EC February 2008

ec@lists.wvsierraclub.org

9 participants
20 discussions

Fwd: Stop the Towers in Penna
by Duane330＠aol.com 23 Feb '08

23 Feb '08

Stop The Towers Update.........for PA> **************Ideas to please picky eaters. Watch video on AOL Living. (http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-du… 2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598)

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Re: [EC] A Washington Post story on TRAIL powerline
by Paul Wilson 22 Feb '08

22 Feb '08

Greetings: this article is from the Feb. 3rd Washington Post. Sorry it was not sent sooner. There is much on the Piedmont Environmental Council website too, including testimony from their 9 expert witnesses that will be at a hearing this weekend in Richmond. This article is a good explanation of all the proposed Powerlines and related issues. 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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Fwd: NBC Nightly News on NV coal plants & "clean coal" backers
by Paul Wilson 22 Feb '08

22 Feb '08

Please look at this NBC report. It is 3 minutes long. best, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Alice McKeown <Alice.McKeown(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Fri, Feb 22, 2008 at 8:14 AM Subject: NBC Nightly News on NV coal plants & "clean coal" backers To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Please click the link below to watch a three minute news story from NBC on the proposed new coal plants in Ely, NV. The piece also takes a closer look at the coal front group Americans for Balanced Energy Choices and their nationwide media blitz promoting new coal power. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#23279992 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 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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Proposed PATH transmission line
by duane330＠aol.com 19 Feb '08

19 Feb '08

AEP transmission venture with Allegheny files to establish FERC rate for PATH transmission project COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 28, 2007 – American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) today announced that Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline LLC, AEP’s transmission joint venture with Allegheny Energy (NYSE: AYE), has filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to establish a transmission rate to recover costs for the approximately 290-mile, extra-high voltage transmission line that the companies propose to build from West Virginia into Maryland. The companies are seeking a transmission cost-of-service formula rate, effective March 1, 2008, that will provide for annual updates to the amounts that PJM Interconnection (PJM), an independent regional transmission operator, will charge utilities to recover the costs of the project. The proposed rate includes recovery of a return on construction work in progress (CWIP) for the project and a return on equity of 14.3 percent, which includes an incentive award, consistent with federal policy to encourage significant transmission infrastructure and technology improvements. AEP and Allegheny each separately received FERC approval for incentive rate treatments for individually proposed transmission projects that ultimately became the joint Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) project. The PATH project includes approximately 244 miles of 765-kilovolt (kV) extra-high voltage transmission from AEP’s Amos substation near St. Albans, W.Va., to Allegheny’s Bedington substation, northeast of Martinsburg, W.Va. Another 46 miles of twin-circuit 500-kV transmission will be constructed from Bedington to a new substation to be built near Kemptown, southeast of Frederick, Md. The total project is estimated to cost approximately $1.8 billion. PJM identified June 2012 as the date by which the PATH project needs to be operational. “The PATH project addresses significant reliability concerns in the region, including overloads that will occur on more than thirteen existing transmission lines in Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania, as soon as 2012 if PATH is not built,” said Michael G. Morris, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Establishing FERC rates for the project will provide the timely cost recovery necessary to obtain financing and allow us to move forward and bring the project on line in time to help prevent overloads on these lines.” Once approved by FERC, the costs of the PATH project will be allocated to all electric utilities who serve retail customers in the PJM region. AEP and Allegheny plan to begin work on the routing study and environmental assessment for the PATH project in January 2008. The companies anticipate seeking regulatory approvals for the project from the utility commissions in both West Virginia and Maryland in the fourth quarter of 2008, following the completion of the routing study. AEP and Allegheny are committed to working with landowners, neighboring residents, business owners, affected communities and regulators to minimize the environmental and land use impacts of the project. http://www.aep.com/newsroom/newsreleases/default.asp?dbcommand=displayrelea… ________________________________________________________________________ More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! - http://webmail.aol.com

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TrAIL in the public press
by duane330＠aol.com 19 Feb '08

19 Feb '08

TrAIL?Multistate Power Line Proposal Stirs W.Va. Controversy Posted on: Tuesday, 19 February 2008.? Charleston Gazette. Plans for a $1.3 billion power line across northern West Virginia continue to stir controversy, and more such projects are likely on the way. The state Public Service Commission is scheduled to issue a ruling by May 2 on Allegheny Energy's proposed Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line, or TrAIL. The 240-mile transmission line would carry electricity from western Pennsylvania across West Virginia and into Virginia. Allegheny wants the PSC to approve the 114 miles of the line that run through West Virginia. TrAIL would enter the state north of Morgantown, and run south and east through Monongalia, Preston and Tucker counties to Mount Storm in Grant County. Then, it would turn east through Hardy and Hampshire counties before entering Virginia. Allegheny officials say the line is needed to provide cheap and reliable power to big Eastern cities and their growing suburbs. Aging infrastructure, combined with increasing demand, could cause ?rolling blackouts by 2011 that would extend into eastern West Virginia, power company officials say. ? Commissioners Jon McKinney and Ed Staats are hearing the case. PSC Chairman Michael Albert, appointed last year by Gov. Joe Manchin, recused himself. Albert said he did some work on the project for Allegheny Energy before leaving the Jackson Kelly law firm for the PSC post. The project has drawn intense opposition from hundreds of West Virginians, who fear it will mar scenic views, lower their property values and otherwise damage rural communities. Project opponents are especially upset that Allegheny could get PSC approval to use the power of eminent domain to force residents to give the company rights of way for the power line. They are also worried that if the PSC doesn't approve the project, or waits too long to decide, the federal government might take over the permitting process under a 2005 law meant to encourage new power lines. The PSC staff and the agency's consumer advocate have also objected to parts of the power line proposal. In early January, the consumer advocate agreed to drop part of its objections in exchange for Allegheny promising to provide free electricity to residents along the power line path. The company also agreed to limit clearcutting and not use aerial herbicide spraying to maintain its right of way. PSC consultants have argued the Allegheny proposal is not "the most economical or cost-effective means" to cure potential northeast power outages, and a PSC staff engineer concluded the company did not choose the best and least environmentally damaging route. Developers of two natural gas-fired power plants proposed for Virginia and Maryland are also fighting the TrAIL proposal. Competitive Power Ventures Inc. argues its plants would eliminate the need for the 500-kilovolt transmission line. Reports from CPV Warren experts, filed with the PSC, conclude the gas-fired plants are a better solution to electrical reliability problems identified by PJM Interconnections, a private organization that maintains the regional power grid. "If the generation resource cap is in the East, build generation resources, such as CPV Warren, in the East, not a massive transmission line such as the one proposed here to support the delivery of power and energy from existing and proposed generation in the West," George C. Loehr, a consultant for CPV Warren, said in a prepared statement filed with the PSC. To contact staff writer Ken Ward Jr., use e-mail or call 348- 1702. (c) 2008 Sunday Gazette - Mail; Charleston, W.V.. ________________________________________________________________________ More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! - http://webmail.aol.com

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Fwd: ACT: Please do a 30 second call for clean energy on February 20th
by Paul Wilson 19 Feb '08

19 Feb '08

We are trying to get 2000 calls into Dynegy *tomorrow* so please forward to others that may be interested in Coal and other Energy issues. thanks, paul w. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <mkresowiksc(a)earthlink.net> Date: Feb 19, 2008 3:24 PM Subject: ACT: 30 second call for clean energy To: No New Coal List <CONS-EQST-AIR-MW-COAL-COMM(a)lists.sierraclub.org>, No New Coal Plants <NoNewCoalPlants(a)energyjustice.net>, LS Power Coalition < new-king-coal-coalition(a)googlegroups.com> Join us to "Clean Up Dynegy" and put an end to the worst new global warming polluter in the country! Tomorrow people across the country will be taking just 30 seconds to put an end to six new coal plants (totaling more than 44 million tons of global warming pollution) proposed in six different states. Please take the time to help the volunteers working in Nevada, Arkansas, Texas, Georgia, Michigan, and Iowa by placing a call to Dynegy headquarters (877-396-3499), forward this message to your friends and colleagues, and then let us know how many calls you placed together by emailing mark.kresowik(a)sierraclub.org. Starting at noon tomorrow our website will go live - check out http://www.cleanupdynegy.org to get involved. Call for clean energy! Join us for a nationwide call-in day of action urging the worst new global warming polluter in the country Dynegy/LS Power to shift investments away from six proposed coal plants to cleaner energy solutions. As the largest developer of coal-fired power plants in the country, Dynegy has an opportunity to really shape our energy future. A decision by Dynegy to provide cleaner, healthier more economical energy could give a real boost to our clean energy economy. It's time for Dynegy to follow the lead of other companies across the U.S. who have found that switching to cleaner, greener energy can only be good for the environment, but also for the company's bottom line. WHAT: Nationwide call-in day of action targeting Dynegy Headquarters in Houston, TX WHEN: Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 CALL NUMBER: 877-396-3499 See the attached call script for talking points, a call-tracking sheet, and other call-in information. Still have questions? Email mark.kresowik(a)sierraclub.org Mark Kresowik Organizer, National Coal Campaign Sierra Club mark.kresowik(a)sierraclub.org 319-621-7393 (cell) 3839 Merle Hay Road Suite 282 Des Moines, IA 50310 -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-6975

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[Fwd: [fom] Amos plant emitting more than reported; 'Blue haze' inquiry uncovers discrepancies]
by Regina Hendrix 18 Feb '08

18 Feb '08

FYI

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Sierra Club at E-Day
by Grubb, Karen 16 Feb '08

16 Feb '08

Are any of you, not counting Regina, going to be at E-Day for tabling, lobbying, and the dinner afterwards? If you are coming from Morgantown area, do you want to car pool? I am thinking of going down Thursday night and coming back Saturday. Karen ----- Original Message ----- From: Denise Poole <mailto:deniseap@earthlink.net> To: Bill Price <mailto:bill.price@seirraclub.org> ; Vivian Stockman <mailto:vivian@ohvec.org> ; Danny Chiotos <mailto:danny@seac.org> ; Dana Kuhnline <mailto:dana.kuhnline@gmail.com> ; Chris Higgins <mailto:plantandgnome@verizon.net> ; Julie Archer <mailto:julie@wvcag.org> ; Gary Zuckett <mailto:garyz@wvcag.org> ; Coal River Mountain Watch <mailto:coalriver@crmw.net> ; James Kotcon <mailto:jkotcon@wvu.edu> ; Danny Chiotos <mailto:trouserdude@gmail.com> ; Plateau Network <mailto:pan_wv@earthlink.net> ; Matt Noerpel <mailto:matt@crmw.net> ; Matt Keller <mailto:matt.keller@wvwild.org> ; Mountain View Builders <mailto:mtviewbuilders@verizon.net> ; Hugh Rogers <mailto:rogers@wvhighlands.org> ; Janet Keating <mailto:ohvec@ohvec.org> ; Jason Keeling <mailto:jason.keeling@wvwild.org> ; Julian Martin <mailto:imaginemew@aol.com> ; Adam Webster <mailto:awebster@wvrivers.org> ; Mike Costello <mailto:michael.costello@wvwild.org> ; Frank Young <mailto:frankly@mtparty.org> ; John Christensen <mailto:jbc329@earthlink.net> ; Dave Saville <mailto:dave.saville@wvwild.org> ; Janice Nease <mailto:janice@crmw.net> ; Janice Nease <mailto:Sranease@aol.com> ; Gary Zuckett <mailto:garyz@mtparty.org> ; Hugh Rogers <mailto:Hugh.rogers@gmail.com> ; Carol Warren <mailto:peacelovemom@gmail.com> ; Kay Basham <mailto:kaymoondreamer@hotmail.com> ; dbady(a)marshall.edu ; patricia(a)sludgesafety.org ; outreach(a)saveblackwatercanyon.org Cc: dsgr <mailto:dsgr@aol.com> ; wyro(a)appalight.com Sent: Friday, February 15, 2008 3:24 PM Subject: E-Day just around the corner! Hi everyone, Just a reminder that WVEC's E-Day is just around the corner - Friday, February 22nd. If you are receiving this e-mail, you are listed as a participant for the E-Day at the Capitol. If there are any errors, please e-mail back to me. Attached find the E-Day Booth form once again with the details of when and where to set up. When you arrive, volunteers will be on hand to help guide you to your table(s). Each table will also have your group or businesses name on them. If you have any questions, feel free to call me at the WVEC office, (304) 414-0143 or e-mail me at deniseap(a)earthlink.net. Please stay and join us in the evening for the Benefit Reception Dinner/2008 Award Presentations. Women's Club of Charleston, corner of Elizabeth & Virginia Street East. From 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. More details are in this weeks Legislative Update. Here are the booth participants to date: WVEC Information WVEC Lobby table WV Highlands Conservancy OVEC Coal River Mountain Watch WVU Sierra Club Student Coalition WV Chapter, Trout Unlimited WV Sierra Club Central Appalachian Environmental Justice WV Citizen Action Group Clean Elections Coalition Medicine Song Crafts Mountain View Builders, LLC - Mountain View Solar Friends of the Mountains Student Environmental Action Coalition Charleston Area Youth Environmental Network WV Wilderness Coalition Friends of Blackwater Canyon Plant & Gnome Nursery Sludge Safety Project WV Rivers Coalition

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[CLEANBRIER] meager update
by Beth Little 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

Hello fellow lovers of clean air and water, No news is good news? I'm not ready to relax completely and assume the Western Greenbrier CoGen plant is dead, but there have been no vehicles at the site for months now, except Wayne Brown's a couple of times. Neely, the young gung ho employee, is gone, is selling his home and word is he is going back to his old job. Even if it is dead, it rankles that the taxpayers footed the bill for several years of fat salaries and pie-in-the-sky visions. It sure would be nice if the press would do their job and expose this boondoggle for what it is/was. The next problem is that there has been a permit issued for a mountaintop removal project in western Greenbrier Co. We are finally getting the low-rate green bags for people to use and will need to distribute them. We will have a meeting in March to pass out the bags, share news and decide what to do next. IF ANYONE FINDS OUT ANYTHING FROM RAINELLE, RUPERT OR QUINWOOD TOWN COUNCILS, COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, ETC. ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE PROJECT, PLEASE FORWARD THE INFORMATION. Beth Little HC 64 Box 281 Hillsboro, WV 24946 304-653-4277 No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.20.2/1272 - Release Date: 2/11/2008 5:28 PM

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Re: [EC] would we support this bill that would amend the Zoning code?
by Paul Wilson 13 Feb '08

13 Feb '08

This was entered to stop some unappropriate land uses in residential areas eg. a Shale mine in Gerrardstown in Berkeley Cty (E. Panhandle). I want to put an article in the NL and ask folks to contact the committee chairs. thanks, paul * Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:* That §8A-7-10 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows: *ARTICLE 7. ZONING ORDINANCE. **§8A-7-10. Effect of enacted zoning ordinance.* (a) After enactment of a zoning ordinance by a municipality or county, all subsequent land development must be done in accordance with the provisions of the zoning ordinance. (b) All zoning ordinances, and all amendments, supplements and changes thereto, legally adopted under any prior enabling acts, and all actions taken under the authority of any such ordinances, are hereby validated and continued in effect until amended or repealed by action of the governing body of the municipality or the county taken under authority of this article. These ordinances shall have the same effect as though previously adopted as a comprehensive plan of land use or parts thereof. (c) Land, buildings or structures in use when a zoning ordinance is enacted can continue the same use and such use cannot be prohibited by the zoning ordinance so long as the use of the land, buildings or structures is maintained, and no zoning ordinance may prohibit alterations or additions to or replacement of buildings or structures owned by any farm, industry or manufacturer, or the use of land presently owned by any farm, industry or manufacturer but not used for agricultural, industrial or manufacturing purposes, or the use or acquisition of additional land which may be required for the protection, continuing development or expansion of any agricultural, industrial or manufacturing operation of any present or future satellite agricultural, industrial or manufacturing use. A zoning ordinance may provide for the enlargement or extension of a nonconforming use, or the change from one nonconforming use to another. (d) If a use of a property that does not conform to the zoning ordinance has ceased and the property has been vacant for one year, abandonment will be presumed unless the owner of the property can show that the property has not been abandoned: *Provided,* That neither the absence of natural resources extraction or harvesting nor the absence of any particular agricultural, industrial or manufacturing process may be construed as abandonment of the use. If the property is shown to be abandoned, then any future use of the land, buildings or structures must conform with the provisions of the zoning ordinance regulating the use where the land, buildings or structures are located, unless the property is a duly designated historic landmark, historic site or historic district. (e) Nothing in this chapter authorizes an ordinance, rule or regulation preventing, outside of urban areas, the complete use of natural resources by the owner. *(f) Any county which has enacted county-wide zoning and which has been designated as a "growth county" as defined in section three, article twenty, chapter seven of this code may: (1) Limit the use of land presently owned or subsequently acquired by any farm, industry or manufacturer and not presently or subsequently used for energy related industrial or manufacturing purposes, to those uses permitted by the applicable zoning ordinance, notwithstanding the provisions set forth in subsection (c) of this section; (2) Limit the use of abandoned property to the provisions of the zoning ordinance where such property is not being used for energy related natural resources extraction or harvesting or where there is no particular agricultural, energy related industrial or manufacturing process on the land, and where such property has been (d) of this section; and (3) Limit or prohibit the complete use of nonenergy related natural resources by an owner of property, if such use of the property does not conform to the provisions of the applicable zoning ordinance.* NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to limit the use of some lands for nonenergy related purposes in "growth counties." Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-6975

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