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FW: [Coal Volunteers List] Federal Court orders EPA to move on coal ash regulations
by James Kotcon 06 Oct '13

06 Oct '13

FYI. Jim Kotcon From: Verena Owen<mailto:verena_owen@prodigy.net> Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2013 5:13 PM To: coal volunteer list<mailto:coal-volunteers-list@sierraclub.org> Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Federal Court orders EPA to move on coal ash regulations NEWS: FEDERAL COURT ORDERS EPA TO MOVE AHEAD ON COAL ASH REGS Thursday, October 3, 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 3, 2013 Contact: Jennifer Duggan, Environmental Integrity Project (802) 225-6774; mailto:jduggan@environmentalintegrity.org Jared Saylor, Earthjustice (202) 236-5855; jsaylor(a)earthjustice.org<mailto:jsaylor@earthjustice.org> Sean Sarah, Sierra Club (202) 548-4589; sean.sarah(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:sean.sarah@sierraclub.org> Federal Court Orders EPA to Move Forward on Coal Ash Regulations Judge to offer more details in the next 30 days but takes first step towards federal enforceable safeguards Washington, D.C. – A federal judge agreed with environmental and public health groups<http://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/RCRA_NOI_Order.pdf> that the Environmental Protection Agency needs to set federal regulations for the safe and proper disposal of toxic coal ash. A copy of the judge’s order can be found here: http://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/RCRA_NOI_Order.pdf The groups filed the lawsuit in April 2012<http://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/FinalComplaint_4-5-12.pdf> challenging the EPA’s lack of federal regulations for America’s second largest industrial waste stream. The order of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia offered little details about the timing or substance of the EPA’s rulemaking but said it will issue a Memorandum Opinion within the next 30 days with more specifics. For now, the decision marks the first step towards federally enforceable safeguards, monitoring, and protections against coal ash. In its order, the court did deny one of the environmentalists claims regarding testing procedures for coal ash contamination, but more details are needed before the groups are fully able to understand the implications. Coal ash has already contaminated more than 200 rivers, lakes, streams and aquifers<http://earthjustice.org/features/campaigns/in-harm-s-way-coal-ash-contamina…> with toxic pollutants like arsenic, lead, selenium and mercury. In 2008, a spill at the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman, Tennessee, dumped one billion gallons of coal ash over 300 acres, destroying homes and poisoning rivers. That spill led to the EPA proposing in May 2010 the first federal regulations for coal ash disposal. The agency never finalized that rulemaking, leaving open the opportunity for the power generating industry and some members of Congress to push for legislation that would prevent the EPA from ever setting federal regulations. The following statement is from the groups that filed the lawsuit: Appalachian Voices (NC); Chesapeake Climate Action Network (MD); Environmental Integrity Project (DC); Earthjustice (DC); French Broad Riverkeeper (NC); Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KY); Moapa Band of Paiutes (NV); Montana Environmental Information Center (MT); Prairie Rivers Network (IL); Sierra Club (DC); and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (eight southeast states): “The impacts of coal ash pollution are being felt across the country. Our groups represent millions of Americans who want clean water, clean air and healthy living. We turned to the courts to force the EPA to set long overdue protections from this toxic menace. This decision marks the first step towards federally enforceable safeguards from coal ash. For decades, coal ash has been dumped into unlined and unmonitored pits, poisoning water supplies and the communities that rely on them. No one should have to live in fear of the coal ash dump in their backyard, and we hope the EPA will finally adopt regulations that protect all nearby communities.” For information about coal ash in North Carolina, Maryland, Kentucky, Montana, Nevada, Illinois, Tennessee or other southern states, as well as the implications this decision will have locally, please contact the following representatives Sandra Diaz, Appalachian Voices, (828) 262-1500; sandra(a)appvoices.org<mailto:sandra@appvoices.org> (North Carolina) Diana Dascalu-Joffe, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, (703) 772-2472; Diana(a)chesapeakeclimate.org<mailto:Diana@chesapeakeclimate.org> (Maryland) Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper, (828) 258-8737; hartwell(a)wnca.org<mailto:hartwell@wnca.org> (North Carolina) Mary Love, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, (502) 541-7434; mbloveky(a)yahoo.com<mailto:mbloveky@yahoo.com> (Kentucky) William Anderson, Moapa Band of Paiutes (702) 865-2787; wanderson(a)mvdsl.com<mailto:wanderson@mvdsl.com> (Nevada) Anne Hedges, Montana Environmental Information Center, (406) 443-2520; ahedges(a)meic.org<mailto:ahedges@meic.org> (Montana) Traci Barkley, Prairie Rivers Network, (217) 621-3013; tbarkley(a)prairierivers.org<mailto:tbarkley@prairierivers.org> (Illinois) Ulla Reeves, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, (828) 713-7486; ulla(a)cleanenergy.org<mailto:ulla@cleanenergy.org> (Southeast) ### -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email becki.clayborn(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:becki.clayborn@sierraclub.org> with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:coal-volunteers-list%2Bunsubscribe@sierraclub.org>. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:coal-volunteers-list@sierraclub.org>. -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email becki.clayborn(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:becki.clayborn@sierraclub.org> with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:coal-volunteers-list%2Bunsubscribe@sierraclub.org>. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org<mailto:coal-volunteers-list@sierraclub.org>.

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter Streams below fracking wastewater treatment show elevated salts, metals, radioactivity
by Paul Wilson 04 Oct '13

04 Oct '13

Streams below fracking wastewater treatment show elevated salts, metals, radioactivity<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/zqS…> Posted: 02 Oct 2013 06:26 AM PDT Elevated levels of radioactivity, salts and metals have been found in river water and sediments at a site where treated water from oil and gas operations is discharged into a western Pennsylvania creek. -- 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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Jim Hightower article: Colorado’s Fracking Disaster
by Paul Wilson 28 Sep '13

28 Sep '13

Colorado’s Fracking Disaster In Colorado's flood-struck areas, a tsunami of floodwater and destructive debris swamped fracking infrastructure. By Jim Hightower <http://otherwords.org/author/jim-hightower/> [image: Jim Hightower] <http://otherwords.org/author/jim-hightower/> As the people of Colorado are presently learning, it’s horrendous enough to suffer the ravages of a natural disaster, but it’s doubly horrific to then be faced with a more devastating unnatural disaster. First came the epic floods<http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/20/20606351-colorado-town-unlivable…> that recently ripped through the front range, tearing up towns, roads, waterways, mountain homes and businesses, farms, and lives. Just awful. But now comes the added horror of unknown levels of poisonous contaminants pouring out of many of the thousands of fracking sites that pock this area. Big Oil frackers were already notorious in Boulder and Weld Counties for the environmental, health, and economic damage being done by this ravaging method of forcing gas out of the rock deep under Earth’s surface. Now, though, the corporate wells, tanks, ponds, and other fracking infrastructure<http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/19/did-floods-cause-a-frackin…> have been swamped by a tsunami of floodwater and destructive debris. [image: Hightower-Fracking-East Boulder County United] East Boulder County United/Facebook Even in the chaos of people scrambling to get out of the flood’s way and to secure their property, many residents were so alarmed by seeing this mess of flooded wells, overturned tanks of highly toxic chemicals and wastewater, and ruptured lines that they paused to take pictures and videos<http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/first-colorado-was-on-fire-then-it-flooded…> . They then posted these on websites and Facebook pages to document this unexpected threat of widespread, long-term damage from fracking contaminants and to alert neighbors to the dangers. After all, the frackers themselves weren’t telling the public about this unfolding disaster, the big media outlets were curiously incurious about it, and regulators were also silent. So, like the pamphleteers of old, the people formed their own network of communication — and they’ve now turned it into a citizens’ action network. To see some of their photos, videos, and actions, go to www.facebook.com/EastBoulderCountyUnited. OtherWords <http://otherwords.org/> columnist Jim Hightower<http://www.jimhightower.com/> is a radio commentator, writer, and public speaker. He’s also editor of the populist newsletter, The Hightower Lowdown<http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/> . OtherWords.org -- 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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Op/Ed on EPA Carbon rules
by James Kotcon 22 Sep '13

22 Sep '13

As you should know by now, EPA announced new rules for carbon emissions from power plants yesterday, and the response by politicians in West Virginia was pretty pro-coal. Here is an Op/Ed I put together in response to yesterday's carbon rule. Please send me any feedback, as I would like to get a response out soon. Jim Kotcon

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FW: DAILY UPDATE 22 September 2013. News of interest to Mon river watershed denizens.
by James Kotcon 22 Sep '13

22 Sep '13

Near the bottom of this article, it says PJM has agreed that closing Hatfields Ferry, et al. will not harm reliability. Anyone have a copy of that PJM letter? Jim Kotcon ________________________________ Trio of FirstEnergy plant closings in region should make lawsuit moot, utility says Stephanie Strasburg | Tribune-Review The coal-fired Mitchell Power Station in Union, which is planned for closure due to decreasing demand for power and an inability to keep up with new EPA regulations. About Brian Bowling Brian Bowling<mailto:bbowling@tribweb.com?subject=RE:%20Trio%20of%20FirstEnergy%20plant%20closings%20in%20region%20should%20make%20lawsuit%20moot,%20utility%20says%20story%20on%20TribLIVE.com> 412-325-4301 Staff Reporter Pittsburgh Tribune-Review<http://triblive.com/home/> Contact Us<http://triblive.com/home/contactus/> | Video<http://triblive.com/home/video/> | Photo Reprints<http://photos.triblive.com/mycapture/> By Brian Bowling<mailto:bbowling@tribweb.com?subject=RE:%20Trio%20of%20FirstEnergy%20plant%20closings%20in%20region%20should%20make%20lawsuit%20moot,%20utility%20says%20story%20on%20TribLIVE.com> Published: Saturday, September 21, 2013 9:00 p.m. Updated 6 hours ago An eight-year legal effort by Pennsylvania and four other states to force three power plants to meet modern pollution limits could end without a court decision. FirstEnergy, which acquired the coal-fired power plants in Armstrong, Greene and Washington counties when it bought Allegheny Energy Inc. in 2011, contends that U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti should dismiss the 2005 lawsuit because the company closed the Armstrong plant and will close the others on Oct. 9. Company spokeswoman Stephanie Thornton said they are not closing the plants because of the lawsuit, but the closings should end the dispute. Company officials are “hopeful that the court will decide ... that we have no Clean Air Act liability,” she said. Regulators in the five states believe the judge should allow them to pursue their claim that the utility ignored state and federal pollution laws for more than two decades. ‘Not interrelated' John Poister, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, said the agency doesn't comment on pending lawsuits. But he noted, “The two issues are not interrelated. The suit is not affected by FirstEnergy's decisions regarding the future of the two plants.” When Congress amended the Clean Air Act in the 1970s, it established national air pollution limits but exempted older power plants from meeting them. The rationale was that companies should not be forced to install expensive pollution controls on plants nearing the ends of their lives and, if they took steps to extend operations of the plants, companies could install the controls with the upgrades. The states contend that many utilities, including Allegheny Energy, made upgrades but ignored the requirement to install pollution controls. FirstEnergy contends the work done at the plants — Armstrong Power Station in Armstrong County, Mitchell Power Station in Washington County and Hatfield's Ferry Power Station in Greene County — between 1993 and 1999 wasn't enough to trigger the requirement. The lawsuit seeks fines for the violations and an injunction to keep the company from operating the plants without installing controls. In asking Conti to dismiss the case, FirstEnergy contends that appellate court decisions have established that regulators had to seek civil penalties within five years of a violation. Since the last plant modification was in 1999 and the states didn't file the lawsuit until 2005, they missed that deadline, FirstEnergy claims. PJM request denied Lawyers for the states disagree and argue that similar state law violations alleged in the lawsuit have that statute of limitations. An injunction, FirstEnergy claims, would be moot because it will close the plants. The company has partially disassembled the Armstrong plant. The states contend that a request by PJM Interconnection that FirstEnergy keep Hatfield and Mitchell open shows they could continue operating. Valley Forge-based PJM oversees stability of the region's power grid. By filing a maintenance plan with the state, the utility could keep operating permits active until they expire in 2017, the states claim. FirstEnergy could decide “to reactivate the plants by reinstalling equipment, rehiring staff and entering into new coal contracts,” the states argue. Thornton said that First-Energy rejected PJM's request and hasn't changed its plan to close the plants. “We are confident there are no reliability issues that would require us to keep the plants in operation,” she said. PJM sent a letter to FirstEnergy on Thursday saying that it agrees the plants can be retired without hurting the grid's reliability FirstEnergy suggested Conti could dismiss the lawsuit but stipulate that it could reopen if the company attempts to reactivate the plants. Brian Bowling is a Trib Total Media staff writer. Don Strimbeck, Sec/Treas Upper Mon River Assoc UpperMon.org MonRiverSummit.org WVU t-shirts & prints - FindHarri.com 109 Broad Street, P. O. Box 519 Granville WV 26534-0519 304-599-7585 (fax 4131) dcsoinks(a)comcast.net<mailto:dcsoinks@comcast.net>

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FW: [wvec-board] Unplugging from the Power Grid- A jolt to utilities
by James Kotcon 20 Sep '13

20 Sep '13

Perhaps this is the next battle ground. We need to prepare comprehensive plans to engage the PSC so that utilities do not suppress renewables and EE in a vain effort to prolong their monopoly. JBK ________________________________ From: wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com <wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com> on behalf of Patience Wait <pwaitster(a)gmail.com> Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 7:24 AM To: James Kotcon; wvec-board Subject: Re: [wvec-board] Unplugging from the Power Grid- A jolt to utilities Yes. The utility industry is very concerned. The Edison Electric Institute report mentioned is here: http://www.eei.org/ourissues/finance/Documents/disruptivechallenges.pdf As a result, the industry is trying to figure out ways to make it punitively expensive for consumers to switch to renewables, through such approaches as a monthly "surcharge" to homes with solar panels, to "pay for" using the distribution part of the grid. Dominion Power in Virginia is trying to get this in place. And when I say punitive, I mean a monthly charge of as much as $100 - so $1200 a year! Patience On Thu, Sep 19, 2013 at 8:58 PM, Frank Young <fyoung(a)mountain.net<mailto:fyoung@mountain.net>> wrote: This article can be read online here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/companies-unplug-electric-grid-delivering-030… ________________________________ From: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com<mailto:WVHCBOARD@yahoogroups.com> [mailto:WVHCBOARD@yahoogroups.com<mailto:WVHCBOARD@yahoogroups.com>] On Behalf Of cindy rank Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2013 8:51 AM To: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com<mailto:WVHCBOARD@yahoogroups.com> Cc: Bill Howley; Cathy Kunkel; Mary Ellen Cassidy Subject: [WVHCBOARD] Unplugging from the Power Grid WALL STREET JOURNAL September 17, 2013, 11:05 p.m. ET Companies Unplug From the Electric Grid, Delivering a Jolt to Utilities By REBECCA SMITH<http://topics.wsj.com/person/A/biography/7476> and CASSANDRA SWEET<http://topics.wsj.com/person/A/biography/7459> At Kroger's food-distribution center in Compton, Calif., a tank system converts organic waste into biogas to produce electricity used by the facility. On a hill overlooking the Susquehanna River, two big wind turbines crank out electricity for Kroger<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=KR> Co.'s Turkey Hill Dairy in rural Lancaster County, Pa., allowing it to save 25% on its power bill for the past two years. Across the country, at a big food-distribution center Kroger also owns in Compton, Calif., a tank system installed this year uses bacteria to convert 150 tons a day of damaged produce, bread and other organic waste into a biogas that is burned on site to produce 20% of the electricity the facility uses. These two projects, plus the electric output of solar panels at four Kroger grocery stores, and some energy-conservation efforts are saving the Cincinnati-based grocery chain $160 million a year on electricity, said Denis George, its energy manager. That is a lot of money that isn't going into the pockets of utilities. >From big-box retailers to high-tech manufacturers, more companies across the country are producing their own power. Since 2006, the number of electricity-generation units at commercial and industrial sites has more than quadrupled to roughly 40,000 from about 10,000, according to federal statistics. Experts say the trend is gaining momentum, spurred by falling prices for solar panels and natural gas, as well as a fear that power outages caused by major storms will become more common. "The battle cry is Hurricane Sandy," said Rick Fioravanti, vice president of energy-storage technology at DNV Kema, a Netherlands-based consulting company. The growing number of companies that are at least partly energy self-sufficient is sending a shudder through the utility industry, threatening its revenues and growth prospects, according to a report earlier this year by the Edison Electric Institute, a trade association for investor-owned electric companies. State and federal regulators say they are worried that utilities could end up with fewer customers to pay for costly transmission lines and power plants. Utility executives, meanwhile, are asking themselves a disquieting question: "Am I going to just sit here and take it and ultimately be a caretaker of a museum, or am I going to be part of that business" that's emerging, said Nick Akins, chief executive of American Electric Power<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=AEP> Co., a big Ohio-based utility. AEP is considering helping its customers install their own generating facilities. On-site generation still accounts for less than 5% of U.S. electricity production. But it is peeling off some of the bulk sales that utilities find especially profitable. And some of the companies getting into the business think it is approaching a tipping point called "grid parity," at which point power would be as cheap to make as to buy from a utility. Since 2007, when the first solar arrays went up on its store roofs in California, the installed costs of Wal-Mart Stores<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=WMT> Inc.'s solar systems have dropped from $6 or $8 per watt of capacity to about $3.50 per watt, said David Ozment, the company's senior director of energy management. He said he expects the retailer to be paying as little for solar power as utility power "in less than three years," opening the floodgates to solar expansion. Wal-Mart produces about 4% of the electricity it uses but intends to make 20% by 2020, taking advantage of idle acreage on thousands of store rooftops. On-site generation isn't a new idea. It existed before the electric grid—the interconnected system of power plants, substations and transmission lines that ferry power thousands of miles—was stitched together beginning in the 1920s. But for most of the past 50 years, the practice was associated mostly with remote locations like Alaska fish canneries or industrial facilities like oil refineries that generated lots of waste heat that could be harnessed for power production. Almost overnight, that niche market has gone decidedly mainstream. Six years ago, Google<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=GOOG> Inc. attracted attention by installing big solar arrays atop its Silicon Valley complex in California. Other tech companies followed suit, worried about ensuring power supplies for energy-hungry server farms and achieving sustainability objectives. Apple<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=AAPL> Inc. now gets 16% of its electricity from solar panels and fuel cells that run on biogas. Apple's data center in Maiden, N.C., makes all the power it consumes, a company spokeswoman said. BMW<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=BMW.XE> AG's assembly plant in South Carolina, which made 300,000 vehicles last year, gets half its electricity from an on-site energy center that burns methane piped to it from a nearby garbage dump. Drugstore chain Walgreen<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=WAG>Co., which has solar panels at 155 stores, plans to install them at 200 more. Falling equipment prices make on-site generation increasingly attractive. From 2002 to 2012, the cost of installed solar systems fell by half, according to an August report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Companies also have the option of leasing big solar systems, rather than incurring the capital cost of buying them. Many "clean energy" projects also qualify for federal and state subsidies. In the case of solar installations, there is a 30% federal tax credit, which is set to drop to 10% in 2017. Government officials say a shift to greener energy resources is good since it reduces the output from coal-fueled power plants, which produce about 40% of the nation's electricity and are the most polluting. But analysts say the importance of subsidies has been waning, overshadowed by steep declines in the cost of power-generating equipment. For example, the cost of solar modules—the biggest single component in a rooftop solar system—has dropped about 80% in the past four years, to about 65 cents a watt from about $4 a watt, said Galen Barbose, a senior researcher at the lab. Companies also are turning to wind turbines and technologies like fuel cells, batteries, small natural-gas turbines and reciprocating engines, which are natural-gas-fueled cousins of the auto's internal combustion engine. Engineering and technology company SAIC<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=SAI> Inc. is installing enough generating capacity at a data center outside New York to meet the center's core needs, with batteries for backup power. The system uses reciprocating engines burning natural gas, an option considered reliable in storms because gas pipelines are buried. A report released by the White House in August estimated that power outages caused by bad weather cost the U.S. economy $18 billion to $52 billion a year in lost productivity from 2003 to 2012. Demand for fuel cells in the U.S. is coming primarily from telecom companies, hotels and universities, said David Wright<http://topics.wsj.com/person/W/David-Wright/5739>, CEO of ClearEdge Power Inc., a manufacturer in Hillsboro, Ore. Many buyers want reliable on-site generation as a hedge against storm-related outages. By next year, Verizon Communications<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=VZ> Inc. plans to install $100 million worth of fuel cells from ClearEdge and Bloom Energy, as well as solar panels, at 19 data centers and other facilities in seven states, including New York and New Jersey. Some traditional utility companies are edging into the on-site generation business. Edison International<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=EIX>, which owns big utility Southern California Edison, recently bought a Chicago-based developer of rooftop solar projects, SoCore Energy LLC, and it is an investor in solar-finance company Clean Power Finance. As power production becomes more decentralized, "I want to make sure the company is deeply involved," said Edison CEO Ted Craver. Write to Rebecca Smith at rebecca.smith(a)wsj.com<mailto:rebecca.smith@wsj.com> and Cassandra Sweet at cassandra.sweet(a)dowjones.com<mailto:cassandra.sweet@dowjones.com> __._,_.___ Reply via web post<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvec-board/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxdGo3a2VtBF9TAzk3…> Reply to sender <mailto:pwaitster@gmail.com?subject=Re%3A%20%5Bwvec-board%5D%20Unplugging%20from%20the%20Power%20Grid-%20A%20jolt%20to%20utilities> Reply to group <mailto:wvec-board@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20%5Bwvec-board%5D%20Unplugging%20from%20the%20Power%20Grid-%20A%20jolt%20to%20utilities> Start a New Topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvec-board/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJmZ2xsdG10BF9TAzk3…> Messages in this topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvec-board/message/3700;_ylc=X3oDMTM1NHRkMmV2…> (2) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvec-board;_ylc=X3oDMTJmMGMxdXNoBF9TAzk3MzU5N…> [Yahoo! 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Re: [EC] from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Clean energy least costly to power America's electricity needs
by John Christensen 20 Sep '13

20 Sep '13

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: Clean energy least costly to power America's electricity needs
by Paul Wilson 19 Sep '13

19 Sep '13

Clean energy least costly to power America's electricity needs<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/zfP…> Posted: 17 Sep 2013 09:48 AM PDT Findings show carbon pollution from power plants can be cut cost-effectively by using wind, solar and natural gas. It’s less costly to get electricity from wind turbines and solar panels than coal-fired power plants when climate change costs and other health impacts are factored in, according to a new study. -- 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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Unplugging from the Power Grid- A jolt to utilities
by Frank Young 19 Sep '13

19 Sep '13

This article can be read online here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/companies-unplug-electric-grid-delivering-0305 00879.html _____ From: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:WVHCBOARD@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of cindy rank Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2013 8:51 AM To: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com Cc: Bill Howley; Cathy Kunkel; Mary Ellen Cassidy Subject: [WVHCBOARD] Unplugging from the Power Grid WALL STREET JOURNAL September 17, 2013, 11:05 p.m. ET Companies Unplug From the Electric Grid, Delivering a Jolt to Utilities By <http://topics.wsj.com/person/A/biography/7476> REBECCA SMITH and <http://topics.wsj.com/person/A/biography/7459> CASSANDRA SWEET At Kroger's food-distribution center in Compton, Calif., a tank system converts organic waste into biogas to produce electricity used by the facility. On a hill overlooking the Susquehanna River, two big wind turbines crank out electricity for <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=KR> Kroger Co.'s Turkey Hill Dairy in rural Lancaster County, Pa., allowing it to save 25% on its power bill for the past two years. Across the country, at a big food-distribution center Kroger also owns in Compton, Calif., a tank system installed this year uses bacteria to convert 150 tons a day of damaged produce, bread and other organic waste into a biogas that is burned on site to produce 20% of the electricity the facility uses. These two projects, plus the electric output of solar panels at four Kroger grocery stores, and some energy-conservation efforts are saving the Cincinnati-based grocery chain $160 million a year on electricity, said Denis George, its energy manager. That is a lot of money that isn't going into the pockets of utilities. >From big-box retailers to high-tech manufacturers, more companies across the country are producing their own power. Since 2006, the number of electricity-generation units at commercial and industrial sites has more than quadrupled to roughly 40,000 from about 10,000, according to federal statistics. Experts say the trend is gaining momentum, spurred by falling prices for solar panels and natural gas, as well as a fear that power outages caused by major storms will become more common. "The battle cry is Hurricane Sandy," said Rick Fioravanti, vice president of energy-storage technology at DNV Kema, a Netherlands-based consulting company. The growing number of companies that are at least partly energy self-sufficient is sending a shudder through the utility industry, threatening its revenues and growth prospects, according to a report earlier this year by the Edison Electric Institute, a trade association for investor-owned electric companies. State and federal regulators say they are worried that utilities could end up with fewer customers to pay for costly transmission lines and power plants. Utility executives, meanwhile, are asking themselves a disquieting question: "Am I going to just sit here and take it and ultimately be a caretaker of a museum, or am I going to be part of that business" that's emerging, said Nick Akins, chief executive of <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=AEP> American Electric Power Co., a big Ohio-based utility. AEP is considering helping its customers install their own generating facilities. On-site generation still accounts for less than 5% of U.S. electricity production. But it is peeling off some of the bulk sales that utilities find especially profitable. And some of the companies getting into the business think it is approaching a tipping point called "grid parity," at which point power would be as cheap to make as to buy from a utility. Since 2007, when the first solar arrays went up on its store roofs in California, the installed costs of <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=WMT> Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s solar systems have dropped from $6 or $8 per watt of capacity to about $3.50 per watt, said David Ozment, the company's senior director of energy management. He said he expects the retailer to be paying as little for solar power as utility power "in less than three years," opening the floodgates to solar expansion. Wal-Mart produces about 4% of the electricity it uses but intends to make 20% by 2020, taking advantage of idle acreage on thousands of store rooftops. On-site generation isn't a new idea. It existed before the electric grid-the interconnected system of power plants, substations and transmission lines that ferry power thousands of miles-was stitched together beginning in the 1920s. But for most of the past 50 years, the practice was associated mostly with remote locations like Alaska fish canneries or industrial facilities like oil refineries that generated lots of waste heat that could be harnessed for power production. Almost overnight, that niche market has gone decidedly mainstream. Six years ago, <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=GOOG> Google Inc. attracted attention by installing big solar arrays atop its Silicon Valley complex in California. Other tech companies followed suit, worried about ensuring power supplies for energy-hungry server farms and achieving sustainability objectives. <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=AAPL> Apple Inc. now gets 16% of its electricity from solar panels and fuel cells that run on biogas. Apple's data center in Maiden, N.C., makes all the power it consumes, a company spokeswoman said. <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=BMW.XE> BMW AG's assembly plant in South Carolina, which made 300,000 vehicles last year, gets half its electricity from an on-site energy center that burns methane piped to it from a nearby garbage dump. Drugstore chain <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=WAG> WalgreenCo., which has solar panels at 155 stores, plans to install them at 200 more. Falling equipment prices make on-site generation increasingly attractive. >From 2002 to 2012, the cost of installed solar systems fell by half, according to an August report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Companies also have the option of leasing big solar systems, rather than incurring the capital cost of buying them. Many "clean energy" projects also qualify for federal and state subsidies. In the case of solar installations, there is a 30% federal tax credit, which is set to drop to 10% in 2017. Government officials say a shift to greener energy resources is good since it reduces the output from coal-fueled power plants, which produce about 40% of the nation's electricity and are the most polluting. But analysts say the importance of subsidies has been waning, overshadowed by steep declines in the cost of power-generating equipment. For example, the cost of solar modules-the biggest single component in a rooftop solar system-has dropped about 80% in the past four years, to about 65 cents a watt from about $4 a watt, said Galen Barbose, a senior researcher at the lab. Companies also are turning to wind turbines and technologies like fuel cells, batteries, small natural-gas turbines and reciprocating engines, which are natural-gas-fueled cousins of the auto's internal combustion engine. Engineering and technology company <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=SAI> SAIC Inc. is installing enough generating capacity at a data center outside New York to meet the center's core needs, with batteries for backup power. The system uses reciprocating engines burning natural gas, an option considered reliable in storms because gas pipelines are buried. A report released by the White House in August estimated that power outages caused by bad weather cost the U.S. economy $18 billion to $52 billion a year in lost productivity from 2003 to 2012. Demand for fuel cells in the U.S. is coming primarily from telecom companies, hotels and universities, said <http://topics.wsj.com/person/W/David-Wright/5739> David Wright, CEO of ClearEdge Power Inc., a manufacturer in Hillsboro, Ore. Many buyers want reliable on-site generation as a hedge against storm-related outages. By next year, <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=VZ> Verizon Communications Inc. plans to install $100 million worth of fuel cells from ClearEdge and Bloom Energy, as well as solar panels, at 19 data centers and other facilities in seven states, including New York and New Jersey. Some traditional utility companies are edging into the on-site generation business. <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=EIX> Edison International, which owns big utility Southern California Edison, recently bought a Chicago-based developer of rooftop solar projects, SoCore Energy LLC, and it is an investor in solar-finance company Clean Power Finance. As power production becomes more decentralized, "I want to make sure the company is deeply involved," said Edison CEO Ted Craver. Write to Rebecca Smith at <mailto:rebecca.smith@wsj.com> rebecca.smith(a)wsj.com and Cassandra Sweet at <mailto:cassandra.sweet@dowjones.com> cassandra.sweet(a)dowjones.com __._,_.___ <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WVHCBOARD/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJwZXM0ZzJyBF9TAzk3M zU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwODEwOARncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjQxNzcEbXNnSWQDMjIxMjMEc2VjA2Z0c gRzbGsDcnBseQRzdGltZQMxMzc5NTk1MDc1?act=reply&messageNum=22123> Reply via web post <mailto:clrank2@gmail.com?subject=Re%3A%20Unplugging%20from%20the%20Power%20 Grid> Reply to sender <mailto:WVHCBOARD@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20Unplugging%20from%20the%20 Power%20Grid> Reply to group <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WVHCBOARD/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJkcDIxODk3BF9TAzk3M zU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwODEwOARncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjQxNzcEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDbnRwYwRzd GltZQMxMzc5NTk1MDc1> Start a New Topic <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WVHCBOARD/message/22123;_ylc=X3oDMTM1cjhqcXU4 BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwODEwOARncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjQxNzcEbXNnSWQDMjIxMjME c2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDdnRwYwRzdGltZQMxMzc5NTk1MDc1BHRwY0lkAzIyMTIz> Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WVHCBOARD;_ylc=X3oDMTJkdXVoMTZ0BF9TAzk3MzU5Nz E0BGdycElkAzEwODEwOARncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjQxNzcEc2VjA3Z0bARzbGsDdmdocARzdGltZQ MxMzc5NTk1MDc1> Visit Your Group Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources <http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJjb2VvNWk1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwO DEwOARncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjQxNzcEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDZ2ZwBHN0aW1lAzEzNzk1OTUwNzU-> Yahoo! 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FW: America's Dirtiest Power Plants report
by James Kotcon 18 Sep '13

18 Sep '13

The attached report identifies the top 100 largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the utility sector. I suspect that there may be a few large oil refineries or aluminum mills that would also make a top 100 list, but coal-fired power plants are, by far, the largest emitters as a group. What is interesting is that, of the five plants in WV that made the top 100 list, three (John Amos, Harrison and Mitchell) are the ones that AEP and FE want to transfer from deregulated states to WV. Thanks to Dan Heyman for uncovering this one, and be on the lookout for the news story he is producing. Enjoy. JBK ________________________________ From: West Virginia News Service (WVNS) <wvns(a)publicnewsservice.org> Sent: Friday, September 13, 2013 8:40 PM To: James Kotcon Subject: report should be attached. Dan -- [http://www.publicnewsservice.org/images/signature_attachments/wvns_logo.png]<http://wvns.publicnewsservice.org> West Virginia News Service Toll-free: 1-800-317-6705 Email: wvns(a)publicnewsservice.org<mailto:wvns@publicnewsservice.org> Fax: 1-208-247-1830 www.publicnewsservice.org<http://www.publicnewsservice.org> [http://www.publicnewsservice.org/images/signature_attachments/twitter_icon.…]<http://www.twitter.com/PNS_WV> [http://www.publicnewsservice.org/images/signature_attachments/facebook_icon…] <http://www.facebook.com/PublicNewsService>

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