- EC - lists.cheatlakeclear.org

Fwd: Fracking grant Opportunity, Due march 30??
by James Kotcon 23 Mar '12

23 Mar '12

>>> Ann Payne <Paynestake(a)frontier.com> 3/23/2012 5:44 PM >>> I am guessing most of you already know about this money, but am sending along just in case. The deadline is very tight. Perhaps you know someone who is interested. Best, Ann Begin forwarded message: Bingham Foundation Invites Letters of Inquiry for Environmental Programs to Address Hydraulic Fracturing in New York, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, or Virginia A grant of up to $25,000 will be awarded to a nonprofit organization working to address the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing in the multi-state Marcellus Shale region.... Posted on March 20, 2012 Deadline: March 30, 2012 (Letters of Inquiry) Ann Reflections: Homage to Dunkard Creek

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Fwd: WV Host Farms - new potential ally
by James Kotcon 23 Mar '12

23 Mar '12

We should reach out to these folks, perhaps plan some joint outings. JBK ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Diane Pitcock <parrotlady(a)hughes.net> To: a_clean_wv(a)yahoo.com Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 7:23 PM Subject: info about environmental initiative in WV Hello, Please visit the website below and if you find it appropriate to include info about it in your next newsletter, I would appreciate the promotion of our program. We are a group of concerned landowners being impacted by fracking on or near our lands and the WV Host Farm Program was the result of our desire to invite more environmental research to WV to help improve things here. Please forward this info to your membership via e-mail if you think that any landowners would be interested in participating in the volunteer effort if they are living in areas impacted by Marcellus drilling and fracking. Thanks www.wvhostfarms.org Diane Pitcock 304 873-1932 __._,_.___ 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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NYT ARTICLE ON "ENERGY INDEPENDENCE" -- EXTRAORDINARY, EVEN IF INACCURATE IN PARTS, AND WITHOUT REGARD TO ALLOCATION OF CREDIT/BLAME
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 22 Mar '12

22 Mar '12

The Energy Rush U.S. Is Inching Toward Elusive Goal of Energy Independence Jim Wilson/The New York Times At an Apache Corporation oil well near Hobbs, N.M., workers moved equipment used to monitor the progress on a well being drilled horizontally. Across the country, the oil and gas industry is vastly increasing production, reversing two decades of decline. More Photos »<http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/03/22/us/20120322ENERGY.html> By CLIFFORD KRAUSS<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/clifford_kraus…>and ERIC LIPTON<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/eric_lipton/in…> Published: March 22, 2012 The Energy Rush *Drilling More and Using Less* Multimedia Slide Show <http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/03/22/us/20120322ENERGY.html?ref=ener…> Booming Again in West Texas<http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/03/22/us/20120322ENERGY.html?ref=ener…> MIDLAND, Tex. — The desolate stretch of West Texas desert known as the Permian Basin is still the lonely domain of scurrying roadrunners by day and howling coyotes by night. But the roar of scores of new oil<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/oil-petroleu…>rigs and the distinctive acrid fumes of drilling equipment are unmistakable signs that crude is gushing again. And not just here. Across the country, the oil and gas industry is vastly increasing production, reversing two decades of decline. Using new technology and spurred by rising oil prices since the mid-2000s, the industry is extracting millions of barrels more a week, from the deepest waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the prairies of North Dakota. At the same time, Americans are pumping significantly less gasoline. While that is partly a result of the recession<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/r/recession_an…>and higher gasoline prices, people are also driving fewer miles and replacing older cars with more fuel-efficient<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/fuel_efficie…>vehicles at a greater clip, federal data show. Taken together, the increasing production and declining consumption have unexpectedly brought the United States markedly closer to a goal that has tantalized presidents since Richard Nixon: independence from foreign energy sources, a milestone that could reconfigure American foreign policy, the economy and more. In 2011, the country imported just 45 percent of the liquid fuels it used, down from a record high of 60 percent in 2005. “There is no question that many national security policy makers will believe they have much more flexibility and will think about the world differently if the United States is importing a lot less oil,” said Michael A. Levi, an energy and environmental senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “For decades, consumption rose, production fell and imports increased, and now every one of those trends is going the other way.” How the country made this turnabout is a story of industry-friendly policies started by President Bush and largely continued by President Obama — many over the objections of environmental advocates — as well as technological advances that have allowed the extraction of oil and gas once considered too difficult and too expensive to reach. But mainly it is a story of the complex economics of energy, which sometimes seems to operate by its own rules of supply and demand. With gasoline prices now approaching record highs and politicians mud-wrestling about the causes and solutions, the effects of the longer-term rise in production can be difficult to see. Simple economics suggests that if the nation is producing more energy, prices should be falling. But crude oil — and gasoline and diesel made from it — are global commodities whose prices are affected by factors around the world. Supply disruptions in Africa, the political standoff with Iran and rising demand from a recovering world economy all are contributing to the current spike in global oil prices, offsetting the impact of the increased domestic supply. But the domestic trends are unmistakable. Not only has the United States reduced oil imports from members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries by more than 20 percent in the last three years, it has become a net exporter of refined petroleum products like gasoline for the first time since the Truman presidency. The natural gas<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/natural-gas/…>industry, which less than a decade ago feared running out of domestic gas, is suddenly dealing with a glut so vast that import facilities are applying for licenses to export gas to Europe and Asia. National oil production, which declined steadily to 4.95 million barrels a day in 2008 from 9.6 million in 1970, has risen over the last four years to nearly 5.7 million barrels a day. The Energy Department projects that daily output could reach nearly seven million barrels by 2020. Some experts think it could eventually hit 10 million barrels — which would put the United States in the same league as Saudi Arabia. This surge is hardly without consequences. Some areas of intense drilling activity, including northeastern Utah and central Wyoming, have experienced air quality problems. The drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which uses highly pressurized water, sand and chemical lubricants that help force more oil and gas from rock formations, has also been blamed for wastewater problems. Wildlife experts also warn that expanded drilling is threatening habitats of rare or endangered species. Greater energy independence is “a prize that has long been eyed by oil insiders and policy strategists that can bring many economic and national security benefits,” said Jay Hakes, a senior official at the Energy Department during the Clinton administration. “But we will have to work through the environmental issues, which are a definite challenge.” The increased production of fossil fuels is a far cry from the energy plans President Obama articulated as a candidate in 2008. Then, he promoted policies to help combat global warming<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?…>, including vast investments in renewable energy and a cap-and-trade<http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/greenhous…>system for carbon emissions that would have discouraged the use of fossil fuels. More recently, with gasoline prices rising and another election looming, Mr. Obama has struck a different chord. He has opened new federal lands and waters to drilling, signaled a willingness to eventually approve the Keystone XL<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/k/keystone_pip…>oil pipeline from Canada, trumpeted increases in oil and gas production and de-emphasized the challenges of climate change. Mr. Obama’s current policy has alarmed many environmental advocates who say he has failed to adequately address the environmental threats of expanded drilling and the use of fossil fuels. He also has not silenced critics, including Republicans and oil executives, who accuse him of preventing drilling on millions of acres off the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts and on federal land, delaying the Keystone decision and diverting scarce federal resources to pie-in-the-sky alternative energy programs. Just as the production increase was largely driven by rising oil prices, the trend could reverse if the global economy were to slow. Even so, much of the industry is thrilled at the prospects. “To not be concerned with where our oil is going to come from is probably the biggest home run for the country in a hundred years,” said Scott D. Sheffield, chief executive of Pioneer Natural Resources, which is operating in West Texas. “It sort of reminds me of the industrial revolution in coal<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/coal/index.h…>, which allowed us to have some of the cheapest energy in the world and drove our economy in the late 1800s and 1900s.” *The Foundation Is Laid* For as long as roughnecks have worked the Permian Basin — made famous during World War II<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/w/world_war_ii…>as the fuel pump that powered the Allies — they have mostly focused on relatively shallow zones of easily accessible, oil-soaked sandstone and silt. But after 80 years of pumping, those regions were running dry. So in 2003 , Jim Henry, a West Texas oilman, tried a bold experiment. Borrowing an idea from a fellow engineer, his team at Henry Petroleum drilled deep into a hard limestone formation using a refinement of fracking. By blasting millions of gallons of water into the limestone, they created tiny fissures that allowed oil to break free, a technique that had previously been successful in extracting gas from shale. The test produced 150 barrels of oil a day, three times more than normal. “We knew we had the biggest discovery in over 50 years in the Permian Basin,” Mr. Henry recalled. There was just one problem: At $30 a barrel, the price of oil was about half of what was needed to make drilling that deep really profitable. So the renaissance of the Permian — and the domestic oil industry — would have to wait. But the drillers in Texas had important allies in Washington. President Bush grew up in Midland and spent 11 years as a West Texas oilman, albeit without much success, before entering politics. Vice President Dick Cheney had been chief executive of the oil field contractor Halliburton. The Bush administration worked from the start on finding ways to unlock the nation’s energy reserves and reverse decades of declining output, with Mr. Cheney leading a White House energy task force that met in secret with top oil executives. “Ramping up production was a high priority,” said Gale Norton, a member of the task force and the secretary of the Interior at the time. “We hated being at the mercy of other countries, and we were determined to change that.” The task force’s work helped produce the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which set rules that contributed to the current surge. It prohibited the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating fracking under the Safe Drinking Water Act, eliminating a potential impediment to wide use of the technique. The legislation also offered the industry billions of dollars in new tax breaks to help independent producers recoup some drilling costs even when a well came up dry. Separately, the Interior Department was granted the power to issue drilling permits on millions of acres of federal lands without extensive environmental impact studies for individual projects, addressing industry complaints about the glacial pace of approvals. That new power has been used at least 8,400 times, mostly in Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico, representing a quarter of all permits issued on federal land in the last six federal fiscal years. The Bush administration also opened large swaths of the Gulf of Mexico and the waters off Alaska to exploration, granting lease deals that required companies to pay only a tiny share of their profits to the government. These measures primed the pump for the burst in drilling that began once oil prices started rising sharply in 2005 and 2006. With the world economy humming — and China, India and other developing nations posting astonishing growth — demand for oil began outpacing the easily accessible supplies. By 2008, daily global oil consumption surged to 86 million barrels, up nearly 20 percent from the decade before. In July of that year, the price of oil reached its highest level since World War II, topping $145 a barrel (equivalent to more than $151 a barrel in today’s dollars). Oil reserves once too difficult and expensive to extract — including Mr. Henry’s limestone fields — had become more attractive. If money was the motivation, fracking became the favored means of extraction. While fracking itself had been around for years, natural gas drillers in the 1980s and 1990s began combining high-pressure fracking with drilling wells horizontally, not just vertically. They found it unlocked gas from layers of shale previously seen as near worthless. By 2001, fracking took off around Fort Worth and Dallas, eventually reaching under schools, airports and inner-city neighborhoods. Companies began buying drilling rights across vast shale fields in a variety of states. By 2008, the country was awash in natural gas. Fracking for oil, which is made of larger molecules than natural gas, took longer to develop. But eventually, it opened new oil fields in North Dakota, South Texas, Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado and, most recently, Ohio. Meanwhile, technological advances were making deeper oil drilling possible in the Gulf of Mexico. New imaging and seismic technology allowed engineers to predict the location and size of reservoirs once obscured by thick layers of salt. And drill bits made of superstrong alloys were developed to withstand the hot temperatures and high pressures deep under the seabed. As the industry’s confidence — and profits — grew, so did criticism. Amid concerns about global warming and gasoline prices that averaged a record $4.11 a gallon in July 2008 ($4.30 in today’s dollars), President Obama campaigned on a pledge to shift toward renewable energy and away from fossil fuels. His administration initially canceled some oil and gas leases on federal land awarded during the Bush administration and required more environmental review. But in a world where crucial oil suppliers like Venezuela and Libya were unstable and high energy prices could be a drag on a weak economy, he soon acted to promote more drilling. Despite a drilling hiatus after the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, which killed 11 rig workers and spilled millions of barrels of crude oil into the ocean, he has proposed expansion of oil production both on land and offshore. He is now moving toward approving drilling off the coast of Alaska. “Our dependence on foreign oil is down is because of policies put in place by our administration, but also our predecessor’s administration,” Mr. Obama said during a campaign appearance in March, a few weeks after opening 38 million more acres in the gulf for oil and gas exploration. “And whoever succeeds me is going to have to keep it up.” * An American Oil Boom* The last time the Permian Basin oil fields enjoyed a boom — nearly three decades ago — Rolls-Royce opened a showroom in the desert, Champagne was poured from cowboy boots, and the local airport could not accommodate all the Lear jets taking off for Las Vegas on weekends. But when crude prices fell in the mid-1980s, oil companies pulled out and the Rolls dealership was replaced by a tortilla factory. The only thriving business was done by bankruptcy lawyers and auctioneers helping to unload used Ferraris, empty homes and useless rigs. “One day we were rolling in oil,” recalled Jim Foreman, the general manager of the Midland BMW dealership, “and the next day geologists were flipping burgers at McDonald’s.” The burger-flipping days are definitely over. Today, more than 475 rigs — roughly a quarter of all rigs operating in the United States — are smashing through tight rocks across the Permian in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. Those areas are already producing nearly a million barrels a day, or 17 percent more than two years ago. By decade’s end, that daily total could easily double, oil executives say, roughly equaling the total output of Nigeria. “We’re having a revolution,” said G. Steven Farris,chief executive of Apache Corporation, one of the basin’s most active producers. “And we’re just scratching the surface.” It is a revolution that is returning investments to the United States. Over several decades, Pioneer Natural Resources had taken roughly $1 billion earned in Texas oil fields and drilled in Africa, South America and elsewhere. But in the last five years, the company sold $2 billion of overseas assets and reinvested in Texas shale fields. “Political risk was increasing internationally,” said Mr. Sheffield, Pioneer’s chief executive, and domestically, he was encouraged to see “the shale technology progressing.” Pioneer’s rising fortunes can be seen on a 10,000-acre field known as the Giddings Estate, a forsaken stretch inhabited by straggly coyotes, rabbits, rattlesnakes and cows that forage for grass between the sagebrush. When Pioneer bought it in 2005, the field’s hundred mostly broken-down wells were producing a total of 50 barrels a day. “It was a diamond in the rough,” said Robert Hillger, who manages it for Pioneer. Mr. Hillger and his colleagues have brought an array of new tools to bear at Giddings. Computer programs simulate well designs, minimizing trial and error. Advanced fiber optics allow senior engineers and geologists at headquarters more than 300 miles away to monitor progress and remotely direct the drill bit. Subterranean microphones help identify fissures in the rock to plan subsequent drilling. Today, the Giddings field is pumping 7,000 barrels a day, and Pioneer expects to hit 25,000 barrels a day by 2017. The newfound wealth is spreading beyond the fields. In nearby towns, petroleum companies are buying so many pickup trucks that dealers are leasing parking lots the size of city blocks to stock their inventory. Housing is in such short supply that drillers are importing contractors from Houston and hotels are leased out before they are even built. Two new office buildings are going up in Midland, a city of just over 110,000 people, the first in 30 years, while the total value of downtown real estate has jumped 50 percent since 2008. With virtually no unemployment, restaurants cannot find enough servers. Local truck drivers are making six-figure salaries. “Anybody who comes in with a driver’s license and a Social Security<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/social_secur…>card, I’ll give him a chance,” said Rusty Allred, owner of Rusty’s Oilfield Service Company. If there is a loser in this boom, it is the environment. Water experts say aquifers in the desert area could run dry if fracking continues expanding, and oil executives concede they need to reduce water consumption. Yet environmental concerns, from polluted air to greenhouse gas emissions, have gained little traction in the Permian Basin or other outposts of the energy expansion. On the front lines in opposition is Jay Lininger, a 36-year-old ecologist who drives through the Permian in an old Toyota Tacoma with a hard hat tilted on his head and a federal land map at the ready. A former national park firefighter, he says he is now battling a wildfire of a different sort — the oil industry. Nationally, environmentalists have challenged drilling with mixed results. Efforts to stop or slow fracking have succeeded in New York State and some localities in other states, but it is spreading across the country. In the Permian, Mr. Lininger said, few people openly object to the foul-smelling air of the oil fields. Ranchers are more than happy to sell what water they have to the oil companies for fracking. Mr. Lininger and his group are trying to slow the expansion of drilling by appealing to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to protect several animal species, including the five-inch dunes sagebrush lizard. “It’s a pathetic little lizard in an ugly desert, but life needs to be protected,” he said. “Every day we burn fossil fuel makes it harder for our planet to recover from our energy addiction.” Mr. Lininger said the oil and ranching industries had already destroyed or fragmented 40 percent of the lizard’s habitat, and 60 percent of what is left is under lease for oil and gas development. The wildlife agency proposed listing the lizard as endangered in 2010 and was expected to decide last December, but Congressional representatives from the oil patch won a delay. Oil companies are working on a voluntary program to locate new drilling so it will not disturb the lizard habitat. But for Mr. Lininger’s group, the Center for Biological Diversity, that is far from sufficient. Brendan Cummings, senior counsel of the center, said protecting the lizard was part of a broader effort to keep drilling from harming animals, including polar bears, walruses and bowhead whales in the Alaskan Arctic and dwarf sea horses and sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. “When you are dealing with fossil fuels, things will always go wrong,” Mr. Cummings said. “There will always be spills, there will always be pollution. Those impacts compound the fragmentation that occurs and render these habitats into sacrifice areas.” * A Turn Toward Efficiency* If the Permian Basin exemplifies the rise in production, car-obsessed San Diego is a prime example of the other big factor in the decline in the nation’s reliance on foreign oil. Just since 2007, consumption of all liquid fuels in the United States, including diesel, jet fuel and heating oil<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/h/heating_oil/…>, has dropped by about 9 percent, according to the Energy Department<http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/sec3_3.pdf>. Gasoline use fell 6 to 12 percent, estimated Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service. Although Southern California’s love affair with muscle cars and the open road persists, driving habits have changed in subtle but important ways. Take Tory Girten, who works as an emergency medical technician and part-time lifeguard in the San Diego area. He switched from driving a Ford minivan to a decidedly smaller and more fuel-efficient Dodge Caliber. Fed up with high gasoline prices, he also moved twice recently to be closer to the city center, cutting his daily commute considerably — a hint of the shift taking place in certain metropolitan areas as city centers become more popular while growth in far-out suburbs slows. “I would rather pay a little more monthly for rent than for just filling up my tank with gas,” he said, after pulling into a local gas station to fill up. Mr. Girten is one of millions of Americans who have downsized. S.U.V.’s accounted for 18 percent of new-car sales in 2002, but only 7 percent in 2010. The surge in gasoline prices nationwide — they are already at a record level for this time of year — has contributed to the shift toward more fuel-efficient cars. But a bigger factor is rising federal fuel economy standards. After a long freeze, the miles-per-gallon mandate has been increased several times in recent years, with the Obama administration now pushing automakers to hit 54.5 m.p.g. by 2025. As Americans replace their older cars — they have bought an average of 1.25 million new cars and light trucks a month this year — new technologies mean they usually end up with a more efficient vehicle, even if they buy a model of similar size and power. California has long pushed further and faster toward efficiency than the rest of the country. It has combated often severe air pollution by mandating cleaner-burning cars, including all-electric vehicles<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/e/electric_veh…>, and prodded Washington to increase the fuel efficiency standards. Thousands of school buses, trash trucks, tractor-trailers and street sweepers and public transit buses in the state run on natural gas, which is cheaper than gasoline and burns more cleanly. That switch cuts the consumption of foreign oil, as does the corn-based ethanol that is now mixed into gasoline as a result of federal mandates. Longer-term social and economic factors are also reducing miles driven — like the rise in Internet shopping and telecommuting and the tendency of baby boomers to drive less as they age. The recession has also contributed, as job losses have meant fewer daily commutes and falling home prices have allowed some people to afford to move closer to work. The trend of lower consumption, when combined with higher energy production, has profound implications, said Bill White, former deputy energy secretary in the Clinton administration and former mayor of Houston. “Energy independence has always been a race between depletion and technologies to produce more and use energy more efficiently,” he said. “Depletion was winning for decades, and now technology is starting to overtake its lead.” Clifford Krauss reported from Midland, Tex., and Houston and Eric Lipton reported from Washington and San Diego. John M. Broder contributed reporting from Washington. -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel 304-342-5588 Fax 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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Re: [EC] It is impossible to overstate the damage done by Sierra Club's $26 million sell-out to the natural gas industry 3 years ago when this argument could still have been won.
by Paul Wilson 22 Mar '12

22 Mar '12

And I continue to get emails, from other activists at the national level and in other chapters who are equally upset and have been down the same road BEth described. So why some may wish the issue will go away, it doesn't look that way to me, even if some writers think the Club handled this issue better than say the Susan B. Komen Foundation. fyi, paul On Thu, Mar 22, 2012 at 10:04 AM, Elizabeth Little <blittle(a)citynet.net>wrote: > Ditto to what Bill said. Plus, it did have an impact on the WV Chapter. > It caused untold pain and anguish, and it took many hours of work to try > and make national understand the realities of the situation. It pitted > members against each other, and I came extremely close to cancelling my > membership. Not that that would be a big loss to the Club, but others may > have felt the same, and some may even have acted on it. > > > > > The issue emphatically is NOT what program the money was spent on.....the > > issue is the fact that it bought silence, at a time when silence was > > deadly. There can be no rationalization, implicit or otherwise, based > on > > the use made of the money. > > > > On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 2:49 PM, Jim Sconyers <jimscon(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > >> Paul's comment below illustrates another aspect of this whole brouhaha - > >> not only did most of our own board not know of the $, but even now we're > >> guessing what it was used for. As I've said before, I deeply respect > >> what > >> Carl Pope did for the Club and the world - but he made one FUBAR on > >> this. > >> > >> > >> On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 1:14 PM, Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> > >>> It all went to the Beyond Coal Campaign, but we on the Campaign Team - > >>> at > >>> least the 2 volunteers - did not know about it, so it is hard to say > >>> what > >>> it was/is spent on. best, paul > >>> > >>> On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 12:18 PM, Yarnell, Karen < > >>> Karen.Grubb(a)fairmontstate.edu> wrote: > >>> > >>>> Did any of that money go to the coal campaign, which may have been > >>>> used > >>>> for litigation in WV?**** > >>>> > >>>> ** ** > >>>> > >>>> *From:* ec-bounces(a)osenergy.org [mailto:ec-bounces@osenergy.org] *On > >>>> Behalf Of *William V. DePaulo, Esq. > >>>> *Sent:* Wednesday, March 21, 2012 9:44 AM > >>>> *To:* Jim Sconyers > >>>> *Cc:* Energy Committee > >>>> *Subject:* Re: [EC] It is impossible to overstate the damage done by > >>>> Sierra Club's $26 million sell-out to the natural gas industry 3 years > >>>> ago > >>>> when this argument could still have been won.**** > >>>> > >>>> ** ** > >>>> > >>>> I AGREE RE IMPACT ON WV CHAPTER....AND FOR THAT MATTER OTHERS.....I > >>>> REMEMBER CLEARLY THE NEW YORK REP AT THE ANNUAL MEETING THREE YEARS > >>>> AGO > >>>> DEMANDING TO KNOW IF SIERRA'S DIRECTORS HAD ACCEPTED MONEY FROM THE > >>>> NATURAL > >>>> GAS INDUSTRY, AND RECEIVING NOTHING BUT BLANK STARES IN > >>>> RESPONSE.....*** > >>>> * > >>>> > >>>> On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 9:30 AM, Jim Sconyers <jimscon(a)gmail.com> > >>>> wrote: > >>>> **** > >>>> > >>>> The ultimate irony is that the grassroots were (and are) working > >>>> furiously to tame the runaway gas monster while national took the $ > >>>> from > >>>> Chesapeake. I might add that the $ had no effect whatsoever - none - > >>>> on the > >>>> West Virginia Chapter, its finances, or our intense Marcellus/Shale > >>>> Gas > >>>> Campaign.**** > >>>> > >>>> On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 8:52 AM, William V. DePaulo, Esq. < > >>>> william.depaulo(a)gmail.com> wrote:**** > >>>> > >>>> *Error! Filename not specified.***** > >>>> Gas it is**** > >>>> Renewables take back seat **** > >>>> > >>>> Bill Opalka <http://www.renewablesbiz.com/author/bill-opalka> | Mar > >>>> 20, > >>>> 2012 **** > >>>> > >>>> *Error! Filename not > >>>> specified.*< > http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.renewablesbiz.com%2… > > > >>>> *Error! Filename not > >>>> specified.*< > http://www.renewablesbiz.com/article/12/03/gas-it&utm_medium=eNL&utm_campai… > > > >>>> **** > >>>> > >>>> *Error! Filename not specified.***** > >>>> > >>>> The shine is off renewable energy and shale gas is the new disruptive > >>>> technology in power generation. > >>>> > >>>> Harnessing Disruption is the theme of this year’s EnergyBiz Leadership > >>>> Forum <http://www.energybizforum.com/> in Washington, D.C. this week, > >>>> and that means gas-fired generation from unconventional sources is > >>>> jumpin’. > >>>> > >>>> Recession, rising energy costs and competing interests that could > >>>> hamstring the power sector all play a role. And renewables are > >>>> sometimes > >>>> seen as a stress point as utilities seek to meet state mandates for > >>>> their > >>>> renewable portfolio standards. The dim prospects for any carbon > >>>> legislation > >>>> for the foreseeable future are responsible, combined with downward > >>>> price > >>>> pressures from the gas glut. > >>>> > >>>> “Low gas pricing is really giving us some breathing room,” said > >>>> Anthony > >>>> F. Earley Jr., chairman and CEO of PG&E > >>>> Corporation<http://www.pge.com/>(NYSE: PG&E). > >>>> > >>>> Renewable energy is competing for attention, and even as its costs > >>>> decline, natural gas dominates the discussion. > >>>> > >>>> Earley, the new executive at the San Francisco utility, is a different > >>>> circumstance than many of his colleagues. With California’s 33% > >>>> renewable > >>>> portfolio standard by 2020, he said that’s effectively 50% as most > >>>> hydropower doesn’t count under the standard. > >>>> > >>>> But there was little talk about state renewable portfolio standards > >>>> this > >>>> year. > >>>> > >>>> Consider some of the headline speakers of the first three forums to > >>>> get > >>>> a sense of how the landscape has shifted. Three years ago Boone > >>>> Pickens was > >>>> touting massive wind farms in the Great Plains. In 2010, > >>>> Representative Ed > >>>> Markey (D-Mass.) was shepherding cap-and-trade legislation through the > >>>> U.S. > >>>> House of Representatives. A year ago, Google caused a stir with plans > >>>> for a > >>>> backbone transmission plan for offshore wind, with the Atlantic Wind > >>>> Connection <http://atlanticwindconnection.com/> outlining its $5 > >>>> billion project. > >>>> > >>>> But now the issue is managing expectations as costs rise and much of > >>>> the > >>>> public is still ill-informed, and sensitive to price shocks as > >>>> gasoline > >>>> tops $4 a gallon. > >>>> > >>>> “A certain part of the public thinks we can get off Mideast oil by > >>>> building windmills, but we only get 1% of power from oil,” said Thomas > >>>> F. > >>>> Farrell II, president and CEO of Dominion <http://www.dom.com/> > (NYSE: > >>>> D). > >>>> > >>>> “The industry has $2 trillion in refurbishment of the grid, as we try > >>>> to > >>>> optimize how we handle our investments of what to build over the next > >>>> two > >>>> decades,” said Nick Akins, president and CEO of > >>>> AEP<http://www.aep.com/>(NYSE: AEP). > >>>> > >>>> Even as recent as a year ago, the choice seemed to be renewables or > >>>> nuclear, with much talk of natural gas as the bridge fuel. Now, gas is > >>>> the > >>>> fuel of choice due to its low cost and quick turnaround in building > >>>> plants. > >>>> > >>>> A slow decline in attention paid by government support may not change, > >>>> as wind and solar are under threat of collapse if tax credits expire, > >>>> particularly for wind, at the end of 2012. > >>>> Regardless of the resource base or the preferred resource of any CEO, > >>>> the detrimental lack of a national energy policy is something on which > >>>> all > >>>> can agree, regardless of the year.**** > >>>> > >>>> The editorial staff at RenewablesBiz.com is passionate about > >>>> exchanging > >>>> ideas and dedicated to promoting ongoing conversation about renewable > >>>> and > >>>> sustainable energy issues. We invite you to join and contribute to our > >>>> online community. If you have an idea for an article or editorial > >>>> contribution, please contact me via email, bopalka(a)energycentral.com, > >>>> or phone, 860.633.0090.**** > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> -- > >>>> William V. DePaulo, Esq. > >>>> 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 > >>>> Charleston, WV 25301-2163 > >>>> Tel 304-342-5588 > >>>> Fax 304-342-5505 > >>>> william.depaulo(a)gmail.com > >>>> www.passeggiata.com**** > >>>> > >>>> ** ** > >>>> > >>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>> 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.**** > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> -- > >>>> William V. DePaulo, Esq. > >>>> 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 > >>>> Charleston, WV 25301-2163 > >>>> Tel 304-342-5588 > >>>> Fax 304-342-5505 > >>>> william.depaulo(a)gmail.com > >>>> www.passeggiata.com**** > >>>> > >>>> ** ** > >>>> > >>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>> EC mailing list > >>>> EC(a)osenergy.org > >>>> http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec > >>>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> -- > >>> 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 > >>> > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> 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. > >> > > > > > > > > -- > > William V. DePaulo, Esq. > > 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 > > Charleston, WV 25301-2163 > > Tel 304-342-5588 > > Fax 304-342-5505 > > william.depaulo(a)gmail.com > > www.passeggiata.com > > _______________________________________________ > > EC mailing list > > EC(a)osenergy.org > > http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec > > > > _______________________________________________ > EC mailing list > EC(a)osenergy.org > http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec > -- 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] It is impossible to overstate the damage done by Sierra Club's $26 million sell-out to the natural gas industry 3 years ago when this argument could still have been won.
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 21 Mar '12

21 Mar '12

The issue emphatically is NOT what program the money was spent on.....the issue is the fact that it bought silence, at a time when silence was deadly. There can be no rationalization, implicit or otherwise, based on the use made of the money. On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 2:49 PM, Jim Sconyers <jimscon(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Paul's comment below illustrates another aspect of this whole brouhaha - > not only did most of our own board not know of the $, but even now we're > guessing what it was used for. As I've said before, I deeply respect what > Carl Pope did for the Club and the world - but he made one FUBAR on this. > > > On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 1:14 PM, Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> It all went to the Beyond Coal Campaign, but we on the Campaign Team - at >> least the 2 volunteers - did not know about it, so it is hard to say what >> it was/is spent on. best, paul >> >> On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 12:18 PM, Yarnell, Karen < >> Karen.Grubb(a)fairmontstate.edu> wrote: >> >>> Did any of that money go to the coal campaign, which may have been used >>> for litigation in WV?**** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> *From:* ec-bounces(a)osenergy.org [mailto:ec-bounces@osenergy.org] *On >>> Behalf Of *William V. DePaulo, Esq. >>> *Sent:* Wednesday, March 21, 2012 9:44 AM >>> *To:* Jim Sconyers >>> *Cc:* Energy Committee >>> *Subject:* Re: [EC] It is impossible to overstate the damage done by >>> Sierra Club's $26 million sell-out to the natural gas industry 3 years ago >>> when this argument could still have been won.**** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> I AGREE RE IMPACT ON WV CHAPTER....AND FOR THAT MATTER OTHERS.....I >>> REMEMBER CLEARLY THE NEW YORK REP AT THE ANNUAL MEETING THREE YEARS AGO >>> DEMANDING TO KNOW IF SIERRA'S DIRECTORS HAD ACCEPTED MONEY FROM THE NATURAL >>> GAS INDUSTRY, AND RECEIVING NOTHING BUT BLANK STARES IN RESPONSE.....*** >>> * >>> >>> On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 9:30 AM, Jim Sconyers <jimscon(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> **** >>> >>> The ultimate irony is that the grassroots were (and are) working >>> furiously to tame the runaway gas monster while national took the $ from >>> Chesapeake. I might add that the $ had no effect whatsoever - none - on the >>> West Virginia Chapter, its finances, or our intense Marcellus/Shale Gas >>> Campaign.**** >>> >>> On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 8:52 AM, William V. DePaulo, Esq. < >>> william.depaulo(a)gmail.com> wrote:**** >>> >>> *Error! Filename not specified.***** >>> Gas it is**** >>> Renewables take back seat **** >>> >>> Bill Opalka <http://www.renewablesbiz.com/author/bill-opalka> | Mar 20, >>> 2012 **** >>> >>> *Error! Filename not specified.*<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.renewablesbiz.com%2…> >>> *Error! Filename not specified.*<http://www.renewablesbiz.com/article/12/03/gas-it&utm_medium=eNL&utm_campai…> >>> **** >>> >>> *Error! Filename not specified.***** >>> >>> The shine is off renewable energy and shale gas is the new disruptive >>> technology in power generation. >>> >>> Harnessing Disruption is the theme of this year’s EnergyBiz Leadership >>> Forum <http://www.energybizforum.com/> in Washington, D.C. this week, >>> and that means gas-fired generation from unconventional sources is jumpin’. >>> >>> Recession, rising energy costs and competing interests that could >>> hamstring the power sector all play a role. And renewables are sometimes >>> seen as a stress point as utilities seek to meet state mandates for their >>> renewable portfolio standards. The dim prospects for any carbon legislation >>> for the foreseeable future are responsible, combined with downward price >>> pressures from the gas glut. >>> >>> “Low gas pricing is really giving us some breathing room,” said Anthony >>> F. Earley Jr., chairman and CEO of PG&E Corporation<http://www.pge.com/>(NYSE: PG&E). >>> >>> Renewable energy is competing for attention, and even as its costs >>> decline, natural gas dominates the discussion. >>> >>> Earley, the new executive at the San Francisco utility, is a different >>> circumstance than many of his colleagues. With California’s 33% renewable >>> portfolio standard by 2020, he said that’s effectively 50% as most >>> hydropower doesn’t count under the standard. >>> >>> But there was little talk about state renewable portfolio standards this >>> year. >>> >>> Consider some of the headline speakers of the first three forums to get >>> a sense of how the landscape has shifted. Three years ago Boone Pickens was >>> touting massive wind farms in the Great Plains. In 2010, Representative Ed >>> Markey (D-Mass.) was shepherding cap-and-trade legislation through the U.S. >>> House of Representatives. A year ago, Google caused a stir with plans for a >>> backbone transmission plan for offshore wind, with the Atlantic Wind >>> Connection <http://atlanticwindconnection.com/> outlining its $5 >>> billion project. >>> >>> But now the issue is managing expectations as costs rise and much of the >>> public is still ill-informed, and sensitive to price shocks as gasoline >>> tops $4 a gallon. >>> >>> “A certain part of the public thinks we can get off Mideast oil by >>> building windmills, but we only get 1% of power from oil,” said Thomas F. >>> Farrell II, president and CEO of Dominion <http://www.dom.com/> (NYSE: >>> D). >>> >>> “The industry has $2 trillion in refurbishment of the grid, as we try to >>> optimize how we handle our investments of what to build over the next two >>> decades,” said Nick Akins, president and CEO of AEP<http://www.aep.com/>(NYSE: AEP). >>> >>> Even as recent as a year ago, the choice seemed to be renewables or >>> nuclear, with much talk of natural gas as the bridge fuel. Now, gas is the >>> fuel of choice due to its low cost and quick turnaround in building plants. >>> >>> A slow decline in attention paid by government support may not change, >>> as wind and solar are under threat of collapse if tax credits expire, >>> particularly for wind, at the end of 2012. >>> Regardless of the resource base or the preferred resource of any CEO, >>> the detrimental lack of a national energy policy is something on which all >>> can agree, regardless of the year.**** >>> >>> The editorial staff at RenewablesBiz.com is passionate about exchanging >>> ideas and dedicated to promoting ongoing conversation about renewable and >>> sustainable energy issues. We invite you to join and contribute to our >>> online community. If you have an idea for an article or editorial >>> contribution, please contact me via email, bopalka(a)energycentral.com, >>> or phone, 860.633.0090.**** >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> William V. DePaulo, Esq. >>> 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 >>> Charleston, WV 25301-2163 >>> Tel 304-342-5588 >>> Fax 304-342-5505 >>> william.depaulo(a)gmail.com >>> www.passeggiata.com**** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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.**** >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> William V. DePaulo, Esq. >>> 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 >>> Charleston, WV 25301-2163 >>> Tel 304-342-5588 >>> Fax 304-342-5505 >>> william.depaulo(a)gmail.com >>> www.passeggiata.com**** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> EC mailing list >>> EC(a)osenergy.org >>> http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> 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 >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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. > -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel 304-342-5588 Fax 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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It is impossible to overstate the damage done by Sierra Club's $26 million sell-out to the natural gas industry 3 years ago when this argument could still have been won.
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 21 Mar '12

21 Mar '12

[image: Inline image 1] Gas it is Renewables take back seat Bill Opalka <http://www.renewablesbiz.com/author/bill-opalka> | Mar 20, 2012 [image: Share/Save]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.renewablesbiz.com%2…> <http://www.renewablesbiz.com/article/12/03/gas-it&utm_medium=eNL&utm_campai…> The shine is off renewable energy and shale gas is the new disruptive technology in power generation. Harnessing Disruption is the theme of this year’s EnergyBiz Leadership Forum<http://www.energybizforum.com/>in Washington, D.C. this week, and that means gas-fired generation from unconventional sources is jumpin’. Recession, rising energy costs and competing interests that could hamstring the power sector all play a role. And renewables are sometimes seen as a stress point as utilities seek to meet state mandates for their renewable portfolio standards. The dim prospects for any carbon legislation for the foreseeable future are responsible, combined with downward price pressures from the gas glut. “Low gas pricing is really giving us some breathing room,” said Anthony F. Earley Jr., chairman and CEO of PG&E Corporation <http://www.pge.com/>(NYSE: PG&E). Renewable energy is competing for attention, and even as its costs decline, natural gas dominates the discussion. Earley, the new executive at the San Francisco utility, is a different circumstance than many of his colleagues. With California’s 33% renewable portfolio standard by 2020, he said that’s effectively 50% as most hydropower doesn’t count under the standard. But there was little talk about state renewable portfolio standards this year. Consider some of the headline speakers of the first three forums to get a sense of how the landscape has shifted. Three years ago Boone Pickens was touting massive wind farms in the Great Plains. In 2010, Representative Ed Markey (D-Mass.) was shepherding cap-and-trade legislation through the U.S. House of Representatives. A year ago, Google caused a stir with plans for a backbone transmission plan for offshore wind, with the Atlantic Wind Connection <http://atlanticwindconnection.com/> outlining its $5 billion project. But now the issue is managing expectations as costs rise and much of the public is still ill-informed, and sensitive to price shocks as gasoline tops $4 a gallon. “A certain part of the public thinks we can get off Mideast oil by building windmills, but we only get 1% of power from oil,” said Thomas F. Farrell II, president and CEO of Dominion <http://www.dom.com/> (NYSE: D). “The industry has $2 trillion in refurbishment of the grid, as we try to optimize how we handle our investments of what to build over the next two decades,” said Nick Akins, president and CEO of AEP <http://www.aep.com/>(NYSE: AEP). Even as recent as a year ago, the choice seemed to be renewables or nuclear, with much talk of natural gas as the bridge fuel. Now, gas is the fuel of choice due to its low cost and quick turnaround in building plants. A slow decline in attention paid by government support may not change, as wind and solar are under threat of collapse if tax credits expire, particularly for wind, at the end of 2012. Regardless of the resource base or the preferred resource of any CEO, the detrimental lack of a national energy policy is something on which all can agree, regardless of the year. The editorial staff at RenewablesBiz.com is passionate about exchanging ideas and dedicated to promoting ongoing conversation about renewable and sustainable energy issues. We invite you to join and contribute to our online community. If you have an idea for an article or editorial contribution, please contact me via email, bopalka(a)energycentral.com, or phone, 860.633.0090. -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel 304-342-5588 Fax 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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Fwd: "Beneficial" Reuse of Ash in FL: A rural road-paving project becomes an environmental disaster for JEA
by Jim Sconyers 21 Mar '12

21 Mar '12

Awful coal ash story devastating an ordinary homeowner. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lisa Evans <levans(a)earthjustice.org> Date: Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 10:19 AM Subject: "Beneficial" Reuse of Ash in FL: A rural road-paving project becomes an environmental disaster for JEA To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)lists.sierraclub.org http://www.folioweekly.com/folio0320wkl008.php Road Trip A rural road-paving project becomes an environmental disaster for JEA – with a potentially hefty price tag Folio Weekly, Jacksonville, Florida Written by Susan Cooper Eastman Published March 20, 2012 When Steven Johnson accepted 16 tons of free coal ash from JEA’s coal-powered Northside Generating Station more than two years ago, the agency assured him it was as “safe as sand.” So Johnson spread the pebbly white material liberally over the dirt roads of his 30-acre Black Water Farm in Middleburg. He paved a road through wetlands, a boat ramp into Black Creek, an area near his drinking water well and roads on his neighbor’s property. He says one JEA representative was so impressed with how he applied the material, which JEA markets as EZBase, that he brought prospective clients out to Black Water Ranch to show them how Johnson was using it. But even as Johnson was spreading the stuff around his home, the federal government was considering whether to classify coal ash as a hazardous waste. Although the state of Florida has approved EZBase for a number of road-paving uses, that approval was based on strict compacting standards and application guidelines that are, in practice, not always followed. Loosely applied, the stuff leaches many of the same pollutants that make coal ash toxic, and that have prompted the state to require it be disposed of in a lined landfill. Folio Weekly previously reported about Johnson in the April 13, 2010 story “Road to Hell,” after he and a neighbor were cited by the state Department of Environmental Protection for applying the material in violation of state restrictions. The citation said the EZBase wasn’t properly compacted, meaning it could wash away and contaminate the surrounding area, and was improperly used near wetlands and in residential areas. Johnson insists that the JEA employee who offered him the EZBase rode all over his land with him and didn’t tell him anything about the restrictions. Still, DEP cited Johnson for the violation, and said the material needed to be excavated and removed. (At the time, Johnson wouldn’t talk to the media because he was working out a settlement with DEP and JEA.) Two years later, Johnson’s property is still covered with EZBase. JEA already removed the material from Johnson’s neighbor’s property, but the agency has not yet agreed to remove the material from Johnson’s property or responded to his request that JEA compensate him for the loss of value to his property and attorney fees. A 2010 report that Johnson commissioned from Moran Environmental Recovery that he provided last week to Folio Weekly estimated the cost of removing the 12 tons of EZBase and another four tons of contaminated soil at $653,640. Replacing the soil with clean fill would bring the total cost close to $1 million. Beyond fixed costs, there are intangible ones. A 2010 real estate appraisal from Broom, Moody, Johnson and Grainger Inc. estimated that Johnson’s property was worth $470,000 before he covered it with EZBase, but that it will drop $70,000 in value — even after the EZBase is removed — because of the stigma of contamination. In its current state, the company valued the property as a liability — at a negative –$486,300. “I’m a little guy,” he says. “I ain’t no millionaire like JEA.” Johnson now feels like JEA used his farm as a toxic dump. He worries about allowing his 3-year-old daughter Kelsey to play outside. He fears she’ll ingest poisons, breathe in the EZBase dust or absorb it through her skin. Preliminary tests he had done of the property in 2010 show reason for concern. The arsenic levels in the soil samples were four times the level the state considers safe and the levels of vanadium were 75 times the state standard. “JEA is the ones with the knowledge and the science about how to use this stuff,” he said. “I put it out here thinking I was going to improve my property. After I did my homework on it, I began to see that it’s not good, it’s not good at all.” JEA first began selling EZBase as a paving material in 2005, for $50 a truckload. Like other coal-powered electric generating stations, JEA facilities produce a sludge waste that’s a combination of fly ash and bottom ash from their silos. The ash contains heavy metals like lead, mercury, vanadium and boron, which in high concentrations can cause birth defects, lung disease, cancers, nerve disorders and other illnesses. But when the sludge hardens, it becomes like concrete. If properly compacted, JEA testing shows, the toxins are contained in the hardened material. JEA has promoted EZBase as a means of recycling, and has the strong support of the state DEP, which considers the paving material a beneficial reuse of an otherwise hazardous waste. DEP issued permits for each EZBase application. The federal Environmental Protection Agency also supports reuse, but admitted late last year that there hasn’t been enough testing done to determine the safety of coal ash byproducts. Some utilities recycle their ash into drywall or roofing shingles, bowling balls and even cosmetics. Prompted in part by the catastrophic collapse of a coal pond in Tennessee in 2008, which sent a billion gallons of coal ash sludge into Emory River, EPA has been considering for the past two years whether to classify coal ash as a hazardous waste and require that concentrations of heavy metals in it be reduced before it is dumped. (In January, the legal nonprofit Earthjustice announced it would sue EPA for delaying its decision.) For JEA, the questions surrounding the safety of EZBase have proved costly. DEP has required the utility to remove it or cover it with a top coat at a number of locations in Northeast Florida. JEA spokesperson Gerry Boyce said there is no estimate yet of what it will cost to clear out Johnson’s EZBase, but the agency began removing the four tons of EZBase that Steven Johnson spread on neighbor James Evans’ property in December 2011. The removal cost about $20,000, and raised additional contamination concerns. Neighbors complained that the resulting dust covered everything and that trucks were leaving the property uncovered. “There were probably 20 dump trucks in and out of here every day,” says neighbor Bonnie Smith, who lives down the street from Evans and says she had two attacks of bronchitis during the process. “A white dust covered everything. There was a film on my swimming pool, every day.” If EPA does designate coal ash a hazardous waste, utilities say the increased costs of transporting and handling the material would make recycling cost-prohibitive. They’ve lobbied heavily for states to retain regulatory control over its disposal and reuse. In October, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that gives the states’ control over permitting and regulating products like EZBase and prevents the federal government from regulating disposal. The companion bill is in committee in the Senate. But even if EPA takes control of coal ash regulation, it will be too late to make much difference at Johnson’s Black Water Ranch. “I have an absolutely beautiful place here,” Johnson tells Folio Weekly. “It’s like a piece of heaven. It’s not some dump where it’s OK for JEA to bring their EZBase in here and poison it up.” Susan Cooper Eastman sceastman(a)folioweekly.com Lisa Evans Senior Administrative Counsel Earthjustice 21 Ocean Ave. Marblehead, MA 01945 T: (781) 631-4119 F: (212) 918-1556 www.earthjustice.org *please consider the environment before printing The information contained in this email message may be privileged, confidential and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you think that you have received this email message in error, please notify the sender by reply email and delete the message and any attachments. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: WV Watershed Assessment Pilot Project Stakeholer Workshop
by James Kotcon 20 Mar '12

20 Mar '12

Anyone else see this? I have teaching conflicts, so if someone is interested in representing us, let me know. Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home) >>> Ruth Thornton <rthornton(a)TNC.ORG> 3/20/2012 11:51 AM >>> You are invited to participate in a Stakeholder/Partner Workshop for The Nature Conservancy’s West Virginia Watershed Association Pilot Project. This is the final of three workshops to design the methodology and final products of our watershed assessment project. The purpose of this workshop is to present the results of the first two Watershed Assessments, introduce our proposed end-user products, and request feedback on the structure and methodology of the products, which will include both a report on each watershed and an interactive web mapping application. Two workshops will be held, your participation is requested for one of these: - Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012, 3pm – 5pm. Focus: Monongahela River watershed. Location: Lakeview Resort, 1 Lakeview Drive, Morgantown, WV. Directions: Located off Exit 10 of Interstate 68, 10 miles east of Interstate 79 on scenic Cheat Lake in Morgantown. http://www.lakeviewresort.com/ - Thursday, April 5th, 2012, 3 pm – 5pm. Focus: Elk River watershed. Location: Steptoe & Johnson Office, 707 Virginia St. E., Suite 715, Charleston, WV. Directions are included in the pdf file attached to this email. Some background about this project: The Nature Conservancy, in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, is working on a Watershed Assessment Pilot Project in WV, funded by the US EPA. This is a two- year project conducted in five watersheds. During the first year we are working on the Elk and Monongahela watersheds, and during the second year we will work on the Gauley, Little Kanawha, and Upper Guyandotte. The goals of the project are to: 1) Design and test a process that assesses the condition of aquatic resources and the impacts to those resources within a watershed, including an assessment of cumulative impacts and integration of information with multiple sources within and outside of government agencies. 2) Provide relevant data, strategies/actions, and a decision support tool to assist partners, stakeholders and regulatory staff with decisions affecting aquatic resources. 3) Establish priorities for protection and restoration of aquatic resources, with the goal of a net increase in functional wetland acres and riparian areas in the watershed. 4) Develop common and consistent strategies for various government agencies and non-governmental organizations to partner and utilize various protection and restoration tools to achieve goals established for the watershed. I sincerely hope that you or somebody from your organization will agree to participate. Your guidance and input will help make the objectives of the Watershed Assessment Pilot Project achievable outcomes. For those willing to participate, but unable to attend the workshop, we can make arrangements to talk with you one on one or you can submit written comments. If somebody else from your organization would be more appropriate to attend, please let me know and I will extend the invitation to them. Please let me know by Tuesday, March 27th, if you will be able to attend either of the two workshops. You can contact me by email or phone (listed below) if you have any questions. Thank you, Ruth Please consider the environment before printing this email Ruth Thornton Conservation Information Manager rthornton(a)tnc.org (304) 637-0160 Ext. 102 (Phone) (304) 637-0584 (Fax) nature.org The Nature Conservancy West Virginia Field Office P.O. Box 250 21 Third Street Elkins, WV 26241

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Fossil Fools Day
by Jim Sconyers 19 Mar '12

19 Mar '12

We have declared Sunday, April 1, 2012 as: *Fossil Fools Day!* Plan an event! Have some fun! Go wacky or serious, it's your call! [?][?] Let us know if you want help, what's up, who can come, etc. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: WVEC Board Meeting 3/24
by James Kotcon 17 Mar '12

17 Mar '12

The WVEC Board meeting is next Saturday, but I am supposed to speak at Mountain Justice Spring Break on Marcellus and Fracking. Is anyone else able to represent the WV Chapter at the WVEC meeting? Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home) >>> Denise Poole <deniseap(a)earthlink.net> 3/17/2012 8:30 AM >>> Reminder: The next meeting of the WVEC Board of Directors: Saturday, March 24th - 11 AM - 4 PM Where? The 79er Restaurant, Burnsville, WV Located off I 79, exit 79 (12 miles north of Flatwoods). An agenda will be sent out soon. If you have an agenda item to add, please send to Kevin Smith at a_clean_wv(a)yahoo.com by Tuesday March 20th. We will meet in the Conference / Meeting Room. Lunch can be purchased from the regular menu. Please reply with regrets only. The minutes from our November board meeting are attached. Thanks everyone, Denise Denise Poole, WVEC Coordinator Board member representing Sustainable Living for WV deniseap(a)earthlink.net (304) 617-7073 __._,_.___ 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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Paul Krugman's NY Times Op-ed today: Natural Born Drillers
by Paul Wilson 16 Mar '12

16 Mar '12

March 15, 2012 March 15, 2012 Natural Born DrillersBy PAUL KRUGMAN<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/pau…> To be a modern Republican in good standing, you have to believe — or pretend to believe — in two miracle cures for whatever ails the economy: more tax cuts for the rich and more drilling for oil<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/oil-petroleu…>. And with prices at the pump on the rise, so is the chant of “Drill, baby, drill.” More and more, Republicans are telling us that gasoline would be cheap and jobs plentiful if only we would stop protecting the environment and let energy companies do whatever they want. Thus Mitt Romney claims that gasoline prices are high not because of saber-rattling over Iran, but because President Obama won’t allow unrestricted drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Meanwhile, Stephen Moore of The Wall Street Journal tells readers that America as a whole could have a jobs boom, just like North Dakota, if only the environmentalists would get out of the way. The irony here is that these claims come just as events are confirming what everyone who did the math already knew, namely, that U.S. energy policy has very little effect either on oil prices or on overall U.S. employment. For the truth is that we’re already having a hydrocarbon boom, with U.S. oil and gas production rising and U.S. fuel imports dropping. If there were any truth to drill-here-drill-now, this boom should have yielded substantially lower gasoline prices and lots of new jobs. Predictably, however, it has done neither. Why the hydrocarbon boom? It’s all about the fracking. The combination of horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing of shale and other low-permeability rocks has opened up large reserves of oil and natural gas<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/natural-gas/…> to production. As a result, U.S. oil production has risen significantly over the past three years, reversing a decline over decades, while natural gas production has exploded. Given this expansion, it’s hard to claim that excessive regulation has crippled energy production. Indeed, reporting in The Times makes it clear that U.S. policy has been seriously negligent — that the environmental costs of fracking have been underplayed and ignored. But, in a way, that’s the point. The reality is that far from being hobbled by eco-freaks, the energy industry has been given a largely free hand to expand domestic oil and gas production, never mind the environment. Strange to say, however, while natural gas prices have dropped, rising oil production and a sharp fall in import dependence haven’t stopped gasoline prices from rising toward $4 a gallon. Nor has the oil and gas boom given a noticeable boost to an economic recovery that, despite better news lately, has been very disappointing on the jobs front. As I said, this was totally predictable. First up, oil prices. Unlike natural gas, which is expensive to ship across oceans, oil is traded on a world market — and the big developments moving prices in that market usually have little to do with events in the United States. Oil prices are up because of rising demand from China and other emerging economies, and more recently because of war scares in the Middle East; these forces easily outweigh any downward pressure on prices from rising U.S. production. And the same thing would happen if Republicans got their way and oil companies were set free to drill freely in the Gulf of Mexico and punch holes in the tundra: the effect on prices at the pump would be negligible. Meanwhile, what about jobs? I have to admit that I started laughing when I saw The Wall Street Journal offering North Dakota as a role model. Yes, the oil boom there has pushed unemployment down to 3.2 percent, but that’s only possible because the whole state has fewer residents than metropolitan Albany — so few residents that adding a few thousand jobs in the state’s extractive sector is a really big deal. The comparable-sized fracking boom in Pennsylvania has had hardly any effect on the state’s overall employment picture, because, in the end, not that many jobs are involved. And this tells us that giving the oil companies carte blanche isn’t a serious jobs program. Put it this way: Employment in oil and gas extraction has risen more than 50 percent since the middle of the last decade, but that amounts to only 70,000 jobs, around one-twentieth of 1 percent of total U.S. employment. So the idea that drill, baby, drill can cure our jobs deficit is basically a joke. Why, then, are Republicans pretending otherwise? Part of the answer is that the party is rewarding its benefactors: the oil and gas industry doesn’t create many jobs, but it does spend a lot of money on lobbying and campaign contributions. The rest of the answer is simply the fact that conservatives have no other job-creation ideas to offer. And intellectual bankruptcy, I’m sorry to say, is a problem that no amount of drilling and fracking can solve. -- 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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No Nukes Summit — May 4-6
by Paul Wilson 15 Mar '12

15 Mar '12

If anyone is interested in attending this, you can camp out at my digs in Charles Town, and then we can carpool from Charles Town to the Takoma Park area. Maybe take the train in on Friday May 4th. Let me know..... No Nukes Summit — May 4-6<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=KcJzx8b6R1TAHC0iOkpsCQ>The Club’s No Nukes Team<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=-rPumWRJ1R6nWZ6zYr3Tww> invites Club members who want to help develop a national anti-nuclear campaign to gather at the Western Theological Union<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=P2p_-Ys8AIoCz8emDejHPQ> in Washington, D.C., May 4-6, 2012<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=mUmnsmFE4Ktsa9TmKkaQ2A> . <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=Q57LJc84H4Q18FsW99q9Rw> The Summit will feature presentations from national nuclear experts Kevin Kamps from Beyond Nuclear and Arjun Makhijani, author of *Carbon Free Nuclear Free.*There will also be sessions on the True Cost of Nukes, Nuclear Waste, Replacing Nuclear with Renewables and Efficiency, and How to Harness Online Tools and Social Media to Communicate, Collaborate, and Organize. To register, and find out more about lodging and transportation, go here<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=qgpCKxWZhUeOSsKALf6K8w>. There are a limited number of scholarships available for conference volunteers. Contact Leslie March <lesliemarch(a)hotmail.com> to find out more. -- 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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Today's good laugh
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 14 Mar '12

14 Mar '12

http://wvgazette.com/News/201203130215 Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Maloney's remark Tuesday that West Virginia politicians "just pull our pants down to get a cracker" has sparked criticism from state Democrats.

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Fwd: Weekly Swamp Stomp 72 - What is in fracturing fluid
by Paul Wilson 13 Mar '12

13 Mar '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <ddow420(a)comcast.net> Date: Tue, Mar 13, 2012 at 12:12 PM Subject: Fwd: Weekly Swamp Stomp 72 - What is in fracturing fluid fyi Begin forwarded message: *From: *Marc Seelinger <info(a)swampschool.org> *Date: *March 13, 2012 10:24:38 AM EDT * * Having trouble viewing this email? Click here<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/hostedEmail/1590580/09a19cfb798d5f…> [image: Swamp Schol Swamp Stomp] What are the fracturing fluids and where do they go? By The Swamp School There has been a controversy about fracking in recent days. Amongst many issues is the question of what exactly is in fracturing fluids and what happens to them. There are a number of answers to this that speak to proprietary recipes of the fracturing fluids. However, the folks at the American Petroleum Institute have identified a number of key ingredients. The largest ingredient is water. Over 90% of the fracturing fluids is made up of plain old water. Each well is estimated to need about 3 million gallons of water. So it is a lot of water. Where this water comes from is also an issue in and of itself. The second major ingredient is sand. The sand is used to provide void spaces in the shale once the the pressure from the fracking has been released. Approximately 9.5% of the fracturing fluids is comprised of sand. This needs to be mined and trucked in. Many fracking sites are miles from reliable sand borrow pits. The third ingredient are chemical additives. This is mainly to help float the sand and aid in the fracking process. This makes up about 0.5% of the fracturing fluids. These are some of the main ingredients. There are others, but it is sort of like the secret recipe for Coca Cola. It is a very closely guarded. Typical Chemical Additives Used in Frac Water Compound Purpose Common Application Acids Helps dissolve minerals and initiate fissure in rock (pre-fracture) Swimming pool cleaner Sodium Chloride Allows a delayed breakdown of the gel polymer chains Table Salt Polyacrylamide Minimizes the friction between fluid and pipe Water treatment, soil conditioner Ethylene Glycol Prevents scale deposits in the pipe Automotive anti-freeze, deicing agent, household cleaners Borate Salts Maintains fluid viscosity as temperature increases Laundry detergent, hand soap, cosmetics Sodium/Potassium Carbonate Maintains effectiveness of other components, such as crosslinkers Washing soda, detergent, soap, water softener, glass, ceramics Glutaraldehyde Eliminates bacteria in the water Disinfectant, sterilization of medical and dental equipment Guar Gum Thickens the water to suspend the sand Thickener in cosmetics, baked goods, ice cream, toothpaste, sauces Citric Acid Prevents precipitation of metal oxides Food additive; food and beverages; lemon juice Isopropanol Used to increase the viscosity of the fracture fluid Glass cleaner, antiperspirant, hair coloring What happens after the fracking is done? How much of the fracturing fluids are recovered? There are several ways oil and natural gas companies manage the use of fracturing fluids, depending on what specifically is in them, the presence of usable groundwater or surface waters, geography, and local, state, and federal regulations. Spent or used fracturing fluids are normally recovered at the initial stage of well production and recycled in a closed system for future use or disposed of under regulation, either by surface discharge where authorized under the Clean Water Act or by injection into Class II wells as authorized under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Regulation may also allow recovered fracturing fluids to be disposed of at appropriate commercial facilities. Not all fracturing fluid returns to the surface. Over the life of the well, some is left behind and confined by thousands of feet of rock layers. It is estimated that about 70% of the fracturing fluids are left in the ground. I hope that this helps. Cheers! - Marc Please note that this information does not constitute legal advice and is meant as informational only. It is strongly recommended that you seek the services of a competent environmental attorney for the interpretation of any legal or regulatory matter presented herein. New York Accreditation NEW for Engineers and Surveyors The Swamp School is now accredited by the New York State Education Department as an Approved Sponsor of Continuing Education for Engineers and Land Surveyors. Share: <https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/socialShare/1590580/09a19cfb798d5f…> <https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/socialShare/1590580/09a19cfb798d5f…> <https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/socialShare/1590580/09a19cfb798d5f…> Follow: <http://www.facebook.com/marc.seelinger> <http://twitter.com/SwampSchool> <http://swampschool.org/> March 13, 2012 V12, Issue 11 Subscribe to the Swamp Stomp Would you like your own copy of the Swamp Stomp delivered to your mail box each week? If so, please click HERE<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/6146/db4d52e0e7edece1/15…>to subscribe. Call Us Toll Free 1- 877- 479 - 2673 [image: CCMIT Logo]<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/6148/13c7d643947dbf16/15…> New Class - Baltimore, MD March 27, 2012 2012 Wetland Regional Supplements Updates Join us for this one-day seminar and get up to speed on all of the latest changes and updates to the US Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation methods. This class is perfect for wetland professionals who have been struggling with the new Regional Supplements. This is a great opportunity to go beyond the figuring it out on your own. You will be able to ask questions and clarify assumptions. More Information Here<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/6150/eb9b31b48e4c4cd3/15…> [image: Wetland Plants] New Class - Wetland Plant Identification The 100 Plants You Need to Know! Northeast Wetland Plant Identification June 13-14, 2012 Northeastern Pennsylvania More ==>HERE<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/6152/a3922b6efc3390c1/15…> [image: EMP]<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/6154/b41db486eb64b4d7/15…> 2012 Wetland Delineation Regional Supplement Training Class Schedule Check out our winter/spring lineup March - North Carolina<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/6160/8458ce365cca2663/15…> April - Pennsylvania<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/6162/7a1cf381baa9c4d5/15…> Online ==> HERE<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/6156/f4a65fce41e6b2a6/15…> Classroom ==> HERE<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/6158/718280619493e20c/15…> [image: Interesting Image] Wetland Webinars Live Online Workshops March 14, 2012 Making Jurisdictional Determinations<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/6164/213882a3b0f90815/15…> Re-Broadcast 2012 Wetland Status & Trends<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/6166/7d49cba9ed8aebe0/15…> Are you looking for a job? [image: Jobs]<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/6168/22e9c32b318165be/15…> Check out our newest online class<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/6170/a4ad51bcd400f203/15…> If you no longer wish to receive our emails, click the link below: Unsubscribe<https://swampschool.infusionsoft.com/app/optOut/0/c262bda13a6563ee/1590580/…> The Swamp School, LLC 702 Oberlin Road Suite 400 Raleigh, North Carolina 27605 United States 1 (877) 479-2673 <https://crm.infusionsoft.com/go/infs/3114367/html> -- 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: Re: Water bill
by James Kotcon 12 Mar '12

12 Mar '12

I am not sure if anyone else saw this, but SB 615, and the comparable SB 562 are on a fast track and are on the calendar for final passage today. These bills could easily reverse our victory before the EQB on the New Hill West permit in Morgantown. Jim Kotcon THE STATE JOURNAL: Bill aims to narrow scope of DEP water pollution permits Posted: Mar 08, 2012 5:57 PM EST Updated: Mar 08, 2012 8:52 PM EST By Pam Kasey The coal industry is backing a bill that would remove a provision in state water pollution discharge permits that requires compliance with all water quality standards. It's a provision the industry says applies, unfairly, only to coal. Although DEP representatives were unavailable to confirm or correct this at the time of this story, a quick review finds it in other water pollution discharge permits as well. Senate Bill 615, amending the state's Water Pollution Control Act, was introduced by Sens. Art Kirkendoll, D-Logan; Mike Hall, R-Putnam; Erik Wells, D-Kanawha; and Ron Stollings, D-Boone. The bill would insert new language into the Water Pollution Control Act stating, essentially, that compliance with effluent limits is compliance with the law. That sounds obvious, but West Virginia Coal Association Vice President Jason Bostic explained the meaning. The way it stands now, a coal mine operator's water pollution permit contains limitations for a number of pollutants. In addition, it includes language stating that, even if the permittee meets the pollution limitations specified in the permit, it also can't violate any other water quality standard. The industry wants that to stop, Bostic said. "That sets us up to get sued for things that aren't a parameter in our permit," he said. "Since they aren't in our permit, we aren't monitoring for them — so how would we know we're violating them?" "We've had notices of intent to sue for high conductivity," Bostic said — a water quality measure for which neither the state nor the federal government has set a water quality standard. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has, however, set a controversial benchmark for conductivity as a proxy for the tricky-to-implement biologic component of West Virginia's narrative water quality standard. "In concert with what EPA alleges, these anti-mining folks allege that high conductivity is violating the narrative water quality standards," he said. So a statement in a coal mine operator's water pollution discharge permit requiring the operator to meet not only its specific effluent limitations but also all of the state's other water quality standards is opening the operator to lawsuits. The requirement to meet all water quality standards does appear in other, non-coal water pollution discharge permits. The general permit for sewage systems treating less than 50,000 gallons per day, for example, reads, "The effluent or effluents covered by this permit are to be of such quality so as not to cause violation of applicable water quality standards adopted by the state Environmental Quality Board" — a function taken over by the DEP. A general stormwater construction permit reads, differently but relevantly, "This permit may be re-opened and modified, suspended, revoked and reissued or revoked at any time if information becomes available and demonstrates that the established controls do not attain and maintain the narrative water quality standards …" Bostic expressed further frustration over the fact that the Clean Water Act allows these suits to bypass state permitting and legal authority and go straight to federal court. "We're taking responsibility for the program away from the people of West Virginia and the Legislature and Department of Environmental Protection and putting it in the federal government's hands where it doesn't belong," he said. "It's certainly not supposed to be in front of a federal judge." The goal of the bill, he said, is to bring the coal program into conformity with the federal program and, in his mind, also with the non-coal industrial sector in West Virginia. "We want to get away from what has become a very hazardous situation where you have different rules that apply only to coal mining," he said. The bill will get its second reading on March 9 and will come to vote after its third reading on March 10.

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OOG has been busy today - comments open for pits
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 12 Mar '12

12 Mar '12

As it turns out, today, the OOG did set-up the functionality at http://www.dep.wv.gov/oil-and-gas/Horizontal-Permits/Pages/default.aspx as established in §22-6A-21 of H.B. 401 missing the deadline only short of 1 day. Make sure to explore, and join the OOG mailing list. Today they posted in the Public Notices Archive: 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/Documents/Centralized%20Pits--Design%20an… 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. -Jonathan

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Fwd: Hold Sen. Manchin accountable for his Keystone XL vote
by Paul Wilson 11 Mar '12

11 Mar '12

fyi, pls fwd to friends or post to other lists. thx, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Elijah Zarlin, CREDO Action <act(a)credoaction.com> Date: Sat, Mar 10, 2012 at 9:07 AM Subject: Hold Sen. Manchin accountable for his Keystone XL vote To: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> ** * "Keystone XL would make billions for Big Oil and endanger the American people and our economy. I will not forget your vote to put Big Oil ahead of the American people by forcing approval of Keystone XL, whatever the cost. I strongly urge you to reconsider your support for this dangerous and misguided project." <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5540426&id=36387-3414728-JZEPAUx&t=1> * [image: Take action now!]<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5540426&id=36387-3414728-JZEPAUx&t=2> [image: CREDO Action | more than a network, a movement.] *Hold Sen. Manchin accountable for voting to force approval of Keystone XL.<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5540426&id=36387-3414728-JZEPAUx&t=3> * Dear Paul, Big Oil thought they had it in the bag.1 And it sure was close. But on Thursday, after CREDO members made more than 6,000 calls to key senators in just over 24 hours, the Republicans' amendment to force approval of the Keystone XL pipeline failed by a vote of 56 — 42, short of the 60 votes required to pass.2 *No thanks to Sen. Manchin — who chose big oil over the safety of the American people, and voted to strip the State Department and President Obama of their authority to evaluate this project.* * Tell Sen. Manchin: I won't forget your vote to force approval of the dangerous Keystone XL pipeline.<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5540426&id=36387-3414728-JZEPAUx&t=4> * Eleven Democrats were either too oil-soaked or too seriously misinformed to stand up to Big Oil: Sens. Baucus (MT), Begich (AK), Casey (PA) Conrad (ND), Hagan (NC), Landrieu (LA), Manchin (WV), McCaskill (MO), Pryor (AR), Tester (MT), and Webb (VA) all voted to force approval of Keystone XL. *And indeed, The 56 senators who voted for the Hoeven amendment to force approval of Keystone XL have received 500% more money from oil interests in the current Congress than the senators who voted no.*3 Clearly, some senators are more afraid of being on the other side of that oil money than they are by the prospects of toxic oil spills in the Ogallala aquifer, or "game over" for the climate. Even though they lost the vote, thanks to the support of Sen. Manchin, oil companies and Republicans can now claim a bipartisan majority in favor of building Keystone XL, regardless of the cost. Which means Keystone XL will almost surely be back in Congress, and our activism will continue to be essential to stop it. * Please take this opportunity to let Sen. Manchin know you are disappointed in his vote, and urge him to reconsider his dangerous support for Keystone XL: * *http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5540427&id=36387-3414728-JZEPAUx&t=5 * As long as oil companies have money and the world wants to burn oil, there will be no end in the fight to stop Keystone XL and keep tar sands bitumen in the ground. * But defeating Keystone XL on Thursday in its first straight vote in the Senate is another strong affirmation of the power of our activism against it * — and the importance of continuing to pressure our leaders. Thanks for all you do. Elijah Zarlin, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=11&id=36387-3414728-JZEPAUx&t=6> 1. "Big Oil Messes Up and Announces Keystone XL Victory Before Realizing They Lost<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5539688&id=36387-3414728-JZEPAUx&t=7>," 350, 3/8/12 2. Senate Roll On the Hoeven Amdt. No. 1537<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5539633&id=36387-3414728-JZEPAUx&t=8>, 3/8/12 3. "Keystone Stopped (again), but Not For Want of Trying<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5539689&id=36387-3414728-JZEPAUx&t=9>," Oil Change International, 3/8/12 © 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=36387-3414728-JZEPAUx To change your email address or update your contact info, please visit: http://act.credoaction.com/subscrip/coa.html?id=36387-3414728-JZEPAUx -- 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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Public notification of drilling permits not set-up
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 10 Mar '12

10 Mar '12

The DEP hasn't set-up electronic notification for new drilling permits, yet. Isn't it now nearly 90 days? (bill passed December 14, 2011). In the Regulations: §22-6A-21. Establishment of public website information and electronic notification registry regarding horizontal well permit applications. (a) No later than ninety days after the effective date of this article, the secretary shall establish resources on the department's public website which will list searchable information related to all horizontal well applications filed in this state, including information sufficient to identify the county and approximate location of each horizontal well for which a permit application is filed, the referenced well application number, date of application, name of the applicant, and any written comments submitted by the public. (b) The secretary shall also establish a registration and e-notification process by which individuals, corporations and agencies may register to receive electronic notice of horizontal well applications filings and notices, by county of interest. Once established, individuals, agencies and corporations interested who are properly registered to receive e-notices of filings and actions on horizontal well permits shall receive electronic notifications of applications and notices of permits issued for horizontal drilling in their designated county or counties of interest. -Jonathan

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Chesapeake faces criminal Clean Water Act probe
by Frank Young 02 Mar '12

02 Mar '12

BlankWest Virginia media outlets are focusing in this morning on a report out of Oklahoma about Chesapeake Energy facing a criminal investigation of Clean Water Act violations at some of its operations here in West Virginia. http://blogs.wvgazette.com/watchdog/2012/03/02/chesapeake-faces-criminal-cl… Also: "Much of what (Aubrey) McClendon says is misleading – wind power is as cheap as gas in some places and falling fast, and cutting back on gas doesn’t have to mean burning more coal.", says Jeff Goodell, writing in rolling Stone. This is the same Aubrey McClendon who threw a hissy fit and cancelled plans for a regional Chesapeake Energy headquarters near Charleston because a Roane County jury returned a multi-million dollar verdict against Chesapeake after it swindled West Virginia mineral owners out of tens of million$ in royalty payments. Frank Young

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Complete Streets Webinar Today!
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 01 Mar '12

01 Mar '12

I have been looking for some people to attend this webinar, http://action.sierraclub.org/CompleteStreets , because alas, I have a Bicycle Board meeting at the exact same time, 7:00 p.m. Some of you probably know that there is (was) a really great Complete Streets bill in the Legislature. It was introduced by Delegate Nancy Guthrie, http://youtu.be/rp01FZdANPM. Later a Senate bill was introduced which was essentially a red herring. I have been told by someone who is in contact with AARP that both bills will not be up for vote because they are stuck in committee. The DOH is not happy with the bills, and has worked hard to weaken them. Another expert told me that, "The DOH has ultimate leverage on every public official in the state. The only way to pass something like this is through a statewide citizens' coalition. It will probably take some horrible accident to get it passed -- which is what happened in Illinois. We have to keep working to support the concept nevertheless." It sounds like we are going to need a focused campaign. In the seminar there will be people from Minnesota and Rhode Island Chapters speaking. In Minnesota, legislation has been successfully passed, and I hope you are as intrigued as me in finding out how that was accomplished. I know transportation issues do not always show up on everybody's radar screens, but as I am learning, more and more, with Complete Streets, besides the obvious gains, there will be a gain in Social Capital which will in turn improve WV's environment. Please attend if you can, and send back feedback. Thanks. -Jonathan

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Fwd: Dominion Career Opportunity - Environmental Specialist II - Please share this opportunity with others!!
by James Kotcon 29 Feb '12

29 Feb '12

FYI. Job Opportunity for people with air pollution experience in Clarksburg. Jim Kotcon >>> Nicole G Leggett <nicole.g.leggett(a)dom.com> 2/29/2012 4:37 PM >>> Hello! Dominion currently has an Environmental Specialist II position posted. Please share this opportunity with members of your organization/association and encourage those who might be interested to apply. I have included information about this job below. All applicants must apply at www.dom.com/careers. Thank you, About Us Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 28,200 megawatts of generation, 11,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,300 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates the nation's largest natural gas storage system with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 15 states. Posting Title Environmental Specialist II Job # 13712BR Location WV - Clarksburg Job Summary The successful candidate will have experience in the application for and compliance with air permits for the natural gas industry. Responsibilities to include: 1. Provide support to company management to incorporate regulatory air requirements in the development and completion of construction projects. Provide preparation and/or technical review of applications, studies, and reports, and lead negotiations to ensure timely issuance with favorable conditions. Provide support to field construction management to comply with regulatory requirements. 2. Provide regulatory analyses of NSPS, NESHAP, NSR and PSD for new and existing assets. 3. Preparation of air permit applications for natural gas compressor stations, processing facilities, dehydration units, turbines, and auxiliary generators. 4. Conduct permit condition review and tracking for operational compliance with permit conditions, Clean Air Act regulations, FERC requirements, and local requirements. 5. Coordinate resolution of potentially non-compliant situation representing Dominion to federal and state agencies. 6. Participate in agency meetings and inspections. 7. Maintain environmental compliance system related to air regulations, and complete annual, semi-annual reporting as required by Federal and State regulatory agencies. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities - Minimum of 5 years direct experience of air regulatory programs in natural gas industry - Knowledgeable or expert level understanding of air regulations to natural gas industry. - Proven ability to independently develop, implement; administer complex plans and processes for company Operations and Engineering. - Excellent communication skills to translate interpretations of and implementation plans for environmental regulation and regulatory compliance into understandable impacts to Operations, Engineering and Dominion Environmental Services. - Ability to diplomatically handle challenging situations with regulatory agencies, the public, or company personnel. - Knowledge of natural gas industry operations. - Apply writing skills to prepare and/or review compliance and regulatory documents. Excellent writing skills required. - Ability to work in a functionally diverse Team environment Education Preferred: Bachelors in Engineering or applied science Working Conditions 76% - 100% - Office Work Environment; Outdoors; Other Conditions: May be required to work in a field environment and exposed to extreme temperature and weather - 25 - 50% Additional Information We offer excellent plans and programs for employees. Employees are rewarded with a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package which may include: health benefits with coverage for families and domestic partners, vacation, retirement plans, paid holidays, tuition reimbursement, and much more. Dominion is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce. You can experience the excitement of our company—it’s the difference between taking a job and starting a career. Nicole Leggett Dominion HR Staffing Advanced Six Sigma Blue Belt One James River Plaza - Richmond, VA CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic message contains information which may be legally confidential and/or privileged and does not in any case represent a firm ENERGY COMMODITY bid or offer relating thereto which binds the sender without an additional express written confirmation to that effect. The information is intended solely for the individual or entity named above and access by anyone else is unauthorized. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the contents of this information is prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this electronic transmission in error, please reply immediately to the sender that you have received the message in error, and delete it. Thank you.

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End Mountaintop Removal - Week in Washington
by Jim Sconyers 29 Feb '12

29 Feb '12

*End Mountaintop Removal - Week in Washington (WIW) This is an exciting opportunity to join with hundreds of folks like you who want to end mountaintop removal. Lobby Congresspersons and Senators, share with other WIW participants, and more. Stay for the optional Day of Action! * Registration officially opens tomorrow, March 1 for The Alliance for Appalachia’s <http://www.theallianceforappalachia.org/> 2012 End Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington, happening June 2-6. To register early, click here<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHJHN3NpemtzYWV2TE1uX0…> . If you are seeking a scholarship, the deadline is Friday, April 6. Full and partial scholarships are available on a needs-basis. If you do not need funding support, the deadline is Sunday, April 15. If you can’t come but want to help, donate here<https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1741/t/6886/shop/custom.jsp?donate_pa…>to support the 6th Annual End Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington or to sponsor an attendee scholarship. Last year's Week in Washington was a tremendous success. More than 150 people from over 20 states came to Washington, holding over 200 meetings with Congressional offices, the EPA and the Obama administration. This year, participants will not only meet with their Congresspeople and agency officials, but also stand up and take action to stop mountaintop removal coal mining. *Yes, this year we will have a Day of Action to End Mountaintop Removal! * The 2012 elections mark a critical moment to make the issue of mountaintop removal coal mining a top priority issue in Washington. At Week in Washington, we’ll not only focus on how to work to end mountaintop removal in D.C., but how to fight this injustice in your local community. Can you join us this year in Washington? Click here<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHJHN3NpemtzYWV2TE1uX0…>to apply. We hope to see you in Washington! -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: Steel Interstate Campaign
by Jim Sconyers 27 Feb '12

27 Feb '12

Folks - Please take a look at this material about a campaign to upgrade expanded and faster rail transportation If you are interested in being the contact on this , please let me know. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Roger Diedrich <rdiedrich(a)cox.net> Date: Sat, Feb 25, 2012 at 6:01 PM Subject: Steel Interstate Campaign To: jimscon(a)gmail.com, gnuser(a)gmail.com Jim, Jonathan, For several years, the Virginia Chapter has had concerns about attempts to expand I-81 for trucks, although we have generally followed the lead of a separate organization, RAIL SOLUTION. While the proposal has been blunted, it is not dead, and we want to offer a positive alternative, hence the name of our partner organization, and the Steel Interstate concept. They would like to elevate the effort to a broader scale, and asked if the Sierra Club would take on such a role. This makes sense to us, as a general proposition. Such a campaign could be a part of the Club's Green Transportation Campaign. National staff tells us they are not positioned (funded) to take this on, but they are interested. The case can be made that moving freight to rail is an important GHG reduction strategy. So why are we approaching the WV Chapter? The corridor we are focused on runs from Memphis TN to Harrisonburg. PA, and only comes close to West Virginia. Somewhere I read that it might serve Martinsburg. Regardless, we are trying to enlist some level of support for the concept, so that the national folks can begin to see this as more of a regional, maybe even national effort. So you might be considered "in the I-81 Corridor". We would like to have you adopt a supporting resolution and designate a point of contact on an evolving campaign. It will be quite low key for now. Two resolutions are attached: one for general endorsement of the Steel Interstate concept and a second one for general endorsement of the concept and endorsement of the prototype demonstration. The second one can also be used as a model for any other regional initiative. The Virginia Chapter has adopted the regional version, although this looks to be a somewhat cleaner version. The SI concept is defined on this site: http://www.railsolution.org/projects/steel-interstate-demonstration.html Also, check out our Sierra Club Steel Interstate Team at: http://connect.sierraclub.org/Team/Steel_Interstate Maybe someone from your leadership would be willing to sign up as a member. Let me know your thinking on this, but perhaps I will give one of you a call in a few days. Roger Diedrich Smart Growth and Transportation Chair Sierra Club, VA Chapter 703-352-2410 -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Report: Increase Grassroot funding
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 27 Feb '12

27 Feb '12

This attached new report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy comes to the conclusion that in order to instill real environmental change, we need to be funneling a lot more funding into grassroot organizing, than we have been in the past. This makes good sense. Also, on page 16 is a photo of National BOD Lane Boldman (from KY who some of you may know) showing her protesting at the Keystone, XL protest in Washington, D.C. :) -Jonathan

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WVU Develops Marcellus Shale Air Monitoring System
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 23 Feb '12

23 Feb '12

This is refreshing to observe: http://www.wboy.com/story/16976388/wvu-develops-marcellus-shale-air-monitor… -Jonathan

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Give us your ideas for the gas campaign
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

Hello, We're looking for your best ideas on what the Club could do on the Natural Gas issue. To this end, we've launched a Web site for submitting these ideas. It's quite simple to use: 1. Go to http://sierraclub1.uservoice.com/forums/150010-what-should-the-club-do-on-n… 2. Enter your idea, or have a look around at existing ideas. 3. Once you enter an idea, you'll be asked to sign in - you can do this with either an email address or using your Facebook or Google (Sierra Club addresses work) credentials as a single-sign-on solution. Your ideas won't appear on these social networks - the buttons are only there to make login easier. 4. As a signed-in user, you can comment on existing ideas, or vote on them if you agree. This gives everyone a better idea of what the community feels is important. 5. You can have 10 votes or comments per month. This restriction will hopefully constrain ideas so that the best are elicited. 6. Note: This forum is 'open'. This is the only way we can accommodate the entire community. Please email webmaster(a)sierraclub.org with concerns. Thanks P.S. Please feel free to forward this to other Sierra Club members and activists.

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Fwd: Webinar Invitation: Register for Intro to Efficiency & Rate Making Webinar 3/8
by Jim Sconyers 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jennifer Miller <jen.miller(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Feb 22, 2012 at 1:22 PM Subject: Webinar Invitation: Register for Intro to Efficiency & Rate Making Webinar 3/8 To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Intro to Efficiency & Rate Making Webinar Join us on March 8, 2012 Afternoon Session: 3- 4PM EST -*OR-* Evening Session: 8- 9PM EST Free for all Sierra Club staff and volunteers! <https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/429251414> * * In traditional utility rate making, a utility makes more money when it sells more power. As coal fighters and efficiency advocates, we need to promote a new utility business model, which prioritizes investments in energy efficiency and helps us retire coal and other dirty forms of energy. This introductory, one-hour webinar is for Sierra Club staff and volunteers only and will be taught by a champion for the environment and consumers, Janine Migden Ostrander of the Regulatory Assistance Project. Building upon our recent Energy Efficiency 101 webinar, Janine will teach us the basics about energy efficiency and rate making. We will learn about different incentive mechanisms, decoupling, and much more. *Space is limited. * *Please choose the afternoon OR the evening session:* * * MAKE A RESERVATION FOR THE AFTERNOON SESSION AT 3:00 PM EST, BY CLICKING: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/42925141<https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/429251414> OR MAKE A RESERVATION FOR THE EVENING SESSION AT 8:00 PM EST BY CLICKING: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/623690126 ** After 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 Server Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer -- Jen Miller (614)563-9543 Senior Campaign Representative for Energy Efficiency Sierra Club National Beyond Coal Campaign pst....My work is now national, but I'm still based in Columbus( the Eastern Time Zone)! -- Jen Miller (614)563-9543 Senior Campaign Representative for Energy Efficiency Sierra Club National Beyond Coal Campaign pst....My work is now national, but I'm still based in Columbus( the Eastern Time Zone)! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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 -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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WV Solar Bill of Rights
by Jim Sconyers 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

Hi Folks - Have you signed the WV Solar Bill of Rights petition? It's more important than ever, as we push to get the bills through. If you haven't, please go to the link below to sign - and thank you! http://signon.org/sign/west-virginia-solar-bill.fb1?source=c.fb&r_by=2669423 -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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WV Solar Bill of Rights
by Jim Sconyers 20 Feb '12

20 Feb '12

I just signed a petition to The West Virginia State House: Support the Solar Bill of Rights - HB 2740 and 2741 - which would encourage home residential solar power. This reduces the need for new utility power plants and puts citizens in charge of their own electric power. You can sign it too at: http://signon.org/sign/west-virginia-solar-bill.fb1?source=c.fb&r_by=2669423 -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Re: [EC] Ken Ward in DAILY UPDATE 14 February 2012.
by Oliver Bernstein 19 Feb '12

19 Feb '12

The Tweeter in question has already been spoken to. Thanks Jim. Mary Anne Hitt is monitoring Ken's writings closely on this. On Feb 19, 2012, at 7:29 PM, James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> wrote: Sorry, I just ran across this. ken ward is one of the best environmental reporters in the state, and his blog is a must-read for anyone following the coal industry. I highlighted a key sentence in red. Thanks to Don Strimbeck for his daily round-up of the news. Jim Kotcon >>> "Donald C. Strimbeck" dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> 2/14/2012 4:05 AM >> Charleston Gazette Tuesday 14 February 2012: *Hoppy Kercheval continues pro-coal ‘puffery’* February 13, 2012 by Ken Ward Jr. It’s really no wonder that so many West Virginia political leaders won’t confront the coming crisis in our state’s coalfields.<http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2012/02/10/states-energy-spin-ignores…>That’s especially so if you just look at the media coverage these issues generally get from most of the state’s newspapers, television stations and radio outlets. There have been some noticeable improvements of late<http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2011/10/13/wake-up-call-more-media-st…>, but my buddy Hoppy Kercheval’s latest West Virginia MetroNews commentary shows how far our media have to go in doing their job of forcing powerful interests to confront what is — and perhaps isn’t — in the public interest. Hoppy’s headline is “Environmental puffery<http://www.wvmetronews.com/hoppy.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=50873>,” and it focuses on the Sierra Club reaction to last week’s announcement of power plant closings by FirstEnergy<http://wvgazette.com/News/MiningtheMountains/201202080125>. Hoppy writes: *The closings are a tough blow for those communities; jobs are lost and tax revenue from the utilities will dry up.* *“This is going to take a pretty big chunk out of the operating budget of the town,” said Rivesville Mayor Jim Hershman, who worked at the power plant for 25 years.* *The Sierra Club is positively euphoric. The environmental organization’s “Beyond Coal” campaign is geared toward shutting down all coal-fired power plants.* *“The retirements represent a major improvement in the lives of local residents, who have been exposed to pollution from these plants for decades,” read a statement from the Sierra Club.* *I suspect the Sierra Club might have trouble getting laid off workers or the leaders of a community that will have trouble paying the bills for street lights to join them in the victory dance.* Now, there’s no question that some people within the Sierra Club are pretty darned tone-deaf when it comes to how their campaigns are viewed in communities that still rely so heavily on the coal industry … for example, one of the group’s bloggers and magazine writers posted on Twitter<https://twitter.com/#!/paulrauber>after the First Energy announcement: *Boom boom boom, another one bites the dust…* But Hoppy’s commentary didn’t mention that the Sierra Club also hosted a meeting in Albright<http://www.statejournal.com/story/16534879/with-planning-power-plant-closur…>, one of the communities where FirstEnergy is closing a plant, to try to get the conversation going about how the closure might impact local residents and what alternatives might be once that closure happened. The effort was modeled after a successful collaboration in Washington state, where a coal plant closure was phased in and the company put together a $50 million fund to help ease the impacts and move toward cleaner energy. In West Virginia, Sierra Club officials tried to get FirstEnergy involved in such an effort in Preston County — but the company couldn’t be bothered to show up for a town meeting. Hoppy also took the Morgantown City Council to task for approving a resolution in support of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas pollution to deal with the climate crisis: *So Jackson, who has done more than any one individual in recent history to undermine fossil fuel production in this country, now has the town fathers in the middle of coal and gas country on her side. And the City of Morgantown is doing its best United Nations imitation.* And he wraps it all up by arguing that coal isn’t going away anytime soon, citing recent statements from new AEP CEO Nick Akins: *The inevitable energy transition that’s taking place in this country is going to be a long, drawn out affair. American Electric Power President and CEO Nick Atkins said earlier this week “We’ll still need coal” for the foreseeable future. “If someone is trying to eliminate that, it’s just not going to happen.”* *Maybe the adversaries of fossil fuels actually know that, which is why they are reduced to relishing their small victories and embellishing their meaningless symbolism.* As did other media who quotes Akins without reservation, Hoppy ignores that, while coal overall is expected to remain a major part of the energy picture <http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=4950>, production from Appalachian — especially Central Appalachia — is expected to decline significantly over the next 25 years<http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2010/01/19/must-read-report-the-decli…>. No honest forecast ignores this trend — but Hoppy, much of the media, and West Virginia political leaders insist on pretending this crisis isn’t waiting out there for us. I tuned into my local MetroNews station this morning, to see if perhaps Hoppy was going to be talking about what state officials should be doing to plan for the coming coal collapse … but all I heard was a Friends of Coal ad. This entry was posted on Monday, February 13, 2012 at 10:47 am <DUNKARD CREEK-14FebY2K12.doc>

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Fw: Ken Ward in DAILY UPDATE 14 February 2012.
by James Kotcon 19 Feb '12

19 Feb '12

Sorry, I just ran across this. ken ward is one of the best environmental reporters in the state, and his blog is a must-read for anyone following the coal industry. I highlighted a key sentence in red. Thanks to Don Strimbeck for his daily round-up of the news. Jim Kotcon >>> "Donald C. Strimbeck" dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> 2/14/2012 4:05 AM >> ( mailto:dcsoinks@comcast.net ) Charleston Gazette Tuesday 14 February 2012: Hoppy Kercheval continues pro-coal ‘puffery’ February 13, 2012 by Ken Ward Jr. It’s really no wonder that so many West Virginia political leaders won’t confront the coming crisis in our state’s coalfields. ( http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2012/02/10/states-energy-spin-ignores… ) That’s especially so if you just look at the media coverage these issues generally get from most of the state’s newspapers, television stations and radio outlets. There have been some noticeable improvements of late ( http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2011/10/13/wake-up-call-more-media-st… ), but my buddy Hoppy Kercheval’s latest West Virginia MetroNews commentary shows how far our media have to go in doing their job of forcing powerful interests to confront what is — and perhaps isn’t — in the public interest. Hoppy’s headline is “Environmental puffery ( http://www.wvmetronews.com/hoppy.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=50873 ),” and it focuses on the Sierra Club reaction to last week’s announcement of power plant closings by FirstEnergy ( http://wvgazette.com/News/MiningtheMountains/201202080125 ). Hoppy writes: The closings are a tough blow for those communities; jobs are lost and tax revenue from the utilities will dry up. “This is going to take a pretty big chunk out of the operating budget of the town,” said Rivesville Mayor Jim Hershman, who worked at the power plant for 25 years. The Sierra Club is positively euphoric. The environmental organization’s “Beyond Coal” campaign is geared toward shutting down all coal-fired power plants. “The retirements represent a major improvement in the lives of local residents, who have been exposed to pollution from these plants for decades,” read a statement from the Sierra Club. I suspect the Sierra Club might have trouble getting laid off workers or the leaders of a community that will have trouble paying the bills for street lights to join them in the victory dance. Now, there’s no question that some people within the Sierra Club are pretty darned tone-deaf when it comes to how their campaigns are viewed in communities that still rely so heavily on the coal industry … for example, one of the group’s bloggers and magazine writers posted on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/#!/paulrauber ) after the First Energy announcement: Boom boom boom, another one bites the dust… But Hoppy’s commentary didn’t mention that the Sierra Club also hosted a meeting in Albright ( http://www.statejournal.com/story/16534879/with-planning-power-plant-closur… ), one of the communities where FirstEnergy is closing a plant, to try to get the conversation going about how the closure might impact local residents and what alternatives might be once that closure happened. The effort was modeled after a successful collaboration in Washington state, where a coal plant closure was phased in and the company put together a $50 million fund to help ease the impacts and move toward cleaner energy. In West Virginia, Sierra Club officials tried to get FirstEnergy involved in such an effort in Preston County — but the company couldn’t be bothered to show up for a town meeting. Hoppy also took the Morgantown City Council to task for approving a resolution in support of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas pollution to deal with the climate crisis: So Jackson, who has done more than any one individual in recent history to undermine fossil fuel production in this country, now has the town fathers in the middle of coal and gas country on her side. And the City of Morgantown is doing its best United Nations imitation. And he wraps it all up by arguing that coal isn’t going away anytime soon, citing recent statements from new AEP CEO Nick Akins: The inevitable energy transition that’s taking place in this country is going to be a long, drawn out affair. American Electric Power President and CEO Nick Atkins said earlier this week “We’ll still need coal” for the foreseeable future. “If someone is trying to eliminate that, it’s just not going to happen.” Maybe the adversaries of fossil fuels actually know that, which is why they are reduced to relishing their small victories and embellishing their meaningless symbolism. As did other media who quotes Akins without reservation, Hoppy ignores that, while coal overall is expected to remain a major part of the energy picture ( http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=4950 ), production from Appalachian — especially Central Appalachia — is expected to decline significantly over the next 25 years ( http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2010/01/19/must-read-report-the-decli… ). No honest forecast ignores this trend — but Hoppy, much of the media, and West Virginia political leaders insist on pretending this crisis isn’t waiting out there for us. I tuned into my local MetroNews station this morning, to see if perhaps Hoppy was going to be talking about what state officials should be doing to plan for the coming coal collapse … but all I heard was a Friends of Coal ad. This entry was posted on Monday, February 13, 2012 at 10:47 am

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Fwd: AAAS Science Meeting Coverage on Fracking
by Paul Wilson 19 Feb '12

19 Feb '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <DDOW420(a)comcast.net> Date: Fri, Feb 17, 2012 at 11:38 AM Subject: AAAS Science Meeting Coverage on Fracking [image: Sciencenow Logo][image: Up to the minutes news from science][image: Main Image]<http://app.aaas-science.org/e/er?s=1906&lid=12192&elq=f9bed8ca410a4a6382e9e…>Mixed Verdict on Fracking<http://app.aaas-science.org/e/er?s=1906&lid=12192&elq=f9bed8ca410a4a6382e9e…> No evidence that hydraulic fracturing for gas contaminates groundwater, report finds, but problems exist at the surface. -- 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 Efficient West Virginia Alert!
by Jim Sconyers 17 Feb '12

17 Feb '12

Important - We need to help two very important energy bills - now! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Molly McLaughlin <molly.eewv(a)gmail.com> Date: Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 9:25 PM Subject: [eewv] Energy Efficient West Virginia: February 13 Weekly Update To: eewv(a)lists.riseup.net Be sure to visit and share EEWV's website - www.eewv.org - so you can stay up to date on Energy Efficiency during the legislative session. Here is this week's update! * * *Take Action! Email Senator Palumbo!* * * *Support Least Cost Planning Legislation by emailing Senator Palumbo *at corey.palumbo(a)wvsenate.gov. Appalachian Power, Mon Power and Potomac Edison are working hard to stop this bill, but we can't let them. Email Senator Palumbo and let him know you want him to support lower utility rates. Here is a sample of what to say in your email: *Hi Senator Palumbo, > > Please put a strong version of SB162, the Integrated Resource Planning > bill, in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee for a vote. We need a > bill that requires power companies to identify the resources that will > serve customers at the "lowest system cost" so that the PSC can effectively > manage electric rates. > > Least cost planning will save us money. Putting a strong version of this > bill on the agenda will show you’re against rate increases. Please pass > Senate Bill 162 without amendments.* > *Email Senator Palumbo today. <corey.palumbo(a)wvsenate.gov>* Once you've emailed him, send this email to your friends and family so that they can support S.B. 162 and lower utility rates, too. * * *Legislative Update* - The Least Cost Planning Bill, S.B. 162, has not been put on the agenda for the Senate Judiciary Committee yet, despite the support of the majority of committee members, because of opposition from the power companies. These companies know that West Virginians are upset about the drastic electricity rate increases, but don't want to stop. *Now, more than ever, it is important that you call Senator Palumbo and insist he run a strong S.B. 162. * See the action alert above for how you can email Senator Palumbo in support of this bill. Here is a link to the bill<http://www.legis.state.wv.us/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb162%20int…> . - The Energy Efficiency Resource Standard Bill has not been introduced yet.* We need you to email Delegate Miley and the other members of the House Judiciary Committee and pressure them to put this bill on the agenda. *Here's how <http://www.eewv.org/contacting-your-legislators>. We'll let you know as soon as the bill is introduced. *Energy Efficiency "Call your Legislators" Lunch!* * * *Who: *YOU! *What:* Energy Efficiency "Call your Legislators" Lunch *When: *February 16, 11AM - 1PM *Where:* Downstream Strategies 295 High Street Morgantown, WV Lunch will be provided. Link to the Facebook Event<https://www.facebook.com/events/364150090261978/> . Join Energy Efficient West Virginia (EEWV) on February 16 from 11AM - 1PM to learn about two energy efficiency related bills the WV State Legislature is considering this year and to call your legislators and let them know West Virginians NEED Energy Efficiency. Over t*he past three years, the average West Virginian’s utility bill has increased by 30-60%. Many families in West Virginia spend one-fourth of their incomes on utilities and rates are still increasing. Something needs to change. Energy efficiency in West Virginia will lower utility bills, create jobs and make our state healthier and happier to live in.* * * *Join EEWV as we learn about these bills and the potential of energy efficiency in West Virginia and then call our legislators and let them know West Virginians NEED energy efficiency.* Because lunch will be provided, please RSVP to molly.eewv(a)gmail.com if you plan to attend. *Questions?* Email Molly at molly.eewv(a)gmail.com or visit our website at www.eewv.org. -- Molly McLaughlin Energy Efficient West Virginia www.eewv.org -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: Intro to Efficiency and Utility Rate Making
by Jim Sconyers 14 Feb '12

14 Feb '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Becki Clayborn <becki.clayborn(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Tue, Feb 14, 2012 at 12:19 PM Subject: Intro to Efficiency and Utility Rate Making To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org To: Coal-Campaign-Alerts(a)lists.sierraclub.org From: Jen Miller via Becki Clayborn Save the Date! Intro to Efficiency and Utility Rate Making March 8, 2012 @ 3PM EST and 8PM EST In traditional utility rate making, a utility makes more money when it sells more power. As coal fighters and efficiency advocates, we need to advocate for a new utility business model which prioritizes investments in energy efficiency and helps us retire coal and other dirty forms of energy. This introductory webinar is for Sierrans only and will be taught by a champion for the environment and consumers, Janine Migden Ostrander of the Regulatory Assistance Project. Building upon our recent Energy Efficiency 101 webinar, Janine will teach us the basics about energy efficiency and ratemaking. We will learn about different incentive mechanisms, decoupling, and much more. Watch for a future email with registration information! thanks jen -- Jen Miller (614)563-9543 Senior Campaign Representative for Energy Efficiency Sierra Club National Beyond Coal Campaign pst....My work is now national, but I'm still based in Columbus( the Eastern Time Zone)! -- 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 Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fw: PATH Disappears from AEP Investor Call
by Frank Young 11 Feb '12

11 Feb '12

WordPress.com ----- Original Message ----- From: The Power Line To: fyoung(a)mountain.net Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2012 7:56 PM Subject: [New post] PATH Disappears from AEP Investor Call New post on The Power Line PATH Disappears from AEP Investor Call by Bill Some of us read the quarterly investor call transcripts, so you don't have to. Here is the latest from AEP. You can also find the accompanying slide show at this link. One thing you won't find in Nick Akins' presentation or in his slide show is any mention of PATH. Look at slides 14 and 39 where Akins touts AEP's transmission joint ventures. See PATH there? Didn't think so. It looks like AEP has moved on. As Mr. Akins says, we helped AEP "refocus" their transmission strategy away from big projects: Unlike previous presentations where we were dealing with long-term-type projects, it was very difficult to project out the earnings potential of transmission. Everyone wondered, "Well, okay, when, it's great to talk about the project, but when are the earnings going to happen?" And our transmission organization has been refocused on developing those short-term projects and real projects through the Transco development and specific joint ventures associated with smaller, less-lead-time, more -- less-risky projects, going forward. And We fully expect transmission to continue to increase at this, at a pretty rapid rate, but we want to make sure that we only show you the projects we actually know of. And then there's other joint-venture projects that are in discussions, as you might suspect, because AEP is a great partner, people recognize AEP is a great partner. "[P]rojects we actually know of?" So you don't "know of" PATH, or you have forgotten about it? And how did you like that "great partner" stuff? Akins also states that AEP will be trying to get their AEP Transco recognized as a utility in WV. One more item from the conference call that should interest WV rate payers. AEP is selling all of Ohio Power's share in the John Amos power plant and the Mitchell plant near Moundsville to Appalachian Power. That means that APCo's capital rate base will increase, which will surely lead to another big APCo base rate increase on top of the big increases of the last five years. Akins says this increase will be offset by increased capacity payments that will be captured by APCo, but that remains to be seen. Bill | February 11, 2012 at 7:56 pm | Tags: Power Companies & PATH | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/piwFb-1ud 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/2012/02/11/path-disappears-from-aep-investor-ca… Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

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Marcellus Zoning Meeting
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 10 Feb '12

10 Feb '12

This is the next strategy Morgantown is looking at in regards to the Shale Gas industry. This is a public meeting., everyone is invited. Below sent by Heather Digman: The City of Morgantown will hold a workshop to discuss proposed zoning regulations regarding Extractive Industries on Monday February 20th at 6pm in City Council Chambers. As a key stakeholder in this industry we would like to invite you to please attend this workshop. Thank you, and please contact me with any questions, comments, or ideas. Heather Extractive Industries Planning and Zoning Workshop Planning Commission President Peter DeMasters has, in accordance with the Planning Commission's Bylaws, duly called a workshop. The purpose of the workshop will be to study the issue of extractive industries under the Planning and Zoning Code. Workshops are not considered regular or special meetings and may not include the formal conduct of business, the rendering of decisions, or taking action for which the Commission is charged. Workshops are open to the public and are intended to serve as training, study, public education, etc. Heather Whitmore Dingman, AICP Principal Planner City of Morgantown, WV 304.284.7431 <tel:304.284.7431>

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WV Press on plant closings
by James Kotcon 09 Feb '12

09 Feb '12

Thanks to Don Strimbeck for collecting these. We might want to consider how to capitalize on the quote below from First Energy. They want to blame the closure on EPA rules, but the reality is they can't even justify further maintenance, let alone needed pollution controls. But they do get to mislead politicians like our Governor who are looking for excuses to curry favor with the coal industry. How might we on the front lines use media to highlight this disconnect? (I share Jim Sconyer's concern that this has to be about local people, the Bloomberg contribution is being used to attack us here). "FirstEnergy spokesman Mark Durbin said his company chose the closer closure date because it couldn't justify additional capital expenditures for maintenance and other projects at the West Virginia plants if they were going to close in a few years anyway." Jim Kotcon P.S. I wonder if that quote is an acknowledgment that they knew they were going to lose on the coal ash lawsuit? Charleston Gazette: February 8, 2012 3 W.Va. plants latest to close under utility restructuring By Ken Ward Jr. ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/contact/xjneq+jitnmrggr+pbz+return=/News/2012… ) The Charleston Gazette CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Three FirstEnergy power plants in West Virginia will close in September in the latest move by a utility to shutter decades-old units that can't meet new federal air quality standards that limit mercury and other toxic pollutants. Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy said it would shut down the Albright Power Station in Preston County, the Rivesville Power Station in Marion County and the Willow Island Power Station in Pleasants County. Together, seven boilers at the three plants have electric generating capacity of about 660 megawatts, about the equivalent of a medium-sized modern coal plant. All three facilities date back to the 1940s and 1950s. They were not equipped with the latest pollution control devices, and FirstEnergy used all three in recent years on a very limited basis to provide power in times of peak demand. James R. Haney, president of West Virginia operations for FirstEnergy, cited high costs to implement the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards as the reason for his company's action. FirstEnergy said 105 employees at the plants are affected, but that some will be considered for openings within the company or may accept special retirement packages. The EPA air toxics rule has become a new focus for industry officials, coalfield business groups and regional political leaders who complain the Obama administration is waging a "war on coal" aimed at shutting down all mining. "This is another example of how the EPA is costing us good jobs in West Virginia and throughout Appalachia," Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said in a prepared statement. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson says the rule was needed to cut emissions of mercury and toxic air pollutants like arsenic and cyanide. EPA estimates the new standards will prevent up to 96 premature deaths in West Virginia, while creating up to $790 million in health benefits in 2016. Also, EPA officials note that proven pollution controls are already available -- and in use at more than half of the nation's power plants -- to meet the new limits. FirstEnergy, for example, has announced no plans to close three of its much larger plants in West Virginia, Fort Martin Power Station in Monongalia County, Harrison Power Station north of Clarksburg, and Pleasants Power Station, located adjacent to Willow Island. Each of those facilities has nearly twice the generating capacity of the three plants targeted for closure combined. Each has been outfitted with expensive scrubbers that, while designed to cut sulfur dioxide emissions, help reduce air toxics as well. "When the older coal-fired plants are retired and removed from FirstEnergy's competitive and regulated generating fleet, nearly 100 percent of the power provided will come from resources that are non- or low-emitting, including nuclear, hydro, pumped-storage hydro, natural gas and scrubbed coal units," FirstEnergy said in a prepared statement. Last month, the West Virginia Sierra Club sponsored a meeting in Preston County, to try to begin a discussion among local citizens and FirstEnergy about the Albright plant's future, the impact of a potential closure, and other economic opportunities for the area. FirstEnergy officials did not attend, because the company had not yet announced a final decision on the facility. "Our goal was to engage FirstEnergy in a discussion about beginning a transition to cleaner energy sources," said the Sierra Club's Jim Kotcon. "There is a lot of concern there. FirstEnergy is a major taxpayer in the county." Kotcon said the meeting was modeled in part after work the Sierra Club did that led to a deal last year with TransAlta to phase out Washington State's only coal-fired power plant and create a $60 million fund to help the community there transition away from economic reliance on the facility. "We think something like that has to happen in a lot of areas," Kotcon said. "We see a continued decision to reduce use of coal-fired electricity as the health impacts become more obvious. Kotcon noted that FirstEnergy's closure date for the three West Virginia plants, as well as six other plants in Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania, was Sept. 1, 2012, two years before the first compliance dates in EPA's new air toxics rule. FirstEnergy spokesman Mark Durbin said his company chose the closer closure date because it couldn't justify additional capital expenditures for maintenance and other projects at the West Virginia plants if they were going to close in a few years anyway. But when American Electric Power announced similar plant closures in West Virginia, it set the deadline as Dec. 31, 2014, when the EPA rules were expected to kick in. Kotcon said public officials and companies in the coalfields need to give workers and communities more time to ease such transitions as coal production drops and more plants move away from coal. "It's important to being the path toward transition so we don't end up with more communities where a company just announces they are closing a plant," Kotcon said. Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kw...(a)wvgazette.com ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/contact/xjneq+jitnmrggr+pbz+return=/News/2012… ) or 304-348-1702. "When the older coal-fired plants are retired and removed from FirstEnergy's competitive and regulated generating fleet, nearly 100 percent of the power provided will come from resources that are non- or low-emitting, including nuclear, hydro, pumped-storage hydro, natural gas and scrubbed coal units," FirstEnergy said in a prepared statement. Last month, the West Virginia Sierra Club sponsored a meeting in Preston County, to try to begin a discussion among local citizens and FirstEnergy about the Albright plant's future, the impact of a potential closure, and other economic opportunities for the area. FirstEnergy officials did not attend, because the company had not yet announced a final decision on the facility. "Our goal was to engage FirstEnergy in a discussion about beginning a transition to cleaner energy sources," said the Sierra Club's Jim Kotcon. "There is a lot of concern there. FirstEnergy is a major taxpayer in the county." Kotcon said the meeting was modeled in part after work the Sierra Club did that led to a deal last year with TransAlta to phase out Washington State's only coal-fired power plant and create a $60 million fund to help the community there transition away from economic reliance on the facility. "We think something like that has to happen in a lot of areas," Kotcon said. "We see a continued decision to reduce use of coal-fired electricity as the health impacts become more obvious. Kotcon noted that FirstEnergy's closure date for the three West Virginia plants, as well as six other plants in Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania, was Sept. 1, 2012, two years before the first compliance dates in EPA's new air toxics rule. FirstEnergy spokesman Mark Durbin said his company chose the closer closure date because it couldn't justify additional capital expenditures for maintenance and other projects at the West Virginia plants if they were going to close in a few years anyway. But when American Electric Power announced similar plant closures in West Virginia, it set the deadline as Dec. 31, 2014, when the EPA rules were expected to kick in. Kotcon said public officials and companies in the coalfields need to give workers and communities more time to ease such transitions as coal production drops and more plants move away from coal. "It's important to being the path toward transition so we don't end up with more communities where a company just announces they are closing a plant," Kotcon said. Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kw...(a)wvgazette.com ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/contact/xjneq+jitnmrggr+pbz+return=/News/2012… ) or 304-348-1702. THE STATE JOURNAL: FirstEnergy to snuff Albright, Rivesville, Willow Island plants Posted: Feb 08, 2012 10:20 AM EST Updated: Feb 08, 2012 1:21 PM EST By Pam Kasey FirstEnergy announced Feb. 8 that 105 employees will be affected when its Monongahela Power Co. subsidiary retires its three oldest, least efficient and most polluting power plants in the state later this year. Albright Power Station in Preston County, Willow Island Power Station in Pleasants County and Rivesville Power Station in Marion County are to be closed by Sept. 1, the company said in a media release. The company cited environmental regulations as its reason for closing the plants. All are more than 50 years old and all are without advanced environmental controls and their closure has been widely expected. Some of the 105 affected employees will be considered for open positions at other FirstEnergy locations, the media release said. Severance benefits will apply to those eligible, and an additional unspecified benefit is being offered to those who are eligible for retirement, the company said. The three plants total 660 megawatts of generating capacity, about 3 percent of FirstEnergy's generation portfolio. Because they are expensive to run, though, they serve mostly as peaking plants and generate on average less than 1 percent of electricity produced by the company over the past three years. Among West Virginia-based power plants, the three facilities represented about two-tenths of a percent of generation and about 1 percent of coal burned for power in 2010. FirstEnergy announced last month that it would retire six older coal-fired power plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland by Sept. 1. Those plants total 2,700 megawatts' capacity and their closures affect 529 employees. The company said that, since the Clean Air Act became law in 1970, FirstEnergy and its predecessor companies have invested more than $10 billion in environmental protection. Since 1990, it has reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides by more than 76 percent, sulfur dioxide by more than 86 percent and mercury by about 56 percent. After Sept. 1, when these nine plants have been retired, nearly 100 percent of FirstEnergy's power will come from resources that are non- or low-emitting, including nuclear, hydro, pumped-storage hydro, natural gas and scrubbed coal units. Gov. Early Ray Tomblin issued a statement following the announcement urging the EPA to reconsider the effect of environmental regulations. "This is another example of how the EPA is costing us good jobs in West Virginia and throughout Appalachia," Tomblin said. "When the EPA adopts regulations they continue to fail to take into account the real-life effects these rules have on hard working Americans like those who have dedicated themselves to First Energy at the West Virginia locations. I urge the EPA to respectfully and accurately review the entire impact of their decisions-from environmental to economical- because individuals, families and communities are forever changed by their short-sighted decisions." DOMINION POST Thursday 9 February 2011: Albright Power Station to close Sept. 1 Its 61 employees can apply for other FirstEnergy jobs BY MICHELLE WOLFORD The Dominion Post KINGWOOD — FirstEnergy announced Wednesday it will close its Albright Power Station on Sept. 1. Also to be closed are the Willow Island and Rivesville facilities. Willow Island is 22 miles from Parkersburg on the Ohio River. The Rivesville plant is on the Monongahela River in Marion County. Ray Evans, executive director of FirstEnergy’s Environmental division, said the employees — 61 at Albright, nine at Rivesville and 35 at Willow Island — can bid on other positions with the company, accept an enhanced retirement package or accept a severance package. The announcement came just two weeks after the company announced it would close six coal-fired plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Those closings will impact more than 500 employees. New Environmental Protection Agency Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) set to take effect in 2015 are the reason for the plant shutdowns. “We looked at the MATS and we didn’t see a way forward for [the Albright] plant,” Evans said. “The high cost to implement MATS and other environmental rules is the reason these Mon Power plants are being retired,” James R. Haney, regional president of Mon Power and president of West Virginia operations for FirstEnergy, said in a statement. After Sept. 1, the company will secure the plant from unauthorized access, remove the chemicals and make sure all ongoing environmental obligations are met, Evans said. “In the next four to five years, we’ll be coming up with strategies for reuse of the plant. We have no firm plans now for this site.” Economic impact Robbie Baylor, executive director of the Preston County Economic Development Authority, said the agency is saddened to learn of plans to retire the Albright facility. “The Albright Station has been a stable contributor to the economy of Preston County for over 50 years,” Baylor said. “It will be difficult to replace the jobs and the revenue the station and the people working at the station bring to the Preston County community. We plan to work with Mon Power and the County Commission to make this closure as unproblematic as possible for all concerned. We have already offered to provide any assistance needed to help workers at the plant find alternate employment if they choose not to stay with Mon Power after the Albright facility closes.” Preston County Commissioners called the announcement “a blow” to the community. “Our first concern is with the families of those who will lose their jobs,” said Commission President Craig Jennings. Also impacted will be the “trickle down” industries — those who do business directly with the plant including trucking companies and tire shops, stores whose customers come from those businesses. “It’s a blow to us as elected officials and the fiscal agents of the county. It’s a blow to those who are losing their jobs, some of them the second generation working there. We’ve got a lot to do. This is the third major loss to the county [Mathews Bronze cut its workforce and Whitetail Mine shut down in 2009] and its hard to replace those.” “It’s a hard hit for the community and those employees,” Commissioner Dave Price said. Jennings said commissioners plan to meet with FirstEnergy “to ask them to at least fulfill their obligation to the schools for the bond. If they don’t help with that, it will fall back to the taxpayers.” The economic impact of the plant’s closing isn’t clear, Baylor said, though she said FirstEnergy did tell her it paid $2.7 million in taxes to West Virginia for the Albright plant alone. The taxes to be paid to the state in 2013 as the result of plant retirement is estimated at $48,000, Baylor said the company told her. She said it was unknown how much would be returned to Preston County. Preston County Assessor Terri Funk said she asked the State Tax Department for “its best estimate of what we would lose annually if we would lose the power plant.” The estimate is $849,196, including about $19,400 to the city of Kingwood. Each of the county’s municipalities also receives utility taxes from that money, as does the board of education. Marion County Assessor Jim Priester said that county saw “a $12 million loss in property value last year,” but couldn’t provide a dollar amount lost. ‘It makes me sad’ Charlie Wilson, of Kingwood, worked at both the Rivesville and Albright plants, and was at Albright in 1952 when the power station went online. He retired in 1982. “I started at Rivesville in August of 1951 when I got out of the service,” he said. “It was an old plant then. It was 1919 when it first went online.” The Albright Power Station “operated pedal to the metal for many, many years,” he said, but “it has gotten old and not nearly as efficient as some of the newer units. As new stations came on, Albright carried less and less of a load.” When he learned the plant is slated to be retired in September, Wilson said, “It makes me sad for the people that are going to be disrupted by it.” The plant “was a good part of my life,” the 84-yearold said. “It provided a good, steady job and decent wages, and an opportunity to provide for myself and my family. I’ll say this about that plant: I was never on strike and never missed a day’s work that was the company’s fault, and I never missed a payday.” “I hate to see the plant close, but the biggest factor has to be the environmental considerations. It just wouldn’t be cost-efficient to put scrubbers on it,” Wilson said. A $50 million grant to the Sierra Club, which the nonprofit boasted would be used to shut down coal-fired plants, probably didn’t help the plant’s chance of survival, he said. Lawmakers react “This is another example of how the EPA is costing us good jobs in West Virginia and throughout Appalachia,” Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said in a release. “When the EPA adopts regulations they continue to fail to take into account the real-life effects these rules have on hard working Americans like those who have dedicated themselves to FirstEnergy at the West Virginia locations. I urge the EPA to respectfully and accurately review the entire impact of their decisions — from environmental to economical — because individuals, families and communities are forever changed by their short-sighted decisions.” Delegate Larry Williams, D-Preston, said FirstEnergy told him it would take $300 million to upgrade the Albright plant to new EPA standards. Converting to natural gas is also not cost-effective for the company, he said. Williams said he also asked about demolition, if that’s in the works, and water impoundment. “These are questions that need to be part of the planning and analysis of what’s going to happen at that site,” he said. Williams said he met with Tomblin’s office about the plant closing. The governor’s office will offer economic development personnel to work with Preston County’s Economic Development Authority to see what jobs and businesses can be brought to the county. REPORTER DAVID BEARD contributed to this article. Sierra Club: Closings a victory for clean air BY MICHELLE WOLFORD The Dominion Post KINGWOOD — The closing of three power plants in West Virginia is “a victory for clean air and local residents’ health,” a Sierra Club release said. The three plants — Albright, Rivesville and Willow Island, near Parkersburg — are slated for retirement Sept. 1 as a result of new Environmental Protection Agency regulations, according to FirstEnergy, which owns the power stations. “In total, these closures will bring 660 megawatts of dirty, dangerous pollution to an end,” Sierra Club said. “The retirements represent a major improvement in the lives of local residents, who have been exposed to the pollution from these plants for decades. “Pollution from coal-fired power plants contributes to respiratory illnesses and asthma attacks, heart disease and cancer. Closure of these three plants will prevent approximately 40 premature deaths, 64 heart attacks and 620 asthma attacks, according to the Clean Air Task Force,” the release said. “This is good news for West Virginia, because those plants will no longer be polluting our air and water like they have been for 60 years,” said Jim Sconyers, chairman of the West Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club. “We want to ensure that the company has made a commitment to their workforce’s welfare once these plants close.” “Closing these old dirty plants is only the beginning of the responsibility that FirstEnergy owes to the surrounding communities. Instead of using public health safeguards as an excuse for the closure of three old and unnecessary plants, they need to increase investments in energy efficiency and create new jobs to assist the workers and community with a smooth transition to a clean energy future,” said Sierra Club Environmental Justice Organizing Representative Bill Price. The Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign works in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and a nationwide coalition to retire onethird of the nation’s aging coal plants by 2020, replacing them with clean energy such as wind and solar by 2030, according to the release. The environmental group, along with West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, has sued FirstEnergy over “the illegal construction of Albright’s coal ash dumps.” In January, it hosted a forum in Albright to discuss the future of the plant. FirstEnergy did not send a representative, but Preston County Commissioners and local members of the state legislature attended. “These three plants bring the tally of coal plant retirements to 95 since the Sierra Club began its Beyond Coal campaign in 2002,” according to the release. Charles Wilson, of Kingwood, worked at both Rivesville and Albright for 30 years before his retirement in 1982. He said the Sierra Club bragged when it got the Bloomberg grant that “they could use it to close these coal-fired plants.” “Renewable power sources such as wind, solar and hydro can’t sustain the electrical grid as we know it, and demand that it be without the steady, versatile and reliable generation furnished by fossil fuel plants and nuclear. These furnish 50-60 percent of the nation’s base load,” Wilson said. “I think people want to do away with reliable generation before there is something to replace it. It was probably a factor in the closing of the Albright plant.”

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ALBRIGHT and two more FE plants to be retired
by Frank Young 08 Feb '12

08 Feb '12

"The high cost to implement MATS and other environmental rules is the reason these Mon Power plants are being retired," said James R. Haney, regional president of Mon Power and president of West Virginia Operations for FirstEnergy. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Shanda Minney <sminney(a)wvrivers.org> Date: Wed, Feb 8, 2012 at 9:27 AM Subject: Re: Notices Out today To: Mike Becher <mbecher(a)appalachian-center.org> Cc: Jim Sconyers <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com>, Jim Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu>, Cindy Rank <clrank2(a)gmail.com>, Josh Stebbins <Josh.Stebbins(a)sierraclub.org>, Zachary Fabish <Zachary.Fabish(a)sierraclub.org> Dear All, I wanted to make sure you all had seen this announcement. Shanda http://www.marketwatch.com/story/firstenergy-citing-impact-of-environmental… FirstEnergy, Citing Impact of Environmental Regulations, Will Retire Three Coal-Fired Power Plants in West Virginia AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. /quotes/zigman/201722/quotes/nls/fe FE -0.30% announced today that its Monongahela Power Company (Mon Power) subsidiary will be retiring three older coal-fired power plants located in West Virginia by September 1, 2012. The decision to close the plants is based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), which were recently finalized, and other environmental regulations. The following plants will be retired: Albright Power Station, Willow Island Power Station, and Rivesville Power Station. In total, 105 employees will be directly affected. The total capacity of these regulated plants is 660 megawatts (MW), about 3 percent of FirstEnergy's total regulated and competitive generation portfolio. Recently, these plants served mostly as peaking facilities, generating, on average, less than 1 percent of the electricity produced by FirstEnergy over the past three years. Mon Power recently completed a yearlong study of its older, unscrubbed regulated coal-fired units to determine the potential impact of significant changes in environmental regulations. It was determined that additional investments to implement MATS and other environmental rules would make these plants even less likely to be dispatched. As a result, the decision was made to retire these West Virginia plants rather than continue operations. This follows FirstEnergy's announcement last month that its competitive generation subsidiaries would retire six older, coal-fired power plants located in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland by September 1, 2012. "The high cost to implement MATS and other environmental rules is the reason these Mon Power plants are being retired," said James R. Haney, regional president of Mon Power and president of West Virginia Operations for FirstEnergy. The number of affected employees could be less than 105 as some will be considered for open positions at other FirstEnergy facilities and work locations. In addition, existing severance benefits will apply to eligible affected employees and certain employees may take advantage of an additional benefit being offered to those who are eligible for retirement. All of the recently announced plant retirements are subject to review for reliability impacts, if any, by PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization that controls the area where they are located. Since the Clean Air Act became law in 1970, FirstEnergy and its predecessor companies have invested more than $10 billion in environmental protection efforts. Since 1990, FirstEnergy has reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides by more than 76 percent, sulfur dioxide by more than 86 percent and mercury by about 56 percent. When the older coal-fired plants are retired and removed from FirstEnergy's competitive and regulated generating fleet, nearly 100 percent of the power provided will come from resources that are non- or low-emitting, including nuclear, hydro, pumped-storage hydro, natural gas and scrubbed coal units. FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies comprise the nation's largest investor-owned electric system. Its diverse generating fleet features non-emitting nuclear, scrubbed coal, natural gas, and pumped-storage hydro and other renewables, and has a total generating capacity of nearly 23,000 megawatts. ........ SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp. Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved .... 'forward looking' statements at the link above....

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ARTICLE: AIR SAMPLES FROM NATURAL GAS FIELD REVEAL HIGH METHANE EMISSIONS
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 08 Feb '12

08 Feb '12

[image: Scientific American] <http://www.scientificamerican.com/> Permanent Address: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=air-sampling-reveals-high-… Air Sampling Reveals High Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Field<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=air-sampling-reveals-high-…> Methane leaks during production may offset climate benefits of natural gas | Tuesday, February 7, 2012 | 2<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=air-sampling-reveals-high-…> Advertisement By Jeff Tollefson of *Nature* <http://www.nature.com/news> magazine When US government scientists began sampling the air from a tower north of Denver, Colorado, they expected urban smog--but not strong whiffs of what looked like natural gas. They eventually linked the mysterious pollution to a nearby natural-gas field, and their investigation has now produced the first hard evidence that the cleanest-burning fossil fuel might not be much better than coal when it comes to climate change. Led by researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Colorado, Boulder, the study estimates that natural-gas producers in an area known as the Denver-Julesburg Basin are losing about 4% of their gas to the atmosphere--not including additional losses in the pipeline and distribution system. This is more than double the official inventory, but roughly in line with estimates made in 2011 that have been challenged by industry. And because methane is some 25 times more efficient than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere, releases of that magnitude could effectively offset the environmental edge that natural gas is said to enjoy over other fossil fuels. "If we want natural gas to be the cleanest fossil fuel source, methane emissions have to be reduced," says Gabrielle Pétron, an atmospheric scientist at NOAA and at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and first author on the study, currently in press at the *Journal of Geophysical Research*. Emissions will vary depending on the site, but Pétron sees no reason to think that this particular basin is unique. "I think we seriously need to look at natural-gas operations on the national scale." The results come as a natural-gas boom hits the United States, driven by a technology known as hydraulic fracturing, or `fracking', that can crack open hard shale formations and release the natural gas trapped inside. Environmentalists are worried about effects such as water pollution, but the US government is enthusiastic about fracking. In his State of the Union address last week, US President Barack Obama touted natural gas as the key to boosting domestic energy production. *Lack of data* Natural gas emits about half as much carbon dioxide as coal per unit of energy when burned, but separate teams at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded last year that methane emissions from shale gas are much larger than previously thought. The industry and some academics branded those findings as exaggerated, but the debate has been marked by a scarcity of hard data. "It's great to get some actual numbers from the field," says Robert Howarth, a Cornell researcher whose team raised concerns about methane emissions from shale-gas drilling in a pair of papers, one published in April last year and another last month (R. W. Howarth et al. Clim. Change Lett. 106, 679-690; 2011 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0061-5>; R. W. Howarth *et al. Clim. Change* in the press). "I'm not looking for vindication here, but [the NOAA] numbers are coming in very close to ours, maybe a little higher," he says. Natural gas might still have an advantage over coal when burned to create electricity, because gas-fired power plants tend to be newer and far more efficient than older facilities that provide the bulk of the country's coal-fired generation. But only 30% of US gas is used to produce electricity, Howarth says, with much of the rest being used for heating, for which there is no such advantage. *On the scent* The first clues appeared in 2007, when NOAA researchers noticed occasional plumes of pollutants including methane, butane and propane in air samples taken from a 300-metre-high atmospheric monitoring tower north of Denver. The NOAA researchers worked out the general direction that the pollution was coming from by monitoring winds, and in 2008, the team took advantage of new equipment and drove around the region, sampling the air in real time. Their readings led them to the Denver-Julesburg Basin, where more than 20,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled during the past four decades. Most of the wells in the basin are drilled into `tight sand' formations that require the same fracking technology being used in shale formations. This process involves injecting a slurry of water, chemicals and sand into wells at high pressure to fracture the rock and create veins that can carry trapped gas to the well. Afterwards, companies need to pump out the fracking fluids, releasing bubbles of dissolved gas as well as burps of early gas production. Companies typically vent these early gases into the atmosphere for up to a month or more until the well hits its full stride, at which point it is hooked up to a pipeline. The team analysed the ratios of various pollutants in the air samples and then tied that chemical fingerprint back to emissions from gas-storage tanks built to hold liquid petroleum gases before shipment. In doing so, they were able to work out the local emissions that would be necessary to explain the concentrations that they were seeing in the atmosphere (see `A losing battle<http://www.nature.com/news/air-sampling-reveals-high-emissions-from-gas-fie…>'). Some of the emissions come from the storage tanks, says Pétron, "but a big part of it is just raw gas that is leaking from the infrastructure". Their range of 2.3-7.7% loss, with a best guess of 4%, is slightly higher than Cornell's estimate of 2.2-3.8% for shale-gas drilling and production. It is also higher than calculations by the EPA, which revised its methodology last year and roughly doubled the official US inventory of emissions from the natural-gas industry over the past decade. Howarth says the EPA methodology translates to a 2.8% loss. The Cornell group had estimated that 1.9% of the gas produced over the lifetime of a typical shale-gas well escapes through fracking and well completion alone. NOAA's study doesn't differentiate between gas from fracking and leaks from any other point in the production process, but Pétron says that fracking clearly contributes to some of the gas her team measured. Capturing and storing gases that are being vented during the fracking process is feasible, but industry says that these measures are too costly to adopt. An EPA rule that is due out as early as April would promote such changes by regulating emissions from the gas fields. Officials with America's Natural Gas Alliance, based in Washington DC, say that the study is difficult to evaluate based on a preliminary review, but in a statement to *Nature* they add that "the findings raise questions and warrant a closer examination by the scientific community". Environmental groups are pushing the EPA to strengthen pollution controls in the pending rule, but industry is pushing to relax many of the requirements. Many companies are already improving their practices and reducing emissions throughout the country, either voluntarily or by regulation, the alliance says. Not all studies support the higher methane numbers. Sergey Paltsev, assistant director for economic research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative in Cambridge, and his colleagues are gathering information about industry practices for a study on shale-gas emissions. He says that their figures are likely to come in well below even the lower EPA estimate. He calls the NOAA results "surprising" and questions how representative the site is. Pétron says that more studies are needed using industry inventories and measurements of atmospheric concentrations. "We will never get the same numbers," she says, "but if we can get close enough that our ranges overlap in a meaningful way, then we can say we understand the process." *This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine *Nature*. It was **first published*<http://www.nature.com/news/air-sampling-reveals-high-emissions-from-gas-fie…> * on February 7, 2012*. Scientific American is a trademark of Scientific American, Inc., used with permission © 2012 Scientific American, a Division of Nature America, Inc. All Rights Reserved. -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel 304-342-5588 Fax 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: More environmental rules needed for shale gas, says geophysicist
by Paul Wilson 07 Feb '12

07 Feb '12

More environmental rules needed for shale gas, says geophysicist<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/-5E…> Posted: 06 Feb 2012 11:41 AM PST In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama praised the potential of the country's tremendous supply of natural gas buried in shale. But the "Halliburton exclusion" passed by Congress says gas companies don't have to disclose the chemicals used in fracturing fluids. That was a real mistake because it makes the public needlessly paranoid, says a geophysicist. -- 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: Sierra Club and fracking money article
by Paul Wilson 06 Feb '12

06 Feb '12

See the article at the link below. WV SC Leaders Jim Sconyers and Beth Little were told by Michael Brune that SC did NOT receive donations from Chesapeake Energy. fyi, paul w ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <ddow420(a)comcast.net> fyi- an alternative perspective on the Club's fracking gate controversy Begin forwarded message: *From: *Patricia Matejcek <patachek3(a)gmail.com> *Date: *February 3, 2012 9:58:27 PM EST *To: *CONS-WPST-COASTOCEAN-FORUM(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG *Subject: **Sierra Club and fracking money article* * * since I sent out M. Brune's post, I thought you should have this one, too ~ http://www.counterpunch.org/**2012/02/03/the-sierra-club-** took-millions-from-fracking-**industry/<http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/02/03/the-sierra-club-took-millions-from-f…> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-WPST-COASTOCEAN-FORUM list, send any message to: CONS-WPST-COASTOCEAN-FORUM-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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FW: [wvec-board] E-Day Flyer
by Yarnell, Karen 04 Feb '12

04 Feb '12

I see that WVSC is listed as a participant. That's great! Even though WVCAG has promoted this day as a joining of all progressive groups, E Day is separate and occupies the top floor. My understanding is that other progressive groups who had chosen the same day will be located on the lower level. Jim, can you please send out the flyer to the SC membership? ________________________________ From: wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com [wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com] on behalf of Denise Poole [deniseap(a)earthlink.net] Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 7:15 PM To: wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: [wvec-board] E-Day Flyer Attached: One file, 2 pages. 1st page: E-Day at the Capitol. 2nd page: E-Day Benefit & Award Dinner. Print, use, send out as you feel appropriate ... Write up and agenda is also in this weeks legislative update, going out to e-list any moment now. See many of you Wednesday. Denise Denise Poole, WVEC deniseap(a)earthlink.net<mailto:deniseap%40earthlink.net> (304) 617-7073

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Hearing on EPA research about Pavillion
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 04 Feb '12

04 Feb '12

This is what Josh Fox tried to film. You can watch the Inquisition "hearing" for Pavillion athttp://science.edgeboss.net/wmedia/science/sst2012/020112.wvx <http://science.edgeboss.net/wmedia/science/sst2012/020112.wvx> Additional information is at http://science.house.gov/hearing/energy-and-environment-subcommittee-epa-hy… -Jonathan

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Electric energy bill - We need your help!
by Jim Sconyers 02 Feb '12

02 Feb '12

In the PATH fight, we had legislative wins every year for the last three years. Now that PATH is on hold, some of us have been working with Energy Efficient West Virginia and the WV Environmental Council to go on the offensive in some broader issues connected to the WV electrical system.**** ** ** This year, we are working to pass Senate Bill 162 which would establish a least cost planning process (also known as Integrated Resource Planning, or IRP) in WV. 27 other states have created these processes. In an IRP system, power companies are required to provide the state PSC with the *full * range of options, along with a cost/benefit analysis of each option, for meeting the state electrical needs, both in terms of demand and reliability. **** ** ** John Christensen from the WV E-Council and Cathy Kunkel from EEWV are working hard to move SB162 through the Legislature in the current session. We have a really good chance of getting it through, because there is strong support from legislators to hold down electric rates. The Senate leadership, primarily Senate Majority Leader John Unger, has been very helpful. Because the bill was introduced directly into the Senate Judiciary Committee by Sen. Dan Foster (D, Kanawha), once the bill passes that committee, it will go directly to the Senate floor for a vote.**** ** ** Currently, the WV PSC has no mechanism for influencing or directing how power companies make the investment or spending decisions that have driven up our electric rates over 40% in the last 5 years. Least cost planning has the potential to hold down future rate increases by allowing the PSC, CAD and intervenors in rate cases to use the plan to argue against certain choices that power companies make that lead to higher rates. A WV least cost planning process would:**** ** ** **1. **Give ratepayers an opportunity to comment on power company plans during the creation of the plan, instead of being forced to challenge individual decisions in rate cases, after those decisions have already been made by power companies,**** **2. **Give citizens, the Consumer Advocate and PSC staff a tool to push the power companies toward increasing efficiency programs and demand management, instead of simply building more plants and buying more electricity,**** **3. **Open real discussion at the PSC about the real costs and benefits of existing generation technologies in comparison with home/business based renewable power generation.**** ** ** We have thought, for the past week, that Sen. Corey Palumbo, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee was ready to put SB162 on the committee agenda for passage. Power company lobbyists have swooped in and are trying to gut the bill. AEP subsidiary Appalachian Power CEO Charles Patton made a special trip to the Capitol yesterday to talk with Chairman Palumbo and sponsor Sen. Foster. That is how worried the power companies are about having their decisions reviewed openly in public.**** ** ** So we need your help to keep power company changes from diluting SB162. Right now, we need you to contact by email or phone the following members of the Senate Judiciary Committee listed below. Our message is simple: Please (always say please) keep SB162 in its introduced form, without changes or amendments. That is all we need at this point.**** ** ** *We need you to make these contacts today Feb. 2 or tomorrow Feb. 3, to be effective*. If you cannot make these contacts now, do it on Monday. If you only want to contact a few people, Sen. Palumbo and Sen. Foster are the most important, because they are the only people actively involved in any revisions to the bill before it goes to the full committee for a vote. Please contact all committee members if you can.**** ** ** Here is some more detailed background, which you do not have to mention in your message to senators. AEP subsidiary CEO Patton wants the language in the original bill changed to the language in the current, very weak, VA IRP statute. Here is a link to the original SB162<http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb162%20int…>written by Cathy Kunkel, as introduced by Sen. Foster. Compare our strong bill with the weak language in the VA statute here<http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+56-599> .**** ** ** The VA statute contains only very vague language about public participation being *heard* and limits consideration to only a few factors in power company investment. Our bill is much stronger. Patton also wants us to use the words *Integrated Resource Planning* instead of the words *least cost planning* in our bill, because he does not want the focus on cutting power company costs, leaving them more wiggle room with the PSC. We believe that we can compromise here, as long as the goal of IRP is identified as finding the lowest cost resources in the definition of IRP at the end of the bill.**** ** ** If we can get an acceptable bill out of Senate Judiciary, which appears likely, and if enough of us contact committee members to help them resist the power companies, we may only need to ask you for another round of contacts when SB162 gets to House Judiciary, in about 2 weeks.**** ** ** Please take a moment and copy the pre-formatted email address list below into your email address field and change the field from *to* to *bcc*. Type in the following: Please pass SB162 without changes; or something like that in the subject field and type an email saying simply that you would like the committee to pass SB162 as introduced by Sen. Foster without any changes or amendments. You may also want to remind them that this is the best way to minimize future electric rate increases.**** ** ** Thanks for your help on this. We will keep you updated as the bill moves along.**** ** ** Here is the current contact list for Senate Judiciary Committee members:**** ** ** Cut and paste email addresses:**** ** ** corey.palumbo(a)wvsenate.gov, mark.wills(a)wvsenate.gov, bob.beach(a)wvsenate.gov, richard.browning(a)wvsenate.gov, john.fanning(a)wvsenate.gov, daniel.foster(a)camc.org, evan.jenkins(a)wvsenate.gov, art.kirkendoll(a)wvsenate.gov, orphy.klempa(a)wvsenate.gov, joe.minard(a)wvsenate.gov, herb.snyder(a)wvsenate.gov, greg.tucker(a)wvsenate.gov, john.unger(a)wvsenate.gov, bob.williams(a)wvsenate.gov, clark.barnes(a)wvsenate.gov, karen.facemyer(a)wvsenate.gov, dcnohe(a)suddenlink.net**** ** ** Here are phone numbers:**** ** ** Sen. Palumbo, chair (304) 357-7880**** Sen. Wills, vice chair (304) 357-7843**** Sen. Beach (304) 357-7919**** Sen Browning (304) 357-7807**** Sen. Fanning (304) 357-7867**** Sen. Foster, sponsor of SB 162 (304) 357-7866**** Sen. Jenkins (304) 357-7956**** Sen. Kirkendoll (304) 357-7857**** Sen. Klempa (304) 357-7918**** Sen. Minard (304) 357-7904**** Sen. Snyder (304) 357-7957**** Sen. Tucker (304) 357-7906**** Sen. Unger (304) 357-7933**** Sen. Williams (304) 357-7995**** Sen. Barnes (304) 357-7973**** Sen. Facemyer (304) 357-7855**** Sen. Nohe (304) 357-7970 You have received this e-mail because you opted to do so. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list please click here<http://www.fatcow.com/utils/UnSubscribeMe.bml?Name=moo.forreliablepowercom&…> -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: Re: FYI
by James Kotcon 01 Feb '12

01 Feb '12

To the Energy Committee: As we start to look at power plant closures, the issue of "reliability" of the electric power supply is likely to be raised as an excuse to keep these plants open. I fear that, instead of closing old inefficient plants, the utilities will push for dramatic rate increases to install scrubbers, and that our "Friends of Coal" legislators will do whatever it takes to support that goal. You will certainly here stories of the California energy crisis of 1999-2000 when blackouts and brownouts were threatened. You will almost certainly NOT hear that this "crisis" was almost entirely manufactured by ENRON and that the "crisis" was averted almost exclusively through the use of efficiency mandates. By switching to a "time of use" metering, consumers were charged extra for using electricity during peak periods, and responded almost overnight by shifting much of their electricity use to off-peak hours. As new air rules are implemented, we need to be ready to respond quickly. The attached new report, and the press release below, identify an over-looked linkage between air regulatory and electric rate regulatory agencies. Certainly, West Virginia DEP does not consider efficiency as a viable alternative to pollution controls or look at it as an alternative to new power plants. The report documents that energy efficiency programs can both lower electric rates and reduce air pollution much more cheaply than new capacity. Please read it carefully. I suggest that this report is a vehicle to begin that debate with both WV-DEP and the Public Service Commission. Whaddya Tink? Jim Kotcon >>> Bill Price <bill.price(a)sierraclub.org> 1/31/2012 7:33 PM >>> For those who want the actual report, see the PDF file attached. On Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 7:18 PM, Jim Sconyers <jimscon(a)gmail.com> wrote: If you get a copy of the report please forward it. To get it requires more personal info than I wanted to give. On Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 1:10 PM, Bill Price <bill.price(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: Energy Efficiency Is the Right Track for Clean Air Energy Efficiency Should Be a Compliance Strategy for States and Utilities to Cost Effectively Achieve the Goals of Federal Air Regulations Washington, D.C. (January 31, 2012): A new report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) reveals how energy efficiency can be used by states, policymakers, and utilities developing compliance strategies to meet the goals of federal air regulations. As mandated under the Clean Air Act, a suite of upcoming air regulations will impose limits on the emissions of multiple air pollutants. The report, entitled Energy Efficiency: The Slip Switch to a New Track Toward Compliance with Federal Air Regulations (http://aceee.org/research-report/e122 ( http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=4rt7cun6&et=1109185591504&s=1510&e=001X0jmecb… )), maps opportunities in these new regulations where energy efficiency can be used as a compliance tool. "Although energy efficiency is our cheapest, cleanest, and quickest energy resource, it has often been ignored as a strategy for compliance with air regulations. But now the political, economic, and regulatory environments have aligned. We are on the threshold of a unique opportunity, a tipping point for energy efficiency," said Sara Hayes, ACEEE Senior Policy Analyst and lead author of the report. "We selected major opportunities where energy efficiency can have a big impact. We unearthed a collection of good stories about what has already been tried and we found that there are some very promising opportunities. Energy efficiency can play a major role in regulations like the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), and multiple federal permitting rules," said Rachel Young, Research Analyst ACEEE and coauthor of the report. This report is the second in the "Path to Compliance" series by ACEEE that outlines a track for the U.S. to transition to a cleaner, more reliable energy future. The first paper in this series, Avoiding a Train Wreck: Replacing Old Coal Plants with Energy Efficiency (http://www.aceee.org/white-paper/avoiding-a-train-wreck ( http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=4rt7cun6&et=1109185591504&s=1510&e=001X0jmecb… )), explains that energy efficiency is a low-cost approach to reducing air pollution. The analysis shows that energy efficiency can be deployed much more quickly than a new power plant can be constructed and explains how energy efficiency is America's greatest untapped energy resource with massive potential. "In our current economic climate, states and utilities need a cost-effective solution to reducing pollution, complying with EPA regulations, and maintaining reliable electricity for customers. The recommendations in this report will help to reduce emissions at the lowest cost," said Steven Nadel, Executive Director of ACEEE. -- Bill Price, Organizing Representative Sierra Club Environmental Justice Program Beyond Coal to Clean Energy Campaign Phone: 304-389-8822 ( tel:304-389-8822 ) (Cell) Email: bill.price(a)sierraclub.org -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 ( tel:304.698.9628 ) Remember, Mother Nature bats last. -- 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

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Fwd: Outrageous! Power Companies Offer $30M Bribe to the National Park Service in New Jersey Power Line Case
by Paul Wilson 29 Jan '12

29 Jan '12

please fwd this to others. thx, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Keryn Newman <Keryn(a)stoppathwv.com> Date: Sat, Jan 28, 2012 at 3:33 PM Subject: Outrageous! Power Companies Offer $30M Bribe to the National Park Service in New Jersey Power Line Case To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com Recently, the PATH Companies have requested that the National Park Service continue to hold their application to cross the Appalachian Trail, Harpers Ferry National Park and the C&O Canal in continued abeyance indefinitely. We are watching this development and will let you know when it is time to take action on the PATH EIS application. ** ** In a separate but related matter, we are asking you to please take two minutes out of your busy day to let the National Park Service know what you think about the outrageous $30M *mitigation package* offered by Public Service Gas & Electric (NJ) and PPL Electric Utilities (PA) in exchange for the Park Service issuing them a permit to cross the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and the Appalachian Trail with their Susquehanna-Roseland 500kV transmission project. This matters to us because it is part of the ongoing attempt by utility companies to find ways to assert corporate influence over citizen interests, inflate project costs to ratepayers, and sets a dangerous precedent for other EIS evaluations. Just as PATH was an unneeded, profiteering boondoggle, so is Susquehanna-Roseland. ** ** Back in November, the Park Service recommended *No Action* as the environmentally preferred alternative response to the Susquehanna-Roseland application. This would result in a denial of the application. In reply, the power companies offered to purchase at least $30M of inferior land adjacent to the current park and donate it to the Park Service or other environmental/conservation groups. They contend that this will somehow * mitigate* the new 200 – 380 ft. wide right-of-way and 195 ft. tall towers plowing through some of the most scenic vistas in the existing park. ** ** A deal is rumored to have been worked out between corporate lobbyists and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Park Service Director Jon Jarvis. The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) said, *The Secretary and the Director have unofficially committed to the companies that the NPS will select Alternative 2, the alternative preferred by the companies but which is the most damaging to the resources and scenery of the parks.* ** ** In addition, the cost of the $30M *mitigation package* will be added to the cost of the transmission project that will be recovered from all electric consumers in the PJM Region in their monthly electric bills for the next 50 years. The power companies will also earn a 12.93 percent profit every year on the cost of their $30M inducement. The effect of this is that you will pay for *mitigation* of damage caused to your park by corporations who will see profit on the cost of the *mitigation *paid for by you. Private, for-profit corporations are using YOUR money to bribe a federal agency to squander YOUR national parks! ** ** We ask that you let the National Park Service know what you think about the proposition of the power companies by submitting your comments on the Environmental Impact Statement (instructions below). Comments will close on *January 31,* so your immediate action is needed! We also encourage you to forward and share this with all your friends via email, facebook or other social networking. To read more details about the situation, visit http://www.stoppathwv.com/stoppath-wv-blog.html or http://calhounpowerline.com/ ** ** To comment, visit the Susquehanna-Roseland Park Service Comment Form, http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?parkID=220&projectID=25147&… quickly and easily submit your comments to the Park Service online. Below is suggested text to be copied and pasted into the comments field, but as always, we encourage you to edit and personalize your message. ** ** Suggested text: As a citizen stakeholder of our national parks and an electric consumer in the PJM Interconnection region responsible for the cost of the Susquehanna Roseland transmission line project, I wholeheartedly support the *No Action* environmentally preferred Alternative 1 recommended in the draft EIS.**** ** ** It is unconscionable that the National Park Service would even consider the mitigation package offered by the applicants in return for approving their application to spoil several of our national parks. The transmission line will severely and permanently alter the park. We can never recover a natural resource that is thoughtlessly squandered in pursuit of corporate profit.**** ** ** In addition, I strongly object to the National Park Service accepting a $30M inducement from for-profit corporations in exchange for permission to lay waste to a public asset, held in trust by the NPS for the benefit of all citizens. The cost of mitigation will become the financial responsibility of myself and the 61 million other electric consumers in the PJM Interconnection region via cost allocation of the transmission rate for this project, which was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The $30M price of mitigation offered to the Park Service will be added to the cost of the transmission project, which will be reimbursed by ratepayers to the applicants over the next 50 years. In addition, the corporate investment in the transmission line will earn them a 12.93% return on the depreciating value of the mitigation package, and other assets, for each and every one of those 50 years. This proposed use of money out of my pocket to mitigate damage to my park caused by corporations, who earn a profit on this damage, is ludicrous.**** ** ** I encourage the NPS to select Alternative 1 in the final EIS. Our precious, dwindling natural resources should never be *for sale* to the highest corporate bidder.**** ** ** ** ** ** ** You have received this e-mail because you opted to do so. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list please click here<http://www.fatcow.com/utils/UnSubscribeMe.bml?Name=moo.keryn&List=biglist1&…> -- 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: Major Victory for Clean Air: First Energy to Retire Six Coal Plants in OH, PA, and MD!
by Paul Wilson 27 Jan '12

27 Jan '12

fyi, incase you did not hear about this..... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)prodigy.net> Date: Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 2:24 PM Subject: Major Victory for Clean Air: First Energy to Retire Six Coal Plants in OH, PA, and MD! To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Congratulations to the Sierra Club's teams and our allies who worked hard to get this huge win! Verena Friend<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/TellAFriend?page=http%3A%2F%2Faction.sier…> View as web page<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=Ps67cfKgaYBsnol64jZcEQ>Sent to verena_owen(a)prodigy.net. Not you? Sign up here<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=0jhmfCiy6VzQYXmIeA8elQ> . [image: Sierra Club Press Release] ------------------------------ [image: Share this page on Facebook]<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=z_OjMQMBT4pXb5hgvT468A>[image: Share this page on Twitter]<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=80dXhSVF441wo2x1t_mt-Q>[image: Share this page with other services]<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=-1qUdaQ07d2abeL1k1dLdg> *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE* *January 26, 2012* *Contact:* Claire Orphan, Sierra Club 312.251.1680 x146 or claire.orphan(a)sierraclub.org *Major Victory for Clean Air: First Energy to Retire Six Coal Plants* *Utility to retire six coal-fired power plants, following national trend of coal losing ground to clean energy* *Cleveland, OH* – In a huge win for clean air and public health, First Energy announced this morning that the company will retire six of its dirtiest coal-fired power plants. These plants, located in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, will stop burning coal by September 1, 2012. First Energy announced that the following plants will be retired: Bay Shore Plant, Units 2-4, Oregon, Ohio; Eastlake Plant, Eastlake, Ohio; Ashtabula Plant, Ashtabula, Ohio; Lake Shore Plant, Cleveland, Ohio; Armstrong Power Station, Adrian, Pa.; and R. Paul Smith Power Station, Williamsport, Md. In total, these retirements will bring 2,689 megawatts of dirty and dangerous coal pollution to an end. “Above all, this is a win for public health and for families who have been breathing polluted air from these outdated plants,” said Bruce Nilles, Senior Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. “Today’s news is part of a national trend of clean energy replacing coal. The writing is on the wall for the coal industry. With the cost of coal rising and clean energy prices plummeting, coal’s market share is shrinking fast.” Closure of the six plants will prevent more than 174 premature deaths, 282 heart attacks, 2,677 asthma attacks, and 136 asthma emergency room visits, according to data from the Clean Air Task Force. Over the past few years, Sierra Club has been working with local citizens and groups including Environmental Integrity Project, Earthjustice, Environment Maryland, and Chesapeake Climate Action Network, in Maryland and Pennsylvania. In Ohio, the Sierra Club worked closely with Ohio Citizen Action, the Western Lake Erie Waterkeepers, and the Ohio Environmental Council to persuade First Energy to phase out its coal plants and to invest instead in clean energy sources like energy efficiency, wind and solar. The Natural Resources Defense Council led Ohio groups in legal strategy to force these plants to clean up dangerous mercury pollution. "I am proud that since 2008, the Sierra Club and our partner organizations have been actively organizing and challenging these coal plants, and working with other organizations to highlight the hazardous nature of coal-fired power plants," said Rashay Layman, Associate Organizing Representative with the Beyond Coal Campaign in Ohio. A report released this week by the U.S. Energy Information Administration highlighted a predicted drop in coal’s market share, from 44 to 39 percent, between 2010 and 2035. The EIA reports traditionally underestimate coal's decline, and the First Energy decision seems to suggest an even steeper drop for coal power in the United States. The EIA report also predicted that no new coal plants would be constructed in this period, aside from those already under construction. http://sc.org/w9SrLV<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=1m3qe9MqquPI_Q8WGVCxWg> . Ohio is already seeing the clean energy industry take hold. Earlier this week, the stateapproved plans<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=w8Vt5FfL_E_65IiCg6V1RA> for a 91-turbine wind farm that will bring up to $61 million dollars into the region. “We want to encourage First Energy to make use of the abundant clean energy potential throughout its territory. The company can create good clean energy jobs that won’t harm public health,” said Sierra Club Ohio volunteer Dave Simons. “This victory is the first of many to come in our fight to move beyond coal and fossil fuels and into a clean energy future. The next step for First Energy is to retire their dirty West Virginia plants, Albright and Willow Island.” The Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign works in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and a nationwide coalition of allies to retire one-third of the nation's aging coal plants by 2020, replacing them with clean energy like wind and solar by 2030. "This is a great development for the Beyond Coal Campaign," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “We are clearly witnessing the end of our dependency on coal and the move toward a cleaner energy future. As importantly, we are helping to provide cleaner water and cleaner air to communities and our citizens across the nation." Coal plants are the largest sources of climate disruption and toxic air pollution like mercury, soot and carbon pollution. These six plants bring the tally of coal plant retirements to 93 since the Sierra Club began its Beyond Coal campaign in 2002. ### *[image: Sierra Club]Sierra Club *85 2nd St. San Francisco, CA 94105 sierra.news(a)sierraclub.org www.sierraclub.org/pressroom<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=jGlbKE1xSaO1PVBAYS4KBA> Update My Profile<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=P151fjR_lgl_1MmZbqc6Tw> | Unsubscribe<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=kTxYekmafh4NZlvS9T7pBg> | Manage My Email Preferences<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/CO?i=0VpOsI8gS-7c5b6Nd_R5RLObiZ0OeYrT&cid…> *Connect with the Sierra Club:* Like us on Facebook<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=EJcJKTsPs9tw8WqZQUjFhw>Follow us on Twitter <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=o5nlBHxkhNZ0LVEcBRHwTQ>Sign up for the Insider<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=DCzVX8fbYfIpgvcWyuADLw>Join Our Activist Network<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=2dM2gcw7d7av2ibCtgyHsA> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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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Energy Guerrilla Theater
by Jim Sconyers 26 Jan '12

26 Jan '12

Energy Guerrilla Theater - anyone want to try it? Here's an idea for referees. We do some guerrilla theater. 3 people in ref shirts w whistles and red penalty flags. Show up at McKinley's (or Rahall's or Capito's) local office. Meet outside w media if any come - we have data on their contributions from dirty energy. Then enter the office - then a little theater. "We're here to call a foul on McKinley - is he here?" "No.' Lot of whistle blowing, throwing red penalty flags,.... Then each ref announces a penalty like "Foul! For not promoting clean energy for America!!" with a placard with the charge printed for camera and to leave for McK. Finish, give office person the charges, exit w more whistles and hoopla. Key - get the whole thing on video and immediately get it onto YouTube and on to FB, other websites. Huge fun, and good targeting.... I have 3 ref shirts, a few red flags (any piece of red fabric is OK), left over from DC yesterday. What do you think? We need 2 more vols for refs, and 1 or 2 capable video folks to capture it. Timing could be the Friday before the Super Bowl. This will be good fun - and all legal!Can you be part of it? Be a ref for the environment! Let me know....! -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: Morgantown Clean Air Cities resolution
by James Kotcon 23 Jan '12

23 Jan '12

Is this an issue that Morgantown folks would like to get involved with? It is now almost 5 years since Morgantown adopted the Cool cities resolution, so it might be time for the next steps. Whaddya tink? Jim Kotcon >>> "Chris Haddox" <Chris.Haddox(a)mail.wvu.edu> 1/23/2012 3:26 PM >>> Hi MMGT folks, I just got word from the Clean Air Cities person that contacted me saying that Council is going to discuss the attached resolution at it's Feb 7 meeting. Thoughts? Chris J. Chris Haddox, LEED AP, Visiting Assistant Professor, Sustainable Design Division of Design & Merchandising West Virginia University 704M Allen Hall Box 6124 Morgantown, WV 26505 E-Mail: chris.haddox(a)mail.wvu.edu Phone: (304) 293-3657 Program Website: http://www.design.wvu.edu >>> "Sarah Sawtelle" <ssawtelle(a)endangeredearth.org> 1/18/2012 5:44 PM >>> Dear Mr. Haddox, I am writing to you with hopes that the Morgantown Green Team will encourage the city of Morgantown to join the Center for Biological Diversitys Clean Air Cities campaign by passing a resolution in support of the Clean Air Act. Could you please pass this message on to the rest of the Green Team, and consider proposing this resolution to your city council? As you know, if we want clean air and a healthy climate, we have to cut greenhouse gas pollution. The Clean Air Act is our current best hope of reaching this goal, but the Act and the Environmental Protection Agency are under significant attack from the fossil fuel industry and its allies in Congress. Cities and counties across the country can be a powerful voice for fighting back against polluters and prompting much-needed action in Washington. That's why the Center for Biological Diversitys Climate Law Institute has launched Clean Air Cities, a nationwide campaign urging cities and counties around the United States to pass a resolution that calls on the Obama administration and the EPA to use the Clean Air Act to make significant reductions in greenhouse gas pollution. Boone, NC, Pittsburgh, PA and Seattle, WA are among the cities that have already signed on. Morgantown's commitment to sustainability suggests it would be a great candidate to be to be the first city in West Virginia to be a Clean Air city. I have attached a sample city resolution that you can look over and edit as needed. Please let me know if you are interested in bringing this resolution to your council, or if you have any questions about the campaign. Our webpage, CleanAirCities.org, also provides important background information. Please respond to Rose Braz, the Centers Climate Campaign director, who is coordinating this effort and can be reached by email, rbraz(a)biologicaldiversity.org, or phone: (415) 436-9682 x 319. Thank you so much for your time and concern for our climate! Sincerely, Sarah Sawtelle The Center for Biological Diversity -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MorgantownGreenTeam" group. To post to this group, send email to morgantowngreenteam(a)googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to morgantowngreenteam+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/morgantowngreenteam?hl=en.

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Fwd: question about wind
by Paul Wilson 21 Jan '12

21 Jan '12

seems to me I once saw some data on winds in the appalachians, but I am having CRS at the moment. If you can help Clayton, please email him directly. thx, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Clayton Daughenbaugh <claytonhd(a)xmission.com> Date: Fri, Jan 20, 2012 at 10:02 AM Subject: question about wind To: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Anyone out there know of any research about whether there has been an increase in wind across the country in recent years and, if so, possible causes.**** ** ** The ex of one of my wife’s friends is a cross-country truck driver. Apparently in his circles there is a belief that wind speeds have increased in recent years and there is a dialogue going on speculating as to whether it is caused by all the new “wind-mills” or climate change. I’ve been asked if I know anything about this and I don’t.**** ** ** I would say anecdotally, and as a person who travels the highways a lot that I tend to agree recent years have been a bit windier.**** ** ** --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 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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