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Fwd: WVNS story: Marcellus Drilling Job Boom? Not for West Virginians
by Paul Wilson 21 Jun '12

21 Jun '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 4:25 AM Subject: WVNS story: Marcellus Drilling Job Boom? Not for West Virginians To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Marcellus Drilling Job Boom? Not for West Virginians Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27054-1 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> (06/20/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Statistics confirm what some in West Virginia already suspected: Local residents are not seeing the employment boom expected in the Marcellus natural gas fields. In fact, Workforce West Virginia reports a slight decline this year in the number of West Virginians working directly in natural-gas production. Dave Efaw, secretary-treasurer of the West Virginia State Building Trades, says they've been fighting to see local workers get these jobs, but many are going to people brought in from out of state. "There has been no increase in job numbers for West Virginians. The unemployment has increased in northern West Virginia, while all this Marcellus Shale industry is booming." The industry claims West Virginians lack the skills for many of those positions - but Efaw says that isn't true. The economic boost which also was predicted from out-of-state workers staying and eating here is proving to be very limited, Efaw says. Recent figures show an increase in West Virginians doing things such as building pipelines, although Efaw says local workers expected to see a lot more. "Kind of like a gold rush. They led us to believe there's this great resource in West Virginia, which there is - and we're on the outside, looking in." At least 17 county and local governments in Ohio and northern West Virginia have passed resolutions calling for more jobs for local workers. Efaw says people are reacting to what they're seeing every day. "When you go through northern West Virginia, you see a lot of out-of-state license plates. That's why I think people are signing these resolutions - because they want to see West Virginians working on these projects." West Virginia State Building Trades has been distributing yard signs and bumper stickers promoting local jobs for local workers. Efaw says they've given out hundreds of the signs. "It's hard to go anywhere in the area and not see one of them, and the bumper stickers - I mean, we bought thousands of those. We have given out thousands." There may be some jobs coming to run the plants being built to use the gas and its byproducts, Efaw says, but for the next several years, the bulk of the work will be in drilling and building infrastructure. 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/27054-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27054-1> --- 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: Study: Fracking Unlikely To Cause Quakes Big Enough To Feel
by Paul Wilson 18 Jun '12

18 Jun '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Mon, Jun 18, 2012 at 5:19 AM Subject: WVNS story: Study: Fracking Unlikely To Cause Quakes Big Enough To Feel To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Study: Fracking Unlikely To Cause Quakes Big Enough To Feel Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26980-1 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> (06/18/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A scientific study<http://tinyurl.com/7qaeaet>has found that natural gas hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is unlikely to cause earthquakes strong enough to feel. However, it says there is somewhat more danger from injecting the wastewater that results from the process. Murray Hitzman, professor of Economic Geology at Colorado School of Mines, chaired the committee that wrote the report. He says, in some cases, fracking caused earthquakes too small to be felt, but little more. "The process of hydraulic fracturing a well, as presently implemented for shale-gas recovery, does not pose a high risk for inducing felt seismic events." Some residents living near Marcellus gas wells have been concerned about what some have said is an increase in small earthquakes. The industry has dismissed those fears. Hitzman points out that technologies like fracking have a long track record, which should be reassuring. "There are very large numbers of wells and/or fields, and the number of historical felt events is actually quite small." However, Hitzman says, injecting large amounts of liquid into the earth can cause other problems. Wastewater wells have not been a big issue so far, but they are growing in size and number as the industry spreads, he says. "If we have more wells, we have more chance of events. And if we have more events, there's more probability of higher-magnitude events." The research committee called for more study and said the government and industry should develop ways to avoid potential problems. It also warned people drilling wastewater disposal wells to be more aware of underground faults in the rock. The study was sponsored by the Department of Energy and done in conjunction with the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering. The full report is available from the National Academies Press at www.nap.edu<http://tinyurl.com/7qaeaet> . 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/26980-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26980-1> --- 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] Not yet the Last chance to comment on EPA's Greenhouse Gas rule
by James Kotcon 13 Jun '12

13 Jun '12

EPA has extended the coment period on this rule till June 25. Now is a good time to get your friends, family, and neighbors to send comments! JBK >>> "James Kotcon" 06/11/12 1:10 PM >>> The deadline for comments on EPA's Greenhouse gas rule ends tomorrow, June 12. If you have not already done so, please click on the link below and submit comments in support of the rule. http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=EPA-HQ-OAR-2011-0660-0001 State your opinions, or copy and paste the Sample Comments below. Thanks: Jim Kotcon Sample Comments: Dear Administrator Jackson, I strongly support the proposed new standards to clean up dangerous carbon pollution from new power plants. By setting carbon pollution protections, the EPA is moving forward to clean up and modernize the way we power our country -- ensuring healthier kids, families and workers, while creating much-needed jobs and fighting climate disruption. Carbon pollution is the main contributor to climate disruption and is linked to life-threatening air pollution like asthma-inducing smog, making it a serious hazard to Americans' health and future. Thank you for protecting our families by proposing new standards to clean up dangerous carbon pollution from new power plants!

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Re: [EC] [wvec-board] Not yet the Last chance to comment on EPA's Greenhouse Gas rule
by James Kotcon 12 Jun '12

12 Jun '12

EPA has extended the coment period on this rule till June 25. Now is a good time to get your friends, family, and neighbors to send comments! JBK >>> "James Kotcon" 06/11/12 1:10 PM >>> The deadline for comments on EPA's Greenhouse gas rule ends tomorrow, June 12. If you have not already done so, please click on the link below and submit comments in support of the rule. http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=EPA-HQ-OAR-2011-0660-0001 State your opinions, or copy and paste the Sample Comments below. Thanks: Jim Kotcon Sample Comments: Dear Administrator Jackson, I strongly support the proposed new standards to clean up dangerous carbon pollution from new power plants. By setting carbon pollution protections, the EPA is moving forward to clean up and modernize the way we power our country -- ensuring healthier kids, families and workers, while creating much-needed jobs and fighting climate disruption. Carbon pollution is the main contributor to climate disruption and is linked to life-threatening air pollution like asthma-inducing smog, making it a serious hazard to Americans' health and future. Thank you for protecting our families by proposing new standards to clean up dangerous carbon pollution from new power plants! __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest * Unsubscribe * Terms of Use . __,_._,___

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Re: [EC] Not yet the Last chance to comment on EPA's Greenhouse Gas rule
by James Kotcon 12 Jun '12

12 Jun '12

EPA has extended the coment period on this rule till June 25. Now is a good time to get your friends, family, and neighbors to send comments! JBK >>> "James Kotcon" 06/11/12 1:10 PM >>> The deadline for comments on EPA's Greenhouse gas rule ends tomorrow, June 12. If you have not already done so, please click on the link below and submit comments in support of the rule. http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=EPA-HQ-OAR-2011-0660-0001 State your opinions, or copy and paste the Sample Comments below. Thanks: Jim Kotcon Sample Comments: Dear Administrator Jackson, I strongly support the proposed new standards to clean up dangerous carbon pollution from new power plants. By setting carbon pollution protections, the EPA is moving forward to clean up and modernize the way we power our country -- ensuring healthier kids, families and workers, while creating much-needed jobs and fighting climate disruption. Carbon pollution is the main contributor to climate disruption and is linked to life-threatening air pollution like asthma-inducing smog, making it a serious hazard to Americans' health and future. Thank you for protecting our families by proposing new standards to clean up dangerous carbon pollution from new power plants!

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Fwd: DEP Rules Summary
by James Kotcon 11 Jun '12

11 Jun '12

See note from Don Garvin below: This Gas rule may be the major battle of the Marcellus campaign. JBK Office of Oil & Gas 35 CSR 8 – Rule Governing the Development of Horizontal Wells – This is a new rule, necessitated by the passage of HB 401 on December 14, 2011. OOG has taken the applicable sections of the existing rule governing conventional oil and natural gas wells (35 CSR 4 – Oil and Gas Wells and Other Wells) and transferred them to this new rule, and further expanded on the new Natural Gas Horizontal Well Control Act in the following areas: erosion and sediment control plan; site construction plan; water management plan; well site safety plan; casing and cementing standards; well records, including records and disclosure of chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process; water supply testing; and construction standards for large wastewater pits and freshwater impoundments. >>> <DSGJr(a)aol.com> 6/11/2012 1:18 PM >>> Larry Harris sent me this late last week while I was in the hospital. He is on the DEP Advisory Council. This is a summary. Apparently the actual rules have not been posted yet for public comment, etc. The Advisory Council meets on June 21 at 1:30 PM at DEP in Charleston. There is a new horizontal drilling rule proposed. It is the last item in the document. There are no details provided yet. don garvin

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Last chance to comment on EPA's Greenhouse Gas rule- June 12
by James Kotcon 11 Jun '12

11 Jun '12

The deadline for comments on EPA's Greenhouse gas rule ends tomorrow, June 12. If you have not already done so, please click on the link below and submit comments in support of the rule. http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=EPA-HQ-OAR-2011-0660-0001 State your opinions, or copy and paste the Sample Comments below. Thanks: Jim Kotcon Sample Comments: Dear Administrator Jackson, I strongly support the proposed new standards to clean up dangerous carbon pollution from new power plants. By setting carbon pollution protections, the EPA is moving forward to clean up and modernize the way we power our country -- ensuring healthier kids, families and workers, while creating much-needed jobs and fighting climate disruption. Carbon pollution is the main contributor to climate disruption and is linked to life-threatening air pollution like asthma-inducing smog, making it a serious hazard to Americans' health and future. Thank you for protecting our families by proposing new standards to clean up dangerous carbon pollution from new power plants!

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Fwd: WVNS story: WV Wildlife Area Hit By Fracking
by Paul Wilson 01 Jun '12

01 Jun '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Tue, May 29, 2012 at 6:32 AM Subject: WVNS story: WV Wildlife Area Hit By Fracking To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> WV Wildlife Area Hit By Fracking Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26666-1 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> (05/29/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - People living near a state wildlife preserve are complaining that it is being torn up by natural gas exploration operations (fracking). The state of West Virginia does not own the mineral rights for the Lewis Wetzel Wildlife Management Area. Therefore, like a private landowner, the state has limited ability to control activities by the three drilling companies operating on 12 large well-pads located in the game and hiking preserve. Longtime Wetzel County resident Bill Hughes says he has repeatedly complained about problems, including runaway erosion and heavy truck traffic. "It's a total embarrassment to the state to have these things in their own back yard. Every resident, every taxpayer in the state of West Virginia owns part of Lewis Wetzel. I want my land taken care of better than this." State officials say they have the sites under investigation, and inspectors are due there next week. Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Kathy Cosco says her office is treating the complaints the same way they would on any private land. Overall, she says, state regulators have been slowed by the need to hire more inspectors and put a new law signed late last year into effect. "We've had to play catch-up. Industry and the market changed things quickly, and so quite frankly what you find is the regulation side is playing catch-up to the industry." Hughes says one problem is the level of commotion, the traffic and industrial activity, in what should be quiet wilderness. "Dirt, noise, diesel fumes, disturbances. I'm sure the deer are having a hard time finding a place that's a little bit of peace and quiet for them." He says one of the big well pads, with a number of individual drilling rigs on it, has been plagued by massive erosion that has filled a nearby creek with mud. "Tree roots and the trees just slipped on down the hill, and rainfall over the past month or two has cut another channel because the old existing creek bed is buried -- there's probably four or five foot of mud." The drilling companies did not return calls requesting comment. 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/26666-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26666-1> --- 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: Investor Risks from Oil Shale
by Paul Wilson 01 Jun '12

01 Jun '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Clayton Daughenbaugh <claytonhd(a)xmission.com> Date: Wed, May 30, 2012 at 5:08 PM Subject: Investor Risks from Oil Shale To: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Attached.**** ** ** --clayton**** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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 -- 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: EIP and Public Justice Sue FirstEnergy on behalf of LBRAG at nation's largest coal ash pond - Little Blue
by Jim Sconyers 30 May '12

30 May '12

This is huge. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Lisa Widawsky Hallowell" <lhallowell(a)environmentalintegrity.org> Date: May 30, 2012 1:57 PM Subject: EIP and Public Justice Sue FirstEnergy on behalf of LBRAG at nation's largest coal ash pond - Little Blue To: <COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)lists.sierraclub.org> **apologies for cross-posting****** ** ** EIP and Public Justice, on behalf of the Little Blue Regional Action Group (formerly “Citizens Against Coal Ash”), filed a notice letter for violations of the Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, and PA Clean Streams Law at FirstEnergy’s Little Blue Run Coal Ash Impoundment today. The NOI is available here:**** ** ** http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/news_reports/05_30_2012.php**** ** ** ** ** Lisa Widawsky Hallowell**** Attorney**** Environmental Integrity Project**** 1 Thomas Circle, Suite 900**** Washington, DC 20005**** 202.294.3282 (direct/mobile)**** 202.296.8822 (fax) **** lhallowell(a)environmentalintegrity.org **** ** ** *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

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NYTimes.com: Even in Coal Country, the Fight for an Industry
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 30 May '12

30 May '12

This page was sent to you by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com. Even in Coal Country, the Fight for an Industry http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/business/energy-environment/even-in-kentu… ---------------------------------------------------------- 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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SHALE OIL IN OHIO
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 24 May '12

24 May '12

Chesapeake Raises Big Bet in Ohio By DANIEL GILBERT<http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=DANIEL+GILBERT&bylinesearch…>And RYAN DEZEMBER<http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=RYAN+DEZEMBER&bylinesearch=…> Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=CHK>Corp., once described oil buried in a layer of rock that stretches from the outskirts of Cleveland to West Virginia as "the biggest thing to hit Ohio since the plow." Mr. McClendon bet big on that new oil field, the Utica Shale, paying billions of dollars over the last two years for drilling rights to 1.3 million acres of it, or about 5% of Ohio's land area. Now, Chesapeake is raising its bet—ramping up drilling on a promising but unproven oil field, at a time when the embattled natural-gas giant is under financial stress and facing heightened scrutiny from investors. Battered by the lowest natural-gas prices in a decade, Chesapeake is selling off some of its most lucrative assets and taking out increasingly expensive loans in a bid to transform itself into an oil power. The cash-strapped company, whose stock market valuation is under $10 billion, has more than $13 billion in debt on its balance sheet and total obligations of close to $24 billion, ratings agencies say. Key to its ambition is the Utica, which Ohio officials estimate holds 1.3 billion to 5.5 billion barrels of oil. The Utica, which spans parts of five states, often draws comparisons to the huge Eagle Ford Shale in Texas, which could hold 3.4 billion barrels of oil, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. On Tuesday, a Chesapeake executive told an industry conference in Austin that the Utica could generate a higher rate of return than any of Chesapeake's other properties. But analysts say that relatively little is known about the true potential of the Utica. Chesapeake has only released results from nine of the 59 wells it has drilled in the Utica, and none of the nine have been in operation for long. Chesapeake says that oil made up less than a third of its average peak production from eight of the wells, with natural gas accounting for half and the rest coming from liquid gases like ethane and propane. The limited data the company has released "fail to wow," analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. wrote last month. [image: CHKUTICA] [image: CHKUTICA] None of the nine wells is in what executives call the "oil window," the sweet spot the Oklahoma City-based company believes holds the most crude. "We haven't cracked the code on the oil window," Mr. McClendon said at an industry conference last month in New York. "The prize is big if you can do that." The Utica is far from Chesapeake's only oil property. It is spending more money on the proven Eagle Ford in south Texas and ramping up drilling in the Mississippi Lime field that straddles the border between Oklahoma and Kansas. Chesapeake isn't alone in its belief that the Utica holds a lot of oil. BP<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=BP.LN> PLC, Exxon Mobil<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=XOM>Corp., Hess <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=HES>Corp., Anadarko Petroleum<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=APC>Corp. and Devon Energy<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=DVN>Corp., among others, have bought Utica drilling fields in Ohio. In December, Total<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=tot>SA, the French oil giant, paid Chesapeake $610 million for a stake in its holdings in the Utica, with the promise to cover $1.4 billion of drilling costs. Total declined to comment. "While we agree with the view that the Utica is an emerging play and there is little publicly available well information, we have drilled and tested a sufficient number of wells for us to have a high level of confidence," Jim Gipson, a Chesapeake spokesman, said Wednesday. The company plans to disclose details about its oil production in the coming months, he said. Chesapeake has staked more on the Utica than any other producer by far. It has leased twice as much land as its nearest competitor, Chevron<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=CVX>Corp. Of the 223 permits the state has issued for Utica wells, Chesapeake has obtained 162. It is drilling with 10 rigs there, the most of any company, and plans to operate 22 rigs in 2013, which would amount to almost 18% of its working rigs. Chesapeake is continuing to expand its holdings in the Utica. In the first quarter of this year, Chesapeake spent $900 million acquiring drilling rights—more than half of what it has budgeted for the entire year—with much of the activity in the Utica, where it had already spent $2 billion. The company said Tuesday that it plans to dedicate 8% of its capital spending, or up to $600 million, on the Utica in 2013, which doesn't include Total's contribution. Ramping up drilling may help Chesapeake demonstrate the oil and gas potential in the Utica, allowing it to add to its reserves. Until that potential is proven by drilling, the company can't use its Utica holdings as collateral to take out reserve-based loans because the amount of oil and gas there is uncertain, said Neal Dingmann, an analyst with investment bank SunTrust Robinson Humphrey Inc. Chesapeake currently draws on a $4 billion line of credit, backed by reserves, for its daily cash needs. To raise cash, Chesapeake in December 2011 completed a sale of $1.25 billion in preferred shares in a newly created subsidiary for some of its Utica holdings to private-equity firms led by EIG Global Energy Partners. Chesapeake must pay a steep 7% annual return to the investors, as well as 3% of the royalties from the first 1,500 wells, beginning this year and is committed to drilling 50 wells a year in the Utica through 2016. The company is under pressure to raise as much as $11.5 billion before the end of the year to bridge a widening gap between its cash flow and spending. It is shopping its entire 1.5 million acres in a lucrative west Texas oil field, which makes up 5% of its production, to pay for drilling in places like the Utica that it believes will prove even more profitable. The cash crunch, combined with corporate-governance controversies, has pushed Chesapeake's stock down 51% in the last 12 months. It closed Wednesday at $15.09. For years, Mr. McClendon has taken a small stake in every well that Chesapeake drills, sharing equally in their costs and profits. In November, he pledged his stakes in the company's wells in the Utica and elsewhere as collateral to borrow up to $1 billion from EIG, which didn't become widely known until April. The revelation that he borrowed from a company doing business with Chesapeake has rocked the company in recent weeks. Chesapeake has said that allowing Mr. McClendon to invest in the wells aligned him with shareholders and that his borrowing didn't pose a conflict of interest, though they have agreed to end the practice in 2014. Board members are reviewing his financing deals with firms that have relationships with Chesapeake. Mr. McClendon has apologized for what he calls "distractions" and agreed to step down as chairman. But he has not changed his tune about the Utica. Earlier this month, Mr. McClendon said that a natural-gas well drilled in Ohio's rural Harrison County "may very well be our best shale well ever." Analysts say it is too early to determine whether the Utica will prove as profitable as other major U.S. oil fields. "It's an Eagle Ford lookalike, it's got that kind of potential," said David Tameron, a senior analyst at Wells Fargo Securities LLC. But he cautioned, "We don't have a history with any of these wells." *Write to * Daniel Gilbert at daniel.gilbert(a)wsj.com and Ryan Dezember at ryan.dezember(a)dowjones.com - ** - - - -

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PNC finances MTR
by Jim Sconyers 23 May '12

23 May '12

http://delaware.sierraclub.org/2012-05-22-pncbank PNC has branches in Morgantown. It would be fun to set up an action targeting them for their enabling of mountaintop removal. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: WVNS story: Who Pays for Dominion Hope's Natural Gas Gambles?
by Paul Wilson 23 May '12

23 May '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Wed, May 23, 2012 at 8:55 AM Subject: WVNS story: Who Pays for Dominion Hope's Natural Gas Gambles? To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Who Pays for Dominion Hope's Natural Gas Gambles? Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26594-1 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> (05/23/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Gas utility Dominion Hope has lost $22 million hedging on natural gas prices, and this week a judge will decide if the company can pass more than $9 million of that on to its customers. Under the direction of the Public Service Commission, Dominion Hope started hedging six years ago to try to protect against gas price spikes. But the bets lost money consistently, with higher losses recently. The company now wants ratepayers to cover its fiscal 2011 losses. Byron Harris, who heads the PSC's Consumer Advocate Division, says something might need to be changed. "The fact that they have consistently lost money is something I think we need to look at, and if there is a better way, I think that's something we definitely need to look at." Harris says Dominion Hope's hedging was done properly, as designed with the Consumer Advocate Division. Dominion Hope spokesman Chuck Penn says his company didn't make any mistakes. "Gas prices have essentially collapsed, down more than 70 percent since 2008. The entire market failed to foresee the drastic decline in prices that would occur." For every dollar Hope lost and charges to customers, Virginia Power Energy Marketing Group stands to profit. That's another Dominion subsidiary which Hope made these bets with. Energy market consultant George Donkin was hired by the Affiliated Construction Trades to look into the rate case. He says that kind of deal raises questions. "Any time you have a transaction involving corporate affiliates, it needs to be recognized that the transaction is now taking place at arm's length." According to Byron Harris, that does raise red flags, although it doesn't seem illegitimate. "The fact that they contract with their affiliate really has no impact. The reason that Hope paid above-market prices is because they've been hedging into this declining market." By comparison, Mountaineer Gas also hedges, but has lost about 25 percent less per unit of gas purchased. The hedging only protects against price increases, but gas prices have fallen dramatically, mostly because of large amounts of gas coming from the Marcellus shale formations under the eastern U.S. The Administrative Law Judge's decision will be posted on the PSC's website, case no. 11-1103-G-30C. 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/26594-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26594-1> --- 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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First Energy efficiency plans lag in WV
by Jim Sconyers 22 May '12

22 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rashay Layman <rashay.layman(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Tue, May 22, 2012 at 4:03 PM Subject: Re: need mileage reimbursement To: Jim Sconyers <jimscon(a)gmail.com> FYI, http://www.statejournal.com/story/18573803/firstenergy-efficiency-programs-…

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Fwd: WVNS story: Impact of 'War On Coal' Questioned - Mining Jobs Actually Up
by Paul Wilson 21 May '12

21 May '12

great story from the WV Public News Service...... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Mon, May 21, 2012 at 4:27 AM Subject: WVNS story: Impact of 'War On Coal' Questioned - Mining Jobs Actually Up To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Impact of 'War On Coal' Questioned - Mining Jobs Actually Up Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26543-1 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> (05/21/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The mining industry and most of the state's political leaders accuse the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House of waging a "war on coal." But according to Workforce West Virginia, the number of mining jobs is near a two-decade high. Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, analyzed the employment numbers. He says the environmental policies actually have very little impact on the number of mining jobs here. He says that number is actually higher now that at any time since Bill Clinton's first term. "Last year there were more people employed in the coal mining industry than at any time since 1995. In fact, since Obama took office we've seen an increase of 1500 people in the mining industry." The industry has attacked the EPA for tightening rules on mountaintop removal and air pollution from coal-fired power plants. Boettner says those changes have far less impact than simple supply and demand. Many of the state's mines produce high-quality metallurgical coal. Since "met" coal is used to make steel rather than burned for power, demand for it is largely unaffected by efforts to slow global climate change. And Boettner says the price is up around the world. "We're exporting more and more of that coal. Metallurgical coal during its peak was well over $200 a ton, whereas steam coal was $60, $75 a ton." Over the long term, Beottner says, he expects less coal to be burned to produce electricity. But he says that has more to do with cheap natural gas than any federal policies. "The fact of the matter is the EPA has very little impact on price and production. Meanwhile, what does have a big impact is discovering 180 trillion cubic feet of Marcellus gas." Boettner says another factor is thinner Appalachian coal seams. He says that means more miners are needed to get the same amount of coal. More information is at tinyurl.com/d6ojrsy. 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/26543-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26543-1> --- 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: Tell Gov. Tomblin: This is outrageous
by Paul Wilson 21 May '12

21 May '12

I signed and posted on my Facebook wall. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Josh Nelson, CREDO Action <act(a)credoaction.com> Date: Mon, May 21, 2012 at 8:03 AM Subject: Tell Gov. Tomblin: This is outrageous To: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> ** [image: Tell Governor Tomblin: Stop spending taxpayer money to promote the coal industry's misleading talking points!] <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891581&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=1> photo: Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden Clicking here will automatically add your name to this petition to West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin:<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=2> * "Using taxpayer money to pay for anti-EPA coal industry political attacks is an outrageous breach of public trust. As a West Virginia resident, I urge you to put an end to the state's sponsorship of the annual "coal forum" and stop your brazen shilling for the dirty coal industry." <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=3> * Automatically add your name: <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=4> [image: Take action now!] <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=5> Learn more about this campaign<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891581&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=6> [image: CREDO Action | more than a network, a movement.] *Tell Gov. Tomblin: Taxpayer money shouldn't promote coal propaganda and right-wing attacks on the EPA.<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891581&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=7> * Dear Paul, An explosive article published Wednesday on the Charleston Gazette's website exposed that West Virginia taxpayer money is being used to promote the coal industry's misleading attacks on the Environmental Protection Agency and President Obama's attempts to protect public health.1 *In the past two years, Governor Tomblin and the state legislature have set aside $58,500 in taxpayer money for a series of annual events called "the coal forum," in which coal industry staffers and pro-coal elected officials will attack EPA's efforts to protect public health as "the EPA's war on coal."* It is bad enough that Governor Tomblin is supporting pro-coal policies that throw people's health under the bus, but to be so brazen about using taxpayer money to parrot right-wing and coal industry political attacks is a stunning breach of public trust. *Tell Governor Tomblin: Don't spend taxpayer money on political attacks. Click here to automatically sign the petition.* <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=8> Everything about these events just reeks. This year's "coal forums," which are scheduled to take place this week in Charleston, Wheeling and Beckley, are literally being planned and promoted by a coal industry public relations firm owned by a registered lobbyist!2 These forums are a blatant attempt to advance the one-sided interests of the coal industry, which is working to reverse life saving federal pollution limits. Absent from the forums will be scientists, public health professionals and anyone else who might tell the truth about the devastating impacts of coal and the need to protect West Virginians from dirty coal pollution.3 *Mother Jones' Kate Sheppard characterized the issue well: "It's not surprising that the coal industry is down on Obama. But there aren't many states where the industry would have direct state support in advancing that agenda."4* The Coal Forum's Twitter account gives a good indication of the anti-Obama sentiment the events will be pushing, with several recent Tweets highlighting "Obama's war on coal" and one actually saying "Obama faces trouble in coal country."5 *Tell Governor Tomblin: Don't spend taxpayer money on political attacks. Click here to automatically sign the petition.* <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=9> Governor Tomblin has a well-deserved reputation for acting as a mouthpiece for West Virginia's powerful coal industry. His re-election website is largely committed to defending the coal industry and attacking the EPA.6 And of course, his list of campaign contributions reads like a who's who of power brokers in the dirty coal industry.7 But the blatant use of state-funds to promote what clearly amounts to coal industry propaganda and right-wing political attacks is truly brazen, even for him. Click below to automatically sign the petition and send a strong message to Governor Tomblin: *http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=10* Thanks for fighting against the West Virginia government's shameful shilling for dirty coal. Josh Nelson, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=11&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=11> 1. W.Va. taxpayers fund anti-Obama coal campaign<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891583&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=12>, Charleston Gazette, 5/16/12 2. Coal PR firm set up state's anti-Obama meetings<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891585&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=13>, Charleston Gazette, 5/18/12 3. Events<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891586&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=14>, The Coal Forum 4. West Virginia Funds Pro-Coal Attack on Obama Admin.<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891587&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=15>, Mother Jones, 5/17/12 5. The Coal Forum<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891594&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=16>, Twitter 6. W. Va. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin on Coal<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891584&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=17>, YouTube, 1/13/12 7. Contributions to Tomblin, Earl Ray<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891591&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=18>, National Institute on Money in State Politics ------------------------------ [image: Facebook]<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891592&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=19> *Share on Facebook* Post to your wall<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891592&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=20> [image: Twitter]<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891593&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=21> *Tweet this* Post to Twitter<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891593&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=22> © 2012 CREDO. All rights reserved. To remove yourself (Paul Wilson) from this list, please visit our subscription management page at: http://act.credoaction.com/s?i=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx To change your email address or update your contact info, please visit: http://act.credoaction.com/subscrip/coa.html?id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx -- 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: Public Source article on Dana Mining's abuse of the Steele Shaft site agreement
by James Kotcon 20 May '12

20 May '12

Excellent articel about the on-fging water quality problems associated with Longview's affiliate AMDRI. The quote from Charlie Huguenard is particlurly enlightening. Jim Kotcon

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PJM Capacity Market Results Announced
by Frank Young 19 May '12

19 May '12

WordPress.comNote this PJM paragraph: "Although the RPM auction procured sufficient resources to meet the projected demand, some generating units may need to remain available beyond their proposed retirement dates until transmission upgrades are completed. These units would be operated under “reliability must run” agreements." I wonder what this bodes for First Energy's recently announced closure of Albright and other older generating facilities.- Frank ----- Original Message ----- From: The Power Line To: fyoung(a)mountain.net Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2012 10:39 AM Subject: [New post] PJM Capacity Market Results Announced New post on The Power Line PJM Capacity Market Results Announced by Bill Here is a link to PJM's press release on the just concluded capacity auction results. PJM is a cartel, and these annual auctions determine what companies and power plants can sell their power in PJM three years in the future. By disguising its cartel gatekeeping as an auction, PJM maintains a facade of "market based" neutrality. In fact, we know that the RPM system is "gameable" and is really a PIG (protection of incumbent generators). So what happened at the auction? Here's what PJM said: This year, the auction procured 164,561 MW of capacity resources at a base price of $136 per MW. A megawatt is enough electricity to power 800 to 1,000 homes. PJM’s all-time peak demand is 158,448 MW. Prices were higher in northern Ohio and the Mid-Atlantic region. How much higher were prices in the Mid-Atlantic region? The price of capacity in much of the Mid-Atlantic area will be $167 per megawatt. That is only $31 more than the PJM overall base price. This if far below the differences in RPM prices that PJM cited as a need for PATH. What does PJM say caused this shift? In addition to new generation, most of it natural gas-fired, the capacity auction also procured 14,833 MW of demand response, a 5 percent increase over last year, and energy efficiency, a 12 percent increase. The amount of demand response was also a record for PJM, as well as for renewable generation. Solar increased to 56 MW of solar — a 22 percent increase over last year – and wind increased to 796 MW – a 15 percent increase. Because all of these sources of capacity are far less polluting than coal, most of them are located in Mid-Atlantic states, a trend that is accelerating. Its a good thing that PJM, FE and AEP did not railroad state regulators into approving PATH. All rate payers in PJM would have been stuck with a very expensive white elephant. Speaking of FE, here is the auction result for the ATSI region of PJM, the northern region of Ohio and the heart of FE's business: In northern Ohio served by FirstEnergy, the price will be $357 per megawatt. This is a classic example of gaming the RPM system. FE announced a lot of coal plant closures early, instead of whining like AEP's "chiefs" have been. These plant closures, which FE said would be accomplished before 2015-16, the period of this year's RPM auctions, resulted in a severe decline in generating capacity in FE's home region. This will make it more likely for FE to appeal to PJM to keep these plants open to insure reliability, called Reliability Must Run, or RMR, in PJM jargon. Or, as the last paragraph of the press release describes it: Although the RPM auction procured sufficient resources to meet the projected demand, some generating units may need to remain available beyond their proposed retirement dates until transmission upgrades are completed. These units would be operated under “reliability must run” agreements. FE's gaming of the RPM market in 2015-16 artificially drove up prices in the ATSI zone, insuring at least some of its plants slated for closure will get RMR status from PJM and can remain open. As Keryn points out, FE beat AEP like a rented mule in the plant closure game. The high ATSI zone prices also completely undercut the PATH argument that capacity prices in eastern PJM are higher than prices in western PJM. The press release also notes, as we have in recent posts on The Power Line, that the FE plant closures have completely altered the transmission picture in PJM away from Project Mountaineer and unnecessary boondoggles such as PATH. Bill | May 19, 2012 at 9:39 am | Tags: Alternatives to PATH, PJM Fakery, Power Companies & PATH | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/piwFb-1yq Comment See all comments Unsubscribe or change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://calhounpowerline.com/2012/05/19/pjm-capacity-market-results-announce… Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

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Fwd: DEP Draft Permit to Operate gas compressor stations
by James Kotcon 17 May '12

17 May '12

We need to comment on this one. JBK >>> <DSGJr(a)aol.com> 5/17/2012 1:58 AM >>> From: dep.online(a)wv.gov To: DSGJR(a)aol.com Sent: 5/16/2012 1:44:49 P.M. Eastern Standard Time Subj: DEP Public Notice - Counties - All - Notice for the Draft/Proposed Title V General Permit to Operate Natural Gas Compressor Facilities - R30-NGGP-2012 The following was sent to you because you are a Member of the DEP Public Notice mailing list. =========================================================== Wednesday, May 16, 2012 @ 2:44 PM =========================================================== NOTICE OF COMMENT PERIOD FOR DRAFT/PROPOSED OPERATING PERMIT Title V of the Federal Clean Air Act and the state Air Pollution Control Act requires that all major sources and certain minor sources have a permit to operate which states all requirements (e.g. emission limitations, monitoring requirements, etc.) established by regulations promulgated under the aforementioned programs. The Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has determined that the draft/proposed permit referenced herein meets this requirement. The DAQ is providing notice to the general public of its preliminary determination to issue a General Operating Permit (R30-NGGP-2012) to operate Natural Gas Compressor Facilities. Facilities are designed and operated for the purpose of gathering, dehydrating, transmitting, processing or compressing Natural Gas. Facilities will include some or all of the following equipment: Indirect Heat Exchangers, Engines, Turbines, Storage Vessels, Glycol Dehydration Units and Mobile Glycol Reclaimer. This notice solicits comments from the public and affected state(s) concerning the above preliminary determination and provides an opportunity for such parties to review the basis for the proposed approval and the "draft" permit. This notice also solicits comments from the U.S. EPA concerning the same preliminary determination and provides an opportunity for the U.S. EPA to concurrently review the basis for the proposed approval as a “proposed” permit. This notice also incorporates changes to the General Requirements of the applicable preconstruction permit(s). Upon issuance of Title V General Permit a facility can apply to DAQ for Title V General Permit Registration. The registration process will not be advertised for public comment. All written comments submitted by the public and affected state(s) pursuant to this notice must be received by the DAQ within thirty (30) days of the date of publication of this notice. Under concurrent review, written comments submitted by the U.S. EPA must be received by the DAQ within forty- five (45) days from the date of publication of this notice or from the date the U.S. EPA receives this draft/proposed permit, whichever is later. In the event that the 30th/45th day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the comment period will be extended until 5:00 p.m. on the following regularly scheduled business day. The public shall have 135 days from the date of publication of this notice to file petitions for concurrently reviewed permits. Upon notice by the U.S. EPA to the DAQ, prior to the end of the 45-day notice period, the U.S. EPA may choose to hold the 30 day comment period on the draft permit and the 45 day comment period on the proposed permit sequentially. During the public comment period any interested person may submit written comments on the draft permit and may request a public hearing, if no public hearing has already been scheduled. A request for a public hearing shall be in writing and shall state the nature of the issues proposed to be raised in the hearing. The Director of the DAQ shall grant such a request for a hearing if he concludes that a public hearing is appropriate. Any public hearing shall be held in the general area in which the facility is located, after 30 day notice is given. The DAQ will consider all written comments prior to final action on the permit. Copies of the DAQ Fact Sheet and Draft/Proposed Permit may be downloaded from the DAQ's web site at the following address: http://www.dep.wv.gov/daq, then Permitting, Title V Guidance, Natural Gas General Permit (R30-NGGP-2012). Copies of the Permit Application, DAQ Fact Sheet, and Draft/Proposed Permit are available for public review at the following location between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: WV Department of Environmental Protection Division of Air Quality 601 57th Street SE Charleston, WV 25304 Contact: U.K.Bachhawat (304) 926-0499, Ext 1256 Comments and questions concerning this matter should be addressed to the above referenced individual. =========================================================== To view past notices of open public comment periods or to unsubscribe from this Mailing List, login at: http://apps.dep.wv.gov//MLists2/

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Fwd: WVNS story: Statistics Suggest EPA Regs Not Actually Job Killers
by Paul Wilson 17 May '12

17 May '12

fyi, paul w. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Thu, May 17, 2012 at 4:07 AM Subject: WVNS story: Statistics Suggest EPA Regs Not Actually Job Killers To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Statistics Suggest EPA Regs Not Actually Job Killers Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26458-1 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> (05/17/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Employment figures suggest that new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air pollution rules that cut carbon, mercury, and soot are not the job killers they are accused of being. The EPA has been rolling out new air pollution limits under the Clean Air Act. Many of West Virginia's political leaders have attacked the regulations as bad for the economy, but job numbers show that employment has not gone away, it has just moved around. Joe Mendelsen, policy director of the National Wildlife Federation Climate & Energy program, says Americans can actually have it both ways - if the powers-that-be will allow it. He explains that the Clean Air Act and EPA policies that help the nation transition from dirty energy to clean energy actually do create jobs. "Just recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics put out a study that showed that over 3.1 million new jobs have been created through our 'environmental economy,' if you will, and it's growing." The EPA has been attacked for what the coal industry calls a "war on coal," although the EPA argues the new limits on soot alone will save more than 8,000 lives a year. A whole host of American jobs go along with clean energy - jobs that cannot be outsourced, he adds - such as those associated with wind turbines. It's not only about making the turbines themselves, he says. Just like the car industry, a vast supply chain is necessary to make the parts that come together to create the turbine. "Wind-energy facilities don't emit carbon pollution and are good for our climate. There is steel that needs to be made to go into those; there are tool-and-die manufacturers in other facilities that are making the parts that go into those wind turbines; there are people on the ground who are doing the construction jobs." Employment figures show that Americans can create jobs while also cleaning up the air, making it safer to breathe and improving the health of people and animals for generations to come, Mendelsen says. 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/26458-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26458-1> --- 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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Coal Forum
by Jim Sconyers 16 May '12

16 May '12

I'm free for the one in Wheeling. Anyone want to go and pass out flyers or.....???* May 23, 2012 Wheeling, WV Oglebay Resort 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Featuring Congressman David McKinley* http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2012/05/16/w-va-taxpayers-fund-anti-o… W.Va. taxpayers fund anti-Obama coal campaign May 16, 2012 by Ken Ward Jr. <http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/files/2012/05/obamamay2012.jpg> Folks in West Virginia may have heard about a series of upcoming events aimed at attacking President Obama and his Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to reduce the coal industry’s impacts on the environment, public health and the global climate system. A group called “The Coal Forum<http://www.wvcoalforum.org/content/view/33/1/>” is sponsoring the events, which include meetings next week in Charleston, Wheeling and Beckley. Listed speakers include Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, Congressman Nick Joe Rahall, Congressman David McKinley and UMWA President Cecil Roberts. Next week’s meetings are described on the Coal Forum’s website as events: *… To discuss EPA’s War on Coal and, specifically, the agency’s greenhouse gas and Utility MACT proposed rules.* *These rules will significantly affect West Virginia jobs, and in fact, have already resulted in the announced premature closure of several state power plants. The purpose of the Coal Forum events are to increase awareness of the harmful impacts these rules will have on the economy of Appalachia and to discuss strategies for reversing them.* What you may not realize is that these events are sponsored and paid for by West Virginia taxpayers. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: Rivesville plant
by James Kotcon 13 May '12

13 May '12

Here is a story on the proposed Rivesville energy plant. Looks like they are happy to burn coal waste, but not municipal waste. we need to keep our eyes on this one. JBK >>> Kevin Smith <a_clean_wv(a)yahoo.com> 5/12/2012 7:28 PM >>> some not so good news if this gets approved: http://timeswv.com/local/x1640793968/Proposed-plant-faces-many-hurdles Kevin President & North Central WV Representative, West Virginia Environmental Council "All Shades Of Green" __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Conservative Thinktanks Launch Anti-Wind Campaigns
by Frank Young 11 May '12

11 May '12

Blankhttp://www.alternet.org/environment/155359/conservative_thinktanks_lau… >From the article: "Recent developments in the campaign against wind power include: " • Putting forward Alec-drafted bills overturning those measures in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Colorado, Montana and Washington state." Ironically, the West Virginia so-called "alternative energy" legislation does not require even one kilowatt of wind (nor of solar) generated electricity. Frank

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Fwd: FRACKING AND BLASTING AMERICA... AND SHIPPING ENERGY OVERSEAS
by Paul Wilson 11 May '12

11 May '12

really good email campaign that goes to the Council on Environmental Quality and our reps in Congress. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <ddow420(a)comcast.net> Date: Thu, May 10, 2012 at 5:06 PM Subject: Fwd: FRACKING AND BLASTING AMERICA... AND SHIPPING ENERGY OVERSEAS To: Patricia Matejcek Gmail <patachek3(a)gmail.com>, Alison Robb < nature(a)cape.com>, Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> fyi Begin forwarded message: *From: *Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy <info(a)catskillcitizens.org> *Date: *May 10, 2012 9:51:50 AM EDT *To: *ddow420(a)comcast.net *Subject: **FRACKING AND BLASTING AMERICA... AND SHIPPING ENERGY OVERSEAS* * * **<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=1XHz0cFmZWZPUXEuzPSwX…> * * *FRACKING AND BLASTING AMERICA . . . AND SHIPPING* [image: Take Action!]<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2BXglNioIEv1MIWLDULr…> *ENERGY OVERSEAS* *Demand an energy policy that makes sense. Take Action!*<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=GzKIE0PG6weeSDfVM8XKI…> * * Energy companies love to wrap themselves in the flag of energy independence, but in fact they have a history of exploiting American resources in a way that benefits foreign nations, not the United States. In recent decades, mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining has destroyed an area the size of Rhode Island. Biologically diverse ecosystems have been wiped out. Thousands of miles of streams have been poisoned, or have disappeared under mountains of rubble. Contaminated air and water have created a health crisis for rural communities that face epidemic rates of birth defects and childhood disease. Adding insult to grievous injury, we've been shipping our Appalachian coal overseas. And now, rather than rethinking the insanity of MTR, the U.S. is about to embark on yet another ruinous venture, one that will create an even greater environmental and health crisis here at home so energy corporations can make a killing abroad. The broad outlines of the gas industry’s master plan are clear—frack the hell out of America so U.S. energy companies can become leading exporters of natural gas. The industry has already begun spending tens of billions of dollars to construct pipelines and export terminals to ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe and Asia. When these terminals are complete, the industry will be able to sell U.S. gas in foreign markets at prices that may be five or six or seven times the current rate here at home. Gas corporations will make out like bandits, while the U.S. taxpayer will be left to cope with the environmental damage and the inevitable public health crisis that will follow in the wake of contaminated air and drinking water supplies. * * [image: No Frack!] * * * * * * *ALBANY INACTION AND MISDIRECTION* * * * * *Demand protective legislation. Take Action!<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=j11HY8xqzZAJigdJgIfOS…> * *[image: Take Action!]<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=XiM6yDLX54xDX6m6rMD4y…> * * * - In 2005, the gas industry wanted a state law that would force landowners to have gas known to be under their land extracted against their will. No problem. A compulsory integration bill, written by lobbyists, sailed through both houses of the legislature with unanimous support. In 2008, the industry was back in Albany because it wanted a well-spacing law to facilitate shale gas extraction. Once again, the legislature quickly gave the industry what it wanted. - But although ordinary New Yorkers have been demanding basic protections from fracking for years, the legislature still hasn’t managed to enact a single law in the *public *interest. Will this year be any different? Will the legislature pass a bill requiring a much-needed health impact assessment of fracking? Will it close the drilling waste loophole that lets the industry dump toxic waste without adequate supervision? Will it accomplish anything at all before the current session winds down? - The Cuomo Administration and the DEC continue to offer conflicting estimates of when fracking will get underway in New York. We’ve been told it will be this spring, or in the summer, or in the fall, or maybe sometime before the end of the year, or perhaps never. It’s hard to read these mixed signals as anything more than a cynical ploy to keep the public confused and activists off guard. - Recently DEC Commissioner Martens told the press that his department will “consider” local laws that prohibit fracking when it issues drilling permits, but he failed to say whether the DEC will actually *respect*the laws enacted by dozens of communities who don’t trust Governor Cuomo, or the DEC, or the legislature to offer them the protections they deserve. * SUNGEVITY * Recently, Catskill Citizens partnered with *Sungevity<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=5aJJu6TgYWJ2%2BJ6wjGC…> ,* a company that provides solar installations for home and businesses. If someone purchases a solar installation through our website, the purchaser and Catskill Citizens each get a check for $750. We didn’t form this partnership because we’re desperate for money, or because we’ve sold out to corporate interests. We did it because we think the company has a business model that deserves recognition. Sungevity is one of several companies that will install photovoltaic (PV) systems on homes at no cost to the homeowner—the company makes its money by collecting the available tax incentives and through monthly leasing payments that are less than the homeowner’s savings on their utility bill. This not-a-penny-out-of- pocket-ever business model is important because it undermines the argument that renewable energy systems are expensive and beyond the reach of ordinary Americans. Solar is here now—and anyone can afford it. *Can New York Learn from Texas?<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=uInpa8N%2FyRpVjKQpKur…> Economist Jannette Barth’s latest analysis of the economic impact of shale gas plays. * *Read more about LNG exports by entering the word “exports in the “Search” feature of our **website*<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=o0%2BnVCwdEOAjf2T6HWx…> *.* *STOP THE FRACK ATTACK!* On July 28, citizens from all across the country will rally in Washington, D.C. for a national day of action. Read more at stopthefrackattack.org<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=PC8e1W40kj05dTQCb3ecp…> . Please share this Update link, cut and paste to Facebook and Twitter: http://bit.ly/KSEZMA<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2BYL6yZIBLMygM7ZXtl8…> <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=mjN1ncbnOnhVMzzQwaXFq…> For more information email info(a)catskillcitizens.org or call (845) 468 7063 *Two out of three people who find out about fracking think the risks aren't worth the rewards. Public awareness is the key to our success, so spread the word! * <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=kWqs66uaEQ%2BiyaHllT9…> Please donate to Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy. *To unsubscribe from this email list, please email info(a)catskillcitizens.org and type unsubscribe in the header.* [image: empowered by Salsa] <http://www.salsalabs.com/?email> **** -- 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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oil/gas/coal anti-wind energy campaign?
by Frank Young 10 May '12

10 May '12

BlankI have suspected for some time that at least some anti-wind activists are encouraged, whether innocently or knowingly, by miss-information disseminated by oil and/or gas, and/or coal, and/or other fossil fuel interests.- Frank http://influencealley.nationaljournal.com/2012/05/wind.php "Earlier this year, a national conservative think tank fellow organized a gathering in Washington to hear how local wind energy opponents were fighting wind projects in their communities and to discuss launching a national public relations strategy to subvert the industry and influence wind energy policies. The gathering and a strategy memo outlining a national PR campaign against wind energy caught the attention of the pro-clean energy Checks and Balances Project, which charged that oil-and-gas backed think tanks were working to organize local NIMBY groups into a national campaign against wind energy. "This is the first time that we've seen this level of coordination," said Gabe Elsner, the co-director of the Checks and Balances Project. But, the meeting's organizer and attendees say the February event was simply a gathering of likeminded activists, not a grand strategy funded by oil and gas interests. The national PR campaign the activists discussed never got off the ground, but the meeting did appear to plant a seed as the attendees continue to discuss launching a future anti-wind campaign." Complete article at: http://influencealley.nationaljournal.com/2012/05/wind.php

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Fwd: May 15 Seminar: West Virginia Energy Efficiency Incentive Program
by James Kotcon 08 May '12

08 May '12

Anyone want to check this out? I am tied up in interviews that day. Jim Kotcon. >>> EnergySaveWV <system(a)acteva.com> 5/7/2012 8:04 AM >>> Seminar: West Virginia Energy Efficiency Incentive Program The Lighting Rebates are HERE!!! Join representatives from FirstEnergy's West Virginia Lighting Rebate Program as we present the details of this exciting rebate program! We will also present on new Federal lamp legislation, LED lighting updates, and the basics of lighting retrofits. Join us on Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 from 7:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. at the Best Western - 100 Lodgeville Road, Bridgeport, West Virginia, 26330 AGENDA: 7:30 a.m. - Continental Breakfast 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Rebate Presentation, Lighting Technology Presentation, & Lighting Product Showcase REGISTER HERE: http://a3.acteva.com/orderbooking/bookEvent/A317736?emailAttendeeId=3211253… Future seminars to be held in Morgantown, Parkersburg, and Martinsburg in June. Keep your eyes peeled. If You are unable to make this seminar, we also offer weekly webinars: Program Overview and Application Assistance Webinar Every Monday from 2-3pm EST Join us for a weekly webinar for the Mon Power and Potomac Edison energy efficiency incentive program. This webinar will provide you with an overview of the Lighting for Business Program, as well as one-on-one support to guide you through filling out an application. To log-in, click here. (Type in name and email. Leave box unchecked. A dial-in number will be provided once you log-on.) This mail was sent from SAIC, Inc., 11 Penn Plaza, New York, NY, US 10001. If you would like to stop receiving emails from SAIC, Inc. please click here This email is powered by Acteva! Acteva is located at 456 Montgomery St., 8th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104 http://www.acteva.com

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Carbon Pollution Standard
by James Kotcon 06 May '12

06 May '12

As discussed at the Chapter ExCom, attached is a sample postcard to support EPA's proposed carbon standard for new power plants. This is a great member involvement tool. Our goal is to get several hundred comments from West Virginia by June 5. I will be printing copies onto cardstock (and use that if you plan to have people mail them), but any good paper will suffice for signatures if you collect them yourselves.Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home) As a quick reminder, the Proposed Carbon Standards: • Require new power plants to limit carbon pollution to 1,000 lbs CO2 per megawatt-hour • Apply to all new power plants, except for those with air permit in-hand that can begin construction in 12 months Links for more information:Talking Points, template Letters to the Editor, OpEds, etc. http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/carbon Username: clubhouse Password: explorehttp://www.beyondcoal.org/dirtytruth/carbonhttp://clubhouse.sierracl… You can find the Carbon presentation, as well as guidelines, custom slides for specific groups (i.e. labor, sportsmen, etc.) at: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/carbonpresentations/ (for access, email Nicole.ghio(a)sierraclub.org)

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Re: [EC] Fwd: [Charleston Newspapers] Article - N.Y. firm has energy-plant plans for Marion County
by fmoose39＠hotmail.com 04 May '12

04 May '12

Seen the article and I am curious also. sent from my AT&T Smartphone by HTC ----- Reply message ----- From: "Jim Sconyers" <jimscon(a)gmail.com> Date: Fri, May 4, 2012 10:46 am Subject: [EC] Fwd: [Charleston Newspapers] Article - N.Y. firm has energy-plant plans for Marion County To: "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> Cc: "Bill Price" <Bill_Price(a)sierraclub.org>, "Mark Kresowik" <Mark.Kresowik(a)sierraclub.org>, <ec(a)osenergy.org>, "Zachary Fabish" <Zachary.Fabish(a)sierraclub.org> The story seems to contradict itself. The guy is apparently planning coal-to-liquid, not trash to gas. Remember Mingo County plans? On Fri, May 4, 2012 at 9:50 AM, James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> wrote: > Now that Albright is resolved, we need to pay some attention to this > proposal for Rivesville. > > JBK > > >>> <articles(a)cnpapers.com> 5/4/2012 6:45 AM >>> > jkotcon(a)wvu.edu sent you this article > ----- > May 3, 2012 > *N.Y. firm has energy-plant plans for Marion County<http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201205030294> > * > By The Associated Press<http://contact/jroznfgre+nc+bet+return=/News/201205030294> > The Associated Press > P>FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- A New York company wants to retrofit the old > coal-fired Rivesville Power Station to run on synthetic gas and build a > Fairmont plant to produce synthetic diesel from trash. > > WBOY-TV says Allied Geo-Plasma Energy Services mainly ... > Read more <http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201205030294> > ----- > > _______________________________________________ > 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: [Charleston Newspapers] Article - N.Y. firm has energy-plant plans for Marion County
by James Kotcon 04 May '12

04 May '12

Now that Albright is resolved, we need to pay some attention to this proposal for Rivesville. JBK >>> <articles(a)cnpapers.com> 5/4/2012 6:45 AM >>> jkotcon(a)wvu.edu sent you this article ----- May 3, 2012 N.Y. firm has energy-plant plans for Marion County ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201205030294 ) By The Associated Press ( contact/jroznfgre+nc+bet+return=/News/201205030294 ) The Associated Press P>FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- A New York company wants to retrofit the old coal-fired Rivesville Power Station to run on synthetic gas and build a Fairmont plant to produce synthetic diesel from trash. WBOY-TV says Allied Geo-Plasma Energy Services mainly ... Read more ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201205030294 ) -----

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Fwd: Wyoming got EPA to delay fracking study finding
by Paul Wilson 04 May '12

04 May '12

fyi, paul. there is a reference to Marcellus in this WY article. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Fran Hunt <fran.hunt(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Fri, May 4, 2012 at 9:51 AM Subject: Wyoming got EPA to delay fracking study finding To: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS(a)lists.sierraclub.org http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/05/03/national/a12092… AP Exclusive: Wyoming got EPA to delay frack finding By MEAD GRUVER, Associated Press Thursday, May 3, 2012 (05-03) 12:29 PDT Cheyenne, Wyo. (AP) -- Wyoming's governor persuaded the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to postpone an announcement linking hydraulic fracturing to groundwater contamination, giving state officials — whom the EPA had privately briefed on the study — time to attempt to debunk the finding before it rocked the oil and gas industry more than a month later, an investigation by The Associated Press has found. During the delay, state officials raised dozens of questions about the finding that the controversial procedure that has become essential to unlocking oil and gas deposits in Wyoming and beyond may have tainted groundwater near the gas patch community of Pavillion. Gov. Matt Mead contacted EPA Director Lisa Jackson and persuaded her to hold off any announcement, according to state emails and an interview with the governor. The more than 11,000 emails made available to AP in response to a state records request show that Wyoming officials took advantage of the postponement to "take a hard line" and coordinate an "all-out press" against the EPA in the weeks leading up to the announcement Dec. 8. Meanwhile, the chief state regulator of oil and gas development fretted over how the finding would affect state revenue. And even as the state questioned the EPA's science, there were internal doubts about how effective those objections would be. "It's already too late. The White House has already seen the report with conclusions," wrote Gary Strong, an engineer with the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, following a presentation by EPA deputy assistant regional administrator Martin Hestmark. The emails indicate that the federal agency was being pressed by the White House to release its report. But the state's questions did set the stage for additional groundwater and household well water sampling in the Pavillion area that began a couple weeks ago. The struggle by both Wyoming officials and the EPA for message control shows the extent to which they fretted about the findings. Wyoming depends on oil and gas for its economic well-being while environmentalists have pushed the Obama <http://www.sfgate.com/barack-obama/>administration to crack down on a process responsible for increasing U.S. onshore production. The worry wasn't misplaced: Though the findings were unique to Pavillion, they ricocheted amid heightened scrutiny of fracking in other drilling regions including the Marcellus Shale states of New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The emails also suggest an uneasy partnership now that the EPA and Wyoming, as well as U.S. Geological Survey and two American Indian tribes, say they are working together on further study of the Pavillion groundwater. However, some recent re-sampling by the EPA of household well water in the Pavillion area took Mead and other state officials by surprise. They had presumed that only two monitoring wells the EPA had drilled to test for groundwater pollution would be retested this spring. "I won't tell anybody not to test. But if you're going to test, you need to bring everyone in the process," Mead said in an interview Monday. The EPA did not make Jackson available for an interview. EPA Region 8 Director Jim Martin said in a statement through spokesman Richard Mylott that the EPA "has been transparent and has relied on the best science" to inform Pavillion-area residents about their water. Environmentalists including the Natural Resource Defense Council and Sierra Club have looked to the Obama administration EPA to get tougher on fracking, the practice of cracking open oil and gas deposits by pumping pressurized water, fine sand and chemicals down well holes. They maintain that fracking is a threat to clean groundwater. The EPA study in the Pavillion area followed years of complaints from homeowners that their well water took on a chemical stink around the time that fracking picked up in their neighborhood about eight years ago. Environmentalists welcomed the draft report as validation of their concerns. Wyoming is the third-ranked state for onshore gas production and ninth for onshore oil production. Nearly every new oil and gas well in Wyoming that isn't a coal-bed methane well is fracked. In internal emails that followed the Nov. 4 briefing, state officials expressed support for fracking as critical to oil and gas extraction, a $7.7 billion a year industry in Wyoming that accounts for 20 percent of the state's gross domestic product. "The limiting of the hydraulic fracturing process will result in negative impacts to the oil and gas revenues to the state of Wyoming. A further outcome will be the questioning of the economic viability of all unconventional and tight oil and gas reservoirs in Wyoming, across the United States, and ultimately in the world," wrote Tom Doll, supervisor of the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, in a long email that circulated among top state officials. Wyoming's top state regulator of oil and gas development, including essentially all fracking in the state, Doll was a district manager for Tulsa, Okla.-based Williams Production Company until 2008. The spark for Doll's missive was the closed-door meeting at Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality headquarters in Cheyenne two days earlier. EPA administrator Martin briefed Wyoming officials about what the EPA was about to announce based on its research in Pavillion. Doll took part by phone. "Contaminants present at high concentrations in the deep monitoring wells are likely a result of hydraulic fracturing," read a "Key Findings" slide in an EPA PowerPoint shown at the meeting. Each slide was marked "Confidential--Do Not Disclose." The public announcement more than a month later stated that the groundwater "contains compounds likely associated with gas production practices, including hydraulic fracturing." The EPA also suggested at the private meeting that gas development likely had contaminated household well water in the Pavillion area but that current data did not definitively support such a link. The EPA has made no such claim in public to date. Emails show that Mead sought to reach Jackson within hours. Mead confirmed that he got her to hold off on the findings report until state officials could review the data. "When I talked to Lisa Jackson they were going to release the findings regardless. That wasn't even the question. The question was on the timing of it. We wanted a chance to see what are they basing this on," Mead told the AP. "She said, `Well, maybe we can hold off a couple weeks to give you guys this data.'" The EPA released raw data on pollution in the two monitoring wells at a public meeting in Pavillion on Nov. 9, five days after the private state briefing. Among the pollutants was the carcinogen benzene as high as 50 times the EPA limit. The EPA showed a PowerPoint similar to the one shown at the private meeting but without announcing any findings. There was no "Key Findings" slide. Releasing the data and findings outside of the purview of two "working groups" angered state regulators. The working groups made up of state and EPA officials had been examining the Pavillion pollution for the better part of a year. Wyoming didn't take the news from the private EPA briefing sitting down. The state could "get ahead of the curve" by assigning its own experts to review the data, suggested John Corra, the environmental quality director. "Sort of an all out press," Corra wrote to Doll and others Nov. 7. Doll suggested to Corra and others in a Nov. 19 email that Wyoming take "a hard line" after one EPA official told them to drop their concerns. "EPA has not substantially defended their explanation, the data is questionable on many levels, and EPA has ignored our alternative explanations," Doll wrote. Dozens of questions from state regulators followed. They included why the monitoring well water samples had high pH readings. The EPA report referred to the high pH and mentioned the detection of potassium hydroxide, a basic chemical used in fracking. Pavillion residents didn't hear about the finding before the public announcement, said John Fenton, chairman of Pavillion Area Concerned Citizens. Fenton said he was unhappy that regulators hadn't kept local residents fully apprised of the latest developments concerning their water supply. Yet he held EPA in higher regard than the state officials he said ignored Pavillion for years, prompting residents to request the EPA investigation. "Those of us living out here, we don't trust the state," he said. State officials actively kept the media in the dark about the upcoming EPA announcement, even as reporters questioned them about the data. "My sense is that the reporter was searching for a conflict to write about, and I tried to head that off," Corra wrote Nov. 29 to several other state officials about one reporter's questions. Another state regulator suggested that Wyoming officials keep in mind how they're perceived while they questioned the EPA data. "This could go on for a long time, during which we'll likely continue to be in an adversarial discussion with EPA, the public and the press," the Department of Environmental Quality's groundwater chief, Kevin Frederick, wrote to Corra on Dec. 2. "Is there a way to shift the focus of discussion to show the State in a more positive light while the present uncertainties continue to simmer?" The additional sampling since agreed to has extended the study of the Pavillion groundwater. Peer review of the sampling results, set to begin this spring, now is scheduled for this fall. -- *Frances A. Hunt* Director, Resilient Habitats Campaign Sierra Club 50 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 fran.hunt(a)sierraclub.org 202-675-2386 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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 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 "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: Attend the Sportsmen's Marcellus Shale Summit on Saturday, June 16
by Paul Wilson 04 May '12

04 May '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Trout Unlimited <trout(a)tu.org> Date: Thu, May 3, 2012 at 2:54 PM Subject: Attend the Sportsmen's Marcellus Shale Summit on Saturday, June 16 To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com [image: Trout Unlimited] <http://www.tu.org> *Join sportsmen and women for the Sportsmen's Marcellus Shale Summit on Saturday, June 16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pocono Environmental Education Center, in Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania.* Worried about the new gas wells, roads, and pipelines, you see being developed around your favorite trout stream or hunting blind? Supportive of natural gas development, but want to make sure you protect hunting, fishing, and trapping at the same time? Then please join us! Sportsmen and women and conservation groups in the heart of the Marcellus Shale region are working together to identify and propose solutions to ensure gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing not only create economic benefits for our communities, but also protect our hunting, fishing and trapping heritage. Through the Sportsmen's Marcellus Shale Summit, we will look at how natural gas drilling is affecting hunters and anglers, our communities, and our sporting heritage. At the summit you will learn more about the Sportsmen Alliance for Marcellus Conservation<http://www.mmsend6.com/link.cfm?r=769127283&sid=18785329&m=1939214&u=TROUT&…>and hear fish and wildlife experts in the field, along with sportsmen and women with first-hand experience, discuss the following topics: - How the interests of sportsmen and women can be protected through policies and practices that safeguard the sporting experience while supporting a robust energy economy - State and regional updates on drilling and impacts on fish and wildlife - Key areas that need protection in the Marcellus region - Updates on how we're working collaboratively with industry to protect our sporting heritage Registration will open at 8:15 a.m. and opening remarks will begin at 9 a.m. The conference will conclude by 4 p.m. Register now<http://www.mmsend6.com/link.cfm?r=769127283&sid=18785330&m=1939214&u=TROUT&…> *Sportsmen's Marcellus Shale Summit Travel Information:* click here<http://www.mmsend6.com/link.cfm?r=769127283&sid=18785331&m=1939214&u=TROUT&…> © 2011 Trout Unlimited - all rights reserved. Contact Us <trout(a)tu.org> | TU.ORG<http://www.mmsend6.com/link.cfm?r=769127283&sid=18785332&m=1939214&u=TROUT&…> You are receiving this email because this email address is associated with a Trout Unlimited Membership or has opted to receive email communications from Trout Unlimited. To modify your communication preferences, email us at trout(a)tu.org or call 1-800-834-2419. Trout Unlimited 1300 N. 17th Street, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22209 Unsubscribe from all TU email communication<http://www.mmsend6.com/link.cfm?r=769127283&sid=18785333&m=1939214&u=TROUT&…>, including news, action alerts and membership offers. Click here<http://www.mmsend6.com/link.cfm?r=769127283&sid=18785334&m=1939214&u=TROUT&…>to unsubscribe. -- 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] REMINDER: National Coal Ash Call, Weds, May 2, 1-2:30 pm ET (NOTE TIME CHANGE FROM ORIGINAL NOTICE)
by Jim Sconyers 01 May '12

01 May '12

Coal ash free conf call tomorrow. On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 11:09 AM, Bill Price <bill.price(a)sierraclub.org>wrote: > FYI. this call is put together by EarthJustice, and will be an opportunity > for discussion about the coal ash issues all across the region. > > See below for call in number. > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Jeremy Graham <jgraham(a)earthjustice.org> > Date: Tue, May 1, 2012 at 10:26 AM > Subject: REMINDER: National Coal Ash Call, Weds, May 2, 1-2:30 pm ET (NOTE > TIME CHANGE FROM ORIGINAL NOTICE) > To: Jeremy Graham <jgraham(a)earthjustice.org> > > > *--Apologies for cross-posting--* > > ** ** > > ** ** > > Dear Coal Ash Allies:**** > > ** ** > > Please join our National Coal Ash Call this Wednesday, May 2 from 1 -2:30 > pm Eastern. This is the second of our quarterly calls on this critical > public health issue.**** > > ** ** > > We will provide an update on the amendment to the Transportation Bill that > currently threatens EPA’s authority to regulate coal ash, and we will > discuss how you can help defeat this measure. We will also provide an > update on EPA’s and OSM's activities and hear important developments from > activists in the field. Lastly, we will discuss a new nationwide > initiative for citizens and grassroots groups.**** > > ** ** > > Thank you in advance for calling in. Please call: 866.501.6174, PIN > 2249224.**** > > ** ** > > A detailed agenda is pasted below with links to additional information > concerning some of the topics. If you have any suggested additions to the > agenda, please send me an email.**** > > ** ** > > Sincerely,**** > > ** ** > > Lisa Evans**** > > Senior Administrative Counsel**** > > Earthjustice**** > > ** ** > > **** > > Agenda**** > > National Coal Ash Call**** > > May 2, 2012**** > > 1 -2:30 pm Eastern Time**** > > ** ** > > Introduction: Jared Saylor, Earthjustice**** > > ** ** > > Update on Transportation Bill and What You Can Do to Defeat the McKinley > Amendment: Emily Enderle, Earthjustice, (17 min)**** > > ** ** > > -- See: Sample Action Alert: > https://secure.earthjustice.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&i… > **** > > -- See: Link to Bill: > http://earthjustice.org/blog/2012-april/tr-ash-talk-the-coal-breath-of-betr… > **** > > ** ** > > Update on Status of EPA Rule and Coal Ash Rule Lawsuit: Lisa Evans, > Earthjustice (2 min)**** > > -- See: Link to Complaint: > http://earthjustice.org/blog/2012-april/tr-ash-talk-it-s-about-time**** > > ** ** > > New Damage Cases: Eric Schaeffer, Environmental Integrity Project (2 min)* > *** > > -- See: Link to Report: > http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/news_reports/04_27_2012.php**** > > ** ** > > Reports from the Field:**** > > ** ** > > (1) North Carolina "Call to Action" in Asheville, Sandra Diaz, > Appalachian Voices and Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper (3 min)** > ** > > (2) Shareholder Resolutions, Barbara Jennings, Midwest Coalition > for Responsible Investment (3 min)**** > > (3) Doctors to D.C.: Barb Gottlieb, Physicians for Social > Responsibility (3 min)**** > > -- See: > http://www.psr.org/news-events/news-archive/psr-briefs-senate-on-dangers-fr… > **** > > -- See: http://www.psr.org/assets/pdfs/coal-ash-petition.pdf **** > > (4) Fight against Fugitive Dust, Kathy Little or Deborah Payne, > Kentucky Environmental Foundation (3 min)**** > > -- See: http://youtu.be/q-fX8JORSME**** > > (5) West Virginia: Wins and Losses: Curt Havens, Lisa Graves > Marcucci (TBD) (3 min)**** > > ** ** > > Coal Ash Minefilling Rule—Another Front? (TBD) (3 min)**** > > ** ** > > National Citizen Petition Initiative: Russ Maddox, Alaska Center for the > Environment (10 min)**** > > -- See:Link to Petition Process: > http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/cleanup.nsf/1a16218b78d8c4d58825674500015b42/97… > **** > > -- http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/com/petition.html**** > > ** ** > > Open Discussion: 30 min**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > > > -- > > Bill Price, Organizing Representative > > Sierra Club > > Environmental Justice Program > > Beyond Coal to Clean Energy Campaign > > Phone: 304-389-8822 (Cell) > > Email: bill.price(a)sierraclub.org > > -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: ACT:: Register for Wednesday, May 2 webinar and discussion about "Using Communications To Win Your Campaigns!"
by Paul Wilson 30 Apr '12

30 Apr '12

this should be of interest for future work on WV Energy Efficient issues. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)prodigy.net> Date: Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 12:35 PM Subject: ACT:: Register for Wednesday, May 2 webinar and discussion about "Using Communications To Win Your Campaigns!" To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Please join us Wednesday, May 2nd at 8 PM ET/ 7 CT/ 5 PT for the Beyond Coal Campaign's monthly call and webinar. I am looking forward talking to you all, Verena Using Communications To Win Your Coal and Clean Energy Campaigns!Join us for a Webinar on May 2 <https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/821646358>*Space is limited.* Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/821646358Please join us for a webinar on Wednesday, May 2, at 8 PM ET/7 CT/ 5PT. Our special guest presenter will be Orli Cotel from the Club's Communications Department. The topic will be "Using Communications to Win Your Campaigns," and she will discuss the latest polling and research on messaging, talk about the current structure of the Communications department and the resources available to the Beyond Coal Campaign, as well as how communications tools can help influence decision makers and move targets in the right direction. After her presentation we will have our usual Q and A session.*Title:*Using Communications To Win Your Campaigns!*Date:*Wednesday, May 2, 2012*Time:*8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDTAfter registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.*System Requirements* PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 ServerMacintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer ---------------------------------------------------------------------------Verena OwenVolunteer Co-LeadBeyond Coal Campaign Verena.Owen(a)sierraclub.orgSierraclub.org/coal - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: President Obama can stop the massive mountaintop removal Spruce Mine
by Paul Wilson 24 Apr '12

24 Apr '12

incase you do not get the CREDO emails....fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Josh Nelson, CREDO Action <act(a)credoaction.com> Date: Tue, Apr 24, 2012 at 8:02 AM Subject: President Obama can stop the massive mountaintop removal Spruce Mine To: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> ** [image: Protect West Virginia from mountaintop removal coal mining!] <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881576&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=1> Clicking here will automatically add your name to this petition to the White House Council on Environmental Quality:<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881577&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=2> * "As a West Virginia resident, I'm writing to voice my opposition to the destruction of mountains at the Spruce Mine in Logan County. Support EPA's veto of the Spruce Mine and direct the Army Corps of Engineers to revoke the mine's permit." <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881577&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=3> * Automatically add your name: <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881577&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=4> [image: Take action now!] <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881577&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=5> Learn more about this campaign<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881576&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=6> [image: CREDO Action | more than a network, a movement.] *Tell President Obama: Protect West Virginia from a massive mountaintop removal mine. .<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881576&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=7> * Dear Paul, Arch Coal is moving forward with the largest mountaintop removal coal mining operation in West Virginia's history — but *President Obama's White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has the power to step in and block this disastrous project.* The Environmental Protection Agency had already vetoed a permit for the Spruce Mine in Logan County, but last month, a federal judge overruled the agency paving the way for the project.1 The court's decision means that the destruction of mountains and burying of streams with 110 million yards of mining waste could begin very soon — unless the Council on Environmental Quality steps in. *Tell the Council on Environmental Quality: Protect West Virginia from mountaintop removal at the Spruce Mine. Click here to automatically sign the petition.* <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881577&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=8> In situations where agencies within the federal government differ on environmental matters, it is the role of the Council on Environmental Quality to weigh in and resolve the matter. And by directing the Army Corps of Engineers to revoke the Spruce Mine permit, the CEQ can stop this highly polluting and disastrous project once and for all. *Mountaintop removal mining is a process in which coal companies use explosives to literally blow the tops off of the mountains, dumping the leftover rocks and dirt into streams and valleys below. The practice is linked with high mortality rates, contaminated drinking water and increased flooding, among other problems.2* EPA's veto of the permit for expanded mountaintop removal mining at the Big Spruce Mine in Logan County was the right decision for public health and the environment, but unless the Council on Environmental Quality steps in, this massive mine will soon begin operations. West Virginians have been dealing with the devastation of mountaintop removal mining for far too long. Let's make sure the CEQ know that we expect it to use its power to protect West Virginia's residents, mountains and waterways from dirty and destructive mountaintop removal mining. Click below to automatically sign the petition to the White House Council on Environmental Quality: *http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881577&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=9* *Thank you* for fighting for public health and the environment in West Virginia. Josh Nelson, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=11&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=10> 1. Judge Overturns EPA Veto of Spruce Mine Permit<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881578&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=11>, West Virginia Gazette, 3/23/12 2. Community Impacts of Mountaintop Removal<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5537553&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=12>, Appalachian Voices ------------------------------ [image: Facebook]<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881579&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=13> *Share on Facebook* Post to your wall<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881579&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=14> [image: Twitter]<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881580&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=15> *Tweet this* Post to Twitter<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881580&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=16> © 2012 CREDO. All rights reserved. To remove yourself (Paul Wilson) from this list, please visit our subscription management page at: http://act.credoaction.com/s?i=38944-3414728-V0xAANx To change your email address or update your contact info, please visit: http://act.credoaction.com/subscrip/coa.html?id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx -- 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 Efficiency Planning Meeting
by James Kotcon 18 Apr '12

18 Apr '12

To the Energy Committee: Here is a new opportunity to make a real difference. Working with Energy Efficient West Virginia (EEWV) the WV Chapter wants to develop a major campaign to promote energy efficiency. That's where you come in. While it is important to fight bad mining practices and polluting power plants, we will not really make substantive progress as long as people want more and more electricity and coal is the low cost provider. No realistic effort to address global warming is possible without fundamental restructuring and reductions in our energy use. The good news is that EE is actually cheaper, faster, safer, and cleaner than any other source of energy. So how do we get there, especially here in West Virginia? WV SC and EEWV will hold a joint EE campaign planning meeting in Flatwoods at 3-6 PM, Saturday, April 28. Start making plans to attend. We need new ideas, new volunteers, and fresh leadership, and this is your chance to be part of something great. The options range from local education efforts, to working with the PSC, to statewide legislative in initiatives. What we do depends on what YOU want to do, so come be a part of the planning. Let me know if you can participate, or if you know someone else who should be involved. Mark you calendars now, more details soon. Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home)

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Fwd: NPS Denies PATH's Request for Continued Abeyance of the EIS
by James Kotcon 16 Apr '12

16 Apr '12

News Flash. PATH is still dead. JBK >>> Elena Saxonhouse <elena.saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org> 4/16/2012 4:44 PM >>> Good to see PATH still looking dead. A new EIS and substation will be major hurdles if they decide to resurrect the project. Elena Saxonhouse Staff Attorney Sierra Club 85 Second Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 415-977-5765 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Keryn Newman <stoppath(a)frontiernet.net> Date: Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 1:28 PM Subject: NPS Denies PATH's Request for Continued Abeyance of the EIS To: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM(a)lists.sierraclub.org On Feb. 27, the NPS denied PATH's request for continued, indefinite abeyance of their application and thereby denied PATH's permit without prejudice. See letter from NPS here ( http://www.stoppathwv.com/documents/NPS-PATH-Denial.pdf ). If this is old news to any of you, pardon the duplication, however it's news to us. NPS sat on this information and only posted it on the project website some time after March 15, without any notice. If PATH is resurrected, they have to submit a new application for an EIS. This is the second of PATH's three lifelines that has been cut. They failed to file further appeals on the Frederick Co., MD, BZA decision at the end of March, so that process is over, with the BZA denial standing. The only support PATH continues to receive is their FERC Formula Rate cost recovery and incentives, which FERC is apparently content to leave in place until PATH makes a Sec. 205 filing to abandon the project. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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 To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

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Fwd: RE: Deb Nardone
by James Kotcon 12 Apr '12

12 Apr '12

To Energy Committee: Attached are Natural Gas Campaign Plans developed recently by the Colorado and Ohio Chapters of Sierra Club. While some of this strikes me as highly diffuse, with too many policy objectives and not enough priority setting or focus, these do give some good examples of what goes into, and comes out of, a campaign planning process. Enjoy. Jim Kotcon >>> Deb Nardone <deb.nardone(a)sierraclub.org> 4/12/2012 4:36 PM >>> Thanks Jim, I’m already committed to a call from 5 – 6:30 ET with the Lone Star Chapter, but am very interested in participating on future calls. I’m currently working with a few other chapters on the gas strategies/campaign planning, so can pass along items of interest. The Colorado Chapter just went through a comprehensive planning process, their plan is attached. The OH Chapter also has a draft strategy, attached. Once these plans are completed, we’re working with Advancement to draft a state specific funding proposal, and will hopefully bring in the $ for chapter based gas staff. Please let me know when you set up your next call, and am willing to help out if needed as you plan for upcoming gas work. All the best, Deb From: James Kotcon [mailto:jkotcon@wvu.edu] Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2012 1:19 PM To: Chuck Wyrostok; 'Elizabeth Little'; 'Jim Sconyers'; deb.nardone(a)sierraclub.org; 'Jim Kotcon' Subject: Re: Deb Nardone Deb: As Chair of the Chapter's Marcellus campaign, I think it would be great to have you join us tonight. Let me know if you need the current agenda and call-in info for 6 PM, and I would like to add a few minutes to have you discuss those c-3 dollars, as we are targeting a large part of this year's activities toward that kind of work. Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home) >>> "Chuck Wyrostok" <wyro(a)appalight.com> 4/11/2012 8:28 PM >>> I had a lengthy conversation with Deb Nardone today. She called to see if we needed any technical help with comments to the DEP on the centralized pits proposal. I said we had a pretty good handle on it..thanks. She also said there may be national c3 money available for the Marcellus campaign. She said there would have to be a state strategy and work plan in place to before trying to secure funds. I told her that we were in the process of renewing the campaign and had planned a conference call for Thursday. She said she would be available to be on it, but realized that state chapters sometimes need to steer their own ship. If we want her on the call, will someone invite her tomorrow? I'll be on the road doing my weekly "take the veterans to the hospital" day. I'm thinking that this first organizational call tomorrow may not be the best one as far as her use of time. Chuck Chuck Wyrostok Sierra Club Outreach Organizer Toll free 877 252 0257 E: outreach(a)marcellus-wv.com www.marcellus-wv.com

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Re: [EC] NEw Jersey coal??
by Paul Wilson 08 Apr '12

08 Apr '12

I saw this announcement via Linkedin and wonder what the strategic benefit can be for having a Coal Campaign Organizer in NJ but nothing in WV?? *The Beyond Coal Campaign is hiring an Associate Organizing Rep in New Jersey*<http://www.linkedin.com/e/-51mdjt-h0pq69ph-5i/ava/105098655/669627/eml-anet…> Started by Joshua Ramey-Renk, Director of Talent Acquisition and Development at Sierra C I am getting a bit frustrated with the all this sc bs. fyi, paul -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: WVNS story: Economist: Clean Air Rules Don't Slow Economy by Raising the Power Costs
by Paul Wilson 06 Apr '12

06 Apr '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Fri, Apr 6, 2012 at 4:22 AM Subject: WVNS story: Economist: Clean Air Rules Don't Slow Economy by Raising the Power Costs To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Interesting story out of WV.... Economist: Clean Air Rules Don't Slow Economy by Raising the Power Costs Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/25762-1 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> (04/06/12) CHARLESTON, W. Va. – West Virginia's critics of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) charge that its new rules to force power plants to cut air pollution will cause electricity rates to rise, thereby slowing the economy. But economist Josh Bivens, with the Economic Policy Institute (EPA), disagrees. Bivens says the jobs created by new investments in pollution reduction will more than offset the losses. His research indicates the argument that "regulations kill jobs" is often a myth, which he says is the case with the clean air rules. "The reason why electricity becomes more expensive is because the utilities have to hire people. The boost from the extra jobs created by the investments, I estimate, outweighs the negatives." Bivens' findings are detailed in a new report, Going Green Won't Kill Jobs During Hard Times <http://tinyurl.com/ckkm24a>, published in *New Scientist*magazine. According to Bivens, some argue that government-mandated investments could pull resources from other productive places in the economy – although he notes that is only the case if the economy is growing quickly. He points out that the problem with this downturn, like all slow periods, is that private money is sitting idle. In effect, he says, the EPA is forcing some of that idle money to become productive again. "Financial capital is not scarce. Corporate liquid savings are at all-time highs; we've got historically low interest rates. There's just no evidence that these investments are going to necessarily crowd out some other private investment." Bivens' analysis does not include the health benefits of breathing cleaner air, although he says those will have a significant impact, as well. "By those measures, this seems like a really big winner, mostly driven by the benefits to health and quality of life identified by EPA." Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, Sen. Joe Manchin and all three West Virginia members of Congress have publicly attacked the EPA's Clean Air Act rules. 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/25762-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/25762-1> --- 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: Are EPA Coal Plant Rules what the Public Wants?
by James Kotcon 04 Apr '12

04 Apr '12

Not sure if you saw this, but this is an important public opinion poll done for the American Lung association. Significant majorities support EPA's proposed new greenhouse gas rules, and even larger majorities support mercury and air toxics rules. Most people view these as health rules, and we need to keep emphasizing that aspect as we talk about the rules. Ohio and PA voters were surveyed separately, and even these coal-friendly states support EPA rules. JBK >>> Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> 4/4/2012 4:29 AM >>> Are EPA Coal Plant Rules what the Public Wants? Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/25687-1 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 ) (04/04/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Environmental Protection Agency's new rules to protect Americans from carbon pollution emitted by new coal plants are getting a chilly reception from some in West Virginia. Sen. Joe Manchin has criticized them, and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is calling on the public to object to them. However, a new bipartisan survey ( http://www.lung.org/healthy-air/outdoor/resources/clean-air-survey-mar2012.… ) finds tougher air-pollution standards are exactly what American voters want. The results show that 72 percent agree with the EPA's new carbon-pollution limits, according to Peter Iwanowicz, assistant vice president of the American Lung Association, which commissioned the survey. "EPA has taken this step to address carbon pollution from power plants but, as we saw in our poll, the public expects EPA to do more when it comes to dealing with power-plant emissions and other pollution problems." Iwanowicz says the survey also found that a 2-to-1 majority believes these first-ever limits will create jobs rather than destroy them, by encouraging innovation. Opponents argue the measures will raise electricity prices and slow the coal industry. The public sees this as a health issue, Iwanowicz says, adding that that's the right way to look at it. "With carbon pollution or any pollution from power plants, it's simple: Power-plant pollution kills, and it makes people sick. So for us, enforcing these clean-air protections are going to improve public health." He says the combination of pollution and raising the air temperature, which carbon dioxide does, leads to more smog - which can be deadly. "For people with asthma, especially children, smog triggers asthma attacks. For seniors with chronic lung disease, their symptoms are worse when smog levels are high. More people are hospitalized for respiratory ailments during levels with high smog than otherwise. It's a serious public health threat that needs to be addressed." Survey results are online at lung.org ( http://www.lung.org/healthy-air/outdoor/resources/clean-air-survey-mar2012.… ). 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/25687-1 ( http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/25687-1 ) --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org and put the word "remove" in the subject line.

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Awesome letter Re: Manchin says he'll fight new EPA rules
by Jim Sconyers 04 Apr '12

04 Apr '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Elisa Young <elisayoung1(a)yahoo.com> Date: Wed, Apr 4, 2012 at 8:29 AM Subject: Fw: Re: Manchin says he'll fight new EPA rules To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)lists.sierraclub.org Maybe send Manchin a word or two. I fired off this letter to Manchin from his website with the subject line: Employment statistic request. You can send your own here: http://manchin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form Dear Senator Manchin: I read an article in the Charleston Gazette this morning where you expressed concern about the number of jobs that would be lost if environmental protections to protect public health and safety that the EPA has approved move forward, and your vow to fight these protections: http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/201204030140 My family has long lived on the border of Ohio and West Virginia (Meigs/Mason/Gallia Counties) where 4 of AEPs power plants are concentrated (2nd largest concentration in the United States, second only to Morgantown, WV). I have personally witnessed the lives of people in community being harmed and even shortened due to coal dependency and specifically American Electric Power's emissions. Ohio has consistently taken home the prize for the worst air quality in the nation, and within that ranking, our county has the highest asthma rate in the state, the highest lung cancer death rate, the shortest life expectancy, the highest uninsured rate for children and families, and rank the second highest in the state for all cancer deaths combined (second only to another rural, coal-producing county in Southern Ohio). The air quality in our schools under the power plants was ranked as being in the top third percentile for the worst air quality in the nation (post scrubbers). I lost one neighbor to lung cancer who never touched a cigarette in her life. Her husband also died of respiratory illness. I lost 6 neighbors to cancer, had cancer myself (and 2 more precancerous conditions that we have no family history of - did I mention I don't have health insurance?), and remember when one friend's husband died, her sharing this story: Both she and her best friend's husbands were dying of cancer in the same hospital, one room apart from each other (one lived almost immediately under the power plants, the other about 2 miles out from the power plants on the Ohio side of the river - the majority of the pollutants fall within 15). When Sue's husband died (an hour before Lola's), she shared that within the next month, they would have exceeded their lifetime maximum health care benefits of $1 million. She didn't want her husband to go, but had no idea how they would have made it once their health insurance ended. Another story (just to put a face on this), a friend who's husband worked at the Gavin plant in Cheshire (a village my family helped found when they moved here in 1798 and that AEP bought and depopulated recently due to "clean coal" experiments gone wrong), who died from cancer, told me that as he was dying, she promised to get him a black granite headstone with yellow roses. The cemetery where he was buried was immediately behind the power plant he gave his life to. Within a year of his death, the roses had been eaten off the granite. When Dorothy called the company to have the granite headstone recarved, they asked her what on earth she'd done to it. SHE hadn't done anything. Did I mention the cemetery is next to the school? I remember when my best friend got cancer, I drove her to the hospital to get the pathology results from her biopsy, and then had to call her husband, who did consulting work as an engineer and was traveling, to give him the news, because she couldn't speak except to hand me the phone and tell me to do it. She was sitting their staring into the air on one side of me, and he was yelling at me to put his wife on the phone on the other side, while I'm trying to process that I will probably lose my best friend. I should probably tell you that both her dogs died from cancer, too. One died while she was receiving radiation and chemo treatments in Chicago - I had to give she and her husband the vet report when Hoofie was diagnosed with terminal lymphoma, and was the last one to see her alive. The other, Wheezy, died from cancer after she moved away to New England. Her oncologist had told her if she wanted to get healthy she would have to move away from here. So yes, I lost my best friend. I was dumbfounded to read, "Those workers installed more than $1 billion worth of scrubbers and other equipment to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 90 percent, he said." What those scrubbers meant was worse air emission problems around John Amos (Maybe you've forgotten) http://www.opinionbug.com/2379/mysterious-blue-haze-frightens-charleston-wv… http://www.google.com/search?q=John+amos+haze+charleston&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&… These were the same emissions problems caused by the scrubbers on the Ohio side of the river - a stone's throw away - that lead to the purchase and depopulation of Cheshire - a village my family founded in 1798 that AEP destroyed after the scrubbers were installed. The scrubbers cause that blue haze you all experienced down in Charleston, same as they did here, triple the amount of solid waste, and create much more toxic waste. Since the scrubbers were installed, the radiation levels have skyrocketed to being 1000 times higher than the EPA says is "acceptable." http://manchin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form I could send you a volume about the people I've know who have died here, but I'm sure you are a busy man. I would like to hear your side of the statistics, since it bears no resemblance to the reality that exists in my community, compliments of coal. I would like to see the actual numbers your quote is based on that states, "Between 2006 and 2011, at AEP power plants in West Virginia, you created 27.7 million work hours on environmental construction projects," Manchin told his audience. Your jobs are killing us. Sincerely, Elisa Young P.O. Box 518 Athens, Ohio 45701 --- On *Wed, 4/4/12, Vivian Stockman <vivian(a)ohvec.org>* wrote: From: Vivian Stockman <vivian(a)ohvec.org> Subject: [fom] Manchin says he'll fight new EPA rules To: fom(a)lists.riseup.net Date: Wednesday, April 4, 2012, 11:26 AM April 3, 2012 Manchin says he'll fight new EPA rules By Paul J. Nyden<http://www.wvgazette.com/News/contact/cwalqra+jitnmrggr+pbz+return=/News/20…> WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Tuesday he will vigorously oppose new greenhouse-gas rules proposed last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. During a speech at the John Amos Power Plant near Winfield, Manchin stressed the importance of national energy independence and the impact coal, gas and other energy resources have on creating good-paying jobs. Today, Manchin said, coal generates 45 percent of all energy used in the United States and "is projected to produce the lion's share of energy decades into the future." Between 2006 and 2011, Manchin said Tuesday, AEP had as many as 3,200 construction workers at its John Amos plant, now one of the world's cleanest coal plants. Those workers installed more than $1 billion worth of scrubbers and other equipment to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 90 percent, he said. "Between 2006 and 2011, at AEP power plants in West Virginia, you created 27.7 million work hours on environmental construction projects," Manchin told his audience. "This plant is an example that when government works as a partner, not an adversary, we can put thousands of people back to work, and find the balance between the economy and environment." Last week, EPA officials proposed what the agency called a "common-sense" requirement that any new coal-fired power plants include equipment to control their greenhouse-gas emissions. "Right now there are no limits to the amount of carbon pollution that future power plants will be able to put into our skies -- and the health and economic threats of a changing climate continue to grow," EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said at the time. "We're putting in place a standard that relies on the use of clean, American-made technology to tackle a challenge that we can't leave to our kids and grandkids." m <http://www.wvgazette.com/storyfooter/News> ore here: http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201204030140 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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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Fwd: [ECOLOG-L] Call for contributions to special issue on Hydrofracking
by Paul Wilson 03 Apr '12

03 Apr '12

This seems to be in the editing stage so we should see it sometime in the near future. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <ddow420(a)comcast.net> Date: Tue, Apr 3, 2012 at 1:44 AM Subject: Fwd: [ECOLOG-L] Call for contributions to special issue on Hydrofracking To: Patricia Matejcek Gmail <patachek3(a)gmail.com>, Paul Wilson < pjgrunt(a)gmail.com>, Alison Robb <nature(a)cape.com> fyi Begin forwarded message: *From: *Scott Bearer <sbearer(a)TNC.ORG> *Date: *April 2, 2012 10:12:30 PM EDT *To: *ECOLOG-L(a)LISTSERV.UMD.EDU *Subject: **[ECOLOG-L] Call for contributions to special issue on Hydrofracking* * * Dear Colleagues, Apologies for the limited timeframe in this Call for Papers. We will be editing an upcoming issue of the journal Environmental Practice< http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=ENP>, published by Cambridge University Press and the official journal of the National Association of Environmental Professionals<http://www.naep.org/>. For publication in December 2012, this special issue of Environmental Practice will focus on the various environmental, socio-economic, and policy issues surrounding hydraulic fracturing and unconventional gas development. We hope that you find Environmental Practice, and particularly this "Hydrofracturing" issue, to be of interest and will consider submitting a manuscript. The deadline for manuscript submission is 15 May 2012. Sample issues of the journal can be found at: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=ENP Guidelines for publication can be found at: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayMoreInfo?jid=ENP&type=ifc Sincerely yours, Scott Bearer, The Nature Conservancy Tamara Gagnolet, The Nature Conservancy Scott L. Bearer, Ph.D. Senior Scientist The Nature Conservancy Community Arts Center 220 West Fourth Street, 3rd Floor Williamsport, PA 17701 sbearer(a)tnc.org (570) 321-9092 (Office/Mobile) nature.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: Big feature story on Beyond Coal in Mother Jones magazine
by Paul Wilson 02 Apr '12

02 Apr '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Orli Cotel <orli.cotel(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Mon, Apr 2, 2012 at 3:34 PM Subject: Big feature story on Beyond Coal in Mother Jones magazine To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Team, I'm excited to share this lengthy feature on the succeses of the Beyond Coal campaign that came out today in Mother Jones magazine. This very thorough article by Mark Hertsgaard shows the strategy and power of the Beyond Coal effort. This piece was months in the making and involved many people on the Beyond Coal team - big thank you to everyone who helped out and talked with this reporter. I've copied and pasted the whole article below, but I recommend clicking through to the actual story online so that you can see all the interactive maps, graphics etc that they've included in the story: http://motherjones.com/print/169521 Please help share, tweet, and spread the word - and congratulations on all of the amazing work you are doing that makes a story like this possible. Orli -- http://motherjones.com/environment/2012/04/beyond-coal-plant-activism * * * * How a Grassroots Rebellion Won the Nation's Biggest Climate Victory Activists have imposed a de-facto moratorium on new coal—and beat the Obama EPA to the punch. By Mark Hertsgaard <http://motherjones.com/authors/mark-hertsgaard> | Mon Apr. 2, 2012 3:00 AM PDT ------------------------------ By most accounts, the summer of 2010—when climate legislation died its slow, agonizing death on Capitol Hill<http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/07/we-know-we-dont-have-votes> [1]—was not a happy time for environmentalists. So why was Mary Anne Hitt feeling buoyant, even hopeful? Part of the reason, no doubt, were the endorphins of first-time parenthood. Baby Hazel, born in April 2010, was fair like her mother and curly haired like her father. She was also an 11th-generation West Virginian, which perhaps explained her mom's other preoccupation: stopping mountaintop-removal coal mining<http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/01/blowing-mountains-not-great-idea> [2] in Appalachia. Hitt had spent the better part of a decade in Boone, North Carolina, running an organization called Appalachian Voices that sought to end mountaintop removal <http://appvoices.org/end-mountaintop-removal/> [3]. [image: Emission Impossible]<http://motherjones.com/special-reports/2012/03/emissions-impossible-deposin…> [4] - How a Bunch of NIMBYs Won the Nation's Biggest Climate Victory Yet <http://motherjones.com/environment/2012/04/emission-impossible>[5] - Map: The Cross-Country Fight Against Coal <http://motherjones.com/environment/2012/03/cross-country-fight-against-coal> [6] - Calculator: How Much Does Using Coal Really Cost You?<http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/03/calculator-true-cost-using-coal-…> [7] - Why Is It So Hard to Clean Up Coal?<http://motherjones.com/environment/2012/03/clean-coal-myth> [8] - Timeline: How We Learned to Love—and Hate—Natural Gas<http://motherjones.com/environment/2012/03/timeline-how-natural-gas-frackin…> [9] - A Photographer's View of Big Coal<http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/03/coal-photos> [10] Wading through her backlog of emails after she returned from maternity leave, Hitt was struck by how "defeated and despondent" her fellow environmentalists sounded. She understood why, of course: "We'd just spent a great deal of money, time, and energy trying to pass a climate bill," an effort that had cost mainstream green groups more than $100 million<http://climateshiftproject.org/report/climate-shift-clear-vision-for-the-ne…> [11]. But Hitt's emails were telling other stories, too—stories that were not getting her Beltway colleagues' attention. Across the country grassroots activists were defeating plans to build coal-fired power plants, the source of a quarter of America's greenhouse gas emissions. The movement's center of gravity was in the South and Midwest, "places like Oklahoma and South Dakota, not the usual liberal bastions where you'd expect environmental victories," she recalls. (The defeat of the Shady Point II plant<http://www.sierraclub.org/environmentallaw/coal/getBlurb.aspx?case=ok-shady…> [12] in Oklahoma was particularly sweet, coming in the home state of DC's leading climate denier, Sen. James Inhofe<http://motherjones.com/mojo/2009/09/inhofe-climate-skeptic-roadshow> [13].) Hitt knew about these victories because she had helped bring them about. In 2008 she had left Appalachian Voices and taken a job as deputy director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign <http://beyondcoal.org/> [14], which aimed to defeat every proposed coal plant, anywhere in the country. "I realized the Sierra Club was winning," she explains, "and I wanted to win." By the time Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) declared the cap-and-trade bill dead in July 2010, the Beyond Coal campaign had helped prevent construction of 132 coal plants and was on the verge of defeating dozens more. It had imposed, noted Lester Brown<http://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2011/update101> [15] of the Earth Policy Institute, "a de facto moratorium on new coal-fired power plants." To be sure, the activists had help. The recession caused electricity demand to plummet <http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2009/10/29/1> [16], as did a shift to more energy-efficient appliances, motors, and industrial processes. Why build a power plant, coal or otherwise, if demand didn't justify it? Coal was also hurt by its own rising costs—especially as natural gas, its chief competitor, stayed relatively cheap<http://205.254.135.24/forecasts/steo/report/natgas.cfm> [17]. But those economic trends only made coal somewhat vulnerable, argues Tom Sanzillo, a former New York state deputy comptroller who has worked with the Beyond Coal campaign; it was grassroots activism that leveraged vulnerability into outright defeat. The movement's strength was grounded in retail politics—people talking with friends and neighbors, pestering local media, packing regulatory hearings, protesting before state legislatures, filing legal challenges, and more. The movement had no official membership rolls; it was populated by clean energy advocates, public health professionals, community organizers, faith leaders, farmers, attorneys, students, and people like Verena Owen, a self-described permit nerd from Illinois who was inspired to oppose coal by a friend who died of lung cancer in her 40s. Stopping new coal plants may be "the most significant achievement of American environmentalists since the passage of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act," says one activist. "My friend had four boys, just like I do," says Owen. "I never had to read the news to find out what the air quality was; I could just call her, and if she was having trouble breathing, that told me all I needed to know." Owen proved so capable, she was recruited to work with Hitt in leading the Beyond Coal campaign. Stopping new coal plants may be "the most significant achievement of American environmentalists since the passage of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act" in the 1970s, says Michael Noble of the Minnesota environmental group Fresh Energy. As this article goes to press, 166 proposed coal-fired power plants have been canceled, legally barred, or otherwise stopped from going forward in the United States. That means that each year, 654 million metric tons of carbon, the equivalent of 9.5 percent of US emissions<http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html> [18], won't be entering the atmosphere. The proposed cap-and-trade legislation would, at best, have reduced annual emissions by 16 percent as of 2020. (That's compared with 2010—though compared with 1990, the baseline used by scientists and international negotiations, cap and trade would have achieved only a 5 percent reduction<http://pdf.wri.org/usclimatetargets_2010-06-08.pdf> [19] (PDF).) [image: The River Rouge plant on the banks of the Detroit River emits enough pollution to cause 44 deaths each year. See more photos of the River Rouge plant.]See more photos<http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/03/coal-photos> [10] of the River Rouge plant.So why does this landmark shift in the fight against climate change remain unknown to most Americans? Largely it's because national media and even many environmentalists view the climate issue through the lens of official Washington. When cap-and-trade legislation failed, the conventional wisdom became that the US was simply incapable of taking meaningful action; corporate polluters were too strong, the political system too dominated by industry money, the public too confused and apathetic. But the moratorium on new coal shows that Americans "don't have to wait for Washington to get the country on the right climate track," Hitt argues. "This campaign has demonstrated we can do this state by state, plant by plant, town by town. Not just that we can do it, but we *are* doing it." That success—a clear demand backed by a grassroots campaign, rather than an incremental, inside-the-Beltway strategy—presents a lesson for organizers, but it also presents challenges as Beyond Coal grapples with the complexities inherent in its name. What will replace the power from the coal plants not being built? How will communities deal with the loss of the taxes they pay, and the decent-paying, often union, jobs they bring? How the movement answers those questions may shape climate politics—including whatever ultimately happens in Washington—for years to come. Last year, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg put $50 million into the Beyond Coal campaign, with the explicit goal of shutting down a third of the nation's coal plants by 2020. Beyond coal's one moment in the national spotlight came last summer, when on a searing July morning, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg stood before a microphone<http://www.mikebloomberg.com/index.cfm?objectid=520210BA-C29C-7CA2-F3FA50FC…> [20] in Alexandria, Virginia. Behind him, shimmering in the 100 degree heat, loomed the five smokestacks of the Potomac River Generating Station. The plant, which began operating in 1949 and was never required to install modern pollution controls, has been in the crosshairs of local activists for years; shortly before Bloomberg's appearance, Beyond Coal had released a study that showed its pollution was drifting across the Potomac to Washington, DC. (The plant is now slated to shut down<http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2011/2011-08-30-091.html> [21] this year.) Flanked by Hitt and Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune, mayor Bloomberg announced that his personal foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, would contribute $50 million<http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/07/bloomberg-sierra-club-align-agai…> [22] to the campaign's new push to close existing coal plants. Bloomberg, who has long been passionate about public health (recall his 2006 restaurant trans-fat ban<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/06/nyregion/06fat.html> [23]), cited EPA data<http://www.catf.us/resources/publications/files/The_Toll_from_Coal.pdf> [24] (PDF) to explain his decision: "Every year, coal-burning power plants like this one cause more than 200,000 asthma attacks nationwide, many of them affecting children," he said. "Coal pollution also kills 13,000 people every year and costs us $100 billion in medical expenses. "Thirteen thousand people," he repeated, "from something that's *planned*. And it's going to happen again next year and the year after, unless we do something about it." Map: The Cross-Country Fight Against Coal Bloomberg's donation will enable Beyond Coal to double down on its second phase—moving beyond blocking new plants to seeking to close a third<http://www.mikebloomberg.com/index.cfm?objectid=4D1722F5-C29C-7CA2-FCB63853…> [25] of the roughly 580 existing ones<http://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/pdf/table5.1.pdf> [26] (PDF) by 2020. The money, says Brune, will help expand the campaign's paid staff from 102 to 192, including 84 organizers who will be "working on nothing but figuring out how to shut down these plants and replace them with clean energy." But boots on the ground are only as effective as the battle plan they are executing. Thus, Beyond Coal will also use some of Bloomberg's millions to develop a detailed blueprint for the challenge ahead. How can communities that rely on coal move beyond it without committing economic suicide? It's not an easy task, Beyond Coal leaders concede. And few places illustrate the difficulty—and the urgency—better than a small town with the deceptively gentle name of River Rouge. Five minutes south of downtown Detroit, Interstate 75 crests a rise. Below, unfurling for miles on both sides of the highway, is a vast industrial landscape: chemical, steel, and cement factories, a tar sands refinery, a wastewater treatment facility. Webs of piping and wire glint in the sun; smokestacks wheeze skyward; trucks and railcars shuffle back and forth. There are so many factories, packed so densely together, that it's hard to see the River Rouge coal plant, which sits on the bank of the Detroit River facing the Canadian shoreline. An acrid odor invades the car. "Actually, the smell isn't so bad today," Rhonda Anderson says dryly. Anderson, who grew up in the neighborhood, is the Sierra Club's environmental justice organizer in Detroit. At 61, she's nearly the same age as the plant, which at the time of its construction in 1956 was the largest in the world. "My father used to bring me here to play when I was a little girl," she says as we pull into a parking lot at Belanger Park, adjacent to the plant. "It was the only open space we had." The park consists of a lawn, a handful of trees, a fishing pier, and a play structure. Towering over it, barely a football field's length away, are River Rouge's three smokestacks, flanked by a mountain of coal 80 feet high. Between the park and the plant is a narrow creek whose bank, incongruously, bears a sign announcing it as a wildlife preserve. It turns out that in 2007 DTE Energy, the plant's owner, ripped out a sliver of concrete<http://www.dteenergy.com/dteEnergyCompany/environment/conservation/improvin…> [27] separating the creek from the loading area and replaced it with native plants. In return, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality gave DTE a community service award<http://www.dteenergy.com/dteEnergyCompany/environment/awards/awards.html> [28] for making the neighborhood a "cleaner and more attractive place to live and work." Each year the River Rouge plant releases enough mercury, soot, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other toxic chemicals to cause at least 44 deaths, 72 heart attacks, and 700 asthma attacks. Never mind that each year the River Rouge plant releases enough mercury, soot, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other toxic chemicals to cause at least 44 deaths, 72 heart attacks, and 700 asthma attacks, according to studies<http://www.catf.us/coal/problems/power_plants/existing/map.php?state=Michig…> [29] conducted for the advocacy group Clean Air Task Force. The plant also emits 3.7 million metric tons <http://carma.org/plant/detail/37557> [30] of carbon dioxide annually. The NAACP has called River Rouge the ninth-worst plant <http://www.naacp.org/pages/coal-blooded1> [31] in the nation when it comes to health effects on communities of color. Vincent Martin, whose family fled Cuba and settled in River Rouge, graduated from Southwestern High School in 1980. Of his 150-plus classmates, he says, around one-third have died, "mostly from respiratory illnesses and cancers." Many of the kids in his neighborhood carry inhalers, he says, and his father, brother, and sister all have asthma. Of course, it's difficult to prove that the River Rouge coal plant caused those illnesses, just as it's difficult to prove that any specific smoker's lung cancer was caused by cigarettes. And such connections are even harder to draw in a neighborhood crammed with so many polluters that it qualifies as Michigan's dirtiest zip code<http://www.freep.com/article/20100620/NEWS05/6200555/48217-Life-Michigan-s-…> [32]. River Rouge might seem a natural target for the Sierra Club—but so far the club has avoided calling for its closure. It comes down to economics, says Anne Woiwode, the director of the club's Michigan chapter. Instead, the club is working with unions and community groups to figure out how to replace the jobs and tax revenue River Rouge provides. "Our common interest," says Woiwode, "is ensuring that when the company walks away from the plant, they don't just leave the workers and the community behind." Meanwhile, DTE seems in no hurry to close River Rouge. John Austerberry, a spokesman for the company, says the plant's future will be determined by the economic implications of thestricter pollution rules<http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/12/epa-delivers-holiday-gift-new-me…> [33] the EPA issued last December. Can the company bring the plant into compliance with those rules and still operate it profitably? "I don't anticipate we would make that deliberation soon," says Austerberry. "The rules allow three years" to decide. At 44 deaths a year, that's 132 more lives. Kevin Parker, a top executive at Deutsche Bank, has called the coal industry<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/01/AR201101010…> [34] "a dead man walking"—in part because of the increased cost imposed by the Obama EPA's new regulations. Tom Sanzillo, the former New York deputy comptroller, saw the same vulnerability when he started taking a hard look at the industry. "I knew that if the law was enforced, coal would have a very hard time," says Sanzillo. But that was in 2007, when George W. Bush was president and environmental law enforcement was comparatively lax. Back then, Sanzillo—a cheerful, Brooklyn-bred numbers whiz—headed one of the biggest institutional investors in the world, managing $650 billion in assets and serving as the sole trustee of a $156 billion pension fund. In that role, he accepted the conventional Wall Street wisdom that coal was a stable source of predictable profits. Sanzillo left the job in 2007 and, a few months later, agreed to look into the economics of coal for the Sierra Club. He found that "there were changes going on that I hadn't understood." A construction boom in China was increasing demand<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/10/business/worldbusiness/10energy.html> [35] for steel, cement, copper, and other raw materials. Companies like Bechtel and GE were sending more of their engineers and other specialists to China, raising the cost of such talent back in the States. "It looked like price structures were going to change long term, whereas the price of coal had always been stable," he says. Adding to the uncertainty was what Sanzillo terms "regulatory havoc"—the new political pressures that stood to increase the cost of burning coal. "What does it mean that we celebrate the construction of a $100 million wind farm when at the same time a 900-megawatt coal plant was being built?" one environmentalist asks. "That's called losing." The regulatory havoc had grown out of a 2004 meeting of the Midwest's leading clean energy activists and philanthropic donors—a network calling itself Re-Amp <http://www.reamp.org/> [36]. Its members confronted a harsh truth, says Fresh Energy's Noble. They had been working the wrong problem, focusing on renewable energy instead of the broader climate picture. "What does it mean that we celebrate the construction of a $100 million wind farm in Minnesota when at the same time a 900-megawatt coal plant was being built?" asks Noble. "That's called losing. If you looked at the problem through the lens of carbon, all the work we had done was undone by a single plant—a plant that wasn't challenged by a single environmentalist." The Midwest is the most coal-dependent region in the country; its states get an average of 70 percent<https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:q991VR8vw5EJ:www.civilsocietyins…> [37] of their electricity from coal. (Nationally, it's 45 percent<http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/chapter_executive_summary.cfm> [38].) At Re-Amp meetings, Noble joined Bruce Nilles—then a Sierra Club activist in Wisconsin—in arguing that henceforth every proposed coal plant in the Midwest should be challenged. "We didn't know *how* we'd oppose them, we just knew we had to," says Nilles. At 42, Nilles has leading-man looks that belie his history of tough-nosed activism. Raised in England, he was agitating against nuclear weapons and cruelty to animals before even reaching puberty. After moving to the States during college, he helped organize the first recycling operation at the University of Wisconsin (over administrators' objections) and went on to serve as an environmental lawyer in the Clinton administration. At one Re-Amp strategy meeting, he tangled with a program officer at one of the Midwest's largest philanthropies, the Joyce Foundation, who dismissed the idea of opposing every coal plant—it made more sense, the funder argued, to mount tightly focused legal challenges to a few marquee plants. [image: Rhonda Anderson, with her niece N'Deye, grew up near the River Rouge coal plant, which the NAACP calls one of the worst polluters in communities of color.: See more photos of the River Rouge plant.]*Rhonda Anderson, with her niece N'Deye, grew up near the River Rouge coal plant, which the NAACP calls one of the worst polluters in communities of color. * See more photos <http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/03/coal-photos> [10] of the River Rouge plant.In a universe where activists' organizations—and paychecks—often depend on the goodwill of foundations, "I was very impressed that Bruce was prepared to go toe-to-toe with a very powerful person and tell him he was wrong," says Rick Reed, a senior adviser to the Garfield Foundation who helped launch Re-Amp. The test of the dueling approaches came in 2005. In opposing a plant in Wisconsin, the Joyce Foundation "put all their chips on a big-bucks legal strategy, with no politics, and lost at the state Supreme Court," Reed recalls. "That taught us a lesson: You'll never be able to beat these things without an integrated strategy that includes real people who are affected by these plants, who'll reject the economic argument publicly." (The Joyce Foundation, which declined comment for this story, later embraced this idea as well.) Sanzillo says he saw the value of such an integrated approach in one of the first fights he handled for Beyond Coal. Utilities had proposed two large coal plants in eastern Iowa. Carrie La Seur, an attorney who founded the group Plains Justice, recalls getting phone calls from local people who "didn't like the idea that there would be this big belching coal plant in the midst of prime farmland, and big transmission lines as well." La Seur began submitting legal challenges to the plants. Meanwhile, Sanzillo, testifying about one of the plants<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWiMDQ3HT7c> [39] before the Iowa Utility Board, made a straight economic argument<http://www.alliantenergy.com/wcm/groups/wcm_internet/@int/documents/documen…> [40] (PDF): The project would cost far more than the $1.8 billion the company had estimated, and those costs would be passed on to ratepayers for decades. Local activists echoed that message as they met with legislators, Gov. John Culver, and the editorial board of the *Des Moines Register*<http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080420/OPINIO…> [41]. In the end, they persuaded regulators to put a cap on the plant's cost—any costs above the cap would be absorbed by the company's shareholders, not ratepayers. Presented with this option, the utility chose to cancel the project<http://bostonherald.com/news/national/midwest/view/2009_03_05_Utility_cance…> [42]. Arming local people with economic arguments was critical, Sanzillo argues: "If the activists hadn't been there talking to the regulators and editorial boards and making the case that coal was a bad bet, the [utility board] would have gone forward, because the utilities would say, 'We can handle the costs,' and the boards are often good-old-boy boards." The campaign's argument has been straight-up economics: It's getting more and more expensive to build a coal plant, and ratepayers will get suck with the bill. This approach—hard numbers plus grassroots pressure—became the model Beyond Coal followed in state after state: Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida, even Kentucky, the heart of coal country. In South Carolina, Sanzillo says, activists "put me in touch with small-business associations, and I was able to explain how big industrial interests historically got treated better on these things than small businesses. That was smart, because it got the small businesses fighting with the big industrials, which was just the fight we wanted: a business fight rather than an environmental fight." Even the cap-and-trade battle, no matter how unsuccessful, provided economic ammunition. A utility company just might be able to manage coal's rising construction and fuel costs, Sanzillo explains. Add the prospect of new clean-air regulations from the EPA, and "you might still be able to manage it, but it's getting dark." Factor in the possibility that cap and trade might be enacted someday and, "Now, if I'm an investor, Coca-Cola is not looking too bad," Sanzillo says, starting to laugh. "They give me 10 percent, and I don't have to worry about climate legislation, the cost of steel in China, and God knows what else." None of that makes Beyond Coal's next task any easier, though: There is a big difference between fighting a proposed plant and seeking to close one that is already providing electricity, jobs, and tax revenues. "The key is, you don't do things precipitously," Sanzillo says. After a wave of deregulation transformed New York's electricity markets 10 years ago, he notes, many power companies paid less in property taxes. State officials worked with the affected communities "to phase out the loss of the tax base," sometimes using state money. Nationally, he adds, the same basic principles were applied in the 1990s to help communities cope with post-Cold War military base closures. "The federal government just funded them until the local economies could come back." Beyond Coal has helped broker a similar transition in Washington state. When environmentalists first targeted the Centralia coal plant for closure, they ran into opposition not just from its owner, the TransAlta company, but also from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents 150 employees at the plant. "There is no way I or the IBEW would have agreed to shut down that plant," says Bob Guenther, who worked as a mechanic at Centralia for 34 years before becoming the union's chief lobbyist, "if we didn't have an agreement to keep this community whole." As a cofounder of the national BlueGreen Alliance<http://www.bluegreenalliance.org/about> [43] of workers and environmentalists, the Sierra Club had experience working through disagreements with labor, so Beyond Coal made some compromises. "We wanted a 5-year timeline for closing [the TransAlta plant] and we settled for 10," Nilles says. "Not because of the company but because of IBEW." The agreement was hammered out behind closed doors during negotiations requested by Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire. "The governor wanted a deal that would satisfy all sides and avoid litigation," says Keith Phillips, a senior aide. Phillips spent two days shuttling between rooms containing representatives from TransAlta and environmental groups, but not the IBEW. That left the environmentalists to argue labor's case—which they did. They insisted that the plant's workforce be retained throughout its closure and cleanup; that workers be trained in the technologies that would replace coal, especially energy efficiency; and that the company, not the taxpayers, subsidize the transition. TransAlta agreed, pledging $55 million<http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=1699&newsType=1> [44] that will be controlled by the affected communities, to fund economic development and clean tech. "A lot of it will pay for insulating schools and other public buildings," says Guenther. In return, environmentalists accepted a later closure date for the plant<http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201201/kick-coal-save-jobs.aspx> [45]: One of its two boilers will shut down in 2020; the other, in 2025. One big question facing Beyond Coal is what happens if electricity demand begins increasing again. With coal plants so difficult to get approved, utilities might look to natural gas instead, accelerating the environmental devastation caused by gas drilling and fracking. (TransAlta, for one, has announced plans to build a gas plant<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014412221_coalplant06m.html> [46] as it prepares to shut down the Centralia facility.) That dynamic was surely on the mind of Chesapeake Energy, one of America's largest natural gas companies, when it helped pay for the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign. Between 2007 and 2010, under executive director Carl Pope, the club secretly accepted $26.1 million<http://sierraclub.typepad.com/michaelbrune/2012/02/the-sierra-club-and-natu…> [47] from the company; Brune, the current executive director, discovered and halted the practice shortly after replacing Pope in 2010. "We can't take cash from companies or industries that…we want to change," Brune told me. Nilles says he knew about the Chesapeake money "from the beginning," noting that the environmental downsides of fracking were not as evident in 2007: "My views on gas have evolved significantly in the intervening years." Between 2007 and 2010, the Sierra Club accepted more than $26 million from Chesapeake Energy, a major natural gas company that stood to benefit if coal lost momentum. But gas is not the only option for replacing coal. Howard Learner of the Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago says technological gains in energy efficiency and renewables are accelerating so rapidly, they may well outpace increase in demand. "Just as it's hard to imagine a world in which we're going back to landlines, we're not going to turn back the clock on energy efficiency," says Learner. "It's the best, fastest, cheapest, and most environmentally sound way of meeting our energy needs." The global consulting firm McKinsey has estimated<http://www.mckinsey.com/Client_Service/Electric_Power_and_Natural_Gas/Lates…> [48]that efficiency can reduce non-transportation energy use in the US a full 23 percent by 2020, and that such investments would cost $520 billion while creating $1.2 trillion in savings. Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a sustainability expert who consults with corporations and government agencies around the world, goes even further. In his book *Reinventing Fire*, he lays out a blueprint<http://rmi.org/rfexecutivesummary> [49] for how the United States could stop burning coal for electricity by 2050 while also phasing out oil and nuclear power and still growing the economy by 158 percent. Already, Lovins points out, costs for renewables are falling<http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jun/20/solar-panel-price-drop> [50] to the point where wind, especially<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-15/wind-innovations-drive-down-costs-…> [51], is competitive with coal<http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/aeo/pdf/2016levelized_costs_aeo2011.pdf> [52] (PDF) for many purposes. Not everyone projects quite so rosy a scenario. The US Department of Energy estimates that coal's share of the country's energy mix will remain relatively steady for decades. And it's easy to see why: Energy markets (and energy policy) are dominated by corporations that have sunk a lot of investment into fossil fuels. But the energy sector is also heavily regulated<http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/428> [53]—which means that political shifts can have a fairly immediate effect. And on the political front, Mary Anne Hitt believes the Beyond Coal campaign offers "a fundamental message about how to make change in this country." The effort to pass climate legislation, for example, was centered on Capitol Hill, a battlefield where the power of money rigs the system. Then, to satisfy inside-the-Beltway definitions of what was politically realistic, mainstream environmental organizations embraced a policy—cap and trade—that was incremental in its remedy and incomprehensible in its mechanism. "We can't go out in the streets about *that*," one grassroots activist complained at the time. "Most people can't even understand it." These strategic choices made it impossible to build the kind of public pressure that could overcome the industry's political power and deep pockets. The Beyond Coal campaign, by contrast, organized people around tangible targets: their air, their water, the climate their children would live with. This enabled it to appeal to a constellation of allies (public health advocates, unions) beyond the usual environmental suspects. Finally, Beyond Coal focused on local and state governments, where popular sentiment can have a more immediate effect. With baby Hazel celebrating her second birthday, Hitt finds comfort in these results. "When you see a coal plant being stopped, that means a mountaintop removal will not go forward and a large amount of carbon will not be released into the atmosphere—you can *see* you're making a difference," she explains. "As a parent, that makes it easier for me to sleep at night." -- Orli Cotel Deputy Communications Director Sierra Club (415) 977-5627 office (646) 522-7751 cellphone - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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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Fwd: Join us for "New EPA Carbon Pollution Standards Webinar"
by Paul Wilson 02 Apr '12

02 Apr '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Becki Clayborn <becki.clayborn(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Sun, Apr 1, 2012 at 8:31 PM Subject: Join us for "New EPA Carbon Pollution Standards Webinar" To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org New EPA Carbon Pollution Standards Webinar Join us for a Webinar on April 4 <https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/261414990> *Space is limited.* Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/261414990 Join us Wednesday night for this exciting webinar that will explain how the Environmental Protection Agency’s new carbon pollution standards, NSPS, mark the end of an era for coal plants and will continue the momentum behind clean energy advancements! In this webinar, you will learn the basics about the new standard, why it’s so important to our work on transitioning the US from coal to a cleaner energy future, effective messaging around this standard, and how you and your friends can get involved. We will also introduce tools available to you. We expect the coal industry to fight these standards with everything they've got. So please join this webinar to learn what you can do to support and defend these new standards. *Title:* New EPA Carbon Pollution Standards Webinar *Date:* Wednesday, April 4, 2012 *Time:* 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDT After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar. Looking forward to a great webinar! Verena Owen and Becki Clayborn *System Requirements* PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer -- Becki Clayborn Beyond Coal Campaign Internal Capacities and Communications Coordinator Chicago, IL 312-251-1680 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -- 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: Life and death in a coal mining town, this week on Link TV
by Paul Wilson 30 Mar '12

30 Mar '12

fyi, set your dvr's or tvo or whatever if you are occupied on the 5th. best, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <ddow420(a)comcast.net> Date: Thu, Mar 29, 2012 at 5:16 PM Subject: Fwd: Life and death in a coal mining town, this week on Link TV To: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com>, Pam Polloni <Pam394(a)aol.com> fyi Begin forwarded message: *From: *Link TV <linktvcc(a)linktv.org> *Date: *March 29, 2012 1:54:53 PM EDT * * Having trouble viewing this email? Click here <http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=najsn4bab&v=001AOTdCtwnZ…> [image: LinkLetter]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnL_VIWNaTB…> March 29, 2012 [image: explore: West Virginia – Hillbillies, Coal Miners, Treehuggers & God]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnJ2Pupl-R0…> *explore travels to West Virginia, where coal is both a way of life and a destructive force*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnJ2Pupl-R0…> On April 5, 2010, a massive explosion ripped through *Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia*, killing 29 coal miners and changing the local community forever. Now, two years later, the people of the once-thriving town of Whitesville, all have different beliefs about the value of coal mining and what it will take to resurrect the region. But most agree that *Marsh Fork Elementary School*, sitting below a dam holding back billions of gallons of toxic slurry, is another disaster waiting to happen. Hosted by documentarian *Charles Annenberg Weingarten*, this moving half-hour special -- *explore: West Virginia - Hillbillies, Coal Miners, Treehuggers & God<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnJ2Pupl-R0…> * -- journeys through the heart of Appalachia to meet a community torn apart by disaster fighting to protect the environment and rebuild its way of life. ------------------------------ *Premiering Thursday April 5, 2012, at 9pm ET/6pm PT & Online* *Click to Watch the Trailer and for More Airtimes and Info*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnJ2Pupl-R0…> *Watch More explore Programming on Link TV*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnL4TlvQTmA…> *Learn About explore.org*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnLQugtLIwr…> More This Week on Link [image: Special: Winner-Take-All Politics - How Washington Made the Rich Richer]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnK9hPiZcii…> *Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnK9hPiZcii…> Why, in a country as wealthy as America, do the "have-it-alls" have so much, while the middle and working class continue to have less and less? Is it meritocracy -- or an engineered inequality? *Watch Thursday (tonight!) 11pm ET/8pm PT* <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnJoV-b7TYv…> *Invite Bill Moyers, Richard Wolff & Michael Moore Into Your Home!*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnJoV-b7TYv…> You can watch all the great thinkers you see on Link anytime you want when you buy the *"Link TV Speaks!" DVD collection*. This 12-disc set includes new, exclusive speeches from Michael Moore and Richard Wolff, plus classic Link TV blockbusters such as Chris Hedges and Vandana Shiva. Plus, we'll throw in the *brand new Link hoodie*. *Help us reach our $300,000 fundraising goal today!<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnJoV-b7TYv…> * [image: Special: Michael Moore - Unrigging the System]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnJVknj9ki1…> *Don't Miss Michael Moore - Unrigging the System*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnJVknj9ki1…> Headlining the Left Forum 2012 at Pace University, Michael Moore speaks about the importance of Occupy Wall Street and the direction of the progressive left in general, encouraging the audience to mobilize around this rare moment. *Watch Saturday 7pm ET/4pm PT* [image: Special: Howard Zinn - You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnIsUvHaItR…> ***Howard Zinn on Why** You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnIsUvHaItR…> This rousing Link TV fan favorite documentary pays tribute to the late activist and teacher *Howard Zinn*, using his life to tell the pressing story of political activism in the 20th century and beyond. *Watch Tuesday 10pm PT (Click for more times)<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnIsUvHaItR…> * Link TV and www.linktv.org<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109644681987&s=40225&e=001PNWXxkp3lnL_VIWNaTB…>are wholly owned and operated by LINK MEDIA, INC., a tax-exempt charitable organization under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 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Box 2008 | San Francisco | CA | 94126 -- 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: Draft Oil and Gas Stormwater Permit
by James Kotcon 30 Mar '12

30 Mar '12

Attached is a draft "general" permit for stormwater discharges from oil and gas operations, as well as my first draft of comments on it. there is a hearing April 9, and final comments are due April 19. let me know your thoughts. JBK >>> "Chuck Wyrostok" <wyro(a)appalight.com> 3/8/2012 9:31 PM >>> FYI Chuck Wyrostok Sierra Club Outreach Organizer Toll free 877 252 0257 E: outreach(a)marcellus-wv.com www.marcellus-wv.com From: DSGJr(a)aol.com [mailto:DSGJr@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2012 2:17 PM To: mjanes(a)hardynet.com; wyro(a)appalight.com; blittle(a)citynet.net; wvdavid(a)wvdavid.net; clrank2(a)gmail.com; julie(a)wvcag.org; sminney(a)wvrivers.org Subject: Fwd: Draft Oil and Gas Stormwater Permit This is out for public comment. From: Scott.G.Mandirola(a)wv.gov To: DSGJr(a)aol.com Sent: 3/8/2012 1:25:12 P.M. Eastern Standard Time Subj: RE: Draft Oil and Gas Stormwater Permit Here you are Don. Scott From: DSGJr(a)aol.com [mailto:DSGJr@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2012 9:21 AM To: Mandirola, Scott G Subject: Draft Oil and Gas Stormwater Permit Hi, Scott -- please email me a copy of the draft permit. Thanks, Don Garvin WVEC

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Fwd: Coal drops to 38 % of electric generation in January (was: 3/28 Marcellus news digest
by James Kotcon 29 Mar '12

29 Mar '12

Wow. This must be scaring Manchin, Tomblin, et al. They keep claiming that coal generates the majority of electricity in the US. That has not been true for at least 7 years, as the percentage had slowly declined to about 42-44 % last year. This sudden drop is a harbinger of the future as the cost of solar and wind keeps coming down. Switching from coal to gas and back again can happen quickly with price swings in the cost of fuel, but once the infrastructure for renewables is built, there is no fuel cost. and the loss of market share for coal is permanent. JBK >>> "Chuck Wyrostok" wyro(a)appalight.com> 3/28/2012 7:04 PM >> ( mailto:wyro@appalight.com ) Cheap gas replaces coal at power plants By Bloomberg News Wednesday, March 28, 2012 Power plants boosted natural gas use by 19 percent in January from a year earlier as tumbling prices prompted a switch from coal, a government report showed. Gas used in electricity generation rose to 676 billion cubic feet in January from 563.8 billion a year earlier, the Energy Department said today in its Electric Power Monthly. The increase represents 3.6 billion cubic feet a day of additional gas demand during the month. Coal use fell 22 percent to 70.6 million tons in January from a year earlier. Gas gained share in every U.S. region while coal demand declined in a month when the amount of electricity generated fell because of unseasonably warm weather, the department said in a monthly update, also released today. The department said the drop in the average spot price for natural gas below the average spot price for Appalachian coal was "the biggest reason" why gas displaced coal. Gas at the Henry Hub in Louisiana, the delivery point for New York futures, averaged $2.75 per million British thermal units in January compared with $3.17 per million Btu for Central Appalachian coal, according to department data. Electricity generation across the U.S. fell 6.4 percent in January to 340.7 million megawatt-hours from a year earlier. Gas-fired plants accounted for 27 percent of the generation while coal represented 38 percent. Natural gas futures dropped 16 percent in January to $2.503 per million British thermal on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gas today slipped 1.8 cents, or 0.8 percent, to settle at $2.208, after sliding to $2.176, the lowest intraday price since February 2002. Coal futures tumbled 15 percent in January.

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Fwd: WVEC Action Alert: DEP Announcements
by James Kotcon 27 Mar '12

27 Mar '12

Anyone want to take a look at these and prepare comments? Jim Kotcon >>> WVEC - Don Alexander <paradox(a)spectrumz.com> 3/26/2012 8:28 PM >>> West Virginia Environmental Council Action Alert March 26, 2012 WVEC Alerts Archive ( http://www.wvecouncil.org/take_action/index.html ) DEP Announcements DEP Accepting Comments on Centralized Pit Construction Standards ( #dep ) DEP Accepting Comments on Oil and Gas Stormwater General Permit ( #dep2 ) DEP Office of Oil & Gas Launches Horizontal Drilling Page on Website ( #dep3 ) DEP Accepting Comments on Centralized Pit Construction Standards The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Oil and Gas is taking comments on its design and construction standards for centralized pits used to store wastewater associated with horizontal drilling. The standards provide guidelines for construction, liner requirements, water quality monitoring, and engineer certifications. The document can be found at: http://www.dep.wv.gov/oil-and-gas/Pages/default.aspx Comments may be submitted in writing by email to dep.oogcomments(a)wv.gov or through the U.S. Postal Service to: John Kearney Office of Oil and Gas 601 57th Street SE, Charleston, WV 25304. Comments will be accepted until April 12, 2012 at 5 p.m. DEP Accepting Comments on Oil and Gas Stormwater General Permit The State of West Virginia, Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water and Waste Management is proposing to issue a State General Water Pollution Control Permit to regulate the discharge of stormwater runoff associated with oil and gas related construction activities. The General Permit will authorize discharges composed entirely of stormwater associated with oil and gas field activities or operations associated with exploration, production, processing or treatment operations or transmission facilities, disturbing one acre or greater of land area, to the waters of the State. It is proposed that this General Permit be issued for a four (4) year term. The Director of the Division of Water and Waste Management retains authority to require any owner/operator to apply for and obtain an alternative Permit. This authority will be exercised when the Director determines that an alternative permit will better protect the receiving water. The Draft Permit may be inspected by appointment between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday at the Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water and Waste Management, Public Information Office, 57th Street SE, Charleston, WV 25304. Copies of the documents may be obtained from the Division at a nominal cost. A public hearing has been scheduled to take additional comments on the Draft Permit. The hearing has been scheduled for 6 p.m. on April 9, 2012, at the Coopers Rock Training Room, WV DEP Headquarters, 601 57th Street SE, Charleston, WV 25304. Any person may submit oral or written statements concerning the draft permit; however, reasonable limits may be set upon the time allowed for oral statements. Any interested persons may submit written comments on the Draft Permit. The public comment period begins March 8, 2012 and ends April 19, 2012. Comments should be addressed to: Director, Division of Water and Waste Management Department of Environmental Protection 601 57th Street, SE Charleston, WV 25304 Attention: Tonya Ombler E mail: Tonya.K.Ombler(a)wv.gov All comments received within this period will be considered prior to acting on the Draft Permit. Correspondence should include the name, address, and telephone number of the writer; and a concise statement of the nature of the issues being raised. Requests for additional information should be directed to Tonya Ombler at (304) 926-0499, extension 1132. DEP Office of Oil & Gas Launches Horizontal Drilling Page on Website The Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Oil and Gas has launched a webpage that contains information specifically related to horizontal drilling as defined by the Horizontal Drilling Act that was passed by the state Legislature in December. As part of the Act, the Legislature required the DEP to create the page so citizens could obtain information about the location of proposed horizontal wells and give them the opportunity to comment on those permit applications. Currently, the page offers links to items that will be further developed as permit applications are received by the agency. Links to pages that allow citizens to submit or review comments about specific permit applications, as well as a link to a tool that helps them find the location of a proposed well, are included. “The page will continue to grow and change as more permit applications are submitted to the agency,” said James Martin, Chief of the Office of Oil and Gas. “Soon, after we populate the site with applications that have been received, people will be able to see a list with information such as the applicant, where the well is located, the formation it targets, whether the well has been completed and the date the permit was issued.” Under the new legislation, one of the first steps operators have to take is placing a Class II Legal notice in local newspapers at least 10 days prior to submitting an application. “As an added public notice option, people can go to this page and sign up for an email notification whenever a permit is received or issued by the Office of Oil and Gas,” Martin said. The site can be found at: http://www.dep.wv.gov/oil-and-gas/Horizontal-Permits/Pages/default.aspx Don Alexander ( mailto:paradox@spectrumz.com ) WVEC E-mail List Coordinator Subscribe or Unsubscribe Online ( http://www.wvecouncil.org/take_action/index.html )

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DEP Announcements
by Frank Young 26 Mar '12

26 Mar '12

WVEC Action AlertDEP Office of Oil & Gas Launches Horizontal Drilling Page on Website The Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Oil and Gas has launched a webpage that contains information specifically related to horizontal drilling as defined by the Horizontal Drilling Act that was passed by the state Legislature in December. As part of the Act, the Legislature required the DEP to create the page so citizens could obtain information about the location of proposed horizontal wells and give them the opportunity to comment on those permit applications. Currently, the page offers links to items that will be further developed as permit applications are received by the agency. Links to pages that allow citizens to submit or review comments about specific permit applications, as well as a link to a tool that helps them find the location of a proposed well, are included. "The page will continue to grow and change as more permit applications are submitted to the agency," said James Martin, Chief of the Office of Oil and Gas. "Soon, after we populate the site with applications that have been received, people will be able to see a list with information such as the applicant, where the well is located, the formation it targets, whether the well has been completed and the date the permit was issued." Under the new legislation, one of the first steps operators have to take is placing a Class II Legal notice in local newspapers at least 10 days prior to submitting an application. "As an added public notice option, people can go to this page and sign up for an email notification whenever a permit is received or issued by the Office of Oil and Gas," Martin said. The site can be found at: http://www.dep.wv.gov/oil-and-gas/Horizontal-Permits/Pages/default.aspx

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