EC January 2008

ec@lists.wvsierraclub.org

9 participants
22 discussions

Fwd: Edison Electric Institute: Report documents coal decline
by Paul Wilson 31 Jan '08

31 Jan '08

Allegheny Power is one of the companies listed in the data here in this report. paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Alice McKeown <Alice.McKeown(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Jan 30, 2008 11:18 PM Subject: Edison Electric Institute: Report documents coal decline To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org The Edison Electric Institute, an association of US shareholder-owned electric companies, recently released a new report documenting power plant construction for the third quarter of 2007. Among the notable highlights: - To date, 82% of the canceled projects in 2007 were coal plants - In the third quarter, these companies announced plans to build the same amount of capacity as these abandoned coal plans all without relying on coal plants. These facts along with useful charts and information on transmission line and nuclear plant proposals can be found in the full report at: http://www.eei.org/industry_issues/finance_and_accounting/finance/research_… Many thanks, Alice ________________________________ Alice McKeown Sierra Club National Coal Campaign tel: 202.675.6271 fax: 202.547.6009 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubsribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-6975

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Coal power plants point person needed
by Barbara Fallon 30 Jan '08

30 Jan '08

Committee, Paul Wilson is on the National Coal Campaign Committee. He needs a point person from our energy committee who will keep track of current and new/proposed coal fired power plants. You do not have to be an expert on the coal issues, you just have to be a contact person for this national committee. If anyone is interested plese let me know. If you have any questions please contact Paul Wilson (pjgrunt(a)lycos.com.) Paul needs to know asap..by Friday!!! Barbara ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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Fwd: State of the Union "preview" story
by Paul Wilson 24 Jan '08

24 Jan '08

Feed ideas to Rob. Also get in the habit of thinking what stories to pitch to Rob on Energy issues on a continuing basis. We are paying over $1700 a year for this service so it is imperative that folks pitch stories to Rob as Sierra Club members/issues. thanks, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public NewsService Web Site <wvns(a)publicnewsservice.org> Date: Jan 23, 2008 3:41 PM Subject: State of the Union "preview" story To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com Hi all--Rob Ferrett here with the West Virginia News Service. Monday night is the State of the Union address. I'm looking for people to comment for a story I'll do for Monday morning -- along the lines of, "what does the state of the union look like from a West Virginia perspective?" If you'd like to share a couple thoughts on what you think the top challenges are facing the country, what the top federal priority should be, or something along those lines, please send me an email...I'll work in as many people as I can fit, on a range of subjects. Thanks! Rob Ferrett West Virginia News Service 800-317-6705 --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-6975

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Re: [EC] MTR on Diane Rehm Show on NPR
by Paul Wilson 24 Jan '08

24 Jan '08

This show is starting now on WAMU.org if you don't get this show on your local NPR stations. Also, the show has an archives section so you can listen to old shows at your leisure on the internet. best, Paul -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-6975

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Re: [EC] [fom] Third World Country
by Regina Hendrix 23 Jan '08

23 Jan '08

Lorelie, this makes me feel a little better. However, I'd sure like to have him take some photos of the sick people in Mingo. Regina Lorelie Scarbro wrote: > In Sept. of 2006 I went on a flyover of MTR sites with Paul on > Southwings. He is very supportive of our work. By the way, the home > he built in PAX is powered by solar. Lorelei Scarbro > > On Jan 23, 2008 12:06 PM, Bob Gates <photonzx(a)ntelos.net > <mailto:photonzx@ntelos.net>> wrote: > > Paul Corbit Brown was a speaker at the OSM Buffer Zone hearings > last fall, > so we do not need to question his sentiments. I am not sure I > remember MTR > photographs in an exhibit he had at WVSU a couple of years ago. > He lived > with and photographed American Indians for some time, and now > travels the > world. If he were to have pictures in southern West Virginia it > would most > likely be of poor people living in trailers. While he is > adamantly opposed > to MTR, he is a people person and Paul's photographs are often > close-up > portraits. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Regina Hendrix" <regina1936(a)verizon.net > <mailto:regina1936@verizon.net>> > To: "All of FOM list" <fom(a)lists.riseup.net > <mailto:fom@lists.riseup.net>>; > <mountainjustice(a)lists.riseup.net > <mailto:mountainjustice@lists.riseup.net>>; <ec(a)osenergy.org > <mailto:ec@osenergy.org>> > Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 9:37 PM > Subject: [fom] Third World Country > > > > Pasted in below is a notice I received from the Cultural Center > about an > > activist photographer who is traveling the world to document > tragedies in > > Third World countries. No where in this notice is MTR mentioned. > > > > What do you want to bet there are no photos of our local Third > World which > > is being blasted away. I'm going over there to take a look. We > need to get > > him to photograph MTR, but then they wouldn't display his work > in the > > Governor's back yard, would they? > > > > Regina > > > > * Contact: * > > > > Jacqueline A. Proctor > > > > Deputy Commissioner/Communications Manager > > > > Phone: 304.558.0220, ext. 120 > > > > E-mail: jacqueline.proctor(a)wvculture.org > <mailto:jacqueline.proctor@wvculture.org> > > > > * For Immediate Release: * Jan. 22, 2008 > > > > * Social activist photographer to be interviewed * > > > > * on "Inside the Artist's Studio" on Feb. 1 at the **Cultural** > **Center* > > > > The West Virginia Division of Culture and History has opened a new > > exhibition, /Photographs by Paul Corbit Brown/, in the wings off > the Great > > Hall of the Cultural Center, Capitol Complex, Charleston. > Visitors are > > invited to come view the show through Feb. 29, and meet the > artist after a > > live interview and question and answer session in the Norman L. > Fagan West > > Virginia State Theater on Friday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. A reception > will be > > held in the Great Hall after the interview. The exhibition, > interview and > > reception are free and open to the public. > > > > Brown was born in the small coal camp of Kilsyth in southern West > > Virginia. He has been taking photographs since he was 12 years > old. A > > social activist, his work has led him to travel throughout the > United > > States, Mexico, Jamaica, Kenya, Russia, Israel, Laos, Thailand, > Rwanda and > > most recently, Indonesia. > > > > Kristi Rudelius-Palmer, co-director of the University of > Minnesota's Human > > Rights Center says of him, "Paul Corbit Brown is an amazing > photographer > > and a passionate individual. We must allow ourselves to stand in > front of > > his photographs and stare into the eyes of those around the > world affected > > by social and human injustices." > > > > In the 35 photographs on display, visitors can see images of street > > children singing for food or money, and people living under > bridges who > > collect plastic bottles to sell or trade for food in Jakarta, > Indonesia. > > In Kingston, Jamaica, we see the lives of some 8,000 people who live > > beside the garbage dump in Riverton City. Kibera, Kenya, the second > > largest slum in the world with a population larger than one million, > > provides stark images of poverty and homelessness. > > > > Brown has taken photographs showing an Israeli soldier sharing > his lunch > > with a Palestinian boy, olive harvests, a picture taken at the > aftermath > > of a suicide bus bombing and the desert in Jordan. His most > recent ongoing > > project is to document the long-range effects of the 1994 > genocide in > > Rwanda, and the resiliency of the people there struggling to > overcome the > > past as they forge a new future. He says, "I began interviewing and > > photographing people from all walks of life in order to come to > understand > > the origins of the genocide, how it affected them, how it > continues to > > affect them, and how they are working to overcome these effects > through > > faith-based reconciliation programs, government regulations and > > reconciliation programs, and the role of non-governmental > organizations in > > the healing/rebuilding process." Many of his images are of the > estimated > > 1.5-million children left homeless and parentless as a result of the > > genocide. AIDS also orphans children at the astounding rate of > four per > > minute. One photo shows Zura, a witchdoctor who saved 150 lives > during the > > genocide and eventually received a presidential medal for her > courage. > > > > When not traveling, Brown can be found in the solar-powered home he > > designed and built in Fayette County. He supports himself > through his work > > with numerous Human Rights organizations as well as freelance > work for > > countless publications and the sale of his prints. Brown has had > > significant exhibitions in Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, Md.; > Columbus, > > Ohio; Minneapolis, Minn.; and a number of galleries in West > Virginia. More > > of his photographs can be seen on his website at > www.paulcorbitbrown.com <http://www.paulcorbitbrown.com>. > > > > Jacqueline Proctor , deputy commissioner of the Division, will > interview > > Brown, and open up the floor to a question and answer session. > Images of > > Brown's work will be shown during the interview. > > > > For more information about the exhibition or the interview, contact > > Proctor at (304) 558-0220, ext. 120. > > > > The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of > the West > > Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together > the state's > > past, present and future through programs and services in the > areas of > > archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and > museums. Its > > administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the > State > > Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state > archives and > > state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia's official > showcase for > > the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and > historic sites > > across the state. For more information about the Division's > programs, > > visit www.wvculture.org <http://www.wvculture.org>. The Division > of Culture and History is an Equal > > Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. > > > > * - 30 - * > > > > * Media Note: *Paul Corbit Brown is currently shooting > photographs and > > teaching photography to young students in Jakarta, Indonesia, > where it is > > 12 hours ahead of our Eastern Standard Time. He can be reached > at 011 62 > > 8131 814 2621 or by e-mail at pcbphoto(a)yahoo.com > <mailto:pcbphoto@yahoo.com> until Jan. 24. From Jan. > > 26 on, he can be reached at the same e-mail address or at (202) > 841-0222. > > *Photos are available at our website www.wvculture.org > <http://www.wvculture.org>, attached to this > > press release.* > > > > > >

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Fwd: information needed: liquid coal
by Paul Wilson 23 Jan '08

23 Jan '08

Need some response asap, so if you have any info pls fwd to me. thanks, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Date: Jan 15, 2008 12:26 PM Subject: Fwd: information needed: liquid coal Per Ginny's email below. Are there CTL plants on the drawing board in your states? I think there are but I need the name/location if you can find it for me in the next few days. best, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <Virginia.Cramer(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Jan 15, 2008 12:04 PM Subject: information needed: liquid coal To: bruce_nilles(a)prodigy.net, sarah.hodgdon(a)earthlink.net, baumling(a)aol.com, pjgrunt(a)gmail.com, Pat.Gallagher(a)sierraclub.org, Jesse.Simons(a)sierraclub.org, Alice.McKeown(a)sierraclub.org Hi all, I'm working on a story idea about the latest wave of coal plant proposals-- liquid coal plants. There are at least 10 officially on the drawing board now, and many more that we know of that have not yet begun the process. I need to pull together a list of all of the plants to have handy for reporters, along with a few key fights that we will want to flag. So, here is the list of plants that I have so far. These are taken from our coal plant tracker. ND- American Lignite Energy OH- Ohio River MT- Malmstrom air force base MT- Roundup WV- Logan WV- Rentech NY- Scriba PA- Schuykill WY- Medicine Bow MS- Belwood Are there others that we know of that are not in our tracker? ones that have not formally begun the process yet? Verena/Paul- are there any plants that the volunteers are working on that aren't on this list? any places where we have great stories/spokespeople for our fight on the ground? Are there any of these plants in particular that you want me to flag, any fights of national significance? I would love to have this list done and local spokespeople settled by the end of January, earlier if possible. Thanks in advance for your help, ginny ____________ Virginia Cramer Media Coordinator Sierra Club tel: 202.675.6279 fax: 202.547.6009 -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-6975 -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-6975

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Third World Country
by Regina Hendrix 23 Jan '08

23 Jan '08

Pasted in below is a notice I received from the Cultural Center about an activist photographer who is traveling the world to document tragedies in Third World countries. No where in this notice is MTR mentioned. What do you want to bet there are no photos of our local Third World which is being blasted away. I'm going over there to take a look. We need to get him to photograph MTR, but then they wouldn't display his work in the Governor's back yard, would they? Regina * Contact: * Jacqueline A. Proctor Deputy Commissioner/Communications Manager Phone: 304.558.0220, ext. 120 E-mail: jacqueline.proctor(a)wvculture.org * For Immediate Release: * Jan. 22, 2008 * Social activist photographer to be interviewed * * on “Inside the Artist’s Studio” on Feb. 1 at the **Cultural** **Center* The West Virginia Division of Culture and History has opened a new exhibition, /Photographs by Paul Corbit Brown/, in the wings off the Great Hall of the Cultural Center, Capitol Complex, Charleston. Visitors are invited to come view the show through Feb. 29, and meet the artist after a live interview and question and answer session in the Norman L. Fagan West Virginia State Theater on Friday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. A reception will be held in the Great Hall after the interview. The exhibition, interview and reception are free and open to the public. Brown was born in the small coal camp of Kilsyth in southern West Virginia. He has been taking photographs since he was 12 years old. A social activist, his work has led him to travel throughout the United States, Mexico, Jamaica, Kenya, Russia, Israel, Laos, Thailand, Rwanda and most recently, Indonesia. Kristi Rudelius-Palmer, co-director of the University of Minnesota’s Human Rights Center says of him, “Paul Corbit Brown is an amazing photographer and a passionate individual. We must allow ourselves to stand in front of his photographs and stare into the eyes of those around the world affected by social and human injustices.” In the 35 photographs on display, visitors can see images of street children singing for food or money, and people living under bridges who collect plastic bottles to sell or trade for food in Jakarta, Indonesia. In Kingston, Jamaica, we see the lives of some 8,000 people who live beside the garbage dump in Riverton City. Kibera, Kenya, the second largest slum in the world with a population larger than one million, provides stark images of poverty and homelessness. Brown has taken photographs showing an Israeli soldier sharing his lunch with a Palestinian boy, olive harvests, a picture taken at the aftermath of a suicide bus bombing and the desert in Jordan. His most recent ongoing project is to document the long-range effects of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, and the resiliency of the people there struggling to overcome the past as they forge a new future. He says, “I began interviewing and photographing people from all walks of life in order to come to understand the origins of the genocide, how it affected them, how it continues to affect them, and how they are working to overcome these effects through faith-based reconciliation programs, government regulations and reconciliation programs, and the role of non-governmental organizations in the healing/rebuilding process.” Many of his images are of the estimated 1.5-million children left homeless and parentless as a result of the genocide. AIDS also orphans children at the astounding rate of four per minute. One photo shows Zura, a witchdoctor who saved 150 lives during the genocide and eventually received a presidential medal for her courage. When not traveling, Brown can be found in the solar-powered home he designed and built in Fayette County. He supports himself through his work with numerous Human Rights organizations as well as freelance work for countless publications and the sale of his prints. Brown has had significant exhibitions in Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, Md.; Columbus, Ohio; Minneapolis, Minn.; and a number of galleries in West Virginia. More of his photographs can be seen on his website at www.paulcorbitbrown.com. Jacqueline Proctor , deputy commissioner of the Division, will interview Brown, and open up the floor to a question and answer session. Images of Brown’s work will be shown during the interview. For more information about the exhibition or the interview, contact Proctor at (304) 558-0220, ext. 120. The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. * - 30 - * * Media Note: *Paul Corbit Brown is currently shooting photographs and teaching photography to young students in Jakarta, Indonesia, where it is 12 hours ahead of our Eastern Standard Time. He can be reached at 011 62 8131 814 2621 or by e-mail at pcbphoto(a)yahoo.com until Jan. 24. From Jan. 26 on, he can be reached at the same e-mail address or at (202) 841-0222. *Photos are available at our website www.wvculture.org, attached to this press release.*

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Fwd: MD cutting energy use
by James Kotcon 21 Jan '08

21 Jan '08

>>> Paula Carrell <Paula.Carrell(a)sierraclub.org> 1/17/2008 4:32 PM >>> 4. Strong Action Urged To Cut MD Energy Use Washington Post January 14, 2008 By Lisa Rein Maryland should force utilities to take aggressive steps to cut energy consumption, and the state should create a multimillion-dollar fund to give homeowners an array of incentives to use less power, Gov. Martin O'Malley's top energy advisers will recommend today. The blueprint, to be released by the Maryland Energy Administration, will offer 20 proposals to help O'Malley (D) deliver on his ambitious pledge to reduce the state's energy consumption by 15 percent in seven years and stave off rolling blackouts that experts predict could occur in three years. The report recommends that the state encourage the fledgling solar and wind energy industries to invest in the region and help Maryland more than double its use of renewable power. The 85-page "Strategic Electricity Plan," a copy of which was provided to The Washington Post, acknowledges that no silver bullet exists to roll back the record electric rate increases that hit Maryland customers last year after deregulation fully took effect. And there is no way to quickly generate new power to meet growing demand, the report says. Demand jumped almost 16 percent between 1999 and 2005, while the supply grew 1.9 percent. "The plan should be viewed as 'silver buckshot' -- a series of measures to promote affordable, reliable and clean energy for Maryland," the report says. Malcolm Woolf, the state's energy administrator, said that "we have ignored energy issues in the state" since the General Assembly agreed in 1999 to bring competition into the electricity market. He called the strategic plan an "opening salvo in a larger effort to take control of Maryland's energy's future." Electricity prices rose for millions of residential customers last spring when rate caps came off, and the competition between providers that lawmakers hoped for has not materialized. Maryland residents pay among the highest electricity rates on the East Coast. With population growth and ever-larger, gadget-rich houses expected to increase energy demand by 17 percent between 2005 and 2016 and no major new transmission lines on the horizon, the state soon could be dangerously short on power, state regulators have predicted. The recommendations to be released today are expected to become the centerpiece of a wide-reaching package of energy legislation O'Malley will present to the General Assembly this month. The governor might decide to implement some of the proposals this year and leave others for next year, said O'Malley's spokesman, Rick Abbruzzese. To increase the supply of power, energy officials are recommending that the General Assembly approve a bill to force utilities to contract long-term with power generators, a change already under review by the state Public Service Commission, which regulates the power industry. Officials also want to establish a state fund to promote conservation programs and attract renewable energy companies. Money would come from an auction this summer of permits for carbon emissions. The auction will be held by a consortium of New England and mid-Atlantic states set up to reduce carbon dioxide pollution from coal-fired plants. Energy officials estimate the auction could generate from $40 million to more than $100 million for Maryland. The fund would help homeowners, particularly low-income customers, pay for furnaces, air conditioners and other appliances that use energy more efficiently but are more expensive than traditional models. It also could offer a system of incentives to encourage consumers to buy energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs and install high-tech devices that shut down washing machines, dishwashers and air conditioners when demand for electricity soars on hot summer days. These "smart meters" also tell homeowners electricity prices a day in advance, giving the customers a chance to pay lower rates if they can move usage to off-peak times. State regulators are already reviewing conservation plans submitted by Pepco and Baltimore Gas and Electric. The utilities would be allowed to pass on the costs to consumers, but "the idea is that, eventually, everyone will pay less because of these investments in conservation," Woolf said. Robert L. Gould, vice president for corporate communication for Constellation Energy Group, the parent company of Baltimore Gas and Electric, said the company "looks forward to a continued thoughtful and constructive dialogue with the O'Malley administration and the legislature." Maryland has mandated that 9.5 percent of the state's energy will come from renewable sources by 2022, an aggressive goal when the legislature agreed to it. But energy advisers who have looked at the experience of other states say Maryland could increase the share to 20 percent.

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Fwd: Re: 2008 Smallish State Program c(3) Grants Available
by James Kotcon 18 Jan '08

18 Jan '08

Any ideas? JBK >>> Cyrus Reed <reed_c(a)grandecom.net> 1/17/2008 3:46 PM >>> --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Paula -- can you give us a deadline on the two grant categories? On Jan 17, 2008, at 1:41 PM, Paula Carrell wrote: > --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- > ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Fredsters: > > Once again this year, the State Program has a modest pot of c(3) > funds available to chapters for Public Education work related to > our priority campaigns At The State Govt Level -- Energy/Global > Warming, Lands/Habitat Protection (particularly if you can make a > connection between a particular lands protection goal and global > warming), Water Quality/Supply Protection. > > There are two basic Grant Types: > > I. Education Project Grants: > There's not enough in the kitty to hire additional staff, but small > grants of, say, $2,000, $5,000 or maybe a bit more are available > for a piece of existing staff time or for materials or for a public > education event . . . designed to help your chapter educate and > energize the public behind progress in one of these three issue > areas in your state. > > The work you propose has to meet some basic organizing tenets: > > + It is designed to reach beyond our members and base supporters > into the community of people who share our values but are not, > without our urging, engaged in civic life. > + It builds face-to-face/one-on-one connections between Club people > and this broader public around the issue at hand. It strives to > build lasting community connections that will sustain our positions > by informing and empowering people to secure meaningful > environmental victories. > > II. Regional Chapter Staff Meetings > Most of you have heard about the regular 2-day/2-night "Southern > Caucus" meeting held annually in early June. At the meeting, the > southeastern states lobby corps members gather to share information > and strategize on their priority issues as they are playing out in > the unique southern political climate. > I continue to be entirely open to others among you organizing > similar regional gatherings to focus on particular issue/s and the > unique qualities of how the issue is playing out and might best be > addressed in your region. If you have an idea -- and have > convinced several of your neighboring state colleagues to join with > you -- pitch me on your meeting proposal. > These must be low-budget affairs -- inexpensive location, meals/ > drinks covered by the participants, travel covered by the grant. > Summer months timing tends to make the most sense, although I'm > open to other ideas. > > > For Both Types of Grants: > If you think you've got a fundable need and idea, here's what you > should tell me about it, as concisely *and specifically* as possible: > > 1. Your ultimate goal -- specific policy you seek to address or > enact or rule or permit decision you seek to influence. > > 2. Your timeline. > > 3. The specific activities/event or product/materials you are > asking us to fund OR, for the meeting option, a proposed agenda focus > > 4. The specific audience you are targeting (define & justify > geographically or demographically or politically or all three) OR, > for the meeting option, a list of states that wish/need to > participate. > > 5. A proposed budget. > If you can outline it in two pages, all the better. > > Remember, these are c(3) funds. BE CREATIVE. > > Questions to me if you want to test your idea before bothering to > write it up. > paula - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > - To unsubsribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS- > FRED-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv > Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/ > lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: > http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To get off this list, send email to: LISTSERV(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Make the message text (not the Subject): SIGNOFF CONS-FRED

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Fwd: Wash Post: Coal Industry Plugs Into the Campaign
by Paul Wilson 18 Jan '08

18 Jan '08

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Bruce Nilles <bruce.nilles(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Jan 18, 2008 12:27 AM Subject: Wash Post: Coal Industry Plugs Into the Campaign To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org "We welcome a vigorous debate about our energy future and solving global warming. Unfortunately ABEC is spending millions of dollars on misinformation about our energy choices . . . instead of engaging in a real debate about the true costs of coal and clean energy alternatives," said Bruce Nilles, director of Sierra Club<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Sierra+Club?tid=informline>'s national coal campaign. * http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/17/AR200801170… * *Coal Industry Plugs Into the Campaign* Steven Mufson<http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/steven+mufson/> Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, January 18, 2008; Page D01 A group backed by the coal industry and its utility allies is waging a $35 million campaign in primary and caucus states to rally public support for coal-fired electricity and to fuel opposition to legislation that Congress is crafting to slow climate change. The group, called Americans for Balanced Energy Choices, has spent $1.3 million on billboard, newspaper, television and radio ads in Iowa<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Iowa?tid=informline>, Nevada<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Nevada?tid=informline>and South Carolina<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/South+Carolina?tid=informli…>. One its television ads shows a power cord being plugged into a lump of coal, which it calls "an American resource that will help us with vital energy security" and "the fuel that powers our way of life." The ads note that half of U.S. electricity comes from coal-fired plants. The group has also deployed teams on the campaign trail; about 50 people, many of them paid, walked around as human billboards and handed out leaflets outside Tuesday's Democratic debate in Nevada with questions for voters to ask the candidates. "In Iowa, there is a saying that you don't get to be president unless you go through Iowa. We'd like to say that you don't get to be president unless you understand how complicated this issue is," Joe Lucas, the group's executive director, said Wednesday night during a stopover en route from Nevada to South Carolina. The group's message -- that coal-fired power plants can be clean, and that more of them are needed to meet the growing demand for electricity -- comes when opposition to new coal plants is mounting because they generate greenhouse gases. In Kansas<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Kansas?tid=informline>, where a state agency rejected a permit for two proposed coal plants, opinion polls show that roughly two out of three people opposed the plants. That sentiment, plus soaring construction costs and uncertainty about federal climate change legislation, last year prompted U.S. companies to abandon or postpone plans to build dozens of new coal plants. The coal mining industry is fighting back. It increased the budget of the National Mining Association, the industry's main lobbying group, by 20 percent this year, to $19.7 million. Last September, the industry also boosted the budget of Americans for Balanced Energy Choices more than fourfold. The roster of backers includes 28 companies and trade associations such as Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, Duke Energy<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Duke+Energy+Corporation?tid…>, Southern Co. and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/National+Rural+Electric+Coo…>. The controversy over coal has been especially heated in Nevada, where environmental groups and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid<http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/r000146/>, who represents the state, have opposed construction of three new coal-fired power plants. "They're all dirty," Reid said last fall. He urged utilities to rely on energy efficiency and solar and wind power. (Last year, according to a report issued yesterday by the American Wind Energy Association<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/American+Wind+Energy+Associ…>, wind made up 30 percent of all new electricity generating capacity.) On Tuesday night, the issue came up during the debate among the three leading Democratic presidential candidates. Former senator John Edwards<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/John+Edwards+%28Politician%…>said, "I believe we need a moratorium on the building of any more coal-fired power plants unless and until we have the ability to capture and sequester the carbon in the ground." Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton<http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/c001041/>( N.Y.) said, "I have said we should not be siting any more coal-powered plants unless they can have the most modern, clean technology. And I want big demonstration projects to figure out how we would capture and sequester carbon." Sen. Barack Obama<http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/>(Ill.) did not commit himself on coal plants but said Americans had to make their buildings, lighting and appliances "more efficient." "Yes, we do need to be more energy efficient," Lucas said. "But even as we become more efficient, we're plugging more things into the wall." The ads being run by Americans for Balanced Energy Choices talk about "clean coal." New power plants are cleaner than they used to be because they must meet more stringent federal regulations limiting such pollutants as nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. But climate change is linked to carbon dioxide emissions, which are not yet regulated; those emissions have dropped more modestly as plants have become more efficient. The group's newspaper ads avoid that distinction. They say that today's carbon-fired plants are "70 percent cleaner based on regulated emissions per unit of energy produced." That does not refer to carbon dioxide. New coal-plant technologies that might capture carbon dioxide and store, or sequester, it underground are expensive, experimental and not in commercial use. But Lucas says carbon capture and storage "is no longer a pipe dream. It's nearing a point where it's real." Many environmentalists argue that until that time, the United States should focus on renewable energy such as solar and wind. Coal advocates say those energy sources cannot be relied on 24 hours a day and, so far, the energy they produce cannot be easily stored. ABEC's ads, produced by the same firm that made "what happens here stays here" ads to promote Las Vegas<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Las+Vegas?tid=informline>to tourists, also talk about "affordable" energy. The group says in a TV ad that the price of coal is one-third that of other fuels. But coal prices have risen, albeit not as much as oil. And environmentalists and economists argue that the price of coal does not include substantial environmental costs. "We welcome a vigorous debate about our energy future and solving global warming. Unfortunately ABEC is spending millions of dollars on misinformation about our energy choices . . . instead of engaging in a real debate about the true costs of coal and clean energy alternatives," said Bruce Nilles, director of Sierra Club<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Sierra+Club?tid=informline>'s national coal campaign. Environmentalists are also worried that the ads aired by ABEC so far are just the beginning of what could be a much bigger offensive once Congress gets down to work on a climate change bill sponsored by Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman <http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/l000304/>(I-Conn.) and John W. Warner <http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/w000154/>(R-Va.). An ad targeting that bill is currently being shown on video monitors at the baggage carousels at Dulles International Airport<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Washington+Dulles+Internati…>. In 1993, an ad campaign by the health-care industry featuring a fictional couple named Harry and Louise helped torpedo the Clinton administration's health-care proposal. Now, some supporters of the Lieberman-Warner bill fear that the coal industry may use a similar strategy to kill legislation aimed at slowing climate change by stressing potential consumer costs and not the societal benefits. "Big coal may launch a 'Harry and Louise'-style disinformation campaign to sink global warming solutions in Congress," said Daniel J. Weiss, senior fellow and director of climate strategy for the Center for American Progress<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Center+for+American+Progres…>. One of the coal industry group's radio ads hints at those themes. A woman asks: "How can we become less dependent on foreign resources? What fuels will keep power bills reasonable and be environmentally responsible?" A man responds, "We have many questions for our candidates, and coal has to be part of the discussion." Lucas is working on that. Last year, he wrote letters that appeared in a dozen newspapers. On Tuesday, he appeared on Nevada public radio. On Wednesday, the group's views were quoted approvingly in an editorial in the Las Vegas Review-Journal<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Las+Vegas+Review-Journal?ti…>. "We're getting the message out," Lucas said. Bruce Nilles, Director National Coal Campaign Sierra Club 122 West Washington Ave, Suite 830 Madison, WI 53703 p:608.257.4994 f: 608.257.3513 c:608.712.9725 e: bruce.nilles(a)sierraclub.org w: www.sierraclub.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubsribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-6975

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