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2019 Cooper's Rock 50K Race Report
by Duane Nichols via CLEAR 29 Apr '19

29 Apr '19

2019 Cooper's Rock 50K Race Report April 27th was the perfect weather for a race. Starting out at a chilly 38 degrees but giving way to a sunny 60 degrees towards the end. Cooper's Rock State Park is in north-eastern West Virginia, just 25 minutes from the Maryland border and 20 minutes from Morgantown, WV. It's a fantastic place to race or train for runners from WV, PA, or MD. Thirty (30) runners finished. https://enduranceheadquarters.com/blog/f/2019-coopers-rock-50k-race-report?…

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Elkins suggested as top weekend getaway location for D.C. residents by Washington Post
by Duane Nichols via CLEAR 19 Apr '19

19 Apr '19

https://www.wdtv.com/content/news/Elkins-suggested-as-top-weekend-getaway-l… Elkins suggested as top weekend getaway location for D.C. residents by Washington Post FROM Josh Croup, WDTV, Apr 17, 2019 ELKINS, W.Va. (WDTV) -- Randolph County recently got some attention from the national media. The Washington Post included the city as one of three West Virginia getaway destinations for D.C. residents. The article calls Elkins a charming town, just 200 miles outside the District. It says the destination is a hub for outdoor enthusiasts. "If you're looking for a place that's peaceful, quiet, and you can only be four miles away and get some of the city living, then this is the ideal place to be," said Elkins resident Russel Daniels, who spent his Wednesday fishing in Shavers Fork of the Cheat River. The article comes as Elkins is preparing for a busy summer, aiming to attract tourists from West Virginia and beyond. “It was great to see that Elkins made the list because we are a cool town. We're a good getaway," said Elkins-Randolph County Tourism CVB Marketing Director Taira Landavere. " It's easy to get to from D.C. As soon as you get out of the traffic, it's a straight drive." She said the city is loading up its events calendar for the summer for anyone to enjoy, whether they're from D.C. or a neighboring county in West Virginia. Bicyclists will find a welcome sight in Elkins in June, with the completion of the Allegheny Highlands Rail Trail expansion, connecting Elkins to Parsons. The CVB recently launched a new website, complete with a schedule of Randolph County events, popular tourist destinations, and places to eat. Wheeling and Berkeley Springs were the other two Destinations mentioned by the Washington Post

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Surveying Salamanders In Hopes Of Finding An Endangered Mussel | 90.5 WESA
by Duane Nichols via CLEAR 17 Apr '19

17 Apr '19

https://www.wesa.fm/post/surveying-salamanders-hopes-finding-endangered-mus… Surveying Salamanders In Hopes Of Finding An Endangered Mussel Kathleen J. Davis, WESA (Pittsburgh), April 16, 2019 Freshwater mussels once numbered in the millions in the Ohio River. But the industrialization of Pittsburgh’s rivers — coal mines, steel mills and dams — harmed many species of mussels. Some disappeared, unable to survive in the muddy, polluted waters. *This story is part of the series Wild Pennsylvania, which is funded by the Richard King Mellon Foundation. To check out other stories in the series, click here. Now, researchers are surveying the rivers to see if one species of salamander — the mudpuppy — is bouncing back in hopes that an endangered mussel, which needs the salamanders to survive, can make a comeback, too. Salamander mussels have been on Pennsylvania’s endangered species list since 2010, when salty pollutants from a Consol Energy mine discharged into Dunkard Creek, along the West Virginia border, killing much of the aquatic life there, include some 15,000 salamander mussels. And in a double whammy for salamander mussels in particular, 6,000 mudpuppy salamanders also died. The salamander mussel needs the mudpuppy to fulfill its life cycle. Mussel larvae are found on the mudpuppy’s frilly red gills. They don’t harm the mudpuppies, and drop off after two or three weeks to live inthe sediment. But with no mudpuppies, there’s no way for the salamander mussels to survive. According to Fish and Boat Commission mussel biologist Nevin Welte, mussels are an important part of the river ecosystem. “They just sit down there and filter water, and serve as habitat for bugs, and also food for things like fish and muskrats, and otters,” explains Welte. “They’re a pretty important part of the food chain.” Welte works with Ryan Miller, a zoologist with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, to survey parts of the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers for both mudpuppies and salamander mussels. It’s a project funded by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Surveying the Allegheny On this early April morning, Welte and Miller are out on the Allegheny River about twenty miles northeast of Pittsburgh in a small research boat, checking a hundred traps for mudpuppies, with the hope of also finding Salamander mussel larvae attached to them. “Our only known locations right now are actually in this pool [of the river] that we’re in, and a couple of others,” Welte said of the mussels. “That’s pretty much it for the Allegheny.” Miller slows down the boat as it approaches a small orange buoy not far from the shoreline.Welte reaches a long pole into the water, and with a hook on the end of it, grabs the buoy and pulls the rope. A cement block emerges — the anchor. As Welte keeps pulling, cylindrical mesh, metal traps emerge from the water one by one, each bigger than a football. “There’s one there!” Welte exclaimed. After a few more empty traps, they find another one. Now it’s time to get to work. Miller lifts out one of the brown, slimy mudpuppies. “When you pull them out of the water, they get pretty feisty, so I try not to handle them with my hands too much,” he said. Miller flips the salamander over and discovers it’s a female. He measures its length in a special device that looks like half of a pvc pipe. The salamander is just over 10 inches. He weighs it and takes its picture. Next, he runs his thumb over the mudpuppy’s frilly red gills to check for salamander mussels. He sees white spots on them, which is what you’d expect from the mussel larvae. “But I don’t think it’s mussels, I think it’s just extra slime,” he said. The mussel larvae would feel sandy, he explained. Miller examines the second mudpuppy, releases both back into the water. Historic Pollution Wiped Out Millions of Mussels While there isn’t much historical data on the number of mudpuppies in Pittsburgh’s rivers, it’s known that millions of freshwater mussels once burrowed in the bottom of the Ohio River, filtering billions of gallons of water. "This is the last living freshwater mussel in the Ohio River in Allegheny County." In the early 1900s, biologist Arnold Ortmann surveyed the region for freshwater mussels, when coal and steel pollution was largely unregulated. “As it was actually happening, as everything was dying off, he was walking the banks and doing collections, as the dead mussels were washing up on shore,” Miller said. “There’s a couple of sad records that he’s written,” Welte continues talking about Ortmann, “There was one round hickory nut (mussel) that he found at Neville Island, and he said, ‘This is the last living freshwater mussel in the Ohio River in Allegheny County.'” But Ortmann never found Salamander mussels. “The first record that we have of Salamander mussels in Pennsylvania was actually from the 1960s,” Welte said, and that was in the Allegheny River. This summer, Miller plans to survey for adult Salamander mussels, by scuba diving, and checking by hand under rocks and debris for the bivalves. Mudpuppy Recovery But for the Salamander mussels to bounce back in this region, they need mudpuppies. “We trapped at Dunkard Creek for mudpuppies over the past couple of seasons too,” Welte said, “And we’ve only found one individual.” Miller said surveys like the one they’re doing in this part of the Allegheny give him reason for hope. “The fact that we’re catching them in the rivers, now and in these numbers, yeah, they’re doing ok,” he said. “Any large scale pollution event would essentially kill them, but right now they’re doing ok.” If this round of surveying finds enough mudpuppies, Welte said researchers are considering relocating some of them to Dunkard Creek. They hope to repopulate not only the salamanders there, but also the mussels that need them to survive. Find this report and others at the site of our partner, Allegheny Front. Sent from my iPad

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Proposed Tucker County WV Pumped Hydro Project Feasibility Study Denied: FERC Denial.pdf
by Duane Nichols via CLEAR 14 Apr '19

14 Apr '19

> > 167 FERC ¶ 62,026 > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION > > RE: FreedomWorks, LLC Project No. 14889-000 ORDER DENYING PRELIMINARY PERMIT APPLICATION (Issued April 12, 2019) > > On August 24, 2018, and amended on October 15, 2018, and December 27, 2018, FreedomWorks, LLC, (FreedomWorks) filed an application for a preliminary permit, pursuant to section 4(f) of the Federal Power Act (FPA), to study the feasibility of the proposed Big Run Pump Storage Hydro Project No. 14889 (Big Run Project). The project would be located near the City of Parsons in Tucker County, West Virginia, and would occupy U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service) land within the Monongahela National Forest (Monongahela Forest). > The Forest Service has made clear through its January 3 and March 11 comments that it would be unlikely to issue a special use authorization for the project should it be licensed; and that it has denied FreedomWorks to enter Forest Service lands to conduct feasibility studies under a preliminary permit, which are necessary to the development of a license application for the proposed project within the Monongahela Forest. > Although the upper reservoir and part of the lower reservoir would be located on private land, the project is partially located on and surrounded by the Monongahela Forest, and the location where FreedomWorks proposes to conduct drilling would be on Forest Service land. Thus, FreedomWorks would not be able to determine the feasibility of the proposed project without permission from the Forest Service to access the land within the Monongahela Forest. > The Commission has previously determined that it would be ineffectual to issue preliminary permits for non-federal projects at federal facilities if the agencies that operate the facilities indicate opposition to the proposed projects. > Similarly, there would be no purpose in issuing a preliminary permit here where the Forest Service has indicated that it is unlikely to issue the necessary authorizations for the project. Therefore, the application is denied. The Director orders: The preliminary permit application filed by FreedomWorks, LLC on August 24, 2018, for the Big Run Pump Storage Hydro Project No. 14889 is denied.

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WV Rivers Comments WBX Consent Order.pdf
by Duane Nichols via CLEAR 11 Apr '19

11 Apr '19

The US EPA is planning to severely weaken the protection of streams and wetlands. See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net Sent from my iPad

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Stewards of Shavers Fork (WV)
by Duane Nichols via CLEAR 02 Apr '19

02 Apr '19

Stewards of Shavers Fork of the Cheat River - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xXU9SmLhnA

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PUBLIC MEETING on 3/27/19 - Natrium Fractionation Plant
by Duane Nichols via CLEAR 25 Mar '19

25 Mar '19

https://ohvec.org/natrium-meeting/?fbclid=IwAR3lRT3Ksjv6LNVo3lXddkC3ShRyL-j… PUBLIC MEETING – Natrium Fractionation Plant From the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, March 24, 2019 Thanks to everyone who submitted a request; the WVDEP has granted a public meeting on the air permit modification (permit R13-2896F) for Blue Racer Midstream, LLC’s Natrium Extraction and Fractionation Plant. The meeting is on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at 6:00 PM at the New Martinsville City Hall, 191 Main Street, New Martinsville, WV. Below you will find a .pfd for the public meeting notification issued by the DEP. Map of the area along the Ohio River with the Natrium facility and the proposed PTT Global Ethane Cracker and Mountaineer Storage Facilities marked with yellow pins. Air patterns in this area move north along the river. The Natrium plant is a two-mile long facility that sits along the Ohio River about 12 miles south of the city of Moundsville, WV. A fractionation plant carries out one of the steps in refining natural gas liquids (NGLs) for use in petrochemical and plastics manufacturing. This plant likely would be processing ethane to be sent to the proposed PTT Global Ethane Cracker in Belmont County, OH, a stone’s throw north. Any excess ethane would be stored in the proposed Mountaineer Storage Facility, also nearby (see map at bottom of page). All are major infrastructure components for the proposed Appalachian Storage and Trading Hub/Petrochemical Complex. While the Natrium Plant has already been in operation for some time, it looks like they are applying for new permits to take on more NGL processing as part of the larger petrochemical hub. As a side note, Natrium does have on-site fracking pads too. This permit does not take into consideration the emission the PTT Global Ethane Cracker will also be contributing to this area (or any other industrial facility for that matter). States are not required to take into consideration the cumulative impacts of multiple facilities that work congruently. Nor do they take into consideration cumulative health impacts of long term exposure. Plus, the DEP fails to consider particulate matter less than 0.1 microns which have been demonstrated to have greater toxic effects on the human body. In 2016,the Natrium site leaked 17,000 gallons of chlorine gas that prompted the evacuation of hundreds of nearby residents and were cited for multiple safety violations. Table 4 (taken from the WVDEP’s Engineering Evaluation/Fact Sheet) shows the change in annual emissions in the air permit modification. Under this permit modification, Natrium is set to increase emissions of Carbon Monoxide (CO), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Particulate Matter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5), Particulate Matter less than 10 microns (PM10), Particulate Matter (PM), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), and total Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) which are carcinogens. Table 4 shows the changes between the current emissions and the permit modification. While at a glance, these number seem small, but keep in mind these limits are measured by Tons Per Year (TPY). You can click the names of the pollutants above for more information on how they impact human health. Do to the fact that air patterns along the Ohio River move in a northern direction, we are highly concerned about the cumulative impacts of air pollution form these proposed petrochemical facilities on communities in the area, especially Moundsville. Our region is also subject to air inversions. An inversion traps air pollution, such as smog, close to the ground making greater risk of exposure to human populations.

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Notes of Peggy Pings Copied from Green Space Coalition.
by Duane Nichols via CLEAR 23 Mar '19

23 Mar '19

Hi Everyone, I was overextended today also, and haven't been able to make the meetings. But we here at Twin Spruce Marina (on the Mon, under the I-79 bridge and along the Rail-Trail), are glad to see Mon Valley Green Space Coalition as an organized "umbrella group". I hope out of 89 people on the email list, that enough were able to come to the meeting! (who really cares about "quorum" anyway). And, wow, lot's going on in our little valley! (Who is compiling / keeping the Green Space Calendar for MVGSC? Didn't Ella Belling used to do that years and years ago?) Here's a few more items to add to the Calendar: 1. Twin Spruce has done the paperwork and has been authorized (by WVDOH?) as Adopt-a-Road here, so I keep the Round Bottom Road from Rt 73 to the Uffington Trailhead and Marina fairly clean. I think there are a few others that do their part informally too. 2, The "Mon Dems" just got accepted as an Adopt-a-Road, along the entire Morgan Run Road, from Rt 857 to Cheat Lake Park and Trail. Their first official cleanup 9a-noon on Saturday March 30, raindate Sunday March 31, meet at Cheat Lake Park parking lot on the hill. Before the poison ivy leafs up. Contact Emilie Marlier for info/rsvp. <reilram123(a)gmail.com> 3. Lots of public events going on with WV Botanic Garden too!!! 4. Morgantown Area Paddlers are having their first public paddle trip this Saturday, 3/23, leaving Uffington Boat Dock at 1:30pm, for a 3-4 hour paddle trip up/down river. More the following days also! 5. Twin Spruce Marina welcomes our Mon Valley Green Space community to walk on in to the Marina to be by the river, any time. A heads-up email or text is useful, but not required. Restrooms will open May 15, when the boating season officially starts every year, but only Members ($10/mo) can get a gate / bathroom key. Motor boaters can get a $100 off Early Bird membership if they pay the 4-month docking season in full before April 15, now $175/month/slip. Slips now have access to electric outlets for boaters to plug their battery chargers in, using their own heavy-duty extension cord, a new improvement! There is a 20x20' open-air pavilion with new electric plug-ins for charging your cell phones or laptops using the free "Internet Café" (for anonymous donation in the donation box). We accept campers/trailers and have one remaining space for 1 camper to use the 30-amp plug for heat/AC and other electric appliances inside. I also have canoes/kayaks for use by MVGSC members, for donation (they are usually locked up). Come hang out a bit while using the rail-trail. Call for details. Peggy Pings, owner, TwinSpruceMarina(a)gmail.com, 304-777-3638. 6. Twyla, may I compliment you and say "Good meeting note-keeping!" ? See you all out and about! Peggy Pings, Owner, Twin Spruce Marina Peggy Pings, 304-777-3638 c/t (new Personal Cell Phone, 5-1-2017)

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More on Proposed Tucker County Pumped Hydro Project
by Duane Nichols via CLEAR 19 Mar '19

19 Mar '19

https://www.parsonsadvocate.com/proposed-hydro-project-comes-to-a-halt/ Proposed Hydro Project Comes to a Halt By Heather Clower, The Parsons Advocate, March 18, 2019 Tim Williamson with FreedomWorks LLC received the eagerly awaited response, from the Monongahela National Forest Service, on March 4, in regards to the permit to study the feasibility of the proposed Pumped Storage Hydro plant. The studies were to include core drilling, observe sub-surface geology, analyze soil material, geochemistry analysis, soil chemistry analysis, and biological studies on the lands proposed to be utilized for the facility. The letter, signed by Forest Supervisor Shawn Cochran, stated that after evaluation of the permit request, he must “reject it for failure to meet initial screening criteria.” The response further stated, “The proposal is inconsistent, and it cannot be made consistent, with applicable forest land and resource management plan standards and guidelines for management of the area.” Examples for arriving at this decision explained in this letter included the requirement of vegetation and earth disturbances to occur within the Big Run Bog and would defy the management objectives he continued to outline. The letter concluded stating, “Rejection of this unsolicited proposal is not subject to administrative appeal.” A phone interview was conducted with Williamson, to which he stated, “There was no legal basis for denying the project. We’re not going to touch that (the bog), we are four hundred feet below that and off to the side,” he explained, “Big Run Bog was not going to be affected.” According to Williamson, during a January 11 government-to-business meeting in Farmington, several local entities “crashed and manipulated” the discussion which potentially persuaded the decision of the National Forest Service. Williamson stated the issue is the politics behind this project, or lack thereof. As a result, he is seeking out the support of more local and state representatives and officials. “This is not only a Tucker County project, it is a West Virginia project and without support, it will never happen,” he stated. The status of the project is currently in a “wait and see” mode, as he allowed “It is technically denied, and it’s illogical to spend one more dollar to go further.” Williamson hopes to gain the support of not only state representatives, but also the environmental groups. He compared the possibilities of the contributions of this proposed hydro facility to that of the racing industry in Charles Town, WV. According to Williamson, the thoroughbred racetrack grosses around $75,000,000 each year, a leading income provider for the state. This facility, based on his configurations, would be capable of generating around $100,000,000. One positive for FreedomWorks that came out of the denial was the extra studies they were required to do. As a result, he stated “I’m convinced more than ever this thing is viable.” Williamson stressed again, this was just a permit to study feasibility, not to begin any construction or final plans. He elaborated more on the benefits it could serve in the instance a flood were to hit the Cheat River. In a follow up email, he shared statistics from the National Weather Service (NWS) and the detrimental “Super Storm Sandy” as an example. He stated the NWS knew on October 22, 2012 that the barometric pressure reading from this storm was at the lowest point ever recorded on earth, which was seven days prior to the storm making land fall. “What if a similar Cat5 storm event like Sandy or Camille were to occur in the future, but set its sights on the Cheat River, instead of New York like Sandy did in 2012, or the James River, like Camille did in 1969? If the proposed Tucker County PSH project were specifically designed and built to make electricity and address flood control, it might be available to address such an extreme flooding event on the Cheat River,” he exclaimed. Williamson continued, “Because with seven days notice and the proper build-outs, there would be ample time for proposed TC-PSH project to gradually release water into the Cheat River, before recharging the reservoirs with flood waters whenever a declared emergency flooding condition exists. The current proposed TC-PSH project turbines are already sized large enough to handle potential dual-duty, if the section from proposed lower reservoir spillway to Cheat River was designed, funded, and built to siphon emergency flood water from the Cheat River.” As of now, this is where the project stands. Without access to the property to construct the facility, the project can go no further. Williamson is on the search for support for this proposal and is making the necessary contacts to do such. The Parsons Advocate will continue to report on the topic matter as it progresses. Sent from my iPad

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Rowlesburg discusses need for sewer upgrade with residents
by Duane Nichols via CLEAR 17 Mar '19

17 Mar '19

PRESTON COUNTY NEWS & JOURNAL Rowlesburg discusses need for sewer upgrade with residents by Theresa Marthey STAFF WRITER, WV News, March 15, 2019 In October 2016, Friends of the Cheat Executive Director Amanda Pitzer takes a closer look at what the state Department of Environmental Protection said is an unpermitted sewer pipe in Rowlesburg. The town has begun the process of addressing problems with its sewage system. • File photo by Theresa Marthey The town of Rowlesburg placed this sign near the Rowlesburg Community Park where a pipe discharges sewage into the Cheat River. • File photo by Theresa Marthey Rowlesburg Mayor Eric Bautista, left, sits next to council members Eric Baumgardner and Delores Riggs during a sewer informational meeting Monday. • Staff photo by Theresa Marthey Thrasher Engineering engineer Ashley Reed shares information about the Rowlesburg sewer project with those in attendance at a meeting Monday. • Staff photo by Theresa Marthey ROWLESBURG — Raw sewage discharging into the Cheat River after rain and West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection violations were just two of the reasons given for the town of Rowlesburg to pursue upgrading its sewage treatment facility. At an informational meeting Monday, town council and Thrasher Engineering representatives described how deep the problem is. “We want to educate the public on the situation the town is in and why,” Thrasher engineer Ashley Reed said. Mayor Eric Bautista told the crowd of about 15 people that the town has been receiving notices from the DEP, and something needs to be done sooner rather than later. “In 2016, we received a $200,000 fine from the DEP for violations,” Bautista said. “Fortunately, with the help of an attorney who specializes in this type of violation, it was reduced to $2,500.” Bautista said he’s been asked why the town doesn’t just keep hiring an attorney to talk down the fine. “The bottom line is there will come a time when the DEP says no more breaks, and we are fined $400,000,” Bautista said. “We can’t afford that. We have to fix it — or sign the town over to the DEP.” Reed said with the decrease in the 2016 fine, the town was also given a consent order by the DEP requiring an effort to move forward to fix the problems with the system. “First, we have to modify the sewage permit because it is classified as a sanitary sewer overflow releasing raw sewage to the system,” Reed said. “We are working toward changing the town’s permit with the DEP to be recognized as a CSO system.” CSO is short for Combined Sewer Overflows. These systems were constructed with sanitary sewer collection systems that carried both wastewater and storm water in the same pipes. “We will begin long-term control plans that will outline future projects to fix the system over the next 40 years of ideas to correct the system,” Reed said. “Modifying the permit will cost.” After the town receives the approval from the DEP to recognize their system as a CSO, they can move toward deciding on which projects they want to work on first to begin fixing the system. “We could work the larger projects or smaller projects in the plan first,” Reed said. “It would be up to the town.” Bautista said there will be rate increases, although the town will try to keep them at a minimum. “We are probably going to have to raise sewer rates,” he said. “Thrasher was telling us it doesn’t have to be all at once. It could be one or two dollars a month.” Friends of the Cheat Director Amanda Pitzer applauded the town for addressing the problem and offered her group’s assistance. The council also had their regular meeting following the special meeting. They had the second reading of the trash and vacant building ordinances. Those now go onto the third reading and signing into law at the next meeting. The council also announced it is in the beginning stages of planning a spring clean-up day for the town with details to be announced. Staff Writer Theresa Marthey can be reached at (304) 276-1127 or by email at tmarthey(a)prestonnj.com. URL: https://www.wvnews.com/prestoncountynews/news/rowlesburg-discusses-need-for…

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