Jim Sconyers
jim_scon(a)yahoo.com
304.698.9628
Remember: Mother Nature bats last.
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Edward Mainland <emainland(a)COMCAST.NET>
To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG
Sent: Fri, March 25, 2011 2:16:34 PM
Subject: New Record for German Renewable Energy in 2010
New Record for German Renewable Energy in 2010
One-Quarter Million New Solar-Electric Systems Installed
New World Record: 7,400 MW of Solar Photovoltaics Installed in One Year
Renewable Electricity Penetration More than 30% of Supply on February 7th
New Renewables Near 17% of Electricity Supply
Renewable Generation Greater than Natural Gas--Closing in on Nuclear
March 24, 2011
By Paul Gipe
As the nuclear reactor accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant continues to
dominate the world's attention, Germany has quietly broken more renewable energy
records.
The conservative government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, struggling to stay
ahead of public attitudes toward nuclear power in the run-up to regional
elections, issued its annual report on the contribution of renewable energy to
the German energy market in 2010.
Wind turbines, hydroelectric plants, solar cells, and biogas digesters now
provide nearly 17% of Germany's electricity.
Meanwhile, the German network agency (Bundesnetzagentur) issued its final update
on the installation of solar photovoltaics (solar PV) in 2010.
The results are nothing short of startling and will add fuel to the heated
debate about how countries such as Japan can meet their electricity needs
without reliance on nuclear power.
In the immediate aftermath of the Japanese nuclear accident, Germany's Merkel
closed two reactors permanently, and another five temporarily. She also called
on her government to revisit its controversial decision to extend the life of
its aging reactors.
The reactors at Fukushima Daiichi are 40 years old and their license to operate
had been extended by the Japanese government.
The reports on the rapid growth of renewable energy in Germany may give Merkel's
government the cover it needs to reverse direction on nuclear power, and by
doing so reverse its faltering political fortunes.
Germany uses an advanced system of feed-in tariffs to pay for renewable energy
generation, and has an aggressive target of meeting 39% of its electricity
supply with renewable energy by 2020. Its system of advanced renewable tariffs
has enabled Germany to exceed its 2010 target of 12.5% by a wide margin.
New Renewables Near 17% of Electricity Supply in 2010
The German Ministry for the Environment and Reactor Safety reports that in 2010
renewable energy generated more than 100 TWh (billion kilowatt-hours) of
electricity, providing nearly 17% of the 600 TWh of supply.
Wind turbines and biomass plants delivered more than 70% of renewable
generation.
Biogas plants powered with methane from manure alone generated nearly 13 TWh.
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In 2010 renewables generated more electricity in Germany than gas-fired power
plants--nearly as much as hard coal--and are fast approaching the contribution
of nuclear power.
7,400 MW of Solar PV Installed in One Year
Doubling their previous record, the German solar PV industry installed 7,400 MW
from nearly one-quarter million individual systems in 2010, according to the
finial report by the Bundesnetzagentur.
In December alone, Germans installed more than 1,000 MW of solar PV, enough
solar capacity to generate 1 TWh of electricity under German conditions. While
they represent only half that installed in June 2010, the December installations
were 50% greater than total solar PV installed in the USA in 2010 and as much as
that rumored to have been installed in Japan last year.
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Nearly 700 MW from some 100,000 systems were installed in a size range typical
of that installed by German homeowners.
An astounding 3,700 MW from more than 135,000 systems were installed in a size
range representative of that installed by farmers and other small businesses.
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Another 1,700 MW were installed in a size class characteristic of small
businesses and large industrial rooftops.
Large, multi-megawatt systems comprised 1,400 MW of capacity or nearly one-fifth
of total capacity installed in 2010.
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Renewable Electricity More than 30% of Supply on February 7th
A further sign that renewable energy has come of age as a commercial generating
technology, certainly in Germany, is that penetration of wind and solar reached
more than 30% of supply on February 7, 2010, according to data posted publicly
by Germany's electricity transmission exchange, EEX.
The exchange posts online the amount of capacity of conventional generation,
wind generation, and solar PV generation delivered to the grid by time of day.
On Monday, February 7, 2011, the combined real-time wind and solar generation
varied from a high of 32% of supply at midnight to a low of 18% of supply at
sunrise. Solar PV generation delivered more than 8,000 MW for the two-hour
period from just before noon until 2:00 pm, reaching a peak of nearly 8,500 MW
at noon. During the same time period, conventional sources contributed 50,000 MW
and wind delivered another 10,000 MW to the network.
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There is 16,500 MW of solar PV capacity now on line in Germany. Solar insolation
is weakest in mid winter, and highest in mid summer. The solar industry's
February 7th performance bodes well for this coming summer, when solar PV can be
expected to break new records.
In other observations:
• PV produced 13% of supply at noon on February 7, 2011,
• Wind reached nearly 1/3 of generation at midnight,
• Wind and solar's combined 18,500 MW at noon met 29% of demand,
• PV was producing 1/2 of its nameplate in mid winter, and
• Wind was producing near its total installed capacity.
With the Japanese nuclear calamity fresh in everyone's mind and upcoming
elections staring the government in the face, the success of Germany's rapid
development of renewable energy may give Chancellor Merkel's conservative
government the flexibility it needs to weather the nuclear crisis. It would not
be surprising to find the government proposing an even more aggressive pace of
renewable energy development than that seen in 2010.
-End-
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I had not heard this statistic before (in the paragraph below), but it
sure resonates with Republicans like me.
Enjoy.
JBK
"Vulnerability lessons are not new. After World War II German military
leaders pointed out that the U.S. could have ended the War two years
sooner by bombing the big coal power plants. Instead the allies were
bombing individual industrial sites like steel mills, failing to
recognize that the big coal plants powered 80% of Germany’s
manufacturing. In contrast, Japan’s electric power was provided by a
huge number of small dams that were not attractive targets for attack
because no single one was crucial for the power system of the nation."
---------- Forwarded message ----------
------------------------------
Surely We Can Do Better than Nuclear
Socialism<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DalyNews/~3/ICIEJIYZCAI/?utm_source=feedburn…>
Posted: 21 Mar 2011 08:28 PM PDT
by Brent Blackwelder
They were in the news a half century ago when they were called “too
cheap to
meter.” Now “absolutely safe” nuclear reactors are once again in
the news.
As the horrifying scene in Japan unfolds this month, many politicians
and
media pundits are acting as if the only electricity choice for the U.S.
is
nuclear reactors or coal power plants. This is a false choice.
A sustainable economy requires a sustainable energy supply, one that is
not
subject to the vulnerabilities of big central energy systems. A
steady
state economy would run on a decentralized set of renewable energy
sources
that is clean and resilient. It would be an economy powered by the
sun, the
wind, the natural heat content of the Earth, and other renewable
sources.
Advanced designs for where we live and how we travel would be a key
part of
this energy transformation. For example, buildings would be designed
to
generate power rather than requiring external energy supplies for
cooling
and heating. And let’s not forget about conservation – we need to
set up
the economy such that it uses less energy in the first place.
The energy system that would run a steady state economy does not have
the
severe security problems that plague current systems, nor would it
require
massive subsidies in the form of liability limits, loan guarantees,
externalization of health damages, etc. You don’t have to worry
about a
solar or wind “spill” contaminating the air, land and water; you
don’t need
liability caps for a wind farm or for solar collectors on roofs; and
finally, you don’t need to bill consumers (instead of stockholders
or
investors) in advance for a nuclear reactor that may never be
completed.
The strength and resilience of decentralized power, its superior
employment
intensity, and the potential for community involvement are all features
that
make a different energy model very attractive. Various European nations
such
as Spain, Germany, and Denmark have demonstrated the huge potential of
wind
and solar power, as has the state of Texas in the case of wind with
9,700
megawatts installed.
But look at the powerful forces today pushing nuclear reactor
construction
in the southeastern U.S. and obstructing the clean energy path of the
future. Even after the terrible nuclear meltdown in Japan, two big
southern
utilities, South Carolina Electric & Gas and Georgia Power, announced
that
they are not pausing to consider some lessons to be learned before
proceeding full speed ahead with four new reactors. To pay for two
new
reactors at Plant Vogtle, Georgia Power has begun billing its Georgia
customers this month for the intended construction. Ironically, the
proposed
new reactors being billed to Georgia consumers are intended to supply
customers in Florida. Consumers and taxpayers are bearing all the
risks,
not investors.
The energy systems used to power the global economy are highly
vulnerable to
extreme weather events, sabotage, terrorism, and war. The Japanese
catastrophe this month certainly brings to mind the nuclear disasters
at
Chernobyl in 1986 and Three Mile Island in 1979. But the nuclear and
fossil
fuel industries have supplied many less well-known disasters. A brief
review of some of the accidents will accentuate the difference between
the
polluting energy of today’s economy and the clean energy future that
would,
by its very nature, avoid these messes:
- In July of 1979, at the Navajo community of Church Rock, New
Mexico,
an earthen dam at United Nuclear Corporation’s uranium mill broke,
releasing
95 million gallons of radioactive wastewater into the Rio Puerco.
The spill
sent contaminants over 100 miles downstream. This unpublicized
spill is
estimated to have contained over triple the amount of radiation
(curies)
that the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor released in the very same
year.
- Last year tornado warnings near Detroit forced the shutdown of
the
Fermi 2 atomic reactor. This was the same site where a meltdown in
1966
nearly irradiated the Greats Lakes Region.
- For much of 2010 the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was an
ongoing
saga of futility and despair.
- In July of 2007 a major earthquake in Japan badly damaged one
nuclear
reactor in a complex of nuclear reactors.
- In December of 2008 a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir, which
was
storing the contaminated ash from one of its power plants, burst
and sent
a toxic stew of waste 100 times larger than the Exxon Valdez oil
spill into
a tributary of the Tennessee River. Despite assurances that such
dam
bursting was unusual and would never happen again, scarcely a month
had
passed when yet another coal waste reservoir (this one in Alabama)
failed
and spewed contamination downstream.
Vulnerability lessons are not new. After World War II German military
leaders pointed out that the U.S. could have ended the War two years
sooner
by bombing the big coal power plants. Instead the allies were bombing
individual industrial sites like steel mills, failing to recognize that
the
big coal plants powered 80% of Germany’s manufacturing. In
contrast,
Japan’s electric power was provided by a huge number of small dams
that were
not attractive targets for attack because no single one was crucial for
the
power system of the nation.
The energy for a steady state economy can be supplied by a huge number
of
solar panels and wind
mills<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=a-path-to-sustainable-ener…>as
outlined by physics professors Jacobson and Delucchi at Stanford
University (*Scientific American*, November, 2009) and by many others.
It
would be a refreshing change to see President Obama propose such an
ambitious solar/wind plan in the aftermath of the meltdown in Japan,
but he
seems content merely to suggest a thorough review of nuclear reactors.
Before having to hear how high the costs of renewable energy are,
I’ll close
with a brief reminder of the government subsidies the U.S. nuclear
industry
is slated to receive. Here are some components of the $46 billion
being
offered up over the next 5 years in addition to the cap on liability
for any
accident:
- $22.5 billion in loan guarantees for new reactors;
- $12.3 billion in nuclear waste fund liability payments;
- $3 billion for mixed oxide activities; and
- $1.9 billion for fusion energy.
For more details, please see the green scissors
report<http://www.greenscissors.com/>
.
Seeing this list of handouts, one might think that Republican leaders
would
recoil at what might be termed nuclear socialism. One would think that
the
Tea Party activists would revolt at the sight of this massive
government
program to fund something that Wall Street would not touch even before
the
catastrophe in Japan.
You are subscribed to email updates from Center for the Advancement
of the
Steady State Economy <http://steadystate.org/>
To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe
now<http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailunsubscribe?k=ddEHy4HeNsHyT2gOSoQyE5N…>
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--
Conservation Chair, Southern Nevada Group of the Sierra Club
Energy Chair, Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club
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Another ash dump has to clean up their discharges. This sets a
precedent for Albright, and reinforces the Patriot victory.
JBK
>>> Cindy Rank <clrank(a)hughes.net> 3/22/2011 2:34 PM >>>
OF INTEREST ..... cindy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2011
Contacts:
Raviya Ismail, Earthjustice, (202) 667-4500 (office) or (202) 841-7619
(cell), rismail(a)earthjustice.org
Abigail Dillen, Earthjustice, (212) 791-1881 (office),
adillen(a)earthjustice.org
Lisa Graves-Marcucci, Environmental Integrity Project, (412) 653-4328
(home) or (412) 897-0569 (cell), lgmarcucci(a)environmentalintegrity.org
Aimee Erickson, Executive Director, Citizens Coal Council, (412)
257-2223 (office) or (724) 470-3982 (cell),
aimee(a)citizenscoalcouncil.org
Clean Water Advocates Win First Round of Challenge Against Masontown
Coal Plant
First step to securing cleaner water for 350,000 people
PITTSBURGH, PA – Clean water advocates have won the first round in a
legal fight (
http://earthjustice.org/documents/legal-document/pdf/hatfield-s-ferry-judgm…
) over permit limits that would prevent the Hatfield’s Ferry
coal-fired power plant from dumping polluted water into the Monongahela
River. Allegheny Energy is challenging the limits in an effort to avoid
installation of pollution controls that would eliminate wastewater
discharges of mercury, arsenic, selenium, and other toxic metals as well
as salts and dissolved solids that are currently impairing water quality
in the river, which is a drinking water source for more than 350,000
people living south of Pittsburgh.
After 40 years of operation without effective controls for air
pollution, Hatfield’s Ferry has finally installed a scrubbing system
that limits the amount of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants that the
plant pumps into the air. However, the company has resisted installing
equally effective pollution controls that would limit the amount of
contaminated water discharged by the scrubbers. As a result, dangerous
pollutants that are no longer going into the air are ending up in the
river.
“Taking coal waste from smokestacks and dumping it into our rivers
makes no sense because coal is no cleaner in our water,” said Aimee
Erickson, Executive Director, Citizens Coal Council. “The Citizens
Coal Council is committed to working with others around the country to
ensure that protecting America’s air from coal burning power plant
emissions does not come at the expense of the American people's drinking
water.”
“We shouldn’t have to choose between air that is safe to breathe
and water that is safe to drink,” said Abigail Dillen, Earthjustice
attorney. “This decision by Pennsylvania’s Environmental Hearing
Board is important because it affirms that Hatfield’s Ferry has to
meet all necessary limits to protect water quality in the river.”
“This is an important victory, and we applaud the state of
Pennsylvania and Earthjustice for defending protective limits on water
pollution,” said Lisa Graves-Marcucci, of the Environmental Integrity
Project. “While the Hatfield’s Ferry scrubber will help clear the
air, the court’s recent decision brings us one step closer to keeping
the same pollutants out of the Monongahela River, the most important
source of drinking water for communities on its shorelines.”
Specifically, Allegheny Energy sought to classify its new scrubber
system as an existing source of pollution instead of a “new
discharger” - subject to the most stringent pollution control
requirements.
In rejecting this argument, Chief Judge Thomas W. Renwand wrote:
“We specifically reject Allegheny Energy’s contention that its
facility does not fall within the definition of a ‘new discharger’
because it discharges at an existing outfall on the Monongahela River…We
also agree with the Department and the Interveners that Allegheny
Energy’s position cannot be reconciled with either the plain language
of the regulations or the overarching intent of the Clean Water Law.”
Judge Renwand further stated that Allegheny Energy’s argument
“would substantially gut the congressional goal to eliminate
pollutant discharges to the waters of the United States as quickly as
possible.”
Earthjustice, Environmental Integrity Project and Citizens Coal Council
joined together to defend protective limits for sulfate and total
dissolved solids in the discharge permit for Hatfield’s Ferry, and
they are challenging the failure to impose limits on metals such as
arsenic and selenium. The first phase of the legal proceedings involves
only the sulfate and total dissolved solids limits. If Allegheny is
ordered to comply with them, they will need to install pollution
controls that eliminate the discharge of heavy metals as well.
A copy of the summary judgment:
http://earthjustice.org/documents/legal-document/pdf/hatfield-s-ferry-judgm…
A copy of the appeal:
http://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/library/legal_docs/hatsfield-fe…
Excellent news!
Jim Sconyers
jim_scon(a)yahoo.com
304.698.9628
Remember: Mother Nature bats last.
________________________________
From: Cindy Rank <clrank(a)hughes.net>
To: mbecher(a)appalachian-center.org; jlovett(a)appalachian-center.org;
derek_teaney(a)yahoo.com; bluckett(a)appalachian-center.org;
adawson(a)appalachian-center.org; mjanes(a)hardynet.com
Cc: peter.morgan(a)apps.sierraclub.org; jkotcon(a)wvu.edu; jim_scon(a)yahoo.com;
sminney(a)wvrivers.org
Sent: Tue, March 22, 2011 2:34:13 PM
Subject: Fwd: [Justice] Clean Water Advocates Win First Round of Challenge
Against Masontown Coal Plant
OF INTEREST ..... cindy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2011
Contacts:
Raviya Ismail, Earthjustice, (202) 667-4500 (office) or (202) 841-7619 (cell),
rismail(a)earthjustice.org
Abigail Dillen, Earthjustice, (212) 791-1881 (office), adillen(a)earthjustice.org
Lisa Graves-Marcucci, Environmental Integrity Project, (412) 653-4328 (home) or
(412) 897-0569 (cell), lgmarcucci(a)environmentalintegrity.org
Aimee Erickson, Executive Director, Citizens Coal Council, (412) 257-2223
(office) or (724) 470-3982 (cell), aimee(a)citizenscoalcouncil.org
Clean Water Advocates Win First Round of Challenge Against Masontown Coal Plant
First step to securing cleaner water for 350,000 people
PITTSBURGH, PA – Clean water advocates have won the first round in a legal fight
over permit limits that would prevent the Hatfield’s Ferry coal-fired power
plant from dumping polluted water into the Monongahela River. Allegheny Energy
is challenging the limits in an effort to avoid installation of pollution
controls that would eliminate wastewater discharges of mercury, arsenic,
selenium, and other toxic metals as well as salts and dissolved solids that are
currently impairing water quality in the river, which is a drinking water source
for more than 350,000 people living south of Pittsburgh.
After 40 years of operation without effective controls for air pollution,
Hatfield’s Ferry has finally installed a scrubbing system that limits the amount
of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants that the plant pumps into the air.
However, the company has resisted installing equally effective pollution
controls that would limit the amount of contaminated water discharged by the
scrubbers. As a result, dangerous pollutants that are no longer going into the
air are ending up in the river.
“Taking coal waste from smokestacks and dumping it into our rivers makes no
sense because coal is no cleaner in our water,” said Aimee Erickson, Executive
Director, Citizens Coal Council. “The Citizens Coal Council is committed to
working with others around the country to ensure that protecting America’s air
from coal burning power plant emissions does not come at the expense of the
American people's drinking water.”
“We shouldn’t have to choose between air that is safe to breathe and water that
is safe to drink,” said Abigail Dillen, Earthjustice attorney. “This decision by
Pennsylvania’s Environmental Hearing Board is important because it affirms that
Hatfield’s Ferry has to meet all necessary limits to protect water quality in
the river.”
“This is an important victory, and we applaud the state of Pennsylvania and
Earthjustice for defending protective limits on water pollution,” said Lisa
Graves-Marcucci, of the Environmental Integrity Project. “While the Hatfield’s
Ferry scrubber will help clear the air, the court’s recent decision brings us
one step closer to keeping the same pollutants out of the Monongahela River, the
most important source of drinking water for communities on its shorelines.”
Specifically, Allegheny Energy sought to classify its new scrubber system as an
existing source of pollution instead of a “new discharger” - subject to the most
stringent pollution control requirements.
In rejecting this argument, Chief Judge Thomas W. Renwand wrote:
“We specifically reject Allegheny Energy’s contention that its facility does not
fall within the definition of a ‘new discharger’ because it discharges at an
existing outfall on the Monongahela River…We also agree with the Department and
the Interveners that Allegheny Energy’s position cannot be reconciled with
either the plain language of the regulations or the overarching intent of the
Clean Water Law.”
Judge Renwand further stated that Allegheny Energy’s argument “would
substantially gut the congressional goal to eliminate pollutant discharges to
the waters of the United States as quickly as possible.”
Earthjustice, Environmental Integrity Project and Citizens Coal Council joined
together to defend protective limits for sulfate and total dissolved solids in
the discharge permit for Hatfield’s Ferry, and they are challenging the failure
to impose limits on metals such as arsenic and selenium. The first phase of the
legal proceedings involves only the sulfate and total dissolved solids limits.
If Allegheny is ordered to comply with them, they will need to install pollution
controls that eliminate the discharge of heavy metals as well.
A copy of the summary judgment:
http://earthjustice.org/documents/legal-document/pdf/hatfield-s-ferry-judgm…
A copy of the appeal:
http://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/library/legal_docs/hatsfield-fe…
Good reading.
Note: Congress LEGISLATED a cap on nuke plant liability. The insurer of nuke
plant liability is WE, the PEOPLE, also legislated by Congress. This is old
info....
Jim Sconyers
jim_scon(a)yahoo.com
304.698.9628
Remember: Mother Nature bats last.
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Jane Feldman <feldman.jane(a)GMAIL.COM>
To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG
Sent: Tue, March 22, 2011 1:52:42 PM
Subject: Fwd: [CONS-FICC-INTERNATIONAL] Surely We Can Do Better than Nuclear
Socialism
The article below is a great argument for small generators of clean energy -
like real clean, solar, wind, geothermal - and a list of all the reasons to
reject nuclear.
jane
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Janet McGarry <Zzzpuck(a)aol.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 8:20 AM
Subject: [CONS-FICC-INTERNATIONAL] Surely We Can Do Better than Nuclear
Socialism
To: CONS-FICC-INTERNATIONAL(a)lists.sierraclub.org
This is an interesting newsletter --- the Daly news which refers to the
economist Herman Daly.
Janet McGarry
________________________________
Surely We Can Do Better than Nuclear Socialism
Posted: 21 Mar 2011 08:28 PM PDT
by Brent Blackwelder
They were in the news a half century ago when they were called “too cheap
to meter.” Now “absolutely safe” nuclear reactors are once again in the
news. As the horrifying scene in Japan unfolds this month, many
politicians and media pundits are acting as if the only electricity
choice for the U.S. is nuclear reactors or coal power plants. This is a
false choice.
A sustainable economy requires a sustainable energy supply, one that is
not subject to the vulnerabilities of big central energy systems. A
steady state economy would run on a decentralized set of renewable energy
sources that is clean and resilient. It would be an economy powered by
the sun, the wind, the natural heat content of the Earth, and other
renewable sources. Advanced designs for where we live and how we travel
would be a key part of this energy transformation. For example, buildings
would be designed to generate power rather than requiring external energy
supplies for cooling and heating. And let’s not forget about
conservation – we need to set up the economy such that it uses less energy
in the first place.
The energy system that would run a steady state economy does not have the
severe security problems that plague current systems, nor would it
require massive subsidies in the form of liability limits, loan
guarantees, externalization of health damages, etc. You don’t have to
worry about a solar or wind “spill” contaminating the air, land and
water; you don’t need liability caps for a wind farm or for solar
collectors on roofs; and finally, you don’t need to bill consumers
(instead of stockholders or investors) in advance for a nuclear reactor
that may never be completed.
The strength and resilience of decentralized power, its superior
employment intensity, and the potential for community involvement are all
features that make a different energy model very attractive. Various
European nations such as Spain, Germany, and Denmark have demonstrated the
huge potential of wind and solar power, as has the state of Texas in the
case of wind with 9,700 megawatts installed.
But look at the powerful forces today pushing nuclear reactor
construction in the southeastern U.S. and obstructing the clean energy
path of the future. Even after the terrible nuclear meltdown in Japan,
two big southern utilities, South Carolina Electric & Gas and Georgia
Power, announced that they are not pausing to consider some lessons to be
learned before proceeding full speed ahead with four new reactors. To
pay for two new reactors at Plant Vogtle, Georgia Power has begun billing
its Georgia customers this month for the intended construction.
Ironically, the proposed new reactors being billed to Georgia consumers
are intended to supply customers in Florida. Consumers and taxpayers are
bearing all the risks, not investors.
The energy systems used to power the global economy are highly vulnerable
to extreme weather events, sabotage, terrorism, and war. The Japanese
catastrophe this month certainly brings to mind the nuclear disasters at
Chernobyl in 1986 and Three Mile Island in 1979. But the nuclear and
fossil fuel industries have supplied many less well-known disasters. A
brief review of some of the accidents will accentuate the difference
between the polluting energy of today’s economy and the clean energy
future that would, by its very nature, avoid these messes:
* In July of 1979, at the Navajo community of Church Rock, New
Mexico, an earthen dam at United Nuclear Corporation’s uranium mill
broke, releasing 95 million gallons of radioactive wastewater into the
Rio Puerco. The spill sent contaminants over 100 miles downstream.
This unpublicized spill is estimated to have contained over triple the
amount of radiation (curies) that the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor
released in the very same year.
* Last year tornado warnings near Detroit forced the shutdown of the
Fermi 2 atomic reactor. This was the same site where a meltdown in
1966 nearly irradiated the Greats Lakes Region.
* For much of 2010 the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was an
ongoing saga of futility and despair.
* In July of 2007 a major earthquake in Japan badly damaged one
nuclear reactor in a complex of nuclear reactors.
* In December of 2008 a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir, which
was storing the contaminated ash from one of its power plants, burst
and sent a toxic stew of waste 100 times larger than the Exxon Valdez
oil spill into a tributary of the Tennessee River. Despite assurances
that such dam bursting was unusual and would never happen again,
scarcely a month had passed when yet another coal waste reservoir (this
one in Alabama) failed and spewed contamination downstream.
Vulnerability lessons are not new. After World War II German military
leaders pointed out that the U.S. could have ended the War two years
sooner by bombing the big coal power plants. Instead the allies were
bombing individual industrial sites like steel mills, failing to recognize
that the big coal plants powered 80% of Germany’s manufacturing. In
contrast, Japan’s electric power was provided by a huge number of small
dams that were not attractive targets for attack because no single one
was crucial for the power system of the nation.
The energy for a steady state economy can be supplied by a huge number of
solar panels and wind mills as outlined by physics professors Jacobson
and Delucchi at Stanford University (Scientific American, November, 2009)
and by many others. It would be a refreshing change to see President
Obama propose such an ambitious solar/wind plan in the aftermath of the
meltdown in Japan, but he seems content merely to suggest a thorough
review of nuclear reactors.
Before having to hear how high the costs of renewable energy are, I’ll
close with a brief reminder of the government subsidies the U.S. nuclear
industry is slated to receive. Here are some components of the $46
billion being offered up over the next 5 years in addition to the cap on
liability for any accident:
* $22.5 billion in loan guarantees for new reactors;
* $12.3 billion in nuclear waste fund liability payments;
* $3 billion for mixed oxide activities; and
* $1.9 billion for fusion energy.
For more details, please see the green scissors report.
Seeing this list of handouts, one might think that Republican leaders
would recoil at what might be termed nuclear socialism. One would think
that the Tea Party activists would revolt at the sight of this massive
government program to fund something that Wall Street would not touch
even before the catastrophe in Japan.
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Conservation Chair, Southern Nevada Group of the Sierra Club
Energy Chair, Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club
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While it is certainly true that the PATH application was withdrawn "without prejudice" (meaning they can and probably will re-file), it is also important that we celebrate what victories we can. We rarely get a definitive end to issues as the bad guys are famous for simply fading away in a slow, long, drawn-out silence, so even though this one is not over, this is as definitive of a decision point as we are likely to see. Feel free to attend and party down, as we need to make a big noise now. If nothing else, it helps cement our reputation as "giant killers".
Keep in mind that the Club's expert witness testimony on need, reliability, and demand side management was a critical turning point in the battle in Virginia, and established this as the key issue ion MD and WV. The more we loudly proclaim the "victory", the better it is cemented in the minds of politicians that the issue is over, and the more credibility they will give us as new issues emerge. I favor holding PATH victory parties in every County in WV, and invite the press.
We Done Good.
JBK
>>> <glnelson1(a)frontier.com> 3/19/2011 11:02 AM >>>
This is a premature celebration because path is not out of the utility companies minds. They are just regrouping for another assault for the line. One of the local conservationists here, that fought the path project, tells me they see this withdrawl only as a delaying tactic, and they will return with the same application for this line. Thanks! Gary Nelson
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Sconyers" <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com>
To: ec(a)osenergy.org, "Heather Heilman" <heatherheilman(a)yahoo.com>, "Gwen Jones" <gwenjones23(a)yahoo.com>, "Jim Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu>, "Gary Nelson" <glnelson1(a)frontier.com>, "Jim Sconyers" <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com>, "Frank Young" <fyoung(a)mountain.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 10:49:35 AM
Subject: PATH Celebration
Jim Sconyers
jim_scon(a)yahoo.com
304.698.9628
Remember: Mother Nature bats last.
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Doug Kaplan <doug.kaplan(a)sugarloafconservancy.org>
To: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG
Sent: Sat, March 19, 2011 10:08:18 AM
Subject: A Celebration is Required! Join us!
All,
Many of you have already received our invitation. I am sending it to the Sierra Club disti list as some may not have received our attached invitation. Everyone is welcomed! We especially hope to see many attend from our neighboring states of Virginia and West Virginia. Spread the word.
Please see attached invitation for details!
Doug
Douglas S. Kaplan
President
Sugarloaf Conservancy
www.sugarloafconservancy.orgwww.nomoretowers.org
Description: cid:image001.gif@01CBDCED.3895C390
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Jim Sconyers
jim_scon(a)yahoo.com
304.698.9628
Remember: Mother Nature bats last.
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Doug Kaplan <doug.kaplan(a)sugarloafconservancy.org>
To: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG
Sent: Sat, March 19, 2011 10:08:18 AM
Subject: A Celebration is Required! Join us!
All,
Many of you have already received our invitation. I am sending it to the Sierra
Club disti list as some may not have received our attached invitation. Everyone
is welcomed! We especially hope to see many attend from our neighboring states
of Virginia and West Virginia. Spread the word.
Please see attached invitation for details!
Doug
Douglas S. Kaplan
President
Sugarloaf Conservancy
www.sugarloafconservancy.orgwww.nomoretowers.org
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You might enjoy the first news story here.
JBK
>>> "Donald C. Strimbeck" <dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> 3/18/2011 4:31 AM >>>
Washington PA OBSERVER REPORTER:
Waste hauler accused of illegal dumping
3/18/2011 3:31 AM
By Tara Kinsell, Staff writer
tkinsell(a)observer-reporter.com
WAYNESBURG - A well-known Greene County waste hauler and his
corporation were charged Thursday with illegally dumping millions of
gallons of wastewater from natural gas drilling, sewage sludge and
restaurant grease into streams and mine shafts in a six-county area.
After a two-year investigation, the state attorney general's office
filed 98 criminal counts against Robert Allan Shipman, 50, of 432 Renner
Creek Road, New Freeport, and 77 counts against his company, Allan's
Waste Water Service Inc. of 1487 Toms Run Road, Holbrook.
"This was a calculated and long-running scheme to personally profit by
illegally dumping wastewater, regardless of the potential for
environmental damage," said acting Attorney General Bill Ryan.
Shipman is accused of orchestrating a scheme to dump waste products
into streams, mine shafts and business properties across Allegheny,
Fayette, Greene, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
Proecutors said the activities took place between 2003 and 2009.
Charges include participating in a corrupt organization, criminal
conspiracy, theft, forgery, receiving stolen property, pollution of
waters, tampering with public records and violations of the Pennsylvania
Clean Streams Law, Solid Waste Management Act and Fish and Boat Codes.
According to grand jury testimony, Shipman and his company were hired
by multiple businesses in the region to haul and dispose of wastewater
by-products.
Several former employees testified that Shipman instructed them to mix
various wastewater products together in what they referred to as a
"cocktail" and then dump that mixture at various locations throughout
the region. Ryan said the reason behind the cocktail was to conceal the
true contents of the wastewater, allowing it to be disposed of in an
improper manner, as well as to increase the volume of disposals that
were billed to various customers.
According to the grand jury, Shipman directed his drivers to falsify
manifests so his company could bill customers for the full capacity of
their trucks, regardless of the amount of waste actually being
transported and disposed of.
Agents from the attorney general's office said they identified forged
manifests for numerous businesses operating in Southwestern
Pennsylvania, including Penneco Oil Co., American Oil and Gas, Luzerne
Township Sewage Authority, Menallen Township Sewer Authority, Washington
Penn Plastics and others.
Ryan said Shipman is accused of stealing in excess of $250,000 from
clients as a result of the over-billing practices.
April Morris, a former administrative assistant for Shipman's company,
told the grand jury she was often instructed by Shipman to shred or
discard the customer's copy of the manifest. She said Shipman would then
instruct her to complete blank manifests with fraudulent information
regarding the quantity of waste hauled, sign drivers' names to the
manifests and send the manifests to customers.
Testimony by former drivers indicated that Allan's Waste Water was
responsible for transporting and disposing of production water from gas
wells owned and operated by CNX Gas. According to the drivers, CNX's gas
wells began to generate more production water in the summer of 2007 than
the company was capable of handling.
"It is a lot of information we need to digest," said Shipman's
attorney, Christopher Blackwell of Washington. "Our contention has
always been that this is a group of disgruntled employees who have made
these accusations."
Blackwell said it appears the case is going to come down to the
credibility of the witnesses who may have "an ax to grind with Allan
Shipman."
The drivers told the grand jury that Shipman showed them how to leave
water valves open at gas wells in order to allow production water to
flow onto the ground and into nearby waterways. The drivers said this
was typically done after dark or during heavy rains in order to conceal
the illegal discharge.
Areas where Shipman is alleged to have directed wastewater to be dumped
include Green Hill Tank Farm along Rush Run in Greene County, Morris Run
Creek and Rush Run. It was further alleged by the former employees that
Shipman directed them to dump residual wastewater left in the trucks at
the end of the day down a drain at his business. The drain leads to
Tom's Run, a tributary of Dunkard Creek.
It is also alleged that Shipman directed waste products to be dumped
into the Morris Run air shaft at the abandoned Blacksville No. 1 Mine
along Morris Run Creek in Brave. Consol Energy is permitted by the EPA
to dump production water into the Morris Run shaft via a series of
piping inlets. The airshaft leads to a mine pool that ultimately
discharges into Dunkard Creek, according to Samuel Harper, DEP Water
Management Environmental Program manager, who verified that Shipman and
his company were not permitted to discharge waste into that location.
The criminal charges filed Thursday carry substantial prison terms upon
conviction, along with fines in excess of $1.5 million for Shipman and
$1.2 million for his company.
Blackwell said the defense is in the process of interviewing drivers
from the company who have indicated that Shipman never directed them to
do any of the things alleged in the complaint. Blackwell said these
witnesses have also said that they never witnessed Shipman illegally
dumping anything.
"There were a number of documents found in the trucks that Allan was
unaware of what the drivers were doing while they were out," Blackwell
said. "Maybe the lines at the dumping facilities were so long that they
didn't feel like waiting in line there."
Christopher M. Capozzi, attorney for Allan's Waster Water Services
Inc., had no comment.
Shipman is free on $500,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled
for June 6-7 before District Judge Glenn Bates.
Copyright Observer Publishing Co.
EDITORIAL:
'Proactive' approach, well after the fact
3/17/2011 3:33 AM
It's interesting to juxtapose the comments made by Consol Energy and
environmental officials when Consol announced that it would pay $6
million to settle claims stemming from hundreds of violations of the
Clean Water Act at six of its coal mines in West Virginia, including
discharges that resulted in a massive fish kill along Dunkard Creek in
2009.
The energy company will pay $5.5 million to the federal Environmental
Protection Agency, and another $500,000 to West Virginia agencies in
connection with the fish kill, but it is doing so without admitting any
liability. One company official talked about Consol's desire to avoid
"pointless litigation."
By pointless, we have to assume Consol means ligitation from which it
no doubt would emerge on the losing side. We doubt the company would
make such a payment out of the goodness of its corporate heart. Of
course, for an outfit that had revenue of $4.6 billion and profit of
$540 million last year, perhaps $6 million is viewed as simply a minor
annoyance, a pittance to be paid as a cost of doing business the wrong
way, in terms of the environment, all those years.
Consol announced that in addition to paying the penalties, it would
spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a new water-treatment plant to
counter high levels of chlorides discharged from four of its mines in
northern West Virginia.
In a news release, Consol President Nick Deluliis touted the company's
"proactive demonstration" of its commitment to operating in an
environmentally friendly manner.
Hardly. A proactive approach would have been to install the necessary
water-purification equipment before the company's discharges repeatedly
fouled the water and wiped out aquatic life along 30 miles of Dunkard
Creek.
Statements from environmental officials carried a different tone.
Shawn Garvin, regional EPA administrator, said, "We are committed to
cleaning up the waters of Dunkard Creek and the Monongahela watershed,
and holding those who pollute it accountable."
And Ignacia Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Environmental
and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice, noted that
in the settlement, "Consol takes responsibility for its past failures to
abide by the terms of its Clean Water Act permits."
Consol might not admit liability, but accountability and responsibility
will work just fine.
Now, if Consol would only drop its appeals and ante up the money needed
to repair the dam at Ryerson Station State Park's Duke Lake, which the
state Department of Environmental Protection determined was damaged by
the company's longwall mining operations in the area.
Another "proactive" approach would be much appreciated by the people
who have lost the use of that wonderful recreational resource.
Copyright Observer Publishing Co.
Charleston Gazette Friday 18 March 2011:
19 delegates call for Marcellus permit moratorium
March 17, 2011 by Alison Knezevich
In the final hours of the legislative session Saturday night, Delegate
Mike Manypenny, D-Taylor, was writing to state Department of
Environmental Protection Secretary Randy Huffman and collecting
signatures from fellow delegates for the letter. With the failure to
pass any legislation to regulate Marcellus drilling, Manypenny and
others are asking Huffman to issue a moratorium on new permits.
Manypenny and Delegate Barbara Fleischauer, D-Monongalia, plan a
Capitol press conference tomorrow at 1 p.m. to discuss the proposal.
According to the West Virginia Surface Owners’ Rights Organization,
the other delegates who signed the letter are:
Larry Barker, D-Boone; Anthony Barill, D-Monongalia; Bonnie Brown
D-Kanawha; Ray Canterbury, R-Greenbrier; John Doyle, D-Jefferson; Nancy
Guthrie, D-Kanawha; Bobbie Hatfield, D-Kanawha; Linda Longstreth,
D-Marion;
Dale Martin, D-Putnam; Clif Moore, D-McDowell; Don Perdue, D-Wayne;
Mary Poling, D-Barbour; Virginia Mahan, D-Summers; Pete Sigler,
R-Nicholas; Margaret Staggers, D-Fayette; Joe Talbott, D-Webster; and
Danny Wells, D-Kanawha.
This entry was posted on Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 7:18 pm and is
filed under Environment, House of Delegates.
March 17, 2011
House, Senate conferees wrap up state budget work
House and Senate budget conferees completed work on the 2011-12 state
budget bill (HB2012) Thursday evening -- a bill that designates how
state agencies are to spend a total of more than $11 billion for the
budget year that begins July 1.
By Phil Kabler
The Charleston Gazette
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- House and Senate budget conferees completed work
on the 2011-12 state budget bill (HB2012) Thursday evening -- a bill
that designates how state agencies are to spend a total of more than $11
billion for the budget year that begins July 1.
The bill does not include additional funding to hire additional
inspectors for new Marcellus Shale drilling sites.
On Wednesday, Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, acting as governor,
had requested an additional $2 million for the Department of
Environmental Protection budget, in light of the Legislature's failure
to pass a bill to regulate Marcellus drilling.
However, House Finance Chairman Harry Keith White, D-Mingo, said
conferees will recommend that Tomblin submit a supplemental
appropriation bill that would direct about $1.05 million of state funds
that will be left over when the current budget year ends on June 30 to
the DEP.
Legislators are expected to vote to approve the 2011-12 spending plan
-- and act to correct and re-pass any bills vetoed by Tomblin for
technical errors -- Friday.
That would mark the first time in recent years that the budget session,
which this year started Sunday immediately following the end of the
regular session, has not extended into the weekend.
White said it helped that the House and Senate versions of the budget
bill were relatively similar, and that the Legislature did not pass a
lot of bills with new spending initiatives.
"When we sat down and looked at the bills, we were really pretty
close," he said.
Senate Finance Chairman Roman Prezioso, D-Marion, did have to build in
about $67 million for pay raises for state and public school employees,
judges and the adjutant general.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- House and Senate budget conferees completed work
on the 2011-12 state budget bill (HB2012) Thursday evening -- a bill
that designates how state agencies are to spend a total of more than $11
billion for the budget year that begins July 1.
The bill does not include additional funding to hire additional
inspectors for new Marcellus Shale drilling sites.
On Wednesday, Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, acting as governor,
had requested an additional $2 million for the Department of
Environmental Protection budget, in light of the Legislature's failure
to pass a bill to regulate Marcellus drilling.
However, House Finance Chairman Harry Keith White, D-Mingo, said
conferees will recommend that Tomblin submit a supplemental
appropriation bill that would direct about $1.05 million of state funds
that will be left over when the current budget year ends on June 30 to
the DEP.
Legislators are expected to vote to approve the 2011-12 spending plan
-- and act to correct and re-pass any bills vetoed by Tomblin for
technical errors -- Friday.
That would mark the first time in recent years that the budget session,
which this year started Sunday immediately following the end of the
regular session, has not extended into the weekend.
White said it helped that the House and Senate versions of the budget
bill were relatively similar, and that the Legislature did not pass a
lot of bills with new spending initiatives.
"When we sat down and looked at the bills, we were really pretty
close," he said.
Senate Finance Chairman Roman Prezioso, D-Marion, did have to build in
about $67 million for pay raises for state and public school employees,
judges and the adjutant general.
New initiatives in the budget also include about $6 million of
additional funding for the Public Employees Insurance Agency and the
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), to expand coverage to
include treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders, and $6
million of Lottery revenue for a fund to allow Eastern Panhandle
counties to upgrade wastewater treatment facilities under a federal
mandate to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
White noted that, unlike many states, West Virginia's economy has been
relatively stable. He said the budget bill does not impose any
significant funding cuts, even though the current budget was balanced
using about $200 million of one-time federal stimulus funds.
"The Senate president and ourselves feel pretty comfortable with the
future finances of the state," he said.
However, he noted that the state budget is heavily reliant on
extractive industries, including production of coal and natural gas, and
on gambling.
The 2011-12 general revenue budget -- the portion of the budget funded
through state tax collections -- will top $4 billion for the first time
in state history, an increase of about $250 million.
Overall, though, the total $11 billion spending plan will decrease by
about 2 percent from the current budget, primarily because of reductions
in federal funds.
"We've tried to keep it as tight as we can," Prezioso said of the
budget plan.
Reach Phil Kabler at ph...(a)wvgazette.com or 304-348-1220.
New initiatives in the budget also include about $6 million of
additional funding for the Public Employees Insurance Agency and the
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), to expand coverage to
include treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders, and $6
million of Lottery revenue for a fund to allow Eastern Panhandle
counties to upgrade wastewater treatment facilities under a federal
mandate to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
White noted that, unlike many states, West Virginia's economy has been
relatively stable. He said the budget bill does not impose any
significant funding cuts, even though the current budget was balanced
using about $200 million of one-time federal stimulus funds.
"The Senate president and ourselves feel pretty comfortable with the
future finances of the state," he said.
However, he noted that the state budget is heavily reliant on
extractive industries, including production of coal and natural gas, and
on gambling.
The 2011-12 general revenue budget -- the portion of the budget funded
through state tax collections -- will top $4 billion for the first time
in state history, an increase of about $250 million.
Overall, though, the total $11 billion spending plan will decrease by
about 2 percent from the current budget, primarily because of reductions
in federal funds.
"We've tried to keep it as tight as we can," Prezioso said of the
budget plan.
Reach Phil Kabler at ph...(a)wvgazette.com or 304-348-1220.
Wheeling WV THE INTELLIGENCER:
Halt To Drilling Permits Wanted
Some lawmakers seek moratorium until new rules are put into place
March 18, 2011 - By CASEY JUNKINS Staff Writer
WHEELING - A group of West Virginia legislators wants the state's
Department of Environmental Protection to stop issuing natural gas
drilling permits until new regulations are in place.
State Sen. Orphy Klempa, D-Ohio, is not sure such a moratorium on new
drilling permits would be worthwhile, however, because the DEP has
already issued more than 900 such permits for gas companies to work in
the Marcellus Shale.
"Having 15 inspectors for 59,000 wells is clearly inadequate. We need
to drastically increase the number of inspectors," said Delegate Barbara
Evans Fleischauer, D-Monongalia.
DEP Secretary Randy Huffman has said his Office of Oil and Gas now has
17 positions for well inspectors, but not all of those jobs may be
filled. If there currently are 15 inspectors, that means each would be
responsible for overseeing 3,933 wells.
Fleischauer and about 20 other legislators have already signed the
moratorium request they are forwarding to Huffman. However, none of
these legislators hail from the Northern Panhandle.
Acting Senate President Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, said he was unaware
of the moratorium request, emphasizing his commitment to see the natural
gas industry operate in an effective and safe manner throughout the
state.
Klempa recognizes the need for action, but said preventing the issuance
of more drilling permits would not solve the problem.
"I am hearing now that the industry doesn't really need any more
permits right now. Now, their problem seems to be that they don't have
enough drilling rigs to act on the permits they already have," he said.
There are now several well sites established in Ohio County that have
recently seen gas rigs in use, including the Didriksen site on Dement
Road and the Gantzer site near The Highlands.
"I think that after the special primary election, we will be able to
have a special session to get this Marcellus Shale legislation done,"
Klempa said in reference to the May 14 gubernatorial primary election.
"I feel we will get some meaningful legislation on this."
During the regular legislative session that ended Saturday, senators
passed a bill that would have increased horizontal well drilling permit
fees from $650 to $5,000. The bill failed to clear the House, however.
"We were close to an agreement, but just ran out of time," Fleischauer
said. "There was no one thing that de-railed it."
The delegate said she does not believe allowing the industry to operate
the way it does now is "an alternative worth tolerating." Fleischauer
also questions acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's plan to ask the
legislators to increase revenues for the DEP as part of a new state
spending plan.
"Our proposal would have made the drilling companies pay for more
inspectors," Fleischauer said. "The governor wants us to direct money
that we would already be using for something else to pay for the
inspectors. If this industry is going to reap such huge profits, they
should have to pay for more inspectors."
The governor has also told Huffman to pursue new regulations for these
drilling operations, in the absence of legislative action.
Tomblin cited Huffman's in-house rulemaking powers and said that "West
Virginians deserve a comprehensive regulatory structure" governing this
industry." However, Fleischauer does not see this as a real solution.
"The regulations as written are the law. The fees to charge for permits
are written in the law," she said.
Natural gas compressor station worries Fayette residents
By Cindy Ekas
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, March 18, 2011
Fayette County residents expressed concerns about water, soil, air and
noise pollution Thursday night at an informational open house for
Burnett Oil Co. Inc.'s proposed construction of a natural gas compressor
station.
The site is on county-owned property in the New Salem area.
Evelyn Hovanec, a member of the Fayette County Marcellus Shale Task
Force created by county Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink, called the
session held at the McClellandtown Volunteer Fire Department
informative.
"I'm concerned about how the compressor station will affect soil, water
and air quality in the future," Hovanec said. "If you look at history,
what's taking place now is very similar to what happened with the coal
industry in this area. We have to be concerned about protecting the
environment for future generations. We also have to concerned about
protecting tourism and our natural resources."
More than 100 residents who attended the open house were directed to
various informational tables where Burnett officials and subcontractors
answered questions about the project.
Erin Fronczek of 72 E. Main St., New Salem, said she lives across the
street from another compressor station that was recently constructed.
"No one even told us that the first compressor station was coming,"
Fronczek said. "We were never even given an opportunity to voice our
concerns. At least, we're getting a chance to ask questions and talk
about our concerns this time."
Burt Walker, engineering manager for Burnett Oil Co. Inc's Canonsburg
office, said the proposed compressor station site is about 200 feet
south of New Salem Road.
He explained that a compressor station takes low pressure natural gas
from multiple wells and prepares it for transfer into a transmission
pipeline by removing water from the gas and increasing the pressure to
match the transmission line pressure. The proposed Shoaf compressor
station would have six compressors and water removal equipment.
Burnett Oil Co. has reached an agreement with Texas Eastern
Transmission Co. to feed gas into its pipeline, Walker said.
"This pipeline travels from east to west across Fayette County north of
the intersection of Krulock and New Salem Roads," he said. "The natural
gas will be transported along the East Coast from Baltimore, Md., to New
York City."
The proposed location for the compression station was selected
specifically because of its distance from homes and other buildings, he
said.
Walker said there will be vehicles traveling to and from the site while
building is under way.
"We anticipate this traffic to amount to 20 to 30 vehicles per day," he
said. "Construction is expected to last about three to four months.
After construction, typically, one vehicle per day will enter the
compressor or meter station once construction is complete."
Walker said state Department of Environmental Protection prohibits
companies from allowing odors to escape from such sites.
DEP will conduct periodic inspections of the facilities to ensure that
they are within compliance, he said.
Zimmerlink attended the open house. Commissioners Vince Vicites and
Vincent Zapotosky did not.
Murrysville mayor voices Marcellus concerns
By Daveen Rae Kurutz
MURRYSVILLE STAR
Friday, March 18, 2011
Concerns about air and water quality spurred a Murrysville official to
ask state legislators for help.
Mayor Bob Brooks, after reading a series of articles in The New York
Times detailing hazards associated with wastewater from the Marcellus
shale fracking process, sent a plea to Sen. Don White (R-41), Rep. Eli
Evankovich (R-54) and Rep. Joe Markosek (D-25).
In his letter, Brooks requested the legislators take a stand to protect
water and air near shale drilling sites.
"Air and water are state responsibilities because you are supposed to
have access to the expertise," Brooks said in the letter. "Surely, the
state can get the money from that industry to police it and protect us.
There can be no excuse accepted. You must depend on accountability. It
seems to me that 'your responsibility' must be to stop the process until
the state gets it fixed."
This was not Brooks' first public support of a moratorium on Marcellus
shale drilling. Last year, he sent a letter to legislators requesting a
two-year moratorium from the state so that the Department of
Environmental Protection and other state agencies would have enough time
to prepare for shale drilling.
"What you've got to do is hold up a little bit," Brooks said. "Then,
let the permits get going again. It needs to slow down a bit."
Currently, there are no permits issued to drill a Marcellus well in the
municipality. Council is reviewing a proposed ordinance that would
restrict where drilling occurs in Murrysville; however, that ordinance
has been met with a mix of resistance and support from the community.
Recent public hearings, as well as regular council meetings, have had
numerous resident comments against drilling in the municipality.
However, the past few meetings have seen additional residents supporting
the ordinance.
Brooks said he addressed the state legislators because local officials
have no authority to regulate air and water. The state Oil and Gas Act
gave that responsibility to state officials.
"If people want to put those restrictions or controls or tests on
Marcellus shale, they need to go to the state," Brooks said.
Evankovich, who serves on the House Environmental Resources and Energy
committee, said he has received a lot of information about shale
drilling since taking office in January.
"The simple truth is we are being presented with a mixture of
information, some factual, some emotional," Evankovich said. "We have to
separate the two and understand what is going on. We need to make sure
this process is being done as safely as possible."
Evankovich said he isn't against drilling, but he wants to make sure
his constituents and their communities are safe.
"I support fixing the industry," he said. "I do not support destroying
the industry. We need to make sure what needs to be done and what is
being done meet the high standards we set for ourselves."
Evankovich said there will be public hearings and many more discussions
about the air and water quality near shale drilling. Joe Pittman,
White's chief of staff, said the same thing will be coming out of the
Senate. Pittman said White has been concerned about the negative impacts
drilling could have on water and air quality in the commonwealth. White
sits on the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy committee, which
is taking a closer look at the New York Times report, which questions
the safety of Pennsylvania's water.
That committee is planning hearings and reviewing legislation that
would institute additional water and air protections, Pittman said.
"Sen. White absolutely believes we need to make sure public safety is
the number one priority," Pittman said. "If there are pollution issues,
they need to be addressed and corrected."
But so far, there haven't been major pollution issues, according to
DEP.
The department reported Monday that tests of water located downriver
from treatment plants that handle shale wastewater didn't show dangerous
levels of radioactivity.
The samples, which were taken in November and December, came from the
Monongahela, Conemaugh, Allegheny, Beaver and Tioga rivers, South Fork
Ten Mile Creek and the west branch of the Susquehanna River.
Daveen Rae Kurutz can be reached at dmclaughlin(a)tribweb.com or
412-856-7400 x8627.
----- Original Message -----
From: Julie Archer
To: Beth Little
Cc: Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2011 1:34 PM
Subject: Lewisburg drilling resolution, ordinance
http://www.register-herald.com/local/x449494771/Gas-drilling-regulations-in…
March 17, 2011
Gas drilling regulations inadequate, council says
By Tina Alvey Register-Herald Reporter The Register-Herald Thu Mar 17,
2011, 12:03 AM EDT
LEWISBURG — State regulations pertaining to the development of the
Marcellus shale gas reserves are inadequate, according to a resolution
that Lewisburg City Council voted Tuesday evening to send to legislators
and the acting governor.
In the resolution, city officials expressed their concerns about the
lack of protection afforded the state’s water resources, particularly
the Greenbrier River watershed, which is the source of water for
Lewisburg’s regional system, serving 4,732 customers.
“State regulations do not adequately regulate the amount of water
that can be withdrawn from aquifers and public bodies of water by
Marcellus shale development companies in West Virginia,” the
resolution reads.
Reference is also made to “contamination from liquid byproducts of
hydraulic fracking technologies being released into public bodies of
water.”
The resolution points to a lack of funding for adequate numbers of
inspectors at the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to
monitor the Marcellus developers.
“Its not (DEP’s) fault,” Mayor John Manchester said, noting that
regulatory legislation proposed but not acted upon this year would have
increased permit fees, thereby providing a revenue source for hiring
more inspectors.
The mayor said DEP currently employs only 19 inspectors, but the state
has issued more than 50,000 gas drilling permits.
The resolution calls for the governor to call a special session of the
legislature to address the regulatory issue in a timely fashion and to
declare a moratorium on horizontal drilling permits in the Marcellus
shale until adequate regulations protecting water supplies are in
place.
Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has shown no inclination to convene a
special session on the Marcellus issue, instead calling on legislators
to find more money in the budget to hire additional DEP inspectors and
instructing DEP Secretary Randy Huffman to formulate new regulations
within the department.
In a related matter, council approved the second and final reading of
an ordinance prohibiting “locating, drilling, equipping or producing
of any oil and gas” in any district within the city limits.
In other business:
Council adopted a general fund budget of $4.37 million for fiscal year
2011-12, as well as a $15,000 coal severance budget.
The coal severance revenue is once again being allocated to parks
projects and, upon the mayor’s request, $8,000 from contingency funds
will be set aside “to allow for projects as they may show
themselves” to tout Lewisburg’s recent selection as America’s
Coolest Small Town in a Budget Travel magazine contest.
Public Works director Mark Carver predicted the Route 219 North
sidewalk project will begin in late April or early May. When complete,
the sidewalk will link the downtown business district to Wal-Mart.
Carver noted interest in recycling is increasing, leading the city to
obtain containers from the Greenbrier County Recycling Center in
Ronceverte for pre-sorting at the city shop. He also reminded would-be
recyclers to wash out containers before depositing them for pickup.
— E-mail: talvey(a)register-herald.com
Julie Archer
WV Citizen Action Group
1500 Dixie Street
Charleston, WV 25311
(304) 346-5891
(304) 346-8981 FAX
www.wvcag.org
From: Beth Little
To: Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2011 9:23 AM
Subject: Lawsuit over gas royalties
Ah, those gas companies.
http://www.timesleader.com/news/ap?articleID=6694922
Don Strimbeck, Sec/Treas
Upper Mon River Assoc
UpperMon.orgMonRiverSummit.org
WVU t-shirts & prints - FindHarri.com
109 Broad Street, P. O. Box 519
Granville WV 26534-0519
304-599-7585 (fax 4131)
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