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FW: E-DAY 2015 - FEBRUARY, 18TH!
by frank young 27 Jan '15

27 Jan '15

Hello, Friends of the Environment! On February 18th, 2015... We become one at the Capitol! Please join us, as we come together to stand for what matters the most. " <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/margaretme100502.html?src=t_envi…> Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Marium Bria West Virginia Environmental Council Outreach Director 304-807-5873 mariumbria(a)gmail.com

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WE'RE PROUD OF ALL FOUR OF YOU.....KEEP IT UP!!!
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 23 Jan '15

23 Jan '15

Thursday, January 22, 2015 W.Va. House votes to repeal energy law By Whitney Burdette <http://www.charlestondailymail.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=staff&tem…>, Capitol reporter The West Virginia House of Delegates voted Thursday to repeal the state’s energy portfolio in a move they say will save coal jobs and prevent utility rates from skyrocketing. After more than an hour of discussion, House Bill 2001 passed 95-4, with Delegates *Mike Pushkin* and *Nancy Guthrie*, both D-Kanawha; *Stephen Skinner*, D-Jefferson; and * Barbara Fleischauer*, D-Monongalia, casting the dissenting votes. Supporters of the bill say the 2009 legislation hurt the coal industry by mandating utilities also purchase electricity generated from other sources, such as wind or solar. “We can’t say this hasn’t impacted our state because it has,” said Delegate Randy Smith, R-Preston. Smith is the co-chairman of the House Energy Committee and said he first ran for office because he disagreed with the Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act, championed by then-Gov. Joe Manchin in 2009. He said the market, not government, should decide how electricity is generated. “We’re not here to pick winners or losers or give one group an advantage over another group,” he said. “We’re here to be fair and let the market dictate what wins and what loses.” The 2009 legislation requires 25 percent of electricity to be generated from alternative or renewable energy sources by 2025. Sammy Gray, the manager of state affairs for FirstEnergy, told a legislative committee last week the company could meet that standard without risking jobs or raising rates. Opponents of the bill argued the original legislation could create economic diversification in a declining coal market. “Until we can open our eyes and realize that coal amounts for 6 percent of (gross domestic product) and is sucking up 94 percent of the air in the room, we’re going to wear coal around our neck like a yoke that will drag all of us down,” Guthrie said. She went on to say the debate around House Bill 2001 was “political theater.” Fleischauer said she was bothered by the accusation that anyone against repealing the legislation was against coal jobs. She pointed to coal mines in her area that are doing well. “Repealing this has nothing to do with increasing or decreasing jobs,” she said. “I’m kind of offended that anyone would suggest that people who urge rejection are opposed to coal miners. “I’m tired of coal miners being used to promote a message they don’t necessarily agree with,” she added. Efforts to amend the bill failed on Wednesday. Pushkin wanted to see a jobs impact statement added. Although Republicans passed a rule at the beginning of the legislative session that would allow the House speaker or Senate president request such studies, Speaker Tim Armstead ruled his amendment wasn’t germane to the bill at hand. Delegate Mike Caputo, D-Marion, proposed an educational program to help displaced coal miners, but Armstead again ruled the amendment wasn’t germane. The Senate passed its version, Senate Bill 1, on Wednesday. Both chambers will work on merging the bills to send before sending one to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. “I don’t think it will make a big difference if it’s repealed,” he said. Manchin’s thoughts when he advocated for an energy portfolio act in 2009, Tomblin said, were to show the Environmental Protection Agency that West Virginia has resources other than coal at its disposal. “It would be helpful to show West Virginia is not just a coal state, but we do have alternative fuels and lots of investments there,” Tomblin said of the original legislation. Manchin issued a statement last week, blasting House Bill 2001 and Senate Bill 1. He also said the law protects environmental interests while promoting job growth and creating incentives for the use of state-of-the-art energy technology. “The utilities have successfully met the 2015 goals and do not anticipate any issues with meeting the 2020 and 2025 goals,” Manchin said. “West Virginia was the only state that showed, if we take advantage of clean energy technologies, we can reduce emissions while still utilizing coal. It is my belief that West Virginia’s energy policies can be used as a template for future national energy policies to strike that balance between environmental concerns and America’s energy needs.” Contact writer Whitney Burdette at 304-348-5149 or whitney.burdette(a)dailymailwv.com. Follow her at www.Twitter.com/wburdette_DM . - See more at: http://www.charlestondailymail.com/article/20150122/DM0104/150129711/1420#s… 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 non posso respirare !!!

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Sequestration on shaky ground: Natural impediment to long-term sequestration of carbon dioxide
by Paul Wilson 22 Jan '15

22 Jan '15

Sequestration on shaky ground: Natural impediment to long-term sequestration of carbon dioxide <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/Nfb…> Posted: 21 Jan 2015 07:32 AM PST Carbon sequestration promises to address greenhouse-gas emissions by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and injecting it deep below the Earth's surface, where it would permanently solidify into rock. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that current carbon-sequestration technologies may eliminate up to 90 percent of carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. While such technologies may successfully remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, researchers have now found that once injected into the ground, less carbon dioxide is converted to rock than previously imagined. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=Nfb…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=Nfb…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=Nfb…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=Nfb…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=Nfb…> -- 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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from Otherwords: Pipeline to Nowhere
by Paul Wilson 15 Jan '15

15 Jan '15

Pipeline to Nowhere Cheap oil is bankrupting the financial rationale for building the Keystone XL. By Emily Schwartz Greco <http://otherwords.org/authors/emily-schwartz-greco/> [image: Emily Schwartz Greco] <http://otherwords.org/authors/emily-schwartz-greco/> When Maria van der Hoeven summed up the 20-year outlook for global energy investment in London last year, she identified <http://www.iea.org/newsroomandevents/speeches/140603_ED_WEOinvestment.pdf> a couple of daunting challenges. The amount of money required by 2035 is a staggering $48 trillion, the International Energy Agency chief and former Dutch economy minister said. And it’s not clear how many of those trillions of dollars will power climate-friendly options. “Will policymakers succeed in steering investment towards a cleaner, more secure energy system — or are we locking in technologies and patterns of consumption that store up trouble for the future?” she asked. There’s no better example of what van der Hoeven meant by “storing up trouble for the future” than the Keystone XL pipeline. [image: Keystone XL Pipeline] shannonpatrick17/Flickr After years of being flustered by President Barack Obama’s procrastination, the pipeline’s conservative backers in Congress are trying to force him to greenlight this conduit for some of the world’s dirtiest, most expensive, and most dangerous oil. The House recently voted in favor of building the 1,200-mile pipeline for the tenth time <http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/01/09/3610151/house-approves-keystone…>. The Senate is poised to approve it too. Although dozens of Democrats are siding with Republicans in favor of this boondoggle, those lawmakers lack the votes, so far, tooverride <http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-01-11/cornyn-acknowledges-s…> the veto Obama has threatened <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/01/06/white-house…> . Senator John Hoeven <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/republican-senator-slams-obamas-keystone-veto-t…>, a North Dakota Republican and a leading Keystone XL proponent, has turned into a broken record touting what he calls “vital energy infrastructure legislation.” Despite their matching names and obsession with all things energy, Hoeven and van der Hoeven are polar opposites. She’s a leading player in the effort to wean the world off its dependence on oil, gas, and coal. He’s a “drill, baby, drill” type. There are many good arguments against the $8-billion pipeline <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-04/transcanada-says-keystone-xl-proje…> on environmental and labor grounds. People like 350.org founder Bill McKibben <http://www.democracynow.org/2014/2/13/bill_mckibben_on_fight_against_keysto…> and groups like Media Matters <http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/01/08/watch-the-keystone-xl-jobs-myth-tha…> need no help explaining them. Here’s another reason why the pipeline shouldn’t be built: It’s a waste of money. First, plunging oil prices matter. A lot. They’ve sunk below $47 a barrel, losing more than half their value since last June. Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi declared a few weeks ago that he doesn’t care whether oil goes as low as $20 a barrel <http://oilpro.com/post/9223/mees-interview-saudi-oil-minister-ali-naimi>, a 16-year low <http://www.macrotrends.net/1369/crude-oil-price-history-chart>. It just might. By some estimates <http://www.technologyreview.com/news/533981/low-oil-prices-mean-keystone-pi…>, a barrel of oil must fetch at least $95 for profits to be extracted from Canada’s tar sands. It’s impossible <http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/outlook-grows-gloomier-for-oilpatch-with-no-…> to say when prices will rebound to that level or if companies will give up on that oil patch, leaving the Keystone XL without much (if any) heavy crude to move <http://finance.yahoo.com/news/keystone-still-necessary-oil-gasoline-0845581…> . Ultimately, there could be no oil to haul from Alberta to Louisiana to be refined <http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aswift/fact_checking_the_wapo_fact_ch.html> — or not <http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/keystone-xl-debate-senate-114205.html>, if the U.S. scraps its ban on exporting crude — and then shipped to, say, China. More importantly, tar sands oil production may stop within a few years even if it does prove profitable. You see, global climate talks <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/25/todd-stern-fossil-fuels-…> are heading in a direction that’s likely to result in countries and companies leaving large amounts of oil, gas, and coal in the ground. A new study <http://business.financialpost.com/2015/01/08/canada-seen-as-big-loser-if-wo…> published in the journal *Nature* spelled out where and what kind of fossil fuels would need to be left unexploited. Its authors predict that virtually all Canadian tar sands oil production will stop by 2020. If it’s built by then, there’d be nothing for the Keystone XL to transport. As a pipeline to nowhere, it would become a monument to wasting colossal sums of money on dirty-energy infrastructure. John Hoeven should listen to Maria van der Hoeven. If he did, he’d realize the benefits of losing this political battle. Columnist Emily Schwartz Greco is the managing editor of OtherWords <http://otherwords.org/>, a non-profit national editorial service run by the Institute for Policy Studies. OtherWords.org <http://otherwords.org/>. -- 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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from High Country News: Why Keystone is a Goner
by Paul Wilson 14 Jan '15

14 Jan '15

Four reasons why Keystone is a gonerClimate change? Treaty rights? Sure, but the real killer is The Market. - PRINT <http://www.hcn.org/articles/four-reasons-why-keystone-is-a-goner/print_view> - SHARE <http://www.hcn.org/articles/four-reasons-why-keystone-is-a-goner/#> Mark Trahant <http://www.hcn.org/author_search?getAuthor=Mark%20Trahant&sort_on=Publicati…> Jan. 6, 2015Web Exclusive The new Republican Congress has promised to expedite legislation to promote the Keystone XL Pipeline. North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven <http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/keystone-bill-john-hoeven-113970.html…>is expected to unveil his bill as soon as Jan. 6. The House will quickly follow with a similar proposal. So do the supporters of the Keystone XL Pipeline have a deal? Or is the pipeline done, dead? Here are four reasons why the pipeline might never be built. *Four:* Politics. The new Congress, the Republicans, have always been in favor of this massive construction project. But the Obama administration has been timid, neither saying outright that they're opposed nor jumping on the "this creates jobs" bandwagon. That changes when the Republican Congress passes a bill. Any bill. My bet is that the President will veto the legislation. And if that happens, there are not enough votes for an override, according to New York Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/04/chuck-schumer-keystone-pipeline_n_…> *Three:* Climate change. The fact is that there is no way any politician can justify Keystone and still say it's time to take stronger action on global warming. As Bill McKibben's 350.org puts it: <http://350.org/campaigns/stop-keystone-xl/> "President Obama says that he will reject the pipeline if it poses a risk to the climate. That makes his decision simple: building a 800,000 barrel-per-day pipeline of the world's dirtiest oil will mean more tar sands dug up and burned, and more carbon pollution." This issue is becoming a scorecard for both parties, Republicans for and Democrats against. As we near an election year, that becomes even more important as groups rate candidates based on their votes. *Two:* The opposition remains firm. Tribes, environmental groups, ranchers and other opponents are continuing to press their case in a variety of forums. As Indian Country Today Media Network reported <http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/01/05/yankton-sioux-lead-fig…>this week a coalition of tribes continue to press their case against the project that would include Treaty lands. The Yankton Sioux Tribe promised "opposition and victory of unification which will not concede lands to a foreign entity or compromise the climate for generations to come." What's interesting is the technical nature of the challenges. In addition to conventional protests and prayer circles, the opposition is striking out against the permit process saying, among other things, that it's taken so long that the original permit is no longer relevant. (You got to love that one.) *And the most important reason:* The price of oil. In the State Department's assessment of the Keystone project there is a chapter on market conditions. "Over the long term, lower-than-expected oil prices could affect the outlook for oil sands production, and in certain scenarios higher transportation costs resulting from pipeline constraints could exacerbate the impacts of low prices," the report said. <http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/documents/organization/221147.pdf>"The primary assumptions required to create conditions under which production growth would slow due to transportation constraints include: that prices persist below current or most projected levels in the long run; and all new and expanded Canadian and cross-border pipeline capacity, beyond just the proposed Project, is not constructed. Above approximately $75 per barrel (West Texas Intermediate (WTI)-equivalent), revenues to oil sands producers are likely to remain above the long-run supply costs of most projects responsible for expected levels of oil sands production growth." That was then, when even $75 dollar a barrel oil seemed crazy. Yet this week the market price dropped below $50 per barrel. <http://www.bloomberg.com/energy/> The problem from the point of view of oil companies is that demand for oil is slowing at the same time that there is too much oil for sale. So there is a glut of oil, making a costly project like Keystone XL one that could be easily delayed for years. Already Canadian oil producers are debating canceling major projects in the Tar Sands region because the companies no longer have enough capital to pay for them. The National Post reports t <http://business.financialpost.com/2015/01/02/almost-60-billion-in-canadian-…>hat Canadian producers are canceling some $60 billion worth of projects and that the oil decline is seen along the lines of "the dark days of 1999." The price of oil is a game changer. Is it a sure thing? Of course not. But the first thing that large oil companies cut during oil price declines is capital projects. It's much easier to wait until the price climbs again and the math works in the company's favor. Republicans are hellbent on constructing this pipeline, except there might not be customers wanting to buy expensive tar sands oil. *Mark Trahant holds the Atwood Chair at the University of Alaska Anchorage <http://greenandgold.uaa.alaska.edu/blog/25863/mark-trahant-returns-uaas-atw…>. He is an independent journalist and a member of The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. For up-to-the-minute posts, download the free Trahant Reports app for your smart phone or tablet. <http://359ea8e0-d803-40d3-9f83-86e59f90cc5f.mobapp.at/landing/Desktop#.U9-B…>* -- 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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Fwd: [CONS-WILDLANDS-INFO] Obama env. legacy
by Paul Wilson 10 Jan '15

10 Jan '15

fyi, paul w. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Clayton Daughenbaugh <claytonhd(a)xmission.com> Date: Fri, Jan 9, 2015 at 10:59 AM Subject: [CONS-WILDLANDS-INFO] Obama env. legacy To: CONS-WILDLANDS-INFO(a)lists.sierraclub.org http://host.madison.com/news/opinion/column/spencer-black/spencer-black-oba… Spencer Black: Obama poised to become the environmental president *Spencer Black represented the 77th Assembly District for 26 years and was chair of the Natural Resources Committee. He currently serves as the vice president of the national Sierra Club and is an adjunct professor of urban and regional planning at UW-Madison.* Amid the happy rituals of the season, Christmas Eve this year also marked a sadder centennial. It was on Dec. 24, 1914, that the great environmentalist John Muir died. Muir, father of the national park system and founder of the Sierra Club, left a lasting environmental legacy. Now, 100 years after Muir's death, someone in many ways quite different than Muir is also creating an imposing environmental legacy. While he is not a reincarnation of Muir, Barack Obama is building a monumental environmental legacy. The president's greatest lasting impact may prove to be moving the nations of the world to finally address the climate crisis. For years, there has been an international logjam on climate while the threat to the well-being of future generations looms larger. Obama has used his executive authority to put America on track to significantly cut the greenhouse gas pollution that causes global warming. Obama's bold action led to a historic agreement with China, the world's biggest greenhouse polluter. The China-U.S. deal in turn set the stage for a preliminary international agreement reached in Lima in December. The nations of the world are convening in Paris later this year to finalize a pact. If Obama's climate initiative leads to a meaningful international agreement, Obama will rightfully secure his environmental legacy. The Obama climate initiative is wide reaching. He has encouraged clean energy, enacted strict conservation standards and used his authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon emissions from coal plants. His policy will double the fuel efficiency of cars and light trucks and for the first time impose emission standards on commercial trucks, vans and buses. His actions have helped lead to tripling the use of wind power to generate electricity and a 400 percent growth in solar energy. Obama has also used his authority under the Clean Air Act to significantly improve air quality by ordering the first-ever national limits for mercury, arsenic and other toxic air pollutants from power plants as well as requiring a sharp reduction in smog pollution that crosses state lines. He has improved water quality by protecting millions of acres of wetlands and limiting water pollution from mountaintop removal coal mining. Using a Teddy Roosevelt-era law, the president created 13 new national monuments, protecting more than a million acres of biologically important public land, including the Organ Mountains in New Mexico and the San Gabriels in California. Additionally, he stopped uranium mining that threatened the Grand Canyon and blocked oil and gas drilling in Bristol Bay, Alaska, one of our most pristine environments. Obama is well on his way to earning a place in history as the environmental president, despite unyielding opposition from the Republican Congress. To cement that legacy, he will have to act boldly. Some upcoming key decisions: Will he reject the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would transport dirty tar sands oil? Will he protect vulnerable public lands by declaring the Grand Canyon watershed and the Greater Canyonlands of Utah as national monuments? Will he veto environmentally destructive bills passed by a polluter-friendly Congress? Will enact tough rules to control methane, an extremely potent greenhouse pollutant? Time will tell, but perhaps Obama will be added to the list of environmental heroes alongside folks like Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir and Gaylord Nelson. Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/opinion/column/spencer-black/spencer-black-oba… - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-WILDLANDS-INFO list, send any message to: CONS-WILDLANDS-INFO-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 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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from Science Daily e-newsletter: Which fossil fuel reserves must stay in the ground to avoid dangerous climate change?
by Paul Wilson 08 Jan '15

08 Jan '15

Which fossil fuel reserves must stay in the ground to avoid dangerous climate change? <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/A-N…> Posted: 07 Jan 2015 10:14 AM PST A third of oil reserves, half of gas reserves and over 80% of current coal reserves globally should remain in the ground and not be used before 2050 if global warming is to stay below the 2°C target agreed by policy makers, according to new research. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=A-N…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=A-N…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=A-N…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=A-N…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=A-N…> -- 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

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Wind supplied 98% of Scotland's household Power in 2014 and other Amazing Green Energy Stories | Informed Comment
by William DePaulo 04 Jan '15

04 Jan '15

http://www.juancole.com/2015/01/supplied-scotlands-household.html William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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Re: [EC] Pipeline Meetings Across WV ~ Water Events in Charleston Jan. 9
by frank young 03 Jan '15

03 Jan '15

To allow Dominion's proposed Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines to have sufficient volume of gas will apparently require yet another, but shorter, half-billion dollar pipeline project to connect all that to Pennsylvania, Ohio and Northern West Virginia. "Dominion Transmission, Inc. is proposing to construct and operate approximately 39 miles of natural gas pipeline and modify existing compression facilities in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The project, referred to as the Supply Header Project, will provide natural gas supplies to various customers, allowing the transport of natural gas from supply areas in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia to market areas in Virginia and North Carolina." "One of the main customers will be Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC - a joint venture composed of subsidiaries of Dominion Resources, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and AGL Resources - which is proposing to construct the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. "New pipeline will primarily be constructed along existing pipeline rights of way and will include about four miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline in Westmoreland County, Pa., and 35 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline in Harrison, Doddridge, Tyler and Wetzel counties in West Virginia. The cost of the Supply Header Project will be about $500 million. "Modifications and facility upgrades will be made at Dominion's existing compressor stations in Westmoreland and Greene counties in Pennsylvania, and Marshall and Wetzel counties in West Virginia. These modifications will result in approximately 75,000 horsepower of additional compression." Pre-Filing Open Houses - January 26 and 27, 2015 Monday, January 26 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. Doddridge County, WV Doddridge County Park County Route 50/16 West Union, WV 26456 Tuesday, January 27 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. Westmoreland County, PA Franklin Regional Middle School Cafeteria 4660 Old William Penn Highway Murrysville, PA 15668 https://www.dom.com/corporate/what-we-do/natural-gas/supply-header-project Frank From: Chuck Wyrostok [mailto:wyro@appalight.com] Sent: Friday, January 02, 2015 8:36 PM To: Chuck Wyrostok Subject: Pipeline Meetings Across WV ~ Water Events in Charleston Jan. 9 Upcoming Community Meetings on the Proposed Methane Gas Pipelines Monday, Jan 6 (6 pm) Lewis Theater, Lewisburg, WV (Greenbrier Co.) Please join us at the Lewis Theater (113 North Court St. Lewisburg, WV 24901) for a presentation by Elise Keaton with the Greenbrier River Watershed Association and lawyers from Appalachian Mountain Advocates who will answer questions related to landowner rights regarding the proposed Mountain Valley and Appalachian Connector Pipelines. Tuesday, Jan 7 (6 pm) Craigsville Senior Center, Craigsville, WV (Nicholas Co.) Please join the Greenbrier River Watershed Association at the Craigsville Senior Center (35 Library Rd., Craigsville WV) for a presentation and update on the proposed Mountain Valley and Appalachian Connector Pipelines. Lawyers from Appalachian Mountain Advocates will also be there to discuss landowner rights and answer questions from concerned community members. Saturday, Jan 17 (2 pm) Jackson Mill WV Building, Weston, WV (Lewis Co.) Please join the Greenbrier River Watershed Association as Elise Keaton presents an update on the proposed Mountain Valley, Appalachian Connector and Atlantic Coast Pipelines. Lawyers from Appalachian Mountain Advocates will also be there to discuss landowner rights and answer questions from concerned community members. To get up-to-date information about scheduled meetings please visit www.mareproject.org Through January, the companies proposing the Mountain Valley Pipeline and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline will be hosting Open Houses throughout West Virginia. Here is a chance to confront company reps with your concerns and questions. Here are links to their schedules: Mountain Valley Pipeline Open House Schedule <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001FNSPRFfiVUT91sp_oyhigxTf5NWByY1CV09xAxGqu1G4 GayZpJkJsSxWnTUmDupMPqaULhGa1Rn_Q59Rng7IeMnUq_V8xZytPcqUA8KzxpF8S46CJyNpBD4W lWQguMGNAd7e3I7o-mmtz-zRjLZQbQRWJ8wNrbXT_WGJIZDXrdex1VE1RvvuyMld8be5X2LY28rU 51hC9X6ffQy9N7thdA==&c=ZBcG7rN5xr6sBLSSZVejynGgPi7eWz34vAM5zaAKXz1CfH67hey7A Q==&ch=C2t8FmqjVXwTI57ifDNvMt6uboMZAQeNNueV70agEqrQbBfQEizXFg==> Atlantic Coast Pipeline Open House Schedule <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001FNSPRFfiVUT91sp_oyhigxTf5NWByY1CV09xAxGqu1G4 GayZpJkJsSxWnTUmDupMMFVFFW_Ah1wvDltArQ9Y_W5-3cun0dmcdCLI7MzSLQeg4sjO0JrSwCzr 3KbEG-T-Po3klpbE16MmSlxt-whA2_WWsByP7nGEYORzNrnyUD_aqeSu3076Ge-jDv6-oZldX6vP TTL-odD41Bl3w-ImjU1V-5dYE5Vrs-gDN1YfzchchVj4FkfktxEZWveaEe6N&c=ZBcG7rN5xr6sB LSSZVejynGgPi7eWz34vAM5zaAKXz1CfH67hey7AQ==&ch=C2t8FmqjVXwTI57ifDNvMt6uboMZA QeNNueV70agEqrQbBfQEizXFg==> (scroll down and click on "Open Houses and Public Meetings") Many community members are interested in meeting before the Open Houses. For more information please contact elise(a)greenbrier.org 304-647-4792 In addition, there is a Pre-Filing Open House on the so-called Supply Header Project - January 26 - in Doddridge County, which they bill as an "Informational event to share Project details with stakeholders, answer stakeholder questions, and gather information on local stakeholder issues and concerns". Monday, January 26, 5-7:30pm Doddridge County Park County Route 50/16 West Union, WV One Year Anniversary of the Elk River Chemical Leak When/Where: January 9, 2015, events from 3pm until 9pm in and around the WV Culture Center on the State Capitol Grounds. All events are free of charge and open to the public, and are organized by active members of the WV Safe Water Roundtable. 3-5pm: Citizen Education Workshops at the WV Culture Center Two 2-hour free workshops sponsored by the <http://www.wvrivers.org/> West Virginia Rivers Coalition that will inform everyone about clean water issues and give them the tools and support to get involved. The schedule: - 3-3:15 Overview of WV Safe Water Roundtable - 3:15-4:15 Citizen Advocacy Training - 4:15-5:00 Water Policy Issues Update 5-6:15 p.m. Dignitary Remarks and Networking Reception at the WV Culture Center Invited dignitaries include Sen. Joe Manchin III, Sen.-elect Shelley Moore Capito, Rep. David McKinley, Rep.-elect Alex Mooney, Rep.-elect Evan Jenkins, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, DEP Sec. Randy Huffman, Incoming Bureau for Public Health Commissioner Dr. Rahul Gupta, Sen. Bill Cole, Del. Tim Armstead, Charleston-area outgoing and incoming legislative members. Refreshments will be served. 6:30-7:15pm Honoring the Waters Interfaith Vigil One-Year Anniversary Candlelight Vigil at the Kanawha River in front of the WV State Capitol. 7:30-8pm Reception In the WV Culture Center, vigil participants and filmgoers gather. 8-9 p.m. Screening of Elk River Blues Documentary A world premiere of the documentary film by Mike Youngren features West Virginians' response to systemic failures that continue to threaten our water. Film sponsored by the <http://www.wvrivers.org/> West Virginia Rivers Coalition and the <http://uucharlestonwv.org/> Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charleston in the WV Culture Center Theater. For more information: Facebook page for January 9 candlelight vigil: https://www.facebook.com/events/576376669160371/ Facebook page for January: A Month of Water: https://www.facebook.com/events/755859164500031/ About a Month of Water The events on January 9, held to mark the one year anniversary of the Elk River chemical leak, kick-off "January: A Month of Water." Visit the "Events" tab at www.ourwaterwv.org <http://www.ourwaterwv.org/> for details on upcoming events. Chuck Wyrostok Outreach Organizer Sierra Club, WV Chapter T: 877 252 0257 E. outreach(a)marcellus-wv.com www.marcellus-wv.com <http://www.marcellus-wv.com/> Water is Life...Keep It Clean _____ <http://www.avast.com/> Image removed by sender. This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com <http://www.avast.com/>

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ICYMI re Marcellus drilling.....
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 02 Jan '15

02 Jan '15

Natural gas glut puts brakes on West Virginia's boom times*Posted: Dec 29, 2014 8:09 AM EST**Updated: Dec 29, 2014 8:09 AM EST* <http://wvstate.images.worldnow.com/images/595593_G.JPG> - Energy - - Upshur County Marks 9th Anniversary of Sago Mine Disaster <http://www.statejournal.com/story/27747221/upshur-county-marks-9th-annivers…> - Cliffs completes sale of Logan County Coal assets to Coronado Coal for $174M <http://www.statejournal.com/story/27536308/cliffs-sells-logan-county-coal-a…> - Wheeling Power acquires 50 percent of Mitchell Power Plant in $550 million agreement <http://www.statejournal.com/story/27731291/wheeling-power-acquires-50-perce…> - Alpha sells Pa. coal subsidiary to Rosebud Mining for $86m <http://www.statejournal.com/story/27729675/alpha-sells-pa-coal-subsidiary-t…> - Murray Energy expands Marshall County coal preparation plant <http://www.statejournal.com/story/27722005/murray-energy-expands-marshall-c…> More>> <http://www.statejournal.com/category/222501/energy> By Daniel Tyson Register-Herald / For the West Virginia Press Association Scattered along the western part of Tyler County are newly quiet natural gas drilling rigs, their pumps no longer moving up and down like a 24/7 see-saw. Truck traffic rumbling through here, and jack breaks thumping loud enough to disturb the circuit court and commissioners meetings, have slowed. At restaurants here and 12 miles away in Sistersville, business is down. The county's only hotel has witnessed a decline in oil field worker occupancy, one major account having canceled rooms for the winter. "It is not dead yet, but it is slowing down considerably," Charles Winslow, owner of the Historic Wells Inn in Sistersville, said of the recent natural gas production decline. Across central West Virginia something very strange is happening. The economy is still booming because of natural gas, but virtually all the fracking crews have packed up and gone home for the winter. The roustabouts were told sometime in November “don't call us, we'll call you” as a glut of cheap natural gas could send prices to a 10-year low. So what is going on? The answer depends on who is speaking. Lower natural gas prices and the glut in the Appalachian basin has some companies reporting surging production, while sending employees home for the winter with instructions to return in the spring. The simple answer is that natural gas prices, for six to eight months of this year, have been $1 to $2 below the national benchmark of approximately $4 per million British thermal units. Lower prices have not hurt many of the big players or forced them to dial back production. However, it has hurt smaller operators. If prices decline to around $2 per million British thermal units, everyone from the big players to the independent operators — who most likely would not survive such rock-bottom prices — would feel the effect, analysts and executives said. Production is increasing because energy companies are discovering more efficient and cheaper ways to extract natural gas from the Marcellus shale formation. Drillers rarely have an advantage. They were able to lease land and sign good deals on pipeline usage without going deeply into debt. This allows them to survive another couple of years of oversupply and near basement-level prices, analysts predicted before Christmas. Some companies have not had to worry about the economics of their wells. During third-quarter earnings calls with reporters and analysts over the past two weeks, many companies said they still got bargain price deals from long-term contracts or agreements on pipelines that ship to more profitable markets. Range Resources, Southwestern and Consol Energy and some other drillers said they can maintain a growth phase despite the lack of pipelines. “There's going to be sort of a survival of the fittest occurring on who has liquidity and who has the acreage position to stay on the production ramps,” Consol's CEO Nick Deluliis told reporters during a recent conference call. “Not everyone's going to be able to do that, so there will be a supply response. We've seen it many, many times and I don't think this time will be any different.” Another factor is Wall Street. Hedge funds are dumping bullish natural gas positions as a slow start to winter signals a return to the 2012 supply glut. This month alone, natural gas prices have dipped 23 percent, heading for the biggest monthly tumble since 2008, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Surging production and milder weather this year created a record stockpile. “If heating demand doesn't start to pick up, we're going to be below $3 by the end of January," John Kalduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC, a New York-based hedge fund that focuses on energy, told a Pittsburgh business journal. “Supplies are formidable.” Natural gas for January delivery went for $3.144 per million British thermal units during trading Tuesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The Exchange, closed on Christmas, was down 32 cents and at the lowest price since Jan. 9, 2013. Gas inventories total 3.295 trillion cubic feet as of Dec. 12, according to federal data, 47 billion cubic feet more than a year earlier. The surplus will “balloon to just shy of 200 billion cubic feet” by the start of 2015, the EIA statistics show. Temperatures currently may be above normal in the eastern part of the U.S., but around New Year's Day they will become seasonal. An early outlook by the Commodity Weather Group shows colder-than-average weather in the eastern half of the country starting in January. The EIA estimates that nearly half of American homes use gas for heating, which could pull the industry out of the slump if this winter mirrors last year's.

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Re: [EC] AREPS (was: (E&E)Some states use laws and rules to slow growth of renewable energy
by James Kotcon 29 Dec '14

29 Dec '14

??I did not get very much feedback when I first sent this around last week, so I am trying again. At this point, I have about two votes each for Option 1 and 2, and no votes from the other 20+ people on these lists, so I don't feel like there is a consensus yet. Has anyone spoken to any Republican about the proposed repeal? I am leaning toward option # 2, and would preface our approach by saying that we counted votes to repeal AREPS as "anti-environment" in our 2013-14 scorecard, but would not do so in 2015 if the repeal legislation preserved net-metering. Anyone else want to weigh in on the Options below? Options: 1) We could oppose any effort to repeal the AREPS? It is the best we have, and improving it later might be easier than bringing it back, once it is repealed. 2) We might acquiesce in the repeal provided that they retain the net metering provision. 3) We might support a repeal for small utilities only, pointing out that large utilities really don't have to do anything to comply. ________________________________ From: James Kotcon Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2014 10:34 AM To: Vickie Wolfe Cc: Connigl(a)aol.com Subject: Re: AREPS (was: (E&E)Some states use laws and rules to slow growth of renewable energy ?Attached are the reports filed by AEP and FE. The formats differ, but in both, Exhibit # 3 illustrates their future plans. Neither of these utilities has any need for new renewable energy generation until after 2030. If we did not have to work with them, it would be fun to go on the offensive and call the claim that the AREPS hurts coal a bald-faced lie. But I would recommend we bite our tongue, try to talk to the Republican leadership first and try to appear reasonable and based in reality. Perhaps we could tell them we want to do them a favor by preventing them from appearing unhinged, irresponsible, and hysterical. JBK

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Natural gas prices below $3.00 per MMBTU
by James Kotcon 26 Dec '14

26 Dec '14

?Lowest prices since 2012. An unseasonably warm December coupled with record supplies means prices have fallen 30 % since October. While not yet at the point where it is cheaper than coal, that price shift in 2012 triggered a massive shift by electric generators to gas, resulting in plunging coal prices and broken contracts. While temperatures are supposed to return to "seasonal norms" next week, a warm winter would put more downward pressure on gas prices. This will be an important point to make as the Republicans and DINOs in the WV Legislature try to boost coal production. JBK http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-26/natural-gas-futures-drop-below-3-f… Natural Gas Drops Below $3 for First Time Since 2012 - Bloomberg Natural gas slumped below $3 per million British thermal units in New York for the first time since 2012 on speculation that record production will overwhelm demand for the heating fuel. Read more...<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-26/natural-gas-futures-drop-below-3-f…> http://finance.yahoo.com/news/natural-gas-prices-plunge-mild-193800337.html… [http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/6rik6AZwuPGCiADf_9dhPQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7…]<http://finance.yahoo.com/news/natural-gas-prices-plunge-mild-193800337.html…> Natural gas prices plunge in mild winter - Yahoo Finance >From Yahoo Finance: Heating bills across the United States are falling this winter as unusually warm temperatures in the Eastern United States have crimped demand for natural gas as a source of heat. The diminished demand ... Read more...<http://finance.yahoo.com/news/natural-gas-prices-plunge-mild-193800337.html…> http://www.cnbc.com/id/102289402 [http://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2014/12/22…]<http://www.cnbc.com/id/102289402> Nat gas collapses-'This is panic selling' Call it the perfect nonstorm. Mild weather forecasts, a supply surplus and a general energy market swoon are crushing natural gas on Monday. Read more...<http://www.cnbc.com/id/102289402>

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Horizontal well drill waste rules passed
by James Kotcon 21 Dec '14

21 Dec '14

?Barbara has been our hero on this one. Watch for it to come back in January. JBK http://thedpost.com/Horizontal-well-drill-waste-rule TheDPost.com - Horizontal well drill waste rules passed Horizontal well drill waste rules passed- CHARLESTON - Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer, D-Monongalia, succeeded this week in slightly beefing up proposed Department of Environmental Protection rules to govern horizontal well drill cutting waste dumped in certain municipal landfills. The... Read more...<http://thedpost.com/Horizontal-well-drill-waste-rule> Horizontal well drill waste rules passed David Beard TheDPost.com CHARLESTON - Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer, D-Monongalia, succeeded this week in slightly beefing up proposed Department of Environmental Protection rules to govern horizontal well drill cutting waste dumped in certain municipal landfills. The rules stem from HB 107, passed during a special session in March, allowing the DEP to approve certain commercial landfills to receive drill cuttings and drilling waste above their monthly tonnage limits, provided they place the cuttings in separate, specially designed and lined cells. The Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee has been working with the DEP on the rules and expects to deliver them to the full Legislature for approval after the session begins in January. The committee approved two of Fleischauer's three proposed amendments, rejecting one dealing with radiation. The first deals with toxins in the waste. The rule includes a list and members OK'd Fleishauer's proposal to add toulene and xylene. The second deals with leachate from the liner. Fleischauer added quarterly testing for toxins to certify the liner's integrity.

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Fwd: Koch Bros., AFP come to Richmond to kill climate protections!
by James Kotcon 19 Dec '14

19 Dec '14

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Glen Besa <glen.besa(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Dec 18, 2014 at 5:45 PM Subject: Koch Bros., AFP come to Richmond to kill climate protections! To: CONS-FRED(a)lists.sierraclub.org --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi folks, See what we are up against below. This letter went out to VA legislators today. Their RASP Act is attached. Glen *MEMORANDIUM* *To:* Members of the Virginia General Assembly *From:* Sean Lansing, State Director of Americans for Prosperity-Virginia *Re:* RASP Act *Date: *Thursday, December 18, 2014 ------------------------------ Dear Members of the General Assembly: On behalf of more than 70,000 Americans for Prosperity activists living in Virginia, I encourage you to support efforts to push back against the overreaching Environmental Protection Agency. The new proposed carbon emissions rule from President Obama's EPA will amount to a federal takeover of the electricity system. EPA proposes that Virginia cut power sector CO2 emissions by 43 percent from 2012 levels by 2030, which will threaten jobs and energy affordability here in our state. That's why I'm writing to urge you to support the Reliable, Affordable, and Safe Power (RASP) Act. This legislation takes a number of common sense steps to protect families and businesses in Virginia from harm brought on by the regulations. First, this legislation prohibits our state from submitting or implementing a State Implementation Plan until the legal questions surrounding the new rules are resolved. This will prevent Virginia from wasting precious resources until EPA’s legal authority is clear. Second, it would empower state legislatures, who are accountable to the people, to approve or deny the state implementation plan before it is submitted to the EPA. Lastly, it includes several provisions that instruct the state agencies developing the plans to ensure that it will protect the affordability and reliability of the state electricity system for its citizens. This legislation also enjoys broad support from conservative organizations. AFP is proud to lead a large coalition of organizations in supporting the the RASP Act, which is online here <http://americansforprosperity.org/article/coalition-supports-state-resoluti…> . I urge you and your colleagues to support this important legislation and protect Virginia families from the harmful impact of these new proposed EPA rules. I look forward to working with you over this upcoming session. Sincerely, Sean Lansing State Director AFP-Virginia - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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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AREPS data
by James Kotcon 18 Dec '14

18 Dec '14

?I finally tracked down the reports to the PSC regarding utility compliance with the Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (AREPS). The AREPS requires utilities to hold "credits" for each MWh sold in WV. In essence that means that 10 % of their electricity must come from alternative and renewable sources by 2015, rising to 15 % by 2020, and 25 % by 2025. Republican legislators have pledged to repeal this Act in 2015. Sounds pretty aggressive right? But up to 10 % of their required credits can come from natural gas, another 10 % from supercritical coal (Fort Martin, Harrison, John Amos, etc.). Unlimited credits can come from coal-fired fluidized bed boilers such as MEA or Grant Town, or from pumped storage facilities, or from burning tires, or from coal with IGCC or CCS. Because utilities get 2 credits per MWh for electricity from wind or hydro, these sources are "favored", but it also means that they need less wind or hydro to meet their demand. Based on the data in their filings, it appears that First Energy (Mon Power and Potomac Edison) is getting most of their credits from fluidized bed boilers such as Grant Town and MEA. They do claim something just under 20 % from a hydropower facility at New Martinsville. But because excess credits can be "banked" for later use, it appears that First Energy would not need to acquire ANY new renewables until after 2035. AEP (ApCo and Wheeling Power) gets a lot from four wind farms they acquired, and from hydro (including pumped storage). Their supply is not quite as robust as FE, as they start drawing down banked credits after 2020. But they also would not need new renewable credits until after 2030. I conclude that, although the utilities are actually using some renewables to meet their AREPS requirements, these are almost all existing facilities. No NEW renewables would be needed before 2030, at the earliest. One other note, the PSC filings included compliance reports from five small utilities in WV (e.g., Harrison electric coop, Philippi, New Martinsville, etc.) Some of these will have to acquire "credits", and the purchase of these in future years may run into the tens of thousands of dollars, so that is a potentially significant burden. In addition, Bill Howley pointed out that the AREPS is the only place in state code that establishes net metering. Any attempt to repeal AREPS in its entirety could also eliminate net metering. (This might be considered a regulatory "takings" for those home-owners who bout solar panels or wind mills on the assumption that the utilities would help pay them back, so that is an argument we might explore.) Options: 1) We could oppose any effort to repeal the AREPS? It is the best we have, and improving it later might be easier than bringing it back, once it is repealed. 2) We might acquiesce in the repeal provided that they retain the net metering provision. 3) We might support a repeal for small utilities only, pointing out that large utilities really don't have to do anything to comply. Whaddya Tink? Jim Kotcon

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Fw: Interesting Article for Context on IRP Planning
by James Kotcon 17 Dec '14

17 Dec '14

?More from Danny. JBK

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Fw: IRP vs. EERS: There's one clear winner among state energy efficiency policies
by James Kotcon 17 Dec '14

17 Dec '14

?Great study out of ACEEE comparing state policies. An EERS clearly produces more EE investment, more energy saved, and better cost savings per customer than an IRP. An IRP alone rarely produces much, although it can be helpful if it includes rate de-coupling and other incentives, especially if it helps utilities meet an EERS (some states have both). Read more below. JBK ________________________________ From: Mark Kresowik <mark.kresowik(a)sierraclub.org> Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2014 2:36 PM To: Bill Price; Daniel Chiotos; James Kotcon; David Muhly; David W. Sturm Subject: Fwd: IRP vs. EERS: There's one clear winner among state energy efficiency policies Interesting take from ACEEE ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "ACEEE News" <aceeenews(a)aceee.org<mailto:aceeenews@aceee.org>> Date: Dec 16, 2014 11:42 AM Subject: IRP vs. EERS: There's one clear winner among state energy efficiency policies To: <mark.kresowik(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:mark.kresowik@sierraclub.org>> Cc: [logo] ACEEE BLOG POST Media Contact: Patrick Kiker pkiker(a)aceee.org<mailto:pkiker@aceee.org>, (202) 507-4043 IRP vs. EERS: There's one clear winner among state energy efficiency policies By Martin Kushler, Senior Fellow With Ohio<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001isYeK1dbZTwih7-myTESlNExPgalEzWWNIhdn8-pHm4S…> and Indiana<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001isYeK1dbZTwih7-myTESlNExPgalEzWWNIhdn8-pHm4S…> having recently made major changes to their utility energy efficiency policy, and other states like Florida<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001isYeK1dbZTwih7-myTESlNExPgalEzWWNIhdn8-pHm4S…> and Arizona<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001isYeK1dbZTwih7-myTESlNExPgalEzWWNIhdn8-pHm4S…> considering it, this is an important time to review the evidence about the relative effectiveness of state policies designed to encourage cost-effective energy efficiency. States have embraced energy efficiency policies because the energy savings result in lower customer energy bills, investments in the local economy, improved reliability, and reduced emissions. But not all efficiency policies are equally effective at delivering results, so let's take a closer look at two commonly touted policies for achieving energy efficiency as a utility system resource: integrated resource planning (IRP) and energy efficiency resource standards (EERS<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001isYeK1dbZTwih7-myTESlNExPgalEzWWNIhdn8-pHm4S…>). ACEEE has examined the relationship between these two widely utilized state energy efficiency policies and their outcomes on efficiency. The two key indicators we used to measure performance are spending on energy efficiency programs ($ as a percent of utility revenues) and annual electricity savings achieved (kWh<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001isYeK1dbZTwih7-myTESlNExPgalEzWWNIhdn8-pHm4S…> as a percent of annual sales). We drew upon data on customer-funded energy efficiency programs from the recently released ACEEE State Energy Efficiency Scorecard<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001isYeK1dbZTwih7-myTESlNExPgalEzWWNIhdn8-pHm4S…> and supplemented that data with information from Synapse and the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001isYeK1dbZTwih7-myTESlNExPgalEzWWNIhdn8-pHm4S…>, and Pamela Morgan<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001isYeK1dbZTwih7-myTESlNExPgalEzWWNIhdn8-pHm4S…>. It is important to note that every state has a unique mix of circumstances and traditions, as well as a mix of particular individuals in leadership positions at utilities and state government. These factors influence the performance of energy efficiency policies in any particular state. Nevertheless, we believe it is instructive to look at how patterns of performance vary across many states under different policy conditions. These results will be presented and discussed in more detail in a report to be released early next year, but here are our top-line observations... To continue reading the blog post, visit: http://aceee.org/blog/2014/12/irp-vs-eers-there-s-one-clear-winner-<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001isYeK1dbZTwih7-myTESlNExPgalEzWWNIhdn8-pHm4S…> About ACEEE: The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy acts as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behaviors. For information about ACEEE and its programs, publications, and conferences, visit aceee.org<http://aceee.org>. ### Forward email<http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=4rt7cun6&m=1011065179711&ea=m…> [http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/SafeUnsubscribe_Footer_Logo_N…]<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001vfp2I8x5D_0Nl7ICqtN-YA%3D%3…> This email was sent to mark.kresowik(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:mark.kresowik@sierraclub.org> by aceeenews(a)aceee.org<mailto:aceeenews@aceee.org> | Update Profile/Email Address<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=oo&m=001vfp2I8x5D_0Nl7ICqtN-YA%3D%3…> | Rapid removal with SafeUnsubscribe<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001vfp2I8x5D_0Nl7ICqtN-YA%3D%3…>(tm) | Privacy Policy<http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp>. ACEEE | 529 14th Street., N.W. | Suite 600 | Washington | DC | 20045

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New article to explain climate denial
by James Kotcon 14 Dec '14

14 Dec '14

?This provides very interesting insights into how to talk to climate deniers, and it questions some of our current approaches. Enjoy. JBK http://www.vox.com/2014/4/6/5556462/brain-dead-how-politics-makes-us-stupid [https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zFR3s_x08FFQsqDVyAFCULyfTuM=/0x149:2040x12…]<http://www.vox.com/2014/4/6/5556462/brain-dead-how-politics-makes-us-stupid> How politics makes us stupid - Vox There's a simple theory underlying much of American politics. It sits hopefully at the base of almost every speech, every op-ed, every article, and every panel discussion. It courses through the... Read more...<http://www.vox.com/2014/4/6/5556462/brain-dead-how-politics-makes-us-stupid>

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Chesapeake Bay region streams are warming
by Paul Wilson 09 Dec '14

09 Dec '14

may be worth considering during your meeting on Friday.... Chesapeake Bay region streams are warming <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/aVf…> Posted: 08 Dec 2014 11:57 AM PST The majority of streams in the Chesapeake Bay region are warming, and that increase appears to be driven largely by rising air temperatures, research has concluded. Researchers found an overall warming trend in air temperature of 0.023 C (0.041 F) per year, and in water temperature of 0.028 C (0.050 F) per year over 51 years. This means that air temperature has risen 1.1 C (1.98 F), and water temperature has risen 1.4 C (2.52 F) between 1960 and 2010 in the Chesapeake Bay region. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=aVf…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=aVf…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=aVf…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=aVf…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=aVf…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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FRACKING. IT'S FUCKING BRILLIANT
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 07 Dec '14

07 Dec '14

FRACKING. IT'S FUCKING BRILLIANT <https://vimeo.com/113010398> -- 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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Fw: NYT investigates ties between energy corporations and state GOP AGs
by James Kotcon 07 Dec '14

07 Dec '14

?Very Interesting article detailing the influence of the energy industry on the Republican Attorneys General. JBK ________________________________ From: West Virginia News Service (WVNS) <wvns(a)publicnewsservice.org> Sent: Saturday, December 6, 2014 7:42 PM Subject: NYT investigates ties between energy corporations and state GOP AGs Includes a bit part by ALEC and WV AG Patrick Morrisey. Energy Firms in Secretive Alliance With Attorneys General<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/us/politics/energy-firms-in-secretive-all…> -- [http://www.publicnewsservice.org/images/signature_attachments/wvns_logo.png]<http://wvns.publicnewsservice.org> West Virginia News Service Toll-free: 1-800-317-6705 Email: wvns(a)publicnewsservice.org<mailto:wvns@publicnewsservice.org> Fax: 1-208-247-1830 www.publicnewsservice.org<http://www.publicnewsservice.org> [http://www.publicnewsservice.org/images/signature_attachments/twitter_icon.…]<http://www.twitter.com/PNS_WV> [http://www.publicnewsservice.org/images/signature_attachments/facebook_icon…] <http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService>

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Toward a low-cost 'artificial leaf' that produces clean hydrogen fuel
by Paul Wilson 04 Dec '14

04 Dec '14

Toward a low-cost 'artificial leaf' that produces clean hydrogen fuel <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/m-b…> Posted: 03 Dec 2014 08:11 AM PST For years, scientists have been pursuing 'artificial leaf' technology, a green approach to making hydrogen fuel that copies plants' ability to convert sunlight into a form of energy they can use. Now, one team reports progress toward a stand-alone system that lends itself to large-scale, low-cost production. They created a nanowire mesh design. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=m-b…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=m-b…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=m-b…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=m-b…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=m-b…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Check out the WVU Daily Athenaeum today
by James Kotcon 03 Dec '14

03 Dec '14

?Front-page story and photo of SSC's very own Grant Speer! JBK http://www.thedaonline.com/news/article_e5fb01fa-7aa8-11e4-a4ee-b7e9f8a6fff… [http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thedaonline.com/content/tncms/a…]<http://www.thedaonline.com/news/article_e5fb01fa-7aa8-11e4-a4ee-b7e9f8a6fff…> Mining student compares coal, natural gas - The Daily Athenaeum Online: News The Sierra Student Coalition, a student branch of The Sierra Club - the nation's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization - held a presentation Tuesday. The lecture compared the economic impacts of coal energy and energy created by natural gas on the mining industry, along with the potential future benefits of solar energy. Read more...<http://www.thedaonline.com/news/article_e5fb01fa-7aa8-11e4-a4ee-b7e9f8a6fff…>

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Fwd: Fracking to be permitted in GW National Forest
by Paul Wilson 18 Nov '14

18 Nov '14

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Angie Rosser <arosser(a)wvrivers.org> Date: Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 9:26 AM Subject: Fracking to be permitted in GW National Forest To: "birthplaceofrivers(a)tws.org" <birthplaceofrivers(a)tws.org> Threat hook… Fracking to be permitted in GW National Forest By BROCK VERGAKIS Associated PressNovember 18, 2014 [image: National Forest-Fracking] In this May 10, 2013 photo, Lynn Cameron of Mount Crawford, Va., looks out at the view while hiking the Mines Run Trail, on Shenandoah Mountain, Va., which is in the George Washington National Forest in Rockingham County, Va. Over the objection of environmental groups and Virginia’s governor, a federal management plan released Tuesday will allow a form of natural gas drilling known as fracking to occur in parts of the George Washington National Forest, the largest national forest on the East Coast. NIKKI FOX — AP NORFOLK, Va. — Over the objection of environmental groups and Virginia's governor, a federal management plan released Tuesday will allow a form of natural gas drilling known as fracking to occur in parts of the largest national forest on the East Coast. The U.S. Forest Service originally planned to ban fracking in the 1.1 million-acre George Washington National Forest, but energy companies cried foul after a draft of the plan was released in 2011. It would have been the first outright ban on the practice in a national forest. "We think we've ended up in a much better place, which is we are allowing oil and gas drilling," Robert Bonnie, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's undersecretary for natural resources and environment, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "From a policy perspective, the Forest Service allows fracking on forest lands throughout the country. We didn't want to make a policy decision or change policy related to fracking. This decision is about where it's appropriate to do oil and gas leasing." Land in national forests is commonly leased out for commercial and recreational purposes, such as mining, timber, and skiing. The plan also addresses timber acreage, wildlife habitat and waterways. Under the new plan, which is subject to appeal, drilling will only be permitted on 167,000 acres where there are existing private mineral rights and on about 10,000 acres that are already leased to oil and gas companies. The leased acreage is in Highland County, while the private mineral rights are scattered throughout the forest. Many local government officials near the forest objected to allowing any drilling, and in September, Gov. Terry McAuliffe told the inaugural meeting of a climate change panel that he wouldn't allow fracking in the forest as long as he was governor. Ken Arney, a regional manager for the U.S. Forest Service whose area includes the George Washington National Forest, had the final word on the plan. It is the first time the management plan has been updated since 1993. Among other things, it eliminates the potential for oil and gas leases on 985,000 acres where it was previously allowed. Arney said local objections led to that decision. The forest is located in Virginia, although about 100,000 acres of it extend into West Virginia. Bonnie said energy companies could already have been drilling on the land they're leasing, but nobody has wanted to. "The economic value of these reserves is very low. We've had very little interest on oil and gas on the forest," Bonnie said. The decision was highly anticipated by environmentalists and the energy industry because about half the national forest sits atop the Marcellus shale formation. The formation is home to a vast deposit of natural gas running from upstate New York to West Virginia and yields more than $10 billion worth of gas annually. A sliver of the formation extends into northwest Virginia. The Forest Service said before any drilling in the forest occurs, additional environmental analysis and opportunities for public comment would occur. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a drilling technique to extract oil and gas from the shale by injecting high-pressure mixtures of water, sand or gravel, and chemicals. Environmental groups fear the drilling would pollute mountain streams that directly provide drinking water to about 260,000 people in the Shenandoah Valley. Another 2.7 million people in Northern Virginia and Washington rely upon the forest for a portion of their water supply. An industry group, The American Petroleum Institute, has said hydraulic fracturing can be done safely and that the drilling poses no risk to groundwater. The science on the impact of fracking has not been conclusive. Besides fears that drilling and its waste would foul pristine mountain streams, opponents have also argued that the trucks, wells and other infrastructure that would come with gas drilling are incompatible with the forest's primary attractions of hiking, fishing, hunting, camping, tourism and its abundant wildlife. The forest includes a section of the Appalachian Trail and attracts more than 1 million visitors annually. It is also home to the headwaters of the James and Potomac rivers, which feed into the Chesapeake Bay. The estuary is amid a multibillion-dollar, multistate restoration directed by the Environmental Protection Agency. Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/11/18/3819522_fracking-to-be-permitted-in-gw.h… -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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WVU Shale Gas Research Center
by James Kotcon 07 Nov '14

07 Nov '14

Some of you may recall legislative efforts to create this at WVU. See news release below. JBK? WVU creates the first-ever field laboratory for the long-term study of shale gas resources - As the Appalachian Region feels the impact of the burgeoning shale-energy industry, a consortium of researchers and industrial partners led by West Virginia University, with the assistance of The Ohio State University, will conduct the first-ever long-term, comprehensive field study of a natural resource that has changed the country's - and the world's - energy supply. The five-year, $11 million agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy will allow the research team to create and manage the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory, a field site and dedicated research laboratory at the Morgantown Industrial Park. Together with the DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory and Northeast Natural Energy - a Charleston-based private oil and natural gas company that owns and operates the site - the lab will engage a unique and diverse team of geoscientists, hydrologists, engineers, ecologists, social scientists and public health professionals. The team will identify and demonstrate technologies required for best practices in environmentally responsible shale development, from drilling to completion through production. Additionally, the lab will offer real-world education and training for undergraduate and graduate students to address the complex technical, environmental and social issues surrounding unconventional energy development and production. "To date, there has been no comprehensive long-term field study that addresses baseline measurements, subsurface development and environmental monitoring with unconventional resource development," said Timothy Carr, WVU's Marshall Miller professor of geology, principal investigator of the award and director of the lab. - See more at: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2014/11/06/wvu-creates-the-first-ever-field-labor… [http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/resources/1/1415305013_md.jpg]<http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2014/11/06/wvu-creates-the-first-ever-field-labor…> WVU creates the first-ever field laboratory for the long-term study of shale gas resources WVUToday, *the* source for news and information regarding West Virginia University. Read more...<http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2014/11/06/wvu-creates-the-first-ever-field-labor…>

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter; Renewable energy support programs: New studies examine how and when they work
by Paul Wilson 07 Nov '14

07 Nov '14

Renewable energy support programs: New studies examine how and when they work <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/36J…> Posted: 05 Nov 2014 08:23 AM PST Scientists have quantitatively analyzed the effects of various schemes to support renewable energy generation and, consequently, to reduce carbon emissions and end fossil fuel dependence. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=36J…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=36J…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=36J…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=36J…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=36J…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] WEBINAR: How we can increase clean energy in the Southeast through EPA's Clean Power Plan
by Paul Wilson 05 Nov '14

05 Nov '14

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Angela Garrone <angela(a)cleanenergy.org> Date: Wed, Nov 5, 2014 at 9:46 AM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] WEBINAR: How we can increase clean energy in the Southeast through EPA's Clean Power Plan To: Tennessee-News <TENNESSEE-NEWS(a)lists.sierraclub.org> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=tSd31qHw9roZUPYf8OruRrR8KEi…> [image: Save the Date] *WEBINAR* *The Clean Power Plan and the Southeast: How to Advocate for Clean Energy Solutions* *We invite you to join us November 14, 2014 at 1:00 PM ET * *for an exciting discussion.* [image: Register Today!] <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=GYjsU0o6XzSJBIBaL2iMjhDZivC…> The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) continues its webinar series with a presentation on the EPA's Clean Power Plan. On June 2nd the Environmental Protection Agency released proposed standards for the first-ever limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants, under section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act, called the Clean Power Plan. This webinar follows our June webinar explaining the basics of the Clean Power Plan and will go into more detail on the specific requirements of the proposal and explain how the public can submit comments on the proposed rule in order to ensure it is successful in reducing dangerous carbon dioxide emissions. SACE staff will explain the renewable energy and energy efficiency opportunities available in the Southeast and discuss how you can help push EPA and our Southeastern states to adopt clean energy compliance solutions for the Clean Power Plan. To register, please visit our webinar sign-up page <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2B9B5xsv5CU9vHWjiT6iDURDZi…>, and don’t forget to mark *November 14, 2014, 1:00 p.m. ET on your calendar!* ------------------------------ *Title:* The Clean Power Plan and the Southeast: How to Advocate for Clean Energy Solutions *Date:* Friday, November 14, 2014 Ti*me:* 1:00 p.m. ET ------------------------------ System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.3.9 (Panther®) or newer Space is limited. <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=kv%2Ftm0t%2FbqNt7NHKr%2BupY…> The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=zEYeIaLwqPksvVhLxgIRpRDZivC…> is proud to offer an exciting webinar series to its members. Through this free webinar service, members will be able to directly engage with SACE staff and learn about the clean energy technologies, opportunities, and issues that SACE deals with everyday. SACE is excited to use this technology as a way to share with its members the most current happenings in the clean energy field. <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=c8Nmzr1F1ROyM3hwlJCM37R8KEi…> Click here to unsubscribe <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=edO7FB3JJKwhEbbXKGMUyxDZivC…> [image: facebook] <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=rFtb6%2FhwA5EBHYWhG9FH8RDZi…> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=2m9WoclAhYYCN7J9jCAmjRDZivC…>[image: youtube] <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=mmaIcPtMaLjZEy4Kn%2F%2FAgxD…>[image: flickr] <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ej%2BemAex1%2FWdgobOamUTTBD…> [image: www.cleanenergy.org] <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=NXG43d7vQUxjLwNFJPfFhxDZivC…> [image: empowered by Salsa] <http://www.salsalabs.com/?email> -- Jennifer S. Rennicks, Director of Policy & Communications *Southern Alliance for Clean Energy* Phone: 828-275-0564 Media Line: 865-235-1448 jrennicks [at] cleanenergy.org _____________________________________________________ The Southeast Climate & Energy Network (SCEN) is a group of 200+ members (environmental, clean energy, public health, policy, rural, governmental, and faith) across 12 states in the region whose mission is "strategic coordination among organizations in the Southeast to secure fair, just and science-based climate and energy policies." This listserve exists to help with communication, coordination, and capacity-building in the Southeast region to meet mission. This listserve exists to help with communication, coordination, and capacity-building in the Southeast region to meet mission. You received this message as a subscriber on the list: se-climate(a)lists.usclimatenetwork.org To be added to the list, send any message to: se-climate-subscribe(a)lists.usclimatenetwork.org To be removed from the list, send any message to: se-climate-unsubscribe(a)lists.usclimatenetwork.org For all list information and functions, see: http://lists.usclimatenetwork.org/lists/info/se-climate To subscribe to this or other SCEN lists, email Rudi Navarra at rnavarra(a)climatenetwork.org -- *Angela Garrone | Southeast Energy Research Attorney* *Southern Alliance for Clean Energy* P.O. Box 1842 Knoxville, TN 37901 angela(a)cleanenergy.org | 865-637-6055 ex. 23 http://www.cleanenergy.org http://blog.cleanenergy.org CONFIDENTIAL LEGAL COMMUNICATION / WORK PRODUCT: The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to whom it is addressed, and may contain privileged and confidential attorney-client communications and/or confidential attorney work product. If you receive this message in error, please send a reply e-mail to the sender and delete the material from any and all computers. Unintended transmissions shall not constitute waiver of the attorney-client or any other privilege. -- 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 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: Top U.S Energy Efficienct States Released.
by James Kotcon 01 Nov '14

01 Nov '14

?ACEEE rankings of states came out and the news is not good in WV. We were listed as the "Most Improved" state in 2013, but have made zero progress in 2014, leaving us at 46th in the nation in terms of EE policies. Among the various sectors ranked, "Utility Policies and Programs" was the worst, earning Zero (0) points in WV (That's a big goose egg, Nada, Zilch, No Points!). See the other WV scores at: http://www.aceee.org/files/pdf/state-sheet/west-virginia.pdf How about a press release, or an Op/Ed column? Jim Kotcon ________________________________ From: wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com <wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com> on behalf of Larry Thomas larryvthomas(a)aol.com [wvec-board] <wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com> Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2014 8:38 PM Subject: [wvec board & supporters] Fwd: Top U.S Energy Efficienct States Released. FYI Larry Recently, The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy released it's annual Scorecard for State Energy Efficiency. To have a look at how your State ranks click this link. ==> STATE ENERGY SCORECARD<http://earth2volts.com/iem/link.php?M=385622&N=181&L=50&F=H> So is your State among the leaders in promoting and embracing Energy Efficiency? Not only are some States seeing environmental benefits from investing in energy efficiency, but some have enjoyed an over 300% return on their investment. Creating jobs and reduced energy costs have made a very positive direct impact on some of these States. If you would like to read a little more about this, please hit the link below. ==> US ENERGY EFFICIENCY RANKS.<http://earth2volts.com/iem/link.php?M=385622&N=181&L=50&F=H> __._,_.___ ________________________________ Posted by: Larry Thomas <larryvthomas(a)aol.com> ________________________________ Reply via web post<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/conversations/messages/4613;…> * Reply to sender <mailto:larryvthomas@aol.com?subject=Re%3A%20Fwd%3A%20Top%20U%2ES%20Energy%20Efficienct%20States%20Released%2E> * Reply to group <mailto:wvec-board@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20Fwd%3A%20Top%20U%2ES%20Energy%20Efficienct%20States%20Released%2E> * Start a New Topic<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/conversations/newtopic;_ylc=…> * Messages in this topic<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/conversations/topics/4613;_y…> (1) Visit Your Group<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmbGJnYm9lBF…> [Yahoo! Groups]<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo;_ylc=X3oDMTJlNWt1c2UzBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkA…> * Privacy<https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/groups/details.html> * Unsubscribe<mailto:wvec-board-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> * Terms of Use<https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> . __,_._,___

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Fw: Recent coal asset sales in Appalachia show fire sale mentality gripping market
by James Kotcon 31 Oct '14

31 Oct '14

Wow! Check out the story below. Some of you may recall aspects of the Climate Math presentations at SierraFest and WVEC Convention when we talked about what Al Gore called the "Carbon Asset Bubble", I.e., that coal stocks are dramatically over-priced in a global warming world. Is this the first symptom? Does this provide a justification for the coal divestment projects at WVU and elsewhere? How can we use this information? JBK ? ________________________________ From: Adam Beitman, Sierra Club <adam.beitman(a)sierraclub.org> Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2014 8:13 PM To: mtr-list(a)sierraclub.org Cc: Jim Sconyers; Alice Howell; Sean Sarah; Mary Anne Hitt; James Kotcon Subject: SNL: Recent coal asset sales in Appalachia show fire sale mentality gripping market https://www.snl.com/InteractiveX/article.aspx?ID=29592255&KPLT=4 Selected: "Coal mines in hard-hit Appalachia are being sold for pennies on the dollar compared to just a few years ago, recent transactions show, demonstrating the massive collapse in asset value since a peak in coal pricing in 2011. An SNL Energy analysis of several recent publicly announced transactions finds coal reserves in Appalachia are being purchased on average at less than 40 cents per ton, down dramatically from a few years when reserves in the region were commanding prices eight times as high." "Other deals<https://www.snl.com/InteractiveX/article.aspx?ID=27627743> have occurred at even cheaper prices. In August, Corsa Coal Corp.<https://www.snl.com/InteractiveX/snapshot.aspx?ID=4247981> closed<https://www.snl.com/InteractiveX/article.aspx?ID=28958144> its acquisition of PBS Coals Corp.<https://www.snl.com/InteractiveX/snapshot.aspx?ID=4100818>, which owns several surface and underground mines in Pennsylvania, at a cost of approximately $140 million. The reserves are roughly split between met and thermal coal. The deal included $60 million in cash and $60 million in assumed liabilities of which $20 million in cash bonding will be paid by PBS. Corsa consultants estimated<https://www.snl.com/InteractiveX/article.aspx?ID=29505355> PBS' recoverable, proven and probable coal reserves at 37 million, which would value the deal at roughly 37 cents per ton of reserves. Seth Schwartz, president of consulting firm Energy Ventures Analysis, said that when you consider what some companies initially paid for their coal assets years ago, the valuations have fallen even further. "These assets are going for under 10 cents on the dollar from what they were at the peak of the market in 2011," he said." -- Adam Beitman Associate Press Secretary Sierra Club 50 F Street, NW, Eighth Floor Washington, DC 20001 Office: (202) 675-2385<tel:%28202%29%20675-2385> Cell: (202) 670-5585<tel:%28202%29%20670-5585> adam.beitman(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:adam.beitman@sierraclub.org> Tweets @adbeitman Represented by John Muir Local 100

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Fwd: Fracking and toxic air
by Paul Wilson 31 Oct '14

31 Oct '14

Not sure How i get this stuff, but in came in on another gmail address I have. This may be a group we can work with or get some support through. Does seen like a logical and direct connect with WV due to our lousy air quality standards. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Paul Wilson Date: Fri, Oct 31, 2014 at 11:28 AM Subject: Fwd: Fracking and toxic air To: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dominique Browning, Moms Clean Air Force < dominique(a)momscleanairforce.org> Date: Thu, Oct 30, 2014 at 12:52 PM Subject: Fracking and toxic air To: pjpaulgrunt(a)gmail.com [image: A message from your friends at Moms Clean Air Force] <http://www.momscleanairforce.org> Dear Paul, A new study, published today in the journal Environmental Health, identifies potentially hazardous concentrations of air pollutants near some oil and gas operations in five states. The research shines a light on what some communities face as US oil and gas development accelerates. The United States is now the leading natural gas producer in the world. The number of natural gas wells in our country has increased by more than 80% since 1990. *There are now half a million natural gas wells in the US*. Countless communities are living side by side with well pads, compressor stations, and pipelines--some for the very first time. *TELL EPA: We need protection from methane pollution. <http://www.e-activist.com/ea-action/broadcast.record.message.click.do?ea.ur…>* In a years-long collaborative project, residents in Arkansas, Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming were trained to take air samples, which were lab-tested for dozens of volatile organic chemicals. Why did these community members walk fields, farms, and country roads in five states, sniffing for telltale signs of pollution? *Because no one else would.* Many of these community members have told heartbreaking stories about the air pollution they breathe each day. They have watched their rural communities become industrial sites, complete with chemical mixing facilities, increased truck traffic, compressor stations, injection wells, and pipeline spills. They have wondered whether their nosebleeds, hair loss, skin rashes, headaches, and other health complaints could be related to the oil and gas operations near their homes, schools, farms, and ranches. But when they asked their local officials to help them figure out what was in their air? *Nothing happened.* No health studies conducted, no air monitors installed. Meanwhile, the people kept on breathing. Day in and day out. So they sucked air into special Kevlar sampling bags when they smelled, saw, or felt something funny. They took air pollution monitoring into their own hands, and showed the profound limits of our government's current approach to safeguarding the air near oil and gas operations. *They found that concentrations of benzene, hydrogen sulfide, and other volatiles exceeded health-based standards* in 16 of the 35 grab samples collected in 5 states. Formaldehyde levels, sampled with a different method, were detected in 14 of 41 samples. They detected toluene, xylene, and other toxic compounds as well. *Please click here to tell EPA to protect us from methane pollution. <http://www.e-activist.com/ea-action/broadcast.record.message.click.do?ea.ur…>* These community members, and the scientists with whom they co-authored their study, understand that this research does not prove that their health problems were caused by the toxics in the samples; nor does it prove that all gas wells emit toxic chemicals. They don't have the decades to undertake those kinds of studies--nor do they have the money to do highly sophisticated air samplings and tests. What they have is the desire to get officials to pay attention. Many other studies across the country have pointed out exactly the same thing: some well development sends toxins into the air. But this is one of the first studies published in a peer-reviewed journal to have empowered community members to sample their own air, because they are concerned about what they are breathing, and have had no other way to get the ball rolling on finding out what is going on in their communities. And their data signals a problem: We've got a rapidly expanding extractive industry with no monitoring requirements, no disclosure requirements, and inadequate federal air quality regulations. The substance being extracted--methane--is far more powerful a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and it appears to be leaking by mistake into the atmosphere at climate-wrecking speed. The same wasteful leaks that spew methane into the air also emit harmful pollutants, such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide. In many places, dangerous, unhealthy chemicals are in the air. *Right now EPA is in the process of deciding whether to act on methane pollution from the oil and gas industry. Please click here to join with MCAF to tell the EPA that they must do so. <http://www.e-activist.com/ea-action/broadcast.record.message.click.do?ea.ur…> Cleaning up methane leaking from oil and gas infrastructure will benefit local air quality and our climate.* Here's to walking fields, farms, and country roads without having to sniff for signs of pollution. For clean air, *Molly Rauch* Public Health Policy and Outreach Manager, Moms Clean Air Force *Dominique Browning* Co-Founder and Senior Director, Moms Clean Air Force *PS: You can find a link to the study at our website. <http://www.e-activist.com/ea-action/broadcast.record.message.click.do?ea.ur…>* <http://www.e-activist.com/ea-action/broadcast.record.message.click.do?ea.ur…> <http://www.e-activist.com/ea-action/broadcast.record.message.click.do?ea.ur…> momscleanairforce.org <http://www.momscleanairforce.org> | About Us <http://www.momscleanairforce.org/about-us/> | Unsubscribe <http://www.e-activist.com/ea-campaign/action.handleOptOut.do?ea.question.id…> © Moms Clean Air Force 2014 [image: Follow Us on Facebook] <http://www.facebook.com/momscleanairforce>[image: Follow Us on Twitter] <http://twitter.com/cleanairmoms>[image: Follow Us on http://pinterest.com/momscaf/] <http://pinterest.com/momscaf/>[image: Follow Us on Google+] <https://plus.google.com/u/0/112792743232393419060>[image: Follow Us on Flickr] <http://www.flickr.com/photos/momscleanairforce/>[image: Follow Us on RSS] <http://feeds.feedburner.com/MomsCleanAirForce>[image: Follow Us on Instagram] <http://instagram.com/cleanairmoms> -- Paul Wilson WV Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414 (H) 304-725-4360 -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Mary Anne Hitt's latest: Mountaintop removal coal mining continues to poison Appalachia
by Paul Wilson 31 Oct '14

31 Oct '14

Great article by Maryann. Bill Price is mentioned as well. cheers. pau ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Heather Moyer <heather.moyer(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Fri, Oct 31, 2014 at 9:54 AM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Mary Anne Hitt's latest: Mountaintop removal coal mining continues to poison Appalachia To: #Coal <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Coal-Volunteers < coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Media <media-list(a)sierraclub.org> Hi folks- Mary Anne's column this week focuses on all the news out about mountaintop-removal coal mining in the past few weeks. Please share it far and wide! It's only up on EcoWatch this week: http://ecowatch.com/2014/10/31/mountaintop-removal-poisons-appalachia/ *Possible tweets:* Mountaintop-removal #coal mining continues to poison Appalachia: http://sc.org/13oWe9r (by @maryannehitt) #StopMTR Falsified water tests, linked to lung cancer, & destroying ecosystems - mountaintop removal #coal mining must stop: http://sc.org/13oWe9r Thanks! --- 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. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Fwd: Efficiency Benefits - Getting it right!
by James Kotcon 28 Oct '14

28 Oct '14

You may find this information useful as you study up on Energy Efficiency programs, especially as we discuss legislation for January. Ohio's EERS was put on hold earlier this year by the Ohio Legislature, at the behest of lobbying by FirstEnergy, so Ohio's ranking slipped to "middle of the pack". But wouldn't it be great if WV's EE ranking could get up that high! JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ned Ford <Ned.Ford(a)fuse.net> Date: Sun, Oct 26, 2014 at 5:53 PM Subject: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Fwd: Efficiency Benefits - Getting it right! To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)lists.sierraclub.org The following message is one I sent to a list which is dedicated to Ohio utility issues. The attached Excel sheet contains the cover memo, and all the data which is used to generate the statements below. I thought it would be good to share with the people on these lists because some of you may be very interested to know what efficiency does, and some of you may be interested in how I produce the statistics. Some of you may be interested in how well efficiency pays for renewables. Ohio ranked 18th for utility efficiency programs in the ACEEE's last ranking, but we have slid backwards since then, and are probably slightly below the middle of the pack for the entire five years covered here. We need a lot more attention to efficiency, and especially to bringing all states up to the level of the best five or six states. Recognize that the best states for efficiency are also the most healthy economies, and the larger states in terms of electricity consumption. - Ned Ned Ford 513-600-4200 Hi Folks, It is now seven months before we will have 2014 EE program costs and first year energy savings in the official filings by the utilities. I hope we can avoid the use of incorrect cost and savings data which occurred last year, by getting this out in time for everyone to consider, discuss and agree on what we need to use. If anyone on this list is inclined to think that another account might be more accurate, please bring it to my attention (offlist, preferably) so we can discuss the different methodologies and reach an agreement on what is what. The numbers which I use are those which the utilities actually filed. Other estimates have not used these numbers. If they had, they would have reached the same values that I did. We have two objectives here, both served by the same information: first, to reconcile the actual cost of efficiency with numbers which the PUCO has provided to the legislature (and can be counted on to reiterate in the future) ($1 billion to $1.1 billion in total costs through 2013), and second, to provide evidence of the tremendous value which SB 221 provides to Ohio, and which FirstEnergy customers are going to lose as a result of SB 310. The attached spreadsheet provides details of Ohio’s efficiency spending and saved energy from 2009 through 2013. Total spending through the end of 2013 has been $667 million. An additional $300 million or so has been recovered by the four Ohio Electric Distribution Companies (AEP, DP&L, Duke and FirstEnergy) to compensate for Distribution lost revenues and Shared Savings. This is a reasonable amount, but the PUCO has not accounted for this recovery in any public forum, so the precise amount is not known yet. The PUCO does not require lifetime savings calculations, although all the utilities do them, and some of them report these savings. The PUCO does require first year savings to be reported, and we have made a conservative but reasonable projection of the savings to reach the conclusions as follows: Retail rate savings realize by the end of 2013 were $1.4 billion Lifetime retail savings to be realized by the installed hardware will be $3.9 billion This does not consider the increased savings which will result from increased rates due to other reasons. (Although it was stated during hearings that "energy" prices in Ohio have gone down due to fracking, electricity prices have risen (see Background and Discussion tab on the attached spreadsheet). Efficiency savings to date are large enough to cover the entire cost of the efficiency programs to date, plus the shared savings, plus the lost revenues and in addition, cover the cost of Ohio’s renewables standard, which was reported by the PUCO as: 2011 $44.7 million (1%)* 2012 $52.4 million (1.5%)* The PUCO has not reported the cost of the renewable standard in other years, but given the rapidly falling price of renewable energy credits, the 2014 cost is likely to be only $2 million more than 2012, even though the standard has increased to 2.5% (a 66% increase over 2012). Efficiency savings already realized will continue to save more money than combined program costs, lost revenues, shared savings and renewables, unless efficiency programs are cut. In addition to the direct savings from efficiency, there are real savings due to avoided new power plants and transmission and distribution systems. A conservative estimate of these savings as of year-end 2013 is over $1 billion. This represents more than 500 MW’s of avoided new generation technology and the transmission and distribution equipment that is also avoided. * The calculation of renewable program costs given above is done from PUCO reports. The calculations are not on this spreadsheet. Contact me at Ned Ford 513-600-4200 or Ned.Ford(a)fuse.net - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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Union of Concerned Scientists report: Solar power – clean, reliable, and increasingly affordable – is experiencing remarkable growth across the U.S.
by Paul Wilson 22 Oct '14

22 Oct '14

Solar Power on the Rise: The Technologies and Policies behind a Booming Energy Sector (2014) August 2014 Solar power – clean, reliable, and increasingly affordable – is experiencing remarkable growth across the U.S. DOWNLOAD Full report <http://ucs-prod.beaconfire.us/sites/default/files/attach/2014/08/Solar-Powe…> Solar power generates electricity with no global warming pollution, no fuel costs, and no risks of fuel price spikes, and has the potential to help move the country toward cleaner, reliable, and affordable sources of electricity. Small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, typically on rooftops, account for the majority of solar installations, while large-scale PV systems and concentrating solar power (CSP) systems constitute the majority of solar's overall electricity-generating capacity. All three are undergoing rapid growth. Given the abundance of sunshine across the country, solar power has the potential to supply a significant amount of electricity that is both environmentally and economically attractive. Solar power is increasingly affordable Photo: Wayne National Forest - Prices for rooftop PV systems have declined markedly in recent years, dropping 29 percent from 2010 to 2013. [image: Falling price of solar PV chart] <http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/images/2014/09/energy-graphic-cha…> CHART: The Falling Price of Solar PV by U.S. Sector <http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/images/2014/09/energy-graphic-cha…> - Their increasing cost-effectiveness is largely a result of reductions in technology prices, innovative financing, and growing networks of solar installers and financial partners. - Tax credits, rebates, and other support in leading states can cut the total costs of a rooftop system to under $10,000, though many solar customers are paying little or nothing up front by utilizing solar leases or power purchase agreements, which provide electricity from the system over a long period at attractive fixed rates. - Costs for large-scale PV projects have dropped more than household systems, to an average 60 percent lower than those for residential solar on a per-watt basis. - CSP systems have not experienced the same cost reductions, but offer the important advantage of being able to store the sun's energy as heat, and to use it to make electricity when the sun is no longer shining. Solar power is viable throughout the United States -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fw: [wvec board & supporters] FW: WVNS story: Utilities Look to Add Charges for Home Solar
by James Kotcon 20 Oct '14

20 Oct '14

? ________________________________ From: wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com <wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com> on behalf of 'Gary Zuckett' garyz(a)wvcag.org [wvec-board] <wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, October 20, 2014 9:04 AM To: wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com Cc: Emmett Pepper; Julie Archer; Karan Ireland; Norm Steenstra Subject: [wvec board & supporters] FW: WVNS story: Utilities Look to Add Charges for Home Solar This was mentioned at the Conference. It now in play in Virginia - we'll have to watch out for it here too.... From: Public News Service [mailto:newsservice@newsservicemail.org] Sent: Monday, October 20, 2014 3:08 AM To: GaryZuckett Subject: WVNS story: Utilities Look to Add Charges for Home Solar Utilities Look to Add Charges for Home Solar<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2014-10-20/energy-policy/utilities-look-to… %20-charges-for-home-solar/a42370-1> [Share this page]<http://www.sharethis.com/share?url=%5bhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.publicnewsservice.or…>[http://www.publicnewsservice.org/images/newbody/printicon_s.jpg]<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/print.php?key=42370-1> October 20, 2014 - Dan Heyman, Public News Service (WV) Play Audio in Browser Window<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/mp3.php?f=rss-42370-1.mp3> [PHOTO: Rooftop solar has become a significant enough issue for utility companies to seek new fees from homeowners who install it. Photo by Alfred Twu.]<http://www.newsservice.org/getimage.php?p=c2dpZD00MjM3MCZzaWQ9MQ==> PHOTO: Rooftop solar has become a significant enough issue for utility companies to seek new fees from homeowners who install it. Photo by Alfred Twu. CHARLESTON, [http://www.publicnewsservice.org/articlepx.gif?key=42370-1] W.Va. - Utilities in several states are turning to new charges to make up for revenue they're losing to homes with solar power. The price of solar panels has fallen dramatically, and more people are installing them. In response, industry groups are urging states to let power companies add charges or credit homeowners less for the excess electricity they generate. Gabe Elsner, executive director of the Energy and Policy Institute, said home solar had been considered too small to worry about - but no longer. "The pro blem for the utility company is that they make money by generating power and selling it to customers," he said. "So when you decide to create your own power, suddenly they just lost a customer." Elsner said the push for the new fees started with the industry trade group Edison Electric Institute and was promoted by the American Legislative Exchange Council. EEI declined to comment, but a report called "Disruptive Challenges"<http://www.eei.org/ourissues/finance/documents/disruptivechallenges.pdf> that was done for the group talked about the issue. It said that if too many homeowners generate their own power, utilities could be stuck for the cost of maintaining the grid. However, Elsner said studies, including a recent one in Utah, have shown that home solar systems are good for the grid. "They ease congestion on transmission lines," he said, "They create clean power locally, so it's more effic ient, instead of building more, big power plants." Elsner said a power company in Arizona is willing to pay homeowners for the right to put utility-owned solar panels on their roofs, while at the same time wanting to charge folks who do it for themselves. He said the industry is coming to recognize that distributed power generation has great potential. "The fact that our grid is so centralized actually leaves us vulnerable," he said, "Solar power creates a more distributed electricity system that's more secure and more resilient." Appalachian Power has asked the state of Virginia for permission to add a fee to the bills of homeowners in that state with the capacity to generate from 10 to 20 kilowatts. The company points out that almost all homes with solar panels or other generating systems would fall below 10 kilowatts. The company has customers in West Virginia, although it has not requested the fee here. The EEI report is online at eei.org<http://www.eei.org/ourissues/finance/documents/disruptivechallenges.pdf>. __._,_.___ ________________________________ Posted by: "Gary Zuckett" <garyz(a)wvcag.org> ________________________________ Reply via web post<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/conversations/messages/4584;…> * Reply to sender <mailto:garyz@wvcag.org?subject=Re%3A%20FW%3A%20WVNS%20story%3A%20Utilities%20Look%20to%20Add%20Charges%20for%20Home%20Solar> * Reply to group <mailto:wvec-board@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20FW%3A%20WVNS%20story%3A%20Utilities%20Look%20to%20Add%20Charges%20for%20Home%20Solar> * Start a New Topic<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/conversations/newtopic;_ylc=…> * Messages in this topic<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/conversations/topics/4584;_y…> (1) Visit Your Group<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wvec-board/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmaWhwNTBhBF…> [Yahoo! Groups]<https://groups.yahoo.com/neo;_ylc=X3oDMTJlbmdlMGZ0BF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkA…> * Privacy<https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/groups/details.html> * Unsubscribe<mailto:wvec-board-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> * Terms of Use<https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> . __,_._,___

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter:Low-carbon energy future is clean, feasible
by Paul Wilson 14 Oct '14

14 Oct '14

Low-carbon energy future is clean, feasible <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/WXj…> Posted: 06 Oct 2014 12:21 PM PDT A future where electricity comes mostly from low-carbon sources is not only feasible in terms of material demand, but will significantly reduce air pollution, a study says. <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=WXj…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=WXj…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=WXj…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=WXj…> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment?a=WXj…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fw: Water samples faked
by James Kotcon 10 Oct '14

10 Oct '14

This is something we need to know about and be public about. JBK ________________________________ From: Bill Price <bill.price(a)sierraclub.org> Sent: Friday, October 10, 2014 8:53 AM To: James Kotcon; Liz Wiles; Mark Kresowik; David Muhly; Gary Nelson; Adam Beitman Subject: Water samples faked Is it any wonder people don't trust what's in the water! http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20141009/GZ01/141009217/1419 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

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Excellent Article On CA Regulator Shows Utterly Incestuous Relationship Between Utility Industry, Regulator, & Governor Brown
by James Kotcon 09 Oct '14

09 Oct '14

This may be relevant to our own PSC efforts? JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Eric Brooks <brookse32(a)earthlink.net> Date: Thu, Oct 9, 2014 at 3:29 AM Subject: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Excellent Article On CA Regulator Shows Utterly Incestuous Relationship Between Utility Industry, Regulator, & Governor Brown To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Excellent Article On California PUC President Peevey Shows Utterly Incestuous Relationship Between PG&E, Peevey, & Governor Brown's Administration (two of the most powerful members of which are former PG&E executives). http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/oct/08/citylights1-peevey-yuck Could Brown reappoint unpopular Peevey? By Don Bauder <http://www.sandiegoreader.com/staff/don-bauder/>, Oct. 8, 2014 <http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/Oct/08> <http://media.sdreader.com/img/photos/2014/10/07/citylights_Edmund_G_Brown_J…> Jerry Brown <http://media.sdreader.com/img/photos/2014/10/07/citylights_MichaelPeevey_lg…> Michael Peevey <http://media.sdreader.com/img/photos/2014/10/07/citylights_car_t670.jpg?b3f…> Image by Chris Woo Peevey is suspected of backing SDG&E in their attempt to make San Diego ratepayers pick up the tab. <http://media.sdreader.com/img/photos/2014/10/07/citylights_Pipe-from-Sanbru…> Pacific Gas & Electric’s penalties for the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion were less than suggested. Shortly after his almost certain reelection in November, Governor Jerry Brown must decide whether to reappoint Michael Peevey as president of the California Public Utilities Commission. Peevey’s term runs out at the end of the year. In mid-August, Brown voiced strong support for Peevey in an interview with editors of the *San Jose Mercury News*. A month earlier, that newspaper had editorialized, “If Gov. Jerry Brown persists in backing his outrageously unethical appointee [Peevey], he might as well change the name to the Pro Utility Commission.” Around the same time, the *San Francisco Chronicle* called for Brown to oust Peevey. The *Modesto Bee*, citing Peevey’s “overseas junkets” paid for by utilities, said it was time for Peevey to go because he “regards utility company executives as peers and partners.” The Southern California press has also been hard on the commission’s president. Peevey is suspected of pulling strings in such matters as San Diego Gas & Electric’s attempt to make ratepayers pick up the tab for uninsured expenses of the 2007 fires, caused by the utility. Recently, emails between commission and Pacific Gas & Electric officials have shown that the company said it didn’t want administrative law judges who would recommend tough penalties for the company’s role in the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion. The commission complied, and the recommended penalties were much less than the staff had suggested. Indignant Bay Area politicians want the attorney general to investigate the commission for its pro-utility behavior. The governor and Peevey (both in their mid-70s) are old friends, dating back to the years in which Peevey was active with organized labor and the Democratic Party. After getting two degrees in economics at the University of California/Berkeley, he worked for the federal government in labor economics and then became chief economist for the American Federation of Labor/Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). In 1984, he joined Southern California Edison. He was a senior vice president and chief lobbyist for the company in Sacramento. Edison’s chief executive, Howard Allen, himself a former lobbyist, had a fondness for executives with political connections. <http://media.sdreader.com/img/photos/2014/10/07/citylights_John_Bryson_t670…> John Bryson <http://media.sdreader.com/img/photos/2014/10/07/citylights_carl-wood_t670.j…> Carl Wood Peevey shortly became an executive vice president. Another executive vice president was John Bryson, who also had political connections. He was a former president of the California Public Utilities Commission, a graduate of Stanford with a law degree from Yale, and smooth and oily — like politicians. “Howard Allen played the two against each other,” says Carl Wood, a former commissioner, now director of regulatory affairs for the Utility Workers Union of America. “Peevey is not Bryson’s kind of guy, or the other way around. Bryson is Ivy League–looking and educated, suave, friendly, sophisticated. Peevey is crude but intelligent,” says a former commission executive. Says a former Edison executive, “They were oil and water.” As executive vice president, Peevey in the late 1980s was put in charge of Edison’s attempted hostile takeover of San Diego Gas & Electric. To many in San Diego, Peevey did not appear so intelligent in his speeches and radio and TV appearances. Edison lost big. San Diegans were surprised when, in 1990, Peevey was named president of Southern California Edison. He also served as president of the parent, Edison International. But — and it’s a big but — Peevey was *not* chief executive officer. That job went to his foe, Bryson. Peevey lasted less than three years. In 1993, barely in his mid-50s, he “retired” from Edison and walked out with a bundle of stock and possibly severance pay, too; my sources disagree on the latter point. There is agreement on one point, as described by a former Edison executive: “He didn’t want to work for Bryson,” and Bryson didn’t want Peevey around, either. Peevey, not permitted to compete with Edison for two years, went with a public relations/lobbying firm, then began taking equity interests in smaller energy firms. After he raked in a $10 million capital gain from selling one firm, he and his wife Carol Liu, now a state senator, lined up a kinky tax shelter. He was told he would pay almost no taxes using the scheme but would pay $3.5 million if he played it straight. The government went after the tax shelter — and Peevey and his wife took the accounting firm to court for giving them bad advice. Peevey championed competition in the energy business. Unabashedly, he favored deregulation, although he said it had to be tweaked in California. He told others that he had made a bundle of money trading energy contracts. Oh, yes. He also had stock in Enron, the corporate hoax that fleeced California in the 2000–2001 energy crisis before collapsing. Peevey dumped his Enron stock. <http://media.sdreader.com/img/photos/2014/10/07/citylights_Loretta-Lynch_t6…> Loretta Lynch Despite these black marks against him, in March of 2002, Peevey was named a commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission. Consumer groups howled that a former Edison president and deregulation yahoo would be named to the commission. At the time, Loretta Lynch was president of the commission and was tough on the utilities and a champion of re-regulation. Carl Wood, then a commissioner, was her steady ally in demanding responsibility of the utilities. “We were unpopular with big business, which had a venomous hatred for Lynch,” recalls Wood. “To mollify the corporations,” then-governor Gray Davis named Peevey as president of the commission at the end of 2002, even though he had been there only about eight months. Pro-consumer groups howled again. Peevey’s supporters pointed to his longtime association with labor unions. Insiders knew better. “The only time Peevey is pro-labor is…when he is using labor to maximize revenue for the utilities,” says a former commission official. “He is a corporate liberal. He is not responsive to consumer interests,” says Wood. Brown and Peevey are buddies “because Peevey does what Brown tells him to do,” says Lynch. “Peevey has always been close to PG&E and [Southern California Edison]. So has Brown.” <http://media.sdreader.com/img/photos/2014/10/07/citylights_nancy-mcfadden_t…> Nancy McFadden Indeed, Brown’s executive secretary is Nancy McFadden, who joined the governor after serving as senior vice president to the chief executive officer of Pacific Gas & Electric. In essence, she is Brown’s chief of staff without the title. In 2011, Brown hired Dana Williamson, Pacific Gas & Electric’s director of public affairs, as senior advisor for cabinet and external affairs. Two years later, she was named cabinet secretary — the person to whom other agency secretaries report. It’s often considered the second-most-powerful post in the gubernatorial administration. When Lynch was deposed, Peevey threw a party, to which he invited utility executives. Lynch wasn’t invited. Asked what another Peevey term as head of the California Public Utilities Commission would be like, Lynch had one word: “Yuck.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

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Fwd: State Polling Memo for August & September
by James Kotcon 06 Oct '14

06 Oct '14

The monthly polling memo has some interesting insights on energy efficiency and climate change. The Ohio data (attached) suggest that 3 out of 4 would reject AEP's proposed rate hike, and more than 2 of 3 would prefer investments in EE and renewables, instead of bailing out dirty coal plants. It may be useful to use that "bailout" language in some of our political work. JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Caitlin Pixley <caitlin.pixley(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Oct 2, 2014 at 3:01 PM Subject: State Polling Memo for August & September To: CONS-FRED(a)lists.sierraclub.org --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi All - Find attached the polling memo for both August and September from Grace McRae. The memo includes new polling from the following states: CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, TN, UT, VA, WY Best, Caitlin -- Caitlin Pixley Conservation Associate Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter 353 Hamilton Street Albany, NY 12210 (518)426-9144 caitlin.pixley(a)sierraclub.org Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SierraClubAtlanticChapter *Be a part of the climate solution!* Join the Sierra Club TODAY <http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=9sMC9c6kiZ0&offerid=343370.100…> . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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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US Solar Makes Up Over Half Of New Generating Capacity- for first half opf 2014
by James Kotcon 15 Sep '14

15 Sep '14

New generation capacity installed: Gas = 30 %, wind = 14 %, solar = 53 %, other = 3 %; coal = 0 http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/08/us-solar-makes-half-new-generating-capa… Please pass this on to WV politicians, they need to prepare WV for this. JBK

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Re: [EC] Op-Ed in today's Gazette
by Allan Tweddle 15 Sep '14

15 Sep '14

Colleagues First, thank you Paul and Regan for your kind words. I'm better, but not 100% yet. I believe part of my condition is caused by the air quality of the area. As and engineer who is dealt with air quality issues for 50 years, including air sampling for pollution conditions around manufacturing operations all the way through to design and clean rooms, I am very familiar with the process and the technical details of air-quality. But I do not have the instruments or the support staff to evaluate air-quality here as I used to have and my career days in California and Ontario. I do know however that I have often driven near the railway tracks that charge through Charleston and seen, in the proper sunlight conditions, the fine particulate dust blowing off the railcars as they passed through town. I've inquired, but that's never been analyzed, never been measured and is an unknown. But one doesn't need sophisticated instruments to see that that dust is being dispersed all on the communities through which these trains, sometimes it very high speeds, traverse. That brings me to a point I want to make. Air-quality is definitely a local issue. The EPA can establish national standards, and the local agencies can then implement a plan to measure against those standards. But in my opinion the evaluation of very close proximity conditions in West Virginia are never taken into account unless the public rises up and demands them. That also applies to climate change. There is yet another article in the Charleston Gazette today describing how carbon dioxide levels in the upper atmosphere Have already passed 350 ppm last year and are approaching the 400 ppm. Scientists consider the 400 parts, if achieved on a consistent basis to be very seriously detrimental to life as we know it all over the planet including in West Virginia. Addressing the issue and pressing for action requires a strong voice here in West Virginia. And I personally believe the economic opportunities that exist for addressing climate change are out there and need to be described to our policy makers repeatedly. While CCL is working diligently at the national level to seek logical and incremental steps towards controlling climate change, given the political barriers, we must be doing more at the state level in my opinion. That is why I have proposed to WVEC, CAG, OVEC, and others that we come together and join forces to mount a single voice to address climate change in West Virginia. It is an issue that is complex and crosses all of the constituencies of the entire environmental movement in West Virginia. To be successful, the legislatures got to know that there is a large constituency, a coming together of all of the organizations, to force them to pay attention to not just the dangers of doing nothing, but of the economic opportunities that are out there for addressing climate change. if we can come together somewhere in sometime in October, and begin to develop a comprehensive plan, then we will be ready to present our thoughts to the legislature in January. But I must look to each of the leadership of the various organizations to talk to one another and decide where they would like to do this. However, I need to hear from the leadership of each of the organizations. Is there interest in coming together in the manner I am suggesting? Or is there an alternative concepts? I'd like to hear from the leadership to know if this is making sense, and if so let's plan a specific time and meet, probably here in Charleston, To begin thinking about how to plan and implement a new voice of reason for addressing climate change here in West Virginia. I can offer a venue for such a meeting that is easy and convenient to reach. I must ask for permission from Temple Israel for such a meeting, but I believe Rabbi would approve such a gathering as long as it's not on the Sabbath. Please, let me hear from you Allan Sent from my iPhone > On Sep 9, 2014, at 11:14 AM, Regan E Quinn <reganequinn(a)frontier.com> wrote: > > bravo >> On Sep 9, 2014, at 7:38 AM, Paul Epstein wrote: >> >> Good work both of you! Hope you're feeling much better, Allan. >> >> >> www.awarewv.org >> Paul Epstein >> 304.343.5074 >> www.paulepstein.net >> >>> On Tue, Sep 9, 2014 at 7:29 AM, Jim Probst <probstfurnituremakers(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> It's been a good couple of days for Charleston CCL with Alan's excellent op-ed on Sunday and I got one published in today's paper. >>> http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140909/ARTICLE/140909344/1134 >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Citizens Climate Lobby of West Virginia" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cclwv+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. >>> To post to this group, send email to cclwv(a)googlegroups.com. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Citizens Climate Lobby of West Virginia" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cclwv+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. >> To post to this group, send email to cclwv(a)googlegroups.com. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Citizens Climate Lobby of West Virginia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cclwv+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to cclwv(a)googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

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Barbara Fallon
by Yarnell, Karen 10 Sep '14

10 Sep '14

Did anyone know about this? I saw it on Facebook posted by a faculty member here, Sue Kelley. http://hastingsfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/2154/Barbara_Ann_Fallon/obit…

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Flaring+Issues+Workshop+Announcement+9-16-14
by Duane 10 Sep '14

10 Sep '14

Deadline today for registration. WORKSHOP at WVU. $55. Duane Nichols, Cell- 304-216-5535, www.FrackCheckWV.net

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Not our Ken Ward, but a very interesting verdict on climate "disruption".
by James Kotcon 08 Sep '14

08 Sep '14

Two protesters who blocked a coal barge in Massachusetts have won a significant legal victory, as the prosecutor avoids the "climate necessity" defense. JBK http://www.mintpressnews.com/climate-necessity-defense-gets-first-test-us/1… [http://cdn.mintpressnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/cropped-meme1.jpg?9…]<http://www.mintpressnews.com/climate-necessity-defense-gets-first-test-us/1…> UPDATE: Charges Dropped In Highly Anticipated Climate "Necessity" Case With a small lobster boat and a massive anchor, two Massachusetts men blocked a coal shipment to one of New England's largest coal-burners for one day. Their precedent-setting defense in the trial that starts this week could have far-reaching ramifications. Read more...<http://www.mintpressnews.com/climate-necessity-defense-gets-first-test-us/1…>

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Fwd: News Release: Trans Energy Inc. to Restore Streams and Wetland Damaged By Natural Gas Extraction Activities in West Virginia/Company will also pay $3 million civil penalty to resolve alleged Clean Water Act violations
by Paul Wilson 07 Sep '14

07 Sep '14

are we aware of this? fyi, paul w. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: vivian newman Date: Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 8:04 PM Subject: Fwd: News Release: Trans Energy Inc. to Restore Streams and Wetland Damaged By Natural Gas Extraction Activities in West Virginia/Company will also pay $3 million civil penalty to resolve alleged Clean Water Act violations To: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> good news presumably *Contact:* Jennifer Colaizzi (News Media only) Colaizzi.Jennifer(a)epa.gov (202) 564-7776 *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE* September 2, 2014 *Trans Energy Inc. **to Restore Streams and Wetland Damaged By Natural Gas Extraction Activities **in West Virginia* *Company will also pay $3 million civil penalty to resolve alleged Clean Water Act violations* WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced a settlement with Trans Energy Inc., requiring the oil and gas company to restore portions of streams and wetlands at 15 sites in West Virginia polluted by the company’s unauthorized discharge of dredge or fill material. Trans Energy will pay a penalty of $3 million to be divided equally between the federal government and WVDEP. The Clean Water Act requires a company to obtain a permit from EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prior to discharging dredge or fill material into wetlands, rivers, streams, and other waters of the United States. “As part of our commitment to safe development of domestic energy supplies, EPA is working to protect wetlands and local water supplies on which communities depend,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “By enforcing environmental laws, we’re helping to ensure a level playing field for responsible businesses." “Today’s agreement requires that Trans Energy take important steps to comply with state and federal laws that are critical to protecting our nation’s waters, wetlands and streams,” said Sam Hirsch, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “We will continue to ensure that the development of our nation’s domestic energy resources, including through the use of hydraulic fracturing techniques, complies with the Clean Water Act and other applicable federal laws.” In addition to the penalty, the company will reconstruct impacted aquatic resources or address impacts at 15 sites, provide appropriate compensatory mitigation for impacts to streams and wetlands, and implement a comprehensive program to ensure future compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and applicable state law. Among other requirements, the company will work to ensure that all aquatic resources are identified prior to starting work on future projects in West Virginia, and that appropriate consideration is given at the design stage to avoid and minimize impacts to aquatic resources. It is estimated that Trans Energy will spend more than $13 million to complete the restoration and mitigation work required by the consent decree. The federal government and WVDEP allege that the company impounded streams and discharged sand, dirt, rocks and other materials into streams and wetlands without a federal permit to construct well pads, impoundments, road crossings and other facilities related to natural gas extraction. The government alleges the violations impacted approximately 13,000 linear feet of stream and more than an acre of wetlands. Filling wetlands illegally and damming streams can result in serious environmental consequences. Streams, rivers, and wetlands benefit the environment by reducing flood risks, filtering pollutants, recharging groundwater and drinking water supplies, and providing food and habitat for aquatic species. EPA discovered the violations in 2011 and 2012 through information provided by WVDEP and the public, and through routine field inspections. In summer 2014, the company conducted an internal audit and ultimately disclosed to EPA alleged violations at eight additional locations, which are also being resolved through this Consent Decree. The settlement also resolves alleged violations of state law brought by WVDEP. The consent decree has been lodged in the Northern District of West Virginia and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and court approval. For more information: http://www2.epa.gov/enforcement/trans-energy-inc-clean-water-act-settlement <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkP…> R198 ------------------------------ [image: EPA Seal] You can unsubscribe or update your subscriptions or e-mail address at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkP…>. All you will need is your e-mail address. If you have any questions or problems, please e-mail subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkP…> for assistance. This service is provided to you at no charge by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkP…> . [image: Visit Us on Facebook] <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkP…> [image: Visit Us on Twitter] <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkP…> [image: Visit Us on YouTube] <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkP…> [image: Visit Us on flickr] <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkP…> ------------------------------ This email was sent to newviv(a)roadrunner.com using GovDelivery, on behalf of: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 · 202-564-4355 [image: Powered by GovDelivery] <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkP…> -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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New US-DOE report shows wind is cheaper than gas
by James Kotcon 19 Aug '14

19 Aug '14

The 2013 Wind Technologies Market Report from US-DOE shows that newly-installed wind-generated electricity is, as a national average, already cheaper than electricity from coal, and, if the PTC is included, is currently cheaper than gas-fired electricity. Since the PTC expired last year, wind may have to compete with gas without subsidies, but as costs continue to fall for wind, and are likely to rise for gas, wind is likely to compete well even without subsidies in the near future (5-10 years). Cost for wind are lowest in Interior Midwest states. Wind resources in most of the Mid-Atlantic states are of lower quality and are unlikely to be competitive with gas in the near term. A future cost for fossil carbon emissions will accelerate the market for wind as it is likely to further increase the costs for gas. Bottom line, no one is investing in coal, and investments in new gas infrastructure are increasingly risky as long-term investments. The Longview plant looked like a really good deal in 2003, but was not operational until 2011, and filed for bankruptcy in 2013. A new gas plant proposed today is unlikely to be operational in less than 3-5 years, by which time it may be unable to compete with wind in time to pay off its investment. See the full report, especially Figure 49, at: http://emp.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/2013_Wind_Technologies_Market_Report_Fin… Jim Kotcon

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Moundsville Power wants a PILOT Agreement
by James Kotcon 19 Aug '14

19 Aug '14

This reminds me of the PILOT agreement that Longview sought from Monongalia County in 2003. Anyone want to write comments? JBK Support sought for proposed state power plant The Associated Press MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. - Developers of a proposed natural gas-fired power plant in Marshall County are seeking the county's support of the project. Officials with Moundsville Power and the Regional Economic Development Partnership plan to make a formal presentation to the County Commission on Monday. The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register reports that the developers are proposing an agreement under which the county would own the plant and lease it back to Moundsville Power to operate. Moundsville Power would pay about $1 million annually to the county in lieu of regular property taxes. The $615 million plant would be located in Moundsville. It would generate 549 megawatts of electricity and use about 100 million cubic feet of gas per day. http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140818/GZ01/140819283/

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WVU's solar Decathalon housegoes to WV Botanic Garden
by James Kotcon 13 Aug '14

13 Aug '14

I had been trying to find out what happened to this, now we know. JBK http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2014/08/12/wvu-donates-solar-decathlon-house-to-w… Home<http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/> / Press Releases<http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n> WVU donates Solar Decathlon house to West Virginia Botanic Garden<http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2014/08/12/wvu-donates-solar-decathlon-house-to-w…> August 12th, 2014 The West Virginia University<http://www.wvu.edu/> house built for the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon has found a new place to call home. The University has donated the Preserving Energy with Appalachian Knowledge<http://solar.wvu.edu/peak-2013> house to the West Virginia Botanic Garden<http://www.wvbg.org/>, located in Morgantown. The house was recently moved from its current location on WVU's Evansdale Campus to the Garden, where it will be used for office space, group meeting space and displays. "The West Virginia Botanic Garden will be an ideal permanent location for the house," said Brian Woerner<http://www.lcsee.statler.wvu.edu/faculty/faculty-detail.php?id=465&type=fac…>, chair of the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering<http://www.lcsee.statler.wvu.edu/> at WVU. "The Garden has a mission to promote the best use of natural resources, and the historical significance and natural beauty of state. The PEAK house fits perfectly with that mission." "This is the realization of a long-recognized need for a building on site," explained Bill Johnson, president of the West Virginia Botanic Garden board of directors. "WVU's donation of the PEAK House, combined with financial support from friends of the Garden, components makes this possible." The team from WVU built the house for the 2013 Solar Decathlon, which brings together students from around the world to design and build an ultra-efficient, solar energy sustainable and livable house. The PEAK house was the first log-style home to be accepted to the Decathlon, representing WVU's roots in Appalachia. Its design earned the team top honors in the category for Integration of Nature and Technology. "In support of our mission, we strive to develop and manage the garden in a sustainable and ecologically responsible manner. The 'green' design of the building is a perfect fit with this philosophy, and demonstrates the Garden's commitment to these principles," said Johnson. Thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation, students and professors will use the house while it is on the Botanic Garden grounds to study the use of nanotechnology and to develop healthy and sustainable indoor living environments. "The house will be used for regular measurements of efficiency of power generation and use from the solar panels over the next several years," said Woerner. "The Solar Decathlon provided a unique educational experience that fulfilled the senior design requirements for a significant number of students. The donation of the house assures that the work of WVU students will be enjoyed by visitors to the Garden for many years to come." The Botanic Garden is located at 1061 Tyrone Road, and is open daily, free of charge, from dawn to dusk. For more information, visit www.wvbg.org<http://www.wvbg.org>. -WVU- wbk/08/12/14 CONTACT: Mary C. Dillon, Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources 304.293.4086, Mary.Dillon(a)mail.wvu.edu<mailto:Mary.Dillon@mail.wvu.edu> - See more at: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2014/08/12/wvu-donates-solar-decathlon-house-to-w…

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Sen. Manchin’s brother sues him, other brother over $1.7 million loan
by James Kotcon 28 Jul '14

28 Jul '14

Can someone forward this to the PA Chapter, and whoever was doing the lawsuit there? What is the best way to use this to highlight the self-interest in Manchin's opposition to EPA rules? Jim Kotcon Sen. Manchin’s brother sues him, other brother over $1.7 million loan Thursday, July 24, 2014 By Kate White, Staff writer FAIRMONT, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s brother has sued the senator and another brother over more than $1.7 million that allegedly was loaned to keep a family business afloat decades ago. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday by Dr. John Manchin against his brothers, Joe and Roch Manchin, in Marion County Circuit Court.According to the lawsuit, Joe and Roch Manchin requested the money in the 1980s from their brother “in response to Manchin Carpet Center’s distressed financial condition. ”John Manchin loaned them more than $1.7 million, all of which was provided to the business’ primary creditor, Community Bank and Trust, according to the lawsuit. Joe and Roch Manchin promised to repay their brother on repeated occasions, most recently in July 2012, according to the lawsuit. The loan does not appear on Sen. Manchin’s financial disclosure forms, filed with the U.S. Senate. The Senate Ethics Committee requires disclosure of any debt valued at more than $10,000, but there is an exemption for a “personal liability” owed to a close family member, including a brother. The July 2012 “funds sharing agreement” attached to the lawsuit describes how money from a proposed power plant in Greene County, Pennsylvania, would be split among the three Manchin brothers. The Nemacolin plant was being developed by Wellington Development, a Fairmont-based company. Under the 2012 agreement, Sen. Manchin would deduct what he put into the project, and then John Manchin would get the first $1 million of profit. Any subsequent profit would be divided among all three brothers for as long as they survive. The agreement was signed by Joe and Roch Manchin, and sent by Kirtan Mehta, chief counsel to the senator. It was dated July 25, 2012, with a U.S. Senate letterhead. Jonathan Kott, a spokesman in Manchin’s Senate office, said Friday afternoon that Mehta did the personal work for Manchin at home, after hours. It was a mistake that the agreement was printed on Senate letterhead, Kott said. “The senator feels it was a mistake, and we’ve notified the Ethics Committee to see if there’s anything we need to do,” Kott said. “They haven’t responded, but we already self-reported it.” Morgantown lawyer Michael Benninger, who filed the lawsuit on John Manchin’s behalf, did not return multiple phone calls Thursday or Friday. Reached at his clinic in Fairmont on Thursday, John Manchin referred questions about the lawsuit to his attorney, Since at least the early 2000s, Wellington had been working on a proposal to build a 525-megawatt power plant along the Monongahela River at Nemacolin. According to court records, the facility was being designed to burn a mixture of newly mined coal and coal wastes that would have been recovered from “gob” piles from the former Nemacolin Coal/Buckeye Coal facility. Promoters touted their belief that the project would clean up nearly 3,000 acres of degraded former mining property. Court records say the plant, if built, would have been “the largest waste-coal-fired facility” of this type in the country. A challenge from the Sierra Club and other groups was thrown out and, as recently as December 2012, the company was trying to obtain required Clean Water Act authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In early February of this year, though, Wellington wrote to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to withdraw its state permit. Wellington official Stanley Sears wrote that “present conditions, as witnessed throughout the U.S., make it virtually impossible to finance and construct this kind of facility.” The letter complained about environmental groups that opposed the project and thanked “all of the many citizens, groups and local government agencies that supported this project over the years.” In his lawsuit, John Manchin also claims that: | According to the July 2012 agreement, if there was a delay in paying him back, he was entitled to one-third interest in coal reserves and brokerage businesses and other incorporated businesses owned by Joe and Roch Manchin. | Manchin Brothers, a company formed by the three brothers, was terminated without John Manchin’s knowledge or consent. According to the lawsuit, John Manchin believes its funds, assets and property were transferred to Wholesale Carpet Inc., which Manchin Carpet Center was reorganized into in the early 1990s. John Manchin claims that assets from Manchin Brothers were transferred to Manchin Enterprises — controlled by Joe Manchin and his son, Joseph Manchin IV — and others. | On numerous occasions, John Manchin’s brothers falsely represented to him that he was one-third owner of Transcom Inc., which was incorporated in 1988. Transcom is now Farmington Resources. Sen. Manchin owns stock and accounts in Farmington Resources worth between $200,000 and $500,000, according to financial disclosure forms filed in May with the Senate. Sen. Manchin’s net worth is between $3.8 million and $11.5 million, according to his most recent financial disclosure forms. The wide range is because the forms require only a broad estimate of the value of each asset owned by the senator, not an exact amount. The lawsuit asks that John Manchin be compensated for what he’s lost and awarded one-third ownership interest in all coal reserves and businesses incorporated, formed and owned by his brothers during the time Manchin Brothers’ and Manchin Carpet Center’s funds, property and assets were being used. - See more at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140724/GZ01/140729522#sthash.IPQDwDKp.dp… http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140724/GZ01/140729522

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FW: Why The Fossil Fuel Industry Hates Wind Power
by James Kotcon 27 Jul '14

27 Jul '14

This article from Australia has some important concepts for the economics of renewables versus coal in America. JBK ________________________________ From: James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2014 11:09 AM To: James Kotcon Subject: Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Why The Fossil Fuel Industry Hates Wind Power http://cleantechnica.com/2014/07/20/fossil-fuel-industry-hates-wind-power/ ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Spike Lewis <spike.lewis(a)gmail.com<mailto:spike.lewis@gmail.com>> Date: Tue, Jul 22, 2014 at 12:46 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Why The Fossil Fuel Industry Hates Wind Power To: "LA Beyond Coal Team/Energy Activists." <COAL-LA-ENERGY-ACTIVISTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org<mailto:COAL-LA-ENERGY-ACTIVISTS@lists.sierraclub.org>>, Coal Alerts <coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:coal-volunteers-list@sierraclub.org>>, coal no new <nonewcoalplants(a)energyjustice.net<mailto:nonewcoalplants@energyjustice.net>> Happy Tuesday, Coal Fighters! Opponents of clean energy are quick to tell you the myth of how expensive energy efficiency, solar, and wind are. What they are really worried about is how clean energy causes the price of dirty energy to decrease when fossil fuels make their most profits. Thanks to LA Beyond Coal Campaign Volunteer Leader Kent Minault for first bringing this concept to our attention. Today's inspiration is from Cleantechnica<http://cleantechnica.com/2014/07/20/fossil-fuel-industry-hates-wind-power/>. Thank you for your time and consideration, Spike -- Spike Lewis -- 310.487.8160<tel:310.487.8160> Volunteer Organizer, LA Beyond Coal Campaign -- 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<mailto:neha.mathew@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<mailto:coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe@sierraclub.org>. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:coal-volunteers-list@sierraclub.org>.

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Re: [EC] WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE WE DONT KNOW ABOUT THIS GUY? A GOB PLANT? YOU'RE KIDDING. AND EPA, THAT MEANIE.....
by James Kotcon 27 Jul '14

27 Jul '14

Actually, Pennsylvania's Standard was adopted a few years before West Virginia's, and had two standards, one for "renewable" energy sources and one for "alternative". Then-Gov. Manchin adopted this approach with his bill, but weakened it further by making the sources interchangeable. Thus, WV utilities did not have to add ANY renewable sources to meet the WV standard, whereas PA utilities did have to add some wind and solar. But FBC gob burners do qualify as "alternative" under WV law, so they would obviously like to be included in PA as well. JBK PS. The fact sheet below is a little dated, as most of the 1950's era plants have already been or will be shut down next year by the new Mercury and Air Toxics standards. Coal plants with scrubbers will meet the MATS, and therefore are cleaner than FBC plants for most pollutants. PPS. We were somewhat involved in the Nemacolin plant permitting some years ago. I still have the files from when the sent me a subpoena for all records and communications on their air permit. So I sent the about 500 pages of stuff, but since all we did was cite facts, they never followed up (apparently "facts" were not helpful to their legal case). :-) ________________________________ From: Gary Zuckett <garyz(a)wvcag.org> Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2014 11:47 PM To: 'William V. DePaulo, Esq.'; 'Emmett Pepper'; '5811253# Cathy'; 'David Schlissel'; 'Elise Keaton'; 'Brown Paul Corbit'; 'Sconyers Jim'; 'Price Bill'; 'Chad Cordell'; 'Jim Waggy'; 'William Hall'; 'Doug Wood'; maya(a)chemsafety.org; 'WV Chapter Energy Committee'; duane330(a)aol.com; daniel.chiotos(a)gmail.com; 'Mark Kresowik'; 'David Muhly'; 'Zachary Fabish'; James Kotcon Subject: RE: WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE WE DONT KNOW ABOUT THIS GUY? A GOB PLANT? YOU'RE KIDDING. AND EPA, THAT MEANIE..... “The waste coal industry is pushing aggressively to include their proposed facilities in the Pennsylvania Renewable Portfolio Standard<http://www.actionpa.org/cleanenergy/>, despite the fact that waste coal is not renewable energy and that waste coal power plants are dirtier than coal power plants.” From end of Waste Coal article. Tell me if I’m wrong but I think it was Gov Manchin’s that pushed through waste coal into our WV Renewable Porfolio… GZ From: William V. DePaulo, Esq. [mailto:william.depaulo@gmail.com] Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2014 8:43 AM To: Emmett Pepper; 5811253# Cathy; Gary Zuckett; David Schlissel; Elise Keaton; Brown Paul Corbit; Sconyers Jim; Price Bill; Chad Cordell; Jim Waggy; William Hall; Doug Wood; maya(a)chemsafety.org; WV Chapter Energy Committee; duane330(a)aol.com; daniel.chiotos(a)gmail.com; Mark Kresowik; David Muhly; Zachary Fabish; James Kotcon Subject: Re: WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE WE DONT KNOW ABOUT THIS GUY? A GOB PLANT? YOU'RE KIDDING. AND EPA, THAT MEANIE..... Jim Kotcon in North and the rest of you down here.....I agree we need to seize the moment to go after Manchin on this....a short version of this story has gone around the country already.....the gazette article is far more detailed.....i sent it to a new york times reporter who covered west va in january.....we already knew Manchin was making millions from what in the past was described as a coal brokerage business.....this is way beyond brokering.....it relates directly to the motives for his opposition to EPA standards.......one opening appears to be the Senate reporting requirements.....there may be a reporting exemption for loans from a family member, but i'll be fifty cents that at least some of these loans/debts were to a corporate entity of some type--and were NOT exempt from reporting..... LEGAL FOOTNOTE: The West Virginia Constitution provides for impeachment of an "officer of the state" as follows: 4-9. Impeachment of officials. Any officer of the state may be impeached for maladministration, corruption, incompetency, gross immorality, neglect of duty, or any high crime or misdemeanor. The House of Delegates shall have the sole power of impeachment. The Senate shall have the sole power to try impeachments and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two thirds of the members elected thereto. When sitting as a court of impeachment, the president of the supreme court of appeals, or, if from any cause it be improper for him to act, then any other judge of that court, to be designated by it, shall preside; and the senators shall be on oath or affirmation, to do justice according to law and evidence. Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold any office of honor, trust or profit, under the state; but the party convicted shall be liable to indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment according to law. The Senate may sit during the recess of the Legislature for the trial of impeachment BOTTOM LINE: WE CANT LET THIS MOMENT PASS WITHOUT EMPTYING ALL AVAILABLE CARTRIDGES. SEE BELOW FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE WEB PAGE ON COAL GOB -- THE WORST OF THE WORST -------------------- Waste Coal Burning Waste Coal is Much More Polluting than Burning Coal [Printable PDF factsheet on waste coal<http://www.energyjustice.net/files/coal/wastecoal/factsheet.pdf>] [Nemacolin Gob Pile in Greene County, PA] Nemacolin Gob Pile in Greene County, PA What is waste coal? Waste coals are the low-energy-value discards of the coal mining industry. Waste coal is called "culm" in the eastern Pennsylvania anthracite coal region and "gob" or "boney" in the bitiminous coal mining regions (western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and elsewhere). Waste coal piles accumulated mostly between 1900 and 1970. The piles look like hills or small mountains that are dark and barren. Hundreds of millions of tons of waste coal and rock litter the landscape in mining states. Why is it a problem? Waste coal piles leach iron, manganese and aluminum pollution into waterways and cause acid drainage that kills neighboring streams. These piles sometimes even catch fire, releasing toxic pollution into the air. <http://www.energyjustice.net/coal/wastecoal/facilities>[Map of Waste Coal plants in the U.S.]<http://www.energyjustice.net/coal/wastecoal/facilities><http://www.energyjustice.net/coal/wastecoal/facilities> Click here for a list of existing and proposed waste coal facilities<http://www.energyjustice.net/coal/wastecoal/facilities> Where is waste coal being burned? There are currently 18 waste coal burning power plants, and 13 more that use it as a secondary fuel, with bituminous coal as their primary fuel. Fourteen of the 18 waste coal plants are in Pennsylvania. Over a dozen more are proposed, mostly in PA, WV and KY. There are also now proposals for coal-to-oil<http://www.ultradirtyfuels.com> refineries, some of which would use waste coal to produce liquid fuels. [http://www.energyjustice.net/files/coal/wastecoal/c-btuchart.gif]Low energy value Nationally, waste coal has an average of 60% of the BTU value (British Thermal Units, a unit of energy) of normal coals. It can take up to twice as much waste coal to produce the same amount of electricity. This means that -- in most places -- waste coal burners can only be economically built where huge volumes of waste coal exist. It would cost too much to truck far-away low-BTU fuel to a centralized burner. Consequently, even if waste coal burning were a clean solution, it wouldn't deal with the problem of more isolated waste coal piles. [http://www.energyjustice.net/files/coal/wastecoal/c-hgconc.gif] Waste Coal has More Mercury Waste coal has higher concentration of mercury than normal coals. In West Virginia and nationally, gob has 4 times more mercury than bituminous coal. In Pennsylvania, gob has 3.5 times more mercury than bituminous coal. Culm has 19% more mercury than anthracite coal. Bituminous waste coal also has higher levels of sulfur (see chart below<http://www.energyjustice.net/coal/wastecoal#sulfur>). [This is based on thousands of samples collected in 1999 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Click here for more details on mercury content in coals and waste coals<http://www.energyjustice.net/coal/wastecoal/epa-icrdata.html>.] Data on other metals in waste coal is sparse, but evidence from single metals tests on Pennsylvania culm and gob show both to have about 4 times as much chromium and 3 times as much lead. [http://www.energyjustice.net/files/coal/wastecoal/c-hgperbtu.gif]More Mercury Per Megawatt Since more waste coal must be burned to produce the same amount of electricity as normal coal would, this means that -- in the states most affected by waste coal burning -- over 6 times as much mercury must be fed into a waste coal burner to produce the same amount of energy as a traditional coal power plant. For culm vs. anthracite coal, it takes nearly twice as much mercury. Where Does the Mercury Go? Older coal power plants could not handle waste coal. In the late 1980's "circulating fluidized bed" (CFB) style power plants were built which could burn the low-energy waste coal. Because they were built after the 1970 Clean Air Act, these CFB power plants have pollution control equipment that the old ones don't have. This makes it easy for the waste coal industry to make the claim that their air emissions are cleaner than 1950s-era coal power plants. Comparing apples to apples, it is more accurate to compare air emissions from waste coal burners to the new coal power plants being proposed. The currently proposed Longview<http://www.nolongview.org> bituminous coal power plant in Fort Martin (near Morgantown, WV) would have lower emissions than the currently proposed gob burner in nearby Nemacolin<http://www.truthaboutgob.org> (Greene County, PA). Other Air Emissions Combustion creates problems that simply don't exist if the waste coal is left unburned. Anytime you burn coal or waste coal, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)<http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/eh/ChemFS/fs/PAH.htm> are created that were not present in the unburned waste coal. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons<http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/chemicals/chemicals-detail-print.asp?Ma…> have a range of toxicity. Any time you burn anything with less than complete combustion, you also create nitrogen oxides (NOx)<http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/summary.tcl?edf_substance_id=EDF…> and products of incomplete combustion (PICs). Since the number of possible PICs is unlimited, the potential toxicity of the PICs is uncertain. [See studies on how fluidized bed waste coal burners release more cancer-causing PAH's<http://www.energyjustice.net/coal/pah/> as well as 15% more global warming pollution and increased carbon monoxide than conventional burners.] Toxic Ash Burning waste coal doesn't make the waste go away. If 100 tons of waste coal are burned, 85 tons will remain as waste coal ash. Since far more mercury and other toxic contaminants enter a waste coal burner to produce a given amount of electricity, these high levels of toxic contaminants have to come out somewhere. Toxic metals cannot be destroyed by burning them. To the extent that they are captured in pollution controls (protecting the air), they are then concentrated in the highly toxic ash that ultimately threatens the groundwater wherever this ash is dumped. Waste coal burners have cleaner air emissions than antiquated coal plants due to their better pollution controls, but this only means that the ash is far more toxic, since the highly toxic particulates captured in pollution control equipment end up in the ash. The industry claims that 99.8% of the mercury in the fuel is captured and ends up in their ash. Waste coal ash is dumped in communities not far from the waste coal burners, threatening the groundwater with leaching lead, mercury and other poisons. Power plant waste is allowed to be dumped without the basic protections (landfill<http://www.ejnet.org/landfills/> liners) that are required for dumping household trash. When burning any solid fuel, the resulting ash has a higher surface area than the raw, unburned material. The dangers of toxic leaching from ash can be expected to be greater than from the unburned waste coal. Just like with coffee, running water over coffee grounds leaches far more coffee out than if you ran water over whole coffee beans. The industry claims that by injecting limestone into the ash, the ash becomes impervious to leaching. However, this has not been proven and it seems likely that the alkaline affects of the lime would afford only temporary protection, especially since the region where most of the waste coal burners are (Pennsylvania, West Virginia) suffers from the nation's worst acid rain<http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/isopleths/maps2001/phlab.gif>. The waste coal burning industry's own data shows that waste coal ash does in fact leach metals into groundwater, despite their public assertions. Ash at 2 of 12 facilities studied in Pennsylvania were shown to contain levels of arsenic higher than the maximum allowable concentration set forth for land application of sewage sludge<http://www.ejnet.org/sludge/>. Of 221 samples of leachate from waste coal ash at the ash dumps, lead contamination in 23 samples (10.4%) exceeded a level 10 times higher than EPA's maximum contaminant level (MCL) for drinking water. Six samples exceeded this "10 times the drinking water standard" level for cadmium, as did single samples for chromium and selenium. Click here for a list of waste coal ash dumps in the U.S.<http://www.energyjustice.net/coal/ashdumps> <http://www.erosioncontrol.com/ec_0007_beach.html>[http://www.energyjustice.net/files/coal/wastecoal/beachgrass-before.jpg]<http://www.erosioncontrol.com/ec_0007_beach.html><http://www.erosioncontrol.com/ec_0007_beach.html> Beach Grass: the Safe and Affordable Alternative to Burning Waste Coal Researchers at the Natural Resources Conservation Service found a very cheap and viable alternative to the conventional waste coal pile remediation method of grading, topsoiling, seeding and mulching. They found that beach grass, native to sandy beaches, thrives in waste coal piles and can establish enough plant cover to enable native plants to take root. This method has been shown to bring life back to long-dead waste coal piles for only 6-10% of the cost of conventional methods. Within a few years, beach grass enabled native plants to take over, allowing organic matter to accumulate around plants, forming a plant layer that stopped erosion, held water, cooled the surface, and looked better. <http://www.erosioncontrol.com/ec_0007_beach.html>[http://www.energyjustice.net/files/coal/wastecoal/beachgrass-after.jpg]<http://www.erosioncontrol.com/ec_0007_beach.html><http://www.erosioncontrol.com/ec_0007_beach.html> Gob Pile Recovered by Planting Beach Grass For more details, read: * Beach Grass: Bringing the Seashore to the Mountains<http://www.erosioncontrol.com/ec_0007_beach.html> (Erosion Control Feature Article, July/August 2000). * Succession on a Coal Mine Gob Pile Stabilized With 'Cape' American Beachgrass<http://www.energyjustice.net/coal/wastecoal/beachgrass> The waste coal industry is pushing aggressively to include their proposed facilities in the Pennsylvania Renewable Portfolio Standard<http://www.actionpa.org/cleanenergy/>, despite the fact that waste coal is not renewable energy and that waste coal power plants are dirtier than coal power plants. The waste coal industry argues that the best solution to waste coal piles is burning them, while other cleaner and safer alternatives exist. Rather than liberate the toxic contaminants by burning them, it is preferable to remediate the waste coal piles in a way that reduces the problems associated with the piles without creating new problems. ________________________________ [http://www.energyjustice.net/files/coal/wastecoal/c-sulfurchart.gif] Energy Justice Network, 1434 Elbridge St, Philadelphia, PA 19149 | 215-743-4884<tel:215-743-4884> | niaby(a)energyjustice.net<mailto:niaby@energyjustice.net> | Site Map<http://www.energyjustice.net/sitemap> On Sat, Jul 26, 2014 at 7:59 AM, William V. DePaulo, Esq. <william.depaulo(a)gmail.com<mailto:william.depaulo@gmail.com>> wrote: [Print] <http://www.wvgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140724/GZ01/140729522…> Thursday, July 24, 2014 Sen. Manchin’s brother sues him, other brother over $1.7 million loan By Kate White<http://www.wvgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=staff&template=staf…>, Staff writer [http://www.wvgazette.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/CH/20140724/GZ01/1407295…] Gazette file photo Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., talks during a meeting in Charleston in January 2013. The senator and his brother were sued by another brother this week over an allegedly unpaid loan of more than $1.7 million. * Manchin v Manchin Complaint pdf file<http://www.wvgazette.com/assets/PDF/CH6201725.pdf> FAIRMONT, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s brother has sued the senator and another brother over more than $1.7 million that allegedly was loaned to keep a family business afloat decades ago. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday by Dr. John Manchin against his brothers, Joe and Roch Manchin, in Marion County Circuit Court. According to the lawsuit, Joe and Roch Manchin requested the money in the 1980s from their brother “in response to Manchin Carpet Center’s distressed financial condition.” John Manchin loaned them more than $1.7 million, all of which was provided to the business’ primary creditor, Community Bank and Trust, according to the lawsuit. Joe and Roch Manchin promised to repay their brother on repeated occasions, most recently in July 2012, according to the lawsuit. The loan does not appear on Sen. Manchin’s financial disclosure forms<https://efdsearch.senate.gov/search/view/annual/a50e409b-350b-4056-b0bf-165…>, filed with the U.S. Senate. The Senate Ethics Committee requires disclosure<http://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=60916d73-…> of any debt valued at more than $10,000, but there is an exemption for a “personal liability” owed to a close family member, including a brother. The July 2012 “funds sharing agreement” attached to the lawsuit describes how money from a proposed power plant in Greene County, Pennsylvania, would be split among the three Manchin brothers. The Nemacolin plant was being developed by Wellington Development, a Fairmont-based company. Under the 2012 agreement, Sen. Manchin would deduct what he put into the project, and then John Manchin would get the first $1 million of profit. Any subsequent profit would be divided among all three brothers for as long as they survive. The agreement was signed by Joe and Roch Manchin, and sent by Kirtan Mehta, chief counsel to the senator. It was dated July 25, 2012, with a U.S. Senate letterhead. Jonathan Kott, a spokesman in Manchin’s Senate office, said Friday afternoon that Mehta did the personal work for Manchin at home, after hours. It was a mistake that the agreement was printed on Senate letterhead, Kott said. “The senator feels it was a mistake, and we’ve notified the Ethics Committee to see if there’s anything we need to do,” Kott said. “They haven’t responded, but we already self-reported it.” Morgantown lawyer Michael Benninger, who filed the lawsuit on John Manchin’s behalf, did not return multiple phone calls Thursday or Friday. Reached at his clinic in Fairmont on Thursday, John Manchin referred questions about the lawsuit to his attorney, Since at least the early 2000s, Wellington had been working on a proposal to build a 525-megawatt power plant along the Monongahela River at Nemacolin. According to court records, the facility was being designed to burn a mixture of newly mined coal and coal wastes that would have been recovered from “gob” piles from the former Nemacolin Coal/Buckeye Coal facility. Promoters touted their belief that the project would clean up nearly 3,000 acres of degraded former mining property. Court records say the plant, if built, would have been “the largest waste-coal-fired facility” of this type in the country. A challenge from the Sierra Club and other groups was thrown out and, as recently as December 2012, the company was trying to obtain required Clean Water Act authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In early February of this year, though, Wellington wrote to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to withdraw its state permit. Wellington official Stanley Sears wrote that “present conditions, as witnessed throughout the U.S., make it virtually impossible to finance and construct this kind of facility.” The letter complained about environmental groups that opposed the project and thanked “all of the many citizens, groups and local government agencies that supported this project over the years.” In his lawsuit, John Manchin also claims that: | According to the July 2012 agreement, if there was a delay in paying him back, he was entitled to one-third interest in coal reserves and brokerage businesses and other incorporated businesses owned by Joe and Roch Manchin. | Manchin Brothers, a company formed by the three brothers, was terminated without John Manchin’s knowledge or consent. According to the lawsuit, John Manchin believes its funds, assets and property were transferred to Wholesale Carpet Inc., which Manchin Carpet Center was reorganized into in the early 1990s. John Manchin claims that assets from Manchin Brothers were transferred to Manchin Enterprises — controlled by Joe Manchin and his son, Joseph Manchin IV — and others. | On numerous occasions, John Manchin’s brothers falsely represented to him that he was one-third owner of Transcom Inc., which was incorporated in 1988. Transcom is now Farmington Resources. Sen. Manchin owns stock and accounts in Farmington Resources worth between $200,000 and $500,000, according to financial disclosure forms filed in May with the Senate. Sen. Manchin’s net worth is between $3.8 million and $11.5 million, according to his most recent financial disclosure forms. The wide range is because the forms require only a broad estimate of the value of each asset owned by the senator, not an exact amount. The lawsuit asks that John Manchin be compensated for what he’s lost and awarded one-third ownership interest in all coal reserves and businesses incorporated, formed and owned by his brothers during the time Manchin Brothers’ and Manchin Carpet Center’s funds, property and assets were being used. Mary Manchin, mother of the brothers, died in May at age 91. The family is from Marion County. A Gazette reporter obtained a copy of the lawsuit from the Marion County Courthouse on Friday. The previous day, employees in Marion County Circuit Clerk Rhonda Starn’s office had refused to provide a copy of the lawsuit. Starn told her employees “to transfer all incoming calls regarding this case directly to her,” a clerk in Starn’s office said Thursday morning. Starn did not return a phone message and did not answer several phone calls throughout Thursday. Starn’s office has a policy that lawsuits remain private until a defendant is served, according to the clerk. Another clerk in Starn’s office had said Thursday that the lawsuit might not be public for 20 to 30 days. The Gazette notified officials with the West Virginia Supreme Court about the county’s policy. Officials with the Supreme Court, which oversees all circuit courts in West Virginia, contacted Starn’s office. At about 4:45 p.m., Robin Tucker, Starn’s deputy clerk, called the Gazette and said the clerk’s office had closed at 4:30 p.m. and that a reporter could obtain a copy of the lawsuit at 8:30 a.m. Friday for $1 a page. The amount must be paid by cash or money order before a copy is provided, Tucker said. Circuit clerk offices throughout the state usually provide information and, if they charge anything, send a bill. “Honey, we don’t bill. We have no way to bill,” Tucker said. “All of the information is in our system. You’re welcome to look at it in the morning.” Staff writers David Gutman and Ken Ward Jr. contributed to this report. Reach Kate White at kate.white(a)wvgazette.com<mailto:kate.white@wvgazette.com>, 304-348-1723<tel:304-348-1723> or follow @KateLWhite on Twitter. - See more at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140724/GZ01/140729522/1419#sthash.RA5uey… -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel 304-342-5588<tel:304-342-5588> Fax 304-342-5505<tel:304-342-5505> william.depaulo(a)gmail.com<mailto:william.depaulo@gmail.com> www.passeggiata.com<http://www.passeggiata.com> -- 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<mailto:william.depaulo@gmail.com> www.passeggiata.com<http://www.passeggiata.com>

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