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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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Fwd: ACT:: Register for Wednesday, May 2 webinar and discussion about "Using Communications To Win Your Campaigns!"
by Paul Wilson 30 Apr '12

30 Apr '12

this should be of interest for future work on WV Energy Efficient issues. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)prodigy.net> Date: Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 12:35 PM Subject: ACT:: Register for Wednesday, May 2 webinar and discussion about "Using Communications To Win Your Campaigns!" To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Please join us Wednesday, May 2nd at 8 PM ET/ 7 CT/ 5 PT for the Beyond Coal Campaign's monthly call and webinar. I am looking forward talking to you all, Verena Using Communications To Win Your Coal and Clean Energy Campaigns!Join us for a Webinar on May 2 <https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/821646358>*Space is limited.* Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/821646358Please join us for a webinar on Wednesday, May 2, at 8 PM ET/7 CT/ 5PT. Our special guest presenter will be Orli Cotel from the Club's Communications Department. The topic will be "Using Communications to Win Your Campaigns," and she will discuss the latest polling and research on messaging, talk about the current structure of the Communications department and the resources available to the Beyond Coal Campaign, as well as how communications tools can help influence decision makers and move targets in the right direction. After her presentation we will have our usual Q and A session.*Title:*Using Communications To Win Your Campaigns!*Date:*Wednesday, May 2, 2012*Time:*8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDTAfter registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.*System Requirements* PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 ServerMacintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer ---------------------------------------------------------------------------Verena OwenVolunteer Co-LeadBeyond Coal Campaign Verena.Owen(a)sierraclub.orgSierraclub.org/coal - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp -- 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: President Obama can stop the massive mountaintop removal Spruce Mine
by Paul Wilson 24 Apr '12

24 Apr '12

incase you do not get the CREDO emails....fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Josh Nelson, CREDO Action <act(a)credoaction.com> Date: Tue, Apr 24, 2012 at 8:02 AM Subject: President Obama can stop the massive mountaintop removal Spruce Mine To: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> ** [image: Protect West Virginia from mountaintop removal coal mining!] <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881576&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=1> Clicking here will automatically add your name to this petition to the White House Council on Environmental Quality:<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881577&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=2> * "As a West Virginia resident, I'm writing to voice my opposition to the destruction of mountains at the Spruce Mine in Logan County. Support EPA's veto of the Spruce Mine and direct the Army Corps of Engineers to revoke the mine's permit." <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881577&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=3> * Automatically add your name: <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881577&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=4> [image: Take action now!] <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881577&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=5> Learn more about this campaign<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881576&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=6> [image: CREDO Action | more than a network, a movement.] *Tell President Obama: Protect West Virginia from a massive mountaintop removal mine. .<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881576&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=7> * Dear Paul, Arch Coal is moving forward with the largest mountaintop removal coal mining operation in West Virginia's history — but *President Obama's White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has the power to step in and block this disastrous project.* The Environmental Protection Agency had already vetoed a permit for the Spruce Mine in Logan County, but last month, a federal judge overruled the agency paving the way for the project.1 The court's decision means that the destruction of mountains and burying of streams with 110 million yards of mining waste could begin very soon — unless the Council on Environmental Quality steps in. *Tell the Council on Environmental Quality: Protect West Virginia from mountaintop removal at the Spruce Mine. Click here to automatically sign the petition.* <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881577&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=8> In situations where agencies within the federal government differ on environmental matters, it is the role of the Council on Environmental Quality to weigh in and resolve the matter. And by directing the Army Corps of Engineers to revoke the Spruce Mine permit, the CEQ can stop this highly polluting and disastrous project once and for all. *Mountaintop removal mining is a process in which coal companies use explosives to literally blow the tops off of the mountains, dumping the leftover rocks and dirt into streams and valleys below. The practice is linked with high mortality rates, contaminated drinking water and increased flooding, among other problems.2* EPA's veto of the permit for expanded mountaintop removal mining at the Big Spruce Mine in Logan County was the right decision for public health and the environment, but unless the Council on Environmental Quality steps in, this massive mine will soon begin operations. West Virginians have been dealing with the devastation of mountaintop removal mining for far too long. Let's make sure the CEQ know that we expect it to use its power to protect West Virginia's residents, mountains and waterways from dirty and destructive mountaintop removal mining. Click below to automatically sign the petition to the White House Council on Environmental Quality: *http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881577&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=9* *Thank you* for fighting for public health and the environment in West Virginia. Josh Nelson, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=11&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=10> 1. Judge Overturns EPA Veto of Spruce Mine Permit<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881578&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=11>, West Virginia Gazette, 3/23/12 2. Community Impacts of Mountaintop Removal<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5537553&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=12>, Appalachian Voices ------------------------------ [image: Facebook]<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881579&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=13> *Share on Facebook* Post to your wall<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881579&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=14> [image: Twitter]<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881580&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=15> *Tweet this* Post to Twitter<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881580&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=16> © 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=38944-3414728-V0xAANx To change your email address or update your contact info, please visit: http://act.credoaction.com/subscrip/coa.html?id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx -- 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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Energy Efficiency Planning Meeting
by James Kotcon 18 Apr '12

18 Apr '12

To the Energy Committee: Here is a new opportunity to make a real difference. Working with Energy Efficient West Virginia (EEWV) the WV Chapter wants to develop a major campaign to promote energy efficiency. That's where you come in. While it is important to fight bad mining practices and polluting power plants, we will not really make substantive progress as long as people want more and more electricity and coal is the low cost provider. No realistic effort to address global warming is possible without fundamental restructuring and reductions in our energy use. The good news is that EE is actually cheaper, faster, safer, and cleaner than any other source of energy. So how do we get there, especially here in West Virginia? WV SC and EEWV will hold a joint EE campaign planning meeting in Flatwoods at 3-6 PM, Saturday, April 28. Start making plans to attend. We need new ideas, new volunteers, and fresh leadership, and this is your chance to be part of something great. The options range from local education efforts, to working with the PSC, to statewide legislative in initiatives. What we do depends on what YOU want to do, so come be a part of the planning. Let me know if you can participate, or if you know someone else who should be involved. Mark you calendars now, more details soon. Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home)

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Fwd: NPS Denies PATH's Request for Continued Abeyance of the EIS
by James Kotcon 16 Apr '12

16 Apr '12

News Flash. PATH is still dead. JBK >>> Elena Saxonhouse <elena.saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org> 4/16/2012 4:44 PM >>> Good to see PATH still looking dead. A new EIS and substation will be major hurdles if they decide to resurrect the project. Elena Saxonhouse Staff Attorney Sierra Club 85 Second Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 415-977-5765 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Keryn Newman <stoppath(a)frontiernet.net> Date: Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 1:28 PM Subject: NPS Denies PATH's Request for Continued Abeyance of the EIS To: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM(a)lists.sierraclub.org On Feb. 27, the NPS denied PATH's request for continued, indefinite abeyance of their application and thereby denied PATH's permit without prejudice. See letter from NPS here ( http://www.stoppathwv.com/documents/NPS-PATH-Denial.pdf ). If this is old news to any of you, pardon the duplication, however it's news to us. NPS sat on this information and only posted it on the project website some time after March 15, without any notice. If PATH is resurrected, they have to submit a new application for an EIS. This is the second of PATH's three lifelines that has been cut. They failed to file further appeals on the Frederick Co., MD, BZA decision at the end of March, so that process is over, with the BZA denial standing. The only support PATH continues to receive is their FERC Formula Rate cost recovery and incentives, which FERC is apparently content to leave in place until PATH makes a Sec. 205 filing to abandon the project. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM list, send any message to: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM-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

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Fwd: RE: Deb Nardone
by James Kotcon 12 Apr '12

12 Apr '12

To Energy Committee: Attached are Natural Gas Campaign Plans developed recently by the Colorado and Ohio Chapters of Sierra Club. While some of this strikes me as highly diffuse, with too many policy objectives and not enough priority setting or focus, these do give some good examples of what goes into, and comes out of, a campaign planning process. Enjoy. Jim Kotcon >>> Deb Nardone <deb.nardone(a)sierraclub.org> 4/12/2012 4:36 PM >>> Thanks Jim, I’m already committed to a call from 5 – 6:30 ET with the Lone Star Chapter, but am very interested in participating on future calls. I’m currently working with a few other chapters on the gas strategies/campaign planning, so can pass along items of interest. The Colorado Chapter just went through a comprehensive planning process, their plan is attached. The OH Chapter also has a draft strategy, attached. Once these plans are completed, we’re working with Advancement to draft a state specific funding proposal, and will hopefully bring in the $ for chapter based gas staff. Please let me know when you set up your next call, and am willing to help out if needed as you plan for upcoming gas work. All the best, Deb From: James Kotcon [mailto:jkotcon@wvu.edu] Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2012 1:19 PM To: Chuck Wyrostok; 'Elizabeth Little'; 'Jim Sconyers'; deb.nardone(a)sierraclub.org; 'Jim Kotcon' Subject: Re: Deb Nardone Deb: As Chair of the Chapter's Marcellus campaign, I think it would be great to have you join us tonight. Let me know if you need the current agenda and call-in info for 6 PM, and I would like to add a few minutes to have you discuss those c-3 dollars, as we are targeting a large part of this year's activities toward that kind of work. Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home) >>> "Chuck Wyrostok" <wyro(a)appalight.com> 4/11/2012 8:28 PM >>> I had a lengthy conversation with Deb Nardone today. She called to see if we needed any technical help with comments to the DEP on the centralized pits proposal. I said we had a pretty good handle on it..thanks. She also said there may be national c3 money available for the Marcellus campaign. She said there would have to be a state strategy and work plan in place to before trying to secure funds. I told her that we were in the process of renewing the campaign and had planned a conference call for Thursday. She said she would be available to be on it, but realized that state chapters sometimes need to steer their own ship. If we want her on the call, will someone invite her tomorrow? I'll be on the road doing my weekly "take the veterans to the hospital" day. I'm thinking that this first organizational call tomorrow may not be the best one as far as her use of time. Chuck Chuck Wyrostok Sierra Club Outreach Organizer Toll free 877 252 0257 E: outreach(a)marcellus-wv.com www.marcellus-wv.com

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Re: [EC] NEw Jersey coal??
by Paul Wilson 08 Apr '12

08 Apr '12

I saw this announcement via Linkedin and wonder what the strategic benefit can be for having a Coal Campaign Organizer in NJ but nothing in WV?? *The Beyond Coal Campaign is hiring an Associate Organizing Rep in New Jersey*<http://www.linkedin.com/e/-51mdjt-h0pq69ph-5i/ava/105098655/669627/eml-anet…> Started by Joshua Ramey-Renk, Director of Talent Acquisition and Development at Sierra C I am getting a bit frustrated with the all this sc bs. fyi, paul -- 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: WVNS story: Economist: Clean Air Rules Don't Slow Economy by Raising the Power Costs
by Paul Wilson 06 Apr '12

06 Apr '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Fri, Apr 6, 2012 at 4:22 AM Subject: WVNS story: Economist: Clean Air Rules Don't Slow Economy by Raising the Power Costs To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Interesting story out of WV.... Economist: Clean Air Rules Don't Slow Economy by Raising the Power Costs Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/25762-1 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> (04/06/12) CHARLESTON, W. Va. – West Virginia's critics of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) charge that its new rules to force power plants to cut air pollution will cause electricity rates to rise, thereby slowing the economy. But economist Josh Bivens, with the Economic Policy Institute (EPA), disagrees. Bivens says the jobs created by new investments in pollution reduction will more than offset the losses. His research indicates the argument that "regulations kill jobs" is often a myth, which he says is the case with the clean air rules. "The reason why electricity becomes more expensive is because the utilities have to hire people. The boost from the extra jobs created by the investments, I estimate, outweighs the negatives." Bivens' findings are detailed in a new report, Going Green Won't Kill Jobs During Hard Times <http://tinyurl.com/ckkm24a>, published in *New Scientist*magazine. According to Bivens, some argue that government-mandated investments could pull resources from other productive places in the economy – although he notes that is only the case if the economy is growing quickly. He points out that the problem with this downturn, like all slow periods, is that private money is sitting idle. In effect, he says, the EPA is forcing some of that idle money to become productive again. "Financial capital is not scarce. Corporate liquid savings are at all-time highs; we've got historically low interest rates. There's just no evidence that these investments are going to necessarily crowd out some other private investment." Bivens' analysis does not include the health benefits of breathing cleaner air, although he says those will have a significant impact, as well. "By those measures, this seems like a really big winner, mostly driven by the benefits to health and quality of life identified by EPA." Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, Sen. Joe Manchin and all three West Virginia members of Congress have publicly attacked the EPA's Clean Air Act rules. 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/25762-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/25762-1> --- 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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