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Re: [EC] [WVaPATH] Re: WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy
by John Christensen 07 Feb '10

07 Feb '10

The net metering bill is officially in the hopper today at 3pm, should come out with a number next week if all goes well. Will advise. Anybody planning on coming down for E-Day on the 24th? John Christensen WV Environmental Council Lobby Team Member 410-499-4873 cell www.wvecouncil.org > [Original Message] > From: Frank Young <fyoung(a)mountain.net> > To: <jbc329(a)earthlink.net>; Art and Pam Dodds <pamelart(a)hughes.net>; James Kotcon <James.Kotcon(a)mail.wvu.edu>; Bill Howley <billhowley(a)hughes.net>; <ec(a)osenergy.org>; John balasko <mjmb(a)westco.net>; Larry <LMWatBullRun(a)yahoo.com> > Cc: <dsgjr(a)aol.com>; <wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com> > Date: 2/4/2010 5:58:11 PM > Subject: Re: [WVaPATH] Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy > > John, 2000 KW (2 megawatts) is the generating capacity of only one single > wind turbine in the typical "wind farms" of today. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "John Christensen" <jbc329(a)earthlink.net> > To: "Art and Pam Dodds" <pamelart(a)hughes.net>; "Frank Young" > <fyoung(a)mountain.net>; "James Kotcon" <James.Kotcon(a)mail.wvu.edu>; "Bill > Howley" <billhowley(a)hughes.net>; <ec(a)osenergy.org>; "John balasko" > <mjmb(a)westco.net>; "Larry" <LMWatBullRun(a)yahoo.com> > Cc: <dsgjr(a)aol.com>; <wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 5:52 PM > Subject: Re: [WVaPATH] Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" > energy > > > > Art and Pam, there is nothing in the bill that promotes large wind farms > > to > > my knowledge. How many KW would those type generators produce? The max > > in > > this bill would be 2000 KW total for industrial applications. > > > > John Christensen > > WV Environmental Council > > Lobby Team Member > > 410-499-4873 cell > > www.wvecouncil.org > > > > > >> [Original Message] > >> From: Art and Pam Dodds <pamelart(a)hughes.net> > >> To: <jbc329(a)earthlink.net>; Frank Young <fyoung(a)mountain.net>; James > > Kotcon <James.Kotcon(a)mail.wvu.edu>; Bill Howley <billhowley(a)hughes.net>; > > <ec(a)osenergy.org>; John balasko <mjmb(a)westco.net>; Larry > > <LMWatBullRun(a)yahoo.com> > >> Cc: <dsgjr(a)aol.com>; <wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com> > >> Date: 2/4/2010 10:42:59 AM > >> Subject: Re: [WVaPATH] Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" > > energy > >> > >> Greetings: > >> > >> The use of solar and wind, which are volatile sources, requires more coal > > to > >> be burned than if they were not in the system at all. This makes the > > waste > >> products such as tires, bio-fuel, methane from coal beds, and trash, more > >> reliable and will reduce the amount of coal used instead of increasing > > the > >> amount of coal used. > >> > >> Residential solar panels and residential small windmills provide energy > > that > >> can be stored in batteries and used when needed, without negative impacts > > to > >> the grid or to the environment. Residential renewables save coal and > > money > >> to the person at the residence by storage of energy in batteries and by > > net > >> metering. HOWEVER, industrial-scale wind turbines require electricity > > from > >> the grid in order to operate properly, require coal-fired plants to > > operate > >> at all times for the required reliable back-up, and require that the > >> coal-fired boilers ramp up and down to keep pace with the volatile wind > >> source. It is important to remember that the generating capacity of the > >> coal-fired or nuclear plants must be maintained at the projected load, > >> regardless of what other volatile sources of energy, such as wind and > > solar, > >> are in the system. > >> > >> Additionally, construction of industrial-scale wind turbines on our > > mountain > >> ridges requires thousands of acres of deforestation, results in habitat > >> fragmentation, causes negative impacts to our water resources due to > >> increased stormwater runoff and decreased groundwater recharge, and > >> slaughters bats and birds (for example, it is estimated that 3,000 bats > > are > >> killed annually at Backbone Mountain alone). The cumulative negative > >> impacts to our water resources by deforestation for transmission lines > > and > >> industrial-scale wind turbines, in addition to the horrid mountain-top > >> removal operations, will create water resource problems that will > > ultimately > >> be irreversible. We strongly advise that you NOT add wording that > > promotes > >> construction of industrial-scale wind turbines. Incentives for SMALL, > >> RESIDENTIAL windmills would help tremendously to reduce the need for > >> electricity from the grid. > >> > >> Pam and Art Dodds > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: "Larry" <LMWatBullRun(a)yahoo.com> > >> To: <jbc329(a)earthlink.net>; "Frank Young" <fyoung(a)mountain.net>; "James > >> Kotcon" <James.Kotcon(a)mail.wvu.edu>; "Bill Howley" > > <billhowley(a)hughes.net>; > >> <ec(a)osenergy.org>; "John balasko" <mjmb(a)westco.net> > >> Cc: <dsgjr(a)aol.com>; <wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com> > >> Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 6:02 AM > >> Subject: Re: [WVaPATH] Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" > >> energy > >> > >> > >> I think that this is an improvement. There are two issues- reducing the > >> need for new plants, and reducing the environmental impact. Does this > > bill > >> address the 1% cap issue? There is no technical reason not to permit a > >> greater percentage than 1%, especially for relatively reliable sources > > such > >> as waste to energy boilers. > >> > >> We might also suggest some way for preferred sources (like those with > > less > >> impact (solar, wind) or those most reliable (WVO diesel, etc)) to > > supersede > >> more traditional sources, too. I can craft some language for that if > >> desired. > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: John Christensen > >> To: Frank Young ; James Kotcon ; Bill Howley ; ec(a)osenergy.org ; John > >> balasko > >> Cc: dsgjr(a)aol.com ; wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com > >> Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 9:07 PM > >> Subject: [WVaPATH] Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" > > energy > >> > >> > >> the new rules we are proposing in Manypenny's bill tba....please advice > > as > >> to any problems > >> > >> John Christensen > >> WV Environmental Council > >> Lobby Team Member > >> 410-499-4873 cell > >> www.wvecouncil.org > >> > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: Frank Young > >> To: James Kotcon;Bill Howley;ec(a)osenergy.org;John Balasko > >> Cc: dsgjr(a)aol.com; wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com; jbc329(a)earthlink.net > >> Sent: 2/3/2010 8:00:11 PM > >> Subject: Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy > >> > >> > >> But Jim, the net metering rules of 2006 or 2007, promulgated as part > > of > >> the PSC's tariff making authority, apply only to generators up to 25 > >> Kilowatt (KW) capacity. Anything beyond 25 KW- which an industrial > > facility > >> using a waste coal or natural gas generator would be, would fall under > > the > >> federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA)- which > >> requires utilities to buy power from qualified facility generators at > >> "avoided cost". So the various line capacities and previous year > > aggregate > >> loads do not apply to anything beyond 25 KW anyway. > >> > >> Frank > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: James Kotcon > >> To: Bill Howley ; ec(a)osenergy.org ; John Balasko > >> Cc: dsgjr(a)aol.com ; wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com ; jbc329(a)earthlink.net > >> Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 11:04 AM > >> Subject: Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy > >> > >> > >> The original net-metering rules, established around 2007, only > > applied > >> to large utilities, and exempted the small municipal systems and rural > > coops > >> in the state. This new rule would apply to all sellers of electricity, > >> including those smaller systems with <30,000 customers. > >> > >> The new net-metering rules were mandated in the Alternative and > >> Renewable Energy Portfolio Act of 2009, pushed by Gov. Manchin. The > > biggest > >> concern I have is that it extends the net-metering to non-renewable > > sources > >> including various coal, tire-derived-fuels, natural gas, waste coal, and > >> coal-bed methane. Furthermore, it retains the limit of 1 % of the > > utilities > >> aggregate load, and no more than 15 % on any one 3-phase line or 5 % on a > >> single-phase line. I think that means that an industrial facility using > > a > >> waste coal or natural gas generator could preclude net-metering to > >> residences using wind or solar. The more I think about this, the more it > >> seems like a REALLY BIG PROBLEM. > >> > >> While the Governor's bill established the portfolio standard, it is > >> not clear that it was meant to apply to the net-metering program. > >> > >> JBK > >> > >> >>> "John Balasko" <mjmb(a)westco.net> 2/3/2010 10:49 AM >>> > >> > >> > >> This may be the original "net metering order" filed by the > >> Commissioners for all electric utilities. Why don't the currently > > proposed > >> rules apply to all electric utilities and not just those with less than > >> 30,000 customers, and what are the significant differences? In response > > to > >> the case 06-0708-E-GI, several smaller utilities filed net metering > > tariffs > >> with the Commission. Mr. Rodecker filed for the Philipi utility. I'm > > new > >> to this area, but I was told by a friend who has solar panels that excess > >> generation produced by the customer was not paid for by the utility. The > >> currently proposed rules provide for a true-up at the end of each > > reporting > >> period. I'll have to do some more reading. > >> > >> John > >> > >> > >> 06-0708-E-GI 01/26/2007 Order View Document > >> General investigation into net metering, smart metering and > >> interconnection standards set forth in the Federal Energy Policy Act of > > 2005 > >> Commission Final Order that all electric utilities > > providing > >> service are directed to file the net metering tariff on or before > > 2/15/2007; > >> that each electric utility shall inform its customers of the net metering > >> tariff and contact information for those customers interested; that each > >> utility shall file affidavit evidencing notice on or before 4/10/2007; > > etc. > >> Case Final. Removing from open docket. > >> > >> > >> > >> From: Bill Howley > >> Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 9:49 AM > >> To: John Balasko > >> Cc: owner(a)goetc.com ; WVBiker98(a)aol.com ; WVaPATH(a)yahoogroups.com > >> Subject: Re: [WVaPATH] WV Net Metering????? > >> > >> > >> The rules for larger power companies may already be in place. I > > know > >> of quite a few people who have been doing net metering with Allegheny and > >> Appalachian Power for a couple of years now. The rules you note only > > apply > >> to smaller utilities that do not have net metering programs in place. > >> Allegheny has been doing net metering in MD for ten years. They already > >> have programs set up. This rule is specifically for smaller WV > > companies, > >> because they have never had to do net metering before. > >> > >> Del. Mike Manypenny from Taylor County has introduced a bill in the > >> current legislative session that would dramatically expand WV's net > > metering > >> program. Right now, net metering is set up so that any credits you run > > by > >> producing more power than you use disappear in a relatively short time. > >> Manypenny's new bill (I'll get you a bill number soon) allows businesses, > >> homeowners and farmers to become net producers of electricity by > > requiring > >> power companies to actually purchase power from you up to certain limits. > > I > >> believe Manypenny's bill requires power companies to buy power up to 3 > >> megawatt hours per year from businesses and 1 megawatt hour per year from > >> farmers. > >> > >> John Balasko wrote: > >> > >> > >> Thom, Kathy, Donna, Bill, WVPATH > >> > >> I thought you all might enjoy the continuation of this joke that > > we > >> have gotten ourselves into. > >> > >> Is this something that requires lobbying action? > >> > >> > > http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityID > > =288733&NotType='WebDocket' > >> > >> GO 258 02/02/2010 Order View Document > >> General Order No. 258 > >> Commission Procedural Order that the Rules Governing > >> Electric Utility Net-Metering Arrangements and Interconnections are > >> promulgated as Commission proposed legislative rules; directing the > >> Executive Secretary to publish a copy of the Notice of Rulemaking in > >> Charleston; directing the Executive Secretary to serve a copy of the > > Notice > >> by electronic mail or by First Class Mail upon all electric utilities > >> operating in WV; directing the Executive Secretary to file a copy of the > >> Rules with the Office of the Secretary of State; establishing a comment > >> period; Initial Comments may be filed on or before 4/4/2010; Reply > > Comments > >> may be filed until 5/5/2010; etc. > >> > >> > >> The way I read the proposed rules Allegheny Power and Appalachian > >> Power would be exempt from net metering because they serve more than > > 30,000 > >> customers. > >> > >> Here is a list of the other generators affected: > >> > >> Black Diamond Power, Elk Power, Union Power, City of New > >> Martinsville, City of Philippi, Craig-Botetourt Electric Coop; Harrison > >> Rural Electrification, Shenandoah Valley Electric > >> > >> > >> Also, "The total rated generating capacity of all customers > >> served > >> under this tariff shall be limited to one percent (1%) of the > >> Company single hour peak load > >> > >> during the previous year. > >> > >> > >> Do you think the legislature will approve the proposed rules????? > >> The whole state and everything in it is controlled by COAL. > >> > >> Why do we allow our metallurgical coal to be shipped to China, > >> India, and Eastern Europe by Consol, Massey, and others. If these > > companies > >> and our "leaders" were so concerned about "national security," the > > shipments > >> would be stopped. > >> > >> John > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> EC mailing list > >> EC(a)osenergy.org > >> http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec > >> > > > > > > >

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New Poll - Americans support clean energy, including cap-and-trade.
by Jim Sconyers 07 Feb '10

07 Feb '10

http://cleantechnica.com/2010/02/06/yet-another-poll-from-yale-shows-wide-s… New Poll - Americans support clean energy, including cap-and-trade. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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WV Net Metering Summary
by John Balasko 06 Feb '10

06 Feb '10

The attachment contains a summary of WV's net metering "rules" as they now stand. I've copied from the site in case you are not able to open the attachment. http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=WV03R&re=1&… West Virginia - Net Metering -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last DSIRE Review: 07/02/2009 Program Overview: State: West Virginia Incentive Type: Net Metering Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies: Photovoltaics, Landfill Gas, Wind, Biomass, Hydroelectric, Fuel Cells, Small Hydroelectric Applicable Sectors: Commercial, Residential Applicable Utilities: All utilities System Capacity Limit: 25 kW Aggregate Capacity Limit: 0.1% of utility's total load participation (utility tariff provision) Net Excess Generation: Credited to customer's next bill at retail rate REC Ownership: Not addressed Meter Aggregation: Not addressed Authority 1: West Virginia PSC Order, Case No. 06-0708-E-GI Date Enacted: 12/12/2006 Authority 2: West Virginia PSC Order, Case No. 06-0708-E-GI Date Enacted: 1/26/2007 Authority 3: HB 103 Date Enacted: 06/02/2009 Date Effective: 07/01/2009

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Good news from the SEC; Usable graph on energy taxes, not good on nuclear
by James Kotcon 05 Feb '10

05 Feb '10

Two recent news items worth paying attention to. 1) The Securities and Exchange Commission voted on Jan. 27 to require all publicly traded companies to project and disclose to stockholders their vulnerabilities to climate risks. (Wonder what Massey Energy's report will say? Will they tell their stockholders the truth, or regurgitate the Blankenship bloviations?) http://solveclimate.com/blog/20100129/sec-decision-requiring-disclosure-cli… 2) The Obama Administration's proposed budget would close tax loopholes for fossil fuel companies estimated at $36 Billion. Rep. Shelly Capito is crying about how awful it is, and Jay Rockefeller thinks this is "not the year to do it". This article has a good graphic representation of tax subsidies for various energy resources. http://solveclimate.com/blog/20100201/obama-budget-erases-fossil-fuel-subsi… JBK

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Fw: Mountaintop Mining Briefing on Capitol Hill
by Frank Young 05 Feb '10

05 Feb '10

Clean Water Network News CWN is the largest national coalition in the country working to protect ALL of the waters of the U.S., including the nation's Great Waters, rivers, streams, lakes, bays, estuaries, coastal areas and wetlands. February 5th, 2010 Don't miss this upcoming Congressional Briefing! Mountaintop Removal Mining and Its Impacts on Water Quality and Human Health Hosted by Senator Benjamin L. Cardin and Senator Lamar Alexander Tuesday February 9th, 2010 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM 406 Dirksen (EPW Hearing Room) Speakers: Dr. Margaret A. Palmer: Director, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Dr. Emily S. Bernhardt: Assistant Professor, Duke University Keith N. Eshleman: Professor, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Michael Hendryx: Director, West Virginia Rural Health Research Center and Associate Professor, West Virginia University Dr. A. Dennis Lemly: Professor, Wake Forest University Dr. Orie Loucks: Professor, Miami University Summary: Over the past thirty years, there has been a significant increase in mountaintop removal mining to extract coal and other minerals. This briefing will examine the impacts of mountaintop removal mining on water quality and human health in the Appalachia region and how it affects the quality of life for residents living in its coalfields. Science magazine recently published an article on the ecological and human health impacts of mountaintop removal mining and valley fills. The authors argue that peer-reviewed research unequivocally documents that mountaintop removal mining causes irreversible environmental impacts and exposes local residents to a higher risk of serious health problems. The lead author of this article, Dr. Palmer, along with several co-authors, will discuss their findings and be available to answer questions. For more information, please contact Sarah Greenberger (sarah_greenberger(a)cardin.senate.gov; 4-4524) or Curtis Swager (curtis_swager(a)alexander.senate.gov; 4-4944). Speaker Biographies: Dr. Margaret A. Palmer Margaret Palmer is Director of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science - Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL) in Solomons, MD. Prior to assuming directorship in 2005, she taught and conducted research for 17 years as a Professor at the University of Maryland in College Park. Palmer completed her M.S. and Ph.D. in Coastal Oceanography at the University of South Carolina and her B.S. in Biology from Emory University. Dr. Palmer's research expertise is riverine science, particularly stream and river restoration. She has more than 100 scientific publications, serves as an editor for the journal Restoration Ecology and published the book The Foundations of Restoration Ecology in 2006. Dr. Palmer has been honored as an AAAS Fellow, an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, a Lilly Fellow, a Distinguished Scholar Teacher, and with an Ecological Society of America Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Emily S. Bernhardt Emily Bernhardt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Duke University in Durham, NC. Prior to joining the faculty of Duke, Bernhardt coordinated the National River Restoration Science Synthesis which assessed the status of river restoration projects nationally. Dr. Bernhardt completed her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University and also holds a B.S. degree in biology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Bernhardt's research expertise is in watershed biogeochemistry and stream and wetland restoration. Dr. Bernhardt is the recipient of a Career Award from the National Science Foundation and the H.G. Hynes early career award from the North American Benthological Society. Dr. Keith N. Eshleman Keith Eshleman is Professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science - Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg, Maryland. Dr. Eshleman completed his Ph.D. in Water Resources at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and holds a B.A. degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia and a S.M. degree in Civil Engineering from M.I.T. He has published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers and dozens of technical reports in his career and is co-author of an undergraduate textbook entitled Elements of Physical Hydrology. Eshleman's research interests are in the areas of watershed and wetlands hydrology, groundwater/surface water interactions, biogeochemical processes in upland and wetland ecosystems, hydrochemical modeling, and ecosystem responses to disturbance and land use change. Recent research projects have focused on the hydrological impacts of acid deposition, forest disturbances, and surface mining activities in the Appalachian Mountain region. Dr. Michael Hendryx Michael Hendryx is Director of the West Virginia Rural Health Research Center and Associate Professor in the Department of Community Medicine at West Virginia University. He has also held faculty appointments at Washington State University and the University of Iowa. He completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Northwestern University and completed his B.S. in Psychology from the University of Nevada. Dr. Hendryx's area of expertise is in the public health impacts of coal mining in Appalachia, in terms of both socioeconomic and environmental risks to health. He has more than 90 peer-reviewed publications, several book chapters and numerous scientific presentations at national meetings. Dr. Hendryx has been nominated for the West Virginia University School of Medicine Distinguished Teaching Award, and teaches health policy in the Community Medicine department. Dr. A. Dennis Lemly Dennis Lemly is a scientist specializing in the ecotoxicology of selenium, a trace element pollutant associated with coal mining, coal combustion waste, and other sources. Dr. Lemly completed his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Biology from Wake Forest University, where he is a Research Professor of Biology, and received his B.S. from Western Carolina University. He has over 30 years of research experience with this environmental contaminant, and has conducted intensive investigations of numerous cases of selenium pollution, including Belews Lake, North Carolina, where 19 species of fish were eliminated, and Kesterson Marsh, California, where thousands of aquatic birds were poisoned. Dr. Lemly has published 47 research articles on selenium toxicity to fish and wildlife, as well as the reference book Selenium Assessment in Aquatic Ecosystems. Lemly has consulted on selenium pollution issues ranging from power plant waste in Australia to mountaintop removal coal mining in West Virginia. He is Associate Editor of the international research journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. Dr. Orie Loucks Dr. Orie Loucks began his career with the Department of Forestry in Canada (1955-1962) and joined the Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin in 1962. He served as Director of the Center for Biotic Systems, Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin, and headed interdisciplinary studies of the impacts of coal-fired electricity generation in Wisconsin. River in central Wisconsin. After joining Miami University in 1989, Dr. Loucks continued studies of air pollution and mining effects on forests in the Ohio Valley. In the mid-1980's Dr. Loucks was a member of the National Academy of Sciences Board on Water Science and Technology, and was U.S. Co-chair of the joint NRC-NAS/Royal Society of Canada study reviewing the 1978 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Please help Clean Water Network continue to expand and provide key member services to grassroots groups across the country. DONATE to the Network today! Clean Water Network 218 D Street SE Washington, DC 20003 202.547.4208 check out our website at: www.cleanwaternetwork.org Forward email This email was sent to clrank(a)hughes.net by jenniferpeters(a)cwn.org. Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Email Marketing by Clean Water Network | 218 D St. SE | Washington | DC | 20003

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Fwd: press release on our West Virginia MTR CWA victory
by Paul Wilson 04 Feb '10

04 Feb '10

kudos to Bill Price! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Cramer, Virginia <virginia.cramer(a)apps.sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Feb 4, 2010 at 4:39 PM Subject: press release on our West Virginia MTR CWA victory To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Good news from West Virginia. - ginny FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 4, 2010 Contact: Virginia Cramer, 804-225-9113 x 102 *Judge Rules Mountaintop Removal Coal Mines Polluting West Virginia Waterways* State’s efforts to help companies avoid penalties are invalid Charleston, WV: A judge has found that Powellton Coal Company has repeatedly violated the law by polluting West Virginia waterways, and has ordered a trial to further investigate scores of additional violations at Powellton’s Bridge Fork mountaintop removal coal mining complex in Fayette County. Among those waterways polluted are the tributaries that feed the Gauley River, a world-class whitewater run and prime tourist destination. The judge’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit brought by Sierra Club and the Ansted Historic Preservation Council. The judge also found that the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) could not act to insulate the coal company from clean water regulations. The WVDEP had issued “modification orders” in an attempt to allow the company to continue polluting. Those orders were ruled invalid. “This is another important step forward in holding Powellton responsible for their clean water violations. Water is our most important resource,” said Katheryne Hoffman, president of the Ansted Historic Preservation Council. “For Fayette County tourism is our economy. If they ruin these waters our future is gone. We have so much to offer and we need to protect that.” “Powellton knows about this pollution, but instead of paying to treat it at the source they just pass the costs along to the public, to the people and communities that rely on these waters for their well-being,” said Jim Sconyers, WV Chapter Chair of the Sierra Club. “They view these violations as just the cost of doing business.” The Ansted Historic Preservation Council and the Sierra Club challenged the Bridge Fork West mountaintop removal coal mine last year, raising serious concerns about the pollution from the mine’s valley fills and its impact on historic sites, local communities and tourist draws in the area. Pollution from the Bridge Fork mining complex has continually exceeded legal limits, leading to high levels of toxic aluminum, manganese and other pollution in nearby waterways. One of these waterways, which feed the Gauley River, is Rich Creek, well known for its trout fishing. “Common sense tells us that dumping toxic aluminum into a renowned trout stream is bad,” said Sierra Club Environmental Justice organizer Bill Price. “We should be protecting these economic drivers, using these sources of tourism to build some much needed diversity into our economy, not sacrificing them to more coal mining.” Aluminum pollution can sicken or kill fish. It can also lead to lower fish populations since eggs and larvae are more sensitive to aluminum pollution than mature fish. The groups are represented in their efforts by Derek Teaney and Joe Lovett of the Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment. ### -- Virginia Cramer Associate Press Secretary Sierra Club tel: 804-225-9113 x 102 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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Re: [EC] [WVaPATH] Re: WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy
by Larry 04 Feb '10

04 Feb '10

I think that this is an improvement. There are two issues- reducing the need for new plants, and reducing the environmental impact. Does this bill address the 1% cap issue? There is no technical reason not to permit a greater percentage than 1%, especially for relatively reliable sources such as waste to energy boilers. We might also suggest some way for preferred sources (like those with less impact (solar, wind) or those most reliable (WVO diesel, etc)) to supersede more traditional sources, too. I can craft some language for that if desired. ----- Original Message ----- From: John Christensen To: Frank Young ; James Kotcon ; Bill Howley ; ec(a)osenergy.org ; John balasko Cc: dsgjr(a)aol.com ; wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 9:07 PM Subject: [WVaPATH] Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy the new rules we are proposing in Manypenny's bill tba....please advice as to any problems John Christensen WV Environmental Council Lobby Team Member 410-499-4873 cell www.wvecouncil.org ----- Original Message ----- From: Frank Young To: James Kotcon;Bill Howley;ec(a)osenergy.org;John Balasko Cc: dsgjr(a)aol.com; wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com; jbc329(a)earthlink.net Sent: 2/3/2010 8:00:11 PM Subject: Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy But Jim, the net metering rules of 2006 or 2007, promulgated as part of the PSC's tariff making authority, apply only to generators up to 25 Kilowatt (KW) capacity. Anything beyond 25 KW- which an industrial facility using a waste coal or natural gas generator would be, would fall under the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA)- which requires utilities to buy power from qualified facility generators at "avoided cost". So the various line capacities and previous year aggregate loads do not apply to anything beyond 25 KW anyway. Frank ----- Original Message ----- From: James Kotcon To: Bill Howley ; ec(a)osenergy.org ; John Balasko Cc: dsgjr(a)aol.com ; wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com ; jbc329(a)earthlink.net Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 11:04 AM Subject: Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy The original net-metering rules, established around 2007, only applied to large utilities, and exempted the small municipal systems and rural coops in the state. This new rule would apply to all sellers of electricity, including those smaller systems with <30,000 customers. The new net-metering rules were mandated in the Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act of 2009, pushed by Gov. Manchin. The biggest concern I have is that it extends the net-metering to non-renewable sources including various coal, tire-derived-fuels, natural gas, waste coal, and coal-bed methane. Furthermore, it retains the limit of 1 % of the utilities aggregate load, and no more than 15 % on any one 3-phase line or 5 % on a single-phase line. I think that means that an industrial facility using a waste coal or natural gas generator could preclude net-metering to residences using wind or solar. The more I think about this, the more it seems like a REALLY BIG PROBLEM. While the Governor's bill established the portfolio standard, it is not clear that it was meant to apply to the net-metering program. JBK >>> "John Balasko" <mjmb(a)westco.net> 2/3/2010 10:49 AM >>> This may be the original "net metering order" filed by the Commissioners for all electric utilities. Why don't the currently proposed rules apply to all electric utilities and not just those with less than 30,000 customers, and what are the significant differences? In response to the case 06-0708-E-GI, several smaller utilities filed net metering tariffs with the Commission. Mr. Rodecker filed for the Philipi utility. I'm new to this area, but I was told by a friend who has solar panels that excess generation produced by the customer was not paid for by the utility. The currently proposed rules provide for a true-up at the end of each reporting period. I'll have to do some more reading. John 06-0708-E-GI 01/26/2007 Order View Document General investigation into net metering, smart metering and interconnection standards set forth in the Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 Commission Final Order that all electric utilities providing service are directed to file the net metering tariff on or before 2/15/2007; that each electric utility shall inform its customers of the net metering tariff and contact information for those customers interested; that each utility shall file affidavit evidencing notice on or before 4/10/2007; etc. Case Final. Removing from open docket. From: Bill Howley Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 9:49 AM To: John Balasko Cc: owner(a)goetc.com ; WVBiker98(a)aol.com ; WVaPATH(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [WVaPATH] WV Net Metering????? The rules for larger power companies may already be in place. I know of quite a few people who have been doing net metering with Allegheny and Appalachian Power for a couple of years now. The rules you note only apply to smaller utilities that do not have net metering programs in place. Allegheny has been doing net metering in MD for ten years. They already have programs set up. This rule is specifically for smaller WV companies, because they have never had to do net metering before. Del. Mike Manypenny from Taylor County has introduced a bill in the current legislative session that would dramatically expand WV's net metering program. Right now, net metering is set up so that any credits you run by producing more power than you use disappear in a relatively short time. Manypenny's new bill (I'll get you a bill number soon) allows businesses, homeowners and farmers to become net producers of electricity by requiring power companies to actually purchase power from you up to certain limits. I believe Manypenny's bill requires power companies to buy power up to 3 megawatt hours per year from businesses and 1 megawatt hour per year from farmers. John Balasko wrote: Thom, Kathy, Donna, Bill, WVPATH I thought you all might enjoy the continuation of this joke that we have gotten ourselves into. Is this something that requires lobbying action? http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI…'WebDocket' GO 258 02/02/2010 Order View Document General Order No. 258 Commission Procedural Order that the Rules Governing Electric Utility Net-Metering Arrangements and Interconnections are promulgated as Commission proposed legislative rules; directing the Executive Secretary to publish a copy of the Notice of Rulemaking in Charleston; directing the Executive Secretary to serve a copy of the Notice by electronic mail or by First Class Mail upon all electric utilities operating in WV; directing the Executive Secretary to file a copy of the Rules with the Office of the Secretary of State; establishing a comment period; Initial Comments may be filed on or before 4/4/2010; Reply Comments may be filed until 5/5/2010; etc. The way I read the proposed rules Allegheny Power and Appalachian Power would be exempt from net metering because they serve more than 30,000 customers. Here is a list of the other generators affected: Black Diamond Power, Elk Power, Union Power, City of New Martinsville, City of Philippi, Craig-Botetourt Electric Coop; Harrison Rural Electrification, Shenandoah Valley Electric Also, "The total rated generating capacity of all customers served under this tariff shall be limited to one percent (1%) of the Company single hour peak load during the previous year. Do you think the legislature will approve the proposed rules????? The whole state and everything in it is controlled by COAL. Why do we allow our metallurgical coal to be shipped to China, India, and Eastern Europe by Consol, Massey, and others. If these companies and our "leaders" were so concerned about "national security," the shipments would be stopped. John -------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

4 3

Re: [EC] [WVaPATH] Re: WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy
by John Christensen 04 Feb '10

04 Feb '10

Art and Pam, there is nothing in the bill that promotes large wind farms to my knowledge. How many KW would those type generators produce? The max in this bill would be 2000 KW total for industrial applications. John Christensen WV Environmental Council Lobby Team Member 410-499-4873 cell www.wvecouncil.org > [Original Message] > From: Art and Pam Dodds <pamelart(a)hughes.net> > To: <jbc329(a)earthlink.net>; Frank Young <fyoung(a)mountain.net>; James Kotcon <James.Kotcon(a)mail.wvu.edu>; Bill Howley <billhowley(a)hughes.net>; <ec(a)osenergy.org>; John balasko <mjmb(a)westco.net>; Larry <LMWatBullRun(a)yahoo.com> > Cc: <dsgjr(a)aol.com>; <wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com> > Date: 2/4/2010 10:42:59 AM > Subject: Re: [WVaPATH] Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy > > Greetings: > > The use of solar and wind, which are volatile sources, requires more coal to > be burned than if they were not in the system at all. This makes the waste > products such as tires, bio-fuel, methane from coal beds, and trash, more > reliable and will reduce the amount of coal used instead of increasing the > amount of coal used. > > Residential solar panels and residential small windmills provide energy that > can be stored in batteries and used when needed, without negative impacts to > the grid or to the environment. Residential renewables save coal and money > to the person at the residence by storage of energy in batteries and by net > metering. HOWEVER, industrial-scale wind turbines require electricity from > the grid in order to operate properly, require coal-fired plants to operate > at all times for the required reliable back-up, and require that the > coal-fired boilers ramp up and down to keep pace with the volatile wind > source. It is important to remember that the generating capacity of the > coal-fired or nuclear plants must be maintained at the projected load, > regardless of what other volatile sources of energy, such as wind and solar, > are in the system. > > Additionally, construction of industrial-scale wind turbines on our mountain > ridges requires thousands of acres of deforestation, results in habitat > fragmentation, causes negative impacts to our water resources due to > increased stormwater runoff and decreased groundwater recharge, and > slaughters bats and birds (for example, it is estimated that 3,000 bats are > killed annually at Backbone Mountain alone). The cumulative negative > impacts to our water resources by deforestation for transmission lines and > industrial-scale wind turbines, in addition to the horrid mountain-top > removal operations, will create water resource problems that will ultimately > be irreversible. We strongly advise that you NOT add wording that promotes > construction of industrial-scale wind turbines. Incentives for SMALL, > RESIDENTIAL windmills would help tremendously to reduce the need for > electricity from the grid. > > Pam and Art Dodds > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Larry" <LMWatBullRun(a)yahoo.com> > To: <jbc329(a)earthlink.net>; "Frank Young" <fyoung(a)mountain.net>; "James > Kotcon" <James.Kotcon(a)mail.wvu.edu>; "Bill Howley" <billhowley(a)hughes.net>; > <ec(a)osenergy.org>; "John balasko" <mjmb(a)westco.net> > Cc: <dsgjr(a)aol.com>; <wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 6:02 AM > Subject: Re: [WVaPATH] Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" > energy > > > I think that this is an improvement. There are two issues- reducing the > need for new plants, and reducing the environmental impact. Does this bill > address the 1% cap issue? There is no technical reason not to permit a > greater percentage than 1%, especially for relatively reliable sources such > as waste to energy boilers. > > We might also suggest some way for preferred sources (like those with less > impact (solar, wind) or those most reliable (WVO diesel, etc)) to supersede > more traditional sources, too. I can craft some language for that if > desired. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: John Christensen > To: Frank Young ; James Kotcon ; Bill Howley ; ec(a)osenergy.org ; John > balasko > Cc: dsgjr(a)aol.com ; wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com > Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 9:07 PM > Subject: [WVaPATH] Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy > > > the new rules we are proposing in Manypenny's bill tba....please advice as > to any problems > > John Christensen > WV Environmental Council > Lobby Team Member > 410-499-4873 cell > www.wvecouncil.org > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Frank Young > To: James Kotcon;Bill Howley;ec(a)osenergy.org;John Balasko > Cc: dsgjr(a)aol.com; wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com; jbc329(a)earthlink.net > Sent: 2/3/2010 8:00:11 PM > Subject: Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy > > > But Jim, the net metering rules of 2006 or 2007, promulgated as part of > the PSC's tariff making authority, apply only to generators up to 25 > Kilowatt (KW) capacity. Anything beyond 25 KW- which an industrial facility > using a waste coal or natural gas generator would be, would fall under the > federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA)- which > requires utilities to buy power from qualified facility generators at > "avoided cost". So the various line capacities and previous year aggregate > loads do not apply to anything beyond 25 KW anyway. > > Frank > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: James Kotcon > To: Bill Howley ; ec(a)osenergy.org ; John Balasko > Cc: dsgjr(a)aol.com ; wvapath(a)yahoogroups.com ; jbc329(a)earthlink.net > Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 11:04 AM > Subject: Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy > > > The original net-metering rules, established around 2007, only applied > to large utilities, and exempted the small municipal systems and rural coops > in the state. This new rule would apply to all sellers of electricity, > including those smaller systems with <30,000 customers. > > The new net-metering rules were mandated in the Alternative and > Renewable Energy Portfolio Act of 2009, pushed by Gov. Manchin. The biggest > concern I have is that it extends the net-metering to non-renewable sources > including various coal, tire-derived-fuels, natural gas, waste coal, and > coal-bed methane. Furthermore, it retains the limit of 1 % of the utilities > aggregate load, and no more than 15 % on any one 3-phase line or 5 % on a > single-phase line. I think that means that an industrial facility using a > waste coal or natural gas generator could preclude net-metering to > residences using wind or solar. The more I think about this, the more it > seems like a REALLY BIG PROBLEM. > > While the Governor's bill established the portfolio standard, it is > not clear that it was meant to apply to the net-metering program. > > JBK > > >>> "John Balasko" <mjmb(a)westco.net> 2/3/2010 10:49 AM >>> > > > This may be the original "net metering order" filed by the > Commissioners for all electric utilities. Why don't the currently proposed > rules apply to all electric utilities and not just those with less than > 30,000 customers, and what are the significant differences? In response to > the case 06-0708-E-GI, several smaller utilities filed net metering tariffs > with the Commission. Mr. Rodecker filed for the Philipi utility. I'm new > to this area, but I was told by a friend who has solar panels that excess > generation produced by the customer was not paid for by the utility. The > currently proposed rules provide for a true-up at the end of each reporting > period. I'll have to do some more reading. > > John > > > 06-0708-E-GI 01/26/2007 Order View Document > General investigation into net metering, smart metering and > interconnection standards set forth in the Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 > Commission Final Order that all electric utilities providing > service are directed to file the net metering tariff on or before 2/15/2007; > that each electric utility shall inform its customers of the net metering > tariff and contact information for those customers interested; that each > utility shall file affidavit evidencing notice on or before 4/10/2007; etc. > Case Final. Removing from open docket. > > > > From: Bill Howley > Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 9:49 AM > To: John Balasko > Cc: owner(a)goetc.com ; WVBiker98(a)aol.com ; WVaPATH(a)yahoogroups.com > Subject: Re: [WVaPATH] WV Net Metering????? > > > The rules for larger power companies may already be in place. I know > of quite a few people who have been doing net metering with Allegheny and > Appalachian Power for a couple of years now. The rules you note only apply > to smaller utilities that do not have net metering programs in place. > Allegheny has been doing net metering in MD for ten years. They already > have programs set up. This rule is specifically for smaller WV companies, > because they have never had to do net metering before. > > Del. Mike Manypenny from Taylor County has introduced a bill in the > current legislative session that would dramatically expand WV's net metering > program. Right now, net metering is set up so that any credits you run by > producing more power than you use disappear in a relatively short time. > Manypenny's new bill (I'll get you a bill number soon) allows businesses, > homeowners and farmers to become net producers of electricity by requiring > power companies to actually purchase power from you up to certain limits. I > believe Manypenny's bill requires power companies to buy power up to 3 > megawatt hours per year from businesses and 1 megawatt hour per year from > farmers. > > John Balasko wrote: > > > Thom, Kathy, Donna, Bill, WVPATH > > I thought you all might enjoy the continuation of this joke that we > have gotten ourselves into. > > Is this something that requires lobbying action? > > http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityID =288733&NotType='WebDocket' > > GO 258 02/02/2010 Order View Document > General Order No. 258 > Commission Procedural Order that the Rules Governing > Electric Utility Net-Metering Arrangements and Interconnections are > promulgated as Commission proposed legislative rules; directing the > Executive Secretary to publish a copy of the Notice of Rulemaking in > Charleston; directing the Executive Secretary to serve a copy of the Notice > by electronic mail or by First Class Mail upon all electric utilities > operating in WV; directing the Executive Secretary to file a copy of the > Rules with the Office of the Secretary of State; establishing a comment > period; Initial Comments may be filed on or before 4/4/2010; Reply Comments > may be filed until 5/5/2010; etc. > > > The way I read the proposed rules Allegheny Power and Appalachian > Power would be exempt from net metering because they serve more than 30,000 > customers. > > Here is a list of the other generators affected: > > Black Diamond Power, Elk Power, Union Power, City of New > Martinsville, City of Philippi, Craig-Botetourt Electric Coop; Harrison > Rural Electrification, Shenandoah Valley Electric > > > Also, "The total rated generating capacity of all customers served > under this tariff shall be limited to one percent (1%) of the > Company single hour peak load > > during the previous year. > > > Do you think the legislature will approve the proposed rules????? > The whole state and everything in it is controlled by COAL. > > Why do we allow our metallurgical coal to be shipped to China, > India, and Eastern Europe by Consol, Massey, and others. If these companies > and our "leaders" were so concerned about "national security," the shipments > would be stopped. > > John > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > _______________________________________________ > EC mailing list > EC(a)osenergy.org > http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec >

2 1

Fw: Chief Logan State Park
by Frank Young 04 Feb '10

04 Feb '10

----- Original Message ----- From: johnmcferrin(a)aol.com To: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 11:11 AM Subject: [WVHCBOARD] Chief Logan State Park Chief Logan State Park needs your help. As you know, we have appealed to the Supreme COurt the decision to allow gas drilling in Chief Logan State Park. The Court does not have to review every case. First it takes all the cases and sorts them into three piles: 1. Now worth fooling with. Judge in Circuit Court was obviously right, not interesting issues, whatever. 2. Definitely worth reviewing. 3. Can't decide if it belongs in #1 or #2 so we will let the appellant's lawyer appear and argue that it is worth reviewing. The Court has two dates scheduled for meeting and deciding which pile cases go in--February 11 and March 11. These are private conferences; no open court, public, etc. This is where you come in. The COurt will go into these meetings with a big pile of cases before it. Each one does not get a lot of attention. We need something to get the court's attention, make sure it does not glance at ours, toss it into Pile 1 (not worth fooling with). To do this, we need LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.. The judges read those. When the case comes up in conference, they will remember that this is something that hasa been in the paper, somebody cares about, etc. It helps make sure they pay attention to our case and don't just give it a quick look and toss it into the "not worth fooling with" pile. Our attorney, Tom Rodd, councils subtlety. He worked up there for several years and knows the score. He says that the Court does not like raucous public demonstrations. They would not agree to review a case if they thought that it would mean a hallway full of people dressed in fish costumes, Big Oil hung in effigy on the lawn, chanting, etc. If the letters are so outraged that the Court thinks this is a campaign that might result in a big demonstration, street theater, etc.they will just reject the case. The most useful letters are those which convey the message that this is a big deal, one that somebody on the court or in government needs to look at. Subtle enough so that the COurt does not get the idea that granting this appeal will produce a circus. Letters to the Gazette, the Dominion Post, or any other paper one of the judges might read are helpful. Writing sooner is best just in case our case comes up Feb. 11. Thank you John McFerrin John __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Start a New Topic Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest . Unsubscribe . Terms of Use. __,_._,___

1 0

Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy
by DSGJr＠aol.com 03 Feb '10

03 Feb '10

I am simply not sure that is the case, Paul. Mike Manypenny has offered a new net metering bill of his own. We are still trying to sort all this out. Don Garvin, WVEC lobby team In a message dated 2/3/2010 3:44:55 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, pjgrunt(a)gmail.com writes: so we cannot put up these small windmills? (_http://www.ownyourwind.com/_ (http://www.ownyourwind.com/) ) and get net-metering for individual homes? cheers, paul On Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 11:04 AM, James Kotcon <_James.Kotcon(a)mail.wvu.edu_ (mailto:James.Kotcon@mail.wvu.edu) > wrote: The original net-metering rules, established around 2007, only applied to large utilities, and exempted the small municipal systems and rural coops in the state. This new rule would apply to all sellers of electricity, including those smaller systems with <30,000 customers. The new net-metering rules were mandated in the Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act of 2009, pushed by Gov. Manchin. The biggest concern I have is that it extends the net-metering to non-renewable sources including various coal, tire-derived-fuels, natural gas, waste coal, and coal-bed methane. Furthermore, it retains the limit of 1 % of the utilities aggregate load, and no more than 15 % on any one 3-phase line or 5 % on a single-phase line. I think that means that an industrial facility using a waste coal or natural gas generator could preclude net-metering to residences using wind or solar. The more I think about this, the more it seems like a REALLY BIG PROBLEM. While the Governor's bill established the portfolio standard, it is not clear that it was meant to apply to the net-metering program. JBK >>> "John Balasko" <_mjmb(a)westco.net_ (mailto:mjmb@westco.net) > 2/3/2010 10:49 AM >>> This may be the original "net metering order" filed by the Commissioners for all electric utilities. Why don't the currently proposed rules apply to all electric utilities and not just those with less than 30,000 customers, and what are the significant differences? In response to the case 06-0708-E-GI, several smaller utilities filed net metering tariffs with the Commission. Mr. Rodecker filed for the Philipi utility. I'm new to this area, but I was told by a friend who has solar panels that excess generation produced by the customer was not paid for by the utility. The currently proposed rules provide for a true-up at the end of each reporting period. I'll have to do some more reading. John _06-0708-E-GI_ (http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/viewCaseForWebViewForm.cfm?Cas…) 01/26/2007 Order _View Document_ (http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI… NotType='WebDocket') General investigation into net metering, smart metering and interconnection standards set forth in the Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 Commission Final Order that all electric utilities providing service are directed to file the net metering tariff on or before 2/15/2007; that each electric utility shall inform its customers of the net metering tariff and contact information for those customers interested; that each utility shall file affidavit evidencing notice on or before 4/10/2007; etc. Case Final. Removing from open docket. From: _Bill Howley_ (mailto:billhowley@hughes.net) Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 9:49 AM To: _John Balasko_ (mailto:mjmb@westco.net) Cc: _owner(a)goetc.com_ (mailto:owner@goetc.com) ; _WVBiker98(a)aol.com_ (mailto:WVBiker98@aol.com) ; _WVaPATH(a)yahoogroups.com_ (mailto:WVaPATH@yahoogroups.com) Subject: Re: [WVaPATH] WV Net Metering????? The rules for larger power companies may already be in place. I know of quite a few people who have been doing net metering with Allegheny and Appala chian Power for a couple of years now. The rules you note only apply to smaller utilities that do not have net metering programs in place. Allegheny has been doing net metering in MD for ten years. They already have programs set up. This rule is specifically for smaller WV companies, because they have never had to do net metering before. Del. Mike Manypenny from Taylor County has introduced a bill in the current legislative session that would dramatically expand WV's net metering program. Right now, net metering is set up so that any credits you run by producing more power than you use disappear in a relatively short time. Manypenny's new bill (I'll get you a bill number soon) allows businesses, homeowners and farmers to become net producers of electricity by requiring power companies to actually purchase power from you up to certain limits. I believe Manypenny's bill requires power companies to buy power up to 3 megawatt hours per year from businesses and 1 megawatt hour per year from farmers. John Balasko wrote: Thom, Kathy, Donna, Bill, WVPATH I thought you all might enjoy the continuation of this joke that we have gotten ourselves into. Is this something that requires lobbying action? _http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI D=288733&NotType='WebDocket'_ (http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI…'WebDocket') _GO 258_ (http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/viewCaseForWebViewForm.cfm?Cas…) 02/02/2010 Order _View Document_ (http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI… e='WebDocket') General Order No. 258 Commission Procedural Order that the Rules Governing Electric Utility Net-Metering Arrangements and Interconnections are promulgated as Commission proposed legislative rules; directing the Executive Secretary to publish a copy of the Notice of Rulemaking in Charleston; directing the Executive Secretary to serve a copy of the Notice by electronic mail or by First Class Mail upon all electric utilities operating in WV; directing the Executive Secretary to file a copy of the Rules with the Office of the Secretary of State; establishing a comment period; Initial Comments may be filed on or before 4/4/2010; Reply Comments may be filed until 5/5/2010; etc. The way I read the proposed rules Allegheny Power and Appalachian Power would be exempt from net metering because they serve more than 30,000 customers. Here is a list of the other generators affected: Black Diamond Power, Elk Power, Union Power, City of New Martinsville, City of Philippi, Craig-Botetourt Electric Coop; Harrison Rural Electrification, Shenandoah Valley Electric Also, "The total rated generating capacity of all customers served under this tariff shall be limited to one percent (1%) of the Company single hour peak load during the previous year. Do you think the legislature will approve the proposed rules????? The whole state and everything in it is controlled by COAL. Why do we allow our metallurgical coal to be shipped to China, India, and Eastern Europe by Consol, Massey, and others. If these companies and our "leaders" were so concerned about "national security," the shipments would be stopped. John __._,_.___ _Reply to sender_ (mailto:mjmb@westco.net?subject=Re:+[WVaPATH]+WV+Net+Metering?????) | _Reply to group_ (mailto:WVaPATH@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re:+[WVaPATH]+WV+Net+Metering?????) Recent Activity: _Visit Your Group_ (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WVaPATH;_ylc=X3oDMTJmODI5M2RxBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0… HNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzEyNjUyMTIzMzg-) _Start a New Topic_ (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WVaPATH/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJmaDRvZ2VpBF9TAzk3MzU… DQ0MjI5BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDY4MgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNudHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyNjUyMTIzM zg-) MARKETPLACE _Going Green: Your Yahoo! 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1 0

Re: [EC] WV Net Metering rules vs. "Alternative" energy
by James Kotcon 03 Feb '10

03 Feb '10

The original net-metering rules, established around 2007, only applied to large utilities, and exempted the small municipal systems and rural coops in the state. This new rule would apply to all sellers of electricity, including those smaller systems with <30,000 customers. The new net-metering rules were mandated in the Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act of 2009, pushed by Gov. Manchin. The biggest concern I have is that it extends the net-metering to non-renewable sources including various coal, tire-derived-fuels, natural gas, waste coal, and coal-bed methane. Furthermore, it retains the limit of 1 % of the utilities aggregate load, and no more than 15 % on any one 3-phase line or 5 % on a single-phase line. I think that means that an industrial facility using a waste coal or natural gas generator could preclude net-metering to residences using wind or solar. The more I think about this, the more it seems like a REALLY BIG PROBLEM. While the Governor's bill established the portfolio standard, it is not clear that it was meant to apply to the net-metering program. JBK >>> "John Balasko" <mjmb(a)westco.net> 2/3/2010 10:49 AM >>> This may be the original "net metering order" filed by the Commissioners for all electric utilities. Why don't the currently proposed rules apply to all electric utilities and not just those with less than 30,000 customers, and what are the significant differences? In response to the case 06-0708-E-GI, several smaller utilities filed net metering tariffs with the Commission. Mr. Rodecker filed for the Philipi utility. I'm new to this area, but I was told by a friend who has solar panels that excess generation produced by the customer was not paid for by the utility. The currently proposed rules provide for a true-up at the end of each reporting period. I'll have to do some more reading. John 06-0708-E-GI 01/26/2007 Order View Document General investigation into net metering, smart metering and interconnection standards set forth in the Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 Commission Final Order that all electric utilities providing service are directed to file the net metering tariff on or before 2/15/2007; that each electric utility shall inform its customers of the net metering tariff and contact information for those customers interested; that each utility shall file affidavit evidencing notice on or before 4/10/2007; etc. Case Final. Removing from open docket. From: Bill Howley Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 9:49 AM To: John Balasko Cc: owner(a)goetc.com ; WVBiker98(a)aol.com ; WVaPATH(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [WVaPATH] WV Net Metering????? The rules for larger power companies may already be in place. I know of quite a few people who have been doing net metering with Allegheny and Appalachian Power for a couple of years now. The rules you note only apply to smaller utilities that do not have net metering programs in place. Allegheny has been doing net metering in MD for ten years. They already have programs set up. This rule is specifically for smaller WV companies, because they have never had to do net metering before. Del. Mike Manypenny from Taylor County has introduced a bill in the current legislative session that would dramatically expand WV's net metering program. Right now, net metering is set up so that any credits you run by producing more power than you use disappear in a relatively short time. Manypenny's new bill (I'll get you a bill number soon) allows businesses, homeowners and farmers to become net producers of electricity by requiring power companies to actually purchase power from you up to certain limits. I believe Manypenny's bill requires power companies to buy power up to 3 megawatt hours per year from businesses and 1 megawatt hour per year from farmers. John Balasko wrote: Thom, Kathy, Donna, Bill, WVPATH I thought you all might enjoy the continuation of this joke that we have gotten ourselves into. Is this something that requires lobbying action? http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI…'WebDocket' GO 258 02/02/2010 Order View Document General Order No. 258 Commission Procedural Order that the Rules Governing Electric Utility Net-Metering Arrangements and Interconnections are promulgated as Commission proposed legislative rules; directing the Executive Secretary to publish a copy of the Notice of Rulemaking in Charleston; directing the Executive Secretary to serve a copy of the Notice by electronic mail or by First Class Mail upon all electric utilities operating in WV; directing the Executive Secretary to file a copy of the Rules with the Office of the Secretary of State; establishing a comment period; Initial Comments may be filed on or before 4/4/2010; Reply Comments may be filed until 5/5/2010; etc. The way I read the proposed rules Allegheny Power and Appalachian Power would be exempt from net metering because they serve more than 30,000 customers. Here is a list of the other generators affected: Black Diamond Power, Elk Power, Union Power, City of New Martinsville, City of Philippi, Craig-Botetourt Electric Coop; Harrison Rural Electrification, Shenandoah Valley Electric Also, "The total rated generating capacity of all customers served under this tariff shall be limited to one percent (1%) of the Company single hour peak load during the previous year. Do you think the legislature will approve the proposed rules????? The whole state and everything in it is controlled by COAL. Why do we allow our metallurgical coal to be shipped to China, India, and Eastern Europe by Consol, Massey, and others. If these companies and our "leaders" were so concerned about "national security," the shipments would be stopped. John __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Start a New Topic MARKETPLACE Going Green: Your Yahoo! Groups resource for green living Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Fwd: New State and Local Victory Tracker
by Paul Wilson 03 Feb '10

03 Feb '10

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Scott Elkins <scott.elkins(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 4:11 PM Subject: New State and Local Victory Tracker To: CONS-CRP-MEMBERS(a)lists.sierraclub.org *Announcing the launch of the Sierra Club’s new State and Local Victory Tracker* http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/chapters/tracker/ Every day throughout the country, Sierra Club staff and volunteer activists are working hard and winning victories that improve their communities and make the world a cleaner, greener place. Now, we have a place on Clubhouse where we can recognize, celebrate and learn from our many state and local successes. The new State and Local Victory Tracker is available to all Sierra Club leaders and staff through the intranet Clubhouse site. The Tracker is set up to sort and filter victories by a number of variables, so that it’s easy to see the wins that are important to you. It’s a resource where chapter leaders can learn about proven campaign ideas; communications staff can find stories to share in Sierra Magazine, the Insider and other Club communications; and where everyone in the Club can keep up with the vital conservation work of chapters and groups. You are vital to the success of this new resource. We can’t begin to track all of the victories that Sierra Club activists are winning throughout the country, so we need you to be a part of making this happen. Visit the Tracker at the link below. If your chapter or group has won a victory that creates a positive change in the world, and if you don’t see that victory on the Tracker, let us know about it. A link at the top of the Tracker page will navigate you to the entry form, which takes only a few minutes to complete. After you submit your victory, we’ll confirm the information in your entry, and then post it to the tracker. New victories will be posted every week. Visit the State and Local Victory Tracker today. Learn about the work of your colleagues and friends, share in the celebration, and add your own stories. http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/chapters/tracker/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-CRP-MEMBERS list, send any message to: CONS-CRP-MEMBERS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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More greenhouse gas reduction than 100 Nukes!
by James Kotcon 02 Feb '10

02 Feb '10

What little know section of the House Cap-And-Trade bill would produce more greenhouse gas reductions than building 100 nuclear power plants? How about a Green Buildings Act? http://solveclimate.com/blog/20090723/oh-those-sexy-building-codes-more-eff… Enjoy! JBK

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Responsible Drilling Alliance- Facebook group
by Frank Young 31 Jan '10

31 Jan '10

Blankhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=nf&gid=113426202282

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John Blair Hunter is on the Surface Mining Committee
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 30 Jan '10

30 Jan '10

I thought this would be useful information to some of you. I spoke to John Blair Hunter tonight and he told me that he was appointed to the seven member Surface Mining Committee by the governor. As many of you know he is the retired WV Senator who wants reform in this industry. In the first ever 2008 WV State Democratic conference, during his last year as a Senator, he put together a resolution that essentially put a ban on MTR, and that was vigorously supported by the WV Young Democratic. It almost passed. Does anyone have a good link to the WV Surface Mining Committee? -Jonathan

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"the mother of all verticals"
by Duane330＠aol.com 30 Jan '10

30 Jan '10

____________________________________ January 29, 2010, 9:47 am Private Equity Is Bullish on Clean Energy By _CEZARY PODKUL_ (http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/author/cezary-podkul/) With strong interest from corporations eyeing the clean energy sector, 2010 could turn out to be a good time for private equity and venture capital firms to pursue investments. “One of the most exciting things about the space now – this applies all the way down the bottom to the early-stage technology firms – is that there is a tremendous amount of strategic interest in this space,” said Hovey Kemp, a private equity lawyer at the law firm _Goodwin Procter_ (http://www.goodwinprocter.com/) , said at the _Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst Outlook 2010_ (http://peaoutlook.dowjones.com/) meeting in New York earlier this week. He added that one could easily put together a long list of “very large corporations” that are paying “very close attention” to the sector, among them networking equipment maker _Cisco_ (http://www.cisco.com/) and electronics manufacturer _Samsung_ (http://www.samsung.com/us/) . “There are buyers out there that are going to emerge here,” he said. For private equity and venture capital firms, which collectively _invested $6 billion into the clean energy sector in 2009_ (http://www.newenergymatters.com/download.php?n=NEF_Q4_Fact_Pack_07_01_2010.… ses) , according to the consulting firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance, this could translate to a variety of selling opportunities as a way of exiting their investments. Investors at the event also saw good reasons to be buyers in the sector. Chris Hearn of the private equity firm _First Reserve Corporation_ (http://www.firstreserve.com/go.asp?Go=!SiteStation&x=TPLGen&ResType=Folder&… PL=HomePage.htm) said long-term electricity needs in the United States would continue to rise, thanks in part to greater use of electric vehicles. Tucker Twitmyer of the clean-energy private equity firm _EnerTech Capital_ (http://www.enertechcapital.com/) , pointed to smart gird technology as an area where investors can get a quick return on their capital. It may take a few years for private equity and venture capital firms to figure it out, Mr. Hovey said, but the clean energy sector could become “the mother of all verticals” for private investors.

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Marcellus info, inc Manchin embrace
by Jim Sconyers 29 Jan '10

29 Jan '10

Pretty disturbing talk by Gov. Manchin - basically, "Marcellus, we love it, everyone come here and get drilling!" Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Fri, 1/29/10, Donald C. Strimbeck <dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> wrote: From: Donald C. Strimbeck <dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> Subject: Fw: Friday 29 Jan 10. News of interest to Mon river watershed folks. To: "Zack Walko" <zack(a)joehoeffel2010.com>, "William Richardson" <richardson.william(a)epa.gov>, "Werner Loehlein" <werner.c.loehlein(a)usace.army.mil>, "Tom Mroz" <THOMAS.MROZ(a)NETL.DOE.GOV>, "Tom Konchesky" <scmayor(a)comcast.net>, "Steve Garvin" <SGarvin194(a)aol.com>, "Skip Pratt" <Skip.Pratt(a)NETL.DOE.GOV>, "Shanda Minney" <sminney(a)wvrivers.org>, "Scott Mandirola" <Scott.G.(a)yahoo.com> Date: Friday, January 29, 2010, 4:38 AM Don Strimbeck, Sec/Treas Upper Mon River Assoc UpperMon.org Vice Chair, Mon River Rec & Comm Com MonRiverSummit.org WVU t-shirts & prints - FindHarri.com 109 Broad Street, P. O. Box 519 Granville WV 26534-0519 304-599-7585 (fax 4131) dcsoinks(a)comcast.net ----- Original Message ----- From: Donald C. Strimbeck To: Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 4:37 AM Subject: Friday 29 Jan 10. News of interest to Mon river watershed folks. DUNKARD CREEK-29JanY2K10 Washington PA Observer-Reporter Friday 29 January 2010: Forum on water to examine coal, gas production 1/29/2010 3:32 AM By Bob Niedbala, Staff writer niedbala(a)observer-reporter.com The Upper Monongahela River Association will hold a water quality forum in February focusing on the impact of coal and natural gas production on water resources and the investigation into the Dunkard Creek fish kill. The forum will be the 13th sponsored by the organization dealing with water quality issues in the Monongahela River basin. The 12th forum, which was sponsored jointly by the association and Greene County Conservation District and focused on the September fish kill, was held Dec. 3 in Mt. Morris and drew more than 200 people. Barry Pallay, forum program director, said one of the issues for next month's meeting again will be Dunkard Creek. State and federal agencies have been invited to attend to share with the public any new data they have obtained since the last meeting, he said. The discussion also is expected to include an update on the status of other streams with high levels of total dissolved solids. Total dissolved solids have been considered a contributing factor to the growth of the golden algae that is believed to have killed fish and other aquatic life in Dunkard Creek. The other focus of the forum will be to address the impacts of coal mining and the expected increase in natural gas production on the area's water resources, Pallay said. "We want to begin examining coal and gas production and the water and waste disposal needs related to it," he said, adding that, if the watershed is going to see an increase in Marcellus gas drilling, it's important to consider what impacts it may have on water resources. The association began sponsoring its water quality forums in October 2008 in response to reports of problems caused by high levels of total dissolved solids in the Monongahela River, Pallay said. The forums have helped inform the public on issues surrounding water quality in the Mon River basin and brought together the various state and federal agencies involved in enforcing water quality regulations. At next month's forum, a speaker is scheduled to attend from the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, an organization that works to improve water quality in a large portion of the Ohio River basin. The representative is expected to explain what his organization has done to improve water quality in the Ohio River and the lessons it has learned that could apply to the association's efforts. "We really need to look at the watershed as an entire system," Pallay said. This upcoming water quality forum will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Granville, W.Va., Volunteer Fire Department events center, about a mile west of the Star City interchange of Interstate 79. Agencies invited to attend include the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Greene County Department of Economic Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, RAIN Network, W.Va. Water Research Institute and W.Va. Geologic and Economic Survey. In another matter, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joe Hoeffel will visit the Mt. Morris Community Center at 1 p.m. Saturday to discuss issues related to the Dunkard Creek fish kill. Copyright Observer Publishing Co. ----- Original Message ----- From: Betty Wiley To: Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 8:38 PM Subject: good news for Pennsylvania PennFuture praises Rendell decision to increase DEP’s staff and beef up regulations and inspections of Marcellus Shale drillers Group urges legislators to adopt a severance tax on the drilling without delay HARRISBURG, PA (January 28, 2010) – Jan Jarrett, president and CEO of Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture) today praised the governor’s decision to add 68 new staff to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and to strengthen regulation of gas drilling to provide better protection of Pennsylvania’s communities and natural resources from damage by natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation. “We’re glad that the governor recognizes that Marcellus gas drilling presents a new scale of environmental challenges to the Commonwealth’s natural resources, especially water,” Jarrett said. “This belt and suspenders approach will allow Pennsylvania to take advantage of the economic opportunities the natural gas presents, but update our rules and increase our ability to adequately oversee the drilling. “Citizens across Pennsylvania have cried out for smart regulations and true government oversight of the drilling,” continued Jarrett. “The new staff and the new regulations will go a long way in responding to those concerns. We are pleased that the governor recognized that rules designed to regulate the kind of gas drilling traditionally done in Pennsylvania are not up to addressing the environmental challenges presented by the deep drilling required to get to the Marcellus Shale gas, and moved to modernize our regulations. “But no matter how well regulated, drilling for the Marcellus gas will inevitably do some environmental damage as it depletes a natural resource, and it will impose costs on taxpayers and communities,” continued Jarrett. “That’s why we need to tax the drillers on the gas they pump out from our state, and use that tax to protect and improve our environment. The drilling companies pay such a tax nearly everywhere else they drill, and there is simply no reason not to tax them here. This additional income should not just be added to our general fund, but a major portion should go to the local communities that host the drilling, to our Fish and Boat and Game Commissions, and to environmental protection and conservation of our natural resources. “The governor’s announcements today put us on the right road to grow the economy and protect the environment,” said Jarrett. “We look forward to working with our elected officials to move our state further down that road, protecting our state forests from rampant drilling, and having the drilling companies pay their fair share through a severance tax.” PennFuture is a statewide public interest membership organization, founded in 1998. PennFuture's activities include litigating cases before regulatory bodies and in local, state and federal courts, advocating and advancing legislative action on a state and federal level, public education, and assisting citizens in public advocacy. Working from the premise that “Every environmental victory grows the economy,” PennFuture has successfully advocated for landmark environmental legislation, including passage of the largest-ever environmental funding bond, public investment in green energy and energy savings programs, passage of the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act, adoption of the Clean Vehicles Program and adoption of a regulation to protect Pennsylvania’s babies by restricting mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants. PennFuture has staff throughout the state, in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, West Chester, Doylestown and Wilkes-Barre. The Philadelphia Inquirer called PennFuture the “state’s leading environmental advocacy organization.” Jeanne K. Clark Director of Communications Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture) 425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 2770 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 www.pennfuture.org 412-258-6683 (W) 412-258-6685 (F) For cell phone and text messages: 412-736-6092 ----- Original Message ----- From: Sally Snyder To: Beth Little ; cindy rank ; Donald C. Strimbeck Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 4:31 PM Subject: Fwd: Manchin to IOGA: "Call me if you don't think you're being treated right." Business Thursday January 28, 2010 Manchin says state is 'partner' Governor speaks to hundreds of oil, gas executives gathered for annual meeting by George Hohmann Daily Mail Business Editor Gov. Joe Manchin struck a conciliatory note with the oil and natural gas industry Wednesday, saying, "Markets and competition are tough enough. You don't need to have government make it tougher." Manchin was the keynote speaker at the winter meeting of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia. The natural gas industry is being transformed by an increase in supplies from shale formations that have been known for years to contain natural gas. Geotechnical engineers and other specialists have figured out how to drill down into shale and then go sideways to open a much bigger area of the gas-bearing formation. There's talk in the natural gas industry that the Marcellus Shale gas field - known in the business as a "play" - may contain 500 trillion cubic feet of gas. The Marcellus Shale extends from northeast Pennsylvania around Bedford through southwestern Pennsylvania, through the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia and into the central part of the state. It underlies 15 million acres. Instead of worrying about running out of natural gas within 10 years - a prevalent discussion within the industry in the 1970s - the discussion now is about having up to 90 years of proven and potential supply. "I know many of you are from other parts of the country," Manchin said to the nearly 700 industry executives gathered at the Marriott. He was alluding to the fact that several out-of-state companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp. and Norway's StatoilHydro, have snapped up properties in the Marcellus Shale in recent months. "We appreciate you so much," Manchin said. "I'm going into my sixth year as governor, and one thing I've tried to put out there is responsibility, continuity so you know what to expect and how it's going to be delivered," Manchin said. The governor said he's been emphasizing "retail government," which he described as a government that says thank you, meets deadlines and treats you with respect. "You don't go out with a cease-and-desist order, you go out with a helping hand," he said. If a situation isn't corrected then enforcement is appropriate, he said. Companies that are looking for places to expand will find "you're going to have a partner at the end of the day you never bargained for, asked for or even wanted," Manchin said. "It's going to be government. You'd better pick a good partner. If you pick a partner with no vision, no stability, you're going to have problems. That's something we fight every day. The system doesn't think like you do with timelines, deadlines." Although the increase in natural gas supplies has created excitement about what it may mean for jobs and West Virginia's economy, the prospects for expansion bring concerns, too - especially about the treatment of water used in the drilling process. Earlier this month, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced the release of a guidance document and permit addendum that it said is designed to better manage water use and disposal by the oil and gas industry when drilling in the Marcellus Shale. The DEP said the document "addresses the need for well operators to be diligent about protecting the state's waters." Manchin said, "We're working on the water situation. I know this could be your biggest impediment. This is the big thing with the EPA," he said, referring to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. "We're doing everything we can to help you in this industry," he said. "You don't need 'gotcha! government.' How can you do it right if you don't know what must be done? We're trying to get some clarity. We have a company from South Korea in the filtering business. We're talking to everyone we can to find some help." Manchin did not bring up two industry sore points: * Chesapeake Energy, one of the nation's largest natural gas producers, last year canceled plans for a regional office in Charleston after it was surprised by a huge punitive damage award and then found out that West Virginia offers no automatic right of appeal. In his State of the State address earlier this month, Manchin praised the state Supreme Court for working on rules that are intended to ensure the right of appeal. * Pennsylvania, which has a large portion of the Marcellus Shale play and has already attracted industry investment, does not have a severance tax on natural gas. West Virginia does. A recent Penn State study estimated that because Pennsylvania has no severance or property tax, wellhead revenue there is about 11 percent higher. Although Manchin didn't specifically mention the severance tax, he did point out that during his administration the food sales tax, business franchise tax and corporate income tax have been lowered. "For every adjustment for business you have to make an adjustment for consumers," he said. "You have to have a balance." Manchin concluded, "We want you to do well. Call me if you don't think you're being treated right. I want to make sure 'retail government' works for you." He received a standing ovation. Contact writer George Hohmann at busin...(a)dailymail.com or 304-348-4836. ----- Original Message ----- From: Sally Snyder To: John Snyder ; Julie Archer ; Donald C. Strimbeck ; Beth Little ; David McMahon ; Gary Zuckett ; cindyrank Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 4:30 PM Subject: Fwd: ProPublica: Pennsylvania’s Gas Wells Booming—But So Are Spills Message from sender: check it out Pennsylvania’s Gas Wells Booming—But So Are Spills By Sabrina Shankman, January 27, 2010 4:08 pm EST http://www.propublica.org/feature/pas-gas-wells-booming-but-so-are-spills-1… COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA Dept. of Environmental Protection Commonwealth News Bureau Room 308, Main Capitol Building Harrisburg PA., 17120 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 01/28/2010 CONTACT: Tom Rathbun, DEP 717-787-1323 Governor Rendell: PA Taking Aggressive Action to Protect Public, Environment as Marcellus Shale Drilling Operations Expands Directs DEP to Hire 68 Additional Staff to Bolster Inspections, Environmental Compliance New Regulations Planned to Improve Well Safety Standards HARRISBURG -- In order to protect Pennsylvania’s residents and environment from the impact of increased natural gas exploration across the state, Governor Edward G. Rendell announced today that the commonwealth is strengthening its enforcement capabilities. At the Governor’s direction, the Department of Environmental Protection will begin hiring 68 new personnel who will make sure that drilling companies obey state laws and act responsibly to protect water supplies. DEP also will strengthen oil and gas regulations to improve well construction standards. These critical upgrades are designed to prevent gas leaks that can pose risks to the public and water quality. “Interest in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale formation is greater than ever before and as natural gas prices continue to rise, that interest will only increase,” said Governor Rendell. “In fact, the industry has told us that they expect to apply for 5,200 permits to drill in the Marcellus Shale this year -- nearly three times the number of permits we issued in all of 2009. Given these conditions, an extraction tax is gaining widespread support across our state and I will again ask the General Assembly to enact such a levy. It is fair and affordable to drillers. They know it, and so do members of the House of Representatives who voted for it last year. “The actions I am announcing today, however, are about decisive, progressive protections for the people of Pennsylvania. We were able to hire 37 additional inspectors and permitting staff in 2009, but the industry’s projected growth in 2010 means that we need additional inspectors to ensure oil and gas companies follow environmental laws and regulations. As I’ve said all along, we want to encourage the development of this resource because it’s a tremendous economic opportunity for the state, but we will not allow that to happen at the expense of our environment.” DEP performed 14,544 drilling site inspections in 2009 and took 678 enforcement actions against drillers for violations. The 68 additional personnel will be funded entirely from money generated by new, higher permitting fees that were instituted in 2009—the first such increase since 1984. The new fees were put in place with bipartisan support from the General Assembly, industry and environmental organizations. The Governor noted that given the need for these additional health and safety personnel and the dedicated funding source that is independent of the state’s General Fund, these new hires are exemptions to the general hiring freeze he instituted last year. DEP’s work to amend Pennsylvania’s oil and gas regulations will strengthen well construction standards and define a drilling company’s responsibility for responding to gas migration issues, such as when gas escapes a well or rock formation and seeps into homes or water wells. Specifically, he said the new regulations will: • Require the casings of Marcellus Shale and other high-pressure wells to be tested and constructed with specific, oilfield-grade cement; • Clarify the drilling industry’s responsibility to restore or replace water supplies affected by drilling; • Establish procedures for operators to identify and correct gas migration problems without waiting for direction from DEP; • Require drilling operators to notify DEP and local emergency responders immediately of gas migration problems; • Require well operators to inspect every existing well quarterly to ensure each well is structurally sound, and report the results of those inspections to DEP annually; and • Require well operators to notify DEP immediately if problems such as over-pressurized wells and defective casings are found during inspections. “These new draft regulations, which were developed through open meetings with experts in the industry, are designed to give Pennsylvanians peace of mind by bringing our state’s requirements up to par with other major gas producing states or, as in the case of the well casing requirements, to a level that is even more rigorous,” said Governor Rendell. The new regulations will be offered for public comment on Jan. 29 before going through DEP’s formal rulemaking process. Interest in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale formation has been increasing. One third of the more than 6,200 oil and natural gas drilling permits DEP issued in 2009 were for drilling in the Marcellus Shale. By comparison, only four of the more than 6,000 permits issued in 2005 were for the Marcellus formation. For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us. For Immediate Release: January 28, 2010 Contacts: Lauren Townsend 215-939-7621 Co-Manager Joe Hoeffel 2010 Frank Custer - 215-527-5928 Joe Hoeffel 2010 Eastern PA Press Contact Matt Merriman- Preston - 412-600-3405 Joe Hoeffel 2010 Western PA Press Contact Press Advisory Hoeffel to Hear from Greene County Residents Concerning Environmental Issues Surrounding Dunkard Creek Mt. Morris, January 28, 2010 – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joe Hoeffel has accepted an invitation from the Friends of Dunkard Creek to hear from concerned residents of Greene County who will talk to him about hardships and concerns as a result of recent environmental disasters, including a massive fish kill along the waterway. Hoeffel will speak to residents about his commitment to protect the health of Pennsylvanians, the beauty of Pennsylvania, and the sustainability of the state’s resources. WHO: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joe Hoeffel WHAT: Meeting with Greene County Residents Concerning Dunkard Creek WHEN: Saturday, January 30, 2010, 1pm WHERE: Mt. Morris Community Center, 303 Mount Morris Road, Mt. Morris PA 15349 THE STATE JOURNAL Friday 29 January 2010: Report Urges States to Plan Now for decline in Coal Production Posted Thursday, January 28, 2010 ; 06:00 AM | View Comments | Post Comment Some say study fails to portray increasing demand for state's energy. By JIM ROSS For The State Journal The time has come for West Virginia and neighboring states to prepare for a significant decrease in coal production and the economic changes that will come with it. That's according to a report issued last week from Downstream Strategies, an environmental consulting firm based in Morgantown. The report uses projections from the federal government to predict that coal production in the central Appalachian region -- composed of southern West Virginia, western Virginia, eastern Kentucky and eastern Tennessee -- will decrease by half in the next 10 years. "Coal has contributed significantly to local and state economies in central Appalachia, but production has fallen substantially over the last 12 years as other coal basins and sources of fuel have become more competitive," said lead author Rory McIlmoil in a statement released with the study. "This trend is expected to continue as mining costs increase due to the depletion of the lowest-cost coal reserves and as new environmental regulations are implemented. As this happens, local and state economies will need new sources of jobs and revenue to replace coal mining jobs and taxes." The 34-page report says new jobs and tax revenues can be created through development of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Losses from the decline of coal can be recaptured by gains from wind, solar, low-impact hydro and sustainable biomass production and from a strong focus on energy efficiency improvements. Coal production in the region peaked at 290 million tons in 1997, but it fell by about 20 percent to 235 million tons in 2008, according to the report. Central Appalachian coal got a boost in the 1990s from the first phase of the Clean Air Act as electric utilities switched to central Appalachian coal to meet smokestack emission standards. Since then, many coal-fired power plants have installed scrubbers, allowing them to burn coal from other regions, too. The report suggests that states act now to diversify the economy of the central Appalachian region. Among steps it recommends: requiring each state to provide 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources; grants, tax credits, clean energy bonds or low-interest loans to support renewable energy development and manufacturing; implementing and strengthening net metering laws; developing work force programs aimed at providing the skills and knowledge required for renewable energy industries; strong incentives for local ownership of energy development. McIlmoil gave Gov. Joe Manchin a copy of the report this week, and the governor is reviewing it, said Manchin spokesman Matt Turner. Manchin has said he recognizes West Virginia needs to diversify its economy, but he also recognizes that coal "is going to be our primary source of energy as we transition to our fuels of the future," Turner said. The governor wants investments in technology to enable the state to make that transition, but coal will be the dominant energy source for the next 30 years, Turner said. Turner pointed to the Bucks for Brains program that is bringing researchers to the state and with them the promise of new homegrown industries. Steve Roberts, president of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, said the report overlooks the fact that all the coal mined in West Virginia is being bought. "We have a history of seeing reports of the rapid decline in the use of coal, and it simply hasn't happened," he said. "The marketplace has a large and growing appetite for coal and electricity. As the national and international economies recover in the future, there will be a larger need for coal." Cal Kent, vice president of business and economic research at Marshall University, also voiced that opinion. Kent said the report is well documented, but it offers little new material. Everyone knows reserves are declining, and central Appalachian coal faces competition from other regions and from alternate energy sources. However, the report ignores the accelerating demand for electricity that will require development of nuclear and alternate sources, Kent said. "There are not enough alternate sources now to replace coal over the next decade or two," he said. Everyone recognizes the need to diversify the state economy, but no one has developed a workable strategy that overcomes severe problems in accomplishing that, Kent said. The state has little developable flat land, particularly in coal-producing counties, he said. Installing the necessary infrastructure and transportation arteries into those areas is expensive and time consuming. The work force is older and less educated than the national average. And the state has a reputation, whether deserved or not, of being an expensive place to do business. That includes the perceived legal environment, he said. Researchers at Marshall and West Virginia University are working on their own study of coal in the state. It focuses on the industry's economic impact. Research has been completed, and the document is in its final edit, Kent said, with release set for mid-February. "Most folks will be surprised to find out how really dependent on coal the West Virginia economy is," he said. North-Central W.Va. is Ground Zero for Surface Mine Coal Ash Posted Thursday, January 28, 2010 ; 06:00 AM | View Comments | Post Comment Updated Thursday, January 28, 2010; 11:05 AM EPA is considering whether material from power plants used in mine reclamation is hazardous. Story by Pam Kasey Email | Bio | Other Stories by Pam Kasey On the eve of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency decision about regulating coal combustion waste as a hazardous material, mine operators are spreading the substance extensively across north-central West Virginia. The noncombustible part of coal, coal combustion waste (CCW) is what's left when power plants burn coal to make electricity, according to the EPA. It includes fly ash, boiler slag and scrubber residues. Following the December 2008 CCW slurry spill that covered 300 acres in Kingston, Tenn., West Virginians learned of 20 such wet slurry impoundments in this state. But CCW may be disposed of in other ways as well; in the absence of federal regulation, practices differ state by state. In West Virginia, it may be landfilled. It may be recycled: into concrete, for example, or wallboard. Or, when written into a surface mine permit, its combination with coal mine refuse during reclamation may be designated a "beneficial use" by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, according to the Division of Mining and Reclamation's permitting handbook. Meanwhile, one coal company official said his company complies with regulatory standards and he is concerned that increased standards needlessly could increase the cost of energy. CCW and North-Central W.Va. The practice is widespread in north-central West Virginia. The simple idea behind it, according to Jeff Stant, is that the alkaline CCW material neutralizes the highly acidic northern Appalachian coal wastes and prevents acid mine drainage. Stant has studied CCW for two decades and directs the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project's Coal Combustion Waste Initiative. The reality, Stant said, is much more complex. A 2006 National Academy of Sciences study found that CCW contains "metals and other elements, such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium and lead, in quantities that can potentially be harmful to human health or the environment." Stant cited research showing that, rather than offering a beneficial synergy, the chemical interactions between acidic mine refuse and alkaline CCW create ideal conditions for leaching the heavy metals from the ash. "They're creating a more dangerous scenario," Stant said. "They're maximizing risk." A map in the National Academies study shows that north-central West Virginia has by far the highest concentration of CCW mine placement in the country. "Monongalia, Marion and Preston counties, there are 80 or 90 mine dumps there," Stant said. "Pennsylvania has more total mine dumps, about 120, but they're spread over the western half of the state and the eastern anthracite region. Yours are almost all in those three counties." Two Current Permits Currently in public comment are two draft permits in north-central West Virginia that include CCW. In one, for Morgantown-based Patriot Mining Co.'s New Hill West surface mine in the acidic Waynesburg seams, CCW from the Morgantown Energy Associates power plant would be applied during reclamation. Residents John and Petra Wood, scientists who work in Morgantown and moved to nearby Cassville 17 years ago for a more secluded lifestyle, submitted comments on Patriot's Community Impact Statement and its draft Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act permit. The Cassville area has changed, the Woods wrote. "Since 1997, almost 1,100 acres have been surface mined, and permit applications for an additional 580 acres of surface disturbance recently have been submitted for this area," they wrote. "From 1999 to 2007, we estimate that about 6 million tons of CCW have been deposited on seven surface mine permits ... in and around the Cassville community," they wrote, summarizing their review of other permits. "An additional 2.4 million tons of CCW is proposed for (the current permit)." They cited findings by the National Academies and others showing that CCW mine sites leach heavy metals with potential human health effects and that state-mandated surface water and groundwater monitoring typically are insufficient. They also pointed out that CCW has been found to leach dissolved solids, or TDS -- the contaminant that contributed to the death of the fish and mussels on more than 38 miles of Dunkard Creek in their area last fall. "Could the millions of tons of CCW that have been deposited in the Monongahela River watershed in recent years be contributing to TDS loading in the river and its tributaries?" the Woods asked in their comments. "This needs to be investigated, as the Monongahela River is the drinking water source for 850,000 people (and has been) identified by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources as a high-quality stream." The second permit, for Morgantown-based Coresco LLC, is a surface mining control and reclamation act permit -- but involves no mining. "The proposed Coal Refuse Disposal Area No. 4 will not include coal removal and will strictly be a refuse disposal site," the applicant states. Coresco proposes to combine coal preparation refuse from its local mining operation and CCW from the Hatfield's Ferry, Fort Martin and Longview power plants on a 350-acre site near the Monongahela River. The company would deposit up to 2.8 million tons of material each year for 25 to 30 years to a final height, in one area, of up to 500 feet. The West Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club commented on this permit. "There does not appear to be any beneficial purpose to the disposal of the coal ash and combustion byproducts," the comments read. "We recommend that the beneficial use designation be determined to be inapplicable to this permit, and that a solid waste landfill permit be required, complete with liner, leachate collection and leachate leak detection systems." Stant placed the project in context. "It's a huge, a huge operation," he said. "(The completed project) is like two-thirds of the entire annual national generation of coal combustion waste from all power plants." EPA and OMB A "hazardous" designation from the EPA would trigger the development of a federal disposal standard. Tom Jones, senior mining engineer at Patriot Mining, said he believes the testing that Patriot conducts and that WVDEP requires is sufficient to show that the company's use of CCW is in compliance with existing regulations. A blanket hazardous designation would send CCW to landfills needlessly, he said, and would increase Patriot's costs and, ultimately, the price of electricity. The federal Office of Management and Budget currently is conducting meetings with industry stakeholders. At issue are those additional costs, as well as whether a hazardous designation would cripple re-use -- the destination of 45 percent of CCW in 2008, according to the American Coal Ash Association, mine fills included. Stant believes the designation would stop the use of CCW at mines. "Minimum requirements would have to be met that would force them to isolate the ash from water," he said. "If they did that, that would spell the end of mine filling as we currently know it." Don Strimbeck, Sec/Treas Upper Mon River Assoc UpperMon.org Vice Chair, Mon River Rec & Comm Com MonRiverSummit.org WVU t-shirts & prints - FindHarri.com 109 Broad Street, P. O. Box 519 Granville WV 26534-0519 304-599-7585 (fax 4131) dcsoinks(a)comcast.net

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Mine operators in WVa rushing to spread coal ash before it is declared hazardous
by Frank Young 28 Jan '10

28 Jan '10

"NORTH CENTRAL W.VA. IS GROUND ZERO FOR SURFACE MINE COAL ASH" "Mine operators are spreading serious amounts of coal combustion waste in W.Va. before the EPA declares it to be a hazardous material." Pam Kasey reports for the WV State Journal January 28, 2010. http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=74194

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Action Alert [Fwd: coal ash disposal]
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 28 Jan '10

28 Jan '10

Earth Justice has declared today National Day of Action on Coal Ash. -Jonathan

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State of Union
by Jim Sconyers 27 Jan '10

27 Jan '10

Nuclear - yes Clean coal - yes Offshore oil - yes Woooowheee! Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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FW: FW: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co
by Grubb, Karen 27 Jan '10

27 Jan '10

Frank, are you still planning to go? From: Frank Young [mailto:fyoung@mountain.net] Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 5:18 PM To: Grubb, Karen Subject: Fw: [EC] FW: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co I don't think this came through the EC list. FYI. ----- Original Message ----- From: Duane330(a)aol.com To: fyoung(a)mountain.net Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 5:04 PM Subject: Re: [EC] FW: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co Jim, Beth, Frank, et al. I will be attending this meeting, if I can locate an original copy of the invitation to provide the context and invitation list. My home territory is Tyler and Wetzel county; I drove thru Wileyville earlier today coming from Paden City back to Morgantown on WV Route 7. I can go representing the TDS Strategy Group. However, this Group has its focus on the Monongahela River. Wetzel County is in the Ohio River watershed, not the Monongahela River watershed. The Marcellus Shale drilling operations in Wetzel county drain mostly into Marshall county then to the Ohio River. It you want to see some of the pictures, go to: www.marcellus-shale.us Let me know if you need a ride from Morgantown................... Duane Nichols >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> In a message dated 1/27/2010 11:44:17 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, fyoung(a)mountain.net writes: Beth, Can you give us an idea of what you'd specifically like SC's presence there to be? Ask people to sign a Sierra Club contact sheet? Offer some specific assistance from Sierra Club? If so, what? If I go, I will be going in mostly blind. I do not know any of the people you have mentioned. And other than for the town of New Martinsville (on the Ohio River), I have no familiarity with Wetzel County. But I am a country boy, and so I can find my way to the meeting- wherever it is. But unless I know what you might expect of me there, I would be winging it. Frank ----- Original Message ----- From: Frank Young <mailto:fyoung@mountain.net> To: EC(a)osenergy.org Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 11:08 AM Subject: Re: [EC] FW: FW: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co If no one else at all can go, I could. But Friday is usually my day to take care of treasurer stuff at the WVEC office- pay our lobbyists, pay other bills, etc. I could go this one time. But I could not make the commitment to make this an ongoing priority. I have too many of those already. Frank ----- Original Message ----- From: Grubb, Karen <mailto:Karen.Grubb@fairmontstate.edu> To: EC(a)osenergy.org Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 10:57 AM Subject: [EC] FW: FW: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co Can anyone make this meeting? I will try, but I will have to take off work to go. ________________________________ From: rhunt(a)ovis.net [mailto:rhunt@ovis.net] Sent: Wed 1/27/2010 10:20 AM To: Grubb, Karen Subject: Re: FW: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co The meeting is Jan 29,1-4 pm at the Wileyville Auction Hall on Rt 7 right on the road. Turn from rt 250 right before Hundred on to Rt 7, Wileyville is in the center of the county..we also have people from Washington Co Pa coming, Bob Donnan, and many families who are desperate for finding help. I bought a Jayco Camper which sleeps 8 so we could have a nice place for people to stay. please let me know..people still are stunned that this could happen in America to a quiet rural community..some driller landsmen were stopping at the store in Littleton last week and were bragging about fooling people..they were on their way to Rock Cave. Let me know, Marilyn Hunt ----- Original Message Follows ----- From: "Grubb, Karen" <Karen.Grubb(a)fairmontstate.edu> To: <rhunt(a)ovis.net> Cc: "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> Subject: FW: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:36:52 -0500 >Marilyn, > >I may be able to attend the meeting in Wetzel County. Can >you tell me where and when it is? Beth Little asked if >someone could go to keep us all in the loop. Also Jim >Kotcon, Energy Chair may be able to attend. > >Karen Grubb > >Sierra Club Conservation Chair > >From: Beth Little [mailto:blittle@citynet.net] >Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 8:55 AM >To: 'James Kotcon'; Grubb, Karen >Subject: RE: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co > >The weather is making it look completely impossible for me. > Plus, Caroline's car just broke down. > >The contact for the meeting is Marilyn Hunt 304-775-2484. >We talked for at least an hour, and she said she could >provide overnight accommodations too. > >Also, there is a Penn State webinar on water testing >related to gas drilling tomorrow, 1/27 at noon and 7pm >http://water.cas.psu.edu/webinars.htm ><http://water.cas.psu.edu/webinars.htm> It is being >conducted by Brian Swistock. He is a Cooperative Extension >agent and he came to Monroe Co in 2008 to conduct a public >meeting on Marcellus shale. I was impressed that he was a >straight shooter that was really trying to get information >out to the public. >________________________________ > >From: James Kotcon [mailto:jkotcon@wvu.edu] >Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 8:17 PM >To: Beth Little >Subject: Re: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co > >Both Karen Grubb and I indicated this was a possibility, so >send info to both of us. I will try to go, but this is a >big grant-writing week, plus I am leading the Blackwater >Canyon x-c ski outing the next day, so I am a little iffy. > >JBK > >>>> "Beth Little" <blittle(a)citynet.net> 1/25/2010 7:10 PM > >Hey Jim, Dan Soeder said he thought someone at the ExCom >meeting said they were available to go to the Marcellus >shale gas drilling meeting in Wetzel Co this Friday and >maybe it was you. Yes? Or do you know who? I don't think >I have sent the information to find out where it is. Beth ________________________________ _______________________________________________ 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 _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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FW: FW: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co
by Grubb, Karen 27 Jan '10

27 Jan '10

Can anyone make this meeting? I will try, but I will have to take off work to go. ________________________________ From: rhunt(a)ovis.net [mailto:rhunt@ovis.net] Sent: Wed 1/27/2010 10:20 AM To: Grubb, Karen Subject: Re: FW: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co The meeting is Jan 29,1-4 pm at the Wileyville Auction Hall on Rt 7 right on the road. Turn from rt 250 right before Hundred on to Rt 7, Wileyville is in the center of the county..we also have people from Washington Co Pa coming, Bob Donnan, and many families who are desparate for finding help. I bought a Jayco Camper which sleeps 8 so we could have a nice place for people to stay. please let me know..people still are stunned that this could happen in America to a quiet rural community..some driller lansmen were stoping at the store in Littleton last week and were bragging about fooling people..they were on their way to Rock Cave.Let me know, Marilyn Hunt ----- Original Message Follows ----- From: "Grubb, Karen" <Karen.Grubb(a)fairmontstate.edu> To: <rhunt(a)ovis.net> Cc: "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> Subject: FW: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:36:52 -0500 >Marilyn, > >I may be able to attend the meeting in Wetzel County. Can >you tell me where and when it is? Beth Little asked if >someone could go to keep us all in the loop. Also Jim >Kotcon, Energy Chair may be able to attend. > >Karen Grubb > >Sierra Club Conservation Chair > >From: Beth Little [mailto:blittle@citynet.net] >Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 8:55 AM >To: 'James Kotcon'; Grubb, Karen >Subject: RE: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co > >The weather is making it look completely impossible for me. > Plus, Caroline's car just broke down. > >The contact for the meeting is Marilyn Hunt 304-775-2484. >We talked for at least an hour, and she said she could >provide overnight accommodations too. > >Also, there is a Penn State webinar on water testing >related to gas drilling tomorrow, 1/27 at noon and 7pm >http://water.cas.psu.edu/webinars.htm ><http://water.cas.psu.edu/webinars.htm> It is being >conducted by Brian Swistock. He is a Cooperative Extension >agent and he came to Monroe Co in 2008 to conduct a public >meeting on Marcellus shale. I was impressed that he was a >straight shooter that was really trying to get information >out to the public. >________________________________ > >From: James Kotcon [mailto:jkotcon@wvu.edu] >Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 8:17 PM >To: Beth Little >Subject: Re: Jan 29 meeting in Wetzel Co > >Both Karen Grubb and I indicated this was a possibility, so >send info to both of us. I will try to go, but this is a >big grant-writing week, plus I am leading the Blackwater >Canyon x-c ski outing the next day, so I am a little iffy. > >JBK > >>>> "Beth Little" <blittle(a)citynet.net> 1/25/2010 7:10 PM > >Hey Jim, Dan Soeder said he thought someone at the ExCom >meeting said they were available to go to the Marcellus >shale gas drilling meeting in Wetzel Co this Friday and >maybe it was you. Yes? Or do you know who? I don't think >I have sent the information to find out where it is. Beth

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Mayor Bloomberg NYC on Marcellus Shale
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 27 Jan '10

27 Jan '10

http://www.cleanskies.com/articles/bloomberg-opposes-nat-gas-drilling-nyc-w… -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] AEP on pilot CCS facility in West Virginia
by James Kotcon 26 Jan '10

26 Jan '10

>>> "dave o'leary" <dave.oleary(a)MDSIERRA.ORG> 1/26/2010 10:23 AM >>> Here is a link to an interview about AEP's pilot CCS facility in West Virginia. I pasted in the link to the full interview, along with a few selected comments from the AEP spokesperson. David O'Leary Chapter Conservation Chair Sierra Club - Maryland Chapter = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = http://www.bgrncol.com/status-report-on-the-operation-of-the-largest-operat… Status Report on the Operation of the Largest Operating Coal-Fired CCS Plant in the U.S. Published on January 25th, 2010 in Interviews American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, started operating a 20 MW coal-fired Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) plant in September 2009. It is currently the largest facility of its kind in the United States, and the success or failure of this operation will likely have a major impact on the viability of this technology and the future role of coal in the U.S.'s and the world's low carbon emissions future, as well as impact the adoption rates of nuclear and renewables. In this follow-up interview, Nick Akins, the Executive Vice President of Power Generation for American Electric Power (AEP), speaks about the status of the operation and what it means for scale-up timetables and ultimate price and energy penalties that affect the viability of coal-fired CCS. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = The 20-megawatt CCS installation at our Mountaineer Plant in New Haven, W.Va., started capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) Sept. 1, 2009, and we began injecting CO2 into the geologic formations Oct. 1, 2009. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = we are in the range of the 15 to 30 percent energy penalty that we were expecting. It is important to realize that this is a process validation installation, so it is not optimized for efficiency, but rather for flexibility to adjust process conditions. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = We were extremely pleased to be notified Dec. 4, 2009, that we were selected to receive $334 million in funding through the Department of Energy's Clean Coal Power Initiative to scale-up the CCS process at our Mountaineer Plant. We plan to build the 235-megawatt installation of the chilled ammonia carbon capture and storage process at Mountaineer and expect it to be operational in 2015. At this scale, we will capture and store approximately 1.5 million metric tones of CO2 annually. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = We anticipate retrofitting up to 75 percent of our existing 25,600 megawatts of coal-fueled generation with CCS technology by 2025 or 2030. The plants we retrofit will be our largest, most efficient generating units that have already been retrofit to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury. The remaining 25 percent of our existing coal-fired generating fleet likely will be retired. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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Longview Tax Exempt Bonds
by James Kotcon 25 Jan '10

25 Jan '10

Longview has requested a determination by the WV Public Service Commission. that tax-exempt Industrial revenue bonds to be issued by the WV Economic Development Authority "do not offend the public interest". The bonds were approved by the WV-EDA three years ago, but Longview now wants the PSC's blessing because that is a condition written into state law. I propose to submit the attached Letter of Protest objecting to sch a determination. The deadline is Thursday, so let me know if you have any thoughts on this issue. JBK

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NYTimes.com: Expanding Use of Wind Power Feasible, but May Be Costly
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 25 Jan '10

25 Jan '10

This page was sent to you by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com. link to summary of wind study potential by Obama's DOE http://www.nrel.gov/wind/systemsintegration/pdfs/2010/ewits_executive_summa… BUSINESS / ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT | January 21, 2010 Expanding Use of Wind Power Feasible, but May Be Costly By MATTHEW L. WALD According to a study, heavy reliance on wind energy is "technically feasible," but will require significant expansion of the power grid. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/business/energy-environment/21wind.html?e… ---------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THIS E-MAIL This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service. For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help(a)nytimes.com. NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

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Underground Injection of Gas Industry Brine Taking Off
by Frank Young 24 Jan '10

24 Jan '10

Blank "Several years into the developing Marcellus Shale gas boom, West Virginia well operators are opening new brine disposal injection wells to handle the waste fluids. " http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=73947

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Fwd: FYI: Republican Poll- "BIPARTISAN PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR CLIMATE LEGISLATION"
by James Kotcon 24 Jan '10

24 Jan '10

FYI. This is a pretty important survey, and the pdf has some very important advice on word choice. How we talk about this matters. Terms like "Carbon Neutral" and "Green Jobs" are jargon and they are NOT reaching Americans, whereas concerns about energy security, health, and sustainability matter a lot. "It's not what you say, it's what they hear." JBK >>> Paula Carrell <Paula.Carrell(a)sierraclub.org> 1/22/2010 12:39 PM >>> ----- Forwarded by Bob Bingaman/Sierraclub on 01/22/2010 11:08 AM ----- Bob Bingaman/Sierraclub 01/22/2010 11:07 AM

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Fwd: 2010 coal campaign small grant program announcement
by Paul Wilson 23 Jan '10

23 Jan '10

fyi, incase some of you are not on this listserve. best, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)prodigy.net> Date: 2010/1/22 Subject: 2010 coal campaign small grant program announcement To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Beyond Coal Campaign * * * * * Small Grant * *Request for Proposals* *January, 2010* *ANNOUNCEMENT * * * The Beyond Coal Campaign is soliciting proposals from Sierra Club entities seeking to pursue its Campaign goals in 2010. Eligible entities include Sierra Club committees, chapters, groups, and ad hoc project teams. The small grants are reserved for volunteer-led efforts and are on a reimbursement-basis only. We cannot pay for staff time. Projects must align with the following primary goals of the National Coal Campaign: - Prevent the construction of a new coal-fired power plants, - Retire and/or replace existing coal plants with clean energy, - End mountaintop removal mining, prevent mining and infrastructure expansions in the Power River Basin, Alaska and other locations with destructive mining practices, - Increase opposition to and defeat dirty fuels : tar sands, oil shale, liquid coal and coal gas The Beyond Coal Campaign will give priority to projects where funds are used to increase grass roots volunteer involvement, to empower activists to engage others to help win on coal, and are used to coordinate local, state and national efforts and help build coalitions with other public interest and public health groups. Priority will also be given for issues or areas where we currently not have enough capacity. We are looking for innovative ideas, and ideas that could be translated or used for other locations. The coal campaign fully supports the Club’s diversity policy and encourages projects that further the goals of the policy. There are only limited *C3* funds (that means no lobbying), a total of about $50,000, available for these small grants. The suggested budget range is $5000 or less. Depending on demand, available funds, and a good pitch, a larger project may be considered. The Coal Campaign Small Grants Application Form is available on the Coal Campaign’s Clubhouse website or by contacting Judy.Hofrichter(a)sierraclub.org . There is no deadline for applying. Please inquire about available funds. It is expected that once applied for, funding decisions about projects will be made in two to four weeks and applicants will be notified of the outcome. If you do not hear from us, please follow up! * * * * For the coal team, Verena Owen Volunteer co-lead ------------------------------ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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Fwd: drop in electricity usage, especially coal-generated
by Jim Sconyers 22 Jan '10

22 Jan '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Fri, 1/22/10, Jane Feldman <feldman.jane(a)GMAIL.COM> wrote: From: Jane Feldman <feldman.jane(a)GMAIL.COM> Subject: Fwd: drop in electricity usage, especially coal-generated To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Date: Friday, January 22, 2010, 1:28 PM Hi, all - Maybe you have seen this already. Good stuff. The EIA has a nice monthly report on electricity usage in the US at http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html The latest one shows electrical usage dropping 4.6% in 2009 vs. 2008 and coal-generated electricity decreasing a whooping 12.4%. Factor in a recession, but I think this is still very good news. -- Jane Conservation Chair, Southern Nevada Group of the Sierra Club Energy Chair, Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fwd: EPA News Release (HQ): EPA Increases Transparency on Chemical Risk Information
by James Kotcon 21 Jan '10

21 Jan '10

Wonder if this covers fracking fluids in gas well drilling? JBK CONTACTS: Dale Kemery kemery.dale(a)epa.gov 202-564-7839 202-564-4355 Enesta Jones jones.enesta(a)epa.gov 202-564-7873 202-564-4355 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 21, 2010 EPA Increases Transparency on Chemical Risk Information Action part of continued comprehensive reform of toxic substance laws WASHINGTON — As part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s commitment to strengthen and reform chemical management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a new policy to increase the public’s access to information on chemicals. Starting today, EPA has announced its intention to reject a certain type of confidentiality claim, known as Confidential Business Information (CBI), on the identity of chemicals. The chemicals that will be affected by this action are those that are submitted to EPA with studies that show a substantial risk to people's health and the environment and have been previously disclosed on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Inventory. This action represents another step to use the agency’s authority under the existing TSCA to the fullest extent possible, recognizing EPA’s strong belief that the 1976 law is both outdated and in need of reform. “Assuring the safety of chemicals is one of Administrator Jackson's top priorities for EPA's future,” said Steve Owens, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. “The American people are entitled to transparent, accessible information on chemicals that may pose a risk to their health or the environment. We will continue taking steps that increase transparency and assure the safety of chemicals in our products, our environment and our bodies.” Under TSCA, companies may claim a range of sensitive, proprietary information as CBI. Under Section 8(e) of TSCA, companies that manufacture, process, or distribute chemicals are required to immediately provide notice to EPA if they learn that a chemical presents a substantial risk of injury to health or the environment. The Section 8(e) reports are made available on EPA’s Web site. However, until today, companies would routinely claim confidentiality for the actual identity of the chemical covered by the Section 8(e) submission, so the public posting of the information would not include the name of the chemical. The new policy announced today ends this practice for chemicals on the public portion of the TSCA Inventory. This new policy will increase the amount of information available by granting the public access to the chemical identification information submitted, along with other health and safety data under Section 8(e). In the coming months, EPA intends to announce additional steps to further increase transparency of chemical information. EPA’s new policy on TSCA Section 8(e) submissions is being published in the Federal Register. More information on the new policy: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/tsca8e/ More information on EPA’s principles for comprehensive TSCA reform: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/principles.html R016 Sent by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 · 202-564-4355

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Fw: Report on future of Central Appalachian coal
by Jim Sconyers 20 Jan '10

20 Jan '10

FYI - very important new report on the future of coal in WV. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Wed, 1/20/10, Evan Hansen <ehansen(a)downstreamstrategies.com> wrote: From: Evan Hansen <ehansen(a)downstreamstrategies.com> Subject: Report on future of Central Appalachian coal To: "Jim_Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu>, "Duane_Nichols" <Duane330(a)aol.com>, "Jim Sconyers" <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 6:13 AM Hi Jim, Duane, and Jim: I thought you might be interested in this report that we just released. Here’s a good description in the Coal Tattoo blog: http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2010/01/19/must-read-report-the-decli… Evan Evan Hansen, President Downstream Strategies 219 Wall Street Morgantown, WV 26505 304.292.2450 www.downstreamstrategies.com From: Downstream Strategies [mailto:info@downstreamstrategies.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 9:25 AM To: ehansen(a)downstreamstrategies.com Subject: Release: Report on Central Appalachian Coal Argues for Diversification FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 19, 2009 CONTACT Rory McIlmoil, Staff Research Analyst Energy and Climate Change Program (304) 292-2450 (o) (304) 376-0045 (c) rmcilmoil(a)downstreamstrategies.com New Report Warns of Decline of Central Appalachian Coal Argues for New Focus on Economic Diversification and Renewable Energy for the Region MORGANTOWN, WV - As the legislative season begins across Central Appalachia, a new report by Downstream Strategies details future challenges to coal production in the region and argues that policy-makers should strongly support renewable energy and the development of new economic opportunities for coal-producing areas. "Coal has contributed significantly to local and state economies in Central Appalachia, but production has fallen substantially over the last 12 years as other coal basins and sources of fuel have become more competitive," said lead author Rory McIlmoil. "This trend is expected to continue as mining costs increase due to the depletion of the lowest cost coal reserves, and as new environmental regulations are implemented. As this happens, local and state economies will need new sources of jobs and revenue to replace coal mining jobs and taxes." According to the report, Central Appalachian coal production is projected to fall by nearly 50% within the next ten years. Central Appalachia includes the coal-producing counties in southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, southwest Virginia, and eastern Tennessee The report points to renewable energy and energy efficiency as two sectors where new jobs and tax revenues can be created, as the region has a wealth of clean energy resources. The report concludes that losses related to the decline of the coal industry can be recaptured by gains from wind, solar, low-impact hydro, and sustainable biomass production, and from a strong focus on energy efficiency improvements. To support the diversification of the regional energy economy, the report outlines a series of policy instruments, including requiring each state to provide 25% of their energy from renewable sources; the provision of grants, tax credits, clean energy bonds, or low-interest loans to support renewable energy development and manufacturing; the implementation and strengthening of net metering laws; and the development of workforce programs aimed at providing the skills and knowledge required for renewable energy industries. The study also argues for strong incentives for local ownership of energy development, to help maximize the local economic benefits of renewable energy projects. "Given that coal production is projected to decline significantly in the coming decades, diversification of Central Appalachian economies is now more critical than ever," said co-author Evan Hansen, President of Downstream Strategies. "State leaders should use this legislative session to increase support for new economic development across the region, especially in the rural areas set to be the most impacted by a sharp decline in the region's coal economy." In December 2009, West Virginia Senator Robert C. Byrd stated, "West Virginians can choose to anticipate change and adapt to it, or resist and be overrun by it. The time has arrived for the people of the Mountain State to think long and hard about which course they want to choose." According to McIlmoil, "The same is true for all of Central Appalachia, and we hope this report helps policy-makers understand the changes that are coming so that they can support new industries. The renewable energy sector offers one of the greatest opportunities for economic development." Downstream Strategies is an environmental consulting company in Morgantown, West Virginia, with program areas in environmental policy, environmental science, and geographic information systems. The company provides science, research, and tools to organizations, businesses, and agencies. It offers clients an alternative to mainstream environmental consulting by combining sound interdisciplinary skills with a core belief in the importance of protecting the environment and linking economic development with natural resource stewardship. Download the full report or visit the Downstream Strategies publications page. # # # Forward email This email was sent to ehansen(a)downstreamstrategies.com by info(a)downstreamstrategies.com. Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Email Marketing by Downstream Strategies | 219 Wall Street | Morgantown | WV | 26505

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Use of diesel fuel in gas drilling as fracing material
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 20 Jan '10

20 Jan '10

[image: Green Inc. - Energy, the Environment and the Bottom Line]<http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/> <http://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=cookie&pos=Position1B> January 20, 2010, 9:20 am Gas Drilling Techniques Under Fire … Again By JOHN COLLINS RUDOLF<http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/author/john-collins-rudolf/> Drilling companies are side-stepping regulations on use of diesel fuel in the extraction process, a new report suggests. Federal government oversight of hydraulic fracturing – a drilling technique that boosts natural gas extraction by blasting water, sand and chemicals underground at high pressure – is sorely lacking, putting drinking water supplies at risk, an environmental policy group claimed in a report<http://www.ewg.org/drillingaroundthelaw>released Tuesday. According to the Environmental Working Group <http://www.ewg.org/>, a research and advocacy group based in Washington, drilling companies are side-stepping a permitting requirement for the use of diesel fuel in their fracturing fluids by using similar petroleum distillates that contain the same toxins as diesel, but require no permitting. The report also cites evidence that drilling companies continue to inject diesel fuel underground without the proper permits. “The industry has been able to operate above the law,” said Dusty Horwitt, the group’s senior counsel. “They’re doing an end-run around what little oversight is left.” The use of hydraulic fracturing has vastly boosted the productivity of existing natural gas wells and opened new territory to drilling, helping lift natural gas reserves in the United States by nearly a third, and igniting a drilling boom from New York to Wyoming. Yet as gas companies explore drilling in sensitive regions like the New York City watershed in upstate New York, concern over the technology’s potential to pollute water supplies has mounted. The drilling boom – and the growing controversy over the risk of water contamination – was outlined in a December article<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/business/energy-environment/08fracking.ht…>by Times reporters Jad Mouawad and Clifford Krauss. As they noted, the evidence of groundwater pollution attributable to fracturing is thin — though environmental groups contend that is because governments have been slow to react to the drilling boom and are not looking hard for contamination. Gas companies, meanwhile, acknowledge the validity of some concerns, but they claim that their technology is fundamentally safe. In 2004, the United States Environmental Protection Agency released a report<http://www.propublica.org/feature/buried-secrets-is-natural-gas-drilling-en…>declaring that hydraulic fracturing posed little threat to human health. The following year, drawing support from the E.P.A. report, Congress voted to exempt hydraulic fracturing from oversight under the Clean Water Act. The law made one exception, however – that companies acquire permits when using diesel fuel in their fracturing fluid. Diesel contains benzene and other cancer-causing agents. Obeying the letter of the law, many drilling companies switched from diesel to other petroleum distillates. Yet these distillates also contain toxics such as benzene, sometimes in even greater levels than the diesel they are replacing, according to the Environmental Working Group report. “These substitutes are extremely toxic,” Mr. Horwitt said. The group also contacted environmental agencies in New York, Pennsylvania, Montana, Texas and Wyoming – states where hydraulic fracturing has been used extensively – seeking information on the continuing use of diesel fuel in drilling. Only one state, Wyoming, provided information on permitting, the report states. “It’s not even clear if companies are getting permits if they’re using diesel,” Mr. Horwitt said. “This whole area has been shrouded in secrecy and lax regulation.” Drilling companies maintain that hydraulic fracturing is safe and have launched a fierce lobbying and public relations effort<http://www.energyindepth.org/projectbrief/record-of-safety/>to resist further regulation. Congress will have a chance to revisit the controversy over the safety of the technology this week as it weighs approval<http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/76831-exxon-ceo-to-tout-safety…>of the Exxon Mobil Corporation’s proposed $41 billion acquisition of XTO Energy, a major player in natural gas extraction. [image: DCSIMG] -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com This electronic mail is intended to be received and read only by certain individuals. It may contain information that is privileged or protected from disclosure by law. If it has been misdirected, or if you suspect you received this in error, please notify me by replying and then delete this message and your reply. These restrictions apply to any attachment to this email.

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Fw: New Community & Environmental Protection Resources
by Jim Sconyers 19 Jan '10

19 Jan '10

FYI Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Tue, 1/19/10, Richard Klein <Rklein(a)ceds.org> wrote: From: Richard Klein <Rklein(a)ceds.org> Subject: New Community & Environmental Protection Resources To: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 10:38 AM Dear Mr. Sconyers I wanted to make you aware of three new resources for citizens seeking to preserve communities and the environment from the impact of sprawl and other poorly planned projects... Citizen's Hotline 1-800-773-4571 for those concerned about flawed projects who need assistance in addition to that available from the Sierra Club and other not-for-profit groups; Coal-By-Wire & Transmission Lines webpage for citizens concerned about proposed high-voltage or extra-high voltage transmission projects facilitating more pollution from coal-fired power plants: ceds.org/tl; and Making Pollution Laws Work webpage providing guidance on reporting pollution problems so they are quickly corrected along with advice on identifying existing problems and managing watershed growth to prevent new ones: ceds.org/compliance. As a former Sierra Club group chair and National Sprawl Committee member, I know that the Club simply cannot help everyone who seeks our assistance. I created these and other resources to provide citizen activists with an alternative to hiring an expensive lawyer when they require assistance beyond that available through the Club's 63 Chapters and 274 Groups. I would deeply appreciate it if you would consider letting conservation chairs and others who receive requests for assistance know about these new resources. A complete description of all our no-cost citizen assistance is available on our main webpage: ceds.org. While more then half the folks we help find that our free assistance is all they need, a small portion of the remainder hire CEDS to manage their campaign, which is how we can afford to offer all the no-cost help. Our Politically Oriented Advocacy webpage describes the unique approach we developed which is achieving a 90% success rate while expanding the base of public (voter) support for responsible growth- and environmental-management. Thank you. -- Richard D Richard D. Klein Community & Environmental Defense Services 811 Crystal Palace Court Owings Mills, Maryland 21117 410-654-3021 410-654-3028 Fax 443-421-5964 Mobile Web Page: www.ceds.org/

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NYTimes.com: Luminous 3-D Jungle Is a Biologist's Dream
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 19 Jan '10

19 Jan '10

This page was sent to you by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com. If you want to persuade someone to join the fight against mountain top removal or global warming, send them to see AVATAR...a "Minds and Hearts" for the environment, if ever there was one. SCIENCE | January 19, 2010 Essay: Luminous 3-D Jungle Is a Biologist's Dream By CAROL KAESUK YOON The new film "Avatar" explores life forms both familiar and fantastic, but a viewer does not have to be a scientist to enjoy the experience. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/science/19essay.html?emc=eta1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THIS E-MAIL This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service. For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help(a)nytimes.com. NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

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Kennedy v. Blankenship MTR debate
by Frank Young 16 Jan '10

16 Jan '10

For those of you not attending this debate in person, it will apparently be available via WV Public Broadcasting, as well as on several websites. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jan. 21: The Big Debate Broadcast on Radio, TV, Web As one news story said, it is the hottest ticket in town: "Forum on the Future of Energy." At 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21, the University of Charleston will present a "public conversation" between Waterkeeper Alliance President and environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Massey Energy Chairman and CEO Don Blankenship. Tickets for seats in the auditorium have all been given away. The university will open up a gymnasium and broadcast the debate live there. West Virginia Public Broadcasting will air the debate live, so people anywhere can tune in. You can also watch the "Forum on the Future of Energy" on assorted websites, as noted here. __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Start a New Topic Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources MARKETPLACE Going Green: Your Yahoo! Groups resource for green living Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Storm No Problem For Houses "Off The Grid"- Public News Svc. story
by Frank Young 15 Jan '10

15 Jan '10

BlankWith apologies for dual postings: ------------------------------------------------------- CHARLESTON, W.Va. - This winter's unusually cold weather has created snarls around the nation. Here in Appalachia, a fierce December storm knocked out power to nearly 400,000 people and cost more than $60 million to clean up. Not everyone lost electricity, however, because some weren't connected to the power grid in the first place. Mary Wildfire lives with her husband in a house they built outside Spencer in Roane County. They run their lights, computers, appliances and the pump for their well on eight solar panels located in their front yard. "Our immediate neighbors were out of power for a week; they got it back Christmas Eve. And we did really pretty well, because there were some partly sunny days." She says the solar panels actually work better when it snows, because of the amount of light they get. Wildfire admits that anyone who heats with wood or generates their own electricity loses a lot in terms of convenience. In her household, they have to pay attention to how much power they use and how much sun they get, but it's part of a lifestyle that has advantages, despite the trade-offs. "We had to check whether we had wood in the shed, whether we were using too much power for how much light we'd gotten lately, but then to live on the grid we'd have to have, probably, full-time jobs." Wildfire admits the system was expensive to install, at about $4,000 after tax breaks. But she says they're counting on it lasting for decades. Dan Heyman, Public News Service - WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/12190-1

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Re: [EC] Fwd: MA Chapter Biomass Policy/Resolution
by Jim Sconyers 15 Jan '10

15 Jan '10

SC (Bill Price, Mary Ann Hitt, Bruce Nilles) have been, I believe, very supportive of that proposed facility. I agree that most biomass plants would cause deforestation, regardless of how they claim to use only "waste" wood. I don't like wood biomass at all. But this seems to be only about forest biomass. What about other biomass? switchgrass/kenaf/sugar cane/ethanol/etc? I don't know the numbers, whether burning switchgrass is carbon neutral or not... Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Fri, 1/15/10, James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> wrote: From: James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> Subject: [EC] Fwd: MA Chapter Biomass Policy/Resolution To: ec(a)osenergy.org, mwimmer(a)wvu.edu Date: Friday, January 15, 2010, 3:11 PM I guess we just don't have enough to do. The Massachusetts Chapter has adopted a policy to oppose biomass facilities and opposes designation of biomass as "renewable". Have they gone too far? Or are we behind the times? Does this mean I should stop using my wood stove? A wood-to-electricity facility in southern WV (I think Mingo or McDowell County) was recently announced. Do we have a position on it? JBK >>> James McCaffrey <director(a)SierraClubMass.org> 1/15/2010 2:12 PM >>> Dear Club Leaders and fellow state directors / lobbyists et al: Attached is the MA Chapter’s new biomass policy, as recently adopted, and a letter to our legislature. We are battling several large-scale biomass proposals. Incentives to develop biomass infiltrated various bits of MA legislation/regs and other initiatives, and a rush ensued. These plants could devastate the Massachusetts landscape and cause a huge net increase of CO2 at this time. There was a very vocal and intense outcry from both members and the general public in opposition to the proposals here in MA. Much of our research has been conducted by Alexandra Dawson (former Chapter Excom) and her colleague, Mary Booth, an environmental scientist. That combined with the extensive work and legacy of the Club on related issues (forestry, energy etc) provided us with a solid background to oppose the proposed facilities. I have spoken to a few other New England states that are tracking this issue, and the biomass momentum creates a significant threat nationwide. Biomass proponents are working hard to have the same kind of incentives that created our problems here written into the federal energy bill. A few key points to note about our policy/letter: • The Chapter policy is based heavily on very careful review of Club guidance documents and polices, including Energy Policies, Forest Policies, and the Biomass Guidance docs. The letter and policy borrow rather extensively from these existing Club polices and work. Many sections are exact wording from the existing Club policy/guidance docs. If there is interest in an annotated version that highlights Club polices and documents, I could generate a new version late next week. • The policy is specific only to woody biomass harvested from living forests and being used for utility-scale electricity generation. The Chapter has “reserved judgment” on small-scale combined heat and power facilities, while acknowledging that there is still every possibility of “death by a thousand cuts”. • The policy does not deal with other biofuels (switch-grass or algae crops etc) that are currently being reviewed by other entities within the Club. This is noted in the adopted policy. • Although our chapter also opposes the burning of C&D, and several of our proposed plants would burn C&D, that is being dealt with in separate chapter polices. Our Chapter leaders are hopeful that our work here will lead to the strongest possible stance by the Club on this issue. The support from our members has been very enthusiastic since release of the policy. In December, as a direct result of our work, our administration agreed to suspend the applicability of renewable energy credits for biomass plants pending the outcome of a sustainability study. There are more details about this in our letter to the legislature. Please respond if you have any comments or thoughts on the policy, and feel free to forward this info to anyone else in the Club who may find it helpful. Jay McCaffrey MA Chapter Director ________________________________ James McCaffrey Director Massachusetts Sierra Club 10 Milk Street, Suite 632 Boston MA 02108 617.423.5775 voice 617.890.0338 fax www.sierraclubmass.org director(a)sierraclubmass.org __________________________________ The Sierra Club is a non-profit environmental organization with 21,000 members in Massachusetts and 700,000 members nationwide dedicated to the preservation, protection, and exploration of the earth’s natural environment. Join us! www.sierraclubmass.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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Fwd: MA Chapter Biomass Policy/Resolution
by James Kotcon 15 Jan '10

15 Jan '10

I guess we just don't have enough to do. The Massachusetts Chapter has adopted a policy to oppose biomass facilities and opposes designation of biomass as "renewable". Have they gone too far? Or are we behind the times? Does this mean I should stop using my wood stove? A wood-to-electricity facility in southern WV (I think Mingo or McDowell County) was recently announced. Do we have a position on it? JBK >>> James McCaffrey <director(a)SierraClubMass.org> 1/15/2010 2:12 PM >>> Dear Club Leaders and fellow state directors / lobbyists et al: Attached is the MA Chapter’s new biomass policy, as recently adopted, and a letter to our legislature. We are battling several large-scale biomass proposals. Incentives to develop biomass infiltrated various bits of MA legislation/regs and other initiatives, and a rush ensued. These plants could devastate the Massachusetts landscape and cause a huge net increase of CO2 at this time. There was a very vocal and intense outcry from both members and the general public in opposition to the proposals here in MA. Much of our research has been conducted by Alexandra Dawson (former Chapter Excom) and her colleague, Mary Booth, an environmental scientist. That combined with the extensive work and legacy of the Club on related issues (forestry, energy etc) provided us with a solid background to oppose the proposed facilities. I have spoken to a few other New England states that are tracking this issue, and the biomass momentum creates a significant threat nationwide. Biomass proponents are working hard to have the same kind of incentives that created our problems here written into the federal energy bill. A few key points to note about our policy/letter: • The Chapter policy is based heavily on very careful review of Club guidance documents and polices, including Energy Policies, Forest Policies, and the Biomass Guidance docs. The letter and policy borrow rather extensively from these existing Club polices and work. Many sections are exact wording from the existing Club policy/guidance docs. If there is interest in an annotated version that highlights Club polices and documents, I could generate a new version late next week. • The policy is specific only to woody biomass harvested from living forests and being used for utility-scale electricity generation. The Chapter has “reserved judgment” on small-scale combined heat and power facilities, while acknowledging that there is still every possibility of “death by a thousand cuts”. • The policy does not deal with other biofuels (switch-grass or algae crops etc) that are currently being reviewed by other entities within the Club. This is noted in the adopted policy. • Although our chapter also opposes the burning of C&D, and several of our proposed plants would burn C&D, that is being dealt with in separate chapter polices. Our Chapter leaders are hopeful that our work here will lead to the strongest possible stance by the Club on this issue. The support from our members has been very enthusiastic since release of the policy. In December, as a direct result of our work, our administration agreed to suspend the applicability of renewable energy credits for biomass plants pending the outcome of a sustainability study. There are more details about this in our letter to the legislature. Please respond if you have any comments or thoughts on the policy, and feel free to forward this info to anyone else in the Club who may find it helpful. Jay McCaffrey MA Chapter Director ________________________________ James McCaffrey Director Massachusetts Sierra Club 10 Milk Street, Suite 632 Boston MA 02108 617.423.5775 voice 617.890.0338 fax www.sierraclubmass.org director(a)sierraclubmass.org __________________________________ The Sierra Club is a non-profit environmental organization with 21,000 members in Massachusetts and 700,000 members nationwide dedicated to the preservation, protection, and exploration of the earth’s natural environment. Join us! www.sierraclubmass.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

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Fwd: Fleischauer Bills
by James Kotcon 14 Jan '10

14 Jan '10

The top three bills mentioned are priorities for the WV Sierra Club. Unleash those letter writers and get letters of support to our Delegates. And for the policy wonks, new junkies, and legal beagles, go to the WV Legislature web page, type in the number of the bills, and read over HB 3254 and HB 3279. WOW! JBK >>> <dsgjr(a)aol.com> 1/13/2010 5:38 PM >>> Some of our bills were introduced today. HB 4001 Relating to water pollution control Pending House Government Organization -- TDS bill HB 4008 Green Buildings Act Pending House Government Organization HB 4012 West Virginia Energy Efficiency Act Pending House Government Organization also these others came up today HB 2314 Relating to a severance tax imposed on surface mining activities Pending House Energy, Industry and Labor, Economic Development and Small Business 01/13/10 HB 2328 Increasing the Public Service Commission appointees and requiring that there be one appointee from each congressional district and two at-large appointments Pending House Government Organization HB 2764 West Virginia Public Campaign Financing Act Pending House Judiciary HB 3023 Relating to oil and gas surface owner's bill of rights Pending House Energy, Industry and Labor, Economic Development and Small Business HB 3254 Requiring county commissions to adopt and implement county farmland protection programs Pending House Government Organization HB 3279 Prohibiting any permits authorizing the construction, enlargement or modification of any coal mine waste Pending House Energy, Industry and Labor, Economic Development and Small Business HB 4023 Relating to the Public Service Commission Pending House Government Organization

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Fwd: Principles for Safeguarding Nuclear Waste at Reactors
by James Kotcon 13 Jan '10

13 Jan '10

The Physicians for Social Responsibility have asked WVEC to endorse the attached Principles. Based on my review, these are such common sense that it makes me wonder why they are not already the rule, but I suspect that the parts about community involvement and independent monitoring have raised alarm at DOE. Whaddya Tink? JBK >>> dsgjr(a)aol.com> 1/11/2010 10:45 PM >> ( mailto:dsgjr@aol.com> ) From: mpinnell(a)psr.org To: dsgjr(a)aol.com Sent: 1/11/2010 2:03:56 P.M. Eastern Standard Time Subj: Principles for Safeguarding Nuclear Waste at Reactors Dear Don, Gary Zuckett suggested I contact you. We at PSR are working on issuing a policy statement on safeguarding nuclear waste at reactor sites in the next few weeks and are really hoping to get at least 1 group from all 50 states on board with our position. Attached you will find the Principles for Safeguarding Nuclear Waste at Reactors. We are really hoping to get at least 1 group from all 50 states on board with our position, and right now we don’t have a representative for West Virginia. The Obama administration has stated, in its opposition to Yucca Mountain, that it will be reevaluating nuclear waste policy in the U.S. so it is a critical time to make a statement in support of safe and sane waste management practices. It would be fantastic if West Virginia Environmental Council could sign on and if you would like to forward this statement to other groups you work with, that would be great too. We’re hoping to issue these to the public next week, so the sooner you can reply, the better. Morgan Pinnell Safe Energy Program Coordinator Physicians for Social Responsibility Phone: 202-587-5232 Email: mpinnell(a)psr.org

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Re: [EC] Science article on MTR
by Paul Wilson 12 Jan '10

12 Jan '10

On the Diane Rehm Show on WAMU public Radio last Thursday, a couple of the guest referred to an embargoed article from Science magazine. Attached is a pdf of that article. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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Fwd: Re: Wind Siting Guidelines
by James Kotcon 12 Jan '10

12 Jan '10

The State Government Program Leaders List-serve has been soliciting wind energy siting guidelines from the state to use as models. Attached are the wind energy siting guidelines from Arizona, which appear to be pretty good. They include things like recommending "Bird Flight Diverters" on towers which have been shown to reduce collisions by up to 86 %, as well as requirements for acoustic monitoring for bats, and coordination with state wildlife plans. Does WV-DNR have anything like this? Should we push for something like this from WV-DNR? It would be a way to support the wind industry by providing clear guidance while also providing protections for critical wildlife species. Whaddya Tink? JBK --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> Sandy Bahr <sandy.bahr(a)sierraclub.org> 1/11/2010 6:03 PM >>> These are pretty good from our Game and Fish Department. Sandy Bahr Chapter Director Sierra Club - Grand Canyon Chapter 202 E. McDowell Rd, Suite 277 Phoenix, AZ 85004 Phone (602) 253-8633 Fax (602) 258-6533 sandy.bahr(a)sierraclub.org From:FRED [mailto:CONS-FRED@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG] On Behalf Of Kenneth C. Winston Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 1:32 PM To: CONS-FRED(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Subject: Wind Siting Guidelines --------------------------- cc:Mail Users-----------------------------** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing **---------------------------------------------------------------------- Does anyone have a really good set of wind siting guidelines? I have looked at the material that Sandy Bahr (and others) were working on at the time of Colloquium and looked at Kansas’s guidelines. I also looked up the Wisconsin guidelines, but they appear to just direct the PSC to develop guidelines. The chairman of the Natural Resources Committee has indicated that he is open to the idea of guidelines and I have another key member of the committee who is pushing the idea so I need to come up with something fast. Any helpful ideas would be appreciated. Ken Winston - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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Fwd: a "green" project by a Brunswick MD group
by James Kotcon 10 Jan '10

10 Jan '10

Anybody know anything about this group or this project? JBK >>> "Peter Maynard" <excelsior6(a)verizon.net> 1/8/2010 5:50 PM >>> Jim, we are a group of environmentally-concerned people who are now undertaking the restoration of the old Harper's Ferry hydroelectric plant, now owned by Park Service, decommissioned several years ago as, one supposes, not worth the bother. Yet at one time it was a significant source of electric power. And no significant damming of the Potomac is required -- which would make this a very "green" project. Keepers of the Green have taken the first step toward returning to viability this old plant. We have asked the Park Service for its approval. The next step would be a feasibility study. We will need a lot of help to move this project forward. Do you think your Sierra Club people might be interested? Can you give me any suggestions about other people who might be enlisted? -- Peter Maynard

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Fwd: You are invited to register as a Climate Leader for the Online phonebank next week Fwd: Thank you for signing up to phone bank!
by Jim Sconyers 08 Jan '10

08 Jan '10

Great phone bank system - and now the calls are about the Murkowski amendment that would strip the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Thu, 1/7/10, Jane Feldman <feldman.jane(a)GMAIL.COM> wrote: From: Jane Feldman <feldman.jane(a)GMAIL.COM> Subject: Fwd: You are invited to register as a Climate Leader for the Online phonebank next week Fwd: Thank you for signing up to phone bank! To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Date: Thursday, January 7, 2010, 7:27 PM Hi, Energy Chairs and GW Chairs - I am working hard to recruit people to participate in the online phonebanks that Sierra Club calls "Winning Wednesdays." I just sent out an email to my local conservation crew, asking them to sign up for the online phonebank. The email that I sent them is below. I thought that maybe you would like to sign up for the online phonebank, too. And maybe you might like to send an email of your own to your energy and GW committee people. Thx for all the hard work you do. Jane Las Vegas ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jane Feldman <feldman.jane(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 4:21 PM Subject: You are invited to register as a Climate Leader for the Online phonebank next week Fwd: Thank you for signing up to phone bank! To: best-conservation-crew Hi, all - I just signed up to do the online phonebank next Wed. I'd love to have each ofyou join in, too. We will be calling Sierra Club members in targeted states, and transferring them into their Senator's office voicemail to leave a message. We will urge the Senators to oppose Sen Murkowski's proposal that would limit the EPA's ability to manage green house gases. We are mobilizing in a major way to protect administrative controls on greenhouse gases and to pass a climate and energy bill in the Senate. Here's how the online phonebank works: You need a computer on the Internet and a telephone. (The computer system feeds the phone calls into your telephone - you don't even have to dial the phone.) You can work at home, at your office, at your favorite coffee shop - anywhere that you have Internet and a telephone. You can work for a half hour or for 4 hours. You can apply immediate, incisive pressure to protect administrative action to manage greenhouse gases, and pave the way for a good climate and energy bill in the Senate. Here's how to sign up: Go to www.sierraclub.org/climateleaders. Register to be a Climate Leader. Use the same web page to find the button to "Sign up for Winning Wednesday Phonebanks." Christina and Nicole will then automatically send you an email (see below) with instructions. If you have any questions at all - email or call me. I'll look forward to being on line with you on Wednesday! Thank you. -- Jane 648-0699 landline at home Conservation Chair, Southern Nevada Group of the Sierra Club Energy Chair, Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Christina & Nicole, Sierra Club <online.advocacy(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 8:12 AM Subject: Thank you for signing up to phone bank! To: feldman.jane(a)gmail.com Jane, Thank you for signing up to phone bank! Here's the info. When: Wednesday, January 13th Time: Phone banks from 6-10 pm ET, 3-7 pm PT Dial In: 866-501-6174, Conference Code: 211-1742 Learn how to use our Winning Connections system on one of two training session conference calls at 6:00 pm ET/3:00 pm PT and again at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT. This is a new system for 2010. Even if you've taken a training before, you'll want to join to see what's new. Before the call, please review the instructions on how to use the phone bank system on the sign up page. We'll post the instructions for the new system the week of January 11th. http://action.sierraclub.org/climateleaders_phone We look forward to working with you, and please don't hesitate to send us any questions you have at online.advocacy(a)sierraclub.org. Thanks for leading the way, Christina Yagjian National Conservation Organizer Nicole Ghio Sierra Club Online Organizing Sierra Club 85 Second St. San Francisco, CA 94105 Sierra Club Home Join/Donate -- Jane Conservation Chair, Southern Nevada Group of the Sierra Club Energy Chair, Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fwd: Club-wide "Call to Action on Clean Energy and Climate" - TUESDAY at 8:30pm ET
by Paul Wilson 08 Jan '10

08 Jan '10

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <baumling(a)aol.com> Date: Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 6:54 PM Subject: Club-wide "Call to Action on Clean Energy and Climate" - TUESDAY at 8:30pm ET To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-FORUM(a)lists.sierraclub.org *Subject: Club-wide "Call to Action on Clean Energy and Climate" - TUESDAY at 8:30pm ET PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR LISTS * Last month President Obama's EPA declared that global warming pollutionendangers human health and welfare, and announced plans to limit emissions from big polluters. This plan is now under attack by Senator Lisa Murkowskiof Alaska and other friends of Big Coal and Oil. Join us for a *Club-wide conference "Call to Action on Clean Energy and Climate" on Tuesday, January 12th at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT*. <>We will discuss critical action needed to protect the Obama Administration's ability to clean up greenhouse gas emissions and protect public health. <>We will also share legislative projections for 2010 regarding clean energy and climate solutions. When: *Tuesday, January 12th at 8:30pm Eastern * Number: 866.501.6174 code: 223 9223 Call Agenda: Welcome and Context Legislative and Administrative Strategy Campaign Tactics, Tools and Resources Questions and Answers We need your help to create a create the groundswell of support needed to defend and win a clean energy economy in 2010! Tools for Action: Action Alert (take and forward to your lists!) - * https://secure2.convio.net/sierra/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction… *<https://secure2.convio.net/sierra/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction…> Talking Points (username and password: clubhouse, explore) - * http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/communications/talking-points/politics/murk… *<http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/communications/talking-points/politics/murk…> LTEs - * http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/communications/talking-points/templates/mur… *<http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/communications/talking-points/templates/mur…> Hope you can join, for Christina Christina.Yagjian(a)sierraclub.org, Verena Owen - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-FORUM list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-FORUM-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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Obama to meet with Manchin - send a PATH message
by Jim Sconyers 06 Jan '10

06 Jan '10

We have been told that Gov. Manchin has a meeting set with President Obama for next week, Jan. 12 to be specific. It would be a GREAT help if all our PATH opponents could flood the White House email system with messages asking the President to stand with us, the public, rather than coal and energy interests! And ask all your family, friends and co-workers to do the same - let's see if we can't get thousands of emails sent by the 12th! Send your message using this link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/ (Cut and paste into your browser if it's not a live link in this email.) Following is a sample message. Feel free to use all or part of it, or compose your own! Dear Mr. President: I am told you will meet with West Virginia Governor Manchin on January 12, 2010, to discuss energy issues. He will no doubt promote increasing coal fired electricity to be transmitted to the mid-Atlantic and northeast states via a 765 kV transmission line known as PATH. Please reject the Governor for the following reasons: 1) Coal is horribly polluting today. Clean coal experiments are starting, but clean coal combustion will not be achievable for decades to come; 2) The PATH application in Virginia has been declared unnecessary by the applicant due to significantly flawed planning by PJM (the electricity planner for this region); 3) PATH is viable only because FERC promised a 14.3% profit on all costs associated with the project to be paid by 50 million electricity consumers in 13 states even if no power ever flows through the PATH lines and regardless of who consumes the electricity that PATH transmits; 4) PATH passes very close to hundreds of homes ruining home values and assuring a spike in childhood leukemia, breast cancer, certain brain tumors and Alzheimer's disease. The sponsors of PATH refuse to purchase the affected homes; In summary, pollution-free electrical generation is your goal to meet future needs and to replace existing production as polluting units retire. The plan to do that is well underway in this region of America. PATH and the associated increase in highly polluting coal-fired electricity transmitted hundreds of miles by the largest extension cord ever built is WRONG and NOT NEEDED. Please reject Governor Manchin and continue to promote conservation, and wind and solar power sources for electrical generation. Expansion of unneeded coal-fired electricity generation today is totally unacceptable. Sincerely, Your Name Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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Public Radio program on Mountaintop Removal scheduled for 10am on Thursday January 7th
by Paul Wilson 06 Jan '10

06 Jan '10

While listening to the Diane Rehm show on WAMU public radio, I heard that tomorrow's show will be on Mountaintop Removal mining. If your public radio station does not carry the Diane Rehm show, you can listen in on their website via the link below. It would be nice to get some call or emails in to this show. You can email Diane Rehm at drshow(a)wamu.org I think this will be a 10am (ETZ) program as a book author is scheduled for 11am according to the website. http://wamu.org/programs/dr/ -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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FW: NYT (Friedman -- While Detroit Slept)
by James Kotcon 05 Jan '10

05 Jan '10

From my father-in-law. JBK >>> "Bob Elliott" <rdelliott(a)socal.rr.com> 12/12/2008 7:29 AM >>> <http://www.nytimes.com/> <http://www.nytimes.com/> The New York Times <http://www.nytimes.com/> _____ December 10, 2008 Op-Ed Columnist While Detroit Slept By <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/tho maslfriedman/index.html?inline=nyt-per> THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN As I think about our bailing out Detroit, I can't help but reflect on what, in my view, is the most important rule of business in today's integrated and digitized global market, where knowledge and innovation tools are so widely distributed. It's this: Whatever can be done, will be done. The only question is will it be done by you or to you. Just don't think it won't be done. If you have an idea in Detroit or Tennessee, promise me that you'll pursue it, because someone in Denmark or Tel Aviv will do so a second later. Why do I bring this up? Because someone in the mobility business in Denmark and Tel Aviv is already developing a real-world alternative to Detroit's business model. I don't know if this alternative to gasoline-powered cars will work, but I do know that it can be done - and Detroit isn't doing it. And therefore it will be done, and eventually, I bet, it will be done profitably. And when it is, our bailout of Detroit will be remembered as the equivalent of pouring billions of dollars of taxpayer money into the mail-order-catalogue business on the eve of the birth of eBay. It will be remembered as pouring billions of dollars into the CD music business on the eve of the birth of the iPod and iTunes. It will be remembered as pouring billions of dollars into a book-store chain on the eve of the birth of Amazon.com and the Kindle. It will be remembered as pouring billions of dollars into improving typewriters on the eve of the birth of the PC and the Internet. What business model am I talking about? It is Shai Agassi's electric car network company, called Better Place. Just last week, the company, based in Palo Alto, Calif., announced a partnership with the state of Hawaii to road test its business plan there after already inking similar deals with Israel, Australia, the San Francisco Bay area and, yes, Denmark. The Better Place electric car charging system involves generating electrons from as much renewable energy - such as wind and solar - as possible and then feeding those clean electrons into a national electric car charging infrastructure. This consists of electricity charging spots with plug-in outlets - the first pilots were opened in Israel this week - plus battery-exchange stations all over the respective country. The whole system is then coordinated by a service control center that integrates and does the billing. Under the Better Place model, consumers can either buy or lease an electric car from the French automaker Renault or Japanese companies like Nissan (General Motors snubbed Agassi) and then buy miles on their electric car batteries from Better Place the way you now buy an Apple cellphone and the minutes from AT&T. That way Better Place, or any car company that partners with it, benefits from each mile you drive. G.M. sells cars. Better Place is selling mobility miles. The first Renault and Nissan electric cars are scheduled to hit Denmark and Israel in 2011, when the whole system should be up and running. On Tuesday, Japan's Ministry of Environment invited Better Place to join the first government-led electric car project along with Honda, Mitsubishi and Subaru. Better Place was the only foreign company invited to participate, working with Japan's leading auto companies, to build a battery swap station for electric cars in Yokohama, the Detroit of Japan. What I find exciting about Better Place is that it is building a car company off the new industrial platform of the 21st century, not the one from the 20th - the exact same way that Steve Jobs did to overturn the music business. What did Apple understand first? One, that today's technology platform would allow anyone with a computer to record music. Two, that the Internet and MP3 players would allow anyone to transfer music in digital form to anyone else. You wouldn't need CDs or record companies anymore. Apple simply took all those innovations and integrated them into a single music-generating, purchasing and listening system that completely disrupted the music business. What Agassi, the founder of Better Place, is saying is that there is a new way to generate mobility, not just music, using the same platform. It just takes the right kind of auto battery - the iPod in this story - and the right kind of national plug-in network - the iTunes store - to make the business model work for electric cars at six cents a mile. The average American is paying today around 12 cents a mile for gasoline transportation, which also adds to global warming and strengthens petro-dictators. Do not expect this innovation to come out of Detroit. Remember, in 1908, the Ford Model-T got better mileage - 25 miles per gallon - than many Ford, G.M. and Chrysler models made in 2008. But don't be surprised when it comes out of somewhere else. It can be done. It will be done. If we miss the chance to win the race for Car 2.0 because we keep mindlessly bailing out Car 1.0, there will be no one to blame more than Detroit's new shareholders: we the taxpayers. _____ Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and favorite sites in one place. Try <http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000 010> it now.

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Fwd: a new month and a new year
by Paul Wilson 05 Jan '10

05 Jan '10

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: West Virginia News Service WVNS <wvnsnews(a)gmail.com> Date: Mon, Jan 4, 2010 at 3:36 PM Subject: a new month and a new year To: I'm open to hearing story ideas for January. Best, Dan Heyman -- West Virginia News Service (WVNS) Toll Free: 1-800-317-6705 Fax: 540-301-0801 E-mail: wvns(a)publicnewsservice.org -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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