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FW: {GT} October 5th & 6th Free Energy Efficiency Workshops
by James Kotcon 17 Sep '13

17 Sep '13

This may be worth checking out. I am out of town that weekend, can anyone make it? Jim Kotcon ________________________________ From: morgantowngreenteam(a)googlegroups.com <morgantowngreenteam(a)googlegroups.com> on behalf of Aaron Sutch <asutch(a)mountain.org> Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2013 2:37 PM To: morgantowngreenteam; James Kotcon Subject: {GT} October 5th & 6th Free Energy Efficiency Workshops Hello All, Here is a great opportunity to attend two energy efficiency workshops. Both are free. On October 5th there is a hands-on home energy efficiency workshop from 9am-4pm at the Glenmark Lowes outside of Morgantown. On October 6th there is a 'saving money with energy efficiency' workshop at WVU.1pm-5pm (Allen Hall Rm 406, Evansdale campus). See attached for more information and registration instructions. Best, -- Aaron Sutch Energy Program Manager 505 730 3943 [The Mountain Institute]<http://www.mountain.org/> www.mountain.org<http://www.mountain.org> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MorgantownGreenTeam" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to morgantowngreenteam+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to morgantowngreenteam(a)googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/morgantowngreenteam. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.

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PA's Suite Codes, Can it happen here? (Was: DAILY UPDATE 12 September 2013.
by James Kotcon 17 Sep '13

17 Sep '13

I ran into some PA residents discussing this on Saturday, but was not familiar with the issue till i saw Don Strimbeck's News post (below). Is WV-DEP doing this too? JBK ________________________________ From: dsborowiec(a)aol.com<mailto:dsborowiec@aol.com> To: dsborowiec(a)aol.com<mailto:dsborowiec@aol.com> Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2013 2:41 AM Subject: Auditor General’s Investigation of DEP Important for Southwest PA excerpt: People are entitled to the truth about what is in water they drink. Is that a debate we even need to be having? Aren’t some things so obvious they should go without saying? What possible reason is there for the DEP, under the direction of Governor Corbett, to withhold information from residents about something this important? http://canon-mcmillan.patch.com/groups/jesse-white-state-representative-46t… Auditor General’s Investigation of DEP Important for Southwest PA It’s great to say we should all work together on every issue all the time, but there comes a point when you have to realize the other side has no intention of doing so under any circumstances whatsoever. Posted by Jesse White<http://canon-mcmillan.patch.com/users/jesse-white-state-representative-46th…> , September 11, 2013 at 08:36 AM <http://canon-mcmillan.patch.com/groups/jesse-white-state-representative-46t…> Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene Depasquale gave an interview to the Scranton Times-Tribune last week in which he was asked about the ongoing audit of the PA Department of Environmental Protection’s handling of water quality issues related to Marcellus Shale drilling. His response to the question was “The only thing I could say is, it’s a good thing we’re doing the audit.” Eugene Depasquale and I were both elected to the State House in 2006 and our offices were across the hall from one another in the Capitol for several years. I believe Eugene is an honest public servant and a good person, and I consider him a friend. I have no doubt that his audit of DEP will be objective and accurate, even though the Corbett administration has recently slashed budgets for investigators, limiting manpower and resources. To refresh everyone’s memory, the basis of the audit is the DEP’s use of “Suite Codes” to limit the amount of information given to people about what DEP found in their water. This scheme was uncovered through the sworn testimony of DEP lab chief Taru Upadhyay in a deposition taken last year. Based on that testimony, here’s what was apparently happening. You have concerns about your water because you live near drilling operations, so you call DEP to check it out. The DEP inspector comes to your house, takes a sample, marks it with a “Suite Code” and sends it off to the lab for testing. The lab tests over thirty different chemicals and substances as required by federal law, the results of which are stored in the DEP lab computer. So far so good, right? But when it’s time to generate the report based on the test results, that “Suite Code” tells the computer to only give back results for a handful of the things DEP tested for, not all of them. So the DEP inspector gets a report out of the computer that is purposely incomplete, but you don’t know that because you’d have no way to know. And when the inspector shows up with that report, they can be technically correct when they say, “According to the report I received from the lab, there is no evidence of any contamination.” But what they know, and you don’t, is that they purposely told the computer to leave out results of dozens of chemicals known to be found in frac water and flowback water. Many of them are known or suspected carcinogens, which means they can cause cancer. The results are sitting in the DEP computers, but you had no way of knowing you got less than the complete results. The DEP has not denied this practice, but they haven’t explained it either. We also learned that they developed a “Suite Code” specifically designed to provide proper results for drilling-related water quality concerns; unfortunately (but not surprisingly) it has never been used by DEP. Furthermore, you would think the Marcellus Shale Coalition would be with us on this. If they don’t believe drilling operations impact the water, wouldn’t they want all the facts out there to help prove their point? The facts should be allowed to speak for themselves, plain and simple. I have provided the Auditor General and his staff information about many problems occurring here in the 46th District, and will continue to do what I can to shed light on these inexcusable practices by the DEP. People are entitled to the truth about what is in water they drink. Is that a debate we even need to be having? Aren’t some things so obvious they should go without saying? What possible reason is there for the DEP, under the direction of Governor Corbett, to withhold information from residents about something this important? The DEP is clearly taking their marching orders from the Corbett Administration to stonewall anyone who asks the tough questions. It’s great to say we should all work together on every issue all the time, but there comes a point when you have to realize the other side has no intention of doing so under any circumstances whatsoever. On an issue as important as letting parents and grandparents know whether their drinking water could put their children or grandchildren at risk of cancer, I decided that standing up for what’s right and demanding accountability is more important than pandering for the sake of politics.

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Fw: Less than a week away! Who has the power? Wheeling, WV Talk
by Sally Wilts 16 Sep '13

16 Sep '13

Seem to have short notice of their events! ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Energy Efficient West Virginia <energyefficientwestvirginia(a)gmail.com> To: sallywilts(a)yahoo.com Sent: Monday, September 16, 2013 4:18 PM Subject: Less than a week away! Who has the power? Wheeling, WV Talk Less than a week away! Who has the power? Wheeling, WV Talk Moving Energy Efficiency Forward in the Mountain State... View this email in your browser Facebook Twitter Website You're invited! WHO HAS THE POWER? (View the Flyer In Your Browser) What: Panel Discussion // Forum on Electric Utilities in West Virginia Policies and Programs to: Lower rates Employ Renewables Empower Communities with Panel Speakers: Cathy Kunkel // Energy Efficient West Virginia James van Nostrand // WVU College of Law Aaron Sutch // The Mountain Institute Local Community Members // Energy conservation, efficiency and renewable projects around Wheeling and near by communities Moderated by Mary Ellen Cassidy When: Thursday, September 19, 2013 at noon Where: Main Floor // First State Capitol 1413 Eoff Street, Wheeling, WV Contact: Mary Ellen Cassidy // Jay Good // 304-312-4444 The event is free to the public. For CLE credit for legal professionals inquire with Jay Good at 304-312-4444. Share Tweet Forward to Friend Copyright © 2013 Energy Efficient West Virginia, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you joined our mailing list at a local event or on our website. Our mailing address is: Energy Efficient West Virginia 1500 Dixie St.Charleston, WV 25311 Add us to your address bookunsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences

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Fwd: Darrell Scott and Tim O'Brien : Song and Video: "Keep your Dirty Lights On"
by Jim Sconyers 16 Sep '13

16 Sep '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Aaron Isherwood <aaron.isherwood(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Mon, Sep 16, 2013 at 1:48 PM Subject: Fwd: Darrell Scott and Tim O'Brien : Song and Video: "Keep your Dirty Lights On" To: Jim Sconyers <jimscon(a)gmail.com>, Glen Besa <glen.besa(a)sierraclub.org>, Axel C Ringe <onyxfarm(a)bellsouth.net>, Brian Paddock <bpaddock(a)twlakes.net> Enjoy...! Aaron Friends Darrell and Tim contacted me about writing a song. They knew I was producing a new film. They wrote this amazing song, and we gave them the footage for the music video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GInMaWUud4 Please share this link with everyone you know and all the lists. You can post it on all social media, as well. We are all happy to give you a free license to use this song and video on web sites, your own videos and promotional materials, etc. Just send me a request with details. All the best, Mari-Lynn Mari-Lynn Evans CEO and Executive Producer Evening Star Productions -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last. *There is no Planet B!*

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Beech Ridge Wind HCP and ITP document
by Frank Young 13 Sep '13

13 Sep '13

At 286 pages, it is rather intense (or even boring?) at several points. I am particularly interested in the Project Operations protocols (aka adaptive management techniques) descriptions which start on document page 100 (PDF page 107). Direct PDF link is here: http://www.fws.gov/westvirginiafieldoffice/PDF/beechridgehcp/August_2013_Bee ch_Ridge_%20FHCP.pdf I noted several references to the "Shoenfeld estimator"- developed by WV Highlands Conservancy's Peter Shoenfeld- for determining total numbers of bat/bird fatalities by correcting for ground search results that are subject to several kinds of influences toward inaccuracy. 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FW: Save Your National Forests From Hydrofraking!
by Beth Little 10 Sep '13

10 Sep '13

Please distribute. From: Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics [mailto:jennifer@fseee.org] Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 2:06 PM To: blittle(a)citynet.net Subject: Save Your National Forests From Hydrofraking! <http://e2ma.net/oz/13120590906/214339203/1408143/spacer.gif> If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may <http://e2ma.net/map/view:CampaignPublic/id:1408143.13120590906/rid=bd36e13a…> see it online. Share This: <http://social.e2ma.net/next/e/1408143/410cfd183c10571e9246cba4df8e0a55/1312…> <http://social.e2ma.net/next/t/1408143/410cfd183c10571e9246cba4df8e0a55/1312…> <http://social.e2ma.net/next/f/1408143/410cfd183c10571e9246cba4df8e0a55/1312…> <http://social.e2ma.net/next/l/1408143/410cfd183c10571e9246cba4df8e0a55/1312…> <http://cdn.e2ma.net/userdata/1408143/images/e1292443300> <http://e2ma.net/go/13120590906/214339203/241682967/1408143/b64/aHR0cDovL2Zz…> Environmental activist Lopi LaRoe created this Smokey Bear parody to call attention to the dangers of fracking on public lands. Visit our website <http://e2ma.net/go/13120590906/214339203/241683122/1408143/b64/aHR0cDovL2Zz…> to learn more about how the Forest Service is attempting to squelch LaRoe’s free speech. <http://e2ma.net/go/13120590906/214339203/241683123/1408143/b64/aHR0cHM6Ly9k…> DonateNow September, 2013 Dear FSEEE Supporter, I’m writing to ask for your help in combating one of the greatest threats to our public lands today: the unregulated use of hydraulic fracturing or fracking. At stake is the most precious resource provided by our public lands: clean water. More than 60 million Americans receive their drinking water from a source originating in a National Forest. Freshwater rivers, streams, and underground reservoirs sustain innumerable ecosystems and are crucial to both wildlife and people. We need your help to ensure that National Forests are protected from the environmentally detrimental impacts of fracking and that the industry is held accountable when damage occurs. With your help, FSEEE will challenge this threat to our public lands and water supplies every step of the way. With consumer demand for cheap power increasing, the natural gas industry is looking to our National Forests as the next frontier for production. No region of the country is immune from the potential damage caused by natural gas fracking, but a lack of environmental regulations has left our National Forests and the clean water they produce extremely vulnerable. One of the most important mandates of the U.S. Forest Service, indeed, one of the reasons it was established in 1905, is to protect the nation’s supply of clean water. But you would never know that by the way the agency allows the natural gas industry to run roughshod over our public lands while threatening environmental activists with prosecution and jail time (visit our website, <http://www.fseee.org> www.fseee.org, to read more about FSEEE’s efforts to defend those who speak out about the dangers of fracking). Hydrofracking endangers our precious freshwater resources on many fronts. The process itself requires the use of huge amounts of water—a single well can use 5 million gallons—which is mixed with a slew of toxic chemicals. This noxious slurry is injected at high pressure into the ground where it can contaminate subsurface waters and reservoirs. And much of the chemical mixture returns above ground where fracking fluid endangers National Forest ecosystems when spills occur. A lack of consistent and effective disposal techniques often results in the remaining fluid ending up as pollutants in our streams and rivers. Current fracking practices are a risky proposition at best. Despite the threat that existing wells pose to water supplies, the Forest Service has failed to regulate fracking. At the same time, the natural gas industry denies ANY responsibility for the environmental contamination caused by fracking. The natural gas industry is powerful, and the Forest Service is complacent, but FSEEE is prepared to challenge this freewheeling experiment on every front. First, we must cease the development of new natural gas wells on those National Forests where the federal government owns both the surface occupancy and subsurface mineral rights. On these forests, the federal government has complete control over whether to issue fracking leases. The Forest Service makes leasing decisions about fracking during the planning process. FSEEE will monitor forest plans now being revised and insist that the Forest Service properly document the potential environmental hazards associated with fracking when completing the obligatory environmental reviews. There is no requirement forcing the Forest Service to open these lands to fracking, and FSEEE will ensure that the federal government prioritizes the protection of our public lands and waters over private profits. Second, we must ensure that regulations that protect human health and ecosystem integrity are in place when fracking on public lands does occur. Regrettably, fracking is already occurring on some of our public lands. That’s particularly true for the millions of acres of so-called “split estate” lands in the eastern U.S. where the Forest Service owns only the surface while the underground minerals are in private ownership. On these National Forest acres, the Forest Service can regulate industry’s access to its underground minerals, but it cannot deny access to them without condemning and paying for the underground oil and gas. But the Forest Service CAN regulate how the miners use the surface of these National Forests, including how they store and transport fracking fluids on Forest Service lands. This regulation is done through a “surface occupancy permit,” which companies must obtain before they can build access roads or start drilling. FSEEE knows that one of the best ways to ensure that environmental safeguards are implemented is to hold drillers responsible for any damage they cause. To date, the fracking industry has not been required to disclose the toxic stew of chemicals that are used in fracking under the claim that the mixture is a trade-secret. But the real reason they want to keep this chemical mix a secret is that when toxins show up in someone’s well, a town’s water supply or a nearby stream, no one is able to prove that fracking is at fault or which driller is responsible for the mess. Drillers claim that without proof a chemical contaminant came from their operation, they can’t be held responsible. FSEEE has been consulting with cutting-edge scientists to find ways to ensure that gas producers are held liable for any water pollution that results from this industry. In the coming year, FSEEE will be campaigning for a federal rule that requires oil and gas companies to include a non-toxic unique “tracer” in the fracturing fluids used to break up the underground shale rock. We will work to ensure that the Forest Service requires “tracer” use as a condition of getting a surface occupancy permit for natural gas development on National Forests. Tracers can pin liability on drilling companies, even if they refuse to disclose their fracking chemicals. If contamination occurs, a positive tracer will finger the culprit just like DNA can identify the perpetrators of crime. In fact, DNA is a possible tracer chemical because it is non-toxic and can be synthesized in an unlimited number of sequences so that each and every natural gas well can be identified individually. The tracer needs to be unique to each gas well, move with the fracking fluid underground and be readily detectable even at very small concentrations in water wells or streams. Several new technologies are being developed, but without a federal rule requiring industry to label its fracking fluid, none are likely to become commercially viable. A National Forest tracer rule for fracking would catalyze needed research and development in this field. Requiring that industry label its fracking fluids to avoid escaping liability for pollution is a sensible step to take. The National Forests were created to protect water quality and watersheds. To carry out that overriding mission, the Forest Service needs to cease fracking on those lands where they are legally entitled to do so. The Forest Service can and must say “no” to the big-money interests of the natural gas industry. The future of our forests and water resources are too precious to gamble on fracking. And where the Forest Service has no choice but to issue fracking leases, they must ensure that liability for any water pollution can be pinned squarely on the polluter. Tracer technology is the best guarantee that those who pollute our water are held accountable for damages and clean-up. We need your help to ensure that our National Forests and freshwater resources are safe from fracking. Please make a special contribution to FSEEE today. Your gift makes our work possible. Thank-you! Sincerely, Andy Stahl Executive Director P.S. Please see the “ Action Alert <http://e2ma.net/go/13120590906/214339203/241683124/1408143/b64/aHR0cDovL2Zz…> ” on our website and join us in demanding that the Forest Service hold the natural gas industry accountable when fracking results in environmental damage. P.P.S. You can contribute by sending a gift online using the "Donate Now" button below or by calling us at 541-484-2692. Thank you! <http://e2ma.net/go/13120590906/214339203/241683125/1408143/b64/aHR0cHM6Ly9k…> DonateNow P.O. Box 11615 | Eugene, OR 97440 US This email was sent to <mailto:blittle@citynet.net> blittle(a)citynet.net. To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add us to your address book or safe list. <http://e2ma.net/app/view:Manage/signupId:1420038/id:1408143.13120590906/rid…> manage your preferences | <http://e2ma.net/app/view:OptOut/ID:1408143.13120590906/signupId:1420038/rid…> opt out using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? <http://e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:1420038/acctId:1408143/mailingId:214…> Sign up to receive our future emails. Network for Good <http://e2ma.net/userdata/20050/images/templates/nfg_emma_logo.gif> <http://e2ma.net/go/13120590906/214339203/241683126/1408143/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> EmailNow powered by Emma _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2013.0.3392 / Virus Database: 3222/6651 - Release Date: 09/09/13

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from Saturday's Washington Post: : U.S. Forest Service mulls fracking in key national forest
by Paul Wilson 09 Sep '13

09 Sep '13

*U.S. Forest Service mulls fracking in key national forest<http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/QJTXP3/C57BVM/34JPBP/GKKSX6K/JEE4XO/…> * The decision will settle whether the drilling method may be used at George Washington National Forest. ( Darryl Fears, The Washington Post) -- 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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FW: [WVHCBOARD] whistleblowers
by Frank Young 07 Sep '13

07 Sep '13

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - West Virginia University is bringing whistleblowers to Morgantown to discuss the role they've played in environmental issues. A panel discussion is set for Sept. 18. Among the panelists is Rick Plitz, a former senior associate at the U.S. Climate Change Science Program who exposed White House censorship of reports on global warming in 2005. Also participating is Jack Spadaro, a former head of the National Mine Health and Safety Academy who reported attempts to whitewash an investigation into a Kentucky coal slurry spill. The third panelist is Wilma Subra, a Louisiana scientist who exposed misleading statements by the Food and Drug Administration that seafood harvested in the Gulf of Mexico was safe to consume after the 2010 oil spill. This event is being produced with the Government Accountability Project. _____ From: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:WVHCBOARD@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Cynthia D. Ellis Sent: Saturday, September 07, 2013 10:31 PM To: West Virginia Highlands Conservancy Subject: [WVHCBOARD] whistleblowers WVU hosting environmental whistleblower forum http://www.wowktv.com/story/23366616/wvu-hosting-environmental-whistleblower -forum -- Cynthia D. Ellis RR 1 Box 163 Red House, WV 25168 304 586-4135 304 206-0083 [no service at residence] cdellis(a)wildblue.net "The wars of the twenty-first century will be fought over water." Ismail Serageldin, World Bank __._,_.___ <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WVHCBOARD/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJwZzJyYmdrBF9TAzk3M zU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwODEwOARncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjQxNzcEbXNnSWQDMjIwODIEc2VjA2Z0c gRzbGsDcnBseQRzdGltZQMxMzc4NjA3NDU1?act=reply&messageNum=22082> Reply via web post <mailto:cdellis@wildblue.net?subject=Re%3A%20whistleblowers> Reply to sender <mailto:WVHCBOARD@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20whistleblowers> Reply to group <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WVHCBOARD/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJkdjRkZjU1BF9TAzk3M zU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwODEwOARncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjQxNzcEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDbnRwYwRzd GltZQMxMzc4NjA3NDU1> Start a New Topic <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WVHCBOARD/message/22082;_ylc=X3oDMTM1YW84MXZx BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwODEwOARncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjQxNzcEbXNnSWQDMjIwODIE c2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDdnRwYwRzdGltZQMxMzc4NjA3NDU1BHRwY0lkAzIyMDgy> Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WVHCBOARD;_ylc=X3oDMTJkcDZoZnRhBF9TAzk3MzU5Nz E0BGdycElkAzEwODEwOARncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjQxNzcEc2VjA3Z0bARzbGsDdmdocARzdGltZQ MxMzc4NjA3NDU1> Visit Your Group Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources <http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJjbGVnajNvBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwO DEwOARncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjQxNzcEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDZ2ZwBHN0aW1lAzEzNzg2MDc0NTU-> Yahoo! Groups Switch to: <mailto:WVHCBOARD-traditional@yahoogroups.com?subject=Change%20Delivery%20Fo rmat:%20Traditional> Text-Only, <mailto:WVHCBOARD-digest@yahoogroups.com?subject=Email%20Delivery:%20Digest> Daily Digest . <mailto:WVHCBOARD-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> Unsubscribe . <http://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> Terms of Use . <mailto:ygroupsnotifications@yahoogroups.com?subject=Feedback%20on%20the%20r edesigned%20individual%20mail%20v1> Send us Feedback . <http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=108108/grpspId=1705064177/msgId= 22082/stime=1378607455> __,_._,___

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Fwd: E- the Environmental Magazine Piece on Fracking
by Paul Wilson 06 Sep '13

06 Sep '13

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <ddow420(a)comcast.net> Date: Fri, Sep 6, 2013 at 4:50 AM Subject: E- the Environmental Magazine Piece on Fracking To: Patricia Matejcek <patachek3(a)gmail.com> Cc: Alison Robb <nature(a)cape.com>, Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> *Concern Grows Over Fracking Public Lands*[image: wildlands]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Y9hnx-fniUx3esXBMaf4IzrFvC9mVSxw3G7GWhbhworo…> On May 16, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced new rules for fracking - or hydraulic fracturing – on public lands that environmental groups say do not go far enough to protect public health. There are more than 1 million fracked wells across the U.S.… *Continue Reading »*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Y9hnx-fniUx3esXBMaf4IzrFvC9mVSxw3G7GWhbhworo…> -- 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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FW: WV Coal Association Chairman Files for Chapter 11 for Coal Company and Longview Power Plant
by Frank Young 31 Aug '13

31 Aug '13

_____ From: The Power Line [mailto:comment-reply@wordpress.com] Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2013 12:05 PM To: fyoung(a)mountain.net Subject: [New post] WV Coal Association Chairman Files for Chapter 11 for Coal Company and Longview Power Plant Bill posted: "I don't usually post about the WV coal industry, unless there is a connection to electricity issues. In the past week, just such a story dropped into my lap. WV Coal Association Chairman James Laurita, Morgantown coal baron, filed for Chapter 11 reorgan" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on The Power Line <http://s.wordpress.com/i/emails/blavatar-default.png> <http://calhounpowerline.com/author/ourlinksblog/> <http://calhounpowerline.com/2013/08/31/wv-coal-association-chairman-files-f or-chapter-11-for-coal-company-and-longview-power-plant/> WV Coal Association Chairman Files for Chapter 11 for Coal Company and Longview Power Plant by <http://calhounpowerline.com/author/ourlinksblog/> Bill I don't usually post about the WV coal industry, unless there is a connection to electricity issues. In the past week, just such a story dropped into my lap. WV Coal Association Chairman James Laurita, Morgantown coal baron, filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in federal bankruptcy court. <http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2013/08/30/longview-power-mepco-file- for-bankruptcy/> Here is a link to Ken Ward's post about the situation, including some very interesting links to the bankruptcy filing, in particular <https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/782015/keffer-affid avit.pdf> an affidavit filed by Longview CEO Jeffery Keffer. I'll let you draw your own conclusions about the situation after you read Mr. Keffer's affidavit. To me, the whole Longview project looks like one big charlie foxtrot from start to finish. Laurita is the current scion of the family that has owned MEPCo, a coal company that operates in the Morgantown area. It appears that MEPCo had no experience with operating a coal-fired power plant, but that is just what they contracted for in the 2000s. Remember that the 2000s were the go-go years of deregulated electricity. Suckers were pulled into the market by hucksters like Enron's Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. It appears that the Laurita family took the bait and ventured into a quagmire. They contracted with Siemans and Foster Wheeler, to international power plant giants, to build them a $2 billion plant with a rated capacity of only 695 megawatts. Those number alone indicate how crazy the scheme must have been. Laurita, of course, blames the contractors for all his problems. But that is just like a coal industry executive. And now everyone is suing everyone else. Throughout the bankruptcy filing, Laurita continues to claim that if the plant were working perfectly, his companies would be making money. Meanwhile, here in the real world, things are different. Here's how Mr. Keffer explains the current situation: 31. The Debtors' ability to manage through the challenges arising from the Contractors' Failures have also been affected by the current economic environment. Wholesale electricity prices have fallen significantly since construction on the Power Facility began in 2007 as a result of, among other things, the broader recession that commenced around that time, resulting in reduced electricity demand and substantial reductions in natural gas prices. Lower natural gas prices have been caused, at least in part, by the rapid expansion of natural gas production and natural gas inventories arising from the discovery of new shale deposits and the development of new extraction techniques. The presence of low-price natural gas reduces the variable costs of natural-gas fired power facilities and reduces the wholesale market price for all generators. Year-to-date, the average price per megawatt for electricity sold into the PJM on a day-ahead basis was approximately $33 per megawatt-hour-approximately 52 percent of the average power price forecasted for 2013 when construction began on the Power Facility in 2007. 32. Wholesale coal prices have also continued to fall as global markets face oversupply and as U.S. power generators have continued to shift away from coal fired technologies. The Debtors believe this shift results from, among other things, increased costs associated with environmental and regulatory compliance and pressures resulting from fierce industry competition with natural gas-fired power facilities. The coal industry as a whole has idled mines and reduced production in order to compete. 33. Moreover, the power generation and coal production industries are highly competitive on both a regional and national level. For example, Mepco does not compete solely with other regional mines, but also competes against national and international competitors that transport coal into the region. Similarly, Longview Power competes to deliver electricity to PJM against other coal-fired power generation stations as well as natural gas-fired power, nuclear power, and renewable energy, among other sources. This competitive environment has added anadditional layer of complexity to the Debtors' existing challenges. Translation: "We drank the kool-aid in the early 2000s and thought that Cheney would kill renewable power forever and that the Cheney administration would create the perfect environment for coal-fired generation." Instead of taking responsibility for making a $2 billion mistake, Keffer starts the next paragraph this way: 34. The Debtors, however, believe they can compete effectively once they are no longer hamstrung by the Contractors' Failures. As noted above, the Power Facility uses designs, equipment, processes, and technology that have made it one of the most efficient coal-fired power plants in the country-when the Power Facility can operate at full capacity. Note that "when" in the last sentence. That should be an "if." And we know that "if" is fantasy. The drop in demand is not the result of "the recession," but a long term trend, something acknowledged by everyone in the electricity business (except Mr. Laurita and Mr. Keffer). Early in his affidavit, Mr. Keffer states: "the Power Facility has only had a capacity factor of 68 percent since Longview Power took possession [in December 2011]." Hey, compared with other coal fired merchant plants in PJM, that 68% capacity factor looks pretty good. The current capacity factor for "steam" generators, almost entirely coal fired plants, in the most recent quarterly report by the PJM market monitor is 48.5%. The market monitor lists the Jan-June 2012 capacity factor for PJM steam generators at 41.4%. If Longview can't make money with a capacity factor significantly higher than other coal fired generators, their prospects for the future look grim, contractor problems or not. <http://calhounpowerline.com/author/ourlinksblog/> Bill | August 31, 2013 at 12:05 pm | Tags: <http://calhounpowerline.com/?tag=falling-demand> Falling Demand | Categories: <http://calhounpowerline.com/?cat=1> Uncategorized | URL: <http://wp.me/piwFb-1Tj> http://wp.me/piwFb-1Tj <http://calhounpowerline.com/2013/08/31/wv-coal-association-chairman-files-f or-chapter-11-for-coal-company-and-longview-power-plant/#respond> Comment <http://calhounpowerline.com/2013/08/31/wv-coal-association-chairman-files-f or-chapter-11-for-coal-company-and-longview-power-plant/#comments> See all comments Unsubscribe or change your email settings at <https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=973223b16743effc39ef5047389b30e8&email =fyoung%40mountain.net> Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? 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