April 2009 - EC - lists.bikelover.org

FW: NYT (Friedman -- While Detroit Slept)
by James Kotcon 05 Jan '10

05 Jan '10

From my father-in-law. JBK >>> "Bob Elliott" <rdelliott(a)socal.rr.com> 12/12/2008 7:29 AM >>> <http://www.nytimes.com/> <http://www.nytimes.com/> The New York Times <http://www.nytimes.com/> _____ December 10, 2008 Op-Ed Columnist While Detroit Slept By <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/tho maslfriedman/index.html?inline=nyt-per> THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN As I think about our bailing out Detroit, I can't help but reflect on what, in my view, is the most important rule of business in today's integrated and digitized global market, where knowledge and innovation tools are so widely distributed. It's this: Whatever can be done, will be done. The only question is will it be done by you or to you. Just don't think it won't be done. If you have an idea in Detroit or Tennessee, promise me that you'll pursue it, because someone in Denmark or Tel Aviv will do so a second later. Why do I bring this up? Because someone in the mobility business in Denmark and Tel Aviv is already developing a real-world alternative to Detroit's business model. I don't know if this alternative to gasoline-powered cars will work, but I do know that it can be done - and Detroit isn't doing it. And therefore it will be done, and eventually, I bet, it will be done profitably. And when it is, our bailout of Detroit will be remembered as the equivalent of pouring billions of dollars of taxpayer money into the mail-order-catalogue business on the eve of the birth of eBay. It will be remembered as pouring billions of dollars into the CD music business on the eve of the birth of the iPod and iTunes. It will be remembered as pouring billions of dollars into a book-store chain on the eve of the birth of Amazon.com and the Kindle. It will be remembered as pouring billions of dollars into improving typewriters on the eve of the birth of the PC and the Internet. What business model am I talking about? It is Shai Agassi's electric car network company, called Better Place. Just last week, the company, based in Palo Alto, Calif., announced a partnership with the state of Hawaii to road test its business plan there after already inking similar deals with Israel, Australia, the San Francisco Bay area and, yes, Denmark. The Better Place electric car charging system involves generating electrons from as much renewable energy - such as wind and solar - as possible and then feeding those clean electrons into a national electric car charging infrastructure. This consists of electricity charging spots with plug-in outlets - the first pilots were opened in Israel this week - plus battery-exchange stations all over the respective country. The whole system is then coordinated by a service control center that integrates and does the billing. Under the Better Place model, consumers can either buy or lease an electric car from the French automaker Renault or Japanese companies like Nissan (General Motors snubbed Agassi) and then buy miles on their electric car batteries from Better Place the way you now buy an Apple cellphone and the minutes from AT&T. That way Better Place, or any car company that partners with it, benefits from each mile you drive. G.M. sells cars. Better Place is selling mobility miles. The first Renault and Nissan electric cars are scheduled to hit Denmark and Israel in 2011, when the whole system should be up and running. On Tuesday, Japan's Ministry of Environment invited Better Place to join the first government-led electric car project along with Honda, Mitsubishi and Subaru. Better Place was the only foreign company invited to participate, working with Japan's leading auto companies, to build a battery swap station for electric cars in Yokohama, the Detroit of Japan. What I find exciting about Better Place is that it is building a car company off the new industrial platform of the 21st century, not the one from the 20th - the exact same way that Steve Jobs did to overturn the music business. What did Apple understand first? One, that today's technology platform would allow anyone with a computer to record music. Two, that the Internet and MP3 players would allow anyone to transfer music in digital form to anyone else. You wouldn't need CDs or record companies anymore. Apple simply took all those innovations and integrated them into a single music-generating, purchasing and listening system that completely disrupted the music business. What Agassi, the founder of Better Place, is saying is that there is a new way to generate mobility, not just music, using the same platform. It just takes the right kind of auto battery - the iPod in this story - and the right kind of national plug-in network - the iTunes store - to make the business model work for electric cars at six cents a mile. The average American is paying today around 12 cents a mile for gasoline transportation, which also adds to global warming and strengthens petro-dictators. Do not expect this innovation to come out of Detroit. Remember, in 1908, the Ford Model-T got better mileage - 25 miles per gallon - than many Ford, G.M. and Chrysler models made in 2008. But don't be surprised when it comes out of somewhere else. It can be done. It will be done. If we miss the chance to win the race for Car 2.0 because we keep mindlessly bailing out Car 1.0, there will be no one to blame more than Detroit's new shareholders: we the taxpayers. _____ Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and favorite sites in one place. Try <http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000 010> it now.

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State Supreme Court rejects TrAILCo power line case
by James Kotcon 30 Apr '09

30 Apr '09

jkotcon(a)wvu.edu sent you this article ----- April 29, 2009 State Supreme Court rejects power line case ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200904290571 ) By The Associated Press P> CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The state Supreme Court decided Wednesday not to interfere with plans to construct a high voltage power line across northern West Virginia despite arguments that the line would inflict environmental harm and higher utility ... Read more ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200904290571 ) -----

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TRAILCO PETITION FOR APPEAL DENIED TODAY
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 29 Apr '09

29 Apr '09

Folks I wanted you to know this as soon as I did. Even though I, and others, felt the argument went well this morning, in fact very well, the clerk's office of the Supreme Court called later to say the petition for appeal had been denied 4-1, Peggy Workman voting to grant. We can talk about why and what, if anything, this means for PATH later. But I wanted you to know this today, like everybody else. Bill -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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smart grid plans under study
by Duane330＠aol.com 25 Apr '09

25 Apr '09

IT WOULD BE PREMATURE TO CONSTRUCT ELECTRICAL GRIDS ACROSS WEST VIRGINIA IF AND UNTIL NEW DEFINITIONS ARE ESTABLISHED, NEW STANDARDS ARE DEVELOPED, AND THE PLANS FOR NEW ENERGY SOURCES ARE IDENTIFIED. Duane G. Nichols, Ph.D., Consultant on Energy and the Environment. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< NIST announces smart grid plan [www.energyefficiencynews.com/policy/i/2040/] 24 April 2009 The US _National Institute for Standards and Technology_ (http://www.nist.gov/) (NIST) has announced a three-phase plan to develop key standards for a nationwide smart grid to deliver electricity efficiently, reliably and securely. A smart grid is a key component of the Obama Administration’s commitment to moving the US toward energy independence and was awarded funds in the recently passed _American Recovery and Reinvestment Act_ (http://www.recovery.gov/) (ARRA). “The smart grid will create jobs and contribute to the national effort to achieve energy independence and facilitate environmental improvements,” says Patrick Gallagher, NIST deputy director. The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) charges NIST with the “primary responsibility to coordinate development of a framework that includes protocols and model standards for information management to achieve interoperability of smart grid devices and systems”. NIST will combine part of its own appropriation from ARRA with $10 million from the Department of Energy’s ARRA appropriation to carry out these responsibilities. Interoperability standards are needed to ensure that software and hardware components from different vendors will work together seamlessly, while cyber security standards will protect the multi-system network against natural or human-caused disruptions. NIST plans to engage utilities, equipment suppliers, consumers, standards developers and other stakeholders to reach a consensus on smart grid standards. It will also launch a formal partnership to facilitate development of additional standards to address remaining gaps and integrate new technologies. The final action will be to develop a plan for testing and certification to ensure that smart grid equipment and systems conform to standards for security and interoperability. NIST says that by early autumn 2009 it expects to announce the smart grid architecture, interoperability and cyber security standards priorities, an initial set of standards to support implementation and plans to meet remaining standards needs. For more information: _collaborate.nist.gov/twiki-sggrid/bin/view/SmartGrid/WebHome_ (http://collaborate.nist.gov/twiki-sggrid/bin/view/SmartGrid/WebHome) _www.nist.gov_ (http://www.nist.gov/) _www.recovery.gov_ (http://www.recovery.gov/) Related stories: _NIST and EPRI to develop smart grid roadmap for US (14-Apr)_ (http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/i/2010/) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> NIST and EPRI to develop smart grid roadmap for US [www.energyefficiencynews.com/i/2010/] 14 April 2009 The _National Institute of Standards and Technology_ (http://www.nist.gov/index.html) (NIST) and the _Electric Power Research Institute_ (http://www.epri.com/) (EPRI) are to work together on an interim roadmap for the development of a smart grid in the US. As part of the Obama Administration’s energy plans, Congress has given NIST the primary responsibility for coordinating the development of a framework, including protocols and standards, for information management in a smart grid system. EPRI, which is an independent, nonprofit organization conducting research and development activities on the generation, delivery and use of electricity, will help identify issues and priorities for interoperability standards. The organization will also engage with the generation and supply industry to build a consensus on smart grid standards. NIST will develop a three-phase plan to establish standards for a smart grid by the end of the year for submission to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for approval. “The Smart Grid is a cornerstone of national efforts to achieve energy independence, save consumers money and curb greenhouse gas emissions,” commented NIST Deputy Director Patrick Gallagher. “This contract is a significant step in the urgent effort to identify and develop standards that will ensure a reliable and robust Smart Grid.” For further information: _www.nist.gov/index.html_ (http://www.nist.gov/index.html) _www.epri.com/_ (http://www.epri.com/) 14 April 2009 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > **************Check all of your email inboxes from anywhere on the web. Try the new Email Toolbar now! (http://toolbar.aol.com/mail/download.html?ncid=txtlnkusdown00000027)

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Renewables Test IQ of Electrical Grid
by duane330＠aol.com 25 Apr '09

25 Apr '09

Science 10 April 2009: Vol. 324. no. 5924, pp. 172 - 175 DOI: 10.1126/science.324.5924.172 ENERGY: Renewables Test IQ of the Grid, Dan Charles Everybody agrees that tomorrow's electrical grid must incorporate wind and solar power seamlessly. But solving the reliability issue won't be easy ? In the afternoon of 26 February 2008, the winds died down in a stretch of west Texas that's home to thousands of tall wind turbines. Over a span of 3 hours, the turbines' contribution to the state's electricity grid fell by 75%. That 1500-megawatt (MW) drop--equivalent to the output of three midsized coal-burning power plants--coincided with a spike in demand. At 6:30 p.m., the alternating current in the state's transmission lines started to alternate more sluggishly, an ominous signal that the system was approaching collapse. Fortunately, managers of the state's power network had struck a set of agreements with large industrial customers allowing them to cut off power temporarily in exchange for lower rates. Within 10 minutes, about 1200 MW of load was sliced from the sagging electrical grid, and the system stabilized. Texans were blissfully unaware that the state's grid had just dodged a bullet. But the episode was an unsettling reminder that not all electricity is created equal, and that clean energy harvested from nature can complicate the job of keeping the lights on. Such episodes could become more common--and disrupt service--if plans for a massive expansion of wind and solar power are realized. Both sources of energy are variable and relatively unpredictable. Those traits will require the electrical grid to become smarter and more agile, so that it doesn't stumble and collapse when the wind stops blowing or clouds obscure the sun. Calls for a "smart grid" have become routine in Washington, D.C., and President Barack Obama's stimulus package includes $4.5 billion for "smart grid demonstration projects." Utilities, national laboratories, and universities are all gearing up to compete for those funds. One focus is installing "smart meters" in homes that show consumers how much energy they are using. Another involves planning high-capacity transmission lines to bring wind and solar power from the nation's high plains and deserts to its cities, creating an interstate highway for green power. But the most important piece of the renewable-energy puzzle may be finding a solution to its erratic spikes and dips. "Everyone understands the need for transmission," says Arshad Mansoor, vice president for power delivery and utilization at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in Palo Alto, California. "Not everyone understands the reliability issue." Dance partners The electrical grid demands exquisite balance. At every instant, the supply of electricity throughout the system--thousands of power plants, substations, and transmission lines--must equal demand. If not, wires overheat, voltage drops, and circuit breakers snap open to protect parts of the grid where supply still matches demand. To keep the system running smoothly, grid managers line up generating capacity ahead of time. Then, as actual demand swells and falls, minute by minute, gas turbines automatically throttle up and down and coal-fired plants deliver more steam to generators. "Utilities have become accustomed to variations in the time frame of minutes to hours," says Loren Toole, an electrical engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. But Toole says the current system isn't nimble enough for wind and solar generators, which can produce surges and drops in electricity within a few seconds or minutes. That variability hasn't caused problems yet for the overall U.S. grid because solar and wind power supply just over 1% of the country's electricity. But many states, including California, New York, and Illinois, have passed laws requiring that at least 20% of their electricity come from renewable sources within a decade or two (see map, below). Congress is drafting a similar requirement for the entire country. Unpredictable power. Over the course of a typical week, the amount of wind energy received by the Bonneville Power Administration reached nearly 2000 MW and fell to almost zero. A study that General Electric prepared for the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas shows the impact on the Texas grid of incorporating 15,000 MW of wind power--four times the amount it now receives. About twice a year, the study predicts, grid managers would see the supply of wind-derived electricity fall by 2400 MW--the equivalent of four or five midsized coal plants--in less than 30 minutes. Power from photovoltaic panels, meanwhile, can drop when clouds come over, only to spike back up a few minutes later. What utilities desperately need, according to industry insiders, is an array of "dance partners"--sources of additional power that can mirror every tricky move from the forces of nature, stepping forward without missing a beat as the winds die down and retreating when the wind picks up. Potential dance partners include equipment for storing large amounts of electricity, bigger transmission networks that allow utilities to draw power from a larger area, and the ability to control demand by turning off appliances in their customers' homes. Several technologies in a future "smart grid" could help manage this dance. They include sensors that monitor the state of high-voltage transmission lines and react instantly when conditions deteriorate. Such technologies already exist, but deploying them on a large scale will cost billions of dollars. Bringing more renewables online may also require more sophisticated analysis of the grid's behavior when power comes from thousands of independently controlled solar panels and wind turbines. Marija Ilic, a specialist on electrical power systems at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, says researchers at universities and national laboratories are leading the way. "Some utilities are just waking up" to the problem, she says. Utilities also need more accurate predictions of the weather. "If I can't forecast the wind accurately, I have no choice but to start a bunch of [coal- or gas-burning] units" to serve as a reserve in case the wind dies, says David Hawkins of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which manages that state's electrical system. "If I have to do that, I've lost all the advantages of the green energy." CAISO buys forecasts of its wind power from AWS Truewind LLC, one of a handful of companies selling such a service. "They're getting good," says Hawkins. The day-ahead forecasts--which provide hour-by-hour predictions of a wind farm's power production--used to be off by 40% or more, but "now we're getting errors in the low 20s, heading toward 15 to 17%." The forecasts are continually updated, and "within the hour, we can usually nail it," says Hawkins. The National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, recently got funding from Xcel Energy to develop an "advanced wind-prediction system." Storing power underground The ideal dance partner is hydroelectric power. Dams are giant energy-storage devices, and they can react quickly, releasing exactly enough electricity to balance what the fickle winds deliver. Denmark is able to meet 20% of its electrical demands with wind power, for example, by drawing upon imported hydropower from Norway. Unfortunately, there isn't nearly enough hydropower to go around. EPRI is promoting what it considers the next best thing, storing power in the form of air pumped into underground caverns under high pressure. "Compressed air is one of the few options we have for real bulk power storage," says EPRI's Dan Rastler. Two such facilities already exist in the United States and Germany. EPRI and a consortium of utilities are planning a more efficient and larger one that would drive a standard gas turbine and generate 400 MW of electricity for up to 10 hours. Smaller storage projects are also in the works. The Bonneville Power Administration, a federal agency based in Portland, Oregon, already generates enough wind power to satisfy 20% of its peak demand (see graph), and it's working with CAISO to build a facility that stores energy in spinning flywheels. The flywheels are meant to smooth out small fluctuations in wind power, storing excess electricity from brief gusts of wind and releasing it when the wind turbines slow down. Utilities also have their eye on the batteries of plug-in hybrid vehicles. Those vehicles could become a nightmare for utilities if their owners insist on charging them up after ar riving home from work, when power use is at a peak. "My view is, that's no time to charge customers 6 cents per kilowatt-hour; that's a time to charge 6 bucks!" says David Mohler, who's in charge of "smart grid" efforts for Duke Energy, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. But under some circumstances, those batteries could be a boon to the electric grid. Managers of the grid could pay vehicle owners for the right to control when the charging occurs and eventually the discharging, too. They could fill up the batteries of plug-in hybrids when electricity is abundant in the wee hours of the morning, then draw on that stored-up power in available vehicles to respond to power shortages in the middle of the day. The two-way communications needed for such a system are part of what is now being called the "smart grid." Such links, allowing utilities to directly control appliances in people's homes, could become one of the most important tools for adapting to variable power from the sun and wind. Florida Power & Light (FPL) Co. has been doing this for years to handle peak demand. Almost a million customers have signed up for FPL's "On Call" program, which allows the utility to turn off their water heaters, pool pumps, and sometimes air conditioners for short periods of time. FPL communicates with control boxes on those appliances with signals sent directly over power lines. In an emergency, On Call can quickly cut FPL's peak energy load by 4%. Many utilities are now experimenting with more ambitious versions of this technology. Duke Energy has outfitted the homes of 32 customers in Ohio with an "energy optimization engine" that allows the utility to manage the most energy-hungry home appliances in the home in exchange for cheaper electricity bills. So far, the utility has only used its power to prevent ovens or water heaters in the same neighborhood from turning on at exactly the same time. The utilities are treading carefully to avoid a backlash from customers who cherish their ability to dry clothes at their convenience. Mohler says utilities could probably use this tool to cut their load by 10% or 20%. "But could we do it without customers noticing? Probably not." Green freeloaders? Christopher DeMarco, an electrical engineer at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, is examining a more subtle feature of green power, namely, its reluctance to perform certain unglamorous but essential functions that keep the grid on solid footing. Old-style power plants, for instance, provide some extra "reactive power" that helps keep voltage stable on the grid. Without it, voltage in an AC system tends to sag. Early versions of wind farms and solar panels did not help to support the voltage. "It costs them money," says EPRI's Stephen Lee. "So independent power producers, including renewable generators, just pump power onto the grid and depend on the transmission company to provide voltage support." That approach may have been okay when renewables were a boutique source of energy. But as their presence grows, grid managers are requiring many of them to provide voltage support. DeMarco says solar and wind power also do little to cushion the grid from shocks such as a power plant shutting down unexpectedly. Traditional power plants do this naturally, he says, through the sheer physical mass of machinery that is rotating exactly in time with the oscillation of the grid's alternating current. This system "has a very nice stabilizing dynamic effect," says DeMarco. If a factory operator somewhere flips a switch and pulls more power from the grid, DeMarco says, the generator responds instantly. "It will slow down slightly, and what was kinetic energy gets converted into electrical energy going out the wire." Solar and wind generators could mimic this response, says DeMarco, but it would require them to reduce their output by a few percentage points and have that power poised to respond instantly to shocks on the grid. Without their cooperation, he predicts, "we are going to run into hard limits on how much renewable generation we can live with, without destabilizing the operation of the grid." DeMarco and his fellow researchers are trying to determine just where those "hard limits" lie. "There is a tendency in some circles to paint renewables as a threat to the grid," says DeMarco, but he thinks the two can work in harmony. "You need to spend a little money to make them compatible with the grid," he explains, "but there's no insurmountable hurdle." The editors suggest the following Related Resources on Science sites:In Science Magazine NEWS FOCUS ENERGY: Students Energized by Power Engineering Dan Charles (10 April 2009) Science 324 (5924), 175. [DOI: 10.1126/science.324.5924.175]

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New E-Mail for Regina Hendrix
by Regina Hendrix 25 Apr '09

25 Apr '09

I will be leaving for Charles Town on Sunday A.M. and my Verizon account will be deactivated on Monday, the 27th. Please reach me at this new address. I will be having access to a computer intermittently so if you need to reach me immediately, please try my cell phone at 304-546-4349. Matt, will you add my new address to the FOM list and cancel the regina1936(a)verizon.net. Thanks. Regina Hendrix

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SIERRA CLUB MOTION TO SUPPLEMENT RECORD AT WV SCOA
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 25 Apr '09

25 Apr '09

I attach a courtesy copy of the Sierra Club's motion to supplement the record in connection with the petition for review pending before the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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Gazette Opinion Page
by Regina Hendrix 25 Apr '09

25 Apr '09

Take a look at the write-up on Blair Mountain: http://wvgazette.com/Opinion/Editorials/200904240447

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[Fwd: VOTE! Pass it on...]
by Regina Hendrix 24 Apr '09

24 Apr '09

Another chance to vote, folks. Seems there have been lots of Bushies on this site giving him an F. Ah, yes, they're still out there. Regina

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Fwd: Happy Earth Day from FERC
by James Kotcon 23 Apr '09

23 Apr '09

WOW! JBK >>> Jeff Schmidt <jeff.schmidt(a)sierraclub.org> 4/22/2009 2:51 PM >>> --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Original Message ----- Subject: Happy Earth Day from FERC April 22, 2009 No need to build new U.S. coal or nuclear plants -- FERC chairman By NOELLE STRAUB AND PETER BEHR, Greenwire No new nuclear or coal plants may ever be needed in the United States, the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said today. "We may not need any, ever," Jon Wellinghoff told reporters at a U.S. Energy Association forum. The FERC chairman's comments go beyond those of other Obama administration officials, who have strongly endorsed greater efficiency and renewables deployment but also say nuclear and fossil energies will continue playing a major role. Wellinghoff's view also goes beyond the consensus outlook in the electric power industry about future sources of electricity. The industry has assumed that more baseload generation would provide part of an increasing demand for power, along with a rapid deployment of renewable generation, smart grid technologies and demand reduction strategies. Jay Apt, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Electricity Industry Center, expressed skepticism about the feasibility of relying so heavily on renewable energy. "I don't think we're where Chairman Wellinghoff would like us to be," Apt said. "You need firm power to fill in when the wind doesn't blow. There is just no getting around that." Some combination of more gas- or coal-fired generation, or nuclear power, will be needed, he said. "Demand response can provide a significant buffering of the power fluctuations coming from wind. Interacting widely scattered wind farms cannot provide smooth power." Wellinghoff said renewables like wind, solar and biomass will provide enough energy to meet baseload capacity and future energy demands. Nuclear and coal plants are too expensive, he added. "I think baseload capacity is going to become an anachronism," he said. "Baseload capacity really used to only mean in an economic dispatch, which you dispatch first, what would be the cheapest thing to do. Well, ultimately wind's going to be the cheapest thing to do, so you'll dispatch that first." He added, "People talk about, 'Oh, we need baseload.' It's like people saying we need more computing power, we need mainframes. We don't need mainframes, we have distributed computing." The technology for renewable energies has come far enough to allow his vision to move forward, he said. For instance, there are systems now available for concentrated solar plants that can provide 15 hours of storage. "What you have to do, is you have to be able to shape it," he added. "And if you can shape wind and you can effectively get capacity available for you for all your loads. "So if you can shape your renewables, you don't need fossil fuel or nuclear plants to run all the time. And, in fact, most plants running all the time in your system are an impediment because they're very inflexible. You can't ramp up and ramp down a nuclear plant. And if you have instead the ability to ramp up and ramp down loads in ways that can shape the entire system, then the old concept of baseload becomes an anachronism." 'A lot that is still not understood' Asked whether his ideas need detailed studies, given the complexity of the grid, Wellinghoff said the technology is already moving that way. "I think it's being settled by the digital grid moving forward," he said. "We are going to have to go to a smart grid to get to this point I'm talking about. But if we don't go to that digital grid, we're not going to be able to move these renewables, anyway. So it's all going to be an integral part of operating that grid efficiently." The North American Electric Reliability Corp. reported last week on challenges in integrating a twentyfold expansion of renewable power into the nation's electricity networks but did not specifically address whether additional baseload generation would be needed. A spokesperson for NERC did not have an immediate response to Wellinghoff's comments today. Revis James, who directs energy technology assessment for the Electric Power Research Institute, said recently that it is not clear how fast renewable energy can be added without creating reliability issues. "No one knows what the magic number is," he said. "Are we moving too fast? On the policymakers' side, there's a lot that is not still understood about the implications of a large share of renewables." Impact on nuclear power Wellinghoff's statement -- if it reflects Obama administration policy -- would be a huge blow to the U.S. nuclear power industry, which has been hoping for a nuclear "renaissance" based on the capacity of nuclear reactors to generate power without greenhouse gas emissions. Congress created significant financial incentives to encourage the construction of perhaps a half-dozen nuclear plants with innovative designs, and Energy Secretary Steven Chu has promised Congress to accelerate awards of federal loan guarantees for some of these proposals. But a major expansion in U.S. nuclear energy would require a high effective tax on carbon emissions from coal plants, or an extended loan guarantee and tax incentive policy, according to the Congressional Research Service and outside consultants. The leading energy bills before Congress do not provide more loan guarantees. "If expansion of nuclear plants is the nation's policy, then Congress has to recognize that the U.S. energy companies cannot afford to do this alone," said Paul Genoa, policy director for the Nuclear Energy Institute, in a recent interview. "The president needs to show his cards on nuclear energy," said energy consultant Joseph Stanislaw, a Duke University professor. "He cannot keep this industry, which must make investments with a 50-year or longer horizon, in limbo for much longer." "I think [new nuclear expansion] is kind of a theoretical question, because I don't see anybody building these things, I don't see anybody having one under construction," Wellington said. Building nuclear plants is cost-prohibitive, he said, adding that the last price he saw was more than $7,000 a kilowatt -- more expensive than solar energy. "Until costs get to some reasonable cost, I don't think anybody's going to [talk] that seriously," he said. "Coal plants are sort of in the same boat, they're not quite as expensive." Can renewables meet demand? There's enough renewable energy to meet energy demand, Wellinghoff said. "There's 500 to 700 gigawatts of developable wind throughout the Midwest, all the way to Texas. There's probably another 200 to 300 gigawatts in Montana and Wyoming that can go West." He also cited tremendous solar power in the Southwest and hydrokinetic and biomass energy, and said the United States can reduce energy usage by 50 percent. "You combine all those things together ... I think we have great resources in this country, and we just need to start using them," he said. Problems with unsteady power generation from wind will be overcome, he said. "That's exactly what all the load response will do, the load response will provide that leveling ability, number one," he said. "Number two, if you have wide interconnections across the entire interconnect, you're going to have a lot of diversity with that wind. Not all the wind is going to stop at once. You'll have some of it stop, some of it start, and all of that diversity is going to help you, as well." Push for grid modifications But planning for modifying the grid to integrate renewables must take place in the next three to five years, he said. "If we don't do that, then we miss the boat,"Wellinghoff said. "That planning has to take place so you don't strand a lot of assets, a lot of supply assets." Unlike coal and nuclear, natural gas will continue to play a role in generating electricity, he said. "Natural gas is going to be there for a while, because it's going to be there to get us through this transition that's going to take 30 or more years." Chu reiterated before the House Energy and Commerce Committee today that he supports loan guarantees for new nuclear power plants and is working with the White House on the issue. "I believe nuclear power has to be part of the energy mix in this century," Chu said. Chu also noted today that nuclear technology, along with renewables, is an area where the United States has lost its lead. "We are trying to start the American nuclear industry again," he said. Coal currently provides half of U.S. power, while nuclear energy accounts for about 20 percent. Senior reporter Ben Geman contributed. Copyright 2009 E&E Publishing. All Rights Reserved. -- ***************************** Nathan Willcox Energy & Clean Air Advocate PennEnvironment 1420 Walnut Street, Suite 650 Philadelphia, PA 19102 P: (215) 732-5897 F: (215) 732-4599 nwillcox(a)PennEnvironment.org **************************** __._,_.___ Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Members | Calendar . __,_._,___ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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MIC Release in Kanawha Valley
by Regina Hendrix 21 Apr '09

21 Apr '09

http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200904210312 This gives pretty thorough coverage of the August accident and reveals there was another release in September which Bayer didn't report. The citizens only learned of it because two of the employees went to the hospital afterward. Regina

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[Fwd: Re: [fom] WV Public Radio:]
by Regina Hendrix 21 Apr '09

21 Apr '09

I think this is a wonderful idea that Carol has.. What's the best way to go about it? If we had federal primacy, maybe we could learn what and how much is being stored here in Kanawha Valley, that is, besides large quantities of MIC and no one knows how much phosgene. Since DEP has staffing issues we could save the taxpayer some money by having EPA take over. Regina

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Fwd: E&E: 'Propaganda war' over coal escalates ahead of Hill climate debate
by Paul Wilson 21 Apr '09

21 Apr '09

fyi, for those of you who are not on this list. paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Fred Heutte <phred(a)sunlightdata.com> Date: Mon, Apr 20, 2009 at 6:22 PM Subject: E&E: 'Propaganda war' over coal escalates ahead of Hill climate debate To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org 'Propaganda war' over coal escalates ahead of Hill climate debate Anne C. Mulkern, E&E reporter Ads displayed at Washington subway stops and airing on national television call "clean coal" a myth. Tell that to President Obama, his Cabinet secretaries and members of Congress. Five months into an advertising war on coal, the phrase "clean coal" not only endures, it has become political shorthand. Everyone -- from Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar -- refers to clean coal or clean coal technology. Environmentalists call the "clean coal" rhetoric dangerous, saying it creates complacency about the need to move toward true carbon-free energy. Policymakers, environmentalists say, know that coal remains one of the most polluting sources of energy. The word war over coal is escalating. There are billions of dollars at stake, as Congress moves toward historic legislation that could decide winners and losers in the green energy economy. Already, there are signs of small victories by the coal camp. "To a certain extent, it is a propaganda war," said Kenneth Green, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank. "The coal industry believes the environmental community wants to put it out of business. The environmental groups are afraid the clean coal concept is appealing enough to lawmakers, it will stymie their progress in getting rid of coal." Coal's boosters and its critics are vying to shape public perception about the fuel. For coal, winning the battle could mean securing billions of dollars for years to come. Coal companies want federal money for research on removing and sequestering carbon emissions and to preserve their position as dominant players in the United States' energy supply. Meanwhile, environmentalists are hungry to minimize the role of polluting fossil fuels and capture federal money for wind, solar, other renewable power sources and conservation efforts. Both sides are spending tens of millions of dollars in the fight. A coalition of coal backers spent about $38 million on advertising last year and another $9.9 million on lobbying. That compares with the $93,000 spent annually on lobbying from 2002 through 2007. Groups that say "clean coal" is not economically viable have also escalated their efforts. After coal supporters ran television ads last fall, a coalition of environmental groups joined with Vice President Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection and started the Reality Coalition. It began airing ads declaring, "There's no such thing as clean coal." That slogan is based on the fact that no commercial-scale plant exists that removes and sequesters carbon emissions from coal. The Reality Coalition will not reveal how much money it is spending but said its advertising purchases are "competitive" with the coal industry's buys. At the heart of the battle are the phrases "clean coal" and "clean coal technology" that linguists find particularly potent. "The image is 'You can wash it, you can make coal clean,'" said George Lakoff, a University of California, Berkeley, professor of cognitive science and linguistics. "Technology is miraculous. All problems are solved by technology." Since most thought is subconscious, he said, that kind of message seeps in and affects people's attitude. Clean also means good, said Deborah Tannen, a linguistics professor at Georgetown University and author of several books, including "The Argument Culture." She said the coal fight is an example of what she writes about in that book. People get two sides of an argument and do not know which is correct, she said. Who's winning? For now, both sides in the coal fight are claiming the edge. There is evidence the coal industry has made inroads. The phrase "clean coal" made its way into four bills so far this year. Two have become law, including the financial stimulus measure that allocates $3.5 billion for research on clean coal technologies. Even when the phrase "clean coal" is omitted, coal is not left out. "Clean coal" does not appear anywhere in the discussion draft of climate legislation from the House Energy and Commerce Committee. But the rough draft talks about grants for research and development on carbon capture and sequestration, which would be funded through assessments on energy producers. That language came as the result of talks between Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.); Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who chairs the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming; and Rep. Rick Boucher, (D-Va.), a coal industry supporter. The draft does not designate a dollar amount for those grants. Separate legislation from Boucher proposes about $1 billion annually. "Coal is America's most abundant domestic fuel, and today, coal accounts for more than one-half of the fuel used for electricity generation," Boucher said when he introduced that bill. "Given our large coal reserves, its lower cost in comparison with other fuels and the inadequate availability of fuel alternatives, preservation of the ability of electric utilities to continue coal use is essential." Dealing with coal is necessary because it provides about half of the country's electricity and because China, India and other developing nations will keep using it despite the climate change concerns, congressional aides said. "We can do obviously great things with clean energy, but if we don't figure out coal ... on the global warming side and the economics side, we will potentially lose both those battles," said Eben Burnham Snyder, spokesman for Markey's select committee. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, meanwhile, has issued qualified support for carbon sequestration research. Many see that as a significant shift. In a presentation at University of California, Berkeley, before Obama picked him to lead the Energy Department, Chu said, "Coal is my worst nightmare." "As Secretary Chu has said, we need to transform the way we use and produce energy in this country to end our dangerous dependence on foreign oil and reduce the threat of pollution," DOE spokeswoman Tiffany Edwards said. "We will do that through investments in clean coal technology to reduce our carbon footprint, while also developing the next generation of alternative fuels and renewable energy sources." Chu also has said it will take at least eight years before a research project could show whether carbon capture would be commercially viable. Poll shows movement Those who accuse the coal industry of trying to falsely portray itself as green acknowledge that the phase "clean coal" has slipped into political speech. But they reject the notion that the coal industry is ready to be part of the green energy economy. When you look at the bigger picture of what Congress has done since January, the real push is toward renewable power, said Brian Hardwick, spokesman for the Reality Coalition. The economic stimulus law provides about $80 billion for renewable power programs, incentives, work on an electricity grid and conservation efforts, Hardwick said. Meanwhile, there is $3.4 billion set aside for research and development to see whether it would be commercially viable to capture and sequester coal's carbon emissions. "We're pretty happy with how that balance worked out," Hardwick said of the stimulus. The coal coalition also said it has seen a shift in its direction. In a September 2007 national poll, opinion leaders opposed the use of coal by a margin of 52 to 46 percent, said Joe Lucas, spokesman for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, or ACCCE, a partnership of industries involved in producing electricity from coal. But when the survey was repeated last October, 72 percent supported using coal and 22 percent opposed, Lucas said. Both sides developed ads they believed would influence voters, journalists and ultimately policymakers. The Reality Coalition hired famed advertising firm Crispin Porter + Bogusky, which had done the "Truth" anti-smoking campaign. The coalition then hired famed movie-director brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, who directed a spot in which a man sprays an air freshener labeled "clean coal." Dirt comes out of the container as a family of four coughs. The strategy called for humor to pull people into a dry, technical subject, said Mary Anne Hitt, deputy director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign. "We hopefully can point out what we consider to be the whole absurdity of clean coal and also engage people on the issue who otherwise might not be paying attention," Hitt said. The coalition also put ads in Washington subway stations featuring a mermaid and space alien holding coal and text declaring, "there's no such thing as clean coal." Obama featured in coal ad But the pro-coal forces have a powerful weapon in their ad effort. Barack Obama, while running for president, spoke about coal at a campaign rally. A coalition representing coal interests repackaged his words into a television ad that is still running. "Clean coal technology is something that can make America energy independent," Obama says in the ad. "This is America. We figured out how to put a man on the moon in 10 years. You can't tell me we can't figure out how to burn coal that we mine right here in the United States of America and make it work." After Obama said those words, the ad wrote itself, Lucas said. Other observers, however, said parsing the president's words shows that he is not saying clean coal exists today. The words in the speech sound as though they were "very carefully calculated, calibrated words, with the judicious use of double negatives. I don't think those words were not chosen judiciously," said Joel Darmstadter, senior fellow at Resources for the Future, nonprofit group that conducts research on energy issues. "Don't tell me that we can't," Darmstadter said, "is different from saying, 'Yes, we can.'" ACCCE designed its ads after using polling and focus groups. The latest ad from the group shows a series of workers and tells viewers how coal powers the U.S. economy, "jobs powered by affordable energy generated by our most abundant fuel, coal, the source of half of our electricity." The ad does not refer to clean coal except for a logo at the end. Hardwick, with the "no such thing as clean coal" ad group, said he believes the ad shows the coal industry knows its "clean coal" ads are not working. And his response to the coal group's latest advertisement indicates where the ad war could be headed. If the industry is going to promote itself as an inexpensive energy source, he said, he will be asking people to consider "the real costs of coal" -- including global warming and natural resources destroyed by mining practices. "As we look to how to build our energy future," Hardwick said, "we have to determine if that's the way we want to go." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe 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: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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[Fwd: [fom] Mountaintop Removal Mining Comic]
by Regina Hendrix 21 Apr '09

21 Apr '09

Take a look at this one.

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Fwd: Fw: Achieving Aggressive Utility Energy Efficiency Goals
by James Kotcon 17 Apr '09

17 Apr '09

We may be able to use this for appeals challenging "Need" for new power lines. JBK >>> Paula Carrell <Paula.Carrell(a)sierraclub.org> 4/16/2009 3:13 PM >>> NEWS RELEASE Technical contacts: Martin Kushler, 517-655-7037, mgkushler(a)aol.com Dan York, 608-243-1123, dwyork(a)aol.com Press contact: Glee Murray, 202-507-4010, gmurray(a)aceee.org Achieving Aggressive Utility Energy Efficiency Goals: New Study Identifies Top States and Examines Factors Associated with Big Savings Results Washington D.C. (April 16, 2009): The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) today released a new report, Meeting Aggressive New State Goals for Utility-Sector Energy Efficiency: Examining Key Factors Associated With High Savings. This report presents the results of a comprehensive national review of recent accomplishments in utility-sector energy efficiency, and an examination of key factors associated with large savings achievements. In the past few years, high and volatile energy prices, soaring power plant construction costs, and increasing concerns over climate and potential carbon costs have all contributed to a new sense of urgency about the need for energy efficiency, and policymakers in a number of states have responded by setting energy efficiency savings goals at unprecedented levels. The intent of this report is to examine factors that may be important in considering how to achieve those aggressive new goals. Using a combination of expert review and an analysis of actual energy efficiency spending and savings data, the report identifies a set of 14 “top states” in the U.S. in terms of utility-sector energy efficiency accomplishments. The report then goes on to examine and discuss a wide range of factors that could conceivably affect success in this area, and identifies factors that appear to be associated with high levels of energy efficiency savings. The Utilities Program Director and lead author, Dr. Martin Kushler, summarized, “This study is intended to provide an overview of where we have been in terms of utility-sector energy efficiency accomplishments, and to help identify factors that will likely be important in achieving the aggressive new energy efficiency savings goals being established in many leading states.” Senior Research Associate and co-author Dr. Dan York added, “There is no single ‘magic bullet’ solution, but we’ve hopefully identified some elements that can help states develop strategies to meet the energy efficiency challenges they face.” Meeting Aggressive New State Goals for Utility-Sector Energy Efficiency: Examining Key Factors Associated With High Savings is available for free download at www.aceee.org/pubs/u091.htm or a hard copy can be purchased for $30 plus $5 postage and handling from ACEEE Publications, 529 14th St, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20045, phone: 202-507-4000, fax: 202-429-2248, e-mail: aceee_publications(a)aceee.org. About ACEEE: The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental protection. For information about ACEEE and its programs, publications, and conferences, visit http://www.aceee.org. ###

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TRAILCO-PATH -- PJM UPDATED ANALYSIS OF "RELIABILITY" ISSUES PURPORTING TO SHOW NEED FOR TRANSMISSION LINES.
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 16 Apr '09

16 Apr '09

Attached is the PJM April 14, 2009 update of the "reliability" analysis which apparently was the basis for the decision, announced in yesterday's press release from AEP and Allegheny, to move the delivery date for PATH from June 30, 2001 to June 30, 2014. On page 3, the "update" asserts that the "retool analysis continues to demonstrate the need for the [Trail] line by June 2001." However, discussing the 502 Juntion to Prexy portion of the originally proposed Trail line, PJM acknowledges -- on page 11 -- that as part of the settlement which eliminated the 502 Juntion to Prexy portion of the line, the parties to the settlement agreed to come up with an alternative solution to any reliability issues on that portion of the line. And on page 12 of this "update" PJM acknowledges that "the magnitude of the [reliability] violations [along the 502 to Prexy line is] reduced *due to lower load forecasts*." In short, the portion of the Trail line that was cancelled can be fixed on cheaper basis because of the historic change in electric demand -- but we still need to build the rest of it because, mysteriously, it (and it alone) was not affected by the fact that demand for electricity has fallen off the table. Yeah, right, and if you believe that I have a bridge to nowhere ... -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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Re: [EC] from the American Scientist e-newsletter of April13th
by Paul Wilson 16 Apr '09

16 Apr '09

Last week, Congress began considering laws to establish the new carbon cap-and-trade regime proposed by President Obama, but they immediately hit opposition from Democrats in coal-mining states who fear the measures will cost jobs<http://amsciadmin.eresources.com/track/trackurl.aspx?q=SynP9lejxPWeMYgWYOLB…>. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha

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TRAILCO: April 29 Supreme Court argument can be listened to over phone or watched over net.
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 15 Apr '09

15 Apr '09

Phone 304-558-1313 Web: mms://mediaserver.citynet.net/wvscourt FWIW -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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Fwd: New timeline for PATH transmission line
by James Kotcon 15 Apr '09

15 Apr '09

>>> <Elena.Saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org> 4/15/2009 1:08 PM >>> Sorry for cross-postings; just wanted to make sure everyone got this. PATH now plans to file applications "in the second quarter" of this year. Elena Saxonhouse Sierra Club Environmental Law Program 85 Second St., 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 977-5765 (415) 977-5793 (fax) ----- Forwarded by Elena Saxonhouse/Sierraclub on 04/15/2009 10:05 AM ----- "Ginny Kreitler" <g.kreitler(a)comcast.net> Sent by: pa-transmission-bounces(a)lists.conserveland.org 04/15/2009 09:51 AM Please respond to PA Transmission Listserv <pa-transmission(a)lists.conserveland.org> To "listserve" <pa-transmission(a)lists.conserveland.org> cc Subject [Pa-transmission] new timeline for PATH transmission line FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PATH Announces Change to Transmission Line Completion Date COLUMBUS, Ohio, and GREENSBURG, Pa., April 15, 2009 – American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) and Allegheny Energy, Inc. (NYSE: AYE) today announced a schedule change for their proposed transmission project. The Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH), a 765-kilovolt line extending from southwestern West Virginia to central Maryland, now has a June 2014 completion deadline. The one-year schedule change results from a recent reliability analysis by PJM Interconnection (PJM) that considered various factors, including its 2009 load forecast. PJM, the regional grid operator directing the construction of PATH, has confirmed that the project remains critical to addressing regional reliability concerns. PJM’s latest update of its reliability analysis confirms that significant overloads and voltage problems will occur in the region, beginning in 2014, if the PATH project is not completed. The PATH project team expects to file applications for approval to build the line with the West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia regulatory commissions in the second quarter. Timely approvals by the state commissions are needed to meet the new deadline established by PJM. Allegheny Energy Headquartered in Greensburg, Pa., Allegheny Energy is an investor-owned electric utility with total annual revenues of over $3 billion and more than 4,000 employees. The company owns and operates generating facilities and delivers low-cost, reliable electric service to 1.6 million customers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia. For more information, visit our Web site at www.alleghenyenergy.com. American Electric Power American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning more than 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio. -###- Contact: Doug Colafella Melissa McHenry Allegheny Energy American Electric Power Phone: (724) 838-6387 Phone: (614) 716-1120 E-Mail: dcolafe(a)alleghenyenergy.com E-Mail: mamchenry(a)aep.com _______________________________________________ Pa-transmission mailing list Pa-transmission(a)lists.conserveland.org http://lists.conserveland.org/mailman/listinfo/pa-transmission To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.conserveland.org/mailman/listinfo/pa-transmission or email info(a)conserveland.org with the subject line UNSUBSCRIBE - TRANSMISSION LISTSERV.

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PATH moved back 1 year
by Jim Sconyers 15 Apr '09

15 Apr '09

http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2009/04/15/path-power-line-pushed-bac… PATH timeline pushed back one year. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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[Fwd: [fom] Where Do Our Elected Officials Stand on Blair Mountain?]
by Regina Hendrix 14 Apr '09

14 Apr '09

FYI

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PSC Staff Response to Petitions for Review
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 13 Apr '09

13 Apr '09

ATTACHED IS THE PSC STAFF RESPONSE -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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TRAILCO RESPONSE TO SIERRA AND HILDEBRAND PETITIONS FOR REVIEW OF PSC DECISION AT WV SUPREME COURT
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 13 Apr '09

13 Apr '09

FYI - HERE IS THE TRAILCO RESPONSE. HAVE NOT READ IT YET. OUR ARGUMENT IS APRIL 29 BEFORE S CT. -- William V. DePaulo, Esq. 179 Summers Street, Suite 232 Charleston, WV 25301-2163 Tel: 304-342-5588 Fax: 304-342-5505 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com www.passeggiata.com

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SB 753 - calls needed
by Jim Sconyers 09 Apr '09

09 Apr '09

[Note: This information is about a bill concerning the new wave of gas drilling in the Marcellus shale strata in West Virginia. WVSC Chapter leader Beth Little has provided brief explanations of why the proposed bill is a bad idea. You can help, and she shows how.] Contact Del. Carrie Webster, chair of House Judiciary - e-mail cwebste1(a)mail.wvnet.edu or phone 304-340-3252 and ask her not to report the bill out of committee and give your reasons as to why it's a bad bill. Also contact any members of the Judiciary Committee (listed below) that are in your district. Reasons why SB 753 is a bad bill: It would prevent counties from addressing problems in their local areas. If WV had adequate regulation of gas drilling at the state level, it would not be necessary for counties to take steps to protect citizens. WV has no limits on water withdrawals (only “advisories”) and no permitting process to alert county authorities or citizens to a potential problem ahead of time. WV allows land application of drilling brine (as in salty wastewater), which can poison agricultural soil (an incident in the Fernow Experimental Forest resulted in a few acres of dead vegetation within days, including trees), WV has no maximum limit on total dissolved solids (TDS) in streams and rivers. Recently the Mon River violated PA TDS limits and caused problems at industrial facilities on the river, plus resulted in hundreds of thousands of PA residents having to use bottled water. WV has insufficient inspectors to monitor the increased number of drilling sites. WV allows onsite burial of pit liners containing potential toxic material. County planning agencies need the authority to regulate activities that threaten local land and water until the state can pass appropriate legislation, but SB 753 would prevent them from doing this. Judiciary Committee members: Highlight the name below and then press CTRL while clicking, and you will be taken to the delegates site for email, phone number and other information. Delegate Miley - Vice-Chair Delegate Ellem - Minority Chair Delegate Lane - Minority Vice-Chair Delegate Barker Delegate Brown Delegate Caputo Delegate Ferro Delegate Fleischauer Delegate Frazier Delegate Hunt Delegate Hutchins Delegate Longstreth Delegate Michael Delegate Moore Delegate Shook Delegate Susman Delegate Tabb Delegate Wells Delegate Wooton Delegate Hamilton Delegate Overington Delegate Schadler Delegate Schoen Delegate Sobonya Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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Re: [EC] Appalachia film on PBS
by Regina Hendrix 08 Apr '09

08 Apr '09

Harvard, it's going to be running in the Charleston area on WVPBS starting at 9:00 p.m. on Monday, April 13 and lasting for four weeks. I'm putting this info on the FOM list. This has not yet received much publicity in this area. I've pasted the Post-Gazette piece in below. Harvard wrote: > >> Friends, relatives, etc.- Tomorrow night at 10:00PM on PBS will be a >> film called "Appalachia- A History of Mountains and People." Rumor >> has it that I will play a part. It is in four parts over the next >> four weeks, I think, and I don't know when I will appear. It's >> basically a history of the environmental movement in Appalachia. Take >> a look at the linked review in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. >> >>>> http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09097/960981-67.stm > Harvard PBS's 'Appalachia' examines region's heart and soul TV Review Tuesday, April 07, 2009 By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press Sissy Spacek will narrate the four-part PBS series "Appalachia." Appalachia is in a rarefied limelight this Thursday when PBS airs the first part of an engrossing and beautifully filmed and illustrated series subtitled "A History of Mountains and People." "Appalachia" is both a paean to and an investigation of the world's oldest mountains, their sufferance and the sufferance of their inhabitants -- from chestnut trees and salamanders to the Saponi, Sugaree and Coosa tribes to the families who lived in squalor in company towns. Should enough people actually watch it, "Appalachia" (10 p.m. Thursday, WQED) could be the beginning of a cure for society's malignant attitude about the region. It doesn't portray Appalachia as anything it isn't; deeply isolated mountain people really are quaint. But there's so little deep isolation anymore, and Appalachia has been wrestled into the shape of the rest of the country. The otherness that fascinated the first outside journalists has been eradicated over a century like so many irreplaceable qualities. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People' **** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Narrated by actress Sissy Spacek, with interviews of scientists, historians and novelists, the four-part series begins with the birth of the mountains 500 million years ago. The breakup of the supercontinent Pangea led to collisions that caused mantle to buckle and lift. In Part II (10 p.m. April 16), native and European cultures collided, most horrifically when Hernando de Soto and his wild band of horsemen slayed people who wouldn't show them where the nonexistent gold was. Part III (10 p.m. April 23) brings us into the mid-1800s. Industrialization quickens the pace, levels old-growth forests and turns one of Earth's great wonders into a commodity. The greatest tragedy of Appalachia is that it became what anthropologist Harvard Ayers called "a resource colony, an environment you could sacrifice for the benefit of the rest of the country." Part IV (10 p.m. April 30) is less thematic. It tells of the forestry conservation movement; the labor movement and the violent resistance of coal companies against it; the cultural renaissance from which emerged the writings of Thomas Wolfe and the Carter family's music; and the loss of the American chestnut, Appalachia's crowning species. A very brief few minutes is given to the shocking devastation that a handful of "miners" can cause by blowing an entire mountain apart and throwing everything that buried the coal into the ridges below. Mountaintop removal mining -- a still-legal form of environmental mayhem -- is Appalachia's most spotlighted issue today, but this series puts it in historical place on a very long timeline. Much of the political history of this series, such as the role John L. Lewis and Mary "Mother Jones" Harris played in organizing labor, has worn deep grooves into the brain by now, but there's some surprising learnin' to be had. Who knew, for example, that some species of trees and salamanders in Appalachia have matches in southeast China -- and nowhere else in the world; and that more species of trees live in one acre of North Carolina mountains than in all of Europe? Few documentaries give equal time to species other than the human to explain a history. This one does. It gives first billing, though, to the mountains themselves -- the "soul and spine" of a people as diverse as any but bound by a heart tug for "home" that's all about being an underdog who knows a superior beauty. Diana Nelson Jones can be reached at djones(a)post-gazette.com <mailto:djones@post-gazette.com> or 412-263-1626. See her online site "City Walkabout" at post-gazette.com/journals <http://www.post-gazette.com/journals>.

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Fwd: Fw: NoToPATH action call for BOS meeting on Monday pm
by James Kotcon 06 Apr '09

06 Apr '09

To the Energy Committee: I received the attached e-mail regarding a proposal to relase conservation easements in Loudon County, VA for the PATH transmission lines. The hearing is Monday, and I propose to offer the attached letter of support for the resolution. I bvelieve that a decision by Loudon County, VA to release conservation easements would be used by PATH to argue for similar release in WV. Please review the attached info, and let me know by the end of Sunday if you have comments on the letter. JBK

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[Fwd: Re: Sorry friends, ONE SENATE email was wrong in the POWERLINE ACTION info just sent]
by Regina Hendrix 05 Apr '09

05 Apr '09

I'm attaching an E-Mail I received from Tina Rappaport. Tina has worked up a very handy document in a very readable format with complete mailing addresses, phones and contact information for all the WV Legislators. The document is 11 pages and I've had trouble putting attachments on the FOM list before, so if you'd like a copy just E-Mail me and I'll send it to you. Regina Hendrix

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Fwd: Media for coal-by-wire amicus brief with Union of Concerned Scientist, etc.?
by James Kotcon 04 Apr '09

04 Apr '09

Attached is some news about the Club's efforts in Pennsylvania. Enjoy. JBK

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[Fwd: FW: {Fraud?} Chemical disaster in America]
by Regina Hendrix 03 Apr '09

03 Apr '09

Please sign on and pass this on to as many people as possible. The explosion last August was very scary, so scary that I'm leaving the Kanawha Valley and moving to the northern part of the state. Unfortunately, many of my friends and relatives cannot leave. Regina Hendrix

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Fw: [ Email Story ] W.Va. House resolution supports Coal River wind farm
by Jim Sconyers 03 Apr '09

03 Apr '09

Pretty impressive - 40 sponsors for Coal River Mountain Wind! Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Fri, 4/3/09, jim_scon(a)yahoo.com <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> wrote: From: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> Subject: [ Email Story ] W.Va. House resolution supports Coal River wind farm To: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com Date: Friday, April 3, 2009, 10:52 AM jim_scon(a)yahoo.com sent you this article ----- April 2, 2009 W.Va. House resolution supports Coal River wind farm By Alison Knezevich Staff writer More than 40 members of the House of Delegates have signed a resolution supporting the development of a wind farm on Coal River Mountain in Southern West Virginia. Read more ----- send out

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Washington Post Mobile - Winds of Change Evident in U.S. Environmental Policy
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 31 Mar '09

31 Mar '09

washingtonpost.com william.depaulo(a)gmail.com sent this to you from http://www.washingtonpost.com Winds of Change Evident in U.S. Environmental Policy By Juliet Eilperin Updated: 03/31/2009 Daniel Reifsnyder, a 25-year State Department veteran, knew even before President Obama was elected that U.S. environmental policy was going to change. So in early November, he called a couple of his Environmental Protection Agency counterparts about drafting documents to lay the groundwork for endorsing a treaty to curb global emissions of toxic mercury. The Bush administration had resisted proposals for a United Nations-sponsored mercury treaty since at least 2005 on the grounds that voluntary measures were sufficient, but Reifsnyder told his fellow career officials that they had an opportunity to quickly formulate a new U.S. position in time for an upcoming meeting in Nairobi. They knew that as a senator, Obama had sponsored legislation banning the export of mercury overseas and that he was likely to be sympathetic to the treaty proposal. "To anyone who was aware of what was happening, it was pretty clear the chances of the Bush administration position continuing into the new administration was pretty remote," recalled Reifsnyder, who is deputy assistant secretary of state for the environment and jokes that he started working at the department "before Moses parted the waters." By Feb. 20, the efforts of Reifsnyder and dozens of other rank-and-file federal employees had borne fruit: After the United States voiced support for the idea of a new, binding mercury treaty, the world community embraced it in Nairobi. The rapid policy reversal is just one of more than a dozen environmental initiatives the new administration has undertaken in its first two months. In nearly every case, the decisions were based on extensive analysis and documentation that rank-and-file employees had prepared over the past couple of years, often in the face of contrary-minded Bush administration officials. After years of chafing under political appointees who viewed stricter environmental regulation with skepticism, long-serving federal officials are seeing work that had been gathering dust for years translate quickly into action. Whether that is a good thing depends on one's point of view. "It is kind of how government works, at its best," said Eric Schaeffer, who headed the EPA's office of regulatory enforcement before resigning in protest in 2002. He now runs the Environmental Integrity Project, an advocacy group. "With government bureaucrats, we fuss at them, but in this case I think they're doing some good." Businesses facing new regulation, however, often call it a case of unelected government employees running amok. "It's safe to say [that] within the regulatory bureaucracy, there's a built-in inclination to draft regulations, because that's what they do," said Hank Cox, a spokesman for the National Association of Manufacturers. "With some of these bureaucrats and activist groups, there's an obliviousness to the costs of these regulations. We're more comfortable with having people high up in government taking a fairly tough line on new rules." After years of behind-the-scenes disputes with their superiors who favored regulatory restraint, many longtime federal workers are now what Cox calls "more in sync" with the new political hires running their agencies. This shift has helped produce broad policy reversals that encompass such issues as writing new regulations and prosecuting violators of old ones, with still more in the pipeline. Drawing on earlier spadework, the administration has issued a proposal to create a national greenhouse gas registry; filed a lawsuit accusing a coal-fired power plant in New Roads, La., of violating the Clean Air Act; and put electric utilities on notice that they may have to account for their greenhouse gas pollution. Political appointees have also asked career employees for background material on how to regulate pollution from cement kilns; whether refineries have done enough to curb their harmful emissions; and whether the federal government should grant California and more than a dozen other states the power to curb greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. Margo Oge, director of the EPA's office of transportation and air quality, said the approximately 400 people who work in her division have drawn on "thousands of pages" of documents that they drafted during the past administration to advise new EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson quickly on questions such as whether the agency is obligated to regulate gases that contribute to global warming and how it might accomplish that. Bush officials had extended the public comment period on the question, in part because they thought a positive finding would trigger an elaborate regulatory scheme that would harm the economy. On March 20, the EPA sent a finding to the White House that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare , based in part on the work that Oge's office had done. "There is a sense of urgency by the president and the administrator to address climate change," Oge said. "The agency is in a very good position to provide technical assistance to the president, to Congress and to the administrator." In many instances, career officials have spent a couple of years preparing the reports and briefings they are now delivering to Obama officials. Under Bush, for example, senior EPA officials such as former deputy administrator Marcus Peacock made it clear that the government would not devote significant resources to prosecuting coal-fired power plants for Clean Air Act violations because the administration was more interested in curbing air pollution through regulatory reform. But according to a Justice Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing litigation, career employees continued to research such allegations in the hope of securing settlements or bringing cases in the future. On Feb. 18, less than a month after Obama was sworn in, the United States filed a complaint against the Big Cajun 2 Power Plant charging that for more than a decade it has operated without required pollution controls; the case was based in part on about 2,000 boxes of documents from the EPA's enforcement office. The Justice official said the fact that EPA employees continued to research these sorts of complaints kept a 1999 federal initiative aimed at coal-fired utilities "alive, and that's what gives us the ability now to file a couple of these cases." In some cases, agency officials have been able to revive proposals that languished under the previous administration with the tiniest of changes. A proposal to establish a national greenhouse gas registry stalled at the Office of Management and Budget for three months because Bush administration officials did not think the EPA should use its authority under the Clean Air Act to establish the monitoring system. Within two weeks of Jackson taking office, however, career officials briefed her on the matter, and she agreed that they could base the rule on the act. The registry proposal that the EPA issued this month is nearly identical to the one it sent to the OMB in September. Scott Segal, a lobbyist for coal-fired utilities at the law firm Bracewell & Giuliani, said the fact that Obama has yet to fill many sub-Cabinet appointments at federal agencies has created "a power vacuum in which career employees fill in the gap." "The old joke about EPA employees is they would either write the rule, or if they couldn't, they would leak the draft," Segal said. Now, he added, they seem to be getting their chance to write the rules. (c) 1996-2009 The Washington Post Company

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EC April 2009