CLEAR February 2014

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FirstEnergy completes sale of Lake Lynn Hydrodam to LS Power
by Duane330＠aol.com 23 Feb '14

23 Feb '14

FirstEnergy Completes Sale of Eleven Hydroelectric Power Stations to Harbor Hydro Holdings, LLCCL AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) has completed the sale of 11 hydroelectric power stations to Harbor Hydro Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of LS Power Equity Partners II, LP, for approximately $395 million. The two companies originally announced the sales agreement in September 2013. The hydroelectric power stations included in this sale are owned by FirstEnergy Generation, LLC, Allegheny Energy Supply Company, LLC and Green Valley Hydro, LLC and have a total capacity of 527 megawatts, which represents less than 3 percent of FirstEnergy's generation fleet output. The sale includes: Seneca Pumped Storage (451 MW) in Warren, Pa.; Allegheny Lock & Dam 5 (6 MW) in Schenley, Pa.; Allegheny Lock & Dam 6 (7 MW) in Ford City, Pa.; Lake Lynn (52 MW) in Lake Lynn, Pa.; Millville (3 MW) in Millville, W. Va.; Dam 4 (2 MW) in Shepherdstown, W. Va.; Dam 5 (1.2 MW) in Falling Waters, W.Va.; Warren (750 kW) in Front Royal, Va.; Luray (1.6 MW) in Luray, Va.; and Shenandoah and Newport (860 kW and 1.4 MW, respectively) in Shenandoah, Va. The 35 current employees at these power stations are being retained by the new owner. FirstEnergy subsidiary Allegheny Generating Company continues to own 1,200 MW of the 3,000 MW Bath County Pumped-Storage Hydro facility in Warm Springs, Va. In addition, FirstEnergy subsidiary Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) continues to own 200 MW of the 400 MW Yards Creek Pumped-Storage Hydro facility in Blairstown, N.J. FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. Its generation subsidiaries currently control more than 17,500 megawatts of capacity from a diversified mix of scrubbed coal, non-emitting nuclear, natural gas, hydro, pumped-storage hydro and other renewables. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter _@FirstEnergyCorp_ (http://www.twitter.com/@FirstEnergyCorp) . LS Power, an employee-owned, independent power company with offices in New York, New Jersey, Missouri and California, is a developer, owner, operator and investor in power generation and electric transmission infrastructure throughout the United States. Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1735012#ixzz2uCpOORn9

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Birthplace of Rivers, Monday at 10 PM
by Duane 15 Feb '14

15 Feb '14

‘Birthplace of Rivers’ will air as part of PBS series02/15/2014 3:22 PM The focus for most southern West Virginians lately has been on snow. But the cameras turn to the state’s rivers, with West Virginia’s PBS 2 set to air “Birthplace of Rivers” Monday at 10 p.m. as part of the “This American Land” series. The episode focuses on the Birthplace of Rivers, an area in the Monongahela National Forest that contains the headwaters of six rivers that are a source of drinking water, recreation and tourism for downstream communities. The six rivers are the Cranberry, Cherry, Gauley, Williams, Greenbrier and Elk. The Birthplace of Rivers area has long been prized by hunters, anglers, hikers, birders and wildlife watchers for its pristine waters, rugged forests and natural beauty. The area is so important to the region’s recreation and tourism industries that a collection of businesses, sportsmen and conservationists joined together to have the Birthplace of Rivers receive special designation as a “national monument.” Since the Elk River chemical spill, interest in the monument ideas has increased. “Now, more than ever, people in West Virginia are thinking about the importance of clean water to their health, well-being, and economic security,” said Angie Rosser, executive director of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. “The Birthplace of Rivers represents a recovery for our state on many levels. Protecting our drinking water at the headwaters is an important step toward restoring our confidence now and giving us hope for the future. “The monument,” Rosser said, “would show the world that we are proud of our rivers and our heritage — it would provide a spark to help us be the West Virginia we know in our hearts we can be.” The “Birthplace of Rivers” segment of “This American Land” features stunning footage of waterfalls, trout streams, bogs and forests in and around the Cranberry Wilderness Area, plus generations-old music from a local fiddler and interviews with monument proponents, including a small business owner explaining how a national monument would boost tourism. Share Story

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Re: [CLEAR] Sheepskin Trail: Construction+Up+Ahead.pdf
by Reger-Nash, Bill 14 Feb '14

14 Feb '14

Outstanding Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S®4 -------- Original message -------- From: Duane Date:02/14/2014 3:38 PM (GMT-05:00) To: CLEAR Subject: [CLEAR] Sheepskin Trail: Construction+Up+Ahead.pdf http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1106683796118-5… Construction Up Ahead -- Sheepskin Trail connection to Morgantown Civic and municipal officials in the River Town of Point Marion, Fayette County could not be happier as it appears construction will begin this spring on the 1 1?4 mile Sheepskin Trail connection to Morgantown, West Virginia. Over twenty years has passed since some leading citizens approached Borough officials about connecting to Morgantown with a hike/bike trail. Even back then, Morgantown, the home of West Virginia University, was a growing community, and civic leaders were aware of the possible economic boon to Point Marion if a recreation and commuter trail connection were made to Morgantown. The Point Marion section will connect with the Mon River and Caperton trail and continue a distance of 48 miles to Fairmont, West Virginia. The trail property is owned by Fayette County. In 2012 the County Commissioners by resolution, named the National Road Heritage Corridor with offices in Uniontown, PA. as its development and project manager to work to complete the 34 mile trail and be the liaison with community officials. For the last three years, Executive Director, Donna Holdorf has aggressively sought the funds to complete the trail segment; joined by River Town Program staff, Point Marion residents, civic leaders, business owners and municipal officials. This unified approach has proven successful as a combination of private foundation funding, and grant funds from the Commonwealth's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) were matched with resources allocated for trailhead amenities, parking lot upgrades, and improvements to the contiguous Point Marion Community Park (details of this project can be found in this newsletter as well). Construction on this 1 1?4 mile connection is expected begin late spring /early summer of this year and should be completed by fall, 2014. Stay tuned for a spectacular opening ceremony! Private donations are still being sought to support the Sheepskin Trail / Point Marion construction project. Send your tax deductible contribution check made payable to the NRHC with note in the memo line "For the Point Marion segment" 65 West Main Street, Uniontown, PA 15401 Duane Nichols, Cell- 304-216-5535.

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Keep Our Drinking Water Safe in West Virginia!
by Duane 06 Feb '14

06 Feb '14

Hi, As West Virginians, we all support clean and safe drinking water and these strong recommendations will help make sure that we have it! Read the recommendations here: http://www.wvrivers.org/news/wvriverscoalitionreleaseswaterprotectionrecomm… That's why I signed a petition to The West Virginia State House, The West Virginia State Senate, and Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, which says: "I want my delegates and senators to know I support real protections for clean water, and that I want them to implement the recommendations of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition and the Chemical Safety Board. " Will you sign this petition? Click here: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/keep-our-drinking-water?source=s.em.mt&r_b… Thanks! Duane

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Observed vs Forecast Flows for the Monongahela River
by Duane 04 Feb '14

04 Feb '14

Monongahela River at the Pt. Marion Lock and Dam. The current river level is at 15 feet with flood stage at 26 feet. The prediction is for a peak level at 19.5 feet at about 50,000 cfs. Source: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=pbz&gage=pmrp1

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The Cheat River at Albright in Preston County
by Duane 04 Feb '14

04 Feb '14

Here is the flow in the Cheat River as measured at Albright, near Kingwood, In Preston County. Albright can be considered to be at the mouth of the Cheat Canyon. At 7:45 am today, the flow was 10,400 cubic feet per second. Source: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?03070260

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The Cheat River
by Duane 04 Feb '14

04 Feb '14

See the Cheat River flow at Parsons in Tucker County. There is lots more water to come as we get rain and melting snow today! This is called a "log - linear" plot because one axis, the discharge in this case, has been calibrated as a logarithm scale. While convenient for displaying large numbers, a log scale does not visually represent the true magnitude of the numerical values.

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Fwd: Can't Make It to the Public Hearing? Send your comments by email and tune in this evening....
by Duane 03 Feb '14

03 Feb '14

> From: "Chuck Wyrostok" <wyro(a)appalight.com> > Date: February 3, 2014 1:58:24 PM EST > To: "Chuck Wyrostok" <wyro(a)appalight.com> > Subject: Can't Make It to the Public Hearing? Send your comments by email and tune in this evening.... > > Please relay to your membership lists…thanks. > > If you can’t make it to the Public Hearing on Water at the Capitol today, here’s four ways you can participate > > 1. You can send your comments by email to members of the House Health Committee (see attachment for email addresses) > > 2. You can send your comments by email before 3:30pm today to either Julie Archer (julie(a)wvcag.org) or Chuck Wyro (outreach(a)marcellus-wv.com) and we will print them and hand deliver them at the hearing. > Please do not send to both of us. > > 3. WV Public Broadcasting will be covering the hearing live. You can tune in by radio, internet or TV. http://wvpublic.org/post/water-crisis-public-hearing-air-live-west-virginia… > > 4. Go to http://www.legis.state.wv.us/live.cfm , scroll down to the 5:30pm box and listen on online. > > > TAKE ACTION ~ PUBLIC HEARING ON WATER AT THE CAPITOL ~ THIS MONDAY FEB. 3RD, 5:30PM > What: Public Hearing on SB 373 related to water resources protection > When: Monday, February 3rd, 5:30pm > Where: House Chambers, State Capitol Building > Who: Joint Committee on Health & Finance > Why: For legislators to hear citizen input > > > WV House of Delegates to Host Public Hearing on Ongoing Water Crisis > Here’s your chance to speak to your legislators and fellow citizens, from a podium with a P.A. system, about how this chemical spill crisis has affected you. > This public hearing will take place in the House Chambers. House Speaker Tim Miley, D-Harrison said "The House leadership would like to give everyone who wants input in this important legislation to have the opportunity to participate. Legislation of this magnitude should be addressed very methodically and with great care. We want to ensure that the final product takes meaningful steps to truly protect our state's water supply and the health of the public." > > Pat McGinley, an environmental law professor at West Virginia University, said, "The events of the last few weeks have severely damaged West Virginians' confidence in leadership provided by the Legislature, governor, and DEP.” > > Sen. Chris Walters, R-Putnam said, "This should be a deliberate, slow study process. This doesn't need to be a knee-jerk reaction. I have a pregnant wife and a three-year-old daughter -- I'm not consuming the water. I'm not cooking with it. I'm worried about my unborn child. I can't get answers." > > The spill revealed once again that porous legislation and murky assumptions about industry self-policing hinder oversight of dangerous chemicals. U.S. Chemical Safety Board investigators have found that chemical storage tanks at the Elk River site were "very old" and "designed to a very old standard, without leak detection or secondary containment." > > Downstream Strategies consultant Evan Hansen said, “"This is not just about Charleston. This is not just an issue about above-ground storage tanks. This issue affects us all." > > After attempting to take contaminated water from his father's tap to decision-makers in Charleston last Thursday, Dustin White, of Boone County, was told by Capitol police to leave the Statehouse for carrying the "unidentified liquid." Bring your bad water to the Capitol steps for the hearing on Monday—they need to know what we deal with everyday. Then come inside for the Public Hearing. > Our legislators need to face the truth. > Let’s hear what you have to say about this travesty. We urge as many of you as possible to come out as a show of support for stringent water protection law and no-nonsense enforcement. > > After the Public Hearing there will be a Town Hall meeting at First Baptist Church on Shrewsbury St. 7-9pm. > Logistics: > > Easy Parking: Perry Bryant of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care tells us: > > I have confirmed with the Capital Security folks that we can park in the state employees parking lot after 5:00 pm on Monday. So if you get off the Greenbrier exit (Exit 99), go down the hill towards the Capitol building. Turn left at the light on Washington Street, Take an immediate left at the guard shack. There is metered parking (probably don’t have to pay after 5 pm) slightly to the right, and unmetered parking for state employees further to the right. The state employee parking is behind a wrought iron gate. This gate will be closed (and you won’t be able to get out) ½ hour after the end of the public hearing. If you park behind the wrought iron gate, do not dally after the public hearing. > While this parking has some limitations, it is significantly better than parking at the Laidley Field public parking areas on Elizabeth Street. See you Monday evening. > Attached is an information and talking points document, courtesy of Maya Nye and Angie Rosser. Here are some tips. > · Arrive ten minutes (or earlier) to sign up to speak. > > · Each speaker can expect only to have 1-2 minutes to speak. > > · Written comments can be submitted for the record. > > · Below are some suggested talking points as a guide. Citizens are encouraged to give their own perspective, in their words, of how the government needs to better protect drinking water supplies and public health. > > Citizen messaging framework: > · We deserve thorough protection from all contamination threats to our water supplies. > > · The government is failing us and needs to do a better job in regulating and enforcing protections. > > · We deserve to have all available government resources applied to understand and responsibly advise the public on risks and solutions to this health crisis. > > Needed technical improvements to SB 373: > · Close loopholes – there are many exclusions to tanks that are regulated under the new program, these need carefully analyzed. All tanks and all additional sources of potential contamination need adequately regulated. > > · Require individual permits and regular inspections for all potential significant contaminant sources within zones of critical concern for public drinking water systems. > > · Require and fund development of source water protection plans that address all significant contamination threats and include full stakeholder and community involvement. > > Assure that all pollution sources can be enforced via the Clean Water Act with provisions for citizen involvement. > Additional actions needed: > · Implementation of Chemical Safety Board Recommendations. > > · Continuation of bottled water distribution to all affected communities. > > · An environmentally sound and safe mechanism to flush the chemical from the water treatment plant, distribution lines, sewage systems, residences etc. > > · Immediate institution of a medical surveillance program. > > · Immediate studies on the short and long term effects of MCHM and its breakdown chemicals on human health. > > Chuck Wyrostok > Outreach Organizer > Sierra Club, WV Chapter > T: 877 252 0257 > E. outreach(a)marcellus-wv.com > www.marcellus-wv.com > > Water is Life...Keep It Clean > > Whenever there is a huge spill of solar energy, it's just called a nice day..... >

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CLEAR February 2014