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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] from High Country News; Bankruptcy expected for Arch Coal, a reflection of industry woes
by James Kotcon 11 Nov '15

11 Nov '15

Stock in Peabody coal was selling for over $1000 per share in 2011, not it is at $13.00 Arch Coal was at $3600 in 2011, now it is at $1.50. The WV Legislature is convinced that "Coal's Best Days Are Ahead!" Thanks to Paul for the story at the link below. JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Date: Tue, Nov 10, 2015 at 4:02 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] from High Country News; Bankruptcy expected for Arch Coal, a reflection of industry woes To: Coal Alerts <coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Bankruptcy expected for Arch Coal, a reflection of industry woes <http://list.hcn.org/t?r=3391&c=3558&l=1&ctl=6B6C:9DD3FCF87D66B19654BB1AB8D5…> Climate policies make a rebound for coal unlikely. -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20 -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org.

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Fwd: I'll be retiring-- Internal Job Announcement - Director, Virginia Chapter
by James Kotcon 06 Nov '15

06 Nov '15

FYI. JBK ----- Original Message ----- *From:* Glen Besa <glen.besa(a)sierraclub.org> *To:* CONS-FRED(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG *Sent:* Thursday, November 05, 2015 10:02 AM *Subject:* FYI : I'll be retiring-- Internal Job Announcement - Director, Virginia Chapter Hi folks, dear colleagues, After almost 20 years with the Sierra Club, I'll be retiring the end of May 2016. It's been a great ride, and I expect to stay active as a volunteer--too much fun holding politicians accountable, especially climate deniers. In any case, the VA Chapter is beginning an intensive search for my replacement. Below is the internal posting that will go public next week. There is no anticipated successor at this stage so please forward to interested persons. We are fortunate to have a fairly stable $700,000 annual budget and 9 dedicated staff so this is a big job in a perpetual swing state--Dems just got their butts kicked on Tuesday--ugh! I will not see you at the colloquium because I'll be at the Paris climate talks (on my own dime--not the club's). I hope to see many of you before I retire or in some voluntary capacity after I retire. Thanks, Glen ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: HRD <hrd(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Nov 4, 2015 at 5:16 PM Subject: Internal Job Announcement - Director, Virginia Chapter To: SierraClub HRD <hrd(a)sierraclub.org> *Announcement of Job Openings for Internal Employees:* *JOB:* *Director, Virginia Chapter* For full details and to apply as an internal applicant*: https://chj.tbe.taleo.net/chj01/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=SIERRACLUB&… Internal Deadline: *11/11/15* Category: *4* Region: *2* Union: *Chapter/Non-Rep* *Only current Sierra Club staff or recall candidates may apply using the link included above. External applicants must apply via Sierra Club's careers website (www.sierraclub.org/careers) after the internal deadline passes. -- Human Resources Department Sierra Club National Headquarters Shar-De Herr: 415.977.5615 Brett Johnson: 415.977.5586 Fax: 415.977.5796 ***You can now submit HR issues via the HelpDesk! Please create a ticket via HelpDesk (https://helpdesk.sierraclub.org <https://helpdesk.sierraclub.org>)** OR by emailing HR.Help(a)sierraclub.org <HR.Help(a)sierraclub.org> directly*. *Please only choose one option when submitting your issue.*** ***Please allow up to 5-7 business days for HRD to review and respond to any request and/or inquiry sent to this address. If you haven't heard back within this time frame, please follow up as needed.*** *NOTE: This communication contains information that is confidential, and proprietary to The Sierra Club. If you are not the intended recipient, please note that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify sender immediately and delete it from your system. * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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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Costs iof Harrison Power Plant - See We Told You So.
by James Kotcon 04 Nov '15

04 Nov '15

Full story at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/article/20151103/GZ01/151109834 Tuesday, November 3, 2015 Testimony highlights costs of Harrison Power Plant purchase By Andrew Brown, Business Reporter The full cost of the Public Service Commission’s decision to approve MonPower’s takeover of the Harrison Power Plant north of Clarksburg is now being revealed. On Monday, testimony from the PSC staff, the state’s Consumer Advocate Division and the West Virginia Energy User’s Group was filed as part of MonPower and Potomac Edison’s ongoing expanded net energy case. The testimony details the companies’ request for an additional $144.5 million to cover the cost of coal supplies, energy purchases and 17 months of operating expenses for the Harrison plant, which MonPower purchased for $1.1 billion in 2013 from FirstEnergy, its parent company. As it stands, the proposal could increase the average residential customer’s monthly bill by more than $7 a month, and industrial electric customers in the state could see their rates increase by 19.6 percent on average. All of the parties in the case offered up adjustments to the $144.5 million request, based on a number of factors. The PSC staff suggested delaying some costs and reducing the current request by more than $17 million. The consumer advocate’s office proposed a reduction of $30.9 million to account for pension costs and current coal purchase contracts. And the West Virginia Energy User’s group proposed shrinking the request to a $65.7 million increase. According to the various testimony, a large part of the $144.5 million request stems either directly or indirectly from MonPower’s deal to take over the remaining 79 percent of the Harrison plant that it didn’t own in 2013 — an arrangement critics warned the commission not to approve. More than $44 million — roughly 31 percent — of the proposed increase is the result of underestimated operating costs at the Harrison plant, including $22.6 million charged during an outage in December 2014. Officials with the West Virginia Energy User’s Group questioned whether all of those under-recovered costs are fair and whether some of those operating expenses should have been handled before MonPower’s takeover. “A significant portion of the under-recovery is associated with what appears to be deferred maintenance while the units were owned by Allegheny Generating Company,” the energy user group’s testimony states. At the same time, testimony filed by the consumer advocate and FirstEnergy officials points out that the company’s choice to take over the roughly 1,983 megawatts of capacity at the Harrison plant has not paid off like the company expected in 2013. FirstEnergy officials had hoped that the takeover would benefit their customers in West Virginia by selling excess electricity from their coal-fired power plants onto the regional market, which would have brought down costs for MonPower and Potomac Edison customers in West Virginia. But because of lower-than-expected prices for wholesale electricity and increased competition from gas-fired power plants, MonPower has not been able to sell as much energy as it estimated. The consumer advocate’s testimony points out that between July 2014 to June 2015 MonPower produced an additional 4,829 gigawatt-hours beyond what their customers in West Virginia needed, and throughout much of that time, the company was not netting as much profit from that excess electricity as it would have liked. As an example, the company estimated it would make about $42 million from the regional markets in July and August of this year, but in reality, MonPower only netted $29 million in those two months, according to the consumer advocate’s testimony. Company officials have said that they expect the purchase of the Harrison plant to benefit customers in the long run. But that outcome is dependent on wholesale prices going back up, as a result of market conditions and new rules put in place by the PJM Interconnection, the company that controls the grid for West Virginia and 12 other states. The consumer advocate division didn’t challenge the companies’ forecasts that show wholesale sales increasing for MonPower, but it did question if the company could accurately predict the regional market. “If PJM energy prices recover, the company will be in a position to achieve additional net PJM energy revenues,” the consumer advocate’s testimony stated. “However, if PJM energy prices remain low, it is difficult to see how the company will be able to reap substantial revenues from the PJM market.”

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Harness the Sun
by Duane 28 Oct '15

28 Oct '15

“Harness the Sun” for the Earth in West Virginia by S. TOM BOND on OCTOBER 28, 2015 WV SUN meetings scheduled Commentary on “Harness the Sun” by S. Tom Bond, Lewis County, WV A recent issue of Science, the Journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, ran a book review titled “A bright future,” a review of a book called “Harness the Sun, America’s Quest for a Solar-Powered Future,” by Philip Warburg. It concerns the amazing progress and prospects for the future of solar. “A Bright Future” says the solar is scaling up faster than cell phones did. In Australia solar rooftop installations have been adopted at 10 times the rate of California, a similar climate. In some places 90% of the homes have it. In 2013 China added more solar capacity than the U. S. has since. Photovoltaic has popped up everywhere from inner city, to tribal lands to military bases. In remote locations like wells, electric fences and road signs it allows the use of electronics without power lines. Solar is the fastest growing energy source Solar has fallen in price more than 100 fold since 1975, and 80% in just the last five years. Warburg, the author of “Harness the Sun,” explains both photovoltaic and concentrating solar plants, which use mirrors to reflect the sun’s light on boilers in an easy to understand way. He goes into government subsidies, and how financial arrangements can be made to make solar available to renters and low income people. He covers “net metering,” which allows homeowner to sell the excess power back to the grid. He also explains domestic solar power politics, and trade disputes. Some interesting facts come out is that there is a potential for 5.5 trillion watts being generated on land in the U. S. that is contaminated “brown fields” and not suitable for many other uses. Rooftops, brownfields and commercial buildings could provide a great deal of the area needed, but the area around dedicated installations could be pastured. This appeals to me as a farmer because it would keep the grounds clear (remember the White House lawn pastured sheep in WWII) and would have no effect on the production of electricity, plus would produce beef, mutton or goat meat. It could also be wildlife habitat, for example. Solar efficiency has risen from 13.5% in 2008 to 21% at present. Then there is the matter of global warming potential and toxic emissions. Solar has very little, if any. Most cost accountings do not place a value on them in comparison. Warburg claims they must be considered to make solar comparable. However, the reviewer points to the increase in efficiency and notes that several more recent accountings, namely “Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Laurence Berkley National Laboratory, and half-dozen major financial houses have found that utility grade solar, now averaging under a nickel, generally beats gas plants’ lifetime cost per kilowatt-hour even without carbon or the volatility of gas cost.” This value estimate includes the federal solar subsidy (which is set to fall from 30% to 10% after 2016).” However “permanent subsidies for non-renewable energy” are generally larger. The reviewer notes some additions he would like to see. One is the resilience of solar. Some 90% of the billion watts of solar in New Jersey survived Hurricane Sandy. As a result, new installations are being designed to work without being hooked to the grid in emergencies. There is no discussion of ways to accomplish storage. Flexible loads, distributed thermal storage, and other substitutes for electrical storage should be considered. We now have lithium batteries at the point they can be purchased for home use – at prices just over $7000, but that is expected to fall rapidly.) Third, business models need to be transformed to include renewable energy. This author wishes to include two more. One is the nature of the work. Hydrocarbon burning is capital intensive, low labor and low skill labor, for the most part. Men spend a lot of time away from their wife and family, working atrocious hours in very seriously dangerous and dirty jobs. Many are the equivalent of “high plains drifters” made famous by the movie of that name starring Clint Eastwood. Alternative energy is more highly skilled, doesn’t require living away from home, work is eight on, five days a week, and much safer. The other is that the neighbors of the extraction industries’ huge installations have no negotiating power against what those industries want to do, and must endure noise and night lights as well as air and water borne chemicals, uglification of the neighborhood, and loss of property values. These are costs externalized on people living in the neighborhoods where the industry establishes itself. On the other hand alternative energy is smaller in scale (or in appropriate places like deserts or mountain tops) and do not involve characteristics so intrusive on the senses, health, esthetics and pocketbook. # # # # # # # # # # WV SUN ground rules: 1. Be respectful. 2. Keep discussions focused on solar energy. 3. No advertising. I’m super excited to be headed up to the lovely town of Thomas for an info session at the historic Buxton & Landstreet building at 571 Douglas Road, October 28th at 7 PM. Corey Chase, a small business owner and resident of Thomas has organized the Tucker County Renewables Cooperative and they will be hosting us and getting the word out around town. I have also been in touch with April Keating in Upshur County and she is helping reserve time and space in Buckhannon for a meeting on November 12th at the Public Library. So, help promote that meeting. We also want a meeting in Elkins for Randolph County. Questions:solarteam@wvsun.org See also: www.wvsun.org/solar-coops/tucker Sincerely, Karan Ireland, October 27, 2015 << Duane Nichols, Cell- 304-216-5535, www.FrackCheckWV.net >>

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Gov. Tomblin says WV will do a SIP for the Clean Power Plan
by James Kotcon 27 Oct '15

27 Oct '15

Undecided about whether to ask for a two-year extension. The really interesting part is what Bill Raney says: "Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, said he agreed with Roberts that the state should ask for the two-year extension in implementing the Clean Power Plan, but it was too soon to say if the state should submit its own plan. “We don’t know if it’s even possible to submit a plan that we can be on board with,” Raney said in an interview." Full story at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/article/20151027/GZ01/151029571 JBK >>>>> Tomblin will submit plan to comply with Clean Power Plan By David Gutman, Political Reporter ROANOKE, W.Va. -- Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin intends to submit a state plan for West Virginia to cut greenhouse gas emissions in compliance with the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, bucking calls from state and national Republicans to ignore the environmental regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan requires each state to cut carbon emissions from power plants by a certain amount, but leaves it to states to decide how to reach those goals. If states do not submit plans, they are threatened with the federal government implementing a plan for them, likely some sort of carbon cap-and-trade system. Republicans, most prominently U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have called on governors across the country to refuse to submit state plans. Tomblin said West Virginia would not follow that advice.“If we do not [submit a plan], like some have suggested and some are doing around the country, obviously EPA will say, ‘OK, if you don’t have a plan you’re going to buy our plan,’” Tomblin said in an interview following his speech at the state Energy Summit at Stonewall Jackson Resort. “I’d prefer to have a plan in place when the time comes. If they don’t agree with it then we’ll at least have a starting point where we can talk.” The Clean Power Plan was finalized -- published in the federal register -- on Friday. That same day, West Virginia and 23 other states, along with several coal companies, sued the EPA to block the regulations. The United Mine Workers of America is also a part of that litigation. Despite that, UMWA President Cecil Roberts said Tuesday that he also thinks the state should go forward with developing its plan to comply with the regulations, intended to help the U.S. secure an international agreement to fend off the worst effects of climate change. Roberts called for a state-implemented plan to build a new fleet of power plants, co-fired by coal and natural gas, that would use carbon capture and storage technology to meet the EPA’s new greenhouse gas emission standards. “Shaking our fists at Washington, D.C., and retreating behind our mountains simply won’t cut it anymore,” Roberts said in prepared remarks. “It doesn’t solve the problem.” States must submit plans, or ask for a two-year extension, by late next year. Roberts pushed for taking the extension, a decision Tomblin said he is still considering. The finalization of the Clean Power Plan started a 180-day countdown, during which time the state Department of Environmental Protection must complete a feasibility study on the prospects of a West Virginia compliance plan. Under a law passed earlier this year, based on model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council, a national conservative group, that study must be submitted to the Legislature, which must approve any state plan. Tomblin said he hoped the Legislature would be receptive to the plan his administration comes up with. “To do nothing, or just ignore the EPA, in my opinion is something we should not do. They are the federal regulatory agency,” Tomblin said. “If we can show that we put a lot of time and study into a plan for West Virginia, we would have a better chance of hopefully lessening the pain that they may inflict upon us.” Tomblin’s openness to comply comes as the state’s congressional delegation continues to fight the regulations. On Tuesday, U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin, along with 45 other senators, introduced a resolution to block the Clean Power Plan, just the latest piece of legislation they have pushed to block the EPA. All such legislation would face an almost certain veto from President Barack Obama. In his speech, Roberts told the crowd of mostly energy executives and lobbyists that, no matter the result of lawsuits against the Clean Power Plan, the next president will still be bound by the Supreme Court’s 2007 decision giving the EPA authority to regulate carbon emissions. “We can’t ignore that fact,” Roberts said. “Over the next 40 years different presidents will use that authority in different ways.” Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, said he agreed with Roberts that the state should ask for the two-year extension in implementing the Clean Power Plan, but it was too soon to say if the state should submit its own plan. “We don’t know if it’s even possible to submit a plan that we can be on board with,” Raney said in an interview. Roberts called for the Legislature to take advantage of a 1985 law that allows a state agency to issue public bonds to construct new power plants, using a public-private partnership.

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Re: Mary Anne Hitt's latest: New Report Finds U.S. Leads the World in Moving Beyond Coal
by James Kotcon 27 Oct '15

27 Oct '15

Latest article from the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal director, and West Virginia's own, Mary Ann Hitt. This is awesome news and hope for the planet! Jim Kotcon >>> THU OCT 22, 2015 AT 01:00 PM PDT We Are Changing the World: New Report Finds U.S. Leads the World in Moving Beyond Coal <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World…> byMary Anne Hitt <http://www.dailykos.com/user/Mary%20Anne%20Hitt>Follow <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World…> forDK GreenRoots <http://www.dailykos.com/blog/DK%20GreenRoots> - - - 12 Comments / 12 New <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World…> This is what changing the world looks like. A new report out <http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/10/21/climatechange-g-idUKL8N12L1BB20151…> this week finds the U.S. leads the industrialized nations of the world in shifting away from coal, a feat even more remarkable because we are home to the world's biggest fleet of coal plants. This remarkable progress has been over a decade in the making <http://www.politico.com/magazine/politico50/2015/mary-anne-hitt-bruce-nilles>, and was made possible by Beyond Coal activists who first stopped utilities from building a wave of new coal plants, and then proceeded to win dozens of campaigns to retire existing coal plants across the United States and replace them with clean, renewable energy. Even better, the news comes in the lead-up to international climate negotiations in Paris this fall <http://actinparis.org/>, where the U.S. is positioned to lead thanks to this unprecedented progress on coal and clean energy. As the report <http://www.e3g.org/news/media-room/japan-isolated-as-usa-leads-the-way-in-g…> released by E3G puts it, the U.S. is "leading a clear move away from coal evident across all G7 members" (with one exception - Japan). That's because, since 2005, 184 proposed new coal plants, valued at $273 billion, have been cancelled at various stages of development. Retirements of existing coal plants are gathering pace, with 205 plants representing 84 gigawatts of capacity already confirmed for retirement. And that progress will accelerate over the coming months, as we work toward our goal of securing replacement of half the nation's coal plants with clean energy by 2017 <http://www.sierraclub.org/compass/2015/04/doubling-down-bloomberg-philanthr…> . This report confirms what I’ve been living and breathing for many years now: Communities who want clean energy and no more dirty coal power are a force to be reckoned with. They comprise a sophisticated network of grassroots activists across America <http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/05/inside-war-on-coal-000002> who are moving the global needle on climate, carbon pollution, and clean energy. Together they have been successfully challenging coal operators who are trying to prop up aging plants, and they are unstoppable, because they’re driven by the very real and present danger coal poses to our climate, clean air, and clean water. Overall, coal is the largest source of carbon pollution in the U.S., as well as the nation's largest source of mercury, sulfur dioxide, and toxic water pollution. We recently announced the retirement of the 200th coal plant <http://content.sierraclub.org/coal/200> nationwide (we're now up to 204), which represents the phase out of nearly 40 percent of the 523 U.S. coal plants that were in operation just five years ago. attribution: None Specified While we knew this was big news domestically, this new report confirms that it’s a big deal for the planet as well. The work of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign and more than 100 allied organizations to retire these plants and replace them with clean energy has enabled the United States to lead the industrialized world in cutting global warming pollution, and has put the White House on firm footing to push for a strong international climate accord in Paris at the end of this year. As the report states <http://www.e3g.org/news/media-room/japan-isolated-as-usa-leads-the-way-in-g…> , The USA is leading the charge despite facing the largest challenge given the scale of its existing coal use. With 288GW of capacity, the scale of the coal fleet in the U.S. is more than twice the size of the other G7 members combined. Nevertheless, the USA is making the most positive progress of all the G7 countries; recent retirement announcements amount to more than 84GW by 2020, with new policies reducing coal pollution and setting the framework for investment in clean energy. I continue to be in awe of our tireless activists nationwide – they are not only cleaning up our air and water, but they’re also giving our climate a fighting chance. And they’re working hard to ensure that coal power is replaced by clean, renewable energy. In the lead-up to Paris, this grassroots rebellion <http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/04/beyond-coal-plant-activism> is moving the global carbon needle, and I’m so grateful for everyone involved in this game changing campaign. TAGS ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Heather Moyer <heather.moyer(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Oct 22, 2015 at 4:21 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Re: Mary Anne Hitt's latest: New Report Finds U.S. Leads the World in Moving Beyond Coal To: #Coal <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Coal-Volunteers < coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Media <media-list(a)sierraclub.org> Sorry, Huffington Post link is this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-anne-hitt/we-are-changing-the-world_b_83… --- Heather Moyer Senior Content Producer 202-675-6276 Sierra Club 50 F Street, 8th Floor Washington, DC 20001 On Thu, Oct 22, 2015 at 4:09 PM, Heather Moyer <heather.moyer(a)sierraclub.org > wrote: > Hi folks, > Beyond Coal director Mary Anne Hitt's latest column is now live - and it's > about a report out this week showing that the US is leading G7 nations in > moving beyond coal. Please help share it! > > *Retweet:* > https://twitter.com/sierraclub/status/657286899342659585 > > *Possible tweets:* > We Are Changing the World: New Report Finds US Leads the World in Moving @ > BeyondCoal <https://hootsuite.com/dashboard#>: bit.ly/1W77Zph > <https://t.co/bovOt4ZKke> (by @maryannehitt > <https://hootsuite.com/dashboard#>) #coal > <https://hootsuite.com/dashboard#> > > Report Finds US Leads the World in Moving Beyond #Coal; "Made possible by > @BeyondCoal activists" says @maryannehitt: bit.ly/1W77Zph > > > *LINKS* > *Compass:* http://bit.ly/1W77Zph > > *Daily Kos: * > http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World… > > *HuffPost:* > http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World… > > --- > Heather Moyer > Senior Content Producer > 202-675-6276 > > Sierra Club > 50 F Street, 8th Floor > Washington, DC 20001 > -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org.

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First Energy ENEC case
by James Kotcon 16 Oct '15

16 Oct '15

EEWV has intervened in this case before the PSC, and is requesting help to fund an expert witness from ACEEE. In August, First Energy filed a request for a $165 million rate increase. Most of this is associated with under-recovered costs for the Harrison Power plant acquisition due to lower than projected electricity prices at PJM (see we told you so). They are also proposing to reduce funding for their energy efficiency programs. They have a rate surcharge to cover the cost of EE programs, but have collected more than they spend, so instead of spending more on EE, they propose to cut the surcharge. EEWV (as WV-CAG) has intervened in this case ( case number 15-1351-E-P) and needs an expert witness to testify. They have identified someone from ACEEE, but do not have the funds to cover this cost. They are asking if we can contribute $10,000. This is one of the major issues for the Chapter's Energy Efficiency campaigns, and has the potential to produce a lot more EE than most of our other projects, but we have not intervened in the case, and I think that opportunity has passed. The deadline for filing the testimony is Nov. 2 with a hearing Nov. 19-20, so if we are going to be involved, we need to do something soon. Is this something we can afford? Is this something we should do? How else can we get our members involved? Jim Kotcon

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Re: [EC] Governor Tomblin Appoints Kara Cunningham Williams to Public Service Commission
by James Kotcon 12 Oct '15

12 Oct '15

Allan, April, et al.: We are currently pushing various political bodies to support full funding of the President's Power Plus Plan. That would provide a billion dollars for Abandoned minelands clean-up, more money for economic diversification, and a couple billion to shore up miners health and retirement funds, etc.. Unfortunately, this has run into opposition from the Coal Association who thinks that any support for funding for "economic diversification" means you support a death sentence for coal. So most of our congressional delegation is either silent or actively opposes bringing billions in federal funding to the coal fields. (Where is Senator Byrd when we need him?) Nevertheless, we must support economic transition in the coalfields or we will have abandoned those communities to the tender mercies of the coal companies. An opportunity to speak to the PSC may be coming up soon, as the utilities must file their "Integrated Resource Plans" with the PSC in about 10 weeks. At that point, the PSC will open a case to take public input, and I think this will be an important venue to get the PSC to think long-term about where the electric industry is going in the next 5-10 years. The PSC has directed the utilities to describe how they will address the Clean Power Plan in their IRP, so this promises to be a fairly comprehensive and important case. Jim Kotcon ________________________________ From: April Pierson-Keating <aprilkeating(a)gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, October 11, 2015 9:25 PM To: Citizens Climate Lobby of West Virginia Cc: James Kotcon; EC(a)osenergy.org; Mark.Kresowik(a)sierraclub.org; bridget.lee(a)sierraclub.org; bbraun(a)compositetranstech.com; garyz(a)wvcag.org; janet.ovec(a)gmail.com; fyoung(a)mountain.net Subject: Re: [EC] Governor Tomblin Appoints Kara Cunningham Williams to Public Service Commission Great ideas, Allan. I want to be part of it. Whatever JB comes up with, please let me in on it. -april On Friday, October 9, 2015 at 1:02:19 PM UTC-4, Allan Tweddle wrote: James Disappointing, but not surprising. We have known that the Governor preferred to find a woman from outside Charleston. But as a lawyer with Steptoe & Johnson, are there any conflict issues? That firm is heavily involved with the utilities and coal industry. And, with all due respect for the legal profession, he has appointed “another lawyer?” With no background in the technologies, and especially with the current ant-net metering posture that is pervasive, there is no one is in the PSC to press for embracing the future energy technology and economic trends that are well underway...instead of accepting AEP & friends to thwart progress. I’m admittedly prejudiced, but there needs to be a non lawyer voice, preferably an engineering voice either on, or in front of the PSC. So isn’t it time to pull together a very vociferous ground swell of citizenry that demands progress...instead of clinging to the past and preventing progress? All the environmental organizations, plus AARP, plus Union of Concerned Scientists, plus who else? I may seek an opportunity to testify in the PSC debate over net metering, as the current trend is to embrace the Koch Brother’s ALEC approach to defeat all efforts for growth of solar energy nation wide. I’ve also asked John Christiansen if he has any detailed statistics of the physical potential of solar in West Virginia...a market analysis so that I/we could present the economic potential to the Governor, and Legislature, with loud and consistent public statements, op-eds, etc. Preaching to the choir won’t do it. We must loudly educate the non coal aligned citizens of WV that as coal continues to decline, solar has real economic potential for the state to 1. offer miners a place to be retrained... 2. maybe attract our young talent to stay in the State with jobs aligned with the future 3. stimulate economic growth... 4. including tax revenue... 5. reduced unemployment... 6. be a way to comply with the CPP,...rather than wasting tax dollars suing the EPA.. Any thoughts? Allan From: James Kotcon Sent: Friday, October 09, 2015 12:05 PM To: WV Chapter Energy Committee ; Mark Kresowik ; Bridget Lee Subject: [EC] Governor Tomblin Appoints Kara Cunningham Williams to Public Service Commission FYI. JBK http://www.governor.wv.gov/media/pressreleases/2015/Pages/Governor-Tomblin-… 10/9/2015 Page Content CHARLESTON, W.Va. (October 9, 2015) – Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin today announced the appointment of Kara Cunningham Williams to the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC), effective immediately. Williams will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Commissioner Jon McKinney. “There are a number of important issues pending before the PSC, which is why I took the time to find the most appropriate person for this important job,” Gov. Tomblin said. “Kara’s professional background and community involvement in both the Lewisburg and Charleston communities make her experienced and knowledgeable on a variety of issues that come before our state’s PSC. She will be a great asset to the Commission moving forward.” A graduate of Washington & Lee University and Harvard Law School, Williams began her career in a commercial litigation practice at Hunton & Williams in Washington, D.C. In 1999, she returned home to West Virginia, where she worked at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. During her time at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, she served on the Recruiting and Ethics Committees, while practicing commercial litigation before state and federal courts and agencies. Williams has also served as an adjunct lecturer at West Virginia University College of Law, teaching courses in Payment Systems and Appellate Advocacy. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Public Service Commission, and I appreciate Governor Tomblin’s confidence in me to serve the people of West Virginia,” Williams said. “I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners in this new role.” Williams shares her personal time and community service in both Lewisburg and Charleston. Since 2006, she has served as a volunteer at the YWCA of Charleston, where she is a past President of the Board of Directors. In addition, Williams currently serves on the Board of Directors for Carnegie Hall, Inc. in Lewisburg, where she has chaired the Legislative Affairs/Arts Advocacy Committee and served as a member of the Finance Committee. Williams’ term expires June 30, 2017. In addition to appointing Williams, Gov. Tomblin reappointed current Commission Brooks McCabe to a term that expires June 30, 2021. Contact Information 304-558-4977 ________________________________ _______________________________________________ EC mailing list E...(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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Utilities want higher charges placed on rooftop solar customers
by frank young 10 Oct '15

10 Oct '15

"To be sure, any customer who purchases less electricity than the average is 'subsidized,'" Young wrote. "It is the average rate structure, not net metering, that shifts costs among retail customers." http://www.wvgazettemail.com/article/20151005/GZ01/151009735/1102

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Governor Tomblin Appoints Kara Cunningham Williams to Public Service Commission
by James Kotcon 09 Oct '15

09 Oct '15

FYI. JBK http://www.governor.wv.gov/media/pressreleases/2015/Pages/Governor-Tomblin-… 10/9/2015 Page Content CHARLESTON, W.Va. (October 9, 2015) - Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin today announced the appointment of Kara Cunningham Williams to the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC), effective immediately. Williams will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Commissioner Jon McKinney. "There are a number of important issues pending before the PSC, which is why I took the time to find the most appropriate person for this important job," Gov. Tomblin said. "Kara's professional background and community involvement in both the Lewisburg and Charleston communities make her experienced and knowledgeable on a variety of issues that come before our state's PSC. She will be a great asset to the Commission moving forward." A graduate of Washington & Lee University and Harvard Law School, Williams began her career in a commercial litigation practice at Hunton & Williams in Washington, D.C. In 1999, she returned home to West Virginia, where she worked at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. During her time at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, she served on the Recruiting and Ethics Committees, while practicing commercial litigation before state and federal courts and agencies. Williams has also served as an adjunct lecturer at West Virginia University College of Law, teaching courses in Payment Systems and Appellate Advocacy. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Public Service Commission, and I appreciate Governor Tomblin's confidence in me to serve the people of West Virginia," Williams said. "I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners in this new role." Williams shares her personal time and community service in both Lewisburg and Charleston. Since 2006, she has served as a volunteer at the YWCA of Charleston, where she is a past President of the Board of Directors. In addition, Williams currently serves on the Board of Directors for Carnegie Hall, Inc. in Lewisburg, where she has chaired the Legislative Affairs/Arts Advocacy Committee and served as a member of the Finance Committee. Williams' term expires June 30, 2017. In addition to appointing Williams, Gov. Tomblin reappointed current Commission Brooks McCabe to a term that expires June 30, 2021. Contact Information 304-558-4977

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Interesting graphs on how each state's power mix has changed in past 10 years
by James Kotcon 19 Sep '15

19 Sep '15

Click on the link from Mary Ann to see how WV compares to surrounding states in electricity generation. Jim Kotcon ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)gmail.com> Date: Sat, Sep 19, 2015 at 1:44 PM Subject: Re: [Coal Volunteers List] Interesting graphs on how each state's power mix has changed in past 10 years To: Ned Ford <ned.ford(a)fuse.net> Cc: coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org Ned, it looks like the first chart on the link is the US total, and the numbers seem to match pretty closely with those from your chart, although it is not clear as this one ends in 2013. There have been some reports showing that fossil fuel use for electricity generation was up slightly in 2014, although that may have been weather related-due to the Polar Vortex and exceptionally cold winter in the eastern US. I note that West Virginia is falling further and further behind other energy-producing states like Texas, Wyoming, the Dakotas and Illinois, in RENEWABLE energy generation. Thank you for sharing. Jim Kotcon On Wed, Sep 16, 2015 at 2:02 PM, Ned Ford <Ned.Ford(a)fuse.net> wrote: > This is particularly good because it is based on MWh generation, and > avoids the mistake a lot of efforts make, which is to base assumed > generation on the relative shares of capacity. > > I wish they had included the total U.S. I'm pasting a graph that shows > total U.S. data over a similar period. > > - Ned > > > > On 9/16/2015 1:17 PM, Mary Anne Hitt wrote: > > Hello Beyond Coal team, > > I wanted to pass along this very interesting set of graphs, created by > NPR, on how each state's power mix has changed over the past 10 years, from > 2004 - 2014. Fascinating to see the the fall of coal and the rise of > renewables in so many states. While it's not all good news, especially the > rise of gas in some places, the trends are pretty remarkable (and to my > brothers and sisters in WV and KY, there's nowhere to go but up!). I > thought you might enjoy geeking out on these as much as I did. > > > http://www.npr.org/2015/09/10/319535020/coal-gas-nuclear-hydro-how-your-sta… > > Cheers, > Mary Anne > > -- > Mary Anne Hitt > Director, Beyond Coal Campaign > Sierra Club > Blog <http://sierraclub.typepad.com/compass/coal-director/> | Twitter > <http://twitter.com/#%21/maryannehitt> (@maryannehitt) > > 304-876-7064 (w) | 540-239-0073 (c) > www.beyondcoal.org > > -- > To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: > <https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/> > https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ > > To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the > subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "#Coal-Volunteers" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. > To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. > > > -- > To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: > https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ > > To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the > subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "#Coal-Volunteers" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. > To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. >

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“Just Saying No” Won’t Stop the Clean Power Plan
by James Kotcon 19 Sep '15

19 Sep '15

It is looking more and more like WV will continue to oppose EPA's Clean Power Plan (Well, Duh!). There is still no clear answer as to whether DEP will move forward with a State Implementation Plan, but such a Plan would need legislative approval, which seems highly unlikely. In the event that WV does not submit either a SIP, or a Request for a SIP extension by Sept. 6, 2016 (less than a year away), a Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) will be imposed. Below is an excellent summary of what a FIP would look like (This was written by the Sierra Club's attorney, Elena Saxonhouse, and some of you may remember her from our work on the PATH line and the coal-to gas plant in Mingo County).. While the exact details will not be clear for a while, the general outlines are emerging. I encourage you to read this over, as we will need to be well-informed to be effective in the current political climate. http://www.sierraclub.org/compass/2015/09/just-saying-no-won-t-stop-clean-p… At this time, EPA has not yet published the final rule in the Federal register, and it seems likely not to do so until sometime into October, so DEP is unwilling to start planning until they have the exact wording in front of them. On the other hand, the DC Circuit Court this week threw out AG Patrick Morrisey's lawsuit against the CPP because the final rule has not yet been published. In addition, EPA will not have final details of the FIP rule until sometime next year, but it is already clear that a FIP will leave WV with less flexibility, fewer incentives, and less of a role for energy efficiency, all of which will increase costs to ratepayers. But n the end, EPA's rule is likely to survive, and the FIP will likely be implemented under approximately the same timetable, so all the posturing by our political leaders may score political points with the coal industry, but is unlikely to change the outcome. Jim Kotcon

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Fw: Come to the stream protection hearing Sept 17
by James Kotcon 16 Sep '15

16 Sep '15

FYI: I attended the Pittsburgh, PA hearing last Thursday. We organized a bus with 11 people from Morgantown, and 8 more from Waynesburgh and Washington, PA. The OSM allowed 2 minutes per speaker, but also had rooms set up for individuals to give comments to an OSM rep, or to submit written comments. Due to a press conference, most of us did not sign up until just before the hearing started, so we went later in the evening. Robert Murray of Murray Mining was present, and used the event to blast the Obama Administration, claiming that the OSM rules were blatantly illegal and an attempt to kill the coal industry, cripple America, and destroy our way of life. He was followed by a couple dozen of his employees who largely repeated the Murray Mining mantra. It was clear that Murray had bussed in a large number of miners (50-100), but they were mostly respectful. They all got up to leave when Murray left an hour into the hearing, and it appears they were just there because they were paid to be. But since most of them went first, they tended to get more press, so it was good to get our press conference in early. One issue that came up repeatedly was the request for a 180-day extension of the comment period. ODM has already extended it by 30 days (to Oct. 26), so this appears to be an attempt to delay the rule until after the Obama Administration leaves office. While I support public comment, it is important to keep in mind that we have already waited many years for this rule, and each day of delay is another day of polluted water, another day that the problems become worse, another stream that dies, and another family that loses their water. OSM needs to act now, not analyze this to death. For another story on the Pittsburgh hearing, see the story by Don Hopey at the link below. http://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2015/09/11/Both-sides-sound-of… [http://www.post-gazette.com/libercus/default/graphics/PGFacebook_ICON_1500x…]<http://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2015/09/11/Both-sides-sound-of…> Both sides sound off at hearing on new federal stream protection rule | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The OSMRE says adoption of the rule would protect about 6,200 miles of streams nationwide over the next two decades. Read more...<http://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2015/09/11/Both-sides-sound-of…> Jim Kotcon ________________________________ From: WVEC - Bill Price <bill.price(a)wvecouncil.org> Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2015 7:33 AM To: James Kotcon Subject: Come to the stream protection hearing Sept 17 [Donate]<http://wvecouncil.org/> West Virginia Environmental Council Action Alert Sep 16, 2015 View / Comment Online<http://wvecouncil.org/come-to-the-stream-protection-hearing-sept-17/> [Donate] <http://wvecouncil.org/join/> Hi to all those who care about West Virginia's streams Over the past two weeks, OSM has held hearings in Lexington, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Denver on the draft stream protection rule that will help protect our most valuable natural resource: water. As a Sierra Club representative, I personally attended the Lexington and St. Louis hearings and can say that people are being heard when they step up and say that clean water is vital to our economy and our lives. The number of speakers in support of the rule has increased at each hearing. In St. Louis citizens matched the number of industry executives and polluter allied politicians. It's great to see the increased momentum as the series of hearings continues. We are not done yet! On Thursday, September 17th the hearing will be held at the Charleston Civic Center. This is the final hearing in the series and we should make it the best. I'd love to see you there supporting clean safe water and letting the Office of Surface Mining know that we support the efforts to protect our streams. The hearing begins at 5pm. You are welcome to attend our pre-hearing event at the Holiday Inn Express across the street beginning at 3pm. We will have some food, be able to prepare our comments and find out more about the hearings. Thank you! Bill Price, President West Virginia Environmental Council >From the WVEC Action Alert E-mail List Subscribe or Unsubscribe Online<http://wvecouncil.org/archive/action-alerts/>

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Stream Protection Rule Hearing in Pittsburgh - Sept. 10
by James Kotcon 27 Aug '15

27 Aug '15

Here is more info on our bus trip to Pittsburgh. We will leave from the WVU Coliseum Parking lot at 1:30 PM. We are working with the Center for Coalfield Justice and there will be stops at Waynesburg and Washington, PA. There will also be free t-shirts and food for bus riders. To sign up on the bus, go to the link below: http://coalfieldjustice.org/blog/protect-our-streams-protect-our-communitie… Or send me your name, mailing address, phone number, e-mail address, and tee-shirt size (S, M, L, XL, or XXL). If you have several people, let me know how many seats to reserve for you and your group. At this point, we plan a press event at the hearing, and would like a good turn-out for that. Thee will also be picketing outside, so bring a posterboard with slogans such as - Protect Our Water, Protect Our Future - Protect Our Streams, Protect Our Communities - OSM: Pass Strong Stream Protections NOW - Stand with coalfield communities - We all live downstream - HONK if you want clean water! - King coal has got to go! So log on and sign up at: http://coalfieldjustice.org/blog/protect-our-streams-protect-our-communitie… Tell your friends, colleagues, neighbors and co-workers. Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home) P.S. Perfect is Good, Done is Better. Make the Commitment. Sign up NOW! http://coalfieldjustice.org/blog/protect-our-streams-protect-our-communitie…

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Public Hearing on Rule to Protect Streams from Mining, Pittsburgh, Sept. 10
by James Kotcon 24 Aug '15

24 Aug '15

I borrowed the text below from the Allegheny Group web page. The Beyond Coal Campaign wants to organize a bus from Morgantown for the hearing. I am collaborating with the CCJ folks in Greene County for a bus that would leave Morgantown, (probably from the WVU Coliseum at 1:30 PM), with stops in Waynesburg and Washington, PA to be at the hearing from 5-8 PM. Current plans include food and free t-shirts (Our Water, Our Future) for people on the bus. Analysis of the rule, and laymen talking points will be out later this week.Please pass the word to anyone who might be interested, invite a friend, and join us on the bus. A A link to a Google-Form for bus sign-up will be coming soon. And drop me a line to let me know who is planning to join me! Just 17 days to go till the hearing! Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (OFFICE) 304-594-3322 (HOME) >>>>> Public Hearing on Rule to Protect Streams from Mining, Pittsburgh, Sept. 10 <http://alleghenysc.org/?p=25631> September 10, 20155:00 pmto9:00 pm <http://alleghenysc.org/?attachment_id=20892> Photo: Mountain Justice A scientifically-based <http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/08/15/Environmentalists-coal-op…> new Stream Protection Rule <http://www.osmre.gov/programs/rcm/streamprotectionrule.shtm> proposed by the Office of Surface Mining will protect more than 6,000 miles of streams from the impacts of both surface and underground coal mining. With only six hearings scheduled in the country, here in Pittsburgh the public will have an opportunity to comment on the proposed rule at: *5:00 to 9:00 pm, Thursday, September 10* Double Tree Hotel in Green Tree 500 Mansfield Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15205 The Center for Coalfield justice is partnering with the Sierra Club to provide free transportation to and from Pittsburgh for the hearing. Included in the proposal is improved monitoring and data collection of water quality, but of concern to environmentalist groups dealing with mountain top removal in Appalachia is the maintenance of the buffer zones between mining operations and streams <http://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2015/07/groups-urge-stronger-p…>. In 2008 the Bush administration modified the Buffer Zone Rule to provide a ‘minimum’ distance. After a court case in February 2014 the 100 feet wide buffer was restored. Now the OSM proposes to weaken the Buffer Zone Rule.

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Drill Baby Drill study
by Beth Little 21 Aug '15

21 Aug '15

http://shalebubble.org/drill-baby-drill/ This is a fascinating report. The abstract is below along with a paragraph from the Executive Summary about Shale gas. It comes from the website http://fracdallas.org/ which has so much info (like all the local citizen bans on fracking, the thousands of pipeline accidents, etc) that I don't know where to start. Abstract It's now assumed that recent advances in fossil fuel production - particularly for shale gas and shale oil - herald a new age of energy abundance, even "energy independence," for the United States. Nevertheless, the most thorough public analysis to date of the production history and the economic, environmental, and geological constraints of these resources in North America shows that they will inevitably fall short of such expectations, for two main reasons: First, shale gas and shale oil wells have proven to deplete quickly, the best fields have already been tapped, and no major new field discoveries are expected; thus with average per-well productivity declining and ever-more wells (and fields) required simply to maintain production, an "exploration treadmill" limits the long-term potential of shale resources. Second, although tar sands, deepwater oil, oil shales, coalbed methane, and other non-conventional fossil fuel resources exist in vast deposits, their exploitation continues to require such enormous expenditures of resources and logistical effort that rapid scaling up of production to market-transforming levels is all but impossible; the big "tanks" of these resources are inherently constrained by small "taps." Shale gas Shale gas production has grown explosively to account for nearly 40 percent of U.S. natural gas production; nevertheless production has been on a plateau since December 2011 -80 percent of shale gas production comes from five plays, several of which are in decline. The very high decline rates of shale gas wells require continuous inputs of capital-estimated at $42 billion per year to drill more than 7,000 wells-in order to maintain production. In comparison, the value of shale gas produced in 2012 was just $32.5 billion. The best shale plays, like the Haynesville (which is already in decline) are relatively rare, and the number of wells and capital input required to maintain production will increase going forward as the best areas within these plays are depleted. High collateral environmental impacts have been followed by pushback from citizens, resulting in moratoriums in New York State and Maryland and protests in other states. Shale gas production growth has been offset by declines in conventional gas production, resulting in only modest gas production growth overall. Moreover, the basic economic viability of many shale gas plays is questionable in the current gas price environment.

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Town hall meeting with Senator Manchin September 4
by Sally Wilts 15 Aug '15

15 Aug '15

Kingwood Civic Center, 11 am, doors open 10:30am. For info 304-329=0090 or jdahlia(a)prestonnj.comThe editor. John Dahlia just published his editorial that few in Congress understand the war on coal and what a staunch defender of coal Manchin is.Do we want to try and attend? Not a warm reception for those of us in favor of the Clean Power Plan.

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Will Clean Power Plan Chart WV's Energy Course?
by frank young 04 Aug '15

04 Aug '15

Jim Kotcon, energy committee chair with the <https://westvirginia.sierraclub.org/> Sierra Club West Virginia Chapter, says the plan should reduce the amount of electricity produced by coal in the state to between 70 and 80 percent, which he sees as a start toward energy diversity. "There are already plans for more wind energy, new natural gas-fired power plants and so on," he says. "I think that's good for West Virginia." http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2015-08-04/environment/will-clean-power-pla n-chart-west-virginias-energy-course/a47448-1

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Demand response legal challenge.
by James Kotcon 20 Jul '15

20 Jul '15

A recent DC Circuit Court decision invalidated a FERC rule allowing Demand Response resources to be bid into wholesale markets. FERC had developed a rule to regulate how demand response by customers could be bid into wholesale markets, which they regulate. The Electric Powers Supply Association appealed, arguing that retail sales are regulated by states individually, and FERC did not have authority to impose a federal rule. Generally, states have been slower to adopt time-of-use pricing practices, so the FERC rule allowed individual customer DR resources to be aggregated and bid at a pre-approved rate in wholesale markets. The EPSA argues that DR is nothing like power generation, thus FERC should not have authority to regulate it. Obviously, EPSA wants to sell more electricity (especially the really high priced electricity they can sell at peak demand times), and objects to efforts to reduce demand. The story below describes an appeal to the US Supreme Court. It is not clear whether the Court will accept the case, or when they might rule. Does anyone else think this might affect the Solar Holler model, or our efforts to get DR into WV utility IRP plans? Jim Kotcon http://breakingenergy.com/2015/07/14/ferc-grid-operator-others-file-supreme… [http://breakingenergy.sites.breakingmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/20…]<http://breakingenergy.com/2015/07/14/ferc-grid-operator-others-file-supreme…> FERC, Grid Operator, Others File Supreme Court Briefs In Demand Response Case « Breaking Energy - Energy industry news, analysis, and commentary The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), a grid operator, states, and other parties just filed briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in a case that could decide whether Americans have access to low-cost, clean and reliable electricity. The case, EPSA v. FERC, revolves around demand response, a resource that helps keep prices low and the lights on - and does so while also being environmentally friendly. In 2013, for example, demand response saved customers in the mid-Atlantic region close to $12 billion. And during the polar vortex, which threatened the North-East with freezing cold in 2014, the same resource helped prevent black-outs. The clean energy rule at issue in this case is called FERC Order 745. EDF has been writing about this demand response case throughout the past year. We've been fighting for low-cost demand response and we'll keep fighting in the Supreme Court. History of the Case The case involves a FERC rule that allows demand response - a low-cost, clea Read more...<http://breakingenergy.com/2015/07/14/ferc-grid-operator-others-file-supreme…>

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New Senator Markey Statement on The Stream Buffer Zone Rule
by william.depaulo 19 Jul '15

19 Jul '15

http://politicalnews.me/?id=34454&keys=COAL-MINING-STREAM-BUFFER Sent via the Samsung Galaxy Note® II, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone

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Link to Utica Shale story amd my EE response.
by James Kotcon 15 Jul '15

15 Jul '15

Just FYI. What I should have said is that we need to keep most of the fossil fuels we have already found in the ground, so finding more is a really poor investment of resources. JBK http://www.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view§ion=5-News&item=WVU-Releases-Study-o…<http://www.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view&section=5-News&item=WVU-Releases-Stu…> [http://www.wdtv.com/content/images/Jobs-Economy/gas(1).jpg]<http://www.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view&section=5-News&item=WVU-Releases-Stu…> WDTV.COM 5 News: WVU Releases Study on Utica Shale; Environmentalists Respond A two year study led by WVU researched the Appalachian basin for Utica shale exploration and presented what they're calling a "Utica Play Book" in... Read more...<http://www.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view&section=5-News&item=WVU-Releases-Stu…>

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Fwd: Very interesting. The Mighty Southern to offer solar - going head to head w/third party installers.
by James Kotcon 15 Jul '15

15 Jul '15

Here is an interesting idea from the Georgia Chapter. Can we get AEP or First Energy to offer their own home solar program? There was an interesting editorial earlier this year which suggested that "if a utility has to fight battles against solar, they have already lost the war". The smart utilities win by figuring out how to serve their customers by providing what the customer wants. JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Colleen Kiernan <colleen.kiernan(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Jul 1, 2015 at 1:52 PM Subject: Re: Very interesting. The Mighty Southern to offer solar - going head to head w/third party installers. To: CONS-FRED(a)lists.sierraclub.org --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, I'm not sure if referring customers to solar contractors and home improvement loan banks really qualifies as a "solar program." I guess it's more of a "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" posture. I still hope Sungevity gets here soon and we can kill it on the Sierra Club Solar Homes program! If so, first round is on the Georgia Chapter at the Colloq :D Colleen Kiernan Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Director 404-607-1262 x224 sierraclub.org/georgia Click HERE <http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=xwH75dZUf1g&offerid=343370.100…> to join Sierra Club today! On Wed, Jul 1, 2015 at 1:44 PM, Glen Besa <glen.besa(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: > --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- > ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Wow. Adapt or die! Any insights Colleen? > > Sent from my iPhone > > Begin forwarded message: > > *From:* Bruce Nilles <bruce.nilles(a)sierraclub.org> > *Date:* July 1, 2015 at 12:06:34 PM EDT > *To:* "#Coal" <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org> > *Subject:* *Very interesting. The Mighty Southern to offer solar - going > head to head w/third party installers.* > > > SOLAR:Georgia Power rolls out state's first rooftop program -- 'we're > putting our brand behind it' > > Kristi E. Swartz <http://www.eenews.net/staff/Kristi_E_Swartz>, E&E > reporter > Published: Wednesday, July 1, 2015 > > Southern Co.'s Georgia Power rolled out details of its rooftop solar > installation program as the Peach State's new law allowing for solar > competition takes effect today. > > The law makes rooftop solar systems more accessible for residents and > businesses by permitting long-term financing arrangements to alleviate > pricey upfront panel costs. > > For Georgia, the law means letting competition into a state dominated by a > regulated utility. As expected, Georgia Power is getting into the business > in its own way, through an unregulated subsidiary. > > Initially, this means the utility will sell and install rooftop solar > panels, said Norrie McKenzie, Georgia Power's vice president of renewable > development. It will not finance or lease them right now, he said. > > That may change as time goes on, he said. At this point, Georgia Power's > unregulated Energy Services group will work with subcontractors to sell and > install the panels. > > The utility also will refer customers to a "financing partner" to get a > so-called personal home improvement loan, McKenzie said. > > The company continues to finalize the subcontractor list and did not > release names currently on it. Any rooftop solar contract would be between > the homeowner and Georgia Power, however, not with the subcontractor, > utility executives clarified. > > "We're putting our brand behind it," said Ervan Hancock, Georgia Power's > manager of renewable development implementation. > > Georgia Power also is updating and expanding the portion of its website > about rooftop solar. The site walks customers through a series of questions > about their home, roof and monthly electric bill to determine whether to > move forward with installing solar panels. > > Additional steps include talking with a "solar energy expert" at Georgia > Power who will review a customer's bill to determine how much money will be > saved with a rooftop solar installation. Customers may be referred to one > of the roughly two-dozen certified solar contracts on the company's > website, or work with the Energy Services group, McKenzie said. > > "By the time you get to the point where you want to buy a system, we will > walk the customer through to make sure it is really a value or not," he > said. > An opening for solar providers > > Georgia's law throws open the door for national solar providers to enter > the state, though some such as SolarCity and Sunrun are calling for > additional policy changes. A few national solar players have entered the > Southeast whether or not third-party solar financing has been available. > > NRG Energy has pushed into the residential solar market in North Carolina, > a state that prohibits such long-term financial arrangements (*EnergyWire* > <http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/02/25/stories/1060013976>, Feb. > 25). Sunrun recently announced a move into South Carolina, which last year > enacted a wide-ranging renewable energy law that includes third-party > leasing. > > Any of those companies now are welcome in Georgia and can enter into > leasing arrangements with homeowners or businesses where the monthly > payment is based on the solar system's production. Those companies still > cannot directly sell power, McKenzie said. > > "The lease payments are based on output," he said. "Only a utility can > sell power." > > The solar financing law marks a continued transformation of Georgia and > the Southeast from a place that was resistant to renewables to one that has > a patchwork of pro-solar policies for residents, as well as utility-scale > operations that have added solar to the grid. > > A surge in solar installations in Georgia over the first three months of > 2015 also spurred nearly 3,000 new jobs and burnished the state's status as > an emerging hot spot for clean energy in the Southeast (*ClimateWire* > <http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060021074/>, June 30). > > Georgia Power also is close to having 1 gigawatt of solar on its grid by > the end of next year. The state had roughly 11 megawatts five years ago. > > "This rooftop solar business is just the next evolution of us," Hancock > told *EnergyWire*. > Twitter: @BizWriterKristi <https://twitter.com/BizWriterKristi> | Email: > kswartz(a)eenews.net > <https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=kswartz@eenews.net> > > -- > Bruce Nilles > Sierra Club > 415-977-5640 (o) > 608-712-9725 (c) > www.beyondcoal.org > twitter: @brucenilles > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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 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-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 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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Solar Open House
by frank young 02 Jul '15

02 Jul '15

SOLAR OPEN HOUSE Sunday, July 12th 1-4pm @ the home of Dan Harrington & Autumn Long 2127 Big Elk Rd, Wallace WV 26448 You are invited to a solar open house here at our farm! Come check out our new net-metered solar PV array and find out more about going solar! Light refreshments will be provided. Questions? Call or email Autumn: 304-796-4677 autumnlong11(a)gmail.com Feel free to share this invitation on social media and with anyone who wants to learn more about residential solar power.

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Just released: New report on water toxics, coal plants, and health
by Paul Wilson 18 Jun '15

18 Jun '15

Check out this new report and fwd to others. fyi, paul w. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Mary Anne Hitt <maryanne.hitt(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Jun 17, 2015 at 12:25 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Just released: New report on water toxics, coal plants, and health To: #Coal <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Coal-Volunteers < coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Hello Beyond Coal team, Today, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Sierra Club, Environmental Integrity Project, Clean Water Action and Earthjustice are releasing a report entitled "Selling Our Health Down River." We're releasing the report in advance of EPA's September deadline to issue a final rule for coal water toxics, including mercury, arsenic, and lead. The report highlights the public health benefits of a strong final standard. It makes the case that EPA must finalize strong toxic water pollution safeguards to protect the rivers, lakes, and streams where Americans fish, swim, and get their drinking water. Our press release is here <https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.sierraclub.org%2Fpress-r…>, and the report is attached. I'll have a blog up about the report shortly that Heather Moyer will circulate, which you can share on social media and with your networks. Casey Roberts from our Environmental Law Program was one of the authors of the report, and our federal policy and communications teams did a lot of work on the report as well. Thanks to everyone who helped get this over the finish line! I hope all of you will find it to be a valuable resource for your work. Our communications team in DC is working hard today to get this out through all their channels. If you have additional questions or ideas about how to use the report locally, please reach out to your campaign representative or your regional press secretary. My best, Mary Anne -- Mary Anne Hitt Director, Beyond Coal Campaign Sierra Club Blog <http://sierraclub.typepad.com/compass/coal-director/> | Twitter <http://twitter.com/#!/maryannehitt> (@maryannehitt) 304-876-7064 (w) | 540-239-0073 (c) www.beyondcoal.org -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outdoors Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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"misguided strategies of environmental funders"
by frank young 17 Jun '15

17 Jun '15

Why the Environmental Movement Is Not Winning A new report places the blame on misguided strategies of environmental funders. By Peter Montague <http://www.alternet.org/authors/peter-montague> February 24, 2012 A searing new report says the environmental movement is not winning and lays the blame squarely on the failed policies of environmental funders. The movement hasn't won any "significant policy changes at the federal level in the United States since the 1980s" because funders have favored top-down elite strategies and have neglected to support a robust grassroots infrastructure. Environmental funders spent a whopping $10 billion between 2000 and 2009 but achieved relatively little because they failed to underwrite grassroots groups that are essential for any large-scale change,the report <http://www.ncrp.org/files/publications/Cultivating_the_grassroots_final_low…> [3] says. Released in late February by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy <http://www.ncrp.org/> [4], Cultivating the Grassroots was written by Sarah Hansen, who served as executive director of the Environmental Grantmakers Association <http://ega.org/> [5] from 1998 to 2005. Environmental funders mainly support large, professionalized environmental organizations instead of the scrappy community-based groups that are most heavily impacted by environmental harms. Organizations with annual budgets greater than $5 million make up only 2 percent of all environmental groups, yet receive more than half of all environmental grants and donations. The report makes the simple but profound argument that the current environmental funding strategy is not working and that, without targeting philanthropy at communities most impacted by environmental harms, the movement will continue to fail. "Our funding strategy is misaligned with the great perils our planet and environment face," Hansen writes. "Environmental activists and funders all share a gnawing sense that something has to change. No sensible environmental activist would argue that we, as a field, have done what is needed to respond to environmental degradation," Hansen said in an interview. Instead of funding community-based groups to generate ideas, strategies and political support for transformative change, environmental donors have thrown their weight behind narrow lobbying campaigns in Washington, D.C. -- for example, the failed inside-the-beltway campaign in 2009-2010 to pass "cap and trade" legislation to curb global warming. For their part, mainstream environmental groups hang pleas for environmental change on the apolitical hook of rational appeals, expecting that decision-makers confronted with powerful evidence will do the right thing. But this strategy has not worked because "a vocal, organized, sustained grassroots base is vital to achieving sustained change," the report asserts. How Does Change Happen? "In movements throughout history, the core of leadership came from a nucleus of directly impacted or oppressed communities while also engaging a much broader range of justice-seeking supporters." In other words, successful movements for social change -- anti-slavery, women's suffrage, labor rights, and civil rights -- have always been inspired, energized, and led by those most directly affected. Yet these are the very groups within the environmental movement that are starved for funds. Analysis of environmental grantmaking, 2007-2009, reveals that only 15 percent of environmental grant dollars are classified as benefiting marginalized communities, and only 11 percent are classified as advancing "social justice" strategies, such as community organizing. The report makes a distinction between internet activism or getting your neighbor to sign a petition, and real community organizing. "Community organizing builds power by helping people understand the source of their social or political problems, connect with others facing the same challenges and, together, take action to win concrete change." Community organizing is messy and takes time. The report also distinguishes between "national organizations that might parachute into local communities for one-time policy campaigns versus authentic, local organizations that not only work on those same short- term campaigns but, just as importantly, build long-term leadership and capacity in the community to amplify change in the future." The report points out that the U.S. is growing racially and ethnically more diverse each year and by 2042 will be majority people of color. "New immigrants may come from countries with robust histories of social change movements that, combined with the increasing racial diversity of America's communities, provide an opportunity to diversify the ethnic composition of the environmental movement," the report says. And: "Unlike many of the professional advocates in Washington, D.C., people of color, immigrants, poor people and young people often are living face to face with the devastating impacts of environmental degradation. These growing communities have the self-interest to do something and, increasingly, the collective power to potentially make real change but may lack the support or resources to organize." "In this context, it is arguable that any push for environmental change which fails to prioritize communities of color is a losing strategy," the report says. And, "Until the broader concerns... of all communities are on the radar of environmentalists, it will be hard for environmentalists to be on the radar of all communities." In a stunning revelation, the report offers evidence that, compared to the average of all philanthropic donors, environmental funders avoid supporting disadvantaged people: "There is a seemingly contradictory correlation: analysis shows the greater a funder's commitment to the environment, the less likely it is to prioritize marginalized communities or advance social justice in its environmental grantmaking." Advice for Environmental Funders The report offers a four-point roadmap for "funding the grassroots to win:" 1. Fund work that benefits communities of the future Environmental funders should earmark somewhere between 20 and 50 percent of their total giving to underserved communities. Nearly half of all children in the United States today are black, Latino or Asian American and by 2042, a majority of Americans will be people of color. This is a powerful new constituency ready to take action on environmental issues, the report says. "Prioritizing funding for lower-income communities of color is not only strategic given that these communities are becoming the majority and support environmental change, but also because change that targets the most impacted populations has a multiplier effect for society as a whole," Hansen writes. 2. Invest 25 percent of grant dollars in grassroots action Speaking directly to environmental funders, the report says, "We recommend that you allocate at least 25 percent of your grant dollars for social justice purposes, specifically with a focus on grassroots advocacy, organizing and civic engagement led by the communities most affected by environmental ills and climate change." "The way to build a broad movement around environment and climate solutions is to mobilize diverse communities of people around issues that are much closer to their self-interest (such as stopping toxic pollution, creating viable new jobs and reducing energy bills) and then work intentionally to connect those individuals and campaigns to a larger understanding of communal and global interests. Grassroots groups need resources to be able to engage effectively at all levels (local, state, national and international)." 3. Build supportive infrastructure As the highly-successful right wing in the U.S. can tell you, social movements grow large and powerful only when they are served by a deep infrastructure of organizations offering technical assistance and know-how. Local groups need to be able to find each other, share strategies, develop leadership, communicate their message, identify allies, and gain a wide range of skills. Such an infrastructure requires sustained funding and without it no movement can succeed. 4. Take the long view, prepare for tipping points "Supporting grassroots organizing may require a paradigm shift in a foundation's grantmaking strategy. Depending on how your philanthropy currently supports grassroots organizations or does not, this can mean shedding expectations of microscopic, quick deliverables and embracing the slow, patient process of movement building. Legal work to overturn Jim Crow laws began in the early 1930s with Thurgood Marshall representing the NAACP lawsuits in Maryland. Imagine if early funders of the Civil Rights Movement had tried to "evaluate the impact" of their grants in the ensuing 20 years - before the popular movement took hold. Movement building takes time. "In his important monograph Just Another Emperor: The Myths and Realities of Philanthrocapitalism, former Ford Foundation director Michael Edwards cautions that one of the downsides of increasingly infusing the nonprofit world with business ideals is that social change organizations are expected to churn out good, quarterly metrics. Extreme advocates of these ideas expect social change organizations to report mounds of data and compete with one another for funding based on "numbers" and "deliverables." But on February 1, 1960, sitting at a "Whites Only" lunch counter at a Woolworth's in Greensboro, N.C., there were only four African American students from a local college. Although those may not appear to be impressive metrics, consider the scale and scope of the movement they helped launch." Peter Montague is a historian and journalist whose work has appeared in Counterpunch, Huffington Post, the Nation and many other publications. He has co-authored two books on toxic heavy metals. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mountain Party Executive Committee" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mountainpartyexcom+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to mountainpartyexcom(a)googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mountainpartyexcom. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

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Interesting study out of Princeton: 20 Years Of Data Reveals That Congress Doesn't Care What You Think
by Paul Wilson 05 Jun '15

05 Jun '15

Makes you think about how far Birth Place of Rivers NM or Energy Efficiency goals will get in our current delegation.... *20 Years Of Data Reveals That Congress Doesn't Care What You Think* - For the last few years, I've had this sense that everything I learned as a kid about how America's government works is completely wrong. But I had no idea how bad things actually were until I saw one simple graph … more <http://listserv.steelworkers.org/t/257586/1028185/151336/17/> Here's the link if you want to go directly to the website: http://www.upworthy.com/20-years-of-data-reveals-that-congress-doesnt-care-… enjoy, paul -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outdoors Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Wind and Solar Provide 100% of New Generating Capacity in April
by James Kotcon 26 May '15

26 May '15

?These data from the US Energy Information Agency show that, for the first four months of 2015, renewables provided 84 % of new capacity added to the grid, while gas added the remaining 16 %. Oil coal, and nukes had no added capacity so far this year. Renewables was 100 % f new capacity for the month of April. These data count utility scale generation, and do not include distributed generation such as residential roof-top solar. Full story at: http://ecowatch.com/2015/05/26/wind-solar-april-capacity/ Wind and Solar Provide 100% of New Generating Capacity in April According to the latest report from FERC's Office of Energy Projects, renewable energy accounted for all new generating capacity in April. Wind and solar accounted Read more...<http://ecowatch.com/2015/05/26/wind-solar-april-capacity/> Jim Kotcon

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US House Committee cuts $300 million from NASA budget for climate change research.
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 26 May '15

26 May '15

May 6, 2015 The G.O.P.’s War on Science Gets Worse By Elizabeth Kolbert <http://www.newyorker.com/contributors/elizabeth-kolbert> During last fall’s midterm election campaign, “I’m not a scientist” became a standard Republican answer to questions about climate change. The line seemed to invite parody, and Stephen Colbert (among others) obliged. He played clips of House Speaker John Boehner, then Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Florida Governor Rick Scott all offering, more or less word for word, the same refrain. “Everyone who denies climate change has the same stirring message,” Colbert observed <http://gawker.com/stephen-colbert-calls-out-im-not-a-scientist-climate-1656…>. “ ‘We don’t know what the fuck we’re talking about.’ ” The line worked—or, at least, didn’t *not *work—and Republicans won both houses of Congress. Now, it seems, they are trying to go one better. They are trying to prevent even scientists from being scientists. Last week, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, headed by Texas Republican Lamar Smith, approved a bill that would slash at least three hundred million dollars from NASA’s earth-science budget. “Earth science, of course, includes climate science,” Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Texas Democrat who is also on the committee, noted <http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/240549-congress-we-have-a-problem>. (Smith said <http://www.hq.nasa.gov/legislative/hearings/4-16-2015_SMITH_OPENING_STATEME…> that the White House’s NASA budget request favored the earth sciences “at the expense of the other science divisions and human and robotic space exploration.”) Johnson tried to get the cuts eliminated from the bill, but her proposed amendment was rejected. Defunding NASA’s earth-science program takes willed ignorance one giant leap further. It means that not only will climate studies be ignored; some potentially useful data won’t even be collected. The vote brought howls of protest from NASA itself and from wider earth-science circles. The agency’s administrator, Charles Bolden, issued a statement <http://www.wset.com/story/28947047/nasa-administrator-statement-on-house-au…> saying that the bill “guts our Earth science program and threatens to set back generations worth of progress in better understanding our changing climate.” In an opinion piece for the Washington* Post*, Marshall Shepherd, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Georgia and the former president of the American Meteorological Association, said that he could not sleep after hearing about the vote. “None of us has a ‘vacation planet’ we can go to for the weekend, so I argue that NASA’s mission to study planet Earth should be a ‘no-brainer,’ ” he wrote <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/05/01/cutt…> . The vote on the NASA bill came just a week after the same House committee approved major funding cuts to the National Science Foundation’s geosciences program, as well as cuts to Department of Energy programs that support research into new energy sources. As Michael Hiltzik <http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-gop-attack-on-climate-chan…>, a columnist for the Los Angeles *Times,* noted, the committee is “living down to our worst expectations.” The practical implications of the proposed cuts are certainly disturbing. (It’s going to be hard for D.O.E. to find new energy sources if it isn’t even looking for them.) But perhaps even more distressing is the mindset that led to them. The “I’m not a scientist” line is basically a declaration of willed ignorance. You might think people entrusted by voters to craft public policy would be embarrassed to acknowledge, to paraphrase Colbert, that they have no idea what they’re talking about, and don’t want to. “Well, I’m not a scientist, either. But you know what? I know a lot of really good scientists at NASA, and at N.O.A.A., and at our major universities,” President Barack Obama put it a few few months ago, in his State of the Union address <https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/20/remarks-president-st…>, referring to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “And the best scientists in the world are all telling us that our activities are changing the climate.” Cutting NASA and the N.S.F.’s climate-science budgets isn’t going to alter the basic realities of climate change. No one needs an advanced degree to understand this. Indeed, the idea that ignoring a problem isn’t going to make it go away is one that kids should grasp by the time they’re six or seven. But ignoring a problem does often make it more difficult to solve. And that, you have to assume, in a perverse way, is the goal here. What we don’t know, we can’t act on. “It’s hard to believe that in order to serve an ideological agenda, the majority is willing to slash the science that helps us have a better understanding of our home planet,” Representative Johnson wrote. Hard to believe, but, unfortunately, true. ---------------------------------------- Elizabeth Kolbert has been a staff writer at *The New Yorker* since 1999.

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Coal mines closing
by James Kotcon 23 May '15

23 May '15

Murray Energy and Alpha announce over 1600 mining job layoffs in West Virginia. The story highlights the blaming: "Murray Energy cited "the vastly increased use of natural gas in the Ohio Valley to generate electricity," the "ongoing destruction of the United States coal industry by President Barack Obama," and - for the West Virginia workforce cuts - the state's "excessive coal severance tax." But Murray's move comes two months after he invested $1.4 billion to buy Illinois coal reserves. So while he is investing in the competition, he blames Obama and WV's excessive coal severance taxes. The WV Legislature (under new Republican leadership) is currently reviewing our tax structure, and many legislators seem likely to buy into Murray's blaming of Obama and severance taxes, without considering Murray's efforts to shift resources from West Virginia to Illinois. I think we need to highlight this in a response as soon as possible. The two major issues that the Legislature is studying are taxes and roads. A recent roads report suggested several ways to raise money for road repairs, but does not appear to address overweight trucks, or fuel taxes. I think an OP/ED connecting the two issues with the Murray efforts to drain ever more resources from our states to competitors might be well received. Whaddya Tink? Full story is at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150522/GZ01/150529712 Jim Kotcon

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Court says records about WVU mining health research protected
by James Kotcon 23 May '15

23 May '15

Another important news story. See full story at link below. JBK West Virginia does not have an "academic freedom" exemption to its public records law, but certain documents about a former university researcher's examination of mountaintop removal mining's impacts on public health are protected from disclosure as "internal memoranda," the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a case brought by Alpha Natural Resources<http://www.courtswv.gov/supreme-court/docs/spring2015/14-0370.pdf>. Justices concluded that "the involuntary public disclosure" of former WVU researcher Michael Hendryx's "research documents" would "expose the decision-making process in such a way as to hinder candid discussion" by university faculty and "undermine WVU's ability to perform its operations." Alpha lawyers had sued to try to force WVU to release thousands of documents<http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150304/GZ01/150309626> related to a series of papers by Hendryx<http://ohvec.org/issues/mountaintop_removal/articles/health/> that linked mountaintop removal coal mining to increased risk of birth defects, cancer, and a variety of other illnesses among coalfield residents. Among other things, Alpha wanted copies of correspondence between Hendryx, various co-authors, and any outside organizations, such as environmental groups or scientists who peer-reviewed the Hendryx papers. - See more at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150521/GZ01/150529798/1419#sthash.rhBnFR…

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Greenhouse gas emissions in China
by James Kotcon 15 May '15

15 May '15

?I found this to be very interesting. JBK http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/15/3659355/china-coal-use-drops/ [http://d35brb9zkkbdsd.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/shutterstoc…]<http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/15/3659355/china-coal-use-drops/> It Only Took Four Months For China To Achieve A Jaw-Dropping Reduction In Carbon Emissions | ThinkProgress When China's greenhouse gas emissions fall, they fall hard. Read more...<http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/15/3659355/china-coal-use-drops/>

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Fw: Sad News for all concerned
by James Kotcon 24 Apr '15

24 Apr '15

?Many of us knew Bill Howley. His Calhoun PowerLine blog has been indispensable for anyone following West Virginia utility issues. He will be missed. Jim Kotcon ________________________________ From: Bill Price <bill.price(a)sierraclub.org> Sent: Friday, April 24, 2015 9:37 AM To: James Kotcon; Liz Wiles; David W. Sturm; David Muhly; Adam Beitman; Mark Kresowik; Bridget Lee; Daniel Chiotos; Seth Long Subject: Fwd: Sad News for all concerned See email below. This is a shock to us all. Bill did not always agree with the Sierra Club positions, but he was one of the most knowledgable and passionate people around cleaner energy that I know. Bill Price, Organizing Representative Sierra Club Environmental Justice Program Beyond Coal to Clean Energy Campaign Phone: 304-389-8822 (Cell) Email: bill.price(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:bill.price@sierraclub.org> "If there's no struggle, there's no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet renounce controversy are people who want crops without plowing the ground..." Frederick Douglass 1817-1895 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Christensen <jbc4re(a)yahoo.com<mailto:jbc4re@yahoo.com>> Date: Fri, Apr 24, 2015 at 9:07 AM Subject: Sad News for all concerned To: Patience Wait <pwaitster(a)gmail.com<mailto:pwaitster@gmail.com>>, Keryn Newman <keryn(a)frontiernet.net<mailto:keryn@frontiernet.net>>, John Case <jcase4218(a)gmail.com<mailto:jcase4218@gmail.com>>, John Unger <john.unger(a)wvsenate.gov<mailto:john.unger@wvsenate.gov>>, Mary Hott <mary(a)mtvsolar.com<mailto:mary@mtvsolar.com>>, Mike Manypennny <globalimpactman(a)gmail.com<mailto:globalimpactman@gmail.com>>, Gary Zuckett <garyz(a)wvcag.org<mailto:garyz@wvcag.org>>, Jeff Kessler <jeff.kessler(a)wvsenate.gov<mailto:jeff.kessler@wvsenate.gov>>, Evan Hansen <ehansen(a)downstreamstrategies.com<mailto:ehansen@downstreamstrategies.com>>, Aaron Sutch <asutch(a)mountain.org<mailto:asutch@mountain.org>>, Than Hitt <thanhitt1(a)gmail.com<mailto:thanhitt1@gmail.com>>, Dan Conant <conantd(a)gmail.com<mailto:conantd@gmail.com>>, Daniel Chiotos <trouserdude(a)gmail.com<mailto:trouserdude@gmail.com>>, Chuck Wyrostok <wyro(a)appalight.com<mailto:wyro@appalight.com>>, Don Garvin <dsgjr(a)aol.com<mailto:dsgjr@aol.com>>, Connigl <connigl(a)aol.com<mailto:connigl@aol.com>>, Denise Poole <deniseap(a)earthlink.net<mailto:deniseap@earthlink.net>>, Bill Price <bill.price(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:bill.price@sierraclub.org>>, Cathy Kunkel <cathykunkel(a)gmail.com<mailto:cathykunkel@gmail.com>>, Vickie Wolfe <ibtreehugger(a)gmail.com<mailto:ibtreehugger@gmail.com>>, Emmett Pepper <emmett(a)eewv.org<mailto:emmett@eewv.org>>, Ron Miller <ronald.miller(a)wvsenate.gov<mailto:ronald.miller@wvsenate.gov>> It has come as a shock to me to hear the news of long-time power utility activist and solar advocate extraordinaire Bill Howley has died suddenly in a car crash while making a trip to Charleston. Words are hard to come by for me as Bill was one of my personal mentors and friends. I am heartbroken for his wife Lauren who was away at the time of his death. I think a memorial of some kind in his memory will be forthcoming. I hate to bring this news but it reminds us all how precious life is. John

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Does anybody have information on risks associated with the disposal of natural gas drilling waste into underground injection wells?
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 09 Apr '15

09 Apr '15

[image: Print] <http://www.wvgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150409/GZ01/150409244…> Thursday, April 9, 2015 Board: Fayette injection wells can’t operate without permit *The Associated Press* BECKLEY, W.Va. – A state board says two underground injection wells in Fayette County can’t operate without a permit. The West Virginia Environmental Quality Board says the Department of Environmental Protection violated state law when it allowed Danny Webb Construction to operate the injection wells in Lochgelly without a permit. The Register-Herald reports that the board issued its ruling on Wednesday. The DEP had revoked the company’s permit to inject natural gas drilling waste underground on March 4, 2014. But the DEP allowed the wells to continue operating until the company’s application to renew the permit is approved or denied. The board gave the DEP 30 days to reissue a permit for the wells. The wells must cease operation if they don’t receive a permit. William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel 304-342-5588 Fax 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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Fwd: Natural gas: runaway train or helping hand? Tune in April 9.
by Paul Wilson 06 Apr '15

06 Apr '15

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: UCS Science Network <sciencenetwork(a)ucsusa.org> Date: Mon, Apr 6, 2015 at 12:19 PM Subject: Natural gas: runaway train or helping hand? Tune in April 9. To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com <#14c8f8997aa6ef04_>[image: Union of Concerned Scientists] <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=Xbl_fs7V7xoanMIL4kMkMA> [image: Science Network] Sign up for this Thursday's webinar briefing on the implications of our growing reliance on natural gas for electricity and what you can do about it. *Join Us April 9* Sign up for this Thursday's webinar briefing on the implications of our growing reliance on natural gas for electricity and what you can do about it: April 9, 1:30-2:30 p.m. EDT. *Register Today <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=OqlG4StjE2y5AhxfQxk7pw>* Related Links The Natural Gas Gamble <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=fBQSHW4lGXZlbTmJW37vFQ> Natural Gas and the Clean Power Plan <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=hAvrJ6Ad4_umL0vvwXQZSQ> Risks of Natural Gas <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=wsyRIm05Uxog-GncgxbZcA> Tell A Colleague Please encourage your colleagues to sign up <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=T-MOm5CnH3ki-iCTycG1hA> and help increase our effectiveness in creating a healthy environment and a safer world. CLICK HERE <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=NlrGc4cD6PHZyjPdFmQErQ> . EVENT INVITATION The Natural Gas Gamble: Addressing Our Growing Reliance on Natural Gas Dear Paul, The Union of Concerned Scientists invites you to a webinar briefing on the implications of our growing reliance on natural gas for electricity and what you can do about it. *The Natural Gas Gamble: Addressing Our Growing Reliance on Natural Gas <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=VVHqV0Zilyy5iJ7Qyd8rWw>* *Date:* Thursday, April 9 *Time:* 1:30-2:30 p.m. EDT *Register Today <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=wpjrPkh9RDbxq5wrXmXh9w>* Electric power producers are turning to natural gas to generate electricity at an unprecedented rate as they retire aging coal plants. While this shift is providing some near-term environmental and economic benefits, a dramatically expanded use of natural gas to generate electricity poses complex risks including persistent price volatility and heat-trapping emissions. Join UCS energy analysts for a discussion about our new analysis that demonstrates how we can reduce our reliance on natural gas by greatly expanding the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency in our power supply. Sincerely, [image: Megan Rising] Megan Rising Energy Campaign Manager Climate and Energy Program Union of Concerned Scientists *P.S.* Right now, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing limits on global warming emissions from power plants. If you haven't already, *urge the EPA to issue a final Clean Power Plan that encourages a shift to truly low-carbon resources <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=j1JTDT3M0lLkm1uBIHBDbQ>*, such as wind and solar, and avoids the risks of an overreliance on natural gas. [image: donate today] <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=55EnNiZ1437y_aGsTEVy5Q> Science for a healthy planet and safer world UCS is a 501(c)(3) organization. All gifts are tax deductible. You can be confident your donations to UCS are spent wisely. *About UCS* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=PFhK9Ta3dHVxJBip4AO1tQ> | *Take Action* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=Zu7eIC4IqN5htD-Mft4Kqg> | *Donate* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=RuCKbXwM9fvZkECBE3yJvQ> | *Contact Us* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=jsxQa0Ok2L7tgxaIAkn2hw> | *Privacy Policy* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=wRVPkd2V3XjkfvrCE2Kg7g> | *Unsubscribe* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/CO?i=-T5jZFYMoLT_EpEermKYbe8gdo4mvIOV&cid=178…> | *Update Your Profile* <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=rhC1HFr7BRz9aFXBEhqyjw> *Union of Concerned Scientists* 2 Brattle Square | Cambridge, MA 02138-3780 © Union of Concerned Scientists. All rights reserved. www.ucsusa.org <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=5_4cD72C3XTHcx5ejVNx6g> [image: powered by Blackbaud] <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=F8cd-mwVqoKSyIRrzXlrSg> nonprofit software <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=6wx0OnNqYmYX8QiILnQfrQ> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outdoors Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Fwd: Read about Preserving Sacred Appalachia conference in Charleston Gazette
by Paul Wilson 05 Apr '15

05 Apr '15

anybody else get this? Looks interesting..... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Michael Barrick <michaelbarrick56(a)gmail.com> Date: Sun, Apr 5, 2015 at 9:10 AM Subject: Read about Preserving Sacred Appalachia conference in Charleston Gazette To: Update from the Appalachian Chronicle <http://appalachianchronicle.com/> ‘Then & Now from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Allegheny Plateau’ *From Today’s Charleston Gazette:* *Michael M. Barrick: Gas industry remarks demand response from faith community <http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150405/ARTICLE/150409671>* Thanks for reading. Please share this with others. Blessings and peace, Michael Appalachian Preservation Project, LLC <http://appalachianpreservationproject.com/#/home> Appalachian Chronicle <http://appalachianchronicle.com/> On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/appalachianpreservationproject On Twitter: @appchronicle -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outdoors Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Solar Energy Advocates Find Unexpected Ally In Tea Party
by James Kotcon 02 Apr '15

02 Apr '15

?Here is a transcript of an NPR story from Florida. This one follows on a Tea Party & Sierra Club alliance last year that killed a utility attempt to block net metering. I recommend we follow up and see if this leads to some shared interests herein WV regarding an IRP, or other solar initiatives. JBK Florida is one of several states where the Tea Party has embraced a new cause: solar energy. Tea Party groups are teaming up with progressive organizations to open up the solar energy industry. It's an unusual coalition and puts them at odds in some states with another conservative grassroots organization, the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity. Full story is at: http://www.npr.org/2015/02/24/388796105/solar-energy-advocates-find-unexpec… Solar Energy Advocates Find Unexpected Ally In Tea Party : NPR Florida is one of several states where the Tea Party has embraced a new cause: solar energy. Tea Party groups are teaming up with progressive organizations to open up the solar energy industry. It's an unusual coalition and puts them at odds in some states with another conservative grassroots organization, the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity. Read more...<http://www.npr.org/2015/02/24/388796105/solar-energy-advocates-find-unexpec…>

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Energy Efficiency saves for Monongalia County Schools!
by James Kotcon 31 Mar '15

31 Mar '15

?From the Morgantown Dominion Post. We did not have a lot to do with this one, but that doesn't mean we can't use it anyway. Take this to your local school board. When everyone else wants more money, we can save $100,000 per year! Then let's use that good will to get support for more EE measures! Jim Kotcon Full story from: http://thedpost.com/Partnership-saves-schools-tens-o >>>>> Partnership saves Mon schools more than $350K Conor Griffith TheDPost.com MORGANTOWN - A partnership between Monongalia County Schools and an energy services company has produced more savings than initially expected. Assistant superintendent Donna Talerico said the school district has been working with Indiana-based Energy Savings Group (ESG), an energy services provider, for the past five years to find ways to save the district money on energy costs by switching over to more efficient equipment. Audra Blackwell, business development manager for ESG, delivered a savings report to the Mon County Schools Board of Education at its Tuesday, March 24 meeting. >From September 2011 to October 2012, no savings were guaranteed, but $98,677 was saved. From November 2012 to October 2013, the district saved $131,122 on energy costs, but only $88,039 was guaranteed. That same amount was guaranteed for the period of November 2013 to October 2014 and $123,671 was saved. All totaled, ESG guaranteed to save Mon County Schools $176,078 and ended up saving $353,470, twice the amount that was promised.

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Clean energy future: New cheap and efficient electrode for splitting water
by Paul Wilson 18 Mar '15

18 Mar '15

Clean energy future: New cheap and efficient electrode for splitting water <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/j-s…> Posted: 17 Mar 2015 06:31 AM PDT Scientists have developed a highly efficient oxygen-producing electrode for splitting water that has the potential to be scaled up for industrial production of the clean energy fuel, hydrogen. The new technology is based on an inexpensive, specially coated foam material that lets the bubbles of oxygen escape quickly. Unlike other water electrolyzers that use precious metals as catalysts, the electrode is made entirely from two non-precious and abundant metals -- nickel and iron. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=j-s…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=j-s…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=j-s…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=j-s…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=j-s…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outings Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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Energy Efficiency and the Clean Power Plan
by James Kotcon 14 Mar '15

14 Mar '15

?The news article below is about a recent PJM study of costs of implementing EPA's Clean Power Plan, and includes a statement near the end that suggests that retaining more energy efficiency would lower CO2 prices and reduce the number of power plants at risk for retirement. Anybody seen any more details of this scenario? JBK However, according to the analysis, retaining more nuclear generation and adding energy efficiency and renewable energy would likely lower CO2 prices, which could reduce the amount of fossil steam resources at risk for retirement. The report also suggested state-by-state compliance options would increase the amount of capacity at risk for retirement because some states, namely states that already have a high concentration of coal in their resource mix, would likely face higher CO2 prices in an individual compliance approach. http://www.statejournal.com/story/28476864/standalone-cpp-compliance-could-… [http://WVSTATE.images.worldnow.com/images/7101871_G.jpg]<http://www.statejournal.com/story/28476864/standalone-cpp-compliance-could-…> Standalone CPP compliance could be costly for states - Business, Government Legal News from throughout WV In complying with federal emissions reduction standards, a PJM Interconnection analysis suggests states team up with their neighbors to lower costs and capacity retirements. Read more...<http://www.statejournal.com/story/28476864/standalone-cpp-compliance-could-…>

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Global energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide stalled in 2014
by James Kotcon 14 Mar '15

14 Mar '15

Very interesting data in the news this week, but it is not getting a lot of coverage in WV. The International Energy Agency reports that greenhouse gas emissions from energy in 2014 were stable, compared to 2013, even though the global economy expanded by 3 %?. This marks the first time in 40 years of monitoring that stalled emissions growth occurred in the absence of economic recessions, and gives hope that greenhouse gas reduction efforts are more successful than many had expected. Global energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide stalled in 2014 http://www.iea.org/newsroomandevents/news/2015/march/global-energy-related-… The same IEA report suggested that China played a big part, and reduced their coal consumption by 2.9 % last year, and intends to boost non-fossil energy capacity to 15 % of consumption by 2020. China's coal consumption dropped almost 3 % in 2014 http://rt.com/business/238301-china-energy-pollution-coal/ This does NOT mean that coal is finished, or that West Virginia's "Slaves to Coal" (AKA the WV Legislature) won't do incredible destruction to our economy, our environment, or to local communities as the industry goes through the inevitable death throes. Jim Kotcon

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A victory! EQB upholds DEP decertification of Appalachian Laboratories
by frank young 12 Mar '15

12 Mar '15

Yes! The EQB has upheld the DEP’s revocation of the certification of Appalachian Laboratories based on the guilty plea to falsification of water sampling reports bf one of App Labs samplers. Attached is a copy of the EQB Final Order for Appeal No. 14-17-EQB (Appalachian Laboratories). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “However, as mentioned, Mr. Shelton's admission is evidence of falsification/tampering within the lab, regardless of how many additional employees, if any, were involved. Also, the certification rules give WVDEP authority to revoke the' certification if "any" falsification has occurred. W. Va. CSR 47-32-3.12.4. Thus, the regulation d.oes not require that the falsification/tampering he undertaken by a certain number of employees and/or by an employee who fills a certain hierarchy within the lab in order for WVDEP to issue a revocation order. As a result of the forging, it is ORDERED by the Board that WVDEP's order is affirmed. The parties have a right to judicial review of this order pursuant to W. Va. Code §22B- 3~3 and W. Va. Code §29A~5~4. The Party seeking judicial review must file its appeal within 30 days after the date the party received notice of this final order.”

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It is our great collective misfortune.....
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 09 Mar '15

09 Mar '15

It is our great collective misfortune that the scientific community made its decisive diagnosis of the climate threat at the precise moment when an elite minority was enjoying more unfettered political, cultural, and intellectual power than at any point since the 1920s Naomi Klein Pacific Ocean V (Gladstones 4 Fish), Santa Monica, USA 2001 © Nadav Kander. Courtesy Flowers Gallery, London. The second in a major series of articles on the climate crisis and how humanity can solve it <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/06/climate-change-guardian-…>. In this extract taken from the Introduction to This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein, the author calls the climate crisis a civilisational wake-up call to alter our economy, our lifestyles, now – before they get changed for us. You can read the first extract here <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/06/dont-look-away-now-the-c…> . --------------------------- The alarm bells of the climate crisis have been ringing in our ears for years and are getting louder all the time - yet humanity has failed to change course. What is wrong with us? Many answers to that question have been offered, ranging from the extreme difficulty of getting all the governments in the world to agree on anything, to an absence of real technological solutions, to something deep in our human nature that keeps us from acting in the face of seemingly remote threats, to – more recently – the claim that we have blown it anyway and there is no point in even trying to do much more than enjoy the scenery on the way down. Some of these explanations are valid, but all are ultimately inadequate. Take the claim that it’s just too hard for so many countries to agree on a course of action. It is hard. But many times in the past, the United Nations has helped governments to come together to tackle tough cross-border challenges, from ozone depletion to nuclear proliferation. The deals produced weren’t perfect, but they represented real progress. Moreover, during the same years that our governments failed to enact a tough and binding legal architecture requiring emission reductions, supposedly because cooperation was too complex, they managed to create the World Trade Organisation – an intricate global system that regulates the flow of goods and services around the planet, under which the rules are clear and violations are harshly penalised. The assertion that we have been held back by a lack of technological solutions is no more compelling. Power from renewable sources like wind and water predates the use of fossil fuels and is becoming cheaper, more efficient <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/09/solar-power-drives-renew…>, and easier to store every year. The past two decades have seen an explosion of ingenious zero-waste design, as well as green urban planning. Not only do we have the technical tools to get off fossil fuels, we also have no end of small pockets where these low carbon lifestyles have been tested with tremendous success. And yet the kind of large-scale transition that would give us a collective chance of averting catastrophe eludes us. Advertisement Is it just human nature that holds us back then? In fact we humans have shown ourselves willing to collectively sacrifice in the face of threats many times, most famously in the embrace of rationing, victory gardens, and victory bonds during world wars one and two. Indeed to support fuel conservation during world war two, pleasure driving was virtually eliminated in the UK, and between 1938 and 1944, use of public transit went up by 87% in the US and by 95% in Canada. Twenty million US households – representing three fifths of the population – were growing victory gardens in 1943, and their yields accounted for 42% of the fresh vegetables consumed that year. Interestingly, all of these activities together dramatically reduce carbon emissions. Yes, the threat of war seemed immediate and concrete but so too is the threat posed by the climate crisis that has already likely been a substantial contributor to massive disasters in some of the world’s major cities. Still, we’ve gone soft since those days of wartime sacrifice, haven’t we? Contemporary humans are too self-centered, too addicted to gratification to live without the full freedom to satisfy our every whim – or so our culture tells us every day. And yet the truth is that we continue to make collective sacrifices in the name of an abstract greater good all the time. We sacrifice our pensions, our hard-won labour rights, our arts and after-school programmes. We accept that we have to pay dramatically more for the destructive energy sources that power our transportation and our lives. We accept that bus and subway fares go up and up while service fails to improve or degenerates. We accept that a public university education should result in a debt that will take half a lifetime to pay off when such a thing was unheard of a generation ago. The past 30 years have been a steady process of getting less and less in the public sphere. This is all defended in the name of austerity, the current justification for these never-ending demands for collective sacrifice. In the past, calls for balanced budgets, greater efficiency, and faster economic growth have served the same role. It seems to me that if humans are capable of sacrificing this much collective benefit in the name of stabilising an economic system that makes daily life so much more expensive and precarious, then surely humans should be capable of making some important lifestyle changes in the interest of stabilising the physical systems upon which all of life depends. Especially because many of the changes that need to be made to dramatically cut emissions would also materially improve the quality of life for the majority of people on the planet – from allowing kids in Beijing to play outside without wearing pollution masks to creating good jobs in clean energy sectors for millions. Time is tight, to be sure. But we could commit ourselves, tomorrow, to radically cutting our fossil fuel emissions and beginning the shift to zero-carbon sources of energy based on renewable technology, with a full-blown transition underway within the decade. We have the tools to do that. And if we did, the seas would still rise and the storms would still come, but we would stand a much greater chance of preventing truly catastrophic warming. Indeed, entire nations could be saved from the waves. So my mind keeps coming back to the question: what is wrong with us? I think the answer is far more simple than many have led us to believe: we have not done the things that are necessary to lower emissions because those things fundamentally conflict with deregulated capitalism, the reigning ideology for the entire period we have been struggling to find a way out of this crisis. We are stuck because the actions that would give us the best chance of averting catastrophe – and would benefit the vast majority – are extremely threatening to an elite minority that has a stranglehold over our economy, our political process, and most of our major media outlets. That problem might not have been insurmountable had it presented itself at another point in our history. But it is our great collective misfortune that the scientific community made its decisive diagnosis of the climate threat at the precise moment when those elites were enjoying more unfettered political, cultural, and intellectual power than at any point since the 1920s. Indeed, governments and scientists began talking seriously about radical cuts to greenhouse gas emissions in 1988 <http://www.aip.org/history/climate/index.htm> – the exact year that marked the dawning of what came to be called “globalisation,” with the signing of the agreement representing the world’s largest bilateral trade relationship between Canada and the US, later to be expanded into the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) with the inclusion of Mexico. The three policy pillars of this new era are familiar to us all: privatisation of the public sphere, deregulation of the corporate sector, and lower corporate taxation, paid for with cuts to public spending. Much has been written about the real-world costs of these policies – the instability of financial markets, the excesses of the super-rich, and the desperation of the increasingly disposable poor, as well as the failing state of public infrastructure and services. Very little, however, has been written about how market fundamentalism has, from the very first moments, systematically sabotaged our collective response to climate change. The core problem was that the stranglehold that market logic secured over public life in this period made the most direct and obvious climate responses seem politically heretical. How, for instance, could societies invest massively in zero-carbon public services and infrastructure at a time when the public sphere was being systematically dismantled and auctioned off? How could governments heavily regulate, tax, and penalise fossil fuel companies when all such measures were being dismissed as relics of “command and control” communism? And how could the renewable energy sector receive the supports and protections it needed to replace fossil fuels when “protectionism” had been made a dirty word? Even more directly, the policies that so successfully freed multinational corporations from virtually all constraints also contributed significantly to the underlying cause of global warming – rising greenhouse gas emissions. The numbers are striking: In the 1990s, as the market integration project ramped up, global emissions were going up an average of one percent a year; by the 2000s, with “emerging markets” like China now fully integrated into the world economy, emissions growth had sped up disastrously, with the annual rate of increase reaching 3.4% a year for much of the decade. That rapid growth rate continues to this day <http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v2/n12/full/ngeo689.html>, interrupted only briefly in 2009 by the world financial crisis. Emissions rebounded with a vengeance in 2010, which saw the largest absolute increase since the Industrial Revolution <http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v2/n1/full/nclimate1332.html>. 0:00 / 9:35 Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgu.com%2Fp%2F46d5…> Twitter <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Naomi+Klein%3A+This+Changes+Everythin…> Pinterest <http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?description=Naomi+Klein%3A+This…> This Changes Everything - excerpt from work-in-progress feature documentary With hindsight, it’s hard to see how it could have turned out otherwise. The twin signatures of this era have been the mass export of products across vast distances (relentlessly burning carbon all the way), and the import of a uniquely wasteful model of production, consumption, and agriculture to every corner of the world (also based on the profligate burning of fossil fuels). Put differently, the liberation of world markets, a process powered by the liberation of unprecedented amounts of fossil fuels from the earth, has dramatically sped up the same process that is liberating Arctic ice from existence. As a result, we now find ourselves in a very difficult and slightly ironic position. Because of those decades of hardcore emitting, exactly when we were supposed to be cutting back, the things we must do to avoid catastrophic warming are no longer just in conflict with the particular strain of deregulated capitalism that triumphed in the 1980s. They are now in conflict with the fundamental imperative at the heart of our economic model: grow or die. Once carbon has been emitted into the atmosphere, it sticks around for hundreds of years, some of it even longer, trapping heat. The effects are cumulative, growing more severe with time <http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/369/1934/20>. And according to emissions specialists like the Tyndall Centre’s Kevin Anderson (as well as others), so much carbon has been allowed to accumulate in the atmosphere over the past two decades that now our only hope of keeping warming below the internationally agreed-upon target of 2C is for wealthy countries to cut their emissions by somewhere in the neighbourhood of eight to 10% a year <http://kevinanderson.info/blog/eu-2030-decarbonisation-targets-and-uk-carbo…>. The “free” market simply cannot accomplish this task. Indeed, this level of emission reduction has happened only in the context of economic collapse or deep depressions. What those numbers mean is that our economic system and our planetary system are now at war. Or, more accurately, our economy is at war with many forms of life on earth, including human life. What the climate needs to avoid collapse is a contraction in humanity’s use of resources; what our economic model demands to avoid collapse is unfettered expansion. Only one of these sets of rules can be changed, and it’s not the laws of nature. Fortunately, it is eminently possible to transform our economy so that it is less resource-intensive, and to do it in ways that are equitable, with the most vulnerable protected and the most responsible bearing the bulk of the burden. Low-carbon sectors of our economies can be encouraged to expand and create jobs, while high-carbon sectors are encouraged to contract. The problem, however, is that this scale of economic planning and management is entirely outside the boundaries of our reigning ideology. The only kind of contraction our current system can manage is a brutal crash, in which the most vulnerable will suffer most of all. [image: Pacific Ocean VIII (Gladstone 4 Fish), Santa Monica, USA, 2001 © Nadav Kander. Courtesy Flowers Gallery, London.] <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/08/how-will-everything-chan…> Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgu.com%2Fp%2F46ap…> Twitter <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=How+will+everything+change+under+clim…> Pinterest <http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?description=How+will+everything…> Pacific Ocean VIII (Gladstone 4 Fish), Santa Monica, USA, 2001 © Nadav Kander. Courtesy Flowers Gallery, London. So we are left with a stark choice: allow climate disruption to change everything about our world, or change pretty much everything about our economy to avoid that fate. But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us. Gentle tweaks to the status quo stopped being a climate option when we supersized the American Dream in the 1990s, and then proceeded to take it global. And it’s no longer just radicals who see the need for radical change. In 2012, 21 past winners of the prestigious Blue Planet Prize – a group that includes James Hansen, former director of Nasa’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway – authored a landmark report <http://mahb.stanford.edu/nodal-activities/blue-planet-laureates-environment…>. It stated that, “in the face of an absolutely unprecedented emergency, society has no choice but to take dramatic action to avert a collapse of civilization. Either we will change our ways and build an entirely new kind of global society, or they will be changed for us.” That’s tough for a lot of people in important positions to accept, since it challenges something that might be even more powerful than capitalism, and that is the fetish of centrism – of reasonableness, seriousness, splitting the difference, and generally not getting overly excited about anything. This is the habit of thought that truly rules our era, far more among the liberals who concern themselves with matters of climate policy than among conservatives, many of whom simply deny the existence of the crisis. Climate change <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change> presents a profound challenge to this cautious centrism because half measures won’t cut it: “all of the above energy” program, as US president Barack Obama describes his approach, has about as much chance of success as an all-of-the-above diet, and the firm deadlines imposed by science require that we get very worked up indeed. The challenge, then, is not simply that we need to spend a lot of money and change a lot of policies; it’s that we need to think differently, radically differently, for those changes to be remotely possible. A worldview will need to rise to the fore that sees nature, other nations, and our own neighbours not as adversaries, but rather as partners in a grand project of mutual reinvention. That’s a big ask. But it gets bigger. Because of our endless procrastination *,* we also have to pull off this massive transformation without delay. The International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that if we do not get our emissions under control by a rather terrifying 2017, our fossil fuel economy will “lock-in” extremely dangerous warming. “The energy-related infrastructure then in place will generate all the CO2 emissions allowed” in our carbon budget for limiting warming to 2C – “leaving no room for additional power plants, factories and other infrastructure unless they are zero-carbon, which would be extremely costly”. This assumes, probably accurately, that governments would be unwilling to force the closure of still profitable power plants and factories. As Fatih Birol, the IEA’s chief economist, bluntly put it <http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204358004577027542955102790>: “The door to reach two degrees is about to close. In 2017 it will be closed forever.” In short, we have reached what some activists have started calling “Decade Zero” of the climate crisis: we either change now or we lose our chance. All this means that the usual free market assurances – A techno-fix is around the corner! Dirty development is just a phase on the way to a clean environment, look at 19th-century London! – simply don’t add up. We don’t have a century to spare for China and India to move past their Dickensian phases. Because of our lost decades, it is time to turn this around now. Is it possible? Absolutely. Is it possible without challenging the fundamental logic of deregulated capitalism? Not a chance. I was struck recently by a mea culpa of sorts, written by Gary Stix, a senior editor of Scientific American*. *Back in 2006, he edited a special issue on responses to climate change and, like most such efforts, the articles were narrowly focused on showcasing exciting low-carbon technologies. But in 2012 Stix wrote <http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/03/17/effective-world…> that he had overlooked a much larger and more important part of the story – the need to create the social and political context in which these technological shifts stand a chance of displacing the all too profitable status quo. “If we are ever to cope with climate change in any fundamental way, radical solutions on the social side are where we must focus, though. The relative efficiency of the next generation of solar cells is trivial by comparison.” In other words, our problem has a lot less to do with the mechanics of solar power than the politics of human power – specifically whether there can be a shift in who wields it, a shift away from corporations and toward communities, which in turn depends on whether or not the great many people who are getting a rotten deal under our current system can build a determined and diverse enough social force to change the balance of power. Such a shift would require rethinking the very nature of humanity’s power – our right to extract ever more without facing consequences, our capacity to bend complex natural systems to our will. This is a shift that challenges not only capitalism, but also the building blocks of materialism that preceded modern capitalism, a mentality some call “extractivism”. Because, underneath all of this is the real truth we have been avoiding: climate change isn’t an “issue” to add to the list of things to worry about, next to healthcare and taxes. It is a civilisational wake-up call. A powerful message – spoken in the language of fires, floods, droughts, and extinctions – telling us that we need an entirely new economic model and a new way of sharing this planet. Telling us that we need to evolve. Some say there is no time for this transformation; the crisis is too pressing and the clock is ticking. I agree that it would be reckless to claim that the only solution to this crisis is to revolutionise our economy and revamp our worldview from the bottom up – and anything short of that is not worth doing. There are all kinds of measures that would lower emissions substantively that could and should be done right now. But we aren’t taking those measures, are we? The reason is that by failing to fight these big battles that stand to shift our ideological direction and change the balance of who holds power in our societies, a context has been slowly created in which any muscular response to climate change seems politically impossible, especially during times of economic crisis*. * On the other hand, if we can shift the cultural context even a little, then there will be some breathing room for those sensible reformist policies that will at least get the atmospheric carbon numbers moving in the right direction. And winning is contagious so, who knows? For a quarter of a century, we have tried the approach of polite incremental change, attempting to bend the physical needs of the planet to our economic model’s need for constant growth and new profit-making opportunities. The results have been disastrous, leaving us all in a great deal more danger than when the experiment began. Looking for a Moose <http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/688211.Looking_for_a_Moose> is one of my two-year-old son’s favourite books. It’s about a bunch of kids that really, really, really want to see a moose. They search high and low – through a forest, a swamp, in brambly bushes and up a mountain, for “a long legged, bulgy nosed, branchy antlered moose”. The joke is that there are moose hiding on each page. In the end, the animals all come out of hiding and the ecstatic kids proclaim: “We’ve never ever seen so many moose!” On about the 75th reading, it suddenly hit me: he might never see a moose. I tried to hold it together. I went back to my computer and began to write about my time in northern Alberta, tar sands country, where members of the Beaver Lake Cree Nation told me about how the moose had changed – one woman described killing a moose on a hunting trip only to find that the flesh had already turned green. I heard a lot about strange tumors too, which locals assumed had to do with the animals drinking water contaminated by tar sands toxins. But mostly I heard about how the moose were simply gone. And not just in Alberta. “Rapid Climate Changes Turn North Woods into Moose Graveyard,” reads a May 2012 headline in <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rapid-climate-changes-turn-north-…>Scientific American <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rapid-climate-changes-turn-north-…>*. *A year and a half later, The New York Times was reporting <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/science/earth/something-is-killing-off-th…> that one of Minnesota’s two moose populations had declined from four thousand in the 1990s to just one hundred today. Will he ever see a moose? Then, the other day, I was slain by a miniature board book called Snuggle Wuggle <http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1300618.Snuggle_Wuggle>*. *It involves different animals cuddling, with each posture given a ridiculously silly name: “How does a bat hug?” it asks. “Topsy turvy, topsy turvy.” For some reason my son reliably cracks up at this page. I explain that it means upside down, because that’s the way bats sleep. But all I could think about was the report of some 100,000 dead and dying bats <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-08/hundred-thousand-dead-bats-after-qld-…> raining down from the sky in the midst of record-breaking heat across part of Queensland, Australia. Whole colonies devastated. Will he ever see a bat? When fear like that used to creep through my armour of climate change denial, I would do my utmost to stuff it away, change the channel, click past it. Now I try to feel it. It seems to me that I owe it to my son, just as we all owe it to ourselves and one another. But what should we do with this fear that comes from living on a planet that is dying, made less alive every day? First, accept that it won’t go away. That it is a fully rational response to the unbearable reality that we are living in a dying world, a world that a great many of us are helping to kill, by doing things like making tea and driving to the grocery store and yes, okay, having kids. Next, use it. Fear is a survival response. Fear makes us run, it makes us leap, it can make us act superhuman. But we need somewhere to run *to*. Without that, the fear is only paralysing. So the real trick, the only hope, really, is to allow the terror of an unlivable future to be balanced and soothed by the prospect of building something much better than many of us have previously dared hope. Yes, there will be things we will lose, luxuries some of us will have to give up, whole industries that will disappear. Climate change is already here, and increasingly brutal disasters are headed our way no matter what we do. But it’s not too late to avert the worst, and there is still time to change ourselves so that we are far less brutal to one another when those disasters strike. And that, it seems to me, is worth a great deal. Because the thing about a crisis this big, this all-encompassing, is that it changes everything. It changes what we can do, what we can hope for, what we can demand from ourselves and our leaders. It means there is a whole lot of stuff that we have been told is inevitable that simply cannot stand. And it means that a whole lot of stuff we have been told is impossible has to start happening right away. Can we pull it off? All I know is that nothing is inevitable. Nothing except that climate change changes everything. And for a very brief time, the nature of that change is still up to us. - Extracted from THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING: Capitalism vs the Climate <http://bookshop.theguardian.com/catalog/product/view/id/281655/> by Naomi Klein published this week in paperback by Penguin, £8.99 William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel 304-342-5588 Fax 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Climate science literacy unrelated to public acceptance of human-caused global warming
by James Kotcon 06 Mar '15

06 Mar '15

This is a pretty important article for those of us trying to engage our neighbors and communities on climate change. We have a tendency to think of our opponents as scientifically challenged (to put it mildly), but these data show that opponents of climate action are at least as knowledgeable of what climate scientists think as climate action supporters. After 20+ years of hearing about it, they know the scientific arguments, but the problem is that they view it through the lens of protecting their values and culture. Many opponents view this as an issue of Big Government taking away their communities. The author cites the interesting example of South Florida, where local groups developed a local action plan to protect against rising sea levels. When communities come together to work out how to solve local problems, even the Republicans want to use sound science. I suggest we need to use this concept to develop plans for climate action in West Virginia that avoid debates over global issues. Instead, our focus needs to be on how West Virginia communities can adapt to the changes ahead. The vast majority of West Virginians both support the coal industry, and know that it is declining. The vast majority also pay electric bills, and know that electric rates are going up. And almost all political leaders know that the state budget will face a really big hole as coal severance taxes decline. If we can get a conversation going about solutions to these problems, instead of getting hung up on an "Us versus Them" mentality, we may get some traction. Whaddya Tink? Jim Kotcon ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, Feb 26, 2015 at 8:17 AM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Climate science literacy unrelated to public acceptance of human-caused global warming To: Resilient Habitats Listserve < CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS(a)lists.sierraclub.org>, Coal Alerts < coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Climate science literacy unrelated to public acceptance of human-caused global warming <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/4JD…> Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:38 AM PST Deep public divisions over climate change are unrelated to differences in how well ordinary citizens understand scientific evidence on global warming. Indeed, members of the public who score the highest on a climate-science literacy test are the most politically polarized on whether human activity is causing global temperatures to rise. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=4JD…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=4JD…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=4JD…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=4JD…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=4JD…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outings Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20 -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org.

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SOLAR NOW EMPLOYS MORE AMERICANS THAN COAL
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 23 Feb '15

23 Feb '15

[image: Moneybox] <http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox.html> A blog about business and economics. Feb. 23 2015 12:42 PM The Solar Business Now Employs More Americans Than Coal Mining By Jordan Weissmann <http://www.slate.com/authors.jordan_weissmann.html> [image: 104627690-woker-finishes-installing-solar-panels-funded-by] *You know what this guy isn't going to get? Black lung.* My colleague Dan Gross has a great piece <http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_juice/2015/02/apple_kaiser_perma…> on *Slate* about the green energy business' latest coup: Companies like Apple are now buying mass quantities of solar power, as its production costs have fallen far enough in some regions to compete economically with fossil fuels. This, of course, bodes well for the future of renewables; it's one thing when local governments start purchasing solar- or wind-generated electricity as a political gesture; it's a whole other when the private sector jumps on board for the sake of dollars and cents. Anyway, Dan's article reminded me of a cool tidbit I noticed in last week's Economic Report of the President <http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/cea_2015_erp.pdf>: While solar may just be gaining traction with corporate America, by some measures it already employs more workers than coal mining. Here's the story in two graphs from the White House. First the decline of big coal, which according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics directly employs about 80,000 workers these days. [image: pres_coal_oil_1] Economic Report of the President <http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/cea_2015_erp.pdf> And now, the rise of solar. While BLS doesn't break out data for the industry, the Solar Foundation conducts a censuslike survey of employers to track employment trends. As of now, it counts almost 174,000 workers <http://www.thesolarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Factsheet-Nati…> . [image: pres_solar] You can argue about whether this specific comparison is fair since, as PolitiFact has reported <http://www.politifact.com/rhode-island/statements/2014/jul/06/sheldon-white…>, other organizations have estimated much higher levels of coal industry employment. A survey by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, for instance, reports that there are more than 123,000 coal workers if you include contractors at mines. Add in transportation jobs, such as the hands who move coal on rail or barges, and the National Mining Association says the industry directly employees some 195,000 Americans. Which number should we rely on? Its a little tough to say. Contractors at mines should obviously be counted. Transport workers are a little trickier, since many of them might still be working if, say, their railroad retooled in order to ship other kinds of freight. But even if you give the trade-group figures the benefit of the doubt, and concede that coal currently supports more jobs than solar, that could change by next year: The Solar Foundation projects <http://www.thesolarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Factsheet-Nati…> industry employment will grow to 210,000 by the end of 2015. Whether that's sustainable is an open question. Most solar workers are hired to do installations. Presumably, as solar's growth rate slows down at some point in the future, some of those jobs will naturally disappear. And, as *Grist* notes <http://grist.org/climate-energy/solar-coal-economy-jobs/>, that day could come sooner rather than later, as an important federal tax credit for renewables is scheduled to expire in 2017. So, from an employment perspective, coal may have a built-in advantage—you need workers to constantly dig more of it out of the ground to burn. Of course, that's also coal's biggest problem.

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Fwd: The Number of U.S. Oil Rigs Continues to Tumble - Bloomberg Business
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 15 Feb '15

15 Feb '15

ICYM THIS http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-13/number-of-u-s-oil-rigs-co…

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Coal has tumbled more than oil......
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 07 Feb '15

07 Feb '15

http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/02/06/u-s-coal-producers/ U.S. Coal Producers Facing Unprecedented Times <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/02/06/u-s-coal-producers/>*Published Fri, Feb 6, 2015 * | Tim Maverick <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/author/tim-maverick/>, *Commodities Correspondent* [image: Print This Post] <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/02/06/u-s-coal-producers/print/> [image: Email This Post] <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/02/06/u-s-coal-producers/email/> [image: U.S. Coal Producers Facing Unprecidented Times] <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/02/06/u-s-coal-producers/> While oil is grabbing all the headlines lately, another fuel used to generate heat and light has tumbled even more than the black gold. Global thermal coal prices have tumbled 52% since 2011 alone. And the rout shows no signs of abating with global seaborne thermal prices hitting $62 per metric ton (mt) recently. The reason behind coal’s fall is the same as oil’s – the shale revolution led to a surplus of thermal coal globally, just as demand from China and India started weakening. And like oil, producers around the world are ramping up production, even as prices fall for the fifth year in a row! The strategy is similar to OPEC’s – the lowest-cost coal producers around the world are trying to drive the higher-cost producers out of business. Black Cloud Engulfing U.S. Coal Also as with oil, some of the thermal coal producers in the most trouble are right here in the United States. Thermal or steam coal accounts for over 90% of all domestic coal output. The CEO of *Alpha Natural Resources *(ANR <http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=ANR&ql=0>), Kevin Crutchfield, said the conditions facing the U.S. industry are “unprecedented.” In a similar vein, Greg Boyce, CEO of *Peabody Energy *(BTU <http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=BTU&ql=0>), the largest U.S. coal producer, said conditions were “challenging.” And these executives are not exaggerating… U.S. thermal coal prices are at six-year lows, and Appalachian coal recently hit $45.75 per ton, down from more than $56 a ton a year ago. That isn’t far from the $42.20 per ton price hit in the depths of the financial crisis in April 2009. The downturn in domestic demand for coal has been accelerated by the 44% drop in natural gas prices since June. This pushed many utilities, looking to save money, to switch from coal. Exports, which have been a strength the past few years, are also being affected by the aforementioned global glut in thermal coal. Plus, U.S. coal producers are being socked from an unexpected direction too. You see, financial pressure on Russia is forcing the value of the ruble done, which has turned Russia into a competitive low-cost coal producer. These unprecedented conditions can be clearly seen in the price actions of the U.S. coal company stocks. Collapsing Under the Weight In the past five years, Peabody has lost 87% of its value, Alpha 98%, and *Arch Coal *(ACI <http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=ACI&ql=0>) 96%. And in the last six months, Peabody is down 59%, while both Alpha and Arch are both down 69%. The stocks have plunged because the financials aren’t pretty. For example, Peabody recently reported an after-tax loss of $787 million for 2014 and slashed its quarterly dividend by 97% to $0.0025 a share. And its operating cash flow of $337 million was less than its interest payment of $414 million, according to the *Financial Times*. Yes, the future for U.S. coal companies looks bleak as conditions continue to worsen, including regulatory pressure from the Obama administration. Unfortunately, exports will not be a salvation. China seems to be serious about cutting pollution coming from coal plants. In fact, many industry observers think we may soon reach peak coal demand in China. Imports of foreign coal into China fell by 11% last year to 292 million mt, says *Bloomberg*. And Chinese consumption of seaborne coal is expected to fall another 9% to 195 million mt this year. So what is the likely end result for U.S. coal producers? As Nomura analyst Curt Woodworth told the *Financial Times*, “I think you’re going to see multiple bankruptcies in U.S. coal over the next 12 to 18 months.” However, that does not mean all U.S. coal firms are headed for the dust bin of history. Peabody has seen some insider buying, and it has more higher-quality assets around the globe, including in Australia, than its peers. So at least it looks to be a survivor. And the chase continues, Tim Maverick Tim Maverick boasts decades of experience in the investment world. He spent 20 years at a major brokerage firm - as a trading supervisor and broker working directly with clients. *Learn More >> <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/author/tim-maverick/>* <https://www.facebook.com/WallStreetDaily> <https://twitter.com/TimMaverickWSD> <https://plus.google.com/104571546762047448905/posts> <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/02/04/sugar-bear-market/> <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/01/13/a-change-to-your-subscription/> <http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/01/14/copper-prices-deficit/> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "kfc-organizers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to kfc-organizers+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to kfc-organizers(a)googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

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New generation capacity from renewables exceeds coal, oil and nukes combined in 2014
by James Kotcon 06 Feb '15

06 Feb '15

?It even beat out new capacity from natural gas! JBK http://theenergycollective.com/globalwarmingisreal/2188916/renewable-energy… [http://theenergycollective.com/sites/theenergycollective.com/files/renewabl…]<http://theenergycollective.com/globalwarmingisreal/2188916/renewable-energy…> New Energy Capacity Installation and Measurement | The Energy Collective It was a close race, but in the end new generating capacity from renewable sources beat out new natural gas capacity by 1.16% in 2014. Of the 49.81% of new capacity from renewable energy, more than one-quarter, or 26.52%, came from wind energy while solar power provided another 20.40% of the total. Read more...<http://theenergycollective.com/globalwarmingisreal/2188916/renewable-energy…>

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NYTimes.com: Investing in Energy Efficiency Pays Off
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 06 Feb '15

06 Feb '15

OK, not exactly a bulletin, but useful information re what it takes to persuade owners to make investment. William V. DePaulo, Esq. Sent by william.depaulo(a)gmail.com: Investing in Energy Efficiency Pays Off <http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=InCMR7g4BCKC2wiZPkcVUo7tyCrVLZeR&use…> By David Bornstein Colleges are finding that refitting buildings with greener heating and ventilating systems can pay for itself in a few years. Or, copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://nyti.ms/1ELe1HQ <http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=InCMR7g4BCKC2wiZPkcVUo7tyCrVLZeR&use…> To get unlimited access to all New York Times articles, subscribe today. See Subscription Options. <http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KVBjmEgFdYACDuqzkg7rwCIjbQi…> To ensure delivery to your inbox, please add nytdirect(a)nytimes.com to your address book. Advertisement <http://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=goto&opzn&page=secure.ny…> Copyright 2015 <http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KVBjmEgFdYACMlEhIhWVuPIxgan…> | The New York Times Company <http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KUv6vqdu/zT/DtUzLlQEcSh&use…> | NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

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from ScienceDailye-newsletter: Biologists partner bacterium with nitrogen gas to produce more, cleaner bioethanol
by Paul Wilson 03 Feb '15

03 Feb '15

Biologists partner bacterium with nitrogen gas to produce more, cleaner bioethanol <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/891…> Posted: 02 Feb 2015 06:21 PM PST Biologists believe they have found a faster, cheaper and cleaner way to increase bioethanol production by using nitrogen gas, the most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere, in place of more costly industrial fertilizers. The discovery could save the industry millions of dollars and make cellulosic ethanol -- made from wood, grasses and inedible parts of plants -- more competitive with corn ethanol and gasoline. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=891…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=891…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=891…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=891…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=891…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club Military Outings Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20

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NYTimes: XL Pipeline needs crude oil at $65 to $75 to breake even; crude now at $50
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 03 Feb '15

03 Feb '15

Energy & Environment <http://www.nytimes.com/pages/business/energy-environment/index.html> FEB. 2, 2015 Lower Oil Prices Strike at Heart of Canada’s Oil Sands Production By IAN AUSTEN <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/ian_austen/ind…> OTTAWA — For as long as 400-ton dump trucks have been rumbling around the open pit mines of Canada <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/ca…>’s oil sands <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/o/oil_petroleu…>, crews from Kal Tire have been on hand to replace and repair their $70,000, 13-foot diameter tires. But the relationship, going back over a decade, didn’t spare the company when oil <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/oil-petroleu…> prices began plummeting. Dan Allan, the senior vice president of Kal’s mining tire unit, said that customers immediately began looking for price concessions. Others asked Kal to withdraw personnel from some sites or swiftly canceled plans to add more maintenance crews. “We’re sort of caught at the sharp end of the spear,” said Mr. Allan, who is now looking to relocate some employees. “It’s really difficult.” Canada’s oil sands <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/o/oil_petroleu…> — and the 167 billion barrels of reserves — prompted an unprecedented expansion over the last decade. But the roughly $155 billion spending spree left the industry with unusually high production costs. Now, oil sands operators are scrambling to limit the damage, as crude prices hover near seven-year lows <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/13/business/energy-environment/oil-prices.ht…> . Photo An oil sands operation near Fort McMurray, Alberta, last September. Production costs are high in the oil sands, and low oil prices are a threat to profitability. Credit Todd Korol/Reuters Suncor, the largest oil sands operator, announced plans to eliminate about 1,000 contract jobs. Shell Canada said it would cut its oil sands work force by about 10 percent. Cenovus Energy said that it would reduce investment spending by 27 percent, and set aside plans for two oil sands project expansions. A camp for workers in Northern Alberta, the heart of the oil sands, was permanently closed and another was temporarily shut. Several proposed oil sands projects and expansions are under review or have been deferred. The cuts, though, won’t necessarily translate into lower production. Oil sands production is expected to increase by 25 percent, to 4.8 million barrels a day, according to January estimates by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, partly because of new projects moving into production. The enormous projects are just too difficult to switch off, and the companies must keep pumping crude to cover the sizable debt on their multibillion-dollar investments. They also don’t want to cede market share to producers in other countries. Imperial Oil, which is controlled by Exxon Mobil, said on Monday that fourth-quarter earnings dropped by 36 percent. Even so, the company plans to start production at two new oil sands projects this year. “It really makes no economic sense to bring down production at this point because most of the costs are sunk,” said Stewart Glickman, an energy equity analyst with S&P Capital IQ Equity. While production may keep humming along, the big question is whether oil sands producers can break even at current prices. An oil sands project takes five to 10 years to design and build, and they have a life span of 25 to 50 years. Fort Hills, a project now under construction in a partnership led by Suncor, has a budget of 13.5 billion Canadian dollars (about $10.7 billion). Once such projects are up and running, the expenses are significant, given the process needed to get the oil <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/oil-petroleu…>-laden bitumen from the ground. It must either be dug up or blasted from under the ground using steam. Two energy-hungry steps are then needed to separate the bitumen from the sand and to turn it into usable oil known as synthetic crude. A frequently cited study <http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/documents/organization/221135.pdf> prepared for the United States State Department’s review of the Keystone XL <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/k/keystone_pip…> pipeline estimated that many oil sands projects become unprofitable at prices of $65 to $75 a barrel. Prices are now below $50. But the State Department review, which was released in January 2014, doesn’t necessarily account for the changing environment. Andrew Leach, an economist and professor of energy policy at the University of Alberta, said that the American figure inflated the break-even point by including a 12 percent profit margin for oil producers. The drop in the Canadian dollar has also provided an added cushion for domestic oil companies that are paid for their products in the now more valuable American currency. When those factors are combined, Mr. Leach said, “you’re looking at a reduction of the growth rate at current prices, a stall.” He estimates that the production cost for synthetic crude from the major open pit mine projects is $31 to $39 a barrel, at current exchange rates. He added, though, that a few projects with production problems had much higher costs. The industry thinking, he said, is, “I’m willing to burn through cash on this project because in the long term it will be worth it.” As a result, most oil sands operators are reviewing future projects rather than considering production cuts or stopping projects already under construction. They are also looking to cut costs as swiftly as possible. “Nobody in the oil industry feels very secure,” said Ken Smith, president of the Unifor union local that represents about 3,600 Suncor employees who operate the giant dump trucks and excavators. “We’re kind of at the mercy of these big players like the Saudis and Russia.” Mr. Smith said he believed that none of Suncor’s 1,000 layoffs would involve his members. Sneh Seetal, a spokeswoman for Suncor, said the company had yet to determine the specifics, but noted that it would involve a mix of contract positions and employees spread across the company’s domestic operations, which include refining and gasoline retailing. Companies in supporting roles — such as suppliers for safety boots and cleaning services — are feeling the most immediate squeeze. Photo A Suncor oil sands mining operation near Fort McMurray, Alberta. Such enormous projects are difficult to switch off. Credit Todd Korol/Reuters The Fort McMurray branch of Finning International, a Caterpillar dealer that sold many of the $5 million to $6 million heavy-haul dump trucks, recently laid off about 60 workers. At the end of December, Civeo <http://www.civeo.com>, which is based in Houston, said it was mothballing an oil sands work housing complex with 2,005 rooms and was permanently closing another with 510. Trevor Haynes, the president and chief executive of the Black Diamond Group <http://www.blackdiamondlimited.com/main/index>, another supplier of work housing based in Calgary, Alberta, said he was not yet being pressured to cut rates by oil companies and did not expect to have to close any of the housing in the oil sands. But that does not mean that he is sanguine. “It comes down to one word, which is ‘uncertainty,’ ” Mr. Haynes said. “Those of us who have been around awhile have seen these periods before, so it feels familiar, if vaguely disconcerting.” Continue reading the main story <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/business/energy-environment/lower-oil-pri…> Continue reading the main story <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/business/energy-environment/lower-oil-pri…> Continue reading the main story <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/business/energy-environment/lower-oil-pri…> His main concern is that new construction projects may be indefinitely postponed. If so, he plans to fill the void by supplying housing to proposed liquefied natural gas <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/natural-gas/…> plants in British Columbia as well as that province’s recently announced plan to build a major hydroelectric <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/h/hydroelectri…> dam. Not everyone is upset or worried about the slowdown in the oil sands. Melissa Blake, the mayor of the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo, which includes Fort McMurray and most of the major oil sands sites, said she welcomed it. After trying to keep up with a population increase of more than 125 percent since 2000, Ms. Blake said, Fort McMurray needs a break. “The past few years have been just been catching up with the growth we’ve had,” the mayor said. “There’s a bit of an advantage from having a less robust industry.” A break, Ms. Blake, said should allow the community’s infrastructure to finally catch up with its growth. Ms. Blake said she had seen no obvious signs of a slowdown around town, like emptier stores and restaurants. But that, she said, is probably because most of the 79,000 full-time residents of Fort McMurray are in less vulnerable jobs. That’s probably not the case, she acknowledged, for about 39,000 people who fly in to work on oil sands projects but make their homes elsewhere, often on the other side of Canada. But Ms. Blake acknowledged that if the slump in prices proved to be sustained, few would escape its effects. “There’s going to have to be a real battening down of the hatches,” she said.

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