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Fw: Power Demand Dims Outlook
by Frank Young 21 Nov '09

21 Nov '09

Subject: Electric Power Demand Power Demand Dims Outlook a.. Article b.. Comments (1) more in Business » By REBECCA SMITH Electricity sales remained weak in the third quarter, prompting speculation that the sluggishness could persist even after the U.S. economy rebounds. Some utilities don't expect power sales to recover to pre-recession levels until 2012 -- if at all -- because so many factories have closed. Getting a read on future demand is crucial for utilities because they require long lead times to build power plants and make other upgrades. Declining sales put pressure on utilities to raise prices, cut costs or make other adjustments to bolster profits. The sector began to feel the recession, which started in late 2007, later than many others. Sales held up well in the first half of 2008 but then declined and have continued falling this year, though some regions are reporting an uptick. The federal Energy Information Administration expects overall electricity sales to decline 3.3% this year and grow modestly next year, but many utilities anticipate far larger declines for the year. Duke Energy Corp. said its energy sales to the textile industry based in the Carolinas fell 20% in the third quarter, versus a drop of 13.7% for sales to all industrial users. For the first nine months of 2009, electricity sales to the textile industry were down 23.5%, from the prior year, and overall industrial sales were down 15.8%. American Electric Power Co. of Columbus, Ohio, which owns utilities in 11 states, saw industrial electricity sales plunge 17% for the third quarter versus the year-ago period. Chief Executive Mike Morris said his company is counting on industrial demand recovering about a third of the lost ground in 2010. Beyond that, he is wary of making predictions. "I don't know if we'll ever get all of it back," he said, acknowledging that factory closings in the auto sector will have a lasting effect. Larry Makovich of consultancy Cambridge Energy Research Associates is among the few who believe electricity sales will experience a "strong rebound" next year. "It is dangerous to misinterpret a short-run phenomenon as a structural change," he said. Atlanta's Southern Co., which owns utilities in four Southeastern states, has seen year-to-date industrial demand drop 15%, including a 9.6% drop in the past quarter. Chief Executive David Ratcliffe said he sees signs of recovery, but added that it feels "fragile." Bill Johnson, chief executive of Progress Energy, which has utilities in Florida and the Carolinas, said he thinks homes mostly have cut use voluntarily, unlike businesses. Total sales fell 10.9% in the first nine months of the year across all customer categories, led by industrial sales that dropped 11.4% in the Carolinas and 12.9% in Florida. "I think there's still a high level of concern and a great deal of unease" about the economy, Mr. Johnson said, adding that he doesn't expect a sharp recovery. Bob Shepard, chief executive of Oncor in Dallas, said he thinks the drop in energy use in 2008 "was so quick that it wasn't structural but was probably cyclical." Nevertheless, he said he doesn't expect a full recovery in total sales volumes until 2012. Portland General Electric in Oregon saw residential sales rise 4.6% for the quarter, but the gain was offset by a 5.3% drop in industrial sales. Utility analyst Chris Ellinghaus at Shields & Company in New York said he isn't hopeful the sector will recover next year but thinks "2011 will look more normal." Write to Rebecca Smith at rebecca.smith(a)wsj.com ********************* Joy Towles Ezell hopeforcleanwater(a)yahoo.com "We are the ones we've been waiting for." http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HopeForCleanWater/ http://grooups.yahoo.com/group/EANoF/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FloridiansAgainstIncineratorsInDisguise/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SaveTaylorCountyFloridaResidents/ 850 584 7087 office & fax 850 843 1574 cell _______________________________________________ No New Coal Plants! (nonewcoalplants(a)energyjustice.net) Energy Justice Network http://www.energyjustice.net Un/Subscribe, change your settings or access the archives at: http://mail.energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nonewcoalplants_energyjustic…

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Gas Drilling vs. Drinking Water: New York City Consultant’s Report Sets Stage for Fight With Albany | FLYP
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 20 Nov '09

20 Nov '09

*Please note, the sender's email address has not been verified. You have received the following link from william.depaulo(a)gmail.com ******************** If you are having trouble with any of the links in this message, or if the URL's are not appearing as links, please follow the instructions at the bottom of this email. Title: Gas Drilling vs. Drinking Water: New York City Consultant’s Report Sets Stage for Fight With Albany | FLYP Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to access the sent link: http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMail… Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to SAVE THIS link: http://www.savethis.clickability.com/st/saveThisPopupApp?clickMap=saveFromE… Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to forward this link: http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=forward&etMailT… ******************** Email pages from any Web site you visit - add the EMAIL THIS button to your browser, copy and paste the following into your Web browser: http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=browserButtons&…" ********************* Instructions: ----------------------------------------- If your e-mail program doesn't recognize Web addresses: 1. With your mouse, highlight the Web Address above. Be sure to highlight the entire Web address, even if it spans more than one line in your email. 2. Select Copy from the Edit menu at the top of your screen. 3. Launch your Web browser. 4. Paste the address into your Web browser by selecting Paste from the Edit menu. 5. Click Go or press Enter or Return on your keyboard. ********************

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Fwd: Question on WV Tourism Assoc. letter
by Paul Wilson 19 Nov '09

19 Nov '09

see the comment below on the WV Tourism Assoc. Has anyone heard of this? Jenny has outlined some national response, but maybe we want to do something like LTEs, op-eds? just a thought, best, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jenny Coyle <Jenny.Coyle(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 6:33 PM Subject: Greetings Paul! I have a question... To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com Hey Paul -- Hope all is well for you there in the mountains. I'm doing well, though I had a little accident on my (non-motorized) kick scooter and broke my shoulder about a month ago. It's healing, but man, what a crazy thing to do! I hit some wet pavement and that was all she wrote. The morphine was nice, though. So I'm not sure if you're in the loop on this, but apparently the WV Tourism Association sent out a letter to its members asking them to join a group that supports coal mining. We're doing something in our Climate Crossroads online community, about ten things that really do help tourism in WV, 'cause MTR certainly doesn't. One of those ten things will be great hiking trails. And we'll link to our Sierra Club Trails website, to the page that gives you search results for trails in WV. That URL is here: http://tiny.cc/WVtrails If you click on that link, you'll see that there are seven trails, and four of them are pretty good. Three of them, however - the three with the boring green Trails avatars instead of photos, need to be upgraded with a photo and an actual trail description. Is there any chance you know these trails well enough to do that? Or even provide me with a few paragraphs and photos to do that? Or even do it over the phone and email me the photos? I'm also looking to get some more trails added. I know you're god-awful busy and dedicated to the work of your chapter and all -- but any chance you'd have time to do this? I'm trying to make it happen by week's end... Best, Jenny __________ Jenny Coyle Website Producer Sierra Club (415) 977-5533 --> Check out Sierra Club Trails: http://sierraclubtrails.org -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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Nov 1, 2009 MIT STUDY ON FUTURE OF COAL
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 19 Nov '09

19 Nov '09

Attached is a copy of the 190-page MIT Study on the Future of Coal, released Nov 1. It clearly endorses the principle of carbon capture and sequestration as a necessity, but points out in the bluntest possible terms the overwhelming scale of the undertaking and the pathetically inadequate efforts undertaken so far to achieve it. The statistics below, from a table at the beginning, offer compelling reasons to believe that it just aint gonna happen, at least not in a time frame that offers any prospect of meaningful mitigation of the effects of global warming. Table in Exec. Summary at p. ix Today fossil sources account for 80% of energy demand: Coal (25%), natural gas (21%), petroleum (34%), nuclear (6.5%), hydro (2.2%), and biomass and waste (11%). Only 0.4% of global energy demand is met by geothermal, solar and wind.1 50% of the electricity generated in the U.S. is from coal.2 There are the equivalent of more than five hundred, 500 megawatt, coal-fi red power plants in the United States with an average age of 35 years.2 China is currently constructing the equivalent of two, 500 megawatt, coal-fi red power plants per week and a capacity comparable to the entire UK power grid each year.3 One 500 megawatt coal-fired power plant produces approximately 3 million tons/year of carbon dioxide (CO2).3 The United States produces about 1.5 billion tons per year of CO2 from coal-burning power plants. * If all of this CO2 is transported for sequestration, the quantity is equivalent to three times the weight and, under typical operating conditions, one-third of the annual volume of natural gas transported by the U.S. gas pipeline system.* *If 60% of the CO2 produced from U.S. coal-based power generation were to be captured and compressed to a liquid for geologic sequestration, its volume would about equal the total U.S. oil consumption of 20 million barrels per day.* *At present the largest sequestration project is injecting one million tons/year of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the Sleipner gas field into a saline aquifer under the North Sea.*3 Notes 1. IEA Key World Energy Statistics (2006) 2. EIA 2005 annual statistics (www.eia.doe.gov) 3. Derived from the MIT Coal Study -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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FW: [wvec-board] WV Environmental Council Fall Fundraising Concert >>> Tues. 11/24 in Charleston
by Grubb, Karen 18 Nov '09

18 Nov '09

Please come to this event if you can. From: wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:wvec-board@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Daniel Chiotos Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 5:42 PM To: hotcayen; wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com; selliott; mshafiei; lmundy; FOM; Vickie Wolfe; Mary Ellen O'Farrell; Mary Wildfire; Philip Bailey; joseph mathis; Jenny Hudson; Walton C. Shepherd; Michael T. Tierney; michael lipton; Dana Kuhnline; Bill DePaulo Subject: [wvec-board] WV Environmental Council Fall Fundraising Concert >>> Tues. 11/24 in Charleston ***********PLEASE FORWARD************ WV Environmental Council's Fall Fundraiser Tuesday, Nov. 24th from 6 to 9 PM at the Empty Glass in Charleston, WV Only $5 at the Door! MUSIC, FOOD & FUN - Come By After Work! NEW T-shirts available by Charlie Hamilton - Long & Short Sleeve Please come, have a great time, and chip in to support environmental lobbying in West Virginia! Cheers, Daniel Chiotos 2206 Washington St E. Charleston, WV, 25311 (304)886-3389 {www.seac.org} __._,_.___ Reply to sender <mailto:danny@seac.org?subject=WV%20Environmental%20Council%20Fall%20Fundraising%20Concert%20%3e%3e%3e%20Tues.%2011/24%20in%20 %20Charleston> | Reply to group <mailto:wvec-board@yahoogroups.com?subject=WV%20Environmental%20Council%20Fall%20Fundraising%20Concert%20%3e%3e%3e%20Tues.%2011/24%20in%20 %20Charleston> Messages in this topic <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvec-board/message/1168;_ylc=X3oDMTM1YmltMXBu…> (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvec-board;_ylc=X3oDMTJmZnJkcHJhBF9TAzk3MzU5N…> Start a New Topic <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvec-board/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJmM3R0Y3NpBF9TAzk3…> . Web Bug from http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=21584041/grpspId=1705365392/msgI…<http://www.mailscanner.tv/1x1spacer.gif> __,_._,___

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from Center for Media and Democracy's email list: Drilling Through the Appalachian Shale Gas Hype
by Paul Wilson 16 Nov '09

16 Nov '09

Be A Citizen JournalistDrilling Through the Appalachian Shale Gas Hype<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=hqzZc2Byp1yq6a%2BXNL…> While the U.S. economy continues to reel from the fallout from the global financial crisis, there's a boom on in the gas industry wanting access to Appalachian areas underlain by the Marcellus Shale<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ut0v%2Bltf6raf2Bul0Y…>deposits. The gas-industry boom has environmentalists and many residents worried about the environmental impacts. To make gas production profitable, the industry employs a practice referred to as fracking<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=m8mEO36WVYBC8HefykGl…>, pumping large volumes of water, sand and a mix of chemicals down drill holes to fracture the rock formations and increase the volume of accessible gas. While the Safe Drinking Water Act notionally protects water supplies, the gas industry is the only industry excluded from the scope of the legislation. Nor do many state government's regulate fracking practices. (A useful collection of articles<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2BFhlgqORzNLTkdY2JY…>on the issue has been published by the non-profit journalism group, ProPublica<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=zUpJPnDsjjmpZouy0DpF…> ). Right now, the issue is politically hot<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=4pPKe17qxrYmnKoebCYd…>. Last week the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a resolution requesting the Environmental Protection Agency<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Xo0PpQMSAxBfYOy%2F6b…>re-examine the potential impact of fracking on water quality. While companies are busy hyping their involvement in Marcellus Shale projects, citizens groups are mobilizing to express their concerns about both fracking practices and gas production more generally. You can help document the environmental and other issues involved with the exploitation of the Marcellus Shale by helping building the SourceWatch article on the issue. See SourceWatch:Project:Documenting environmental and other issues with the exploitation of Marcellus Shale<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=GXtLQzK%2Bo%2BthsuqB…>on our collaborative SourceWatch encyclopedia for more details. If you have never added material to SourceWatch before, don't worry! Our regular editors are at hand to help get you started. If this is your first time editing on SourceWatch, you can register here<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=LWxLd413qaxS6a96wL3f…>, and learn more about adding information to the site here<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=vnseSfF57oiQN%2BvmBx…>, here<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=E6RqLYVIIqPlcji25%2B…>and here<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=U90C14AOoEJ9dR6G1Voo…> . -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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Fwd: RSVP NOW: Coal Ash Mega Strategy Call Nov. 18 at 2pm
by Paul Wilson 13 Nov '09

13 Nov '09

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <baumling(a)aol.com> Date: Thu, Nov 12, 2009 at 3:08 PM Subject: Fwd: RSVP NOW: Coal Ash Mega Strategy Call Nov. 18 at 2pm To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-FORUM(a)lists.sierraclub.org If you want to join us on the coal ash call, pls RSVP per instructions below. Verena -----Original Message----- From: Lyndsay Moseley <Lyndsay.Moseley(a)sierraclub.org> To: baumling(a)aol.com Sent: Thu, Nov 12, 2009 12:31 pm Subject: Fw: RSVP NOW: Coal Ash Mega Strategy Call Nov. 18 at 2pm Verena, Will you forward this to the appropriate activist lists? Lyndsay Moseley Washington Representative Sierra Club 408 C St. NE Washington, DC 20002 tel: 202-548-4581 fax: 202-547-6009 ----- Forwarded by Lyndsay Moseley/Sierraclub on 11/12/2009 01:32 PM ----- *Lyndsay Moseley/Sierraclub* 11/12/2009 01:16 PM To #Coal cc Subject RSVP NOW: Coal Ash Mega Strategy Call Nov. 18 at 2pm Coal Campaigners, Sierra Club is co-hosting a call (with Earthjustice and Environmental Integrity Project) next Wednesay Nov. 18th at 2pm ET to discuss our national strategy on coal ash with grassroots organizers and leaders. This will be a great opportunity to get the current state of play on coal ash, ask questions, find out about resources available to support advocacy around EPA's coming coal ash rule, and participate in shaping our grassroots campaign around coal ash. If you are interested: 1) Please check your schedule and RSVP (see below) asap! 2) Please invite volunteer leaders and coalition partners to join the call as well. Please let me know if you have any questions -- Lyndsay Lyndsay Moseley Washington Representative Sierra Club 408 C St. NE Washington, DC 20002 tel: 202-548-4581 fax: 202-547-6009 ----- Forwarded by Lyndsay Moseley/Sierraclub on 11/12/2009 12:22 PM ----- *"Lisa N. Widawsky" <lwidawsky(a)environmentalintegrity.org>* 11/09/2009 09:50 PM To "Lisa N. Widawsky" <lwidawsky(a)environmentalintegrity.org> cc Subject RSVP NOW: Prevent Another TVA Disaster - Join Our Coal Ash Mega Strategy Call Nov. 18 at 2pm Greetings grassroots organizer, There are *just a few weeks* until U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson will announce new proposed regulations governing coal ash disposal. Please join us *November 18* at *2 pm EST* for a brief telephone discussion with coal ash and media experts to learn how you can organize to build support for EPA rules that finally treat coal ash as the hazardous waste we all know it is. We will provide information about EPA’s upcoming coal combustion waste disposal rule, state-specific fact sheets on coal ash ponds and landfills in 35 states, and media tools to help get the word out to your members and communities about the critical need for EPA to designate coal ash as hazardous. You’ll be able to ask questions, get information, and prepare for public hearings on the coal ash rules. On October 8, well over a hundred organizations from across the country signed onto an important letter to Congress asking members to join Congressman John Lewis’s letter on the dangers of coal ash disposal. We’re asking you now to continue this fight by joining an effort to push EPA and Congress to protect public health and the environment from this hazardous waste. EPA has said repeatedly it plans to propose the first ever regulation for coal combustion waste disposal before the end of this year. The agency has already sent a draft of its proposed regulation to the Office of Management and Budget, which means the proposal could come out very soon. We invite you to join Earthjustice, the Environmental Integrity Project, Sierra Club, and hundreds of other groups in a discussion about the upcoming proposal and ways you can help. Polluters are pushing hard on EPA to avoid designating coal ash as hazardous. However, a hazardous waste designation means much stronger safeguards for communities surrounding hundreds of coal ash ponds and landfills. We’re relying on grassroots groups from across the country to get the word out to your members and engage your local media on the importance of regulating coal ash as hazardous waste. We must push back against industry claims and send a strong, unified message to EPA and our elected officials that the time to clean up toxic coal ash dumps is now! *RSVP* to *Jeremy Graham at Earthjustice (**jgraham(a)earthjustice.org*<jgraham(a)earthjustice.org> * or 202-667-4500, x217*). We’ll send out more information about the call including a telephone number and speaker lineup as the date approaches. If you have any questions, please contact Jared Saylor at Earthjustice (* jsaylor(a)earthjustice.org* <jsaylor(a)earthjustice.org>), Lisa Widawsky at the Environmental Integrity Project (*lwidawsky(a)environmentalintegrity.org*<lwidawsky(a)environmentalintegrity.org>), or Lyndsay Moseley at the Sierra Club (*Lyndsay.Moseley(a)sierraclub.org*<Lyndsay.Moseley(a)sierraclub.org> ). For more information about coal ash and the danger it poses to our water and to the health of communities across the United States, please see the information and reports available at *www.earthjustice.org/coalash*<http://www.earthjustice.org/coalash>. Also, the Sierra Club is in the process of creating a Federal Coal Ash Regulation listserv – stay tuned for details on how you can opt-in to the listserv. Please join us in the fight to protect all communities from the dangers of hazardous coal ash. Sincerely, Lisa Widawsky Attorney Environmental Integrity Project 1920 L Street NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036 202.263.4452 (direct) 202.294.3282 (cell) 202.296.8822 (fax) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-FORUM list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-FORUM-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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Re: [EC] Fw: Large-Scale Renewable Energy Guidelines, Open House with Allison Chin, and More
by James Kotcon 13 Nov '09

13 Nov '09

I had gotten a couple e-mails about this proposed "Large-scale Renewables" guidelines for the Club from the State Gov't Programs folks, as several of these folks have issues in their states too, e.g., Arizona Chapter. The "Off-Shore Wind" issue apparently has a separate task force, so this is mostly focused on commercial solar and wind facilities and transmission lines (like the ones in our back yard). Please look into it, as we should probably prepare comments on behalf of the Chapter. JBK >>> Jim Sconyers <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> 11/13/2009 12:45 PM >>> Hey Jim- Have you seen this? I didn't know it was in the works - but just because we're the national epicenter, why am I not surprised...? Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Wed, 11/11/09, Clubhouse Updates <clubhouse(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: From: Clubhouse Updates <clubhouse(a)sierraclub.org> Subject: Large-Scale Renewable Energy Guidelines, Open House with Allison Chin, and More To: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 9:07 PM Having trouble viewing our email. Click here to view a web version. Jim, The Board of Directors approved a comprehensive Club energy policy in 2006, but there are still plenty of questions that we have to address, like when to support large-scale renewable energy projects that have potential impacts on public land and the environment. Like big solar collectors in the desert, new wind farms, geothermal energy projects. That's where the Club's board task forces come in. See below for more. We also want to remind you of upcoming open house with Allison Chin on November 16 and a guided tour of the Activist Network on November 23. Seeking Comments on Large-Scale Renewable Energy Guidelines As you know, the Club supports renewable energy, both small-scale project like solar panels on home roofs and large-scale projects like wind farms. But some projects and some sites are better than others, and that's where the Transmission Line and Renewable Energy Siting Task Force comes in, to develop proposed guidelines to enable chapters and groups to assess large scale renewable energy and transmission proposals and their potential impacts on public land and the environment, and determine what the appropriate Club approach to such projects should be. Because of the grave impacts of climate change Sierra Club supports developing some large scale renewables and transmission needed to bring renewable energy to cities. Thus, the guidelines indicate conditions under which projects can be supported, where we may be neutral, and where projects may be opposed; the guidelines also focus on encouraging development in the most appropriate (lower resource value) sites as well as working to ensure necessary mitigation in sites where impacts exist but can be mitigated. You can read the guidelines here, post comments here. Comment period ends January 10. Special thanks to task force members Jim Dodson and Barbara Boyle (co-chairs), and Sandy Bahr, Clayton Daughenbaugh, John Hiatt, Connie Wilbert, Carl Zichella, and Gloria Smith. Join Allison Chin for Open House on November 16 Club President Allison Chin will be hosting an open house at 5 pm Pacific/8 pm Eastern on Monday, November 16. She talk briefly about chapter funding and the November Board meeting, where directors will be addressing the 2010 Budget as well as reports from task forces (Constituent Engagement, Fundraising). She also take questions. RSVP here. Call 1-866-501-6174 [1892-005] Take the Activist Network Guided Tour on November 23 A week after Allison's open house, at the same time and call-in number, we'll be giving another guided tour of the Activist Network — sierraclubactivistnetwork.org — where we are seeking to create a vibrant community where Club activists and supporters work together to get things done. There are plenty of opportunities to discuss and debate things and we encourage that — there are blogs and comment walls and discussion forums — but we designed the Activist Network first and foremost as a place to collaborate and accomplish things. It's a place to do work. RSVP here. Call 1-866-501-6174 [1892-005] We're still in our beta period, but about 30 teams have started creating their online community, and we welcome all national issue teams, groups, chapters, any Club entities to join as well. Team members can communicate and collaborate in a more multi-dimensional way than email, work on projects together, edit documents, brainstorm, solicit feedback, and most important of all, reach out and engage new people in their work. We welcome you to join the Monday evening call, but better yet, we encourage you to schedule a conference call with at least four members of your team. That way, we can focus not just on how to use the online community tools but on making your team site compelling and full of opportunities for interested visitors to get involved. If you have questions about the Activist Network, we've created a Help Team, where you can ask for help, and then later, once you learn the ropes, give help. Enjoy the fall. John Byrne Barry Managing Editor, Clubhouse / Activist Network Update My Profile | Manage My Email Preferences | Update My Interests Sierra Club 85 Second St. San Francisco, CA 94105

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Putting 'Green' Technology Into Bricks
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

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Fw: The fate of Coal River Mountain is up to us
by Jim Sconyers 06 Nov '09

06 Nov '09

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Fri, 11/6/09, Mary Ann Hitt, Sierra Club <membership.services(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: From: Mary Ann Hitt, Sierra Club <membership.services(a)sierraclub.org> Subject: The fate of Coal River Mountain is up to us To: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com Date: Friday, November 6, 2009, 8:21 PM Sierra Club #yiv1354240319 #yiv1354240319 .normal, #yiv1354240319 , #yiv1354240319 p, #yiv1354240319 td, #yiv1354240319 tr, #yiv1354240319 h1, #yiv1354240319 h2, #yiv1354240319 h3, #yiv1354240319 h4, #yiv1354240319 h5, #yiv1354240319 h6, #yiv1354240319 ul, #yiv1354240319 li, #yiv1354240319 div, #yiv1354240319 input, #yiv1354240319 textarea, #yiv1354240319 option, #yiv1354240319 select { font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-style:normal;} #yiv1354240319 .normal, #yiv1354240319 , #yiv1354240319 p, #yiv1354240319 td, #yiv1354240319 tr, #yiv1354240319 li, #yiv1354240319 div, #yiv1354240319 input, #yiv1354240319 textarea, #yiv1354240319 option, #yiv1354240319 select {font-size:12px;} #yiv1354240319 .normal {color:#000000;} #yiv1354240319 {background-color:#ffffff;} #yiv1354240319 #yiv1354240319 a {color:#333366;} #yiv1354240319 a:visited {color:#666666;} #yiv1354240319 a:hover {color:#3333ff;} #yiv1354240319 #yiv1354240319 .blackborder {border-color:#000000;} #yiv1354240319 #yiv1354240319 .smalltext {font-size:10px;} #yiv1354240319 .verysmalltext {font-size:9px;} #yiv1354240319 #yiv1354240319 H1, #yiv1354240319 .header { font-size:14px;color:#000000;font-weight:700;} #yiv1354240319 .issueheader { margin-bottom:5px;color:#669900;} #yiv1354240319 #yiv1354240319 H2, #yiv1354240319 .subtitle { font-size:12px;color:#669900;font-weight:700; } View a web version of this email. Dear Jim, Ask the Obama Administration to stop the blasting on Coal River Mountain and preserve our nation's clean energy resources. Photo Credit:Photo by Vivian Stockman / www.ohvec.org; flyover courtesy SouthWings.org The fate of Coal River Mountain is up to us. Last week, Massey Energy began setting off explosives on Coal River Mountain in West Virginia -- the site of a proposed 328-megawatt wind farm -- to prepare for a massive mountaintop removal coal mining operation. Coal River Mountain could be a wind farm that provides 85,000 households with electricity, 700 long-term green jobs, gives back $1.7 million in annual county taxes and stands as a model for clean energy across the region. Or it can be a 6,000-acre dirty coal mining wasteland. Contact the Obama Administration today. Ask them to immediately stop the blasting on Coal River Mountain and preserve our nation’s clean energy resources. The blasting of Coal River Mountain is also endangering lives. Blasting on Coal River Mountain could destabilize the nearby coal slurry pond, unleashing eight billion gallons of toxic sludge on homes and schools. Were the dam to fail, local residents would have mere minutes to evacuate before being overtaken by a 50-foot high wall of coal sludge. Coal River Mountain represents a crossroads -- it can be one of the most dangerous examples of mountaintop removal mining destruction for dirty coal or one of the most profound examples of hope for a clean energy future that exists in our country. We need your help to call on the Obama Administration to step in and intervene today. Ask them to stop the blasting today. Coal River Mountain must become our line in the sand. We can no longer allow fossil fuel interests to build more pipelines, belch out more pollution, and destroy more mountains that could become clean energy wind farms. The Obama Administration must save Coal River Mountain in order to show they are serious about our clean energy future. Thanks for all that you do, Mary Anne Hitt, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign If you do not wish to receive future emails like this, click here to be removed from this type of email contact. Update My Profile | Manage My Email Preferences | Update My Interests Sierra Club 85 Second St. San Francisco, CA 94105

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PATH Agrees to Extend Procedural Schedule in West Virginia
by Frank Young 04 Nov '09

04 Nov '09

PATH Agrees to Extend Procedural Schedule for Power Line in West Virginia Allegheny, AEP Remain Committed to Project and 2014 In-Service Date November 4, 2009 -- Allegheny Energy (NYSE: AYE ) and American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP ) announced today that their affiliates have filed a response to a motion by the Staff of the West Virginia Public Service Commission ( PSC ) to dismiss an application to build the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline ( PATH ). In today's filing, the PATH applicants agree to postpone a decision in West Virginia if a satisfactory extension of the current procedural schedule is established. The applicants also indicated that a similar request would be filed with the Virginia State Corporation Commission. Requests for revised procedural schedules in West Virginia and Virginia - combined with a decision in the near future to seek approval for the Maryland segments of PATH - would effectively align the proceedings in the three states. It also would enable the project to meet its required in-service deadline in 2014. In September, the Maryland commission ruled that procedurally, The Potomac Edison Company, an Allegheny Energy subsidiary, may not seek authorization to construct PATH on behalf of its affiliate, PATH Allegheny Transmission Company, LLC. Citing the project's uncertainty in Maryland , commission staffs in Virginia and West Virginia last month requested dismissal, without prejudice, of the PATH application. In response to the staff motions, PATH reiterated that the overall project route and eastern terminus at the proposed Kemptown substation near New Market, Md. , remain unchanged. Allegheny Energy and American Electric Power, partners in the joint venture to build the 280-mile multi-state transmission line, remain committed to the PATH project. According to the most recent analysis by regional grid operator PJM Interconnection, PATH is needed by June 2014 to resolve reliability concerns on the existing system. For more information on the project, including maps and full state applications, please visit the project Web site at www.pathtransmission.com. This message was sent from PATH News to fyoung(a)mountain.net. It was sent from: PATH, 800 Cabin Hill Drive , Greensburg, PA 15601 . You can modify/update your subscription via the link below. Email Marketing by Manage your subscription

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MD Sierra Club newsletter all about transmission lines
by Frank Young 03 Nov '09

03 Nov '09

The latest newsletter of the Maryland Sierra Club is all about transmission lines. http://maryland.sierraclub.org/newsletter/

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Fwd: A new month, and a new chance to tell your story
by Paul Wilson 02 Nov '09

02 Nov '09

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: West Virginia News Service WVNS <wvnsnews(a)gmail.com> Date: Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 1:54 PM Subject: A new month, and a new chance to tell your story To: Hi Folks, November is here, bringing with it more chances for WVNS to tell your stories. If you have anything you think is newsworthy, let me know. Even if you think it might be a little too small for statewide attention, go head and pitch it. Together we might be able to find a way to get something good out of it. After all, it couldn't be any less newsworthy the balloon-boy hoax, and look at all the attention that got. But on a more serious note, health care, global warming and the economy are all important national issues that we have covered by looking for local angles. And all of those will continue to be worth attention. So, if you have something related to one of them (or even something unrelated) definitely let me know. drh -- West Virginia News Service (WVNS) Toll Free: 1-800-317-6705 Fax: 540-301-0801 E-mail: wvns(a)publicnewsservice.org -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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Fwd: Click on your state below to find out what the Beyond Coal campaign is doing near you.
by Paul Wilson 30 Oct '09

30 Oct '09

click on the link below. pretty cool. paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <baumling(a)aol.com> Date: Thu, Oct 29, 2009 at 5:25 PM Subject: Click on your state below to find out what the Beyond Coal campaign is doing near you. To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-FORUM(a)lists.sierraclub.org Please check out and circulate this really cool new feature on our homepage: state based beyond coal information. http://sierraclub.org/coal/ Verena - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-FORUM list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-FORUM-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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Re: [EC] new film on gas drilling
by Paul Wilson 29 Oct '09

29 Oct '09

BullFrog Films just announced the release of the film "Split Estate" which maps a tragedy in the making as citizens in the path of a new drilling boom in the West struggle against the erosion of their civil liberties. You can find more info at their website: www.bullfrogfilms.com cheers, paul -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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Staff files to ask PSC to reject PATH
by James Kotcon 29 Oct '09

29 Oct '09

Earlier today, I got a call from a reporter asking for response to the above filing. The PSC Staff has filed a motion asking the PSC to dismiss the PATH application because the Maryland terminus is now in doubt, and we would be asked to evaluate an incomplete proposal. I told the reporter that I think the PSC got it right and I would be consulting our attorneys about supporting the Staff Motion to Dismiss. Whaddya Tink? JBK

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Re: [EC] Fw: NEWS: Experts Raise Concerns About New Transmission Line from Coal Country to Eastern Grid
by Jim Sconyers 27 Oct '09

27 Oct '09

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Tue, 10/27/09, Elena Saxonhouse <Elena.Saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: From: Elena Saxonhouse <Elena.Saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org> Subject: Fw: NEWS: Experts Raise Concerns About New Transmission Line from Coal Country to Eastern Grid To: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009, 1:39 PM Elena Saxonhouse Sierra Club Environmental Law Program 85 Second St., 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 977-5765 (415) 977-5793 (fax) ----- Forwarded by Elena Saxonhouse/Sierraclub on 10/27/2009 10:39 AM ----- Brian Smith <bsmith(a)earthjustice.org> 10/27/2009 10:27 AM To "'Elena.Saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org'" <Elena.Saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org>, Abigail Dillen <adillen(a)earthjustice.org>, Virginia Cramer <virginia.cramer(a)sierraclub.org> cc Subject NEWS: Experts Raise Concerns About New Transmission Line from Coal Country to Eastern Grid FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 27, 2009 Contact: Virginia Cramer, Sierra Club 804-225-9113 x 102 Abigail Dillen, Earthjustice 212-791-1881 x221 Experts Raise Concerns About New Transmission Line from Coal Country to Eastern Grid PATH would make grid less reliable, increase air pollution RICHMOND, VA -- In the latest of a series of setbacks for the proposed Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH), engineering, air and electric experts submitted testimony finding that (contrary to developer claims) the line would actually make the eastern grid less reliable and lead to increased air pollution. Proposed by American Electric Power (AEP) and Allegheny Power, PATH is a high-voltage transmission line which would be constructed through West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland, at a cost of more than $1.8 billion to ratepayers. The experts, testifying on behalf of the Sierra Club, include George Loehr and Hyde Merrill, nationally renowned electric experts, Chris James of Synapse Energy Economics, Inc. (a former EPA employee and Director of Air Planning for Connecticut), and Robert Fagan, also of Synapse, a mechanical engineer and energy economics expert. Their testimony concludes that the line is not needed; that cheaper, simpler alternatives are available; and that “[r]ather than increase reliability, PATH would actually make it worse.” “It’s like running an extension cord down the block to plug your toaster into a neighbor’s outlet rather than plugging it into an outlet in your own kitchen,” said George Loehr. If PATH is constructed, he testified, “major East Coast cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington and Richmond would become more vulnerable to interruptions and blackouts, either from natural phenomena or from terrorist attacks” on transmission lines. The expert testimony also validated concerns raised by environmental and community groups about increased pollution from coal-fired power plants. Chris James, an expert with over 20 years of experience in state and federal air programs, determined that air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions would increase as a result of PATH, making it more difficult for Virginia, Washington D.C., and Baltimore to meet air quality standards, and contributing to eastern smog and haze. He explained that because electricity garners a higher price on the east coast, PATH would provide an incentive-- and an opportunity-- for coal-fired power plants in West Virginia and the Midwest to increase their output and sell more electricity to east coast cities. Increased pollution would follow. “PATH is a boondoggle for ratepayers and a gift to coal companies,” said Abigail Dillen of Earthjustice. “We urgently need a smart electric grid that supports wind power and other clean energy projects, but AEP and Allegheny Energy are trying to sell us on lines that will only help dirty old coal plants to ramp up profits – and pollution.” “We keep hearing from AEP and Allegheny the mantra that this line will shore up our electrical grid and is desperately needed to keep the lights on. Now we have a clear, documented explanation of why that’s not true,” said Elena Saxonhouse, with the Sierra Club. The expert testimony was submitted by the Sierra Club as part of formal proceedings before the Virginia State Corporation Commission. The Commission has the authority to approve or deny PATH in the state. The Commission is accepting public comment until January 12, 2010, hearings begin January 19, and a decision is expected sometime before May 2010. Sierra Club is represented in the Virginia PATH proceedings by the non-profit law firm, Earthjustice. The Club is also a party in the Maryland and West Virginia PATH proceedings and expects to submit similar expert testimony in those states. Additional Materials: Proposed PATH route http://www.pathtransmission.com/maps/pdf/WV_Publication_Map_3-30.pdf Full testimony George Loehr http://www.earthjustice.org/library/references/loehr-testimony.pdf Hyde Merrill http://www.earthjustice.org/library/references/merrill-testimony.pdf Chris James http://www.earthjustice.org/library/references/james-testimony.pdf Robert Fagan http://www.earthjustice.org/library/references/fagan-testimony.pdf

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POWERSHIFT 2009, MARSHALL'S GREEN FEE AND PROGRAMS...and an idea for future Ex Comm meetings
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 27 Oct '09

27 Oct '09

This is a spin off of Sierrafest, which I still consider the most successful event the SC has held since I've been on the Ex Comm, admittedly not very long. Kevin Fooce and I met Erin Chalmers and Danny Chiotos at Sierra Fest. Erin is the person presently in charge of the Sierra Student U at Marshall. She led the effort to adopt a "green" fee -- $5 tacked on to each student's tuition and the initial effort to get the greening process going. Danny Chiotos is located in Charleston and works with the Student Energy Action Coalition. At Sierra Fest, both Erin and Danny invited Kevin and me to come to "Powershift 2009" <http://appalachia.powershift09.org/> which is/was (good faith effort to intuit here) a three-day set of workshops covering a whole range of stuff, but energy efficiency and the environment pervaded them all. It was located in Huntington but was the Appalachian regional event of what has in the past apparently been a national event focused on Washington, DC. As an Appalachian event it attracted presenters and attendees from WV, KY, TN and environs. Kevin brought a pile of Sierra Club material, and I paid an artist on site 20 bucks to make a "Sierra Club" sign to put on a table, forwhich we paid a hundred bucks. At that table or later we met students active in environmental groups at Marshall, Wheeling Jesuit, WV State Univ, and Shepherdstown. One idea that emerged from the day was to use the Marshall "greening" exercise as a model for other schools, and as a bridge to merging the efforts at those schools with our efforts generally. THE "MARSHALL TEMPLATE" Lauren Kemp is the current leader of the SSU at Marshall. She related that the $5 green fee has generated a green budget that funds 12+/- jobs on campus, 9 of which are student jobs. In addition to the $5 green fee, Marshall's SSU apparently applied for and got a $60,000 grant from WV's much (and deservedly) maligned DEP...to buy recycling units that are just now being distributed all over the campus, and for a series of "hydration stations" -- free filtered water that is also distributed over the campus. The 9 students with green jobs collect the contents of the recycling bins daily at a central compactor where it is picked up once a month. Trash collection for the school has dropped from 2 X per week to once every two weeks. The hydration stations aren't up and running yet but they are coming shortly. While Lauren was explaining this to Kevin at the Sierra table, Sarah Elliott from WV State was telling me about the difficulty she and others experienced at State getting the campus people to even listen to them about recycling. When I brought up the idea of creating a web page to "capture" the Marshall experience for other schools she made the point that they need to do it simply to pass on to next year's and the year after's students the institutional memory of what had already happened at Marshall, so they could go forward. At lunch Bri Clark of Wheeling Jesuit also explained that they had had great difficulty getting recycling listened to by the administration there. She was more than receptive to the idea of a "model" to follow, like at Marshall. Calvin Smith of WVU -- to date our model of a great student group led by some guy named Coatsun, or something weird, -- said WVU needed to learn how to get a green fee adopted also. Anis Elkharroupi of Sheperdstown was interested in pursuing it also, with a slightly optimitic view of passing a $75 green fee, exactly equal to the athletic fee there. I've asked about have a dozen or so of these students to come to the Nov 7 ex comm meeting in Lewisburg. I don't know if any or all will, but it strikes me that there is more than a kernel of an idea here, and it follows: 1. Capture the Marshall "green" fee and program experience on line. Make it available to schools throughout the state for sure, but also make it a WIKI-like page that can be edited by users to capture and share the greening experiences at schools elsewhere. 2. Continue to make connections with the student leaders/participants in SSU 3. Help finance the efforts of SSU's to start a greening program at their campus, possibly with funds from the Longview settlement) 4. Start holding our Ex Comm meetings on campuses in order to engage students. This would require that we: A. Greatly reduce the amount of time we spend on administrative matters and reading reports we've already distributed B. Move the locations of Ex Comm meetings from homes of members to campuses across the state, hopefully greatly diversifying our reach C. Maybe increase meetings to every other month to make it possible to get to more schools, like Marshall, WV State, Sheperdstown, West Virginia Wesleyan, Wheeling Jesuit, Concord SEE LIST OF <http://www.wvicu.org/member.cfm>SCHOOLS AND LINKS TO THEIR WEB PAGES HERE<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_West_Virg…> D. Accepting the real prospect of change in the way we go about our business and where we spend out time and effort -- to accommodate the interests of students which are not always going to be in sync with our own --- altho there is just as much opportunity to influence their interests. 5. The ultimate objective would be to greatly expand our numbers and effect state-wide. In essence, we will be erasing the line between "us" (old farts with whiter hair who've gone square in the head and round in the belly) and "them" (young whipper snappers who think they know it all and have had life handed to them on a silver platter only because the ever brilliant "we" did all the heavy lifting decades ago - PLEASE NOTE POSITION OF TONGUE -- YEAH -- IN MOUTH) 6. We've talked about increasing membership exponentially...I see no better opportunity to do that than the low hanging fruit right in front of our eyes. 7. I'd like this item - *RESTRUCTURING AND RELOCATING EX COMM MEETINGS* -- to be added to the Agenda for our Nov 7 meeting. Bill -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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WSJ.com - Obama to Name 'Smart Grid' Projects
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 27 Oct '09

27 Oct '09

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

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SIERRA TESTIMONY IN VA PATH CASE
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 24 Oct '09

24 Oct '09

Attached is the testimony from the Sierra Club electric experts filed in VA SCC (PSC equivalent) Friday. The Loehr document is 52 pages, Fagan's is 259. More will follow. The testimony is, frankly, brilliant and any fair reader would conclude that PATH is totally unnecessary for any legitimate electric need. Bill -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email. -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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Re: [EC] TransGas Public Notice
by James Kotcon 23 Oct '09

23 Oct '09

A draft permit for the Mingo County Coal-To-Liquids facility was issued by WV-DEP. Public comments on the draft are due Nov. 30. JBK >>> <Andrea.Issod(a)sierraclub.org> 10/22/2009 2:39 PM >>> Mingo draft permit has issued, comments are due Nov. 30th. We're working on it. "Kessler, Joseph R" <Joseph.R.Kessler(a)wv.gov> 10/22/2009 11:29 AM To <andrea.issod(a)sierraclub.org> cc Subject TransGas Public Notice Andrea, please see attached letter (hardcopy will follow). The information can be found here ( http://www.wvdep.org/item.cfm?ssid=8&ss1id=980 ). Thanks Joe Kessler, PE Engineer West Virginia Division of Air Quality 601-57th St., SE Charleston, WV 25304 Phone: (304) 926-0499 x1219 Fax: (304) 926-0478 Joseph.r.kessler(a)wv.gov

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Fw: TAKE ACTION: Suspend Illegal Rubber Stamping of Mountaintop Removal Permits
by Jim Sconyers 23 Oct '09

23 Oct '09

This is the "nationwide" permit that gives the coal companies new permits with little or no evaluation/analysis. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Thu, 10/22/09, Earthjustice Alerts <action(a)earthjustice.org> wrote: From: Earthjustice Alerts <action(a)earthjustice.org> Subject: TAKE ACTION: Suspend Illegal Rubber Stamping of Mountaintop Removal Permits To: "Jim Sconyers" <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> Date: Thursday, October 22, 2009, 6:32 PM Tell Army Corps of Engineers: Suspend Illegal Rubber Stamping of Mountaintop Removal Permits Tell Army Corps of Engineers: Suspend Illegal Rubber Stamping of Mountaintop Removal Permits The Army Corps of Engineers needs to hear from you by Monday, Oct. 26 to close a loophole that is devastating Appalachia. Submit your comment at Regulations.gov! Dear Jim, For decades, mountaintop removal mining has devastated local communities, the economy, and the streams and headwaters of Appalachia. Entire mountain ranges have been razed as coal companies found loopholes in the law to streamline their destructive mountaintop removal mining permits. Now, the Army Corps of Engineers is finally considering that "Nationwide Permits"—a streamlined approval process—are not intended to authorize the devastation happening at mountaintop removal sites. The Corps' plan to suspend and modify "Nationwide Permit 21" will stop the rubber stamping of mountaintop removal permits and lead to better scrutiny of the environmental impacts of this mining practice. Strong public support—your support—is needed now to eliminate the NWP 21 loophole. Just last week, coal companies and their cronies shut out coalfield residents in West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia from public hearings on the Army Corps' plan. Violence and threats kept many people from even having a chance to speak. You only have until Monday, Oct. 26 to tell the Army Corps that its plan to repeal the one-size-fits-all approach of NWP 21 is good news for the people, streams, and mountains of Appalachia. Please act today. Tell the Army Corps that its plan to stop using NWP 21 is the right move. Let them know you support stronger environmental protections for the mountains, rivers, streams and people of Appalachia: How to Take Action You must submit your comment on the Army Corps of Engineers' plan at Regulations.gov, the official source for U.S. government regulations and related documents. Click on the button below to access the Army Corps of Engineers' comment form. Or, copy and paste this link into your browser: http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480… Fill in the comment form. If you don't see the form, search for the Army Corps of Engineers' notice using document ID "COE-2009-0032-0346". Here is a sample letter you can use: Your proposal to modify and suspend Nationwide Permit 21 is a good step towards protecting the waters, mountains, and communities of Appalachia. I agree with your assessment that NWP 21 "has been used to authorize surface coal mining activities that involve discharges of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States that have resulted in adverse environmental impacts that may be more than minimal on a cumulative basis." The proposed modification would enhance environmental protection by requiring surface coal mining projects to apply for individual permits under the Clean Water Act. This will allow for increased public and agency involvement, including public comment periods. I also support the proposed suspension to NWP 21 to allow comments to be reviewed and evaluated. Ultimately, the use of NWP 21 to permit valley fills and stream destruction must end completely. The impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining are significant and permanent. The Army Corps should not issue any additional authorizations under NWP 21, and past authorizations should be reviewed under the Clean Water Act. Please modify and suspend NWP 21 to protect Appalachia's environment and community. Click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the form, and your comment will be delivered. Thank you for taking the time to make sure that your voice is heard! Drop us a note to let us know that you took action! To get started, click on the button below: — Earthjustice Because the earth needs a good lawyer ©2009 Earthjustice | 426 17th Street, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 | 510-550-6700 | action(a)earthjustice.org Alert Tools Photo Credit: Top left: Mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia. (Credit: Vivian Stockman/OVEC) Bottom: Mountaintop removal operations at Kayford Mountain, West Virgina. (Credit: Mark Schmerling) View online: Having trouble viewing this email? View it in a browser. Links: If you cannot click on the links in this email, copy this link to your browser to access the comment form: http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480… This email was delivered to you by Earthjustice. Update your personal information or remove your email address from Earthjustice's email list through your Subscription Management Page or by emailing Earthjustice. Powered by:

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Fwd: Re: Mingo Co. Waste Wood Power Plant
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 23 Oct '09

23 Oct '09

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Fw: VA SCC staff moves to dismiss application
by James Kotcon 21 Oct '09

21 Oct '09

To summarize, on Sept. 9, the Maryland PSC dismissed the PATH application in Maryland, ruling that PATH was not an electric company under Maryland state law. They gave Allegheny's subsidiary in Maryland, Potomac Edison, 30 days to re-file with an appropriate application. On Oct. 9, Potomac Edison responded by saying they were still reviewing their options with regard to a new plan for an eastern terminus to PATH, essentially declining to respond to the Maryland PSC. On Oct. 19, the Staff from the Virginia State Corporations Commission filed the attached motion asking the Virginia SCCC to dismiss the application, because there was no eastern terminus and no clear way to analyze a route without knowing where it would end. The WV PSC Staff attorney has said that the WV proceedings are "still right on track". Would it make sense to file a motion asking the WV-PSC to "toll" the proceedings until an eastern terminus is identified? We are entering a very expensive portion of the proceedings, and it seems unfair to ask intervenors to hire experts to analyze a route, then have PATH switch routes at the last second. Alternatively, would this be an argument for PATH to pay the expert witness fees for intervenors? PATH will have unlimited resources from ratepayers, plus 14 % on everything they spend, while intervenors are now being bled dry before we even know where the line will go. Whaddya Tink? Jim Kotcon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Frank Young" <fyoung(a)mountain.net> Maybe the PATH companies figure that the way to break up the opposition is to have them spend their resources on a case that might be withdrawn, or thrown out by the WV PSC, then re-file later after the spirit (and the bank accounts) of the opposition are broken. And either way PATH still gets that 14 percent profit on their costs- win or lose. “Heads we win; tails you lose.” ----- Original Message ----- From: Nancy S. Williams ( mailto:nancyswms@suddenlink.net ) To: s channell ( mailto:rchannell@verizon.net ) Cc: WVaPATH ( mailto:WVaPATH@yahoogroups.com ) Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 5:31 PM Subject: Re: [WVaPATH] message to intervenors It is big news, but as Joe Watkins with the WV-PSC said today,"We are still right on track." --- On Mon, 10/19/09, Elena Saxonhouse <Elena.Saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: From: Elena Saxonhouse <Elena.Saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org> Subject: VA SCC staff moves to dismiss application To: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Date: Monday, October 19, 2009, 3:35 PM Big news in Virginia (see below). The staff attorney filing the motion also stated: Please note that the filing of our motion does not alter the procedural schedule. All events remain scheduled until the hearing examiner or the Commission alter the schedule by entry of an order or ruling. While we have requested expedited consideration, I cannot predict when the motion will be addressed. ----- Forwarded by Elena Saxonhouse/Sierraclub on 10/19/2009 12:32 PM ----- A major development -- the Staff has just moved to dismiss the pATH application in VA on grounds that it is unclear where the line will end given the status of the Maryland proceedings. Abigail Dillen Staff Attorney* Earthjustice 156 William Street, Suite 800 New York, NY 10038 (212) 791-1881 ext. 221 Fax: (212) 918-1556 *Admitted in California and Montana. Not admitted in New York - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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

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Re: [EC] Dunkard Creek, Mon Water quality
by Beth Little 20 Oct '09

20 Oct '09

Jim, At the Water Resources Committee meeting in Charleston last Thursday listening to Mandirola and Frank Jernejcic (sp?) and seeing their presentation about Dunkard Creek with maps of the mine pools underlying the region of southwestern PA and northwestern WV, I was struck with a thought that no one has mentioned. Actually it occurred to me on the way home. They did not seem inclined to pursue where the algae came from or how it got in Dunkard Creek; they said we may never know. And that may be true. But this is where my thoughts ran. The mine pools underlying this entire area are connected - not only by seeps, but they are actually being pumped from one to another. They also have seeps into the creeks and rivers in the area. Instead of the original suspicion that the algae got into Dunkard with wastewater from well drilling by Texas companies that contaminated the water with their drilling equipment from Texas, suppose the algae was introduced into the mine pools from wells drilled through them. In this case, every body of water in the area is at extreme risk, and control may be virtually impossible. Mandirola and/or Frank also talked about the conditions that the algae need to survive. Besides TDS, Ph is a big one, but I don't remember the specifics. I have emailed Frank for the details. My suggestion for how to proceed would be that all streams that are remotely threatened be brought to conditions that would prevent survival of the golden algae. Frank talked about how the normal green algae would out compete the golden algae in "normal" conditions for our area. So he would be a good resource. Of course, with drainage from the mine pools, controlling conditions in the threatened streams may not be possible. I wish I could be there. Keep me posted. You know this is starting to bump up against the group that is working on gas drilling, and you might want to be in on our calls. We have one coming up on Tues, and Dunkard Creek is one of our leading topics right now. Let me know if you want to be added to the call list. Jim S, Cindy Rank, Frank Jernejcic and about 30 others are on it, but 8 to 10 is about how many actually call in. _____ From: ec-bounces(a)osenergy.org [mailto:ec-bounces@osenergy.org] On Behalf Of James Kotcon Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2009 3:27 PM To: ec(a)osenergy.org Cc: aaron.isherwood(a)sierraclub.org; dteaney(a)appalachian-center.org; Joe Lovett; Cindy RANK; Sandy Cress Subject: Re: [EC] Dunkard Creek, Mon Water quality Attached and below are some recent articles about the fish kill in Dunkard Creek. This is emerging as a major issue, and any suggestions for how to proceed would be welcome. Some local activists are meeting Monday at 11:45 at Zen Clay in Morgantown (join us if you can), but any ideas from anywhere would be appreciated. My initial perception is that the fish kill is simply a symptom of the long-running lack of enforcement by DEP, and the Club's current legal action is already addressing those issues. But those will take years, and we really need to be coming up with solutions before this stuff spreads. Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home) >>> "Donald C. Strimbeck" <dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> 10/18/2009 9:03 AM >>> Later this week we will put out email re next MRR&CC meeting, and, next Water Quality Forum. Pasted below is today's Dominion Post article, which is also attached. Also attached is info from Duane Nichols re other news stories. Attachments are in MICROSOFT compatibility 97-2003 format. DUNKARD CREEK-DP-18OctY2K9 Front page Morgantown Dominion Post Sunday 18 October 2009: <http://olive.dominionpost.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=RFBvc3QvMjAwOS8xMC8xOCN BcjAwMTAx&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom> http://olive.dominionpost.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=RFBvc3QvMjAwOS8xMC8xOCNB cjAwMTAx&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom 21 streams at risk for fish kill algae 7 Mon creeks on watch list BY DAVID BEARD The Dominion Post The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) fears 21 other state streams have conditions conducive for growth of the same Dunkard Creek fishkill algae. During an interim meeting last week, the Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on State Water Resources also learned: The golden algae toxins killed the fish and mussels, but no one yet knows how the algae got there. Legislative action may be needed to control the conditions that could lead to future outbreaks. The puzzle has to be solved before fish can be returned to Dunkard Creek. As investigators learned what makes the algae thrive, particularly the total dissolved solids (organic and inorganic minerals, salts, metals and other matter), Scott Mandirola of the West Virginia DEP said, they began asking, "What other streams are potentially affected by this?" They compiled a list of 21 waterways of about 10 miles or more in length that had the right "conductivity," a measure of the flow of electric current that reflects TDS levels. "Those streams are now identified as being potentially at risk if these algae were allowed to spread," he said. Frank Jernejcic, District 1 fisheries biologist for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) identified seven of them, besides Dunkard, as being in this area - the Monongahela River drainage basin: Buffalo Creek, Elk Creek, Bingamon Creek, Paw Paw Creek, Pyles Fork, Indian Creek and Dents Run. Jernejcic told the commission that the algae outbreak has eliminated about 99 percent of the fish along the 30-mile stretch of Dunkard Creek in West Virginia. The kill destroyed 18 species of fish and 14 species of mussels - all the mussels in the creek - he said. He didn't have information on the extent of the fish kill in the Pennsylvania portion of the creek. The Pennsylvania DEP referred questions to Eric Levis, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, who did not return calls placed over the course of two days. Investigators search for algae source Mandirola told the legislators that the golden algae, known as Prymnesium parvum, first appeared in Texas in 1985. It mainly kills fish and, unlike red tide, isn't harmful to humans. Experts analyzed some of the dead fish, he said, and confirmed algae toxins killed them - affecting the livers and gills most severely. Investigators know the algae likes brackish water, and that Dunkard has the conditions - the right acid levels and high total dissolved solids (TDS), including sulfates and chlorides (salt) - that favor golden algae growth. But, Jernejcic said, "why it's there, how it got there and what caused it to reach the levels ... that would have caused the fish kill" is still a mystery. The golden algae is a symptom - they haven't gotten to the cause. "We believe with confidence that it's golden algae toxins that are killing the fish," Mandirola said. "They like the environment that's there. We need to see what we can do about the environment. "They've not come up with a clean, easy way to get rid of it," he said. "The best approach is to learn how to live with it and learn how to control what it doesn't like. If you can make the environment unfavorable ... they won't be able to produce the toxin, they won't be able to bloom and they won't cause the problems." Helen Humphreys, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania DEP, said her agency is continuing to collect information so it can come to its own conclusion about the cause. "The algae needs a brackish, salty environment to thrive," she said. "Dunkard Creek is a freshwater stream, but high TDS levels have made it salty. So, where is it coming from?" Investigators said they think it may possibly be linked to mine drainage, which is associated with high TDS levels, especially during low flow times, when rainwater isn't diluting the discharge. Tests show high TDS levels in the Dunkard as far upstream as St. Leo, near the mouth of the South Fork tributary, southwest of Wadestown near the Marion County border. There is a mine drainage pool in this area, and at a point above a beaver dam, above the drainage pond, the algae cell count drops dramatically. And other mine pools drain into the Dunkard in both states. Legislation may be needed to get solids under control Getting TDS levels under control is part of the answer, and legislation may be needed, several people said. "How long are we going to keep going before we say, 'Let's draw a line in the sand?' " Jernejcic said after the meeting. Asked if it would require legislative action, he said, "I suspect." Dr. Duane Nichols, a water expert, retired WVU professor and member of the Upper Monongahela River Association, gave his opinion to the commission: "We have called for water quality standards. ... We need a statewide standard for total dissolved solids." Delegate Tim Manchin, D-Marion and co-chairman of the commission, said legislation may involve "a couple avenues." One could be adopting overall stream quality regulations regarding factors related to chlorides (salt) and TDS. Pennsylvania already has some TDS standards, he said. Another could involve implementing some treatment measures for mine drainage. "How much discharge do you allow?" he asked. Beyond that, he said, "At what point does this start having an impact on our economic community?" Right now, he said, commissioners are trying to bring themselves up to speed so they'll be ready if and when the DEP brings forth proposed legislation. Pennsylvania and West Virginia DEP officials have credited CONSOL Energy with being cooperative during the investigation. Consol has ceased discharges from mine pools along the creek while investigators study the cause. Humphreys said the Pennsylvania DEP believes discharge from the Blacksville No. 1 and Blacksville No. 2 mines could have contributed to the high TDS and chloride levels, according to a letter the department sent to CONSOL dated Oct. 7. In the letter, the Pennsylvania DEP requested information about the various mine pools in the Dunkard Creek watershed and how they are connected. The Pennsylvania DEP also requested copies of all of CONSOL's discharge monitoring reports for the Blacksville No. 2 mine and copies of the company's permits and permit applications, among other things. Humphreys said the Pennsylvania DEP would review the information from CONSOL, once the company sent it. The Pennsylvania DEP also sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this month, asking the agency to revoke an Underground Injection Control permit that allows CNX Gas Co. - a subsidiary of CONSOL - to inject wastewater into the Morris Run Borehole at the inactive Blacksville No. 1 mine. The permit allows CONSOL to dispose of up to 150,000 barrels per month of coal-bed methane wastewater, which contains up to? 25,000 milligrams per liter of TDS, according to the letter. EPA spokesman David Sternberg said the agency is evaluating the letter and is preparing a response to it. Sternberg said he did not know when the response would be mailed. CONSOL voluntarily stopped injecting the wastewater into the borehole Oct. 2. Donald C. Strimbeck, Sec/Treas Upper Mon River Assoc UpperMon.org Vice Chair, Mon River Rec & Comm Com MonRiverSummit.org 109 Broad Street, P. O. Box 519 Granville WV 26534-0519 304-599-7585 (fax 4131) dcsoinks(a)comcast.net No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.422 / Virus Database: 270.14.20/2444 - Release Date: 10/18/09 09:04:00

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