May 2012 - EC - lists.bikelover.org

Fwd: EIP and Public Justice Sue FirstEnergy on behalf of LBRAG at nation's largest coal ash pond - Little Blue
by Jim Sconyers 30 May '12

30 May '12

This is huge. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Lisa Widawsky Hallowell" <lhallowell(a)environmentalintegrity.org> Date: May 30, 2012 1:57 PM Subject: EIP and Public Justice Sue FirstEnergy on behalf of LBRAG at nation's largest coal ash pond - Little Blue To: <COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)lists.sierraclub.org> **apologies for cross-posting****** ** ** EIP and Public Justice, on behalf of the Little Blue Regional Action Group (formerly “Citizens Against Coal Ash”), filed a notice letter for violations of the Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, and PA Clean Streams Law at FirstEnergy’s Little Blue Run Coal Ash Impoundment today. The NOI is available here:**** ** ** http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/news_reports/05_30_2012.php**** ** ** ** ** Lisa Widawsky Hallowell**** Attorney**** Environmental Integrity Project**** 1 Thomas Circle, Suite 900**** Washington, DC 20005**** 202.294.3282 (direct/mobile)**** 202.296.8822 (fax) **** lhallowell(a)environmentalintegrity.org **** ** ** *The information contained in this email message may be privileged, confidential and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you think that you have received this email message in error, please notify the sender by reply email and delete the message and any attachments.* ** ** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-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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NYTimes.com: Even in Coal Country, the Fight for an Industry
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 30 May '12

30 May '12

This page was sent to you by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com. Even in Coal Country, the Fight for an Industry http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/business/energy-environment/even-in-kentu… ---------------------------------------------------------- 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 2012 The New York Times Company

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SHALE OIL IN OHIO
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 24 May '12

24 May '12

Chesapeake Raises Big Bet in Ohio By DANIEL GILBERT<http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=DANIEL+GILBERT&bylinesearch…>And RYAN DEZEMBER<http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=RYAN+DEZEMBER&bylinesearch=…> Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=CHK>Corp., once described oil buried in a layer of rock that stretches from the outskirts of Cleveland to West Virginia as "the biggest thing to hit Ohio since the plow." Mr. McClendon bet big on that new oil field, the Utica Shale, paying billions of dollars over the last two years for drilling rights to 1.3 million acres of it, or about 5% of Ohio's land area. Now, Chesapeake is raising its bet—ramping up drilling on a promising but unproven oil field, at a time when the embattled natural-gas giant is under financial stress and facing heightened scrutiny from investors. Battered by the lowest natural-gas prices in a decade, Chesapeake is selling off some of its most lucrative assets and taking out increasingly expensive loans in a bid to transform itself into an oil power. The cash-strapped company, whose stock market valuation is under $10 billion, has more than $13 billion in debt on its balance sheet and total obligations of close to $24 billion, ratings agencies say. Key to its ambition is the Utica, which Ohio officials estimate holds 1.3 billion to 5.5 billion barrels of oil. The Utica, which spans parts of five states, often draws comparisons to the huge Eagle Ford Shale in Texas, which could hold 3.4 billion barrels of oil, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. On Tuesday, a Chesapeake executive told an industry conference in Austin that the Utica could generate a higher rate of return than any of Chesapeake's other properties. But analysts say that relatively little is known about the true potential of the Utica. Chesapeake has only released results from nine of the 59 wells it has drilled in the Utica, and none of the nine have been in operation for long. Chesapeake says that oil made up less than a third of its average peak production from eight of the wells, with natural gas accounting for half and the rest coming from liquid gases like ethane and propane. The limited data the company has released "fail to wow," analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. wrote last month. [image: CHKUTICA] [image: CHKUTICA] None of the nine wells is in what executives call the "oil window," the sweet spot the Oklahoma City-based company believes holds the most crude. "We haven't cracked the code on the oil window," Mr. McClendon said at an industry conference last month in New York. "The prize is big if you can do that." The Utica is far from Chesapeake's only oil property. It is spending more money on the proven Eagle Ford in south Texas and ramping up drilling in the Mississippi Lime field that straddles the border between Oklahoma and Kansas. Chesapeake isn't alone in its belief that the Utica holds a lot of oil. BP<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=BP.LN> PLC, Exxon Mobil<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=XOM>Corp., Hess <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=HES>Corp., Anadarko Petroleum<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=APC>Corp. and Devon Energy<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=DVN>Corp., among others, have bought Utica drilling fields in Ohio. In December, Total<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=tot>SA, the French oil giant, paid Chesapeake $610 million for a stake in its holdings in the Utica, with the promise to cover $1.4 billion of drilling costs. Total declined to comment. "While we agree with the view that the Utica is an emerging play and there is little publicly available well information, we have drilled and tested a sufficient number of wells for us to have a high level of confidence," Jim Gipson, a Chesapeake spokesman, said Wednesday. The company plans to disclose details about its oil production in the coming months, he said. Chesapeake has staked more on the Utica than any other producer by far. It has leased twice as much land as its nearest competitor, Chevron<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=CVX>Corp. Of the 223 permits the state has issued for Utica wells, Chesapeake has obtained 162. It is drilling with 10 rigs there, the most of any company, and plans to operate 22 rigs in 2013, which would amount to almost 18% of its working rigs. Chesapeake is continuing to expand its holdings in the Utica. In the first quarter of this year, Chesapeake spent $900 million acquiring drilling rights—more than half of what it has budgeted for the entire year—with much of the activity in the Utica, where it had already spent $2 billion. The company said Tuesday that it plans to dedicate 8% of its capital spending, or up to $600 million, on the Utica in 2013, which doesn't include Total's contribution. Ramping up drilling may help Chesapeake demonstrate the oil and gas potential in the Utica, allowing it to add to its reserves. Until that potential is proven by drilling, the company can't use its Utica holdings as collateral to take out reserve-based loans because the amount of oil and gas there is uncertain, said Neal Dingmann, an analyst with investment bank SunTrust Robinson Humphrey Inc. Chesapeake currently draws on a $4 billion line of credit, backed by reserves, for its daily cash needs. To raise cash, Chesapeake in December 2011 completed a sale of $1.25 billion in preferred shares in a newly created subsidiary for some of its Utica holdings to private-equity firms led by EIG Global Energy Partners. Chesapeake must pay a steep 7% annual return to the investors, as well as 3% of the royalties from the first 1,500 wells, beginning this year and is committed to drilling 50 wells a year in the Utica through 2016. The company is under pressure to raise as much as $11.5 billion before the end of the year to bridge a widening gap between its cash flow and spending. It is shopping its entire 1.5 million acres in a lucrative west Texas oil field, which makes up 5% of its production, to pay for drilling in places like the Utica that it believes will prove even more profitable. The cash crunch, combined with corporate-governance controversies, has pushed Chesapeake's stock down 51% in the last 12 months. It closed Wednesday at $15.09. For years, Mr. McClendon has taken a small stake in every well that Chesapeake drills, sharing equally in their costs and profits. In November, he pledged his stakes in the company's wells in the Utica and elsewhere as collateral to borrow up to $1 billion from EIG, which didn't become widely known until April. The revelation that he borrowed from a company doing business with Chesapeake has rocked the company in recent weeks. Chesapeake has said that allowing Mr. McClendon to invest in the wells aligned him with shareholders and that his borrowing didn't pose a conflict of interest, though they have agreed to end the practice in 2014. Board members are reviewing his financing deals with firms that have relationships with Chesapeake. Mr. McClendon has apologized for what he calls "distractions" and agreed to step down as chairman. But he has not changed his tune about the Utica. Earlier this month, Mr. McClendon said that a natural-gas well drilled in Ohio's rural Harrison County "may very well be our best shale well ever." Analysts say it is too early to determine whether the Utica will prove as profitable as other major U.S. oil fields. "It's an Eagle Ford lookalike, it's got that kind of potential," said David Tameron, a senior analyst at Wells Fargo Securities LLC. But he cautioned, "We don't have a history with any of these wells." *Write to * Daniel Gilbert at daniel.gilbert(a)wsj.com and Ryan Dezember at ryan.dezember(a)dowjones.com - ** - - - -

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PNC finances MTR
by Jim Sconyers 23 May '12

23 May '12

http://delaware.sierraclub.org/2012-05-22-pncbank PNC has branches in Morgantown. It would be fun to set up an action targeting them for their enabling of mountaintop removal. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: WVNS story: Who Pays for Dominion Hope's Natural Gas Gambles?
by Paul Wilson 23 May '12

23 May '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Wed, May 23, 2012 at 8:55 AM Subject: WVNS story: Who Pays for Dominion Hope's Natural Gas Gambles? To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Who Pays for Dominion Hope's Natural Gas Gambles? Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26594-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (05/23/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Gas utility Dominion Hope has lost $22 million hedging on natural gas prices, and this week a judge will decide if the company can pass more than $9 million of that on to its customers. Under the direction of the Public Service Commission, Dominion Hope started hedging six years ago to try to protect against gas price spikes. But the bets lost money consistently, with higher losses recently. The company now wants ratepayers to cover its fiscal 2011 losses. Byron Harris, who heads the PSC's Consumer Advocate Division, says something might need to be changed. "The fact that they have consistently lost money is something I think we need to look at, and if there is a better way, I think that's something we definitely need to look at." Harris says Dominion Hope's hedging was done properly, as designed with the Consumer Advocate Division. Dominion Hope spokesman Chuck Penn says his company didn't make any mistakes. "Gas prices have essentially collapsed, down more than 70 percent since 2008. The entire market failed to foresee the drastic decline in prices that would occur." For every dollar Hope lost and charges to customers, Virginia Power Energy Marketing Group stands to profit. That's another Dominion subsidiary which Hope made these bets with. Energy market consultant George Donkin was hired by the Affiliated Construction Trades to look into the rate case. He says that kind of deal raises questions. "Any time you have a transaction involving corporate affiliates, it needs to be recognized that the transaction is now taking place at arm's length." According to Byron Harris, that does raise red flags, although it doesn't seem illegitimate. "The fact that they contract with their affiliate really has no impact. The reason that Hope paid above-market prices is because they've been hedging into this declining market." By comparison, Mountaineer Gas also hedges, but has lost about 25 percent less per unit of gas purchased. The hedging only protects against price increases, but gas prices have fallen dramatically, mostly because of large amounts of gas coming from the Marcellus shale formations under the eastern U.S. The Administrative Law Judge's decision will be posted on the PSC's website, case no. 11-1103-G-30C. Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26594-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26594-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- 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 "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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First Energy efficiency plans lag in WV
by Jim Sconyers 22 May '12

22 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rashay Layman <rashay.layman(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Tue, May 22, 2012 at 4:03 PM Subject: Re: need mileage reimbursement To: Jim Sconyers <jimscon(a)gmail.com> FYI, http://www.statejournal.com/story/18573803/firstenergy-efficiency-programs-…

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Fwd: WVNS story: Impact of 'War On Coal' Questioned - Mining Jobs Actually Up
by Paul Wilson 21 May '12

21 May '12

great story from the WV Public News Service...... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Mon, May 21, 2012 at 4:27 AM Subject: WVNS story: Impact of 'War On Coal' Questioned - Mining Jobs Actually Up To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Impact of 'War On Coal' Questioned - Mining Jobs Actually Up Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26543-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (05/21/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The mining industry and most of the state's political leaders accuse the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House of waging a "war on coal." But according to Workforce West Virginia, the number of mining jobs is near a two-decade high. Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, analyzed the employment numbers. He says the environmental policies actually have very little impact on the number of mining jobs here. He says that number is actually higher now that at any time since Bill Clinton's first term. "Last year there were more people employed in the coal mining industry than at any time since 1995. In fact, since Obama took office we've seen an increase of 1500 people in the mining industry." The industry has attacked the EPA for tightening rules on mountaintop removal and air pollution from coal-fired power plants. Boettner says those changes have far less impact than simple supply and demand. Many of the state's mines produce high-quality metallurgical coal. Since "met" coal is used to make steel rather than burned for power, demand for it is largely unaffected by efforts to slow global climate change. And Boettner says the price is up around the world. "We're exporting more and more of that coal. Metallurgical coal during its peak was well over $200 a ton, whereas steam coal was $60, $75 a ton." Over the long term, Beottner says, he expects less coal to be burned to produce electricity. But he says that has more to do with cheap natural gas than any federal policies. "The fact of the matter is the EPA has very little impact on price and production. Meanwhile, what does have a big impact is discovering 180 trillion cubic feet of Marcellus gas." Boettner says another factor is thinner Appalachian coal seams. He says that means more miners are needed to get the same amount of coal. More information is at tinyurl.com/d6ojrsy. Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26543-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26543-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- 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 "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: Tell Gov. Tomblin: This is outrageous
by Paul Wilson 21 May '12

21 May '12

I signed and posted on my Facebook wall. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Josh Nelson, CREDO Action <act(a)credoaction.com> Date: Mon, May 21, 2012 at 8:03 AM Subject: Tell Gov. Tomblin: This is outrageous To: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> ** [image: Tell Governor Tomblin: Stop spending taxpayer money to promote the coal industry's misleading talking points!] <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891581&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=1> photo: Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden Clicking here will automatically add your name to this petition to West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin:<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=2> * "Using taxpayer money to pay for anti-EPA coal industry political attacks is an outrageous breach of public trust. As a West Virginia resident, I urge you to put an end to the state's sponsorship of the annual "coal forum" and stop your brazen shilling for the dirty coal industry." <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=3> * Automatically add your name: <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=4> [image: Take action now!] <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=5> Learn more about this campaign<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891581&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=6> [image: CREDO Action | more than a network, a movement.] *Tell Gov. Tomblin: Taxpayer money shouldn't promote coal propaganda and right-wing attacks on the EPA.<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891581&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=7> * Dear Paul, An explosive article published Wednesday on the Charleston Gazette's website exposed that West Virginia taxpayer money is being used to promote the coal industry's misleading attacks on the Environmental Protection Agency and President Obama's attempts to protect public health.1 *In the past two years, Governor Tomblin and the state legislature have set aside $58,500 in taxpayer money for a series of annual events called "the coal forum," in which coal industry staffers and pro-coal elected officials will attack EPA's efforts to protect public health as "the EPA's war on coal."* It is bad enough that Governor Tomblin is supporting pro-coal policies that throw people's health under the bus, but to be so brazen about using taxpayer money to parrot right-wing and coal industry political attacks is a stunning breach of public trust. *Tell Governor Tomblin: Don't spend taxpayer money on political attacks. Click here to automatically sign the petition.* <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=8> Everything about these events just reeks. This year's "coal forums," which are scheduled to take place this week in Charleston, Wheeling and Beckley, are literally being planned and promoted by a coal industry public relations firm owned by a registered lobbyist!2 These forums are a blatant attempt to advance the one-sided interests of the coal industry, which is working to reverse life saving federal pollution limits. Absent from the forums will be scientists, public health professionals and anyone else who might tell the truth about the devastating impacts of coal and the need to protect West Virginians from dirty coal pollution.3 *Mother Jones' Kate Sheppard characterized the issue well: "It's not surprising that the coal industry is down on Obama. But there aren't many states where the industry would have direct state support in advancing that agenda."4* The Coal Forum's Twitter account gives a good indication of the anti-Obama sentiment the events will be pushing, with several recent Tweets highlighting "Obama's war on coal" and one actually saying "Obama faces trouble in coal country."5 *Tell Governor Tomblin: Don't spend taxpayer money on political attacks. Click here to automatically sign the petition.* <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=9> Governor Tomblin has a well-deserved reputation for acting as a mouthpiece for West Virginia's powerful coal industry. His re-election website is largely committed to defending the coal industry and attacking the EPA.6 And of course, his list of campaign contributions reads like a who's who of power brokers in the dirty coal industry.7 But the blatant use of state-funds to promote what clearly amounts to coal industry propaganda and right-wing political attacks is truly brazen, even for him. Click below to automatically sign the petition and send a strong message to Governor Tomblin: *http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891582&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=10* Thanks for fighting against the West Virginia government's shameful shilling for dirty coal. Josh Nelson, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=11&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=11> 1. W.Va. taxpayers fund anti-Obama coal campaign<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891583&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=12>, Charleston Gazette, 5/16/12 2. Coal PR firm set up state's anti-Obama meetings<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891585&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=13>, Charleston Gazette, 5/18/12 3. Events<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891586&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=14>, The Coal Forum 4. West Virginia Funds Pro-Coal Attack on Obama Admin.<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891587&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=15>, Mother Jones, 5/17/12 5. The Coal Forum<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891594&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=16>, Twitter 6. W. Va. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin on Coal<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891584&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=17>, YouTube, 1/13/12 7. Contributions to Tomblin, Earl Ray<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891591&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=18>, National Institute on Money in State Politics ------------------------------ [image: Facebook]<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891592&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=19> *Share on Facebook* Post to your wall<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891592&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=20> [image: Twitter]<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891593&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=21> *Tweet this* Post to Twitter<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6891593&id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx&t=22> © 2012 CREDO. All rights reserved. To remove yourself (Paul Wilson) from this list, please visit our subscription management page at: http://act.credoaction.com/s?i=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx To change your email address or update your contact info, please visit: http://act.credoaction.com/subscrip/coa.html?id=40465-3414728-Evb4Sxx -- 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 "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: Public Source article on Dana Mining's abuse of the Steele Shaft site agreement
by James Kotcon 20 May '12

20 May '12

Excellent articel about the on-fging water quality problems associated with Longview's affiliate AMDRI. The quote from Charlie Huguenard is particlurly enlightening. Jim Kotcon

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PJM Capacity Market Results Announced
by Frank Young 19 May '12

19 May '12

WordPress.comNote this PJM paragraph: "Although the RPM auction procured sufficient resources to meet the projected demand, some generating units may need to remain available beyond their proposed retirement dates until transmission upgrades are completed. These units would be operated under “reliability must run” agreements." I wonder what this bodes for First Energy's recently announced closure of Albright and other older generating facilities.- Frank ----- Original Message ----- From: The Power Line To: fyoung(a)mountain.net Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2012 10:39 AM Subject: [New post] PJM Capacity Market Results Announced New post on The Power Line PJM Capacity Market Results Announced by Bill Here is a link to PJM's press release on the just concluded capacity auction results. PJM is a cartel, and these annual auctions determine what companies and power plants can sell their power in PJM three years in the future. By disguising its cartel gatekeeping as an auction, PJM maintains a facade of "market based" neutrality. In fact, we know that the RPM system is "gameable" and is really a PIG (protection of incumbent generators). So what happened at the auction? Here's what PJM said: This year, the auction procured 164,561 MW of capacity resources at a base price of $136 per MW. A megawatt is enough electricity to power 800 to 1,000 homes. PJM’s all-time peak demand is 158,448 MW. Prices were higher in northern Ohio and the Mid-Atlantic region. How much higher were prices in the Mid-Atlantic region? The price of capacity in much of the Mid-Atlantic area will be $167 per megawatt. That is only $31 more than the PJM overall base price. This if far below the differences in RPM prices that PJM cited as a need for PATH. What does PJM say caused this shift? In addition to new generation, most of it natural gas-fired, the capacity auction also procured 14,833 MW of demand response, a 5 percent increase over last year, and energy efficiency, a 12 percent increase. The amount of demand response was also a record for PJM, as well as for renewable generation. Solar increased to 56 MW of solar — a 22 percent increase over last year – and wind increased to 796 MW – a 15 percent increase. Because all of these sources of capacity are far less polluting than coal, most of them are located in Mid-Atlantic states, a trend that is accelerating. Its a good thing that PJM, FE and AEP did not railroad state regulators into approving PATH. All rate payers in PJM would have been stuck with a very expensive white elephant. Speaking of FE, here is the auction result for the ATSI region of PJM, the northern region of Ohio and the heart of FE's business: In northern Ohio served by FirstEnergy, the price will be $357 per megawatt. This is a classic example of gaming the RPM system. FE announced a lot of coal plant closures early, instead of whining like AEP's "chiefs" have been. These plant closures, which FE said would be accomplished before 2015-16, the period of this year's RPM auctions, resulted in a severe decline in generating capacity in FE's home region. This will make it more likely for FE to appeal to PJM to keep these plants open to insure reliability, called Reliability Must Run, or RMR, in PJM jargon. Or, as the last paragraph of the press release describes it: Although the RPM auction procured sufficient resources to meet the projected demand, some generating units may need to remain available beyond their proposed retirement dates until transmission upgrades are completed. These units would be operated under “reliability must run” agreements. FE's gaming of the RPM market in 2015-16 artificially drove up prices in the ATSI zone, insuring at least some of its plants slated for closure will get RMR status from PJM and can remain open. As Keryn points out, FE beat AEP like a rented mule in the plant closure game. The high ATSI zone prices also completely undercut the PATH argument that capacity prices in eastern PJM are higher than prices in western PJM. The press release also notes, as we have in recent posts on The Power Line, that the FE plant closures have completely altered the transmission picture in PJM away from Project Mountaineer and unnecessary boondoggles such as PATH. Bill | May 19, 2012 at 9:39 am | Tags: Alternatives to PATH, PJM Fakery, Power Companies & PATH | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/piwFb-1yq Comment See all comments Unsubscribe or change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://calhounpowerline.com/2012/05/19/pjm-capacity-market-results-announce… Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

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Fwd: DEP Draft Permit to Operate gas compressor stations
by James Kotcon 17 May '12

17 May '12

We need to comment on this one. JBK >>> <DSGJr(a)aol.com> 5/17/2012 1:58 AM >>> From: dep.online(a)wv.gov To: DSGJR(a)aol.com Sent: 5/16/2012 1:44:49 P.M. Eastern Standard Time Subj: DEP Public Notice - Counties - All - Notice for the Draft/Proposed Title V General Permit to Operate Natural Gas Compressor Facilities - R30-NGGP-2012 The following was sent to you because you are a Member of the DEP Public Notice mailing list. =========================================================== Wednesday, May 16, 2012 @ 2:44 PM =========================================================== NOTICE OF COMMENT PERIOD FOR DRAFT/PROPOSED OPERATING PERMIT Title V of the Federal Clean Air Act and the state Air Pollution Control Act requires that all major sources and certain minor sources have a permit to operate which states all requirements (e.g. emission limitations, monitoring requirements, etc.) established by regulations promulgated under the aforementioned programs. The Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has determined that the draft/proposed permit referenced herein meets this requirement. The DAQ is providing notice to the general public of its preliminary determination to issue a General Operating Permit (R30-NGGP-2012) to operate Natural Gas Compressor Facilities. Facilities are designed and operated for the purpose of gathering, dehydrating, transmitting, processing or compressing Natural Gas. Facilities will include some or all of the following equipment: Indirect Heat Exchangers, Engines, Turbines, Storage Vessels, Glycol Dehydration Units and Mobile Glycol Reclaimer. This notice solicits comments from the public and affected state(s) concerning the above preliminary determination and provides an opportunity for such parties to review the basis for the proposed approval and the "draft" permit. This notice also solicits comments from the U.S. EPA concerning the same preliminary determination and provides an opportunity for the U.S. EPA to concurrently review the basis for the proposed approval as a “proposed” permit. This notice also incorporates changes to the General Requirements of the applicable preconstruction permit(s). Upon issuance of Title V General Permit a facility can apply to DAQ for Title V General Permit Registration. The registration process will not be advertised for public comment. All written comments submitted by the public and affected state(s) pursuant to this notice must be received by the DAQ within thirty (30) days of the date of publication of this notice. Under concurrent review, written comments submitted by the U.S. EPA must be received by the DAQ within forty- five (45) days from the date of publication of this notice or from the date the U.S. EPA receives this draft/proposed permit, whichever is later. In the event that the 30th/45th day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the comment period will be extended until 5:00 p.m. on the following regularly scheduled business day. The public shall have 135 days from the date of publication of this notice to file petitions for concurrently reviewed permits. Upon notice by the U.S. EPA to the DAQ, prior to the end of the 45-day notice period, the U.S. EPA may choose to hold the 30 day comment period on the draft permit and the 45 day comment period on the proposed permit sequentially. During the public comment period any interested person may submit written comments on the draft permit and may request a public hearing, if no public hearing has already been scheduled. A request for a public hearing shall be in writing and shall state the nature of the issues proposed to be raised in the hearing. The Director of the DAQ shall grant such a request for a hearing if he concludes that a public hearing is appropriate. Any public hearing shall be held in the general area in which the facility is located, after 30 day notice is given. The DAQ will consider all written comments prior to final action on the permit. Copies of the DAQ Fact Sheet and Draft/Proposed Permit may be downloaded from the DAQ's web site at the following address: http://www.dep.wv.gov/daq, then Permitting, Title V Guidance, Natural Gas General Permit (R30-NGGP-2012). Copies of the Permit Application, DAQ Fact Sheet, and Draft/Proposed Permit are available for public review at the following location between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: WV Department of Environmental Protection Division of Air Quality 601 57th Street SE Charleston, WV 25304 Contact: U.K.Bachhawat (304) 926-0499, Ext 1256 Comments and questions concerning this matter should be addressed to the above referenced individual. =========================================================== To view past notices of open public comment periods or to unsubscribe from this Mailing List, login at: http://apps.dep.wv.gov//MLists2/

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Fwd: WVNS story: Statistics Suggest EPA Regs Not Actually Job Killers
by Paul Wilson 17 May '12

17 May '12

fyi, paul w. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Thu, May 17, 2012 at 4:07 AM Subject: WVNS story: Statistics Suggest EPA Regs Not Actually Job Killers To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Statistics Suggest EPA Regs Not Actually Job Killers Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26458-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (05/17/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Employment figures suggest that new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air pollution rules that cut carbon, mercury, and soot are not the job killers they are accused of being. The EPA has been rolling out new air pollution limits under the Clean Air Act. Many of West Virginia's political leaders have attacked the regulations as bad for the economy, but job numbers show that employment has not gone away, it has just moved around. Joe Mendelsen, policy director of the National Wildlife Federation Climate & Energy program, says Americans can actually have it both ways - if the powers-that-be will allow it. He explains that the Clean Air Act and EPA policies that help the nation transition from dirty energy to clean energy actually do create jobs. "Just recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics put out a study that showed that over 3.1 million new jobs have been created through our 'environmental economy,' if you will, and it's growing." The EPA has been attacked for what the coal industry calls a "war on coal," although the EPA argues the new limits on soot alone will save more than 8,000 lives a year. A whole host of American jobs go along with clean energy - jobs that cannot be outsourced, he adds - such as those associated with wind turbines. It's not only about making the turbines themselves, he says. Just like the car industry, a vast supply chain is necessary to make the parts that come together to create the turbine. "Wind-energy facilities don't emit carbon pollution and are good for our climate. There is steel that needs to be made to go into those; there are tool-and-die manufacturers in other facilities that are making the parts that go into those wind turbines; there are people on the ground who are doing the construction jobs." Employment figures show that Americans can create jobs while also cleaning up the air, making it safer to breathe and improving the health of people and animals for generations to come, Mendelsen says. Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26458-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26458-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- 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 "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Coal Forum
by Jim Sconyers 16 May '12

16 May '12

I'm free for the one in Wheeling. Anyone want to go and pass out flyers or.....???* May 23, 2012 Wheeling, WV Oglebay Resort 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Featuring Congressman David McKinley* http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2012/05/16/w-va-taxpayers-fund-anti-o… W.Va. taxpayers fund anti-Obama coal campaign May 16, 2012 by Ken Ward Jr. <http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/files/2012/05/obamamay2012.jpg> Folks in West Virginia may have heard about a series of upcoming events aimed at attacking President Obama and his Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to reduce the coal industry’s impacts on the environment, public health and the global climate system. A group called “The Coal Forum<http://www.wvcoalforum.org/content/view/33/1/>” is sponsoring the events, which include meetings next week in Charleston, Wheeling and Beckley. Listed speakers include Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, Congressman Nick Joe Rahall, Congressman David McKinley and UMWA President Cecil Roberts. Next week’s meetings are described on the Coal Forum’s website as events: *… To discuss EPA’s War on Coal and, specifically, the agency’s greenhouse gas and Utility MACT proposed rules.* *These rules will significantly affect West Virginia jobs, and in fact, have already resulted in the announced premature closure of several state power plants. The purpose of the Coal Forum events are to increase awareness of the harmful impacts these rules will have on the economy of Appalachia and to discuss strategies for reversing them.* What you may not realize is that these events are sponsored and paid for by West Virginia taxpayers. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: Rivesville plant
by James Kotcon 13 May '12

13 May '12

Here is a story on the proposed Rivesville energy plant. Looks like they are happy to burn coal waste, but not municipal waste. we need to keep our eyes on this one. JBK >>> Kevin Smith <a_clean_wv(a)yahoo.com> 5/12/2012 7:28 PM >>> some not so good news if this gets approved: http://timeswv.com/local/x1640793968/Proposed-plant-faces-many-hurdles Kevin President & North Central WV Representative, West Virginia Environmental Council "All Shades Of Green" __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Conservative Thinktanks Launch Anti-Wind Campaigns
by Frank Young 11 May '12

11 May '12

Blankhttp://www.alternet.org/environment/155359/conservative_thinktanks_lau… >From the article: "Recent developments in the campaign against wind power include: " • Putting forward Alec-drafted bills overturning those measures in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Colorado, Montana and Washington state." Ironically, the West Virginia so-called "alternative energy" legislation does not require even one kilowatt of wind (nor of solar) generated electricity. Frank

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Fwd: FRACKING AND BLASTING AMERICA... AND SHIPPING ENERGY OVERSEAS
by Paul Wilson 11 May '12

11 May '12

really good email campaign that goes to the Council on Environmental Quality and our reps in Congress. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <ddow420(a)comcast.net> Date: Thu, May 10, 2012 at 5:06 PM Subject: Fwd: FRACKING AND BLASTING AMERICA... AND SHIPPING ENERGY OVERSEAS To: Patricia Matejcek Gmail <patachek3(a)gmail.com>, Alison Robb < nature(a)cape.com>, Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> fyi Begin forwarded message: *From: *Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy <info(a)catskillcitizens.org> *Date: *May 10, 2012 9:51:50 AM EDT *To: *ddow420(a)comcast.net *Subject: **FRACKING AND BLASTING AMERICA... AND SHIPPING ENERGY OVERSEAS* * * **<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=1XHz0cFmZWZPUXEuzPSwX…> * * *FRACKING AND BLASTING AMERICA . . . AND SHIPPING* [image: Take Action!]<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2BXglNioIEv1MIWLDULr…> *ENERGY OVERSEAS* *Demand an energy policy that makes sense. Take Action!*<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=GzKIE0PG6weeSDfVM8XKI…> * * Energy companies love to wrap themselves in the flag of energy independence, but in fact they have a history of exploiting American resources in a way that benefits foreign nations, not the United States. In recent decades, mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining has destroyed an area the size of Rhode Island. Biologically diverse ecosystems have been wiped out. Thousands of miles of streams have been poisoned, or have disappeared under mountains of rubble. Contaminated air and water have created a health crisis for rural communities that face epidemic rates of birth defects and childhood disease. Adding insult to grievous injury, we've been shipping our Appalachian coal overseas. And now, rather than rethinking the insanity of MTR, the U.S. is about to embark on yet another ruinous venture, one that will create an even greater environmental and health crisis here at home so energy corporations can make a killing abroad. The broad outlines of the gas industry’s master plan are clear—frack the hell out of America so U.S. energy companies can become leading exporters of natural gas. The industry has already begun spending tens of billions of dollars to construct pipelines and export terminals to ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe and Asia. When these terminals are complete, the industry will be able to sell U.S. gas in foreign markets at prices that may be five or six or seven times the current rate here at home. Gas corporations will make out like bandits, while the U.S. taxpayer will be left to cope with the environmental damage and the inevitable public health crisis that will follow in the wake of contaminated air and drinking water supplies. * * [image: No Frack!] * * * * * * *ALBANY INACTION AND MISDIRECTION* * * * * *Demand protective legislation. Take Action!<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=j11HY8xqzZAJigdJgIfOS…> * *[image: Take Action!]<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=XiM6yDLX54xDX6m6rMD4y…> * * * - In 2005, the gas industry wanted a state law that would force landowners to have gas known to be under their land extracted against their will. No problem. A compulsory integration bill, written by lobbyists, sailed through both houses of the legislature with unanimous support. In 2008, the industry was back in Albany because it wanted a well-spacing law to facilitate shale gas extraction. Once again, the legislature quickly gave the industry what it wanted. - But although ordinary New Yorkers have been demanding basic protections from fracking for years, the legislature still hasn’t managed to enact a single law in the *public *interest. Will this year be any different? Will the legislature pass a bill requiring a much-needed health impact assessment of fracking? Will it close the drilling waste loophole that lets the industry dump toxic waste without adequate supervision? Will it accomplish anything at all before the current session winds down? - The Cuomo Administration and the DEC continue to offer conflicting estimates of when fracking will get underway in New York. We’ve been told it will be this spring, or in the summer, or in the fall, or maybe sometime before the end of the year, or perhaps never. It’s hard to read these mixed signals as anything more than a cynical ploy to keep the public confused and activists off guard. - Recently DEC Commissioner Martens told the press that his department will “consider” local laws that prohibit fracking when it issues drilling permits, but he failed to say whether the DEC will actually *respect*the laws enacted by dozens of communities who don’t trust Governor Cuomo, or the DEC, or the legislature to offer them the protections they deserve. * SUNGEVITY * Recently, Catskill Citizens partnered with *Sungevity<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=5aJJu6TgYWJ2%2BJ6wjGC…> ,* a company that provides solar installations for home and businesses. If someone purchases a solar installation through our website, the purchaser and Catskill Citizens each get a check for $750. We didn’t form this partnership because we’re desperate for money, or because we’ve sold out to corporate interests. We did it because we think the company has a business model that deserves recognition. Sungevity is one of several companies that will install photovoltaic (PV) systems on homes at no cost to the homeowner—the company makes its money by collecting the available tax incentives and through monthly leasing payments that are less than the homeowner’s savings on their utility bill. This not-a-penny-out-of- pocket-ever business model is important because it undermines the argument that renewable energy systems are expensive and beyond the reach of ordinary Americans. Solar is here now—and anyone can afford it. *Can New York Learn from Texas?<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=uInpa8N%2FyRpVjKQpKur…> Economist Jannette Barth’s latest analysis of the economic impact of shale gas plays. * *Read more about LNG exports by entering the word “exports in the “Search” feature of our **website*<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=o0%2BnVCwdEOAjf2T6HWx…> *.* *STOP THE FRACK ATTACK!* On July 28, citizens from all across the country will rally in Washington, D.C. for a national day of action. Read more at stopthefrackattack.org<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=PC8e1W40kj05dTQCb3ecp…> . Please share this Update link, cut and paste to Facebook and Twitter: http://bit.ly/KSEZMA<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2BYL6yZIBLMygM7ZXtl8…> <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=mjN1ncbnOnhVMzzQwaXFq…> For more information email info(a)catskillcitizens.org or call (845) 468 7063 *Two out of three people who find out about fracking think the risks aren't worth the rewards. Public awareness is the key to our success, so spread the word! * <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=kWqs66uaEQ%2BiyaHllT9…> Please donate to Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy. *To unsubscribe from this email list, please email info(a)catskillcitizens.org and type unsubscribe in the header.* [image: empowered by Salsa] <http://www.salsalabs.com/?email> **** -- 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 "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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oil/gas/coal anti-wind energy campaign?
by Frank Young 10 May '12

10 May '12

BlankI have suspected for some time that at least some anti-wind activists are encouraged, whether innocently or knowingly, by miss-information disseminated by oil and/or gas, and/or coal, and/or other fossil fuel interests.- Frank http://influencealley.nationaljournal.com/2012/05/wind.php "Earlier this year, a national conservative think tank fellow organized a gathering in Washington to hear how local wind energy opponents were fighting wind projects in their communities and to discuss launching a national public relations strategy to subvert the industry and influence wind energy policies. The gathering and a strategy memo outlining a national PR campaign against wind energy caught the attention of the pro-clean energy Checks and Balances Project, which charged that oil-and-gas backed think tanks were working to organize local NIMBY groups into a national campaign against wind energy. "This is the first time that we've seen this level of coordination," said Gabe Elsner, the co-director of the Checks and Balances Project. But, the meeting's organizer and attendees say the February event was simply a gathering of likeminded activists, not a grand strategy funded by oil and gas interests. The national PR campaign the activists discussed never got off the ground, but the meeting did appear to plant a seed as the attendees continue to discuss launching a future anti-wind campaign." Complete article at: http://influencealley.nationaljournal.com/2012/05/wind.php

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Fwd: May 15 Seminar: West Virginia Energy Efficiency Incentive Program
by James Kotcon 08 May '12

08 May '12

Anyone want to check this out? I am tied up in interviews that day. Jim Kotcon. >>> EnergySaveWV <system(a)acteva.com> 5/7/2012 8:04 AM >>> Seminar: West Virginia Energy Efficiency Incentive Program The Lighting Rebates are HERE!!! Join representatives from FirstEnergy's West Virginia Lighting Rebate Program as we present the details of this exciting rebate program! We will also present on new Federal lamp legislation, LED lighting updates, and the basics of lighting retrofits. Join us on Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 from 7:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. at the Best Western - 100 Lodgeville Road, Bridgeport, West Virginia, 26330 AGENDA: 7:30 a.m. - Continental Breakfast 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Rebate Presentation, Lighting Technology Presentation, & Lighting Product Showcase REGISTER HERE: http://a3.acteva.com/orderbooking/bookEvent/A317736?emailAttendeeId=3211253… Future seminars to be held in Morgantown, Parkersburg, and Martinsburg in June. Keep your eyes peeled. If You are unable to make this seminar, we also offer weekly webinars: Program Overview and Application Assistance Webinar Every Monday from 2-3pm EST Join us for a weekly webinar for the Mon Power and Potomac Edison energy efficiency incentive program. This webinar will provide you with an overview of the Lighting for Business Program, as well as one-on-one support to guide you through filling out an application. To log-in, click here. (Type in name and email. Leave box unchecked. A dial-in number will be provided once you log-on.) This mail was sent from SAIC, Inc., 11 Penn Plaza, New York, NY, US 10001. If you would like to stop receiving emails from SAIC, Inc. please click here This email is powered by Acteva! Acteva is located at 456 Montgomery St., 8th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104 http://www.acteva.com

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Carbon Pollution Standard
by James Kotcon 06 May '12

06 May '12

As discussed at the Chapter ExCom, attached is a sample postcard to support EPA's proposed carbon standard for new power plants. This is a great member involvement tool. Our goal is to get several hundred comments from West Virginia by June 5. I will be printing copies onto cardstock (and use that if you plan to have people mail them), but any good paper will suffice for signatures if you collect them yourselves.Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home) As a quick reminder, the Proposed Carbon Standards: • Require new power plants to limit carbon pollution to 1,000 lbs CO2 per megawatt-hour • Apply to all new power plants, except for those with air permit in-hand that can begin construction in 12 months Links for more information:Talking Points, template Letters to the Editor, OpEds, etc. http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/carbon Username: clubhouse Password: explorehttp://www.beyondcoal.org/dirtytruth/carbonhttp://clubhouse.sierracl… You can find the Carbon presentation, as well as guidelines, custom slides for specific groups (i.e. labor, sportsmen, etc.) at: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/carbonpresentations/ (for access, email Nicole.ghio(a)sierraclub.org)

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Re: [EC] Fwd: [Charleston Newspapers] Article - N.Y. firm has energy-plant plans for Marion County
by fmoose39＠hotmail.com 04 May '12

04 May '12

Seen the article and I am curious also. sent from my AT&T Smartphone by HTC ----- Reply message ----- From: "Jim Sconyers" <jimscon(a)gmail.com> Date: Fri, May 4, 2012 10:46 am Subject: [EC] Fwd: [Charleston Newspapers] Article - N.Y. firm has energy-plant plans for Marion County To: "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> Cc: "Bill Price" <Bill_Price(a)sierraclub.org>, "Mark Kresowik" <Mark.Kresowik(a)sierraclub.org>, <ec(a)osenergy.org>, "Zachary Fabish" <Zachary.Fabish(a)sierraclub.org> The story seems to contradict itself. The guy is apparently planning coal-to-liquid, not trash to gas. Remember Mingo County plans? On Fri, May 4, 2012 at 9:50 AM, James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> wrote: > Now that Albright is resolved, we need to pay some attention to this > proposal for Rivesville. > > JBK > > >>> <articles(a)cnpapers.com> 5/4/2012 6:45 AM >>> > jkotcon(a)wvu.edu sent you this article > ----- > May 3, 2012 > *N.Y. firm has energy-plant plans for Marion County<http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201205030294> > * > By The Associated Press<http://contact/jroznfgre+nc+bet+return=/News/201205030294> > The Associated Press > P>FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- A New York company wants to retrofit the old > coal-fired Rivesville Power Station to run on synthetic gas and build a > Fairmont plant to produce synthetic diesel from trash. > > WBOY-TV says Allied Geo-Plasma Energy Services mainly ... > Read more <http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201205030294> > ----- > > _______________________________________________ > EC mailing list > EC(a)osenergy.org > http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec > -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: [Charleston Newspapers] Article - N.Y. firm has energy-plant plans for Marion County
by James Kotcon 04 May '12

04 May '12

Now that Albright is resolved, we need to pay some attention to this proposal for Rivesville. JBK >>> <articles(a)cnpapers.com> 5/4/2012 6:45 AM >>> jkotcon(a)wvu.edu sent you this article ----- May 3, 2012 N.Y. firm has energy-plant plans for Marion County ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201205030294 ) By The Associated Press ( contact/jroznfgre+nc+bet+return=/News/201205030294 ) The Associated Press P>FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- A New York company wants to retrofit the old coal-fired Rivesville Power Station to run on synthetic gas and build a Fairmont plant to produce synthetic diesel from trash. WBOY-TV says Allied Geo-Plasma Energy Services mainly ... Read more ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201205030294 ) -----

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Fwd: Wyoming got EPA to delay fracking study finding
by Paul Wilson 04 May '12

04 May '12

fyi, paul. there is a reference to Marcellus in this WY article. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Fran Hunt <fran.hunt(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Fri, May 4, 2012 at 9:51 AM Subject: Wyoming got EPA to delay fracking study finding To: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS(a)lists.sierraclub.org http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/05/03/national/a12092… AP Exclusive: Wyoming got EPA to delay frack finding By MEAD GRUVER, Associated Press Thursday, May 3, 2012 (05-03) 12:29 PDT Cheyenne, Wyo. (AP) -- Wyoming's governor persuaded the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to postpone an announcement linking hydraulic fracturing to groundwater contamination, giving state officials — whom the EPA had privately briefed on the study — time to attempt to debunk the finding before it rocked the oil and gas industry more than a month later, an investigation by The Associated Press has found. During the delay, state officials raised dozens of questions about the finding that the controversial procedure that has become essential to unlocking oil and gas deposits in Wyoming and beyond may have tainted groundwater near the gas patch community of Pavillion. Gov. Matt Mead contacted EPA Director Lisa Jackson and persuaded her to hold off any announcement, according to state emails and an interview with the governor. The more than 11,000 emails made available to AP in response to a state records request show that Wyoming officials took advantage of the postponement to "take a hard line" and coordinate an "all-out press" against the EPA in the weeks leading up to the announcement Dec. 8. Meanwhile, the chief state regulator of oil and gas development fretted over how the finding would affect state revenue. And even as the state questioned the EPA's science, there were internal doubts about how effective those objections would be. "It's already too late. The White House has already seen the report with conclusions," wrote Gary Strong, an engineer with the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, following a presentation by EPA deputy assistant regional administrator Martin Hestmark. The emails indicate that the federal agency was being pressed by the White House to release its report. But the state's questions did set the stage for additional groundwater and household well water sampling in the Pavillion area that began a couple weeks ago. The struggle by both Wyoming officials and the EPA for message control shows the extent to which they fretted about the findings. Wyoming depends on oil and gas for its economic well-being while environmentalists have pushed the Obama <http://www.sfgate.com/barack-obama/>administration to crack down on a process responsible for increasing U.S. onshore production. The worry wasn't misplaced: Though the findings were unique to Pavillion, they ricocheted amid heightened scrutiny of fracking in other drilling regions including the Marcellus Shale states of New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The emails also suggest an uneasy partnership now that the EPA and Wyoming, as well as U.S. Geological Survey and two American Indian tribes, say they are working together on further study of the Pavillion groundwater. However, some recent re-sampling by the EPA of household well water in the Pavillion area took Mead and other state officials by surprise. They had presumed that only two monitoring wells the EPA had drilled to test for groundwater pollution would be retested this spring. "I won't tell anybody not to test. But if you're going to test, you need to bring everyone in the process," Mead said in an interview Monday. The EPA did not make Jackson available for an interview. EPA Region 8 Director Jim Martin said in a statement through spokesman Richard Mylott that the EPA "has been transparent and has relied on the best science" to inform Pavillion-area residents about their water. Environmentalists including the Natural Resource Defense Council and Sierra Club have looked to the Obama administration EPA to get tougher on fracking, the practice of cracking open oil and gas deposits by pumping pressurized water, fine sand and chemicals down well holes. They maintain that fracking is a threat to clean groundwater. The EPA study in the Pavillion area followed years of complaints from homeowners that their well water took on a chemical stink around the time that fracking picked up in their neighborhood about eight years ago. Environmentalists welcomed the draft report as validation of their concerns. Wyoming is the third-ranked state for onshore gas production and ninth for onshore oil production. Nearly every new oil and gas well in Wyoming that isn't a coal-bed methane well is fracked. In internal emails that followed the Nov. 4 briefing, state officials expressed support for fracking as critical to oil and gas extraction, a $7.7 billion a year industry in Wyoming that accounts for 20 percent of the state's gross domestic product. "The limiting of the hydraulic fracturing process will result in negative impacts to the oil and gas revenues to the state of Wyoming. A further outcome will be the questioning of the economic viability of all unconventional and tight oil and gas reservoirs in Wyoming, across the United States, and ultimately in the world," wrote Tom Doll, supervisor of the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, in a long email that circulated among top state officials. Wyoming's top state regulator of oil and gas development, including essentially all fracking in the state, Doll was a district manager for Tulsa, Okla.-based Williams Production Company until 2008. The spark for Doll's missive was the closed-door meeting at Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality headquarters in Cheyenne two days earlier. EPA administrator Martin briefed Wyoming officials about what the EPA was about to announce based on its research in Pavillion. Doll took part by phone. "Contaminants present at high concentrations in the deep monitoring wells are likely a result of hydraulic fracturing," read a "Key Findings" slide in an EPA PowerPoint shown at the meeting. Each slide was marked "Confidential--Do Not Disclose." The public announcement more than a month later stated that the groundwater "contains compounds likely associated with gas production practices, including hydraulic fracturing." The EPA also suggested at the private meeting that gas development likely had contaminated household well water in the Pavillion area but that current data did not definitively support such a link. The EPA has made no such claim in public to date. Emails show that Mead sought to reach Jackson within hours. Mead confirmed that he got her to hold off on the findings report until state officials could review the data. "When I talked to Lisa Jackson they were going to release the findings regardless. That wasn't even the question. The question was on the timing of it. We wanted a chance to see what are they basing this on," Mead told the AP. "She said, `Well, maybe we can hold off a couple weeks to give you guys this data.'" The EPA released raw data on pollution in the two monitoring wells at a public meeting in Pavillion on Nov. 9, five days after the private state briefing. Among the pollutants was the carcinogen benzene as high as 50 times the EPA limit. The EPA showed a PowerPoint similar to the one shown at the private meeting but without announcing any findings. There was no "Key Findings" slide. Releasing the data and findings outside of the purview of two "working groups" angered state regulators. The working groups made up of state and EPA officials had been examining the Pavillion pollution for the better part of a year. Wyoming didn't take the news from the private EPA briefing sitting down. The state could "get ahead of the curve" by assigning its own experts to review the data, suggested John Corra, the environmental quality director. "Sort of an all out press," Corra wrote to Doll and others Nov. 7. Doll suggested to Corra and others in a Nov. 19 email that Wyoming take "a hard line" after one EPA official told them to drop their concerns. "EPA has not substantially defended their explanation, the data is questionable on many levels, and EPA has ignored our alternative explanations," Doll wrote. Dozens of questions from state regulators followed. They included why the monitoring well water samples had high pH readings. The EPA report referred to the high pH and mentioned the detection of potassium hydroxide, a basic chemical used in fracking. Pavillion residents didn't hear about the finding before the public announcement, said John Fenton, chairman of Pavillion Area Concerned Citizens. Fenton said he was unhappy that regulators hadn't kept local residents fully apprised of the latest developments concerning their water supply. Yet he held EPA in higher regard than the state officials he said ignored Pavillion for years, prompting residents to request the EPA investigation. "Those of us living out here, we don't trust the state," he said. State officials actively kept the media in the dark about the upcoming EPA announcement, even as reporters questioned them about the data. "My sense is that the reporter was searching for a conflict to write about, and I tried to head that off," Corra wrote Nov. 29 to several other state officials about one reporter's questions. Another state regulator suggested that Wyoming officials keep in mind how they're perceived while they questioned the EPA data. "This could go on for a long time, during which we'll likely continue to be in an adversarial discussion with EPA, the public and the press," the Department of Environmental Quality's groundwater chief, Kevin Frederick, wrote to Corra on Dec. 2. "Is there a way to shift the focus of discussion to show the State in a more positive light while the present uncertainties continue to simmer?" The additional sampling since agreed to has extended the study of the Pavillion groundwater. Peer review of the sampling results, set to begin this spring, now is scheduled for this fall. -- *Frances A. Hunt* Director, Resilient Habitats Campaign Sierra Club 50 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 fran.hunt(a)sierraclub.org 202-675-2386 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS list, send any message to: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: Attend the Sportsmen's Marcellus Shale Summit on Saturday, June 16
by Paul Wilson 04 May '12

04 May '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Trout Unlimited <trout(a)tu.org> Date: Thu, May 3, 2012 at 2:54 PM Subject: Attend the Sportsmen's Marcellus Shale Summit on Saturday, June 16 To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com [image: Trout Unlimited] <http://www.tu.org> *Join sportsmen and women for the Sportsmen's Marcellus Shale Summit on Saturday, June 16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pocono Environmental Education Center, in Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania.* Worried about the new gas wells, roads, and pipelines, you see being developed around your favorite trout stream or hunting blind? Supportive of natural gas development, but want to make sure you protect hunting, fishing, and trapping at the same time? Then please join us! Sportsmen and women and conservation groups in the heart of the Marcellus Shale region are working together to identify and propose solutions to ensure gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing not only create economic benefits for our communities, but also protect our hunting, fishing and trapping heritage. Through the Sportsmen's Marcellus Shale Summit, we will look at how natural gas drilling is affecting hunters and anglers, our communities, and our sporting heritage. At the summit you will learn more about the Sportsmen Alliance for Marcellus Conservation<http://www.mmsend6.com/link.cfm?r=769127283&sid=18785329&m=1939214&u=TROUT&…>and hear fish and wildlife experts in the field, along with sportsmen and women with first-hand experience, discuss the following topics: - How the interests of sportsmen and women can be protected through policies and practices that safeguard the sporting experience while supporting a robust energy economy - State and regional updates on drilling and impacts on fish and wildlife - Key areas that need protection in the Marcellus region - Updates on how we're working collaboratively with industry to protect our sporting heritage Registration will open at 8:15 a.m. and opening remarks will begin at 9 a.m. The conference will conclude by 4 p.m. Register now<http://www.mmsend6.com/link.cfm?r=769127283&sid=18785330&m=1939214&u=TROUT&…> *Sportsmen's Marcellus Shale Summit Travel Information:* click here<http://www.mmsend6.com/link.cfm?r=769127283&sid=18785331&m=1939214&u=TROUT&…> © 2011 Trout Unlimited - all rights reserved. Contact Us <trout(a)tu.org> | TU.ORG<http://www.mmsend6.com/link.cfm?r=769127283&sid=18785332&m=1939214&u=TROUT&…> You are receiving this email because this email address is associated with a Trout Unlimited Membership or has opted to receive email communications from Trout Unlimited. To modify your communication preferences, email us at trout(a)tu.org or call 1-800-834-2419. Trout Unlimited 1300 N. 17th Street, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22209 Unsubscribe from all TU email communication<http://www.mmsend6.com/link.cfm?r=769127283&sid=18785333&m=1939214&u=TROUT&…>, including news, action alerts and membership offers. Click here<http://www.mmsend6.com/link.cfm?r=769127283&sid=18785334&m=1939214&u=TROUT&…>to unsubscribe. -- 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 "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Re: [EC] REMINDER: National Coal Ash Call, Weds, May 2, 1-2:30 pm ET (NOTE TIME CHANGE FROM ORIGINAL NOTICE)
by Jim Sconyers 01 May '12

01 May '12

Coal ash free conf call tomorrow. On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 11:09 AM, Bill Price <bill.price(a)sierraclub.org>wrote: > FYI. this call is put together by EarthJustice, and will be an opportunity > for discussion about the coal ash issues all across the region. > > See below for call in number. > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Jeremy Graham <jgraham(a)earthjustice.org> > Date: Tue, May 1, 2012 at 10:26 AM > Subject: REMINDER: National Coal Ash Call, Weds, May 2, 1-2:30 pm ET (NOTE > TIME CHANGE FROM ORIGINAL NOTICE) > To: Jeremy Graham <jgraham(a)earthjustice.org> > > > *--Apologies for cross-posting--* > > ** ** > > ** ** > > Dear Coal Ash Allies:**** > > ** ** > > Please join our National Coal Ash Call this Wednesday, May 2 from 1 -2:30 > pm Eastern. This is the second of our quarterly calls on this critical > public health issue.**** > > ** ** > > We will provide an update on the amendment to the Transportation Bill that > currently threatens EPA’s authority to regulate coal ash, and we will > discuss how you can help defeat this measure. We will also provide an > update on EPA’s and OSM's activities and hear important developments from > activists in the field. Lastly, we will discuss a new nationwide > initiative for citizens and grassroots groups.**** > > ** ** > > Thank you in advance for calling in. Please call: 866.501.6174, PIN > 2249224.**** > > ** ** > > A detailed agenda is pasted below with links to additional information > concerning some of the topics. If you have any suggested additions to the > agenda, please send me an email.**** > > ** ** > > Sincerely,**** > > ** ** > > Lisa Evans**** > > Senior Administrative Counsel**** > > Earthjustice**** > > ** ** > > **** > > Agenda**** > > National Coal Ash Call**** > > May 2, 2012**** > > 1 -2:30 pm Eastern Time**** > > ** ** > > Introduction: Jared Saylor, Earthjustice**** > > ** ** > > Update on Transportation Bill and What You Can Do to Defeat the McKinley > Amendment: Emily Enderle, Earthjustice, (17 min)**** > > ** ** > > -- See: Sample Action Alert: > https://secure.earthjustice.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&i… > **** > > -- See: Link to Bill: > http://earthjustice.org/blog/2012-april/tr-ash-talk-the-coal-breath-of-betr… > **** > > ** ** > > Update on Status of EPA Rule and Coal Ash Rule Lawsuit: Lisa Evans, > Earthjustice (2 min)**** > > -- See: Link to Complaint: > http://earthjustice.org/blog/2012-april/tr-ash-talk-it-s-about-time**** > > ** ** > > New Damage Cases: Eric Schaeffer, Environmental Integrity Project (2 min)* > *** > > -- See: Link to Report: > http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/news_reports/04_27_2012.php**** > > ** ** > > Reports from the Field:**** > > ** ** > > (1) North Carolina "Call to Action" in Asheville, Sandra Diaz, > Appalachian Voices and Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper (3 min)** > ** > > (2) Shareholder Resolutions, Barbara Jennings, Midwest Coalition > for Responsible Investment (3 min)**** > > (3) Doctors to D.C.: Barb Gottlieb, Physicians for Social > Responsibility (3 min)**** > > -- See: > http://www.psr.org/news-events/news-archive/psr-briefs-senate-on-dangers-fr… > **** > > -- See: http://www.psr.org/assets/pdfs/coal-ash-petition.pdf **** > > (4) Fight against Fugitive Dust, Kathy Little or Deborah Payne, > Kentucky Environmental Foundation (3 min)**** > > -- See: http://youtu.be/q-fX8JORSME**** > > (5) West Virginia: Wins and Losses: Curt Havens, Lisa Graves > Marcucci (TBD) (3 min)**** > > ** ** > > Coal Ash Minefilling Rule—Another Front? (TBD) (3 min)**** > > ** ** > > National Citizen Petition Initiative: Russ Maddox, Alaska Center for the > Environment (10 min)**** > > -- See:Link to Petition Process: > http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/cleanup.nsf/1a16218b78d8c4d58825674500015b42/97… > **** > > -- http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/com/petition.html**** > > ** ** > > Open Discussion: 30 min**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > > > -- > > Bill Price, Organizing Representative > > Sierra Club > > Environmental Justice Program > > Beyond Coal to Clean Energy Campaign > > Phone: 304-389-8822 (Cell) > > Email: bill.price(a)sierraclub.org > > -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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EC May 2012