EC January 2010

ec@lists.wvsierraclub.org

11 participants
38 discussions

Fw: New Community & Environmental Protection Resources
by Jim Sconyers 19 Jan '10

19 Jan '10

FYI Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Tue, 1/19/10, Richard Klein <Rklein(a)ceds.org> wrote: From: Richard Klein <Rklein(a)ceds.org> Subject: New Community & Environmental Protection Resources To: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 10:38 AM Dear Mr. Sconyers I wanted to make you aware of three new resources for citizens seeking to preserve communities and the environment from the impact of sprawl and other poorly planned projects... Citizen's Hotline 1-800-773-4571 for those concerned about flawed projects who need assistance in addition to that available from the Sierra Club and other not-for-profit groups; Coal-By-Wire & Transmission Lines webpage for citizens concerned about proposed high-voltage or extra-high voltage transmission projects facilitating more pollution from coal-fired power plants: ceds.org/tl; and Making Pollution Laws Work webpage providing guidance on reporting pollution problems so they are quickly corrected along with advice on identifying existing problems and managing watershed growth to prevent new ones: ceds.org/compliance. As a former Sierra Club group chair and National Sprawl Committee member, I know that the Club simply cannot help everyone who seeks our assistance. I created these and other resources to provide citizen activists with an alternative to hiring an expensive lawyer when they require assistance beyond that available through the Club's 63 Chapters and 274 Groups. I would deeply appreciate it if you would consider letting conservation chairs and others who receive requests for assistance know about these new resources. A complete description of all our no-cost citizen assistance is available on our main webpage: ceds.org. While more then half the folks we help find that our free assistance is all they need, a small portion of the remainder hire CEDS to manage their campaign, which is how we can afford to offer all the no-cost help. Our Politically Oriented Advocacy webpage describes the unique approach we developed which is achieving a 90% success rate while expanding the base of public (voter) support for responsible growth- and environmental-management. Thank you. -- Richard D Richard D. Klein Community & Environmental Defense Services 811 Crystal Palace Court Owings Mills, Maryland 21117 410-654-3021 410-654-3028 Fax 443-421-5964 Mobile Web Page: www.ceds.org/

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NYTimes.com: Luminous 3-D Jungle Is a Biologist's Dream
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 19 Jan '10

19 Jan '10

This page was sent to you by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com. If you want to persuade someone to join the fight against mountain top removal or global warming, send them to see AVATAR...a "Minds and Hearts" for the environment, if ever there was one. SCIENCE | January 19, 2010 Essay: Luminous 3-D Jungle Is a Biologist's Dream By CAROL KAESUK YOON The new film "Avatar" explores life forms both familiar and fantastic, but a viewer does not have to be a scientist to enjoy the experience. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/science/19essay.html?emc=eta1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THIS E-MAIL This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service. For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help(a)nytimes.com. NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

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Kennedy v. Blankenship MTR debate
by Frank Young 16 Jan '10

16 Jan '10

For those of you not attending this debate in person, it will apparently be available via WV Public Broadcasting, as well as on several websites. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jan. 21: The Big Debate Broadcast on Radio, TV, Web As one news story said, it is the hottest ticket in town: "Forum on the Future of Energy." At 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21, the University of Charleston will present a "public conversation" between Waterkeeper Alliance President and environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Massey Energy Chairman and CEO Don Blankenship. Tickets for seats in the auditorium have all been given away. The university will open up a gymnasium and broadcast the debate live there. West Virginia Public Broadcasting will air the debate live, so people anywhere can tune in. You can also watch the "Forum on the Future of Energy" on assorted websites, as noted here. __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Start a New Topic Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources MARKETPLACE Going Green: Your Yahoo! Groups resource for green living Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Storm No Problem For Houses "Off The Grid"- Public News Svc. story
by Frank Young 15 Jan '10

15 Jan '10

BlankWith apologies for dual postings: ------------------------------------------------------- CHARLESTON, W.Va. - This winter's unusually cold weather has created snarls around the nation. Here in Appalachia, a fierce December storm knocked out power to nearly 400,000 people and cost more than $60 million to clean up. Not everyone lost electricity, however, because some weren't connected to the power grid in the first place. Mary Wildfire lives with her husband in a house they built outside Spencer in Roane County. They run their lights, computers, appliances and the pump for their well on eight solar panels located in their front yard. "Our immediate neighbors were out of power for a week; they got it back Christmas Eve. And we did really pretty well, because there were some partly sunny days." She says the solar panels actually work better when it snows, because of the amount of light they get. Wildfire admits that anyone who heats with wood or generates their own electricity loses a lot in terms of convenience. In her household, they have to pay attention to how much power they use and how much sun they get, but it's part of a lifestyle that has advantages, despite the trade-offs. "We had to check whether we had wood in the shed, whether we were using too much power for how much light we'd gotten lately, but then to live on the grid we'd have to have, probably, full-time jobs." Wildfire admits the system was expensive to install, at about $4,000 after tax breaks. But she says they're counting on it lasting for decades. Dan Heyman, Public News Service - WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/12190-1

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Re: [EC] Fwd: MA Chapter Biomass Policy/Resolution
by Jim Sconyers 15 Jan '10

15 Jan '10

SC (Bill Price, Mary Ann Hitt, Bruce Nilles) have been, I believe, very supportive of that proposed facility. I agree that most biomass plants would cause deforestation, regardless of how they claim to use only "waste" wood. I don't like wood biomass at all. But this seems to be only about forest biomass. What about other biomass? switchgrass/kenaf/sugar cane/ethanol/etc? I don't know the numbers, whether burning switchgrass is carbon neutral or not... Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Fri, 1/15/10, James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> wrote: From: James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> Subject: [EC] Fwd: MA Chapter Biomass Policy/Resolution To: ec(a)osenergy.org, mwimmer(a)wvu.edu Date: Friday, January 15, 2010, 3:11 PM I guess we just don't have enough to do. The Massachusetts Chapter has adopted a policy to oppose biomass facilities and opposes designation of biomass as "renewable". Have they gone too far? Or are we behind the times? Does this mean I should stop using my wood stove? A wood-to-electricity facility in southern WV (I think Mingo or McDowell County) was recently announced. Do we have a position on it? JBK >>> James McCaffrey <director(a)SierraClubMass.org> 1/15/2010 2:12 PM >>> Dear Club Leaders and fellow state directors / lobbyists et al: Attached is the MA Chapter’s new biomass policy, as recently adopted, and a letter to our legislature. We are battling several large-scale biomass proposals. Incentives to develop biomass infiltrated various bits of MA legislation/regs and other initiatives, and a rush ensued. These plants could devastate the Massachusetts landscape and cause a huge net increase of CO2 at this time. There was a very vocal and intense outcry from both members and the general public in opposition to the proposals here in MA. Much of our research has been conducted by Alexandra Dawson (former Chapter Excom) and her colleague, Mary Booth, an environmental scientist. That combined with the extensive work and legacy of the Club on related issues (forestry, energy etc) provided us with a solid background to oppose the proposed facilities. I have spoken to a few other New England states that are tracking this issue, and the biomass momentum creates a significant threat nationwide. Biomass proponents are working hard to have the same kind of incentives that created our problems here written into the federal energy bill. A few key points to note about our policy/letter: • The Chapter policy is based heavily on very careful review of Club guidance documents and polices, including Energy Policies, Forest Policies, and the Biomass Guidance docs. The letter and policy borrow rather extensively from these existing Club polices and work. Many sections are exact wording from the existing Club policy/guidance docs. If there is interest in an annotated version that highlights Club polices and documents, I could generate a new version late next week. • The policy is specific only to woody biomass harvested from living forests and being used for utility-scale electricity generation. The Chapter has “reserved judgment” on small-scale combined heat and power facilities, while acknowledging that there is still every possibility of “death by a thousand cuts”. • The policy does not deal with other biofuels (switch-grass or algae crops etc) that are currently being reviewed by other entities within the Club. This is noted in the adopted policy. • Although our chapter also opposes the burning of C&D, and several of our proposed plants would burn C&D, that is being dealt with in separate chapter polices. Our Chapter leaders are hopeful that our work here will lead to the strongest possible stance by the Club on this issue. The support from our members has been very enthusiastic since release of the policy. In December, as a direct result of our work, our administration agreed to suspend the applicability of renewable energy credits for biomass plants pending the outcome of a sustainability study. There are more details about this in our letter to the legislature. Please respond if you have any comments or thoughts on the policy, and feel free to forward this info to anyone else in the Club who may find it helpful. Jay McCaffrey MA Chapter Director ________________________________ James McCaffrey Director Massachusetts Sierra Club 10 Milk Street, Suite 632 Boston MA 02108 617.423.5775 voice 617.890.0338 fax www.sierraclubmass.org director(a)sierraclubmass.org __________________________________ The Sierra Club is a non-profit environmental organization with 21,000 members in Massachusetts and 700,000 members nationwide dedicated to the preservation, protection, and exploration of the earth’s natural environment. Join us! www.sierraclubmass.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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Fwd: MA Chapter Biomass Policy/Resolution
by James Kotcon 15 Jan '10

15 Jan '10

I guess we just don't have enough to do. The Massachusetts Chapter has adopted a policy to oppose biomass facilities and opposes designation of biomass as "renewable". Have they gone too far? Or are we behind the times? Does this mean I should stop using my wood stove? A wood-to-electricity facility in southern WV (I think Mingo or McDowell County) was recently announced. Do we have a position on it? JBK >>> James McCaffrey <director(a)SierraClubMass.org> 1/15/2010 2:12 PM >>> Dear Club Leaders and fellow state directors / lobbyists et al: Attached is the MA Chapter’s new biomass policy, as recently adopted, and a letter to our legislature. We are battling several large-scale biomass proposals. Incentives to develop biomass infiltrated various bits of MA legislation/regs and other initiatives, and a rush ensued. These plants could devastate the Massachusetts landscape and cause a huge net increase of CO2 at this time. There was a very vocal and intense outcry from both members and the general public in opposition to the proposals here in MA. Much of our research has been conducted by Alexandra Dawson (former Chapter Excom) and her colleague, Mary Booth, an environmental scientist. That combined with the extensive work and legacy of the Club on related issues (forestry, energy etc) provided us with a solid background to oppose the proposed facilities. I have spoken to a few other New England states that are tracking this issue, and the biomass momentum creates a significant threat nationwide. Biomass proponents are working hard to have the same kind of incentives that created our problems here written into the federal energy bill. A few key points to note about our policy/letter: • The Chapter policy is based heavily on very careful review of Club guidance documents and polices, including Energy Policies, Forest Policies, and the Biomass Guidance docs. The letter and policy borrow rather extensively from these existing Club polices and work. Many sections are exact wording from the existing Club policy/guidance docs. If there is interest in an annotated version that highlights Club polices and documents, I could generate a new version late next week. • The policy is specific only to woody biomass harvested from living forests and being used for utility-scale electricity generation. The Chapter has “reserved judgment” on small-scale combined heat and power facilities, while acknowledging that there is still every possibility of “death by a thousand cuts”. • The policy does not deal with other biofuels (switch-grass or algae crops etc) that are currently being reviewed by other entities within the Club. This is noted in the adopted policy. • Although our chapter also opposes the burning of C&D, and several of our proposed plants would burn C&D, that is being dealt with in separate chapter polices. Our Chapter leaders are hopeful that our work here will lead to the strongest possible stance by the Club on this issue. The support from our members has been very enthusiastic since release of the policy. In December, as a direct result of our work, our administration agreed to suspend the applicability of renewable energy credits for biomass plants pending the outcome of a sustainability study. There are more details about this in our letter to the legislature. Please respond if you have any comments or thoughts on the policy, and feel free to forward this info to anyone else in the Club who may find it helpful. Jay McCaffrey MA Chapter Director ________________________________ James McCaffrey Director Massachusetts Sierra Club 10 Milk Street, Suite 632 Boston MA 02108 617.423.5775 voice 617.890.0338 fax www.sierraclubmass.org director(a)sierraclubmass.org __________________________________ The Sierra Club is a non-profit environmental organization with 21,000 members in Massachusetts and 700,000 members nationwide dedicated to the preservation, protection, and exploration of the earth’s natural environment. Join us! www.sierraclubmass.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

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Fwd: Fleischauer Bills
by James Kotcon 14 Jan '10

14 Jan '10

The top three bills mentioned are priorities for the WV Sierra Club. Unleash those letter writers and get letters of support to our Delegates. And for the policy wonks, new junkies, and legal beagles, go to the WV Legislature web page, type in the number of the bills, and read over HB 3254 and HB 3279. WOW! JBK >>> <dsgjr(a)aol.com> 1/13/2010 5:38 PM >>> Some of our bills were introduced today. HB 4001 Relating to water pollution control Pending House Government Organization -- TDS bill HB 4008 Green Buildings Act Pending House Government Organization HB 4012 West Virginia Energy Efficiency Act Pending House Government Organization also these others came up today HB 2314 Relating to a severance tax imposed on surface mining activities Pending House Energy, Industry and Labor, Economic Development and Small Business 01/13/10 HB 2328 Increasing the Public Service Commission appointees and requiring that there be one appointee from each congressional district and two at-large appointments Pending House Government Organization HB 2764 West Virginia Public Campaign Financing Act Pending House Judiciary HB 3023 Relating to oil and gas surface owner's bill of rights Pending House Energy, Industry and Labor, Economic Development and Small Business HB 3254 Requiring county commissions to adopt and implement county farmland protection programs Pending House Government Organization HB 3279 Prohibiting any permits authorizing the construction, enlargement or modification of any coal mine waste Pending House Energy, Industry and Labor, Economic Development and Small Business HB 4023 Relating to the Public Service Commission Pending House Government Organization

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Fwd: Principles for Safeguarding Nuclear Waste at Reactors
by James Kotcon 13 Jan '10

13 Jan '10

The Physicians for Social Responsibility have asked WVEC to endorse the attached Principles. Based on my review, these are such common sense that it makes me wonder why they are not already the rule, but I suspect that the parts about community involvement and independent monitoring have raised alarm at DOE. Whaddya Tink? JBK >>> dsgjr(a)aol.com> 1/11/2010 10:45 PM >> ( mailto:dsgjr@aol.com> ) From: mpinnell(a)psr.org To: dsgjr(a)aol.com Sent: 1/11/2010 2:03:56 P.M. Eastern Standard Time Subj: Principles for Safeguarding Nuclear Waste at Reactors Dear Don, Gary Zuckett suggested I contact you. We at PSR are working on issuing a policy statement on safeguarding nuclear waste at reactor sites in the next few weeks and are really hoping to get at least 1 group from all 50 states on board with our position. Attached you will find the Principles for Safeguarding Nuclear Waste at Reactors. We are really hoping to get at least 1 group from all 50 states on board with our position, and right now we don’t have a representative for West Virginia. The Obama administration has stated, in its opposition to Yucca Mountain, that it will be reevaluating nuclear waste policy in the U.S. so it is a critical time to make a statement in support of safe and sane waste management practices. It would be fantastic if West Virginia Environmental Council could sign on and if you would like to forward this statement to other groups you work with, that would be great too. We’re hoping to issue these to the public next week, so the sooner you can reply, the better. Morgan Pinnell Safe Energy Program Coordinator Physicians for Social Responsibility Phone: 202-587-5232 Email: mpinnell(a)psr.org

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Re: [EC] Science article on MTR
by Paul Wilson 12 Jan '10

12 Jan '10

On the Diane Rehm Show on WAMU public Radio last Thursday, a couple of the guest referred to an embargoed article from Science magazine. Attached is a pdf of that article. -- 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: Re: Wind Siting Guidelines
by James Kotcon 12 Jan '10

12 Jan '10

The State Government Program Leaders List-serve has been soliciting wind energy siting guidelines from the state to use as models. Attached are the wind energy siting guidelines from Arizona, which appear to be pretty good. They include things like recommending "Bird Flight Diverters" on towers which have been shown to reduce collisions by up to 86 %, as well as requirements for acoustic monitoring for bats, and coordination with state wildlife plans. Does WV-DNR have anything like this? Should we push for something like this from WV-DNR? It would be a way to support the wind industry by providing clear guidance while also providing protections for critical wildlife species. Whaddya Tink? JBK --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> Sandy Bahr <sandy.bahr(a)sierraclub.org> 1/11/2010 6:03 PM >>> These are pretty good from our Game and Fish Department. Sandy Bahr Chapter Director Sierra Club - Grand Canyon Chapter 202 E. McDowell Rd, Suite 277 Phoenix, AZ 85004 Phone (602) 253-8633 Fax (602) 258-6533 sandy.bahr(a)sierraclub.org From:FRED [mailto:CONS-FRED@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG] On Behalf Of Kenneth C. Winston Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 1:32 PM To: CONS-FRED(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Subject: Wind Siting Guidelines --------------------------- cc:Mail Users-----------------------------** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing **---------------------------------------------------------------------- Does anyone have a really good set of wind siting guidelines? I have looked at the material that Sandy Bahr (and others) were working on at the time of Colloquium and looked at Kansas’s guidelines. I also looked up the Wisconsin guidelines, but they appear to just direct the PSC to develop guidelines. The chairman of the Natural Resources Committee has indicated that he is open to the idea of guidelines and I have another key member of the committee who is pushing the idea so I need to come up with something fast. Any helpful ideas would be appreciated. Ken Winston - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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EC January 2010