043 pkiker(a)aceee.org New Report Reveals How Next Generation Energy Efficiency Programs Can Help Utilities Achieve High Energy Savings Washington, D.C. (January 9, 2013): New technologies and innovative program designs are combining to create the next generation of energy efficiency programs that can meet the aggressive saving targets being set by many states, finds a new report. Frontiers of Energy Efficiency: Next Generation Programs Reach for High Energy Savings<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001B0-bBJgFk3sV5vSMr-ROdifJU5S5hZ0HTTC4Z5BGNNce…>, released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE),finds that these technologies and programs can offer the potential to achieve and sustain high savings-27% of forecasted electricity use and 19% of forecasted natural gas use by 2030. "Natural gas isn't the only abundant energy resource in this country---we've also discovered deep reservoirs of energy efficiency. As our report shows, energy efficiency opportunities are abundant. Even as tried and true energy efficiency measures become commonplace, we continue to dig deeper and find new technologies and practices plus new program approaches to unlock further opportunities to achieve large energy savings," said Dan York, ACEEE utilities program director, and lead-author of the report. Energy efficiency programs for utility customers have been in place for over three decades in many areas in the United States. These programs have experienced unprecedented growth over the past decade, in significant part because of policies that establish high, specific energy savings targets to be achieved through energy efficiency programs. Over the next two decades, achieving and sustaining high savings levels present challenges for energy efficiency programs. Increasingly stringent building codes and energy efficiency standards for appliances and other technologies are moving baseline energy efficiency performance higher. Achieving high participation rates has been difficult for certain types of programs. The technologies and programs profiled in this report offer an answer to these concerns. "This report will be a valuable resource for those looking to help utility customers save money by using less energy. With a wealth of information on the leading edge of program designs and energy efficiency technologies, this report shows that program designers have an increasing number of options to achieve greater energy efficiency," said Maggie Molina, ACEEE state policy senior manager and report co-author. While savings opportunities exist for all types of customers, the report finds some of the greatest potential exists for renovations and retrofits of homes and commercial buildings. Lighting also remains a large source of energy savings along with building mechanical systems and a variety of electronics. Reaching more customers is another direction for next generation programs. Improved understanding of more narrowly defined customer segments through better data analytics can enable program administrators to structure and focus incentives and marketing to increase participation. Programs are successfully serving customers in markets that historically have been difficult to reach, such as multifamily housing and manufactured homes. Another clear trend across program portfolios is an emphasis on better understanding customer behavior and motivations in order to design programs that engage greater numbers of customers to take actions that save energy. The report examines a total of 22 different program types and concepts, from residential lighting to commercial buildings to industrial processes, and examines a wide range of energy efficiency technologies, including light-emitting diode (LED) lighting; high-efficiency heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment; and combined heat and power (CHP) systems. The research draws upon extensive interviews completed with a large number of experts on customer energy efficiency programs and technologies and includes numerous examples of where these leading principles and practices are being used or tested. To read the report, visit: http://aceee.org/research-report/u131<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001B0-bBJgFk3sV5vSMr-ROdifJU5S5hZ0HTTC4Z5BGNNce…> . About ACEEE: The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy acts as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behaviors. For information about ACEEE and its programs, publications, and conferences, visit aceee.org<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001B0-bBJgFk3tsYR4Dng-SQtpD695k_4CRraE72qiMAKTV…> . ### Forward email<http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=4rt7cun6&m=1011065179711&ea=j…> <http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&mse=001QKZ15G27mHOwq-0UltPLdE0e-…> This email was sent to jen.miller(a)sierraclub.org by aceeenews(a)aceee.org | Update Profile/Email Address<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=oo&mse=001QKZ15G27mHOwq-0UltPLdE0e-…> | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&mse=001QKZ15G27mHOwq-0UltPLdE0e-…>™ | Privacy Policy <http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp>. ACEEE | 529 14th Street., N.W. | Suite 600 | Washington | DC | 20045 -- Jen Miller (614)563-9543 Senior Campaign Representative for Energy Efficiency Sierra Club National Beyond Coal Campaign pst....My work is now national in scope, but I'm still based in Columbus, Ohio (the Eastern Time Zone)! -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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WVU Extension meetings on Utica gas Jan 29-30.
by James Kotcon 08 Jan '13

08 Jan '13

FYI. JBK http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2013/01/07/utica-shale-development-topic-of-wvu-e… Utica Shale development topic of WVU Extension Service educational program series ( http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2013/01/07/utica-shale-development-topic-of-wvu-e… )January 7th, 2013 Through a series of educational programs, West Virginia University ( http://www.wvu.edu/ ) Extension Service ( http://ext.wvu.edu/ ) hopes to help educate community members on development and leasing issues related to Utica shale and its impact on the state. The Utica shale is a large natural gas field that lies below Marcellus shale rock, underneath much of the northeastern U.S. and adjacent parts of Canada. The educational programs will take place in Parkersburg at the Parkersburg City Building on Jan. 29, and in New Martinsville at the Wetzel County 4-H Camp’s Mollohan Center on Jan. 30. Both programs begin at 6 p.m. This is the third year for the educational programs. Organizers say there’s a continued need and demand for updated information regarding the natural gas industry and its drilling. Presenters include experts from the Marietta College’s Dept. of Petroleum Engineering and Geology; The Ohio State University’s Agricultural and Resource Law unit; and WVU Extension Service agents and specialists. The program is open to the public, regardless of a person’s level of knowledge and interest concerning the oil and natural gas industry. A second series on Natural Gas Pipelines is scheduled for February in Kingwood and Beverly. For more information, contact WVU Extension Service Program Coordinator Georgette Plaugher ( http://anr.ext.wvu.edu/home/contact_us/georgette_plaugher ) at 304-329-1391. Connecting the people of West Virginia to the University’s resources and programs is the primary goal of WVU Extension Service and its 55 offices throughout the state. Local experts, like WVU Extension’s agents and specialists, work to help improve the lifestyles and well-being of youths, workforces, communities, farms and businesses through trusted research in the counties in which they serve. To learn more about WVU Extension programs, visit www.ext.wvu.edu, or contact your local office of the WVU Extension Service. -WVU-

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Fw: Federal Court Rules in Favor of Clean Air -- Requires EPA to implement strong soot controls
by Jim Sconyers 04 Jan '13

04 Jan '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)prodigy.net> Date: Fri, Jan 4, 2013 at 4:17 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Fw: Federal Court Rules in Favor of Clean Air -- Requires EPA to implement strong soot controls To: coal volunteer list <coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Good news for clean air: Verena FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 4, 2013 Contact: Paul Cort, Earthjustice, (415) 217-2077; pcort(a)earthjustice.org Eitan Bencuya, Sierra Club, (202) 495-3047, eitan.bencuya(a)sierraclub.org John Walke , Natural Resources Defense Council, 202-289-2406 Mary Havell McGinty, American Lung Association (202)715-3459, mary.havell(a)lung.org *Federal Court Rules in Favor of Clean Air*** *Requires EPA to implement strong soot controls* *WASHINGTON, D.C.* – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today released a ruling requiring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement stronger requirements to clean up particulate matter, also known as “soot, “one of the deadliest forms of air pollution. Rejecting EPA’s adoption of a weaker approach, the Court ruled that the public health protections in the Clean Air Act require EPA to use the strictest more stringent cleanup requirements in communities with unhealthful particulate matter levels. The suit was brought by Earthjustice on behalf of American Lung Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and Medical Advocates for Healthy Air. “Soot pollution is dangerous to kids, seniors, and people with heart and lung problems, and kills tens of thousands of people each year” said Paul Cort, the Earthjustice attorney who argued the case. “This ruling will mean much stronger protections against this deadly pollutant.” Major sources of soot pollution include coal-fired power plants, factories, oil refineries, and diesel engines. The ruling means that more plants will be subject to more protective particulate matter limits in areas that violate health standards. It also will require limits not only on direct emissions of soot, but also on pollutants that transform into particulate matter in the air. Under the ruling, the most stringent controls will apply to communities that fail to timely attain health standards (within four to six years). Among other things, these areas will have to implement the best available control measures (instead of just reasonably available measures) and achieve pollution cuts of at least five percent per year if they fail to meet standards on time. “Soot particles are a dangerous mix of toxic metals and chemicals and are released into the air by burning dirty fuels like coal,” said Bruce Nilles, Senior Campaign Director for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. “Today's court decision is a strong step toward ensuring our families have clean, breathable air.” “Few court rulings strike so close to home. This one’s as close as your next breath of air,” said John Walke, senior attorney and Director of NRDC’s Clean Air Program. “Soot kills. Now there will be less of it - in our air, our hearts and our lungs. That means less bronchitis, fewer asthma attacks, fewer heart attacks and fewer strokes. We can thank the court, with every breath we take.” “Cleaning up particle pollution saves lives,” said Janice Nolen, Assistant Vice President for the American Lung Association. “A few weeks ago, EPA adopted the strongest, most protective standard for fine particles. Today’s decision means that communities around the nation will have better tools to make sure that they can meet that standard and save lives.” ### -- Eitan Bencuya National Communications Strategist Sierra Club 202-495-3047 o 415-255-5521 m eitan.bencuya(a)sierraclub.org -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Bridge To Nowhere? NOAA Confirms High Methane Leakage Rate Up To 9% From Gas Fields, Gutting Climate Benefit
by James Kotcon 03 Jan '13

03 Jan '13

This article reports very "preliminary" data on methane leakage rates from natural gas fields in Colorado and Utah which document that between 4 and 9 % of the methane produced was leaking into the atmosphere. The Utah data with the 9 % emissions was apparently unpublished, and simply was reported at a recent American Geophysical union meeting, so there may not even be a published abstract to cite. If these rates hold, true, they eliminate any climate benefit from using natural gas as a replacement for coal. Of course, without a significant price for carbon, basic economics means that most natural gas will be used "in addition" to, not as a replacement for, coal, and any purported climate benefit is meaningless. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/01/02/1388021/bridge-to-nowhere-noaa-… The actual Nature article is at: http://www.nature.com/news/methane-leaks-erode-green-credentials-of-natural… These data contradict recent reports from EPA and US-EIA that American greenhouse gas emissions have declined, largely due to gas substituting for coal in electricity generation. The electric generation data do not account for these fugitive emissions from leaking gas wells and pipelines. http://money.cnn.com/2012/06/21/news/economy/greenhouse-gases-cut/index.htm The take-home message is that we need to become much more focused on enforcement of air pollution from gas wells, or else ban shale gas altogether, as the emissions from shale gas well completions swamp most other losses, and this could mean "game-over" for the climate. JBK >>> "Ann Payne" <notification+zlrdzo1f(a)facebookmail.com> 1/3/2013 12:23 PM >>> Ann Payne posted in Stop the Fracking in Morgantown Industrial Park Ann Payne12:23pm Jan 3 Thanks for posting this, Mark. Bridge To Nowhere? NOAA Confirms High Methane Leakage Rate Up To 9% From Gas Fields, Gutting Climatethinkprogress.org Researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have reconfirmed earlier... View Post on Facebook · Edit Email Settings · Reply to this email to add a comment.

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Fw: 'Fiscal cliff' deal includes extension to tax credit for wind industry
by Frank Young 02 Jan '13

02 Jan '13

"A one-year extension of a key tax credit for the wind industry made it into the fiscal cliff deal the U.S. Senate and House passed on Tuesday. "The tax credit, which has been a major driver for wind development across the U.S. over the past two decades, is worth 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of energy produced by new wind installations for their first 10 years of operation. "A White House news release confirmed that the production tax credit extension is included in the Senate package that the House also passed. According to industry insiders, it would allow any project that begins construction in 2013 to claim the credit, even if it goes online in 2014. The tax credit that expired on Monday could only be claimed for projects that went online in 2012." ----- Original Message ----- From: Peter Shoenfeld To: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2013 2:53 AM Subject: [WVHCBOARD] 'Fiscal cliff' deal includes extension to tax credit for wind industry http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130101/BUSINESS01/301010039/-Fiscal-cliff…

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(no subject)
by Sally Wilts 27 Dec '12

27 Dec '12

http://pizino.com/wp-content/themes/zbench/images/perfectway.php

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Chesapeake announces personnel reduction
by James Kotcon 21 Dec '12

21 Dec '12

I just saw this from Friday and found it ironic. Chesapeake cuts 275 jobs and sells Marcellus assets. But this week, the WV Chamber of Commerce predicts 58,000 new jobs in WV gas industry. Do you suppose the Chamber was paying attention to what Chesapeake actually does, or just their PR? JBK >>> "Donald C. Strimbeck" dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> 12/15/2012 4:19 AM >> ( mailto:dcsoinks@comcast.net ) THE STATE JOURNALChesapeake announces personnel reduction Posted: Dec 14, 2012 2:51 PM EST Updated: Dec 14, 2012 2:51 PM EST Chesapeake Energy Corp. is looking to cut its work force by 275 employees. Buyouts are being offered to employees who meet criteria based on a combination of age and years of Chesapeake service, the company said in a news release. The company did not give specific reasons for offering the buyouts other than to further its efforts "to maximize corporate performance and maintain our leadership role in this competitive and constantly evolving industry." On Dec. 11, Chesapeake announced that it had agreed to sell most of its remaining midstream assets in the Marcellus, Utica, Eagle Ford, Haynesville and Niobrara shale plays to Access Midstream Partners for about $2.16 billion. The sale includes "new market-based gathering and processing agreements covering various acreage dedication areas," according to the announcement. The sale is expected to close by the end of this month. Chesapeake also said it had completed the sale of other midstream assets in Oklahoma and Texas during the 2012 fourth quarter for about $175 million. Also, Chesapeake said it anticipates completing the sale of its remaining midstream assets by the end of the 2013 first quarter for approximately $425 million, bringing the total of current and anticipated midstream asset sales to $2.75 billion. Don Strimbeck, Sec/Treas Upper Mon River Assoc UpperMon.org MonRiverSummit.org WVU t-shirts & prints - FindHarri.com 109 Broad Street, P. O. Box 519 Granville WV 26534-0519 304-599-7585 (fax 4131) dcsoinks(a)comcast.net

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Tremendous new report on a carbon-free electric sector in 2030
by James Kotcon 21 Dec '12

21 Dec '12

New report argues that we should "overbuild" renewable capacity. Instead of sizing wind and solar for our electric generation needs, it is cheaper to build lots of excess capacity for when the wind don't blow, and when it is blowing, use the excess to decarbonize other energy sectors. This may be a "game-changer", just as the gas industry claims Marcellus is. JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ned Ford <Ned.Ford(a)fuse.net> Date: Wed, Dec 19, 2012 at 3:10 PM Subject: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Tremendous new report on a carbon-free electric sector in 2030 To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)lists.sierraclub.org This article just came from the Club's frack list. I found a link to the actual report, to save folks a couple of clicks. This is the first article I have seen (except for ones I've written) which gets it right. For those of us in the Midwest, they modeled PJM. It overstates the cost of ending fossil fuels in the electric sector because they do not examine the two most attractive forms of energy storage, building thermal storage and compressed air energy storage. But since they reach the right conclusion by using electric batteries and one tenth of the load from fossil fuels, it does not matter. Here is a link to the actual article they report, which fortunately is open access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378775312014759 What is particularly important about this is that they find that building excess generating capacity (up to three times peak load) is cheaper than trying to build to load and manage the variability with a larger amount of storage. This is an essential part of an overall climate strategy because it allows us to use the excess capacity for water and space heating to displace natural gas, and for vehicles to displace petroleum. (Both of those uses are generally going to enhance energy storage). We could use 50% more electricity in 2030 than EIA projects, and starting toward that goal today will prevent us from being whipsawed by the aging nuclear plants as they fail. Note that the headline below says 99.9% fossil-free, but the actual article says 90 to 99.9%. By the time we get there it won't matter. Some of you may find the graphic of renewable generation versus storage requirements to be the most interesting part of the article. It certainly takes a big bite out of the argument that all renewables need massive storage capability. I would like to work with people in the Club who want to articulate the message that the Sierra Club wants MORE electricity in the next two decades than EIA assumes we will need. Planning now, and starting now to build towards 50% more electricity than we use today is the only way we will get through the next decade with all the coal plant closures and the likely nuclear failures without economic catastrophe. We have to be a little circumspect about how we state that, but there is a growing body of argument that Business As Usual is going to end any chance of an economic recovery because of the high cost of new fossil plants. I have another reference I also found today, but it is a 5.4 MB powerpoint, and I will circulate a link if and when I can find one. In the mean time, if you are a glutton for this stuff, ask me offlist for the Risk powerpoint. There is a full report available from RAP, but the powerpoint is much more lucid than the written report. - Ned On 12/19/2012 11:49 AM, david Meiser wrote: http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2013/dec/renewable-energy-121012.html Renewable energy could fully power a large electric grid 99.9 percent of the time by 2030 at costs comparable to today’s electricity expenses, according to new research ( http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378775312014759 ) by the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical Community College. A well-designed combination of wind power, solar power and storage in batteries and fuel cells would nearly always exceed electricity demands while keeping costs low, the scientists found. “These results break the conventional wisdom that renewable energy is too unreliable and expensive,” said co-author Willett Kempton ( http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/people/profile.aspx?willett ), professor in the School of Marine Science and Policy in UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment ( http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/default.aspx ). “The key is to get the right combination of electricity sources and storage — which we did by an exhaustive search — and to calculate costs correctly.” The authors developed a computer model to consider 28 billion combinations of renewable energy sources and storage mechanisms, each tested over four years of historical hourly weather data and electricity demands. The model incorporated data from within a large regional grid called PJM Interconnection, which includes 13 states from New Jersey to Illinois and represents one-fifth of the United States’ total electric grid. Unlike other studies, the model focused on minimizing costs instead of the traditional approach of matching generation to electricity use. The researchers found that generating more electricity than needed during average hours — in order to meet needs on high-demand but low-wind power hours — would be cheaper than storing excess power for later high demand. Storage is relatively costly because the storage medium, batteries or hydrogen tanks, must be larger for each additional hour stored. One of several new findings is that a very large electric system can be run almost entirely on renewable energy. “For example, using hydrogen for storage, we can run an electric system that today would meeting a need of 72 GW, 99.9 percent of the time, using 17 GW of solar, 68 GW of offshore wind, and 115 GW of inland wind,” said co-author Cory Budischak, instructor in the Energy Management Department at Delaware Technical Community College and former UD student. A GW (“gigawatt”) is a measure of electricity generation capability. One GW is the capacity of 200 large wind turbines or of 250,000 rooftop solar systems. Renewable electricity generators must have higher GW capacity than traditional generators, since wind and solar do not generate at maximum all the time. The study sheds light on what an electric system might look like with heavy reliance on renewable energy sources. Wind speeds and sun exposure vary with weather and seasons, requiring ways to improve reliability. In this study, reliability was achieved by: expanding the geographic area of renewable generation, using diverse sources, employing storage systems, and for the last few percent of the time, burning fossil fuels as a backup. During the hours when there was not enough renewable electricity to meet power needs, the model drew from storage and, on the rare hours with neither renewable electricity or stored power, then fossil fuel. When there was more renewable energy generated than needed, the model would first fill storage, use the remaining to replace natural gas for heating homes and businesses and only after those, let the excess go to waste. The study used estimates of technology costs in 2030 without government subsidies, comparing them to costs of fossil fuel generation in wide use today. The cost of fossil fuels includes both the fuel cost itself and the documented external costs such as human health effects caused by power plant air pollution. The projected capital costs for wind and solar in 2030 are about half of today’s wind and solar costs, whereas maintenance costs are projected to be approximately the same. “Aiming for 90 percent or more renewable energy in 2030, in order to achieve climate change targets of 80 to 90 percent reduction of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the power sector, leads to economic savings,” the authors observe. The research was published online last month in the Journal of Power Sources. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp 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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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] the "12 Days of Coal" carol
by James Kotcon 21 Dec '12

21 Dec '12

Did you all see thios? Happy Holidays! JBK >>> James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)gmail.com> 12/21/2012 7:55 AM >>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: barbara conover <bconifer022(a)gmail.com> Date: Tue, Dec 18, 2012 at 4:41 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] the "12 Days of Coal" carol To: coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org I found this through a link from a link... so I don't know where it started or to whom to credit it... beyond Care2... but I thought you might enjoy adding this carol to your repertoire. (http://www.care2.com/causes/go-climate-carolsing-rudolph-the-dying-polar-be…) 12 Days of Coal On the 1st day of Christmas my true love said to me: There’s no such thing as clean coal On the 2nd day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 3rd day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 4th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 5th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 6th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 7th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 7 poisoned elementary schools 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 8th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 8 sludge-filled rivers 7 poisoned elementary schools 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 9th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 9 flattened mountains 8 sludge-filled rivers 7 poisoned elementary schools 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 10th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 10 asthmatic children 9 flattened mountains 8 sludge-filled rivers 7 poisoned elementary schools 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 11th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 11 unemployed workers 10 asthmatic children 9 flattened mountains 8 sludge-filled rivers 7 poisoned elementary schools 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 12th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 12 destroyed communities 11 unemployed workers 10 asthmatic children 9 flattened mountains 8 sludge-filled rivers 7 poisoned elementary schools 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: New approach could help resolve mountaintop mining issues
by Paul Wilson 11 Dec '12

11 Dec '12

New approach could help resolve mountaintop mining issues<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/Wvk…> Posted: 10 Dec 2012 07:13 AM PST A progressive approach to resolve the complex issues surrounding mountaintop mining needs to incorporate good civic science and meaningful routes for public involvement, researchers say. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: NPR.org - Conflicts, Errors Revealed In Positive Fracking Study
by James Kotcon 08 Dec '12

08 Dec '12

You may recall this story earlier this year. The study has now been withdrawn, and the authors have been retired/resigned. http://www.npr.org/2012/12/07/166755886/positive-fracking-study-was-funded-… Conflicts, Errors Revealed In Positive Fracking Study by Wade Goodwyn ( http://www.npr.org/people/1939802/wade-goodwyn ) December 7, 2012 A report that shed favorable light on fracking is at the center of a controversy at the University of Texas. The head of the school's Energy Institute has stepped down and another professor has retired after an investigation found numerous errors and flaws in the report — and undisclosed conflicts of interest. Copyright © 2012 National Public Radio. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required. AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: A University of Texas study that says hydraulic natural gas fracturing is safe has been withdrawn, and its author has retired and left the university. From Dallas, NPR's Wade Goodwyn has the story. WADE GOODWYN, BYLINE: The fracking study is now a black eye to the University of Texas after an independent review of national experts found it scientifically unsound and tainted by conflicts of interest. The author of the study, Dr. Charles Groat, retired in the wake of the scathing review, and the university announced that Dr. Raymond Orbach, head of the university's Energy Institute that released the study, has resigned his position. The original fracking study concluded that hydraulic fracturing was safe, the danger of water contamination low and suggestions to the contrary mostly media bias. But then it was reported this summer that Professor Groat sat on the board of a natural gas drilling company and received more than a million and a half dollars in compensation. That information was not disclosed in Groat's report. In a statement, the University of Texas said it accepted the findings of the independent review. This is the third time in three months that fracking research by energy-friendly university industry consortiums has been discredited. The Shale Resources Institute at the State University of New York at Buffalo was closed after questions were raised about the quality and independence of its work. And an industry canceled their fracking study after professors at Penn State University refused to participate. Wade Goodwyn, NPR News, Dallas. Copyright © 2012 National Public Radio A more detailed story, with additional links, from Texas Public radio is at: http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2012/12/06/review-of-ut-fracking-study-fin… This is gonna be HUGE. Thanks to Dave Mcmahon for the original link. Jim Kotcon

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Volunteer Webinar - Your Input Requested on Sierra Club Climate Agenda
by Paul Wilson 08 Dec '12

08 Dec '12

*fyi, paul * ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)prodigy.net> Date: Fri, Dec 7, 2012 at 11:21 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Volunteer Webinar - Your Input Requested on Sierra Club Climate Agenda To: coal volunteer list <coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Please join us! Verena *You are invited to a webinar to share your thoughts on the Sierra Club's 2013 climate and clean energy agenda for the White House. * Now that President Obama has won reelection, many of you have asked what the Sierra Club's major climate and clean energy asks will be in his second term. A stellar group of volunteers and staff members from across the Sierra Club have been working on this Agenda, which will drive our compelling and powerful work out of the gates in 2013. As part of that process, we want to get your input and ideas. We will be holding two webinars for volunteers next week to give an overview of the Agenda, along with our plans to roll it out publicly in January with “100 Days of Action” between the Inauguration and Earth Day. There will be time in the agenda to get your feedback on the agenda. Please join us for one of the following webinars! *Volunteer webinars: Wednesday & Thursday, Dec. 12 & 13 - 8:00pm ET / 7:00 CT / 6:00 MT / 5:00 PT * Please note that you have to register in advance to participate in the webinar, which you can do at the link below. Be sure you register for the appropriate webinar - staff or volunteer - as they will be structured a bit differently. Also, you only need to attend one webinar - we will be repeating the same content both times, and are offering multiple time slots to allow the maximum number of people to participate *Register for a session now by clicking a date below:* Wed, Dec 12, 2012 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EST <https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/160378839> Thu, Dec 13, 2012 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EST <https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/665136319> Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with information you need to join the Webinar. *System Requirements* PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 ServerMac®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newerMobile attendees Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: WVNS story: NY Times Knows More About WV Tax Breaks than Legislators
by Paul Wilson 06 Dec '12

06 Dec '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Thu, Dec 6, 2012 at 3:51 AM Subject: WVNS story: NY Times Knows More About WV Tax Breaks than Legislators To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> NY Times Knows More About WV Tax Breaks than Legislators Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29659-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (12/06/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A major New York Times investigation is pushing West Virginia lawmakers to examine the tax breaks they give to businesses. According to the Times, each year state and local governments give companies the equivalent of about $850 per West Virginian. That's one of the highest ratios in the country - equal to about one-third of the state budget. Senate Finance Committee Chair Roman Prezioso (D-Dist. 13)) says for years he has been frustrated trying to find out how much the state gives out in tax breaks, let alone how many jobs are created in the process. "How could the New York Times come in and do an oversight, when we as legislators can't get those answers? We want to know why a third of our total budget does not have the oversight folks say it should." Many in the business community say the tax breaks spark economic growth and new jobs. Prezioso agrees it is probably true for some, but lawmakers have no way of knowing which ones. During the last session, Prezioso says he refused to pass any new tax breaks. As he puts it, he "boxed them up" in his committee because the state doesn't measure how many jobs are created or how the tax programs could be made more efficient. "I took a lot of heat: 'He must be against business.' Well, I'm not against business. We just can't continue to go down this path without having specific benchmarks." Nine years ago, officials negotiated what is known as a "tax increment financing" deal with outdoor retailer Cabela's. The company won subsidies worth about a $150 million dollars. Prezioso says it was probably worth it, but he wonders if the state risks undermining funding for schools when it makes such deals. "Is there a tipping point? Can you overextend the state in tax increment financing, then all of a sudden your revenues dry up, but you have all this infrastructure?" The legislature will hold a public hearing on the issue on Dec. 12. It will start at 11 a.m. in the House of Delegates chamber at the state capitol. The New York Times findings on West Virginia can be found at www.nytimes.com<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/01/us/government-incentives.html…> . Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29659-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29659-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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from the Center for Media and Democracy: ALEC and Heartland Aim to Crush Renewable Energy Standards in the States
by Paul Wilson 05 Dec '12

05 Dec '12

ALEC and Heartland Aim to Crush Renewable Energy Standards in the States [image: Image of ALEC and Heartland Institute logos]An effort to stomp out state renewable energy mandates across the country has roots in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). As reported by *The Washington Post*, the Heartland Institute wrote the bill, had it passed through ALEC, and is now targeting the 29 states and the District of Columbia, which have passed renewable energy requirements in some form. Read more<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=X3rVLQDRsoaeYG%2Byoi…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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energy organizer?
by James Kotcon 04 Dec '12

04 Dec '12

We have been working recently on the First Energy/Harrison power plant transfer with some national staff, as well as allies such as EEWV. As you may recall, First Energy wants to raise rates to transfer the Harrison power plant to Mon Power, so that ratepayers, not stockholders, are responsible for any costs associated with carbon rules, etc. The PSC is hearing these rate cases this month, and Mon Power is asking for a decision on the transfer case by the end of March. I made a strong pitch that we will need heavy public pressure to counter the "Friends of Coal" that will want to keep coal-fired plants running and mine more coal. We will argue that energy efficiency is a much better way to meet consumer demand than another dinosaur coal plant. There may be funds for a short-term organizer to help turn out public comment. I think that if the issue is framed to be about electric rates, we will win. If the issue is framed about how to help the coal industry, we will have a much more difficult time. Anyone have any thoughts on a scope of work, or possible candidates for an outreach person? I this happens, it would move pretty quickly. Jim Kotcon

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Re: [EC] [wvec-board] Ohio vs injection gas wells
by James Kotcon 01 Dec '12

01 Dec '12

Thanks for the post Cindy. But I would argue that this is more than "a bit of peaceful fun/protest". The "informational meeting" concept has been used extensively for the last 10-15 years by agencies as a means of reducing public input and squelching information sharing. neither the citizen nor the agency are "on the record" at these events, and since no one hears what others are saying, community concerns are not shared and information about risks gets buried in a file cabinet, instead of getting broadcast to all interested citizens. A formal public hearing also has limitations, but it does provide a mechanism to disseminate information to the community, as well as enter formal statements into the record. One drawback with both formats is that the agency is not "on the record". Although they claim they want to share information and answer questions, none of the experts brought in by the agency can be held to anything they say. Hence, there is a tendency for the agency people to spout nonsense with aggressive certainty, in an effort to assure the crowd that they have it all under control. The information meeting format might be useful if it is done early in the process, but once the agency has a draft permit out, they have pretty much made up their mind, and do not want to be inconvenienced by public comment, so I get really frustrated and upset by that kind of process. I commend the people of Athens for their response. We may want to do something similar some day. Jim Kotcon >>> cindy rank <clrank2(a)gmail.com> 11/30/2012 12:52 PM >>> a bit of peaceful fun/protest..... http://www.frackfreeamerica.org/1/post/2012/11/public-ejected-from-injectio… Public Ejected From Injection Well Non-Hearing At Athens, Ohio, ODNR Open House 11/29/2012 1 Comment photo credit: Appalachia Resist! and Athens County Fracking Action Network Contacts: ACFAN, AR!: 740 591 2693 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 28, 2012. To: News Media From: Appalachia Resist! and Athens County Fracking Action Network Contacts: ACFAN, AR!: 740 591 2693 Re: ODNR INVITES PUBLIC IN, THEN KICKS THEM OUT ORIGINAL POSTED HERE: http://www.acfan.org/2012/odnr-invites-the-public-in-kicks-them-out/ Includes more images. Tonight, soon after the ODNR invited the public into an "open house" about injection wells , they thought better of it and ordered the public to leave. Though over 100 community members requested a public hearing about a newly permitted well, the ODNR had instead opted for an “open house” format, designed to diffuse agency accountability and community solidarity. The event was held 6 PM Wednesday night at the ODNR headquarters on East State Street. More than fifty residents were crowded inside the ODNR headquarters on East State Street, when they took matters into their own hands and transformed the ODNR'S planned "open house" into the public hearing they had requested. The crowd was made up of concerned landowners, farmers, business owners, and mothers with young children. Ex-county commissioner Roxanne Groff hosted the impromptu event. She began by acknowledging Rick Simmers, Chief of the Division of Oil and Gas Resource Management, and moved on to take prepared public comments from the assembled crowd. ODNR personnel were visibly at a loss. Law enforcement quickly interrupted Groff, asking her to leave, at which point Groff asked the public if they would like her to continue. The room broke into enthusiastic applause. After law enforcement again ordered residents to leave, the crowd broke into a “mic check", chanting as they left the building "The ODNR has been bought by the oil and gas industry!" "No new permits!" "When is the public hearing?" When the public left, the room was nearly empty, except for ODNR personnel and the large law enforcement presence they had invited. After the public was ordered out, they were met outside by over 100 Athens County residents who had marched down east State Street to ODNR headquarters to voice their objection to the ODNR’s continuing disregard of the widespread community concern about Class II injection wells. The marchers carried placards emblazoned with skulls and held a banner that read "Shut it Down! No New Wells!" and signs with slogans such as “Our Safety is Not for Sale”, "Defend Our Water", "We Demand a Public a Hearing", and "I Want my Concerns on Record" ". Marchers wore hazmat style suits and respirators to draw attention to the fact that Class II injection wells accept massive amounts of radioactive fracking waste from out-of-state. Community objection to injection wells has been increasing lately, as landowners have realized that they do not have any say if an injection well goes into operation on or near their property. Ms. Malvena Frost, who owns the property on which the Atha injection well is proposed in Rome Township, Athens County, does not want an injection well on her land. She “fears her only source of drinking water, a private well...will be contaminated," according to public comments submitted on her behalf to ODNR by her attorney, Mike Hollingsworth. SB315, cited by some as a law that will increase regulations on injection wells, actually makes it easier for ODNR to bypass public notice period for new wells, and makes it more difficult for landowners to appeal permits. A public hearing, the ODNR’s standard system for public redress, allows citizen comments to be entered into the legal record, so that citizens can challenge an agency decision through the court system. An “open house” offers no such substantial participation in public process. Underscoring how opposed they were to receiving public input, ODNR designated an outdoor, “free speech zone” for the ralliers, and forbade the public from bringing in signs, banners, backpacks, or audio or videocameras. One citizen was ordered to leave after recording officials' comments. Ralliers brought their own solar-powered sound system, stage, and roster of speakers. "We will challenge these intolerable restrictions on our constitutional rights to freedom of speech and assembly," said Smiles Welch, the emcee of the event. Speakers at the event raised many objections to injection wells, including a history of failed wells and water contamination. The ODNR claims that there have been no cases of water contamination by Class II injection wells in Ohio for decades, yet they do no testing of groundwater or surface water near the wells. "The reason they have not found contamination is that they have never looked for it," stated Grace Hall, one of the 100 who sent in objections. Although the fracking waste that is dumped into injection wells is hazardous, it is not legally classified as such due to exemptions given to the oil and gas industry. Nov 28, 2012, 2 minute video by Don E Wirtshafter. " The Ohio Department of Natural Resources tried to abridge citizen rights to a hearing before granting a permit for a new toxic waste injection well in their community. Instead, they hosted a "public meeting", a dog a pony show that had no legal impact. This is the community's reaction." LINK to original if player does not load: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZEnMzjK69-k photo from: Appalachia Resist! and Athens County Fracking Action Network Contacts: ACFAN, AR!: 740 591 2693 Other media coverage: The Columbus Dispatch, November 29, 2012. Columbus, Ohio. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/11/29/fracking-dispute-g… The Athens News, November 28, 2012. Athens, Ohio. http://www.athensnews.com/ohio/article-38515-odnr-shuts-down-attempt-at-imp… 2 Previous Protests, June 26, August 15, October 3, 2012: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=506640166022449&set=pb.2055752994622… WATCH PROMISED LAND TRAILER (CLICK) About Current issues covered by Frackfree America National Coalition based in Youngstown, Ohio - F.A.N.C.Y. Archives November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 May 2012 Categories All City Council Illinois Ingraffea Injection Well New York Odnr Ohio Rally Toxic Wastewater Youngstown RSS Feed Create a free website with __._,_.___Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use • Send us Feedback . __,_._,___

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Re: [EC] from ScienceDaily n-newsletter: Installed price of solar photovoltaic systems in US continues to decline at rapid pace
by James Kotcon 30 Nov '12

30 Nov '12

Here is a pretty important development. According to the article: "Utility-scale systems installed in 2011 registered even lower prices, with most systems larger than 10,000 kW ranging from $2.80/W to $3.50/W." By way of comparison, the 695 MW Longview plant (which also began operation in 2011) cost just over $2 billion to construct, for an installed cost of $2.88/W. This does not include the cost of fuel or operation and maintenance costs, which are considerably higher for coal than for solar. Those radicals at Science Daily, what outlandish things will they say next! JBK From: Paul Wilson ( mailto:pjgrunt@gmail.com ) Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 10:47 AM To: Coal Alerts ( mailto:coal-volunteers-list@sierraclub.org ) ; WV Chapter Energy Committee ( mailto:EC@osenergy.org ) Cc: John Christensen ( mailto:jbc329@earthlink.net ) ; Hogue, Robert ( mailto:Robert.Hogue@va.gov ) Subject: from ScienceDaily n-newsletter: Installed price of solar photovoltaic systems in US continues to decline at rapid pace Most of you probably know this, but... Installed price of solar photovoltaic systems in US continues to decline at rapid pace ( http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/AbB… ) Posted: 27 Nov 2012 10:02 AM PSTThe installed price of solar photovoltaic power systems in the United States fell substantially in 2011 and through the first half of 2012, according to new research. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 ( tel:304-725-4360 ) Cell: 304-279-1361 ( tel: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 -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: WVNS story: Veterans Salute the Wind Energy Tax Credit
by Paul Wilson 28 Nov '12

28 Nov '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Wed, Nov 28, 2012 at 3:48 AM Subject: WVNS story: Veterans Salute the Wind Energy Tax Credit To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Veterans Salute the Wind Energy Tax Credit Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29489-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (11/28/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - One segment of the American workforce is speaking out on behalf of wind-energy development, even in the coal states. Military veterans say their experiences in the oil-rich Middle East have convinced them that the U.S. should be doing more to encourage domestic alternative-energy sources. Some have chosen new careers in the field, including Duane Enger, who works for Gamesa in Pennsylvania. He's an Iraq War veteran who develops wind projects, and he's not shy about his interest in the Production Tax Credit (PTC), which is waiting on congressional action for renewal. "There's 37-thousand-some-odd jobs that are on the line and, to be honest, mine's one of them. And so I'm concerned and I'm interested in seeing the Production Tax Credit be extended." The Production Tax Credit gives a little more than two cents back to wind-power producers for every kilowatt-hour of power they generate. Enger says the uncertainty about its renewal has already prompted companies to slow or cancel wind-energy projects and lay off workers, including at his company. Critics of the tax credit say it gives wind power an unfair and unsustainable advantage. Supporters argue that other energy industries, including coal, get much larger subsidies and have for years. Veterans' interest in wind technology doesn't surprise Michael Breen, a former Army officer who now heads the Truman National Security Project. Breen says many of the skills learned in the military translate well to clean-energy industries, including the willingness to take on a new challenge. "And the clean-energy sector is like that. It's a dynamic, emerging place: new solutions are being put forward that are going to make all of our lives better and make us stronger as a country. Veterans are naturally attracted to that sort of thing." The Senate Finance Committee has approved an extension of the expiring tax credit, but the real question is whether Congress will take it up before the lame-duck session ends. Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29489-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29489-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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from ScienceDaily n-newsletter: Installed price of solar photovoltaic systems in US continues to decline at rapid pace
by Paul Wilson 28 Nov '12

28 Nov '12

Most of you probably know this, but... Installed price of solar photovoltaic systems in US continues to decline at rapid pace<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/AbB…> Posted: 27 Nov 2012 10:02 AM PST The installed price of solar photovoltaic power systems in the United States fell substantially in 2011 and through the first half of 2012, according to new research. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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EEWV on the Harrison power plant sale to Mon Power
by James Kotcon 27 Nov '12

27 Nov '12

Let's see, Mon Power could lower my electric rates by 5 5, or raise them by 2 %. Which one do I want? JBK http://www.register-herald.com/local/x983010197/Coalition-opposes-companies… Coalition opposes companies' proposal to buy coal plants By Wendy Holdren, The Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va. Nov. 27-- Energy Efficient West Virginia (EEWV) is opposing Mon Power and Potomac Edison’s recent proposal to the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) to purchase coal plants from another subsidiary of their parent company, FirstEnergy. EEWV argues that the utility's plan is unnecessary and will expose ratepayers to additional risk. The utility has proposed to purchase 80 percent of the Harrison Power Plant, an additional 1477 MW of coal-fired capacity, and Mon Power already owns 20 percent of the plant, according to a release from EEWV. Harrison was constructed in the early 1970s and the 80 percent interest in the plant to be transferred is currently owned by Allegheny Energy Supply Co., which is also owned by FirstEnergy. The FirstEnergy companies' plan would raise residential rates by about 2 percent, in addition to eliminating what would otherwise have been a nearly 5 percent residential rate decrease for 2013, according to EEWV. The company is requesting fast-tracked regulatory approval by mid-April, but the West Virginia Citizen Action Group (WVCAG), a member of the EEWV coalition, will urge the PSC to oppose the proposal. "FirstEnergy has requested a ridiculously short timeline for the PSC to scrutinize this proposal," executive director of WVCAG Gary Zuckett said. "FirstEnergy is proposing a long-term deal that will lock its West Virginia customers into owning and operating this coal plant for at least another decade." He said according to its own filings at the PSC, there are no cost savings for state customers. "The plant is actually a long-term liability that they want to unload onto West Virginia where it will be guaranteed to recover its cost regardless of whether or not it's competitive." The proposal would reduce financial risk for FirstEnergy because it will allow the plant to recover its operating costs plus profit in the state's regulated electricity market, according to EEWV, and if the proposal is not approved, the plant will continue to sell into a deregulated electricity market where it has to compete with other generators. Due to low natural gas prices, coal-fired electricity production is currently more expensive and coal generation has been driven to record lows. EEWV says on the regional electricity grid, PJM, coal generation in the first half of 2012 was 10 percent lower than the same period last year; FirstEnergy's profits fell 20 percent in the third quarter in 2012, in part due to the reduced profits in the competitive electricity market. Both Mon Power and Potomac Edison were required to file a long-term "Resource Plan" with the PSC earlier this year. According to the company's estimates, the cost of purchasing the Harrison plant offers no long-term financial advantage to customers compared with continuing to purchase power from the regional electricity market. West Virginia's other major electric utility, Appalachian Power, is similarly planning to purchase 1647 MW of existing coal plants from a deregulated subsidiary of its parent company, American Electric Power. Their proposal is expected to be filed with the PSC next month. FirstEnergy's Resource Plan failed to evaluate an expansion of the company's energy efficiency programs to help meet future energy needs, even though reducing demand through energy efficiency is a low-cost and low-risk option for meeting electricity needs, according to EEWV. Mon Power and Potomac Edison currently have one of the least ambitious energy efficiency programs in the country. FirstEnergy's proposal highlights the need for a robust integrated resource planning process, according to EEWV. With an integrated resource planning process, utilities would be required to regularly file with the PSC long-term plans analyzing a range of scenarios to show how they can meet future electricity demand at the lowest cost, considering both energy efficiency and traditional power plants. In states with strong IRP requirements, this creates a more proactive process for the PSC and other stakeholders to scrutinize all options available to the company to make sure that the company's long-term investment decisions are in the best interest of electricity customers. EEWV will be urging the PSC to reject FirstEnergy's proposal. For more information, visit www.eewv.org. -- E-mail: wholdren(a)register-herald.com ___ (c)2012 The Register-Herald (Beckley, W.Va.)

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Shale Gas Litigation strategies
by James Kotcon 23 Nov '12

23 Nov '12

Informative article by an industry lawyer on new litigation strategies. Author is Margaret Anne Hill, Partner, Blank Rome LLP. Full bio at: http://www.blankrome.com/index.cfm?contentID=10&bioID=2141 Full story is at: http://www.blankrome.com/index.cfm?contentID=37&itemID=2943 The Emerging Litigation Strategy of Environmental Organizations Seeking to Curtail Shale Oil and Gas Development November 2012 (No. 5) Shale Oil & Gas Development Opponents of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling activities initially pursued litigation as one might have anticipated. The suits filed first involved allegations of groundwater contamination and toxic tort injury. Typically, common law claims, such as those for nuisance, trespass, negligence, and strict liability, were asserted in those early suits. Occasionally, environmental statutory claims, such as under the federal Air Pollution Prevention and Control Act (the “Clean Air Act”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 7401 to 7671q, surfaced as well. See, e.g., Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future v. Ultra Resources, Inc., No. 11-cv-1360, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136494 (M.D. Pa. Sept. 24, 2012). Some of these cases were resolved through private party settlements, see, e.g., Mitchell v. Encana Oil & Gas (USA), Inc., et al., No. 10-cv-02555 (N.D. Tex. Dec. 15, 2010); others were dismissed (with and without prejudice) because of plaintiffs’ failure to demonstrate a causal link between the alleged injuries on the one hand and hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling activities on the other, see, e.g., Strudley v. Antero Resources Corp., et al., No. 11-cv-2218 (Dist. Ct., Denver, CO, May 9, 2012). In short, by pursuing this strategy, those opposed to shale oil and gas development were finding success in their litigation objectives elusive, as they were gaining almost none of the traction for which they had hoped. As a result, environmental organizations, opting not to limit their attack strictly to suits of the type noted above, have adopted a more expansive litigation strategy. A parallel track is emerging, and by embarking on this additional path, these activist groups hope to pose a significant threat to continued development and production of unconventional oil and gas reserves in the United States. For opponents of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling activities, the second prong of attack involves the assertion of claims against federal or state agencies under Acts such as the following: the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), 42 U.S.C. § 4321, et seq.; the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”), 16 U.S.C. § 1531, et seq.; and California’s Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 21000, et seq. This strategy also extends to the filing of administrative petitions with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”). Industry opponents are fashioning petitions designed to require industry to provide more detailed data with respect to operations, no doubt hoping that if their petitions are successful, the compelled disclosures will facilitate additional litigation. In California, there has been a fair amount of activity evidencing this new line of attack. The Center for Biological Diversity (the “Center”) recently launched an ESA challenge against the federal agency responsible for managing federal lands and subsurface mineral estates underlying federal, state, and private lands, the U.S. Department of Interior’s (“DOI”) Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”). In pertinent part, ESA requires each federal agency to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”) or the National Marine Fisheries Service (“NMFS”) to “insure that any action authorized, funded, or carried out by such agency...is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered species or threatened species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of [critical] habitat of such species.” 16 U.S.C. § 1536(a)(2). In its August 29, 2012, letter advising of its intent to commence a citizen suit under ESA at the expiration of sixty days (“Notice”), the Center noted that the California’s Monterey Shale formation is estimated to contain 40 percent of the nation’s total shale oil reserves, or over 13 billion barrels of shale oil. Techniques utilized there now include a “new combination of multi-stage slickwater hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling (hereinafter ‘fracking’),” and use of this extraction method is expected to increase significantly, the Center further advised in its Notice. Although acknowledging that the BLM has issued oil and gas leases and drilling permits in the public lands that overlie the Monterey Shale formation “for decades,” the Center nonetheless now contends ESA has been violated. With the advent of new drilling techniques and of increased drilling activity on public land in California, BLM failed to conduct proper evaluation of the threat to ESA-listed species, and instead relied on “outdated biological opinions,” the Center argues. In its Notice, the Center demands BLM reinitiate endangered species act consultation regarding oil and gas leasing and drilling activities in California, and that all such activities cease. Additionally, the Center and the Sierra Club have an existing suit pending against the BLM and the Secretary of the DOI in the Northern District of California. Center for Biological Diversity, et al. v. Bureau of Land Management, et al., No. 11-06174 (N.D. Cal. filed Dec. 8, 2011). At issue in this particular federal litigation is an alleged September 2011 oil and gas lease sale of approximately 2,700 acres located in Monterey and Fresno counties, California. Plaintiffs contend that designated watershed areas and habitat for threatened and endangered species are at issue. Further, they argue that BLM’s decision to lease allegedly sensitive lands for oil and gas development must be overturned because it allegedly occurred without a full, thorough and sufficient examination of the effects drilling there would have on California’s landscapes, wildlife, watersheds and air quality. In this action, the plaintiffs claim the defendants violated NEPA and other Acts. NEPA is a procedural statute that, in pertinent part, requires a federal agency to prepare an environmental impact statement (“EIS”) as part of any “major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.” 42 U.S.C. § 4332(2)(C). An agency must prepare an EIS for any action that has “individually insignificant but cumulatively significant impacts.” 40 C.F.R. § 1508.27(b)(7). In January 2013, the court is scheduled to hear the parties’ pending summary judgment motions. Recently, the Center, and others, obtained success in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in challenges to various determinations of the BLM, the FWS and the Army Corps of Engineers concerning the Ruby Pipeline Project. On October 22, 2012, that federal appellate court issued its decisions in the petitioners’ favor. See Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Bureau of Land Mgmt., 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 22016 & 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 22088 (9th Cir. Oct. 22, 2012). The Ruby Pipeline Project concerned a natural gas pipeline traversing more than 678 miles, extending from Wyoming to Oregon. The right-of-way for the pipeline encompassed approximately 2,291 acres of federal lands and crossed numerous rivers and streams supporting threatened and endangered species. In the FWS’s biological opinion, that federal agency advised that the project “would adversely affect” nine of those species and five designated critical habitats. FWS nonetheless determined that the project “would not jeopardize these species or adversely modify their critical habitat.” The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that, under ESA, the FWS’s biological opinion had to be set aside as arbitrary and capricious for two reasons: first, its “no jeopardy” and “no adverse modification” determinations relied on protective measures set forth in a conservation plan unenforceable under the ESA; and second, it did not take into account the potential impacts of withdrawing approximately 338 million gallons of groundwater from numerous wells along the pipeline. Because the BLM had relied on the FWS’s biological opinion in its Record of Decision (“ROD”), the court set aside the BLM’s ROD as well. Another of the petitioners’ challenges succeeded, too. By the time of the circuit court’s review, the pipeline was completed. The federal appellate court nonetheless determined a violation of NEPA had occurred and that “[a]n appropriate FEIS [Final Environmental Impact Statement] could still yield effective postconstruction relief in the form of mitigation.” With regard to the cumulative impact analysis that must comport with NEPA, the court found that little quantitative, specific information was provided in the FEIS, other than that the project was projected to destroy more than 9000 acres of sagebrush steppe vegetation and habitat. Because “the FEIS does not provide sufficient ‘quantified or detailed data,’...about the cumulative loss of sagebrush steppe vegetation and habitat,” the court remanded the matter to the BLM to undertake a revised cumulative effects analysis. On October 16, 2012, Earthjustice, on behalf of the Center, the Sierra Club, and two other environmental advocacy groups, initiated state court litigation against the California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (“DOGGR”), the state agency regulating oil and gas activities in California. Center for Biological Diversity, et al., v. California Dep’t of Conservation, Case No. RG12652054 (Cal. Super. Ct., Alameda Co, filed Oct.16, 2012). Although admitting in their complaint that “[h]ydraulic fracturing (or ‘fracking’) was first developed in the early 20th century and has been used in California as far back as the 1950s,” the plaintiffs contend that DOGGR never formally evaluated the practice and has been derelict with respect to its various statutory responsibilities under CEQA, California’s state analog to NEPA. Their lawsuit seeks, among other things, a declaration from the court that DOGGR is in violation of CEQA for failing to consider, evaluate, and mitigate the environmental and public health impacts of fracking when approving oil and gas well permits. The other aspect of industry opponents’ emerging strategy is the filing of petitions in order to prompt greater regulation, to delay or curtail oil and gas development, and/or to facilitate additional litigation. For example, on August 4, 2011, Earthjustice and other advocates filed a citizens’ petition with the EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act (“TSCA”), 15 U.S.C. § 2601, et seq. Agreeing that “there is value in initiating a proposed rulemaking process using TSCA authorities to obtain data on chemical substances and mixtures used in hydraulic fracturing,” the EPA partially granted the petition on November 23, 2011. Having invoked TSCA authorities, EPA will draft regulations requiring industry to disclose details about the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing and to submit existing health and safety studies related to those chemicals. These disclosure regulations, if enacted, will be burdensome; but it is the use of the information disclosed to the EPA in conformity with any such regulations that is potentially more problematic. Industry members’ compelled disclosures will be used by environmental organizations, citizens groups and activists to advance litigation objectives. Additionally, the Sierra Club and more than a dozen other advocacy groups joined the Environmental Integrity Project in the filing of a petition with the EPA on October 24, 2012. Certain industrial sectors are required to report, on an annual basis, their releases of toxic chemicals to the Toxics Release Inventory (“TRI”) of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (“EPCRA”), 42 U.S.C. § 11001, et seq. The petitioners seek to compel the addition of the “oil and gas extraction industry” to the list of facilities required to report to the TRI. The petitioners acknowledge that fifteen years ago, the EPA elected not to do so. Notwithstanding the EPA’s prior determination not to subject this industry to EPCRA’s reporting requirement, the petitioners demand the imposition of this obligation on those businesses involved in “exploration and well development, production and processing, and site abandonment.” Again, any such obligation is more than merely burdensome; it presents a threat to industry. Because the information reported to the TRI is publicly accessible, those disclosures will fuel additional litigation - by environmental activists and others - against industry participants. As concerns hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling activities, the environmental activists are casting a wider net. To delay and impede further development of unconventional oil and gas reserves, these advocacy groups are coordinating their efforts; additionally, the attacks they are launching on the shale oil and gas industry are no longer limited to those which are customary or expected. Unconventional litigation and avenues are now pursued as well. Evidence of the emergence of this new strategy is found in environmental organizations’ recent filings in court - particularly in California - and with the EPA. Their latest efforts, in litigation and in administrative petitions, render this developing story one industry participants must follow. Notice: The purpose of this Alert is to identify select developments that may be of interest to readers. The information contained herein is abridged and summarized from various sources, the accuracy and completeness of which cannot be assured. This Alert should not be construed as legal advice or opinion, and is not a substitute for the advice of counsel.

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Fwd: WVNS story: Families Want Criminal Charges for Graveyard Destruction
by Paul Wilson 21 Nov '12

21 Nov '12

I think our state legislature passed a bill to protect graveyards, but the issue is still alive and not-so-well. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Wed, Nov 21, 2012 at 4:06 AM Subject: WVNS story: Families Want Criminal Charges for Graveyard Destruction To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Families Want Criminal Charges for Graveyard Destruction Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29365-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (11/21/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The people with loved ones in a desecrated Logan County cemetery are waiting to see if the gas company responsible for the damage appeals a ruling against it. In the meantime, many of them say the destruction of the graves is a crime that should be prosecuted. James Olbert of Holden, who grew up in the mostly-segregated Crystal Block coal camp, says he was heartbroken when he discovered a contractor for the gas company Equitable had bulldozed a road through the African-American graveyard there. "What was done was a felony. They give you a few dollars and think that's going to take care of everything. But I want the world to know what has happened here, instead of just pushing it under the rug." Olbert says his father's gravestone had been knocked aside, and it's now impossible to tell where the actual grave is. In fact, he says, the whole site has been completely changed. "Part of the cemetery is missing; it's been hauled away. My father's headstone was still there, but it wasn't where it was supposed to have been." The company argued in court that it was not directly responsible for what happened, and that no one knew the cemetery was there. Olbert says evidence that came out during the case says otherwise. "The bulldozer was told before he did his work there was a black cemetery there. He was told this, and he made a racial comment and just continued to do what he was doing, so it didn't make him any difference." Last month, after an eight-year legal battle, a Logan County court ruled Equitable's parent company would have to pay $900,000. The company called the destruction a "regrettable situation for everyone," but has not ended its legal challenge of the ruling. Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29365-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29365-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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KING COAL, ALIVE AND KICKING??????
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 21 Nov '12

21 Nov '12

[image: Green - Energy, the Environment and the Bottom Line] November 21, 2012, 7:41 am1 Comment<http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/king-coal-alive-and-kicking/#post…> King Coal, Alive and Kicking By THE NEW YORK TIMES<http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/author/the-new-york-times/> [image: The lion's share of new coal plants planned worldwide would be built in China and India.] World Resources Institute The lion’s share of new coal plants planned worldwide would be built in China and India. Some 1,200 new coal-fired power plants<http://pdf.wri.org/global_coal_risk_assessment.pdf>are being planned across the globe despite concerns about greenhouse gas emissions from such generating stations, the most polluting type, the World Resources Institute estimates. Two-thirds of them would operate in China and India, it says. [World Resources Institute] The United States and Mexico will share in both surpluses and water shortages under an accord overhauling how the two countries manage water from the Colorado River<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/us/us-and-mexico-sign-deal-on-managing-co…>. The river provides water to more than 33 million people in seven states and in Mexico. [The New York Times] Greenpeace looks into the use of hazardous chemicals<http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/t…>in the production of global fashion brands, testing 141 items of clothing that it purchased last spring. Nonylphenol ethoxylates, or NPEs, were found in nearly two-thirds of the items, it says. [Greenpeace]. Early indications suggest that the World Trade Organization has problems with Ontario’s clean energy program<http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/11/19/wto-green-energy.html>, which requires that at least 50 percent of the materials in wind and solar projects initiated this year be made in the province. [CBC] -- 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: Water is fracking issue in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado
by Paul Wilson 20 Nov '12

20 Nov '12

The attached report should be of interest. While we do not live in a desert habitat, fresh water is a finite resource and it looks like the Fracking Companies cannot turn contaminated water into wine. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Tim Guilfoile <tim.guilfoile(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Mon, Nov 19, 2012 at 7:48 PM Subject: Water is fracking issue in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado To: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Water is fracking issue in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado<http://www.ohio.com/blogs/drilling/ohio-utica-shale-1.291290/water-is-frack…> By BOB DOWNING Published: November 16, 2012 >From the Denver-based Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development: Commercial oil shale development in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado would require large volumes of water, threatening Western water supplies and jeopardizing fish and wildlife, according to a report<http://www.ourpubliclands.org/sites/default/files/files/Oilshale_report.pdf>released Thursday by Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development. According to the report, “Water Under Pressure: What Oil Shale Could Mean for Western Water, Fish and Wildlife,” a commercial oil shale industry would ultimately affect river flows and the habitat of native fish. Several important Western rivers – the Green, Colorado, White, Uintah and Duchesne – and the sportsmen who depend on them stand to see significant impacts from large-scale production. Whether it’s endangered and threatened species or the great trout fisheries beloved by anglers across the West, reduced stream flows will have negative repercussions for fish, sportsmen and the region’s outdoors-dependent economy. An economically viable technology to turn kerogen – a precursor to oil – into a usable fuel is unproven, and the scope of the potential environmental impacts is unclear. But the Government Accountability Office estimates that industrial-scale oil shale production could require as much as 123 billion gallons of water – enough water for a city of more than 750,000 homes. Roads, new power plants and transmission lines would have to be built, causing significant land disturbances and further carving up wildlife habitat already pressured by oil and gas drilling. The risk of water quality degradation from this intensive development is high and will require significant oversight, according to the report. Other potential risks include competition between current and new water users. The diversion of water from agriculture to industrial use could harm fisheries because between 10 and 40 percent of the water diverted for farms and ranches eventually flows back to the streams. The 1922 compact that allocates water from the Colorado River among seven Western states means the impacts of commercial oil shale production would be felt beyond the immediate area. “All Colorado River Basin water users together already use more water in an annual average year than the river produces. Predictions for the future show the imbalances between supplies and demands getting worse as the region’s population grows,” wrote Melinda Kassen, the report’s author and a water attorney and consultant. “For a resource that lies in the midst of the semi-arid West, with sparse precipitation and few large rivers, it is not clear where the water would come from or how it would affect fish and wildlife,” said Brad Powell, senior policy director for Trout Unlimited’s Sportsmen’s Conservation Project. “With the region’s water supply already strained and facing continued population growth, finding another increment of water for oil shale, while protecting native and sport fisheries, may be an insurmountable challenge.” Additional research will be needed to determine whether or not oil shale is economically and environmentally feasible. “Oil shale is a high-risk development on our public lands, with the greatest risk to our limited water supplies and important habitats for fish and wildlife,” said Powell. “The cautious approach outlined in the BLM’s recent decision, which focuses research and development on less sensitive lands, is prudent and helps ensure that our precious waters and habitats in the West will not be impacted until we learn more about the viability of the commercial development of oil shale.” The National Wildlife Federation, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Trout Unlimited are lead partners in the SFRED coalition<http://www.sfred.org/> . -- Tim Guilfoile Sierra Club Senior Campaign Organizer (859) 426-1978 tim.guilfoile(a)sierraclub.org ><(((*>~~><(((*> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS list, send any message to: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS-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/ -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Greenhouse gas emissions from regulatory policies, not natural gas
by James Kotcon 19 Nov '12

19 Nov '12

The Center for Climate Strategies just published this new report which deconstructs data from US-DOE. Projected greenhouse gas emissions for 2020 are down by 23 % compared to 2007 projections. The main drivers in the decline are a range of regulatory policies, accounting for almost 3/4 of the decline in emissions. The economic slump accounted for 18 % of the drop, while shifting from coal to natural gas for electric generation accounts for just 6 % of the drop. CAFE standards, and state energy efficiency standards each account for more than twice as much in greenhouse gas reductions than the switch to gas. In fact, energy efficiency standards are projected to reduce emissions more than twice as much as renewable portfolio standards. Important lessons here for the 2013 WV legislature. See the full report at: http://www.climatestrategies.us/library/library/view/993 Jim Kotcon

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Fwd: WVNS story: A New Direction For Mining
by Paul Wilson 19 Nov '12

19 Nov '12

WV chapter chair quoted on this WV Public News Service story. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Mon, Nov 19, 2012 at 4:36 AM Subject: WVNS story: A New Direction For Mining To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> A New Direction For Mining Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29361-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (11/19/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Patriot Coal's legal agreement to end mountaintop removal could signal a more sustainable direction for the industry and the state, according to an environmental group that is a party to the deal. Jim Sconyers, chair of the West Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, says now Patriot is free to address its financial troubles, which should be very good news for the company's employees and retirees. "That gives them more breathing room to come out of bankruptcy, where they are now, and to figure out how to continue to fulfill the company's obligations to retired miners and their pensions." The Sierra Club was one of three environmental groups that sued Patriot over the harmful pollution from its huge surface mines. Lane Boldman, Sierra Club Cumberland Chapter Mining Committee chair in Kentucky, says the settlement underscores what environmentalists have been saying for years: It's time to move in a different direction. "It's not worth the cost of the health effects; the region needs more jobs, different kinds of jobs; and the easy coal is going away." Instead of mountaintop removal, Patriot plans to "transition" to underground and small-scale surface mining. Sconyers says as far as mining what coal there is left, that could actually increase employment. "Underground mining does employ more people. That's why the companies have gone to mountaintop removal, because they get coal with less workers and labor." Patriot Coal is among the largest mountaintop removal operators in Appalachia. When announcing the move, the company said there would be no layoffs. Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29361-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29361-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] Who's got a great Frack photo?
by Jim Sconyers 16 Nov '12

16 Nov '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Janice Meier" <jsmeier(a)verizon.net> Date: Nov 16, 2012 8:21 AM Subject: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] Who's got a great Frack photo? To: <ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS(a)lists.sierraclub.org> Hi Folks, I'm getting ready for the UN climate change conference in Doha Qatar where the Club will have a booth themed "Beyond Fossil Fuels to Renewable Energy". Does anyone have a dirty grimy fracking photo that we could use for booth decor? Best, Janice - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This email list is associated with the Hydrofracking Team on the Sierra Club's Activist Network. Join the Hydrofracking Team at http://sc.org/frac. This list is open to the public and subscribers are not moderated. Please be aware that information you share may be forwarded to or read by others beyond this list. To unsubscribe from the ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS list, send any message to: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS-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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Guardian.co.uk - How cheap energy from shale will reshape America's role in the world
by william.depaulo 16 Nov '12

16 Nov '12

Discussion of strategic impact on US foreign policy as a result of looming energy independence........flowing from anticipated exponential growth of shale gas production. http://m.guardiannews.com/ms/p/gnm/us/view.m?id=15&gid=environment/2012/nov… Sent via the Samsung Galaxy Note® II, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone

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ABCNews.com: Patriot Coal to Stop Mountaintop Removal Mining
by william.depaulo 16 Nov '12

16 Nov '12

Congrats to Sierra, WV Highlands Conservancy and OVEC.......and Larry Gibson http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/patriot-coal-stop-mountaintop-removal-mi… Sent via the Samsung Galaxy Note® II, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone

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[WVUSSC] Fwd: Patriot Coal to Phase Out MTR!, More –An OVEC Action Alert
by James Kotcon 16 Nov '12

16 Nov '12

I think this is a really important deal. It is precedent setting for a WV coal company to admit that MTR is not good for its bottom line or for the community, and we should celebrate. Tonight!. So I am going to the new Black Bear (Evansdale) at 5:30-6:30. Be there or be square! JBK >>> "James Kotcon" <James.Kotcon(a)mail.wvu.edu> 11/15/2012 4:11 PM >>> >>> OVEC - Vivian Stockman <vivian(a)ohvec.org> 11/15/2012 2:20 PM >>> ( http://www.ohvec.org/action_alerts/ ) Support Our Work: ( https://donation.towercare.com/ovec-donation ) Donate ( https://donation.towercare.com/ovec-donation )Alert Archive ( http://ohvec.org/action_alerts/ ) Got Yahoo? View this alert online ( http://ohvec.org/action_alerts/2012/11_15.html )November 15, 2012 ( http://ohvec.org/action_alerts/2012/11_15.html ) Patriot to Phase out MTR! Today, November 15, in federal court in Huntington, W.Va., Patriot Coal Corporation announced its intention to immediately begin phasing out all large scale surface mining in Appalachia. The announcement follows an historic agreement with the Sierra Club ( http://www.sierraclub.org/ ), OVEC and the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy ( http://www.wvhighlands.org/ ), so ably represented by attorneys from Appalachian Mountain Advocates ( http://www.appalmad.org/ ). We owe a huge thank you to AppalMAD! (Help thank them by attending their November 17 fundraiser; info below.) Along with its commitment to end large scale surface mining in the region, the company also acknowledged the impact this destructive form of mining has on local communities and announced its commitment to reduce its environmental footprint. Patriot is among the largest mountaintop removal coal mine operators in Appalachia. Patriot will also retire significant infrastructure required to perform mountaintop removal mining, including the dragline at its Catenary mine complex on Kayford Mountain, which will be retired immediately, and the dragline at its Hobet mine complex (pictured below, chewing up Berry Branch in Lincoln County, W.Va.), which will be retired in 2015. ( http://www.ohvec.org/galleries/mountaintop_removal/020/index.html ) In a statement read in court, Patriot CEO Ben Hatfield said: Patriot Coal has concluded that the continuation or expansion of surface mining, particularly large scale surface mining of the type common in central Appalachia, is not in its long term interests. Todays proposed settlement commits Patriot Coal to phase out and permanently exit large scale surface mining and transition our business primarily toward underground mining and related small scale surface mining. Patriot Coal recognizes that our mining operations impact the communities in which we operate in significant ways, and we are committed to maximizing the benefits of this agreement for our stakeholders, including our employees and neighbors. We believe the proposed settlement will result in a reduction of our environmental footprint. This settlement is consistent with Patriot Coals business plan to focus capital on expanding higher margin metallurgical coal production and limiting thermal coal investments to selective opportunities where geologic and regulatory risks are minimized. Patriot Coal urges the Court to approve the settlement because it strengthens the Companys ability to continue operating with our nearly 4000 employees, and significantly increases the likelihood that we will emerge from the chapter 11 process as a viable business, able to satisfy our environmental and other obligations. OVEC founder Dianne Bady said, "We hope that this agreement, while holding Patriot responsible for its legacy of mining pollution, puts the company in a strong enough financial condition, through its underground mining, that it can honor its obligations to its retirees and workers." Read more here ( http://ohvec.org/press_room/press_releases/2012/11_15.html ). (Dragline photo: Vivian Stockman) Return to Index ( #index ) Take Action You can keep up the pressure and help speed up the end of mountaintop removal coal mining by taking the following actions: 1. The ILoveMountains website ( http://ilovemountains.org/about ) has an action you and everyone you forward the information to can take right now. Click here ( http://ilovemountains.org/no-more-excuses )to tell President Obama, "No More Excuses, End Mountaintop Removal Now." 2. Folks working to save Blair Mountain ( http://www.ohvec.org/newsletters/woc_2010_12/article_28.html ) in Logan County, W. Va., are in the midst of a campaign to challenge and block Arch Coals attempt to renew the Adkins Fork permit on the mountain. This permit is one of the most significant, as it lies in the heart of the battlefield and is the permit closest to the town of Blair. Watch a video here ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJPhBDykMZM ), and then take the first step in this campaign by writing a letter to the WV Department of Environmental Protection by November 23. For greatest impact, please take the time to compose your own letter and mail it (rather than e-mail). Click here ( http://blairmountain.org/letters-for-adkins-fork/ ) for all the info you need to write your own letter (or cut and paste, print and mail the sample letter if you just don't have time to compose your own). This is just the first step of the campaign, so stay tuned. ( http://ilovemountains.org/no-more-excuses ) Return to Index ( #index ) AppalMAD Event November 17 We urge you to thank the good folks at Appalachian Mountain Advocates ( http://www.appalmad.org/ ) by attending their November 17 fundraiser in Lewisburg, W.Va. The afternoon of poetry, music and discussion runs from 3 to 6 p.m. OVEC board member and Affrilachian poet Crystal Good ( http://crystalgood.net/tag/the-affrilachian-poets/ ) will read poetry and lead a discussion and the Black Twig Pickers will provide lively music. AppalMAD will serve regional autumn appetizers, along with beer, wine and fresh-pressed cider. Suggested donations for this special event are $75. Note that there is a special rate offered to OVEC members; reply to this e-mail for details. If you can't attend, you can still thank AppalMAD for their great work by clicking here ( http://www.appalmad.org/ ) to donate online or sending a check to Appalachian Mountain Advocates, P.O. Box 507, Lewisburg, WV 24901. Find more upcoming events on OVEC's online calendar ( http://www.ohvec.org/events_calendar/index.html ), and e-mail any events you would like us to consider posting online to: vivian(a)ohvec.org. Return to Index ( #index ) Feeling Thankful Speaking of thanks, we have so much to be thankful for as we begin the holiday season with today's great news, which comes as OVEC celebrates 25 years of organized voices and empowered communities. We sure are thankful for all the support OVEC members and friends have given us during these 25 years. Many members and supporters turned out for our 25th Birthday Bash, held on October 27. Thanks to everybody who came out and thanks to every group and individual who took out an ad in our 25th Birthday Bash program ( http://bit.ly/Sy0JTY ). Thanks to you, we are making positive change for our region. Return to Index ( #index ) In This Alert Patriot to Phase Out MTR! ( #one ) Take Action For Blair Mountain, All Mountains and Mountain Folk ( #two ) AppalMAD Event ( #three ) November 17 Feeling Thankful ( #four ) May no more communities and landscapes suffer this fate: Above: At Patriot's Hobet MTR site, massive dump trucks kick up a dust storm as they pass a drilling rig. Below: An aerial view of a small part of Patriots Hobet MTR operation. The circular patch of trees near the center-right of the photo is the Berry Branch Cemetery, which was once accessible from off of Mud River Road in Lincoln County, W.Va. The homes up Berry Branch hollow are gone now, obliterated like the landscape. Photos by Vivian Stockman. Flyover courtesy SouthWings.org. Membership Manual ( http://www.ohvec.org/about_ovec/member_manual.html )Daily News ( http://www.ohvec.org/ovec_news.html )OVEC Store ( http://www.cafepress.com/ohvec )Subscribe/Unsubscribe ( http://www.ohvec.org/action_alerts/ ) ( http://www.ohvec.org/blog/ ) ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/OVEC/151197381565944 ) ( http://twitter.com/#!/OVEC_WV ) ( http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCijgMocYmao-KnQhCHlg9ZA ) OVEC PO Box 6753 Huntington, WV 25773 www.ohvec.org 304-522-0246 ( https://donation.towercare.com/ovec-donation ) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SSCWVU" group. To post to this group, send email to sscwvu(a)googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to sscwvu+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sscwvu?hl=en.

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Fwd: WVNS story: Are the State's Political Debates Missing the Issue?
by Paul Wilson 02 Nov '12

02 Nov '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Fri, Nov 2, 2012 at 5:06 AM Subject: WVNS story: Are the State's Political Debates Missing the Issue? To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Are the State's Political Debates Missing the Issue? Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29129-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (11/02/12) CHARLESTON, W. Va. – Political discussions about the state's economy are missing the point, according to a new analysis<http://www.wvpolicy.org/category/blog>by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. It says the state is underestimating the importance of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security for our economy as a whole. Policy analyst Sean O'Leary says the big federal health and insurance programs are many times larger than the state's most politically prominent industries, when measured in terms of what portion they provide to the incomes of West Virginians. This means we should pay more attention to plans that could cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security than other issues, he says. "The impact of environmental regulations on the coal industry; the impact of a natural gas boom. Those two industries are only about 5.5 percent of our total personal income. These programs are, in aggregate, five times as great." O'Leary says the coal and natural gas industries make up less than six percent of the state's total personal income. But West Virginia's boom-and-bust economy and older demographics mean a quarter of the state's citizens depend on Social Security, and nearly as many depend on the healthcare programs, he explains. "We're an older population, and we have a high number of low-income families, low paying jobs. So, the state as a whole relies much more heavily on Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security than any other state in the country." He says a larger portion of West Virginians' total income comes from the programs than in any other state. "More than a fifth - 20.5 percent of our total. The national average for that figure is 12.8 percent, so we're way above the national average." Many of this year's political debates have focused on threats to the mining industry, and coal and its allies have attacked what they call a "war on coal." The analysis can be viewed on the Center's website<http://www.wvpolicy.org/category/blog> . Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29129-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29129-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: WVNS story: Did Climate Change Make Sandy Worse?
by Paul Wilson 01 Nov '12

01 Nov '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Thu, Nov 1, 2012 at 4:41 AM Subject: WVNS story: Did Climate Change Make Sandy Worse? To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Did Climate Change Make Sandy Worse? Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29102-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (11/01/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Global climate change could have contributed to Hurricane Sandy's impact, climate scientists say, although some political leaders in West Virginia are unconvinced. It's impossible to talk about a hurricane as having a single, simple cause, says Robert Henson, a National Center for Atmospheric Research meteorologist and author of "The Rough Guide to Climate Change," but climate change probably contributed. "Climate change is never the total cause of any one weather event, but in many cases it plays a supporting role. Certainly the atmosphere as a whole globally is warming and moistening. The oceans are warming, and that provides a bit more fuel for hurricanes." But Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, a longtime supporter of the coal industry, says his views on global warming have not changed. "Not really, I mean, I'm not sure what's causing it. We always have weather events, and I'm not certain that it's because of climate change. I'm not a scientist." West Virginia, like much of the mid-Atlantic, is digging out from the storm. According to Henson, meteorologists haven't nailed down a link to big storms, because those individual events are more isolated and unpredictable. But he says the link to broader trends is more clearly established - including a tie to heavier rainfall in some places and worse drought in others. "The warmer atmosphere is pulling more water out of the oceans. It's also pulling water out of dry land. Heavy rains and heavy snows are becoming a little more intense. At the same time, when it's dry it's tending to be dryer for longer periods." One strange thing about Sandy may yet be linked to climate change, Henson says: A high-pressure system that pushed the storm. "This blocking zone of high pressure up towards Newfoundland - eastern Canada - that forced the hurricane to go west into New Jersey. And there's no record of hurricanes ever taking that almost due-west path into the mid-Atlantic." A free e-copy of the Rough Guide and more on climate-change issues are online at ucar.edu. Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29102-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29102-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Re: [EC] Fwd: Re: [wvec-board] Check out Clashing views mark W.Va. governor race rematch - News - The Char
by Jim Sconyers 29 Oct '12

29 Oct '12

What I'm finding this election: Seems EVERY CANDIDATE is running as a friend of coal, a fighter against the war on coal, etc. Even candidates who've never taken such a position before. Case in point is my delegate Stan Shaver - he was an ally previously, now mailing after mailing is about coal. On Mon, Oct 29, 2012 at 9:24 AM, Gary Nelson <glnelson1(a)frontier.com> wrote: > ** > I got called into one of Bills conference call last night. I could not > get my question in about if he supported our gas moratorium. I did hear > enough about clean coal and EPA closing WV power plants from him to > convince me he deserves nobodys vote. But is Tomblyn a prince with all > his coronation cash from the coal companies?? > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Jim Sconyers <jimscon(a)gmail.com> > *To:* James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> > *Cc:* ec(a)osenergy.org > *Sent:* Sunday, October 28, 2012 11:50 AM > *Subject:* Re: [EC] Fwd: Re: [wvec-board] Check out Clashing views mark > W.Va. governor race rematch - News - The Char > > Holy shit! What a colossally bad idea!! > On Oct 28, 2012 11:11 AM, "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> wrote: > >> FYI: JBK >> >> >>> "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> 10/28/2012 11:03 AM >>> >> Maloney seems to be taking his cues from the Republican Governor in PA, >> who is also promoting leasing in state parks and forests. Watch out public >> lands! >> >> JBK >> >> >>> <dsgjr(a)aol.com> 10/28/2012 8:07 AM >>> >> >> >> Click here: Clashing views mark W.Va. governor race rematch - News - >> The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports >> <http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201210270030> >> >> >> This article by AP reporter Larry Messina, contains just one paragraph >> referring to any environmental issues: >> >> "Maloney echoed budget-paring steps frequently cited by candidates: >> running the state like a business, for instance, and targeting waste and >> abuse. *His more specific ideas include increased drilling for natural >> gas and other natural resources beneath state parks and other public lands >> *." >> >> don garvin >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> EC mailing list >> EC(a)osenergy.org >> http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec >> > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > EC mailing list > EC(a)osenergy.org > http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec > > -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Efforts to mitigate climate change must target energy efficiency, experts say
by Jim Sconyers 28 Oct '12

28 Oct '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Date: Sun, Oct 28, 2012 at 10:38 AM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Efforts to mitigate climate change must target energy efficiency, experts say To: Coal Alerts <coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Efforts to mitigate climate change must target energy efficiency, experts say<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/-qG…> Posted: 26 Oct 2012 05:46 AM PDT More must be done to develop energy efficient cars, buildings and domestic appliances to address climate change – according to new research. Twice as much effort is spent developing energy supply technologies, such as new power stations, as is spent improving the efficiency with which energy is used. Efficient end-use technologies have the potential to contribute large emission reductions and provide higher social returns on investment, so the imbalance must be redressed. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: Re: [wvec-board] Check out Clashing views mark W.Va. governor race rematch - News - The Char
by James Kotcon 28 Oct '12

28 Oct '12

FYI: JBK >>> "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> 10/28/2012 11:03 AM >>> Maloney seems to be taking his cues from the Republican Governor in PA, who is also promoting leasing in state parks and forests. Watch out public lands! JBK >>> <dsgjr(a)aol.com> 10/28/2012 8:07 AM >>> Click here: Clashing views mark W.Va. governor race rematch - News - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201210270030 ) This article by AP reporter Larry Messina, contains just one paragraph referring to any environmental issues: "Maloney echoed budget-paring steps frequently cited by candidates: running the state like a business, for instance, and targeting waste and abuse. His more specific ideas include increased drilling for natural gas and other natural resources beneath state parks and other public lands." don garvin

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Beth email down
by beth＠eight-rivers.org 27 Oct '12

27 Oct '12

Citynet (my regular email server) has been down for three days now. This is an email I can use in the meantime - beth(a)eight-rivers.org. Anything sent to me since Thursday morning is in limbo somewhere, so if you are waiting for an important response, let me know here. Beth

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Fwd: ENEWS: WVU, City officials unite: 'Stop the dangerous, destructive behavior'
by James Kotcon 19 Oct '12

19 Oct '12

More health news from WVU. JBK >>> ENEWS ENEWS <ENEWS(a)MAIL.WVU.EDU> 10/10/2012 3:36 PM >>> MOUNTAINEER E-News Oct. 10, 2012 RESEARCH 1) WVU study: Exposure to air pollution particles at mountaintop mining sites may lead to cardiovascular dysfunction A published study by researchers at the West Virginia University School of Medicine and School of Public Health is the first of its kind to suggest that exposure to air pollution particles from mountaintop mining sites may impair the blood vessels’ ability to dilate, which may lead to cardiovascular disease. Air pollution particulate matter consisting largely of sulfur and silica was collected through a vacuum system within one mile of an active mountaintop mining site in southern West Virginia. Adult male rats were exposed to the air particles, and, 24 hours following the exposure, their blood vessels’ ability to dilate and function normally was significantly reduced. More online: http://wvuhealthcare.com/wvuh/Content/Media/News-Releases/2012/OCT/WVU-stud…

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Jim Hightower on Fracking
by Paul Wilson 19 Oct '12

19 Oct '12

Fracking LiarsSupporters and leaders of the hydraulic fracturing industry aren't being honest about government support for this new natural gas boom. By Jim Hightower <http://www.otherwords.org/about/contributors/1186> [image: Jim Hightower] <http://www.otherwords.org/about/contributors/1186> As they drill for quick corporate profits deep inside our Earth, ExxonMobil, Halliburton, and other titans of the natural gas hydraulic fracturing industry are harming people's health, the environment, and local economies across the country. They're also fracking something essential to a properly functioning democratic society: the truth. They're hailing themselves both as exemplars of free-market success and as the "virtuous ones" in our society — the producers and makers, as contrasted to the mass of Americans that the far-right corporatists are now openly calling "moochers" and "takers." [image: Marcellus Protest/Flickr] Marcellus Protest/Flickr Fracking companies and political front groups are selling the public a self-serving narrative. They claim the current natural gas boom is a victory over those wimpy and undeserving producers of wind and solar power who are dependent on government subsidies to get up and running. The shale gas boom, wrote the oil-and-gas-funded American Enterprise Institute this year, has occurred "away from the greedy grasp of Washington." AEI's laissez-faire fabulists snidely added that "surely Washington would have done something to slow it down, tax it more, or stop it altogether" had the bureaucrats realized that the private enterprise was making such progress. Indeed, crowed an industry PR group, "The free market has worked its magic." Sheesh — their bull goes deeper than their fracking gas wells. For three decades, the federal government has pumped more than $100 million into research for the frackers, finding ways to make the technique work. And, since 1980, the big bad government they now badmouth has paid frackers more than $10 billion in a subsidy written specifically for them. These oil giants are liars, fracking away at their own integrity. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: WVNS story: Coal and Coalition Reach Agreement in Landmark Water Pollution Case
by Paul Wilson 17 Oct '12

17 Oct '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 3:45 AM Subject: WVNS story: Coal and Coalition Reach Agreement in Landmark Water Pollution Case To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Coal and Coalition Reach Agreement in Landmark Water Pollution Case Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/28845-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (10/17/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - In what's being called a landmark case for water quality and public health in Kentucky, a coalition of public interest groups has reached a settlement with a major coal company and the state over thousands of water pollution violations. Among the groups involved are Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Kentucky Riverkeeper and the Appalachian Citizens' Law Center. Eric Chance, a spokesman for Appalachian Voices, says the agreement revolves around false reporting found in state records in 2010 involving pollution coming from dozens of coal mines. "We expected to see lots of violations of permit limits, but we found next to none. Eventually, we began to find entire quarterly reports that were identical to each other except for the date." The mines in question are owned by International Coal Group, which took part in the settlement, and Frasure Creek Mining, which has not. As bad as the record keeping and lax state oversight seemed at first, says Mary Cromer, staff attorney for the Appalachian Citizens' Law Center, it got worse. "Not only had the companies been submitting false reports, they had also had failed to submit any reports at all for many of their facilities. Obviously, the system was broken." KFTC member Ted Withrow says the groups wanted to make sure the settlement addressed three key issues: "A trustworthy third-party independent monitoring program, strong stipulated penalties that will punish future water quality violations, and penalty awards that must be spent in southeastern Kentucky where the violations occurred." In addition to ruling on the settlement, the court will decide whether to impose the original agreement the state Cabinet struck with Frasure Creek. The same judge who allowed the coalition to intervene when the groups claimed the state's enforcement was inadequate must OK the deal before it can take effect. Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/28845-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/28845-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: WVNS story: Coal Baron, McKinley Donor Accused Of Breaking Campaign Laws
by Paul Wilson 15 Oct '12

15 Oct '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 5:02 AM Subject: WVNS story: Coal Baron, McKinley Donor Accused Of Breaking Campaign Laws To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Coal Baron, McKinley Donor Accused Of Breaking Campaign Laws Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/28867-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (10/15/12) CHARLESTON, W. Va. - One of Congressman David McKinley's biggest backers stands accused of breaking campaign finance laws by pressuring his employees to donate. Last month, coal baron Bob Murray, CEO of Murray Energy, drew fire for forcing his miners to attend a Republican rally without pay. Now a complaint <http://tinyurl.com/9byb8kp> filed with the Federal Election Commission charges that Murray routinely pressured his white-collar workers to give to candidates and his political action committee. The New Republic<http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/108140/coal-miners-donor-mitt-romney-be…>published company fundraising memos, and staff writer Alec MacGillis says they were confirmed by sources inside Murray's mining empire. "They were expected to give. They were expected to give to the PAC, as a deduction from their paycheck. Typically, 1 percent of their pay would go to the PAC. They were also expected to give to Mr. Murray's separate personal fundraisers." MacGillis says his sources were afraid to reveal their names. But he says they and the memos describe relentless fundraising coercion, often including thinly veiled threats. He says his sources also told him that at least some of the money was essentially coming from the company itself, laundered through an employee bonus program. "Their understanding that they got from their superiors was that this would be made up to them. The sense that my sources had was that the discretionary part of the bonus was to some degree dependent on their participating." Campaign finance watchdogs in West Virginia say the charges against Murray are particularly important because of his history. Julie Archer is project manager for the West Virginia Citizen Action Group. She says Murray uses his donations to build political connections, which he in turn uses to fight enforcement of federal environmental and mine-safety laws. She alleges that Murray has threatened Mine Safety and Health Administration officials who were investigating his mines. "What Mr. Murray had done in the past was suggest to employees of MSHA that he had some sway over their boss through his political contributions." Murray has described that accusation as exaggerated. Federal records show Murray Energy is one of McKinley's largest backers, with a dozen employees of the company and its subsidiaries giving to his campaign. McKinley did not return calls requesting comment. An e-mail from Murray Energy called the fundraising "voluntary" and the charges politically motivated, "incorrect and dishonest." The New Republic Article is at www.tnr.com<http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/108140/coal-miners-donor-mitt-romney-be…>. The FEC complaint can be found at tinyurl.com/9byb8kp. Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/28867-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/28867-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] "Jobs Beyond Coal" webinar and discussion
by Paul Wilson 15 Oct '12

15 Oct '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)prodigy.net> Date: Sun, Oct 14, 2012 at 6:56 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] "Jobs Beyond Coal" webinar and discussion To: coal volunteer list <coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> It is not too late to register! Bring your questions. Join us to hear > directly from the authors of "*Jobs Beyond Coal: A Manual for > Communities, Workers, and Environmentalists - * A Guide for those who > wish to make the transition from coal—and to make it in a way that is most > beneficial and least threatening to ordinary workers, consumers, and > community members." > > Verena > > > > > > Join us for "Jobs Beyond Coal" Volunteer Webinar on October 17th > at 8pmET! > This month’s Beyond Coal Campaign volunteer webinar will explore > engaging labor in the coal campaign and working towards a smart economic > transition beyond coal. Special guests Joe Uehlein and Jeremy Brecher from > Labor 4 Sustainability will give an overview of their newly released > report; “Jobs Beyond Coal”. They will offer tips to Beyond Coal volunteers > on how to use the report as a resource on strategy, engagement and > communicating messages of economic transition to impacted Unions and the > public. > > Volunteers will also hear from the Club’s Labor Program, highlighting > basic points about messaging and engaging labor during coal campaigns and > how to utilize the Labor team as a resource throughout the campaign process. > <https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/401698679> Reserve your > Webinar seat now at: > https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/401698679 > > *Title:* Join us for "Jobs Beyond Coal" Webinar! *Date:* Wednesday, > October 17, 2012 *Time:* 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDT After registering you > will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the > Webinar. PLEASE NOTE: Monthly Volunteer Beyond Coal Webinars are * > normally *held the first Wednesday of every month at 8pmET. Unfortunately the > first Wednesday of October (3rd ) is also the same night of the first > presidential debates, which let us to move the webinar. November's webinar > may also change due to it's proximity to the Election, so please keep your > eyes open for the November webinar announcement. > * > System Requirements* > PC-based attendees > Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server Mac®-based attendees > Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer Mobile attendees > Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet > Becki Clayborn > Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign > Internal Capacities and Communications Coordinator > Chicago, IL > 312-251-1680 > > > > > -- > Becki Clayborn > Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign > Internal Capacities and Communications Coordinator > Chicago, IL > 312-251-1680 > > -- Becki Clayborn Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Internal Capacities and Communications Coordinator Chicago, IL 312-251-1680 -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] New website and Sierra Magazine story launching on Wednesday: "Cost of Coal" photo series
by Paul Wilson 10 Oct '12

10 Oct '12

for those of you that are not on the Coal Alerts listserve (or whatever they call it now!). paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Orli Cotel <orli.cotel(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 7:21 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] New website and Sierra Magazine story launching on Wednesday: "Cost of Coal" photo series To: #Coal-Volunteers <coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Coal team, I wanted to give you a quick heads up about an exciting project that many folks have been working on for the past few months. Tomorrow morning we'll be announcing a new website called "Cost of Coal," which features powerful photos showing the effects of coal pollution on everyday Americans. The website compliments the "Cost of Coal" cover story and 18-page spread in Sierra Magazine, which should be arriving in mailboxes this week.* (Note: Please wait to tweet or spread the word about this project until after 9:30 eastern on Wednesday morning). * To create this photo spread, we teamed up with award winning photographer Ami Vitale. Ami visited communities in West Virginia, Michigan, and Nevada to follow the life-cycle of coal -- from mountaintop removal mining, to coal burning, to coal ash waste disposal -- and documented compelling stories of families who deal with coal pollution in their daily lives. If we had the resources we would send Ami to every city where we have a coal fight to capture the amazing work you all are doing to move the country off coal. However, we hope that these three regions highlight some of our iconic fights and will get more people interested in joining our campaign, no matter where they are. I've attached the Sierra Magazine story to this email. You'll be able to check out the full website with photo slideshows and videos tomorrow morning at www.sierraclub.org/costofcoal. A big shout out goes to the Sierra Magazine team and our web team for putting this whole project together. Please let me know if you have any questions and we'll send around a link to the press release, blog post and website when they are live on Wednesday morning. Thanks! Orli -- Orli Cotel Deputy Communications Director Sierra Club (415) 977-5627 office (646) 522-7751 cellphone -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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carpool to Larry Gibson memorial Sunday?
by Jim Sconyers 09 Oct '12

09 Oct '12

I'm going to Larry Gibson's memorial service in Charleston Sunday. Anyone interested in carpooling from Preston County/Morgantown area? Go and return directly after the program. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: PATH files for abandonment
by Jim Sconyers 08 Oct '12

08 Oct '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Keryn Newman <stoppath(a)frontiernet.net> Date: Mon, Oct 8, 2012 at 10:48 AM Subject: PATH files for abandonment To: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM(a)lists.sierraclub.org On Sept. 28, PATH made a filing at FERC to recover $121M in abandoned plant amortized over a 5 year period at 10.9% ROE. This is the first step for PATH in cashing in on the incentive they were granted that enables them to collect 100% of prudently-incurred investment in the project in the event the project is cancelled for reasons beyond PATH's control. The docket number is ER12-2708, and here is a link to the filing: http://www.pjm.com/~/media/documents/ferc/2012-filings/20120928-er12-2708-0… PATH's claim that the cancellation of the project was unforeseen is pretty weak, along with their claims of prudent spending. Some of their statements more closely resemble a creative re-writing of history. PATH has requested that FERC approve the recovery and changes to its Formula Rate without modification, suspension or hearing effective December 1, 2012. If no party objects, FERC may just do that. FERC has set a deadline to intervene, comment, protest PATH's filing of 5 p.m. on October 19. Three parties have already intervened, but none have protested or proffered any evidence of why FERC should not approve the proposal. Several consumers plan to intervene/protest, myself included. In an order granting challenges and complaints on Sept. 20, FERC confirmed that end-use consumers have standing to participate. The ultimate goal at present is to convince FERC to set the matter for settlement/hearing. Only parties who have submitted a timely intervention will be able to participate in settlement/hearing. If you or your organization would like to participate, you need to file by October 19. If you'd like to do so but have questions, I'd be happy to provide more information. Keryn - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM list, send any message to: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: WVNS story: Preservationists: Second Battle of Blair Mountain Not Over
by Paul Wilson 08 Oct '12

08 Oct '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Mon, Oct 8, 2012 at 4:04 AM Subject: WVNS story: Preservationists: Second Battle of Blair Mountain Not Over To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Preservationists: Second Battle of Blair Mountain Not Over Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/28772-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (10/08/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The fight over preserving the Blair Mountain battlefield is not over, according to the environmental and labor history groups trying to protect the site. Last week a federal judge ruled the groups don't have the right to sue to have Blair Mountain returned to the National Register of Historic Places. But labor historian Wess Harris says that's just one move in the long second battle of Blair Mountain. "One good way to look at this whole thing of Blair Mountain is as a chess match. Certainly the judge's decision cost us a piece off the board, but we're a long way from checkmate." In 1921 thousands of union coal miners fought with mine guards and company militias on a ridge line bordering Logan County. It was the largest armed uprising in the U.S. since the Civil War. Aracoma Coal, a subsidiary of Alpha Energy, has a permit pending to remove the mountaintop and take out the coal seams underneath. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton ruled that environmental and preservation groups could not sue to have Blair Mountain protected because Alpha's permit hasn't been granted yet. But Sierra Club spokeswoman Kim Teplitzky says the pending permit is enough of a threat. "If this permit is granted, they could commence mining on the battlefield site, and potentially destroy this incredibly important historic place." She says they would act if the state Department of Environmental Protection issues the permit to mine what's known as Piney Branch. "We would definitely act. We are right now weighing our options, and we'll be watching closely to see what happens with this pending permit for Piney Branch." Wess Harris says the state could lose a vital part of its past. "The history's not going to go away, but the opportunity to teach from that mountain does go away. A huge loss. Just another case of our heritage being destroyed." Preservationists say the process of having the site removed from historic protection three years ago was filled with irregularities. The companies that want to strip-mine the area say it's just wilderness, not worth protecting. Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/28772-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/28772-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: Webinar: Water for Energy--Connections, Collisions, and Opportunities
by Paul Wilson 05 Oct '12

05 Oct '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: UCS Science Network <sciencenetwork(a)ucsusa.org> Date: Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 12:08 PM Subject: Webinar: Water for Energy--Connections, Collisions, and Opportunities To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=JBIWysrO300CW_dVyYyUYg><http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=YedIHC32sfmBoX123QlxYQ><http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=W-YlVuZOoplCn-2dGvToXQ> WEBINAR INVITATION Water for Energy—Connections, Collisions, and Opportunities Dear Paul, This summer's drought brought to light the challenges we face when there isn't sufficient water to cool our nation's power plants. Conventional fossil-fuel and nuclear power plants require water to cool the steam they generate to make electricity. In 2005, power plants accounted for over 40 percent of all freshwater withdrawn in the U.S. Many power plants need a huge, steady supply of water to operate, and in hot dry summers, that water can become hard to secure. We invite you to join a webinar discussion on the challenges and opportunities for electricity production in a water-constrained future. *Water for Energy—Connections, Collisions, and Opportunities<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=hoh53jA2l-zMnQWrEqR2og> * *Date:* Thursday, October 18 *Time:* 1:00-2:15 p.m. EDT Register Today <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=4T4okFM72h6GGfXljC3LTg> The webinar will feature: - *Camille Calimlim*, committee staff, Water and Power Subcommittee, U.S. House of Representatives - *John Rogers*, senior energy analyst and co-manager of the Energy and Water in a Warming World Initiative (EW3), Union of Concerned Scientists - *C. Adam Schlosser*, principal research scientist and assistant director of science research in the Center for Global Change Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Register for the Webinar Today Please join us on *Thursday, October 18, from 1:00-2:15 p.m. EDT*, as three leading experts discuss the challenges and opportunities for electricity production in a water-constrained future. [image: RSVP] <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=U_G1gFw3MloCn2B6ATGwZw> Related Links Energy and Water in a Warming World Initiative<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=ahBdwUm_8FRIYlcAfzyGOA> Freshwater Use by U.S. Power Plants<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=mmpMcBgDh_0f0tDED3sdQw> Energy-Water Collision Infographic<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=FOFL2kNpU62sqOg9sEAmIg> Tell A Colleague Please encourage your colleagues to sign up<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=oTPpwKU7o6FvIqfVZSfTMQ>and help increase our effectiveness in creating a healthy environment and a safer world. CLICK HERE<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=zkT51ks4zT8GWLNu9pqR6A> . Ms. Calimlim will discuss the energy-water policy landscape and opportunities; Mr. Rogers will present on current power plant water use, highlighting the findings from EW3's *Freshwater Use by U.S. Power Plants: Electricity's Thirst for a Precious Resource<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=It0V1ddl5D3L2gEWvQpEUg> * report; and Dr. Schlosser will discuss the water implications of an 80 percent renewable energy future as articulated in the Renewable Electricity Futures Study for which he was a lead author. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentations. Please register today.<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=4V1llxTvqaicx5PQHaswiQ>We look forward to your participation on October 18. Sincerely, [image: Megan Rising] Megan Rising Energy Outreach Coordinator Climate & Energy Program Union of Concerned Scientists The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a 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. <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=sh4-hBA0U8z_QDoUVyeACw> Union of Concerned Scientists 2 Brattle Square | Cambridge, MA 02138-3780 Telephone: 800-666-8276 | Fax: 617-864-9405 sciencenetwork(a)ucsusa.org www.ucsusa.org <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=sIRg4WPgz4zL8rTM83WhFQ> To stop receiving emails from UCS about clean energy, click here to update your interests <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=zvioK9wS1IxtYgC3nS00mw>. About UCS <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=iLI9NlqjJ3FeqklrhdKgPw> | Take Action<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=bjCdC7BDUN-gb9vnGMIv1g>| Donate <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=8ROlwSSjpxLMOApIdKef6g> | Contact Us <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=vCQg7sb9zVM0yiP1zzJ_6A> | Privacy Policy <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=nvB8TUbEshZ1mDcp7y4L2Q> | Unsubscribe<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/CO?i=VtWzh8fVGIHNFJ24x6W_FgKjfczN8ixe&cid=1781>| Update Your Profile <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=f8ZTbpkwGxjEHZ765Szezg> © Union of Concerned Scientists. All rights reserved. [image: powered by CONVIO] <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=9odP3YLRETYFD53T6A_6aA> nonprofit software <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=GlQTMnqhiZU6SglAGPtODw> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: [WVSC Marcellus Shale Gas Campaign] All party rabble-rousers make plans now!
by James Kotcon 05 Oct '12

05 Oct '12

Anyone else interested? JBK >>> "Steve Hamilton" <notification+zlrdzo1f(a)facebookmail.com> 10/5/2012 9:34 AM >>> Steve Hamilton posted in WVSC Marcellus Shale Gas Campaign Steve Hamilton9:34am Oct 5 All party rabble-rousers make plans now! The Mountain Party and the Doddridge County Watershed Association are calling on you to join an anti-fracking rally at West Union this weekend. If you live in the area or are attending the WVEC weekend retreat in Ritchie County, please plan to join Jesse Johnson and local residents as they stand up to protect their homes and health. This is designed to take place during an evening break in the agenda of the WVEC retreat. Where: Meet at the roadside park near the ball park at West Union. When: Sat Oct 6 at 5 pm Bring signs and a carful of friends! Meet great people like yourself who care enough to act! View Post on Facebook · Edit Email Settings · Reply to this email to add a comment.

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Fwd: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] FYI: New Study Supports Water Contamination Due to Fracking
by Jim Sconyers 03 Oct '12

03 Oct '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Deb Nardone" <deb.nardone(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Oct 3, 2012 10:25 AM Subject: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] FYI: New Study Supports Water Contamination Due to Fracking To: <ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS(a)lists.sierraclub.org> http://action.sierraclub.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=254646.0 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 3, 2012 Contacts: Maggie Kao, Sierra Club, 202-675-2384 Bruce Baizel, Earthworks, 970-259-3353 x2 *New Study Supports Water Contamination Due to Fracking* *U.S. Geological Survey Verifies EPA Findings in Pavillion, WY* Pavillion, WY -- An independent analysis of new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) water monitoring data verifies a 2011 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigation into whether hydraulic fracturing contaminated the Wind River aquifer near Pavillion, Wyoming - an important groundwater source that provides water to thousands of Wyoming residents and farmers. The preliminary results of EPA’s study was one of the first to document hydrocarbons consistent with fracking fluid chemicals in drinking water wells and monitoring wells located near natural gas wells. EPA’s preliminary results have since been attacked by the oil and gas industry, as they seek to continue their dangerous practices and protect their own interests over public health and safety. USGS’s study was conducted specifically to check EPA’s results. The Sierra Club, Earthworks, and the Natural Resources Defense Council worked with a hydrologist and independent expert, Dr. Tom Myers, to analyze the USGS raw data and compare those results with the original EPA report. Dr. Myers found that the USGS data support EPA's initial findings. EPA’s analysis should be widely accepted now that its findings have been replicated. The USGS report found that thermogenic gas, which very likely comes from fracked deep shale formations, continues to increase in a monitoring well. This evidence strongly suggests that as a result of fracking, gas is seeping into Pavillion’s water. A range of chemicals associated with the fracking process also continue to appear in the monitoring well, showing that hazardous pollution is spreading towards the surface. This new information supports EPA’s hypothesis that natural gas drilling activities, including fracking, have contaminated the Wind River aquifer near Pavillion. Read Dr. Myers’ analysis here<http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/downloads/myers-tech-memo-093012.pdf> . View the U.S. Geological Survey’s data here<http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=3410#.UGoCok25SgY> . “The Sierra Club is concerned by the U.S. Geological Survey’s important conclusions, which further underline EPA’s report that fracking has contaminated Pavillion’s water,” said *Deb Nardone, Sierra Club Beyond Natural Gas campaign director*. “This report raises the alarm on the public health threats posed by dirty and dangerous fracking and the need to rein in a oil and gas industry that remains unchecked and unaccountable for their toxic pollution.” “Dr. Myers’ analysis shows that the USGS upholds EPA’s preliminary conclusion that hydraulic fracturing contaminated Pavillion-area groundwater,” said *Bruce Baizel, Earthworks’ Oil & Gas Accountability Project Senior Staff Attorney*.” He continued, “It’s long past time for states and industry to stop denying oil and gas development’s environmental problems, and start working on fixing them.” “This reinforces EPA’s findings – and the concerns of Americans in communities across the country – that dangerous fracking practices are putting our drinking water and health at risk,” said *NRDC senior policy analyst Amy Mall*. “That’s why it’s critical that EPA thoroughly investigate reports of fracking water contamination concerns. It’s essential that we protect Americans from a repeat of what we are seeing in Wyoming.” ### -- Deborah J. Nardone, Director Beyond Natural Gas Campaign Sierra Club O: 814-308-9767 C: 814-932-6668 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This email list is associated with the Hydrofracking Team on the Sierra Club's Activist Network. Join the Hydrofracking Team at http://sc.org/frac. This list is open to the public and subscribers are not moderated. Please be aware that information you share may be forwarded to or read by others beyond this list. To unsubscribe from the ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS list, send any message to: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS-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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Re: [EC] EarthWorks report "Breaking All The Rules"
by Frank Young 02 Oct '12

02 Oct '12

It's worth than that, Beth. The law does require one thing of DEP- that it issue permits if the applicants have simply jumped through the paperwork hoops, but which hoops are very, very low. To not issue a permit immediately puts the burden on DEP to show that it was prudent to deny the permit. And usually DEP is too paralyzed by inertia and too bound by political pressure to make realistic findings of relative prudency. Frank Young ----- Original Message ----- From: "Elizabeth Little" <blittle(a)citynet.net> To: "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> Cc: <ec(a)osenergy.org> Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2012 8:07 PM Subject: Re: [EC] EarthWorks report "Breaking All The Rules" It sounds like WV, but they didn't include WV. If it's this bad elsewhere, imagine how bad it is here. Example: Antero and Halls Drilling have had violation, accident, spill, etc. one after another, starting with the spill in Buckeye Run that Louanne discovered, and the DEP just lets them keep going. The really frustrating thing is that there is nothing we can legally do. When we had that call with several lawyers about filing an action to make the DEP do what the law says, it came out that the regulations don't require the DEP to do anything. The language is all that they "may" inspect or "may" require thus and so. Arrrrgh! If ever there was a timely report to justify our Moratorium call, here it is. Caution, 3 MB, about 150 pages. http://www.earthworksaction.org/library/detail/breaking_all_the_rules_the_c… JBK ----- Original Message ----- From: Alan Septoff ( mailto:aseptoff@earthworksaction.org ) To: cog Sent: Monday, October 01, 2012 1:39 PM Subject: [COG] Earthworks' response to John Hanger re our enforcement report http://www.earthworksaction.org/earthblog/detail/public_health_isnt_a_numbe… Public health isnâ?Tt a numbers game - a response to John Hanger By Nadia Steinzor ( http://www.earthworksaction.org/earthblog/byauthor/8 ) September 28, 2012 This post was co-authored with Alan Septoff ( http://www.earthworksaction.org/earthblog/byauthor/10 ). The most fundamental truth uncovered in Earthworksâ?T just-released report Breaking All the Rules: the Crisis in Oil & Gas Regulation ( http://www.earthworksaction.org/library/detail/breaking_all_the_rules_the_c… ), is that states are falling tragically short in enforcing their own oil and gas development rules. It is good to see that John Hanger ( http://johnhanger.blogspot.com/2012/09/reviewing-earthworks-report-ripping.… ), ex-Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), does not argue that truth. As a result of this inadequate enforcementâ?"a problem in all of the six states we reviewedâ?"Breaking All the Rules concludes that so many problems with oil and gas development are left undiscovered, undocumented and unresolved, the public cannot have confidence that their health, air, and water are being protected. Again, John Hanger does not argue against that conclusion. As a former regulator, he knows how complicated it is to oversee an industry based on a â?odrill and permit now, figure out how to oversee laterâ? approach. Even with an increase in the number of inspectors and improved reporting and data protocolsâ?"facts that Earthworks acknowledges in the report. John Hanger also argues that we should not have looked at all producing wells, since it is primarily shale gas wells â?othat are the focus of attention and concern.â? However, all active wells require oversight. Production may be minimal, but potential contamination issues still exist from produced water and leaks, especially since the older equipment at these sites may be more prone to corrosion and failure. And when the DEP wrote its recommended inspection policyâ?"still the basis for current activitiesâ?"shale gas wells did not even exist. John Hangerâ?Ts response to the report is also based on the idea that because DEP increased its enforcement efforts from 2010 to 2011, our use of 2010 data skews the results so much that the report isnâ?Tt useful. As we stated on on page 23 of the full report, because 2011 data were not available for all statesâ?"and Earthworks wanted to do a comparable analysis across six statesâ?"we relied primarily on 2010 data. (For example, DEPâ?Ts 2011 data on wells, permits, and other aspects were not completely available to the public until July 2012.) Nonetheless, we did include 2011 data where available -- in the full report within table A6-1 and in the Pennsylvania-specific report prominently on page 2 ( http://www.earthworksaction.org/library/detail/enforcement_report_pa_dep ): "In 2010 DEP failed to inspect more than 82,000 or 91 percent of active wells. In 2011, more than 66,000 active wells (86 percent) did not receive DEP oversight." But even if the numbers shift a bit in some months, the key question that was the impetus to this research remains: "Can the public have confidence that their health, air and water are being protected?â? Citing different numbers does not even begin to answer this question because the Pennsylvania DEP addressed its enforcement inadequacies in the same manner that allowed the problem to develop in the first place: DEP looked at the amount of drilling as something outside their control, and defined their ability to govern that drilling in terms of the limited resources available to them. We hope that anyone who reads Breaking All the Rulesâ?"including regulators and policymakersâ?"takes away the core lesson learned from an in-depth analysis of regulatory agenciesâ?T own data: Right now, states take the amount of drilling as given, and then figure out how they can best do their jobs with scarce resources available. That equation must be reversed. The amount of drilling that takes place should be contingent upon what resource strapped state agencies can safely regulate -- ensuring that public health and the environment are fully protected as top priority. If a state enforcement agency can't guarantee that the next proposal for a well, compressor station, or other facility will not cause harm (and that it will be properly overseen during construction and operation), they shouldn't permit it. Plain and simple. In the end, protecting communities isn't a numbers game, and solutions to very real and very serious problems in the gas patches of the United States wonâ?Tt be found comparing one yearâ?Ts marginally improved inspection and enforcement performance to another. (Though any meaningful improvement would be welcome.) What it will require from regulatory agencies is that they revisit their rules in a public and transparent manner to determine what constitutes enforcement that credibly protects the public and the environmentâ?"and then allow only the amount of development that meets that strong enforcement standard. And no more. A continued rush to drill without such change will continue to harm communities and result in even more violations and problems on the groundâ?"a scenario that the regulatory agencies themselves should want to avoid. _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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EarthWorks report "Breaking All The Rules"
by James Kotcon 02 Oct '12

02 Oct '12

If ever there was a timely report to justify our Moratorium call, here it is. Caution, 3 MB, about 150 pages. http://www.earthworksaction.org/library/detail/breaking_all_the_rules_the_c… JBK ----- Original Message ----- From: Alan Septoff ( mailto:aseptoff@earthworksaction.org ) To: cog Sent: Monday, October 01, 2012 1:39 PM Subject: [COG] Earthworks' response to John Hanger re our enforcement report http://www.earthworksaction.org/earthblog/detail/public_health_isnt_a_numbe… Public health isn’t a numbers game - a response to John Hanger By Nadia Steinzor ( http://www.earthworksaction.org/earthblog/byauthor/8 ) September 28, 2012 This post was co-authored with Alan Septoff ( http://www.earthworksaction.org/earthblog/byauthor/10 ). The most fundamental truth uncovered in Earthworks’ just-released report Breaking All the Rules: the Crisis in Oil & Gas Regulation ( http://www.earthworksaction.org/library/detail/breaking_all_the_rules_the_c… ), is that states are falling tragically short in enforcing their own oil and gas development rules. It is good to see that John Hanger ( http://johnhanger.blogspot.com/2012/09/reviewing-earthworks-report-ripping.… ), ex-Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), does not argue that truth. As a result of this inadequate enforcement—a problem in all of the six states we reviewed—Breaking All the Rules concludes that so many problems with oil and gas development are left undiscovered, undocumented and unresolved, the public cannot have confidence that their health, air, and water are being protected. Again, John Hanger does not argue against that conclusion. As a former regulator, he knows how complicated it is to oversee an industry based on a “drill and permit now, figure out how to oversee later” approach. Even with an increase in the number of inspectors and improved reporting and data protocols—facts that Earthworks acknowledges in the report. John Hanger also argues that we should not have looked at all producing wells, since it is primarily shale gas wells “that are the focus of attention and concern.” However, all active wells require oversight. Production may be minimal, but potential contamination issues still exist from produced water and leaks, especially since the older equipment at these sites may be more prone to corrosion and failure. And when the DEP wrote its recommended inspection policy—still the basis for current activities—shale gas wells did not even exist. John Hanger’s response to the report is also based on the idea that because DEP increased its enforcement efforts from 2010 to 2011, our use of 2010 data skews the results so much that the report isn’t useful. As we stated on on page 23 of the full report, because 2011 data were not available for all states—and Earthworks wanted to do a comparable analysis across six states—we relied primarily on 2010 data. (For example, DEP’s 2011 data on wells, permits, and other aspects were not completely available to the public until July 2012.) Nonetheless, we did include 2011 data where available -- in the full report within table A6-1 and in the Pennsylvania-specific report prominently on page 2 ( http://www.earthworksaction.org/library/detail/enforcement_report_pa_dep ): "In 2010 DEP failed to inspect more than 82,000 or 91 percent of active wells. In 2011, more than 66,000 active wells (86 percent) did not receive DEP oversight." But even if the numbers shift a bit in some months, the key question that was the impetus to this research remains: "Can the public have confidence that their health, air and water are being protected?” Citing different numbers does not even begin to answer this question because the Pennsylvania DEP addressed its enforcement inadequacies in the same manner that allowed the problem to develop in the first place: DEP looked at the amount of drilling as something outside their control, and defined their ability to govern that drilling in terms of the limited resources available to them. We hope that anyone who reads Breaking All the Rules—including regulators and policymakers—takes away the core lesson learned from an in-depth analysis of regulatory agencies’ own data: Right now, states take the amount of drilling as given, and then figure out how they can best do their jobs with scarce resources available. That equation must be reversed. The amount of drilling that takes place should be contingent upon what resource strapped state agencies can safely regulate -- ensuring that public health and the environment are fully protected as top priority. If a state enforcement agency can't guarantee that the next proposal for a well, compressor station, or other facility will not cause harm (and that it will be properly overseen during construction and operation), they shouldn't permit it. Plain and simple. In the end, protecting communities isn't a numbers game, and solutions to very real and very serious problems in the gas patches of the United States won’t be found comparing one year’s marginally improved inspection and enforcement performance to another. (Though any meaningful improvement would be welcome.) What it will require from regulatory agencies is that they revisit their rules in a public and transparent manner to determine what constitutes enforcement that credibly protects the public and the environment—and then allow only the amount of development that meets that strong enforcement standard. And no more. A continued rush to drill without such change will continue to harm communities and result in even more violations and problems on the ground—a scenario that the regulatory agencies themselves should want to avoid.

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Fwd: WVNS story: Fracking Waste Disposal Wells Harbor Hidden Concerns
by Paul Wilson 02 Oct '12

02 Oct '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 3:51 AM Subject: WVNS story: Fracking Waste Disposal Wells Harbor Hidden Concerns To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Fracking Waste Disposal Wells Harbor Hidden Concerns Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/28646-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (10/01/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A loophole that lets oil and gas drillers dispose of their waste in loosely regulated injection wells is drawing criticism. When billions of gallons of used fracking fluid and the salty brine that comes up with natural gas are injected into disposal wells, some fear states like West Virginia could be setting themselves up for serious problems. Although the fracking fluid and brine may contain serious pollutants, the industry got a federal exemption from the strict rules that regulate the injection of hazardous waste. Evan Hanson, president of Downstream Strategies, a water science and policy consulting firm, is studying what are known as Class II wells. "There's been a series of exemptions related to the oil and gas industry. One of the important exemptions related to the Class II wells is the assertion that these fluids are not hazardous." West Virginia has nearly 800 Class II wells. They are supposed to be regularly pressure-tested for leaks. According to an investigation by ProPublica, Class II wells in the state failed these tests more than 80 times from 2008 to 2010. Seven of the failures were determined to be serious. Hanson says even the brine can contain natural toxins, such as arsenic and radioactive minerals. The public does not always know what is actually in the fracking fluids, he warns. "There's more and more information out there. In some cases, companies are voluntarily disclosing the ingredients in fracking fluids. But I'm not confident that we have as much information as we need." The industry contends that the brine and fracking fluids are largely safe, and that the wells go deep enough to protect drinking water, but Hanson says the wells can leak if poorly constructed. He adds that a lack of inspectors can leave drillers on the honor system about their construction methods and what they're injecting. Then there's the issue of seismic events, he says. Class I disposal wells that handle hazardous waste are required to carefully consider the area's geology. But the oil and gas disposal wells are much less regulated. A study by the National Academies of Science linked the Class II wells to minor earthquakes, which Hanson says have been an issue here. "Regarding small earthquakes or seismic events around some of these injection wells, there's been a case documented in Ohio, a situation documented in the Flatwoods area." Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/28646-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/28646-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: Genetics Seminar Oct. 2 on gas well microbes
by James Kotcon 01 Oct '12

01 Oct '12

Just an FYI. There were some claims made at Marcellus Academy, so I will see if any microbiologists can verify them. JBK >>> Dan Panaccione 10/1/2012 10:30 AM >>> Genetics Seminar October 2, 2012 * 3:30 PM * 1085 Ag. Sci. Bldg. Bacterial communities associated with hydraulic fracturing fluids in thermogenic natural gas wells in North Central Texas, USA presented by Yael Tucker Since we have no plant path./ env. micro. seminar this week, students are required and others are encouraged to attend the Genetics seminar presented by Yael. Daniel Panaccione Professor West Virginia University (304)293-8819 danpan(a)wvu.edu

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Energy Plan Hearing Comments are available
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 01 Oct '12

01 Oct '12

The public comments for the energy plan hearings are now available online at http://www.wvcommerce.org/energy/energyplan/default.aspx -Jonathan

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Auditor: OO&G Is Not Enforcing Statutory Requirements
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 01 Oct '12

01 Oct '12

Here's an interesting report from West Virginia Legislative Auditor: "The Office of Oil and Gas Is Not Enforcing Statutory Requirements as They Concern Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Which Is Causing the Number of Abandoned Wells to Increase" http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Joint/PERD/perdrep/Oilgas_9_2012.pdf -Jonathan

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Stop the Madness! Stop the War on Coal Act Passes the House
by Paul Wilson 28 Sep '12

28 Sep '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Angela Garrone <angela(a)cleanenergy.org> Date: Fri, Sep 28, 2012 at 9:16 AM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Stop the Madness! Stop the War on Coal Act Passes the House To: coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org Morning, In honor of the week anniversary of the passing of the Stop the War on Coal Act in the House of Representatives, I wanted to share a Southern Alliance for Clean Energy blog on the issue. We should *not* have bills like this seeing the light of day. <http://goog_68105562> http://blog.cleanenergy.org/2012/09/28/stop-the-madness-house-passes-stop-t… Share it loud and proud(ly)! Cheers, Angela -- *Angela Garrone | Southeast Energy Research Attorney* *Southern Alliance for Clean Energy* P.O. Box 1842 Knoxville, TN 37901 angela(a)cleanenergy.org | 865-637-6055 ex. 23 http://www.cleanenergy.org http://blog.cleanenergy.org CONFIDENTIAL LEGAL COMMUNICATION / WORK PRODUCT: The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to whom it is addressed, and may contain privileged and confidential attorney-client communications and/or confidential attorney work product. If you receive this message in error, please send a reply e-mail to the sender and delete the material from any and all computers. Unintended transmissions shall not constitute waiver of the attorney-client or any other privilege. -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: Our most ambitious venture yet
by Jim Sconyers 27 Sep '12

27 Sep '12

Dear Friends, We're getting ready for our most ambitious venture yet. >From November 7th to December 3rd, I'll be on the road, visiting 20 cities in 20 nights (with a few days for travel in between) to help bring together the movement we need to make sure this planet has a future that we can all appreciate. *We're calling it the Do the Math tour, but it's not (thank heaven) just going to be me standing in front of a microphone.* The goal is to jump-start the kind of movement that I discussed in the article I wrote for Rolling Stone about the scary new math of climate change. We will bring together musicians, artists and voices from across the movement to work together on directly confronting the financial and political might of the fossil fuel industry. If you are near one of our stops, I want to make sure you’re there with us. *You’re exactly the people we need to be there* -- folks who understand the climate math already, have experience in the movement, and are willing to step up to do more. <http://act.350.org/go/2148?t=1&akid=2200.570617.6tuyMh> Click to check out the tour and RSVP<http://act.350.org/go/2148?t=2&akid=2200.570617.6tuyMh> These events will need to be big, and reach beyond our normal circle of friends. *That’s why we need to make sure that everyone knows that something big is underway. Can you take a moment to share the Do the Math tour site with your social networks?* <http://act.350.org/go/2157?t=3&akid=2200.570617.6tuyMh> <http://act.350.org/go/2144?t=4&akid=2200.570617.6tuyMh> Click to share on Facebook<http://act.350.org/go/2157?t=5&akid=2200.570617.6tuyMh> Click to share on Twitter <http://act.350.org/go/2144?t=6&akid=2200.570617.6tuyMh> *Also, just a heads up -- we’re going to be putting together a live web event* so that everyone who doesn’t happen to be near a tour stop can still get together and get a campaign started in their community. Our team is still hammering out the details for the exact date and time, but please keep an eye out -- we absolutely need you in this fight. I do a lot of talks to big groups, but this is a new kind of undertaking for me, and for 350.org. We’re trying to quickly build up some serious momentum, which is why we’ve gone to great lengths to make this a very different kind of event. Not only will we have music and guests like Naomi Klein, Jim Hansen, Desmond Tutu, in person and via video, this event is also the kickoff to some serious organizing in your community. *This tour will launch our next big mission -- a campaign to directly confront the economic power of the fossil fuel industry.* Our message will be crystal clear: it's not OK to sacrifice our future for the sake of one industry’s bottom line. Divestment is one important tool that we'll discuss, but we're ready for many other tactics as well. *Over the past few months our planet gave stark warning signs that humans have never seen before.* The Arctic melted, breaking every record. The Great Plains sweltered. The West burned. This roadshow is the next big step -- but the price of admission, besides the ticket, is a willingness to really go to work to change the world in the year ahead. That’s why we need you this November. The stakes have never been this high, and I've never been more serious. Please join us: math.350.org<http://act.350.org/go/2148?t=7&akid=2200.570617.6tuyMh> --Bill McKibben for 350.org ------------------------------ 350.org is building a global movement to solve the climate crisis. Connect with us on Facebook <http://facebook.com/350.org> and Twitter<http://twitter.com/350>, and sign up for email alerts <http://350.org/signup?akid=2200.570617.6tuyMh>. You can help power our work by getting involved locally, sharing your story<http://local.350.org/stories/?akid=2200.570617.6tuyMh>, and donating here. <http://350.org/donate?akid=2200.570617.6tuyMh> ** *To stop receiving emails from 350.org, click here.<http://act.350.org/cms/unsubscribe/unsubscribe/?t=8&akid=2200.570617.6tuyMh> * * * -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] Should the U.S. Export Natural Gas?
by Jim Sconyers 23 Sep '12

23 Sep '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: david Meiser <dhmeiser(a)comcast.net> Date: Sun, Sep 23, 2012 at 7:22 PM Subject: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] Should the U.S. Export Natural Gas? To: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Should the U.S. Export Natural Gas?<http://ecowatch.org/2012/u-s-export-natural-gas/> **** *http://ecowatch.org/2012/u-s-export-natural-gas/* * * 09-23-2012**** Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy <http://catskillcitizens.org/>**** By Bruce Ferguson**** [image: http://ecowatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/LNGpoints.png]<http://ecowatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/LNGpoints.png>Should the U.S. export natural gas?**** The answer depends on what you think about hydrofracking.**** Historically, the U.S. has had to supplement domestic natural gas production with imports, but now the extensive use of hydraulic fracturing to extract gas from shale could allow America to become a gas exporter. A recent article in Barron’<http://online.barrons.com/article/SB500014240527487047597045772673709390831…>s suggested that the U.S. could become the world’s largest exporter of gas by 2017.**** But let’s be clear. When we’re talking about natural gas exports, we’re talking about shale gas.**** That is, we’re talking about fracking. So let’s reframe the question: Should the U.S. be fracked to supply foreign nations with gas?**** The objections to fracking are legion, and each one needs to be weighed in the balance if the U.S. is to develop a prudent gas export policy.**** We know, for example, that fracking even a single shale gas well requires millions of gallons of fracking fluid, and produces huge quantities of toxic wastewater<http://ecowatch.org/2012/the-water-footprint-of-shale-gas-development/> .**** All of this fluid has to be transported, usually by truck, and that means hundreds of diesel trucks going to and from each well pad. The exhaust from these trucks combines with the methane and volatile organic compounds released into the atmosphere during the extraction process to produce ozone. **** It’s no exaggeration to say that, because of fracking, some rural communities have higher ozone levels than Los Angeles on a bad day.**** Developing a giant shale formation like the Marcellus will entail injecting hundreds of billions of gallons of toxic fluid underground<http://ecowatch.org/2012/meet-the-frack-family/>, and no one can say with any certainty how this might impact our drinking water supplies in the years and decades to come.**** We do know that a recent geochemical study conducted in northeastern Pennsylvania found naturally occurring pathways between underground shale formations and shallow drinking water aquifers. The fact that the industry insists that fracking be exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act is not reassuring.**** And of course there are other issues to consider, including the recent peer-reviewed studies<http://ecowatch.org/2012/natural-gas-from-shale-not-suitable-as-bridge-fuel…>that indicate that shale gas is, from a greenhouse gas perspective, worse than oil or coal. Health care professionals say we don’t know what effect fracking will have on human health, while economists worry that disruptive extraction activity might damage local economies by crowding out long-term sustainable businesses like agriculture and tourism.**** Right now the U.S. doesn’t have the infrastructure it needs to become a major gas exporter. Canada and Mexico don’t need our gas, and the liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals that will be necessary to tap lucrative markets in Europe and Asia have not yet been built.**** Constructing the eleven huge LNG export terminals now on the drawing boards will cost more than $100 billion.**** Tens of billions more will be needed to build pipelines to bring the gas to the coastal terminals. Should the U.S. pour this kind of money into fossil fuel infrastructure at a time when scientists warn that we are already suffering the adverse impacts of climate change?**** The Obama administration has held up licensing export terminals until after the election. This winter, when licensing is again on the table, scientists, health care professionals and concerned citizens who oppose fracking may find themselves allied with manufacturers who realize that competition with foreign markets will drive up costs for both American industry and consumers.**** Finally consider this: If the U.S. does export shale gas, it will be supplying countries like France that have already banned fracking because it’s too dangerous.**** Is the U.S. on its way to becoming an energy extraction colony for other nations?**** Are we the new Third World?**** ** ** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This email list is associated with the Hydrofracking Team on the Sierra Club's Activist Network. Join the Hydrofracking Team at http://sc.org/frac. This list is open to the public and subscribers are not moderated. Please be aware that information you share may be forwarded to or read by others beyond this list. To unsubscribe from the ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS list, send any message to: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS-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/ -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Decades of federal dollars helped fuel gas boom
by James Kotcon 23 Sep '12

23 Sep '12

Full story at: http://news.yahoo.com/decades-federal-dollars-helped-fuel-141648115.html Decades of federal dollars helped fuel gas boomPioneers in gas drilling say government research and tax breaks helped launch boomBy Kevin Begos, Associated Press | Associated Press – 1 hr 42 mins ago Natural gas is burned off next to an oil well being drilled at a site August 23, 2011 near Tioga, North Dakota in the United States." alt=" Natural gas is burned off next to an oil well being drilled at a site August 23, 2011 near Tioga, North Dakota in the United States.Enlarge Photo ( http://news.yahoo.com/photos/world-oil-prices-york-crude-highest-since-may-… ) Natural gas is burned off next … PITTSBURGH (AP) -- It sounds like a free-market success story: a natural gas boom created by drilling company innovation, delivering a vast new source of cheap energy without the government subsidies that solar and wind power demand. "The free market has worked its magic," the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council, an industry group, claimed over the summer. The boom happened "away from the greedy grasp of Washington," the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank, wrote in an essay this year. If bureaucrats "had known this was going on," the essay went on, "surely Washington would have done something to slow it down, tax it more, or stop it altogether." But those who helped pioneer the technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, recall a different path. Over three decades, from the shale fields of Texas and Wyoming to the Marcellus in the Northeast, the federal government contributed more than $100 million in research to develop fracking, and billions more in tax breaks. Now, those industry pioneers say their own effort shows that the government should back research into future sources of energy — for decades, if need be — to promote breakthroughs. For all its success now, many people in the oil and gas industry itself once thought shale gas was a waste of time. "There's no point in mincing words. Some people thought it was stupid," said Dan Steward, a geologist who began working with the Texas natural gas firm Mitchell Energy in 1981. Steward estimated that in the early years, "probably 90 percent of the people" in the firm didn't believe shale gas would be profitable. "Did I know it was going to work? Hell no," Steward added. Shale is a rock formation thousands of feet underground. Among its largest U.S. deposits are the Marcellus Shale, under parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia, and the Barnett Shale is in north Texas. Geologists knew shale contained gas, but for more than 100 years the industry focused on shallower reserves. With fracking, large volumes of water, along with sand and hazardous chemicals, are injected underground to break rock apart and free the gas. In 1975, the Department of Energy began funding research into fracking and horizontal drilling, where wells go down and then sideways for thousands of feet. But it took more than 20 years to perfect the process. Alex Crawley, a former Department of Energy employee, recalled that some early tests were spectacular — in a bad way. A test of fracking explosives in Morgantown, W.Va., "blew the pipe out of the well about 600 feet high" in the 1970s, Crawley said. Luckily, no one was killed. He added that a 1975 test well in Wyoming "produced a lot of water." Steward recalled that Mitchell Energy didn't even cover the cost of fracking on shale tests until the 36th well was drilled. "There's not a lot of companies that would stay with something this long. Most companies would have given up," he said, crediting founder George Mitchell as a visionary who also got support from the government at key points. "The government has to be involved, to some degree, with new technologies," Steward said. Congress passed a huge tax break in 1980 specifically to encourage unconventional natural gas drilling, noted Alex Trembath, a researcher at the Breakthrough Institute, a California nonprofit that supports new ways of thinking about energy and the environment. Trembath said that the Department of Energy invested about $137 million in gas research over three decades, and that the federal tax credit for drillers amounted to $10 billion between 1980 and 2002. The work wasn't all industry or all government, but both. One step at a time, the problems of shale drilling were solved. Crawley said Energy Department researchers processed drilling data on supercomputers at a federal lab. Later, technology created to track sounds of Russian submarines during the Cold War was repurposed to help the industry use sound to get a 3-D picture of shale deposits and track exactly where a drill bit was, thousands of feet underground. "It was a lot of pieces of technology that the industry thought would help them. Some worked out, some didn't," Crawley said. Renewable energy has had similar fits and starts, plagued by the costs and complexities of developing technology, and markets for it. The idea that the government can help industry achieve advances that the private sector can't or won't has been a central contention of the presidential election. President Barack Obama's comment this summer that Republicans seized on — "If you've got a business — you didn't build that" — was part of broader comments about infrastructure, education and other public spending that indirectly helps businesses. Both Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tout the benefits of shale gas, but they differ over the government's role in subsidizing energy research. Obama has suggested continued funding for renewable energy but also eliminating billions of dollars in subsidies for oil and gas companies. Romney calls that an unhealthy obsession with green jobs — and has vowed to cut wind power subsidies, yet keep federal support for ethanol. But the fracking pioneers point out that it's impossible to predict how and when research will pay off. "It wouldn't be research if you already knew that it was going to be effective," said Crawley. Steward and others said today's energy challenge is similar to what they faced: a need to find future sources of energy. "I was concerned about my kids and grandkids. I didn't want my kids sitting out there without energy," Steward said. Terry Engelder, a Penn State University geologist known for his enthusiastic support for gas drilling, is proud that work he did decades ago helped to lay the groundwork for today's boom. But he said the story of how shale gas went from longshot to head of the pack — and how long that took — shows that serious support for renewable energy research makes sense, too. "These renewables have a huge upside," Engelder said. "In my view, the subsidies are really very appropriate." Engelder, who's been both praised and criticized for his support of shale gas drilling, said he's sure that research and technology will ultimately deliver innovations that make renewables a major force. "There's no doubt about it," he said, adding that "the payout might not happen until 2042." Steward is proud of the shale boom, too, but warned that it won't last forever. "Don't be fooled by this. We've got to have a replacement" for shale gas, he said.

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Fwd: Earthjustice Action Alert on Coal Package-share widely
by Jim Sconyers 22 Sep '12

22 Sep '12

Friends, wanted to let you know that a so called “Stop the War on Coal Act of 2012” (H.R. 3409) will be voted on in the House floor as soon as tomorrow Thursday and it contains five egregious bills that would strip Americans of basic clean air and clean water protections. One of the terrible bills within this package is Rep. McKinley’s (R-WV) dangerous coal ash bill that would shield utilities from their responsibility to upgrade unsafe ash dumps, clean up contaminated sites, or close leaking and unstable ponds. Also extending the lives of hundreds of leaking toxic dumps and prohibiting the EPA from ever issuing regulations to require the safe disposal of this waste. ** ** I am sharing below the action alert Earthjustice sent to our activists today about this package, feel free to share widely and recycle any of the language to educate your networks about this attack on public health. In advance, thank you for your time and efforts! **** ------------------------------ ** ** Tell Your Representative To Oppose The Attack On Public Health<https://secure.earthjustice.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&i…> **** Before Congress leaves for its fall recess, the House will try to pass a dangerous bill that will weaken the Clean Air Act and eviscerate protections of the Clean Water Act, allowing for extreme pollution of the air we breathe and the water we drink. The House leadership's bill, H.R. 3409, the latest bit of propaganda in their mythical and false “war on coal” claims, and a last-ditch effort to repay the favors of their big polluter friends.**** H.R. 3409 will take away the public health protections that keep us safe. Dirty air, undrinkable water, climate change and decimated mountains won't create jobs or improve the economy, but they will put our children's and communities' health at risk. This is not a job-creation bill; it is a people-killing bill.**** Every day, our landmark Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and other longstanding environmental safeguards prevent millions of families across this nation from being harmed by uncontrolled pollution. These cornerstone laws prevent big polluters from causing more toxic air pollution, flooding, drinking water contamination, birth defects, illness and even deaths. If passed, this single bill would undermine and even end many of those protections.**** ** ** We must tell our representatives to stop the assault and protect us. Please contact your Representative today to oppose H.R. 3409.**** https://secure.earthjustice.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&i… **** ** ** ------------------------------ ** ** Andrea Delgado**** Legislative Representative**** Earthjustice**** 1625 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 702**** Washington, DC 20036-2212**** T: (202) 797-5240 **** C: (202) 230-6592**** Twitter: @Andrea_Delgado7 <https://twitter.com/#!/Andrea_Delgado7>**** www.earthjustice.org**** ** ** *Because the earth needs a good lawyer* * * *please consider the environment before printing**** ** ** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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NYTimes: utility opposes wind tax credit
by Frank Young 14 Sep '12

14 Sep '12

An Argument Over Wind By MATTHEW L. WALD Green: Business With the wind industry facing the expiration of a production tax credit at the end of the year, the sector’s main trade association is facing off against Exelon, the big power generation company, over whether the tax break should be renewed. Last week, the Wind Energy Association expelled Exelon as a member because the company opposed a renewal of the credit. The association says that if the tax credit expires, some 17,000 jobs will be eliminated next year and that deliveries of new turbines will spiral to zero. But Exelon says the tax credit is distorting energy markets because the credit itself is larger than the average value of electricity produced in the Midwest. Surges of wind energy late at night during periods of low electricity demand are driving the market price of electricity below zero, according to independent statistics. Exelon complains that in that circumstance, its nuclear plants actually have to pay grid operators to accept their electricity. The wind farms in that region do as well, but they remain profitable because they earn the production credit. The issue of the tax credit and so-called negative pricing has emerged in the presidential campaign, with the Obama administration favoring an extension of the credit and Mitt Romney opposing it. But the credit’s fate may be resolved by the November election, depending on Congressional action. Exelon plans to release a study on Friday that says that distortions in the market are getting larger as more wind is added. The company is not alone in its complaints. In Texas, the chairwoman of the state’s Public Utility Commission, Donna Nelson,told a state Senate committee last week that Texas had a shortage of generating capacity as a result of a market distortion in which wind energy drove the price of electricity into negative territory. When wind developers can make money even when prices are negative, she said, it discourages others from building other kinds of power plants. The problem for Texas is that wind generation does not coincide with peak demand, which is on hot days that are mostly windless. State power planners estimate that for every 100 megawatts of wind machines installed in the state, only about 8 megawatts will be available on peak days. The tax credit, which applies to projects that are completed by Dec. 31, is 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour. Depending on the tax status of the wind farm developer, the credit can be worth as much as $34 per megawatt-hour. Joseph Dominguez, Exelon’s senior vice president for governmental and regulatory affairs, said that in the last two years, the average price of a megawatt-hour at the Northern Illinois Hub , one of the main spots on the grid in eastern North America where electricity is priced, has ranged from $28 to $31. There is a bit of a paradox in Exelon’s exile from the wind association; the company owns nearly 2 percent of the wind capacity in the United States. Wind industry advocates say that negative pricing is rare and highly localized and simply points up shortcomings in transmission capacity. “It’s all driven by a lack of transmission,’’ said Michael Goggin, the association’s expert on integrating wind into the grid. “Negative prices are the market’s way of saying there is too much supply and not enough demand, and there’s a roadblock keeping that low-cost electricity from reaching consumers.’’ New wind machines are sometimes built faster than new transmission lines, he said. The wind industry also argues that companies that burn coal and natural gas get a subsidy too, in that they are allowed to dump pollutants into the air without paying for the damage they cause. Sometimes new transmission lines can alleviate the negative pricing phenomenon. In 2010 in the Chicago area, the occurrence of negative pricing peaked at 3.1 percent of all hours, according to the regional grid operator, the PJM Interconnection. That dropped to 2.1 percent the following year when more transmission capacity was added. But across the country, wind farms are likely to be added faster than transmission lines. The study sponsored by Exelon, prepared by the NorthBridge Group, which does extensive consulting for utilities around the country, found pockets where the number of negative hours reached 12 percent or more. While various types of electricity generation have received subsidies over the decades, said Frank Huntowski, one of the authors, “I don’t think we’ve seen something as dramatic as this.’’ Part of the problem is also that wholesale electricity prices have declined because of an economic slump and a decline in the price of natural gas. Before the recession began, the subsidy for wind power production was smaller than the average price of a megawatt-hour. Negative pricing occurs mostly on spring and fall nights when the wind is blowing strongly but offices, stores and factories are mostly closed and temperatures are so mild that there is virtually no demand for home heating or air-conditioning. The phenomenon existed before the surge in construction of wind machines, but the new industry is making it worse, some industry participants say, especially for companies with baseload plants that were built to run at a steady rate around the clock. That is a special problem for Exelon, which runs many nuclear plants in the Midwest; nuclear plants cannot change their output quickly. “Prices will go down for an hour and then come back up and a few hours later, go down again, and it’s very hard to maneuver the nuclear plants to work around that,’’ Christopher Crane, the company’s chief executive, said in an interview. “By the time you have briefed the crew to power down the plant, the price is up again,’’ he said. The wind energy association argues that the production tax credit is an incentive to invest in a clean energy source and does not directly affect market prices. But opponents say that when new generation is added in a way that creates sudden surpluses, the market impact is clear. Either way, low prices are a boon for consumers, said Peter L. Kelley, a spokesman for the wind association. “It’s indisputable that wind energy, with or without the production tax credit, drives down electricity prices,’’ he said. “Consumers receive massive benefits of billions and billions of dollars.’’ Meanwhile, the wind business is already preparing for a slowdown. On Tuesday, a wind tower manufacturer, Katana Summit, said it would probably sell or close its two plants, in Nebraska and Washington State, because of the expiration of the tax credit. The two plants employ a total of about 300 people.

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Fw: LARRY GIBSON 1946-2012
by Frank Young 09 Sep '12

09 Sep '12

Larry Gibson, long-time environmental activist, died of a heart attack Sunday, September 10, while working on Kayford Mountain, the family home in Raleigh County which he spent the last decades of his life protecting from the coal mining practice known as mountaintop removal. Kayford was the site of Larry's birth, the final resting place of 300 ancestors stretching back to the 18th century, and the site of Larry's annual 4th of July festival celebrating life in the mountains. As part of his effort to preserve the mountains, Larry traveled across the country, to schools, churches and a wide range of public gatherings where he spread his simple gospel about the mountains: "Love em or leave em; just don't destroy em." A private funeral is planned, and Larry's family has requested that persons wishing to express condolences make donations to Keeper of the Mountains Foundation, which Larry founded in 2004 to support mountain communities. A public memorial service will be announced at a later time. Larry is survived by his wife, Carol, two sons Cameron and Larry, Jr. and his daughter, Victoria. He was sixty-six years old.

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State Energy Plan Hearings - Huntington, Morgantown, Martinsburg
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 05 Sep '12

05 Sep '12

*Comment on State's Energy Plan * West Virginia's Division of Energy is in the midst of updating the state's 5-year energy plan <http://www.wvcommerce.org/energy/energyplan/default.aspx>. The agency is asking for public comment. Click below to view /drafts/ of various sections of the energy plan: Fossil Energy Opportunities For West Virginia <http://www.wvcommerce.org/App_Media/assets/doc/energy/EOD_Recommendations_-…> Energy Efficiency Policy Outlook for West Virginia <http://www.wvcommerce.org/App_Media/assets/doc/energy/EOD_Recommendations_-…> Renewable Energy Policy Outlook for West Virginia <http://www.wvcommerce.org/App_Media/assets/doc/energy/reports/DRAFT-Renewab…> The agency is holding *public hearings* on the plan: *September 5*: in the Azalea Room of the Big Sandy Arena <http://www.bigsandyarena.com/>, Huntington *September 6*: in Grand Hall AB of the Erickson Alumni Center <http://alumni.wvu.edu/eac/> on the WVU Evansdale Campus, Morgantown *September 7*: in the Foxcroft Ballroom of the Martinsburg Holiday Inn <http://www.himartinsburg.com/>. All hearings start at 9:30 a.m. Registration is at 9 a.m., or you can register in advance to speak at a hearing here <http://www.wvcommerce.org/energy/energyplan/process/register/default.aspx>

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WV energy plan documents
by Jim Sconyers 04 Sep '12

04 Sep '12

I am not able to download the draft documents linked here. Went to the DOE's website and was unable to download them there also. Has anyone been able to download/read the docs? If so can you forward them to me please? On Sat, Sep 1, 2012 at 2:19 PM, Jonathan Rosenbaum <jr(a)wvcompletestreets.org > wrote: > *Comment on State's Energy Plan * > West Virginia's Division of Energy is in the midst of updating the > state's 5-year energy plan<http://www.wvcommerce.org/energy/energyplan/default.aspx>. > The agency is asking for public comment. > > Click below to view *drafts* of various sections of the energy plan: > Fossil Energy Opportunities For West Virginia<http://www.wvcommerce.org/App_Media/assets/doc/energy/EOD_Recommendations_-…> > Energy Efficiency Policy Outlook for West Virginia<http://www.wvcommerce.org/App_Media/assets/doc/energy/EOD_Recommendations_-…> > Renewable Energy Policy Outlook for West Virginia<http://www.wvcommerce.org/App_Media/assets/doc/energy/reports/DRAFT-Renewab…> > > The agency is holding *public hearings* on the plan: > *September 5*: in the Azalea Room of the Big Sandy Arena<http://www.bigsandyarena.com/>, > Huntington > *September 6*: in Grand Hall AB of the Erickson Alumni Center<http://alumni.wvu.edu/eac/>on the WVU Evansdale Campus, Morgantown > *September 7*: in the Foxcroft Ballroom of the Martinsburg Holiday Inn<http://www.himartinsburg.com/>. > > > All hearings start at 9:30 a.m. Registration is at 9 a.m., or you can > register in advance to speak at a hearing here<http://www.wvcommerce.org/energy/energyplan/process/register/default.aspx> > > _______________________________________________ > EC mailing list > EC(a)osenergy.org > http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec > -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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petition-put climate change on presidential debate
by Jim Sconyers 03 Sep '12

03 Sep '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: CCL-DELEGATES automatic digest system <LISTSERV(a)lists.sierraclub.org> Date: Mon, Sep 3, 2012 at 3:00 AM Subject: CCL-DELEGATES Digest - 31 Aug 2012 to 2 Sep 2012 (#2012-143) To: CCL-DELEGATES(a)lists.sierraclub.org There are 2 messages totaling 344 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Help Bring Climate Change to the Presidential Debates (2) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- To get off the CCL-DELEGATES list, send email to LISTSERV(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Make the message text (not the Subject): SIGNOFF CCL-DELEGATES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2012 15:02:48 -0500 From: Craig Wolfe <Protect(a)SierraClub-KS.info> Subject: Help Bring Climate Change to the Presidential Debates Dear Fellow CCL Delegates, I am sending this email because I strongly believe that climate change should be a bi-partisan concern and one of the principal topics of the first Presidential Debate on October 3rd. YOU CAN HELP!! CLICK THE LINK BELOW. THIS IS IMPORTANT. SPREAD THE WORD TO YOUR CHAPTER AND GROUP MEMBERS. As we have all seen with the extreme weather this summer, and it's only going to get worse unless we do something about it. The first step toward getting our government to address the climate crisis is to make sure the public is aware of the facts and where the candidates stand during this election. Will you add your name to the list to make sure climate change is a priority at the debate? Just go to: http://action.lcv.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=913 Millions of voters will get their information about our presidential candidates by watching televised debates this fall. If moderator Jim Lehrer, whose show, the PBS NewsHour, has objectively and factually covered climate change, asks the candidates about the issue, millions of viewers will have a real chance to hear a substantive discussion about climate change on the national stage. That's why I've just signed a petition addressed to Mr. Lehrer urging him to include climate change as a debate topic so he can ask President Obama and Governor Romney about their perception of the facts and how they plan to address the climate crisis. The minimum number of signatures required is 50,000, but one million or five million will add clout to the request and assure adequate time is allowed to ask multiple questions and for both candidates to answer and debate. Record summer heat, drought, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes and insect infestations caused by climate change affect us all. Please forward this email and link to your friends, relatives and associates so they too may add their names to the list and ensure this topic is included in the debate. Craig Wolfe - Kansas Chapter Chair ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- To get off the CCL-DELEGATES list, send email to LISTSERV(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Make the message text (not the Subject): SIGNOFF CCL-DELEGATES ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2012 20:09:08 -0600 From: Becky English <beckyrep(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: Help Bring Climate Change to the Presidential Debates Thanks Craig. Done. Will send to my chapter EnergyCom members on Tuesday ... more broadly if we have room in our Convio allowance. Fellow CCL Delegates, I'm fixin' to be there for the first presidential debate (University of Denver - Jim Lehrer moderating), and will probably blog it for Sierra Club. So far I'm in the second circle -- not in the actual debate auditorium but out with bloggers and the student body. Please send me your conservation questions and, especially, your dirty vs clean energy questions in case I get lucky with the candidates or their staffs. Also, if anyone has anything better than public email addresses for Jim Lehrer, for presidential staff, or for Romneylan staff (weren't those some nasty Star Trek aliens or something?), I'd appreciate your letting me know. Thanks very much, Becky English Rocky Mountain Chapter CCL; ExCom; LegCom; Energy Issue Chair 303 733 4064 ### On Sun, Sep 2, 2012 at 2:02 PM, Craig Wolfe <Protect(a)sierraclub-ks.info >wrote: > ** > > *Dear Fellow CCL Delegates, > > *I am sending this email because I strongly believe that climate change > should be a bi-partisan concern and one of the principal topics of the > first Presidential Debate on October 3rd. > > *YOU CAN HELP!! CLICK THE LINK BELOW. THIS IS IMPORTANT. SPREAD THE WORD > TO YOUR CHAPTER AND GROUP MEMBERS. > > *As we have all seen with the extreme weather this summer, and it's only > going to get worse unless we do something about it. The first step toward > getting our government to address the climate crisis is to make sure the > public is aware of the facts and where the candidates stand during this > election. > > Will you add your name to the list to make sure climate change is a > priority at the debate? Just go to: * > http://action.lcv.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=913*< http://action.lcv.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=913> > > *Millions of voters will get their information about our presidential > candidates by watching televised debates this fall.* *If moderator Jim > Lehrer, whose show, the PBS NewsHour, has objectively and factually covered > climate change, asks the candidates about the issue, millions of viewers > will have a real chance to hear a substantive discussion about climate > change on the national stage. > * > That's why I've just signed a petition addressed to Mr. Lehrer urging him > to include climate change as a debate topic so he can ask President Obama > and Governor Romney about their perception of the facts and how they plan > to address the climate crisis. > > The minimum number of signatures required is 50,000, *but one million or > five million* will add clout to the request and assure adequate time is > allowed to ask multiple questions and for both candidates to answer and > debate. > > Record summer heat, drought, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes and insect > infestations caused by climate change affect us all. Please forward this > email and link to your friends, relatives and associates so they too may > add their names to the list and ensure this topic is included in the > debate. > > Craig Wolfe - Kansas Chapter Chair > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To > unsubscribe from the CCL-DELEGATES list, send any message to: > CCL-DELEGATES-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 get off the CCL-DELEGATES list, send email to LISTSERV(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Make the message text (not the Subject): SIGNOFF CCL-DELEGATES ------------------------------ End of CCL-DELEGATES Digest - 31 Aug 2012 to 2 Sep 2012 (#2012-143) ******************************************************************* -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: FW: MAPP/PATH email
by Jim Sconyers 27 Aug '12

27 Aug '12

Yessssssss!!!!! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Patience Wait" <pwaitster(a)gmail.com> Date: Aug 27, 2012 1:34 PM Subject: Fwd: FW: MAPP/PATH email To: <CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM(a)lists.sierraclub.org> Confirmation, at long last! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <frankc(a)pjm.com> Date: Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 1:09 PM Subject: FW: MAPP/PATH email To: pwaitster(a)gmail.com As Promised…**** ** ** The PJM Board during a phone conference Friday decided to remove the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) and Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway (MAPP) lines from PJM’s regional transmission plans, based on the PJM staff’s recommendations.**** ** ** ** ** *PJM Media Advisory: PJM staff recommends ending PATH, MAPP transmission line projects* – 8 Aug. 2012**** ** ** The PJM transmission planning staff will recommend to the PJM Board that the Potomac Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) and the Mid Atlantic Power Pathway (MAPP) lines be removed from PJM’s regional transmission plans. The recommendations are contained in slides posted today that will be presented, Aug. 9, at a meeting of PJM’s the Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee.**** ** ** **· **Grid conditions have changed since the lines were originally planned, and our updated analysis no longer shows a need for the lines to maintain grid stability.**** **– **A slow economy has reduced the projected growth in the use of electricity.**** **– **PJM’s most recent capacity auction added 4,900 megawatts (MW) of new generation and procured 14,833 MW of demand response. **** **– **Although PJM’s analysis last year showed a diminished need for the two transmission lines the most responsible course was to wait to make a recommendation after analyzing the updated forecast of peak use of electricity (the load forecast), the results of the 2012 capacity auction and the effects on grid stability of the anticipated announcement of generation retirements (16,000 MW) due to environmental regulations.**** **· **PJM’s regional planning process looks 15 years into the future to determine necessary changes to the transmission system to keep power flows stable. Planners study long-term growth in electricity use, generating plant retirements, broader generation development patterns, such as integration of renewable energy resources, and demand response and energy efficiency resources.**** **· **Since PJM’s first regional transmission plan in 2000, the PJM Board has approved more than $24.3 billion in new transmission lines and improvements and upgrades to existing facilities.**** **· **Just this year, PJM staff recommended and the board approved $2.8 billion in electric transmission improvements including new lines needed to keep the grid stable as generating units are retired in response to environmental regulations.**** The presentation can be found at: http://pjm.com/~/media/committees-groups/committees/teac/20120809/20120809-… **** The staff recommendation will be presented to the PJM Board’s Reliability Committee later this month.. **** ** ** Chrisie Franks**** Customer Advisor**** Member Relations**** custsvc(a)pjm.com**** 1-866-400-8980**** *[image: logo-addison]* *Your feedback is very much appreciated. Please take a moment to fill out a quick survey.***** How am I doing? <http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y9TQG3X>** ** ** ** ** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM list, send any message to: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fwd: AlterNet: Methane Releases and Global Warming
by Paul Wilson 27 Aug '12

27 Aug '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <ddow420(a)comcast.net> Date: Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 6:52 AM Subject: AlterNet: Methane Releases and Global Warming Methane’s Contribution to Global Warming Is Worse than You Thought<http://act.alternet.org/go/23649?t=14&akid=9276.278737.SwDLtl> To tackle climate change, we need more honest accounting of this potent greenhouse gas. READ MORE»<http://act.alternet.org/go/23649?t=15&akid=9276.278737.SwDLtl> By Jason Mark / Earth Island Journal -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Bloomberg and gas.
by James Kotcon 26 Aug '12

26 Aug '12

So if Bloomberg is giving $6 million to push regulations in 14 states, that works out to over $400,000 per state. How much of that will environmentalists in WV actually see? JBK See story at: http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201208250103 ***** August 25, 2012 NYC mayor weighs in on 'fracking' The Associated Press NEW YORK -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been an influential voice in the debate over the natural gas drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing. His opposition to "fracking" near the city's drinking water reservoirs led to a state ban on drilling in the watershed. But Bloomberg has now endorsed gas drilling in a letter to The Washington Post, co-written with George Mitchell, a pioneer of fracking techniques. The pair say a natural gas boom would spur economic growth, cut energy costs and reduce reliance on dirtier fuels like coal. But they also wrote that fracking should only be done under strong environmental regulations. Bloomberg's foundation said Friday that it would give $6 million to the Environmental Defense Fund to help push for those regulations in 14 gas producing states.

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Fwd: AlterNet: Pa. Activist Event tThat Highlights Fracking
by Paul Wilson 25 Aug '12

25 Aug '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <ddow420(a)comcast.net> Date: Sat, Aug 25, 2012 at 7:00 AM Subject: AlterNet: Pa. Activist Event tThat Highlights Fracking To: Patricia Matejcek Gmail <patachek3(a)gmail.com>, Alison Robb < nature(a)cape.com> Cc: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Anti-Fracking Protesters Confront Pennsylvania Gov During Kayaking PR Trip on Endangered River<http://act.alternet.org/go/23592?t=20&akid=9271.278737.Ab9sGf> Posted every few miles on the river's banks were groups of protestors, challenging the governor's pro-drilling policy with signs and chants. READ MORE» <http://act.alternet.org/go/23592?t=21&akid=9271.278737.Ab9sGf> By Nora Eisenberg / AlterNet -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Global Warming's Terrifying New Math
by James Kotcon 22 Aug '12

22 Aug '12

A recent article by Bill McKibben has three (actually four) incredibly important numbers that we all need to know and use. The First Number 2 Two degrees Celsius is the maximum amount of warming that the planet can stand without fundamental damage to our way of life. Actually many scientists now view that as overly optimistic, given the amount of damage (heat waves, droughts fires and floods) we are seeing with just 0.8 degrees Celsius. The Second Number 565 565 Gigatons is the amount of carbon we can put into the atmosphere before hitting that 2 degrees Celsius. Our current rate of addition is about 32 Gigatons per year, and that rate has been edging upward by about 3 % per year, notwithstanding global efforts at renewables, energy conservation, and the Kyoto protocol. The rate of increase has been remarkably stable, regardless of all the scientific data on climate change and the policy changes discussed worldwide. The Third Number 2795 The current proven reserves of fossil fuels contain 2795 Gigatons of carbon. This is the "proven" reserves, the reserves that fossil fuel companies already know they have on hand, the amount that is reflected in their stock prices, the stuff they bought with every intention of getting it out and burning it, and that their stockholders fully expect them to get out and burn. This does not include any future discoveries or speculative fuels, this is proven reserves that they now own. This leads directly to the Fourth Number 16 If we can not exceed 565 gigatons, and we continue adding 32 gigatons per year, and rising, we will exceed the maximum tolerable dose in 16 years. That means if your kid is in kindergarten today, catastrophic climate change strikes the whole planet before he leaves highschool. Those who think of climate change as some far off event, need to realize that fundamental change must come very soon, or it is "game over". So this means we must convince the fossil fuel companies to leave 80 % of their proven reserves in the ground, or the planet dies. Anyone who thinks that Exxon or Arch Coal will have spent the kind of money they did to buy these reserves and will just walk away from them in order to save the planet, has not been paying attention. McKibben argues that the environmental movement needs to clearly identify the "enemy", in order to get the attention of the masses, ans these numbers should clearly identify fossil fuel companies as the "enemy" in the minds of most Americans. Read the whole article at: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/global-warmings-terrifying-new-ma… Jim Kotcon

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Jim Kotcon & Beth Little recognized by national Sierra Club for years of service
by Frank Young 22 Aug '12

22 Aug '12

BlankFlanked by Executive Director, Michael Brune, and Club President, Allison Chin, Karen Yarnell (accepting for Beth Little) and Jim Kotcon display their Special Service Awards. Not shown: Jim Sconyers accepting Communication Award for the WV Chapter Full article and pictures at: http://westvirginia.sierraclub.org/newsletter/archives/2012%205%20sep-oct.p…

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Fwd: E-Magazine: Mountaintop Removal Environmental Action in W. Va.
by Paul Wilson 22 Aug '12

22 Aug '12

in case you don't get or see the E-Magazine. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <ddow420(a)comcast.net> Date: Wed, Aug 22, 2012 at 12:42 AM Subject: E-Magazine: Mountaintop Removal Environmental Action in W. Va. *Live from West Virginia*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001C5TBtxxHCXgRL-88pyKJjgIMyawhftU0IrSmbcO6S69T…> Nothing like a little excitement to liven up a reporting trip. I was in southern West Virginia in late July to cover the lead-up to and the biggest action on a mountaintop removal (MTR) mining site to date. On July 28, 45 activists walked onto the largest MTR site in West… *Continue Reading »*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001C5TBtxxHCXgRL-88pyKJjgIMyawhftU0IrSmbcO6S69T…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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PA Brine Dumper gets Slap on the Wrist
by James Kotcon 22 Aug '12

22 Aug '12

This is one you gotta read. Should this be part of our Marcellus Moratorium call? Jim Kotcon >>> "Donald C. Strimbeck" dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> 8/17/2012 5:07 AM >> ( mailto:dcsoinks@comcast.net ) Sent: Friday, August 17, 2012 5:06 AM Subject: EXTRA edition DAILY UPDATE 17 August 2012. News of interest to Mon river watershed denizens. DUNKARD CREEK-Dufalla-17AugY2K12 Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org) Getting Away With Shocking Environmental Crimes AlterNet ( http://www.alternet.org/ ) By Aaron Skirboll ( http://www.alternet.org/authors/aaron-skirboll ) Toxic Wastewater Dumped in Streets and Rivers at Night: Gas Profiteers Getting Away With Shocking Environmental Crimes August 15, 2012 | Ken Dufalla sits at a table inside Laverne’s Restaurant on Route 188 in Waynesburg, PA. The former park ranger, 65, is sporting a camouflaged trucker’s hat and enjoying Laverne’s cream of chicken and biscuits with mashed potatoes. It’s midmorning, between the breakfast crowd and the lunch patrons. Waiters and waitresses are attentive and the coffee is flowing. Before long, Dufalla is joined by a former Marine and Vietnam veteran, 67-year-old Ken Gayman, who dons a black and gold USMC ball cap. The two former Beth-Center High School wrestling practice combatants sprinkle the conversation with passages from the Constitution and speak about defending land and property. The two men are members of an association, but it’s not the Tea Party. Dufalla and Gayman are members of the Izaak Walton League of America, one of the earliest conservation organizations in the country and according to the national Web site, “formed in 1922 to save outdoor America for future generations.” If the stereotypical environmentalist is still imagined as sandal-wearing and tree-hugging, Dufalla and Gayman will quickly wipe away such caricatures. They are a couple of blue-collar guys, no different than anyone else in Greene County. They simply see what’s going on around them and they don’t like the looks of it. Dumping Onto the Streets at Night On March 17, 2011 Greene County resident Robert Allan Shipman and his company, Allan’s Waste Water Service Inc., were charged with illegally dumping millions of gallons of natural gas drilling wastewater, along with restaurant grease and sewer sludge across six counties in Pennsylvania from 2003-2009. Pennsylvania is one of several states that sit atop the gas-rich underground rock formation the Marcellus Shale. Hydraulic fracturing, the process used for retrieving the gas, is a water-intensive drilling method that not only requires massive volumes of water to unlock the gas, but also generates millions of gallons of wastewater when the drilling is done. The two-year investigation by the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office resulted in a total of 98 criminal counts charged against the 50-year-old Shipman and an additional 77 charges levied at his company. Said Nils Frederiksen ( http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/state/state-charges-local-company… ) [3], spokesman for the attorney general’s office, “He was pouring the stuff in any hole he could find.” Most egregiously, the grand jury presentment detailed how when the demand for Allan’s Waste Water services grew in the summer of 2007, as a result of an uptick in production water (wastewater produced by gas well drilling operations that may contain toxic chemicals) from CNX Gas Co. LLP, a subsidiary of Consol Energy, a company Shipman was hauling for, “Shipman showed the drivers how to leave open the gas well valves and ordered them to discharge production water onto the ground and/or into the nearby waterways.” Drivers’ testimony added, “This activity would typically occur after dark or during heavy rain so that no one would observe the illegal discharge.” According to the presentment ( http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/pdf/201103/20110317_shipman_awws_gjpresentme… ) [4], the investigation of Shipman began after a client of his grew suspicious of illegal dumping after an in-house audit “revealed a large discrepancy in the amount of sludge received by Allan’s Waste Water and the amount of sludge disposed” by the company at treatment facilities. A review of reports by the Department of Environmental Protection confirmed that over 170,000 gallons of sludge were unaccounted for from June 2006 to the summer of 2007. Drivers of Allan’s Waste Water testified at the grand jury that Shipman “directed them to mix different wastes in their trucks,” a process they termed “cocktailing.” The mixed waste of production water and sewage sludge was subsequently discharged into creeks, ponds and at various Municipal Authorities in the area. Waste was also disposed of at the Morris Run airshaft, located at the abandoned Blacksville Number 1 Mine, a coal mine owned by Consol Energy, which ultimately releases into Dunkard Creek, a stream that flows between Pennsylvania and West Virginia for 37 miles before its confluence with the Monongahela River. Consol had permits from the EPA to dump production water (consisting of coal bed methane water only) into the Morris Run airshaft. Shipman’s company was not permitted to dump at the site. Sometimes when drivers had remaining production water in their trucks at the end of their shifts, Shipman directed them to empty the production water inside of the company’s garage channeling it through a drain on the floor, which led to Tom’s Run and ultimately again into Dunkard Creek. “The drivers occasionally observed Shipman himself empty tanker trucks in this manner.” Other Allan’s Waste Water employees described business activities that included forged manifest and fraudulent billing ( http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/hsnewsnow/man-sentenced-to-probation-for… ) [5] of 17 companies to the tune of more than $250,000. In October 2007, business was so good for Shipman that he and his wife started a second company, Tri-County Waste Water. This company, which operated out of the same building as Allan’s Waste Water, was authorized on February 21, 2008 by the DEP to treat fluids from the oil and gas industry. April Morris, secretary for Shipman, testified that when she left the company in May 2008, Shipman was making “approximately $7 million per year.” On March 17, 2011, Shipman was free after posting 10 percent of the $500,000 bail. The next day, the nearby Observer-Reporter warned that his freedom could be short-lived. “The criminal charges filed Thursday carry substantial prison terms upon conviction, along with fines in excess of $1.5 million for Shipman and $1.2 million for his company.” Harry Enstrom Chapter Greene County is located in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania and covers 578 square miles of sprawling green hills and open water, from its southern point at the border of West Virginia to its northernmost location of Morris Township. It is 89.2 percent rural. Its tourism bureau boasts ( http://www.greenecountytourism.org/ ) [6] the county is “Nature’s Corner of Northern Charm and Southern Hospitality.” For residents in small towns like Brave, Dry Tavern and Bobtown, fishing is in their blood. The Monongahela flows north from West Virginia, then snakes through Greene County on its way to meet the Alleghany River in Pittsburgh, where the two rivers form a third river, the Ohio. Ken Dufalla and Ken Gayman have been fishing these waters, aka Three Rivers, all of their lives. Not so much anymore. Says Dufalla, “I have a grandson and granddaughter and I’m fishing in West Virginia right now. Here? The streams are polluted.” Greene County’s Harry Enstrom Chapter of the Izaak Walton League meets on the third Wednesday of each month. Dufalla is the chapter president. Dinner’s at 6 pm, followed by the meeting from 7-9, open to the public. The July meeting was held at the Greene Side Grill at the Greene County Country Club. Dufalla is no shrinking violet; if he sees something going on that’s not right, he’s not the type to keep it to himself. Or as he likes to say, “I’m 65 years old—I’m too stupid to be afraid and I’m too old to run.” He’s also well versed in the history of his land. Says Dufalla, “I used to be a deputy water waste conservation officer for 21 years, and so I had a pretty good feel that something was wrong with some of the streams.” On August 2, 2011, Dufalla represented the Harry Enstrom Chapter at a Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee Hearing at Waynesburg Central High School. After a brief definition of the word “pure,” Dufalla opened his speech by reciting Article 1, section 27 of the Constitution of Pennsylvania, which begins: “The people have a right to clean air, pure water and the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic values of the environment.” Section 27 concludes: “As a trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.” History is an important aspect of what’s going on in Greene County. Dufalla understands his county’s place in the economic growth of America. “In the 1800s, oil and gas were removed from the state and especially Greene County with no regard for the impacts the ‘rush’ had on the environment or on the health and safety of the people,” he told the area’s political leaders. “In the early 1900s came the coal boom era, which brought with it varying degrees of stream and air pollution.” He then discussed the Marcellus gas boom with hopefulness that if done safely the economic benefits could very much improve the standard of living in the county, only it should not come in lieu of the health of the people or the land. Greene County is rich in resources, but despite being at the forefront of energy extraction for over 100 years, it is not a wealthy county. It does not boast the best schools and as of the last census ( http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/42/42059.html ) [7] in 2010 the population of 38,686 nearly matched the median household income of $40,498. Somewhere along the line, people who have used this county’s earth made their money and moved on, leaving behind abandoned mines (approximately 1,200 in southwest Pennsylvania and West Virginia), and with them the highly acidic, orange-colored discharges (acid mine drainage) that flow into the region’s creeks and streams. Dufalla doesn’t want to see something similar happen with the oil and gas industry, where area residents are once more left to deal with the leftover waste of long-departed companies. Izaak Walton’s numbers in Dufalla’s chapter have steadily been on the rise as others have joined who want to lend a hand in stopping the water pollution. In January 2010 the membership at the Harry Enstrom chapter sat at 26; today there are 127 members. A newer feature is the Citizen’s Water Monitoring program, which has residents who live next to streams take water samples and get personally involved. “We had a certified hydro biologist come in and we trained these citizens with a six-hour course on how to take water samples— how to read and report them. We basically developed an early warning system,” says Dufalla. Dufalla also writes a weekly column titled “Nature’s Corner,” for the Greene County Messenger, where he often publishes the Izaak Walton water data for the local community. The level of pollutants running through the Monongahela watershed is consistently over the standard. Robert Allan Shipman is part of a much bigger problem. Guilty The county seat of Waynesburg is a small college town still holding onto a walking Main Street and a downtown shopping district that runs a few stoplights. All summer, streamers have been hanging from above merchants’ doorways wishing local Olympian, wrestler Coleman Scott, best in London. Set in the middle of town is the Greene County Courthouse. There, at the stoplight of High Street and Washington, a red light forces a line of trucks to idle; gas trucks, water trucks, residual waste trucks, they are now an ever-present sight since the gas companies began fracking in the Marcellus shale, and as the light turns green, the parade of them thunder off down the road. Walk into downtown shops and ask about Allan Shipman and they’ll tell you they knew about it all along. They’d heard about the trucks near the streams. They’d heard about Morris Run and how dozens of Shipman trucks a day would line up and battle to unload waste. “Citizens are tired of the trucks,” says Greene County Sheriff Richard Ketchem. When the arrest finally came in March 2011, area residents were elated that the man behind the worst kept secret in Greene County was going to pay for his crimes. Said the sheriff, on behalf of all, “Finally.” On February 9, 2012, Shipman signed a written plea agreement to 13 criminal charges of illegal dumping, as well as defrauding 17 companies and various municipalities over a six-year period. As part of the agreement, he and his wife, Carolyn, agreed to never “apply for, obtain, or possess” any DEP permits related to environmental activity. On Friday, June 15, 2012, Deputy Attorney General Amy Carnicella walked into the Greene County Courthouse for the sentence hearing, ready for Shipman to be taken to prison. It was pretty straightforward, as she’d say later; “He did dump waste onto the streets at night and during the rain. This happened over years. It wasn’t a single incident.” On top of it all, he pled guilty. The tentative plea agreement called for imprisonment of up to 16 months. He admitted to the crimes against him. Case closed. Sheriff Ketchem stood beside the deputy attorney general after eight hours of testimony and deliberations as the judge was set to announce the sentencing. Ketchem describes Carnicella as someone who was steel-like in her confidence pertaining to jail time for the defendant. The sheriff, however, became convinced fairly quickly into the judge’s reading that Shipman was going to walk. Judge Toothman’s language gave it away for Ketchem. The talk of family tragedy. The judge took a moment to note Shipman’s stepdaughter had recently committed suicide. His wife attempted the same. Beyond that, Toothman spoke of Shipman’s “law-abiding life.” Of how he laid down on his sword by admitting to his crimes. And, of course, there were the tears. By the time Judge Toothman began crying it was easy to see things were swaying towards the polluter. Everyone could tell. Everyone perhaps except for the deputy attorney general. Says Ketchem; she believed until the end that jail time was forthcoming. Needless to say when Judge Toothman sentenced Robert Allan Shipman to probation, “She was irate,” Ketchum says, referring to Carnicella. The full sentencing ( http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/hsnewsnow/man-sentenced-to-probation-for… ) [5] order was for seven years probation; fines; court costs; restitution. He was also ordered to work with a water conservation group five hours a week for the next seven years. Contacted for comment, Carnicella treads lightly. Speaking over the phone, she’s forthcoming but careful with her words. Further litigation is uncertain. Regarding the overall damage to the waterways, “I don’t know how anyone can say that dumping thousands upon thousands of gallons of waste, or raw sewage, of grease… whether it was only buckets…how is that not harmful? This was over many years. Let me ask you this, would you want your small child swimming in this water? I don’t think so.” Ten days after the sentence hearing, the deputy attorney general filed a motion for modification of sentence. Toothman denied the request on June 28, 2012. On July 28, the state attorney general filed a notice of appeal ( http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/story11/Shipman ) [8] with the state Superior Court seeking to overturn the sentencing. Of note in the DEP’s statement to AlterNet on the Shipman case is that Shipman has already appealed the DEP’s administrative orders “revoking the operating permits for Allan’s Waste Water Company and prohibiting Allan Shipman from any involvement in the waste business including transportation, storage, processing or disposal. Mr. Shipman appealed the administrative orders to the Environmental Hearing Board and litigation is still pending. As such, the matter remains under investigation by the Department.” Sheriff Ketchum has known Shipman since childhood. “My whole life,” he says, and his summation of the case is that Shipman got rich, then he got off. Ketchum was a former president of Izaak Walton for 10 years and has been sheriff since 1990. He says the damage Shipman inflicted to the land and water are not fully appreciated at the moment and believes the effects of dumping will still be seen 20 years down the road. “Deer, cattle, and all kinds of critters drink from these streams— everything drinks from this water.” “God only knows where he put it all. What we found was incredible. But who knows where else… all the other places he dumped it.” For the most part, Ketchum says it eventually all went into the water. Ketchem thinks about one of the waterways affected by the dumping into the Morris Run airshaft. He paints a portrait of Dunkard Creek with 50-inch musky, of large schools of fish. It was a place he fished with his family. On his wall is a photograph of his grandson holding a carp from Dunkard Creek. A beautiful place to fish. He shakes his head. “That poor creek just gets slammed.” Ketchem says. Dunkard Creek Billy Craig, an ironworker out of Local 549 in West Virginia, lives in Mt. Morris, Pa and grew up 100 yards from Dunkard Creek. He enjoyed the creek as a swimming hole and spent countless hours fishing for carp, fresh water drum, small mouth bass, flathead catfish, muskie, and even an occasional walleye. Craig first heard that something was wrong in the creek on September 9, 2009, as he was enjoying a couple of beers at the Legion. That’s when a local property owner stopped in the bar and announced that fish were dying at Dunkard between Mason Dixon Park and Mt. Morris. According to Craig, the water hadn’t look good that whole summer, with the color off, brown and rusty. Still, Billy didn’t think much of it. At least at the time. A couple of days rolled by until Craig was at the creek and says he witnessed a sludge of water flowing in, closing in on Mt. Morris. That’s when he saw the first of the fish dying at the river mouth where Big Shannon Run empties into Dunkard. Soon, it was more than a dead fish here and there, but rather a couple hundred. Then thousands. Muskies were jumping out of the water. Stressed fish. “You could tell they were being poisoned,” says Craig. Before long, stacks of dead fish could be seen. Three hundred to 400 stacked up together. The survivors battled, fruitlessly attempting to get to the fresh water. Other members of the Mt. Morris Sportsman Association joined him. In the creek, he repeats, a line of polluted water could be plainly viewed, separated from the fresh water coming in from Shannon Run and other tributaries, as the sludge worked its way down from Blacksville. Fishermen like Craig and his buddies would not soon forget the sight. Dead fish, the smell penetrating the towns along the banks. Craig called Pittsburgh television stations, both channels 2 and 4. “They always say to call if you see news, so I called,” Craig says. Nobody came. The news was happening. The footage was fresh. Dead fish continued to roll in. Channels 2 and 4 never came. Billy Craig and his friends filmed it themselves. They took photos of some of the dead fish. A 43.5-inch Muskie. A 39.5 inch flathead catfish. “And it takes a lot to kill a catfish,” says Craig. Craig says there was no cleanup. “Mother Nature took care of that.” Raccoons and green heron and a host of other animals did what they do. They ate as much as they could. The creek eventually washed the rest of the dead away. Then one night Craig says the water rose 10 inches in the creek. There was no rain. A helpful discharge from the mineshaft to rid the truth away. Craig’s not sure, but he thinks so. When asked about Robert Allan Shipman’s probation, Craig says, “It’s a slap in the face to everyone that lives around Dunkard.” Adds Dave Headley from nearby Smithfield, “It’s ridiculous that all he got was a slap on the wrist.” Craig has nothing against mining or drilling. His dad was a miner at Blacksville #2, and says there was small kill in his father’s day too. But he just doesn’t understand the lack of concern for the water. Craig and his buddies joined the Izaak Walton league shortly after the fish kill. They began testing Dunkard Creek and recording the data last August and have continued to do so on a weekly basis, usually on Sundays. Today there’s some people out fishing. But it’s not the same. The fish kill affected nearly 30 miles of Dunkard Creek. Salamanders, freshwater mussels and almost every other creature living in the creek were dead. In all, according ( http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/561195/Consol-Sued-f… ) [9] to Sharon Hall, an attorney for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, 42,997 fish, 15,382 freshwater mussels and 6,447 mudpuppies (a type of salamander) were killed. After three years of research, the cause of the Dunkard Creek fish kill has rested on golden algae ( http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/water/environconcerns/hab/ga/%20http:… ) [10] (Prymnesium parvum), a naturally occurring microscopic flagellated algae that is normally only found in waters with a high salt content. Worldwide the algae can be found in estuaries where freshwater mixes with seawater, obviously places far from southwestern Pennsylvania. Golden algae originated in the United States in 1985 in Texas and Oklahoma and since that time has stayed along the coast or in southern states, never this far north. Flowback water, millions of gallons per hydraulic fracturing well, is loaded with salts from deep beneath the earth’s surface, and is many times saltier than ocean water. Simply put, salty water caused the golden algae, but what caused the salty water? In 2011, Consol Energy, the owner of Morris Run air shaft Shipman was dumping into that eventually leads to Dunkard Creek, agreed to pay $5.5 million ( http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/us/consol-to-pay-55m-for-clean-wat… ) [11] and spend up to another $200 million on a state-of-the-art water treatment plant to be up and running by May 2013, but the company admitted no guilt. Instead an attorney for the company spoke of it in terms of mystic or God-like phenomena. According to The Intelligencer and Wheeling News Register, Consol attorney Carol Marunich claimed ( http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/561195/Consol-Sued-f… ) [9] that “the presence of (golden algae) in the Dunkard Creek watershed were the result of natural forces beyond the control,” of the company, and later referred to the algae as an “unprecedented, abnormal, and extraordinary event.” In her suit on behalf of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (the fact that the PA DEP did not file against Consol is something that causes much ire among Billy Craig and many Greene County residents), attorney Sharon Hall described Consol’s “illegal, toxic discharges,” and termed the deeds “willful, wanton and malicious…” In July 2009, two months prior to the fish kill, Dr. Paul Ziemkiewicz of the West Virginia Water Research Institute and a group of researchers were testing water in Dunkard. Ziemkiewicz remembers the water as stagnant with “extremely high” electronic conductivity (EC) readings and a total dissolved solids (TDS) level of 9,000 mg/L. TDS ( http://www.safewater.org/PDFS/resourcesknowthefacts/TDS_AND%20_pH.pdf ) [12] “represents the total concentration of dissolved substances in water… made up of inorganic salts, as well as a small amount of organic matter,” according to the Safe Drinking Water Foundation. DEP data shows that the TDS level would rise in the months ahead to a level of 21,764 mg/L on September 21 taken at Blacksville #2 Mine Outfall 005, with water quality standards in Pennsylvania set at a TDS of 500 mg/L. Fresh unadulterated water normally has a TDS level of less than 100 mg/L ( http://www.dep.wv.gov/WWE/Programs/wqs/Documents/Triennial%20Review/May%201… ) [13]. Of more concern to Ziemkiewicz are the levels of bromide in this region’s water. Bromide is another chemical compound that is naturally seen in seawater. Or according ( http://files.dep.state.pa.us/Water/Wastewater%20Management/WastewaterPortal… ) [14] to DEP state files, “Bromide in fresh water is typically found in areas influenced by saltwater intrusion or another bromide source (well drilling brines, industrial chemicals and agricultural chemicals).” Myron Arnowitt, the PA state director for the Clean Water Action puts bromide into geographical perspective. “It’s really only coastal communities that generally deal with bromides as a water contamination problem. Obviously most of PA is outside of the Delaware estuary.” When asked if bromide was historically consistent with mine discharges in the area, Ziemkiewicz responds, “bromide is not normally found in coal mining.” Dufalla put it a bit more bluntly: “Now here’s the million dollar question, how is bromide coming out of coal water discharges, and why do the permits allowing these discharges not address bromides? The reason they don’t address bromides is because they never had bromides coming out of coal before. 1.8 trillion gallons of water beneath southwestern PA and Northern West Virginia because the land has been mined out. A giant honeycomb underneath the region is filled with water. I understand the brine and magnesium, but we’re getting high levels of strontium and high levels of bromide coming out of these discharges. It’s not supposed to be there. Where is it coming from? I asked the DEP and cannot get an answer…EPA-no answer… Alpha Natural Resources [the company putting out many of the discharges] no answer… Nobody knows where they’re coming from, yet here they are. If you start putting two and two together, it’s a pretty good thought that just maybe, some of this Marcellus wastewater has made it into our mines. Just maybe.” Bromide, in and of itself, is not harmful to humans. Says Dr. Ziemkiewicz, “Bromide is only problematic after it goes through a drinking water utility and is converted to THM [trihalomethane] and associated compounds which are, indeed, harmful.” When bromide meets the chlorine at a public water intake system it forms triahalomethane, which affects the central nervous system and has been linked to several types of cancer, as well as birth defects. And says Ziemkiewicz; this is “a big concern for municipal water authorities.” Trihalomethanes have caused the residents of Carmichaels, PA to share in these concerns. Boiling tap water advisories, recommendations to drink bottled water, a water buffalo set up at the local fire department to supply residents with clean drinking water— these have all become standard fare ( http://www.heraldstandard.com/gcm/news/local_news/carmichaels-water-advisor… ) [15] in Carmichaels since the gas boom began. And headlines such as the following from the Herald Standard from June 14, 2011 no longer come as a surprise: “Carmichaels Water Contaminated Again.” While a lot has been written about contamination of well water due to hydraulic fracturing, what about the tap water? In the midst of Carmichaels' ongoing problem, municipal president Dan Bailey vented to the local papers in 2011: ”What upsets me is DEP knows what’s causing this yet they’re letting drillers dump that water into wastewater plants that don’t test it before they dump it into the river,” Bailey said. ”This is not caused by our plant. It’s caused by DEP not regulating what they are dumping into the river.” The New York Times reported, “In late 2008, drilling and coal-mine waste released during a drought so overwhelmed the Monongahela that local officials advised people in the Pittsburgh area to drink bottled water ( http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/27/us/natural-gas-documents-1.ht… ) [16]. E.P.A. officials described the incident in an internal memorandum as 'one of the largest failures ( http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/27/us/natural-gas-documents-1.ht… ) [16] in U.S. history to supply clean drinking water to the public.'" Wild West Years In the summer of 2008, the Monongahela River was teeming with high TDS. This period coincides with the Wild West years of Marcellus Shale drilling. Prior to 2007, newspapers hardly mentioned the words, as gas wells began popping up quietly across rural Pennsylvania. (Go to Google News and search for “Marcellus Shale” and a single result will emerge with these words, with no results at all returned prior to 2006.) The DEP was caught flat-footed, and illegally or not, as there were not many rules in place, let alone any recommendations as to what to do with the wastewater, Pennsylvania streams and rivers were flooded with waste, which would in hindsight lead one to think this would make surface levels rise. But this is leaving out one important factor, which is that gas-drilling companies were also taking a tremendous amount of water out of the waterways, as each drilling site demands four million gallons of water per well. Following fracking operations this water would be returned to the waterways filthy. Combine this with low summer water levels and this threw the dilution factor completely off tilt in 2008. Says Arnowitt, of Clean Water Action, “The sewage plants at that time was their main way of getting rid of the wastewater.” But sewage treatment cannot get rid of the salts and bromides from production water. Left to their own devices, aka unregulated, the gas industry turned to guys like Allan Shipman, and then they turned a blind eye. In a DEP file, an executive summary of the third and fourth quarters of 2008 disclosed, “Based on the speciation there appears to be a strong correlation between THM formation and elevated source water bromide concentrations in the Monongahela River.” Yet it wasn’t until the spring of 2011 that this agency requested, not required, water treatment plants to stop accepting Marcellus wastewater. In the 2011 statement, DEP secretary Michael Krancer said, “While there are several possible sources for bromide other than shale drilling wastewater, we believe that if operators would stop giving wastewater to facilities that continue to accept it under the special provision, bromide concentrations would quickly and significantly decrease." The statement added: “Removing TDS from water also removes bromides.” It was a great step, even if a late step. Arnowitt is not entirely convinced that treatment plants have stopped accepting gas drilling wastewater even at this point, more than a year later, saying that between five and 10 treatment plants were still accepting natural gas drilling wastewater according to the most recent data Clean Water Action has, which is from July through December 2011. “It’s been a little bit hard to completely pin down,” Arnowitt says. “Once every six months gas well operators are required to send something to the state saying where they’ve sent their wastewater,” with the last report showing, “there were a few that showed greatly reduced intake, but there were still a few gas wells that showed they were sending wastewater to plants that service water disposal.” The tracking system for gas drilling wastewater, now years into the process, is still extremely lacking. “There is a system that exists in Pennsylvania,” says Arnowitt. “The problem is that it’s not transparent to the public, you and I can’t track shipments of wastewater from the well to the eventual source of where it’s disposed of. Theoretically the DEP could do that, but even they don’t have all the information sitting in their office in Harrisburg.” Millions of gallons of wastewater produced a day, buzzing down the road, and still nobody’s really keeping track. “There’s no public oversight,” says Arnowitt. Recycling efforts, which are bringing much self-congratulation from the gas industry lately, also aren’t where they need to be at this point. Arnowitt says, “Recycling is not very regulated. You can get into these storage situations that can have lots of problems.” Such as the use of PVC pipes to move the reused water from well to well. “And it’s leaking in places. It’s not a very well contained process.” Moreover, Dufalla will point out that the word “recycling” is really a misnomer and should more accurately be stated as “reusing.” At this moment, bromide levels continue to register elevated readings. Dr. Ziemkiewicz shared recent numbers showing the high level of 5.3 mg/L on June 27, 2012 from samples taken from Whiteley Creek in Greene County. Lloyd Richard of Carmichaels Water Authority says they are still struggling to keep their trihalomethane numbers in compliance. In late August or early September they will test a chlorine dioxide disinfecting system aimed at reducing high levels of THM. Down the road at the Tri-County Municipal Water Authority, where historically, they haven’t had the same type of problems as Carmichaels, plant manager Jeff Kovach says that since the high TDS levels of 2008, the authority still has had to send out letters “four or five times,” to alert their customers of high THM levels. Kovach, who has worked at Tri-County for 37 years, says that prior to 2008, the company’s THM levels weren’t an issue and they were never in violation. David Argent, professor of wildlife and fisheries sciences at California University of Pennsylvania, shares his thoughts on the health of the Monongahela River today, the source of drinking water for nearly 1 million people. “The Monongahela has had a rather tragic history of water quality issues stemming from mining and hydrologic changes associated with the dams… Because the river serves as a drinking water supply for hundreds of thousands of people as well as a carrier of ‘treated’ waste and as a recreational destination for many, I am ever concerned that we have pushed the system beyond its assimilative capacity to provide us with clean water while at the same time carry our byproducts away. The fish communities we study certainly have recovered from mining, but there are new threats emerging that may not only impact fish, but also human health.” With all of the money spent on machinery by the coal industry and the companies extracting oil and gas from the earth, the question has to be asked, why isn’t the same money invested in dealing with the second part of the process and cleaning up their own mess— in properly treating this massive amount of leftover waste? Dilution has become the treatment solution, an idea that drives Dufalla into fits of anger, as he mocks the waste experts call of dilution is the solution to pollution. But that’s not the best way, says Dufalla. “The best way is prevention. Prevention is the key to preservation.” Says Arnowitt, “The oil and gas industry came in here pretty big in 2008, started drilling a lot of wells and all of a sudden they had millions of gallons of wastewater. They really hadn’t set up a real infrastructure for how to treat it. It's kind of like a chemical company came to Pennsylvania and said we’re going to build this big chemical plant, we need to start operating it right now, and yes, there’s going to be wastewater. We’ll get the wastewater treatment plant on line three years from now, but until then we’ll just have to figure out something else. That’s exactly what the gas industry did here. I think it was inevitable that someone like Allan Shipman would come along. The gas industry was willing to pay people money to take this waste off their hands. They weren’t predisposed to ask a lot of questions. And I think for Allan Shipman it was money he didn’t feel like he could refuse. And he didn’t have all the solutions worked out either with what to do with the stuff, so at a certain point he just figured out a way to get rid of it.” Running Red On July 31, 2012, Ken Dufalla invited me to accompany him to test water throughout Greene County. That way, he said, I could see for myself, and nothing would be lost in translation. Joining us was another Harry Enstrom member, Chuck Hunnell, a 69-year-old former U.S. history teacher. Prior to teaching, Hunnell was a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy and a former Vietnam veteran. Again, anyone trying to shove the earth’s health aside and throw around outdated labels towards those looking out for the environment needs to face reality. These aren’t a bunch of hippies smoking pot and preaching utopian ideals. These are men and women fighting and who’ve already fought for this country. As Ken Gayman told the Greene County Messenger on June 22, “Why did I go to fight in Vietnam and see my fellow Marines die in battle only to have big polluters destroy the country?” Gayman added. “It’s time for people to stand up and take America back.” Chuck Hunnell would like nothing more than to simply enjoy the waters he fishes in retirement, but once you see your streams turn blood red, it’s hard to ignore. Retired or not, Hunnell is out there all day with us. Just a few days before my visit, after a period of high rain in the region, Dufalla’s team alerted the DEP of discharges running through Smith Creek a half mile south of downtown Waynesburg. Smith Creek was our first stop. We tested water near where a discharge from Emerald Mine (Outfall 001) enters the stream. Emerald Coal or Emerald Mine, a vast mining area, sits high on a hill obscured by trees. Guards man the gates at the entrance; a fortress-like setting. It’s impossible to view what’s going into the ponds that are then piped into Smith Creek, only what comes out. Our water sampling results showed TDS 1890 of mg/L, which far exceeds the recommended standard of less than 500 mg/L and an EC reading of 3760 µS/cm, which has a standard of 1,000 µS/cm. (EC or electrical conductivity measures inorganic dissolved ionic components in water, such as its salinity. People can taste saltiness in water at EC levels of 1,500 to 2,000.) The color of the stream was light red. Minnows viewed days earlier according Dufalla were now absent in the impaired water. Only flies and a northern banded water snake were seen. Next we visited what Dufalla called “the number-one polluter in Greene County”— Emerald Mine Bleeder #5, discharge 016, a treatment pond for coal mine discharge water, which leads to Whiteley Creek, before emptying into the Monongahela above Carmichaels, the community experiencing all of the trouble with THM. For bromide sampling, Dufalla relies on the sampling from the DEP or WRI (data filed at www.monriverquest.org/map.cfm [17]). As he wrote ( http://http/www.heraldstandard.com/gcm/columns/natures_corner/ ) [18] in a recent Greene County Messenger column, certified samples ( http://www.heraldstandard.com/gcm/columns/natures_corner/and/article_f747d5… ) [19] from this site in August 2011 showed bromide levels exceeding 11 mg/L. Our tests for EC exceeded the instrument maximum of 10,000 µS/cm for EC and the maximum 5,000 mg/L for TDS. Again, this is for post-treated water. At each subsequent testing site sampling revealed levels, which far exceeded the standard set by the state. Each site being a tributary leading to the Monongahela, a source of drinking water. Whiteley Creek: EC 3400 µS/cm, 1710 TDS mg/L. Clyde Mine Discharge leading to Ten Mile Creek: TDS 4000 mg/L. Shipman’s activities opened up a Pandora’s box. While his more heinous crimes, dumping in the rain and on the roads, are tough to get past, it might be his use of an old mine shaft that has the most importance moving forward, because the discharges coming from mines today do not match what’s historically been recorded in this area, such as the case with bromide. As Adam Federman wrote ( http://http/www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/eij/article/what_killed_d… ) [20] in Earth Island Journal, “Untreated acid mine discharges typically have conductance values of between 1,000 and 1,500 µS/cm.” Testing with Dufalla and Hunnell, our sampling revealed levels as high as 10 times that limit, and from “treated” discharges. Nobody wants to say these high numbers are related to Marcellus drilling. But the fact is that it really doesn’t matter to Dufalla. Just do something about numbers. Period. Whatever the source. Mine water needs to be released, yes; the only thing people in Greene County want to see is a better way than simply releasing it into water. This will cost money. But so does the first part of the process, getting the resources out of the ground. Cleaning up should not be optional. Seeing “treated” water discharged into the streams and creeks of Southwestern PA was quite honestly unnerving. Seeing streams running red, or bubbling with methane while a fisherman angled nearby simply doesn’t seem right. It's disturbing to see farms with their animals now fenced from fresh water streams in order to keep the animals safe. However, to the seasoned scientists who have studied the region or to the officials in charge of regulating the area, there is a shocking casualness. Mine drainage has been flowing into the waterways for decades. To many, the fact that mine drainage is undergoing any treatment whatsoever is good enough, at least better than during the '70s when mine water was discharged directly into the Mon, and when the river flowed a consistent metallic orange color. On Dufalla’s tour, a DEP agent drove by Ten Mile Creek as we took samples. When the agent stopped and emerged from his white jeep, the first thing we noticed were his clean black shoes without a speck of dirt, which to the three of us, suggested that this water pollution agent hadn’t been near water in some time. All afternoon I had listened as Dufalla grumbled about DEP bureaucracy and the pass-it-on-down-the-line mentality he’s experienced between the various divisions within the agency; water, oil and gas, mining, etc. So when the initial reaction from the agent to the pollution we showed him (he had no idea, in his clean black shoes), was “Well, this falls under the mining division,” we would later share a laugh at my jaw-dropping response. When we asked what division he was with and he replied “Water,” we alerted him to the fact that we were showing him polluted— water— that was flowing into— more water— and an area of recreation for the community, Ten Mile Creek. He quickly figured it out and showed his preparedness as he shuffled around to take some pictures, but first he had to replace the batteries in his camera. If I had to venture to guess, I’d wager that these discharges, which were nearly triple that of what his own agency recommends, would not be addressed any time soon. The DEP agent took a stab at an explanation, then blamed Shipman. Says Dufalla later, “I got news for you, Shipman’s not the only one dumping stuff into those streams, and the rest of them are getting permits to do it.” Arnowitt echoes Dufalla and says he believes it’s entirely possible that the type of dumping Shipman did for years is still going on. “Allan Shipman certainly ran a more extensive dumping operation than I would expect most to run, but that being said, it would be very easy for any number of entities— who are maybe mostly running a legitimate operation, but sometimes things happen and they don’t know what to do with a shipment, and it gets illegally dumped. I don’t think that would be hard to do.” "There’s very little independent sampling oversight by the DEP," says Arnowitt and theorizes why this is the case. “It is both a resource problem and a will to do it problem. Truly, DEP has had its budget cut very significantly -- it's been cut 42 percent in the last four years, so they have a lot less to work with. The place they’ve really invested inspection recourses has been at the actual well site, but inspecting what happens with the waste that leaves the well site, like wastewater, there’s very little inspection there, and for the most part the state goes off of what the permit holder sends into them. So that’s definitely a hole in the system that still exists.” Party Line In August 2011, New York State Senator Greg Ball took a tour of Pennsylvania to properly verse himself on hydraulic fracturing prior to making up his mind on the issue. A common sense approach. Upon return, he urged New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to do likewise. Ball, an outdoorsman and fisherman, has much in common with the residents of Greene County. Recounting his tour of Pennsylvania, Ball says he saw a process begin without the manpower and funding in place to regulate the process and he witnessed firsthand how tough it has been for the state to hold the oil and gas industry accountable. He saw “real fears in residents of Pennsylvania” -- farmers and property owners deceived on whether water was clean or contaminated. One of his biggest elements of concern is the fact that billions of gallons of clean drinking water are being used or affected by this industry. “This is a limited resource,” Ball says. “The fact that millions of gallons of drinking water is being allowed to be contaminated is a fundamental issue.” Besides health concerns regarding the issue of clean water, he’s troubled about the overall quality of life for citizens. He wants New York “to avoid the devastation seen in other states,” to avoid the haste he saw in other states, the overall rush to expedite permits and drilling before the proper framework was in place on how to regulate this industry. “Wastewater needs to be treated as an industrial waste,” says Ball. “New York needs to set an example on how this industry needs to be held accountable.” While at a national level, Ball says it’s essential to eliminate the “Halliburton loophole,” which exempts fracking from compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. “Clean water has nothing to do with politics,” says Ball, a Republican. “It shows why politics suck in America.” Ball says citizens need to stop pointing at each other and focus on the real problem, which is the amount of money and influence currently corrupting the government, the red-carpet treatment some industries receive. Clean water should be something beyond politics. Or in the words of Billy Craig, an ironworker from the Mason Dixon line, “If we don’t have clean water, we’re all in trouble. None of us are going to survive. Clean water is something we all need.” Source URL: http://www.alternet.org/fracking/toxic-wastewater-dumped-streets-and-rivers…

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Fw: Notification of Public Comment Period on Beech Ridge Wind Power Permit
by Frank Young 17 Aug '12

17 Aug '12

----- Original Message ----- From: Laura_Hill(a)fws.gov To: Laura_Hill(a)fws.gov Sent: Friday, August 17, 2012 11:25 AM Subject: Notification of Public Comment Period on Beech Ridge Wind Power Permit The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces the availability of a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), application for an Endangered Species Act incidental take permit, and associated habitat conservation plan (HCP) from Beech Ridge Energy, LLC for the Beech Ridge Wind Power Project in Greenbrier and Nicholas Counties, West Virginia. We welcome comments on the draft HCP and DEIS prior to making a final decision on the application for a permit. If approved, the permit would authorize take of endangered Indiana and Virginia big-eared bats associated with construction, operation, and decommissioning of the project. The 60-day comment period opens on August 24, 2012 and closes on October 23, 2012. Please see the attached letter for additional details on how to access documents and submit comments. As a courtesy to those concerned about release of personal e-mail addresses, I have used the blind carbon copy (bcc) feature of e-mail to send this notice so that e-mail addresses of individuals on the mailing list can not be seen by others. Please be aware that if you submit a comment via http://www/regulations.gov, your entire comment--including any personal identifying information--will be posted on the Web site. We will post all hard copy comments sent by U.S. mail on www.regulations.gov as well. If you submit a hard copy comment that includes personal identifying information, you may request that we withhold this information from public view. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. (See attached file: dear intersted party letter DEIS.pdf) _________________________ Laura Hill Assistant Field Supervisor West Virginia Field Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 694 Beverly Pike Elkins, WV 26241 e-mail: Laura_Hill(a)fws.gov Phone: (304) 636-6586, ext. 18 FAX: (304) 636-7824

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Fwd: Fw: Update on New Coal Ash Bill & Call for Grassroots Engagement Monday August 13 at 3p EST
by Paul Wilson 09 Aug '12

09 Aug '12

incase you are not on the COAL-ALERTS listserve. fyi,paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)prodigy.net> Date: Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 3:28 PM Subject: Fw: Update on New Coal Ash Bill & Call for Grassroots Engagement Monday August 13 at 3p EST To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org If you want to know more about "coal ash bill", please join the call on Monday. Details below. Verena ______________________________________________________________ Earlier this month, Senators Conrad, Hoeven, and Baucus introduced a coal ash bill. While this bill is being touted as a compromise on previous coal ash legislation, the changes made are minor and the bill fails to protect our communities' health and our environment. Earthjustice and Sierra Club will be organizing a conference call to discuss the new bill, the political landscape and grassroots action. We hope you will join us for this discussion. Also feel free to forward this information onto any coalition partners or affected citizens who would be interested (please no reporters). If you want to stay up to date on the latest happenings on coal ash, please feel free to email Dalal at dalal.aboulhosn(a)sierraclub.org to join the Coal Ash Listserv. WHEN: Monday, August 13th at 3pm- 4pm EST PHONE: 866.501.6174 passcode - 224.9.224 AGENDA: Failures of New Coal Ash Bill - Lisa Evans, Earthjustice (7 mins) Political Landscape - Dalal Aboulhosn, Sierra Club (7 mins) Grassroots Involvement - Andrea Delgado, Earthjustice (7 mins) Open to Questions/Discussion (40 mins) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fw: Nuclear Energy Liscencing on hold!!
by Frank Young 09 Aug '12

09 Aug '12

----- Original Message ----- From: cindy rank To: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com ; WVEC Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2012 9:51 AM Subject: [WVHCBOARD] Fwd: [issues] Nuclear Energy Liscencing on hold!! FYI --- cindy r. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <lec(a)wildvirginia.org> Date: Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 9:10 AM Subject: [issues] Nuclear Energy Liscencing on hold!! To: issues(a)heartwood.org Great News all around, especially here in VA with the 2 impending Mineral/North Anna reactors now on hold...thanks to Lou Zeller, BREDL and everyone working so hard on this on this! http://ens-newswire.com/?p=47633 U.S. Freezes All Nuclear Power Plant Licensing Decisions Posted by News Editor in Energy, Latest News, RSS on August 7, 2012 4:53 pm / no comments WASHINGTON, DC, August 7, 2012 (ENS) – Federal nuclear regulators today froze at least 19 final reactor licensing decisions in response to a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit that spent nuclear fuel stored on-site at nuclear power plants “poses a dangerous, long-term health and environmental risk.” In its ruling, the appeals court invalidated the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s 2010 updates to the Waste Confidence Rule and also the Temporary Storage Rule and directed the commission to fully comply with federal law. In response, the NRC today put a hold on nine construction and operating licenses, eight license renewals, one operating license, and one early site permit. The court noted that, after decades of failure to site a permanent geologic repository, including 20 years of working on the now-abandoned Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada, the NRC “has no long-term plan other than hoping for a geologic repository.” Therefore, it is possible that spent fuel will be stored at reactor sites “on a permanent basis,” the court said. In its order today, the five-member NRC said, “Waste confidence undergirds .... ... ... In hailing the NRC action in a statement today, the groups said that most of the 19 reactor projects are already “essentially sidetracked by the huge problems facing the nuclear industry, including an inability to control runaway costs, and the availability of far less expensive energy alternatives.” .... ...[and more at the main link above...] __._,_.___Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use • Send us Feedback . __,_._,___

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fyi
by Elizabeth Little 08 Aug '12

08 Aug '12

http://landartgenerator.org/blagi/archives/127

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Fwd: [CLEAR] Stop the Frack Attack
by James Kotcon 01 Aug '12

01 Aug '12

>>> Duane <duane330(a)aol.com> 7/31/2012 12:50 AM >>> Water is Life . .. ... .... ..... KEEP IT CLEAN. stop the frack attack 7-28-12

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NYTimes.com: Dot Earth: University of Texas Will Review Gas Study After Conflict Questions Raised
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 31 Jul '12

31 Jul '12

This page was sent to you by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com. Dot Earth: University of Texas Will Review Gas Study After Conflict Questions Raised http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/university-of-texas-will-revie… ---------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THIS E-MAIL This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service. For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help(a)nytimes.com. NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2012 The New York Times Company

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: One in five streams damaged by mine pollution in southern West Virginia
by Paul Wilson 31 Jul '12

31 Jul '12

One in five streams damaged by mine pollution in southern West Virginia<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/86w…> Posted: 30 Jul 2012 12:50 PM PDT Water pollution from surface coal mining has degraded more than 22 percent of streams and rivers in southern West Virginia to the point they may now qualify as impaired under state criteria, according to a new study. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: WVNS story: With Coal Down, Future Fund Idea Draws More Attention
by Paul Wilson 23 Jul '12

23 Jul '12

fyi, paul w. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Mon, Jul 23, 2012 at 3:17 AM Subject: WVNS story: With Coal Down, Future Fund Idea Draws More Attention To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> With Coal Down, Future Fund Idea Draws More Attention Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27552-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (07/23/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - With Appalachian coal production down, more policymakers are looking at setting aside a portion of severance taxes in a future fund to help coalfield communities adjust. Sen. Jay Rockefeller says the state urgently needs to diversify, and one good step is a future fund supported by severance taxes. Rockefeller wants to bring more manufacturing to southern West Virginia and says a future fund could help. Or, he says, it could research ways to make coal itself more viable. "The future can be manufacturing or the future can be clean coal. Not just alternative economic development, but it also could go to research on the technology which could make coal cleaner." Many coal seams in West Virginia are thinning out, and many utilities are replacing coal with cheap natural gas. According to a new report from the Central Appalachian Regional Network<http://www.carnnet.org>, states here could have tens of millions of dollars a year to invest in diversifying their economies if they set aside just 1 percent of severance tax revenues. Report co-author Roy Silver says the future fund should let the principal build up untouched, while states spend the interest. That way, he says, the states get the benefit of the natural resource, even after it's gone. "You draw down on the interest and the principal remains there, even beyond the time where, let's say, there's no coal being produced in an area." Silver, a professor of sociology at Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College, says if West Virginia put 1 percent of severance tax revenue in the future fund, fairly quickly millions of dollars would be available for things like workforce retraining in communities hit by the low demand for coal. "By 2015, the end-of-year principal balance would be $358 million. You'd have an interest generated of $31 million." During the last session, the state legislature voted to study the future fund. More information about the report can be found at the CARN website, www.carnnet.org. Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27552-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27552-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: Ban fracking in California
by Paul Wilson 22 Jul '12

22 Jul '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <ddow420(a)comcast.net> Date: Sun, Jul 22, 2012 at 7:08 AM Subject: Fwd: Ban fracking in California fyi- an interesting policy decision on fracking by the Club's Board of Directors. I am not aware of any fracking programs in New England, but we certainly have members concerned about this issue (especially renewable energy activists) Begin forwarded message: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Barbara Williams <barbwill(a)comcast.net> Date: Mon, Jul 2, 2012 at 8:55 PM Subject: Re: Ban fracking in California To: CONS-CNRCC-WATER-COMM(a)lists.sierraclub.org Patricia.....Just an FYI.....A board decision just came down and Sierra Club does NOT support statewide bans......here is the text of the decision.......Barb To: CCL Delegates, Chapter Leaders who responded to natural gas to Clean Energy Survey From: Allison Chin, President, and Dave Scott, Vice President of Board of Directors Re: Board decision on CCL resolution to allow chapters to support statewide bans on hydrofracking *This memo is to inform you that on June 21st the Board voted to reaffirm its standing 2011 energy resources policy on hydrofracking for natural gas and declined to amend it to allow individual chapters to be granted exemptions to advocate for statewide bans.* The vote was 8-3 with 2 abstentions, 1 absence, and the President not voting. Under existing policy chapters will continue to be allowed to call for statewide or local moratoria on fracking until strict safeguards are put in place. Chapters may also continue to call for site specific bans in environmentally sensitive areas and communities. What is not permitted is to advocate in the name of the Sierra Club for permanent bans on hydrofracking at the statewide level. The Board relied on a task force composed of staff and volunteers to gather detailed information from chapters on the pros and cons of statewide fracking bans and to examine the advisability and feasibility of adopting a Clean Energy Option . After reviewing the task force report the Board decided to stick with its national policy and not to allow chapters to vary from it. *Background* The Council of Club Leaders passed a resolution in September, 2011, asking the Board of Directors to authorize individual chapters to endorse statewide bans on hydrofracking. The Natural Gas Reform Campaign Leadership Team (now Beyond Natural Gas Leadership Team) prepared a memo listing pros and cons of allowing chapters to advocate for statewide bans. It made no recommendation. The Beyond Coal Campaign Leadership Team submitted comments arguing against granting authority to push for statewide bans. A team of staff drafted a compromise proposal suggesting that chapter requests for statewide bans should only be approved if the petitioning chapter was able to develop a plausible and aggressive plan that would reduce reliance on coal, nuclear, and natural gas by substituting clean energy alternatives: implementation of such a plan would prevent a state from needing to import more gas as a consequence of banning production within its own borders. The proposal also required a petitioning chapter to prove an ability to execute a campaign to get its plan adopted. This “Clean Energy Alternative” was not fleshed out and the practicality of its implementation was questioned by its authors, Executive Director Michael Brune, and the Board. Nevertheless, it held sufficient promise that the Board was not prepared to choose between either approving statewide bans or continuing the present policy of not allowing them without having a fuller understanding of the feasibility and advantages of the clean energy alternative. The following motion was adopted by the Board of Directors on January 19, 2012: MSC (Ela-Boldman) “In response to the CCL resolution regarding bans on natural gas fracturing, the Board directs the ExCom and the Executive Director to appoint a group to report back regarding the feasibility and desirability of adopting some form of the ’Clean Energy Option’, with the expectation that this could be done in about 90 days.” The Natural Gas to Clean Energy final report was completed in June. It included an extensive survey of the chapters representing the 33 states where fracking is taking place or is proposed. Chapters that expressed an interest in pursuing statewide bans include: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Vermont. (7) Chapters that had no interest in pursuing bans include: California, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah , and Wyoming. (12) Chapters that did not want to pursue a ban at this time, but might want to in the future include: Colorado, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. (8) Chapters that did not respond include: Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, New Mexico, North Dakota and South Dakota. (6) A copy of the final report of the Natural Gas to Clean Energy Task Force is attached. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us or any Board member. On Jul 2, 2012, at 8:51 PM, Patricia Matejcek wrote: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Aura Walker <moveon-help(a)list.moveon.org> Date: Mon, Jul 2, 2012 at 11:32 AM Subject: Ban fracking in California ** *Below is an email from Aura Walker, a MoveOn member in who created a petition on SignOn.org, the nonprofit site that allows anyone to start their own online petition. If you have concerns or feedback about this petition, click here<http://civic.moveon.org/signon_feedback/?id=45203-19912849-1Y9ZLJx&t=1> .* ------------------------------ Dear California MoveOn member, California should follow the sane example of Vermont and ban fracking. It is common sense. California is earthquake-prone. Fracking will exacerbate the risk of earthquakes as huge hydraulic drills will core deep into the earth, moving already loose tectonic plates. Additionally, poisonous gases will permanently pollute many precious aquifers, irreversibly poisoning our drinking water. * Click here to protect our land, waters, wetlands, ecosystems, and oceans by signing the petition to ban fracking in California. * <http://www.moveon.org/r?r=276844&id=45203-19912849-1Y9ZLJx&t=2> * <http://www.moveon.org/r?r=276844&id=45203-19912849-1Y9ZLJx&t=3>* I love Jerry Brown. Please sir, do not let us down. Ban fracking in California. Thanks! –Aura Walker *This petition was created on SignOn.org, the progressive, nonprofit petition site that will never sell your email address and will never promote a petition because someone paid us to. SignOn.org is sponsored by MoveOn Civic Action, which is not responsible for the contents of this or other petitions posted on the site.* *Want to support our work?* MoveOn Civic Action is entirely funded by our 7 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.<https://civic.moveon.org/donatec4/creditcard.html?cpn_id=457&id=45203-19912…> ------------------------------ This email was sent to Patricia Matejcek on July 2, 2012. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here<http://moveon.org/subscrip/coa.html?id=45203-19912849-1Y9ZLJx>. To remove yourself from this list, click here<http://moveon.org/s?i=45203-19912849-1Y9ZLJx> . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-CNRCC-WATER-COMM list, send any message to: CONS-CNRCC-WATER-COMM-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-CNRCC-WATER-COMM list, send any message to: CONS-CNRCC-WATER-COMM-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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CFL bulbs
by Jim Sconyers 21 Jul '12

21 Jul '12

Lowe's and Walmart in Oakland (MD) have cheap CFLs subsidized by Potomac Edison. In Morgantown they do not. Difference : Maryland requires utility efficiency programs, West Virginia does not.

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Fwd: [ECOLOG-L] The Ecology of Natural Gas (ESA annual meeting press release)
by Paul Wilson 20 Jul '12

20 Jul '12

>From the Ecological Society of America, fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <ddow420(a)comcast.net> Date: Thu, Jul 19, 2012 at 7:08 PM Subject: Fwd: [ECOLOG-L] The Ecology of Natural Gas (ESA annual meeting press release) To: Patricia Matejcek Gmail <patachek3(a)gmail.com>, Alison Robb < nature(a)cape.com>, Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> *From: *Nadine Lymn <Nadine(a)ESA.ORG> *Date: *July 19, 2012 2:17:59 PM EDT * * The Ecology of Natural Gas Scientists examine process chain of natural gas, from rural extraction to urban distribution "Fracking" stories about shale gas extraction hit the news daily, fueling a growing conflagration between environmental protectionism and economic interests. Otherwise known as hydraulic fracturing, fracking has become a profitable venture thanks to advances in horizontal drilling technology, opening up large US reservoirs and vastly changing the natural gas market. Touted as a clean energy source and a bridge fuel to transition from fossil fuels, natural gas via fracking is also frought with public health and environmental concerns. A session at the upcoming annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America will look at the natural gas process chain, from extraction and processing to transport and distribution. Read the complete ESA press release: http://www.esa.org/pao/pressreleases.php?uid=121320 Nadine Lymn Director of Public Affairs Ecological Society of America 1990 M Street, NW, Suite 700 Washington DC 20036 202.833.8773 ext. 205 ---------------------------------------------- www.facebook.com/esa.org: "Like" the new ESA Facebook page, ask friends/colleagues to do the same. http://twitter.com/#!/esa_org: "Follow" ESA on Twitter. ESA eStore: Now available: "An Ecologist's Guidebook to Policy Engagement." -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: WVNS story: Gas Utilities Seek Hikes Despite Dropping Nat Gas Prices
by Paul Wilson 18 Jul '12

18 Jul '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 3:17 AM Subject: WVNS story: Gas Utilities Seek Hikes Despite Dropping Nat Gas Prices To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Gas Utilities Seek Hikes Despite Dropping Nat Gas Prices Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27421-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (07/13/12) CHARLESTON, W. Va. – Despite record low prices for natural gas, West Virginia utilities are asking the state's Public Service Commission (PSC) to confirm sharp rate hikes. Mountaineer and Dominion Hope both want the PSC to rule in their favor on rate requests based on higher natural gas costs. Clarksburg resident Steve Perdue pays Hope about $75 a month. He says the hike seems 'weird' when, all around him, he can see the Marcellus boom that has driven natural gas prices to a near-record low. "It's overwhelmed the area, there's so much gas that they're getting. We just can't see why they would be getting rate increases when the price of their basic raw material has gone way down." According to West Virginia Affiliated Construction Trades (ACT), Dominion Hope is asking the PSC to confirm a 30 percent increase in the part of the bill that goes to pay for the gas. The company says overall, bills would only go up by 17 percent, and that the rate increase is part of a standard annual procedure for utilities to recover money for legitimate, regulated costs. However, says Perdue, a lot people can't afford the increase. "Times are pretty tough, especially for our seniors. We've got a lot of people laid off. People on fixed income and your just average working person. It's tough on a family." According to Dominion Hope, the company does not make any money from recapturing the cost of buying natural gas. But critics say that's not true for Hope's sister company. Hope used a financial hedging program to set the price it paid for gas. Through the complex financial deals, another branch of the Dominion conglomerate could have made as much as $20 million off of Hope's purchases. To Perdue, that doesn't sound right. "They're in a no-lose situation, collecting all the way around. One of their diversified companies might lose money, and they'll ask for money to recoup that loss. But on the other end, they're making the money." ACT and AARP are among the groups opposing some of the rate hikes. Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27421-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27421-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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beans......yeah, beans
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 17 Jul '12

17 Jul '12

[image: The New York Times] <http://www.nytimes.com/> <http://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=goto&opzn&page=www.nytim…> ------------------------------ July 16, 2012 In Tiny Bean, India’s Dirt-Poor Farmers Strike Gas-Drilling Gold By GARDINER HARRIS<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/gardiner_harri…> LORDI, India — Sohan Singh’s shoeless children have spent most of their lives hungry, dirty and hot. A farmer in a desert land, Mr. Singh could not afford anything better than a mud hut and a barely adequate diet for his family. But it just so happens that when the hard little bean that Mr. Singh grows is ground up, it becomes an essential ingredient for mining oil<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/oil-petroleu…>and natural gas<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/natural-gas/…>in a process called hydraulic fracturing. Halfway around the world, earnings are down for an oil services giant, Halliburton<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/halliburton_company/i…>, because prices have risen for guar, the bean that Mr. Singh and his fellow farmers raise. Halliburton’s loss was, in a rather significant way, Mr. Singh’s gain — a rare victory for the littlest of the little guys in global trade. The increase in guar prices is helping to transform this part of the state of Rajasthan in northwestern India, one of the world’s poorest places. Tractor sales are soaring, land prices are increasing and weddings have grown even more colorful. “Now we have enough food, and we have a house made of stone,” Mr. Singh said proudly while his rail-thin children stared in awe. Guar, a modest bean so hard that it can crack teeth, has become an unlikely global player, and dirt-poor farmers like Mr. Singh have suddenly become a crucial link in the energy production of the United States. For centuries, farmers here used guar to feed their families and their cattle. There are better sources of nutrition, but few that grow in the Rajasthani desert, a land rich in culture but poor in rain. Broader commercial interest in guar first developed when food companies found that it absorbs water like a souped-up cornstarch, and a powdered form of the bean is now widely used to thicken ice cream and keep pastries crisp. But much more important to farmers here was the recent discovery that guar could stiffen water so much that a mixture is able to carry sand sideways into wells drilled by horizontal fracturing, also known as fracking. The fracking boom in the United States has led to a surge in natural gas production, a decline in oil imports and a gradual transition away from coal<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/coal/index.h…>-fired power plants. Fracking may also have spoiled some rural water supplies and caused environmental damage in parts of the United States, but it is hard to find anyone in Rajasthan who sees fracking as anything but a blessing. “Without guar, you cannot have fracturing fluids,” said Michael J. Economides, a professor of engineering at the University of Houston who is a fracking expert. “And what everybody is worried about is that there is virtually no guar out there now.” India produces about 85 percent of the world’s guar. As worries rose about the prospects for this year’s monsoon, which is vital for an adequate crop, speculation over guar production built to a frenzy. Trading in guar futures was even suspended, and with the monsoon still behind schedule, it remains postponed. Ramesh Abhishek, India’s chief commodities market regulator, said guar trading would resume when supplies proved adequate. “If the physical market doesn’t provide enough supplies, then the futures market causes more harm than good,” Mr. Abhishek said. Now, an international effort is under way to ensure that guar supplies come closer to meeting the soaring demand, and hundreds of thousands of small farmers here have been recruited in the effort. Leading the way is Vikas WSP, an Indian company that specializes in the production of guar powders. Many farmers sold their seed stock last year when prices shot up, so Vikas has held rallies in small towns to pass out free seeds, including new high-production hybrids. The company persuaded farmers with irrigated land in the state of Punjab, north of Rajasthan, to plant guar in the spring instead of cotton. That crop is now coming to market. And Vikas signed contracts with farmers guaranteeing a return of nearly $800 per acre if they planted guar, no matter what this year’s monsoon brought. “Whatever they produce, we will buy,” said Sanjay Pareek, a Vikas vice president. Anticipating a heavy crop, Vikas is more than doubling its processing capacity by building two new plants in Jodhpur, the second-largest city in Rajasthan. By next year, the company will be able to produce 86,400 tons of guar powder each day, it said. Smaller producers are taking similar steps. “Last year was an extraordinary year,” said S. K. Sharma, managing director of Lotus Gums and Chemicals in Jodhpur. “In 35 years in this business, I’ve never seen that.” Mr. Sharma said his company would soon open a second plant dedicated entirely to serving gas companies, adding that he was cautiously optimistic that guar prices would remain robust. “But we know there are efforts to grow guar in China, Australia, California and elsewhere, and it has us worried,” he said. Despite the expanding supply, many analysts believe that guar prices will remain high for the foreseeable future. Neil Beveridge, an oil analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, said demand for fracking services should continue to grow rapidly as the industry expanded outside North America. “We’re already starting to see a big increase in Eastern Europe, Argentina, Australia, China and India itself,” he said. Susan L. Sakmar, an energy analyst in San Francisco, cautioned that the fracking boom could slow and that guar alternatives could be developed. But Mr. Economides, the Houston fracking expert, dismissed such talk. “There are no easy or cheap alternatives to guar,” he said. That is good news for guar producers. Farmers, traders and processors around Jodhpur admitted fulfilling some long-held dreams with the profits they made last year. Some took trips to Europe; some bought gold; others got married. At a Massey Ferguson tractor dealership in Jodhpur, where sales have doubled in recent years, Nathu Parjapat of Haripura was buying a tractor for his father-in-law, whose own profits from farming guar allowed him to provide a dowry of 12 grams of gold and half a kilogram of silver when Mr. Parjapat married his daughter. “So now I’m buying a tractor for him,” Mr. Parjapat said as his father-in-law stood next to him, nodding with grave approval. Mr. Singh, the farmer with the new house, said he would plant his entire field with guar this year instead of spreading his risk among other crops. His family is able to sleep on the stone roof, where a constant breeze keeps them cool. His old mud house, now occupied by goats, has a roof made of sticks that did not allow such a luxury. Mr. Singh’s sister, Issa Rathore, showed off a silver ankle bracelet and a toe ring, both bought with guar profits. But her smile quickly vanished when she was asked whether she expected a similar windfall in the coming months. She glanced at the sky, and the children around her grew hushed. “Will the monsoon be enough this year?” she asked. “Who knows?” Sruthi Gottipati contributed reporting. -- 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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bad water to take to rally?
by Jim Sconyers 13 Jul '12

13 Jul '12

Does anyone know where we could get well or other water that has been tainted by drilling/fracking so we could have some to take to the Stop the Frack Attack rally? The march is going to API and ANGA to give them bad water - would be cool to take some with us. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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A little-reported impact of shale gas development.
by James Kotcon 09 Jul '12

09 Jul '12

See stories of the impacts of sand mining in Wisconsin. Some of those mines are in the County where I grew up. JBK http://ecowatch.org/2012/mining-companies-invade-wisconsin-for-frac-sand/

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Fwd: Energize West Virginia Town Hall Meeting Thursday
by James Kotcon 09 Jul '12

09 Jul '12

In a message dated 7/8/2012 4:32:51 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, stombond(a)hughes.net writes: Natural Gas Industry to Hold Town Hall Meeting in Morgantown . . July 5, 2012, WBOY, Clarksburg, WV Natural gas industry officials from Energize West Virginia ( http://www.energizewv.com/ ) and America's Natural Gas Alliance ( http://www.anga.us/ ) are hosting a town hall-style community meeting, in Morgantown, to discuss the "latest developments and activities" in the industry, in the state. The meeting will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m., on Tuesday, July 10 at the Ramada Inn ( http://www.ramada.com/hotels/west-virginia/morgantown/ramada-conference-cen… ), on Scott Avenue in Morgantown. It will include a panel of industry professionals and a presentation on hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling, job creation and economic impact from Marcellus Shale in West Virginia. The meeting is free and open to the public.

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Earth First Shuts Down Drilling Site in Moshannon State Forest | StateImpact Pennsylvania
by Duane 08 Jul '12

08 Jul '12

http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/07/08/earth-first-blocks-frack… "Earth First" Shuts Down Drilling Site in Moshannon State Forest A group calling itself Marcellus Earth First! has set up a blockade in Moshannon State Forest, preventing the natural gas company EQT from operating a well. A report on an Earth First! website says the blockade on a gravel road began before 9:30 Sunday morning with about 40 protestors who successfully prevented a truck from entering the drill site. EQT spokesperson Natalie Cox says the drilling operations have shut down due to safety concerns for the company’s employees, contractors, police and protesters. Cox says activities at the well pad were in the early stages. EQT is one of the top ten largest drillers in Pennsylvania, with about 300 active wells in the western part of the state. For more information on EQT’s drilling operations, visit our Shale Map App. Pike County resident Alex Lotorto, who says he’s not a member of Marcellus Earth First!, but joined the rally, says two people have climbed trees and strung cables across an access road in such a way that cutting them would cause the tree climbers to fall and face serious injury or even death. Lotorto says state police are on the scene. “Police interaction has been courteous and respectful,” says Lotorto. “We want to make this safe as possible.” A state police officer reached by phone at the Dubois, Pa. office would not provide any information. The Moshannon State Forest spans three counties, but the protest is in the Clearfield County section of the forest. Lotoro said a group of protestors had dragged logs and branches from the forest to build blockades across the access road the night before the protest. A sign hanging from the site reads “Marcellus Earth First, no fracking no compromise.” Earth First! is an environmental activist group that uses direct action and is primarily known for protesting logging in forests along the West Coast. The group often employs the tactic of climbing into trees to stop industrial activity and call attention to their cause. Janis Copenhaver lives near Big Run, Jefferson County, not too far from the drill site. Reached by phone, Copenhaver said she didn’t know anything about the action until she overheard others in her town talking about it. “I wish I had the time and gumption to do this,” said Copenhaver. “But I have to have a fulltime job, pay a mortgage, and take care of my animals. I appreciate it when someone else is trying to defend the earth and the life I love living.” Copenhaver said it took her two hours to find the protesters on a remote access road in the forest. She says she plans to bring food and water up the mountain. “I can’t be up there hanging from a tree,” said Copenhaver, “but I’ll do what I can.” Copenhaver says she worries about gas drilling’s impact on her water. She says another drill rig sits about 600 yards from her drinking water well and she gets her water tested every two weeks. Lately, she says the salinity, and the amount of total dissolved solids have increased. “It’s just too frightening, so I started buying bottled water yesterday,” said Copenhaver. Drilling for natural gas in state forests is controversial. Although the state has leased out mineral rights in state forests since 1947, the Marcellus Shale boom has meant a rapid expansion of industrial activity on state land. More than 700,000 acres of forest land have already been leased – about twenty percent of that for Marcellus pads. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources predicts more than 1,000 drilling rigs may dot the forests, once production is at full capacity. Many feared Governor Corbett would expand drilling in the forests, but his 2012–2013 budget did not include any plans to lease out additional state forest land for natural gas drilling. Submitted by Duane Nichols, www.FrackCheckWV.net

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Sierra Club used as a corporate tool?
by James Kotcon 07 Jul '12

07 Jul '12

The line below caught my attention. Who is the "National Center for Public Policy Research", and is it worth dignifying the charge with a response? Jim Kotcon “Since the Sierra Club has been used as a corporate tool in the past, there is no reason to believe that it isn’t being used as one now, so we call upon it to fully disclose who is underwriting Beyond Natural Gas. If the Sierra Club won’t say who is funding its anti-natural gas campaign, we probably can assume there is a conflict of interest in there somewhere.” >>> "Donald C. Strimbeck" dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> 7/6/2012 3:57 AM >> ( mailto:dcsoinks@comcast.net ) McClendon: Chesapeake done with Sierra Club ( http://blog.newsok.com/energy/2012/06/08/mcclendon-chesapeake-done-with-sie… ) Posted by Jay F. Marks ( http://blog.newsok.com/energy/author/jay-marks/ ) on June 8, 2012M at 5:46 pm Chesapeake Energy Corp. is done with the Sierra Club. CEO Aubrey McClendon was questioned by the president of the National Center for Public Policy Research ( http://www.nationalcenter.org/ ) about the company’s past donations totaling $26 million to the environmental group at Friday’s annual meeting. Center President David Ridenour said he was concerned the Sierra Club would use those funds in its new “Beyond Natural Gas” ( http://content.sierraclub.org/naturalgas/ ) campaign. McClendon said he has no regrets about working with the Sierra Club to go after the coal industry. “We’re in a market share struggle with coal,” McClendon said. “As a result of that campaign, 150 new coal plants were not built. That demand will go to natural gas.” The Sierra Club distanced itself ( http://newsok.com/sierra-club-moving-away-from-natural-gas-chesapeake-cash/… ) from Chesapeake earlier this year after new executive director Michael Brune ( http://sierraclub.typepad.com/michaelbrune/2012/02/the-sierra-club-and-natu… ) rewrote the group’s gift acceptance policy and began to campaign for tougher regulation of the natural gas industry. On Friday, McClendon said Chesapeake is no longer associated with the Sierra Club. “Our relationship with them is a little different today than it was a few years ago,” he said. Ridenour said he was not satisfied to McClendon’s response to his question at Friday’s meeting. “Mr. McClendon largely ignored my question, ‘By funding Beyond Coal, did you not unnecessarily pick a fight with another fossil fuel industry that now will have every incentive to fund Beyond Natural Gas? It would be darkly amusing if the coal industry did turn out to be funding Beyond Natural Gas, and did have a stipulation in its grant contract limiting the use of the gift to fighting Mr. McClendon’s industry.” “Since the Sierra Club has been used as a corporate tool in the past, there is no reason to believe that it isn’t being used as one now, so we call upon it to fully disclose who is underwriting Beyond Natural Gas. If the Sierra Club won’t say who is funding its anti-natural gas campaign, we probably can assume there is a conflict of interest in there somewhere.” “As a representative of a Chesapeake shareholder and an employee of another shareholder, I’m not thrilled that Mr. McClendon gave money to an activist group dedicated to the company’s destruction, but I’m even less happy as an American. Energy independence is important to national security, and low-cost energy is important to American jobs and prosperity. We shouldn’t be fighting things that are good for us.” Ridenour said he still hopes to find out where Chesapeake’s donations to the Sierra Club went, while letting such groups know that people are watching those types of charitable contributions

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More on the Coal Ash vote from Center for Media and Democracy. Check out the video on Perry County
by Paul Wilson 01 Jul '12

01 Jul '12

House to Vote on Effort to Preempt EPA Regulation of Coal Ash [image: Environmental Protection Agency logo]The U.S. House of Representatives will vote Thursday on a measure to urge the Transportation Conference Committee to strip the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the ability to designate toxic coal ash as a hazardous waste. This spring, the House approved H.R. 4348, the Surface and Transportation Extension Act of 2012. In this bill the House included an amendment by West Virginia Republican Representative David McKinley, that would prohibit the EPA from ever setting federally enforceable safeguards for the disposal of toxic coal ash. Now McKinley and the coal lobby are fighting to keep his amendment from being stripped out during House-Senate conference committee negotiations. Read more<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=AuVBv3Kn6KsxDPRK6DVe…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: Thank you--Coal ash is out of the Trans Bill! But McKinley vows "We're not finished"
by Jim Sconyers 28 Jun '12

28 Jun '12

A win for the environment - especially in West Virginia, where coal ash is dumped heavily. Won this round. But no doubt we'll have to do it again when McKinley finds a new way to sneak his awful bill in. Eternal vigilance needed..... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lisa Evans <levans(a)earthjustice.org> Date: Thu, Jun 28, 2012 at 8:44 AM Subject: Thank you--Coal ash is out of the Trans Bill! But McKinley vows "We're not finished" To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)lists.sierraclub.org Friends-- Thank you sincerely to all those who helped keep coal ash off the transportation bill. This was an extremely tough fight and an exceedingly close battle. Your support by joining letters, making calls, sending emails and sharing our alerts with your lists clearly made the difference. We could not have won this without your support. The full text for the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012 was posted this morning. The text can be found at http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20120625/CRPT-112hrpt-HR4348.pdf. Unfortunately, we know that the House Republicans (particularly Rep. McKinley) and a cabal of Senators, lead by Baucus, will take another run at this. Today's E&E article (below) ends with the quotation, "Mr. McKinley never stops," House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica said with a smile in a recent exchange with reporters. Walking back to the House floor yesterday evening, McKinley said, "We're not finished. I can say that. We're not finished." Our next step is accountability for the 13 senators who signed the letter in support of the coal ash provision and the members who voted for McKinley's Motion to Instruct last week. It will be essential to register disapproval and public disappointment with those positions. Thank you again for your help and support! Sincerely, Lisa Defeat in transportation conference won't end battle over EPA regulation Manuel Quinones, E&E reporter Published: Thursday, June 28, 2012 Promoters of a provision limiting U.S. EPA regulation of coal ash kept the issue alive in the transportation bill negotiations until the eleventh hour, but they fell short in the face of a counterattack by environmentalists. "I'm very disappointed," Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.), author of the House coal ash bill, said in an interview yesterday evening. "They're saying they used it to trade to get other expedited things on transportation, which would help." McKinley's bill would prohibit EPA from treating coal ash as hazardous. He is vowing to look for other vehicles for its passage. He smiled when asked if it could become a rider on the Interior and Environment spending bill. "We have to educate people that this is a solution," McKinley said. "It's not ideologically driven." Supporters of McKinley's H.R. 2273, which passed in the House last year with bipartisan support, call it a compromise that creates minimum national standards for disposal of the power plant waste while protecting the ash recycling industry from the stigma of a hazardous designation. "Regulatory uncertainty is damaging coal ash recycling today, and we're hopeful that Congress will act quickly to find another path to enact this substantive, bipartisan legislation," said John Ward, head of the industry group Citizens for Recycling First. Environmentalists call the recycling argument a red herring. They say electric utilities do not want to bear the cost of properly disposing of the material, including phasing out all wet dumps. As lawmakers and staff were finalizing transportation negotiations, Earthjustice and the Environmental Integrity Project released a new tally of coal ash waste sites obtained from EPA through a Freedom of Information Act request. "The public health threat from toxic coal ash continues to grow," Earthjustice attorney Lisa Evans said. "The data today reveal that coal ash is being disposed in hundreds of units that are not fit to contain hazardous chemicals. "Congressional attempts to cater to the polluters and deny the EPA the authority to protect millions of Americans living near these sites are dangerous and misguided," she added about the transportation bill negotiations. The groups said there are more than 1,100 coal ash ponds, 451 more than previously known. Almost half of those dumps lack liners that would keep toxins from leaching into groundwater. The groups also reported at least 393 active, planned or retired ash landfills. Many of those also lack liners, they said. "Unlined ponds and landfills leach the toxic pollutants in coal ash, including known carcinogens like arsenic, into drinking water supplies and waterways, placing communities and the environment at risk," said Lisa Widawsky Hallowell, an attorney for the Environmental Integrity Project. Earlier this month, the American Coal Ash Association released a report saying that coal ash is often not more dangerous than soil. As EPA delays finalizing its regulations, McKinley said, his legislation provided a framework for regulation. "If people think they've had problems with water quality, they're going to continue with water quality [problems]," McKinley said. "This amendment was intended to give them a pathway forward. So we're back to where we were." Prospects of the Senate moving forward with its version of McKinley's bill, S. 1751, are uncertain. While the measure enjoys bipartisan support in that chamber, a Senate co-sponsor, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), has expressed concerns about the language. "Now I see him changing his direction," McKinley said. "Maybe he's lost his willingness to work with us." Kirk Benson, CEO of ash recycling firm Headwaters Inc., which lobbied hard for inclusion of the coal ash measure in the transportation bill, said, "We will continue to seek other opportunities to pass this vital provision." There is also a court fight over coal ash. Environmentalists sued EPA in April to press the agency into releasing new standards. U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton for the District of Columbia recently consolidated that case with complaints by Headwaters and other recyclers. The Utility Solid Waste Activities Group and the National Mining Association, both major players in the debate, have won the right to intervene in the litigation. Industry groups, however, are hoping Congress puts an end to the debate once and for all. "Mr. McKinley never stops," House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica said with a smile in a recent exchange with reporters. Walking back to the House floor yesterday evening, McKinley said, "We're not finished. I can say that. We're not finished." wiBut , my sincere thanks to all of you who worked with us to remove the dangerous provision from the transportation bill. Lisa Evans Senior Administrative Counsel Earthjustice 21 Ocean Ave. Marblehead, MA 01945 T: (781) 631-4119 F: (212) 918-1556 www.earthjustice.org *please consider the environment before printing The information contained in this email message may be privileged, confidential and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you think that you have received this email message in error, please notify the sender by reply email and delete the message and any attachments. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp 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/ -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: WVNS story: "Coal Bust" Projected for Southern WV
by Paul Wilson 28 Jun '12

28 Jun '12

fyi, paul pls spread this around... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 4:07 AM Subject: WVNS story: "Coal Bust" Projected for Southern WV To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> "Coal Bust" Projected for Southern WV Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27169-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (06/27/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Federal figures forecast a decline in the production of West Virginia coal headed to power plants - a decline expected to hit the state's southern counties especially hard. The U.S. Department of Energy predicts much less West Virginia coal will be burned to make electricity during the next decade, according to Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. He says that's going to hit some parts of the state harder than others. "Beginning to see a huge bust in coal production in southern West Virginia, which could see production cut by two-thirds over the next 10 years." Boettner says the state's leadership needs to face reality - and that southern West Virginia particularly must do more to diversify. "No matter what your views are on what's happening, today the reality is that we've got to start making plans for how West Virginia's going to create jobs and build a strong economy for our children and grandchildren." The number of mining jobs actually has increased some during the past few years. Boettner says the next decade's employment picture is complicated, as some mines are likely to continue to hire. "In the northern part of West Virginia, we're actually going to see a slight increase in coal production. That's the same area where we're seeing a boom in natural gas. So, we're really seeing two states, unfolding in different ways." He believes West Virginia should start putting money aside in a mineral trust fund to prepare for the future. "Local and state economies cannot rely indefinitely on finite natural resources for jobs and tax revenues. That's why it's so important for the state to consider creating a permanent trust fund." The coal industry has sharply attacked the Environmental Protection Agency for toughening air pollution rules. But Boettner says much of the expected decline will be the result of competition from cheap natural gas and the fact that the coal that's easiest to get has been mined out. More information is online at blog.wvpolicy.org<http://blog.wvpolicy.org/2012/06/25/-energy-projections-show-decline-in-sou…> . Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27169-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27169-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: DC Court Upholds EPA Greenhouse Gas Standard
by James Kotcon 26 Jun '12

26 Jun '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)prodigy.net> Date: Tue, Jun 26, 2012 at 12:37 PM Subject: DC Court EPA Greenhouse Gas Standard To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org View as web page ( http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=hBvBZsZH4Y_z0kGkQcpSww )Sent to . Not you? Sign up here ( http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=78KEa0_jNe9keXIMbnvN9Q ). ( http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=4qh1-gCczhIlVMNDhkO61Q ) ( http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=nKf343Pl7CL1TaYfHp6WaA ) ( http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=NvdKkBbiqFN2I9tpCmAQvw ) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 6/26/2012 Contact: Eitan Bencuya: 202-495-3047 ( tel:202-495-3047 ), eitan.bencuya(a)sierraclub.org D.C. Court of Appeals Upholds Environmental Protection Agency Greenhouse Gas Standards WASHINGTON D.C. -- Today, in a sweeping victory for public health and clean air, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued decisions in four challenges to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) historic climate and clean air protections. Major industrial polluters joined with states like Texas to challenge these safeguards, which will protect Americans’ health, improve vehicle efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas pollution. The Sierra Club rallied tens of thousands of people across the country to support the standards, and the Sierra Club legal team joined our allies in a landmark legal defense of the protections, when they were challenged. The four rules upheld today were:The Climate Pollution Endangerment Finding, in which, after an extensive review of scientific research and peer-reviewed studies, the EPA found that six greenhouse gasses endanger human health and welfare. The Clean Car Standards, in which the EPA established cost-saving fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks sold from 2012-2016. These safeguards will save consumers an estimated $3,000 at the pump over the life of the vehicle, reduce reliance on foreign oil by 1.8 billion barrels over the life of the vehicle, and will reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 960 million tons. The standards are supported by U.S. automakers and the United Auto Workers union, among others, and the automakers and a dozen states intervened in defense of the standards. The Timing and Tailoring Rules, in which the EPA phased in carbon pollution permits for the biggest industrial pollution sources, while protecting small businesses. The Court determined that none of the challengers were injured by these regulatory relief decisions. In response, Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club issued the following statement: “Today’s decision is a huge victory for American families and everyone concerned about protecting the air we breathe and the health of our children. The role of the Clean Air Act in protecting our families from dangerous carbon pollution and climate disruption should never have been in doubt, and this decision is a big step forward in putting the well-being of Americans before the boundless profits of big polluters. “Carbon pollution is dangerous to our planet and our health. The Environmental Protection Agency has the right and the duty to keep our communities healthy and now the path is clear for them to curb this dangerous pollution, which threatens our families and planet. We applaud the court’s decision and stand with the EPA as they continue to fight for the health of American families.” ### - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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Fwd: URGENT: Coal ash rule in trouble - Please call Senator Rockefeller and urge him NOT to negotiate your health away
by Jim Sconyers 25 Jun '12

25 Jun '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lisa Graves-Marcucci <lgmarcucci(a)environmentalintegrity.org> Date: Mon, Jun 25, 2012 at 9:20 AM Subject: URGENT: Coal ash rule in trouble - Please call Senator Rockefeller and urge him NOT to negotiate your health away To: Curtis Havens <curt1968(a)comcast.net>, Sharon Fineman < rfineman(a)comcast.net>, steve rhodes <slrhodes24(a)gmail.com>, Carrie Bodnar < albrightbodnar(a)gmail.com>, D H <speedydeedy10(a)yahoo.com>, Petra&John Wood < pbjmwood(a)gmail.com>, Jim Sconyers <jimscon(a)gmail.com>, James Kotcon < jkotcon(a)wvu.edu>, "Jarrett F. Jamison III" <jarrett425(a)aol.com>, Duane Nichols <duane330(a)aol.com>, "<gwen jones" <gwen.jones1(a)gmail.com>, Cindy Rank <clrank2(a)gmail.com> Cc: Lisa Evans <levans(a)earthjustice.org>, Emily Enderle < eenderle(a)earthjustice.org> *Apologies for duplication, but this is an urgent request for all our WV friends *-- see message below from Lisa Evans, Earthjustice. The Transportation Bill is in the final steps of negotiations and we are hearing the coal ash rules could be used to negotiated a final deal between the Senate and the House. *Senator Rockefeller is a key vote. Please call his office today and urge the Senator to stand strong - tell him please DO NOT negotiate your health away. Jobs are crucial, but so are health protections from toxic coal ash.* Lisa has outlined some messaging below -- please review and make this important call today -- and urge others to do the same. Many thanks for your help, LGM *Message from Lisa Evans:* Dear Friends in West Virginia: Once again, we are hearing that coal ash is in trouble and that a deal may be reached to include the coal ash provision on the transportation bill. As you know, Senator Rockefeller is on the conference committee for the transportation bill. While he has expressed interest in keeping coal ash off the bill, we must ensure that he stays strong. Thus we are asking for your immediate help to generate as many emails and calls as we can to his office to urge the Senator to keep coal ash off the final bill. We don’t have much time, because a bill must be passed by June 30. Below is the contact information for the Senator’s transportation staffer. Also included is a “script” that you can use in a call or email. *However, all you need to convey is the simple request to keep the coal ash provision out of a transportation bill in order to keep Americans safe from toxic waste.* We must keep up the pressure. Please circulate widely to your allies in West Virginia. Thank you in advance for your efforts. SEN. ROCKEFELLER’S CONTACT INFO: Transportation aide: Patrick Bond Email: patrick_bond(a)rockefeller.senate.gov Phone: 202-224-6472 ASK SENATOR ROCKEFELLER TO KEEP COAL ASH OFF THE TRANSPORTATION BILL: [sample script] Dear Patrick: I am contacting you to urge Senator Rockefeller to protect the health and environment of Americans and oppose the inclusion of a coal ash amendment in the final transportation package. As you know, this provision prevents the Environmental Protection Agency from enacting federal standards for the safe disposal of toxic coal ash. Safe disposal of this waste is a public health imperative. In nearly 200 cases in 37 states, coal ash has already poisoned water with arsenic, lead, selenium and other heavy metals. We ask the Senator to protect us from the health, environmental and ecological damage that this toxic waste causes. We urge the Senator not to side with polluters who seek to evade their responsibility to operate dumps safely and clean up the sites they have contaminated. Sincerely, [your name] -- * Lisa Graves Marcucci Environmental Integrity Project PA Coordinator, Community Outreach lgmarcucci(a)environmentalintegrity.org 412-897-0569 (cell) * -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Gazette "poll" on Rocky's remarks about coal
by Frank Young 24 Jun '12

24 Jun '12

http://www.wvgazette.com/ New poll on Gazette front page: Do you agree with Sen. Jay Rockefeller's stance regarding the coal industry and its future in West Virginia? The "nos" are ahead at the moment- 51 to 49 percent. The pol is on the left, scroll down-pas the twitter and facebook feeds and they poll is above the blogs-links

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Fwd: Cheap Coal Is Dead. Long Live Renewables
by James Kotcon 23 Jun '12

23 Jun '12

Open this one and click to read the whole op/ed by Carl Pope. If that line about India is correct, and if Indonesia is banning coal exports, that is a game changer. JBK

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