EC February 2012

ec@lists.wvsierraclub.org

9 participants
24 discussions

End Mountaintop Removal - Week in Washington
by Jim Sconyers 29 Feb '12

29 Feb '12

*End Mountaintop Removal - Week in Washington (WIW) This is an exciting opportunity to join with hundreds of folks like you who want to end mountaintop removal. Lobby Congresspersons and Senators, share with other WIW participants, and more. Stay for the optional Day of Action! * Registration officially opens tomorrow, March 1 for The Alliance for Appalachia’s <http://www.theallianceforappalachia.org/> 2012 End Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington, happening June 2-6. To register early, click here<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHJHN3NpemtzYWV2TE1uX0…> . If you are seeking a scholarship, the deadline is Friday, April 6. Full and partial scholarships are available on a needs-basis. If you do not need funding support, the deadline is Sunday, April 15. If you can’t come but want to help, donate here<https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1741/t/6886/shop/custom.jsp?donate_pa…>to support the 6th Annual End Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington or to sponsor an attendee scholarship. Last year's Week in Washington was a tremendous success. More than 150 people from over 20 states came to Washington, holding over 200 meetings with Congressional offices, the EPA and the Obama administration. This year, participants will not only meet with their Congresspeople and agency officials, but also stand up and take action to stop mountaintop removal coal mining. *Yes, this year we will have a Day of Action to End Mountaintop Removal! * The 2012 elections mark a critical moment to make the issue of mountaintop removal coal mining a top priority issue in Washington. At Week in Washington, we’ll not only focus on how to work to end mountaintop removal in D.C., but how to fight this injustice in your local community. Can you join us this year in Washington? Click here<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHJHN3NpemtzYWV2TE1uX0…>to apply. We hope to see you in Washington! -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: Steel Interstate Campaign
by Jim Sconyers 27 Feb '12

27 Feb '12

Folks - Please take a look at this material about a campaign to upgrade expanded and faster rail transportation If you are interested in being the contact on this , please let me know. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Roger Diedrich <rdiedrich(a)cox.net> Date: Sat, Feb 25, 2012 at 6:01 PM Subject: Steel Interstate Campaign To: jimscon(a)gmail.com, gnuser(a)gmail.com Jim, Jonathan, For several years, the Virginia Chapter has had concerns about attempts to expand I-81 for trucks, although we have generally followed the lead of a separate organization, RAIL SOLUTION. While the proposal has been blunted, it is not dead, and we want to offer a positive alternative, hence the name of our partner organization, and the Steel Interstate concept. They would like to elevate the effort to a broader scale, and asked if the Sierra Club would take on such a role. This makes sense to us, as a general proposition. Such a campaign could be a part of the Club's Green Transportation Campaign. National staff tells us they are not positioned (funded) to take this on, but they are interested. The case can be made that moving freight to rail is an important GHG reduction strategy. So why are we approaching the WV Chapter? The corridor we are focused on runs from Memphis TN to Harrisonburg. PA, and only comes close to West Virginia. Somewhere I read that it might serve Martinsburg. Regardless, we are trying to enlist some level of support for the concept, so that the national folks can begin to see this as more of a regional, maybe even national effort. So you might be considered "in the I-81 Corridor". We would like to have you adopt a supporting resolution and designate a point of contact on an evolving campaign. It will be quite low key for now. Two resolutions are attached: one for general endorsement of the Steel Interstate concept and a second one for general endorsement of the concept and endorsement of the prototype demonstration. The second one can also be used as a model for any other regional initiative. The Virginia Chapter has adopted the regional version, although this looks to be a somewhat cleaner version. The SI concept is defined on this site: http://www.railsolution.org/projects/steel-interstate-demonstration.html Also, check out our Sierra Club Steel Interstate Team at: http://connect.sierraclub.org/Team/Steel_Interstate Maybe someone from your leadership would be willing to sign up as a member. Let me know your thinking on this, but perhaps I will give one of you a call in a few days. Roger Diedrich Smart Growth and Transportation Chair Sierra Club, VA Chapter 703-352-2410 -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Report: Increase Grassroot funding
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 27 Feb '12

27 Feb '12

This attached new report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy comes to the conclusion that in order to instill real environmental change, we need to be funneling a lot more funding into grassroot organizing, than we have been in the past. This makes good sense. Also, on page 16 is a photo of National BOD Lane Boldman (from KY who some of you may know) showing her protesting at the Keystone, XL protest in Washington, D.C. :) -Jonathan

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WVU Develops Marcellus Shale Air Monitoring System
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 23 Feb '12

23 Feb '12

This is refreshing to observe: http://www.wboy.com/story/16976388/wvu-develops-marcellus-shale-air-monitor… -Jonathan

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Give us your ideas for the gas campaign
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

Hello, We're looking for your best ideas on what the Club could do on the Natural Gas issue. To this end, we've launched a Web site for submitting these ideas. It's quite simple to use: 1. Go to http://sierraclub1.uservoice.com/forums/150010-what-should-the-club-do-on-n… 2. Enter your idea, or have a look around at existing ideas. 3. Once you enter an idea, you'll be asked to sign in - you can do this with either an email address or using your Facebook or Google (Sierra Club addresses work) credentials as a single-sign-on solution. Your ideas won't appear on these social networks - the buttons are only there to make login easier. 4. As a signed-in user, you can comment on existing ideas, or vote on them if you agree. This gives everyone a better idea of what the community feels is important. 5. You can have 10 votes or comments per month. This restriction will hopefully constrain ideas so that the best are elicited. 6. Note: This forum is 'open'. This is the only way we can accommodate the entire community. Please email webmaster(a)sierraclub.org with concerns. Thanks P.S. Please feel free to forward this to other Sierra Club members and activists.

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Fwd: Webinar Invitation: Register for Intro to Efficiency & Rate Making Webinar 3/8
by Jim Sconyers 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jennifer Miller <jen.miller(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Feb 22, 2012 at 1:22 PM Subject: Webinar Invitation: Register for Intro to Efficiency & Rate Making Webinar 3/8 To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Intro to Efficiency & Rate Making Webinar Join us on March 8, 2012 Afternoon Session: 3- 4PM EST -*OR-* Evening Session: 8- 9PM EST Free for all Sierra Club staff and volunteers! <https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/429251414> * * In traditional utility rate making, a utility makes more money when it sells more power. As coal fighters and efficiency advocates, we need to promote a new utility business model, which prioritizes investments in energy efficiency and helps us retire coal and other dirty forms of energy. This introductory, one-hour webinar is for Sierra Club staff and volunteers only and will be taught by a champion for the environment and consumers, Janine Migden Ostrander of the Regulatory Assistance Project. Building upon our recent Energy Efficiency 101 webinar, Janine will teach us the basics about energy efficiency and rate making. We will learn about different incentive mechanisms, decoupling, and much more. *Space is limited. * *Please choose the afternoon OR the evening session:* * * MAKE A RESERVATION FOR THE AFTERNOON SESSION AT 3:00 PM EST, BY CLICKING: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/42925141<https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/429251414> OR MAKE A RESERVATION FOR THE EVENING SESSION AT 8:00 PM EST BY CLICKING: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/623690126 ** After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar. *System Requirements* PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer -- Jen Miller (614)563-9543 Senior Campaign Representative for Energy Efficiency Sierra Club National Beyond Coal Campaign pst....My work is now national, but I'm still based in Columbus( the Eastern Time Zone)! -- Jen Miller (614)563-9543 Senior Campaign Representative for Energy Efficiency Sierra Club National Beyond Coal Campaign pst....My work is now national, but I'm still based in Columbus( the Eastern Time Zone)! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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WV Solar Bill of Rights
by Jim Sconyers 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

Hi Folks - Have you signed the WV Solar Bill of Rights petition? It's more important than ever, as we push to get the bills through. If you haven't, please go to the link below to sign - and thank you! http://signon.org/sign/west-virginia-solar-bill.fb1?source=c.fb&r_by=2669423 -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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WV Solar Bill of Rights
by Jim Sconyers 20 Feb '12

20 Feb '12

I just signed a petition to The West Virginia State House: Support the Solar Bill of Rights - HB 2740 and 2741 - which would encourage home residential solar power. This reduces the need for new utility power plants and puts citizens in charge of their own electric power. You can sign it too at: http://signon.org/sign/west-virginia-solar-bill.fb1?source=c.fb&r_by=2669423 -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Re: [EC] Ken Ward in DAILY UPDATE 14 February 2012.
by Oliver Bernstein 19 Feb '12

19 Feb '12

The Tweeter in question has already been spoken to. Thanks Jim. Mary Anne Hitt is monitoring Ken's writings closely on this. On Feb 19, 2012, at 7:29 PM, James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> wrote: Sorry, I just ran across this. ken ward is one of the best environmental reporters in the state, and his blog is a must-read for anyone following the coal industry. I highlighted a key sentence in red. Thanks to Don Strimbeck for his daily round-up of the news. Jim Kotcon >>> "Donald C. Strimbeck" dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> 2/14/2012 4:05 AM >> Charleston Gazette Tuesday 14 February 2012: *Hoppy Kercheval continues pro-coal ‘puffery’* February 13, 2012 by Ken Ward Jr. It’s really no wonder that so many West Virginia political leaders won’t confront the coming crisis in our state’s coalfields.<http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2012/02/10/states-energy-spin-ignores…>That’s especially so if you just look at the media coverage these issues generally get from most of the state’s newspapers, television stations and radio outlets. There have been some noticeable improvements of late<http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2011/10/13/wake-up-call-more-media-st…>, but my buddy Hoppy Kercheval’s latest West Virginia MetroNews commentary shows how far our media have to go in doing their job of forcing powerful interests to confront what is — and perhaps isn’t — in the public interest. Hoppy’s headline is “Environmental puffery<http://www.wvmetronews.com/hoppy.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=50873>,” and it focuses on the Sierra Club reaction to last week’s announcement of power plant closings by FirstEnergy<http://wvgazette.com/News/MiningtheMountains/201202080125>. Hoppy writes: *The closings are a tough blow for those communities; jobs are lost and tax revenue from the utilities will dry up.* *“This is going to take a pretty big chunk out of the operating budget of the town,” said Rivesville Mayor Jim Hershman, who worked at the power plant for 25 years.* *The Sierra Club is positively euphoric. The environmental organization’s “Beyond Coal” campaign is geared toward shutting down all coal-fired power plants.* *“The retirements represent a major improvement in the lives of local residents, who have been exposed to pollution from these plants for decades,” read a statement from the Sierra Club.* *I suspect the Sierra Club might have trouble getting laid off workers or the leaders of a community that will have trouble paying the bills for street lights to join them in the victory dance.* Now, there’s no question that some people within the Sierra Club are pretty darned tone-deaf when it comes to how their campaigns are viewed in communities that still rely so heavily on the coal industry … for example, one of the group’s bloggers and magazine writers posted on Twitter<https://twitter.com/#!/paulrauber>after the First Energy announcement: *Boom boom boom, another one bites the dust…* But Hoppy’s commentary didn’t mention that the Sierra Club also hosted a meeting in Albright<http://www.statejournal.com/story/16534879/with-planning-power-plant-closur…>, one of the communities where FirstEnergy is closing a plant, to try to get the conversation going about how the closure might impact local residents and what alternatives might be once that closure happened. The effort was modeled after a successful collaboration in Washington state, where a coal plant closure was phased in and the company put together a $50 million fund to help ease the impacts and move toward cleaner energy. In West Virginia, Sierra Club officials tried to get FirstEnergy involved in such an effort in Preston County — but the company couldn’t be bothered to show up for a town meeting. Hoppy also took the Morgantown City Council to task for approving a resolution in support of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas pollution to deal with the climate crisis: *So Jackson, who has done more than any one individual in recent history to undermine fossil fuel production in this country, now has the town fathers in the middle of coal and gas country on her side. And the City of Morgantown is doing its best United Nations imitation.* And he wraps it all up by arguing that coal isn’t going away anytime soon, citing recent statements from new AEP CEO Nick Akins: *The inevitable energy transition that’s taking place in this country is going to be a long, drawn out affair. American Electric Power President and CEO Nick Atkins said earlier this week “We’ll still need coal” for the foreseeable future. “If someone is trying to eliminate that, it’s just not going to happen.”* *Maybe the adversaries of fossil fuels actually know that, which is why they are reduced to relishing their small victories and embellishing their meaningless symbolism.* As did other media who quotes Akins without reservation, Hoppy ignores that, while coal overall is expected to remain a major part of the energy picture <http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=4950>, production from Appalachian — especially Central Appalachia — is expected to decline significantly over the next 25 years<http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2010/01/19/must-read-report-the-decli…>. No honest forecast ignores this trend — but Hoppy, much of the media, and West Virginia political leaders insist on pretending this crisis isn’t waiting out there for us. I tuned into my local MetroNews station this morning, to see if perhaps Hoppy was going to be talking about what state officials should be doing to plan for the coming coal collapse … but all I heard was a Friends of Coal ad. This entry was posted on Monday, February 13, 2012 at 10:47 am <DUNKARD CREEK-14FebY2K12.doc>

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Fw: Ken Ward in DAILY UPDATE 14 February 2012.
by James Kotcon 19 Feb '12

19 Feb '12

Sorry, I just ran across this. ken ward is one of the best environmental reporters in the state, and his blog is a must-read for anyone following the coal industry. I highlighted a key sentence in red. Thanks to Don Strimbeck for his daily round-up of the news. Jim Kotcon >>> "Donald C. Strimbeck" dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> 2/14/2012 4:05 AM >> ( mailto:dcsoinks@comcast.net ) Charleston Gazette Tuesday 14 February 2012: Hoppy Kercheval continues pro-coal ‘puffery’ February 13, 2012 by Ken Ward Jr. It’s really no wonder that so many West Virginia political leaders won’t confront the coming crisis in our state’s coalfields. ( http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2012/02/10/states-energy-spin-ignores… ) That’s especially so if you just look at the media coverage these issues generally get from most of the state’s newspapers, television stations and radio outlets. There have been some noticeable improvements of late ( http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2011/10/13/wake-up-call-more-media-st… ), but my buddy Hoppy Kercheval’s latest West Virginia MetroNews commentary shows how far our media have to go in doing their job of forcing powerful interests to confront what is — and perhaps isn’t — in the public interest. Hoppy’s headline is “Environmental puffery ( http://www.wvmetronews.com/hoppy.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=50873 ),” and it focuses on the Sierra Club reaction to last week’s announcement of power plant closings by FirstEnergy ( http://wvgazette.com/News/MiningtheMountains/201202080125 ). Hoppy writes: The closings are a tough blow for those communities; jobs are lost and tax revenue from the utilities will dry up. “This is going to take a pretty big chunk out of the operating budget of the town,” said Rivesville Mayor Jim Hershman, who worked at the power plant for 25 years. The Sierra Club is positively euphoric. The environmental organization’s “Beyond Coal” campaign is geared toward shutting down all coal-fired power plants. “The retirements represent a major improvement in the lives of local residents, who have been exposed to pollution from these plants for decades,” read a statement from the Sierra Club. I suspect the Sierra Club might have trouble getting laid off workers or the leaders of a community that will have trouble paying the bills for street lights to join them in the victory dance. Now, there’s no question that some people within the Sierra Club are pretty darned tone-deaf when it comes to how their campaigns are viewed in communities that still rely so heavily on the coal industry … for example, one of the group’s bloggers and magazine writers posted on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/#!/paulrauber ) after the First Energy announcement: Boom boom boom, another one bites the dust… But Hoppy’s commentary didn’t mention that the Sierra Club also hosted a meeting in Albright ( http://www.statejournal.com/story/16534879/with-planning-power-plant-closur… ), one of the communities where FirstEnergy is closing a plant, to try to get the conversation going about how the closure might impact local residents and what alternatives might be once that closure happened. The effort was modeled after a successful collaboration in Washington state, where a coal plant closure was phased in and the company put together a $50 million fund to help ease the impacts and move toward cleaner energy. In West Virginia, Sierra Club officials tried to get FirstEnergy involved in such an effort in Preston County — but the company couldn’t be bothered to show up for a town meeting. Hoppy also took the Morgantown City Council to task for approving a resolution in support of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas pollution to deal with the climate crisis: So Jackson, who has done more than any one individual in recent history to undermine fossil fuel production in this country, now has the town fathers in the middle of coal and gas country on her side. And the City of Morgantown is doing its best United Nations imitation. And he wraps it all up by arguing that coal isn’t going away anytime soon, citing recent statements from new AEP CEO Nick Akins: The inevitable energy transition that’s taking place in this country is going to be a long, drawn out affair. American Electric Power President and CEO Nick Atkins said earlier this week “We’ll still need coal” for the foreseeable future. “If someone is trying to eliminate that, it’s just not going to happen.” Maybe the adversaries of fossil fuels actually know that, which is why they are reduced to relishing their small victories and embellishing their meaningless symbolism. As did other media who quotes Akins without reservation, Hoppy ignores that, while coal overall is expected to remain a major part of the energy picture ( http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=4950 ), production from Appalachian — especially Central Appalachia — is expected to decline significantly over the next 25 years ( http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2010/01/19/must-read-report-the-decli… ). No honest forecast ignores this trend — but Hoppy, much of the media, and West Virginia political leaders insist on pretending this crisis isn’t waiting out there for us. I tuned into my local MetroNews station this morning, to see if perhaps Hoppy was going to be talking about what state officials should be doing to plan for the coming coal collapse … but all I heard was a Friends of Coal ad. This entry was posted on Monday, February 13, 2012 at 10:47 am

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EC February 2012