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Fwd: FW: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] UK report: shale gas may increase risk of "dangerous climate change".
by James Kotcon 19 Jan '11

19 Jan '11

Strongly recommended reading. Good description of the shale gas process, as well as a couple specific environmental analyses. They ignore the "fugitive emissions" issue, but conclude the gas would have relatively little impact on greenhouse gas emissions in countries that have a cap on emissions, and would likely increase greenhouse gas emissions in countries without a carbon cap. Gas would NOT substitute for coal, but would merely be added to existing emissions. Jim Kotcon >>> "Grubb, Karen" <Karen.Grubb(a)fairmontstate.edu> 1/19/2011 2:07 PM >>> From: National Hydrofracking Team [mailto:ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG] On Behalf Of Peter Wray Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 11:59 AM To: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Subject: Re: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] UK report: shale gas may increase risk of "dangerous climate change". The full 87-page report is attached. It actually contains a comprehensive analysis of shale gas extraction in the US. Good reading for anyone interested in shale gas. Well illustrated with lots of useful data. Peter Wray. The Key Conclusions are: 1) Evidence from the US suggests shale gas extraction brings a significant risk of ground and surface water contamination and until the evidence base is developed a precautionary approach to development in the UK and Europe is the only responsible action. 2) There is little to suggest that shale gas will play a key role as a transition fuel in the move to a low carbon economy. 3) Without a meaningful cap on emissions of global GHGs, the exploitation of shale gas is likely to increase net carbon emissions. 4) Rapid carbon reductions require major investment in zero-carbon technologies and this could be delayed by exploitation of shale gas. ------ ========================================================== On 1/19/11 10:49 AM, "Jeff Schmidt" <jeff.schmidt(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: Interesting article having to do with the UK. Shale gas moratorium in UK urged by Tyndall Centre By Roger HarrabinEnvironment analyst, BBC News The UK government should put a moratorium on shale gas operations until the environmental implications are fully understood, a report says. The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research report comes amid reports a firm has found reserves in Lancashire. In the US, officials are investigating claims that shale gas drilling has polluted water supplies. However, UK ministers have rejected a moratorium, saying that drilling for shale gas does not pose a threat. "We are aware that there have been reports from US of issues linked to some shale gas projects," a spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) told BBC News. "However, we understand that these are only in a few cases and that Cuadrilla (the firm testing for shale gas in Lancashire) has made it clear that there is no likelihood of environmental damage and that it is applying technical expertise and exercising the utmost care as it takes drilling and testing forward." 'Play it safe' The Tyndall report was commissioned by The Co-operative, an institutional investor in oil firms. It is pressing firms not to invest in shale gas until further studies have been carried out into the effects of pumping chemicals underground to help release the gas trapped in shale rocks. The Co-operative is concerned that Decc pronounced shale gas safe last week before the end of a consultation into the technology by MPs on the Commons energy and climate change select committee. Paul Monaghan, head of the organisation's social goals, said: "There should be no fracturing of rock for shale gas until legislation can catch up. "We are aghast that government accepted the assurances of industry on this while their own consultation had not even finished. There was a shale gas rush in the US and now they are looking into the implications - we need to do it the other way round." The Tyndall report also expresses concern that the exploitation of shale gas is bringing new greenhouse gas sources into play. It says: "This will further reduce any slim possibility of maintaining global temperature changes at or below 2C (3.6F) and thereby increase the risk of entering a period of 'dangerous climate change'." Gas security Shale gas has become an energy phenomenon since firms in the US found economic ways of extracting gas previously trapped in shale rocks, which have metamorphosed from clay deposits under pressure and heat. The process involves drilling horizontally into shale formations far underground, then using small explosions to fracture the shale - followed by a slurry of water, sand and chemicals to free the trapped gas. The US was gearing up to import gas, but experts suggest that the shale reserves may provide the nation with gas supplies for 100 years. Large deposits of shale gas are expected to be unearthed in China, Europe and South America too. Experts say the technological breakthrough increases energy security worldwide and reduces the diplomatic power of gas-rich nations, such as Russia. But there have been reports of problems with the technology in the US, such as cattle dying after drinking water from the fracturing process that found its way to the surface. In Pennsylvania, some residents can now set fire to their drinking water after methane leaked into wells. They are blaming shale gas extraction. The Tyndall report says that gas drilling in Lancashire will give rise to a range of local concerns including noise pollution, high levels of truck movements and land use demands. The Decc spokesman said: "We support industry's endeavours in pursuing energy sources (like shale gas), provided that tapping of such resources proves to be economically, commercially and environmentally viable. "All onshore oil and gas projects, including shale gas exploration and development, are subject to a series of checks, including local planning permission before they are able to move ahead with drilling activities." Mark Miller from Cuadrilla Resources said: "We disagree with the conclusions of the Tyndall Centre report which calls for a moratorium on shale gas activities as there are no grounds for a moratorium on this proven and long-standing technology. He added that Cuadrilla had received full local and national approvals from all appropriate bodies in order to explore for natural gas at each of its sites. Stephen Tetlow, chief executive of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: "While 90% of UK heating needs are met by gas energy, the UK is expected to have to import 80% of its gas supplies by 2020. "This is unsustainable, bad for our energy security, and very expensive." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS list, send any message to: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS-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 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS list, send any message to: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS-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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Fw: StL Post-Dispatch: Arch Coal finds a passage to Asia
by pjgrunt＠gmail.com 19 Jan '11

19 Jan '11

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry® -----Original Message----- From: Fred Heutte <phred(a)SUNLIGHTDATA.COM> Sender: "Announcements from the National Coal Campaign team." <COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG> Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:41:03 To: <COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG> Reply-To: Fred Heutte <phred(a)SUNLIGHTDATA.COM> Subject: StL Post-Dispatch: Arch Coal finds a passage to Asia http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/article_8b13ce07-6cd2-58df-9e18-279b… Arch Coal finds a passage to Asia BY JEFFREY TOMICH • jtomich(a)post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8320 | (2) Comments | Posted: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 12:00 am Arch Coal Inc. announced on Tuesday an agreement with the operator of a British Columbia shipping terminal that will enable the miner to export 2 million tons of coal to Asia this year. The five-year deal with Canadian Crown Corp. Ridley Terminals Inc. provides Arch, based in Creve Coeur, access to 2.5 million metric tons of coal-handling capacity during each of the next four years. Financial terms weren't disclosed. It's the second West Coast coal terminal agreement in as many weeks for Arch, which is searching for ways to ship coal from its vast Wyoming surface mines to fast-growing energy markets in Asia. St. Louis-based Peabody Energy Corp. is also conducting engineering studies for a coal export facility somewhere on the U.S. or Canadian coast and is expected to announce plans early this year. "This transaction is another important step in accomplishing our strategic objective of expanding Powder River Basin coal sales into the Asia-Pacific region," Steven F. Leer, Arch's CEO, said in a statement. Arch's Black Thunder mine in northeast Wyoming is the largest coal mine in the nation, and the company has capacity to expand further in the Powder River basin if it can find customers. Coal demand in China and other Asian nations continues to rise. U.S. coal producers say the only limitation to shipping millions of tons of coal across the Pacific Ocean is port capacity. No West Coast port in the U.S. has dedicated coal-handling terminals and equipment, and what limited port capacity exists in Canada has historically been used for exporting Canadian coal used by Asian steel makers. Leer said Tuesday's agreement gives the company immediate access to a booming market. Last week, Arch paid $25 million for 38 percent of a Longview, Wash., shipping terminal being developed to supply coal to Asia as soon as next year. The terminal would ultimately be used to send up to 5 million tons of coal a year to power plant owners in China and other Asian nations. However, that project faces opposition from environmentalists who are challenging a permit to redevelop the site, a former Alcoa aluminum mill. The bulk commodity terminal near Prince Rupert, British Columbia, has been operating since the 1980s. It can load up to 12 million tons of coal per year, and there are expansion plans that could double capacity, Arch said. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

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Remembering Bob Handley, West Virginia wilderness hero
by Frank Young 19 Jan '11

19 Jan '11

I'm sure that some of you knew cave explorer and Wilderness protector extraordinaire Bob Handley. From Mike Costello comes word that Bob passed away this past weekend at age 82. Bob has been on the board of directors of WV Highlands Conservancy for several years. Frank ----- Original Message ----- From: Cindy Rank To: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com ; chey0000(a)hotmail.com Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 4:13 PM Subject: Re: Re: [WVHCBOARD] Fwd: Remembering Bob Handley, West Virginia wilderness hero Donna LeMasters --- chey0000(a)hotmail.com, ... i may have her phone number in my spring review file as well --- will look for it... Also found this link from the April 2006 (?) issue of the Voice that had Bob on front page: http://www.leaveitwild.org/news/newsletter/issue/2006-07/wilderness_hero Cindy R. ________________________________ On Jan 19, 2011, Hugh Rogers <hugh.rogers(a)gmail.com> wrote: Does anyone know how to get in touch with Bob's friend Donna? And recall her last name? She had let us know that Bob had moved to his brother's place when he got too weak to stay at home, but I don't have that email now. Hugh On 1/19/11, George Beetham Jr. <geobeet(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > > In addition to his dry, wry sense of humor, I recall that when we were > scouting around for a place to eat dinner in Lewisburg a couple of years ago > he nixed one of the potential venues because they required a tie and jacket. > > > > > > > > > > > To: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com > CC: Johnmc ferrin(a)aol.com > From: cdellis(a)wildblue.net > Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 12:03:58 -0500 > Subject: Re: [WVHCBOARD] Fwd: Remembering Bob Handley, West Virginia > wilderness hero > > > > > > > > That is too bad. I had only had a few chances to talk with him. Last time > we talked he told me that his father/uncle??? was Charley Handley...of > Handley Wildlife Management Area and other fame. Such a web of connection > and recollection for all of us... > ~Cindy Ellis > > > On Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 9:54 AM, Hugh Rogers <hugh.rogers(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > John: You probably have additional info about Bob Handley in your > fil es---or in those articles from last year about his long-ago caving > exploits. Mike's note below mourns him from the perspective of the > Wilderness Coalition, more good stuff he did in more recent years that > could be included in a remembrance. He was such a character. I'm going > to miss him at every board meeting. > > Hugh > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Mike Costello <michael.costello(a)wvwild.org> > Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 12:06:52 -0500 > Subject: Remembering Bob Handley, West Virginia wilderness hero > To: Mike Costello <michael.costello(a)wvwild.org> > > "The forest gives us an opportunity to connect with our ancestors and others > who have loved this lan d before us." Bob Handley, 2007 > > It is with great sadness that we begin this week remembering dedicated > activist and outdoorsman, Bob Handley, who passed away this weekend at age > 82. > > Bob will be remembered for many accomplishments throughout his lifetime. > Some will remember him as an avid caver, who discovered numerous underground > passages and became the first West Virginian to receive the National > Speleological Society's prestigious Lew Bicking Award. Others will remember > Bob for becoming the oldest person ever to rappel from the New River Gorge > Bridge in 2006, when he accomplished the feat alongside his son, Todd, and > his granddaughter, Meghan, who was then the youngest rappeller at age 14. > > Those of us at the West Virginia Wilderness Coalition will remember Bob's > perseverance as an advocate for protection of wild lands across the southern > Monongahe la National Forest. Bob took great pride in his pursuits, and was > instrumental in establishing Spice Run and Big Draft, the very first > Wilderness areas in the Greenbrier River Watershed. For his service with > the Wilderness Coalition, Bob was recognized as a Wilderness Hero by the > Campaign for America's Wilderness in July of 2006. > > In his role as a volunteer, Bob was especially proud of his efforts to > persuade U.S. Representative Nick Rahall to join him on a hike through the > then-proposed Big Draft Wilderness Area. Congressman Rahall accepted Bob's > invitation, and Big Draft Wilderness, Bob's favorite area of the National > Forest, was later included in the historic Wild Monongahela Act. > > Bob was an inspiration to all of us who have worked to protect the Mon > Forest, and his legacy will continue to motivate those who were fortunate > enough to know him. As we carry on with our efforts, we must appreciate the > impact Bob had on our lives, both personally and professionally, and we can > only hope to embody his dedication to preserving our last remaining wild > places. > > West Virginia's forests, rivers and caves have lost a true friend, a devoted > guardian who will be greatly missed. > > Mike Costello > Campaign Coordinator > > West Virginia Wilderness Coalition > office: 304-497-2836* > mobile: 304.437.1082 > fax: 888.671.2140 > > *Note new office number > > > > -- > > Cynthia D. Ellis > RR 1 Box 163 > Red House, WV 25168 > 304 586-4135 > cdellis(a)wildblue.net > > "We know now, from brain science, that seeing is not a direct register of > what meets our eyes but a fast mental con struction that squares sensations > with memory and desire: what we believe and wish reality to be." ~Peter > Schjeldahl > > > > > > > > __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (10) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources MARKETPLACE Get great advice about dogs and cats. Visit the Dog & Cat Answers Center. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stay on top of your group activity without leaving the page you're on - Get the Yahoo! Toolbar now. Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Interesting SC blog post
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 19 Jan '11

19 Jan '11

Lot's of familiar people mentioned in this SC blog posting: http://sierraclub.typepad.com/scrapbook/2011/01/permit-nixed-for-huge-west-… -Jonathan

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Wednesday, January 19th- WVEC’s annual “Legislative Kick Off Blast” Benefit
by Frank Young 17 Jan '11

17 Jan '11

BlankWednesday, January 19th: WV Environmental Council's annual “Legislative Kick Off Blast” Benefit. WVEC office, 2206 Washington Street East, Charleston. From 7:00 PM – 10:30 PM. Live music, refreshments, 2011 Lobby team, great friends! Donation: $5 or whatever you can afford. Proceeds go in support of WVEC lobbying efforts.

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Fw: "Impacts of Coal" rally in Charleston onThursday
by Frank Young 17 Jan '11

17 Jan '11

**PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY** "Impacts of Coal" Rally Thursday, Jan 20 1:30pm Meet at Laidley Field Parking Area (1549 Piedmont Road at Elizabeth St, Charleston) Acting Governor Tomblin is hosting a "Rally for Coal" at the state capitol on Thursday to show his opposition to the EPA's veto of the Spruce No 1 mountaintop removal mine. The governor has announced that the purpose of his rally is to "show the EPA how coal impacts our lives, and the lives of our fellow countrymen.” So let's go and remind the governor of coal's impact — slurry injections, blasting, poisoned water, destruction of our communities, cancer and death. The EPA finally did its job and now it is under attack by our own state government. The governor does not speak for us. He speaks for the coal industry. We must show our support for the EPA's decision and make our voices heard. Please show up, bring your friends, bring a camera and bring signs, photos and any other visuals that illustrate the devastation that coal has wrought in our region. We will gather at the bus shelter at Laidley Field and leave at 1:30 to walk together to the capitol, near the acting governor's rally. IMPORTANT: * This is a non-violent event; we intend to demonstrate in a peaceful and respectful manner. * Please do not engage with pro-coal demonstrators, regardless of how they react to us. * Do not bring anything that could be construed as a weapon, including signs with wooden poles * Take responsibility for the safety of the people standing next to you __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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Fw: [wvec-board] Fwd: "Impacts of Coal" rally in Charleston on Thursday
by Frank Young 17 Jan '11

17 Jan '11

**PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY** "Impacts of Coal" Rally Thursday, Jan 20 1:30pm Meet at Laidley Field Parking Area (1549 Piedmont Road at Elizabeth St, Charleston) Acting Governor Tomblin is hosting a "Rally for Coal" at the state capitol on Thursday to show his opposition to the EPA's veto of the Spruce No 1 mountaintop removal mine. The governor has announced that the purpose of his rally is to "show the EPA how coal impacts our lives, and the lives of our fellow countrymen.” So let's go and remind the governor of coal's impact — slurry injections, blasting, poisoned water, destruction of our communities, cancer and death. The EPA finally did its job and now it is under attack by our own state government. The governor does not speak for us. He speaks for the coal industry. We must show our support for the EPA's decision and make our voices heard. Please show up, bring your friends, bring a camera and bring signs, photos and any other visuals that illustrate the devastation that coal has wrought in our region. We will gather at the bus shelter at Laidley Field and leave at 1:30 to walk together to the capitol, near the acting governor's rally. IMPORTANT: * This is a non-violent event; we intend to demonstrate in a peaceful and respectful manner. * Please do not engage with pro-coal demonstrators, regardless of how they react to us. * Do not bring anything that could be construed as a weapon, including signs with wooden poles * Take responsibility for the safety of the people standing next to you __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Fwd: Solar jobs leaving US
by James Kotcon 17 Jan '11

17 Jan '11

China is subsidizing solar panel manufacturing to the point where even local companies are leaving the US and starting joint ventures in China. This really needs to be a big issue with our state and federal leaders. I don't necessarily want to play the "China" card all the time, but this is happening and we need to let politicians know about it. Jim Kotcon >>> Mike Harman <mph1946(a)gmail.com> 1/15/2011 9:29 PM >>> Latest news re-economics of solar manufacturing: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/15/business/energy-environment/15solar.html?…

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Re: [EC] USGS - Water Resources and Gas production
by fmoose39＠hotmail.com 16 Jan '11

16 Jan '11

Yes he has done a lot of work in this field. sent from my AT&T Smartphone by HTC ----- Reply message ----- From: "Jonathan Rosenbaum" <freesource(a)cheat.org> Date: Sun, Jan 16, 2011 9:45 pm Subject: [EC] USGS - Water Resources and Gas production To: "Energy Committee" <ec(a)osenergy.org>, "Chuck Wyrostok" <wyro(a)appalight.com>, "Nicole Good" <nnncole(a)yahoo.com> http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3032/pdf/FS2009-3032.pdf Is this our Dan Soeder from outings, because he co-wrote it? An interesting document. -Jonathan _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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USGS - Water Resources and Gas production
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 16 Jan '11

16 Jan '11

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3032/pdf/FS2009-3032.pdf Is this our Dan Soeder from outings, because he co-wrote it? An interesting document. -Jonathan

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EPA Water Administrator resigns post-Spruce
by Jim Sconyers 15 Jan '11

15 Jan '11

Interesting coincidence? EPA head of water programs resigns the day after announcing denial of the Spruce MTR permit. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: "dfvet(a)aol.com" <dfvet(a)aol.com> To: jkotcon(a)wvu.edu; wyro(a)appalight.com; fmoose39(a)hotmail.com; karen.grubb(a)fairmontstate.edu; jim_scon(a)yahoo.com; blittle(a)citynet.net; heatherheilman(a)yahoo.com; nicolegood.wv(a)gmail.com; sallywilts(a)yahoo.com; bhaddaka(a)gmail.com; paynestake(a)frontier.com; freesource(a)cheat.org Sent: Fri, January 14, 2011 10:44:54 PM Subject: News of interest- EPA Water Administrator resigns post-Spruce EPA: Water administrator resigns (01/14/2011) * EMAIL THIS STORY * PRINT THIS STORY * READ FULL EDITION * CUSTOMIZE EDITION Advertisement Paul Quinlan, E&E reporter U.S. EPA's top water official, Pete Silva, announced his resignation today. Silva, whom President Obama appointed the assistant administrator for water in July 2009, plans to return to his home and family in California, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a memo to staff. The announcement of Silva's departure comes a day after his office made a controversial decision to revoke the permit of one of the largest mountaintop mines ever proposed in Appalachia (Greenwire, Jan. 13). The decision on the West Virginia mine came as EPA's water office worked on regulations of ash from coal-burning plants and pollution limits for stormwater discharges. The office is also working on clarifying which waterways and wetlands it regulates under the Clean Water Act. "During his tenure, Pete has led a wide range of important actions to help protect the water we drink and safeguard the health of millions of Americans," Jackson wrote. "We have greatly valued his service, and we offer him our deepest thanks as he prepares to embrace new opportunities. We are beginning the search for his successor." Nancy Stoner, who came from the Natural Resources Defense Council to become the deputy assistant administrator for the water office, will serve as acting assistant administrator in Silva's absence. Silva leaves Feb. 12. "Nancy is exceptionally talented and knowledgeable, and I am confident that she will continue to contribute significantly to the office's excellent work in this role," Jackson wrote. Jackson also announced the appointment of Bicky Corman as deputy associate administrator for the Office of Policy and Joel Beauvais as senior adviser in the Office of General Counsel.

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emails/letters to Rahall & Rocke
by Jim Sconyers 14 Jan '11

14 Jan '11

Hi folks - We need to get emails and or letters to Rahall and Rockefeller supporting EPA's recent denial of the Spruce MTR permit. We can use our Convio system to enable members to send email or fax. Would need the introductory email to members telling briefly what happened, why it is good, and how they can help (by clicking to go to next screen). Then would need a sample email or talking points suggesting what they could say. Way it works is then they can click and the msg goes directly to designated recipients - Rahall and Rockefeller in this case. We need someone to take charge of this small project. Can you please? Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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Barbara F. - Legislators are seeking stricter drilling rules
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 14 Jan '11

14 Jan '11

Legislators are seeking stricter drilling rules (http://www.weirtondailytimes.com/page/content.detail/id/557436.html) Barbara F. has introduced HB 2403.

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Fw: Breaking news: EPA vetoes Spruce Mine permit !!
by Jim Sconyers 13 Jan '11

13 Jan '11

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Chuck Wyrostok <wyro(a)appalight.com> To: Jim Sconyers <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> Sent: Thu, January 13, 2011 10:59:14 AM Subject: Breaking news: EPA vetoes Spruce Mine permit !! Wow !! Chuck Wyrostok Sierra Club Outreach Organizer Toll free 877 252 0257 E : wyro(a)appalight.com www.frackcheckwv.net www.marcellus-wv.com ________________________________ From:wvec-board@yahoogroups.com [mailto:wvec-board@yahoogroups.com] On B ehalf Of Daniel Chiotos Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2011 10:39 AM To: build-it-up-wv-participants; wv-yalcoordinators; wvec-board Subject: [wvec-board] B reaking news: E PA vetoes Spruce Mine permit Breaking news: EPA vetoes Spruce Mine permit January 13, 2011 by Ken Ward Jr. Word is just coming down that the U.S. E nvironmental Protection Agency has vetoed the largest single mountaintop removal permit in West Virginia history. The move is part of an Obama administration crackdown aimed at reducing the effects of mountaintop removal coal-mining on the environment and on coalfield communities in Appalachian — impacts that scientists are increasingly finding to be pervasive and irreversible. The final E PA decision document is available here. E PA officials this morning were alerting West Virginia ’s congressional delegation to their action, and undoubtedly preparing for a huge backlash from the mining industry and its friends among coalfield political leaders. In making its decision to veto the U.S. Army Corps of E ngineers’ approval of the 2,300-acre mine proposed for the B lair area of L ogan County , E PA noted that it reviewed more than 50,000 public comments and held a major public hearing in West Virginia . E PA officials said their agency is “acting under the law and using the best science available to protect water quality, wildlife and Appalachian communities who rely on clean waters for drinking, fishing and swimming.” Peter S. Silva, E PA’s assistant administrator for water, said: The proposed Spruce No. 1 Mine would use destructive and unsustainable mining practices that jeopardize the health of Appalachian communities and clean water on which they depend. Coal and coal mining are part of our nation’s energy future, and E PA has worked with companies to design mining operations that adequately protect our nation’s water. We have responsibility under the law to protect water quality and safeguard the people who rely on clean water. The agency also said: EPA’s final determination on the Spruce Mine comes after discussions with the company spanning more than a year failed to produce an agreement that would lead to a significant decrease in impacts to the environment and Appalachian communities. The action prevents the mine from disposing the waste into streams unless the company identifies an alternative mining design that would avoid irreversible damage to water quality and meets the requirements of the law. Despite E PA’s willingness to consider alternatives, Mingo L ogan did not offer any new proposed mining configurations in response to E PA’s Recommended Determination. In addition, E PA argued: EPA believes that companies can design their operations to make them more sustainable and compliant with the law. L ast year, E PA worked closely with a mining company in West Virginia to eliminate nearly 50 percent of their water impacts and reduce contamination while at the same time increasing their coal production. These are the kinds of success stories that can be achieved through collaboration and willingness to reduce the impact on mining pollution on our waters. Those changes helped permanently protect local waters, maximize coal recovery and reduce costs for the operators. Readers will recall that the Obama EPA began looking more closely at the Spruce Mine in September 2009. B ut debate over the proposed operation dates back to the late 1990s, when then-U.S. District Judge Charles H. Haden II issued an injunction that blocked the mine, which then was proposed for more than 3,000 acres. After the Haden ruling, the company reduced the size of its proposal and the operation underwent much more intense scrutiny, in the form of a full-blown E nvironmental Impact Statement by the Corps of E ngineers, which approved the new mining configuration in January 2007. Cheers, Daniel Chiotos 2206 Washington St E . Charleston , WV , 25311 (304)886-3389 {www.seac.org} {http://bit.ly/builditupwvfacebook suggest the B uild It Up, WV Page to your Facebook folks today and help publicize an effort to build healthy economies in the WV Coalfields} __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) R e c e nt Activity: Visit Your Group Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use . __,_._,___

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Fwd: EPA vetoes Spruce Permit!
by Paul Wilson 13 Jan '11

13 Jan '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)prodigy.net> Date: Thu, Jan 13, 2011 at 11:00 AM Subject: EPA vetoes Spruce Permit! To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org EPA vetoes water permit for W.Va. mountaintop mine By VICKI SMITH - Associated Press [image: Bookmark and Share]<http://addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=mianalytics> [image: email this story to a friend] E-MAIL<http://www.bnd.com/2011/01/13/1549733/epa-vetoes-water-permit-for-wva.html?…>[image: print story] PRINT<http://www.bnd.com/2011/01/13/v-print/1549733/epa-vetoes-water-permit-for-w…> TEXT SIZE: MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it is revoking a crucial water permit for West Virginia's largest mountaintop removal mine, formalizing an action it first threatened nine months ago. Assistant Administrator for Water Peter S. Silva said Arch Coal's Spruce No. 1 mine in Logan County would use "destructive and unsustainable" mining practices that jeopardize the health of Appalachian communities and cause irreparable damage to the environment. Arch did not immediately comment. The nearly 2,300- acre operation would bury 7 miles of stream, and EPA ruled it would likely harm downstream water quality. EAP said it was acting within its legal authority revoking a permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2007 and "using the best science" to protect water quality, wildlife and people. "Coal and coal mining are part of our nation's energy future, and EPA has worked with companies to design mining operations that adequately protect our nation's waters," Silva said. "We have a responsibility under the law to protect water quality and safeguard the people who rely on clean water." Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, praised the ruling as "a strong commitment to the law, the science and the principles of environmental justice." National Mining Association President Hal Quinn said EPA's action threatens the certainty of all similar permits that have been issued, "weakening the trust U.S. businesses and workers need to make investments and secure jobs." Spruce No. 1 went through a "robust 10-year review" process, he said, and the project has complied with every permit requirement. St. Louis-based Arch has long argued that killing the project would hurt West Virginia's economy and tax base, and have a chilling effect on the industry. The EPA said this is only the 13th time it has intervened after the corps issued a permit and that it reserves that power "for only unacceptable cases." Online: EPA's final decision on permit: http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/guidance/cwa/dredgdis/404c-index.cfm COMMENTS Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2011/01/13/1549733/epa-vetoes-water-permit-for-wva.html?… - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -- 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: CATF Diesel campaign
by James Kotcon 12 Jan '11

12 Jan '11

I received a call from Jonathon Doster (below) with the Clean Air Task Force asking for our support/endorsement for a Diesel Clean-Up Campaign. After reading over these materials, it is not clear to me what would be involved other than support in principle for the Campaign. However, they are specifically targeting people in Rahall's District because Rahall will be the minority leader for the House Transportation Committee. I noticed that the Sierra club is not listed, nor are other Chapters. Does anyone know why the Club is not on board with this? Is there interest in endorsing this? Jim Kotcon >>> Jonathan Doster <jdoster(a)catf.us> 1/4/2011 5:18 PM >>> Hi Jim, Thanks SO much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with me this afternoon. The insight is invaluable and the Task Force really appreciates it. A few things I wanted to follow-up with you about: 1. Attached is the organizational endorsement packet for our CATF diesel campaign. We'd LOVE to have both the Environmental Council and the Sierra Club sign on officially. We've heard from many a West Virginian that Rep. Rahall really does listen to constituents, and - as you know all too well - the more organizations we have on board, the better. Please take a look and let me know if there is a better person at the Environmental Council I should be speaking with (before the holidays, I'd emailed and called Don Garvin and haven't heard back from him yet). Hopefully we can sign you all up sooner rather than later. 2. I was also hoping you could provide contact information (email and/or phone number would be great) for: - Beth Little - Allen Traddle Again, I can't thank you enough. I'll be in touch in a week or two to figure out these two endorsement questions. -- Jonathan Doster Clean Air Task Force 27 E. Monroe, Suite 1100 Chicago, IL, 60603 312.427.2114 x 206 www.catf.us <http://www.citizenaction-il.org/>

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FW: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] New Worldwatch Report on Synergies Between Renewable Energy and Natural Gas
by Grubb, Karen 12 Jan '11

12 Jan '11

From: National Hydrofracking Team [mailto:ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG] On Behalf Of Bruce Hamilton Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 1:45 PM To: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Subject: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] New Worldwatch Report on Synergies Between Renewable Energy and Natural Gas Not endorsing this, just passing along the fact that it is out there and worth a read. From: Saya Kitasei [mailto:Skitasei@worldwatch.org] Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 7:37 AM To: Saya Kitasei Subject: New Worldwatch Report on Synergies Between Renewable Energy and Natural Gas Dear Friends and Colleagues, I am very pleased to announce that Worldwatch Report 184, Powering the Low-Carbon Economy: The Once and Future Roles of Renewable Energy and Natural Gas, was released last month. This report represents the culmination of the Natural Gas and Sustainable Energy Initiative’s work during 2010. In it, we examine important synergies between renewable energy and natural gas that will allow for reduced dependence on coal, speeding the transition to a low-carbon economy. A link to the report is available on our new Natural Gas and Sustainable Energy Initiative page: http://www.worldwatch.org/natural-gas-sustainable-energy/. Please feel free to email me if you are interested in an electronic copy. In 2011, we look forward to continuing our research on the synergies between renewable energy and natural gas, with an increased focus on international and state-level analysis. Best wishes for the new year, Saya Snow Kitasei Sustainable Energy Fellow Worldwatch Institute 1776 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington, DC 20036 phone: (202) 452-1999 x. 513 fax: (202) 296-7365 www.worldwatch.org/natural-gas-sustainable-energy/<http://www.worldwatch.org/natural-gas-sustainable-energy/> _______________________________________________ You received this message because you are subscribed to the COG mailing list: COG(a)lists.earthworksaction.org To manage your subscription, including viewing the list archive, changing your subscription to or from "daily digest", or removing yourself from the list, visit: http://coglist.earthworksaction.org<http://coglist.earthworksaction.org/> NOTE: Please do NOT address messages to this list using the BCC field. If a message to this list is addressed in the BCC field, it will be trapped, and indefinitely delayed, by the list spam filter until the administrator has time to review it.

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Fw: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] Pennsylvania Governor Bans New Gas Wells on State Land - NYTimes.com
by Jim Sconyers 12 Jan '11

12 Jan '11

Now this is an eye-opener! Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: "Grubb, Karen" <Karen.Grubb(a)fairmontstate.edu> To: Jim Sconyers <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> Sent: Tue, January 11, 2011 6:47:39 PM Subject: FW: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] Pennsylvania Governor Bans New Gas Wells on State Land - NYTimes.com From:National Hydrofracking Team [mailto:ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG] On Behalf Of Jeff Schmidt Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2010 10:12 AM To: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Subject: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] Pennsylvania Governor Bans New Gas Wells on State Land - NYTimes.com http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/pennsylvania-governor-bans-fracki… - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS list, send any message to: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS-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: Hydrofracking Team Call Wed, Jan 12th
by Paul Wilson 12 Jan '11

12 Jan '11

how many WV sierrans are on the Hydrofracking Team? Anybody else going to attend this conf. call tonight?? thx, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Sierra Club Activist Network <community.manager(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Tue, Jan 11, 2011 at 8:57 PM Subject: Hydrofracking Team Call Wed, Jan 12th To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com Paul, you have a group bulletin from *Hydrofracking Team<http://connect.sierraclub.org/Team/Hydrofracking_Team> *. *Visit Hydrofracking Team.<http://connect.sierraclub.org/Team/Hydrofracking_Team> * Message: Hi Fracktivists! Our news list has continued to grow over the holidays. We now have 3 Arkansans, 4 Colorodons ?, 6 ! Marylandians, 5 Michiganites, 4 North Carolinians, 4 Oklahomans, 6 Virginians, 2 each from Tennesee and NJ, as well as individuals from OH, MN, NM, and KY... and a TON of New Yorkers and Pennsylvanians. As we approach critical mass, I'd like define some goals for the next few months. 8pm ET Wednesday, Jan 12th Hydrofracking Team call Call number: 1 (866) 501-6174 Access Code: 900 367 87 337 # Agenda 1. 5 minutes - Gasland House Parties are here! -Jess and Sophie provide an update. 2. 20 minutes- Local actions for house parties and beyond. Is there text available for PA (Tom Au) and CO (Gopa Ross)? Any other areas wanting to see some activity on their issue please draft text for an action alert ASAP. For an example see the Frac Act alert: http://action.sierraclub.org/frac/. Based on the email from Alison Vicks today Arkansas, Tennessee, NY/PA/NJ/MD (DRBC), West Virginia, Idaho, and Ohio all have potential alerts. Who will try their hand at writing one? 3. 20 minutes- The Frac Act needs to be proposed this year- any updates from the sponsors? The members of the Natural Gas Caucus seem to me like an obvious place to focus our educational efforts. I'd like to hear from activists in the caucus members districts. Info follows. There was a letter from the Natural Gas Caucus *** http://naturalgascaucus.murphy.house.gov/ * to Ken Salazar, Dept of Interior asking the dept to "refrain from placing any new regulatory burdens on natural gas exploration and production today." The primary goals of the Caucus are: 1. The promotion of responsible exploration and development of natural gas; 2. Pushing legislation and a regulatory environment that encourages the production, transmission, distribution, and use of natural gas; 3. Exploring responsible ways to expand the use of natural gas - Chemical, manufacturing, transportation, and energy as it fits in a portfolio of energy resources; 4. And matching supply and demand to create a secure and stable environment for producers and users. ** *Members of the Caucus:* * * *Rep. Tim Murphy (PA)* - Co-Chair Rep. Dan Boren (OK) - Co-Chair Jason Altmire *- PA* *Spencer Bachus **- AL* *Rob Bishop - UT* *Marsha Blackburn - TN* *John Boozman - AR* *Kevin Brady - TX* *Henry Brown - SC* *Dan Burton - IN* *Dave Camp - MI* *Shelley Moore Capito - WV* Chris Carney - PA Bill Cassidy - LA *Jason Chaffetz - UT* Ben Chandler *- *KY *Howard Coble **- NC* *Mike Coffman **- CO* *Tom Cole **- OK* *Michael Conaway **- TX* Jim Costa *- *CA Mark Critz *-* PA Henry Cuellar *-* TX Lincoln Davis *-* TN Diana DeGette *- *CO Kathleen Dahlkemper *-* PA William Delahunt *- * MA Mike Doyle *- *PA *Jo Ann Emerson **- MO* *Mary Fallin **- OK* *John Fleming **- LA * *Virginia Foxx **- NC* Charles Gonzalez *-* TX *Jim Gerlach **- PA* *Bob Goodlatte **- VA* Bart Gordon *- *TN Gene Green *- * TX *Ralph Hall **- TX* *Greg Harper **- MS* *Wally Herger **- CA* Steve Kagen *- *WI *Steve King **- IA* *Doug Lamborn **- CO* John Larson *- *CT *Robert Latta **- OH* *Christopher Lee **- NY * *Frank Lucas **- OK* Ben Ray Lujan *-* NM *Cynthia Lummis **- WY* *Thaddeus McCotter **- MI* Betsy Markey *-* CO Jim Matheson *-* UT *Patrick McHenry **- NC* Charlie Melancon *-* LA Alan Mollohan *- *WV Jim Moran *- *VA Patrick Murphy *-* PA *Sue Myrick **- NC* Ed Perlmutter *- *CO *Joe Pitts **- PA* *Denny Rehberg **- MT* *Harold Rogers **- KY* *Mike Rogers **- MI* Ciro Rodriguez *-* TX *Peter Roskam **- IL* Mike Ross *-* AR Tim Ryan *- *OH John Salazar *- *CO Joe Sestak *-* PA *Aaron Schock **- IL* *John Shadegg **- AZ* Heath Shuler *-*NC *Bill Shuster **- PA* *Vic Snyder **- AR* *John Sullivan **- OK* John Tanner *- *TN Harry Teague *-* NM *Lee Terry **- NE* Bennie Thompson *-*MS *Glenn Thompson **- PA* *Todd Tiahrt** **- KS* *Fred Upton **- MI* *Joe Wilson **- SC* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To ------------------------------ *Visit Hydrofracking Team.<http://connect.sierraclub.org/Team/Hydrofracking_Team> * ------------------------------ Reply? Or other thoughts? If you have questions about the bulletin CONTENT, please visit the group's page and leave a comment<http://connect.sierraclub.org/Team/Hydrofracking_Team>, or contact the group owner. *Technical Issues?* Please reply to this message (or email community.manager(a)sierraclub.org) if you have questions or problems with the bulletin itself. If you want to stop getting email, you can either leave (unjoin) or set your email preferences<http://connect.sierraclub.org/editor/app/group/managegroupmembership.aspx?O…> . -- 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: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] "EPA: Chesapeake Energy illegally buried W.Va.streams" -- WVGazette, SustainedOutrageBlog (Nov. 23, 2010)
by Jim Sconyers 12 Jan '11

12 Jan '11

This is the same Chesapeake that is touted by Mike Ross and others as such a good responsible gas developer. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: "Grubb, Karen" <Karen.Grubb(a)fairmontstate.edu> To: James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu>; Jim Sconyers <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com>; Kevin Fooce <fmoose39(a)hotmail.com>; BethLittle <blittle(a)citynet.net>; Heather Heilman <heatherheilman(a)yahoo.com>; Nicole Good <nnncole(a)yahoo.com> Sent: Tue, January 11, 2011 6:23:34 PM Subject: FW: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] "EPA: Chesapeake Energy illegally buried W.Va.streams" -- WVGazette, SustainedOutrageBlog (Nov. 23, 2010) I’ve got some old emails to go through. Again, if you already get these, let me know. From:National Hydrofracking Team [mailto:ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG] On Behalf Of Jeff Schmidt Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 11:01 AM To: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Subject: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] "EPA: Chesapeake Energy illegally buried W.Va.streams" -- WVGazette, SustainedOutrageBlog (Nov. 23, 2010) EPA: Chesapeake illegally buried W.Va. streams November 23, 2010 by Ken Ward Jr. http://blogs.wvgazette.com/watchdog/2010/11/23/epa-chesapeake-illegally-bur… Here’s a new gas drilling story from Vicki Smith over at The Associated Press: The Environmental Protection Agency says a subsidiary of Chesapeake Energy has promised to restore four northern West Virginia streams it filled illegally while building roads and laying pipeline for Marcellus shale gas drilling projects. EPA spokeswoman Donna Heron confirmed Monday that federal inspectors cited Chesapeake Appalachia LLC after four site visits this fall in Wetzel and Marshall counties. In one case, inspectors found that Blake Fork stream and a picturesque waterfall near New Martinsville had been completely filled with gravel for a road. Ed Wade, who took before and after photographs of the 20-foot wide stream, said many people used to visit the waterfall because of its beauty. “I don’t know if there was a miscommunication about where the road should go or what,” he said, “but they just took their dozers and ripped it out.” Blake Fork and three other streams affected by Chesapeake’s drilling activities are tributaries of Fish Creek, which flows into the Ohio River. Chesapeake spokesman Matt Sheppard said the company is working with EPA on what he called “isolated issues concerning earth-moving activity.” “As this matter is currently undergoing federal regulatory review, it would be inappropriate to offer public comment at this time,” he wrote in an e-mail, adding that Chesapeake is committed to responsible natural gas development. Heron said Chesapeake has indicated it will abide by the EPA’s administrative compliance orders, which were issued in October and earlier this month. Chesapeake is among dozens of companies rushing to tap the Marcellus shale field, a vast, mile-deep natural gas reserve underlying most of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and portions of Ohio. It is believed to hold trillions of cubic feet of gas, but breaking it free from the rock requires horizontal drilling and water-intensive hydraulic fracturing technologies. How to better monitor the industry is a growing concern among environmentalists and property owners, who are looking to lawmakers for help preventing problems with water pollution, erosion and road destruction, among other things. The compliance orders say some of Chesapeake’s violations in Wetzel and Marshall counties date to 2007. Chesapeake was cited for illegally filling in Laurel Run near Cameron between January 2007 and December 2009. The filling of Blake Fork began in January 2008, the administrative orders show. Violations on Lynn Camp Run and Middle Fork Lynn Camp Run, both near New Martinsville, began in January 2010, the EPA said. The Middle Fork project involved not only construction of a well pad but also the installation of buried pipeline. The EPA says all four projects were done without a legally required permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The compliance orders require Chesapeake to remove the fill and restore the streams and wetlands “to pre-disturbance conditions.” Wade, a 40-year-old boilermaker, said it took several years to get state and federal regulators to adequately respond to his complaint about Blake Fork. “How are they going to put the waterfall back?” he wonders now. Wade is also skeptical Chesapeake will change its ways. “If someone’s watching them, they do right. It’s like a little kid: If they can get away with it, they’re going to,” he said. ” … They don’t care. It’s all about their bottom line.” Vicki’s story comes after a blog item from the Natural Resources Defense Council, following up on a report by the CBS show 60 Minutes: Last Sunday night, CBS’s 60 Minutes aired a report on natural gas production in America, including concerns about the environmental impacts. Interviewed on the program was Aubrey McClendon, the CEO of Chesapeake Energy, one of the country’s largest producers of natural gas and widely considered a leader in the field. Yet recent – and as of yet unreported – findings by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reveal that Chesapeake is also a company that violated the Clean Water Act four times in one county in West Virginia. In October and November 2010, EPA initiated four Clean Water Act enforcement actions against Chesapeake Energy. Through field investigations, EPA documented illegal discharges of dredge and fill material at several Chesapeake drilling sites in Wetzel County. It appears that the company built access roads for giant trucks directly through a stream without the permits required under section 404 of the Clean Water Act. We thank EPA for investigating activities in this remote corner of Appalachia. Here’s the 60 Minutes piece: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7054210n --------- EPA cites Chesapeake for illegally filling streams By wire reports Wednesday, November 24, 2010 http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_710746.html The Environmental Protection Agency said a subsidiary of Chesapeake Energy Corp. has promised to restore four northern West Virginia streams it filled illegally while building roads and laying pipeline for Marcellus shale gas drilling projects. EPA spokeswoman Donna Heron said federal inspectors cited Chesapeake after four site visits this fall in Wetzel and Marshall counties. In one case, inspectors found that Blake Fork stream and a picturesque waterfall near New Martinsville had been completely filled with gravel for a road. Chesapeake spokesman Matt Sheppard said the company is working with EPA on what he called "isolated issues concerning earth-moving activity." ________________________________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS list, send any message to: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fw: [Charleston Newspapers] Article - Drilling reforms expected to get legislative attention
by Frank Young 08 Jan '11

08 Jan '11

Industry representatives, while not ecstatic, seem resigned that there are going to be at least some regulations and permitting process changes relating to shale gas drilling.- Frank ----- Original Message ----- From: articles(a)cnpapers.com To: frankly(a)mtparty.org Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2011 6:21 PM Subject: [Charleston Newspapers] Article - Drilling reforms expected to get legislative attention fyoung(a)mountain.net sent you this article ----- January 8, 2011 Drilling reforms expected to get legislative attention By Ken Ward Jr. The Charleston Gazette Oil and gas lobbyists and environmental groups are both offering cautious reactions to a Department of Environmental Protection proposal for a wholesale rewrite of the way West Virginia regulates drilling operations across the state. Read more -----

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Re: [EC] PATH Case has been tolled
by James Kotcon 08 Jan '11

08 Jan '11

My suggestion is to re-introduce the PSDC Reform bill from last year. A number of those features, such as consideration of indirect impacts or consideration of energy efficiency alternatives, would still make a very useful contribution. If a media campaign were timed with the introduction of such a bill, it could generate some significant publicity. It is not clear how that would apply in this case, as the PATH tolling puts the deadline for introduction of their "final" textimony well after the end of the session, but I think that the Legislatuure is one arena where we can put some pressure on PATH. We should talk about this in the near future. JBK >>> "Frank Young" 01/07/11 9:00 PM >>> What kind of a "lobbying effort" do you mean, Jim? WV Highlands Conservancy still has about $ 3,000 of funds that were provided specifically for StopPATH related advertising. There has been a lot of StopPATH advertising in the eastern panhandle, but virtually none outside that region, as far as I know. The eastern panhandle media outlets reach west over to about Tucker County. Cindy Rank and I have control of these available funds. We would like for these funds for StopPATH advertising used in the Buckhannon-Weston and/or Charleston area media markets. We already have the print media and radio & TV media spots produced. Those were produced last year with grants from NTHP (National Trust for Historic Preservation) and Sierra Club. And so the "credits" roll at the end of the videos and on the print media ads give credit to, among others, Sierra Club for producing / airing these ads. The funds we have can be used entirely for air time and/or print media space. But we need someone who knows something about media advertising to coordinate having these ads aired and/or printed in the media markets I indicate above. Having someone knowledgeable about media advertising could help us get the most air time / print space for the $$$$ available. Frank Young ----- Original Message ----- From: "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> To: <EC(a)osenergy.org> Sent: Friday, January 07, 2011 6:23 PM Subject: [EC] Fwd: [WVaPATH] Case has been tolled > The link below takes you to the 12-page order, but suffice it to say that the PSC has extended the Schedule for the PATH case again. > > PATH will have until March 31 to file additional data on its case, including revised electricity demands and reliability forecasts based on upgrades to other lines. They must also file a complete set of data, including all previous testimony, revisions, substitutions, additions and deletions, to assist intervenors in unraveling this increasingly complex case. > > Intervenors (that's us) must file motions for "discovery" on the supplemental PATH testimony by July 22, and must file our new "Direct" testimony by Aug. 11. After several rounds or responses, rebuttals and more discovery, the evidentiary hearings are scheduled from Oct. 11-26. > > The PSC's final decision on the applications is due by Feb. 9, 2012. > > > We should be thinking about any additional testimony we might need by Aug. 11, as well as how to continue the lobbying effort on this campaign. > > JBK > > >>>> Eric Burleyson <eric(a)riversdell.com> 1/7/2011 5:39 PM >>> > > Did not get my PSC email yet, but a new order is up on the PSC site: > http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI… > > > > _______________________________________________ > EC mailing list > EC(a)osenergy.org > http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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PSC's New Procedural Schedule in PATH Case
by Frank Young 08 Jan '11

08 Jan '11

WordPress.com PSC's New Procedural Schedule in PATH Case Bill | January 8, 2011 at 3:10 pm | Tags: Citizen Action, WV PSC | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/piwFb-1ao According to the January 7, 2011 revision, the PSC set the following new deadlines for the PATH case procedural schedule: a.. Applicants file supplemental testimony on issue of electrical need and any other issues requiring supplementation. Noon, Thursday, March 31, 2011 b.. Deadline for propounding discovery on supplemental testimony due March 31, 2011. Noon, Friday, July 22, 2011 c.. Staffs and Intervenors' prepared direct testimony and rebuttal to the direct testimony of Applicants. Noon, Thursday, August 11, 2011 d.. Deadline for propounding discovery in response to testimony due August 11, 2011. Noon, Wednesday, August 24, 2011 e.. Applicants' rebuttal testimony to the direct testimony for Staff and Intervenors, and Staff and Intervenor rebuttal testimony to the direct testimony of one another. Noon, Friday, September 9, 2011 f.. Deadline for propounding discovery in response to the rebuttal testimony due September 9, 2011. Noon, Wednesday, September 21, 2011 g.. Written opening statements. Noon, Wednesday, October 5, 2011 h.. Evidentiary hearing begins. Noon, Tuesday, October 11, 2011 i.. Evidentiary hearing ends. Noon, Wednesday, October 26, 2011 j.. Initial briefs and proposed orders. Noon, Tuesday, November 22, 2011 k.. Reply briefs. Noon, Thursday, December 8, 2011 l.. Deadline for Commission decision. Thursday, February 9, 2012 Intervenors can get other important information about participating effectively in the case here. WordPress.com | Thanks for flying with WordPress! Manage Subscriptions | Unsubscribe | Publish text, photos, music, and videos by email using our Post by Email feature. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://subscribe.wordpress.com

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Fwd: [WVaPATH] Case has been tolled
by James Kotcon 07 Jan '11

07 Jan '11

The link below takes you to the 12-page order, but suffice it to say that the PSC has extended the Schedule for the PATH case again. PATH will have until March 31 to file additional data on its case, including revised electricity demands and reliability forecasts based on upgrades to other lines. They must also file a complete set of data, including all previous testimony, revisions, substitutions, additions and deletions, to assist intervenors in unraveling this increasingly complex case. Intervenors (that's us) must file motions for "discovery" on the supplemental PATH testimony by July 22, and must file our new "Direct" testimony by Aug. 11. After several rounds or responses, rebuttals and more discovery, the evidentiary hearings are scheduled from Oct. 11-26. The PSC's final decision on the applications is due by Feb. 9, 2012. We should be thinking about any additional testimony we might need by Aug. 11, as well as how to continue the lobbying effort on this campaign. JBK >>> Eric Burleyson <eric(a)riversdell.com> 1/7/2011 5:39 PM >>> Did not get my PSC email yet, but a new order is up on the PSC site: http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/WebDocket/ViewDocument.cfm?CaseActivityI…

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Fwd: Sustainability in West Virginia: Spurring Economic Investment and Creating Jobs
by Paul Wilson 07 Jan '11

07 Jan '11

Anybody else get this stuff? paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Sen. Jay Rockefeller (Rockefeller) < Sen.Jay_Rockefeller(a)rockefeller.senate.gov> Date: Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 4:39 PM Subject: Sustainability in West Virginia: Spurring Economic Investment and Creating Jobs To: Dear Friend, Last fall, I was excited to deliver remarks at the West Virginia Sustainability Summit, which was sponsored by the Discover the Real West Virginia Foundation in partnership with the Center for Economic Options. This was an incredible opportunity to highlight examples of how some of our West Virginia businesses are already employing sustainable practices and how we can use similar methods in the future. During these tough economic times, we all realize the importance of innovation and creative thinking about the expansion of our core industries. Forums like this one help us multiply our power to spur economic investment and create jobs. Sustainability is being employed across industries – from construction and agriculture, to innovations in manufacturing and exporting. These industries have learned through experience that employing sustainable practices can increase businesses’ bottom lines and create jobs as part and parcel of improving the environment for future generations. The Summit was an important discussion about how to use sustainable practices to preserve our existing industries and jobs, protect our environment and most importantly, grow our state’s economy and create new jobs. This is an area that I will continue to focus on and I look forward to working with you through the coming year. Please find below my remarks from the West Virginia Sustainability Summit. All the best, Jay *West Virginia Sustainability Summit* *Remarks* * * Thank you, President Clements, for that kind introduction. Thank you Mark for the work that you do to improve West Virginia’s economic future; and thank you to all of our guests and panelists for being a part of this important Summit – especially the man you will hear from next, Neil Hawkins. Neil – I am very happy that you are here and look forward to your remarks. I also want to thank the event sponsors, the Discover the Real West Virginia Foundation and the Center for Economic Options for hosting this event. And, thanks to Pam Curry for all of your help organizing – sometimes that is a thankless job – so thank you. We’re here to re-ignite a dialogue on sustainability and what it means to our state businesses, our residents, and our future. * * So, what does sustainability really mean? I think the best way to explain it is to give some examples of how some of our West Virginia businesses are already employing sustainable practices. We see sustainability in local restaurants’ commitment to buy from WV farmers and purchase from other state vendors. We see sustainability at Toyota’s Buffalo, W.Va. facility in their environmental management system (EMS). EMS remains a zero landfill contributor — reusing or recycling materials that otherwise would have been sent to landfills. Toyota is finding ways to reduce waste, water usage, greenhouse gas emissions, hazardous materials usage and wastewater discharge – and that is great. And, we see sustainability with energy companies like Dow and AEP who are working to sustain West Virginia’s and our nation’s energy future by working to lower our carbon footprint and find ways to expand sustainable energy technology. At Dow West Virginia Operation’s South Charleston facility, the company has been working to reduce energy, water use, waste generation, and has increased the facility’s land and habitat conservation. Sustainability is a word that is that is often used in various ways by many different groups and organizations. But at its broad base sustainability is about doing things and using products that are more environmentally friendly than they are currently done. * * I firmly believe that if we play our cards right, our state, which has been an energy producing state for generations, is poised to provide the single most important energy – and sustainability – innovation for the twenty-first century -- which is truly *clean* coal technology. New technologies already in place have allowed us to nearly triple coal’s use over the past 30 years, while vastly reducing air emissions for pollutants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury. The question is not: should we try to address climate change? The question must be: what tools can we develop to improve our economy, secure coal’s future, and reduce emissions for our environment and the health of our families? The best answer, I think, lies broadly in “CCS” –carbon capture and storage. I fought very hard to have $3.4 billion included in the Recovery Act for CCS, and Senator Voinovich of Ohio and I have worked together over the past year to write bipartisan legislation which lays out a bold roadmap for CCS. Some have argued that transitioning to a sustainable economy means shifting away from West Virginia’s historic industries and towards new ‘green jobs’ that may or may not be there. This is not the case. CCS shows that we can make important strides in sustainability that encourage and build upon the important industries that we already have. I believe that CCS is just one piece – but a very important piece of West Virginia’s future in sustainable industry. * * But we’re not just talking about energy. Sustainability is being employed by all of our panelists here in every industry – from construction to agriculture, and from innovation to manufacturing and exporting. We have learned through example that employing sustainable practices can increase our businesses’ bottom lines and in turn can simultaneously create jobs and improve the environment for future generations. During these tough economic times, we all realize the importance of innovation and creative thinking about the expansion of our core industries. Ideas are the best things we have – and conversations like these only help us multiply our power to spur economic investment and expand business. We are here to explore ways to build upon the industries we have today and be a creator of industries of the future. * * Now, we all recognize that sustainability requires a partnership – at the local level – and a partnership between government and private industry. I was proud that much of last year’s Recovery Act went toward emerging sustainability projects and training our workforce in sustainability fields. The Recovery Act gave: - *$13.1 million* to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in West Virginia under the DOE’s State Energy Program. That money is going toward a statewide plan that prioritizes energy savings, creates jobs, increases the use of renewable energy, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. - *$14 million* for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program – providing formula grants for projects that reduce total energy use and fossil fuel emissions, and improve energy efficiency across West Virginia. - *$15 million* to our state’s weatherization program which helps reduce the utility bills for our most vulnerable residents while providing needed jobs to West Virginians. - *$6 million* for West Virginia GREEN-UP which educates and trains workers for jobs in the new and emerging green energy sector and promotes green jobs entrepreneurship. And that’s just the beginning. * * The Recovery Act also gave much-needed resources to our research institutions – including West Virginia University and the National Energy Technology Lab (NETL) here in North Central West Virginia. Morgantown’s National Energy Technology Lab and NETL’s Regional University Alliance recently received $40 million to accelerate the development and deployment of industrial (CCS) technology. In addition, they’re working on some truly amazing and groundbreaking research, including a hydrogen fueling station at Yeager airport which is producing Hydrogen from water with coal-fired electricity. This is an example where we are indirectly using West Virginia coal to displace foreign oil in our transportation sector. This will not only reduce tailpipe emissions but also improve our national security. ** * * You’ve heard about some of the larger projects on sustainability, but I know that sustainability also happens every day on smaller scales – in small towns across West Virginia. All ideas about sustainability are important and all efforts to make it work are paving the way for a stronger future. There is great opportunity for sustainability and the development of sustainability practices here in West Virginia – and I know that with minds like yours, and conversations like these, we can help West Virginia lead this developing industry. We need to have a conversation in this state about how to use sustainable practices to: · Preserve our existing industries and jobs; · Protect our environment and; · Most importantly grow our state’s economy and create new jobs. I have no doubt that West Virginians and our businesses can lead the way – and I think today is the start. Thank you. -- 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: AMD Reclamation, Inc. discharges to Dunkard Creek
by James Kotcon 07 Jan '11

07 Jan '11

AMD Reclamation, inc., is Longview's affiliate that was treating water. Originally, they were supposed to treat the water clean enough for Longview to use as cooling water, but instead, they have an expired permit that allows water to discharge with pollutants above water quality standards. While ConSol's discharge appears to be a primary source of the discharges near the headwaters of Dunkard Creek that led to the Golden algae bloom and fish kill in Sept. 2009, the discharges from AMD Reclamation's plant (about five miles above the mouth of Dunkard Creek) appears to be the primary source of pollution that had already killed the lower five miles of Dunkard Creek. Now they are at it again. >>>>> Mine work proceeds though DEP permit status is in question 1/7/2011 3:32 AM By Bob Niedbala, Staff writer niedbala(a)observer-reporter.com AMD Reclamation Inc. is now drilling two boreholes into the Humphrey Mine at Calvin Run in Perry Township to allow it to pump water from the depths of the closed mine to its Shannopin Mine Steele Shaft treatment plant. However, questions about the permitting status of the project, which is being done by AMD to allow mining to continue in the area, are being raised by environmental groups as well as by the federal Office of Surface Mining. The questions were raised in light of a decision made by the state Department of Environmental Protection 10 months ago to revoke a revision to AMD's post-mining permit for the same project. DEP in February agreed to revoke the permit revision after two environmental groups filed an appeal claiming the project would increase pollution in Dunkard Creek and citing DEP's failure to provide public notice of the permit revision application. DEP also agreed at that time to pay $20,000 in legal fees to Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture), which appealed the revision along with Friends of Dunkard Creek. Though no application has been filed with DEP for another revision to AMD's post-mining permit for the Calvin Run project, construction of the line and drilling of the boreholes are now under way. "It's a slap in the face," said Kurt Weist, PennFuture senior attorney. "Somebody's gaming the system." The groups originally challenged the revision partly because the public should be able to review and comment on what DEP is doing, said Jim O'Connell, treasurer of Friends of Dunkard Creek. "It is very disappointing that after they have been ordered to cease operations (with the revocation of the permit revision), suddenly the work starts again," he said. Members of Friends of Dunkard Creek and PennFuture contacted state and federal regulatory agencies after noticing work being done at the Calvin Run site Dec. 23. After receiving the "citizen's complaint," the Office of Surface Mining issued a 10-day notice to DEP Dec. 29 requesting detailed information on the permitting status of the project, Chris Holmes, OSM spokesman, said. DEP will have until Jan. 13 to respond to the notice, he said. OSM has not ordered the work to be halted. "We will respond appropriately when we receive the information from Pa. DEP," Holmes said. DEP issued a statement saying only that it is preparing a response to the notice. "There are legal issues involved in this that make it inappropriate for us to comment further," said Katy Gresh, DEP spokeswoman. AMD also is now working with DEP to prepare the response, said Charles Huguenard, AMD vice president. He maintained, however, that the company had followed the guidance of DEP in permitting the project. "We feel we have done everything we were advised to do," Huguenard said. "DEP told us, 'Here is what you need to do' ... we just followed their guidance." Huguenard said the company received a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit for the Calvin Run project from the Greene County Conservation District. Lisa Snider, manager of the conservation district, said the district, however, issued a standard NPDES permit for "surface construction activities only." The conservation district does not issue permits related to mining or water withdrawal associated with mining activities, she said. Those permits are issued by DEP. The Steele Shaft plant was constructed by AMD in 2003 with the help of state funding to treat polluted water from the abandoned Shannopin Mine. Acidic water in the mine had reached a level at which it could breach the surface and pollute Dunkard Creek. The project also allowed Dana Mining Co., a company affiliated with AMD, to mine Sewickley seam coal above the deeper Pittsburgh seam previously mined by Shannopin. As Dana's mining activities continued to move west, the company also needed to lower the pool of the adjacent Humphrey Mine. In 2005, DEP granted an informal permit revision to AMD allowing it to pump water from the Humphrey mine pool to Shannopin and to treat it at Steele Shaft. AMD also was granted a permit revision in November 2009 to drill two boreholes at Calvin Run and construct a pipeline to pump additional water from Humphrey to Steele Shaft, a revision DEP revoked in February after the appeal was filed. PennFuture and Friends of Dunkard Creek opposed the permit revision, saying the project would only allow AMD to discharge additional polluted water high in total dissolved solids into Dunkard Creek. The Steele Shaft plant cannot treat total dissolved solids and was originally issued a permit to discharge mine water under less restrictive standards because of the threatening breakout at Shannopin. No threat of a breakout exists at Humphrey, Weist said. Consol is currently treating water from Humphrey at a treatment plant in West Virginia and maintains the Humphrey pool level as required by its permits. The Calvin Run project was undertaken "purely to allow the extraction of coal from the Sewickley seam" in the area of the Humphrey Mine, Weist said. Weist also pointed out the renewal of the Steele Shaft plant's discharge permit is now more than two years overdue. DEP's own water quality experts have recommended that more stringent water quality limits be included in the permit renewal, he said. Copyright Observer Publishing Co. OSM asks state to provide information on permitting for AMD Reclamation Inc. project 1/6/2011 5:04 PM The U.S. Office of Surface Mining has issued a 10-day notice to the state Department of Environmental Protection asking it to provide information on the permitting of a project by AMD Reclamation Inc. to drill two bore holes into the closed Humphrey Mine at Calvin Run in Perry Township. AMD wants to drill the bore holes and construct a water line to pump mine water from the Humphrey Mine to its Shannopin Mine Steele Shaft treatment plant. The project would allow Dana Mining Co., a company affiliated with AMD, to mine coal in the area of the Humphrey Mine. DEP revoked a permit revision to AMD’s post mining activity permit for the same project in February after two environmental groups filed an appeal with the state Environmental Hearing Board. However, work on the Calvin Run project was started recently, apparently without the granting by DEP of another revision to the post mining permit. DEP said Thursday that it is preparing a response to OSM and would not comment further because the matter may involve legal issues. Copyright Observer Publishing Co.

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Judy Bonds memorial
by Jim Sconyers 07 Jan '11

07 Jan '11

There is a memorial event for Judy Bonds Jan. 15. Probably in Charleston. I'll send more details as they become available. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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[wvec-board] Fwd: [fom] Judy Bonds
by James Kotcon 04 Jan '11

04 Jan '11

>>> <dsgjr(a)aol.com> 1/4/2011 1:33 AM >>> This came this evening. For many of us Judy was the "face" of coal field activism. Her death is a loss to us all. Don Garvin ____________________________________ From: vernoncrmw(a)gmail.com To: fom(a)lists.riseup.net, mountainjusticesummer(a)lists.riseup.net, the-alliance-for-appalachia(a)googlegroups.com, Justice(a)lists.citizenscoalcouncil.org Sent: 1/3/2011 9:58:45 P.M. Eastern Standard Time Subj: [fom] Judy Bonds It is with great sorry that we mourn the passing today of Julia “Judy” Bonds, Executive Director of Coal River Mountain Watch. Judy was more than a co-worker, friend, and mentor: she became family. She inspired thousands in the movement to end mountaintop removal and was a driving force in making it what it has become. I can’t count the number of times someone told me they got involved because they heard Judy speak, either at their university, at a rally, or in a documentary. Years ago she envisioned a “thousand hillbilly march” in Washington, DC. In 2010, that dream became a reality as thousands marched on the White House for Appalachia Rising. Judy endured much personal suffering for her leadership. While people of lesser courage would candy-coat their words or simply shut up and sit down, Judy called it as she saw it. She endured physical assault, verbal abuse, and death threats because she stood up for justice for her community. I never met a more courageous person, one who faced her own death and spoke about it with the same voice as if it were a scheduled trip. Ultimately, Judy did all any one person could conceivably do to stop mountaintop removal. One of Judy’s last acts was to go on a speaking trip, even though she was not feeling well, shortly before her diagnosis. I believe, as others do, that Judy’s years in Marfork holler, where she remained in her ancestral home as long as she could, subjected her to Massey Energy’s airborne toxic dust and led to the cancer that wasted no time in taking its toll. Judy will be missed by all in this movement, as an icon, a leader, an inspiration, and a friend. No words can ever express what she has meant, and what she will always mean. We will tell stories about her, around fires, in meeting rooms, and any place where people are gathered in the name of justice and love for our fellow human beings. When we prevail, as we must, we will remember Judy as one of the great heroes of our movement. We will always remember her for her passion, conviction, tenacity, and courage, as well as her love of family and friends and her compassion for her fellow human beings. While we grieve, let’s remember what she said, “Fight harder.” -- Vernon Haltom Co-Director, Coal River Mountain Watch 304-854-2182 _www.crmw.net_ (http://www.crmw.net/)

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Emailing: Coal's burnout Have investors moved on to cleaner energy sources
by Frank Young 03 Jan '11

03 Jan '11

Coal's burnout: Have investors moved on to cleaner energy sources?http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/01/AR2… NEWS | LOCAL | POLITICS | SPORTS | OPINIONS | BUSINESS | ARTS & LIVING | GOING OUT GUIDE | JOBS | CARS | REAL ESTATE |SHOPPING Coal's burnout: Have investors moved on to cleaner energy sources? By Steven Mufson Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, January 1, 2011; 5:42 PM The headline news for the coal industry in 2010 was what didn't happen: Construction did not begin on a single new coal-fired power plant in the United States for the second straight year. This in a nation where a fleet of coal-fired plants generates nearly half the electricity used. But a combination of low natural gas prices, shale gas discoveries, the economic slowdown and litigation by environmental groups has stopped - at least for now - groundbreaking on new ones. "Coal is a dead man walkin'," says Kevin Parker, global head of asset management and a member of the executive committee at Deutsche Bank. "Banks won't finance them. Insurance companies won't insure them. The EPA is coming after them. . . . And the economics to make it clean don't work." >From 2000 to 2008, construction started on 20 units in 19 plants, according to Edison Electric Institute. Last year, utilities and power-generating companies dropped plans to build 38 coal plants while announcing that they would retire 48 aging, inefficient ones, according to the environmental group Sierra Club. Although 2010 saw the collapse of climate legislation in the Senate, the Sierra Club is trumpeting such statistics as a sign that "coal is a fuel of the past." The battle over coal plants could sharpen in 2011, as the Environmental Protection Agency deploys regulations to improve the efficiency - and lower the greenhouse gas emissions - of big power plants. Starting Sunday, the EPA will require builders of plants big enough to emit 75,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year to use the "best available control technology" in order to obtain air permits, needed before construction. Utilities, oil refiners and other industries argue that this will add prohibitive costs, and many Republican lawmakers have vowed to handcuff the EPA, which is also planning to issue broader guidelines later in the year. In the wake of the midterm elections, President Obama identified promotion of natural gas use as an area of potential bipartisan action. He hopes to prod utilities and manufacturers into switching from coal to natural gas, which emits half the amount of greenhouse gases. The choice looms large given that the average age of the U.S. coal fleet is 43 years, with more than half the plants built before 1967. Word of coal's death might be premature, says Luke Popovich, spokesman for the National Mining Association. He said that several coal-fired plants begun earlier are still under construction. Duke Energy, for example, is expecting to finish its Cliffside and Edwardsport coal plants in 2012. Other companies have scrambled to get permits before the EPA regulations take effect, and projects in Texas, Kansas and Illinois have succeeded. A project in Mississippi is poised to break ground, though the Sierra Club is still fighting in court to revoke the plant's permits. Moreover, Popovich adds, the federal Energy Information Administration expects that the nation will need to build 30 to 40 new plants to supply the 21 gigawatts of new electricity demand expected by 2035. "Coal will remain the dominant source for electricity generation for the foreseeable future," he says. "So the big problem with the 'death of coal' message is that it is not, as we say, reality-based." It's the economy Even if coal is not dead, developments of the past two years have dimmed its future. The fate of the long-planned Smith Unit No. 1 coal plant in Kentucky is one example. The East Kentucky Power Cooperative announced plans five years ago to build the 278-megawatt plant, and it obtained permits from the Kentucky Public Service Commission. But environmental groups, joined by critics of federally subsidized loans to rural electric cooperatives, fought the project. Then the recession hit and tipped the scales. A couple of months ago, the cooperative slashed 9 percent from its forecast of electricity demand among the half-million customers it serves. As a result, East Kentucky Power canceled the Smith coal plant construction on Nov. 18, even though it has spent about $150 million stockpiling steel and parts. "And that's almost entirely due to the economy," says Nick Comer, the cooperative's manager of external affairs. Finishing the plant would have cost an estimated $819 million more. "Back in 2006-07, the economy was roaring. In our service territory we were seeing growth at about twice the national rate," Comer says. "There were a lot of new houses, new businesses; even manufacturing was expanding." But, Comer adds, "a lot of that has changed today. Housing starts are down. Manufacturers have cut back. So we expect demand for electricity is going to be down from what we had projected for a while." The story is the same across the nation. Coal consumption in the electric power sector during the first nine months of 2010 was up from 2009, but still down 5.7 percent from 2008's near-record levels, according to EIA figures. East Kentucky Power also signed a settlement with environmental groups under which it will install additional pollution control devices and further explore renewable energy options. Cheap natural gas American Electric Power, the nation's largest generator of electricity, is also taking a cautious approach. The only plant AEP has under construction is the highest efficiency model, known as "ultra supercritical." Under the new EPA guidelines, these high-efficiency plants could become the standard, reducing coal use. "We have no other coal-fueled generation planned at this time," says Pat D. Hemlepp, a spokesman for AEP. "The decline in demand has delayed the need for additional new generation." If AEP does need new generation capacity, it will turn to natural gas. In 2010, the wellhead price of natural gas has averaged $4.25 a thousand cubic feet, about 40 percent below the average price from 2005 to 2009 and well under half the peak price. Discoveries of new ways to tap natural gas trapped in shale rock have unlocked supplies that could keep prices in check for years to come. "When we do need new capacity, it is highly likely that we will look to natural gas plants instead of coal, especially if natural gas prices remain as low as projected," Hemlepp says. "The plants are less expensive to build, and current forward price projections favor gas over coal." It's a decision being made by utilities across the country. A recent Deutsche Bank report says that if gas prices remain between $4 and $6 a thousand cubic feet, "we believe that a coal to gas switch makes sense." States have their plans Even though Congress failed to enact climate legislation, more than half the states have adopted measures requiring utilities to use more renewable energy. To meet those targets, most investment will probably go into solar, wind, nuclear and energy efficiency projects. Environmental groups are gearing up to challenge coal plants state by state. The Sierra Club is expanding its ranks this year so that 100 full-time staffers will be working on the issue, and the Environmental Defense Fund is hiring additional lawyers to wage battle against coal. Given the age of the coal fleet, many of the oldest plants also run afoul of clean air guidelines on traditional pollutants. As a result, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission recently adopted a $1.4 billion plan that will end coal-fired electricity generation in the Denver area. It calls for Xcel Energy to close four coal-fired units in the region, switch another to natural gas and build a new gas-fired plant to help meet federal clean-air standards. The units are all more than 40 years old. The plan was required under the Colorado Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act, signed by Gov. Bill Ritter (D) in April. "Coloradans across the state made it clear that they did not want coal in their stockings this year," said Pam Kiely of Environment Colorado. "The PUC delivered an early Christmas present by deciding to stop burning dirty coal in the metro area." Action without legislation The Obama administration might also target coal-fired power plants as a way to meet its goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, even if legislation remains beyond its grasp. Administration officials have spoken of negotiating guidelines with big utilities, similar to automobile fuel efficiency standards, but utility executives say such talks are not yet taking place. Deutsche Bank's Parker thinks that a path to lower coal use not only makes financial sense but climate sense as well. "Switching coal to natural gas and renewable energy with a modest buildup of nuclear energy is achievable and could lead to a 29 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from the U.S. power sector by 2020 and a 44 percent reduction by 2030 compared to a 2005 baseline," the bank wrote in its November report on a low-carbon energy plan for the United States. At international climate talks, negotiators often use the year 2005 as a baseline. At the Copenhagen climate talks a year ago, the Obama administration pledged a 17 percent reduction in overall U.S. emissions by 2020. In 2002, there were plans to install 36,000 megawatts of new coal-fired power by 2007. Only one-eighth of that was completed. Deutsche Bank predicts coal's share of electric power generation will tumble further, from 47 percent in 2009 to 34 percent in 2020 and 22 percent in 2030. It put it this way in its report: "Based on today's energy fundamentals, the rational economic decision is to shutter inefficient coal plants and replace them with natural gas combined-cycle power plants." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/01/AR201101010…

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Fwd: Climate Ground Zero Direct Action in West Virginia
by James Kotcon 03 Jan '11

03 Jan '11

I am not sure what is going on here. I guess this message speaks for itself. JBK >>> Miranda Miller <miranda.rae.miller(a)gmail.com> 1/2/2011 12:49 PM >>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Laura Steepleton <lnsteep(a)gmail.com> Date: Fri, Dec 31, 2010 at 4:12 PM Subject: Climate Ground Zero Direct Action in West Virginia To: Virginiagraf(a)aol.com, rmeads(a)shepherd.edu, ssoltow(a)gmail.com, rglenn51989(a)gmail.com, ktreve01(a)shepherd.edu, lynwidmyer(a)gmail.com, tkthorson(a)comcast.net, pwaitster(a)gmail.com, smorrick(a)aol.com, rh1936(a)frontier.com, jan.hafer(a)gallaudet.edu, Brent(a)potomacriverkeeper.org, Rkphillipsjr(a)yahoo.com, bethraps(a)earthlink.net, wind.dance(a)earthlink.net, glnelson(a)hughes.net, dccates(a)gmail.com, info(a)sleepycreekwatershedassociation.org, goldfairy39(a)gmail.com, mike(a)mtvsolar.com, robinmills4(a)yahoo.com, russell(a)morgancountyusa.org, Ronald Wilson <ronwwilson1(a)yahoo.com>, irongate12(a)aol.com, bluheron7(a)netscape.com, blueheron7(a)netscape.com, rainbowjams(a)yahoo.com, angelbemer(a)yahoo.com, carolwv08 <Carolwv08(a)suddenlink.net>, cmathews(a)shepherd.edu, Carly Queen <queenc(a)nwf.org>, Brittany Harthan < britharthan(a)yahoo.com>, Brannon Jones <jones.brannon(a)gmail.com>, briant(a)pshift.com, Buckey Boone <buckey(a)svlas.org>, Collin Jones < jollincones(a)gmail.com>, Jane Laura Doyle <janelauradoyle(a)gmail.com>, elisayoung(a)meigscan.org, firefly19 <firefly19(a)bellsouth.net>, Kara French < sprinklesomesunshine(a)yahoo.com>, "Rachel F." <earthactionteam(a)gmail.com>, benard fiorillo <bfiorillo(a)gmail.com>, forestmongrel(a)gmail.com, LJ VANISH < moviemaniac7303(a)hotmail.com>, Miranda Miller <miranda.rae.miller(a)gmail.com>, "Nathan W. Joseph" <njoseph(a)uvm.edu>, Nativa Kesecker < lovinthedrumin(a)yahoo.com>, nickelpickle(a)hotmail.com, northernrockiesrisingtide(a)gmail.com, gladysann <tinymite01(a)bellsouth.net>, steve <steves1952(a)gmail.com>, sarahlu1983(a)yahoo.com, Sarah.McManus(a)ncf.edu, bo webb <webb.bo(a)gmail.com>, Angela Wiley <wileya120(a)gmail.com>, Trevor Swan <trevorswan3(a)gmail.com> It is with great sadness and regret that we must inform you that the vast majority of the activists with Climate Ground Zero have decided to separate from the CGZ name and Mike Roselle. At this point, the only people still affiliated with CGZ at its base camp in Rock Creek are Mike Roselle, Robert “Dr. Bob” Slusarenko, and Tom Smyth. Many of you are aware that the environment on the Ford Addition, CGZ’s base of operations, has become an unhealthy space that is difficult, if not impossible, to operate a successful campaign in. We have spent year attempting to create a healthier and more supportive working environment by confronting a variety of destructive behaviors, including alcoholism, violence and other abusive actions. Unfortunately, Mike Roselle has attempted to block this process and make unilateral decisions about our communal living and working space. Mike responded to our attempt to eject an abusive person from our community by cutting off all future funding for the action campaign. We cannot run a successful campaign of autonomous direct action against MTR under these conditions. Due to the fact that Climate Ground Zero is set up fiscally as a for-profit consulting business of Mike’s, with sole control of the finances resting in his hands, we must make a break with the CGZ name and identity completely in order to rebuild a healthy and successful campaign. We remain steadfastly committed to using sustained and direct, nonviolent interventions and general civil resistance tactics as one piece of a large tactical puzzle to defend the land and people. We see this separation as necessary to continue our work to abolish strip mining. We also remain committed to battling Massey Energy in civil court as we defend ourselves against their specious Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. We’re actively looking for a place in the Coal River Valley to which we can relocate the action campaign and for funders to support continued direct action in southern West Virginia. We are currently in the process of setting up alternative financial infrastructure. For the moment, anyone interested in lending support to the action campaign is encouraged to contact us at: wvdirectaction(a)gmail.com. When we have new infrastructure set up, we will send an announcement with all the pertinent information. More than ever, we need our friends and allies to support us as we continue to improve and strengthen the campaign of active resistance in the West Virginia coalfields. Too much time and energy has been lost to dealing with the internal problems at Climate Ground Zero. We greatly look forward to rebuilding a campaign that provides the healthy and supportive environment necessary to most effectively contribute to a vibrant and diverse movement against strip mining in Appalachia. Thank you all for your support over the last two years. We are all proud of what we have done and the work we will continue to do. For the mountains, Mathew Louis-Rosenberg, Annie Jane Cotten, Kim Ellis, David Baghdadi, Charles Suggs, Laura Steepleton, Bridgette O’Brien, Grumble, Glen Collins, Maureen Farrell, Laura von Dohlen, Dea Goblirsch, Dave German, Ivan, Andrew Munn -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SSCWVU" group. To post to this group, send email to sscwvu(a)googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to sscwvu+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sscwvu?hl=en.

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Fwd: NEWS ADVISORY: U.S. Renewables Now Neck-in-Neck with Nuclear Power
by James Kotcon 27 Dec '10

27 Dec '10

Really interesting data on US energy consumption. Looks like biomass is one of the big sectors, but I suspect that the majority of that is ethanol and biodiesel. The key line is: “Members of the incoming Congress are proposing to slash cost-effective funding for rapidly expanding renewable energy technologies while foolishly plowing ever-more federal dollars into the nuclear power black hole,” said Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. “The numbers clearly show this would be betting on the obvious loser while ignoring the clearly emerging winner in the energy race.” JBK >>> Ken Bossong <sun-day-campaign(a)hotmail.com> 12/27/2010 7:08 AM >>> SUN DAY CAMPAIGN 6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite #340; Takoma Park, MD 20912 301-270-6477 x.11 sun-day-campaign(a)hotmail.com News Advisory RENEWABLE ENERGY NECK-IN-NECK WITH NUCLEAR POWER EACH NOW PROVIDE 11% OF DOMESTIC ENERGY PRODUCTION BUT NON-HYDRO RENEWABLES GROW 11.5% WHILE NUCLEAR OUTPUT DROPS For Immediate Release: December 27, 2010 Contact: Ken Bossong, 301-270-6477 x.11 Washington DC -- According to the most recent issue of the "Monthly Energy Review" by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), "nuclear electric power accounted for 11% of primary energy production and renewable energy accounted for 11% of primary energy production" during the first nine months of 2010 (the most recent period for which data have been released). More specifically, renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass/biofuels, geothermal, solar, water, and wind) accounted for 10.9% of domestic energy production and increased by 5.7% compared to the same period in 2009. Meanwhile, nuclear power accounted for 11.4% of domestic energy production but provided 0.5% less energy than a year earlier. Among the renewable energy sources, biomass and biofuels accounted for 51.95%, hydropower for 31.50%, wind for 10.52%, geothermal for 4.65%, and solar for 1.38%. Comparing the first three-quarters of 2010 against the same period in 2009, hydropower declined by 5.2% but geothermal expanded by 1.8%, solar grew by 2.4%, biomass/biofuels increased by 10.0%, and wind grew by 26.7%; combined, non-hydro renewables expanded by 11.5%. Preliminary data also show that fossil fuels accounted for 78% of primary energy production. Overall, U.S. primary energy production rose by 2% compared with the first nine months of 2009. “Members of the incoming Congress are proposing to slash cost-effective funding for rapidly expanding renewable energy technologies while foolishly plowing ever-more federal dollars into the nuclear power black hole,” said Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. “The numbers clearly show this would be betting on the obvious loser while ignoring the clearly emerging winner in the energy race.” And according to EIA’s latest "Electric Power Monthly," renewable energy sources accounted for 10.18% of U.S. electrical generation during the first three-quarters of 2010. Compared to the same period in 2009, renewables - including hydropower - grew by 2.2%. While conventional hydropower dropped by 5.2%, non-hydro renewable used in electrical generation expanded by 16.8% with geothermal growing by 4.9%, biomass by 5.5%, wind by 27.3%, and solar by 47.1%. Non-hydro renewables accounted for 3.9% of total electrical generation from January 1 - September 30, 2010 -- up from 3.5% the year before. # # # # # # # # The U.S. Energy Information Administration released its most recent "Monthly Energy Review" on December 22, 2010. It can be found at: http://www.eia.gov/emeu/mer/overview.html. The relevant charts from which the data above are extrapolated are Tables 1.1 and 1.2. EIA released its most recent "Electric Power Monthly" on December 17, 2010; see: http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html. The relevant charts are Tables ES1.A and ES1.B. The quotation in the first paragraph of this release was originally posted by the EIA on its web page accompanying the release of the “Monthly Energy Review” but has since been removed without explanation. The original EIA posting can be found at the following two sites: http://ehsmanager.blogspot.com/2010/12/eias-primary-report-of-recent-energy… http://www.akbizmag.com/from-our-elected-officials.html. ======================= The SUN DAY Campaign is a non-profit research and educational organization founded in 1993 to promote sustainable energy technologies as cost-effective alternatives to nuclear power and fossil fuels.

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Fwd: DEP Public Notice - County - Kanawha - Notice of Intent to Approve Permi...
by Duane330＠aol.com 27 Dec '10

27 Dec '10

Forwarded is the permit announcement for the Emerald Bilfuels plant set for Institute, WV in the Kanawha River valley.

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Fwd: WVNS story: EPA Starts Clean Air Act Process for Controlling Greenhouse Gases
by Paul Wilson 27 Dec '10

27 Dec '10

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Fri, Dec 24, 2010 at 8:50 AM Subject: WVNS story: EPA Starts Clean Air Act Process for Controlling Greenhouse Gases To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Public News Service-WV December 24, 2010 EPA Starts Clean Air Act Process for Controlling Greenhouse Gases CHARLESTON, W.Va. - It's a move that promises to have quite an impact on West Virginia. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is starting the process under the Clean Air Act for controlling greenhouse gas emissions by the nation's 500 fossil fuel power plants. Advocates of the EPA action say it will create new jobs for West Virginians, but others are apprehensive about the effect on the state's coal industry. The assistant EPA administrator for air and radiation, Gina McCarthy, says it's too early to say much about what EPA's rules will look like, but says the agency will start by encouraging a phase-in of cost-effective technologies under already well-established Clean Air Act programs. "You will see measurable reduction. This is where there are the most significant and reasonable opportunities for us to have pollution reduction, and also to provide certainty to these industries." McCarthy says the agency will be flexible in how the rules will be applied, and will not place an overall cap on how much carbon utilities can emit. Pat Hemlipp is a spokesman for American Electric Power (AEP), one of the nation's largest consumers of coal. AEP supported cap-and-trade, which was blocked by Republicans in the Senate. He praises the EPA's approach, with reservations. "Especially, their recognition that any program should be as flexible as possible. But we remain concerned that the Clean Air Act is going to constrain how flexible the agency can be, because the Clean Air Act does not allow much flexibility." Critics of climate change regulations say they will damage the coal and electricity industries in West Virginia, and have questioned how expensive control technologies will be. McCarthy insists the technologies are ready and will be good for jobs in those areas. "They will be making investments in new control technologies, investments that will not only sustain jobs in the U.S. but actually grow jobs in the U.S." The rules will be drafted with industry input and public comments, and will start with new power plants or plants undergoing major changes. 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/17660-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/17660-1> --- 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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New Coal-To-Liquids proposal in WV
by James Kotcon 23 Dec '10

23 Dec '10

I just saw this. An effort to get a CTL plant onto Weirton's property would be politically difficult to oppose. Weirton Steel has long had a history of support form organized labor in WV, and therefore has had political support that few industries would likely see. Just the name alone will create support for any proposal to bring back those jobs. This does not appear to be a well-funded proposition, yet. If the Steelworkers have signed on, that will create some momentum, and minimize labor conflicts. And if the Governor backs it, look for state subsidies. jim Kotcon >From the Wheeling (WV) News-Register, Dec. 10, 2010. Available at: http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/549692/Thousands-of-Job… Thousands of Jobs May Be on the Way Officials gather to discuss coal-to-liquids plant December 10, 2010 - By IAN HICKS Major players in a proposed coal-to-liquids plant say they are on the verge of resurrecting Weirton's industrial heritage and putting more than 1,000 people to work in the city. Officials with Weirton Energy, the company seeking to build the faculty, met with acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and Delegate Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, in Wheeling Thursday to discuss the project. If all goes according to investors' plans, such a plant could be operational within 18 months and reach full capacity in two to three years. According to Weirton Energy's chief engineer, Al Norman, the plant would represent a capital investment of about $2 billion and bring at least 1,100 jobs to the city, with the potential for that figure to top 3,000 in the future. The company has reached an agreement in principle to establish an "amalgamated" labor union under the current United Steelworkers Local 2911, according to union President Mark Glyptis. McGeehan said after meeting with Tomblin, he believes the governor is solidly behind the initiative. Tomblin's support, he said, will be key in clearing the final hurdle for this proposal to become reality - land acquisition. Weirton Energy wants to build the plant on property presently held by steelmaker ArcelorMittal. Though some of the facilities haven't been used since the late 1960s, the Luxembourg-based company has been reluctant to part with the property. Weirton Energy's attorney, Robert D'Anniballe, said the company is "exploring best opportunities" to acquire the land, though he did not go into detail regarding those opportunities. Company officials would not confirm they are seeking to garner the property through eminent domain; however, the Weirton Redevelopment Authority at an August meeting discussed the possibility of attempting to exercise that power on ArcelorMittal's properties at the north end of town. No specific development projects were discussed at that meeting. Norman called the mill property an "industrial graveyard" for which cleanup costs likely will top $100 million. ArcelorMittal is "faced with the immediate cleanup of this property if that plant shuts down," he said. However, Norman said Weirton Energy's plan would absolve the steel company from any environmental cleanup obligations and place that burden squarely on his company. He estimated it could save ArcelorMittal $30 million in annual operation costs. Norbert Keilbach, Weirton Energy's chairman of the board and chief executive officer, said the Weirton location is perfect because many of the components needed already are in place, including infrastructure, transportation and "a ready-made pool of competent labor and experienced labor." A stipulation of the union's contract with ArcelorMittal prevents the sale of those properties without union approval. Glyptis said he is in full support of the project, noting he would prefer the property be used in such a manner rather than sold piecemeal to businesses that rely on low-wage labor. Keilbach said many of the jobs to be created would pay $100,000 or more annually. McGeehan, who has made bringing a coal-to-liquids plant to Hancock County a priority during his term as a legislator, said industry has always been crucial to the area and it must be a part of the future for the Ohio Valley to thrive. "We can't afford to miss this opportunity, because there's never going to be another one like it," said McGeehan.

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Fw: Updated Natural Gas Talking Points
by Jim Sconyers 23 Dec '10

23 Dec '10

Updated Sierra Club position FYI. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- We have posted some updated natural gas reform talking points on Clubhouse. Thank you to the Activist Network team members that helped provide feedback. http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/communications/talking-points/energy/natura… Let me know if you have trouble accessing these. -- Oliver Bernstein Senior Communications Strategist Sierra Club Phone: 512.477.2152 Cell: 512.289.8618

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Fw: Institute for Southern Studies Report: Two years after Tennessee coal ash disaster, still waiting for federal oversight
by Jim Sconyers 22 Dec '10

22 Dec '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Emily Enderle <eenderle(a)EARTHJUSTICE.ORG> To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Sent: Wed, December 22, 2010 3:32:15 PM Subject: Institute for Southern Studies Report: Two years after Tennessee coal ash disaster, still waiting for federal oversight great article with an excellent table. SPECIAL REPORT: Two years after Tennessee coal ash disaster, still waiting for federal oversight By Sue Sturgis Today marks two years since a coal ash impoundment collapsed at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston power plant in eastern Tennessee, sending a billion-gallon tidal wave of toxic waste into a nearby community and rivers. The disaster also pushed the issue of coal ash regulation into the public policy spotlight, with incoming Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson vowing to replace the existing patchwork of weak state regulations with federal rules to prevent a similar disaster in the future. But on the second anniversary of the Kingston spill, the American public is still waiting for federal protections from the hazards of coal ash -- with no idea when those might be in place. This week the EPA released its upcoming regulatory agenda, which addresses the final rulemaking for coal ash. The agenda classes the coal ash rule as a "long-term action," with the date of the final release "to be determined." "We are two years out from this environmental disaster with no certainty on when the final rules will be published," said Lisa Evans, an attorney with the nonprofit environmental law firm Earthjustice. "We don't think this is a good place to be." Following the Kingston disaster, EPA set out to count the number of coal ash dumps, tallying more than 600 impoundments and similar units at coal-fired power plants nationwide. More than half of those that have been rated are classed as high or significant hazards, meaning a failure could kill people or cause extensive property damage. But coal ash doesn't present a hazard only when impoundments collapse: It's been linked to 137 cases of environmental contamination in 34 states, with impoundments and other dumpsites leaching toxins to groundwater. An EPA risk assessment [pdf] found that people who live near coal ash impoundments and drink from wells have as much as a 1 in 50 chance of getting cancer due to arsenic contamination -- 1,800 times EPA's regulatory limit. Coal ash also contains other toxins including lead, thallium and radioactive elements. In May of this year, after a long delay and heavy lobbying by industry interests, the agency took the unusual step of releasing not one but two proposals for regulating coal ash. The stricter version favored by public health and environmental advocates would regulate coal ash as a special waste under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which governs hazardous waste. The other option embraced by the utility industry would treat coal ash like ordinary solid waste under RCRA Subtitle D. Under the stricter Subtitle C option, EPA has enforcement authority and the regulations are mandatory in every state. But under the weaker Subtitle D approach, EPA would issue "guidelines" that are not federally enforceable -- and that states may choose not to adopt. A recent EPA analysis identified 30 states that it predicts would not adopt the federal guidelines as law -- including disaster-stricken Tennessee. The following chart taken from comments on the proposed rules [pdf] by an alliance of environmental groups lists the coal-ash generating states that EPA expects would and would not adopt Subtitle D guidelines: The choice between Subtitle C and D also has significant environmental justice implications, since an analysis by the same environmental organizations found that communities near coal plants in the states that are not expected to implement the Subtitle D guidelines are more likely to be impoverished, non-white and to have a larger-than-average child population. "In other words," the groups noted in their comments, "a weak EPA rule would apply new safeguards for coal ash regulation in states where coal ash presents a relatively small, or even non-existent, environmental justice problem, while failing to add protections in states where environmental justice communities are heavily impacted by coal ash disposal." Another Kingston spill highlights hazards Following the release of the proposed rules, the EPA held seven public hearings around the country to collect comments. It also extended the comment period from August to November. The agency collected more than 400,000 comments -- an unusually high number that shows the public's intense interest in the issue. The continuing risk from the lack of strict federal oversight was underscored last week when another impoundment at TVA's Kingston plant -- this one holding a type of coal ash waste commonly used to make drywall -- sprung a leak into the nearby Emory River, which was devastated by the 2008 spill. TVA has plugged the leak but says it still does not know the exact cause. Following the discovery of the leak by TVA, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation ordered the utility to install a synthetic liner in the impoundment, which is now lined only with clay. But Evans questions why TDEC didn't require TVA to install a liner when the impoundment was constructed a year ago -- and why the agency has not imposed a Clean Water Act fine for the discharge into the Emory. The latest leak at the Kingston plant rattled residents of the nearby Swan Pond community, where the 2008 disaster damaged 42 homes and left people suffering from respiratory and other health problems. About 500 million gallons of spilled coal ash remains in the area today, with cleanup ongoing and expected to take another three years. "Are we really safe? Really?" Swan Pond resident Sarah McCoin asked the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Some of the affected residents filed lawsuits over the 2008 disaster. While about 90 suits have been dropped or dismissed, another 55 are pending in federal court in Knoxville, Tenn., with trials slated to start late next year. While TVA's board adopted a policy last year to convert all of its wet coal ash ponds to dry storage, that's expected to take at least a decade. In the meantime, Evans and other environmental advocates are hoping that EPA will release the final coal ash rule by the end of 2011. Once the federal rules are in place, states have as long as two years to revamp their own rules to comply with the new requirements. Some observers have noted that the closer we get to the 2012 election, the harder it will be for the Obama administration to buck the electric utility industry, which objects to strict regulation as too costly. The industry has considerable political clout, having invested more than $16.2 million in the 2010 federal election cycle alone, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. "Delay does not work in our favor," Evans said. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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Fw: From today's Knoxville News Sentinal
by Jim Sconyers 22 Dec '10

22 Dec '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Joshua Ulan Galperin <josh(a)CLEANENERGY.ORG> To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Sent: Wed, December 22, 2010 10:25:16 AM Subject: From today's Knoxville News Sentinal Josh Galperin Policy Analyst and Research Attorney Southern Alliance for Clean Energy PO Box 1842 Knoxville, TN 37901 (O) 865.637.6055 X 23 (F) 865.524.4479 josh(a)cleanenergy.org www.cleanenergy.org <http://www.cleanenergy.org/> Please think about the environment before printing this email. CONFIDENTIAL LEGAL COMMUNICATION / WORK PRODUCT: The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to whom it is addressed, and may contain privileged and confidential attorney-client communications and/or confidential attorney work product. If you receive this message in error, please send a reply e-mail to the sender and delete the material from any and all computers. Unintended transmissions shall not constitute waiver of the attorney-client or any other privilege. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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Two News Items of interest to Mon river watershed denizens.
by James Kotcon 21 Dec '10

21 Dec '10

>From Don Strimbeck's daily news summary. JBK Grants offered to study impact of Marcellus shale drilling By Kim Leonard PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, December 21, 2010 The Colcom Foundation is offering nonprofit organizations $1 million in grants to study Marcellus shale development, and provide lessons and advice about environmentally sound natural gas drilling practices. Amid controversy and mixed messages about the effects of well-drilling, "Who can you trust? There is a great deal at stake," said John F. Rohe, vice president of philanthropy for the Downtown-based foundation that focuses on conservation and the effects of overpopulation. Colcom announced its Marcellus Environmental Fund on Monday to address the "accelerating environmental impact" of drillers boring into the deep Marcellus layer and fracturing shale to extract gas. "The foundation would like to see a higher sense of trustworthiness and integrity" as drilling expands, Rohe said. The main question is whether the industry follows safe practices, or whether Western Pennsylvania might repeat one of its past mistakes, such as uncontrolled coal mining, he said. Colcom has funded cleanups of old mining sites. Applications can be submitted until Jan. 14 for grants to be given out in February. A second round of proposals is due March 14, for awards to be distributed in May. The foundation, created by the late Cordelia Scaife May, hasn't specified a number of grants, or amounts to be given out. Money will go toward public education, environmental monitoring and identifying best practices for the industry, for example. "This is not designed to be anti-drilling," Rohe said of the grants. "Possibly, the primary beneficiaries of this fund are the responsible drillers." Kathryn Z. Klaber, executive director of drilling industry trade group the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said yesterday the industry "recognizes that an educated citizen and landowner are the best partners in developing this clean-burning, job-creating resource." Working with regulators and others, gas drillers have "enhanced well-casing standards to protect drinking water and backed a permitting fees increase, enabling DEP to hire additional inspectors at no cost to the taxpayer. To the degree that other organizations seek to contribute to this fact-based debate, we encourage that." Kim Leonard can be reached at kleonard(a)tribweb.com or 412-380-5606. Pittsburgh Tribune Review Chemical plant courted for West Virginia By Bloomberg News Tuesday, December 21, 2010 Bayer AG, the world's largest maker of polyurethane, is trying to persuade potential investors to build a chemical plant on company sites in West Virginia using ethane from adjacent shale-gas deposits. The Leverkusen, Germany-based company is in talks to lease or sell unused parts of two sites covering 1,460 acres for construction of a plant known as a cracker, Bryan Iams, a spokesman for Bayer in Pittsburgh, said yesterday. The cracker would convert ethane into ethylene, a key ingredient in plastics such as polyethylene. The Bayer properties sit atop the Marcellus shale formation, which according to Energy Department estimates is the largest known U.S. gas field. New drilling techniques are boosting production from shale formations, keeping U.S. prices of natural-gas low relative to oil. That's prompted chemical makers Dow Chemical Co., Eastman Chemical Co. and Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. to use more gas as a raw material. Chevron Phillips received preliminary approval last month from Texas regulators to reopen a cracker shut in 2008 at its Sweeny complex, according to a filing on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's website. Eastman is opening a mothballed cracker in Longview, Texas, because it says low-cost gas has made the United States more competitive. Dow plans to use 30 percent more ethane, a component of natural gas, at its Gulf Coast crackers. "The burning question is what to do with all the ethane coming out of the Marcellus shale," said John Schirra, a senior account manager at U.S. chemical maker Ashland Inc. The Marcellus formation in Western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia is unusually rich in natural-gas liquids including ethane, said Dennis Yablonsky, chief executive officer of the Allegheny Conference, a Pittsburgh-based economic development group. The region has no crackers, he said. "We are unabashedly trying to attract" the chemical industry, Yablonsky said in a telephone interview. "We have had positive feedback that the general premise does make sense." Proposals for getting Marcellus gas to the chemical industry involve piping it to crackers on the Gulf Coast, where the country's chemical industry is concentrated. Pittsburgh Chemical Day, an annual conference that brings together companies such as Bayer, Eastman and PPG Industries Inc., will focus its May 10 event on using Marcellus shale gas to bolster investment in the regional chemical industry, said Schirra, an organizer of the meeting. Bayer's sites in New Martinsville and Institute, W.Va., have access to rail, water and road transportation, Iams said. An ethylene plant adjacent to Bayer's West Virginia plastics or pesticide plants would cut its raw-materials costs and draw more manufacturers to the area, he said. It would cost at least $500 million and require about 4 years to build an ethane cracker capable of producing 1 million metric tons of ethylene a year, Hassan Ahmed, a New York-based analyst at Alembic Global Advisors, said in a telephone interview.

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Fwd: TN Coal Ash bill
by James Kotcon 20 Dec '10

20 Dec '10

Attached are comments on EPA's coal ash rule from Tennessee. Of particular interest is Attachment 3 which is a bill introduced in the TN legislature last year to regulate coal ash. The comments identify eight issues that are covered in the bill that ought to apply to the so-called beneficial use disposal sites in WV. As far as I can tell, the Tennessee bill does not address the issue of adequate testing of coal ash, and appears to allow continued reliance on the discredited TCLP methods to test for toxicity of ash leachates. Does anyone see any other issues that need to be addressed? I hope to begin drafting some legislation over this coming week, and any comments (or help drafting) would be appreciated. JBK >>> Louise Gorenflo <lgorenflo(a)gmail.com> 12/13/2010 2:43 PM >>> Wallace Attached are the comments I wrote for the EPA Coal Ash regs. It describes our efforts to get a good bill passed by the TN legislature - and our failure. The attachments include a copy of the proposed bill. Louise Gorenflo TN Chapter 391-484-2633

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Fwd: [Charleston Newspapers] Article - $80M in bonds OK'd for power plants
by James Kotcon 20 Dec '10

20 Dec '10

I have never fully figured out what these economic development bonds do, but they apparently dramatically lower the cost of borrowed money for coal-fired power plants. Soon as I get a "Round Tuit", I want to figure out what these actually mean and whether it is a good use of our time to fight this practice. See link to attached news article. If there is an economist, banker, business major, or just someone who can balance a checkbook, who wants to do some behind the scenes work over the next few months, let me know. We can figure out what these do and how to fight them. Jim Kotcon >>> <articles(a)cnpapers.com> 12/17/2010 7:01 AM >>> jkotcon(a)wvu.edu sent you this article ----- December 16, 2010 $80M in bonds OK'd for power plants ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201012160888 ) By Eric Eyre ( about:contact/revprler+jitnmrggr+pbz+return=/News/201012160888 ) The Charleston Gazette P>CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Appalachian Power received the go-ahead Thursday to issue up to $60 million in bonds that will help pay for landfill improvements and a scrubber on a power-generating unit at the John Amos Power Plant near Winfield. T ... Read more ( http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201012160888 ) -----

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Fwd: Fw: "Fracking Wonderland" video on you tube
by James Kotcon 20 Dec '10

20 Dec '10

Merry Christmas. May this little clip light up your holiday spirit (your fighting spirit, that is). JBK >>> Paula Carrell <Paula.Carrell(a)sierraclub.org> 12/16/2010 2:48 PM >>> --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For those working on Shale Gas issues: Fracking Wonderland. A Christmas shout-out for all our friends at the Gas & Oil Commissions! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-R4rYXdDhI&feature=player_embedded ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To get off this list, send email to: LISTSERV(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Make the message text (not the Subject): SIGNOFF CONS-FRED

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FW: call or e-mail Rockefeller!
by Grubb, Karen 16 Dec '10

16 Dec '10

From: Vickie Wolfe [mailto:ibtreehugger@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2010 8:19 PM To: Ben Stout; Bill Becker; Carol Warren; cindyrank; Daniel Chiotos; haning2; Frank Young; James Kotcon; Jeff Biggers; Kathryn Stone; matt noerpel; Matt Sherald; Rory McIlmoil; Vivian Stockman; Don Alexander; asd; ashevillejoe; bbailey; benji; Bill Price; Brenda Wilson home; Charles Pique; Chuck Wyrostok; connigl; dana.kuhnline; Dave Cooper; dbady; Gary Zuckett; info; Janet Keating; Jim Sconyers; Joe Jarrell; John Palmer; John Stone; johnwilkinson2; joseph mathis; Julia Sendor; Julian Martin; Julie Archer; JW Randolph; Grubb, Karen; Leslee McCarty; lisadaniels; Mary Wildfire; maryanne.hitt; matt; Mel Tyree PhD; mhendryx; Mike Harman; mjanes; mmany; Norm Steenstra; Patricia Feeney; Randy White; Ray Haning; Rick Wilson; Robin Wilson; Rose Edington; Sally Shepherd; Sarah Halstead; savanna lyons; swatson; Ted Boettner; Tom Pendleton; Trevor Swan; unclesteve197; Vernon Haltom; webb.bo; Willa Mays; bill.mccabe; jeff; Antrim Caskey; Bob Kincaid; bobby mitchell Subject: call or e-mail Rockefeller! from Coal Tattoo: http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2010/12/16/w-va-sen-jay-rockefeller-t… This just in from the office of West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller: Senator Jay Rockefeller has informed Senate Leadership that he will insist on a vote on his EPA-suspension legislation this year. If left with no other option, Senator Rockefeller will seek to suspend the rules on the Omnibus Appropriations bill to bring up his legislation. I.e., this is legislation to suspend for two years EPA's authority to regulate GHGs from stationary sources, like coal-fired power plants. Let him know how you feel about this!! His e-dress is senator(a)rockefeller.senate.gov<mailto:senator@rockefeller.senate.gov> -- ```````````````````````````````````````````````````` Vickie L. Wolfe PHONE: (304) 744-8777 E-MAIL: IBTreehugger(a)gmail.com<mailto:IBTreehugger@gmail.com> ```````````````````````````````````````````````````` "It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save our environment." -Ansel Adams "At the present time, there are six billion people on this planet pursuing a vision that is devouring the earth. That's our problem . . . Our problem is a world-devouring vision that six billion people are pursuing. "Now what can we do about this vision? We can't legislate it away or vote it away or organize it or even shoot it away. We can only teach it away. If the world is saved, it will be saved by people with changed minds, people with a new vision. . . . That's our path of hope for the future." --Daniel Quinn, 2000

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Need letters re: PATH Power Line
by Frank Young 14 Dec '10

14 Dec '10

BlankThe proposed PATH power line would be an "interstate highway" to ship even more Mountaintop Removal coal from the Ohio Valley to east coast cities. We have a unique opportunity and a short window of time to have the application for this unnecessary monstrosity dismissed by the WV Public Service Commission. NOW WE NEED YOUR HELP! We need you to write a short letter (one sentence will do) and send it - by fax, if possible, because speed is important! - to the PSC and copy them to our new governor, Earl Ray Tomblin. (Addresses/fax numbers below.) You CAN'T just say you're against PATH (that's kind of a given, you know?), you need to tie it to the PSC staff's motion to dismiss the PATH application. ALWAYS include the case number. Something like: RE: Case No. 09-0770-E-CN - Potomac Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) I urge the members of the Public Service Commission to accept the recommendation of its staff that the PATH application should be dismissed. [Then sign your name, including your address.] Here's where to send it: Ms. Sandra Squire Executive Secretary Public Service Commission of West Virginia 201 Brooks Street Charleston, West Virginia 25301 Fax: 304-340-0325 cc: The Hon. Earl Ray Tomblin Office of the Governor 1900 Kanawha Blvd E Charleston, WV 25305 Phone: (304) 558-2000 Fax: (304) 342-7025 You can email the governor using this link: http://www.governor.wv.gov/Pages/contact.aspx. Just copy and paste it into your browser. Thanks, everyone! Our efforts are making a difference in this fight, and we need you to help keep it going! WV Environmental Council Government Affairs Committee Frank Young, Chair

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Re: [EC] WV PSC Staff 'Drops the Bomb' on PATH
by James Kotcon 12 Dec '10

12 Dec '10

As an organizational intervenor, we are required to go through our attorney on this. I have contacted Elena and Abbie for input, and will work with Bill on any filing. Please note that this motion to dismiss came from PSC Staff, not the Consumer Advocate Division as discussed in some e-mail chains. I certianly would encourage individuals to file comments in support of the Motion, but the Club's response must come from our attorneys. JBK >>> Jonathan Rosenbaum 12/11/10 5:52 PM >>> I received a copy from the WvaPath yahoo group where it was requested that "Everyone, I mean _everyone_, who is an intervenor needs to file a simple joinder statement to the PSC staff's motion to dismiss. You can put it in the form of a formal filing, or you can send it as a letter." Sounds like we need to do more than just watch PSC activity on this one. -Jonathan On 12/11/2010 4:20 PM, James Kotcon wrote: While this is indeed good news, it is worth noting that we were at about this point with TrAIL. During the evidentiary hearings, we had largely refuted all of TrAILCo's claims. In their final briefs, Staff had recommended against the line. At that point TrAILCo went into high pressure, back room "negotiations" to make a deal. We have no direct evidence that the Governor's Office got involved, but based on the e-mails from PSC Staff, I think it was likely. At any rate, two months later, Staff "agreed" to (or was told to agree to) a Settlement which added a few additional jobs and the TrAILCo line was approved. I recommend that we keep a constant watch on PSC Staff activity over the next few weeks. As they say, "Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me!" Jim Kotcon >>> "Frank Young" 12/10/10 10:58 PM >>> >From Bill Howley's 'The Power Line' blog- available at: http://calhounpowerline.com/ -------------------------------------------------------- WV PSC Legal Staff Files Motion to Dismiss PATH Application December 10, 2010 The PSC lawyers hit every single issue we have been presenting here on The Power Line for the last month. In particular, the staff points to Dominion’s Alternative 1 as being far superior to PATH in every respect. The staff cites the multiple results of PJM’s failure to consider Alternative 1 as being the primary reasons why AEP/Allegheny’s PATH application no longer meets the basic standards for a high voltage transmission line certificate of need as set out in WV statutes. The motion to dismiss is a recitation of all of the failures of PJM’s transmission planning process. The motion is a direct assault on PJM’s deceptive, misleading and contorted actions as more and better alternatives to PATH have appeared in the last year. The staff concludes: Staff moves the Commission (1) to dismiss PATH’S Application without prejudice; (2) permit for re-filing once a new analysis has been completed that includes all the recent developments; (3) order the Applicants to file updated testimony in regards to the economic and environmental aspects of this project, including a discussion of the need to rebuild the Pruntytown-Mt. Storm line. [the part of Alternative 1 that is owned by Allegheny] The staff’s motion effectively requires AEP/Allegheny and PJM to make a fair assessment of all viable alternatives to PATH within any new PATH application. Now it is up to the Commissioners of the WV PSC to stand up for our state against the self-appointed power company cartel, PJM Interconnection. The Commission staff has stated the case clearly for all to see. Their motion is a masterful summary of all that is wrong with the PATH project and PJM’s corrupt “planning” process. http://calhounpowerline.com/ __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest * Unsubscribe * Terms of Use . __,_._,___ _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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Fw: PATH LINE may get dismissed - YOUR HELP IS NEEDED FAST - act by
by Jim Sconyers 11 Dec '10

11 Dec '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Tina Rappaport <tinazipp(a)gmail.com> Sent: Sat, December 11, 2010 2:07:16 PM Subject: PATH LINE may get dismissed - YOUR HELP IS NEEDED FAST - act by Dear friends across the beautiful state of West Virginia, We are at a historic crossroad and YOU can make a difference. The Consumer Advocate Division of the WV Public Service Commission has recommended to the Commission that the PATH application be dismissed, for now. We are pushing for you and all your friends, relatives and neighbors to flood the WV PSC with a brief letter of support by Tuesday, Dec. 14th or sooner. Summarized details about this latest development can be found below and the full document may be accessed on Bill Howley's blog What you need to know is that this is huge and we want the PSC to listen to the PSC's Consumer Advocate Division AND the good people of West Virginia. Please send a short note and have everyone you know do the same. This is the moment to act and encourage others to do the same. You may use this simple note: Send and address to: (You can save a stamp if you scan your letter and email it to Ali Haverty at almahaverty(a)gmail.com and she'll FAX it in) Sandra Squire Executive Secretary Public Service Commission of West Virginia 201 Brooks Street Charleston, West Virginia 25301 DATE: December ____, 2010 RE: Case Number: 09-0770-E-CN To the Commissioners of the West Virginia Public Service Commission, I/We fully support the PSC staff's motion to dismiss this case. Respectfully yours, (Your Name/s and address) INTERVENORS - Bill Howley isn't worrying about serving those not on the PSC email list this time, and I suggest we all follow suit and just get this done fast and simple. Read below for more details. My best always, Tina Rappaport, 304-655-0003 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Folks whether or not you are an intervernor or not you should send a note to the West Virginia PSC Today NOW ASAP stating your support for the PSC’s Staff’s motion to Dismiss the PATH Case. The address of the PSC and case number as a reminder. The case number should be on all correspondence. The PATH case number is 09-0770-E-CN. The WV PSC Address - Sandra Squire Executive Secretary Public Service Commission of West Virginia 201 Brooks Street Charleston, West Virginia 25301 Please do this Now…John Cobb Here is Bill Howely’s not to us all on this Important Need… From:WVaPATH@yahoogroups.com [mailto:WVaPATH@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Bill Howley Everyone, I mean everyone, who is intervenor in the PATH Case needs to file a simple joinder statement to the PSC staff's motion to dismiss. You can put it in the form of a formal filing, or you can send it as a letter. I'm not going to worry about serving everyone else by mail on this one. We just need to overwhelm the Commissioners with a major show of support for the motion to dismiss. This may be our only shot at killing this thing. We need to pull out all the stops and get it done by the middle of next week. Take a few minutes and bang out a simple statement "I fully support the PSC staff's motion to dismiss." It can be that simple. But we have to let the Commissioners know that people across the state want this stopped. Invite everyone you know who is not an intervenor to send letters. This is a great time for everyone else to get their nose into the PSC case. To help you understand today’s Motion to Dismiss the Path Case I have excerpt key portions of the PSC Staff’s Motion to Dismiss…feel free to use any portion of this or just state your support the Staff’s Motion to dismiss…John Cobb! This is a (simplified recap) of the PSC’s Staff’s Motion to Dismiss PATH12/10/2010: The Staffof the West Virginia Public Service Commission respectfully submits Staff’s Motion, requesting that the Commission dismiss Power Companies application for PATH as insufficient, or in the alternative, require the Applicants to request a tolling and implement further case processing procedures. Staff asserts certain new developments pertaining to the status of the Dominion Power Alternative 1, to PATH to Rebuild the Mt. Storm-Doubs 500kV, transmission line…and to rebuild the Mt Storm – Pruntytown transmission line at a lower cost than the PATH project means that theCommission does not have all the information it needs to properly evaluate this PATH project and other reasonable alternatives. Further, the result ofthese rebuilds will be a more stable line with 65% increased capacity. Now, the owner of that line needs to rebuild it because of the advanced age of its infrastructure and the inherent danger of a collapse. The Staff of the PSC asserts that “It is ludicrous to continue to move forward with the PATH project while major changes are being contemplated for critical transmission infrastructures that should be factored into assessment of the need for PATH.” The Staff further asserts that, “Certain PJM approved upgrades to the transmission system have potentially moved all potential future voltage violations and potential blackouts out beyond 2019.” It is now possible that the PATH project might not be needed until 2020 or beyond. Given the lack of information concerning a full and meaningful evaluation of these issues, Staff believes this Application as currently filed is incomplete and should be dismissed. The estimated cost for the entirety of Dominion Rebuild Alternative 1, is $500-600 million as compared to over $2.1 billion for the PATH project. The Staff further declares “Even more glaring, the “Liberty” project alternative all located in Pennsylvania, which is several hundred million dollars cheaper than PATH and resolves all of the thermal and reactive violations through 2025, has been rejected as a replacement for by PATH by PJM and the Power Companies because it does not provide as much of a megawatt margin as the PATH project.” Under West Virginia Code 524-2-1 la(d)( l), a proposed transmission line must 66.. .economically, adequately and reliably contribute to meeting the present and anticipated requirements for electric power ...” As PJM has not done so, Staff believes the Applicants need to provide an analysis and testimony as to how PATH economically contributes to meeting the requirements for electric power in light of viable alternatives that are significantly cheaper and provide most of the same benefits. Once again, the Application as it is currently filed lacks information as to how the PATH project strikes this balance in light of the alternatives that have been proposed. This omission is especially striking for Dominion Alternative 1. That alternative involves the rebuild of two lines and the addition of voltage compensators, actions which will occur on existing rights-of-way, which will result in the taking of little to no additional public land, and which should have very little environmental impact, especially compared to PATH. The question that comes to mind given these factors is does PATH represent a reasonable balance betweenreasonable power needs and reasonable environmental factors when there is an alternative that will have substantially lower environmental impacts that resolves the identified power problems in the near and medium term? Staff believes this Application is further deficient due to the lack of that analysis and should be dismissed. Obviously, this analysis and the economic analysis should focus on, but not necessarily be limited too, Dominion Alternative 1 as this Commission, the State of West Virginia and its residents all have a large stake in that alternative and a portion of that alternative has already been approved by PJM. Further, it is reasonable to include in any new testimony a discussion of the need to rebuild the Pruntytown-Mt. Storm line. The rebuild of that line is a major component of Dominion Alternative 1, that line is approximately the same age as the Mt. Storm-Doubs line which needs to be rebuilt due to its age, and is owned by a subsidiary of Allegheny Power, the parent of one of the Applicants in this proceeding. Therefore, Staff moves the Commission (1) to dismiss PATH’S Application without prejudice; (2) permit for re-filing once a new analysis has been completed that includes all the recent developments; (3) order the Applicants to file updated testimony in regards to the economic and environmental aspects of this project, including a discussion of the need to rebuild the Pruntytown-Mt. Storm line. John Cobb 2/11/2010 304-452-9634

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Fw: HISTORIC VICTORY: NYS Becomes First State to Prohibit Hydrofracking!
by Jim Sconyers 11 Dec '10

11 Dec '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Catskill Mountainkeeper <info(a)catskillmountainkeeper.org> To: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com Sent: Sat, December 11, 2010 5:02:22 PM Subject: HISTORIC VICTORY: NYS Becomes First State to Prohibit Hydrofracking! Having trouble viewing this email? Click here You're receiving this email because of your relationship with Catskill Mountainkeeper. Please confirm your continued interest in receiving email from us. You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails. Catskill Mountainkeeper BREAKING NEWS December 11, 2010 HISTORIC VICTORY FOR THE CITIZENS OF NEW YORK STATE In an amazing victory for the citizens of New York State, Governor David A. Paterson has issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to conduct further comprehensive review and analysis of high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale. The Executive Order requires that, if approved, high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing would not be permitted until July 1, 2011, at the earliest. New York State becomes the first state to have a formal prohibition on high volume horizontal hydrofacking because of concerns about environmental impacts. Regretablly instead of signing the "Moratorium Bill" legislation sent to him that included a prohibition on vertical hyrdofracking that was passed by on overwhelming bi partisan majority in both houses of the State government he decided instead to succumb to industry pressure and issue the Executive Order that eliminates vertical wells from the prohibition. While the Executive Order is historic and proves that our concerns over hydrofracking are legitimate it is also a disappointment because vertical wells are also dangerous. The gas and oil industry lobby deliberately misinterpreted a section of the Moratorium Bill claiming it would bring all gas drilling in New York State to a halt. The bill only specified a moratorium on drilling for wells using hydrofracking, whether they are vertically or horizontally drilled. A moratorium banning the fracking of vertical wells is very important for several reasons: 1. Gas companies have been clear that they plan to drill vertical wells in the Utica and Marcellus shale with the intention of converting them to horizontal wells. 2. While the State Senate was considering a two-year moratorium on horizontal wells the gas industry threatened to drill and frack 16 vertical wells every square mile in retribution if a moratorium on fracked horizontal wells was passed. 3. Some of the worst water contamination problems, such as in Dimock, PA came from vertical wells drilled and fractured in the Marcellus Shale. We now look to Governor Elect Andrew Cuomo to protect the Citizens of New York from the dangers of hydro fracking by any method including vertical drilling and horizontal drilling and including all shale formations. BELOW IS THE GOVERNORS PRESS RELEASE To embed this news release, copy the code below and paste it into your website or blog. http://readme.readmedia.com/Governor-Paterson-Issues-Executive-Order-on-Hyd…</a>' width='572' height='490' border='0' frameborder='0'>Preview Governor Paterson Issues Executive Order on Hydraulic Fracturing * by New York State Office of the Governor ALBANY, NY (12/11/2010)(readMedia)-- Governor David A. Paterson has issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to conduct further comprehensive review and analysis of high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale. The Executive Order requires that, if approved, high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing would not be permitted until July 1, 2011, at the earliest. This should allay any fears that high-volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling under study by DEC will commence without assurances of safety. "We in government must always focus on protecting the well-being of those whom we represent and serve, but we also have an obligation to look to the future and protect the long-term interests for our State and its residents," Governor Paterson said. "Therefore, I am proud to issue this Executive Order, which will guarantee that before any high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing is permitted, the Department of Environmental Conversation will complete its studies and certify that such operations are safe." Permits for high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing can not be issued until the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) completes a Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS), which is currently being developed. As a result, there is already in place a de-facto moratorium on such permits. The Governor issued the Executive Order contemporaneously with his veto of S.8129-B/A.11443-B, which would have suspended the issuance of new oil and gas drilling permits through May 15, 2011, including all conventional, low-volume, vertical oil and gas wells. "This legislation, which was well intentioned, would have a serious impact on our State if signed into law. Enacting this legislation would put people out of work - work that is permitted by the Department of Environmental Conservation and causes no demonstrated environmental harm, in order to effectuate a moratorium that is principally symbolic," Governor Paterson said. "Symbols can have great importance, but particularly in our current terrible economic straits, I cannot agree to put individuals out of work for a symbolic act." "I am sympathetic to the sponsors' desire to protect the environment and public health, and I respect the concerns that produced this legislation," the Governor continued. "But this legislation does not accomplish this purpose, since the activities at the heart of the moratorium are not currently taking place, and would not take place until well after the legislation's proposed moratorium." The bill goes well beyond high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing and effectively would result in a moratorium on all new oil and gas well drilling in this State. The cessation of such new activity, even for a limited period, would have substantial negative financial consequences for the State, local governments, landowners and small businesses involved in conventional oil and gas production. The Division of the Budget estimates that the bill would cause a substantial reduction in State revenues from the loss of permit fees and tax revenue. With a $315 million budget gap in the current fiscal year, and a projected gap of over $9 billion in the 2011-12 State fiscal year, New York simply cannot afford to send hundreds and perhaps thousands of jobs, and millions of dollars in capital investment to Pennsylvania and other states to our south. ### Additional news available at www.ny.gov/governor | High resolution images available at www.ny.gov/governor/mediaimages | password: paterson | New York State | Executive Chamber | press.office(a)chamber.state.ny.us | 212.681.4640 | 518.474.8418 | Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Support Mountainkeeper This is a complex and extended battle requiring tremendous resources. Catskill Mountainkeeper needs your financial support to continue to represent you in this fight. About Catskill Mountainkeeper Catskill Mountainkeeper is an independent, not for profit, 501c3 community based environmental advocacy organization, dedicated to creating a flourishing sustainable economy in the Catskills and preserving and protecting the area's long term health. We address issues of water integrity for the Delaware and Susquehanna River Systems, the defense of the vast woodlands that encompass the Catskill Forest Preserve and the New York City Watershed as well as farmland protection. We promote "smart" development that balances the economic needs and concerns of the Catskill regions' citizens and the protection of our abundant but exceedingly vulnerable natural resources. Forward email This email was sent to jim_scon(a)yahoo.com by info(a)catskillmountainkeeper.org. Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Catskill Mountainkeeper | PO Box 381 | Youngsville | NY | 12791

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Re: [EC] WV PSC Staff 'Drops the Bomb' on PATH
by James Kotcon 11 Dec '10

11 Dec '10

While this is indeed good news, it is worth noting that we were at about this point with TrAIL. During the evidentiary hearings, we had largely refuted all of TrAILCo's claims. In their final briefs, Staff had recommended against the line. At that point TrAILCo went into high pressure, back room "negotiations" to make a deal. We have no direct evidence that the Governor's Office got involved, but based on the e-mails from PSC Staff, I think it was likely. At any rate, two months later, Staff "agreed" to (or was told to agree to) a Settlement which added a few additional jobs and the TrAILCo line was approved. I recommend that we keep a constant watch on PSC Staff activity over the next few weeks. As they say, "Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me!" Jim Kotcon >>> "Frank Young" 12/10/10 10:58 PM >>> >From Bill Howley's 'The Power Line' blog- available at: http://calhounpowerline.com/ -------------------------------------------------------- WV PSC Legal Staff Files Motion to Dismiss PATH Application December 10, 2010 The PSC lawyers hit every single issue we have been presenting here on The Power Line for the last month. In particular, the staff points to Dominion’s Alternative 1 as being far superior to PATH in every respect. The staff cites the multiple results of PJM’s failure to consider Alternative 1 as being the primary reasons why AEP/Allegheny’s PATH application no longer meets the basic standards for a high voltage transmission line certificate of need as set out in WV statutes. The motion to dismiss is a recitation of all of the failures of PJM’s transmission planning process. The motion is a direct assault on PJM’s deceptive, misleading and contorted actions as more and better alternatives to PATH have appeared in the last year. The staff concludes: Staff moves the Commission (1) to dismiss PATH’S Application without prejudice; (2) permit for re-filing once a new analysis has been completed that includes all the recent developments; (3) order the Applicants to file updated testimony in regards to the economic and environmental aspects of this project, including a discussion of the need to rebuild the Pruntytown-Mt. Storm line. [the part of Alternative 1 that is owned by Allegheny] The staff’s motion effectively requires AEP/Allegheny and PJM to make a fair assessment of all viable alternatives to PATH within any new PATH application. Now it is up to the Commissioners of the WV PSC to stand up for our state against the self-appointed power company cartel, PJM Interconnection. The Commission staff has stated the case clearly for all to see. Their motion is a masterful summary of all that is wrong with the PATH project and PJM’s corrupt “planning” process. http://calhounpowerline.com/ __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest * Unsubscribe * Terms of Use . __,_._,___

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WV PSC Staff 'Drops the Bomb' on PATH
by Frank Young 10 Dec '10

10 Dec '10

>From Bill Howley's 'The Power Line' blog- available at: http://calhounpowerline.com/ -------------------------------------------------------- WV PSC Legal Staff Files Motion to Dismiss PATH Application December 10, 2010 The PSC lawyers hit every single issue we have been presenting here on The Power Line for the last month. In particular, the staff points to Dominion’s Alternative 1 as being far superior to PATH in every respect. The staff cites the multiple results of PJM’s failure to consider Alternative 1 as being the primary reasons why AEP/Allegheny’s PATH application no longer meets the basic standards for a high voltage transmission line certificate of need as set out in WV statutes. The motion to dismiss is a recitation of all of the failures of PJM’s transmission planning process. The motion is a direct assault on PJM’s deceptive, misleading and contorted actions as more and better alternatives to PATH have appeared in the last year. The staff concludes: Staff moves the Commission (1) to dismiss PATH’S Application without prejudice; (2) permit for re-filing once a new analysis has been completed that includes all the recent developments; (3) order the Applicants to file updated testimony in regards to the economic and environmental aspects of this project, including a discussion of the need to rebuild the Pruntytown-Mt. Storm line. [the part of Alternative 1 that is owned by Allegheny] The staff’s motion effectively requires AEP/Allegheny and PJM to make a fair assessment of all viable alternatives to PATH within any new PATH application. Now it is up to the Commissioners of the WV PSC to stand up for our state against the self-appointed power company cartel, PJM Interconnection. The Commission staff has stated the case clearly for all to see. Their motion is a masterful summary of all that is wrong with the PATH project and PJM’s corrupt “planning” process. http://calhounpowerline.com/ __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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FW: Democracy for America Training Opportunity
by Grubb, Karen 10 Dec '10

10 Dec '10

From: Denise Binion [mailto:dbinion@gmail.com<mailto:dbinion@gmail.com>] Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 8:44 PM To: Denise Binion Subject: Democracy for America Training Opportunity Hi everyone, I had a call from the National Democracy For America recently in response to a survey I filled out last month. They are interested in putting on the Campaign Academy training and it would be the first one ever for WV! They are very interested in promoting progressive politics in WV. They are also interested in tailoring the training to include specific projects that would be of interest or helpful to us (e.g. Marcellus Shale drilling/water protection, State Democratic Party Chair, as well as State and local issues. It would be great to have the benefit of the training before the start of the 2012 campaigns. I have talked with several people from various progressive groups throughout the state and there seems to be a lot of interest in attending this training. There certainly is a need and also a great deal of dissatisfaction within the Democratic Party over the way things are going. This is a great opportunity at a critical time in this state and the nation. We can't afford to cede any more ground to the Republicans and DINOcrats. WV is especially desperate for some real Democratic government. Since it's based on Howard Dean's 50 State Strategy, there is no reason why we couldn't turn it into a 55 county strategy and would certainly help Progressives. I'm thinking it is something that OFA members, Brain Trust, DFA, environmental organizations and other progressive groups around the state would be interested in. We are looking at Flatwoods as a meeting site, making it equally accessible for 1st CD, 2nd and 3rd CD folks. Registration cost will be ~ $70 ($40 for low income or students) + lodging cost which is yet to be negotiated. There is also a possibility for a limited amount of scholarships. They need 80-100 participants to hold the training. What are your thoughts about participating in this training and do you think there are others in your area organizations that may be interested. The way things look right now, we're on our own to promote Democratic policies. No one is going to this, it looks like we're going to have to save ourselves. Please send me your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Denise Binion ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don't tell me what you believe. Tell me what you do and I'll tell you what you believe. - Timothy Lange

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FW: [wvec-board] Marcellus Shale- on WV Public Broadcasting tonight (Thursday)
by Grubb, Karen 10 Dec '10

10 Dec '10

From: wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:wvec-board@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Frank Young Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2010 5:47 PM To: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com; wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com; Chuck Wyrostok Subject: [wvec-board] Marcellus Shale- on WV Public Broadcasting tonight (Thursday) Tonight on The Law Works (8:30 p.m. on WV PBS TV) host Dan Ringer takes on the legal topics around Marcellus Shale Gas drilling in West Virginia. Special guests are attorneys Kenneth Tawney and Andrew Graham. West Virginia Public Broadcasting<http://www.facebook.com/wvpubcast>: __._,_.___ Reply to sender<mailto:fyoung@mountain.net?subject=Re%3A%20Narcellus%20Shale-%20on%20WV%20Public%20Briadcasting%20tonight%20%28Thursday%29> | Reply to group<mailto:wvec-board@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20Narcellus%20Shale-%20on%20WV%20Public%20Briadcasting%20tonight%20%28Thursday%29> | Reply via web post<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvec-board/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxbDlsbmxoBF9TAzk3…> | Start a New Topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvec-board/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJmNmkxanNuBF9TAzk3…> Messages in this topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvec-board/message/1952;_ylc=X3oDMTM1djZrZnF2…> (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvec-board;_ylc=X3oDMTJmcXZoc2VlBF9TAzk3MzU5N…> . __,_._,___

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creative anti-ash ad
by Jim Sconyers 10 Dec '10

10 Dec '10

Now this is clever - if the stuff is so harmless, then take a few tons home! Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Midge Sweet <sweetmidge(a)GMAIL.COM> To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Sent: Fri, December 10, 2010 2:13:53 AM Subject: Your home can be home to an extra helping of coal ash! Check out FACE's award-winning ad in the local paper, now on the Fall-line Alliance's website: http://faceenvironment.org/ -- Midge Sweet Georgians for Smart Energy Coalition 404-688-5430/w • 404-667-4476/cell www.georgiansforsmartenergy.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fwd: Newcomers Will Hold Sway in Many State Legislatures
by James Kotcon 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

Fascinating article. It suggests that, because so many legislators are inexperienced, lobbyists will have more influence than usual as newcomers will not know the process as well as the lobbyists do. We have our work cut out for us. JBK >>> Paula Carrell <paula.carrell(a)sierraclub.org> 12/8/2010 11:15 AM >>> --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- fyi http://www.governing.com/blogs/politics/newcomers-will-hold-sway-many-state… --- This message was sent by paula.carrell(a)sierraclub.org via http://addthis.com. Please note that AddThis does not verify email addresses. Make sharing easier with the AddThis Toolbar: http://www.addthis.com/go/toolbar-em ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To get off this list, send email to: LISTSERV(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Make the message text (not the Subject): SIGNOFF CONS-FRED

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Wyoming's fed-bucking approach to environmental policy
by Paul Wilson 07 Dec '10

07 Dec '10

Info Frack forward Wyoming's fed-bucking approach to environmental policy News - From the October 01, 2010 issue of High Country News<http://www.hcn.org/issues/42.17> by Cally Carswell Document Actions <http://www.hcn.org/issues/42.17/frack-forward/image_viewer> On Sept. 15, Wyoming activated new rules requiring energy companies to identify the chemicals they inject underground to break up rocks in order to free trapped oil and gas. Critics suspect that the process -- known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking -- can contaminate groundwater. Evidence has been elusive, though, in part because drilling companies have been allowed to keep their chemical recipes largely secret. The new rules -- the nation's strictest -- were a surprisingly easy sell in Wyoming, where extractive industries almost single-handedly keep state coffers plump and exercise proportional political clout. At Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal's behest, the state's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission unanimously signed off on them in June. Though Halliburton protested some, most in the industry seemed unfazed. At the end of this month, the Associated Press reported that drillers even seemed "eager to comply." Anticipating similar moves by President Obama's Environmental Protection Agency, which recently increased its scrutiny of fracking, Wyoming wrote the rules as a message to the feds: Your help is not needed here. Federal "meddling" has always irked Wyoming's leaders. But under Freudenthal, the state has favored a curious strategy for fending off federal regulators: Beat them to the punch with its own cutting-edge environmental policies. In 2007, with a lawsuit pending over the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's decision not to list the greater sage grouse as endangered, Freudenthal ordered state officials, conservationists and industry reps to map the bird's vital habitat. Within those "core areas," the state has tightly restricted oil, gas and wind development, all thought to disrupt grouse breeding -- a significant improvement over the Bureau of Land Management's style of developing first and dealing with impacts later. It's not a perfect plan -- core areas are strategically penciled to exclude the best gas patches, say critics, making places like the Powder River Basin sacrifice zones. And Freudenthal has called the grouse "one of the ugliest, stupidest birds I ever knew." Still, he's willing to defend it to protect Wyoming's natural gas industry. His office estimates that a listing would subject 83 percent of gas producers to new regulations. "What we live on in this state is mineral revenues," said Freudenthal energy advisor Aaron Clark in 2009, "and we would be subjecting a lot of that to the vagaries of the Endangered Species Act." For now, the plan has kept federal regulation at bay. When the Interior Department this year again declined to protect the grouse, officials commended Wyoming's efforts. And Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has encouraged other states with sagebrush habitat to adopt the core-area model. Wyoming hopes the feds will be similarly seduced by its new fracking law, as well as pioneering rules developed over the last two years for future carbon capture and sequestration projects. Shannon Anderson, a lawyer for the Powder River Basin Resource Council, a local environmental group, calls the latter "generally good rules." But they're less cautious than similar rules drafted by the EPA, which aim to protect drinking water by considering only deep, briny aquifers as potential carbon storage sites. Wyoming's rules could allow injections in shallow geologic formations, potentially even those that overlie drinking water sources. "They were designed to beat EPA and hopefully get them to follow, rather than dictate, Wyoming's approach," Anderson says. It's encouraging to see Wyoming advance environmental regulation instead of relax it, as the previous governor did to ease coalbed methane development, and as the Bush-Cheney administration did with fracking. But local environmentalists caution that the new policies aren't necessarily evidence that Wyoming's gone green. "All these rules are baby steps in terms of what we really need to accomplish to address the impacts we have in the state," Anderson says, adding that Wyoming is in "an already compromised position." Between 2001 and 2005, sage grouse populations near coalbed methane development in the Powder River Basin declined by 82 percent. Freudenthal refuses to moderate Wyoming's anti-wolf stance, jeopardizing the state's chances to manage the animals. And requiring frackers to disclose their chemicals won't protect groundwater if drillers remain exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act. "The idea is to get these rules in place and stop Congress from passing (comprehensive legislation), which would actually protect public health and safety," Anderson says. Imperfect as it may be, Wyoming's breakaway approach to environmental regulation is gaining favor among some surprising constituencies. Last month, Cathy Woollums, an executive of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., a coal-reliant utility behemoth, came to the Wyoming Legislature with an unexpected request: Regulate greenhouse gases. Congressional inaction is creating too much uncertainty in the utility business, she said. And, in any case, MidAmerican would rather answer to Wyoming than the EPA. -- 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] Wyoming's fed-bucking approach to environmental policy
by DSGJr＠aol.com 07 Dec '10

07 Dec '10

Both bills being proposed for regulating Marcellus shale drilling in WV -- the DEP bill and the Judiciary Subcommittee A bill -- require the listing of frac fluid contents. don garvin In a message dated 12/7/2010 10:05:18 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, fyoung(a)mountain.net writes: Thanks, Paul. Would that WV's leaders be as pro-active. Doing the "right things"- even for the wrong reason- is better than the "sue the feds" approach West Virginia takes to natural resource extraction regulation. Frank Young ----- Original Message ----- From: _Paul Wilson_ (mailto:pjgrunt@gmail.com) To: _WV Chapter Energy Committee_ (mailto:EC@osenergy.org) Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 10:20 AM Subject: [EC] Wyoming's fed-bucking approach to environmental policy Info Frack forward Wyoming's fed-bucking approach to environmental policy News - _From the October 01, 2010 issue of High Country News_ (http://www.hcn.org/issues/42.17) by Cally Carswell Document Actions (http://www.hcn.org/issues/42.17/frack-forward/image_viewer) On Sept. 15, Wyoming activated new rules requiring energy companies to identify the chemicals they inject underground to break up rocks in order to free trapped oil and gas. Critics suspect that the process -- known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking -- can contaminate groundwater. Evidence has been elusive, though, in part because drilling companies have been allowed to keep their chemical recipes largely secret. The new rules -- the nation's strictest -- were a surprisingly easy sell in Wyoming, where extractive industries almost single-handedly keep state coffers plump and exercise proportional political clout. At Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal's behest, the state's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission unanimously signed off on them in June. Though Halliburton protested some, most in the industry seemed unfazed. At the end of this month, the Associated Press reported that drillers even seemed "eager to comply." Anticipating similar moves by President Obama's Environmental Protection Agency, which recently increased its scrutiny of fracking, Wyoming wrote the rules as a message to the feds: Your help is not needed here. Federal "meddling" has always irked Wyoming's leaders. But under Freudenthal, the state has favored a curious strategy for fending off federal regulators: Beat them to the punch with its own cutting-edge environmental policies. In 2007, with a lawsuit pending over the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's decision not to list the greater sage grouse as endangered, Freudenthal ordered state officials, conservationists and industry reps to map the bird's vital habitat. Within those "core areas," the state has tightly restricted oil, gas and wind development, all thought to disrupt grouse breeding -- a significant improvement over the Bureau of Land Management's style of developing first and dealing with impacts later. It's not a perfect plan -- core areas are strategically penciled to exclude the best gas patches, say critics, making places like the Powder River Basin sacrifice zones. And Freudenthal has called the grouse "one of the ugliest, stupidest birds I ever knew." Still, he's willing to defend it to protect Wyoming's natural gas industry. His office estimates that a listing would subject 83 percent of gas producers to new regulations. "What we live on in this state is mineral revenues," said Freudenthal energy advisor Aaron Clark in 2009, "and we would be subjecting a lot of that to the vagaries of the Endangered Species Act." For now, the plan has kept federal regulation at bay. When the Interior Department this year again declined to protect the grouse, officials commended Wyoming's efforts. And Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has encouraged other states with sagebrush habitat to adopt the core-area model. Wyoming hopes the feds will be similarly seduced by its new fracking law, as well as pioneering rules developed over the last two years for future carbon capture and sequestration projects. Shannon Anderson, a lawyer for the Powder River Basin Resource Council, a local environmental group, calls the latter "generally good rules." But they're less cautious than similar rules drafted by the EPA, which aim to protect drinking water by considering only deep, briny aquifers as potential carbon storage sites. Wyoming's rules could allow injections in shallow geologic formations, potentially even those that overlie drinking water sources. "They were designed to beat EPA and hopefully get them to follow, rather than dictate, Wyoming's approach," Anderson says. It's encouraging to see Wyoming advance environmental regulation instead of relax it, as the previous governor did to ease coalbed methane development, and as the Bush-Cheney administration did with fracking. But local environmentalists caution that the new policies aren't necessarily evidence that Wyoming's gone green. "All these rules are baby steps in terms of what we really need to accomplish to address the impacts we have in the state," Anderson says, adding that Wyoming is in "an already compromised position." Between 2001 and 2005, sage grouse populations near coalbed methane development in the Powder River Basin declined by 82 percent. Freudenthal refuses to moderate Wyoming's anti-wolf stance, jeopardizing the state's chances to manage the animals. And requiring frackers to disclose their chemicals won't protect groundwater if drillers remain exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act. "The idea is to get these rules in place and stop Congress from passing (comprehensive legislation), which would actually protect public health and safety," Anderson says. Imperfect as it may be, Wyoming's breakaway approach to environmental regulation is gaining favor among some surprising constituencies. Last month, Cathy Woollums, an executive of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., a coal-reliant utility behemoth, came to the Wyoming Legislature with an unexpected request: Regulate greenhouse gases. Congressional inaction is creating too much uncertainty in the utility business, she said. And, in any case, MidAmerican would rather answer to Wyoming than the EPA. -- 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 ____________________________________ _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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Fw: [WVHCBOARD] Fwd: [wvpanhandlenaturalists] (PVAS) INTRODUCTION TO MARCELLUS SHALE GAS DRILLING
by Frank Young 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Jim and all- FYI. I am sending this mostly to add to the picture of how many groups are concentrating on this. Like the Eveready Bunny, It just keeps growing and growing and growing .................... :-) Frank -------------------------------------------------------- From: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:WVHCBOARD@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Cynthia D. Ellis Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 6:28 PM To: West Virginia Highlands Conservancy Subject: [WVHCBOARD] Fwd: [wvpanhandlenaturalists] (PVAS) INTRODUCTION TO MARCELLUS SHALE GAS DRILLING ------ Forwarded message ---------- From: Kathy Bilton <kathy(a)fred.net> Date: Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 6:19 PM Subject: [wvpanhandlenaturalists] (PVAS) INTRODUCTION TO MARCELLUS SHALE GAS DRILLING To: Potomac Valley Audubon <info(a)potomacaudubon.org> INTRODUCTION TO MARCELLUS SHALE GAS DRILLING The Sleepy Creek Watershed Association invites PVAS members and friends to the SCWA Semi-Annual General Membership Meeting on December 9, 2010 to hear a presentation on the extraction of natural gas from Marcellus Shale and its impacts on our land and water. John M. S. King, Environmental Resource Analyst for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, will offer a community education session on the subject to include its benefits and drawbacks at 7 p.m. at the Morgan County Board of Education at 247 Harrison Street. Although there has been natural gas drilling in West Virginia and neighboring states for years, Marcellus Shale extraction relies on new technologies that pose significant and numerous threats to water quantity and quality. Volunteer monitoring groups in the state are calling for strong government regulation to guide the industry. Leasing land for drilling can be lucrative for landowners who receive both signing bonuses and royalties, but these drilling activities use huge amounts of water and numerous dangerous chemicals. The drilling issue is causing divisiveness in communities as some landowners refuse to sign leases because of their concerns about environmental damage. Join SCWA to learn about the issue before it presents itself in Morgan County. All members are urged to attend, and the public is welcome. There will be a short business meeting before the program to elect officers. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call Gale Foulds at 304 258 6155. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvpanhandlenaturalists/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvpanhandlenaturalists/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: wvpanhandlenaturalists-digest(a)yahoogroups.com wvpanhandlenaturalists-fullfeatured(a)yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: wvpanhandlenaturalists-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ -- Cynthia D. Ellis RR 1 Box 163 Red House, WV 25168 304 586-4135 cdellis(a)wildblue.net How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon? Dr. Seuss -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1170 / Virus Database: 426/3300 - Release Date: 12/06/10 __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (2) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources MARKETPLACE Stay on top of your group activity without leaving the page you're on - Get the Yahoo! Toolbar now. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hobbies & Activities Zone: Find others who share your passions! Explore new interests. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get great advice about dogs and cats. Visit the Dog & Cat Answers Center. Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest . Unsubscribe . Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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CONFIDENTIAL: Beyond Coal Campaign Plan for 2011
by James Kotcon 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD THIS BEYOND THE ENERGY COMMITTEE. I was just on a conference call with Club leaders regarding the details of the Beyond Coal Campaign Plan for the Northeast in 2011. Of 78 actions/issues in the NE, 12 are in WV. These include our priority campaigns such as PATH and the Mingo CTL, as well MTR, and the WVU SSC's goals for the Presidents Climate Commitment. They have added some plans to push for closures of old dirty plants such as Phil Sporn, and others, and the goal is to get the PSC to approve plans by the end of 2011 to shut them down at some not-to-distant time in the future. There will also be a significantly larger push for alternative energy, as well as efficiency, than in the past. I asked about the Club's position on the CCS facility at the Mountaineer plant, but forgot to ask about coal ash as a separate set of targets. What else do we want the Club to do in WV? Is this realistic as a "work plan"? I was interested to see how many states have a "Beyond Coal" organizer, which West Virginia does not. We do have the Marcellus organizer, and I am curious if we can get that renewed, or get some longer-term resources. At the same time, there will be a continuing emphasis on legal and technical issues, so we need to recognize how much the Club is already doing in WV. Whaddya Think? Jim Kotcon

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Fw: Dispute in Pennsylvania Town Highlights EPA's Coal Ash Dilemma
by Jim Sconyers 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Lisa Graves-Marcucci <lgmarcucci(a)ENVIRONMENTALINTEGRITY.ORG> To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Sent: Mon, December 6, 2010 9:33:35 AM Subject: Dispute in Pennsylvania Town Highlights EPA's Coal Ash Dilemma This story, published by the Center for Public Integrity, highlights some of my western PA colleagues and the dangers plaguing their small community. Dispute in Pennsylvania Town Highlights EPA's Coal Ash Dilemma:http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/2735/ Best, LGM -- Lisa Graves Marcucci Environmental Integrity Project PA Coordinator, Community Outreach lgmarcucci(a)environmentalintegrity.org 412-897-0569 (cell) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fw: Massey's Blankenship to retire Dec. 31
by Frank Young 03 Dec '10

03 Dec '10

Early Christmas Present! fyoung(a)mountain.net sent you this article ----- December 3, 2010 Massey's Blankenship to retire Dec. 31 By Ken Ward Jr. The Charleston Gazette P> Read the news release CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Don Blankenship, the outspoken and controversial CEO of Ma ... Read more -----

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Fw: BIO FUELS TAKE WINGS..."Hamburg with Vegetable Oil"
by Jim Sconyers 03 Dec '10

03 Dec '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Allan Tweddle <atweddle(a)compositetranstech.com> To: Janet Keating <ohvec(a)ezwv.com>; Vivian Stockman <vivian(a)ohvec.org>; Julian Martin <martinjul(a)aol.com>; Frank YOUNG <fyoung(a)mountain.net>; Jim Haught <haught(a)wvgazette.com> Cc: Debbie.Boger(a)sierraclub.org; Don GARVIN <dsgjr(a)aol.com>; Mark Bettinger <mark.bettinger(a)sierraclub.org> Sent: Fri, December 3, 2010 12:21:43 PM Subject: [EC] BIO FUELS TAKE WINGS..."Hamburg with Vegetable Oil" Colleagues and Friends of the Earth: As many of you know, I have with a team of colleagues, with energy and enthusiasm, and with mostly West Virginia Angel investors, established a new manufacturing Company here in West Virginia. We are cautiously optimistic that we will, upon completion of our development work, and implementation of a full manufacturing plant, begin to offer to equip the airlines of the world with a system that will reduce the carbon footprint of every plane that deploys our system...and save them operating expense while doing so. The scientific talents of the Touchstone Research Laboratories in Wheeling have been our partners in this leading edge work. As our market is the airlines of the world, in particular the cargo planes, we track the business trends and progress through appropriate trade publications, in this case Air Cargo World. www.aircargoworld@ubmaviation.com In the most recent 12/3/2010 on line issue, is an exciting development is reported that in which any and all who are concerned about Global Warming should see encouragement, progress and hope. And it is ironic, that Nazi Germany, the country that out of desperation in isolation of WW II, gave us that environmentally horrific process known as “Fischer Trope” process for converting Coals to Liquid*. The Germans of today have now shown us a sustainable and renewable approach to a jet fuel...using vegetable oil! And while other airlines have experimented with bio-fuel mixes, Lufthansa seems to be the first airline to put the fuel into daily flights. *(Today, the largest plant on the planet using the Fischer Trope process is in Segundo South Africa. The Minister for the Environment for the Government of South Africa stated a few months ago that that plant is the largest single source of greenhouse gasses on the planet! Downstream life threatening carcinogenic and cardiac health conditions are among the worst on the planet! And our West Virginia politicians want to use an "improved" version of this process???) Here’s the article...I thought your readership and members might enjoy reading it...and know that there are some entrepreneurs and industries that are earnestly and profitably, trying to use renewable energy sources to slow, stop and reverse global warming while too many others are wasting time, energy and our money trying to preserve the Neanderthal sources of energy that are causing global warming. Of course, in fact, they are driven by established EU requirements to reduce their carbon footprint with specific time frame and levels, so in spite of our Congressional foot-dragging, and irresponsible attacks on the EPA, Europe is ahead of us in mandating a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Enjoy in good health and happy holidays Allan Hamburg linked with vegetable oil 01/12/2010 4:43 pm Lufthansa will operate daily A321 flights next year between Hamburg and Frankfurt using a biofuel blend made from 50 percent hydro-treated vegetable oil. The flights will begin in April 2011 for six months as part of the "Burn Fair" project to study the long term impact of sustainable bio-fuels on aircraft performance. When burned, the fuel made from the biomass material emits the CO2 it naturally absorbs when it grows, thereby helping neutralize overall CO2 emissions. The biofuel is being provided by Finland-based Neste Oil and comes from sustainable sources to ensure the bio-feedstock does not compete for food, water nor land. Neste Oil is a member of RSB (Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels) and RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). “We see great opportunities in the use of bio-synthetic kerosene. But we are first gathering experience with it in daily practice. Indeed, Lufthansa is the world’s first airline to utilize biofuel in flight operations. This is a further consistent step in the sustainability strategy, which Lufthansa has for years been successfully pursuing,” said Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Lufthansa CEO. “Daily biofuel flights are a significant step forward in our pursuit of a sustainable future for aviation. Airbus is bringing together feedstock producers, fuel refiners and airlines, and with today’s announcement, we have taken yet another step towards making this real,” added Tom Enders, Airbus president and CEO. Last October, an Airbus aircraft operated the first commercial flight of 50 percent blended Gas-to-Liquid (GTL), and in February 2008, an A380 aircraft successfully completed the world’s first ever flight by a commercial aircraft using GTL. Now the manufacturer is launching engine options for a new version of the A320 — the A320neo — with either a LEAP-X engine by CFM International or a PurePower PW1100G engine by Pratt & Whitney. According to Airbus, the new engines are quieter, boast lower operating costs and will reduce fuel consumption by 15 percent. "Finding the necessary resources for the A320neo wasn't exactly a walk in the park,” explained Enders. “The enabler was to devise a stringent phasing of critical engineering assets throughout our various development programs and to optimize the management and organization of all our programs and R&T projects. Our international engineering centers, suppliers and partners play a big role in this.” Airbus officials forecast the market for A320neo-equipped aircraft expanding to 4,000 during the next 15 years. _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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BIO FUELS TAKE WINGS..."Hamburg with Vegetable Oil"
by Allan Tweddle 03 Dec '10

03 Dec '10

Colleagues and Friends of the Earth: As many of you know, I have with a team of colleagues, with energy and enthusiasm, and with mostly West Virginia Angel investors, established a new manufacturing Company here in West Virginia. We are cautiously optimistic that we will, upon completion of our development work, and implementation of a full manufacturing plant, begin to offer to equip the airlines of the world with a system that will reduce the carbon footprint of every plane that deploys our system...and save them operating expense while doing so. The scientific talents of the Touchstone Research Laboratories in Wheeling have been our partners in this leading edge work. As our market is the airlines of the world, in particular the cargo planes, we track the business trends and progress through appropriate trade publications, in this case Air Cargo World. www.aircargoworld@ubmaviation.com In the most recent 12/3/2010 on line issue, is an exciting development is reported that in which any and all who are concerned about Global Warming should see encouragement, progress and hope. And it is ironic, that Nazi Germany, the country that out of desperation in isolation of WW II, gave us that environmentally horrific process known as "Fischer Trope" process for converting Coals to Liquid*. The Germans of today have now shown us a sustainable and renewable approach to a jet fuel...using vegetable oil! And while other airlines have experimented with bio-fuel mixes, Lufthansa seems to be the first airline to put the fuel into daily flights. *(Today, the largest plant on the planet using the Fischer Trope process is in Segundo South Africa. The Minister for the Environment for the Government of South Africa stated a few months ago that that plant is the largest single source of greenhouse gasses on the planet! Downstream life threatening carcinogenic and cardiac health conditions are among the worst on the planet! And our West Virginia politicians want to use an "improved" version of this process???) Here's the article...I thought your readership and members might enjoy reading it...and know that there are some entrepreneurs and industries that are earnestly and profitably, trying to use renewable energy sources to slow, stop and reverse global warming while too many others are wasting time, energy and our money trying to preserve the Neanderthal sources of energy that are causing global warming. Of course, in fact, they are driven by established EU requirements to reduce their carbon footprint with specific time frame and levels, so in spite of our Congressional foot-dragging, and irresponsible attacks on the EPA, Europe is ahead of us in mandating a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Enjoy in good health and happy holidays Allan Hamburg linked with vegetable oil 01/12/2010 4:43 pm Lufthansa will operate daily A321 flights next year between Hamburg and Frankfurt using a biofuel blend made from 50 percent hydro-treated vegetable oil. The flights will begin in April 2011 for six months as part of the "Burn Fair" project to study the long term impact of sustainable bio-fuels on aircraft performance. When burned, the fuel made from the biomass material emits the CO2 it naturally absorbs when it grows, thereby helping neutralize overall CO2 emissions. The biofuel is being provided by Finland-based Neste Oil and comes from sustainable sources to ensure the bio-feedstock does not compete for food, water nor land. Neste Oil is a member of RSB (Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels) and RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). "We see great opportunities in the use of bio-synthetic kerosene. But we are first gathering experience with it in daily practice. Indeed, Lufthansa is the world's first airline to utilize biofuel in flight operations. This is a further consistent step in the sustainability strategy, which Lufthansa has for years been successfully pursuing," said Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Lufthansa CEO. "Daily biofuel flights are a significant step forward in our pursuit of a sustainable future for aviation. Airbus is bringing together feedstock producers, fuel refiners and airlines, and with today's announcement, we have taken yet another step towards making this real," added Tom Enders, Airbus president and CEO. Last October, an Airbus aircraft operated the first commercial flight of 50 percent blended Gas-to-Liquid (GTL), and in February 2008, an A380 aircraft successfully completed the world's first ever flight by a commercial aircraft using GTL. Now the manufacturer is launching engine options for a new version of the A320 - the A320neo - with either a LEAP-X engine by CFM International or a PurePower PW1100G engine by Pratt & Whitney. According to Airbus, the new engines are quieter, boast lower operating costs and will reduce fuel consumption by 15 percent. "Finding the necessary resources for the A320neo wasn't exactly a walk in the park," explained Enders. "The enabler was to devise a stringent phasing of critical engineering assets throughout our various development programs and to optimize the management and organization of all our programs and R&T projects. Our international engineering centers, suppliers and partners play a big role in this." Airbus officials forecast the market for A320neo-equipped aircraft expanding to 4,000 during the next 15 years.

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Wellington gob-coal plant permit hearing on December 7th
by Duane330＠aol.com 02 Dec '10

02 Dec '10

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> It is herewith proposed that MVCAC submit testimony in opposition to the 5-year extension of the permit for the Wellington gob burning power plant in Fayette County, PA, just a few miles north of Morgantown. Please let me know if you have comments. . . . . . . . Duane Nichols, MVCAC Spokesperson. Public Hearing on Plan to Construct Waste Coal-Fired Power Plant in Greene County On the evening of December 7th the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public meeting and hear citizen testimony on Wellington Development LLC's proposal to build a 525 megawatt waste-coal-fired power plant in Nemacolin, Greene County, PA. If constructed, this facility would serve as a massive new source of pollution for Greene County and our region as a whole, including the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, Shenandoah National Park, the James River Face Wilderness Area, Dolly Sods, and Otter Creek Wilderness area. Wellington first received a permit to build the facility in 2005. (Several years ago GASP joined the Sierra Club, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in an ultimately unsuccessful legal effort to invalidate the 2005 permit). Five years later the plant still has not been constructed. Wellington is now seeking a 5-year extension on their construction permit. Our region is already out of attainment for fine particulates and ozone. If built this project would impose an additional air pollution burden on our region for decades to come. The PADEP hearing is scheduled for December 7th at United Mine Workers Hall 92 Pershing Boulevard Nemacolin PA, 15351 _(map)_ (http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=izlefwcab&et=1104012270817&s=244&e=001fABDckg… R9QMDxcuu7Q2ULyFP8umfo6g7TJl_KO2gv5OMa5AK384h49sYfOkhzTUEgmEvkBMOtRNCgTEwGPg tmey_xoY5SFiMl3R9cYiRqohq3l3DZzwyjP0RDwUWlQHGFOggCagBU2WvncXCiPAdhqhWxKXjTgB O0o8fW1r-T9B6ORmRM4Ixvl7-GHkETolevXug3-gN8L6IfLTAHACVo2-ZXdCJRuzF94JZ5cVnwpY 4VRUygODHbxETMy4FRyWdVwepG0z-zvulDmLfeZUBfHFQKk9a18qO-EUCNT5l72IRVrec1q9w0h- mOs0ThHE4EAM7VrXpoUbLO6qXCXub42MhjlMNemVe6R4BvUqqyW8pSGvoNf29TIPy8zp_Hv7x8Rd qJijBmp8T8M9dOMtgfOJxfxBaKAbodiD4N1Q==) An informational meeting will start at 6:00 p.m., public testimony will start at 7:00 p.m. Those wishing to present oral testimony during the hearing should contact Community Relations Coordinator Katherine Gresh, at (412) 442-4000, before December 7, 2010 to register. Commentators should provide three written copies of their remarks to aid in transcription. Each commenter's oral testimony shall be limited to 10 minutes. More information on the project is available in the _Pennsylvania Bulletin _ (http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=izlefwcab&et=1104012270817&s=244&e=001fABDckg… DywhkjFWH2EDS4kEZRFDcCxfjWYmmCDft9H3w-QaEdhK7je3yLYA9QUWLdEONJ4lVMGCBzOC2fMP ukOXn_oiv9TdPSs=) (search for Wellington)

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Fwd: CA GOP Recovery Plan
by James Kotcon 26 Nov '10

26 Nov '10

This is from my father-in-law in California. I wonder if we could find some WV Republicans who might get on board? JBK >>> "Bob Elliott" <rdelliott(a)socal.rr.com> 11/26/2010 2:16 PM >>> latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-trounstine-california-republica201 01126,0,2900700.story latimes.com Op-Ed A California GOP recovery program Its trouncing in the Nov. 2 election shows that the state's voters aren't interested in 'tea party' stances; Republicans should pursue a more centrist approach. By Phil Trounstine and Jerry Roberts November 26, 2010 In the wake of the disastrous showing by Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina and the rest of the California Republican Party ticket, the leaders of the Golden State GOP should recalibrate their politics and policies to become relevant once again. The state's Republicans are now so trapped in their ideological hall of mirrors that they have become a distorted caricature of themselves. The midterm election demonstrated that they utterly fail to reflect the impulses of the vast majority of California voters, who tend toward fiscal conservatism and social moderation. Many Republican values have a wide following: smaller government, lower taxes, reduced regulation, economic growth, individual freedom and law and order, to name a few. The California GOP should fight for these ideals. But it needs to incorporate them into a platform that begins with a realistic growth agenda. Investment in roads, bridges, dams and/or levees, ports, water projects, redevelopment projects and schools and universities - all of these things and more are wholly consistent with their philosophical worldview. The party's fixation on opposing everything the Democrats propose is hurting Republicans more than it is their opponents. The GOP should take the lead in advocating an economic rebound strategy that relies on Silicon Valley innovation, green jobs and high-tech research and development. The party could integrate this with increased exports for a growing agricultural sector and a healthy and expanding service economy. Republicans don't have to continually serve the interests of the wealthiest 2% of California families; they can focus also on the struggling middle class. And they need to remember that California is not Kentucky or Alaska or any other state where the so-called tea party is a big deal. In California, tea party ideology has little appeal to the vast majority of voters. It's time for leaders of the California Republican Party to rethink their general strategy and agenda. Here are some ideas it should consider: .A change of position on providing a path to citizenship. The party should strongly favor securing the borders against illegal immigration; that's a matter of defending our national sovereignty and integrity. But that position doesn't need to be in conflict with extending eventual citizenship to some of those who are currently living here illegally. Just as the Republican Party was the Northern standard-bearer for the abolition of slavery in the 1850s and 1860s, so the California Republican Party could advocate for citizenship for honest working men and women who have come to the U.S. to make better lives for themselves and their families. According to the Los Angeles Times/USC postelection survey, about 8 in 10 Latinos, half the independents and even 4 in 10 Republicans support a path to citizenship. Even greater percentages support other ideas for integrating illegal immigrants. Republicans are driving away Latinos - nearly a quarter of the voters - with their anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric. .Getting on board with green jobs and environmental conservation. By arguing that people must pick between the environment and economic development, Republicans are creating a false choice. And voters know it. California Republicans have made fighting environmental regulation a cause. But plenty of people, including George Shultz and the late David Packard, have demonstrated that you can be a rock-ribbed Republican and also favor preserving and enhancing the environment. Of course, environmentalism has to be balanced against other competing interests, such as healthy agriculture, water supplies for cities and reasonable growth in and around urban areas. But pragmatic environmentalism could win the party votes. .Developing a bench. The party should start grooming young, bright, articulate Republicans throughout the state. It should teach them about practical politics, polling and other insider skills. It should train them in how to talk to reporters and how to think on their feet and answer questions without betraying their ignorance. It should teach them how to talk to ordinary people without sounding as if they're preaching or reciting talking points. In other words, the GOP should do what big-time college athletic programs do: recruit. .Changing the party's stance on abortion. There's a way to move to the center on this issue. The party could support a woman's right to choose in line with Roe vs. Wade without endorsing or even supporting abortion. The idea that abortion is a moral choice is not incompatible with the idea that this moral choice must be made by individuals, not the state. The party could also focus on reducing the number of abortions by supporting rather than opposing family planning. Barry Goldwater did. The party's goal should be to build a coalition based on an overarching goal of reducing the number of abortions rather than wasting breath yammering about abstinence and opposing sex education for teens. .Sounding sensible, not strident. The problem with the tea party rhetoric is that it sounds like the ravings of a crazy old uncle who really ought to be locked in the attic. The vast majority of California voters are moderate, independent-minded, practical people. They don't much care if an idea comes from a Democrat or a Republican. They care if it works. They're not against government; they want just enough of it to handle the important things. They're not opposed to all taxes; they're opposed to taxes that seem unfair, onerous or overly broad. They want to control the borders, but they also want to be fair to people who have worked hard to make a living, no matter where they come from. They're not pro-abortion, but they want women and their doctors - not Assembly members and state senators - to make choices about the life and death of fetuses. California voters are tired of people running for office who sound as if they think they know everything and whose answers are purely ideological. The Republicans need to have a hard head. But they also need to demonstrate a soft heart. And maybe a touch of humility. Phil Trounstine and Jerry Roberts write regularly about politics at their website, calbuzz.com. This article was adapted from one of their posts. Copyright C 2010, Los Angeles Times <http://www.latimes.com/> http://secure-us.imrworldwide.com/cgi-bin/m?ci=us-400338h&cg=0&cc=1&ts=noscr ipt

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Nissan Leaf Commercial
by James Kotcon 24 Nov '10

24 Nov '10

This is also pretty cool. Maybe I missed it as it apparently has been out for a while, but it is worth watching. This is how we should be doing our messaging. JBK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNeEVkhTutY

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Fwd: electric vehicle charging stations w "solar trees"
by James Kotcon 24 Nov '10

24 Nov '10

>>> Paula Carrell <Paula.Carrell(a)sierraclub.org> 11/23/2010 7:32 PM >>> OK, this is seriously cool . . . http://sierraclub.typepad.com/compass/2010/11/envision-solar.html and an interesting way to counter the fear that EVs will end up increasing (coal-fired) power plant demand not necessarily . . . I want a "solar tree" at home pc

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Fwd: WVNS story: Massey's Violations Hurting its Bottom Line?
by Paul Wilson 22 Nov '10

22 Nov '10

Massey CEO was also subject of a Morning Edition piece on Saturday morning NPR. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Mon, Nov 22, 2010 at 4:44 AM Subject: WVNS story: Massey's Violations Hurting its Bottom Line? To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Public News Service-WV November 22, 2010 Massey's Violations Hurting its Bottom Line? CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The coal-mining company Massey Energy is apparently up for sale, and shareholders may not be thankful for the company's record of violations of law and regulations. The company confirms it is now seriously considering takeover offers, and a number of stock watchers say privately that Massey's environmental and mine safety problems have cost it. Rob McGarrah, who follows stocks for the huge *AFL-CIO* pension funds, says accidents and environmental violations cause down-time and run up huge legal fees. "Contesting every single violation, questioning the legality of the enforcement efforts on the part of federal and state officials: None of this is good for productivity. It's not good for the overall health of the company." No one at Massey returned a call requesting comment. The company has fought with the unions before, but McGarrah says Massey could be a better neighbor and more profitable if it were less combative. Speaking to investors last week, company CEO Don Blankenship claimed that their finances have been hurt by regulations that he says target Massey. "Practices that we've employed at Massey successfully for years, that improve health and safety, are now being discarded; that's as well as the fact that environmental regulations have reached the point that they're fully unreasonable." According to McGarrah, other large coal operators seem to have fewer of these problems. "Other companies, and we are invested in them, do not have anywhere near the same troubles with federal investigations or federal mine safety enforcement." Over the last ten years shares in such mining companies as Consol, Peabody and Arch Coal have shown a tremendous rise. But even before the accident at its Upper Big Branch mine last April which focused national attention on the firm and its record, Massey Energy's share price was about where it had been a decade before. 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/17060-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/17060-1> --- 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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Fw: [fom] Fwd: [NoCoal] Wind in the heart of King Coal
by Frank Young 21 Nov '10

21 Nov '10

----- Original Message ----- From: Frank Young To: Daniel Chiotos ; FOM Cc: ec(a)osenergy.org Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2010 5:51 PM Subject: Re: [fom] Fwd: [NoCoal] Wind in the heart of King Coal Danny, When a potential electrical power developer- whether wind, solar or coal powered- gets to looking into a specific generating facility location, one of the first things the developer does is to apply to regional grid operator (known as PJM in this 13 state region) for a technical analysis of how much power could be put on the power grid from that location utilizing the existing transmission line infrastructure. This is done far in advance of applying for any permits. I know of some potential wind power locations that had this PJM grid connection analysis done nearly ten years ago- Rich Mountain in Randolph County, for example- yet no permits applications have even been filed for this location. Sometimes these power grid analyses show that significant megawatts of electricity can be put on the grid with little or no additional transmission line construction. This was the case at the Mt. Storm Shell-Nedpower wind farm in Tucker County. That facility was built such that it crossed directly under an existing 500 KV transmission line. All that was needed was construction of a power substation that was tied directly into the existing transmission line there. On the other hand, at the Beech Ridge wind farm facility in Greenbrier County, Invenergy had to construct almost 20 miles of its own transmission line to connect with an existing APCo transmission line near Nettie in Nicholas County. And some perhaps otherwise good wind locations are so far from transmission lines that it would be costs prohibitive to develop that site and costructuct and maintain the additional transmission lines necessary to connect to the existing power grid. My main point is that just because a potential power developer asks PJM for a technical analysis of grid capacity in the area, it does not mean that construction nor even a permit application is imminent. Although PJM keeps these transmission access technically analyzed locations on its website indefinitely, it does not mean that the sites will ever be developed. Some will sooner, some will later, and some will probably never be developed for technical, financial or other reasons. Frank Young, member Beech Ridge Wind Technical Advisory Committee for WV Sierra Club ----- Original Message ----- From: Daniel Chiotos To: FOM Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2010 3:01 PM Subject: [fom] Fwd: [NoCoal] Wind in the heart of King Coal can anyone ID the renewable energy projects that this map shows & the current state of them? This map looks like way more wind than I've heard of - so I'm wondering whether it is tracking wind that is in every state of the permit? Check out the map, pretty interesting...I wonder how many jobs would be developed if all of these renewable energy projects came to be... link is below Cheers, Daniel Chiotos Keeper of the Mountains Foundation Operations Director http://www.mountainkeeper.org 179 Summers St, Suite 234 Charleston, WV, 25301 (304)886-3389 - cell (304)205-0920 - office "WE ARE THE KEEPERS OF THE MOUNTAINS, LOVE THEM OR LEAVE THEM, JUST DON'T DESTROY THEM. IF YOU DARE TO BE ONE TOO, CALL 304-542-1134 OR 304-205-0920." - Larry Gibson ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ted Nace <ted(a)tednace.com> Date: Sun, Nov 21, 2010 at 2:55 PM Subject: [NoCoal] Wind in the heart of King Coal To: nonewcoalplants(a)energyjustice.net The PJM regional transmission organization is tracking 39,000 MW of proposed wind (more than all other proposed renewable and nonrenewable generation sources combined) in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. See this interactive map for details. _______________________________________________ No New Coal Plants! (nonewcoalplants(a)energyjustice.net) Energy Justice Network http://www.energyjustice.net Un/Subscribe, change your settings or access the archives at: http://energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nonewcoalplants_energyjustice.net

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Fwd: [WVaPATH] Zoning exception denied in MD for PATH substation
by James Kotcon 20 Nov '10

20 Nov '10

In case you have not heard. JBK >>> Bill Howley <billhowley(a)hughes.net> 11/19/2010 7:13 AM >>> Last night, the Frederick County, MD Board of Zoning Appeals _denied_ a special zoning exception that would have allowed the construction of the huge Kemptown Substation at the eastern end of PATH. This is a serious setback for PATH. Allegheny will no doubt go to state court to fight this. The MD PSC has already claimed sole authority to site the substation in Frederick County, although state law may not let them do that. There will clearly be a major court fight pitting the Frederick County Commission against AEP/Allegheny and the MD PSC. This will cause serious problems for PATH in MD.

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W.Va. board temporarily blocks ICG mine water permit
by Frank Young 18 Nov '10

18 Nov '10

This will be of interest to Jim Kotcon and perhaps others of you. This action springs directly from a Sierra Club legal appeal. Frank ----- Original Message ----- From: Cindy Rank To: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 5:37 PM Subject: [WVHCBOARD] ICG Patriot Mining Mine in northern WV --- using coal ash in backfill;;; http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/ W.Va. board temporarily blocks ICG mine November 18, 2010 by Ken Ward Jr. Word is just coming in that West Virginia’s Environmental Quality Board has temporarily blocked a water pollution permit for International Coal Group subsidiary Patriot Mining Company’s New Hill West Mine up in Monongalia County. I’ve posted a copy of the board’s order here, a copy of a motion for stay here and International Coal Group’s response to that motion here. Sierra Club lawyers sought the temporary stay because the company had planned to begin blasting tomorrow, and a hearing on the group’s appear of the water pollution permit was not scheduled to begin until mid-December. The water permit in question already covers discharges from five previously approved surface mining permits, and now Patriot Mining wants to add another 225-acre operation that would discharge into Scotts Run of the Monongahela River drainage. If you take a minute and read the original notice of appeal filed by the Sierra Club, you’ll see that this case has the potential to be pretty darned interesting. The appeal cites, among other things, what the Sierra Club says it the mine’s inability to meet the new water quality standards outlined in EPA’s major guidance document on conductivity. __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Fwd: [wvec-board] Officials Seek Stronger Drilling Rules
by James Kotcon 14 Nov '10

14 Nov '10

See attached news item from Don Garvin regarding legislation. Now is a good time for some letters to the editor saying that these rules are very reasonable and are easily achievable by the industry, but that they will of course claim that the sky is falling and that this is the end of their industry. JBK

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coal to gas news
by Jim Sconyers 14 Nov '10

14 Nov '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Vivian Stockman <vivian(a)ohvec.org> To: fom(a)lists.riseup.net Sent: Sun, November 14, 2010 5:38:11 AM Subject: Developments casts doubt on Baard project Developments casts doubt on Baard project

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Fw: 2011 Green Jobs Conference Workshops Now Available
by Jim Sconyers 12 Nov '10

12 Nov '10

SC has "scholarships" for members who want to go. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: David Foster <event-information(a)certain.com> To: Jim Sconyers <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> Sent: Fri, November 12, 2010 12:01:11 PM Subject: 2011 Green Jobs Conference Workshops Now Available Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference and Expo 2010 Dear Jim, A while back we emailed to let you know that registration was open for the 2011 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference, which is being held February 8-10 in Washington, D.C. Now, we are excited to announce that the workshop program is now available to view online. We encourage you to register for the 2011 Conference now to be sure to take advantage of this once-a-year opportunity. Every year, the Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference brings together stakeholders from across the spectrum of those working to create good, green jobs across the country. This year, we again received hundreds of proposals, and after careful review, have selected the most interesting and informative sessions that will truly define what is happening now in this critical green jobs effort. The 2011 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference is the leading forum for sharing ideas and strategies for building the green economy. This year’s Conference — focused on putting these ideas into practice and creating good green jobs across the country — will bring together leaders from the labor, environmental, government and business communities for a discussion on how to move our economy forward with good, safe jobs that help to protect the environment for the next generation. This year’s workshops represent important concentrations in building the green economy, including: Green Infrastructure and Transportation; State and Local Initiatives and Partnerships; Workforce, Economic Development and Youth Education; Emerging Green Sectors: Recycling, Chemicals, Water, Agriculture and Other Growing Industries; Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency; Business, Investments and New Markets; and Clean Energy Manufacturing. Register today, check back to www.greenjobsconference.org for updates, and follow us on Twitter or Facebook for the the latest news about the 2011 Conference. See you in February. Sincerely, David Foster BlueGreen Alliance Registration Powered by Certain Meetings Event Management Software :: Online Event Management :: Online Registration Meeting Management Software :: Conference Registration :: Event Planner Software © 2009 Certain Software ®, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy.

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powerful letter from EPA's Lisa jackson
by Jim Sconyers 12 Nov '10

12 Nov '10

I found this response to Republican attack amazing. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: from the Center for Media and Democracy: Natural Gas and Money, a "Bacteria that Ills the American System"
by Paul Wilson 11 Nov '10

11 Nov '10

CMD Reports Natural Gas and Money, a "Bacteria that Ills the American System"<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=FS5r3ewNYRykmDL8uO0v…> by Steve Horn Money, plain and simple, is what Salon.com blogger Glenn Greenwald<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=3Z8HzJnFvS3EOwXoeYco…>called "the bacteria that ills the American political system" in a talk<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=YXh171UwM4MZ%2F%2F9n…>given at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on November 3, 2010. Indeed, when looking at issues individually, one can see that this is obviously the case, whether it be health care<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=3JLOTJrOAiR0lAGipSiD…>, Wall Street<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=emmsvp%2FnKdSLa2eKlG…>, war<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=kMN%2FKZifrrym1evjIy…>, or on national security issues<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Kfb80oclXd9JroAzwPia…>. It's all the same and he who pays the piper calls the tune<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=YLzxI1kuu8BcXhTplaxY…>. Should anyone be surprised, then, that every statewide race in Pennsylvania<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=FNC8wo2PDfO3LUOLpfJh…>, a state in which there are no limits on campaign contributions<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=zwkMezzIYrhJwizYOlJp…>, was ruthlessly barraged<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Py5OEhmWILlpQo2GmRkc…>by campaign money from oil companies? If you're surprised, you clearly haven't had your eyes open during other election cycles<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=VUrJ0R%2F4DwtlIdo1jd…> . Read the rest of this item<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=LOQ3Dk2Aw9lrryDdRjl%…> -- 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: The Atlantic: Dirty Coal, Clean Future
by James Kotcon 10 Nov '10

10 Nov '10

Long, but worth reading. This pretty directly conflicts with the Sierra Club position that we need to end the burning of coal by 2050, but it is pretty in line with industry and US-DOE positions. JBK >>> Oliver Bernstein <oliver.bernstein(a)SIERRACLUB.ORG> 11/10/2010 11:15 AM >>> http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/12/dirty-coal-clean-future… Dirty Coal, Clean Future To environmentalists, “clean coal” is an insulting oxymoron. But for now, the only way to meet the world’s energy needs, and to arrest climate change before it produces irreversible cataclysm, is to use coal—dirty, sooty, toxic coal—in more-sustainable ways. The good news is that new technologies are making this possible. China is now the leader in this area, the Google and Intel of the energy world. If we are serious about global warming, America needs to work with China to build a greener future on a foundation of coal. Otherwise, the clean-energy revolution will leave us behind, with grave costs for the world’s climate and our economy. By James Fallows Through the past four years I’ve often suggested that China’s vaunted achievements are less impressive, or at least more complicated, seen up close. Yes, Chinese factories make nearly all of the world’s consumer electronic equipment. But the brand names, designs, and most of the profits usually belong to companies and people outside China. Yes, China’s accumulated trade surpluses have made it the creditor for America and much of the world. But the huge share of its own wealth that China has sunk into foreign economies ties its fate to theirs. Yes, more and more Chinese people are very rich. But hundreds of millions of Chinese people are still very poor. Yes, Chinese factories lead the world in output of windmills and solar-power panels. But China’s environmental situation is still so dire as to pose the main threat not just to the country’s public health and political stability but also to its own economic expansion. This report will have a different tone. I have been learning about an area of Chinese achievement that is objectively good for the world as a whole, including the United States. Surprising enough! And China’s achievement dramatically highlights a structural advantage of its approach and a weakness of America’s. It involves the shared global effort to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, of which China and the United States are respectively the No. 1 and No. 2 producers, together creating more than 40 percent of the world’s total output. That shared effort is real, and important. The significant Chinese developments involve more than the “clean tech” boom that Americans have already heard so much about. Instead a different, less publicized, and much less appealing-sounding effort may matter even more in determining whether the United States and China can cooperate to reduce emissions. This involves not clean tech but the dirtiest of today’s main energy sources—coal. Mining coal is notoriously dangerous, the remnants of those mines disfigure the Earth, and the by-products of coal’s combustion fill the air not simply with soot, smoke, and carbon dioxide but also with toxic heavy metals like mercury and lead, plus corrosive oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, among other pollutants. When I visited coal towns in China’s Shandong and Shanxi provinces, my face, arms, and hands would be rimed in black by the end of each day—even when I hadn’t gone near a mine. People in those towns, like their predecessors in industrial-age Europe and America, have the same black coating on their throats and lungs, of course. When I have traveled at low altitude in small airplanes above America’s active coal-mining regions—West Virginia and Kentucky in the East, Wyoming and its neighbors in the Great Basin region of the West—I’ve seen the huge scars left by “mountain-top removal” and open-pit mining for coal, which are usually invisible from the road and harder to identify from six miles up in an airliner. Compared with most other fossil-fuel sources of energy, coal is inherently worse from a carbon-footprint perspective, since its hydrogen atoms come bound with more carbon atoms, meaning that coal starts with a higher carbon-to-hydrogen ratio than oil, natural gas, or other hydrocarbons. The proposition that coal could constitute any kind of “hope” or solution, or that a major environmentalist action plan could be called “Coal Without Carbon,” as one I will describe is indeed named—this goes beyond seeming interestingly contrarian to seeming simply wrong. For the coal industry, the term “clean coal” is an advertising slogan; for many in the environmental movement, it is an insulting oxymoron. But two ideas that underlie the term are taken with complete seriousness by businesses, scientists, and government officials in China and America, and are the basis of the most extensive cooperation now under way between the countries on climate issues. One is that coal can be used in less damaging, more sustainable ways than it is now. The other is that it must be used in those ways, because there is no plausible other way to meet what will be, absent an economic or social cataclysm, the world’s unavoidable energy demands. This is not an argument against all-out effort on all other fronts, from conservation and efficiency to improved battery technology to wind- and solar-power systems to improved nuclear facilities. Amory Lovins, of the Rocky Mountain Institute, has argued for years that designing buildings and transportation systems to waste less energy from the start is by far the cheapest way to reduce damaging emissions (a position reinforced by influential studies from McKinsey & Company). “Good ideas about climate change are not in competition with one another,” Roger Aines, a climate scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, told me when I visited this summer. “We need every possible solution, and then we need more.” This is an argument for recognizing that China has faced reality, in launching an all-out effort to “decarbonize” coal—and for recognizing America’s difficulty in doing the same. 37 Billion Tons Let’s review the basics. This material will be elementary for some readers and controversial for a few others, but laying it out helps clarify the problem to be solved and the real options from which to choose. Also, the quantities and numbers involved here are so vast—the standard unit in discussing carbon-dioxide emissions is the gigaton, or 1 billion metric tons—that it helps to have some indicators of scale. All human activity together puts roughly 37 billion tons (37 gigatons) of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. That number has been rising, as the world’s population grows and the number of cars, factories, and power plants increases. Twenty years ago, it was less than 25 billion tons. Twenty years from now, it could well be 50 billion tons. Carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas—that is, a substance that affects the atmosphere’s ability to absorb and emit heat, so that a growing portion of the sun’s energy is trapped to warm the planet rather than radiating back into space. Methane, nitrous oxide, aerosols, and other emissions play a major role, and ton per ton can be more powerful in greenhouse effect. But the focus is on carbon dioxide because we produce so much of it, and because its effects are so long-lasting. Carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere persists for many decades, even centuries—unlike methane, which can disperse within a single decade. This means that when more carbon dioxide is emitted than natural systems absorb, the concentration in the atmosphere continually goes up. Before James Watt invented the steam engine in the late 1700s—that is, before human societies had much incentive to burn coal and later oil in large quantities—the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was around 280 parts per million, or ppm (meaning 280 carbon-dioxide molecules per million molecules of “dried air,” or air with the water removed). It is thought to have fluctuated between about 180 and 280 ppm through the previous 800,000 years. By 1900, as Europe and North America were industrializing, it had reached about 300 ppm. Now the carbon-dioxide concentration is at or above 390 ppm, which is probably the highest level in many millions of years. “We know that the last time CO2 was sustained at this level, much of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets were not there,” Michael Mann, a climate scientist at Penn State, told me. Because of the 37 billion annual tons of carbon-dioxide emissions, the atmospheric carbon-dioxide level continues to go up by about two ppm a year. For perspective: by the time today’s sixth-graders finish high school, the world carbon-dioxide level will probably have passed 400 ppm, and by the time most of them are starting families, it will have entered the 420s. Have we so far come across anything that is “controversial”? No: such political controversy as exists mainly concerns the exact connection between rising carbon-dioxide levels and future climate change, and how harmful (and to whom) that change would be. That the atmospheric carbon-dioxide level is rapidly going up, and that recent years have been on average the warmest in recorded history, no one bothers to dispute. And in any case, all parties to the negotiations I’m describing, including the heads of the major coal-mining and electric-power utilities in the United States and China, accept as settled fact that greenhouse-gas emissions are an emergency they must confront, because of the likely disruptive effects on the world’s climate. At a U.S.-China environmental conference this summer in San Francisco, I heard one utility-company official after another testify, confession-meeting style, about the vast extent of their current emissions and their need to reform. The main uncertainties involve what might happen as carbon-dioxide levels reach 450 ppm and above. In particular, the question is how and when “positive feedback” loops would kick in, so that the hotter things get, the faster they will get even hotter. The main way this would happen would be through melting of the polar ice sheets, which would mean less white ice surface to reflect the sun’s heat, and more blue water surface to absorb it. Similarly, the vast Arctic permafrost areas could have a positive-feedback effect as they thaw. They are essentially frozen peat bogs, which contain huge amounts of methane. As they began to melt, they would release their methane, which in turn could trigger even faster melting and more methane release. “The reality of it is that in many cases, there may not be any fixed threshold for ‘irreversible’ change,” Michael Mann told me. “What we have with rising CO2 levels in general is a dramatically increasing probability of serious and deleterious change in our climate.” He went down the list: more frequent, severe, and sustained heat waves, like those that affected Russia and the United States this summer; more frequent and destructive hurricanes and floods; more frequent droughts, like the “thousand-year drought” that has devastated Australian agriculture; and altered patterns of the El Niño phenomenon, which will change rainfall patterns in the Americas. In other cases, he said, there could be important thresholds. For example, the possibility of dramatic rises in ocean levels, which could affect the habitability of New York, London, Shanghai, Miami, the entire Netherlands, and many other modern conurbations, along with coastal areas in India, Bangladesh, and elsewhere. “It would be nice to know where such thresholds are so we can avoid crossing them,” Mann said. “We can’t know that. What we do know for certain is that with each fraction of a degree of warming, the probability of such potentially catastrophic outcomes goes up.” The Inevitability of Coal That’s the big picture. Now come the parts of the background that are somewhat less familiar but bear on the argument that the only real salvation must involve coal. Recall the 37 billion tons of worldwide annual carbon-dioxide emissions. On a per capita basis, that would mean about six tons for each of the planet’s 6-billion-plus people. But of course it doesn’t work that way. For the United States, emissions are about 25 tons per person. For Europe as a whole, they’re about 11 tons. (The difference is smaller houses, smaller cars, fewer sprawling suburbs, and in the case of France, much heavier reliance on nuclear power to generate electricity. Nuclear plants are expensive and obviously create waste-disposal problems, but they emit practically no greenhouse gases.) Japan’s level is slightly below Europe’s. For China, the emission level is about eight tons per person. Overall, China’s economy is more energy-intensive than America’s or Europe’s—its bias toward construction and heavy manufacturing, plus its on-average shoddy standard of building insulation, mean that it takes more fuel, electricity, and raw energy to produce a dollar’s worth of output in China than in the U.S. But overall living standards are still so much lower in China that per capita emissions there are barely one-third the U.S. level. India’s per capita emission level is about three tons per year, less than half of China’s (because India has so many fewer factories). For Kenya and other barely industrialized countries, it’s about one ton per person per year. The range of these figures suggests the technical challenges ahead. As one climate scientist put it to me, “To stabilize the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, the whole world on average would need to get down to the Kenya level”—a 96 percent reduction for the United States. The figures also suggest the diplomatic challenges for American negotiators in recommending that other countries, including those with hundreds of millions in poverty, forgo the energy-intensive path toward wealth that the United States has traveled for so many years. Indeed, in comparisons between the United States and China, the emissions figures probably understate the real gap in per capita energy use. David Mohler is the chief technology officer for Duke Energy Company, which is based in Charlotte and is a leading electricity and natural-gas provider in the Carolinas and parts of the Midwest. He travels frequently to China, and he took me through a comparison of electricity use in the two countries, as a proxy for overall energy use and emissions. At face value, he said, there was about a 5-to-1 difference between U.S. and Chinese per capita electricity-use levels. Each American is on average responsible for about 13.6 megawatt-hours of electricity use per year, counting residential heating and lighting, a pro-rated share of industrial and commercial demand, and so on. For each Chinese, the average is about 2.6. “But around half of that Chinese electricity consumption was for manufactured products for export,” Mohler said. That is, China’s surge in electric capacity has disproportionately gone toward its factory- export boom, rather than toward home air-conditioning and lighting, elevators, TVs and computers, electric cars, or any other in-China use by Chinese people (though to see a blazingly lit Chinese city at night is to recognize that plenty of power is already being used). “So in a sense, their ‘real’ per capita use is only about 1.5 megawatt-hours,” Mohler said, “and ours, counting what went into the products we import, could be 10 times that much.” Mohler’s point was less about abstract equity than practical reality. People in rural China, in my experience, don’t really care that people somewhere else—Los Angeles or Houston, even Shanghai or Tianjin—are using more electricity and gasoline than they are. They just want to use more themselves! I assume the same to be true of their counterparts from Nigeria to India to North Korea. “You go in the countryside in China, and people don’t have any power to pump their water,” Mohler said. “Of course they’re going to want those powered pumps. Anyone would.” And hot water for their baths, and refrigerators for their kitchens, and air-conditioners for their bedrooms—and cars. Thus the bind. The atmosphere needs to absorb dramatically less carbon dioxide, while people around the world are certain to want dramatically more of the products and comforts whose creation and operation send carbon dioxide and other gases into the sky. Isn’t “clean energy” the answer? Of course—because everything is the answer. The people I spoke with and reports I read differed in emphasis, sometimes significantly. Some urged greater stress on efficiency and conservation; some, a faster move toward nuclear power or natural gas; some, an all-out push for solar power and other renewable sources; others, immediate preparation for “geo-engineering” or “abatement” projects to offset the effects of climate disruption once they occur. But in a sense they were all in harmony, because everything on all the lists works toward the same end. The best-known illustration of the need for an all-fronts approach is the “carbon wedge” analysis from the Carbon Mitigation Initiative at Princeton. Its premise is that to keep the carbon-dioxide level from going into the 500s, or twice its pre-industrial-age level, over the next 50 years, the world collectively will need to reduce its carbon-dioxide emissions by a total of about 26 billion tons per year. (Technically, CMI measures its goals in billions of tons of carbon contained within the carbon dioxide. For clarity, I’ve converted the figures.) To reach that total, CMI proposes seven “stabilization wedges” of a little less than 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide each. A 4-billion-ton “wedge” through efficiency efforts of all kinds; another wedge of that size through renewable power; another through avoiding deforestation and changing agricultural practices. Eventually it adds up. “There are many good options,” Julio Friedmann, a geologist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, told me soon after I first met him in Beijing two years ago. “But there are no unlimited options. Each is limited by cost, limited by scale, limited by physics and chemistry, limited by thermodynamics. For example, there’s nothing wrong with switchgrass as a biofuel”—one of George W. Bush’s novel proposals—“but there’s not a lot of energy in it.” We’ll hear from Friedmann again. This emphasis on limits is what begins pointing us back to coal. “Emotionally, we would all like to think that wind, solar, and conservation will solve the problem for us,” David Mohler of Duke Energy told me. “Nothing will change, our comfort and convenience will be the same, and we can avoid that nasty coal. Unfortunately, the math doesn’t work that way.” The math he has in mind starts with the role that coal now plays around the world, and especially for the two biggest energy consumers, America and China. Overall, coal-burning power plants provide nearly half (about 46 percent this year) of the electricity consumed in the United States. For the record: natural gas supplies another 23 percent, nuclear power about 20 percent, hydroelectric power about 7 percent, and everything else the remaining 4 or 5 percent. The small size of the “everything else” total is worth noting; even if it doubles or triples, the solutions we often hear the most about won’t come close to meeting total demand. In China, coal-fired plants supply an even larger share of much faster-growing total electric demand: at least 70 percent, with the Three Gorges Dam and similar hydroelectric projects providing about 20 percent, and (in order) natural gas, nuclear power, wind, and solar energy making up the small remainder. For the world as a whole, coal-fired plants provide about half the total electric supply. On average, every American uses the electricity produced by 7,500 pounds of coal each year. Precisely because coal already plays such a major role in world power supplies, basic math means that it will inescapably do so for a very long time. For instance: through the past decade, the United States has talked about, passed regulations in favor of, and made technological breakthroughs in all fields of renewable energy. Between 1995 and 2008, the amount of electricity coming from solar power rose by two-thirds in the United States, and wind-generated electricity went up more than 15-fold. Yet over those same years, the amount of electricity generated by coal went up much faster, in absolute terms, than electricity generated from any other source. The journalist Robert Bryce has drawn on U.S. government figures to show that between 1995 and 2008, “the absolute increase in total electricity produced by coal was about 5.8 times as great as the increase from wind and 823 times as great as the increase from solar”—and this during the dawn of the green-energy era in America. Power generated by the wind and sun increased significantly in America last year; but power generated by coal increased more than seven times as much. As Americans have read many times, Chinese companies are the world’s leaders in manufacturing solar panels, often using technology originally developed in the United States. Many of the panels are used inside China for its own rapidly growing solar-power system; still, solar energy accounts for about 1 percent of its total power supply. In his book PowerHungry, Bryce describes a visit to a single coal mine, the Cardinal Mine in western Kentucky, whose daily output supports three-quarters as much electricity generation as all the solar and wind facilities in the United States combined. David MacKay, of the physics department at Cambridge University in England, has compiled an encyclopedia of such energy-related comparisons, which is available for free download (under the misleadingly lowbrow title Sustainable Energy—Without the Hot Air). For instance: he calculates that if the windiest 10 percent of the entire British landmass were completely covered with wind turbines, they would produce power roughly equivalent to half of what Britons expend merely by driving each day. Similar patterns apply even more starkly in China. Other sources of power are growing faster in relative terms, but year by year the most dramatic increase is in China’s use of coal. “Coal simply is going to be with us for decades,” a technical adviser to China’s energy ministry told me this summer in Beijing. “We hope someday to have 15 percent of our power from renewable sources. Even so, the percentage of power generated by coal will not drop by more than a few points, and the absolute amount will quickly grow.” Another government energy expert in Beijing said that the only serious limit on how fast Chinese power companies can increase their use of coal is the capacity of the country’s transportation system. “It’s kind of an existential question, whether they can handle the physical volumes they are planning to consume,” he said. “Right now railroads are at capacity, you have entire highways being blocked with coal trucks, and the problems cascade.” Part of the reason China has committed some $80 billion over the next decade to build light-rail networks across the country is to get human passengers off the main rail lines, opening up more capacity to move coal. “People without a technical background think, ‘Coal is dirty! It’s bad,’” I was told in Beijing by Ming Sung, a geologist and energy expert who was born in Shanghai, worked for decades in America and became a citizen, and has now returned to China. “But will you turn off your refrigerator for 30 years while we work on renewables? Turn off the computer? Or ask people in China to do that? Unless you will, you can’t get rid of coal for decades. As [U.S. Energy Secretary] Steven Chu has said, we have to face the nightmare of coal for a while.” Coal will be with us because it is abundant: any projected “peak coal” stage would come many decades after the world reaches “peak oil.” It will be with us because of where it’s located: the top four coal-reserve countries are the United States, Russia, China, and India, which together have about 40 percent of the world’s population and more than 60 percent of its coal. It will be with us because its direct costs are in most circumstances far lower than those of the alternatives—that’s why so much is used. (Prices vary widely from place to place and company to company, but one utility executive said that the lowest-price coal plant might generate electricity for 2 cents per kilowatt-hour, while the same amount of power from a new wind farm in the same area might cost 20 cents.) It will be with us because its indirect costs, in miner deaths, environmental destruction, and carbon burden on the atmosphere are unregulated and “externalized.” Power companies that answer to shareholders or ratepayers have a hard time justifying a more expensive choice. “Coal is so cheap because its dirtiness still doesn’t count against it,” an air-pollution expert with the Natural Resources Defense Council told The Wall Street Journal 10 years ago. In the absence of climate legislation in the United States and international agreements to reduce emissions, the dirtiness still doesn’t count. Coal will be with us because changing a power infrastructure—like building a new transportation system or extending cable or fiber-optic connections through an entire country—is the very opposite of a “virtual” process, and takes many years to complete. And it will be with us because of a surprising constraint: after a century in which medical diagnosis and treatment, computer and communications systems, aerospace and nanotech industries, and nearly every other form of technology have routinely achieved the magical, energy production is essentially what it was in the time of James Watt. With the main exception of nuclear-power plants and the hoped-for future exception of practical nuclear-fusion systems, we mostly create electricity by burning something that was once underground—coal, oil, natural gas—to boil water and turn turbines with the steam. (Windmills use the wind’s force, and hydropower systems use falling water, to turn turbines directly.) The computer of 10 years from now will be unrecognizably more powerful than today’s, and its predictably increased capability will make medical, navigation, and other systems better, too. If the power plant of 10 years from now is even slightly more efficient than today’s, that will be a major achievement. The most advanced of today’s “ultra-supercritical” coal-fired plants, which operate at very high temperatures and pressures to maximize the efficiency of combustion, convert up to 48 percent of the coal’s potential energy to electric power; the rest is lost as heat. “Subcritical” plants typically have efficiencies in the mid-30s. The costliest and most advanced technology is an improvement—but not a breakthrough. A breakthrough is what it would take to move beyond reliance on coal. “I know this is a theological issue for some people,” Julio Friedmann of Lawrence Livermore said. “Solar and wind power are going to be important, but it is really hard to get them beyond 10 percent of total power supply.” He pointed out the huge engineering achievement it has taken to raise the efficiency of solar photovoltaic cells from about 25 percent to about 30 percent; whereas “to make them useful, you would need improvements of two- or threefold in cost,” say from about 18 cents per kilowatt-hour to 6 cents. He recited a skeptic’s line used about the Carter administration’s clean-energy programs—“You’re not going to run a steel plant with solar panels”—and then made a point that summarized the outlook of those who have decided they can best wage the climate fight by working on dirty, destructive coal. “It is very hard to go around the world and think you can make any difference in carbon-loading the atmosphere without some plan for how people can continue to use coal,” Friedmann said. “It is by far the most prevalent and efficient way to generate electricity. People are going to use it. There is no story of climate progress without a story for coal. In particular, U.S.-China progress on coal.” The Technical Challenge What would progress on coal entail? The proposals are variations on two approaches: ways to capture carbon dioxide before it can escape into the air and ways to reduce the carbon dioxide that coal produces when burned. In “post-combustion” systems, the coal is burned normally, but then chemical or physical processes separate carbon dioxide from the plume of hot flue gas that comes out of the smokestack. Once “captured” as a relatively pure stream of carbon dioxide, this part of the exhaust is pressurized into liquid form and then sold or stored. Refitting an existing coal plant can be very costly. “It’s like trying to remodel your home into a mansion,” a coal-plant manager told me in Beijing. “It’s more expensive, and it’s never quite right.” Apart from research projects, only two relatively small coal-fired power plants now operate in America with post-combustion capture. Designing a capture system into a plant from the start is cheaper than doing refits. But even then the “parasitic load” of energy required to treat, compress, and otherwise handle the separated stream of carbon dioxide can come to 30 percent or more of the total output of a coal-fired power plant—so even more coal must be burned (and mined and shipped) to produce the same supply of electricity. Without mandatory emission limits or carbon prices, burning coal more cleanly is inevitably more expensive than simply burning coal the old way. “When people like me look for funding for carbon capture, the financial community asks, ‘Why should we do that now?’” an executive of a major American electric utility told me. “If there were a price on carbon”—a tax on carbon-dioxide emissions—“you could plug in, say, a loss of $30 to $50 per ton, and build a business case.” “Pre-combustion” systems are fundamentally more efficient. In them, the coal is treated chemically to produce a flammable gas with lower carbon content than untreated coal. This means less carbon dioxide going up the smokestack to be separated and stored. Either way, pre- or post-, the final step in dealing with carbon is “sequestration”—doing something with the carbon dioxide that has been isolated at such cost and effort, so it doesn’t just escape into the air. Carbon dioxide has a surprisingly large number of small-scale commercial uses, starting with adding the sparkle to carbonated soft drinks. (This is not a big help on the climate front, since the carbon dioxide is “sequestered” only until you pop open the bottle’s top.) All larger-scale, longer-term proposals for storing carbon involve injecting it deep underground, into porous rock that will trap it indefinitely. In the right geological circumstances, the captured carbon dioxide can even be used for “enhanced oil recovery,” forcing oil out of the porous rock into which it is introduced and up into wells. These efforts are in one way completely different from “advanced research and development” as we often conceive of it, and in another way very much the same. They are different in that the scientists and entrepreneurs involved do not seem to count on, or even hope for, the large breakthroughs we have come to assume in biological sciences and info-tech. Consistent with two centuries of incremental improvement in power systems since the time of James Watt, practical refinements and ever-improving efficiency are the goal. They are similar in the operational advantage conferred by doing. Because Google indexes more data and handles more queries than any competitor, it can more quickly determine which innovations are succeeding (News, Translate, Earth, Maps) and which are failing (Wave), and exactly how the promising products still need to be improved. The first million copies of each new chip that Intel produces help it debug the production process, so that subsequent millions are cheaper and increasingly defect-free. “Whenever you scale something up, there are always differences from what you planned,” an engineer from a major American technology company told me. “It’s never quite the same. China is building plants like mad, so they can afford to experiment. We are not.” In the search for “progress on coal,” like other forms of energy research and development, China is now the Google, the Intel, the General Motors and Ford of their heyday—the place where the doing occurs, and thus the learning by doing as well. “They are doing so much so fast that their learning curve is at an inflection that simply could not be matched in the United States,” David Mohler of Duke Energy told me. “In America, it takes a decade to get a permit for a plant,” a U.S. government official who works in China said. “Here, they build the whole thing in 21 months. To me, it’s all about accelerating our way to the right technologies, which will be much slower without the Chinese. “You can think of China as a huge laboratory for deploying technology,” the official added. “The energy demand is going like this”—his hand mimicked an airplane taking off—“and they need to build new capacity all the time. They can go from concept to deployment in half the time we can, sometimes a third. We have some advanced ideas. They have the capability to deploy it very quickly. That is where the partnership works.” The good aspects of this partnership have unfolded at a quickening pace over the past decade, through a surprisingly subtle and complex web of connections among private, governmental, and academic institutions in both countries. Perhaps I should say unsurprisingly, since the relationships among American and Chinese organizations in the energy field in some ways resemble the manufacturing supply chains that connect factories in China with designers, inventors, and customers in the United States and elsewhere. The difference in this case is how much faster the strategic advantage seems to be shifting to the Chinese side. In the normal manufacturing supply chain—Apple creating computers, Walmart outsourcing clothes and toys—the United States provides branding, design, and a major market for products, while China supplies labor, machines, and the ability to turn concepts into products at very high speed. In the quest for cleaner coal, America’s contribution is mainly “soft power”—advice, coordination, prodding, and expertise—in hopes of influencing what Chinese organizations do. Ten years ago, at the end of the Clinton administration, the Chinese and American governments signed a “Fossil Energy Protocol,” to coordinate research on better use of coal and oil. Political leaders have come and gone since then, but the cast of technicians, civil servants, and business officials on each side has been relatively stable and has gotten used to working together. After taking office as secretary of energy last year, Steven Chu—a celebrity in China because of his Chinese heritage and his Nobel Prize—gave a new push to these efforts, hiring additional staff members for the U.S.-China office and committing $75 million to a joint Clean Energy Research Center. The efforts of two scientists we’ve already met, Julio Friedmann and Ming Sung, illustrate what Americans can and cannot do to shape what happens in China—and the mounting advantages on China’s side relative to America’s. Friedmann, who is in his mid-40s, has become one of the world’s experts on sequestration: how and where carbon dioxide can safely be stored underground. He was trained in geology at MIT and the University of Southern California and initially went to work for ExxonMobil. But by the early 2000s he had become fascinated with the emerging science of underground carbon-dioxide storage. “At that point, it was clear that nearly all of the really cool work was being done in the national labs,” he told me. In 2004 he and his family moved from Maryland to California, where he joined Lawrence Livermore. He is now the head of the Carbon Management Program there and the technical leader of a government-university-business consortium that this summer won a Department of Energy competition to help develop carbon-sequestration projects in China. To give an idea of the consortium’s range, it includes three universities, three national laboratories, two scientific nongovernmental organizations, and six large corporations, among them General Electric, Duke Energy, and AEP. After talking with Friedmann many times in China, I finally asked about the ethnic derivation of his name. His grandparents were Ashkenazim from Poland and Hungary who left for Latin America in the 1930s; his parents, raised in Colombia and Venezuela, met on an arranged date at Grossinger’s in the Catskills. Although Friedmann bikes to work through the bucolic Northern California setting of the Lawrence Livermore lab—a setting punctuated by the watchtowers and electrified fencing that surround the plutonium stockpile for the lab’s weapons-research center—he comes across as a fast-talking, high-pressure East Coast urban type. In many meetings in America and China in the past two years, I have seen him turn that intensity to one great question: how quickly geologists from America and elsewhere can work with their counterparts in China to improve systems for pumping carbon dioxide underground, and to identify the right rock formations where it can safely be stored. On a typical trip to China, he will spend half his time in Beijing or Shanghai, meeting with government and corporate officials—and the other half in Xi’an or the Inner Mongolian wilderness, where many of the most promising storage locations are found. What he and his team have to offer, from the American part of the supply chain, is expertise on geological formations, on computer models for how the “plume” of liquefied carbon dioxide will settle into porous rock, and on other benefits of America’s decades of experience in petroleum geology. He can also put Chinese plant managers, scientists, and bureaucrats in touch with overseas counterparts they would otherwise never meet. “Projects like these are sort of like the school dance,” he told me. “You’re not getting married, but you’re figuring out how to interact. We need to start the process in a way that gives people the confidence to do it again, and again, and again. The confidence is the product.” The more often Chinese and foreign officials work together, the more easily they continue to work together. This might sound trivial, but I’ve become convinced that the steady expansion of these contacts will make a major difference in how an ever more powerful China deals with the rest of the world. What does Friedmann, or the United States, get from the process? “More tons sequestered, rather than emitted, in China,” he told me. But also something unavailable in America: a chance to see new technology in new plants and learn how it works. “In the U.S. today, there is not a single demonstration of capturing CO2 from a coal-fired plant at large scale,” he said. “The technologies have been a little too expensive to actually implement. That’s why we started looking at China.” They can afford to build, and Americans can hope to watch and learn. Ming Sung’s role illustrates a similar balance of influence and knowledge between the United States and China. Sung, who is in his early 60s, was born in Shanghai and raised there and in Hong Kong, where his family fled in 1958. Ten years later he came to the United States for college and graduate studies in geology. He became a U.S. citizen, worked in the newly formed Department of Energy during the Carter administration, and then left for a 25-year career around the world as an executive with Shell Oil. After he retired from Shell and founded a software company, he and his wife decided to move back to China. He now works in Beijing for a Boston-based nonprofit environmental group called the Clean Air Task Force. (Disclosure: my sister is on the board.) In the early 2000s the task force, originally a conventional anti-air-pollution group, embraced the necessity of cleaning up coal. In Beijing, Sung gave me a copy of its latest working paper, in both Chinese and English, called “Coal Without Carbon.” The group has sponsored research on sequestration, on post-combustion capture, and on the “cleanest” of the emerging pre-combustion coal technologies—“underground coal gasification.” In this process, jets of air (or pure oxygen), sometimes with steam or various chemicals, are blasted into coal seams deep underground. They interact chemically with the coal to produce a gas that flows back up a pipe and can be burned. It leaves in the ground much of the carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, and other elements that create greenhouse gases and other pollutants when coal is burned. “And this can be very cheap,” Sung told me. “You don’t have to mine the coal. You don’t have to send men underground or haul coal around or dispose of ash. All the dirty stuff stays buried.” Because of these and other savings, he said, coal used this way could match or beat the price of today’s standard dirty power plant. But in advocating the whole range of “clean coal” technologies, Sung and his team have the same problem Julio Friedmann has with carbon sequestration: it’s not happening in the United States. There’s one significant exception: the Texas Clean Energy Project, a plant being built outside Odessa, which will apply underground-gasification technology to capture 90 percent of its carbon, more than any other commercial plant in the world. It received a $450 million federal award, just over half from the Department of Energy’s Clean Coal Power Initiative and the rest from the American Recovery and Reinvestment stimulus program (toward the $2.1 billion total capital cost). If it works as promised, this facility will be an advance over any coal-fired plant operating anywhere: it will gasify coal underground, eliminating the cost and damage of mining; it will sell urea (for fertilizer) and other chemical by-products of the underground gasification; and it will use the captured carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery in the nearby Permian Basin oil fields—all in addition to generating power. But otherwise, to see new technology in action and to influence the next dozen coal plants being built in the world, Ming Sung had to go back to China. “For the last 30 years, we have not been able to build a coal-to-gas conversion plant in this country,” a U.S. coal-company official told me. “China has done many. That is what we need to learn from them, all that production and operating experience.” And in exchange? “We do have safety and environmental information that we can definitely provide.” Ten years ago, the United States and many other countries set joint targets of building a series of experimental low- emissions, high-efficiency coal-fired power plants: FutureGen in America, ZeroGen in Australia, various European efforts without a “Gen” name, and GreenGen in China. America’s FutureGen was proposed early, and China’s GreenGen was proposed late. Now—surprise!—GreenGen is closest to being completed, with its scheduled opening moved up from 2015 to 2013, and FutureGen has only recently begun to move beyond the congressional-wrangling stage. What Sung takes from the interaction is both operational knowledge and the chance to influence China’s decisions in some way. What he has provided is another sort of connection, between Chinese organizations and the private businesses that mine coal and generate electricity in the United States. “That is the reason we are here—to get companies together,” Sung said. “It is taking too long for governments to agree on policies, so we believe in B-to-B connections.” At a crucial point, he arranged a meeting in Beijing between the CEO of Duke Energy, Jim Rogers, and Zhang Guobao, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, essentially China’s director of industrial policy. “After the meeting, Zhang said, ‘I fully support this collaboration,’” Sung told me. “With that sentence, what more could you ask for?” Duke got serious about China only two and a half years ago, after Rogers, the CEO, took his grandson on a trip there in the summer of 2008 as a high-school graduation present. The elder Rogers, like so many first-time visitors, was stunned by the scale and dynamism of what he saw. He immediately urged his senior management team to learn about and visit China. “There is something you can’t sense from your office in America,” the director of Duke’s China operations, a 30-year-old woman named River Lu, told me. She grew up in Shenzhen, just north of Hong Kong. “Here you feel the pollution, you feel the growth, you feel the energy.” (Her Chinese name is Lu Yun; she chose the English name “River” in her teens. The creativity and often beauty of these chosen names is a dependable pleasure of meeting young English-speaking Chinese.) Although she did not leave China until her mid-20s, for graduate work at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, she has a native-American accent, which she says comes from watching Friends and Ally McBeal on Hong Kong TV. David Mohler, Duke’s chief technology officer, was one of the first visitors and most frequent return travelers. “We learned that China is preparing, by 2025, for 350 million people to live in cities that don’t exist now,” he told me. “They have to build the equivalent of the U.S. electrical system”—that is, almost as much added capacity as the entire U.S. grid—“by 2025. It took us 120 years.” Rogers, Mohler, and the company as a whole moved quickly from being impressed or frightened by Chinese growth to determining how they could work with it. “We realized there was no way we could duplicate their speed, the scale, or the constancy of energy policy within the United States,” Mohler said. “So we wondered if we could find Chinese partners to work with in applying these clean technologies, so we could bring the benefits of their speed and scale back to the United States.” In his speeches and interviews, Rogers frequently emphasizes that by 2050, Duke will need to replace or rebuild every one of its existing power plants in the United States, except for its hydroelectric facilities. Some, because of age; the rest, to meet what Duke considers to be inevitably tightening clean-energy standards. “We will have a huge need for capital,” Mohler said. Duke’s capital budget for the next three years is $18 billion, and only in China can the company find that plus the operational experience of seeing cleaner-coal technologies as they are deployed. Duke Energy supported the Obama administration’s now-abandoned climate bill, because it would have added predictability to the future standards the company will have to meet. With or without a bill, it is looking to China for future financing. Within months of Rogers’s first visit, Duke had opened an office in China, headed by River Lu. Within a year of the visit, in the summer of 2009, Duke signed an agreement for joint research with China’s largest energy company, Huaneng, and with the government’s Thermal Power Research Institute. Within the clean-energy world, the institute’s director of technology, Xu Shisen, is a celebrity known for his advocacy of clean-coal projects. Huaneng has bought a share in a new low-emissions Duke plant in Edwardsport, Indiana. [Correction: The Memorandum of Understanding between Duke and Huaneng, which involves employees of each company visiting the other’s plants and sharing information and research, does not include direct investment by Huaneng. Duke has a joint-venture understanding with another Chinese company, the ENN group, toward developing merchant solar panel plants in the United States.] “As China meets its capacity, it is likely that the best technologies will be commercialized and applied here faster than anywhere else,” River Lu said. “We want to be involved in that process.” China’s cooperation with the United States on coal is good news for the world. If the two countries had decided to make this another arena for demonstrating their respective toughness—if, as at the failed Copenhagen talks last winter, they had mainly exchanged accusations about who was more to blame for emissions problems—they would have guaranteed that the problems could not be solved. If that cooperation breaks down, Julio Friedmann said, “we’ll end up paying twice as much to get the same learnings—and delaying the technology on both sides by another decade.” Both sides seem to have looked for ways to keep the cooperation going. They have not been in the newspapers, but they deserve recognition for attempting to do the world’s work. But China’s very effectiveness and dynamism, beneficial as they may be in this case, highlight an American failure—a failure that seems not transient or incidental but deep and hard to correct. The manifestation of the failure is that China is where the world’s “doing” now goes on, in this industry and many others. If you want to learn how the power plants of the future will work, you must go to Tianjin—or Shanghai, or Chengdu—to find out. Power companies from America, Europe, and Japan are fortunate to have a place to learn. Young engineers and managers and entrepreneurs in China are fortunate that the companies teaching the rest of the world will be Chinese. The deeper problem is the revealed difference in national capacity, in seriousness and ability to deliver. The Chinese government can decide to transform the country’s energy system in 10 years, and no one doubts that it will. An incoming U.S. administration can promise to create a clean-energy revolution, but only naïfs believe that it will. “The most impressive aspect of the Chinese performance is their determination to do what is needed,” Julio Friedmann told me. “To be the first, to be the biggest, to have the best export technology for cleaning up coal.” America obviously is not displaying comparable determination—and the saddest aspect of the U.S. performance, he said, is that it seems not deliberate but passive and accidental, the product of modern America’s inability to focus public effort on public problems. “No one in the U.S. government could ever imagine a 10-year plan to ensure U.S. leadership in solar power or batteries or anything else,” Joseph Romm, a former Department of Energy official who now writes the blog Climate Progress, told me. “It’s just not possible, so nobody even bothers to propose it.” The Chinese system as a whole has great weaknesses as well as great strengths. Its challenges, as I have reported so often in these pages, make the threats facing America look trivial by comparison. But its response to the energy challenge—including its commitment to dealing with the dirty, unavoidable reality of coal—reveals a seriousness about facing big problems that America now appears to lack. --- Oliver Bernstein Senior Communications Strategist Sierra Club Phone: 512.477.2152 Cell: 512.289.8618 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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

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Fw: New Kingston Coal Ash Movie
by Jim Sconyers 09 Nov '10

09 Nov '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Joshua Ulan Galperin <josh(a)CLEANENERGY.ORG> To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Sent: Mon, November 8, 2010 5:00:16 PM Subject: New Kingston Coal Ash Movie I wanted to make sure that everybody had a chance to look at this excellent short documentary from Alexandra Cousteau and Expedition Blue Planet. Its a great short film about coal ash, using Kingston as a valuable example. *** http://vimeo.com/16524532 "Nearly two years after the TVA Kingston Coal Ash Spill, many have already forgotten its impacts on the community and the environment and yet the TVA coal ash spill is still the largest industrial spill in American history. It was six times larger in volume than the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In September 2010 Alexandra Cousteau and Expedition Blue Planet visited Kingston, Tennessee to find out exactly what the toll of "clean coal" is on water quality, water ecosystems and the communities that lie fractured by the pollution of their waterways." Josh Galperin Policy Analyst and Research Attorney Southern Alliance for Clean Energy PO Box 1842 Knoxville, TN 37901 (O) 865.637.6055 X 23 (F) 865.524.4479 josh(a)cleanenergy.org www.cleanenergy.org <http://www.cleanenergy.org/> Please think about the environment before printing this email. CONFIDENTIAL LEGAL COMMUNICATION / WORK PRODUCT: The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to whom it is addressed, and may contain privileged and confidential attorney-client communications and/or confidential attorney work product. If you receive this message in error, please send a reply e-mail to the sender and delete the material from any and all computers. Unintended transmissions shall not constitute waiver of the attorney-client or any other privilege. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

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drilling in WV state park okayed because of old mineral severance deed
by Frank Young 03 Nov '10

03 Nov '10

http://blogs.wvgazette.com/watchdog/2010/11/03/supreme-court-paves-way-for-… Supreme Court paves way for Chief Logan drilling November 3, 2010 by Ken Ward Jr. The West Virginia state Supreme Court of Appeals has just issued an opinion that affirms a Logan Circuit Court decision paving the way for oil and gas drilling at Chief Logan State Park. Justices ruled that a state law that bans such drilling does not apply, because it was enacted after a 1960 deed in which previous owners of the property preserved their mineral rights and the right to drill for oil and gas. You can read the opinion here. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to Heartwood's "issues" group. To post to this group, send email to issues(a)heartwood.org To unsubscribe from this group, send email to issues+unsubscribe(a)heartwood.org For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/a/heartwood.org/group/issues?hl=en __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources MARKETPLACE Hobbies & Activities Zone: Find others who share your passions! Explore new interests. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get great advice about dogs and cats. Visit the Dog & Cat Answers Center. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stay on top of your group activity without leaving the page you're on - Get the Yahoo! Toolbar now. Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Re: [EC] Fw: DAILY UPDATE 3 November 2010. News of interest to Mon river wate...
by DSGJr＠aol.com 03 Nov '10

03 Nov '10

Privately, Miley has always been supportive. So it's good to see him go public. Of course, he may not agree with us on everything we want in a bill. don In a message dated 11/3/2010 10:48:30 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, Karen.Grubb(a)fairmontstate.edu writes: On the local Bridgeport CBS news last night, Tim Miley was interviewed about what priorities would be with the new legislative session. He said, 1. Sorting out the new governor and new election, 2. Marcellus gas drilling legislation to protect roads, environment, etc. From: ec-bounces(a)osenergy.org [mailto:ec-bounces@osenergy.org] On Behalf Of DSGJr(a)aol.com Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2010 11:33 AM To: jkotcon(a)wvu.edu; jbc329(a)earthlink.net; lesleemac1(a)frontier.com; ec(a)osenergy.org Subject: Re: [EC] Fw: DAILY UPDATE 3 November 2010. News of interest to Mon river watershed... We've been talking, but not about specifics yet. He really went after an industry guy at last interim session about all the out-of-state trucks and workers. Orphy is a good guy. I am basically NOT talking to anyone yet (except DEP and judiciary committee staff) about what should be in a bill. I am waiting to see what DEP proposes, which I will know more about on Nov. 10, and what judiciary subcommittee A proposes, which we will see at interims Nov.15-17. When we know those two things, we will be able to decide if we need/want our own bill. don In a message dated 11/3/2010 10:10:58 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, jkotcon(a)wvu.edu writes: Is someone talking to Orphy Klempa about what needs to go in a Marcellus bill? JBK >>> "Donald C. Strimbeck" <dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> 11/3/2010 4:07 AM >>> 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 ----- Original Message ----- From: Donald C. Strimbeck To: Veronica Coptis ; Tom Bond ; Shari Wilson ; Scott Brewer ; Robert Vagnetti ; Mark Estlack ; Loretta Florence ; Judy Hunter ; John King ; Joel Morris ; Janice Christopher ; Ida Hughes ; Glen Kelly ; Garry Berti ; Connie Watson ; Chuck Wyrostok ; Chip West ; Catherine Lozier ; Carol Mapstone ; Brian K. Parker ; Bradley Omanson ; Bill Weiss ; Bill Hughes ; Bonnie Hall Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2010 4:07 AM Subject: DAILY UPDATE 3 November 2010. News of interest to Mon river watershed denizens. DUNKARD CREEK-3NovY2K10 Wheeling WV THE INTELLIGENCER Wednesday 3 November 2010: Klempa Looks to Take On Drilling in Senate November 3, 2010 - By CASEY JUNKINS Staff Writer With increasingly more Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling taking place throughout West Virginia's Northern Panhandle, state Sen.-elect Orphy Klempa knows it is time for the Legislature to act. "Right now, there is entirely too much drilling with not enough regulations in place," said Klempa, D-Ohio, following his Tuesday general election victory over Republican Charles Schlegel of Wheeling. "We need to make sure these gas companies are respecting our land." Klempa, who has served as a state delegate since his 2006 election, will replace outgoing 1st District state Sen. Ed Bowman, D-Hancock, who decided not to seek re-election this year. Klempa carried 58.7 percent of the vote in the district, which includes all of Hancock and Brooke counties, along with most of Ohio County. Unofficial election totals indicate Klempa garnered a total of 17,044 votes, with 7,632 coming in Ohio County, 4,292 in Brooke County and 5,120 in Hancock County. Schlegel, meanwhile, carried a total of 12,015 ballots, including 5,437 in Ohio County, 2,448 in Brooke County and 4,130 in Hancock County. "It seems like every time I'm in a race, it goes down to the last moment," Klempa said, noting he campaigned throughout the district. "My wife and I worked very hard because this was by no stretch of the imagination a good year to be a Democrat." Schlegel, though disappointed in the results, pledged to support Klempa's efforts in Charleston. "This was a very clean race," Schlegel said. "The voters of Ohio, Hancock and Brooke counties are getting a good representative. ... He (Klempa) will do a good job for us." Klempa also thanked Schlegel for the amicable race, noting, "This was not a mud-slinging campaign." "Charlie (Schlegel) is a man of honor. I wish him all the best," Klempa said. The senator-elect added he hopes to continue the work he began in the House in his new role, including confronting some of the state's unfunded liabilities. "I am very humbled by the level of support I got. I plan to do the very best I can do for the voters," Klempa added. North Huntingdon Township moving forward with plans to regulate Marcellus Shale drilling By Michael DiVittorio MCKEESPORT DAILY NEWS Tuesday, November 2, 2010 North Huntingdon Township officials are moving forward with their plans to help regulate Marcellus Shale drilling. Planning commissioner Virginia Stump brought up the idea of creating a gas drilling ordinance last month to help reduce negative effects regarding such drilling. Township planning director/engineer Andrew Blenko announced at Monday night's planning commission meeting that a draft ordinance is being prepared by assistant township manager Michael Turley, and could be available for review by the planning commission within weeks. Blenko said a meeting took place about four weeks ago with Westmoreland County and gas company officials regarding Marcellus Shale drilling and what could and what should be regulated. Murrysville and Jefferson Hills both passed gas drilling ordinances earlier this year, and township officials have copies of those documents for review. "We're not trying to outlaw the drilling. We're trying to outlaw the negative impacts of it," Blenko said. "The noise, the additional storm water run-off, damage to our local roads, potential ground water contamination, the long-term health effects, if any, the public safety aspects of it. Those can all be regulated. There's no reason why gas wells can't coexist alongside our commercial or residential areas of the township. "I think that's what everybody's trying to do is come up with a set of regulations that will reasonably safeguard against some of those negative impacts while allowing it to coexist." The engineer said he will meet with Turley today to discuss the ordinance. Stump said she likes the language and some of the stipulations in the Murrysville ordinance. "What I thought was pretty good about it is they have all new definitions," she said. "There's so much new terminology with this type of industry. You have to update the ordinance just for the terminology, and they had an application fee of $5,000 and the company has to put up an escrow of $25,000 so that the expenses that the municipality has with engineering and what have you, the municipality's not left holding the bag of those expenses." Planning Commissioner Bernard Solomon said he read an article about a woman and her daughters getting sick from chemicals used at a Marcellus Shale site. "What are they going to do to our underground water resources that we depend on?" Solomon questioned. Blenko said a possible tour of a Marcellus Shale site is being scheduled through Westmoreland County officials. The proposed ordinance could be available for public input in December. Blenko said it would have to come through the planning commission before it is brought to township commissioners. "Things are moving," he said. "I know it's been a long time coming. We kind of wanted to see what other people were doing." The township was scheduled to get its first Marcellus Shale well along Hahntown-Wendel Road this summer. Atlas Energy was to drill the well on a 9.5-acre parcel near Barnes Lake Road. Blenko said the last communication he had with Atlas Energy was in May, and that parcel is not an active Marcellus Shale site. In other matters, the planning commission tabled a motion to approve the Hampton Heights plan of lots, phases 1 through 3. It is a proposed 85-lot residential subdivision on the site of the former Carradam Golf Course. Blenko said RWS Development needed an extension to address some sewer issues. The site is outside the sewer lines of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. Blenko said there are plans for deep sewers to pump into MAWC lines, and the plan will be addressed by the planning commission again at next month's meeting. The planning commission tabled the plan last month because of sewer-related concerns. Michael DiVittorio can be reached at mdivittorio(a)dailynewsemail.com or 412-664-9161. CEOs: Third World thirst to boost coal By Chris Togneri PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, November 3, 2010 The coal industry rebounded from the global recession and is poised to ride developing countries' thirst for steel and energy production for decades to come, said industry analysts and CEOs of energy producers Tuesday at the 14th annual Met Coke World Summit, Downtown. "Coal is the fuel for the entire world," said J. Brett Harvey, CEO of Cecil-based Consol Energy Inc. "I don't see any change in that for the next 50 years." Consol projects shipping more than 700,000 tons of coal from the United States to China in the fourth quarter. Harvey; Don Blankenship, CEO of Richmond, Va.-based Massey Energy Co.; Michael Thomson, CEO of Knoxville, Tenn.-based SunCoke Energy; and John Elmore, director of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. in India, talked about trends in the industry at an event attended by about 250 coal industry insiders. The summit continues today. Blankenship agreed that coal is the fuel of the present and the future, particularly in developing countries. Access to electricity improves quality of life and leads to longer life expectancy, he said. "It's strange that that idea hasn't caught on," he told the audience, eliciting a round of laughter. The Massey CEO predicted coal use will increase by 81 percent in "emerging" countries and 1 percent in developed countries by 2035. Brazil, Russia, India and China, which make up 43 percent of the world's population, will account for much of that growth, he said. Coal is "good for the environment" because it is the cheapest way to raise living standards by providing electricity to poor countries, Blankenship said. "It bothers me that we are spending so much on renewable energy that supposedly will improve the environment when there is a lot of suffering going on," he said after his presentation. China, India and Brazil will continue to be major importers of coal, particularly metallurgical coal for production of coke and steel, the CEOs said. Brazil, which will host the soccer World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016, has limited resources but a strong economy. Its need to build infrastructure quickly makes it a major player, they agreed. "The same thing happened in China (before it hosted the 2008 Olympics), but it just kept going," Harvey said. "They are raising their standard of living. We could see the same thing in Brazil. Maybe not on the same pace, but once they get a taste of it ..." The auto industry's rising thirst for steel also drives coal use, the CEOs said. Particularly in China, car production is soaring with plenty of room to grow, Blankenship said, noting that 128 people out of every 1,000 people in China own cars, compared to 765 out of 1,000 in the United States. China last year produced 13.3 million vehicles, compared to 8.8 million in North America, the Massey CEO said. Africa will become a major importer of coal as the country begins to modernize, Harvey and Blankenship said. Blankenship declined to answer questions regarding a possible sale of Massey or whether he might step down. In a conference call with analysts last week, he acknowledged the rumors, saying Massey is "considering all options," but declined to discuss specifics. Massey runs the Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, W.Va., where an April 5 explosion killed 29 miners and injured two. It was the deadliest U.S. mine disaster in 40 years. State, federal and company investigations are ongoing. Chris Togneri can be reached at ctogneri(a)tribweb.com or 412-380-5632. ----- Original Message ----- From: <stombond(a)hughes.net> To: "Donald C. Strimbeck" <dcsoinks(a)comcast.net>; "jOHN ELEYETTE" <JMELEYETTE(a)rocketmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2010 9:46 PM Subject: Letter to the Wheeling Intelligencer > Mr. Strimbeck: > I sent the following letter to the Wheeling Intelligencer a couple of > days ago. It is a response to the article "Chesapeake Energy Officials > Pledge to Maintain Roads" published in your newsletter dated the 29th. > You may use it if your want to. > > As a person with training as a chemist, I was highly amused by the > article "Chesapeake Energy Officials Pledge to Maintain Roads" in the 29 > October 2010 INTELLIGENCER. It includes a statement of Stacey R. Brodak, > manager of corporate development for Chesapeake concerning the 25,000 > gallons or so of chemicals in frac fluid for a Marcellus well. > > Her claims are right about all of them. HOWEVER, isopropanol is also > used to denature alcohol, to make it undrinkable. Petroleum distillates > is a very broad category (many different compounds) used for solvent > properties. It is toxic, but is considered to have low toxicity. Guar > gum, citric acid (think citrus fruits), potassium chloride, are, in fact > food ingredients. Sodium and potassium carbonate are very similar and > are sometime used as food additives. Glutaradldehyde is used in water > treatment for killing algae and as a disinfectant for medical equipment. > It causes severe irritation of eyes and respiratory system. It is a > source of occupational asthma. > > Ammonium persulfate is an extremely strong oxidizing agent listed as > having low toxicity. It is used to etch copper and would doubtless cause > other metals to dissolve. Formaldehyde is another protein denaturant. > Among its uses is in embalming fluid. It is used in resins for plywood > type materials, glue, etc. It is the source of eye irritation when these > products are used. It is a known human carcinogen. Borate salts are > toxic, but probably not at the concentration they are used in frac > fluid. These things are what go down to begin with. > > Now, what about the stuff that comes up with the "flowback." At the > several hundred degree temperatures and huge pressures solubility of > many compounds increase compared to solubility at the surface. What else > comes up with the cuttings, which present a very large surface area for > solution of the shale components? The shale contains a huge number of > complex compounds. Things that come up with the flowback include heavy > metals, highly poisonous, which the body accumulates because there is no > mechanism to eliminate them, and radioactivity. One case is known where > the radioactivity of returning frac water was 1000 times the allowed > radioactivity of drinking water. > > Ms. Brodak's list almost invariably cites external uses of the > compounds. The objection is to drinking these compounds in surface water > and ground water contaminated by flowback! I don't doubt her integrity, > she is an executive and not educated in chemistry. But who put that list > on hydraulicfracturing.com ought to have his backside kicked. We're not > all rubes out here. > > Somebody ought to be out there sampling and testing for a wide range of > contaminants. The whole Marcellus industry has its collective fingers > crossed, screaming "There's nothing wrong with our work!" and "Just > think about the money it will bring in." They are in the same position > as the original oil and gas industry and the strip mining industry: they > are running a humongous experiment while doing all they can to block out > any bad news. > By Mari Margil, Ben Price Licking, Pennsylvania defies state law by banning corporations from dumping fracking wastewater. In Pennsylvania-a central target for natural gas drilling and the controversial drilling practice known as horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking"-local communities don't have the legal authority to keep unwanted drilling from happening. As fracking's impacts on water safety make headlines and public resistance to drilling grows, some towns have tried to use land use zoning to keep drilling companies out-but they can't use zoning laws to stop an activity the state has declared legal. (At best, they can zone where the corporations site their drill pads. But since drilling is not vertical but horizontal, there's no way to contain its impact on a community's water and environment.) Taking local control One small community in western Pennsylvania wanted more say over what happens within its borders. Licking Township, population 500, chose to defy state law with its own local ordinance, banning corporations from dumping fracking wastewater within its borders. Licking sits atop the Marcellus Shale, a geological formation that contains large and mostly untapped natural gas reserves. On Oct. 12, 2010, the Licking Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to ban corporations from dumping fracking wastewater within the township. "When it comes to land use issues and the preservation of important resources, the local community is best suited to set priorities as they feel impacts most acutely," said Mik Robertson, chairman of the Licking Township Supervisors. Pennsylvania's preferential laws for drilling companies are not unique. For years, the drilling industry has worked closely with government to pave the way for widespread drilling, eliminating regulatory barriers that may stand in its way. The so-called "Halliburton Loophole" was inserted into the federal Safe Drinking Water Act to exempt companies drilling for natural gas, including those drilling in the Marcellus Shale (which extends from New York to West Virginia) from having to comply. Corporations have also been exempted from a host of other laws and regulations, and states have enacted laws pre-empting municipalities from taking steps to reign in the industry. The residents of Licking felt that they should be the ones to decide what happens in their township. "People have the right to determine what is suitable for their community, as they are most directly affected by intended or unintended consequences of resource extraction," said Robertson. The dangers of fracking The residents of Licking aren't alone in their concerns about fracking. Across the Appalachian highlands, residents worried about the health effects of fracking have been calling on their elected officials to protect them. In New York, a citizen movement convinced the state Senate to place a 9-month moratorium on the practice while its safety is evaluated. However, the moratorium is only temporary and has not been voted into state law. Fracking involves pumping water laced with sand and a cocktail of chemicals underground to fracture the shale rock and release the natural gas. In the process, thousands of gallons of toxic wastewater are produced and can contaminate waterways and drinking water. Natural gas wells are often driven through aquifers. The impacts from drilling can include exploding wells, groundwater contamination, and fish kills. Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture quarantined cattle believed to have drunk from a frack wastewater spill. Their milk was no longer considered safe to drink. A new study by researchers at the University of Buffalo found that fracking also releases uranium trapped in the rock, raising additional health concerns. Collateral damage includes lost property value, drying up of mortgage loans for prospective home buyers, and the threatened loss of organic certification for farmers. And it's not only rural communities feeling the pressure. In Pittsburgh and Buffalo (both of which straddle the Marcellus), gas extraction corporations have quietly signed leases with landowners to drill under the surface. A new direction Drafted with the help of Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), the "Licking Township Community Water Rights and Self-Government Ordinance" is the first of its kind in the nation. The City of Pittsburgh is also considering a CELDF-drafted ordinance, which is scheduled for a vote on November 16. With an expected veto-proof majority of City Council members in favor, that ordinance would impose an outright ban on gas drilling by corporations within city limits. Communities across the Marcellus Shale region, including Lehman Township in eastern Pennsylvania, are also considering CELDF ordinances that would ban corporations from drilling or from extracting water to use in drilling. In addition to banning corporate disposal of frack wastewater, Licking Township's ordinance asserts the right to local self-government and the community's right to a healthy environment and to clean water. In adopting the ordinance, Licking joins more than a dozen other communities in legally recognizing the rights of nature and subordinating corporate constitutional rights to the rights of human and natural communities. By recognizing the rights of nature, Licking is effectively protecting ecosystems and natural communities within the township from efforts by corporations to drill there-or by higher levels of governments to authorize that drilling. Residents of the community are empowered by the ordinance to enforce those rights on behalf of threatened ecosystems. By prohibiting the introduction of frack wastewater into the Township's environment, Licking's new law effectively blocks hydro-fracturing. Critics of the ordinance claim that, by denying corporations that violate its prohibitions the civil rights protections conferred on them by the courts, the ordinance goes too far. Robertson responds to these charges, saying, "People have rights, like the gifts of nature. People have rights to property. Property does not have rights. Corporations are property." Corporations may sue to overturn the ordinance, with the argument that it violates their corporate constitutional rights. Such a lawsuit would finally raise imperative questions about whose rights trump whose: Do the court-endowed privileges of corporations override the inalienable rights of the people and ecosystems of Licking Township, nullifying their claim to have a legal right to their health, safety, and welfare? Or does the community have the right to make critical decisions to protect its well-being-and that of the ecosystems upon which it depends? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Mari Margil and Ben Price wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions. Mari is the associate director and Ben is projects director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit, public interest law firm providing legal services to communities facing threats to their local environment, agriculture, economy, and quality of life. Washington PA Observer Reporter Wednesday 3 November 2010: Sessions to provide info on roustabout training 11/3/2010 3:33 AM Free information sessions on Marcellus Shale roustabout training will be held in November and December by Westmoreland County Community College in partnership with Pennsylvania College of Technology at WCCC's Greene County Education Center, EverGreene Technology Park, Waynesburg. The sessions are designed for those interested in applying for free training for roustabout jobs in the natural gas drilling and production industry and will be conducted from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 12; 10 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 20; and 3 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 8. Roustabouts prepare sites for natural gas well drilling, set up and operate drilling rigs and dismantle rigs for movement to another location. They work around moving equipment such as forklifts, back hoes and excavators and carry 80-pound bags of concrete and heavy pipe. "This is physically demanding work requiring 12-hour shifts outside in all kinds of weather," said James Hayes, WCCC director of work force development. Some drilling jobs require 14 consecutive working days with 14 days off. "Employers will not tolerate drugs, and workers will be randomly drug tested," said Hayes. The three-week roustabout training program will run Jan. 17 through Feb. 4, and classes meet Monday through Friday. The training is a highly interactive, industry-oriented program and will be taught by expert instructors. Class size is limited to 15 students. The sessions will provide information on drilling rig jobs, the free training program and the application process. The sessions are free, but prospective applicants must register by calling Pennsylvania CareerLink Greene County at 724-852-2900. Copyright Observer Publishing Co. 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

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Re: [EC] Fw: DAILY UPDATE 3 November 2010. News of interest to Mon river watershed...
by DSGJr＠aol.com 03 Nov '10

03 Nov '10

We've been talking, but not about specifics yet. He really went after an industry guy at last interim session about all the out-of-state trucks and workers. Orphy is a good guy. I am basically NOT talking to anyone yet (except DEP and judiciary committee staff) about what should be in a bill. I am waiting to see what DEP proposes, which I will know more about on Nov. 10, and what judiciary subcommittee A proposes, which we will see at interims Nov.15-17. When we know those two things, we will be able to decide if we need/want our own bill. don In a message dated 11/3/2010 10:10:58 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, jkotcon(a)wvu.edu writes: Is someone talking to Orphy Klempa about what needs to go in a Marcellus bill? JBK >>> "Donald C. Strimbeck" <dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> 11/3/2010 4:07 AM >>> 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 ----- Original Message ----- From: Donald C. Strimbeck To: Veronica Coptis ; Tom Bond ; Shari Wilson ; Scott Brewer ; Robert Vagnetti ; Mark Estlack ; Loretta Florence ; Judy Hunter ; John King ; Joel Morris ; Janice Christopher ; Ida Hughes ; Glen Kelly ; Garry Berti ; Connie Watson ; Chuck Wyrostok ; Chip West ; Catherine Lozier ; Carol Mapstone ; Brian K. Parker ; Bradley Omanson ; Bill Weiss ; Bill Hughes ; Bonnie Hall Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2010 4:07 AM Subject: DAILY UPDATE 3 November 2010. News of interest to Mon river watershed denizens. DUNKARD CREEK-3NovY2K10 Wheeling WV THE INTELLIGENCER Wednesday 3 November 2010: Klempa Looks to Take On Drilling in Senate November 3, 2010 - By CASEY JUNKINS Staff Writer With increasingly more Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling taking place throughout West Virginia's Northern Panhandle, state Sen.-elect Orphy Klempa knows it is time for the Legislature to act. "Right now, there is entirely too much drilling with not enough regulations in place," said Klempa, D-Ohio, following his Tuesday general election victory over Republican Charles Schlegel of Wheeling. "We need to make sure these gas companies are respecting our land." Klempa, who has served as a state delegate since his 2006 election, will replace outgoing 1st District state Sen. Ed Bowman, D-Hancock, who decided not to seek re-election this year. Klempa carried 58.7 percent of the vote in the district, which includes all of Hancock and Brooke counties, along with most of Ohio County. Unofficial election totals indicate Klempa garnered a total of 17,044 votes, with 7,632 coming in Ohio County, 4,292 in Brooke County and 5,120 in Hancock County. Schlegel, meanwhile, carried a total of 12,015 ballots, including 5,437 in Ohio County, 2,448 in Brooke County and 4,130 in Hancock County. "It seems like every time I'm in a race, it goes down to the last moment," Klempa said, noting he campaigned throughout the district. "My wife and I worked very hard because this was by no stretch of the imagination a good year to be a Democrat." Schlegel, though disappointed in the results, pledged to support Klempa's efforts in Charleston. "This was a very clean race," Schlegel said. "The voters of Ohio, Hancock and Brooke counties are getting a good representative. ... He (Klempa) will do a good job for us." Klempa also thanked Schlegel for the amicable race, noting, "This was not a mud-slinging campaign." "Charlie (Schlegel) is a man of honor. I wish him all the best," Klempa said. The senator-elect added he hopes to continue the work he began in the House in his new role, including confronting some of the state's unfunded liabilities. "I am very humbled by the level of support I got. I plan to do the very best I can do for the voters," Klempa added. North Huntingdon Township moving forward with plans to regulate Marcellus Shale drilling By Michael DiVittorio MCKEESPORT DAILY NEWS Tuesday, November 2, 2010 North Huntingdon Township officials are moving forward with their plans to help regulate Marcellus Shale drilling. Planning commissioner Virginia Stump brought up the idea of creating a gas drilling ordinance last month to help reduce negative effects regarding such drilling. Township planning director/engineer Andrew Blenko announced at Monday night's planning commission meeting that a draft ordinance is being prepared by assistant township manager Michael Turley, and could be available for review by the planning commission within weeks. Blenko said a meeting took place about four weeks ago with Westmoreland County and gas company officials regarding Marcellus Shale drilling and what could and what should be regulated. Murrysville and Jefferson Hills both passed gas drilling ordinances earlier this year, and township officials have copies of those documents for review. "We're not trying to outlaw the drilling. We're trying to outlaw the negative impacts of it," Blenko said. "The noise, the additional storm water run-off, damage to our local roads, potential ground water contamination, the long-term health effects, if any, the public safety aspects of it. Those can all be regulated. There's no reason why gas wells can't coexist alongside our commercial or residential areas of the township. "I think that's what everybody's trying to do is come up with a set of regulations that will reasonably safeguard against some of those negative impacts while allowing it to coexist." The engineer said he will meet with Turley today to discuss the ordinance. Stump said she likes the language and some of the stipulations in the Murrysville ordinance. "What I thought was pretty good about it is they have all new definitions," she said. "There's so much new terminology with this type of industry. You have to update the ordinance just for the terminology, and they had an application fee of $5,000 and the company has to put up an escrow of $25,000 so that the expenses that the municipality has with engineering and what have you, the municipality's not left holding the bag of those expenses." Planning Commissioner Bernard Solomon said he read an article about a woman and her daughters getting sick from chemicals used at a Marcellus Shale site. "What are they going to do to our underground water resources that we depend on?" Solomon questioned. Blenko said a possible tour of a Marcellus Shale site is being scheduled through Westmoreland County officials. The proposed ordinance could be available for public input in December. Blenko said it would have to come through the planning commission before it is brought to township commissioners. "Things are moving," he said. "I know it's been a long time coming. We kind of wanted to see what other people were doing." The township was scheduled to get its first Marcellus Shale well along Hahntown-Wendel Road this summer. Atlas Energy was to drill the well on a 9.5-acre parcel near Barnes Lake Road. Blenko said the last communication he had with Atlas Energy was in May, and that parcel is not an active Marcellus Shale site. In other matters, the planning commission tabled a motion to approve the Hampton Heights plan of lots, phases 1 through 3. It is a proposed 85-lot residential subdivision on the site of the former Carradam Golf Course. Blenko said RWS Development needed an extension to address some sewer issues. The site is outside the sewer lines of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. Blenko said there are plans for deep sewers to pump into MAWC lines, and the plan will be addressed by the planning commission again at next month's meeting. The planning commission tabled the plan last month because of sewer-related concerns. Michael DiVittorio can be reached at mdivittorio(a)dailynewsemail.com or 412-664-9161. CEOs: Third World thirst to boost coal By Chris Togneri PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, November 3, 2010 The coal industry rebounded from the global recession and is poised to ride developing countries' thirst for steel and energy production for decades to come, said industry analysts and CEOs of energy producers Tuesday at the 14th annual Met Coke World Summit, Downtown. "Coal is the fuel for the entire world," said J. Brett Harvey, CEO of Cecil-based Consol Energy Inc. "I don't see any change in that for the next 50 years." Consol projects shipping more than 700,000 tons of coal from the United States to China in the fourth quarter. Harvey; Don Blankenship, CEO of Richmond, Va.-based Massey Energy Co.; Michael Thomson, CEO of Knoxville, Tenn.-based SunCoke Energy; and John Elmore, director of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. in India, talked about trends in the industry at an event attended by about 250 coal industry insiders. The summit continues today. Blankenship agreed that coal is the fuel of the present and the future, particularly in developing countries. Access to electricity improves quality of life and leads to longer life expectancy, he said. "It's strange that that idea hasn't caught on," he told the audience, eliciting a round of laughter. The Massey CEO predicted coal use will increase by 81 percent in "emerging" countries and 1 percent in developed countries by 2035. Brazil, Russia, India and China, which make up 43 percent of the world's population, will account for much of that growth, he said. Coal is "good for the environment" because it is the cheapest way to raise living standards by providing electricity to poor countries, Blankenship said. "It bothers me that we are spending so much on renewable energy that supposedly will improve the environment when there is a lot of suffering going on," he said after his presentation. China, India and Brazil will continue to be major importers of coal, particularly metallurgical coal for production of coke and steel, the CEOs said. Brazil, which will host the soccer World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016, has limited resources but a strong economy. Its need to build infrastructure quickly makes it a major player, they agreed. "The same thing happened in China (before it hosted the 2008 Olympics), but it just kept going," Harvey said. "They are raising their standard of living. We could see the same thing in Brazil. Maybe not on the same pace, but once they get a taste of it ..." The auto industry's rising thirst for steel also drives coal use, the CEOs said. Particularly in China, car production is soaring with plenty of room to grow, Blankenship said, noting that 128 people out of every 1,000 people in China own cars, compared to 765 out of 1,000 in the United States. China last year produced 13.3 million vehicles, compared to 8.8 million in North America, the Massey CEO said. Africa will become a major importer of coal as the country begins to modernize, Harvey and Blankenship said. Blankenship declined to answer questions regarding a possible sale of Massey or whether he might step down. In a conference call with analysts last week, he acknowledged the rumors, saying Massey is "considering all options," but declined to discuss specifics. Massey runs the Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, W.Va., where an April 5 explosion killed 29 miners and injured two. It was the deadliest U.S. mine disaster in 40 years. State, federal and company investigations are ongoing. Chris Togneri can be reached at ctogneri(a)tribweb.com or 412-380-5632. ----- Original Message ----- From: <stombond(a)hughes.net> To: "Donald C. Strimbeck" <dcsoinks(a)comcast.net>; "jOHN ELEYETTE" <JMELEYETTE(a)rocketmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2010 9:46 PM Subject: Letter to the Wheeling Intelligencer > Mr. Strimbeck: > I sent the following letter to the Wheeling Intelligencer a couple of > days ago. It is a response to the article "Chesapeake Energy Officials > Pledge to Maintain Roads" published in your newsletter dated the 29th. > You may use it if your want to. > > As a person with training as a chemist, I was highly amused by the > article "Chesapeake Energy Officials Pledge to Maintain Roads" in the 29 > October 2010 INTELLIGENCER. It includes a statement of Stacey R. Brodak, > manager of corporate development for Chesapeake concerning the 25,000 > gallons or so of chemicals in frac fluid for a Marcellus well. > > Her claims are right about all of them. HOWEVER, isopropanol is also > used to denature alcohol, to make it undrinkable. Petroleum distillates > is a very broad category (many different compounds) used for solvent > properties. It is toxic, but is considered to have low toxicity. Guar > gum, citric acid (think citrus fruits), potassium chloride, are, in fact > food ingredients. Sodium and potassium carbonate are very similar and > are sometime used as food additives. Glutaradldehyde is used in water > treatment for killing alge and as a disinfectant for medial equipment. > It causes severe irritation of eyes and respiratory system. It is a > source of occupational asthma. > > Ammonium persulfate is an extremely strong oxidizing agent listed as > having low toxicity. It is used to etch copper and would doubtless cause > other metals to dissolve. Formaldehyde is another protein denaturant. > Among its uses is in embalming fluid. It is used in resins for plywood > type materials, glue, etc. It is the source of eye irritation when these > products are used. It is a known human carcinogen. Borate salts are > toxic, but probably not at the concentration they are used in frac > fluid. These things are what go down to begin with. > > Now, what about the stuff that comes up with the "flowback." At the > several hundred degree temperatures and huge pressures solubility of > many compounds increase compared to solubility at the surface. What else > comes up with the cuttings, which present a very large surface area for > solution of the shale components? The shale contains a huge number of > complex compounds. Things that come up with the flowback include heavy > metals, highly poisonous, which the body accumulates because there is no > mechanism to eliminate them, and radioactivity. One case is known where > the radioactivity of returning frac water was 1000 times the allowed > radioactivity of drinking water. > > Ms. Brodak's list almost invariably cites external uses of the > compounds. The objection is to drinking these compounds in surface water > and ground water contaminated by flowback! I don't doubt her integrity, > she is an executive and not educated in chemistry. But who put that list > on hydraulicfracturing.com ought to have his backside kicked. We're not > all rubes out here. > > Somebody ought to be out there sampling and testing for a wide range of > contaminants. The whole Marcellus industry has its collective fingers > crossed, screaming "There's nothing wrong with our work!" and "Just > think about the money it will bring in." They are in the same position > as the original oil and gas industry and the strip mining industry: they > are running a humongous experiment while doing all they can to block out > any bad news. > By Mari Margil, Ben Price Licking, Pennsylvania defies state law by banning corporations from dumping fracking wastewater. In Pennsylvania-a central target for natural gas drilling and the controversial drilling practice known as horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking"-local communities don't have the legal authority to keep unwanted drilling from happening. As fracking's impacts on water safety make headlines and public resistance to drilling grows, some towns have tried to use land use zoning to keep drilling companies out-but they can't use zoning laws to stop an activity the state has declared legal. (At best, they can zone where the corporations site their drill pads. But since drilling is not vertical but horizontal, there's no way to contain its impact on a community's water and environment.) Taking local control One small community in western Pennsylvania wanted more say over what happens within its borders. Licking Township, population 500, chose to defy state law with its own local ordinance, banning corporations from dumping fracking wastewater within its borders. Licking sits atop the Marcellus Shale, a geological formation that contains large and mostly untapped natural gas reserves. On Oct. 12, 2010, the Licking Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to ban corporations from dumping fracking wastewater within the township. "When it comes to land use issues and the preservation of important resources, the local community is best suited to set priorities as they feel impacts most acutely," said Mik Robertson, chairman of the Licking Township Supervisors. Pennsylvania's preferential laws for drilling companies are not unique. For years, the drilling industry has worked closely with government to pave the way for widespread drilling, eliminating regulatory barriers that may stand in its way. The so-called "Halliburton Loophole" was inserted into the federal Safe Drinking Water Act to exempt companies drilling for natural gas, including those drilling in the Marcellus Shale (which extends from New York to West Virginia) from having to comply. Corporations have also been exempted from a host of other laws and regulations, and states have enacted laws pre-empting municipalities from taking steps to reign in the industry. The residents of Licking felt that they should be the ones to decide what happens in their township. "People have the right to determine what is suitable for their community, as they are most directly affected by intended or unintended consequences of resource extraction," said Robertson. The dangers of fracking The residents of Licking aren't alone in their concerns about fracking. Across the Appalachian highlands, residents worried about the health effects of fracking have been calling on their elected officials to protect them. In New York, a citizen movement convinced the state Senate to place a 9-month moratorium on the practice while its safety is evaluated. However, the moratorium is only temporary and has not been voted into state law. Fracking involves pumping water laced with sand and a cocktail of chemicals underground to fracture the shale rock and release the natural gas. In the process, thousands of gallons of toxic wastewater are produced and can contaminate waterways and drinking water. Natural gas wells are often driven through aquifers. The impacts from drilling can include exploding wells, groundwater contamination, and fish kills. Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture quarantined cattle believed to have drunk from a frack wastewater spill. Their milk was no longer considered safe to drink. A new study by researchers at the University of Buffalo found that fracking also releases uranium trapped in the rock, raising additional health concerns. Collateral damage includes lost property value, drying up of mortgage loans for prospective home buyers, and the threatened loss of organic certification for farmers. And it's not only rural communities feeling the pressure. In Pittsburgh and Buffalo (both of which straddle the Marcellus), gas extraction corporations have quietly signed leases with landowners to drill under the surface. A new direction Drafted with the help of Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), the "Licking Township Community Water Rights and Self-Government Ordinance" is the first of its kind in the nation. The City of Pittsburgh is also considering a CELDF-drafted ordinance, which is scheduled for a vote on November 16. With an expected veto-proof majority of City Council members in favor, that ordinance would impose an outright ban on gas drilling by corporations within city limits. Communities across the Marcellus Shale region, including Lehman Township in eastern Pennsylvania, are also considering CELDF ordinances that would ban corporations from drilling or from extracting water to use in drilling. In addition to banning corporate disposal of frack wastewater, Licking Township's ordinance asserts the right to local self-government and the community's right to a healthy environment and to clean water. In adopting the ordinance, Licking joins more than a dozen other communities in legally recognizing the rights of nature and subordinating corporate constitutional rights to the rights of human and natural communities. By recognizing the rights of nature, Licking is effectively protecting ecosystems and natural communities within the township from efforts by corporations to drill there-or by higher levels of governments to authorize that drilling. Residents of the community are empowered by the ordinance to enforce those rights on behalf of threatened ecosystems. By prohibiting the introduction of frack wastewater into the Township's environment, Licking's new law effectively blocks hydro-fracturing. Critics of the ordinance claim that, by denying corporations that violate its prohibitions the civil rights protections conferred on them by the courts, the ordinance goes too far. Robertson responds to these charges, saying, "People have rights, like the gifts of nature. People have rights to property. Property does not have rights. Corporations are property." Corporations may sue to overturn the ordinance, with the argument that it violates their corporate constitutional rights. Such a lawsuit would finally raise imperative questions about whose rights trump whose: Do the court-endowed privileges of corporations override the inalienable rights of the people and ecosystems of Licking Township, nullifying their claim to have a legal right to their health, safety, and welfare? Or does the community have the right to make critical decisions to protect its well-being-and that of the ecosystems upon which it depends? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Mari Margil and Ben Price wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions. Mari is the associate director and Ben is projects director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit, public interest law firm providing legal services to communities facing threats to their local environment, agriculture, economy, and quality of life. Washington PA Observer Reporter Wednesday 3 November 2010: Sessions to provide info on roustabout training 11/3/2010 3:33 AM Free information sessions on Marcellus Shale roustabout training will be held in November and December by Westmoreland County Community College in partnership with Pennsylvania College of Technology at WCCC's Greene County Education Center, EverGreene Technology Park, Waynesburg. The sessions are designed for those interested in applying for free training for roustabout jobs in the natural gas drilling and production industry and will be conducted from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 12; 10 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 20; and 3 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 8. Roustabouts prepare sites for natural gas well drilling, set up and operate drilling rigs and dismantle rigs for movement to another location. They work around moving equipment such as forklifts, back hoes and excavators and carry 80-pound bags of concrete and heavy pipe. "This is physically demanding work requiring 12-hour shifts outside in all kinds of weather," said James Hayes, WCCC director of work force development. Some drilling jobs require 14 consecutive working days with 14 days off. "Employers will not tolerate drugs, and workers will be randomly drug tested," said Hayes. The three-week roustabout training program will run Jan. 17 through Feb. 4, and classes meet Monday through Friday. The training is a highly interactive, industry-oriented program and will be taught by expert instructors. Class size is limited to 15 students. The sessions will provide information on drilling rig jobs, the free training program and the application process. The sessions are free, but prospective applicants must register by calling Pennsylvania CareerLink Greene County at 724-852-2900. Copyright Observer Publishing Co. 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

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Fwd: Fw: DAILY UPDATE 3 November 2010. News of interest to Mon river watershed denizens.
by James Kotcon 03 Nov '10

03 Nov '10

Is someone talking to Orphy Klempa about what needs to go in a Marcellus bill? JBK >>> "Donald C. Strimbeck" <dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> 11/3/2010 4:07 AM >>> 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 ----- Original Message ----- From: Donald C. Strimbeck To: Veronica Coptis ; Tom Bond ; Shari Wilson ; Scott Brewer ; Robert Vagnetti ; Mark Estlack ; Loretta Florence ; Judy Hunter ; John King ; Joel Morris ; Janice Christopher ; Ida Hughes ; Glen Kelly ; Garry Berti ; Connie Watson ; Chuck Wyrostok ; Chip West ; Catherine Lozier ; Carol Mapstone ; Brian K. Parker ; Bradley Omanson ; Bill Weiss ; Bill Hughes ; Bonnie Hall Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2010 4:07 AM Subject: DAILY UPDATE 3 November 2010. News of interest to Mon river watershed denizens. DUNKARD CREEK-3NovY2K10 Wheeling WV THE INTELLIGENCER Wednesday 3 November 2010: Klempa Looks to Take On Drilling in Senate November 3, 2010 - By CASEY JUNKINS Staff Writer With increasingly more Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling taking place throughout West Virginia's Northern Panhandle, state Sen.-elect Orphy Klempa knows it is time for the Legislature to act. "Right now, there is entirely too much drilling with not enough regulations in place," said Klempa, D-Ohio, following his Tuesday general election victory over Republican Charles Schlegel of Wheeling. "We need to make sure these gas companies are respecting our land." Klempa, who has served as a state delegate since his 2006 election, will replace outgoing 1st District state Sen. Ed Bowman, D-Hancock, who decided not to seek re-election this year. Klempa carried 58.7 percent of the vote in the district, which includes all of Hancock and Brooke counties, along with most of Ohio County. Unofficial election totals indicate Klempa garnered a total of 17,044 votes, with 7,632 coming in Ohio County, 4,292 in Brooke County and 5,120 in Hancock County. Schlegel, meanwhile, carried a total of 12,015 ballots, including 5,437 in Ohio County, 2,448 in Brooke County and 4,130 in Hancock County. "It seems like every time I'm in a race, it goes down to the last moment," Klempa said, noting he campaigned throughout the district. "My wife and I worked very hard because this was by no stretch of the imagination a good year to be a Democrat." Schlegel, though disappointed in the results, pledged to support Klempa's efforts in Charleston. "This was a very clean race," Schlegel said. "The voters of Ohio, Hancock and Brooke counties are getting a good representative. ... He (Klempa) will do a good job for us." Klempa also thanked Schlegel for the amicable race, noting, "This was not a mud-slinging campaign." "Charlie (Schlegel) is a man of honor. I wish him all the best," Klempa said. The senator-elect added he hopes to continue the work he began in the House in his new role, including confronting some of the state's unfunded liabilities. "I am very humbled by the level of support I got. I plan to do the very best I can do for the voters," Klempa added. North Huntingdon Township moving forward with plans to regulate Marcellus Shale drilling By Michael DiVittorio MCKEESPORT DAILY NEWS Tuesday, November 2, 2010 North Huntingdon Township officials are moving forward with their plans to help regulate Marcellus Shale drilling. Planning commissioner Virginia Stump brought up the idea of creating a gas drilling ordinance last month to help reduce negative effects regarding such drilling. Township planning director/engineer Andrew Blenko announced at Monday night's planning commission meeting that a draft ordinance is being prepared by assistant township manager Michael Turley, and could be available for review by the planning commission within weeks. Blenko said a meeting took place about four weeks ago with Westmoreland County and gas company officials regarding Marcellus Shale drilling and what could and what should be regulated. Murrysville and Jefferson Hills both passed gas drilling ordinances earlier this year, and township officials have copies of those documents for review. "We're not trying to outlaw the drilling. We're trying to outlaw the negative impacts of it," Blenko said. "The noise, the additional storm water run-off, damage to our local roads, potential ground water contamination, the long-term health effects, if any, the public safety aspects of it. Those can all be regulated. There's no reason why gas wells can't coexist alongside our commercial or residential areas of the township. "I think that's what everybody's trying to do is come up with a set of regulations that will reasonably safeguard against some of those negative impacts while allowing it to coexist." The engineer said he will meet with Turley today to discuss the ordinance. Stump said she likes the language and some of the stipulations in the Murrysville ordinance. "What I thought was pretty good about it is they have all new definitions," she said. "There's so much new terminology with this type of industry. You have to update the ordinance just for the terminology, and they had an application fee of $5,000 and the company has to put up an escrow of $25,000 so that the expenses that the municipality has with engineering and what have you, the municipality's not left holding the bag of those expenses." Planning Commissioner Bernard Solomon said he read an article about a woman and her daughters getting sick from chemicals used at a Marcellus Shale site. "What are they going to do to our underground water resources that we depend on?" Solomon questioned. Blenko said a possible tour of a Marcellus Shale site is being scheduled through Westmoreland County officials. The proposed ordinance could be available for public input in December. Blenko said it would have to come through the planning commission before it is brought to township commissioners. "Things are moving," he said. "I know it's been a long time coming. We kind of wanted to see what other people were doing." The township was scheduled to get its first Marcellus Shale well along Hahntown-Wendel Road this summer. Atlas Energy was to drill the well on a 9.5-acre parcel near Barnes Lake Road. Blenko said the last communication he had with Atlas Energy was in May, and that parcel is not an active Marcellus Shale site. In other matters, the planning commission tabled a motion to approve the Hampton Heights plan of lots, phases 1 through 3. It is a proposed 85-lot residential subdivision on the site of the former Carradam Golf Course. Blenko said RWS Development needed an extension to address some sewer issues. The site is outside the sewer lines of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. Blenko said there are plans for deep sewers to pump into MAWC lines, and the plan will be addressed by the planning commission again at next month's meeting. The planning commission tabled the plan last month because of sewer-related concerns. Michael DiVittorio can be reached at mdivittorio(a)dailynewsemail.com or 412-664-9161. CEOs: Third World thirst to boost coal By Chris Togneri PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, November 3, 2010 The coal industry rebounded from the global recession and is poised to ride developing countries' thirst for steel and energy production for decades to come, said industry analysts and CEOs of energy producers Tuesday at the 14th annual Met Coke World Summit, Downtown. "Coal is the fuel for the entire world," said J. Brett Harvey, CEO of Cecil-based Consol Energy Inc. "I don't see any change in that for the next 50 years." Consol projects shipping more than 700,000 tons of coal from the United States to China in the fourth quarter. Harvey; Don Blankenship, CEO of Richmond, Va.-based Massey Energy Co.; Michael Thomson, CEO of Knoxville, Tenn.-based SunCoke Energy; and John Elmore, director of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. in India, talked about trends in the industry at an event attended by about 250 coal industry insiders. The summit continues today. Blankenship agreed that coal is the fuel of the present and the future, particularly in developing countries. Access to electricity improves quality of life and leads to longer life expectancy, he said. "It's strange that that idea hasn't caught on," he told the audience, eliciting a round of laughter. The Massey CEO predicted coal use will increase by 81 percent in "emerging" countries and 1 percent in developed countries by 2035. Brazil, Russia, India and China, which make up 43 percent of the world's population, will account for much of that growth, he said. Coal is "good for the environment" because it is the cheapest way to raise living standards by providing electricity to poor countries, Blankenship said. "It bothers me that we are spending so much on renewable energy that supposedly will improve the environment when there is a lot of suffering going on," he said after his presentation. China, India and Brazil will continue to be major importers of coal, particularly metallurgical coal for production of coke and steel, the CEOs said. Brazil, which will host the soccer World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016, has limited resources but a strong economy. Its need to build infrastructure quickly makes it a major player, they agreed. "The same thing happened in China (before it hosted the 2008 Olympics), but it just kept going," Harvey said. "They are raising their standard of living. We could see the same thing in Brazil. Maybe not on the same pace, but once they get a taste of it ..." The auto industry's rising thirst for steel also drives coal use, the CEOs said. Particularly in China, car production is soaring with plenty of room to grow, Blankenship said, noting that 128 people out of every 1,000 people in China own cars, compared to 765 out of 1,000 in the United States. China last year produced 13.3 million vehicles, compared to 8.8 million in North America, the Massey CEO said. Africa will become a major importer of coal as the country begins to modernize, Harvey and Blankenship said. Blankenship declined to answer questions regarding a possible sale of Massey or whether he might step down. In a conference call with analysts last week, he acknowledged the rumors, saying Massey is "considering all options," but declined to discuss specifics. Massey runs the Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, W.Va., where an April 5 explosion killed 29 miners and injured two. It was the deadliest U.S. mine disaster in 40 years. State, federal and company investigations are ongoing. Chris Togneri can be reached at ctogneri(a)tribweb.com or 412-380-5632. ----- Original Message ----- From: <stombond(a)hughes.net> To: "Donald C. Strimbeck" <dcsoinks(a)comcast.net>; "jOHN ELEYETTE" <JMELEYETTE(a)rocketmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2010 9:46 PM Subject: Letter to the Wheeling Intelligencer > Mr. Strimbeck: > I sent the following letter to the Wheeling Intelligencer a couple of > days ago. It is a response to the article "Chesapeake Energy Officials > Pledge to Maintain Roads" published in your newsletter dated the 29th. > You may use it if your want to. > > As a person with training as a chemist, I was highly amused by the > article "Chesapeake Energy Officials Pledge to Maintain Roads" in the 29 > October 2010 INTELLIGENCER. It includes a statement of Stacey R. Brodak, > manager of corporate development for Chesapeake concerning the 25,000 > gallons or so of chemicals in frac fluid for a Marcellus well. > > Her claims are right about all of them. HOWEVER, isopropanol is also > used to denature alcohol, to make it undrinkable. Petroleum distillates > is a very broad category (many different compounds) used for solvent > properties. It is toxic, but is considered to have low toxicity. Guar > gum, citric acid (think citrus fruits), potassium chloride, are, in fact > food ingredients. Sodium and potassium carbonate are very similar and > are sometime used as food additives. Glutaradldehyde is used in water > treatment for killing alge and as a disinfectant for medial equipment. > It causes severe irritation of eyes and respiratory system. It is a > source of occupational asthma. > > Ammonium persulfate is an extremely strong oxidizing agent listed as > having low toxicity. It is used to etch copper and would doubtless cause > other metals to dissolve. Formaldehyde is another protein denaturant. > Among its uses is in embalming fluid. It is used in resins for plywood > type materials, glue, etc. It is the source of eye irritation when these > products are used. It is a known human carcinogen. Borate salts are > toxic, but probably not at the concentration they are used in frac > fluid. These things are what go down to begin with. > > Now, what about the stuff that comes up with the "flowback." At the > several hundred degree temperatures and huge pressures solubility of > many compounds increase compared to solubility at the surface. What else > comes up with the cuttings, which present a very large surface area for > solution of the shale components? The shale contains a huge number of > complex compounds. Things that come up with the flowback include heavy > metals, highly poisonous, which the body accumulates because there is no > mechanism to eliminate them, and radioactivity. One case is known where > the radioactivity of returning frac water was 1000 times the allowed > radioactivity of drinking water. > > Ms. Brodak's list almost invariably cites external uses of the > compounds. The objection is to drinking these compounds in surface water > and ground water contaminated by flowback! I don't doubt her integrity, > she is an executive and not educated in chemistry. But who put that list > on hydraulicfracturing.com ought to have his backside kicked. We're not > all rubes out here. > > Somebody ought to be out there sampling and testing for a wide range of > contaminants. The whole Marcellus industry has its collective fingers > crossed, screaming "There's nothing wrong with our work!" and "Just > think about the money it will bring in." They are in the same position > as the original oil and gas industry and the strip mining industry: they > are running a humongous experiment while doing all they can to block out > any bad news. > By Mari Margil, Ben Price Licking, Pennsylvania defies state law by banning corporations from dumping fracking wastewater. In Pennsylvania-a central target for natural gas drilling and the controversial drilling practice known as horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking"-local communities don't have the legal authority to keep unwanted drilling from happening. As fracking's impacts on water safety make headlines and public resistance to drilling grows, some towns have tried to use land use zoning to keep drilling companies out-but they can't use zoning laws to stop an activity the state has declared legal. (At best, they can zone where the corporations site their drill pads. But since drilling is not vertical but horizontal, there's no way to contain its impact on a community's water and environment.) Taking local control One small community in western Pennsylvania wanted more say over what happens within its borders. Licking Township, population 500, chose to defy state law with its own local ordinance, banning corporations from dumping fracking wastewater within its borders. Licking sits atop the Marcellus Shale, a geological formation that contains large and mostly untapped natural gas reserves. On Oct. 12, 2010, the Licking Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to ban corporations from dumping fracking wastewater within the township. "When it comes to land use issues and the preservation of important resources, the local community is best suited to set priorities as they feel impacts most acutely," said Mik Robertson, chairman of the Licking Township Supervisors. Pennsylvania's preferential laws for drilling companies are not unique. For years, the drilling industry has worked closely with government to pave the way for widespread drilling, eliminating regulatory barriers that may stand in its way. The so-called "Halliburton Loophole" was inserted into the federal Safe Drinking Water Act to exempt companies drilling for natural gas, including those drilling in the Marcellus Shale (which extends from New York to West Virginia) from having to comply. Corporations have also been exempted from a host of other laws and regulations, and states have enacted laws pre-empting municipalities from taking steps to reign in the industry. The residents of Licking felt that they should be the ones to decide what happens in their township. "People have the right to determine what is suitable for their community, as they are most directly affected by intended or unintended consequences of resource extraction," said Robertson. The dangers of fracking The residents of Licking aren't alone in their concerns about fracking. Across the Appalachian highlands, residents worried about the health effects of fracking have been calling on their elected officials to protect them. In New York, a citizen movement convinced the state Senate to place a 9-month moratorium on the practice while its safety is evaluated. However, the moratorium is only temporary and has not been voted into state law. Fracking involves pumping water laced with sand and a cocktail of chemicals underground to fracture the shale rock and release the natural gas. In the process, thousands of gallons of toxic wastewater are produced and can contaminate waterways and drinking water. Natural gas wells are often driven through aquifers. The impacts from drilling can include exploding wells, groundwater contamination, and fish kills. Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture quarantined cattle believed to have drunk from a frack wastewater spill. Their milk was no longer considered safe to drink. A new study by researchers at the University of Buffalo found that fracking also releases uranium trapped in the rock, raising additional health concerns. Collateral damage includes lost property value, drying up of mortgage loans for prospective home buyers, and the threatened loss of organic certification for farmers. And it's not only rural communities feeling the pressure. In Pittsburgh and Buffalo (both of which straddle the Marcellus), gas extraction corporations have quietly signed leases with landowners to drill under the surface. A new direction Drafted with the help of Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), the "Licking Township Community Water Rights and Self-Government Ordinance" is the first of its kind in the nation. The City of Pittsburgh is also considering a CELDF-drafted ordinance, which is scheduled for a vote on November 16. With an expected veto-proof majority of City Council members in favor, that ordinance would impose an outright ban on gas drilling by corporations within city limits. Communities across the Marcellus Shale region, including Lehman Township in eastern Pennsylvania, are also considering CELDF ordinances that would ban corporations from drilling or from extracting water to use in drilling. In addition to banning corporate disposal of frack wastewater, Licking Township's ordinance asserts the right to local self-government and the community's right to a healthy environment and to clean water. In adopting the ordinance, Licking joins more than a dozen other communities in legally recognizing the rights of nature and subordinating corporate constitutional rights to the rights of human and natural communities. By recognizing the rights of nature, Licking is effectively protecting ecosystems and natural communities within the township from efforts by corporations to drill there-or by higher levels of governments to authorize that drilling. Residents of the community are empowered by the ordinance to enforce those rights on behalf of threatened ecosystems. By prohibiting the introduction of frack wastewater into the Township's environment, Licking's new law effectively blocks hydro-fracturing. Critics of the ordinance claim that, by denying corporations that violate its prohibitions the civil rights protections conferred on them by the courts, the ordinance goes too far. Robertson responds to these charges, saying, "People have rights, like the gifts of nature. People have rights to property. Property does not have rights. Corporations are property." Corporations may sue to overturn the ordinance, with the argument that it violates their corporate constitutional rights. Such a lawsuit would finally raise imperative questions about whose rights trump whose: Do the court-endowed privileges of corporations override the inalienable rights of the people and ecosystems of Licking Township, nullifying their claim to have a legal right to their health, safety, and welfare? Or does the community have the right to make critical decisions to protect its well-being-and that of the ecosystems upon which it depends? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mari Margil and Ben Price wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions. Mari is the associate director and Ben is projects director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit, public interest law firm providing legal services to communities facing threats to their local environment, agriculture, economy, and quality of life. Washington PA Observer Reporter Wednesday 3 November 2010: Sessions to provide info on roustabout training 11/3/2010 3:33 AM Free information sessions on Marcellus Shale roustabout training will be held in November and December by Westmoreland County Community College in partnership with Pennsylvania College of Technology at WCCC's Greene County Education Center, EverGreene Technology Park, Waynesburg. The sessions are designed for those interested in applying for free training for roustabout jobs in the natural gas drilling and production industry and will be conducted from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 12; 10 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 20; and 3 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 8. Roustabouts prepare sites for natural gas well drilling, set up and operate drilling rigs and dismantle rigs for movement to another location. They work around moving equipment such as forklifts, back hoes and excavators and carry 80-pound bags of concrete and heavy pipe. "This is physically demanding work requiring 12-hour shifts outside in all kinds of weather," said James Hayes, WCCC director of work force development. Some drilling jobs require 14 consecutive working days with 14 days off. "Employers will not tolerate drugs, and workers will be randomly drug tested," said Hayes. The three-week roustabout training program will run Jan. 17 through Feb. 4, and classes meet Monday through Friday. The training is a highly interactive, industry-oriented program and will be taught by expert instructors. Class size is limited to 15 students. The sessions will provide information on drilling rig jobs, the free training program and the application process. The sessions are free, but prospective applicants must register by calling Pennsylvania CareerLink Greene County at 724-852-2900. Copyright Observer Publishing Co. 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

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Fwd: State energy efficiency rankings
by James Kotcon 02 Nov '10

02 Nov '10

West Virginia ranks 43rd in energy efficiency among the states, dropping from 35th place in the first scorecard in 2006. Lossing points for building codes was one contributor. JBK ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To get off this list, send email to: LISTSERV(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Make the message text (not the Subject): SIGNOFF CONS-FRED The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has released <http://www.aceee.org/sector/state-policy/scorecard> a new report ranking states by the strength of their energy efficiency policies. Has your chapter won substantial victories to improve energy efficiency in your state? If so, be sure to let us know by filling out our victory reporting form <http://tinyurl.com/y8fn9an> . In the meantime, if you're looking for some good news, check out these recent victories won by Sierra Club activists throughout the country: Scott Elkins, Director for Chapter Coordination Sierra Club 612-659-9124

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Re: [EC] Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Environmental Regs Cause Nat Gas to Replace Coal for Electric Generation
by Jim Sconyers 30 Oct '10

30 Oct '10

SC and the Wetzel folks are trying to drag EPA in on the air pollution aspect of Marcellus. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ________________________________ From: Beth Little <blittle(a)citynet.net> To: James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu>; ec(a)osenergy.org Sent: Sat, October 30, 2010 7:32:35 PM Subject: Re: [EC] Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Environmental Regs Cause Nat Gas to Replace Coal for Electric Generation I've really been wrestling with this, because I want to see ALL coal phased out, and I don't want the amount of gas drilling it would take to replace it. I also don't want any stupid developments like coal to liquid, windmills on every forested ridge in WV, biomass plants burning up all the trees, power lines through WV taking (supposed) renewable energy from the midwest to the east coast. So what's left. My answer is efficiency, but I don't see it happening, because of the influence of the fossil fuel industry on our government (both legislators and regulators), the influence of the fossil fuel industry on voters through misleading advertising and public relations, and the natural resistance of people to change, especially giving up their wasteful habits. What I'm left with is working like hell for regulations to minimize impacts and suing whenever possible to slow the destruction down. Maybe we can slow it down enough to cause some blackouts. That's probably the only thing that will bring any real change. If EPA regulations are going to be the reason for retiring lots of coal, maybe that is the place to go for regulating gas drilling. ________________________________ From: ec-bounces(a)osenergy.org [mailto:ec-bounces@osenergy.org] On Behalf Of James Kotcon Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2010 6:36 PM To: ec(a)osenergy.org Subject: [EC] Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Environmental Regs Cause Nat Gas to Replace Coal for Electric Generation This investment newsletter predicts phasing out 20-25 % of coal capacity by 2020, due solely to mercury, NOx and SO2 regulations. Natural gas (and some renewables) will be taking up the slack. How do we get ready for this? JBK ________________________________ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1153 / Virus Database: 424/3228 - Release Date: 10/30/10 _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Environmental Regs Cause Nat Gas to Replace Coal for Electric Generation
by James Kotcon 30 Oct '10

30 Oct '10

This investment newsletter predicts phasing out 20-25 % of coal capacity by 2020, due solely to mercury, NOx and SO2 regulations. Natural gas (and some renewables) will be taking up the slack. How do we get ready for this? JBK

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TransGas hearing results
by James Kotcon 29 Oct '10

29 Oct '10

The hearing before the WV Air Quality Board over our appeal of the air permit for the TransGas Coal-To-Liquids plant was held Wed & Thursday. I just got off a conference call with some folks over the results. The comment below reflect my understanding of what happened, so someone please correct me if I get it wrong. Basically, the AQB listened carefully to our arguments, and appeared to grasp some key points made by our wonderful attorney, Elena Saxonhouse. One of our major issues is the claim by DEP & TransGas that the facility is a "Minor Source" rather than a "Major Source". Major Sources have significantly more stringent requirements for an air permit, including requirements that the facility model pollutant dispersion, and that they determine the "Best Available Control Technology" (BACT). TransGas did not include certain emissions in their application, which kept them under the threshold for Major Source. DEP approved the permit as submitted by TransGas, arguing that any emissions not included in the permit would be violations of the permit. Our concern is that, once the plant is built, these emissions could be added to the permit as a minor modification and they would continue operating as a major source without meeting the intent of the Clean Air Act. One major source of emissions is a "flare" used to burn off waste gases. Unfortunately, flares are inherently hard to monitor, and DEP simply assumed that the emissions would be small and therefore the facility as a whole would meet the Minor Source limit. The Air Quality Board seemed receptive to our argument that, to be adequately protective, the air permit had to either measure the emissions to show they were under the limit, or they would have to assume that they could be larger than DEP assumed. Another major source is that Transgas never included emissions from a wastewater treatment plant. They argued that the plant has not been designed yet, and that they may ship the water off site to another facility, and therefore the emissions should not be included in their air permit. We argued that simply omitting the emissions from a required step in the process was not permitted under the Clean Air Act, as it would allow any major source to avoid major source requirements simply by segmenting the facility into tiny little parts, when the whole facility was still a major source. While the Air Quality Board listened carefully to two full days of testimony, and we have good legal arguments, we should not assume that the AQB is a friendly body. Closing briefs will be filed over the next few weeks, so we do not expect a decision for a couple months. On a related note, I hope you all saw the announcement this week by Gov. Manchin that TransGas had settled on an "engineering and procurement contractor". In addition, they had reached an agreement with the Affiliated Construction Trades union to assure that the plant would be built by union labor. We remain very skeptical that this plant would ever get financing, and it was not clear that the EPC contractor or anyone else has actually committed to building anything. The facility's air permit is under challenge (by us), none of the other needed permit applications have even been submitted, and many key features still do not have a final design (e.g., waste water treatment). So even if the air permit were approved, they are still a long way from ever getting anything built. We should not assume we have already lost, but neither should we take for granted that such a crazy idea will be easily rejected. Endless pressure, endlessly applied! Jim Kotcon 304-2903-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home)

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Fwd: WV Governor, TransGas Development Systems Announce Coal to Gasoline Project
by Paul Wilson 29 Oct '10

29 Oct '10

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: DAVID E ORTMAN <deortman(a)msn.com> Date: Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 12:16 AM Subject: RE: WV Governor, TransGas Development Systems Announce Coal to Gasoline Project To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com, coal-campaign-alerts(a)lists.sierraclub.org FR: David E. Ortman, Seattle, WA Regarding coal to gasoline, Scientific American was not impressed in 2007. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=worse-than-gasoline Apparently some are proposing to use nuclear energy to power the damn conversion process! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:59:37 -0400 From: pjgrunt(a)GMAIL.COM Subject: Fwd: WV Governor, TransGas Development Systems Announce Coal to Gasoline Project To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: *Frank Young* <fyoung(a)mountain.net> Date: Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 4:21 PM Subject: [EC] Fw: Governor, TransGas Development Systems Announce Coal to Gasoline Project To: ec(a)osenergy.org, wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com, WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com In Mingo County, coal to liquids- long awaited announcement .................... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: **<governor(a)wv.gov> Date: Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 2:35 PM Subject: Governor, TransGas Development Systems Announce Coal to Gasoline Project To: trouserdude(a)gmail.com Oct. 28, 2010 *GOVERNOR, TRANSGAS DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS ANNOUNCE COAL TO GASOLINE PROJECT **TransGas president says that coal to gasoline project will be first in the nation and a model for the country to regain its energy independence and put Americans to work* Contact: Melvin Smith, 304-558-2000 or Adam Victor, 917-816-3700 or adamvictor(a)transgasdevelopment.com CHARLESTON, W.Va. – After four years of continuous effort, Gov. Joe Manchin and TransGas Development Systems President Adam Victor, along with several state and local representatives, today announced that the company has selected its Engineering Procurement Contractor (EPC) and technology provider for its coal to gasoline facility that will be built in Mingo County, West Virginia. This facility will be the nation’s first and largest of its kind in the world. Representatives from the state Building and Construction Trades Council, along with representatives from the EPC contractor and the project technology provider were also present for today’s announcement. The project will be built by SK Engineering & Construction and will utilize the technology of Uhde GmbH, one of the world’s largest construction companies, using premier coal gasification technology. The governor commended the efforts of TransGas Development Systems, SK Engineering and Uhde GmbH for their partnership with the state of West Virginia. “This project indicates how serious we are about matching our abundant coal resources with the technology available to produce clean energy. West Virginia is fully committed to being a leader in energy self-sufficiency and this development shows that we are dedicated to using our coal resources as prudently as possible. This project’s success will truly be far-reaching for the coal industry,” said the governor. During today’s meeting, Victor reminded officials that four years ago, he was on the verge of relocating his operations overseas after facing years of challenges while trying to convince officials across the Northeast to make the tough decision to support necessary energy infrastructure development. Only after Mr. Victor met Governor Manchin did he realize that West Virginia could be a place where energy infrastructure could be built and supported by state and local officials. “Four years ago, TransGas found, in Governor Joe Manchin, a leader who understood the importance of coal as the primary asset to developing America’s future energy independence. Moreover, he understood the need to forcefully address the many fallacies that have arisen surrounding the environmental effects of mining and using coal. “Governor Joe Manchin also understood that a fleet of coal to liquid plants would form the cornerstone of a resurgence of American industrial might – built by skilled American unionized construction tradesmen, working in close concert with project owners. Simply put, if not for the governor, we would not have invested the time, nor effort into this project and this project would not exist today,” said TransGas president, Adam Victor. Victor praised the governor for bringing the construction trades union together with his chosen contractor and technology provider to ensure that this project will be built by skilled West Virginia workers, on time and under budget. This project will convert regional coal into 756,000 gallons of premium grade ultraclean gasoline a day. Put in proper perspective, less than fifty of these Coal to Gasoline facilities nationwide would eliminate 100 percent of America’s need to import foreign gasoline; create nearly 150,000 jobs and make the United States a net exporter of gasoline. SK E&C (www.skec.com) is an arm of SK group (www.sk.com), Korea's third largest corporation and one of the leading business organizations in the world. SK is made up of 40 companies including seven that are listed on the Korea Stock Exchange. SK has a presence on six continents and 25,000 employees. SK E&C is one of the world’s most qualified engineering, procurement, construction, and maintenance services organizations. Their experience includes Korea’s largest oil refinery, the Cadereyta and Madero Refinery upgrades in Mexico, full-scale refinery projects in Kuwait, Brazil and Ghana. Udhe GmbH is one of Germany's ThyssenKrupp AG's 670 companies who employ almost 200,000 employees worldwide. In addition to a 50-year history of developing gasification technologies, Udhe is one of the world's leading engineering groups specializing in the design of chemical, refining and other industrial plants in all four corners of the globe with more than 2,000 plants to its credit. More information on TransGas Development Systems LLC is available at http://www.transgasdevelopment.com/ . Contact: Adam Victor, 917-816-3700 or adamvictor(a)transgasdevelopment.com # # # Cheers, Daniel Chiotos Keeper of the Mountains Foundation Operations Director http://www.mountainkeeper.org 179 Summers St, Suite 234 Charleston, WV, 25301 (304)886-3389 - cell (304)205-0920 - office* <http://appalachiarising.org/> "WE ARE THE KEEPERS OF THE MOUNTAINS, LOVE THEM OR LEAVE THEM, JUST DON'T DESTROY THEM. IF YOU CARE TO BE ONE TOO, CALL 304-542-1134 OR 304-205-0920."* - Larry Gibson _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec -- 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 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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 Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ -- 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: Governor, TransGas Development Systems Announce Coal to Gasoline Project
by Frank Young 28 Oct '10

28 Oct '10

In Mingo County, coal to liquids- long awaited announcement .................... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <governor(a)wv.gov> Date: Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 2:35 PM Subject: Governor, TransGas Development Systems Announce Coal to Gasoline Project To: trouserdude(a)gmail.com Oct. 28, 2010 GOVERNOR, TRANSGAS DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS ANNOUNCE COAL TO GASOLINE PROJECT TransGas president says that coal to gasoline project will be first in the nation and a model for the country to regain its energy independence and put Americans to work Contact: Melvin Smith, 304-558-2000 or Adam Victor, 917-816-3700 or adamvictor(a)transgasdevelopment.com CHARLESTON, W.Va. – After four years of continuous effort, Gov. Joe Manchin and TransGas Development Systems President Adam Victor, along with several state and local representatives, today announced that the company has selected its Engineering Procurement Contractor (EPC) and technology provider for its coal to gasoline facility that will be built in Mingo County, West Virginia. This facility will be the nation’s first and largest of its kind in the world. Representatives from the state Building and Construction Trades Council, along with representatives from the EPC contractor and the project technology provider were also present for today’s announcement. The project will be built by SK Engineering & Construction and will utilize the technology of Uhde GmbH, one of the world’s largest construction companies, using premier coal gasification technology. The governor commended the efforts of TransGas Development Systems, SK Engineering and Uhde GmbH for their partnership with the state of West Virginia. “This project indicates how serious we are about matching our abundant coal resources with the technology available to produce clean energy. West Virginia is fully committed to being a leader in energy self-sufficiency and this development shows that we are dedicated to using our coal resources as prudently as possible. This project’s success will truly be far-reaching for the coal industry,” said the governor. During today’s meeting, Victor reminded officials that four years ago, he was on the verge of relocating his operations overseas after facing years of challenges while trying to convince officials across the Northeast to make the tough decision to support necessary energy infrastructure development. Only after Mr. Victor met Governor Manchin did he realize that West Virginia could be a place where energy infrastructure could be built and supported by state and local officials. “Four years ago, TransGas found, in Governor Joe Manchin, a leader who understood the importance of coal as the primary asset to developing America’s future energy independence. Moreover, he understood the need to forcefully address the many fallacies that have arisen surrounding the environmental effects of mining and using coal. “Governor Joe Manchin also understood that a fleet of coal to liquid plants would form the cornerstone of a resurgence of American industrial might – built by skilled American unionized construction tradesmen, working in close concert with project owners. Simply put, if not for the governor, we would not have invested the time, nor effort into this project and this project would not exist today,” said TransGas president, Adam Victor. Victor praised the governor for bringing the construction trades union together with his chosen contractor and technology provider to ensure that this project will be built by skilled West Virginia workers, on time and under budget. This project will convert regional coal into 756,000 gallons of premium grade ultraclean gasoline a day. Put in proper perspective, less than fifty of these Coal to Gasoline facilities nationwide would eliminate 100 percent of America’s need to import foreign gasoline; create nearly 150,000 jobs and make the United States a net exporter of gasoline. SK E&C (www.skec.com) is an arm of SK group (www.sk.com), Korea's third largest corporation and one of the leading business organizations in the world. SK is made up of 40 companies including seven that are listed on the Korea Stock Exchange. SK has a presence on six continents and 25,000 employees. SK E&C is one of the world’s most qualified engineering, procurement, construction, and maintenance services organizations. Their experience includes Korea’s largest oil refinery, the Cadereyta and Madero Refinery upgrades in Mexico, full-scale refinery projects in Kuwait, Brazil and Ghana. Udhe GmbH is one of Germany's ThyssenKrupp AG's 670 companies who employ almost 200,000 employees worldwide. In addition to a 50-year history of developing gasification technologies, Udhe is one of the world's leading engineering groups specializing in the design of chemical, refining and other industrial plants in all four corners of the globe with more than 2,000 plants to its credit. More information on TransGas Development Systems LLC is available at http://www.transgasdevelopment.com/ . Contact: Adam Victor, 917-816-3700 or adamvictor(a)transgasdevelopment.com # # # Cheers, Daniel Chiotos Keeper of the Mountains Foundation Operations Director http://www.mountainkeeper.org 179 Summers St, Suite 234 Charleston, WV, 25301 (304)886-3389 - cell (304)205-0920 - office "WE ARE THE KEEPERS OF THE MOUNTAINS, LOVE THEM OR LEAVE THEM, JUST DON'T DESTROY THEM. IF YOU CARE TO BE ONE TOO, CALL 304-542-1134 OR 304-205-0920." - Larry Gibson

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Fwd: ENEWS: Climate Change and the Future of Coal
by James Kotcon 26 Oct '10

26 Oct '10

Climate Change and the Future of Coal: A Legal Perspective presented at WVU College of LawMichaelB. Gerrard the Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice atColumbia Law School, will present "Climate Change and the Future ofCoal, " at 11 a.m., Monday, Nov. 1 in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom atthe WVU Law Center. For full release, see: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2010/10/26/climate-change-and-the-future-of-coal-… RESEARCH

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Re: [EC] Fwd: Article - Patriot Coal reports $46M third-quarter loss
by Jim Sconyers 25 Oct '10

25 Oct '10

Can't make money mining coal in WV - who'd a thunk it! And our recent hammering them on selenium will ramp up the cost of mining considerably. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ________________________________ From: James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> To: ehansen(a)downstreamstrategies.com; pbjmwood(a)gmail.com; jim_scon(a)yahoo.com Sent: Mon, October 25, 2010 10:03:05 AM Subject: Fwd: Article - Patriot Coal reports $46M third-quarter loss Note: Forwarded message is attached. The attached news article may suggest why Patriot is a little desperate. JBK

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shutting coal-fired plants in Colorado
by Jim Sconyers 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

http://www.wvgazette.com/ap/ApTopStories/201010210966 Shutting down coal plants on Colorado. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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climate change deniers at the highest levels - scary
by Jim Sconyers 21 Oct '10

21 Oct '10

FYI Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: John Blair <Ecoserve1(a)AOL.COM> To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Sent: Thu, October 21, 2010 3:44:40 PM Subject: Fwd: [air-mail] Coal waste Thanks again to environmental consultant extraordinaire, Alex Sagady for his sharp eye on these things. Check out the Valley Watch website at: http://valleywatch.net John Blair "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." Mahatma Gandhi 800 Adams Avenue Evansville, IN 47713 812-464-5663 In accordance with title 17 U. S. Code, Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes. Begin forwarded message: From: ajs(a)sagady.com > >Date: October 21, 2010 11:28:33 AM CDT > >To: air-mail(a)yahoogroups.com > >Subject: [air-mail] Coal waste > > > > >In FR Today: >Coal Combustion Residual Surface Impoundments; Data Availability, >64974-64976 >http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-26657.htm > > > > > > > >__._,_.___ > > >Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional >Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) >Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully >Featured >Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe > > >__,_._,___ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

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Fw: Coal ash in water worries officials
by Jim Sconyers 20 Oct '10

20 Oct '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Midge Sweet <sweetmidge(a)GMAIL.COM> To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Sent: Wed, October 20, 2010 10:23:01 AM Subject: Re: Coal ash in water worries officials Dear Friend – Since taking office, President Obama has directed his Administration to craft policies to create a clean energy economy and protect our environment and public spaces. There is no better example of the achievements made towards those goals and the harmony between them than in the Southwest. For example, just two weeks ago, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the first ever Solar Energy projects on public lands, the first projects in a series to be built on public lands after complete environmental analyses by the Department of Interior. We would like to invite you to join a conference call Thursday, October 21st at 5:00 PM ET to have a conversation with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and other Administration officials about clean energy and the environment in the Southwest. We would like to tell you about some of the initiatives this Administration has started, and then we would like to take your questions and hear your ideas and stories. Please feel free send this invitation out widely to your networks. You can also RSVP by sending an email torfee(a)who.eop.gov. We are looking forward to it. Call-in Information: Date: Thursday, October 21th, 2010 Time: 5:00 PM EDT Number: (800) 762-6085 Name: Southwest Energy and Environmental Call This call is for information purposes only, and not for press or attribution. Thank you. Greg Nelson, Deputy Director, White House Office of Public Engagement ________________________________ Dear Friend – Since taking office, President Obama and his Administration have made environmental protection a top priority and have authorized new initiatives to protect our natural resources and great outdoors. In the Midwest, actions such as the EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Clean Air and Water Initiatives, and the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative all show the commitment the President and his Administration have made to protecting the environment and air and water conservation. This president also recognized the power of actively engaged citizens to contribute new ideas and has committed his Administration to engaging communities to hear their ideas on issues important to them. As part of that commitment, we would like to invite you to a conference call this Friday, October 22nd at 3:30pm to have a conversation with Administrator Lisa Jackson and other Administration officials about environmental protection and the Midwest. We would like to share with you some of the initiatives this Administration has started, and take your questions and hear your ideas and stories. Please feel free send this invitation out widely to your networks. You can also RSVP by sending an email torfee(a)who.eop.gov. We are looking forward to it. Call-in Information: Date: Friday, October 22, 2010 Time: 3:30 PM EST Number: (800) 230-1092 Name: Midwest Environmental Call This call is for information purposes only, and not for press or attribution. On Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 9:46 AM, Lisa Evans <levans(a)earthjustice.org> wrote: More contamination from Duke Plants in NC: > >Coal ash in water worries officials > >Mecklenburg urges state to get stricter on Duke discharge at Mountain Island. > >By Bruce Henderson >bhenderson(a)charlotteobserver.com >Posted: Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010 > >Coal ash is showing in settling ponds next to Duke Energy's Riverbend Steam >Station at Mountain Island Lake. The discharge is laden with heavy metals that >can be toxic at high levels. 2008 OBSERVER FILE PHOTO - JEFF WILHELM > > >Charlotte-Mecklenburg says state regulators should enforce stricter standards >over what a coal-fired Duke Energy power plant is putting into Charlotte's main >water supply. > >Twice this year, including this month, county staff have detected arsenic above >state standards in Mountain Island Lake near an ash pond discharge pipe from the >Riverbend plant. In May, at the same place, staff members found zinc at nearly >four times the standard. > >Arsenic and zinc are among the metals found in coal ash. The metals could cause >cancer and other diseases if they're swallowed in high doses. > >Duke's discharges into Mountain Island, Lake Wylie and Lake Norman are under >scrutiny as its state permits come up for renewal. A public hearing on permits >for the Riverbend, Allen and Marshall plants, which pipe an average of 23 >million gallons a day from their ash basins into the Catawba, will be held >tonight in Mooresville. > >The N.C. Division of Water Quality has proposed permits that require Duke to >monitor several metals, but doesn't set limits on how much is too much. A state >official says limits are applied only when samples show a "reasonable potential" >to break water standards. > >"The absence of limits in the permit does not mean (the plant) will be allowed >to violate water-quality standards," said Sergei Chernikov, a state >environmental engineer. > >Duke, too, says limits aren't needed because the state already scrutinizes its >discharge. > >"Test after test, sample after sample, shows that Mountain Island Lake has very >good water quality and is protected by current regulations," said Dave Mitchell, >Duke's environmental managing director. "Adding limits just for limits' sake >doesn't protect the lake any more" than current procedures. > >But David Caldwell, an environmental supervisor for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm >Water Services, said the state is counting on the size of 2,914-acre Mountain >Island to dilute Duke's wastes. > >"That stuff is sitting on the lake bottom in sediment," he said. "It's got to go >somewhere." > >One of those places is in fish, which take in metals that accumulate up the food >chain. Samples taken nearly a decade ago found high levels of mercury, a toxic >metal also found in coal ash, in Mountain Island fish. > >The county has asked the state to set limits for 14 metals in Riverbend's >discharge, take samples more frequently and monitor water upstream and >downstream of the plant. Mecklenburg also wants the state to analyze fish tissue >once a year. > >"It just seems to make good, common sense to be monitoring this," Caldwell said. > >Duke says Riverbend, which dates to 1929, is scheduled to be closed by 2015. > >Charlotte-Mecklenburg made a similar request for the Allen plant, which >discharges into Lake Wylie. The county cited Duke's own sampling that found high >levels of copper, arsenic and selenium, an element that can be toxic to >wildlife, in its discharge water. > >Duke says it regularly samples water upstream and downstream of its plants and >analyzes fish, as the county asked, reporting their findings to the state. The >utility says it would be redundant to add those requirements to its discharge >permits. > >Chernikov, the state engineer, said the water-quality division does a >statistical analysis of previous water samples to learn whether limits should be >placed on pollutants. The analysis is prescribed by state and federal rules, he >said, and assumes worst-case conditions to err on the side of protecting >environmental health. > >Under their proposed permits, Riverbend, Allen and Marshall would have metals >limits only for copper and iron. > >The permit for the Marshall plant proposes new discharge limits for selenium >beginning in mid-2012. The delay is intended to let Duke prepare for the >stricter regulation, Chernikov said. > >Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities, whose Mountain Island water intake is >downstream from the Riverbend plant, won't be filing comments to the state, a >spokesman said. The lake supplies drinking water for about 700,000 people in >Mecklenburg County, Mount Holly and Gastonia. > >"This is our primary water source," said Catawba Riverkeeper David Merryman, who >has also called for limits on metals. "There's not really a fallback." > >Merryman's own tests earlier this year also found high levels of arsenic near >the Riverbend discharge. Tests of fish tissue found no metals above state >guidelines. > >Duke's new permits contain one major change that pleases environmental advocates >like Merryman. For the first time, Duke will be required to monitor the >groundwater around its ash basins and fix any contamination it finds. > >Duke has already found contamination in wells it voluntarily sank close to its >ash ponds at all three plants. Naturally-occurring iron and manganese accounts >for much of the contamination. > >The difference now is that Duke will be under state orders to fix groundwater >violations it finds in a new, outer ring of wells around the ponds. The utility >could face fines if it doesn't comply. > >The water-quality division directed Duke and Raleigh's Progress Energy last >December to install the wells at their 14 coal-fired plants by the end of this >year. Groundwater monitoring will be added to the plants' discharge permits as >they're renewed. > >The Environmental Protection Agency is also mulling tougher rules on ash. > > > >Read more: >http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/10/19/1771891/coal-ash-in-water-worri… > > > >Lisa Evans >Senior Administrative Counsel >Earthjustice >21 Ocean Ave. >Marblehead, MA 01945 >T: (781) 631-4119 >F: (212) 918-1556 >www.earthjustice.org > >*please consider the environment before printing > >The information contained in this email message may be privileged, confidential >and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, any >dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you think that >you have received this email message in error, please notify the sender by reply >email and delete the message and any attachments. > >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: >COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG > >Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: >http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp > -- Midge Sweet Georgians for Smart Energy Coalition 404-688-5430/w • 404-667-4476/cell www.georgiansforsmartenergy.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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Untapped Wealth: Offshore Wind Can Deliver Cleaner, More Affordable Energy and More Jobs Than Offshore Oil
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 20 Oct '10

20 Oct '10

*The attached report, generally supportive of Google's proposed offshore wind farm, was prepared by oceana.org who describe themselves as follows: **Oceana, founded in 2001, is the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation. Our offices in North America, Central America, South America and Europe work together on a limited number of strategic, directed campaigns to achieve measurable outcomes<http://na.oceana.org/en/about-us/our-victories>that will help return our oceans to former levels of abundance. We believe in the importance of science in identifying problems and solutions. Our scientists work closely with our teams of economists, lawyers and advocates to achieve tangible results for the oceans.* * http://na.oceana.org/ FROM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Offshore Wind Potential* 1. A small fraction of U.S. renewable energy resources1 is enough to power the country several times over. This could be done in a cost-effective way that minimizes carbon dioxide emissions which drive climate change and threaten our oceans. 2. A modest investment in offshore wind could supply almost half the current electricity generation on the East Coast. 3. Delaware, Massachusetts and North Carolina could generate enough electricity from offshore wind to equal current electricity generation, entirely eliminating the need for fossil fuel based electric generation. n New Jersey, Virginia and South Carolina could supply 92%, 83% and 64% of their current electricity generation with offshore wind, respectively. In all these states, wind could provide more energy than the states currently get from fossil fuels. 4. Offshore wind power offers more environmental benefits and fewer impacts than traditional fuels such as nuclear power, natural gas, coal and oil. *GENERAL FINDINGS* 1. Offshore wind power is located near population centers where electricity demand is highest. Coastal states account for more than three-quarters of U.S. electricity consumption. Other renewable energy is further from these high-demand areas. 2. Offshore wind power is less expensive than many alternatives. In some cases, offshore wind could actually lower electric bills. 3. Offshore wind creates more jobs than offshore drilling. Long-term jobs would be created to support offshore wind development for skilled workers and scientists, including electricians, meteorologists, welders, and turbine operators just to name a few. 4. Offshore wind technology can help build the U.S. economy. While the U.S. has not yet installed any offshore wind farms, Europe has been doing so for 20 years and has become the leading supplier of offshore wind turbines. Building our own domestic manufacturing base would strengthen our economy, allow U.S. expenditures to remain here at home, and allow the U.S. to become an offshore wind technology exporter. n Offshore wind projects should be designed to minimize environmental impacts by using new techniques and technology in the construction, operation and decommissioning process, and by protecting the environment in the siting process. 5. Choosing wind instead of oil and gas, rather than taking an “all-of-the-above” approach, will increase efficiency and lower costs for power production overall.

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Re: [EC] Fwd: How VA is Losing the Competition for Clean Energy Jobs : Virginia Chapter Sierra Club
by kevin fooce 19 Oct '10

19 Oct '10

PA has solar, MD has solar ands biomass OH has been working on this for years and has a Green Energy Ohio group. Kevin Fooce fooce(a)hotmail.com 304-751-1448 work 304-675-6687 home 304-593-2875 cell Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:49:01 -0700 From: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com Subject: Re: [EC] Fwd: How VA is Losing the Competition for Clean Energy Jobs : Virginia Chapter Sierra Club To: fmoose39(a)hotmail.com; jkotcon(a)wvu.edu; ec(a)osenergy.org; wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com and are there good sites in other adjoining states besides OH? PA wind turbine plant, . . . Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. From: kevin fooce <fmoose39(a)hotmail.com> To: Jim Sconyers <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com>; Jim Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu>; ec(a)osenergy.org; wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com Sent: Tue, October 19, 2010 1:24:52 PM Subject: RE: [EC] Fwd: How VA is Losing the Competition for Clean Energy Jobs : Virginia Chapter Sierra Club I can put a list of projects, organizations, and politicians that are pushing this agenda. Might need someone to for a good write-up though. Can ask my wife, she is a excellent writer. Would take sometime though. I believe this is a good idea that needs published on a wide format so everyone in our state can see the problems we have on clean energy and energy efficiency. The big question is how far do we want to go? Do we want the schools listed? Some of the schools such as OU have positive aspects along with the fact they are now creating a composting facility for the whole city, to Oberlin being one of the top schools in the country for sustainability. Or maybe even list the LEED platinum facility that Hocking tech now host along with being a leader worldwide on fuel cell technologies and other programs they offer. Or would we want to look just at the solar sector and the fact that Ohio now host a 12 megawatt farm with another solar farm to come which will be one of the largest in the nation. Ohio also plays host to First Solar located in Toledo now employing 1500 people and sales about 80% of it's products to China. Or maybe we want to look at the Burger plant that burns a mixture of biomass and coal and will soon be all biomass. Or maybe the fact that Ohio has programs for the farmers to turn the manure into electricity, fertilizer, and Jiffy peat pots. The list is large, what do we want to focus on? Kevin Fooce fooce(a)hotmail.com 304-751-1448 work 304-675-6687 home 304-593-2875 cell Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:50:15 -0700 From: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com To: jkotcon(a)wvu.edu; ec(a)osenergy.org; wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [EC] Fwd: How VA is Losing the Competition for Clean Energy Jobs : Virginia Chapter Sierra Club I'd love to see us put together a message that highlights all the clean energy projects and jobs in, say Ohio, and asking why not us? Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. From: James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> To: ec(a)osenergy.org; wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, October 18, 2010 1:27:31 PM Subject: [EC] Fwd: How VA is Losing the Competition for Clean Energy Jobs : Virginia Chapter Sierra Club Here is a fascinating approach to attracting attention to Green Energy. Why not West Virginia too? JBK >>> Paula Carrell <Paula.Carrell(a)sierraclub.org> 10/18/2010 1:09 PM >>> You all might want to take a look at how the VA Chapter is garnering attention for their take on (unrealized) clean energy opportunities in Virginia. http://vasierraclub.org/2010/10/power-failure-how-virginia-is-losing-the-co… _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec _______________________________________________ EC mailing list EC(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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FW: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] Sierra Club's Fracking Regulatory Action Center (FRAC) is now on line an
by James Kotcon 19 Oct '10

19 Oct '10

You might find this interesting. JBK _____ From: National Hydrofracking Team [mailto:ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG] On Behalf Of Bruce Hamilton Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 2:58 PM To: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Subject: [ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS] Sierra Club's Fracking Regulatory Action Center (FRAC) is now on line and available to help your work Colleagues, As part of the Sierra Club's efforts to enact strong standards for the natural gas drilling industry, we're pleased to introduce a new tool, the Fracking Regulatory Action Center (FRAC). This online resource http://sierraclub.org/naturalgas/rulemaking/ is a regularly-updated collection of natural gas rulemaking efforts across the country. FRAC will help connect activists with policy experts, allowing everyone to share what we know and to build on each other's research to secure strong rules for the gas industry. States, municipalities and the federal government are all working on regulatory efforts. FRAC's goal is to track all of these actions and to make it easy for activists to engage with them. The Action Center contains links to key technical documents, records, deadlines and hearing locations, and it points activists toward grassroots groups working on each rulemaking. Action Center users can also find technical comments and reports prepared for rules across the country. You can access the Action Center by visiting http://www.sierraclub.org/naturalgas and clicking on the "Fracking Regulatory Action Center" link. While you're there, check out the rest of the page to learn about the Club's efforts to clean up the natural gas industry. Special thanks to Lane Boldman, Adrian Cotter, Jessica Helm, Craig Segall, Joanne Spalding and Alison Vicks for their work on this. This database will grow and deepen as the activist community uses it. For questions or comments about FRAC, or to add regulatory information, please contact Alison.Vicks(a)sierraclub.org We welcome your feedback on how to improve this tool. Bruce Hamilton - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS list, send any message to: ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fwd: ENEWS: WVU's Law School Lecture
by James Kotcon 19 Oct '10

19 Oct '10

>>> ENEWS ENEWS <ENEWS(a)mail.wvu.edu> 10/19/2010 2:38 PM >>> MOUNTAINEER E-NEWS Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010 TOP OF THE NEWS LECTURES/PRESENTATIONS 1) Marcellus Shale development to be discussed at College of Law Daniel J. Soeder, a researcher and scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown will discuss environmental implications from Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling and production at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20 in room 157 at the WVU Law Center. The event includes a reception before the presentation at 4 p.m. in the WVU Law Center Lobby.

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Fwd: How VA is Losing the Competition for Clean Energy Jobs : Virginia Chapter Sierra Club
by James Kotcon 19 Oct '10

19 Oct '10

Here is a fascinating approach to attracting attention to Green Energy. Why not West Virginia too? JBK >>> Paula Carrell <Paula.Carrell(a)sierraclub.org> 10/18/2010 1:09 PM >>> You all might want to take a look at how the VA Chapter is garnering attention for their take on (unrealized) clean energy opportunities in Virginia. http://vasierraclub.org/2010/10/power-failure-how-virginia-is-losing-the-co…

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Fwd: FracTracker Training Invitation for Oct 25th Meeting in Morgantown, WV
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 18 Oct '10

18 Oct '10

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: FracTracker Training Invitation for Oct 25th Meeting in Morgantown, WV Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 17:24:01 -0400 From: Malone, Samantha Lynn <slm75(a)pitt.edu> To: Malone, Samantha Lynn <slm75(a)pitt.edu> Dear Colleagues, On behalf of Dr. Conrad Dan Volz at the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities (CHEC <http://www.chec.pitt.edu/>) of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, I would like to invite you or another representative within your group to attend a training on Monday, October 25, 2010 of key personnel who are working to address Marcellus Shale gas extraction's (MSGE) impact on the environment and public health in West Virginia. During this training, CHEC will introduce participants to FracTracker, a combination of an interactive blog (http://fractracker.org) and data tool (http://data.fractracker.org), that is serving as a vital data-sharing tool in the Marcellus Shale play and beyond. The training is also an open forum for participants to discuss current and anticipated environmental and public health concerns such as emergency preparedness and response to blow outs or spills, degrading road infrastructure, and surface and drinking water contamination. Because the issues we are facing span across many fields, meeting invitees include representatives from diverse groups. This is one of many trainings we are hosting throughout PA, WV, and NY, OH, and MD. Click here to learn more about CHEC and this project: http://www.fractracker.org/p/about-us.html. *Meeting Details:* October 25, 2010 -- 1pm -- 4pm 317 Percival Hall, West Virginia Evansdale Campus, Morgantown, WV 26506 Contact phone # on day of event: 724-554-0989. Free to attend. Parking is free. Permits will be provided upon arrival. An agenda and additional meeting specifics will be sent to registered attendees prior to the training. Important -- In order to work with FracTracker's data tool (http://data.fractracker.org) during the training, you must be registered with the data tool. It is free to register, but please do this online as soon as possible. If you run into problems registering for the tool please contact: support(a)rhizalabs.com <mailto:support@rhizalabs.com>. In addition to registering for the data tool online, please also accept or decline this invitation in a return email to me at slm75(a)pitt.edu <mailto:slm75@pitt.edu> as soon as possible. In that email, please let me know whether CHEC can distribute your contact information to all attendees of the training for networking purposes. Once we receive your RSVP we will send you a confirmation email with more details about the training. Best, Samantha -Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH- Communications Specialist & Doctoral Student Center for Healthy Environments & Communities University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Office: 412-624-9379 100 Technology Dr. Suite 553 BRIDG Pittsburgh, PA 15219-3130 slm75(a)pitt.edu <mailto:slm75@pitt.edu> | samanthamalone119(a)gmail.com <mailto:samanthamalone119@gmail.com> | www.chec.pitt.edu

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Fwd: News Data Highlights Role of Forests in Fight Against Climate Change
by James Kotcon 17 Oct '10

17 Oct '10

See attached report on carbon storage in National Forests. JBK

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80-PAGE EPA DECISION ON SPRUCE NO. 1 - PROPOSING TO BLOCK 2200+ ACRE MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL PROJECT IN LOGAN COUNTY
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 17 Oct '10

17 Oct '10

For any who have not yet had access to the lengthy EPA decision document, it is attached. It is certain to be the subject of important litigation in the US District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] National Solar Jobs Census 2010
by James Kotcon 14 Oct '10

14 Oct '10

WOW!!!! Can we get copies of this report to our legislators? JBK >>> Edward Mainland <emainland(a)COMCAST.NET> 10/14/2010 3:07 PM >>> National Solar Jobs Census 2010 This is the most thorough, up-to-date job survey on the US solar industry, with data for every state. Nationally, solar energy provides 93,000 jobs in 2010 and is expected to grow another 24,000 jobs by August 2011. By comparison, coal mining employed 86,859 workers in 2008, a nearly 10-fold job reduction since 1920, even though we use far more coal today than in 1920. Coal supplies nearly half the nation’s electricity while solar energy provides much less than 1% of electric power and hot water. Employment in the California solar industry is forecast to grow about 4500 new jobs over the next year, increasing from 17,352 to 21,804. By comparison, fossil-fuel power generation is expected to grow only 210 new jobs in California, from 13,854 to 14,055. Fossil fuel is used to generate 60% the state’s electric power, while solar energy provides less than 1% of electricity and hot water. Link to download report: http://www.greenlmi.com/resources/ Final+TSF+National+Solar+Jobs+Census+2010+Web+Version.pdf+2.zip - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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GOOGLE OFFSHORE WIND PROJECT COULD OBVIATE NEED FOR BOTH TRAIL AND PATH
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 12 Oct '10

12 Oct '10

[image: The New York Times] <http://www.nytimes.com/> ------------------------------ October 12, 2010 Offshore Wind Power Line Wins Praise, and Backing By MATTHEW L. WALD<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/w/matthew_l_wald…> WASHINGTON — Google<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/google_inc/index.html…>and a New York financial firm have each agreed to invest heavily in a proposed $5 billion transmission backbone for future offshore wind farms<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/w/wind_power/i…>along the Atlantic Seaboard that could ultimately transform the region’s electrical map. The 350-mile underwater spine, which could remove some critical obstacles to wind power development, has stirred excitement among investors, government officials and environmentalists who have been briefed on it. Google and Good Energies <http://www.goodenergies.com/>, an investment firm specializing in renewable energy, have each agreed to take 37.5 percent of the equity portion of the project. They are likely to bring in additional investors, which would reduce their stakes. If they hold on to their stakes, that would come to an initial investment of about $200 million apiece in the first phase of construction alone, said Robert L. Mitchell, the chief executive of Trans-Elect<http://www.trans-elect.com/contact.htm>, the Maryland-based transmission-line company that proposed the venture. Marubeni <http://www.marubeni.com/company/data.html>, a Japanese trading company, has taken a 10 percent stake. Trans-Elect said it hoped to begin construction in 2013. Several government officials praised the idea underlying the project as ingenious, while cautioning that they could not prejudge the specifics. “Conceptually it looks to me to be one of the most interesting transmission projects that I’ve ever seen walk through the door,” said Jon Wellinghoff, the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission<http://www.ferc.gov/>, which oversees interstate electricity transmission. “It provides a gathering point for offshore wind for multiple projects up and down the coast.” Industry experts called the plan promising, but warned that as a first-of-a-kind effort, it was bound to face bureaucratic delays and could run into unforeseen challenges, from technology problems to cost overruns. While several undersea electrical cables exist off the Atlantic Coast already, none has ever picked up power from generators along the way. The system’s backbone cable, with a capacity of 6,000 megawatts, equal to the output of five large nuclear reactors, would run in shallow trenches on the seabed in federal waters 15 to 20 miles offshore, from northern New Jersey to Norfolk, Va. The notion would be to harvest energy from turbines in an area where the wind is strong but the hulking towers would barely be visible. Trans-Elect estimated that construction would cost $5 billion, plus financing and permit fees. The $1.8 billion first phase, a 150-mile stretch from northern New Jersey to Rehoboth Beach, Del., could go into service by early 2016, it said. The rest would not be completed until 2021 at the earliest. Richard L. Needham, the director of Google’s green business operations group, called the plan “innovative and audacious.” “It is an opportunity to kick-start this industry and, long term, provide a way for the mid-Atlantic states to meet their renewable energy goals,” he said. Yet even before any wind farms were built, the cable would channel existing supplies of electricity from southern Virginia, where it is cheap, to northern New Jersey, where it is costly, bypassing one of the most congested parts of the North American electric grid while lowering energy costs for northern customers. Generating electricity from offshore wind is far more expensive than relying on coal<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/coal/index.h…>, natural gas <http://www.nytimes.com/info/natural-gas/?inline=nyt-classifier>or even onshore wind. But energy experts anticipate a growing demand for the offshore turbines to meet state requirements for greater reliance on local renewable energy as a clean alternative to fossil fuels. Four connection points — in southern Virginia, Delaware, southern New Jersey and northern New Jersey — would simplify the job of bringing the energy onshore, involving fewer permit hurdles. In contrast to transmission lines on land, where a builder may have to deal with hundreds of property owners, this project would have to deal with a maximum of just four, and fewer than that in its first phase. Ultimately the system, known as the Atlantic Wind Connection, could make building a wind farm offshore far simpler and cheaper than it looks today, experts said. Environmentalists who have been briefed on the plan were enthusiastic. Melinda Pierce, the deputy director for national campaigns at the Sierra Club <http://www.sierraclub.org/>, said she had campaigned against proposed transmission lines that would carry coal-fired energy around the country, but would favor this one, with its promise of tapping the potential of offshore wind. “These kinds of audacious ideas might just be what we need to break through the wretched logjam,” she said. Projects like Cape Wind<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/science/earth/29wind.html>, proposed for shallow waters just off Cape Cod in Massachusetts, met with fierce objections from residents who felt it would mar the ocean vista. But sponsors of the Trans-Elect project insist that the mid-Atlantic turbines would have less of a visual impact. The hurdles facing the project have more to do with administrative procedures than with engineering problems or its economic merit, several experts said. By the time the Interior Department<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/i/interio…>could issue permits for such a line, for example, the federal subsidy program for wind will have expired in 2012, said Willett M. Kempton<http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/people/profile.aspx?willett>, a professor at the School of Marine Science and Policy at the University of Delaware<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/univers…>and the author of several papers on offshore wind. Another is that PJM Interconnection <http://www.pjm.com/home.aspx>, the regional electricity group that would have to approve the project and assess its member utilities for the cost, has no integrated procedure for calculating the value of all three tasks the line would accomplish — hooking up new power generation, reducing congestion on the grid and improving reliability. And elected officials in Virginia have in the past opposed transmission proposals that would tend to average out pricing across the mid-Atlantic states, possibly raising their constituents’ costs. But the lure of Atlantic wind is very strong. The Atlantic Ocean is relatively shallow even tens of miles from shore, unlike the Pacific, where the sea floor drops away steeply. Construction is also difficult on the Great Lakes because their waters are deep and they freeze, raising the prospect of moving ice sheets that could damage a tower. Nearly all of the East Coast governors, Republican and Democratic, have spoken enthusiastically about coastal wind and have fought proposals for transmission lines from the other likely wind source, the Great Plains. “From Massachusetts down to Virginia, the governors have signed appeals to the Senate not to do anything that would lead to a high-voltage grid that would blanket the country and bring in wind from the Dakotas,” said James J. Hoecker <http://www.huschblackwell.com/james-hoecker/>, a former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/f/federal…>, who now is part of a nonprofit group that represents transmission owners. He described an Atlantic transmission backbone as “a necessary piece of what the Eastern governors have been talking about in terms of taking advantage of offshore wind.” So far only one offshore wind project, Bluewater Wind off Delaware, has sought permission to build in federal waters. The company is seeking federal loan guarantees to build 293 to 450 megawatts of capacity, but the timing of construction remains uncertain. Executives with that project said the Atlantic backbone was an interesting idea, in part because it would foster development of a supply chain for the specialized parts needed for offshore wind. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/ken_salazar/in…>, whose agency would have to sign off on the project, has spoken approvingly of wind energy and talked about the possibility of an offshore “backbone.” In a speech this month, he emphasized that the federal waters were “controlled by the secretary,” meaning him. Within three miles of the shore, control is wielded by the state. Nonetheless, if the offshore wind farms are built on a vast scale, the project’s sponsors say, a backbone with just four connection points could expedite the approval process. In fact, if successful, the transmission spine would reduce the regulatory burden on subsequent projects, said Mr. Mitchell, the Trans-Elect chief executive. Mr. Kempton of the University of Delaware and Mr. Wellinghoff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said the backbone would offer another plus: reducing one of wind power’s big problems, variability of output. “Along the U.S. Atlantic seaboard, we tend to have storm tracks that move along the coast and somewhat offshore,” Mr. Kempton said. If storm winds were blowing on Friday off Virginia, they might be off Delaware by Saturday and off New Jersey by Sunday, he noted. Yet the long spine would ensure that the amount of energy coming ashore held roughly constant. Wind energy becomes more valuable when it is more predictable; if predictable enough, it could replace some land-based generation altogether, Mr. Kempton said. But the economics remain uncertain, he warned, For now, he said, the biggest impediment may be that the market price of offshore wind energy is about 50 percent higher than that of energy generated on land. With a change in market conditions — an increase in the price of natural gas, for example, or the adoption of a tax on emissions of carbon dioxide from coal- or gas-generated electricity — that could change, he said.

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Geothermal power in WV!
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 11 Oct '10

11 Oct '10

This is an interesting story: http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=87518 <http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=87518> "If a geothermal well were to be drilled in West Virginia, it would use the same drilling rigs for drilling on Marcellus shale, as well," Anderson said. "In W.Va., the main difference is is it would be deeper to access higher temperatures. -Jonathan

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Fwd: Sierra Club nominating petition
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 11 Oct '10

11 Oct '10

What do people think about this? I know that #1, #2, #4 are true. Does anyone know if #3 is true? http://connect.sierraclub.org/post/Groups/Welcome_Michael_Brune/blog/watch_… -Jonathan -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Sierra Club nominating petition Date: Sat, 9 Oct 2010 22:58:48 -0400 From: Robert Jereski <mutualaid(a)earthlink.net> October 10, 2010 Dear Fellow Sierrans I have learned that an acquaintance of mine, the dedicated environmentalist and long-time member of the Sierra Club, Frank Morris, is running as a petition candidate for the national Sierra Club Board of Directors for 2011. I am delighted as I know that Frank would add much needed energy and vision to the work of the BoD. He is running as a petition candidate for the national board, because he is concerned with the direction of the national Sierra Club, including the following facts: 1. Sierra Club’s former leader Carl Pope has publicly supported the “Picken’s Plan”. T Boone Pickens is an oil and natural gas billionaire, who in 2004 undermined the Sierra Club’s endorsed Presidential candidate John Kerry by funding the Swift Boat Campaign. The Picken’s Plan is a pro-gas (fossil fuel) plan. 2. In one of his first public acts as new Sierra Club director, Michael Brune was on Cramer’s Mad Money advocating the purchase of natural gas stocks. Exxon Mobil recently purchased leading natural gas provider XTO energy. Does Mr. Brune now advocate owning Exxon Mobil as an environmental investment? 3. National Sierra Club Staffers and national board members, clearly and definitively, “advised “ NYS Sierrans against legislatively advocating for a ban on “Fracking” for natural gas in NYS. Fracking is a process, presently absolved from multiple federal environmental statutes including the Clean Air and Clean Water acts, where in chemically infused sand and water is used to “frack” or break, shale stone and release natural gas. 4. Sierra Club is now in the products endorsement business, and has sold its endorsement to Clorox and Coca Cola to support their “green” products. Frank Morris believes that innovative financing like PACE bonds, and a truly renewable energy infrastructure based on sun, wind, wave, efficiency, conservation, smart grid, back up battery power, and geothermal are available now, but these breakthroughs are being obfuscated by the club’s decision to support natural gas as an open ended “transition” fuel. Morris needs to collect 250 signatures from active Sierrans (petition attached). While the national board is always elected by the membership, there is a nominating committee that nominates members that play nice… That’s why Morris has to petition to allow members a real choice when elections are held early next year. There are 3 ways for Sierrans to complete this petition: Print, Sign, and snail mail to Frank Morris, 40 Exchange Place Suite 2010 NY NY 10005 Sign, scan, and email to fm(a)ecologicadvisors.us <mailto:fm@ecologicadvisors.us> Sign, print and fax to 1 206 984 4328 Frank is presently a member of the NYS (Atlantic Chapter) Sierra Club Executive Committee, and former Chairperson of Long Island Sierra Club 2007-2009. Please forward to other Sierrans that may be interested in supporting a grassroots, petition candidate beholden only to the interests of the club membership. Robert Jereski New York City Sierra Club member

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Stimulating promotional "white paper" from manufacturer of smart grid equip - the pitch: avoid capital cost of new generation and transmission by efficiency.
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 11 Oct '10

11 Oct '10

EXCERPT FROM INTRO, COMPLETE PAPER ATTACHED. The world has a huge appetite for electric energy, consuming thousands of billions of kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, a figure that continues to climb as more countries become industrialized. The world’s electric consumption has increased by about 3.1 percent annually between 1980 and 20061), and is expected to grow to 33,300 billion kWh by 2030). The world’s electricity consumption for 2008 was 16,790 billion kWh so by 2030 the world demand for electricity is expected to have almost doubled. Currently a significant amount (about 10 percent) of electric energy produced by power plants is lost during transmission and distribution to consumers. About 40 percent of this total loss occurs on the distribution network. In 2006 alone, the total energy losses and distribution losses were about 1,638 billion and 655 billion kWh, respectively. *A modest 10 percent reduction in distribution losses would, therefore, save about 65 billion kWh of electricity. That’s more electricity than Switzerland’s 7.5 million people consumed in 2008 and equates to 39 million metric tons of CO2 emissions from coal-fired power generation .* As the demand for electricity grows, new power plants will have to be built to meet the highest peak demand with additional capacity to cover unforeseen events. The peak demand in a system usually lasts less than 5 percent of the time (i.e, just a few hundred hours a year). This means that some power plants are only needed during the peak load hours and their potential is utilized relatively infrequently. By active demand management on the distribution system, through demand response and VVO, the peak demand on the whole electric grid can be reduced. This eliminates the need for expensive capital expenditure on the distribution, transmission, and the generation systems. Even very modest reductions in peak demand would yield huge economic savings. For the United States in 2008, for example, the non-coincidental peak demand (i.e, the separate peak demands made on the electrical system recorded at different times of the day) was about 790 GW. *With every 1 percent reduction in the peak demand there would be a reduced need to build a 7,900 MW power plant.*

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News from WVSORO
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 08 Oct '10

08 Oct '10

http://marcellus-wv.com/news/wv-soro-win-ruling-in-well-spacing-case-favors… http://marcellus-wv.com/news/sierra-club-launches-campaign-to-regulate-marc… -Jonathan

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Re: [EC] [fom] Re: Gazette Poll
by Bob Kincaid 08 Oct '10

08 Oct '10

To my way of thinking, that's not very astute. Unlimited wealth is NEVER easy to defeat. Unlimited wealth coupled to unlimited Citizens United money is all but impossible to remove from office, once entrenched. There's no hog harder to move than the one's already go front AND back feet in the trough. Bob On Thu, Oct 7, 2010 at 3:02 PM, Beth Little <blittle(a)citynet.net> wrote: > A politically astute friend of mine is voting for Raece on the premise > that he will be easier to defeat in a future election. > > ------------------------------ > *From:* ec-bounces(a)osenergy.org [mailto:ec-bounces@osenergy.org] *On > Behalf Of *Jim Sconyers > *Sent:* Thursday, October 07, 2010 12:52 PM > *To:* Harvard; Bob Kincaid > *Cc:* Clarissa Matthews; George rutherford; Theresa Chiotos; Blair > Nomination List Serve; All of FOM list; Pearl Reardon; Lyn Widmyer; Sally > Fitzgerald; Robbie Glenn; Lynn Yellot; Tyler Oyler; John Maxey; Barbara A. > Humes; Terry Thorson; Jenny Allen; ec(a)osenergy.org; Ed Snyder > *Subject:* Re: [EC] [fom] Re: Gazette Poll > > Or is this an election where King Coal wins regardless of which party, > Dem or Rep? Both kiss His ass feverishly. > > Jim Sconyers > jim_scon(a)yahoo.com > 304.698.9628 > > Remember: Mother Nature bats last. > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Harvard <Harvard(a)boone.net> > *To:* Bob Kincaid <bobkincaid(a)gmail.com> > *Cc:* Clarissa Matthews <cmathews(a)shepherd.edu>; George rutherford < > gruther1(a)msn.com>; Theresa Chiotos <theresa(a)radlib.com>; Blair Nomination > List Serve <bmg(a)lists.berkeley.edu>; Lynn Yellot <lyellot(a)direcway.com>; > Pearl Reardon <hugorance(a)comcast.net>; Lyn Widmyer <lynwidmyer(a)gmail.com>; > Sally Fitzgerald <fitzwrt(a)comcast.net>; Terry Thorson < > tkthorson(a)comcast.net>; All of FOM list <fom(a)lists.riseup.net>; Tyler > Oyler <thegreatrepublic(a)hotmail.com>; John Maxey <maxey(a)ddi.radlib.com>; > Barbara A. Humes <bhumes1(a)comcast.net>; Robbie Glenn < > rglenn51989(a)gmail.com>; Jenny Allen <jbeallen(a)earthlink.net>; > ec(a)osenergy.org; Ed Snyder <esnyder(a)shepherd.edu> > *Sent:* Thu, October 7, 2010 9:32:54 AM > *Subject:* Re: [fom] Re: Gazette Poll > > Hear! Hear! I like it. Go Bob. Harvard > > > At 04:57 PM 10/6/2010, Bob Kincaid wrote: > > Personally, I think there IS a great deal of disenchantment w/ Manchin > (and, by extension, w/ Raese). > > > > Hopefully, I'll have an OpEd coming out in the Gazette pointing up that > lack of enthusiasm for both candidates, and pointing out the alternative. > > > > Again, personally, I think Manchin is so stuffed-to-popping with his own > hubris that it doesn't even dawn on him that he's alienated a significant > portion of the Democratic voting base via his sycophantic devotion to Big > Poison. I don't think it dawns on Rahall, either, for that matter. > > > > As Hunter Thompson once noted, "Big darkness, soon come." This may be > one race where coal can't keep the lights on for either candidate. > > > > Bob > > > > > > > > On Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 11:55 AM, Harvard <<mailto:Harvard@boone.net> > Harvard(a)boone.net> wrote: > > Regina- I'm surprised to see the 3rd party vote up at 44%. There must be > a lot of unhappiness with Manchin and the R. Or we are loading up the > voting. Since the question was asked in the hypothetical, I voted. Harvard > > > > > > > > At 11:27 AM 10/6/2010, Regina Hendrix wrote: > > West Virginians: > > > > Please go to <<http://www.wvgazette.com/>http://www.wvgazette.com/> > http://www.wvgazette.com/ > > > > On the lefthand side scroll down to the survey question and vote for 3rd > party representation in WV. Ken Hechler and Larry Gibson have called this > to my attention and we need some votes in favor of 3rd parties. > > > > Regina Hendrix > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > "A normal person, functioning well on the upper levels of a prosperous, > industrialized society, can hardly hear his conscience at all." -Kurt > Vonnegut > > > > -- "A normal person, functioning well on the upper levels of a prosperous, industrialized society, can hardly hear his conscience at all." -Kurt Vonnegut

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Fwd: Fw: DAILY UPDATE 8 October 2010. News of interest to Mon river watershed denizens.
by James Kotcon 08 Oct '10

08 Oct '10

On average, 84 % of trucks received citations, and 18 % were in such bad shape that state Police took them off the road immediately. JBK 208 trucks out of service after safety enforcement effort 10/8/2010 3:34 AM State police placed 208 trucks out of service during a three-day enforcement effort that focused on commercial vehicles hauling wastewater from Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling operations in the state, Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski announced today. "Pennsylvania is experiencing heavy truck traffic in areas where Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling operations are taking place, particularly in Bradford, Clearfield, Susquehanna, Tioga and Washington counties," Pawlowski said. "The process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, requires significant amounts of water to be delivered to the sites and later trucked away." Pawlowski said 140 of the vehicles placed out of service were trucks hauling waste water from the drilling operations. In total, 1,135 trucks were inspected during "Operation FracNET," which was conducted Sept. 27-29. In addition to placing vehicles out of service, state police also issued 959 citations and placed 64 drivers out of service. The most common problems involved faulty brakes, exterior lighting issues and hauling permit violations. In Troop B , which takes in Allegheny, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties, there were 343 inspections, 60 vehicles placed out of service and 168 citations. Copyright Observer Publishing Co.

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Re: [EC] [fom] Re: Gazette Poll
by Harvard 07 Oct '10

07 Oct '10

Hear! Hear! I like it. Go Bob. Harvard At 04:57 PM 10/6/2010, Bob Kincaid wrote: >Personally, I think there IS a great deal of disenchantment w/ >Manchin (and, by extension, w/ Raese). > >Hopefully, I'll have an OpEd coming out in the Gazette pointing up >that lack of enthusiasm for both candidates, and pointing out the >alternative. > >Again, personally, I think Manchin is so stuffed-to-popping with his >own hubris that it doesn't even dawn on him that he's alienated a >significant portion of the Democratic voting base via his >sycophantic devotion to Big Poison. I don't think it dawns on >Rahall, either, for that matter. > >As Hunter Thompson once noted, "Big darkness, soon come." This may >be one race where coal can't keep the lights on for either candidate. > >Bob > > > >On Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 11:55 AM, Harvard ><<mailto:Harvard@boone.net>Harvard(a)boone.net> wrote: >Regina- I'm surprised to see the 3rd party vote up at 44%. There >must be a lot of unhappiness with Manchin and the R. Or we are >loading up the voting. Since the question was asked in the >hypothetical, I voted. Harvard > > > >At 11:27 AM 10/6/2010, Regina Hendrix wrote: >West Virginians: > >Please go >to ><<http://www.wvgazette.com/>http://www.wvgazette.com/>http://www.wvgazette.com/ > >On the lefthand side scroll down to the survey question and vote for >3rd party representation in WV. Ken Hechler and Larry Gibson have >called this to my attention and we need some votes in favor of 3rd parties. > >Regina Hendrix > > > > > >-- >"A normal person, functioning well on the upper levels of a >prosperous, industrialized society, can hardly hear his conscience >at all." -Kurt Vonnegut

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Gazette Poll
by Regina Hendrix 07 Oct '10

07 Oct '10

West Virginians: Please go to http://www.wvgazette.com/ On the lefthand side scroll down to the survey question and vote for 3rd party representation in WV. Ken Hechler and Larry Gibson have called this to my attention and we need some votes in favor of 3rd parties. Regina Hendrix

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Re: [EC] WIND AND NOISE
by fmoose39＠hotmail.com 06 Oct '10

06 Oct '10

I live about 6 miles from 1 and 7 from another. I can hear them, see the lights, see the smoke, smell them sometimes, and when they start the scrubbed I can feel them. Maybe wind is bad but the ones I visited are not bad at the base but with acoustics bouncing off various items who know. Bottom line all forms of power have side effects someone may not want. Even solar will have major problems when expanded to utility scale. sent from my AT&T Smartphone by HTC ----- Reply message ----- From: "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> Date: Wed, Oct 6, 2010 10:42 am Subject: [EC] WIND AND NOISE To: "Esq. William V. DePaulo" <william.depaulo(a)gmail.com>, "Energy Committee" <EC(a)osenergy.org> If only a coal-fired power plant were as quiet as a wind farm. JBK >>> "William V. DePaulo, Esq." <william.depaulo(a)gmail.com> 10/6/2010 8:51 AM >>> For Those Near, the Miserable Hum of Clean Energy By TOM ZELLER Jr.<http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/z/tom_jr_zell…> Published: October 5, 2010 “In the first 10 minutes, our jaws dropped to the ground,” Mr. Lindgren said. “Nobody in the area could believe it. They were so loud.” Now, the Lindgrens, along with a dozen or so neighbors living less than a mile <http://fiwn.org/> from the $15 million wind facility here, say the industrial whoosh-and-whoop of the 123-foot blades is making life in this otherwise tranquil corner of the island unbearable. They are among a small but growing number of families and homeowners across the country who say they have learned the hard way that wind power — a clean alternative to electricity from fossil fuels — is not without emissions of its own. Lawsuits and complaints about turbine noise, vibrations and subsequent lost property value have cropped up in Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Massachusetts, among other states. In one case in DeKalb County, Ill., at least 38 families have sued to have 100 turbines removed from a wind farm there. A judge rejected a motion to dismiss the case in June. Like the Lindgrens, many of the people complaining the loudest are reluctant converts to the antiwind movement. “The quality of life that we came here for was quiet,” Mrs. Lindgren said. “You don’t live in a place where you have to take an hour-and-15-minute ferry ride to live next to an industrial park. And that’s where we are right now.” The wind industry has long been dogged by a vocal minority bearing all manner of complaints about turbines, from routine claims that they ruin the look of pastoral landscapes to more elaborate allegations that they have direct physiological impacts like rapid heart beat, nausea and blurred vision caused by the ultra-low-frequency sound and vibrations from the machines. For the most extreme claims, there is little independent backing. Last year, the American Wind Energy Association, a trade group, along with its Canadian counterpart, assembled a panel of doctors and acoustical professionals to examine the potential health impacts of wind turbine noise. In a paper published in December, the panel concluded that “there is no evidence that the audible or sub-audible sounds emitted by wind turbines have any direct adverse physiological effects.” A separate study <http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/reports/lbnl-2829e.pdf>financed by the Energy Department concluded late last year that, in aggregate, property values were unaffected by nearby wind turbines. Numerous studies also suggest that not everyone will be bothered by turbine noise, and that much depends on the context into which the noise is introduced. A previously quiet setting like Vinalhaven is more likely to produce irritated neighbors than, say, a mixed-use suburban setting where ambient noise is already the norm. Of the 250 new wind farms that have come online in the United States over the last two years, about dozen or so have generated significant noise complaints, according to Jim Cummings, the founder of the Acoustic Ecology Institute <http://www.acousticecology.org/>, an online clearinghouse for information on sound-related environmental issues. In the Vinalhaven case, an audio consultant hired by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection determined last month that the 4.5-megawatt facility was, at least on one evening in mid-July when Mr. Lindgren collected sound data, in excess of the state’s nighttime sound limits. The developer of the project, Fox Island Wind <http://www.fo

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WIND AND NOISE
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 06 Oct '10

06 Oct '10

For Those Near, the Miserable Hum of Clean Energy By TOM ZELLER Jr.<http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/z/tom_jr_zell…> Published: October 5, 2010 “In the first 10 minutes, our jaws dropped to the ground,” Mr. Lindgren said. “Nobody in the area could believe it. They were so loud.” Now, the Lindgrens, along with a dozen or so neighbors living less than a mile <http://fiwn.org/> from the $15 million wind facility here, say the industrial whoosh-and-whoop of the 123-foot blades is making life in this otherwise tranquil corner of the island unbearable. They are among a small but growing number of families and homeowners across the country who say they have learned the hard way that wind power — a clean alternative to electricity from fossil fuels — is not without emissions of its own. Lawsuits and complaints about turbine noise, vibrations and subsequent lost property value have cropped up in Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Massachusetts, among other states. In one case in DeKalb County, Ill., at least 38 families have sued to have 100 turbines removed from a wind farm there. A judge rejected a motion to dismiss the case in June. Like the Lindgrens, many of the people complaining the loudest are reluctant converts to the antiwind movement. “The quality of life that we came here for was quiet,” Mrs. Lindgren said. “You don’t live in a place where you have to take an hour-and-15-minute ferry ride to live next to an industrial park. And that’s where we are right now.” The wind industry has long been dogged by a vocal minority bearing all manner of complaints about turbines, from routine claims that they ruin the look of pastoral landscapes to more elaborate allegations that they have direct physiological impacts like rapid heart beat, nausea and blurred vision caused by the ultra-low-frequency sound and vibrations from the machines. For the most extreme claims, there is little independent backing. Last year, the American Wind Energy Association, a trade group, along with its Canadian counterpart, assembled a panel of doctors and acoustical professionals to examine the potential health impacts of wind turbine noise. In a paper published in December, the panel concluded that “there is no evidence that the audible or sub-audible sounds emitted by wind turbines have any direct adverse physiological effects.” A separate study <http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/reports/lbnl-2829e.pdf>financed by the Energy Department concluded late last year that, in aggregate, property values were unaffected by nearby wind turbines. Numerous studies also suggest that not everyone will be bothered by turbine noise, and that much depends on the context into which the noise is introduced. A previously quiet setting like Vinalhaven is more likely to produce irritated neighbors than, say, a mixed-use suburban setting where ambient noise is already the norm. Of the 250 new wind farms that have come online in the United States over the last two years, about dozen or so have generated significant noise complaints, according to Jim Cummings, the founder of the Acoustic Ecology Institute <http://www.acousticecology.org/>, an online clearinghouse for information on sound-related environmental issues. In the Vinalhaven case, an audio consultant hired by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection determined last month that the 4.5-megawatt facility was, at least on one evening in mid-July when Mr. Lindgren collected sound data, in excess of the state’s nighttime sound limits. The developer of the project, Fox Island Wind <http://www.foxislandswind.com/>, has contested that finding, and negotiations with state regulators are continuing. In the moonlit woods behind a neighbor’s property on a recent evening, Mr. Lindgren, a retired software engineer, clenched a small flashlight between his teeth and wrestled with a tangle of cables and audio recording equipment he uses to collect sound samples for filing complaints. At times, the rustle of leaves was all that could be heard. But when the surface wind settled, a throbbing, vaguely jetlike sound cut through the nighttime air. “Right there,” Mr. Lindgren declared. “That would probably be out of compliance.” Maine, along with many other states, puts a general limit on nighttime noise at 45 decibels — roughly equivalent to the sound of a humming refrigerator. A normal conversation is in the range of 50 to 60 decibels. In almost all cases, it is not mechanical noise arising from the central gear box or nacelle of a turbine that residents react to, but rather the sound of the blades, which in modern turbines are mammoth steel appendages well over 100 feet long, as they slice through the air. Turbine noise can be controlled by reducing the rotational speed of the blades. But the turbines on Vinalhaven already operate that way after 7 p.m., and George Baker, the chief executive of Fox Island Wind — a for-profit arm of the island’s electricity co-operative — said that turning the turbines down came at an economic cost. “The more we do that, the higher goes the price of electricity on the island,” he said. A common refrain among homeowners grappling with sound issues, however, is that they were not accurately informed about the noise ahead of time. “They told us we wouldn’t hear it, or that it would be masked by the sound of the wind blowing through the trees,” said Sally Wylie, a former schoolteacher down the road from the Lindgrens. “I feel duped.” Similar conflicts are arising in Canada, Britain and other countries. An appeals court in Rennes, France, recently ordered an eight-turbine wind farm to shut down between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. so residents could get some sleep. Richard R. James, an acoustic expert hired by residents of Vinalhaven to help them quantify the noise problem, said there was a simpler solution: do not put the turbines so close to where people live. “It would seem to be time for the wind utility developers to rethink their plans for duplicating these errors and to focus on locating wind turbines in areas where there is a large buffer zone of about a mile and one-quarter between the turbines and people’s homes,” said Mr. James, the principal consultant with E-Coustic Solutions <http://www.e-coustic.com/>, based in Michigan. Vinalhaven’s wind farm enjoys support among most residents, from ardent supporters of all clean energy to those who simply say the turbines have reduced their power bills. Deckhands running the ferry sport turbine pins on their hats, and bumper stickers seen on the island declare “Spin, Baby, Spin.” “The majority of us like them,” said Jeannie Conway, who works at the island’s ferry office. But that is cold comfort for Mrs. Lindgren and her neighbors, who say their corner of the island will never be the same. “I remember the sound of silence so palpable, so merciless in its depths, that you could almost feel your heart stop in sympathy,” she said. “Now we are prisoners of sonic effluence. I grieve for the past.”

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Buckle your seat belt.......
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 05 Oct '10

05 Oct '10

[image: The New York Times] <http://www.nytimes.com/> ------------------------------ October 4, 2010 U.S. Military Orders Less Dependence on Fossil Fuels By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/elisabeth_rose…> With insurgents increasingly attacking the American fuel supply convoys<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/world/asia/04pstan.html>that lumber across the Khyber Pass into Afghanistan<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/af…>, the military is pushing aggressively to develop, test and deploy renewable energy to decrease its need to transport fossil fuels. Last week, a Marine company from California arrived in the rugged outback of Helmand Province bearing novel equipment: portable solar panels that fold up into boxes; energy-conserving lights; solar tent shields that provide shade and electricity; solar chargers for computers and communications equipment. The 150 Marines<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/m/us_mari…>of Company I, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, will be the first to take renewable technology into a battle zone, where the new equipment will replace diesel and kerosene-based fuels that would ordinarily generate power to run their encampment. Even as Congress has struggled unsuccessfully to pass an energy bill and many states have put renewable energy on hold because of the recession, the military this year has pushed rapidly forward. After a decade of waging wars in remote corners of the globe where fuel is not readily available, senior commanders have come to see overdependence on fossil fuel as a big liability, and renewable technologies — which have become more reliable and less expensive over the past few years — as providing a potential answer. These new types of renewable energy now account for only a small percentage of the power used by the armed forces, but military leaders plan to rapidly expand their use over the next decade. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the huge truck convoys that haul fuel to bases have been sitting ducks for enemy fighters — in the latest attack<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/world/asia/05pstan.html>, oil tankers carrying fuel for NATO<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/north_a…>troops in Afghanistan were set on fire in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, early Monday. In Iraq and Afghanistan, one Army study found<http://www.aepi.army.mil/docs/whatsnew/SMP_Casualty_Cost_Factors_Final1-09.…>, for every 24 fuel convoys that set out, one soldier or civilian engaged in fuel transport was killed. In the past three months, six Marines have been wounded guarding fuel runs in Afghanistan. “There are a lot of profound reasons for doing this, but for us at the core it’s practical,” said Ray Mabus, the Navy secretary<http://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/navybio.asp?bioID=505Militarybiography>and a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, who has said he wants 50 percent of the power for the Navy and Marines to come from renewable energy sources by 2020. That figure includes energy for bases as well as fuel for cars and ships. “Fossil fuel is the No. 1 thing we import to Afghanistan,” Mr. Mabus said, “and guarding that fuel is keeping the troops from doing what they were sent there to do, to fight or engage local people.” He and other experts also said that greater reliance on renewable energy improved national security, because fossil fuels often came from unstable regions and scarce supplies were a potential source of international conflict. Fossil fuel accounts for 30 to 80 percent of the load in convoys into Afghanistan, bringing costs as well as risk. While the military buys gas for just over $1 a gallon, getting that gallon to some forward operating bases costs $400. “We had a couple of tenuous supply lines across Pakistan that are costing us a heck of a lot, and they’re very dangerous,” said Gen. James T. Conway<http://www.defense.gov/bios/biographydetail.aspx?biographyid=114>, the commandant of the Marine Corps. Col. Robert Charette Jr., director of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office, said he was “cautiously optimistic” that Company I’s equipment would prove reliable and durable enough for military use, and that other Marine companies would be adopting renewable technology in the coming months, although there would probably always be a need to import fuel for some purposes. While setting national energy policy requires Congressional debates, military leaders can simply order the adoption of renewable energy. And the military has the buying power to create products and markets. That, in turn, may make renewable energy more practical and affordable for everyday uses, experts say<http://www.cna.org/research/2010/powering-americas-economy-energy-innovation>. Last year, the Navy introduced its first hybrid vessel, a Wasp class amphibious assault ship called the U.S.S. Makin Island<http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/lhd8/Pages/default.aspx>, which at speeds under 10 knots runs on electricity rather than on fossil fuel, a shift resulting in greater efficiency that saved 900,000 gallons of fuel on its maiden voyage from Mississippi to San Diego, compared with a conventional ship its size, the Navy said. The Air Force will have its entire fleet certified to fly on biofuels<http://www.nytimes.com/info/biofuels/?inline=nyt-classifier>by 2011 and has already flown test flights using a 50-50 mix of plant-based biofuel and jet fuel; the Navy took its first delivery of fuel made from algae this summer. Biofuels can in theory be produced wherever the raw materials, like plants, are available, and could ultimately be made near battlefields. Concerns about the military’s dependence on fossil fuels in far-flung battlefields began in 2006 in Iraq, where Richard Zilmer, then a major general and the top American commander in western Iraq, sent an urgent cable to Washington suggesting that renewable technology could prevent loss of life. That request catalyzed new research<http://eti.c4ads.org/sites/default/files/DoD_Seeks_Alternative_Fuels.pdf>, but the pressure for immediate results magnified as the military shifted its focus to Afghanistan, a country with little available native fossil fuel and scarce electricity outside cities. Fuel destined for American troops in landlocked Afghanistan is shipped to Karachi, Pakistan, where it is loaded on convoys of 50 to 70 vehicles for transport to central bases. Smaller convoys branch out to the forward lines. The Marines’ new goal is to make the more peripheral sites sustain themselves with the kind of renewable technology carried by Company I, since solar electricity can be generated right on the battlefield. There are similar tactical advantages to using renewable fuel for planes and building hybrid ships. “Every time you cut a ship away from the need to visit an oiler — a fuel supply ship — you create an advantage,” said Mr. Mabus, noting that the Navy had pioneered previous energy transformations in the United States, from sail power to coal power in the 19th century, as well as from coal to oil and oil to nuclear power in the 20th century. The cost calculation is also favorable. The renewable technology that will power Company I costs about $50,000 to $70,000; a single diesel generator costs several thousand dollars. But when it costs hundreds of dollars to get each gallon of traditional fuel to base camps in Afghanistan, the investment is quickly defrayed. Because the military has moved into renewable energy so rapidly, much of the technology currently being used is commercially available or has been adapted for the battlefield from readily available civilian models. This spring, the military invited commercial manufacturers to demonstrate products that might be useful on the battlefield. A small number were selected for further testing. The goal was to see, for example, if cooling systems could handle the 120 degree temperatures often seen in current war zones or if embedded solar panels would make tents more visible to enemy radar. This summer, renewable technologies proved capable of powering computers, residences and most equipment for more than a week at a test base in the Mojave Desert — though not enough to operate the most sophisticated surveillance systems. Much more is in the testing stages: one experimental cooling system uses a pipe burrowed into the cool earth eight feet underground that vents into tents; a solar fan on the tent roof evacuates the hot air and draws cool air from underground. The Marines are exploring solar-powered water purification systems and looking into the possibility of building a small-scale, truck-based biofuel plant that could transform local crops — like illegal poppies — into fuel. “If the Navy comes knocking, they will build it,” Mr. Mabus said. “The price will come down and the infrastructure will be created.”

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(no subject)
by Duane330＠aol.com 04 Oct '10

04 Oct '10

UPPER MONONGAHELA RIVER ASSOCIATION WV/PA MONONGAHELA AREA WATERSHEDS COMPACT Date: October 4, 2010 Governor Joe Manchin III State of West Virginia 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, E. Charleston, WV 25305 RE: Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts of Marcellus Shale Gas Development Urgent action is needed to protect the watersheds of West Virginia. A similar situation as severe exists in southwestern and northeastern Pennsylvania. Hundreds of thousands of acres in these States are in various stages of exploration and development in the Marcellus shale for natural gas extraction. The attention that this overall situation has received, or is planned to receive, by State governments is inadequate in the view of more than twenty watershed groups and conservation organizations. And, the program review in the Office of Oil and Gas as well as the Panel recently selected by WV-DEP to study the situation are not an adequate response given the magnitude of the problems at issue. The Morgantown Dominion Post newspaper was quick to see the substantive bias in affiliations of the Panel members (6 of 9 represent the gas industry under review), as described in the enclosed Editorial. There may well be some changes in State laws needed by the industry; however, the issues faced by the common citizens are extensive and severe and not appropriately represented by the panel. Nor are these issues being adequately addressed by the two State governments, given current practices or plans. The Editorial states “the fox has been put in charge of the hen house.” Watershed and conservation groups are explicitly and conspicuously absent from the Panel. The WV/PA Monongahela Area Watersheds Compact was formed on August 17, 2010, with a second meeting taking place in Morgantown on September 22nd. This new Watershed Compact includes the Upper Monongahela River Association (UMRA) and other groups that have operated for many years. UMRA has coordinated monthly meetings on these gas well drilling issues for two years with interested and affected parties including industry and government representatives. Some eight Resolutions have been approved by this Compact to date, four at each meeting. These eight Resolutions are attached to this letter for your use. We believe these represent an essential response, in part, to the current issues involving Marcellus shale development and extraction in West Virginia. We seek the implementation of remedies for the current problems in the Monongahela River watershed, the current problems in Wetzel and Marshall counties, and the projected problems on the horizon for our State and for Pennsylvania relative to natural gas exploration, development, production and transmission particularly in the Marcellus shale. We are convinced that the long-term condition of our Region is at significant risk at this time, so remedies are needed as soon as they can possibly be put into effect. We seek (1) a meeting with you, (2) a review and adjustment of the composition of the Marcellus Panel recently appointed, and (3) positions for conservation groups such as ours on the various Advisory Committees within State government that deal with the diverse aspects of water resources, water quality, sediment prevention and erosion control. Further, we request that our Compact or some of its members be represented on the new Panel and on the appropriate Advisory Committees. We also feel it is reasonable to ask for a response from your Office regarding the eight resolutions attached. Otherwise, the input and participation of the public including our diverse watershed groups and conservation organizations will not be fairly and appropriately served and citizens of our region will be further harmed and under represented. Respectfully submitted, Duane G. Nichols, Compact Co-Chair Barry G. Pallay, Compact Co-Chair and President of CLEAR and Vice President of UMRA WV/PA Monongahela Area Watersheds Compact Upper Monongahela River Association 330 Dream Catcher Circle 109 Broad Street, P. O. Box 519 Morgantown, WV 26508 Granville WV 26534-0519 cc: WV/PA Watershed Groups, US-EPA, US-ACE, USGS, WV-DEP, Gov. Rendell, PA-DEP. Attachments (2). Editorial and Resolutions. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ATTACHEMENT 1 Morgantown Dominion Post, Page 10-A, Monday, September 27, 2010: EDITORIAL: “Task force far too up to its task” “Lopsided appointments of gas industry reps cause for concern about drilling” Talk about putting the fox in charge of the henhouse. And in this case, it’ s a hungry fox to boot. At least that’s the perception we got from last week’s appointment of six natural gas company representatives to a new nine-member task force to help the state better regulate the industry. We realize that this panel, appointed by the state’s director of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), will not actually be writing the regulations and legislation on how to regulate this industry. Or at least that’s what we are being led to believe. The DEP’s staff will be charged with that task, while this panel will attempt to reach a consensus on the issues. That might not be too hard to do, considering the only real differences of opinion will come from the lone representative of the West Virginia Environmental Council and an advocate for landowner’s rights. The ninth member of the panel is a coal industry lawyer, who represents the West Virginia Coal Association. No one should overestimate the scope and authority of this task force, however, we can assure the DEP and this group that we’ll be watching. Clearly, the state needs to determine how to better regulate our booming natural gas industry. We also understand the logic of considering a dual regulatory system — one for conventional gas drilling and another for the burgeoning Marcellus shale drilling. And no one is questioning why there should be industry representatives on this task force. However, the number of appointments of executives and lawyers for this industry is weighed far too heavily in the industry’s favor. With all due respect to these industry appointees, some who have served in public regulatory roles, too, these appointments raise eyebrows. Yes, they bring diverse outlooks, technical knowledge and pragmatic advice to the table, but they also bring their industry’s primary goal to the head of the well: Their profit margin. No one here is opposed to that, but regulation of this industry must balance a return on investment with reasonable regulation and oversight. Otherwise, these drilling operations may pose dangerous risks to our state’ s aquifer, our waterways, our roads, our landscape and landowners’ rights. This panel’s lopsided make-up leads us to believe there’s reason to fear all of that. We urge the DEP to review the composition of this panel and even appoint someone who isn’t a stakeholder to this task force before the chickens come home to roost. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> RESOLUTIONS [ADOPTED AUGUST 17TH AND SEPTEMBER 22ND 2010] WV/PA MONONGAHELA AREA WATERSHEDS COMPACT We recognize the value of mineral extraction, including coal, oil, gas and water, in the Monongahela basin and adjoining areas, when conducted responsibly. But, the current and projected levels of Marcellus shale drilling for natural gas production and the manner in which it is being conducted poses very serious problems for most all of West Virginia and Pennsylvania. RESOLUTIONS, FIRST WV-PA WATERSHED MEETING, AUGUST 17, 2010 1. The West Virginia and Pennsylvania DEPs must enact commensurate and enforceable standards and rules/regulations and adequate penalties to protect regional water resources from potential hazards caused by mineral extraction and oil and gas drilling, including but not limited to sedimentation, water withdrawal, organic and inorganic chemicals and thermal effects. 2. The West Virginia and Pennsylvania DEPs must hire an additional and adequate number of inspectors and other staff to effectively monitor and enforce regulations governing mining and the oil and gas well industries. 3. The Upper Monongahela watershed groups advocate that closed-loop systems for containment of blowback water be required at all new construction gas well drilling sites rather than the open pit system of containment. 4. If open pits exist or are absolutely necessary, these should provide sufficient natural or geosynthetic protection to both contain the blowback water and to prevent its percolation into the soil or groundwater beneath the pit should the containment liner become ruptured. Further, we advocate the usage of regulations typically found in state dam safety statutes in order to ensure that blowback pits are properly sited and constructed, and that emergency contact/notification procedures are implemented when an accident involving the release of blowback water occurs. RESOLUTIONS, SECOND WV/PA MONONGAHELA AREA WATERSHEDS COMPACT 5.West Virginia and Pennsylvania rivers and streams frequently experience very low flows because of reduced rainfall. At these critically low flows, water withdrawals for Marcellus Shale gas well activities threaten aquatic life in many streams. And, more generally, the waters of both States must be shared among the diverse uses from agriculture to industry to recreation to domestic use. This includes both surface and sub-surface water resources. Therefore, the withdrawal of water from any source for high volume applications as Marcellus Shale drilling, fracking or other operations must be regulated and require permits from an appropriate State agency. 6. The Program Review in the Office of Oil and Gas of the WV DEP is clearly useful with a projected Final Report date of December 2010. However, this Review of oil and gas exploration and production activities in West Virginia is inadequate in and of itself. The issues and problems of this industry sector are huge and diverse and they directly involve many other agencies of State government; and, these problems are interrelated to the other extractive industries. A state-wide review is urgently needed, one that is directed from the Office of the Governor. And, a Special Session of the WV Legislature would appear to be called for to address these problems and issues that include the protection of our water, air and land as well as our roads, our scenic values and quality of life. Each extractive activity should be responsible for the cost of all the environmental and socio-economic impacts resulting from its activities, taking into account both short and long-term impacts. 7. The issues and problems affecting WV and PA as a result of the current and projected levels of activity for coal mining and natural gas production are of an inter-state or national character. Here in northern WV and southwestern PA we have many such operations that cross state lines. One major issue is the drinking water for approximately one million people in southwestern Pennsylvania that comes from the Monongahela River, which drains most of northcentral WV. This and the other streams will likely increase in their total loads of pollutants. Therefore, the US Environmental Protection Agency in conjunction with the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Geological Survey and other federal agencies should prepare a “guidance document” and respond quickly to the water and aqueous waste problems of the extractive industries now affecting New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and other States. 8. An Interagency Task Force study within the United States government is needed to examine the existing problems posed by the extractive industries in the United States. This would aim to establish a viable long range Planning Office that can anticipate many of the problems such as those posed by Marcellus Shale gas exploration and production. The focus would be on environment impacts and socio-economic dislocations such as public infrastructure damages and domestic disturbance problems. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> NOTE: The above Resolutions were adopted by consensus at the First and Second WV-PA Watershed Group Meetings on August 17, 2010 and September 22, 2010 at the Morgantown Airport. These meetings were organized and conducted by the representatives of various watershed and conservation groups in cooperation with the Upper Monongahela River Association (_www.uppermon.org_ (http://www.uppermon.org) ). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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IMPORTANT - [MVCAC] GASLAND movie screenings: Oct 3, 11 & 12
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 04 Oct '10

04 Oct '10

Kitty, You are right, I am MVCAC's list manager, however, thanks to you I just looked at the most recent messages, so thanks! :) I am copying the WVSC on this great news. *GASLAND - Tuesday, October 12th, College of Law, WVU, off University Ave., Morgantown, WV. Time: 6:30 pm. "Green Tables" for information distribution. [Questions: justpeace(a)yahoo.com <mailto:justpeace@yahoo.com> ]* WVSC & LWV: We need to get the message out to all our members via email or phone calls, also mention it to them at Candidate Forums: http://www.lwvwv.org/category/league-of-women-votes-of-wv/candidate-forums/ WVSC: Alert via HELEN? -Jonathan On 10/1/2010 2:21 PM, Kitty Lozier wrote: > jonathan, i am guessing you know about this. how shall we work this > into our league? > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: *John Lozier* <j.lozier(a)mondems.com <mailto:j.lozier@mondems.com>> > Date: Fri, Oct 1, 2010 at 1:13 PM > Subject: Fwd: [MVCAC] GASLAND movie screenings: Oct 3, 11 & 12 > To: Kitty Lozier <clozier(a)gmail.com <mailto:clozier@gmail.com>>, > Catherine Tall <cvtall(a)gmail.com <mailto:cvtall@gmail.com>> > > > fyi > > Begin forwarded message: > >> *From: *"Barbara Howe" <bhowe(a)wvu.edu <mailto:bhowe@wvu.edu>> >> *Date: *October 1, 2010 11:35:26 AM EDT >> *To: *"John Lozier" <j.lozier(a)mondems.com <mailto:j.lozier@mondems.com>> >> *Subject: **Fwd: [MVCAC] GASLAND movie screenings: Oct 3, 11 & 12* >> >> Hi, John, >> Could you share this with Kitty? I don't have her email - I had >> heard the League of Women Voters was thinking about bringing GASLAND >> to Morgantown and wanted her to know that it is coming on the 12th. >> Thanks, >> Barb >> >> *From: *Duane330(a)aol.com <mailto:Duane330@aol.com> >> *Date: *September 30, 2010 7:51:43 PM EDT >> *To: *CLEAR(a)cheat.org <mailto:CLEAR@cheat.org>, mvcac(a)cheat.org >> <mailto:mvcac@cheat.org> >> *Subject: **[MVCAC] GASLAND movie screenings: Oct 3, 11 & 12* >> >> >> *_GASLAND Movie Showings: No admission charges at any of the three >> locations below._* >> *Sunday, October 3rd, Uniontown State Theater, 37 East Main Street, >> Uniontown, PA. * >> *Two showings: 1 pm and 3 pm.* >> *Monday, October 11th, Ohio County Public Library, 5 16th St, >> Wheeling, WV 26003. >> (304) 232-0244. One Showing: Noon.* >> *Tuesday, October 12th, College of Law, WVU, off University Ave., >> Morgantown, WV. Time: 6:30 pm. "Green Tables" for information >> distribution. [Questions: justpeace(a)yahoo.com >> <mailto:justpeace@yahoo.com> ]* >> *>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>* >> *For Background Information See: http://gaslandthemovie.com/* >> *>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>* >> >> GasLands-- The Documentary. 1 hour and 43 minutes. >> >> GasLand Exposes The Dangers Of Natural Gas Drilling Called Hydraulic >> Fracturing - The largest domestic natural gas drilling boom in >> history has swept across the United States. The Halliburton-developed >> drilling technology of “fracking” or hydraulic fracturing has >> unlocked a “Saudia Arabia of natural gas” just beneath us. But is >> fracking safe? When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for >> drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of >> secrets, lies and contamination. A recently drilled nearby >> Pennsylvania town reports that residents are able to light their >> drinking water on fire. This is just one of the many absurd and >> astonishing revelations of a new country called GASLAND. Part verite >> travelogue, part expose, part mystery, part bluegrass banjo meltdown, >> part showdown. >> >> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >> >> NOTE: While not every detail reported in the movie is portrayed >> accurately, the issues covered and >> >> the information presented are much more than thought provoking and >> challenging. And, in my opinion, >> >> the alternative explanations that have been offered for some details >> also represent problems for our >> >> region, that is for the exploration, development, production and >> transmission of natural gas from the >> >> Marcellus shale formation. >> >> Duane G. Nichols, Co-Chair, WV/PA Monongahela Area >> Watersheds Compact. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> MVCAC mailing list >> MVCAC(a)cheat.org <mailto:MVCAC@cheat.org> >> http://cheat.org/mailman/listinfo/mvcac >> > > Organizing for America > */WVFirstCongressionalOFA/* > http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/WVFirstCongressionalOFA > John Lozier > Monongalia County Democratic Executive Committee District 2 - > Precincts 10, 13 and 16 > 345 Virginia Avenue - phone home: 304-599-8233 cell 304 276 5141 > */ > /* > > > > > > > >

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Fwd: [MVCAC] FW: National Solar Tour in Morgantown!
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 01 Oct '10

01 Oct '10

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: [MVCAC] FW: National Solar Tour in Morgantown! Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 08:15:13 -0400 From: Wonderlin, William <wwonderlin(a)hsc.wvu.edu> To: mvcac(a)cheat.org <mvcac(a)cheat.org> (from Megan Nedzinski) Please see the follow message regarding an event this weekend that might be of potential interest. Hope to see you there! American Solar Energy Society (ASES) National Solar Tour nationalsolartour.org<http://nationalsolartour.org/ is coming to Morgantown! Saturday, October 2nd from 12 until 4pm. (and it's FREE!) Saturday, October 2, 2010, will be Morgantown’s second participation in the national solar tour. Any people interested can find out more information at www.morgantowngreenteam.org/iebg.html,<http://www.morgantowngreenteam.org/iebg.html,> www.eco-mod-structure.com<http://www.eco-mod-structure.com/>, or by calling John Garlow at 304-276-3655. Most locations will be open from noon until 4 pm, but look for yard signs that say OPEN HOUSE for the Solar Tour. Please help us spread the word by sharing this notice with potentially interested parties (please forward responsibly). Or by posting the attached flyer and informational brochure at your workplace, on community bulletin boards, or at other places to encourage interest and participation. A version appropriate for web posting is also attached for your use with web postings. Thanks so much and we look forward to seeing you Saturday! -- Megan M. Nedzinski, Architect, LEED AP NEDZINSKI DESIGN COLLABORATIVE, LLC collaborative | responsible | appropriate | DESIGN megannedzinski.com Sometimes you have to act as if acting will make a difference, even when you can't prove that it will. -Michael Pollan

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Banks and MTR
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 01 Oct '10

01 Oct '10

Throwing Debris at the Coal Industry Mountaintop Mining Gets Heated Ken Silverstein <http://www.energybiz.com/author/blog/ken-silverstein> | Sep 27, 2010 [image: Share/Save]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.energybiz.com%2Fart….> <http://www.energybiz.com/article/10/09/throwing-debris-coal-industry##> The coal industry is the target of a lot of debris. While most of it is being tossed by environmental organizations, the rubble is now coming from the investment banking industry - those that finance the operations of coal mining companies. At issue is mountaintop mining practices in Appalachia, which sheer off the tops of hillsides to get at the underlying coal seam. Besides the scarring of the landscape, the rock and dirt that is removed ends up in the streams below and affects local water quality. So, some of the big banks have limited their involvement with the coal companies. It's all part of a greater push by the green groups to curb coal consumption in this country. The focus now is on the mountaintop mining practices in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia - one that is supported in part by the current Environmental Protection Agency that has placed limits on the mining technique. <http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/e77fdd4f5afd88a3852576b3005a604f/4…> That movement is gaining strength now that Bank of America, Citi, Credit Suisse, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo have set formal policies that will minimize their relationships with coal operators performing mountaintop removal. "Money talks - and it is saying loud and clear that mountaintop removal coal mining is a bad investment," says Rebecca Tarbotton, executive director of the Rainforest Network<http://ran.org/content/wall-street-backs-away-mountaintop-removal-coal-mini…>. "With the move away from mountaintop removal coal mining, our country's top banks are showing that they know they can do well while doing good for our environment and our public health." The organization, which first approached Bank of America three years ago on this issue, says that banks are no longer financing Massey Energy, which is the biggest coal operator in Appalachia involved with mountaintop removal. Specifically, it says that JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo all underwrote bonds and provided loans for the company but they no longer do. But such a view may turn out to be sanctimonious and one that will cost them business as other financial institutions step in and take their business. Indeed, PNC and UBS are more than willing to bankroll such operations. While coal companies will have tighter regulatory controls, they will not disappear as too much of the national economy - not to mention local jobs in Appalachia - are dependent on their product. *Balancing Act* The coal industry, in fact, has already marched on Washington to illustrate the role it now plays and what it is doing to repair the land and water. Beyond the political steps, it is also in the process of suing to regain some earlier mountaintop mining rights that have been lost since an adverse April ruling by the EPA. At stake: Appalachia is responsible for a third of the nation's coal and two-thirds of those jobs, it says. The Energy Information Administration estimates that coal reserves in Appalachia are 55.2 billion tons while coal production tied to mountaintop mining in West Virginia alone is 52 million tons annually, which is more than the production of underground mining operations. "We plan to highlight the critically important role of the American coal miner and to call on lawmakers and administration officials to stop efforts to regulate the coal industry - and the thousands of jobs it provides - out of business," says Chris Hamilton, senior vice president of the West Virginia Coal Association. "West Virginia's congressional delegation understands the importance of coal to our local economies and national energy plan, but many federal legislators and bureaucrats do not." Hamilton points to a recent study by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's Minority Staff that highlights the economic effect of the EPA's limits on coal mining permits in Central Appalachia. According to the study, nearly 18,000 new and existing jobs and more than 80 small businesses are being jeopardized. He says that about 190 permits are still awaiting action. Mountaintop mining gained prevalence in the 1990s, largely because about 90 percent of the resources that lay beneath those peaks were available for production. After the area is mined for coal, it must be "reclaimed" and turned into something useful such as schools, shopping malls and recreational sites. It's a lot more troublesome than that, say environmentalists and other critics. Roughly 6,700 permits were issued between 1985 and 2001 and all to unload debris from the mining process to the areas below. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, about 2,000 miles of streams have been buried while at least 380,000 acres of local forestry have been devastated. "We will continue to work with all stakeholders to find a way forward that follows the science and the law," says Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator. "Getting this right is important to Americans who rely on affordable coal to power homes and businesses, as well as coal communities that count on jobs and a livable environment, both during mining and after coal companies move to other sites." Adding financial pressures to the current regulatory ones in effect will likely result in better mining practices - not an outright ban on mountaintop removal. In a country that is dependent on coal, that's acceptable. So what do you think? Please share your thoughts by posting a quick comment below, or by sending me a longer reply to energybizinsider(a)energycentral.com . EnergyBiz Insider is nominated for Best Online Column by Media Industry News follow ken at www.twitter.com/freehand1200

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Fw: [WVFirstCongressionalOFA] WV Water Conference
by Jim Sconyers 30 Sep '10

30 Sep '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Denise Binion <dbinion(a)gmail.com> To: WVFirstCongressionalOFA <WVFirstCongressionalOFA(a)groups.barackobama.com> Sent: Thu, September 30, 2010 10:48:16 AM Subject: [WVFirstCongressionalOFA] WV Water Conference http://www.wvwaterconference.org/agenda.cfm ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to 17 members of WVFirstCongressionalOFA This email was sent from Denise Binion dbinion(a)gmail.com Listserv email address: WVFirstCongressionalOFA(a)groups.barackobama.com Your reply will be sent to: WVFirstCongressionalOFA(a)groups.barackobama.com Unsubscribe or change your email settings: http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/WVFirstCongressionalOFA/listserv-unsub -------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Both WV Senators say coal ash is okay
by Frank Young 24 Sep '10

24 Sep '10

This would be funny, were these guys (Rockeekller & Goodwin) not so serious about it. The paragraph about recycling coal ash into home building materials and other consumer products reflects an incredible mindset of pandering to King Coal. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Vernon Haltom <vernoncrmw(a)gmail.com> To: "FOM, List" <fom(a)lists.riseup.net>; "MJSlist, MJSlist" <mountainjusticesummer(a)lists.riseup.net>; Justice <Justice(a)lists.citizenscoalcouncil.org>; Alliance for Appalachia <the-alliance-for-appalachia(a)googlegroups.com> Sent: Fri, September 24, 2010 11:43:54 AM Subject: [Justice] Fwd: Rockefeller says coal ash is okay What Rockefeller sent below. Here's my response: You are completely wrong in asking the EPA to regulate coal ash as non-hazardous waste. It is hazardous waste and presents a clear and present danger to citizens of West Virginia, and should be regulated as hazardous waste under Subtitle C. It becomes more and more clear that you work for the likes of Don Blankenship and other coal barons, with no regard for the citizens whom you were elected to represent. Shame on you. _________________ ------------ Forwarded message ------------ From: senator(a)rockefeller.senate.gov Date: Sep 24, 2010 Subject: Letter from Senator Jay Rockefeller To: clrank(a)hughes.net Dear Cindy, Thank you for contacting me regarding ash and other types of coal combustion waste (CCW). I always enjoy hearing from a fellow West Virginian, and I welcome the opportunity to be in touch on this important issue. In 2008 the American Coal Ash Association estimated that coal fired power plants generated upwards of 136 million tons of CCW, making it the second largest source of waste in the United States, behind only household garbage. On December 22, 2008, a breach occurred at a coal waste impoundment pond located at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston plant, releasing 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash into the surrounding community. The discharge ended up covering more than 300 acres of homes and property resulting in significant damage. This tragedy has raised serious questions about the health and safety impacts of coal storage to the surrounding communities. Waste management is regulated under provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976. Subtitle C of RCRA created a hazardous waste management program that required the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop criteria for identifying the characteristics of hazardous waste and to develop waste management criteria applicable to such waste. Subtitle D established state and local governments as the primary planning, regulating, and implementing entities for the management of non-hazardous solid waste. In 1980, in response to proposed amendments to RCRA, the EPA excluded the regulation of fossil fuel combustion waste, such as CCW, from its final hazardous waste regulations, deferring that responsibility to state and local governments. In May 2000, the EPA reaffirmed that CCW did not warrant regulation under federal hazardous waste requirements but rather that national regulations for solid waste management requirements should be implemented for CCW when disposed in landfills or surface impoundments. In the wake of the Kingston disaster, the EPA announced its intent to move forward with new CCW regulations addressing the management of coal combustion residuals and surface impoundments in 2010. In May 2010, the EPA released a study outlining national rules to ensure the safe disposal of coal ash from coal-fired power plants. The agency proposal would allow state and federal officials to enforce coal ash, phase out the use of new surface impoundments, and promote legal action should citizens be exposed to the contents of coal impoundments. The proposal would also require companies to place liners beneath all coal ash impoundments to reduce the risk of soil and ground water contamination. On June 21, 2010, the EPA proposed two regulatory rule options applicable to the management of CCW. Under the first option, EPA would draw on its existing authority to identify a waste as hazardous and regulate it under the hazardous waste management standards established under Subtitle C of the RCRA. The second option would establish criteria applicable to landfills and surface impoundments accepting CCW under RCRA's Subtitle D solid waste management requirements. Under Subtitle D, the EPA does not have the authority to enforce its proposed requirements and, instead, would rely solely on states or citizen suits to enforce the standards. On July 29, 2010, I sent a letter to the EPA regarding the agency's efforts to establish national criteria to improve the protection of public health and the environment under RCRA. I have included a copy of that letter for your review. I believe that the best approach for doing this is under Subtitle D and that the EPA should work closely with state regulators in addressing the enforcement of new regulations. The EPA should work with the states and seek coal ash disposal practices under RCRA's Subtitle D that address structural stability of impoundments, protects public health, and promotes the recycling and beneficial reuse of coal ash. I will continue to carefully monitor this issue as the EPA moves forward in its rule-making process and will continue to support efforts designed both improve the safety of coal ash impoundments and protect West Virginia jobs. As always, I wish you the best. With Warm Regards, Jay Rockefeller

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Fwd: TransGas CTL plant update --Order on summary judgment
by James Kotcon 23 Sep '10

23 Sep '10

This is mostly good news (could have been a lot worse). Who could come to Charleston on Oct. 27 or 28? JBK >>> Elena Saxonhouse <Elena.Saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org> 9/23/2010 6:24 PM >>> Hi all, I received the Order from the Air Quality Board today denying all motions for summary judgment -- meaning that we will move forward to a hearing on all the issues that we decided to pursue. It looks like the Board is particularly intrigued by our argument that DAQ failed to include potential air emissions from wastewater treatment: "the Board considers Appellants' arguments on segmentation to be valid and considers this an area where more evidence is needed prior to making a summary decision." One unfortunate part of the Order is that the Board adopted TransGas's language in describing the issues remaining, which unfairly narrows or mischaracterizes some of them (e.g., our argument about storage tanks). We will get this clarified before the hearing. The hearing is October 27-28 in Charleston. I don't think a big rally or anything is necessary, but it would be great to have some citizens there to show support and public interest, and I encourage the Chapter to think about a media plan. -Elena Elena Saxonhouse Staff Attorney Sierra Club Environmental Law Program 85 Second St., 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 977-5765 (415) 977-5793 (fax)

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Fwd: Stories on New Hill Mine permit appeal
by James Kotcon 23 Sep '10

23 Sep '10

A couple news items lately on the appeal, and a story on our fight against gas drilling in state parks. I also had an interview with the local television station, which ran Tuesday night and Wednesday morning (at least) but I did not see either of them. Jim Kotcon ********* Permit for New Hill mine delayed: Sierra Club files appeal with DEP BY DAVID BEARD The Dominion Post Although Patriot Mining Co.'s permit application to expand its New Hill surface mine, near Cassville, has reached its last milestone, the story isn't over. Sierra Club has filed with the state Environmental Quality Board to appeal the mine's water discharge permit - the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. And the surface mine permit itself has not been issued yet, a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) official said. The surface mining application seeks to expand the New Hill mine by 225 acres. The state DEP milestone chart for the application shows that all the milestones have been achieved and the permit was printed Sept. 2. But DEP spokeswoman Kathy Cosco said the agency wants some additional information and Patriot cannot disturb the land covered by the permit. Sierra Club West Virginia Chapter spokesman Jim Kotcon said the NPDES permit lacks limits for potential pollutants - heavy metals and other toxins contained in mine runoff and fly ash. The appeal seeks to have the permit rescinded or modified to include limits. Patriot applies fly ash - a coal combustion byproduct trucked in from the Morgantown Energy Associates power plant - to mined areas to prevent acid mine drainage. Sierra Club said fly ash contains potential pollutants - arsenic, lead, mercury, selenium and others - that could leach into a tributary of Scotts Run, Scotts Run itself and then into the Monongahela River. New information from the U.S. Environmental Protect Agency indicates fly ash may be more dangerous than originally believed, he said, but the DEP did not include toxin limits in the permit. "West Virginia DEP is still using outdated testing procedures to evaluate the toxicity of coal ash," Kotcon said in a release. The club wants the Environmental Quality Board - a division of the DEP - to require the DEP to comply with NPDES permitting requirements and set limits for pollutants. The DEP previously said it has adequate data for its decisions, the EPA had no issues with the surface mining permit, and Patriot will be required to perform regular testing of surface and groundwater locations. An evidentiary hearing is set for Nov. 18. Board spokeswoman Jackie Shultz said the appeal process could take months, depending on a number of variables. Patriot's attorney in the appeal said he was just familiarizing himself with the case and couldn't comment on it. Patriot did not respond to requests for comment. THE STATE JOURNAL Thursday 23 September 2010: Sierra Club Files Appeal with DEP Over Proposed Cassville Surface Mine Posted Tuesday, September 21, 2010 ; 11:06 PM Updated Wednesday, September 22, 2010; 07:23 AM The Sierra Club says its concerned about water quality issues for the New Hill West mine. By Mike Krafcik MORGANTOWN -- The Sierra Club has filed an appeal to challenge the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's water permit for the New Hill West mine in Cassville. The notice was filed with the West Virginia Environmental Quality Control Board. The permit was issued to the Patriot Mining Company for the 225-acre strip mine. The Sierra Club said the permit does not adequately control the water pollution that comes from this site. Patriot Mining officials have indicated they would intend dump 1,000-10,000 tons of coal combustion waste per acre of mined area. The club said the DEP standards fail to include any limits for toxic heavy metals that come from fly-ash and coal combustion bi-products. The Sierra Club said the DEP is using out-dated testing procedures that will undermine the risks to ground water and streams from the ash disposal at mine sites. "The DEP needs to have a pollution prevention plan in this permit that assures that any discharges from the mine will meet any water quality standards, they have not done that," said Jim Kotcon, of the Sierra Club West Virginia. The Sierra Club's appeal will be heard as part of a evidentiary hearing before the Environmental Quality Board scheduled for November. Charleston Gazette Thursday 23 September 2010: September 22, 2010 Court urged to block state park drilling By Ken Ward Jr. The Charleston Gazette CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia regulators and state environmental groups on Wednesday urged the state Supreme Court to uphold a Department of Environmental Protection decision to block new oil and gas drilling at Chief Logan State Park. The Sierra Club, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and Friends of Blackwater joined the DEP and the state Division of Natural Resources in asking justices to overturn a lower court ruling to allow the drilling by Cabot Oil and Gas joined DEP lawyers. In December 2007, then-DEP Secretary Stephanie Timmermeyer rejected Cabot's permit requests, citing a section of state park law that prohibits mineral extraction. Logan Circuit Judge Roger Perry overturned the DEP decision and the Manchin administration appealed. "We believe that we're not allowed to allow drilling on state park surface," DEP lawyer Kristen Boggs told justices during an argument Wednesday. Justice Menis Ketchum repeatedly asked lawyers on all sides if the DEP permit denial amounted to a "taking" of private property that would require the state to compensate Cabot and the Lawson Heirs, a family company that owned the park land 50 years ago and much more recently leased the gas reserves to Cabot. Cabot lawyer Timothy Miller and Lawson Heirs attorney Larry George agreed, as did Perry in the lower court ruling. DNR lawyer Tom Smith told justices the underlying issues in the case are important and could involve drilling and mining in parks across the state. "You can smell the money in this case," Smith said. But Smith said the case before the court is really much more narrow, and involves only the question of whether the DEP can invoke a section of parks law -- which technically involves DNR -- in rejecting a drilling permit. And Tom Rodd, a lawyer for citizen groups that intervened in the case, said that any issue involving whether the drilling ban is a "taking" must be resolved in a separate suit brought by Cabot or the Lawson Heirs, not in an appeal of DEP's permit denial decision. Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kw...(a)wvgazette.com or 304-348-1702.

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Fw: NASA Gives Kids Their Own Guide to Climate Change
by Jim Sconyers 22 Sep '10

22 Sep '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: "Leon, Nancy J (1722)" <nancy.j.leon(a)jpl.nasa.gov> To: "jim_scon(a)yahoo.com" <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com>; "celliot2(a)comcast.net" <celliot2(a)comcast.net> Cc: "pjgrunt(a)gmail.com" <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Sent: Wed, September 22, 2010 1:52:30 PM Subject: NASA Gives Kids Their Own Guide to Climate Change Jim It was a pleasure to talk to you today. As we discussed, we have developed a new site which explores the timely topic of climate change -- but targeting upper elementary school age kids. We are hoping that this site can be a resource to your members who are parents and teachers. I am attaching a short announcement about the new site. I am hoping that you can include the announcement about the site in your organization's newsletter, and perhaps put in a link to our site from yours. We also have a little logo for the site in case you want it for the graphic link. (Attached) Thanks very much, Nancy Leon Manager, NASA Kids Climate Change Program ____________________________ NASA Gives Kids Their Own Guide to Climate Change A blinking red-eyed tree frog and flitting butterfly greet visitors to the new NASA Climate Kids website. Targeting grades 4 6, this kid-friendly guide de-mystifies one of the most important science issues of our time. The site answers the ³Big Questions² about global climate change using simple illustrations, humor, interactivity, and age-appropriate language. For example, one interactive feature is the Climate Time Machine, which reveals how global changes have affected or will affect our planet over time. ³Climate Tales² has animal cartoon characters coping< more or less good humoredly<with the effects humans are having on their habitats. A collection of Earth-science-related games offers such experiences as ³Wild Weather Adventure² and ³Missions to Planet Earth.² A Green Careers section profiles real people doing jobs that help slow climate change. Visit Climate Kids at climate.nasa.gov/kids.

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Fw: PATH substation victory
by Jim Sconyers 16 Sep '10

16 Sep '10

Small victory on PATH! Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Elena Saxonhouse <Elena.Saxonhouse(a)sierraclub.org> To: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Sent: Thu, September 16, 2010 4:11:11 PM Subject: PATH substation victory I'm happy to report that the Frederick County Planning Commission found last night by a 6-0 vote that the substation proposed as the terminus for PATH t is inconsistent with the County's Comprehensive Development Plan (basically the County's constitution for local land use). The local groups turned out about 100 people, many of whom who presented individual testimony, along with CAKES, Sugarloaf Conservancy, and Sierra Club presenting as groups. This is a significant setback for PATH, even though there is a question as to whether the County will have ultimate authority over the substation. As many of you know, the MD Public Service Commission has taken the position that if the PSC approves the line and determines the substation is "integral" to the line, the PSC's decision will trump that of the county's. If the PSC approves the line, this issue will likely be decided in state court. I'm attaching Sierra Club's comments to the Planning Commission here for reference (without exhibits), which Alana Wase presented for us last night. There are several other land use hearings coming up in Frederick County, which we also are optimistic about. PATH has the opportunity to appeal the Planning Commission's decision to the Board of County Commissioners, but local folks tell me they are likely to uphold the decision. Thanks to everyone who worked for this great result! Elena Saxonhouse Staff Attorney Sierra Club Environmental Law Program 85 Second St., 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 977-5765 (415) 977-5793 (fax)- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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 Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Stream flow criteria from CT
by James Kotcon 14 Sep '10

14 Sep '10

The link below presents the approach being used in Connecticut for limiting water withdrawals from streams. In essence, it establishes a "Q99" which is the flow that occurs on 99 % of the days (flow does not drop below this level more than one per 100 days). The rules then establish designated use categories (Class I-IV, with Class I being natural streams, and Class IV being "working rivers" that are most heavily used and impacted.) Withdrawals on Class I streams may not exceed 5 % of the Q99 flow, while withdrawals on "Working rivers" (Class IV) may not exceed 50 % of the Q 99 flow. Whaddya Tink? JBK >>> Martin Mador <mador(a)sbcglobal.net> 9/12/2010 5:00 PM >>> Jim here is the link to the state DEP website. It contains everything relevant from DEP. http://ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2719&q=434018&depNav_GID=1654 The October 13 regs were the agency's proposal after 5 years of study. THen came the hearing and submission of 400 statements, 3/4 of which were generated by us DEP revised the regs in August, making them far weaker, in a strategic move to get them past the Regulations Review Committee of the legislature It will be very difficult for us to get these thru, weak as they are -the water companies hate them. What we really need is comprehensive state-wide planning. These regs are a start, but may actually prevent us from going further. TNC has been a great partner here-they provided the technical expertise. I suggest contacting them. Marty James Kotcon wrote: Could you send me any info or links on the minimum stream flow regs & statute you mention below. The West Virginia Chapter is interested in pursuing something similar.Jim Kotcon304-293-8822 (office), 304-594-3322 (home) --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> Martin Mador <mador(a)sbcglobal.net> ( mailto:mador@sbcglobal.net ) 8/23/2010 4:07 PM >>> 5 years after the legislation passed, the state DEP has finished new streamflow regulations to require minimum flows to maintain river ecology. Due to an amendment to the state constitution, they now go to a committee of the legislature for acceptance. (This would violate separation of powers elsewhere). Second in line behind the water companies to protest even the idea of these regs are the golf courses. So yeah, let's turn them all into (conservation, low impact, cluster) subdivisions. Marty Mador Paula Carrell wrote: --------------------------- cc:Mail Users----------------------------- ** Remember to DELETE the 'Sender: ...' lines above before REPLYing ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- just in case anyone is proposing new golf course in your vicinity . . . from the Associated Press ----- Forwarded by Paula Carrell/Sierraclub on 08/23/2010 10:58 AM ----- From: "Neill Herring" <neillherring(a)earthlink.net> ( mailto:neillherring@earthlink.net ) Date: 08/22/2010 06:31 AM Subject: AP: golf clubs failing all over US http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100821/ap_on_sp_ot/us_closing_country_clubs Sunday, Aug 22, 2010 Posted on Sat, Aug. 21, 2010 US golf clubs in the rough as members drop away By JIM FITZGERALD A few weeds have popped up on the fairways, and summer's heat has scorched the grass here and there, but the golf course at the Hampshire Country Club is still tidy and scenic, its little waterfall still burbling through the rocks. Not that there's anyone around to notice. The Hampshire's 18-hole course on Long Island Sound, along with its tennis courts, pool and restaurant, is closed this year. Members cited rising costs upwards of $25,000 a year for a membership as the roster fell from several hundred at its peak to about 100. "There was a lot of talk last year about the increasing costs, people not sure what they could pay, the assessments always going up," said Barbara Mines, a member for 15 years who lives in a house on the Hampshire course. "I wasn't really surprised when it closed." The same thing has happened in recent years at hundreds of other courses nationwide - even in the golf meccas of Florida, Arizona and California - as the economic meltdown and changes in family dynamics combine to threaten club life. Whether it's a $45,000 initiation fee for a private club or a $5 increase in the cost of a round at a public course, the price of a golf habit is giving some duffers pause. "It's definitely connected to the economic conditions and the ability of potential private club members to pay the fairly significant initiation fees and annual dues," said Jay Mottola, executive director of the Metropolitan Golf Association, representing 120,000 golfers and 500 golf courses in the New York region. In 2009, about 140 of the 16,000 golf facilities in the country closed and 50 opened, said Greg Nathan, a vice president at the National Golf Foundation, which represents 4,000 courses nationwide. Mottola said that the industry has lost 100 clubs a year for the past four years. (The figures count nine-hole courses as half a facility.) Many members who "have had their individual problems with the recession" quit the clubs for financial reasons, Mottola said. Initiation fees for MGA clubs averaged just under $50,000 last year; annual dues were about $10,500. Mottola said while the fees were "trending downward" they remained the highest in the country. The changing lifestyles of family golfers are also at play. "It used to be that the man of the house could just say 'bye, honey,' and go to the club all day Saturday and Sunday," Nathan said. "That dynamic has really changed over the last three or four decades." Some clubs are trying to become more family friendly as a result, allowing adults to bring their kids in while they tee off and opening computer lounges for busy professionals. "You can check your stocks and e-mails before you tee off," said Donald DeMasters, manager of the revamped Brynwood club in suburban Armonk. In areas of the country where golf is played year-round, many courses were built to raise the prices of new houses around them, said Roger Garrett, a Phoenix real estate agent who has sold more than 150 golf courses nationwide. Now, with the housing market depressed, a dozen or more golf properties in Arizona are in foreclosure or bankruptcy proceedings, he said. The family owned Sea Island Co. - with a stretch of private beaches and ancient oaks in coastal southern Georgia - has also filed for federal bankruptcy protection, proposing to sell its resorts and golf courses, where presidents Coolidge, Eisenhower and George W. Bush have been guests. A dwindling in the ranks of golfers followed an oversupply of golf courses and then the great recession hit. Since 2005, when it peaked at 30 million, Nathan said there's been "a slow leak" in the number of U.S. golfers, dropping to 27.1 million in 2009 (including anyone over age 6 who played a round). Rounds played were down 2.7 percent in the first half of this year, Nathan said. A building boom in the 1990s and early 2000s brought an oversupply of both public and private courses. Mottola said courses owned by municipalities are "by and large doing OK." The town of Woodbridge, Conn., bought the Woodbridge Country Club last year for $7 million to keep it from being developed. "We did not want to lose that green space," said First Selectman Ed Sheehy. "...the nice thing is, it's green space with an income stream" - $950,000 the first year, with golfers paying only $3,500 for a full membership. The recession has also taken a toll on public courses. The Links at Shirley, in Shirley, N.Y., which had advertised itself as "a public course with a private feel" has closed. Clubs still need to do more, said golfer Greg Schimoler of Mamaroneck, teeing off at the public Saxon Woods course in Scarsdale. "The social life kids have today is not the country club lifestyle," Schimoler said. Clubs are looking at several strategies to lure people back. At the private Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club in Gold Canyon, Ariz., opens one of its two 18-hole courses to the public each day, said general manager Gene Blum. In addition, the initiation fee was slashed from $100,000 to $15,000 as the club went through bankruptcy proceedings. "It was maybe that or lock the doors," he said. Some private clubs have been able to stay open by selling to investors. The struggling Canyon Club in Armonk was sold last year, renamed Brynwood and turned over to Troon Golf, which manages 200 golf courses. DeMasters, the general manager, said the club now has kids' activities, a fitness center and a computer lounge to make it family friendly and "one-stop shopping." The changes tripled membership from about 100 before the sale to 331, he said. The Muttontown Club in East Norwich temporarily dropped its initiation fees - once as high as $60,000 - and welcomed members from a nearby club that closed, said president Mitchell Mandel. "When things were booming, you add $500 or $1,000 to the dues and it wasn't even an issue," he said. "But in the last three years or so, not only can't you raise dues but people were looking for a reduction." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fwd: Liveblog, Twitter, Dallas Coal Ash Hearing
by James Kotcon 14 Sep '10

14 Sep '10

Here is what the Sierra Club in Texas is doing for their coal ash hearings. Why not WV? JBK >>> Oliver Bernstein <oliver.bernstein(a)SIERRACLUB.ORG> 9/8/2010 9:06 AM >>> FYI ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: de la Fuente, Flavia <flavia.delafuente(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Tue, Sep 7, 2010 at 8:00 PM Subject: Liveblog, Twitter, Dallas Coal Ash Hearing To: #Coal <#Coal(a)sierraclub.org> Hello all, We will be liveblogging the Dallas coal ash hearing at www.texasgreenreport.com and tweeting from @TexasSierraClub on Twitter. Comment, re-tweet, enjoy it from afar... best, -- Flavia de la Fuente The Sierra Club, Organizing Apprentice flavia.delafuente(a)sierraclub.org (949) 910 6362 @Flavia_Isabel - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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

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WSJ: Turning Away from Coal
by Frank Young 13 Sep '10

13 Sep '10

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703579804575441683910246338.h… Turning Away From Coal Utilities are increasingly looking to natural gas to generate electricity SEPTEMBER 13, 2010 By REBECCA SMITH Power companies are increasingly switching to natural gas to fuel their electricity plants, driven by low prices and forecasts of vast supplies for years to come. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images While the trend started in the late 1990s, the momentum is accelerating and comes at the expense of coal. Some utilities are closing coal-fired plants; others are converting them to run on gas. The switch is occurring globally and is getting a push from regulators who want to limit emissions that contribute to climate change, haze and health problems such as respiratory illness. Though efforts in Congress to pass legislation attaching a price to carbon emissions appear stalled for now, utilities still anticipate eventual carbon restrictions. The Tennessee Valley Authority, for example, recently announced a 20-year development plan that emphasizes nuclear and gas, and includes fewer coal units. 'Migration' Occurring "It's pretty clear that, whether it's caused by future carbon legislation or action by the EPA, the migration away from coal has begun," says Constellation Energy Group Chief Executive Mayo Shattuck. Coal-burning facilities are expected to slip to 10% of total new capacity in the U.S. in 2013, down from 18% in 2009, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reports. Gas, meanwhile, is expected to soar to 82% of new capacity in 2013 from 42% last year. Natural gas also has the edge in Europe. In 2009, far more gas- than coal-burning plants were built in the European Union—24% of new capacity versus 8.7%. Journal Reports Read the complete Energy report . In China and India, though, no such shift is occurring—yet. Both nations rely on coal—an abundant local resource—for most of their power and lack the sort of integrated gas-pipeline networks that make switching to gas possible in the U.S. China's government has pledged to roughly double the percentage of electricity the country gets from non-fossil sources, to 15% from 8%, by 2020. But much of that new energy will come from hydropower. India, meanwhile, has agreed to cut its carbon emissions 20% from 2005 levels by 2020. But the country doesn't have enough domestic gas to support a large-scale shift to that fuel, although government agencies are considering increasing imports of liquefied natural gas to take advantage of a growing global glut. The falling price of natural gas in the U.S., to about $4 per one million British thermal units, has helped gas capture an ever-increasing share of power generation. Hardly a week goes by without a company announcing changes that push coal to the sidelines, usually in favor of natural gas, renewables or nuclear plants. Small Won't Survive Most big coal-burning utilities have invested billions of dollars to install pollution-control equipment on their largest coal-fired plants. But they are replacing or idling smaller coal plants for which such expenditures can't be justified. In August, Xcel Energy Inc., based in Minneapolis, notified regulators it wants to close a coal-burning plant in Boulder, Colo., and convert four units at its Cherokee plant in Denver to burn natural gas instead of coal. Xcel says the changes would cost the company $1.3 billion but still would be $225 million cheaper than installing pollution-control equipment on the aging coal units. The program should help satisfy Colorado state goals to reduce releases of nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and mercury. The state is reviewing Xcel's plan, which the utility says could raise customer bills an average of 1% annually for several years. Calpine Corp., Houston, says it will convert to gas some of the coal-fired plants in Delaware and New Jersey that it is buying from Pepco Holdings Inc., in a $1.65 billion deal. The units are older plants that are in need of upgrades. Calpine says it can change the burners for less than it would cost to add pollution-control equipment like scrubbers. Progress Energy Inc. of Raleigh, N.C., intends to close four coal-burning plants and replace two of them with gas-fired plants by 2017. The company says it's cheaper to build gas-fired plants than it is to outfit the coal units with the necessary pollution-control equipment. Other utilities are backing away from coal projects because the recession is giving them more breathing room to figure out other ways to meet future energy needs. For example, CMS Energy Corp., Jackson, Mich., had planned to seek regulatory approval in August to build an 830-megawatt "clean coal" power plant in Bay City, Mich. But it has indefinitely deferred the project, citing slack electricity demand and a forecast for continued low natural-gas prices. As a result, the company says, it's cheaper to buy electricity from others than to build a $2 billion coal plant. "We're going to monitor the gas market," says CMS spokesman Jeff Holyfield. "But for now, it doesn't make sense." Questions of Cost Not everyone is willing to give up on coal, of course. Many big coal-burning utilities are trying to find ways to use coal more cleanly. But even they have suffered setbacks. American Electric Power Co. failed in its bid, in July, to get Virginia customers to pay $54 million of the cost of creating an experimental carbon-capture-and-storage system at its Mountaineer coal-fired plant in West Virginia. The plant is owned by AEP's utilities in Virginia and West Virginia. But the Virginia utility commission said it wasn't fair to levy so much of the expense on Virginians when AEP customers in many other states who were not being charged stood to benefit, too. AEP, based in Columbus, Ohio, is appealing the decision. Duke Energy Corp. has been hurt by escalating costs at a state-of-the-art coal-gasification power plant under construction in Indiana. The Edwardsport plant, which is more than half complete, is expected to cost about $3 billion, or 50% more than the $2 billion original estimate. The new cost estimate exceeds the sum that Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke is being allowed to recover from customers. The Indiana commission was expected to hold hearings this month. Ms. Smith is a staff reporter in The Wall Street Journal's Los Angeles bureau. She can be reached at rebecca.smith(a)wsj.com. BOX Black Days for Coal An analysis of the impact over the next several years if all coal-fired power plants must install sulfur-dioxide scrubbers to meet EPA emissions standards for mercury and acid gases 1,885 million megawatt-hours Coal-fired generation in the U.S. in 2009 47 million MWh Loss of generation expected over next five years due to natural plant retirements 244 million MWh Loss expected because of EPA regulation of sulfur-dioxide and mercury emissions 110 million MWh Gain expected from new coal plants 1,704 million MWh Expected coal-fired generation in 2015 —9.6% Percentage change in coal-fired generation, 2015 versus 2009 Sources: Ventyx, Electric Power Research Institute, Energy Information Administration, Bernstein Research analysis -- Kind Regards, Rory McIlmoil Project Manager, Energy Program Downstream Strategies (w): (304) 292-2450 (c): (304) 376-0045 www.downstreamstrategies.com "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." ~Buckminster Fuller "The progressive state is in reality the cheerful and the hearty state to all the different orders of the society; the stationary is dull; the declining melancholy." ADAM SMITH.

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Description of hydrofracking operation in State Journal
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 13 Sep '10

13 Sep '10

Home <http://www.statejournal.com/index.cfm> > News<http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=showstories&catid=182> [image: Print this story]<http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=85781&printvie…> [image: RSS] <http://feeds.feedburner.com/StateJournalFeaturedContent> [image: Print this Page] *Print this Page* [Back to Site View]<http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=85781&> *A Frack Job Explained * Posted Thursday, September 9, 2010 ; 06:00 AM | View Comments<http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=85781&printvie…>| Post Comment<http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=85781&printvie…> Updated Wednesday, September 8, 2010; 05:31 PM Hydraulic Fracturing — Surface Equipment Photo Credit: Illustrations courtesy of Chesapeake Energy Corp. *Company details the steps it takes to recover natural gas. * By Pam Kasey Email <pkasey(a)statejournal.com> | Bio<http://www.statejournal.com/bios.cfm?func=viewbio&bioid=63>| Other Stories by Pam Kasey<http://www.statejournal.com/bios.cfm?func=viewstories&bioid=63> It's going on all around and beneath us: hydraulic fracturing to release the natural gas trapped a mile down in the Marcellus Shale. No one knows how many wells are being "fracked" in the state at any one time. With permits in the Marcellus numbering several hundred each year, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection, it's at least a few. But how, exactly, does it work? In mid-August, Chesapeake Appalachia took The State Journal to a Marshall County frack job and explained what its crews were doing. As a brief reminder of terms seen often in the media these days, hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of blasting water laced with sand and chemicals into a rock formation to create cracks and release the trapped hydrocarbons. The chemicals make the water thicker, to hold the sand in suspension, and slicker, to speed everything through the pipe, while the sand lodges in the cracks and holds them open. Fracking a well, West Virginians have come to understand, takes lots of water. How much depends on the characteristics of the rock formation and the length of the well bore, but 3 million gallons seems to be a lower bound. For its concentrated Wetzel and Marshall county operations, Chesapeake was drawing water from Fish Creek, according to Completion Superintendent Zack Arnold, whose territory includes Wetzel, Marshall and Upshur counties, as well as southwestern Pennsylvania. But as this dry summer stretched on, the company instead established a water line from the Ohio River to two fresh-water impoundments. That came online in early August. An impoundment holds 80,000 to 100,000 barrels, according to Arnold -- 3.3 million to 4.2 million gallons. *Anatomy of a Frack Job* On Aug. 19 at Chesapeake's Waryck site in Marshall County, the company and its vendors were fracking three well bores that extended in different directions from the same point on the surface and were just finishing the first stage mid-day. A video Chesapeake played before the trip explained that drillers create well bores by first drilling down through and beyond the fresh-water zone and casing that length in cement. They then continue drilling down to about 500 feet above the Marcellus layer. Drillers then angle gradually until they're drilling horizontally within the Marcellus layer, out to 4,000 feet and more -- in each of three directions, in this instance. They case the horizontal sections, or "laterals," in cement and are ready to frack. Fracking begins with perforation, Arnold explained. Operators sent a perforation gun on a 20,000-foot electric line to the end of a lateral and fired it to make holes through the casing and into the surrounding rock. When the farthest sections of all three laterals were "perfed," the perf gun was pulled out. Meanwhile, at the surface, operators mixed water, sand and chemicals in a "blender." Pumps blasted the mixed fracking fluid down through the well bores, one at a time, out through the perforations and into the shale. Those first stages would then be plugged, and second stages -- the next-nearest sections as measured by the length of the perf gun -- could be perfed and fracked. When all stages were finally fracked -- 10 to 12 stages is the current industry standard, Arnold said -- the plugs would be drilled through and fracking fluid, now under pressure in the shale, would come back to the surface as "flowback." Several hundred thousand gallons of flowback for each well would give way progressively over a period of one to two weeks to gas, and the wells would then be producing. *Flowback* Chesapeake's current process is to recycle flowback by hauling it to the next site, filtering it and cutting the remaining brine with fresh water. Although Arnold did not want to say how much water it takes to frack a well, he agreed with a range of 3 million to something less than 10 million gallons. Although he also did not want to say how much of that returns as flowback, he did say it's a small enough percentage that, when filtered and cut with fresh water, it is not too salty to fracture the next well. *Containment* The surface operation involves careful fluid management. Chesapeake's best management practices -- more stringent, Arnold stressed, than those required by the state -- include what he described as three levels of containment. Primary containment is everything after the blender, he said -- all the pipes that carry the fracking fluid. For secondary containment, every part of the operation that holds liquid, fresh water as well as pre- and post-frack fluid, rests on a layer of heavy-duty, textured 60-mil plastic. And tertiary containment involves constructed berms running around particular sections of the operation and around the entire pad. Fluid spilled from anywhere will be contained on the plastic, and the expectation is that operators will be able to pump it up before it tops a berm. One Chesapeake crew has no other duty than to check for good practices, making rounds at each active site about once a week; in addition, an on-site crew from an outside vendor spends its time checking the berm and plastic for holes. The state requires spills that leave containment to be reported, but Chesapeake reports every spill even if it stays within containment, Arnold said. *Copyright 2010 West Virginia Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.* Most Popular Stories on STATEJOURNAL.com Most Discussed Stories on STATEJOURNAL.com 1. 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Moves Slowly in Considering Possible Drilling in State Forests <http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=85774> 5. Groups Brainstorm Oil and Gas Rules for W.Va. <http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=85782> ------------------------------ *User Comments* [ post comment<http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=85781&printvie…>] [image: User Comment] *lets be honest* 9/12/10 at 11:11 PM Report Abuse Just so everyone is aware, I read a few articles where it states that each of the Marcellus wells can be frac'd up to 18 times. Which means the trucks will never stop, the land will never have a chance to heal and we will be constantly fearful of contamination. Then to even get better it states that after the Marcellus is dried up, they'll start drilling the Utica Shale which is even deeper. This is not a one time thing to live through. [image: User Comment] *gashound* 9/11/10 at 11:47 AM Report Abuse The number not willing to sign is very small. All you need to do is to take a trip to the courthouse and see for yourself how many have already signed. You will be shocked. [image: User Comment] *marilyn k hunt* 9/11/10 at 11:08 AM Report Abuse Many people who own mineral rights are saying no to contamination and drilling on their property. why? because it is immoral to do something evil for money and real Americans do not sell out their country to Chinese investment banks. our system of government and investment is competing in an economic war with countries which basically just print money with no reserves. how does it feel to know that the Marcellus Shale assets are being sold to foreign countries..Soon you will not have to dig too deep to get to China. Congress is beginning a new roud of hearings into this horrible exploitation of our countries resources...collaborators must be brought to trial for destroying lives and property. They have lied about who they are and what they are doing. [image: User Comment] *gashound* 9/10/10 at 10:07 PM Report Abuse For or against drilling, we all should agree on at least one thing, Senate Bill 617 should be shot down ! Why? If you own an undivided interest in minerals and are looking to sign a lease, this Bill will allow companies to drill, even if only one of the undivided interest owners have signed a lease. Chances are, this signed owner has signed a lease with no protections for the land ! This means any of the remaining unsigned owners will fall under the terms of this lease, along with not being able to negotiate any bonus or royalty. This will cost the state millions !!! Now, if you are against drilling, you need to understand that drilling is happening and will continue to happen. So, if you can't stop it, you need to do what you can to make it as environmentaly friendly as possible. If senate Bill 617 passes, this will allow drilling companies to proceed base on the many, many poorly negotiated leases that have no protections added into them. Without the Bill passing, the remaing owners will be able to add protections into thier lease and the compainies will have to abide by the terms of these leases. All it takes is one owner to have the protections in his or her lease and it will override all other leases !!! So everyone needs to contact their Senate Members and tell them to KILL BILL 617. I hope each and everyone of you understand the importance of stopping Bill 617. Thank You All, gashound [image: User Comment] *do what?* 9/10/10 at 5:32 PM Report Abuse ISN'T A FRACK JOB WHAT LT NORRIS WAS GETTING FROM THAT UNDERAGE GIRL IN A GOV CAR? [image: User Comment] *concerned* 9/10/10 at 10:56 AM Report Abuse To whom thinks fracking is a good idea please watch the documentary Gasland it was on hbo but go to youtube and search Gasland you will change your mind about this drilling or fracking in your backyard. people are getting cancer, brain tumors,animals are dying all the water is contaminated the water stinks, bubbles and YES you can light tap water out of the spicket on fire please look you have nothing to lose but everything to gain from educating yourself on this fracking im just a guy concerned for all of us are kids and grandkids. Thank You Brian for trying to educate these people on fracking everything you said is absalutly true [image: User Comment] *Uncle Sam* 9/10/10 at 3:28 AM Report Abuse Brian, you don't have mineral rights leased to Chesapeake do you? The protesters are jealous neighbors of mineral rights owners. There's an opportunity for many West Virginians to become wealthy and some who will not profit from the Marcellus Shale want to stand in the way. The protesters are jealous people. [image: User Comment] *gashound* 9/9/10 at 8:56 PM Report Abuse Brian, if you feel this way about drilling and fracking then why are you doing it ? Something is wrong with this picture !!! [image: User Comment] *Brian* 9/9/10 at 1:25 PM Report Abuse ive worked with chesapeake in marshall co pumping water and working flowback. they store the water in 500 barrel frac tanks (~45 gal per barrel). ive seen jobs that take as many as 80 of these tanks, all filled with fresh water that was pumped from local steams and creeks. they mix chemicals with the fresh water and send it down-hole. after frac'ing is complete, they flow it back. from the jobs id been on, id estimate that only about 5-10% of the chemical-laced water ever comes back up from the well. the rest of it just sets in the ground and leaches into the formations. the residual water is a concern because studies show that it can, and does leach into the water table deep in the ground. do some googling about water contamination and horizontal drilling. many years ago in texas and oklahoma, farmers were having their livestock die off after drinking contaminated water. another common result from these practices is 'fire water' (not the liquor). people can run water from their sink into a jar, then light the water on fire. it burns due to leeched natural gas and methane. there are also concerns over higher levels of heavy metals in the effected water tables. for many years leading up to 2005, horizontal drilling was federally banned due to these concerns. but wouldnt you know it, bush/cheney rammed through the energy act of 2005, which made it legal for this to go on again. but anyway, 10% TOPS return on flowback. the rest sets underground and leeches. dont buy the BS that they dont know the effects of what they are doing either. it was previously banned for a reason. ------------------------------ *Post Your Comments* * All fields are Required * Name: Email: A valid email address is required to allow State Journal to monitor comments and track users posting inappropriate comments. State Journal does not use these for any type of SPAM operation. Comments: Security Code: Enter the code exactly as you see it above. NOTE: You may refresh the page to load a new Confirmation Code if this one is unreadable. I have read and agree to the JOURNAL Commenting Policy<http://www.statejournal.com/commentsPolicy.cfm> *NOTE:* It is unlawful to disclose personal information, including names, of minors under 18 involved in any criminal action. Other News Categories ------------------------------ *Money* <http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=showstories&catid=379> Maier Acquires Historic C&O Railroad Station in Charleston<http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=85883&catid=182> Estate Tax on Its Way Back in 2011 <http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=84255&catid=182>

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Fw: Alliance Hiring new coordinator
by Jim Sconyers 10 Sep '10

10 Sep '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Bill Price <bill.price(a)sierraclub.org> To: Jim Sconyers <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com>; Bill DePaulo <william.depaulo(a)gmail.com>; Karen Grubb <karen.grubb(a)fairmontstate.edu>; Kevin Fooce <fmoose39(a)hotmail.com>; Rodger Dotson <bhaddaka(a)yahoo.com>; Heather Heilman <heatherheilman(a)yahoo.com>; Jim Kotcon <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu> Sent: Fri, September 10, 2010 11:31:35 AM Subject: Alliance Hiring new coordinator Job description is attached. Please distribute far and wide. Bill Price, Sierra Club EJ Program 922 Quarrier Street, Suite 304 Charleston, WV 25311 Cell 304-389-8822 Fax 304-342-3182 Voices from the Mountains-September 25-27th For more information go to www.appalachiarising.org

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Marcellus boom makes state man multimillionaire (22 times over!)
by Frank Young 10 Sep '10

10 Sep '10

Blank September 9, 2010 Marcellus boom makes state man multimillionaire NEW MARTINSVILLE, W.Va. -- The rush to tap the Marcellus shale natural gas field has made one West Virginia landowner a millionaire -- 22 times over. By The Associated Press The Associated Press AdvertiserNEW MARTINSVILLE, W.Va. -- The rush to tap the Marcellus shale natural gas field has made one West Virginia landowner a millionaire -- 22 times over. Ed Broome, who owns an oil and gas company of his own in Glenville, says Chesapeake Energy offered him $22 million for 22,000 acres of oil and gas rights in Wetzel County. Broome told The Intelligencer of Wheeling he knew it was a good deal. He didn't pay anything close to that in the mid-1990s. Broome's land is on 250 plots stretching from New Martinsville to the borders of Marion and Monongalia counties. Oklahoma-based Chesapeake says it won't comment on deals it makes. Broome, who lives in Glenville, says it was just the right time to sell. http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201009090256

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Coal Ash - NYT article and DEP study
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 10 Sep '10

10 Sep '10

[image: The New York Times] <http://www.nytimes.com/> ------------------------------ January 7, 2009 Hundreds of Coal Ash Dumps Lack Regulation By SHAILA DEWAN<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/d/shaila_dewan/i…> [image: 07sludge_600.JPG] The coal ash pond that ruptured and sent a billion gallons of toxic sludge across 300 acres of East Tennessee last month was only one of more than 1,300 similar dumps across the United States — most of them unregulated and unmonitored — that contain billions more gallons of fly ash and other byproducts of burning coal. Like the one in Tennessee<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/national/usstatesterritoriesandpossessio…>, most of these dumps, which reach up to 1,500 acres, contain heavy metals like arsenic, lead, mercury and selenium, which are considered by the Environmental Protection Agency<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/e/environ…>to be a threat to water supplies and human health. Yet they are not subject to any federal regulation, which experts say could have prevented the spill, and there is little monitoring of their effects on the surrounding environment. In fact, coal ash is used throughout the country for construction fill, mine reclamation and other “beneficial uses.” In 2007, according to a coal industry estimate, 50 tons of fly ash even went to agricultural uses, like improving soil’s ability to hold water, despite a 1999 E.P.A. warning about high levels of arsenic. The industry has promoted the reuse of coal combustion products because of the growing amount of them being produced each year — 131 million tons in 2007, up from less than 90 million tons in 1990. The amount of coal ash has ballooned in part because of increased demand for electricity, but more because air pollution controls have improved. Contaminants and waste products that once spewed through the coal plants’ smokestacks are increasingly captured in the form of solid waste, held in huge piles in 46 states, near cities like Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Tampa, Fla., and on the shores of Lake Erie, Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. Numerous studies have shown that the ash can leach toxic substances that can cause cancer, birth defects and other health problems in humans, and can decimate fish, bird and frog populations in and around ash dumps, causing developmental problems like tadpoles born without teeth, or fish with severe spinal deformities. “Your household garbage is managed much more consistently” than coal combustion waste, said Dr. Thomas A. Burke, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who testified on the health effects of coal ash before a Congressional subcommittee last year. “It’s such a large volume of waste, and it’s so essential to the country’s energy supply; it’s basically been a loophole in the country’s waste management strategy.” As the E.P.A. has studied whether to regulate coal ash waste, the cases of drinking wells and surface water contaminated by leaching from the dumps or the use of the ash has swelled. In 2007, an E.P.A. report identified 63 sites in 26 states where the water was contaminated by heavy metals from such dumps, including three other Tennessee Valley Authority dumps. Environmental advocacy groups have submitted at least 17 additional cases that they say should be added to that list. Just last week, a judge approved a $54 million class-action settlement against Constellation Power Generation after it had dumped coal ash for more than a decade in a sand and gravel pit near Gambrills, Md., about 20 miles south of Baltimore, contaminating wells. And Town of Pines, Ind., a hamlet about 40 miles east of Chicago, was declared a Superfund site after wells there were found to be contaminated by ash dumped in a landfill and used to make roads starting in 1983. Contamination can be swift. In Chesapeake, Va., high levels of lead, arsenic and other contaminants were found last year in the groundwater beneath a golf course sculptured with 1.5 million tons of fly ash, the same type of coal ash involved in the Tennessee spill. The golf course opened in 2007. State requirements for the handling of coal ash vary widely. Some states, like Alabama, do not regulate it at all, except by means of federally required water discharge permits. In Texas, the vast majority of coal ash is not considered a solid waste, according to a review of state regulations by environmental groups. There are no groundwater monitoring or engineering requirements for utilities that dump the ash on site, as most utilities do, the analysis says. The lack of uniform regulation stems from the E.P.A.’s inaction on the issue, which it has been studying for 28 years. In 2000, the agency came close to designating coal ash a hazardous waste, but backpedaled in the face of an industry campaign that argued that tighter controls would cost it $5 billion a year. (In 2007, the Department of Energy estimated that it would cost $11 billion a year.) At the time, the E.P.A. said it would issue national regulations governing the disposal of coal ash as a nonhazardous waste, but it has not done so. “We’re still working on coming up with those standards,” said Matthew Hale, director of the office of solid waste at the E.P.A. “We don’t have a schedule at this point.” Last year, the agency invited public comment on new data on coal combustion wastes, including a finding that the concentrations of arsenic to which people might be exposed through drinking water contaminated by fly ash could increase cancer risks several hundredfold. If such regulations were issued, the agency could require that utilities dispose of dry ash in lined landfills, considered the most environmentally sound method of disposal, but also the most expensive. A 2006 federal report found that at least 45 percent of relatively new disposal sites did not use composite liners, the only kind that the E.P.A. says diminishes the leaching of cancer-causing metals to acceptable risk levels. The vast majority of older disposal sites are unlined. Most coal ash is stored wet in ponds, like the one in Tennessee, almost always located on waterways because they need to take in and release water. But scientists say that the key to the safe disposal of coal ash is to keep it away from water, by putting dry ash into landfills with caps, linings and collection systems for contaminated water. Environmentalists, scientists and other experts say that regulations could have prevented the Tennessee spill. Andrew Wittner, an economist who was working in the E.P.A.’s office of solid waste in 2000 when the issue of whether to designate coal ash as hazardous was being debated, said the agency came close to prohibiting ash ponds like the one at Kingston. “We were going to suggest that these materials not be wet-handled, and that existing surface impoundments should be drained,” Mr. Wittner said. If storing coal ash were more expensive, environmental advocates say, utilities might be pushed to find more ways to recycle it safely. Experts say that some “beneficial uses” of coal ash can be just that, like substituting ash for cement in concrete, which binds the heavy metals and prevents them from leaching, or as a base for roads, where the ash is covered by an impermeable material. But using the ash as backfill or to level abandoned mines requires intensive study and monitoring, which environmentalists say is rarely done right. The industry takes the position that states can regulate the disposal of coal ash on their own, and it has come up with a voluntary plan to close some gaps, like in the monitoring of older disposal sites. “There probably isn’t a need for a comprehensive regulatory approach to coal ash in light of what the states have and our action plan,” said Jim Roewer, the executive director of the Utility Solid Wastes Activity Group. Mr. Roewer said there was a trend toward dry ash disposal in lined landfills, though that trend was not identified in the 2006 federal report on disposal methods. Environmentalists are skeptical of the industry’s voluntary self-policing plan and the states’ ability to tighten controls. “The states have proven that they can’t regulate this waste adequately, and that’s seen in the damage that is occurring all over the United States,” said Lisa Evans, a former E.P.A. lawyer who now works on hazardous-waste issues for the environmental advocacy group Earthjustice. “If the states could regulate the industry appropriately, they would have done so by now.” Utility companies are often aware of problems with their disposal system, Ms. Evans said, but they put off improvements because of the cost. The Tennessee Valley Authority, which owns the Kingston Fossil Plant, where the Tennessee spill occurred, tried for decades to fix leaks at its ash pond. In 2003, it considered switching to dry disposal, but balked at the estimated cost of $25 million, according to a report in The Knoxville News Sentinel. That is less than the cost of cleaning up an ash spill in Pennsylvania in 2005 that was a 10th of the size of the one in Tennessee.

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Fw: 2011 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Proposals Now Being Accepted
by Jim Sconyers 09 Sep '10

09 Sep '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: David Foster <event-information(a)certain.com> To: Jim Sconyers <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> Sent: Wed, September 8, 2010 2:37:36 PM Subject: 2011 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Proposals Now Being Accepted Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference and Expo 2010 Dear Jim, We are now accepting proposals for the 2011 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference taking place February 8-10 in Washington, D.C. Read the submission guidelines and fill out the online submission form. The 2011 Conference will focus on putting into practice the ideas and strategies for a new green economy - and creating good, green jobs - around the country. We will highlight successful state and local initiatives, emerging and growing green sectors, efforts to create a Green Infrastructure Model through smart transportation and urban development, successful work development programs, model partnerships between government, the private sector and local interests - all demonstrating the breadth of the coalition working to build a green economy and to create the good jobs that come along with it. We hope you will consider submitting a proposal. The success of the 2010 Conference was due in large part to the exciting workshops and panels that helped turn ideas into action to build a new, green economy. For more information on the2011 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference and the Request for Proposals, visit www.greenjobsconference.org. I look forward to seeing you in February. Sincerely, David Foster, BlueGreen Alliance P.S. Don't forget to forward this email to friends and colleagues to let them know about this unique opportunity. Registration Powered by Certain Meetings Event Management Software :: Online Event Management :: Online Registration Meeting Management Software :: Conference Registration :: Event Planner Software © 2009 Certain Software ®, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy.

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Fw: HIRING: Coordinator for The Alliance for Appalachia
by Frank Young 07 Sep '10

07 Sep '10

I have been asked to help distribute the following notice: The Alliance for Appalachia is hiring a new coordinator. Please help us spread the word by passing onto your networks. The job description is included below and attached. Applications will be accepted until September 24th. For more information, email Hiring(a)TheAllianceForAppalachia.org, call (304) 546-8473, or send application letter, resume, and 3 references to Hiring(a)TheAllianceForAppalachia.org The Alliance For Appalachia Job Announcement Applications accepted until September 24th BACKGROUND: The Alliance For Appalachia is a regional alliance with the goal of ending mountaintop removal coal mining. The Alliance For Appalachia began in 2006 and consists of thirteen organizations across five states. We are pursuing a multi-dimensional campaign to stop mountaintop removal and create a clean, healthy, sustainable, and just Appalachia by phasing out our dependence on coal and phasing in a sustainable economy for the mountains and survivable energy sources for our region and the nation. The Alliance is governed by a Steering Committee made up of one representative and an alternate from each of the thirteen member organizations. We have Coordinating Committee and Work Teams on legislative strategy, enforcement strategy, economic conversion, as well as other ad-hoc teams working on special projects. We are pursing a number of complementary strategies including grassroots organizing, leadership development, strategic communications, alliance building, research, and more. We believe that our campaign to abolish mountaintop removal mining can be an important element of the national effort for progressive, systemic change in our nation’s energy, economic, and environmental policies. By highlighting the dangers and true costs of our dependence on coal, we can help move the nation away from our current extraction economy and toward a new ethic of conservation, efficiency and renewable energy. Title: The Alliance for Appalachia Coordinator Duration: Full-Time Reports to: The Steering Committee of The Alliance, with direct oversight furnished by the Coordinating Committee of The Alliance Scope: Plans, organizes and coordinates the activities of The Alliance for Appalachia in carrying out the assigned campaigns and programs in the region. Participates in the development of strategies and priorities and implements strategy developed by the Steering Committee. Activities: · Coordinates meeting and event logistics, including all Alliance Committee meetings and conference calls. § Coordinates Alliance participation and travel logistics for key events, including the annual End Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington and trainings. § Implements fundraising strategy with appropriate Alliance committee oversight. § Works with Alliance leaders to coordinate facilitation of calls, meetings, etc. § Takes notes of all meetings and is responsible for follow through on actions/decisions of The Alliance § Responsible for administrative duties and internal communications among all entities of The Alliance § Prepares a quarterly report for the Steering Committee. § Works closely with The Alliance member groups to nurture positive working relationships among member groups and with national and regional allies § Responsible for electronic communications, basic research and maintaining The Alliance web presence. § Coordinates media outreach with the appropriate Alliance Committees. § Heavier seasonal workloads may occur as a result of project deadlines and during peak activity periods, such as during the annual Week in Washington and training weekends. Weekend and/or evening work required. Must have the ability to travel Skills/Qualifications: § Experienced in working with non-profit organizations; experienced in working in coalitions. § Knowledge of mountaintop removal concerns and other issues impacting residents of Central Appalachia. § Good time management skills, must be a self-starter § Good written and verbal communication skills including some facilitation experience § Experienced in working with a wide variety of volunteers, community leaders and staff. § Willing to travel and be flexible about time. § Good computer skills Compensation: Commensurate with experience. Competitive benefits package, including full family health insurance. We provide annual cost of living adjustments and annual salary bumps to credit experience. Time off includes fifteen vacation days per year, ten holidays, nine sick days and three personal days. We have a compensation time policy and a one month maternity/paternity/family leave policy. Location: Central or Southern Appalachian area, specifically near the coalfield areas of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia Please submit resume, writing sample, two professional and one personal reference to: Hiring(a)TheAllianceForAppalachia.org For a description of The Alliance for Appalachia member groups go to: www.TheAllianceForAppalachia.org The Alliance for Appalachia is an equal opportunity employer. Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply. Dana Kuhnline Alliance for Appalachia PO Box 11701 Charleston, WV 25339 Call: (304) 546-8473 Fax: (304) 342-3182 www.ilovemountains.org www.theallianceforappalachia.org It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little. Sydney Smith

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MTR banks
by Frank Young 31 Aug '10

31 Aug '10

Blank"Several lenders, including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and others, have developed internal lending policies that limit or eliminate their relationships with mining outfits that engage in mountaintop removal mining, which is precisely as it sounds: mining companies simply blast off mountaintops to quickly (and cheaply) gain access to coal seams, dumping the debris in valleys below. "The banks appear to be wagering that mountaintop removal has become sufficiently objectionable that it threatens their reputations if they’re seen as connected to it — something opponents have become all too happy to expose. "The policies also suggest that the environmental risk divisions within these banks believe that the regulatory noose is tightening around this and other forms of extreme surface mining — making it a risky investment on its face." More at: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/new-fault-lines-in-mountaintop-co…

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Earthquakes may be tied to gas drilling activity
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 25 Aug '10

25 Aug '10

I sort of suspected this may be the case with the Braxton Country quakes: http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=16275 -Jonathan

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Free Bus to Allalachia Rising
by Jim Sconyers 20 Aug '10

20 Aug '10

Get on the Bus! Free Bus to Appalachia Rising in Washington Sept. 26/27. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: WVNS story: Is West Virginia Ready for Wave of Marcellus Drilling?
by Paul Wilson 19 Aug '10

19 Aug '10

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 5:02 AM Subject: WVNS story: Is West Virginia Ready for Wave of Marcellus Drilling? To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Public News Service-WV August 19, 2010 Is West Virginia Ready for Wave of Marcellus Drilling? CHARLESTON, W.Va. - According to national and state observers, West Virginia is not ready to deal with the effects of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Nationally, there has been a 40 percent increase in gas drilling in the last six years, a large part of it in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Ohio. Documentary director Josh Fox is bringing his film, "Gasland," to Buckhannon this weekend. While making it, he researched the wave of new drilling in many states. "Every place I went was the same story: water contamination and citizens outraged, feeling that they were being overrun because they lost control of their property, feeling that they'd lost control of their lives." Industry supporters point to the economic growth that comes with the new wells, but long-term, the damage could cost more, Fox warns. He praises New York state for putting a one-year moratorium on new drilling. The West Virginia Department of Transportation just announced that drillers will have to put up bonds to pay for possible damage to roads caused by the heavy equipment. But according to Shanda Minney, executive director of the *West Virginia Rivers Coalition*, the state Department of Environmental Protection is unready. "We're absolutely unprepared. We don't have enough inspectors on the ground, and the ones we do have are spread very thinly." In the last two years, Pennsylvania has gone from 36 drilling inspectors to 121. In the same time, West Virginia went from 17 to 21. Fox says he started work on the film so people in various areas could see the national pattern. "That's why I made the film, to connect all these different areas. To show that what was happening in rural West Virginia and rural Pennsylvania was the same thing the same thing happening in Dallas-Fort Worth, the same thing happening in rural Wyoming, same thing happening in Colorado." Fox will introduce his film at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 22 at the West Virginia Wesleyan College Performing Arts Center (PAC). 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/15541-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/15541-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Fwd: WVNS story: Cap & Trade Not Raising Electricity Prices In The Northeast
by James Kotcon 18 Aug '10

18 Aug '10

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 4:13 AM Subject: WVNS story: Cap & Trade Not Raising Electricity Prices In The Northeast To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Public News Service-WV August 18, 2010 Cap & Trade Not Raising Electricity Prices In The Northeast CHARLESTON, W. Va. - While climate legislation is stalled in the U.S. Senate, a cap-and-trade system is up and running in much of the Northeast. It's called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), "Reggie" for short. Ten states from Maryland to Maine put a cap on how much carbon can be generated by electric utilities, with a market on carbon emissions among those utilities. Peter Shattuck is a carbon markets policy analyst for Environment Northeast. He says RGGI has already begun to cut emissions and raise millions for developing cleaner forms of energy, without increasing power prices for consumers. "It's showing that cap-and-trade can work, that the sky does not fall down. Electricity prices have actually come down since the start of the program — which is not exclusively due to RGGI, but is encouraging." According to Andrew Light, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a national cap-and-trade system will be needed to meet the country's commitment to reducing emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. However, he believes individual states' plans and regional agreements, such as RGGI, can go a long way toward meeting that goal. "Collectively, together, those will amount to a reduction of about seven percent below 2005 levels by 2020. And so, that's going to be absolutely necessary for the United States to demonstrate any progress internationally." Light also thinks a federal system is better because it would make the policy more uniform and predictable. He says the success of RGGI could be duplicated in similar systems being worked out in Western and Midwestern states — or on an even larger scale. "Really, we might even see a national program that's actually modeled after RGGI coming forward, given that it's probably going to be the first viable American system that we'll see actually in action." The U.S. House passed a climate bill with a national cap-and-trade plan more than a year ago. Opponents have said it would be costly to implement, and bad for business and consumers. Shattuck says RGGI shows those fears are exaggerated. 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/15516-1 ( http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/15516-1 ) --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org ( mailto:remove@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 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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

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Re: [EC] Sierra Club chapter website...
by Paul Wilson 18 Aug '10

18 Aug '10

Greetings, y'all: I have jumped the gun a bit due to my imminent departure for a family emergency. I have posted the September - October MSS on the website, plus I have updated the outings and SierraFest pages and added a Left Nav link for the Marcellus Shale Gas campaign plus its related secondary page. Look 'em over! If you have any changes/additions, please get them to me by tonight or early tomorrow. I will be leaving either Friday or Sunday. I will have email access, but no way to spend a lot of time on web stuff. As always, contact me if you have any questions. best, 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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WVNS story: Cap & Trade Not Raising Electricity Prices In The Northeast
by Frank Young 18 Aug '10

18 Aug '10

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Aug 18, 2010 4:13 AM Subject: WVNS story: Cap & Trade Not Raising Electricity Prices In The Northeast To: HughRogers <hugh.rogers(a)gmail.com> Public News Service-WV August 18, 2010 Cap & Trade Not Raising Electricity Prices In The Northeast CHARLESTON, W. Va. - While climate legislation is stalled in the U.S. Senate, a cap-and-trade system is up and running in much of the Northeast. It's called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), "Reggie" for short. Ten states from Maryland to Maine put a cap on how much carbon can be generated by electric utilities, with a market on carbon emissions among those utilities. Peter Shattuck is a carbon markets policy analyst for Environment Northeast. He says RGGI has already begun to cut emissions and raise millions for developing cleaner forms of energy, without increasing power prices for consumers. "It's showing that cap-and-trade can work, that the sky does not fall down. Electricity prices have actually come down since the start of the program — which is not exclusively due to RGGI, but is encouraging." According to Andrew Light, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a national cap-and-trade system will be needed to meet the country's commitment to reducing emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. However, he believes individual states' plans and regional agreements, such as RGGI, can go a long way toward meeting that goal. "Collectively, together, those will amount to a reduction of about seven percent below 2005 levels by 2020. And so, that's going to be absolutely necessary for the United States to demonstrate any progress internationally." Light also thinks a federal system is better because it would make the policy more uniform and predictable. He says the success of RGGI could be duplicated in similar systems being worked out in Western and Midwestern states — or on an even larger scale. "Really, we might even see a national program that's actually modeled after RGGI coming forward, given that it's probably going to be the first viable American system that we'll see actually in action." The U.S. House passed a climate bill with a national cap-and-trade plan more than a year ago. Opponents have said it would be costly to implement, and bad for business and consumers. Shattuck says RGGI shows those fears are exaggerated. 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/15516-1 --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org and put the word "remove" in the subject line. __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Fwd: Yahoo! News Story - AP Enterprise: Old-style coal plants expanding - Yahoo! News
by James Kotcon 17 Aug '10

17 Aug '10

I recall an early estimate that, of the 151 plants on the drawing boards, about 80 % would drop out of the race. These statistics suggest that all we have done is help "thin the herd" as the top 20 % are now operating or under construction. It seems clear that these new plants are operating under the assumption that they can pass on any carbon capture costs to customers. Perhaps we need to put the financial risks back on the investors, and push the PSC to require stockholders to share the risk of any carbon control costs for plants built after 1992 (That was the year that President George Bush signed the Rio Treaty pledging the US to prevent "dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system".) The advantage of such a campaign is that it shifts the debate from the question of "whether to do anything about climate change", to "who pays for it". And I suspect that a lot of consumers do not want stockholders of out-of-state corporations to get rich at their expense. JBK >>> Jim Sconyers 08/17/10 3:24 PM >>> Saw this. Good reporting as we congratulate ourselves on all the canceled coal-fired plants. Here we have inexorable expansion of GHG emissions. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. From: Paul Wilson To: WV Chapter Energy Committee Sent: Tue, August 17, 2010 3:17:04 PM Subject: [EC] Fwd: Yahoo! News Story - AP Enterprise: Old-style coal plants expanding - Yahoo! News fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ross Geredien <goodmigrations(a)yahoo.com> Date: Tue, Aug 17, 2010 at 8:59 AM Subject: Yahoo! News Story - AP Enterprise: Old-style coal plants expanding - Yahoo! News To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Ross Geredien (goodmigrations(a)yahoo.com) has sent you a news article. (Email address has not been verified.) ------------------------------------------------------------ Personal message: AP Enterprise: Old-style coal plants expanding - Yahoo! News http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100817/ap_on_re_us/us_old_coal ============================================================ Yahoo! News http://news.yahoo.com/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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 Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ -- 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: Arizona energy update
by James Kotcon 17 Aug '10

17 Aug '10

Attached is an "Energy Update" from the Arizona Chapter. This electronic newsletter goes out monthly to their energy activists. Is this something we should do in WV? If so, is anyone interested in taking this on as a task? This would be a great job for the "activist in training" because you would learn so much about the Chapter's work, without really having to do any of it! :-) JBK

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Fwd: Yahoo! News Story - AP Enterprise: Old-style coal plants expanding - Yahoo! News
by Paul Wilson 17 Aug '10

17 Aug '10

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ross Geredien <goodmigrations(a)yahoo.com> Date: Tue, Aug 17, 2010 at 8:59 AM Subject: Yahoo! News Story - AP Enterprise: Old-style coal plants expanding - Yahoo! News To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Ross Geredien (goodmigrations(a)yahoo.com) has sent you a news article. (Email address has not been verified.) ------------------------------------------------------------ Personal message: AP Enterprise: Old-style coal plants expanding - Yahoo! News http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100817/ap_on_re_us/us_old_coal ============================================================ Yahoo! News http://news.yahoo.com/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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 Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ -- 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] State of WV hopes to buy gas well water?
by DSGJr＠aol.com 16 Aug '10

16 Aug '10

Mark's comments don't quite get this right. The brine they are talking about is not from Marcellus wells, but from conventional producing wells. It is not known to be "laced with known cancer causing agents." And the AOP treatment plant is in Fairmont, not the Northern Panhandle. The state has been using oil field brine on roads in the winter, off and on, for about 20 years. From what I have been told, it doesn't work as well as regular salt. don garvin In a message dated 8/15/2010 5:12:09 P.M. Mountain Standard Time, fyoung(a)mountain.net writes: To spread on icy highways, no less. And then where does it go? As the slogan says, "Don't Frack With Our Water"! See below. ----- Original Message ----- From: _Mark Blumenstein_ (mailto:markb@mountain.net) To: _WVENVIRO(a)googlegroups.com_ (mailto:WVENVIRO@googlegroups.com) Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 9:26 AM Subject: Insane ! This is insane ! DOH to spread fluid laced with know cancer causing agents on roads to deice in Winter! Spreading the toxins across the landscape to enter our rivers and water supply ..... This stuff is what killed all in Dunkard Creek months back ...... This only aides the gas drillers . in trying to solve the problem of where to Fracking fluid will go . Now we know.. THere is only one official Fracking water treatment plant in the state and thats in the Northern panhandle! Joes a gas man ..... August 13, 2010 State to use gas-well brine on winter roads By The Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Salty wastewater from natural-gas wells may end up on West Virginia roads this winter under a new agreement between the state departments of Environmental Protection and Transportation. The agreement to let highway crews use the brine to treat snow- and ice-coated roads establishes new limits for pH, iron, barium, lead, oil and grease, benzene and ethylbenzene. DOT spokesman Brent Walker said the brine can also be mixed with rock salt to prevent clumping or sprayed on roads before precipitation. The Division of Highways will take bids for brine supply and is hoping to pay about 5 cents a gallon, Walker said. It plans to distribute about 1.2 million gallons to 123 sites around the state to start the season. Highway crews had been relying on brine made with rock salt mined from the Great Lakes region. "That ended up containing a fair amount of soil, and with that you get iron and other metals," said Scott Mandirola, head of the DEP's Division of Water and Waste Management. "It was going relatively unchecked. We sat down and looked at some specs and came up with some limits that were better than the quality of what was currently being used." Mandirola said some of the brine could run off into state waterways -- but that's always happened, and deicing is necessary for public safety. "What we came up with here is equal to or better than what's been happening," he said. The brine will come from producing wells, Mandirola said, not from the hydraulic fracturing of Marcellus Shale wells. That fluid, used in unconventional horizontal drilling, contains additives that make it thicker and slicker. That fracking water also could contain naturally occurring radioactive material, which Mandirola said has been found in some spots in Pennsylvania.

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State of WV hopes to buy gas well water?
by Frank Young 16 Aug '10

16 Aug '10

To spread on icy highways, no less. And then where does it go? As the slogan says, "Don't Frack With Our Water"! See below. ----- Original Message ----- From: Mark Blumenstein To: WVENVIRO(a)googlegroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 9:26 AM Subject: Insane ! This is insane ! DOH to spread fluid laced with know cancer causing agents on roads to deice in Winter! Spreading the toxins across the landscape to enter our rivers and water supply ..... This stuff is what killed all in Dunkard Creek months back ...... This only aides the gas drillers . in trying to solve the problem of where to Fracking fluid will go . Now we know.. THere is only one official Fracking water treatment plant in the state and thats in the Northern panhandle! Joes a gas man ..... August 13, 2010 State to use gas-well brine on winter roads By The Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Salty wastewater from natural-gas wells may end up on West Virginia roads this winter under a new agreement between the state departments of Environmental Protection and Transportation. The agreement to let highway crews use the brine to treat snow- and ice-coated roads establishes new limits for pH, iron, barium, lead, oil and grease, benzene and ethylbenzene. DOT spokesman Brent Walker said the brine can also be mixed with rock salt to prevent clumping or sprayed on roads before precipitation. The Division of Highways will take bids for brine supply and is hoping to pay about 5 cents a gallon, Walker said. It plans to distribute about 1.2 million gallons to 123 sites around the state to start the season. Highway crews had been relying on brine made with rock salt mined from the Great Lakes region. "That ended up containing a fair amount of soil, and with that you get iron and other metals," said Scott Mandirola, head of the DEP's Division of Water and Waste Management. "It was going relatively unchecked. We sat down and looked at some specs and came up with some limits that were better than the quality of what was currently being used." Mandirola said some of the brine could run off into state waterways -- but that's always happened, and deicing is necessary for public safety. "What we came up with here is equal to or better than what's been happening," he said. The brine will come from producing wells, Mandirola said, not from the hydraulic fracturing of Marcellus Shale wells. That fluid, used in unconventional horizontal drilling, contains additives that make it thicker and slicker. That fracking water also could contain naturally occurring radioactive material, which Mandirola said has been found in some spots in Pennsylvania.

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huge solar PV project in Morgantown
by Jim Sconyers 15 Aug '10

15 Aug '10

Here's a pic of the new solar PV facility at the Book Exchange in Evansdale - so far the largest solar project in WV. Brought to us by Matt Sherald and PIMBY. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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NYTimes.com: A Battle in Mining Country Pits Coal Against Wind
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 15 Aug '10

15 Aug '10

This page was sent to you by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com. BUSINESS | August 15, 2010 A Battle in Mining Country Pits Coal Against Wind By TOM ZELLER Jr. Opponents of mountaintop mining have proposed an alternative in West Virginia: a wind farm they say could save the land and diversify employment. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/business/energy-environment/15coal.html?e… ---------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THIS E-MAIL This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service. For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help(a)nytimes.com. NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

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Fwd: Fw: GAS DRILLING - Civil Rights, Human Rights
by Paul Wilson 13 Aug '10

13 Aug '10

This is from upstate NY and they have some heavy hitters like Pete Seeger, Mark Ruffalo and Theo Colburn. Interesting website. best, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: vivian newman <newviv(a)roadrunner.com> Date: Mon, Aug 9, 2010 at 7:29 PM Subject: Fw: GAS DRILLING - Civil Rights, Human Rights To: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> ----- Original Message ----- *From:* DamascusCitizens.org <DCS(a)mailhosts.net> *To:* vivian Newman' <newviv(a)adelphia.net> *Sent:* Saturday, August 07, 2010 1:14 PM *Subject:* GAS DRILLING - Civil Rights, Human Rights *FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS CASE - HEARING MONDAY* Damascus Citizens and some of its members have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit to stop Damascus township from violating the civil rights, property rights, and due process rights of its citizens. Our motion to dismiss suit by industry against our town will also be heard at this federal court hearing: http://www.damascuscitizens.org/news-legal.html* Federal Court Hearing - Monday, Aug. 9 PURE WATER - BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS* The people have a constitutional right to clean air, pure water, and the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Religious leaders in Pittsburgh - a city where the public water supply is being contaminated - have taken a stand for basic human rights: http://www.damascuscitizens.org/Pittsburgh-Letter.pdf * http://www.DamascusCitizens.org* - Please click REPLY and type the word REMOVE in the SUBJECT line to be removed from this list. -- 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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MARCELLUS & EPA
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 10 Aug '10

10 Aug '10

[image: Green - Energy, the Environment and the Bottom Line]<http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/> <http://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=cookie&pos=Position1B> August 10, 2010, 5:28 pm 8,000 People? E.P.A. Defers Hearing on Fracking By MIREYA NAVARRO <http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/author/mireya-navarro/> Jeff Swensen for The New York Times The E.P.A.’s last hearing on fracking, held in Canonsburg, Pa., in July, drew over 1,200 people. After successfully holding hearings around the country on the impact of the natural gas drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, officials with the federal Environmental Protection Agency ran into a hurdle this week in New York State: and went looking for an acceptable location for a hearing and for the passionate crowds expected to show up for it. The agency announced on Tuesday that it was canceling an all-day hearing that had been scheduled for Thursday at the OnCenter Complex<http://www.oncenter.org/>Convention Center in Syracuse after Onondaga County officials expressed concern that they had not been given enough time to prepare security in anticipation of rallies and protests at the event. The hearing had just been moved to Syracuse after the original venue, Binghamton University, set conditions that E.P.A. officials found unacceptable and sent the agency looking for an alternate site in a hurry. Judith Enck, the E.P.A.’s regional administrator in New York, said that Binghamton University had been squared away as a site last month but suddenly decided to change the meeting’s location to a room with no air conditioning. When the E.P.A. “pushed back” on this change, she said, the university relented but raised its fee for the event — to $32,000 from $6,000. “It is regretful that Binghamton University has put E.P.A., and more importantly, thousands of people on both sides of the issue who had planned to attend this meeting, in this inconvenient and difficult position,” Ms. Enck said in a statement. “Universities are places where civic participation should flourish, especially on a major environmental topic like hydraulic fracturing’s potential impact on drinking water.” But university officials countered that they had raised the price to cover security and logistical costs after consulting local law enforcement officials, special interest groups and others that indicated that as many as 8,000 people could show up for the hearing, far more than the 1,200 participants that the E.P.A. had pre-registered for the event. “Because we are a public university and responsible to the taxpayer, and as we do for all contracted events, a price was developed to ensure that the campus would remain cost-neutral,” the university’s interim president, C. Peter Magrath, and its vice president for administration, James Van Voorst, said in a joint statement. The E.P.A. is now hunting for a new site and hopes to hold the hearing in September. Hydraulic is a type of natural gas exploration that involves injecting millions of gallons of chemically treated water deep into the ground. The cancellation disappointed many of the people whose planned attendance had stirred some concern for the host venues. Roger Downs, the Sierra Club’s senior staff member in New York, said that environmental and grass-roots groups had planned to bus people from around the state to the hearing to hold a rally. He said the rally was intended to signal concern over drilling but also support for the E.P.A., which is soliciting testimony for a study on the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water. “I really doubt it would have been that big a deal in either site,” he said. [image: DCSIMG]

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Fwd: Good news -- lots of stream buffer comments submitted
by James Kotcon 10 Aug '10

10 Aug '10

>>> Oliver Bernstein <oliver.bernstein(a)SIERRACLUB.ORG> 8/9/2010 4:59 PM >>> The Sierra Club has generated 12,264 online comments so far about protecting streams from mining waste. According to this press release from the Office of Surface Mining, about 21,000 email comments, meaning Sierra Club generated 58% of all online comments! http://www.osmre.gov/resources/newsroom/News/Archive/2010/080610.pdf Thanks to Ed Hopkins, Aaron Isherwood, Peter Morgan and Michael Grenetz for setting this up. -Oliver -- Oliver Bernstein Senior Communications Strategist Sierra Club Phone: 512.477.2152 Cell: 512.289.8618 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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

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PORTUGAL'S CONVERSION TO GREEN ENERGY
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 10 Aug '10

10 Aug '10

[image: The New York Times] <http://www.nytimes.com/> ------------------------------ August 9, 2010 Portugal Gives Itself a Clean-Energy Makeover By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/elisabeth_rose…> LISBON — Five years ago, the leaders of this sun-scorched, wind-swept nation made a bet: To reduce Portugal<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/po…>’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, they embarked on an array of ambitious renewable energy projects — primarily harnessing the country’s wind and hydropower, but also its sunlight and ocean waves. Today, Lisbon’s trendy bars, Porto’s factories and the Algarve’s glamorous resorts are powered substantially by clean energy. Nearly 45 percent of the electricity in Portugal’s grid will come from renewable sources this year, up from 17 percent just five years ago<http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-QA-07-019/EN/KS-QA-07-…>. Land-based wind power — this year deemed “potentially competitive” with fossil fuels <http://www.iea.org/Textbase/npsum/ElecCost2010SUM.pdf> by the International Energy Agency in Paris — has expanded sevenfold in that time. And Portugal expects in 2011 to become the first country to inaugurate a national network of charging stations for electric cars<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/e/electric_veh…>. “I’ve seen all the smiles — you know: It’s a good dream. It can’t compete. It’s too expensive,” said Prime Minister José Sócrates, recalling the way Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, mockingly offered to build him an electric Ferrari. Mr. Sócrates added, “The experience of Portugal shows that it is possible to make these changes in a very short time.” The oil spill<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/o/oil_spills/g…>in the Gulf of Mexico has renewed questions about the risks and unpredictable costs of America’s unremitting dependence on fossil fuels. President Obama has seized on the opportunity to promote his goal<http://www.barackobama.com/issues/newenergy/index.php>of having 20 to 25 percent of America’s electricity produced from renewable sources by 2025. While Portugal’s experience shows that rapid progress is achievable, it also highlights the price of such a transition. Portuguese households have long paid about twice what Americans pay for electricity, and prices have risen 15 percent<http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-QA-10-022/EN/KS-QA-10-…>in the last five years, probably partly because of the renewable energy program, the International Energy Agency says. Although a 2009 report by the agency called Portugal’s renewable energy transition a “remarkable success,” it added, “It is not fully clear that their costs, both financial and economic, as well as their impact on final consumer energy prices, are well understood and appreciated.” Indeed, complaints about rising electricity rates are a mainstay of pensioners’ gossip here. Mr. Sócrates, who after a landslide victory in 2005 pushed through the major elements of the energy makeover over the objections of the country’s fossil fuel industry, survived last year’s election only as the leader of a weak coalition. “You cannot imagine the pressure we suffered that first year,” said Manuel Pinho, Portugal’s minister of economy and innovation from 2005 until last year, who largely masterminded the transition, adding, “Politicians must take tough decisions.” Still, aggressive national policies to accelerate renewable energy use are succeeding in Portugal and some other countries, according to a recent report by IHS Emerging Energy Research <http://www.emerging-energy.com/> of Cambridge, Mass., a leading energy consulting firm. By 2025, the report projected, Ireland, Denmark and Britain will also get 40 percent or more of their electricity from renewable sources; if power from large-scale hydroelectric<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/h/hydroelectri…>dams, an older type of renewable energy, is included, countries like Canada and Brazil join the list. The United States, which last year generated less than 5 percent of its power from newer forms of renewable energy, will lag behind at 16 percent (or just over 20 percent, including hydroelectric power), according to IHS. To force Portugal’s energy transition, Mr. Sócrates’s government restructured and privatized former state energy utilities to create a grid better suited to renewable power sources. To lure private companies into Portugal’s new market, the government gave them contracts locking in a stable price for 15 years — a subsidy that varied by technology and was initially high but decreased with each new contract round. Compared with the United States, European countries have powerful incentives to pursue renewable energy. Many, like Portugal, have little fossil fuel of their own, and the European Union’s emissions trading system<http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/pdf/emission_trading2_en.pdf>discourages fossil fuel use by requiring industry to essentially pay for excessive carbon dioxide emissions. Portugal was well poised to be a guinea pig because it has large untapped resources of wind and river power, the two most cost-effective renewable sources. Government officials say the energy transformation required no increase in taxes or public debt, precisely because the new sources of electricity, which require no fuel and produce no emissions, replaced electricity previously produced by buying and burning imported natural gas, coal and oil. By 2014 the renewable energy program will allow Portugal to fully close at least two conventional power plants and reduce the operation of others. “So far the program has placed no stress on the national budget” and has not created government debt, said Shinji Fujino, head of the International Energy Agency’s country study division. If the United States is to catch up to countries like Portugal, energy experts say, it must overcome obstacles like a fragmented, outdated energy grid poorly suited to renewable energy; a historic reliance on plentiful and cheap supplies of fossil fuels, especially coal; powerful oil and coal industries that often oppose incentives for renewable development; and energy policy that is heavily influenced by individual states. The relative costs of an energy transition would inevitably be higher in the United States than in Portugal. But as the expense of renewable power drops, an increasing number of countries see such a shift as worthwhile, said Alex Klein, research director, clean and renewable power generation, at IHS. “The cost gap will close in the next decade, but what you get right away is an energy supply that is domestically controlled and safer,” Mr. Klein said. *Necessity Drives Change* Portugal’s venture was driven by necessity. With a rising standard of living and no fossil fuel of its own, the cost of energy imports — principally oil and gas — doubled in the last decade, accounting for 50 percent of the country’s trade deficit, and was highly volatile. The oil went to fuel cars, the gas mainly to electricity. Unlike the United States, Portugal never depended heavily on coal for electricity generation because close and reliable sources of natural gas were available in North Africa, and Europe’s carbon trading system could make coal costly. Portugal is now on track to reach its goal of using domestically produced renewable energy, including large-scale hydropower, for 60 percent of its electricity and 31 percent of its total energy needs by 2020. (Total energy needs include purposes other than generating electricity, like heating homes and powering cars.) In making the shift, Portugal has overcome longstanding concerns about reliability and high cost. The lights go on in Lisbon even when the wind dies down at the vast two-year-old Alto Minho wind farm. The country’s electricity production costs and consumer electricity rates — including the premium prices paid for power from renewable sources — are about average for Europe, but still higher than those in China or the United States, countries that rely on cheap coal. Portugal says it has kept costs down by focusing heavily on the cheapest forms of renewable energy — wind and hydropower — and ratcheting down the premium prices it pays to lure companies to build new plants. While the government estimates that the total investment in revamping Portugal’s energy structure will be about 16.3 billion euros, or $22 billion, that cost is borne by the private companies that operate the grid and the renewable plants and is reflected in consumers’ electricity rates. The companies’ payback comes from the 15 years of guaranteed wholesale electricity rates promised by the government. Once the new infrastructure is completed, Mr. Pinho said, the system will cost about 1.7 billion euros ($2.3 billion) a year less to run than it formerly did, primarily by avoiding natural gas imports. A smaller savings will come from carbon credits Portugal can sell under the European Union’s carbon trading system: countries and industries that produce fewer emissions than allotted can sell permits to those that exceed their limits. Mr. Fujino of the International Energy Agency said Portugal’s calculations might be optimistic. But he noted that the country’s transition had also created a valuable new industry: Last year, for the first time, it became a net power exporter, sending a small amount of electricity to Spain. Tens of thousands of Portuguese work in the field. Energias de Portugal<http://www.edp.pt/en/Pages/homepage.aspx>, the country’s largest energy company, owns wind farms<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/w/wind_power/i…>in Iowa and Texas, through its American subsidiary, Horizon Wind Energy <http://www.horizonwind.com/home/>. *Redesigning the System* A nationwide supply of renewable power requires a grid that can move electricity from windy, sunny places to the cities. But a decade ago in Portugal, as in many places in the United States today, power companies owned not only power generating plants, but also transmission lines. Those companies have little incentive to welcome new sources of renewable energy, which compete with their investment in fossil fuels. So in 2000, Portugal’s first step was to separate making electricity from transporting it, through a mandatory purchase by the government of all transmission lines for electricity and gas at what were deemed fair market prices. Those lines were then used to create the skeleton of what since 2007 has been a regulated and publicly traded company that operates the national electricity and natural gas networks. Next, the government auctioned off contracts to private companies to build and operate wind and hydropower plants. Bidders were granted rights based on the government-guaranteed price they would accept for the energy they produced, as well as on their willingness to invest in Portugal’s renewable economy, including jobs and other venture capital funds. Some of the winners were foreign companies. In the latest round of bidding, the price guaranteed for wind energy was in the range of the price paid for electricity generated by natural gas. Such a drastic reorganization might be extremely difficult in the United States, where power companies have strong political sway and states decide whether to promote renewable energy. Colorado recently legislated that 30 percent of its energy must come from renewable sources by 2020, but neighboring Utah has only weak voluntary goals<http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=11092011>. Coal states, like Kentucky and West Virginia, have relatively few policies<http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/maps/renewable_portfolio_states.cfm>to encourage alternative energies. In Portugal, said Mr. Pinho, the former economy minister, who will join Columbia University’s faculty, “the prime minister had an absolute majority.” “He was very strong, and everyone knew we would not step back,” Mr. Pinho said. *A Flexible Network* Running a country using electricity derived from nature’s highly unpredictable forces requires new technology and the juggling skills of a plate spinner. A wind farm that produces 200 megawatts one hour may produce only 5 megawatts a few hours later; the sun shines intermittently in many places; hydropower is plentiful in the rainy winter, but may be limited in summer. Portugal’s national energy transmission company, Redes Energéticas Nacionais or R.E.N., uses sophisticated modeling to predict weather, especially wind patterns, and computer programs to calculate energy from the various renewable-energy plants. Since the country’s energy transition, the network has doubled the number of dispatchers who route energy to where it is needed. “You need a lot of new skills. It’s a real-time operation, and there are far more decisions to be made — every hour, every second,” said Victor Baptista, director general of R.E.N. “The objective is to keep the system alive and avoid blackouts.” Like some American states, Portugal has for decades generated electricity from hydropower plants on its raging rivers. But new programs combine wind and water: Wind-driven turbines pump water uphill at night, the most blustery period; then the water flows downhill by day, generating electricity, when consumer demand is highest. Denmark, another country that relies heavily on wind power, frequently imports electricity from its energy-rich neighbor Norway when the wind dies down; by comparison, Portugal’s grid is relatively isolated, although R.E.N. has greatly increased its connection with Spain<http://www.omip.pt/OMIP/MIBEL/tabid/72/language/en-GB/Default.aspx>to allow for energy sharing. Portugal’s distribution system is also now a two-way street. Instead of just delivering electricity, it draws electricity from even the smallest generators, like rooftop solar panels. The government aggressively encourages such contributions by setting a premium price for those who buy rooftop-generated solar electricity. “To make this kind of system work, you have to make a lot of different kinds of deals at the same time,” said Carlos Zorrinho, the secretary of state for energy and innovation. To ensure a stable power base when the forces of nature shut down, the system needs to maintain a base of fossil fuel that can be fired up at will. Although Portugal’s traditional power plants now operate many fewer hours than before, the country is also building some highly efficient natural gas plants. To accommodate all this, Portugal needed new transmission lines from remote windy regions to urban centers. Portugal began modernizing its grid a decade ago. Accommodating a greater share of renewable power cost an additional 480 million euros, or about $637 million, an expense folded into electricity rates, according to R.E.N. Last year, President Obama offered billions of dollars in grants to modernize the grid in the United States, but it is not clear that such a piecemeal effort will be adequate for renewable power. Widely diverse permitting procedures in different states and the fact that many private companies control local fragments of the grid make it hard to move power over long distances, for example, from windy Iowa to users in Atlanta. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the United States’ grid a “D+,” commenting that it is “in urgent need of modernization.” “A real smart national grid would radically change our technology profile,” said John Juech, vice president for policy analysis at Garten Rothkopf, a Washington consulting firm that focuses on energy. “But it will be very costly, and the political will may not be there.” A 2009 report<http://www.pewclimate.org/docUploads/wind-solar-electricity-report.pdf>commissioned by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change estimated that the United States would have to spend $3 billion to $4 billion a year for the next two decades to create a grid that could accommodate deriving 20 percent of electricity from wind power by 2030 — a 40 percent to 50 percent increase over current spending. *The Drawbacks* Energy experts consider Portugal’s experiment a success. But there have been losers. Many environmentalists object to the government plans to double the amount of wind energy, saying lights and noise from turbines will interfere with birds’ behavior. Conservation groups worry that new dams will destroy Portugal’s cork-oak habitats. Local companies complain that the government allowed large multinationals to displace them. Until it became the site of the largest wind farm south of Lisbon, Barão de São João was a sleepy village on the blustery Alentejo Coast, home to farmers who tilled its roller coaster hills and holiday homeowners drawn to cheap land and idyllic views. Renewable energy has brought conflict. “I know it’s good for the country because it’s clean energy and it’s good for the landowners who got money, but it hasn’t brought me any good,” said José Cristino, 48, a burly farmer harvesting grain with a wind turbine’s thrap-thrap-thrap in the background. “I look at these things day and night.” He said 90 percent of the town’s population had been opposed. In Portugal, as in the United States, politicians have sold green energy programs to communities with promises of job creation. Locally, the effect has often proved limited. For example, more than five years ago, the isolated city of Moura became the site of Portugal’s largest solar plant because it “gets the most sun of anywhere in Europe and has lots of useless space,” said José Maria Prazeres Pós-de-Mina, the mayor. But while 400 people built the Moura plant, only 20 to 25 work there now, since gathering sunlight requires little human labor. Unemployment remains at 15 percent, the mayor said — though researchers, engineers and foreign delegations frequently visit the town’s new solar research center. Indeed, Portugal’s engineers and companies are now global players. Portugal’s EDP Renováveis, first listed on stock exchanges in 2008, is the third largest company in the world in wind-generated electricity output. This year, its Portuguese chief executive, Ana Maria Fernandes, signed contracts to sell electricity<http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/02/edp-renewables…>from its wind farm in Iowa to the Tennessee Valley Authority. “Broadly, Europe has had great success in this area,” said Mr. Juech, the analyst at Garten Rothkopf. “But that is the result of huge government support and intervention, and that raises questions about what happens when you have an economic crisis or political change; will these technologies still be sustainable?” [image: DCSIMG]

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Appalachian Power Co. president calls for cap and trade bill
by Frank Young 09 Aug '10

09 Aug '10

Blank August 4, 2010 APCO president calls for cap and trade bill By Ken Ward Jr. The Charleston Gazette CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The new president of Appalachian Power said Wednesday that congressional action to cap greenhouse gas emissions is needed to help guide utilities in perfecting and deploying technology to limit those emissions. ] http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201008040959

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Germany Ups Renewable Target--Again
by James Kotcon 06 Aug '10

06 Aug '10

Ditto my previous message. JBK >>> Edward Mainland <emainland(a)COMCAST.NET> 8/4/2010 1:29 PM >>> Germany Ups Renewable Target--Again August 4, 2010 By Paul Gipe In what is becoming a regular occurrence, Germany has again increased its target for renewable energy. In a meeting today the German cabinet voted to up the target to 20% of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption. The release from Federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen said that at the current pace Germany will surpass its current target of 18% by 2020. As in the past, the German government has had to increase their renewable targets to keep ahead of actual development on the ground. The renewable target for renewables in electricity generation has been increased from the current range of 25%-30% to 38.6%. Germany is ruled by a conservative coalition of the Christian Democrats and the Neoliberal Party. Röttgen is a member of the Christian Democrats, Germany's main conservative party. Minister Röttgen: Renewables' share of almost 20 percent can be achieved by 2020 -End- Paul Gipe 606 Hillcrest Dr. Bakersfield, CA 93305-1413 661 325 9590, 661 472 1657 mobile pgipe(a)igc.org, www.wind-works.org Wind Energy Basics (Revised) 2009 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-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: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Renewables 2010 Global Status Report
by James Kotcon 06 Aug '10

06 Aug '10

Those who say "It can't be done" need to get out of the way of those who are doing it. JBK >>> Edward Mainland <emainland(a)COMCAST.NET> 8/4/2010 1:03 PM >>> These latest numbers can serve to answer those who contend that renewable power can't be scaled up fast enough as fossil fuel sources are supplanted by cleaner energy options and the transition proceeds toward a low-carbon energy economy.. Note in particular the explosive growth in the solar PV market -- 60% yearly for the past decade. Correct policies, supported by Sierra Club and other advocates of renewable power, can help keep these trends bending upward. -- Ed M. Renewables 2010 Global Status Report · $150 billion was invested in new renewable energy capacity in 2009; up from $20 billion in 2004. · Worldwide, about 500,000 people are employed in the wind industry, and 600,000 in solar energy · Nearly half (47%) of all new power generation capacity built in 2008 and 2009 worldwide was renewable · 305 gigawatts of existing renewable electric power generation capacity worldwide (by comparison: the entire US power generation capacity is 1000 gigawatts) · At current rates of construction, another 500 gigawatts of renewable electric power generation will be online by 2020 · Solar water and space heating provided another 180 gigawatts of thermal capacity · Solar hot water is used in 70 million households, mostly in China · 38 gigawatts of wind power were added in 2009, bringing the world total to 159 gigawatts · Global photovoltaics market has grown 60% per year every year for the past decade, increasing 100-fold since 2000. · More than 100 countries have renewable policies Download the report here: http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-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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Re: [EC] Hydro-Fracking Team on the Club's online Activist Network
by Paul Wilson 04 Aug '10

04 Aug '10

I don't see anybody from WV on this Team. So I hope some of you will explore the SC Activist Network and join Team that you are interested in. cheers, paul w. http://connect.sierraclub.org/Team/Hydrofracking_Team -- 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: Renewables 2010 Global Status Report
by Jim Sconyers 04 Aug '10

04 Aug '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Edward Mainland <emainland(a)COMCAST.NET> To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Sent: Wed, August 4, 2010 1:03:54 PM Subject: Renewables 2010 Global Status Report These latest numbers can serve to answer those who contend that renewable power can't be scaled up fast enough as fossil fuel sources are supplanted by cleaner energy options and the transition proceeds toward a low-carbon energy economy.. Note in particular the explosive growth in the solar PV market -- 60% yearly for the past decade. Correct policies, supported by Sierra Club and other advocates of renewable power, can help keep these trends bending upward. -- Ed M. Renewables 2010 Global Status Report · $150 billion was invested in new renewable energy capacity in 2009; up from $20 billion in 2004. · Worldwide, about 500,000 people are employed in the wind industry, and 600,000 in solar energy · Nearly half (47%) of all new power generation capacity built in 2008 and 2009 worldwide was renewable · 305 gigawatts of existing renewable electric power generation capacity worldwide (by comparison: the entire US power generation capacity is 1000 gigawatts) · At current rates of construction, another 500 gigawatts of renewable electric power generation will be online by 2020 · Solar water and space heating provided another 180 gigawatts of thermal capacity · Solar hot water is used in 70 million households, mostly in China · 38 gigawatts of wind power were added in 2009, bringing the world total to 159 gigawatts · Global photovoltaics market has grown 60% per year every year for the past decade, increasing 100-fold since 2000. · More than 100 countries have renewable policies Download the report here: http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-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: Great NYT piece on relative costs of nukes, solar, ee
by James Kotcon 03 Aug '10

03 Aug '10

Great piece. I was not aware of it until this article pointed it out, one of the reasons current nuclear energy costs are so "cheap" is that the utilities just wrote off the capital costs of all those nukes that went belly-up in the 80s, to the tune of over $140 billion. JBK >>> Jeff Schmidt <jeff.schmidt(a)sierraclub.org> 7/27/2010 11:44 AM >>> News - Great NYT piece on relative costs of nukes, solar, ee July 26, 2010 Nuclear Energy Loses Cost Advantage By DIANA S. POWERS The New York Times PARIS — Solar photovoltaic systems have long been painted as a clean way to generate electricity, but expensive compared with other alternatives to oil, like nuclear power. No longer. In a “historic crossover,” the costs of solar photovoltaic systems have declined to the point where they are lower than the rising projected costs of new nuclear plants, according to a paper published this month. “Solar photovoltaics have joined the ranks of lower-cost alternatives to new nuclear plants,” John O. Blackburn, a professor of economics at Duke University, in North Carolina, and Sam Cunningham, a graduate student, wrote in the paper, “Solar and Nuclear Costs — The Historic Crossover.” This crossover occurred at 16 cents per kilowatt hour, they said. While solar power costs have been declining, the costs of nuclear power have been rising inexorably over the past eight years, said Mark Cooper, senior fellow for economic analysis at the University of Vermont Law School’s Institute for Energy and Environment. Estimates of construction costs — about $3 billion per reactor in 2002 — have been regularly revised upward to an average of about $10 billion per reactor, and the estimates are likely to keep rising, said Mr. Cooper, an analyst specializing in tracking nuclear power costs. Identifying the real costs of competing energy technologies is complicated by the wide range of subsidies and tax breaks involved. As a result, U.S. taxpayers and utility users could end up spending hundreds of billions, even trillions of dollars more than necessary to achieve an ample low-carbon energy supply, if legislative proposals before the U.S. Congress lead to adoption of an ambitious nuclear development program, Mr. Cooper said in a report last November. The report, “All Risk, No Reward for Taxpayers and Ratepayers,” was a response to a legislative wish list developed by the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry group. The institute has called for a mix of U.S. subsidies, tax credits, loan guarantees, procedural simplifications and institutional support on a large scale. At the state level, the industry has also pressed the case for “construction work in progress,” a financing system that requires electricity users to pay for the cost of new reactors during their construction and sometimes before construction starts. With long construction periods and frequent delays, this can mean that electricity users start to pay higher prices as much as 12 years before the plants produce electricity. The institute’s Web site says the financing system “reduces the cost ratepayers will pay for power from the plant when it goes into commercial operation,” by lowering interest payments on capital costs and spreading the costs over time. “The utilities insist that the construction work in progress charged to ratepayers also include the return on equity that the utilities normally earn by taking the risk of building the plant — even though they have shifted the risk to the ratepayers,” Mr. Cooper said. “If the plant is not built or suffers cost overruns, the ratepayers will bear the burden.” History suggests that the risk of this is not negligible. In 1985, Forbes magazine dubbed the construction of the first generation of U.S. nuclear plants “the largest managerial disaster in business history.” The first round of plants resulted in write-offs through bankruptcies and “stranded costs” — investments in existing power plants made uncompetitive by deregulation — which essentially transferred nearly $100 billion in liabilities to electricity users, said Doug Koplow, an economist and founder of Earth Track, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which campaigns against subsidies it considers environmentally harmful. “Although the industry frequently points to its low operating costs as evidence of its market competitiveness, this economic structure is an artifact of large subsidies to capital, historical write-offs of capital, and ongoing subsidies to operating costs,” Mr. Koplow said. From 1943 to 1999 the U.S. government paid nearly $151 billion, in 1999 dollars, in subsidies for wind, solar and nuclear power, Marshall Goldberg of the Renewable Energy Policy Project, a research organization in Washington, wrote in a July 2000 report. Of this total, 96.3 percent went to nuclear power, the report said. Still, these costs pale in comparison with the financial risks and subsidies that are likely to accompany the next wave of nuclear plant construction, Mr. Cooper said. A November 2009 research report by Citigroup Global Markets termed the construction risks, power price risks, and operational risks “so large and variable that individually they could each bring even the largest utility to its knees.” Those risks were mentioned in a 2009 report by the credit rating agency Moody’s. “Moody’s is considering taking a more negative view for those issuers seeking to build new nuclear power plants,” the report said. “Historically, most nuclear-building utilities suffered ratings downgrades — and sometimes several — while building these facilities. Political and policy conditions are spurring applications for new nuclear power generation for the first time in years. Nevertheless, most utilities now seeking to build nuclear generation do not appear to be adjusting their financial policies, a credit negative.” Adding to the risks facing any reactor construction program, only one of five proposed designs under consideration by U.S. utilities has ever been built, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said. “No one has ever built a contemporary reactor to contemporary standards, so no one has the experience to state with confidence what it will cost,” said Stephen Maloney, a utilities management consultant. “We see cost escalations as companies come up the learning curve.” Market risk has been heightened by the recent recession. “The current crisis has decreased energy demand even more than the 1970s oil price shocks,” Mr. Cooper said. The recession “appears to have caused a fundamental shift in consumption patterns that will lower the long-term growth rate of electricity demand.” Meanwhile, most of the projects that have created the increase of license applications to the regulatory commission have already experienced difficulties. “About half of the projects that have been put forward at the start of the next generation of reactors have been delayed or canceled,” Mr. Cooper said. “Those that have moved forward have suffered substantial cost escalation and several have received negative financial reviews. “Of the 19 applications at the N.R.C., 90 percent have had some type of delay or cancellation, run into a design problem, suffered cost increases and/or had the utility bond rating downgraded by Wall Street.” Despite the economic challenges, the nuclear power industry remains unfazed. “This is not a hospitable environment in which to commission any large base-load power plant,” said Marvin Fertel, president and chief executive of the Nuclear Energy Institute, in a briefing to the financial community. Still, he said: “Fortunately new nuclear plants won’t be in service until 2016 or later, so today’s market conditions are not entirely relevant.” Mr. Cooper said the industry’s equanimity was based, at least partially, on the supportive cushion provided by loan guarantees and work-in-progress financing. “With such financing the utility is making a one-way bet, allowing it to make a profit even when the project fails,” he said. “The people bear the risks and costs; the nuclear utilities take the profits. Without loan guarantees and guaranteed construction work in progress, these reactors will simply not be built, because the capital markets will not finance them.” Without public guarantees, nuclear projects often cannot get financing. AmerenUE, the Missouri utility, suspended in April 2009 plans to build a $6 billion, 1,600-megawatt reactor at its Callaway County nuclear site, after trying unsuccessfully to get the State Legislature to repeal a longstanding ban on work-in-progress financing. The continued existence of the ban “makes financing a new plant in the current economic environment impossible,” the utility said. Similarly, Florida Power and Light said in January that it would not proceed beyond licensing with plans to build two new reactors at its Turkey Point site, after the Florida Public Service Commission rejected its request to pass on a $1.27 billion cost increase to its users. Yet, despite episodic resistance at the local level, financial support for the industry at the U.S. government level has been increasingly evident in successive versions of climate and energy bills before the U.S. Congress, including the most recent, the American Power Act, which is delayed in the Senate until after the summer recess. Nuclear subsidies in the Senate proposal include five-year accelerated depreciation; tax credits for investments and production and eligibility for the advanced energy tax credit; an increase in government insurance against regulatory delays; access to private activity bonds; and a $36 billion increase in loan guarantees, bringing the total to $56 billion. That remains less than the Nuclear Energy Institute’s goal of $100 billion, an amount it describes as “a minimal acceptable loan volume.” Still, Mr. Fertel said in his financial briefing that “‘strong political support’ understates our position.” Federal loan guarantees cut nuclear construction financing costs by allowing the utilities to sell bonds at a lower interest rate. But at the same time the guarantee means that “the U.S. Treasury, and therefore the taxpayers, are on the hook for the value of the loans should they go bad,” Mr. Cooper said. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the average risk of default for such Department of Energy loan guarantees is about 50 percent, which is the historic rate for the nuclear industry. Mr. Koplow of Earth Track said two of the other subsidies in the Senate bill, the investment tax credit and five-year accelerated depreciation, would together “be worth between $1.3 billion and nearly $3 billion on a net present value basis per new reactor. “This is equivalent to between 15 and 20 percent of the total all-in cost of the reactors, as projected by industry.” Over all, Mr. Koplow said, the proposed subsidy package would undermine the equity requirements of the nuclear loan guarantee program, designed to ensure that investors have a strong interest in the long-term success of the venture. “Although investors will get all the profit if the reactor project is successful, they will bear virtually none of the financial risk if the project fails,” he said. “This is a disastrous incentive structure.” By distorting energy markets, these subsidies would “effectively make the government the chooser of which energy technologies will be winners and which will lose,” he said. The American Power Act “does not build a neutral policy platform on which all energy technologies must compete.” The tax breaks for nuclear would “greatly impede market access for competing energy sources,” Mr. Koplow said. He said handing out huge subsidies would also cloud the transparency of decision-making. “This approach,” he said, “which replaces price signals with decisions by a handful of often unnamed individuals within the U.S. Department of Energy, plays to none of the inherent strengths of the U.S. market system to spur innovation and effectively allocate risks and rewards. Further, the basis, and sometimes scale, of these subsidy decisions is largely hidden from the public view.” For Mr. Cooper, the core issue at stake is one of opportunity cost. “While the cost estimates of nuclear power continue to rise, the potential for energy efficiency measures to reduce the need for energy are far cheaper,” he said. Lower-cost, low-carbon technologies are already available, and cost trends for several others indicate that a combination of efficiency and renewable technologies could meet projected power needs while also achieving aggressive carbon-reduction targets, Mr. Cooper said. In a June 2009 report drawing on several earlier studies, Mr. Cooper said that energy efficiency, cogeneration and renewable sources could meet power needs at an average cost of 6 cents per kilowatt hour, compared with a cost of 12 cents to 20 cents per kilowatt hour for nuclear power. Choosing the nuclear route, and constructing 100 new reactors, would translate into an extra cost to taxpayers and electricity users of $1.9 trillion to $4.4 trillion over the 40-year life of the reactors, compared with the costs of developing energy efficiency and renewable sources, the report said. Mr. Cooper said it would make sense for policy makers, standing in the place of the market, to choose the least costly alternatives first. “In an attempt to circumvent the sound judgment of the capital markets, nuclear advocates erroneously claim that subsidies lower the financing costs for nuclear reactors and so are good for consumers,” he said. “But shifting risk does not eliminate it. Furthermore, subsidies induce utilities and regulators to take greater risks that will cost the taxpayers and the ratepayers dearly. “The risks that have dismayed Wall Street should be taken seriously by policy makers because they would cost not just hundreds of billions of dollars in losses on reactors that are canceled, but also trillions in excess costs for ratepayers when reactors are brought to completion by utilities that fail to pursue the lower-cost, less risky options that are available. “The frantic effort of the nuclear industry to increase federal loan guarantees and secure ratepayer funding of construction work in progress from state legislatures is an admission that the technology is so totally uneconomic that the industry will forever be a ward of state, resulting in a uniquely American form of nuclear socialism.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-FRED list, send any message to: CONS-FRED-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Where next for the wrecked US climate bill?
by James Kotcon 03 Aug '10

03 Aug '10

A call for trench warfare, i. e., a return to the courts instead of Congress. JBK >>> Edward Mainland <emainland(a)COMCAST.NET> 8/2/2010 1:38 PM >>> Where next for the wrecked US climate bill? There is a chance to build on the rubble of the Senate's failure to cap carbon emissions, says Eric Pooley Eric Pooley for Yale Environment 360, part of the Guardian Environment Network, Thursday 29 July 2010 14.57 BST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/29/wrecked-us-climate- bill Senate Democrats hope to pass a narrower energy bill this week that would increase the liability of companies for oil spills, for instance in the Gulf of Mexico. Photograph: Sipa Press / Rex Features Following the rocky path of climate legislation in the U.S. Congress these past years brought me back to the 1980s, and my time as a crime reporter in New York City. After a shooting in those days, a homicide detective named Marty Davin would go to the hospital and intercept the gunshot victim on a gurney outside the emergency room. If the victim was conscious, Davin would lean over and ask, "Who killed you?" That usually got the victim's attention, along with an I'm-not-dead-yet protest. Davin would reply, "You are going to die. You might as well tell me who did it." As I interviewed the sponsor of whichever emissions-reduction bill had just been gunned down, I often thought of Davin. The politicians and climate campaigners would assure me that they were still alive — passage of a carbon cap was inevitable, they'd say — and I'd remind myself that they had survived countless near-death experiences. But what happened last week, when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced he would not even try to bring a compromise climate bill to the Senate floor, was not just another setback. Sometimes dead really is dead — and for this Congress, barring a miracle, climate action is finished. With an ugly election looming in November, it may be years before we get another chance to debate a bill that prices carbon. And the consensus approach to federal climate action — the idea that cap- and-trade was the most politically viable policy — may well be dead, too. This is a time to take stock. The first question is whether this was a failure of policy; a failure of politics, message, and messenger; or both? Second, is there a Plan B around which the climate campaign should now unify? And third, what needs to be done to allow a better outcome when the next opportunity finally does appear? No one who follows climate politics could have been very surprised by Reid's move. The bigger shock was his decision to remove from the bill a mandate that utilities must generate 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources. (Proponents hope to offer it as a floor amendment.) It was if the Senate was saying: Anything remotely effective, we're not going to do. When Reid pulled the plug, I thought back to a snowy afternoon in Copenhagen last December. Sitting with Al Gore in an empty hotel café, I asked him to contemplate this very moment. "If the United States doesn't act," he replied, "if the Senate defeats the legislation or waters it down to a point where it is not even worth having a bill, that is an event horizon beyond which it is difficult to see." He parsed the same issues then that climate campaigners are parsing now: "It may mean there is a fundamental flaw in the international political approach, but I'm not sure there is a good alternative. The reality is so dire that a new plan would have to emerge — but just now I can't imagine what it would be." Gore had a point. When the goal is emissions reduction, there aren't many alternatives: You've got to reduce emissions. The Plan B options now being offered by various advocates should be vigorously debated, but all of them seem vulnerable to the same polluted politics that killed the cap. Advocates of the carbon tax are ready to take a run at their goal, and Godspeed — but it is hard to see how politicians who were terrified to support a cap (because opponents labeled it a tax) will suddenly become bold enough to support a carbon tax. Policy groups such as the Breakthrough Institute argue that instead of making dirty fuels more expensive, it's time for intensive energy research and development to make clean fuels cheaper. That sounds reasonable, but without the revenue stream that a cap or tax would provide — and in an era of budget cutbacks — it is hard to see government supplying the massive, long-term funding their plan requires. Is the cap so fundamentally flawed that it should be abandoned forever? I don't think so. I believe it needs to be liberated from legislative bloat and rehabilitated as a modest first step: a tool for regulating power sector emissions, the job it performed so successfully in the 1990s, when America tamed acid rain. It's worth remembering that while climate politics were bogging down, climate policy mechanisms were being improved. Clever wonks found ways to cushion consumers and high- carbon industries from the price impact of the cap, while preserving a price signal for generators. Trading restrictions were added to keep speculators out of the carbon game. Though the term cap-and-trade has been demonized, the cap itself isn't broken. Some will argue that this latest setback is proof that the U.S. will never cap carbon. I reject that view. All we can say for sure is that the U.S. will never cap or price carbon until the politics of the issue change — so the first order of business must be to begin improving the political atmosphere. During the three years I worked on The Climate War, a narrative of the campaign to pass a carbon cap, I came to realize I was writing a political thriller, a whodunit with multiple culprits. Let's look for lessons by considering some of the culprits, starting with the most obvious. 1. The Professional Deniers. Gore and environmental leaders made a tactical error several years ago when they declared the science "settled" and refused to engage the forces of denial and delay. The basic science was indeed settled, but the resulting message vacuum was the perfect medium for those who sow doubt and confusion about global climate change. It shouldn't be surprising that so many Americans remain skeptical about global warming. For 20 years, this loose network of PR pros, working for industry associations and anti-tax think tanks, has spread doubt about climate science and fear about climate economics, claiming that any attempt to cap CO2 would wreck the American economy. Their disinformation, amplified via the Internet, helped poison the debate. To counter the deniers' campaign, President Obama needs to speak out forcefully, and champions of the clean energy economy must point to the new jobs that are already being created by the renewable energy economy and show Americans precisely where they fit into it. 2. Senate Republicans. Most climate campaigners understand the folly of trying to remake the American energy system without bipartisan support. But it's hard to forge centrist solutions when an entire party is denying there's a problem and vilifying the solutions. A scaled-back approach, one that can be sold as a modest, incremental step and not a new industrial revolution, might fare better. There was a time — 2007 and 2008, to be precise — when some Republicans were moving away from deny-and-delay tactics. (In 2007, briefly, Newt Gingrich supported the carbon cap.) More recently, opposition to climate action has become a litmus test in the GOP. Arizona Republican John McCain, who sponsored the Senate's first serious climate bills but now faces a primary challenge from the right, recently called a successor bill "a farce." His mantle of Republican climate courage passed to Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who took so much heat from his own party that he withdrew from the climate bill he helped write. Graham's position has been incoherent since then, but he has signaled support for a cap on the power sector. That could be something to build on. 3. Senate Democrats. After Reid pulled the plug, Democrats were quick to blame Republicans for obstruction. But what about the obstructionists within the Democratic ranks? Harry Reid didn't have the clout to force action on this issue because a dozen or more centrist Democrats — from states that either mine coal or produce much of their electricity from it — were dug in against it. It is impossible to tell if the senators were truly concerned about what the cap would do to their state economies — nonpartisan studies suggest its impact would be minimal — or just worried about what attack ads would do to them. Again, a more modest first step could change the dynamic. The crucial thing is to get started. 4. The Green Group. At a meeting in February 2007, the Green Group, an unofficial association of the leaders of the big U.S. environmental non-profits, told Harry Reid they supported a single legislative goal: An economy-wide cap. Their strategy was to assemble the broadest possible coalition to push the broadest possible bill. Given the magnitude of the crisis and the need to reduce emissions quickly, this made sense. Politically, though, it proved disastrous, because it led to bills of such cost, scope, and complexity that they scared the pants off timid legislators. The Green Group held out for an economy-wide bill even after it became clear, in late 2009, that it was unachievable in the Senate. Only recently did 5. The Power Barons. When the eleventh-hour search for a compromise began, the utilities got too greedy. If they had to go it alone, they argued, they deserved virtually all of the carbon allowances in the program for free. This left too few for other crucial purposes, such as cushioning manufacturers from higher electricity prices. Worse, in exchange for supporting a carbon cap, some utilities demanded relief from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations governing conventional pollutants such as mercury. Like the greens, they asked for too much and got nothing. (The greens, however, were overreaching on behalf of the planet, not their own coffers.) Some utility bosses were relieved to see the bill die. Those feelings may prove short-lived as the battle to reduce emissions moves to the EPA and the courts. Some advocates, such as Lee Wasserman of the Rockefeller Family Fund, regard the decision to negotiate with the power barons as the height of folly. Washington, they argue, should simply dictate the terms of surrender to the polluters. Such a stance ignores an important fact: It isn't possible to remake the U.S. energy system without negotiating with the power barons. Punishing generators means punishing households that pay electricity bills. That doesn't mean, however, that the politicians should give the barons everything they want. But there was only one player with the clout to cut a fair deal with them, and he was missing in action. 6. The President. Barack Obama chose not to lead on this issue. His decision to address health care reform before energy and climate change doomed the latter. With advisors Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod whispering that climate was a losing proposition (a self-fulfilling prophesy, to be sure), Obama never threw himself behind a particular climate bill. He left it to the Senate, the Green Group, and the power bosses — all of whom were sorely in need of adult supervision. The real grownups in this tale were Rep. Henry Waxman and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who last year surprised the Obama Administration by taking a comprehensive climate bill to the House floor. The White House had no choice but to help whip the vote, and it passed. Then Obama stopped trying, and the Senate refused to take up the legislation. It was a colossal failure of nerve, and a decision that likely destroyed any chance of achieving climate action in Obama's first term. Since the president and his political advisers thought an economy-wide cap was too heavy a lift, Obama should have led a tactical retreat to what, in the past several months, became the last-ditch compromise position: the cap on the electric power sector. Had negotiations focused on this months ago instead of weeks ago, and had the president thrown his weight behind it then, we might today be celebrating a step forward instead of mourning another failure. Only Obama had the authority to call this audible early. The environmental NGOs and their allies were too invested in the economy-wide approach; they needed Obama to lead them. He refused. To the bitter end, the White House pursued what his aides called a "stealth strategy" that deployed the president only sparingly. As a result, he failed to take advantage of the BP oil spill. When its terrible scope became apparent, in June, Obama began talking about the need to cap carbon and accelerate the transition to clean energy. But it was a fleeting moment. Many climate campaigners knew the climate bill was dead on June 15, when Obama gave his long-awaited Oval Office address on the oil spill. Instead of making an explicit connection to the climate bill — and explaining that by capping carbon the U.S. could speed its transition to clean energy and help break its addiction to fossil fuels — Obama whiffed. He had a road map but didn't try to share it with the people. "We don't yet know precisely how we're going to get there," he said. Today, with that map in shreds, we surely don't. As climate campaigners wait however long it takes to get another shot at legislation, there is important work to be done. Greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. have been dropping — and not just because of the recession. The task is to build on this trend during the economic recovery. Changes in our energy infrastructure are making this possible. In Texas, our highest-emitting state and a bastion of climate skepticism, carbon emissions have been declining since 2004 thanks in part to a renewable energy standard — signed into law by then-Gov. George W. Bush — that accelerated the installation of wind power and created thousands of jobs along the way. The Department of Energy now has 7,000 clean energy projects across the country — projects that save money, create jobs, and reduce emissions. According to an analysis by the World Resources Institute, by leveraging existing authority over the next ten years the U.S. could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent to 12 percent below 2005 levels. This is far short of the 17 percent reduction Obama promised in Copenhagen and nothing close to what needs to be done. But if we continue cutting emissions before asking voters to embrace a cap, we prove that cuts are both technologically feasible and economically sustainable. And we'll be in a better position when the next legislative opportunity comes. Until then, the climate war will be waged by cities, states, regional cap-and-trade programs, and, above all, the EPA, which early next year is set to begin regulating stationary sources of CO2 — power plants and large factories. Welcome to the "glorious mess" — Michigan Rep. John Dingell's phrase for the tangle of regulation and litigation that will follow when Congress fails to act. We are about to experience precisely the sort of costly, protracted, plant-by-plant trench warfare the cap was intended to avoid. Since the utilities and the manufacturers weren't willing to cut a deal, this is what they get. The fragile period of compromise and cooperation between environmentalists and big business may now be coming to an end. Green groups that have invested time and money into the legislative process are now putting on their war paint and returning to the courts, with a renewed focus on stopping new coal- fired power plants and shutting down the oldest and dirtiest ones. Tough new EPA rules for conventional pollutants will help, and so will new EPA carbon regulations. Perhaps these strict new regulations will refresh the power bosses' appetite for a cap. But they have plenty of lawyers, and the long, ugly battles over implementation of EPA regulations could extend the current period of uncertainty by many years. Republicans (and some Democrats) will try to strip EPA of its authority over carbon, or at least delay implementation of its new rules. In effect, the Senate will be saying that Congress alone should have the power to act — so that it can then not exercise that power. Obama's aides say the president will be fully engaged in the battle to save EPA authority over carbon. It is a fight that he can't possibly duck, because it is our last line of defense. As Gore reminded me in Copenhagen, "The fact that this is extremely hard doesn't mean we should quit." -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SC CNRCC CONST Climate & Energy" group. To post to this group, send email to sc-cnrcc-const-climate--energy(a)googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to sc-cnrcc-const-climate--energy+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sc-cnrcc-const-climate--energy?hl=en. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fw: Register TODAY for EPA's Coal Ash Webinar: Aug 5 and Aug 12
by Jim Sconyers 02 Aug '10

02 Aug '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Lisa Evans <levans(a)EARTHJUSTICE.ORG> To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Sent: Mon, August 2, 2010 10:26:37 AM Subject: Register TODAY for EPA's Coal Ash Webinar: Aug 5 and Aug 12 All- Please participate in EPA's webinars THIS WEEK and NEXT WEEK on Aug 5 and Aug 12. The information is pasted below (See http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/industrial/special/fossil/ccr-rule/ccr-webina…): -- Thursday, August 5, 2010, 2:00 pm-3:30 pm EDT - Environmental/Health, Environmental Justice, and Community impacts -- Thursday, August 12, 2010, 2:00 pm-3:30 pm EDT - Industry and Beneficial Use impacts All stakeholders are welcome to attend both webinars - the presentation by EPA staff will be identical. To register for the webinars: After registering you will be given a phone number that can be used to listen to the webinar. If you plan to ask a question during the webinar, you will need to use the GoToWebinar chat feature and not the phone line. The phone line is for listening purposes only. For August 5th: To register, go to GoToWebinar: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/993822802 For August 12th: To register, go to GoToWebinar: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/709912418 Thanks. Lisa Evans Senior Administrative Counsel Earthjustice 21 Ocean Ave. Marblehead, MA 01945 T: (781) 631-4119 F: (212) 918-1556 www.earthjustice.org *please consider the environment before printing The information contained in this email message may be privileged, confidential and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you think that you have received this email message in error, please notify the sender by reply email and delete the message and any attachments. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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kentucky coverage of coal 527
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 01 Aug '10

01 Aug '10

coal money to candidates<http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2010/07/27/coal-execs-hope-to-spend-b…>

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Re: [EC] 'Energy Storage' Rules in California To Help Meet GHG-Reduction Goals
by James Kotcon 31 Jul '10

31 Jul '10

A very good read, and something to think about in West Virginia. If we are serious about developing renewables in a big way, we need to start planning for energy storage too. JBK >>> Edward Mainland <emainland(a)COMCAST.NET> 7/31/2010 12:43 AM >>> Here is the actual study referred to below, which can help everyone better understand the various facets of renewables' "intermittency". - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fwd: Numbers Documenting EVs' Advantage Over Gasoline Cars No Matter Where
by James Kotcon 31 Jul '10

31 Jul '10

FYI, Good analysis. JBK >>> Edward Mainland <emainland(a)COMCAST.NET> 7/30/2010 11:19 PM >>> Grid sets electric cars' green standard David R. Baker, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, July 19, 2010 When you drive an electric car in California, you're not just driving on electricity - you're driving on natural gas, nuclear power, hydropower and coal. Drive an electric car in, say, Georgia, and it's mostly coal and nuclear. Public fascination with electric cars is growing, as people and politicians look for ways to fight global warming and wean America off oil. Palo Alto's Tesla Motors has developed a cult following for its pricey electric sports cars, and Nissan by year's end will start selling a less-expensive, all-electric sedan dubbed the Leaf. The buzz tends to obscure a basic fact - electric cars are only as green as the power grid that supplies their juice. They don't burn fossil fuels or spew greenhouse gases into the air. But most of the power plants that generate their electricity do. Many energy analysts, however, love them anyway. Even when power plant emissions are included, electric cars still pump far less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than do their gasoline-burning brethren, analysts say. "In California, you plug into the grid with an electric vehicle, and you're going to see a two-thirds reduction in your global warming pollution," said Roland Hwang, transportation program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "It's a big benefit." Note that he mentioned California. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions saved by electric cars varies widely from state to state. California's grid is relatively carbon-free, drawing 14.4 percent of its electricity in 2008 from nuclear plants, 11 percent from large hydroelectric dams and 10.6 percent from renewable sources such as geothermal plants and wind farms, according to the California Energy Commission. More than 45 percent of the state's electricity comes from burning natural gas, which produces less carbon dioxide than coal. Many states in the Midwest or Southeast, however, rely heavily on coal. There, electric cars will still produce fewer emissions than gasoline vehicles, but the difference won't be as great. "A Tesla in Georgia would give you about the same greenhouse gas emissions as a good Prius," Hwang said, referring to Toyota's popular hybrid car. "You're not going backward, but you're only doing as well as a Prius." Different figures Figuring out the greenhouse gas emissions associated with different kinds of cars and fuels has become something of a cottage industry, with many researchers coming up with their own estimates. Those estimates have taken on greater importance as state and federal officials wrestle with energy policy and climate change. Researchers use an approach called "well to wheels," in which they study the greenhouse gas emissions generated by making fuel and delivering it to customers as well as burning it in a car. A well-to-wheels study of gasoline, for example, looks at the emissions produced by pumping crude oil from the ground, shipping it to refineries, processing it into gasoline, delivering the gas to stations and burning it while driving. The Natural Resources Defense Council, using data from the U.S. Department of Energy and the California Air Resources Board, estimates that a typical gas-powered car produces 465 grams of carbon dioxide per mile. Electric cars feeding off of California's power grid produce 142 grams per mile. Electric cars plugged into the grid elsewhere in the country - drawing power from the nation's average mix of natural gas, coal and nuclear plants - produce 214 grams of carbon dioxide per mile. A study for the California Energy Commission, which estimated greenhouse gas emissions from cars two years from now, yielded comparable results. Cars burning gasoline will produce 473 grams of carbon dioxide per mile, the study found, while electric cars in California will produce 123 grams. Energy analysts say the benefits of electric cars will increase as the use of renewable power grows. It's far easier to "de-carbonize" the electricity grid than it is to cut the greenhouse gas emissions from millions of fuel-burning cars. 'Cleaner over time' "Even if the grid is dirty now, we expect it to get cleaner over time," said Patricia Monahan, deputy director of the clean vehicles program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "In the long run, by 2030, we really need to be on a path to electrification if we want deep greenhouse gas reductions." Electric car owners tend to know exactly where their power comes from. Some even take steps to make that power greener. Steve Casner of Sunnyvale stuck solar panels on his house. The software engineer owns both a Tesla and an electric Rav4, which Toyota sold from 1997 to 2003. (The Japanese automaker announced Friday that it would develop a new electric Rav4 with Tesla's help, with the vehicles hitting the market in 2012.) "Some people would say to me that I was just diverting my pollution elsewhere, so I said, 'I can solve that problem,' " Casner said. "I can't make gasoline at my house, but I can make electricity." Casner charges his cars at night, so they don't draw their electricity directly from the solar panels. But he usually generates more electricity in the afternoon than he can use, selling the excess back to the grid. He figures it all evens out. "We treat the grid as a big battery," he said. E-mail David R. Baker at dbaker(a)sfchronicle.com. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/19/BU0M1EF33T.DTL This article appeared on page D - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fwd: from the Center for Media and Democracy: Fight Over Fracking
by Paul Wilson 30 Jul '10

30 Jul '10

The Weekly Spin, *July 28, 2010* CMD ReportsFight Over Fracking<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=OutUuUjbSQpcfvZKGeEO…> by Anne Landman The state of New York has some of the cleanest drinking water in the country, but natural gas drilling is threatening water resources there. At issue is whether drilling companies know enough about how to protect groundwater sources from contamination by a drilling procedure called " fracking<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=gnTHN13PbrETjWSsLvNG…>," the term used for the hydraulic fracturing of rock formations to make them produce more gas. Citizens also doubt whether existing rules and regulations can assure drilling companies will do enough to protect water sources, and whether there are enough qualified staff people to enforce current and future drilling regulations. In the Gulf of Mexico, drilling technology outpaced the industry's knowledge of how to cap an out-of-control well and clean up an environmental disaster caused by drilling activities. Similar problems exist with the natural gas drilling. Increasingly, land owners report that exposure to fracking chemicals has made them sick and that fracking contaminated streams and drinking water wells on their property, rendering them unusable. Gas companies fight having to reveal the secret cocktail of chemicals that make up their proprietary "fracking fluids," and fracking was exempted from the national Safe Drinking Water Act during the George W. Bush<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=SbolKFoR0jmLDLn1jVRI…>Administration, so there is little help for citizens trying to stop drilling companies from using the procedure. A Web site called "Clean Water Not Dirty Drilling"<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=SKITnPswqeZwJWxPn%2F…>is urging people to contact the New York State Senate to ask for a "time out" on drilling until more is known about how to make the activity safer. Go here<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2FPLkPlx08QXjNj706y…>to watch the video. Read the rest of this item<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=rMfl6bToBWVvalO%2BW%…> -- 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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Marcellus drilling Industrial Landfill Planned for Bruceton Mills Area
by Frank Young 27 Jul '10

27 Jul '10

----- Original Message ----- From: CCWALBRIDGE(a)cs.com To: gmcorio(a)mail.wvu.edu ; suetaft(a)ncweb.com ; honeymow(a)aol.com ; backlundpaddles(a)juno.com ; vsmith(a)ap.org ; steepcreeks(a)yahoo.com ; chrisrkirkman(a)yahoo.com ; JMac221(a)aol.com ; chevymanmp(a)adelphia.net ; ikayak4fun(a)hotmail.com ; Chrizee(a)msn.com ; warlickone(a)hotmail.com ; jblack(a)mail.nesc.wvu.edu ; bob_spangler_jr(a)yahoo.com ; emtem(a)mountain.net ; info(a)karstsports.com ; Tom_Chapman(a)FWS.gov ; bobgedek(a)icubed.com ; frankly(a)mtparty.org ; ehughes(a)wvpubcast.org ; bill.blauvelt(a)verizon.net ; SStough(a)gcnetmail.com ; KKehoe(a)dnr.state.md.us ; mtnlionwv(a)direcway.com ; jhamill(a)dejazzd.com ; dbrown(a)americaoutdoors.org ; jblaney(a)quixnet.net ; chuckstump(a)juno.com ; riverrat55(a)hotmail.com ; Grady.Fred(a)NMNH.SI.EDU ; adam(a)hazmatlaw.com ; moxiemeister(a)hotmail.com Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 11:09 AM Subject: Industrial Landfill Planned for Bruceton Mills Area I recently learned that that a developer is proposing to build and operate a 150 acre industrial landfill about 1 mile south of Bruceton Mills, in the Little Sandy and Big Sandy watersheds. The proposed facility would serve as a disposal site for residual brine from natural gas drilling operations. Residual brine is a term for a by-product of Marcellus shale drilling, specifically a process called hydro fracturing or fracing. Water recovered from the fracing process contains a variety of proprietary compounds in addition to high levels of salt. The used fracking material is processed and dried. This concentrated, dried material must be disposed of, and project will concentrate drilling waste from a large area. The fracking process is not regulated by the state and federal government so no one knows what chemicals it contains. The WV Department of Environmental Protection has been informed about this project but has yet to receive their Class F industrial landfill permit application. This projects could have serious effects on the community. Local residents, farm animals, and game species all depend on surface and ground water and many fracking chemicals have very harmful effects. The river is also a popular recreational resource, with thousands of people kayaking, swimming, and hiking beside its waters each year. The Little Sandy was recently reclaimed, after a multi-million dollar investment, from the effects of acid mine drainage caused by many years of coal mining, For the first time in many years the river supports brook trout. This, too, is at risk. Marcellus Shale gas is important to the area and to the country. We all need energy for all facets of life. Like many of my neighbors, I leased my land for gas exploration and have friends who work in the gas business. I'd like this work to be successful, but have trouble sifting between environmental hype and industry spin. Events in the Gulf show that we can't trust industry to do the right thing. Any advice, contacts, or thoughts are welcome. Sincerely, Charlie Walbridge 1886 Little Sandy Road; Bruceton Mills, WV 26525 304-379-9002; ccwalbridge(a)cs.com

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General Mills installs solar power system at Mass. site
by Frank Young 26 Jul '10

26 Jul '10

Blank July 26 -- A new solar power installation at a General Mills warehouse in Methuen, Mass., is expected to supply nearly 80% of the site´s summertime power needs, and 40% during the rest of the year. http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/email.html?id=1280149271

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NYTimes.com: E.P.A. Considers Risks of Gas Extraction
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 24 Jul '10

24 Jul '10

This page was sent to you by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com. BUSINESS | July 24, 2010 E.P.A. Considers Risks of Gas Extraction By TOM ZELLER Jr. Pennsylvania residents point to fouled wells, deformed livestock and poisoned fish near natural gas wells that blast underground rock with water and chemicals. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/24/business/energy-environment/24gas.html?em… ---------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THIS E-MAIL This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service. For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help(a)nytimes.com. NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

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Fwd: [WVaPATH] EIS
by James Kotcon 20 Jul '10

20 Jul '10

Not sure how many of you are on this list-serve, but here is what was happening at Harper's Ferry last night. JBK >>> Keryn Newman <keryn(a)frontiernet.net> 7/19/2010 11:11 PM >>> The notebook of statements was a big hit with the Park & Forest Services! Overall, it was a very successful meeting (if we can judge by the amount of obsessive cell-phone and blackberry use by the Allegheny & AEP guys). The park service displays were very well done and impartial -- Morgan held true to her word on that. These guys are really on our side here (if they could be on anyone's side). One of the rangers even bought one of our t-shirts ;-) They were somewhat adamant that they could not expand the scope of the EIS to cover the entire project. One guy told me that FERC and NERC would have to order them to expand it. We persisted in trying to make our case anyhow! One thing that we didn't cover that one of the rangers/park service personnel mentioned -- EMF effects on animals (farm or otherwise) -- and aren't we all animals too? You all might want to create another topic using Martin Blank's Va. Testimony for the Tucker County meeting. They allowed public speaking during the last hour of the meeting. Morgan said she wasn't sure if they would continue the practice tomorrow night in Purcellville, but you all may want to prepare something and make the request at the beginning of the meeting. Speakers are limited to 6 minutes, but Patience ran over and refused to shut up and sit down until she was done with the book presentation speech. A member of the Sierra Club gave a great little speech that seemed to resonate with the federal personnel. One of our County Commissioners spoke, and another member of our executive committee spoke for a few minutes as well. Ron Poff's little friend was either recording the speeches or broadcasting them on his cellphone to someone/someplace else, not sure which, but it was one or the other. They were/are VERY interested in what we're doing... poor fellas seem a little worried :-( We had attendance of well over 100 people coming and going throughout the evening. Very impressive turnout! PATH did not have a table, but there were probably 8 - 10 of them circulating and they were easy to pick out, especially since we know a couple of them by name. The ones I can name off hand were Ron Poff and Randy Palmer. They really didn't want to talk to us much and weren't trying to be very sneaky since they knew we knew who they were. If anything, they lost at being sneaky, since I eavesdropped on one of them who thought he was alone and was having a loud cellphone conversation about Capito. The hotel was very nice and allowed us to first set up our own little table out front, and then asked us to move, but it was to the downstairs lobby right outside the meeting room. The only one who didn't act like we had cooties was Randy Palmer. He made some snide remark about not liking Patience's StopPATH WV t-shirt, so I bought him one of the ones that Steve picked up in Tucker County last year. Not sure which one of you designed these shirts, but here's a photo of Patience presenting Randy with his shirt. He says he "collects this stuff" and also asked for one of our StopPATH logo hand fans. I was going to give him a glow-in-the-dark EMF bracelet, but I'm not sure if he ever got it. Must make sure his PATH collection is complete, because this is the fight they're going to lose! If anyone has any specific questions that I didn't address, just let me know. (or if someone else on this listserv who was there wants to post their own reflection on the evening -- go for it!) Tomorrow Steve and I are going over to Purcellville where we can pay more attention to what the power company guys are doing and less time being serious. We also plan to attend Wednesday in Frederick.

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Fwd: Solar Power now Cheaper than New Nuclear in NC
by James Kotcon 17 Jul '10

17 Jul '10

You may find this report as fascinating as I did. The author is former Chancellor of Duke University and an economist with 30 years experience in estimating energy costs. His report shows that the cost of solar electricity in North Carolina is now cheaper than nuclear, that nuclear costs are projected to continue to climb while solar costs will keep coming down. The data clearly show this historic crossover occurs in 2010, this year. Furthermore, given the 6-10 years needed to construct a plant, the cost imbalance will be even greater by the time a new nuclear plant is built. The report is available at: http://www.ncwarn.org/?p=2290 Use this the next time someone tries to argue that we need nukes as a solution to global warming. Jim Kotcon >>> Hugh Mitchell goshawk(a)FRONTIERNET.NET> 7/16/2010 9:17 PM >> ( mailto:goshawk@FRONTIERNET.NET> ) Abstract from New York Times article, Sunday, 7/11/10 “A New Analysis Triples Plutonium Waste Figures” “The amount of plutonium buried at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State is nearly Three times what the federal government previously reported, a new analysis indicates, suggesting that a cleanup To protect future generations will be far more challenging that planners had assumed.” “The fear is that in a few hundred years [plutonium is radioactive for 24,000 years half-life] plutonium could Reach an underground area called the saturation zone, where water flows, and from there enter the Columbia River.” “So far, the cleanup, which began in the 1990’s, has involved moving some contaminated material near the banks of the Columbia to drier locations. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/science/earth/11plutonium.html?src=mv Hugh Mitchell Atlantic Chapter, Rochester

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Fwd: RE: Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio
by James Kotcon 16 Jul '10

16 Jul '10

It was recently brought to my attention that the PSC finalized some rule changes to the Net Metering rules as mandated by last year's Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio bill. While the changes create some concerns for our net-metering program (adding the various fossil fuels sources as eligible for net metering), the program is still limited to small residential generators, and is not that different from certain distributed generation programs in a few other states. Of greater concern is that the bill mandated PSC rule-making to implement the Alternative and Renewable Energy standards. We had long been concerned that the bill, by including natural gas plants and certain coal plants in the definition of "Alternative", did not provide a real incentive for renewables. Earlier this year, I re-read the bill and saw that it included "SuperCritical" boiler technology as one of the sources eligible for "Alternative" energy credits. Not being an engineer, it has only slowly dawned on me that some of West Virginia's larger power plants have "supercriticial" boilers, but it was not until Byron Harris's e-mail below that I realized how many. When legislators were voting for this bill, how many of them realized that, under the language of the bill, the John Amos and Fort Martin plants qualify as "Alternative" energy sources? Under this bill, the utilities in 2009 were already meeting the standard required by 2025. Note: The bill requires that by 2025, utilities hold "credits" equal to 25 % of the electricity sold to retail customers in the state. As originally passed in 2009, the bill only included "ultra-supercritical technology", but due to technical errors, the bill was not signed. I believe that only the Longview plant would have qualified as "ultrasupercritical" as AEP's ultra plants are in other states, and Allegheny does not have any. When it was re-introduced in the Special session of May, 2009, the words "supercritical technology" were added to the definition of "Advanced coal technology", which is what let in Amos, Fort Martin, et al. I have not done the math, but a ball park estimate is that 2/3 of the electricity generated in WV is sold out of state. So 25 % of the 1/3 sold in-state would have to come from these "Alternative" generation facilities. Since no other state will award credits for supercritical boilers, the only place that AEP or Allegheny would have to use credits from Fort Martin, John Amos, Mountaineer, or Harrison are in WV. Thus they can still sell all their renewable, hydro, or truly "alternative" energy to out-of state customers to meet the portfolio standards in those states, and not have to do a thing for West Virginia's law. Would it be appropriate to start labeling this bill as "Manchin's fraudulent Renewable Energy bill". How did the words "Supercritical technology" get added to the bill when it was introduced in the special session? Did Governor Manchin know he was lying to us when he told us in January that it would be the most aggressive such standard in the nation, or was he also fooled, or was it a deliberate change that only came up between April and May? JBK >>> "Harris, Byron" <BHarris(a)cad.state.wv.us> 7/9/2010 3:33 PM >>> Jim, You are correct that West Virginia's largest plants use supercritical boilers. As for the Allegheny companies, Mon Power the 2 units at Ft. Martin (576 Mw each) are subercritical units. Aslo, Mon Power owns a 20% share of the 3 units at Harrison (684 Mw each - MP share = 420Mw). Potomac Edison does not own any generationf. As for AEP, Appalachian Power the 3 units at John Amos and the single unit at Mountaineer are supercritical. Apco owns 100% of Mountaineer and Amos units 1 & 2 (816 Mw each). Apco also owns 1/3 of unit 3 (1300Mw). Wheeling Power doesn't own any generation. Several power plants in WV are owned by out of state utilities and aren't subject to the statute. For example, Mt. Storm is owned by Dominion Virginia Power and Kammer is owned by Ohio Power. You can view/download all of the filings in G.O. 184.25 from the Commission's website. Here is the link: http://www.psc.state.wv.us/ Click on Case Information, then Search By Activity, in the Case Number dialog box enter 184.25 Byron Harris, Director Consumer Advocate Division 723 Kanawha Blvd., Room 700 Charleston, WV 253-1 Ph. 304.558.0526 Email bharris(a)cad.state.wv.us From: James Kotcon [mailto:jkotcon@wvu.edu] Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2010 4:37 PM To: Stollings, Jennifer Subject: Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio I was just recently made aware of the PSC's G.O. 184.25 regrading the Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards adopted as HB. 104 in 2009 and an contacting you after having reviewed your comment letter of Oct. 1, 2009, as posted on the PSC web page. I am very concerned that the definitions of "Alternative" energy are so broad as to make the Act meaningless. For example, the use of "supercritical technology" for coal-fired boilers is considered as an "alternative" energy source that could be used to meet a utility's required emissions credits. It is my understanding that several of West Virginia's largest power plants use supercritical boilers, including the John Amos power plant. If that is the case, would not that one plant be sufficient to meet all of the requirements for credits in the state for the foreseeable future? As such, the bill would providfe no incentive for carbon capture and sequestration, recycled energy sources, renewable energy courses, or energy efficiency programs. I question whether the Legislature, in voting to adopt HB 104, really understood or intended that John Amos be considered an "Alternative" energy source, as I believe the intent was to promote adoption of "alternative and renewable" energy sources as those terms are more commonly understood. Would you be able to confirm whether my understanding of the definition of "supercritical technology" is correct and that plants such as John Amos would be eligible to generate such alternative energy credits? Can you identify which of AEP's and Allegheny's current plants use "advanced coal technology" as defined in HB 104? Please keep me informed as this proceeding continues. Thank you. James Kotcon, Chair Energy Committee West Virginia Sierra Club 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home)

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Fw: video of gov manchin telling inspectors to not issue fines/coalcountry
by Jim Sconyers 16 Jul '10

16 Jul '10

FYI Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: "MLEvansESP(a)aol.com" <MLEvansESP(a)aol.com> To: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com Sent: Thu, July 15, 2010 4:12:45 PM Subject: Re: video of gov manchin telling inspectors to not issue fines/coalcountry Jim PLEASE send this out to your list. It is so outrageous maybe someone will pick up the story. ML www.coalcountrythemovie.com Mari-Lynn Evans Evening Star Productions 630 Delaware Avenue, Akron OH 44303 330-867-7443 330-867-7468 fax 330-289-4513 cell ________________________________ From: jim_scon(a)yahoo.com >To: MLEvansESP(a)aol.com >Sent: 7/15/2010 4:08:46 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time >Subj: Re: Fwd: video of gov manchin telling inspectors to not issue >fines/coalcountry > > Geezus! > > Jim Sconyers >jim_scon(a)yahoo.com >304.698.9628 > >Remember: Mother Nature bats last. > > > > > ________________________________ From: "MLEvansESP(a)aol.com" <MLEvansESP(a)aol.com> >To: webb.bo(a)gmail.com; vernoncrmw(a)gmail.com; vivian(a)ohvec.org; >janet.ovec(a)gmail.com; kward(a)wvgazette.com; judy(a)crmw.net; >dana(a)theallianceforappalachia.org; anromu(a)gmail.com; rich(a)cr23media.com; >andy(a)heartwood.org >Cc: gdanielpacker(a)yahoo.com; wvhollowgirl(a)gmail.com; jmartin(a)sbcglobal.net; >jim_scon(a)yahoo.com; bill.price(a)sierraclub.org; shirley26505(a)yahoo.com; >mozark(a)hughes.net; gypsywagons(a)yahoo.com >Sent: Thu, July 15, 2010 4:02:30 PM >Subject: Fwd: video of gov manchin telling inspectors to not issue >fines/coalcountry > >Friends > >I think, at this time, it is especially important to listen to Gov Manchin's >own words about how he treated violations at coal companies. This is the >video and the transcript. Please feel free to send this out to your lists and >to media. MLE > >> >>>http://blip.tv/file/3472953 >>> >>>TIME CODE 6:48 >Gov. Manchin speaking at the WV Coal Symposium, 2008 >"Hey John, you've got a problem here, now before I write you up with a >violation, here's what I think you ought to do to fix it. Let's get >together, get our people together. I'll come back in a week or a month or >whatever the rotation time would be. Then if you've made those changes, >tried to make the changes, we're working in the right direction. Rather than >going out with a ball bat and a cease and desist order and fines, I'd rather >you spend the money to fix what's wrong, try to make it safer, than give the >money to government. I guarantee you we won't fix it." > >TIME CODE 20:30 >Gov. Manchin speaking with Chuck Nelson and Lorelei Scarbo, 10.09 >"It's tough to find balance in an extraction state" > > >www.coalcountrythemovie.com > >Mari-Lynn Evans >Evening Star Productions >630 Delaware Ave. >Akron, Ohio 44303 >330-867-7443 phone >330-867-7468 fax >330-289-4514 cell >mlevansesp(a)aol.com > > >PRAY FOR THE PERISHED AND FIGHT LIKE HELL FOR THE LIVING -MOTHER JONES > >

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NYTimes.com: Project's Fate May Predict the Future of Mining
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 15 Jul '10

15 Jul '10

This page was sent to you by: william.depaulo(a)gmail.com. NYT'S ARTICLE ON MTR U.S. | July 15, 2010 Project's Fate May Predict the Future of Mining By ERIK ECKHOLM The Obama administration's threat to curtail a major mountaintop mining project could signal a shift in federal mining policy. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/us/15mining.html?emc=eta1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THIS E-MAIL This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service. For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help(a)nytimes.com. NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

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Fw: WVNS story: Union: Hundreds of WV Pipeline Jobs Going to Out of State Workers
by Jim Sconyers 13 Jul '10

13 Jul '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> To: JimSconyers <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> Sent: Tue, July 13, 2010 4:04:25 AM Subject: WVNS story: Union: Hundreds of WV Pipeline Jobs Going to Out of State Workers Public News Service-WV July 13, 2010 Union: Hundreds of WV Pipeline Jobs Going to Out of State Workers CHARLESTON, W.Va. - It's estimated that $2 billion worth of pipeline construction will be done in West Virginia to assemble and process the natural gas from the boom in the state's Marcellus Shale drilling. But so far it seems mostly out-of-state contractors are doing the work. Joe Bowen, organizer with the West Virginia Laborers District Council, is part of a protest at one job site in Harrison County. "License plates from Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi. Out of 142 workers, there was like 12 of them from West Virginia." In the past, gas industry representatives have questioned whether West Virginia has workers qualified for the highly-technical pipeline jobs. Bowen says the state's workers are probably better qualified, because of union apprenticeship and drug testing programs specifically for pipeline work. "We train for specific skills in this pipeline industry. And I often question if a lot of these out-of-state workers either have the current drug cards and the training that our men have." Bowen says there is a huge amount of this work to be done in the state, but it's exactly the kind of construction West Virginia's work force knows how to do and has a lot of experience with. "This is just the beginning, and it's not only the pipeline, the processing plants and the compressor stations along with it." No one from the Canadian contractor, Ledcor, returned a call requesting comment. According to a trade group, other pipeline projects have employed mostly in-state workers, but Bowen says they have seen the same pattern at other sites. 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/14928-1 --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org and put the word "remove" in the subject line.

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Fw: Scientific American re: shale gas drilling
by Frank Young 11 Jul '10

11 Jul '10

This is a good read. I like the last two summary sentences: "What legacy will we leave? Will we continue to burn the furniture to heat the house?" ----- Original Message ----- From: clrank(a)hughes.net To: WVHCBOARD(a)yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2010 7:23 AM Subject: [WVHCBOARD] Scientific American re: shale gas drilling July 9, 2010 | Scientific American Concerns Spread over Environmental Costs of Producing Shale Gas The extent to which utilities will burn natural gas to slash carbon dioxide emissions tied to global warming is a national issue. But on the ground, where it's being produced, the issues become very local. By Joel Kirkland and ClimateWire: Concerns Spread over Environmental Costs of Producing Shale Gas The extent to which utilities will burn natural gas to slash carbon dioxide emissions tied to global warming is a national issue. But on the ground, where it's being produced, the issues become very local. By Joel Kirkland and ClimateWire Pa., a geyser of natural gas and sludge began shooting out of a well called Punxsutawney Hunting Club 36. The toxic stew of gas, salt water, mud and chemicals went 75 feet into the air for 16 hours. Some of this mess seeped into a stream northeast of Pittsburgh. Four days later, as authorities were cleaning up the debris in Pennsylvania, an explosion burned seven workers at a gas well on the site of an abandoned coal mine outside of Moundsville, W.Va., just southwest of Pittsburgh. The back-to-back emergencies were like a five-alarm fire for John Hanger, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. For a brief moment, the cable news channels turned their attention away from the BP PLC oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico to the apparent trouble in the nation's expanding onshore natur al gas fields. The events added force to a tough public debate in Pennsylvania and New York and across northern Appalachia about how the environmental impacts of gas drilling balance against the economic benefits of gas and the role it could play in helping electric utilities transition to cleaner fuels. When used to fire up a power plant, natural gas produces less air pollutants and half of the greenhouse gas emissions produced by conventional coal plants. But extracting the gas from deep sedimentary rock and shipping it to consumers is an industrial process. It requires massive amounts of water and reliable cement and pipe jobs. It also has wastewater-disposal issues and generates air pollution. "This is a test for people in public life," Hanger says. "Do you get into public service to treat the gas industry fairly and protect our resources, or not? You don't have to choose between producing the gas and protecting our water." The extent to w hich U.S. utilities will burn natural gas to slash carbon dioxide emissions tied to global warming is a national issue. But on the ground, where it's being produced, all politics is very local. Regulators 'over their heads and drowning'? Hanger is a contentious figure in Pennsylvania. He personifies the state's willingness, or lack thereof, to police drillers operating in the Marcellus Shale natural gas basin under Pennsylvania. At public forums where residents bring their environmental concerns, Hanger's name and the administration of Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) attract a mixed bag of praise and frustration. "They need to admit that they're over their heads and drowning," says Jon Bogle, founder of the Responsible Drilling Alliance, a citizens group in northeastern Pennsylvania, the epicenter of Marcellus drilling activity so far t his year. "They are trying. They've toughened their position. They just don't have the personnel to do the job." To some residents, Hanger has shown in recent months he's serious about getting compliance from drillers by fining companies and forcing them to plug poorly constructed wells. To others, development is rapidly outpacing environmental safeguards. The geyser in Clearfield County, the fire in West Virginia and high-profile cases of groundwater contamination in Dimock, Pa., underscore their belief that regulators in the Northeast have been outmanned and outmaneuvered by a powerful industry imported from the friendlier confines of Fort Worth, Texas. "We're not running a see-no-evil, hear-no-evil regulatory apparatus here," Hanger responds. "We're working on rules and regulations that should have been addressed a decade ago." A hangover from the impacts of coal mining Pennsylvania's struggle with gas production is tied as closely to coal as it is to anything else. Coal mining is built into the social topography of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley. Centuries of mining, from southern Illinois to the Allegheny Mountains, fortified the rural economies but fostered acrimony and distrust among landowners, conservationists and coal companies. Pennsylvania struggles to control acid mine runoff from abandoned coal mines. "One of the greatest challenges is convincing people that we are not the second coming of coal," says Matt Pitzarella, spokesman for gas producer Range Resources. Coal informs discussions about the gas rigs and leases cut into the forests and farmland. And the recent flurry of environmental disasters in oil and coal fields has fueled fears about the impact the gas boom will have on aquifers, fragile ecosystems and public health. BP's Gulf disaster stiffened the resolve of environmental groups in Pennsylvania and New York to challenge industry guarantees about the safety of modern hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") technology used to crack deep deposits of gas-rich shale rock. The collapsed coal-ash containment pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority power plant in Kingston, Tenn., raised questions about leaks at similar waste pits located on gas drilling sites. And the explosion in April that killed 29 people at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia offered a bleak reminder of the dangers of this kind of work. Gas producers maintain that the use of horizontal drills to extract gas from under neighboring plots means drillers require less land for well pads and equipment. They argue that chemicals pumped into the ground are benign, aquifers are protected by steel and concrete, drilling requires less water than nuclear power or a coal-fired power plant, and companies can dispose of salt water without poisoning streams. The hotbed of environmental protest about the potential impact of drilling is in New York, where the source of New York City's drinking water is the Catskill Mountains and Delaware River watershed on the eastern edge of the Marcellus Shale. The water supply is fed by underground aquifers and the area's rivers and streams, and the water is pristine enough to flow unfiltered through a system of aqueducts to 9 million New York residents. Public distrust spreads from N.Y. There, public distrust of gas companies has engendered less tolerance for political equanimity. Polluting the aquifer and using too much of the water are the central concerns. A de facto moratorium on drilling the shale already exists, but lawmakers in Albany are considering codifying a one-year moratorium until regulators finish environmental impact studies. As public protests mounted last fall, Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon extended an olive branch and promised not to drill his leases in the watershed. In January, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged Gov. David Paterson (D) to put the water supply ahead of the economic benefits to a state $7 billion in the red. "July 14 may be the most important date this summer in the Delaware River Watershed!" shouts a recent e-mail blast from the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. "Moratorium is needed on all gas projects!" The group, which targets water pollution in the basin at the confluence of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delawar e, regularly petitions the Delaware River Basin Commission. July 14 is the date of the commission's upcoming meeting. The region's governors are members of the commission, and it sits far enough from politics and the day-to-day lobbying in Harrisburg and Albany to act boldly on petitions to stop drilling in protected areas of the water basin. In the past few months, the commission has done just that. One pending project, a Stone Energy Corp. plan to develop a gas well in Wayne County, Pa., garnered 2,000 written comments, many of which urged the panel to call a development time-out. To that end, the commission has issued sweeping directives since May forcing gas project sponsors, including Stone, to be permitted before drilling production or exploratory wells. And the panel has said it plans to set aside most applications until it adopts regulations for gas drilling in the Marcellus. Regulate first, dri ll later "Your pro-gas drilling forces might see us as impeding the process, and state regulations are sufficient," said commission spokeswoman Katharine O'Hara. "But we are the states," she added. "We're not trying to stymie the industry or overstep. Our goal is to ensure this is done in a responsible way and that it doesn't harm or degrade the resources in the basin." Pennsylvania politics doesn't separate pro-growth politicians from their environmental opponents with neat lines of demarcation. The state continues the search to find middle ground. But increasingly, in some corners, the measured debate in Penn's Woods has been drowned out by hyperbole and accusations that the other side is being disingenuous. And the New York glare from "Gasland," an HBO documentary by filmmaker Josh Fox, has stirred passions on both sides. In it, Fox raises the specter of unchecked corporate power as ga s rigs proliferate across the Pennsylvania landscape, poisoning the groundwater and ruining people's lives. The gas industry has condemned the film as environmental propaganda and wildly exaggerated. The tone of the film aside, the Marcellus debate in Pennsylvania still rests in the middle and is almost entirely about the still-evolving science of hydrology. "We're all affected by what happens in the watersheds," said Jeanne VanBriesen, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and director of the Center for Water Quality in Urban Environmental Systems. "Water here moves in and out of urban and rural environments." Salty water and fish kills Climate change and recent gas drilling-related events have illuminated the difficulties scientists face in pinpointing sources of pollution and the way water flows through the complex wat ershed. "Water predictions are based on historical records on what's happened in a watershed," she explained. "Global climate change is really a game changer for hydro-modeling. The climate is changing in a way that is unsuitable for future predictions." Like coal, the rapid industrial development of natural gas adds to concerns about water usage and disposal. "To understand what it means to use the water for Marcellus development," VanBriesen said, "we need to understand where it goes. If you think we know where all the water is going, you're wrong." In September 2009, a toxic algae bloom killed a massive amount of fish and aquatic life along a 43-mile stretch of Dunkard Creek on the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border. By year's end, a U.S. EPA report had fingered the legal practice of dumping wastewater from a C onsol Energy coal mine into the creek as one of the most likely causes, but not the only cause. Discharges into the creek, according to EPA, included a high level of total dissolved solids (TDS) that probably created the salty conditions needed for the poisonous algae to bloom. TDS measures amounts of sodium, chlorides, sulfates, nitrates, carbonates and other minerals, and while they aren't considered major pollutants, they can foul fresh water. Water quality specialists consider TDS levels to be an indicator that other chemical contaminants are in the water. After the fish kill, environmental activists said the high TDS levels could just as likely come from gas drilling in the area, which also extracts huge amounts of salt-laden, high-TDS water from the ground. As much as half of the millions of gallons of water injected into the earth when companies drill or fracture the shale returns to the surface contaminated and extremely salty. Coal and gas companies ar e supposed to strip out the metals before disposing of the water. The region's geology makes it difficult to re-inject water, and recycling is not yet widespread, in part because of the cost of the process. Investigators are still looking at what caused the fish slaughter at Dunkard Creek, but VanBriesen said there's strong support for the conclusion that algae thrive in salty conditions. "The impact of total dissolved solids more broadly on watersheds and ecosystems is less well understood," she said. Still, she asserted, "allowing rivers and creeks to get very salty is not good for the ecosystem." Dimock, a northeastern Pennsylvania township where residents accused Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. of poisoning their water wells, has become a well-known symbol of the troubles in gas country. Busted gas wells and the migration of methane into water wells put the challenge to Hanger. In April, the DEP ordered Cabot to plug three wells believed to be the s ource of migrating gas. The agency ordered Cabot to suspend the drilling of new wells for a year in and around Dimock, and it fined Cabot $240,000. 'What legacy will we leave?' Gas industry groups have defended Cabot. They argue that shallow methane is a naturally occurring phenomenon in Pennsylvania, a pre-existing condition that shouldn't be laid at the feet of a new industry. In Pennsylvania, unlike in New York, there are legal limits to actions a regulator can take to stop a company from operating. Hanger has asked the Legislature for clear authority to withhold new permits for companies that repeatedly violate rules. Hanger's DEP has hired more inspectors this year. With the support of environmental groups and some gas companies, the DEP also pushed for water quality regulatory reforms that a few weeks ago received the go-ahead from an independent review board in Pennsylvania. The new rules require gas producers to treat wastewater to the same quality as drinking water before du mping it into a stream. That means ensuring TDS levels don't exceed 500 milligrams per liter. The new rules also establish buffer zones for drilling around critical waterways. On Tuesday, Gov. Rendell signed a $28 billion state budget that, as part of an agreement among legislative leaders, includes a pledge to develop a severance tax on gas production by Oct. 1. It has been among the stickiest issues for lawmakers. Few in Harrisburg said they wanted to slow the economic growth, but in recent months, broad support grew for crafting a tax to help pay for environmental cleanup and local costs incurred because of the drilling. Rendell, who tends to emphasize both the economic opportunity and the environmental hazards, gave Hanger and another member of the governor's inner circle, John Quigley, secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the green light this year to sharpen their tone against the gas industry. The three have kept the p ressure on with regard to the tax on gas. "It is difficult for me to swallow the argument that an industry led by the likes of Exxon, one of the largest companies in the world, is in fact an infant industry," Quigley said at a conference in Pittsburgh in May. "To suggest we should wait to tax the industry strains credulity." The Marcellus Shale Coalition, which represents the major Marcellus gas producers, has opposed the tax, arguing that saddling producers with a tax on production of anywhere from 4 to 8 percent could stifle development in the early stages. The group's president, Kathryn Klaber, has crisscrossed the state to press the industry's case. "If you tax something, you get less," she says. "Not everyone takes this economic argument to heart." More than 7 million Pennsylvania acres is now under lease for gas exploration, about one-quarter of the state's landmass. At a conference in Pittsburgh in May, Quigley called on citizens groups to protest proposals to expand leasing in state parks. "There are those who would ignore the questions of balance and sustainability, who would look to the public lands to balance the budget without regard to consequence," he told the packed room at Duquesne University. "What legacy will we leave? Will we continue to burn the furniture to heat the house?" __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources MARKETPLACE Stay on top of your group activity without leaving the page you're on - Get the Yahoo! Toolbar now. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get great advice about dogs and cats. Visit the Dog & Cat Answers Center. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get real-time World Cup coverage on the Yahoo! Toolbar. Download now to win a signed team jersey! Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Re: [EC] [wvec-board] Fwd: RE: Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio
by DSGJr＠aol.com 10 Jul '10

10 Jul '10

In a message dated 7/9/2010 6:03:34 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, jkotcon(a)wvu.edu writes: Would it be appropriate to start labeling this bill as "Manchin's fraudulent Renewable Energy bill". I believe we have already done that, Jim. You helped me write an op ed that said as much. How did the words "Supercritical technology" get added to the bill when it was introduced in the special session? Jeff Herholdt was the lead on it, as I recall. And the governor's staff assisted. With your help, I did what I could, but it was greased. Did Governor Manchin know he was lying to us when he told us in January that it would be the most aggressive such standard in the nation, or was he also fooled, or was it a deliberate change that only came up between April and May? Oh, come on now! As a lobbyist I have learned to use the "lying" label very sparingly and carefully. From the moment we walked in his conference room he was "spinning." As was Kelly Goes beforehand. From the very beginning, Governor Manchin's "energy plan" has only been about mining and burning more WV coal. The coal and power company lobby boys are de facto members of his staff. -- don garvin

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Re: [EC] More on Immediate action needed to protect WV waters
by Duane330＠aol.com 08 Jul '10

08 Jul '10

In a message dated 7/8/2010 10:19:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time, blittle(a)citynet.net writes: DEP is proposing a statewide water quality standard for “Total Dissolved Solids” (TDS) of 500mg/l measured in-stream (currently WV has no standard). This is stronger than Pennsylvania’s standard of 500mg/l which is measured only at public water supply in-takes. However, it is twice as high as the 250mg/l that EPA recommends as the Human Health Standard for total dissolved solids (TDS is an indicator of the presence of a broad array of chemical contaminants) If we look in detail at the EPA recommendation, it is 250 mg/l for chloride and sulfate, not "total" dissolved solids....................... See the exerpt below from the following web site: _http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/library/goldbook.pdf_ (http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/library/goldbook.pdf) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SOLIDS (DISSOLVED) AND SALINlTY CRITERION: 250 mg/L for chlorides and s u l f a t e s i n domestic water supplies (welfare). INTRODUCTION: Dissolved s o l i d s and t o t a l d i s s o l v e d s o l i d s are terms g e n e r a l l y a s s o c i a t e d with freshwater systems and c o n s i s t of inorganic s a l t s , small amounts of organic matter, and dissolved materials (Sawyer, 1960). The equivalent terminology i n Standard Methods is f i l t r a b l e residue (Standard Methods, 1971). S a l i n i t y is an oceanographic term, and although not precisely equivalent t o the t o t a l dissolved s a l t content it is related t o it (Capurro, 1970). For most purposes, the terms t o t a l dissolved s a l t content and s a l i n i t y are e q u i v a l e n t . The p r i n c i p a l inorganic anions dissolved i n water include the carbonates, chlorides, s u l f a t e s , and n i t r a t e s ( p r i n c i p a l l y i n ground waters) ; the p r i n c i p a l cations are sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. RATIONALE : Excess dissolved s o l i d s are objectionable i n drinking water because of possible physiological e f f e c t s , unpalatable mineral tastes, and higher c o s t s because of c o r r o s i o n or t h e n e c e s s i t y for additional treatment. The p h y s i o l o g i c a l effects d i r e c t l y related t o d i s s o l v e d s o l i d s include l a x a t i v e e f f e c t s p r i n c i p a l l y from sodium s u l f a t e and magnesium s u l f a t e and the adverse effect of sodium on c e r t a i n p a t i e n t s a f f l i c t e d w i t h cardiac disease and women w i t h toxemia a s s o c i a t e d w i t h pregnancy. One study w a s made using data ,. ~ e collected from wells in North Dakota. Results from a questionnaire showed that with wells in which sulfates ranged from 1,000 to 1,500 mg/L, 62 percent of the respondents indicated laxative effects associated with consumption of the water. However, nearly one-quarter of the respondents to the questionnaire reported difficulties when concentrations ranged from 200 to 500 mg/L (Moore, 1952). To protect transients to an area, a sulfate level of 250 mg/L should afford reasonable protection from laxative effects. As indicated, sodium frequently is the principal component of dissolved solids. Persons on restricted sodium diets may have an intake restricted from 500 to 1,000 mg/day (Nat. Res. Coun., 1954). That portion ingested in water must be compensated by reduced levels in food ingested so that the total does not exceed the allowable intake. Using certain assumptions of water intake (e.g., 2 liters of water consumed per day) and sodium content of food, it has been calculated that for very restricted sodium diets, 20 mg/L in water would be the maximum, while for moderately restricted diets, 270 mg/L would be maximum. Specific sodium levels for entire water supplies have not been recommended but various restricted sodium intakes are recommended because: (1) the general population is not adversely affected by sodium, but various restricted sodium intakes are recommended by physicians for a significant portion of the population, and (2) 270 mg/L of sodium is representative of mineralized waters that may be aesthetically unacceptable, but many domestic water supplies exceed this level. Treatment for removal bf sodium in water supplies is costly (NAS, 1974). A study based on consumer surveys in 29 California water systems was made to measure the taste threshold of dissolved salts in water (Bruvold et al., 1969). Systems were selected to eliminate possible interferences from other taste-causing substances than dissolved salts. The study revealed that consumers rated waters with 319 to 397 mg/L dissolved solids as llexcellentwlhti le those with 1,283 to 1,333 mg/L dissolved solids were "unacceptable" depending on the rating system used. A *lgoodll rating was registered for dissolved solids less than 658 to 755 mg/L. The 1962 PHS Drinking Water Standards recommended a maximum dissolved solids concentration of 500 mg/L unless more suitable supplies were unavailable. Specific constituents included in the dissolved solids in water may cause mineral tastes at lower concentrations than other constituents. Chloride ions have frequently been cited as having a low taste threshold in water. Data from Ricter and MacLean (1939) on a taste panel of 53 adults indicated that 61 mg/L NaCl was the median level for detecting a difference from distilled water. At a median concentration of 395 mg/L chloride a salty taste was distinguishable, although the range was from 120 to 1,215 mg/L. Lockhart, @t al. 1955) evaluated the effect of chlorides on water used for brewing coffee indicated threshold concentrations for chloride ranging from 210 mg/L to 310 mg/L depending on the associated cation. These data indicate that a 0 level of 250 mg/L chlorides is a reasonable maximum level to \.p protect consumers of drinking water. The causation of corrosion and encrustation of metallic surfaces by water containing dissolved solids is well known. In water distribution systems corrosion is controlled by insulating dissimilar metal connections by nonmetallic materials, using pH control and corrosion inhibitors, or some form of galvanic or impressed electrical current systems (Lehmann, 1964). In household systems water piping, wastewater piping, water heaters, faucets, toilet flushing mechanisms, garbage grinders and both clothes and dishwashing machines incure damage. By using water with 1,150 mg/L dissolved solids as compared with 250 mg/L, service life was reduced from 70 percent for toilet flushing mechanisms to 30 percent for washing equipment. Such increased corrosion was calculated in 1968 to cost the consumer an additional $0.50 per 1,000 gallons used. All species of fish and other aquatic life must tolerate a range of dissolved solids concentrations in order to survive under natural conditions. Based on studies in Saskatchewan it has been indicated that several common freshwater species survived 10,000 mg/L dissolved solids, that whitefish and pikeperch survived 15,000 mg/L, but only the stickleback survived 20,000 mg/L dissolved solids. It was concluded that lakes with dissolved solids in excess of 15,000 mg/L were unsuitable for most freshwater fishes (Rawson and Moore, 1944). The 1968 NTAC Report also recommended less than that caused chloride. maintaining osmotic pressure levels of by a 15,000 mg/L solution of sodium Marine f i s h e s a l s o e x h i b i t v a r i a n c e i n a b i l i t y t o t o l e r a t e s a l i n i t y changes. However, f i s h k i l l s i n Laguna Madre o f f t h e Texas coast h a v e o c c u r r e d with s a l i n i t i e s i n the range of 75 t o 100 o/oo. Such c o n c e n t r a t e d seawater is caused by e v a p o r a t i o n and l a c k of exchange w i t h the Gulf of Mexico (Rounsafell and Everhart, 1953). E s t u a r i n e s p e c i e s of f i s h a r e t o l e r a n t of s a l i n i t y changes ranging from fresh t o brackish t o seawater. Anadromous species likewise are t o l e r a n t although evidence indicates t h a t the young cannot t o l e r a t e t h e change u n t i l t h e normal t i m e of migration (Rounsefell and Everhart, 1953). Other a q u a t i c s p e c i e s are more dependent on s a l i n i t y f o r p r o t e c t i o n from p r e d a t o r s o r r e q u i r e c e r t a i n minimal s a l i n i t i e s for successful hatching of eggs. The o y s t e r d r i l l cannot t o l e r a t e s a l i n i t i e s less than 12.5 o/oo, Therefore, estuarine segments containing s a l i n i t i e s below about 1 2 . 5 o/oo produce most of t h e seed o y s t e r s f o r p l a n t i n g (Rounsefell and Everhart, 1953). Based on similar examples, the 1968 NTAC Report recommended t h a t t o p r o t e c t f i s h and o t h e r marine animals no changes in hydrography or stream flow should be allowed that permanently change isohaline p a t t e r n s i n the estuary by more than 10 percent from n a t u r a l variation. Many of the recommended game bird l e v e l s f o r dissolved s o l i d s concentrations i n drinking water have been extrapolated from data c o l l e c t e d on domestic species such as chickens. However, young ducklings were r e p o r t e d poisoned i n Suisan Marsh by s a l t when maximum summer s a l i n i t i e s v a r i e d from 0.55 t o 1.74 o/oo w i t h ~ means as high as 1.26 o/oo ( G r i f f i t h , 1963). I n d i r e c t e f f e c t s of excess dissolved solids are primarily the elimination of desirable food plants and other habitat-forming p l a n t s . Rapid s a l i n i t y changes cause plasmolysis of t e n d e r l e a v e s and stems because of changes i n osmotic pressure. The 1968 NTAC Report recommended the following l i m i t s i n s a l i n i t y variation from natural t o protect w i l d l i f e habitats: Natural Salinity Variation Permitted (O/OO) (o/oo) 0 t o 3.5 1 3.5 to 13.5 2 13.5 to 35 4 A g r i c u l t u r a l uses of water a r e a l s o l i m i t e d by excessive d i s s o l v e d s o l i d s concentrations. Studies have indicated t h a t chickens, swine, c a t t l e , and sheep can survive on s a l i n e waters up t o 15,000 mg/L of s a l t s of sodium and calcium combined with bicarbonates, c h l o r i d e s , and s u l f a t e s but only 10,000 mg/L of corresponding s a l t s of potassium and magnesium. The approximate l i m i t for highly alkaline waters containing sodium and calcium carbonates is 5,000 mg/L (NTAC, 1968). I r r i g a t i o n use of water depends not only upon the osmotic effect of dissolved solids, but a l s o on the r a t i o of the various c a t i o n s p r e s e n t . I n a r i d and s e m i a r i d a r e a s general c l a s s i f i c a t i o n of s a l i n i t y hazards has been prepared (NTAC, 1968) (see Table 9). Table 9.-Dissolved Solids Hazard f o r I r r i g a t i o n Water (mg/L). water from which no detrimental effects w i l l usually be noticed--------------------- 500 .-... ,, water which can have detrimental e f f e c t s on sensit i v e crops--------------------- 500-1,000 water t h a t may have adverse effects on many crops and requires c a r e f u l managemerit practices----------------- 1,000-2,000 water t h a t can be used f o r t o l e r a n t p l a n t s on permeable s o i l s w i t h c a r e f u l management practices----------- 2,000-5,000 The amount of sodium and the percentage of sodium i n r e l a t i o n t o o t h e r c a t i o n s a r e o f t e n i m p o r t a n t . I n a d d i t i o n t o c o n t r i b u t i n g t o osmotic p r e s s u r e , sodium is t o x i c t o c e r t a i n plants, e s p e c i a l l y f r u i t s , and frequently causes problems in s o i l s t r u c t u r e , i n f i l t r a t i o n , and p e r m e a b i l i t y rates ( A g r i c u l t u r e Handbook #60, 1954). A high percentage of exchangeable sodium i n s o i l s c o n t a i n i n g c l a y s t h a t s w e l l when w e t can cause a s o i l c o n d i t i o n adverse t o water movement and p l a n t growth. The exchangeable-sodium percentage (ESP) * is an index of the sodium s t a t u s of s o i l s . An ESP of 1 0 t o 15 p e r c e n t is c o n s i d e r e d excessive i f a high p e r c e n t a g e of s w e l l i n g clay m i n e r a l s is p r e s e n t ( A g r i c u l t u r a l Handbook #60, 1954). 0 For s e n s i t i v e f r u i t s , t h e t o l e r a n c e f o r sodium f o r i r r i g a t i o n water is f o r a sodium a d s o r p t i o n r a t i o (SAR)** of about 4, whereas for g e n e r a l c r o p s and forages a r a n g e of 8 t o 18 is g e n e r a l l y considered usable (NTAC, 1968). It is emphasized t h a t a p p l i c a t i o n of these f a c t o r s must be i n t e r p r e t e d i n r e l a t i o n t o s p e c i f i c s o i l conditions e x i s t i n g i n a given l o c a l e and t h e r e f o r e frequently r e q u i r e s f i e l d i n v e s t i g a t i o n . I n d u s t r i a l r e q u i r e m e n t s r e g a r d i n g t h e d i s s o l v e d s o l i d s . ,- c o n t e n t of raw waters is q u i t e v a r i a b l e . Table 10 i n d i c a t e s Table 10.-Total Dissolved Solids Concentrations of Surface Waters That Have Been Used as Sources for Industrial Water Supplies Industry/Use Maximum Concentration ( m g m Textile 150 Pulp and Paper 1,080 Chemical 2,500 Petroleum 3,500 Primary Metals . 1,500 Boiler Make-up 35,000 maximum values accepted by various industries for process requirements (NAS, 1974). Since water of almost any dissolved 0 solids concentration can be de-ionized to meet the most stringent requirements, the economics of such treatment are the 1 imiting factor for industry. *ESP = 100 [a + b(SAR)] 1 [a + b(SAR)] where: a = intercept respresenting experimental error (ranges from -0.06 to 0.01) from 0.014 to 0.016) b =slope of regression line (ranges **SAR = sodium adsorption ratio = Na - [0.5(Ca + Mg)]"" SAR is expressed as milliequivalents (QUALITY CRITERIA FOR WATER, JULY 1976) PB-263943 SEE APPENDIX C FOR METHODOLOGY

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More on Immediate action needed to protect WV waters
by Beth Little 08 Jul '10

08 Jul '10

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is proposing changes to the rules governing Water Quality Standards for consideration by the Legislature in 2011 and the more public response the better. Industry is saying there is no need to be hasty about new regulations, that we should slow down, but water withdrawals during the low water season have already created serious problems and action is needed now. The public hearing for this rule will begin at 6 p.m., Monday, July 19 in the Coopers Rock Training Room at DEP's Charleston headquarters, 601 57th Street S.E., Charleston, WV 25304. The comment period will end at the conclusion of the hearing. For more information on the Water and Waste Management Rules call 304-926-0495. Oral and written comments will be limited to the proposed revisions and will be made a part of the rulemaking record. Copies of the rules are available from the Secretary of State's office or from the DEP at www.wvdep.org <http://www.wvecouncil.org/take_action/2010/www.wvdep.org> . Written comments may be submitted to the Public Information Office at the above address or delivered at the public hearing. Comments may also be e-mailed to DEP.Comments(a)wv.gov <http://www.wvecouncil.org/take_action/2010/DEP.Comments@wv.gov> . Comments should reference 47CSR2 - Requirements Governing Water Quality Standards Here are talking points: The proposed "Narrative Water Quality Standards" language that makes "certain water withdrawal activities" not allowable in state waters, is a good first step. However, this additional language alone does not go far enough to protect West Virginia streams from water withdrawals. In order to be protective of both human health and aquatic life, DEP should draft legislation for immediate consideration by the West Virginia Legislature that establishes guidelines and a permit process for water withdrawals. DEP is proposing a statewide water quality standard for "Total Dissolved Solids" (TDS) of 500mg/l measured in-stream (currently WV has no standard). This is stronger than Pennsylvania's standard of 500mg/l which is measured only at public water supply in-takes. However, it is twice as high as the 250mg/l that EPA recommends as the Human Health Standard for total dissolved solids (TDS is an indicator of the presence of a broad array of chemical contaminants) A. DEP should adopt the federal standard for human health of 250mg/l. B. In addition, DEP fails to propose in this rule an aquatic life standard for conductivity, with which TDS levels are closely associated. DEP should adopt an aquatic life criterion for conductivity as proposed by EPA. In addition, any TDS/conductivity criteria should be protective of streams threatened by golden algae.

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Immediate action needed to protect WV waters
by Beth Little 08 Jul '10

08 Jul '10

The attached warning from UMRA (Upper Monongahela River Assoc) is not unexpected. The current hot dry weather has created low water conditions a little early this year. The immediate action needed is from the WV DEP. If you have a moment, you might call Scott Mandirola, Chief of the DEP Dividsion of Water and Waste Management (304) 926-0495 and ask him to make an emergency rule. You could mention the stream conditions you see near you as your reason for concern. And, if you are out and about and see any trucks with hoses in a creek, report them to Mandirola, take pictures if you can, and let me know. We don't need any more Dunkard Creeks.

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Fwd: [WVaPATH] AEP and Allegheny Energy Announce Progress in PATH Transmission Line Case
by James Kotcon 08 Jul '10

08 Jul '10

>>> Sara Lampo <revlis04(a)hotmail.com> 7/8/2010 10:44 AM >>> You've probably already seen this.... AEP and Allegheny Energy Announce Progress in Transmission Line Case Testimony filed in West Virginia will be followed by filings in Maryland and Virginia COLUMBUS, Ohio, and GREENSBURG, Pa., July 8, 2010 – American Electric Power (AEP) and Allegheny Energy, Inc. today announced that updated testimony filed in West Virginia strongly supports the need for the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH). The new data, filed as supplemental testimony in an application before the Public Service Commission of West Virginia, incorporates new studies by independent grid operator PJM Interconnection recommending the construction of PATH to resolve significant reliability issues on the region’s electric transmission grid. The PATH companies also plan to incorporate the new information into the existing application in Maryland, as well as in a new application to be filed in Virginia in the third quarter. “Today’s filing reflects our ongoing commitment to provide state regulatory commissions and the public with the most accurate, up-to-date information available justifying the need for PATH,” said Michael G. Morris, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of AEP. “We strongly support the open, thorough process in place to review evidence supporting this project, and we’re confident that PATH will be found to be absolutely necessary to maintain a reliable electric system.” The latest analyses, conducted as part of PJM’s 2010 Regional Transmission Expansion Plan (RTEP), are consistent with previous studies recommending the construction of PATH. PJM evaluated PATH against several alternatives and found it to be the most comprehensive solution to resolve significant voltage-related issues and line overloads that will begin to occur in mid-2015. Among the other alternatives examined, PATH is the only solution that resolves nearly all projected reliability issues within PJM’s 15-year planning period. The new in-service deadline for PATH is June 1, 2015. “Reliable electricity is vital to our economy, national security and way of life,” said Paul J. Evanson, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at Allegheny Energy. “That’s why it’s critical to have a strong transmission system. We’re committed to taking the necessary and appropriate steps to modernize our nation’s electric grid, with PATH as a vital link.” The supplemental testimony and exhibits filed today include updated information on the projected cost of the project. Today’s filing estimates the project cost at $2.1 billion, which accounts for new local and state requirements; minor route adjustments for the overbuilding and relocation of existing transmission lines; changes in design criteria to meet external requirements; and cost increases in labor, materials and services due to the revised project schedule. The original estimate was $1.8 billion. Allegheny Energy’s share of the $2.1 billion total is approximately $1.4 billion, with AEP’s share worth approximately $700 million. Affiliates of AEP and Allegheny are seeking authorization to construct a 275-mile, 765-kilovolt transmission project extending from the Amos substation in Putnam County, W.Va., to a proposed substation in Frederick County, Md. For more information about PATH, including the complete regulatory applications, visit the project website at www.pathtransmission.com. This message was sent from PATH News to revlis04(a)hotmail.com. It was sent from: PATH, 800 Cabin Hill Drive , Greensburg, PA 15601 . You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.Email Marketing by Manage your subscription __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Start a New Topic Recent Activity: Visit Your Group MARKETPLACE Stay on top of your group activity without leaving the page you're on - Get the Yahoo! Toolbar now. Get great advice about dogs and cats. Visit the Dog & Cat Answers Center. Get real-time World Cup coverage on the Yahoo! Toolbar. Download now to win a signed team jersey! Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Human impact video on oil gusher
by James Kotcon 05 Jul '10

05 Jul '10

Worth four minutes. JBK >>> "CRAIG L." <alanskoalas(a)YAHOO.COM> 7/4/2010 9:55 PM >>> "Drill Baby Drill" Video by Gulf Coast resident "Don't you dare chant to us...." The best video I have seen showing the impact on the daily lives of those coping with the spill. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-heDWycOuYM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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Fwd: State and Local Victories - Late June edition
by Paul Wilson 30 Jun '10

30 Jun '10

these are in the Clubhouse website, so you will need the password. Good opportunity to learn about the Clubhouse website, if you don't know how to use it. paul w. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Scott Elkins <scott.elkins(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 4:04 PM Subject: State and Local Victories - Late June edition To: CONS-CRP-MEMBERS(a)lists.sierraclub.org *State and Local Victory Tracker: http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/chapters/tracker/* We now have victories posted on the Tracker from 38 states plus the District of Columbia; but we need to hear from the rest of you, and we need more local victories from our California chapters! Highlights this time include important clean energy victories from Texas, Oklahoma and Maryland: * The Lone Star (Texas) Chapter capped a year-long effort by convincing their state energy office to strengthen residential building codes to require greater energy efficiency<http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/chapters/tracker/2010/6-10-TX-building-code…> . * In Oklahoma, our chapter led the advocacy effort that saw passage of legislation to establish an important renewable energy goal<http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/chapters/tracker/2010/05-10-OK-renewable-go…>and a path for no new coal-powered power plants in the state. * Our Maryland Chapter pushed the bar up a notch on their existing Renewable Electricity Standard, by strengthening the mandate for solar powered electricity<http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/chapters/tracker/2010/05-10-MD-solar-energy…> . Share your recent and historic victories on the Tracker by filling out this form: http://tinyurl.com/y8fn9an. It takes just five minutes or so, and helps to both spread the word about your success and demonstrate the power of the Sierra Club to improve our world. Scott Elkins, Director for Chapter Coordination Sierra Club 612-659-9124 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-CRP-MEMBERS list, send any message to: CONS-CRP-MEMBERS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ -- 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: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Financial Times: Pollution Laws to Cause NG to Replace Coal
by James Kotcon 29 Jun '10

29 Jun '10

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Re: [EC] FW: BBC Story Airing Tonight!
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 28 Jun '10

28 Jun '10

Saw it! The BBC did a good job covering this story. -Jonathan John Christensen wrote: > /Fingers crossed but link to story is included./ > > John Christensen > Mountain View Solar and Wind > Consultation, Sales, and Installation > 410-499-4873 cell > 304-754-8505 > john(a)mtvsolar.com <mailto:john@mtvsolar.com> > www.mtvsolar.com <http://www.mtvsolar.com> > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Mountain View Builders <mailto:mtviewbuilders@verizon.net> > *To: *Mike McKechnie <mailto:mike@mtvsolar.com> > *Sent:* 6/28/2010 12:08:06 PM > *Subject:* BBC Story Airing Tonight! > > The BBC piece is airing tonight at 7PM -- we are having a viewing > party beginning at 6:30 PM at the Mountainside Restaurant in > Berkeley Springs, WV! Hope to see you there! > > ** Mike McKechnie on his company's approach ** > Mike McKechnie explains how his company, Mountain View Solar and > Wind, approaches doubtful local consumers who have been married to > coal energy for generations. > < > _http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/programmes/world_news_america/8763236.stm_ > > > > Thanks, > Kelly > __________________________ > Kelly J. Waugh > *Mountain View Builders, LLC > **Mountain View Solar & Wind, LLC > > *T: 304.258.4320 > F: 304.258.4250 > > Kelly(a)MTVSolar.com > mtviewbuilders(a)verizon.net > > www.mountainviewbuilders.com > www.MTVSolar.com > > Main Office: > 15 Greenway Drive > Berkeley Springs, WV 25411 > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > EC mailing list > EC(a)osenergy.org > http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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Shale Gas > Not Under My Back Yard
by Duane330＠aol.com 26 Jun '10

26 Jun '10

Energy: Science Magazine: June 25, 2010 Natural Gas From Shale Bursts Onto the Scene <NOBR>Richard A Engineering ingenuity is unlocking a vast storehouse of natural gas buried beneath American soil from Texas to New England. The sudden great promise of clean, homegrown shale gas has all kinds of people excited. National-security types see it as a replacement for foreign oil and gas, environmentalists as a replacement for dirty coal and even oil. And because it yields only 45% of the carbon dioxide emissions of coal, advocates of taming global warming see it as a temporary crutch while carbon-free energy sources are developed and deployed. Everyone seems to agree with a March study by IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates that concluded that shale gas "provides the potential to transform North America's energy landscape." The problem is that word "potential." Every link in the chain between the newly abundant domestic energy source and its transformative impact is still shrouded in uncertainty. And a rising tide of NUMBY—not under my backyard—that's greeting shale gas in the Northeast could hobble the revolution (_see sidebar_ (http://www.info-aaas.org/l.jsp?d=5148.573988.654.0r2V29Nui) ). Full story at _http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/328/5986/1624?sa_campaign=Email… (http://www.info-aaas.org/l.jsp?d=5148.573987.654.0r2V29Nui) ____________________________________ Energy: Not Under My Backyard, Thank You <NOBR>Richard A. Now that drillers have figured out how to extract gas trapped in shale rock (_see main text_ (http://www.info-aaas.org/l.jsp?d=5148.573986.654.0r2V29Nui) ), a new and perhaps more hazardous style of drilling is coming to parts of the country unfamiliar with the ways of the oil and gas industry. To those outside the industry, the scariest part of the new drilling might be the way drillers unleash the gas. They drill straight down, turn the drill to go horizontally, and then pump in chemically treated water to pressurize a horizontal section of the well until surrounding rock fractures and begins to give up its gas. Many local residents and environmentalists have worried that this "fracing" (pronounced and sometimes written "fracking") might propagate fractures upward into overlying aquifers so that escaping gas, chemicals, and brine will contaminate groundwater. Full story at _http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/328/5986/1625?sa_campaign=Email… (http://www.info-aaas.org/l.jsp?d=5148.573985.654.0r2V29Nui) ____________________________________

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Fwd: PATH EIS scoping meetings
by James Kotcon 25 Jun '10

25 Jun '10

Note that the fedeal agencies do NOT propose to assess the impacts of the entire route, they propose to only evaluate the segments crossing federal lands. They claim it is the responsibility of the North American Electric Reliablity Council and the WV PSC to protect the environment in those other sections. We will ant a good turnout at these to demand that the entire project be considered, as demand side management aternatives would be faster, safer, cleaner and cheaper. JBK

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Fwd: Grassroots Briefing and strategy call EPA's proposed coal ash rule: June 29, 3pm ET
by James Kotcon 23 Jun '10

23 Jun '10

Anyone want to join in the National briefing and strategy call next Tuesday? I will be out of town that day, is there someone who can participate? Bill Price and I have outlined a fairly aggressive campaign in WV (the National Coal Campaign is pulling out all the stops on this) and he will be circulating an outline of upcoming actions, etc. The goal at this point will be for the Chapter Energy Committee (us) to prepare our comments to EPA, and request a public hearing before July 21. National will send a series of Convio alerts beginning within a week, and Bill suggested that the Chapter save our alert for announcing a public hearing, probably sometime shortly after July 21, as that message will be much more targeted and local to West Virginia. We are also planning a rally/protest (possibly at the Governor's office) to coincide with July interim meetings, July 19-21. And there will be phone-banking, editorial board meetings, and possibly formal testimony. But staying current on the National strategy would be helpful, so I hope someone can join the call-in next Tuesday. Jim Kotcon >>> Sam Flenner <samf.environmentalintegrity(a)gmail.com> 6/22/2010 7:44 PM >>> Please excuse cross postings. Hello All, This is the National Grassroots Organization conference call that we promised months ago before the rule was delayed. Please do not confuse it with other strategy calls scheduled for later this week. And please join us. Sam ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lyndsay Moseley <Lyndsay.Moseley(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 6:41 PM Subject: Grassroots Briefing and strategy call EPA's proposed coal ash rule: June 29, 3pm ET To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)lists.sierraclub.org Friends and Colleagues: You are invited by Environmental Integrity Project, Earthjustice, Sierra Club, NRDC, SELC, Physicians for Social Responsibility and many others to join a national grassroots community briefing and strategy session on the EPA?s recently proposed coal ash rule, next Tuesday June 29th at 3pm ET. If you can participate, please RSVP by June 25th, with "Grassroots coal ash call" in the subject line to: energy.intern(a)sierraclub.org. NOTE: The call-in information will be sent separately to all who RSVP by June 25th. What: Briefing and strategy call on EPA coal ash rule When: June 29, 2010 at 3pm ET RSVP: If you can attend, please RSVP by June 25th, with "Grassroots coal ash call" in the subject line to: energy.intern(a)sierraclub.org. NOTE: The call-in information will be sent separately to all who RSVP by June 25th. Coal ash is the second-largest industrial waste stream in America, second only to mining waste. Coal ash contains arsenic, selenium, lead, boron and mercury. These substances leach out of coal ash at disposal sites around the country ? and sometimes burst out of a ruptured dam, as they did in December 2008 in Kingston, Tennessee, flooding a river valley, destroying three homes, and covering 300 acres with thick, toxic sludge. The terrible disaster in Tennessee has helped create an historic opportunity to win significant long-term protections for communities from the dangers of toxic coal ash, but we need your help to get the job done. EPA published their proposed rule in the Federal Register on Monday June 21, triggering a 90-day public comment period. Please join this call for a briefing and strategy session as we seek to demonstrate strong public support for the EPA subtitle C option. (For a quick briefing/overview of the rule as proposed, see the attached summary document). Many of you are already actively participating in our coalition efforts. For those who might be newer to coal ash issue, please join us to learn more and get connected to others at the national level. Ways you can engage: 1. Participate in the strategy session on June 29th, 3pm ET. Please RSVP to: energy.intern(a)sierraclub.org (NOTE: call-in information will be sent separately to all who RSVP by June 25). 2. Join the coal ash listerv, if you haven't already (instructions included in attached document). 3. Participate in massive grassroots response to demonstrate support by mobilizing your networks to generate public comment and turnout at EPA hearings; organizing letters of support for strong EPA, and pushing back against industry influence in Congress and mobilize Champs to support strong EPA rule. These are things we will be brainstorming together on the conference call. 4. Invite other potential allies to join the coalition! We hope you?ll join us. Resources attached: Summary of EPA's rule Coal ash - myths vs. fact Summary of EPA's proposed rule Environmental community letter to Administrator Jackson Environmental community letter to President Obama (signed by 240 organizations) Coal ash listserv (sign-up directions attached) Lyndsay Moseley Washington Representative Sierra Club 408 C St. NE Washington, DC 20002 tel: 202-548-4581 fax: 202-547-6009 Samuel E. Flenner III Outreach Associate Environmental Integrity Project samf.environmentalintegrity(a)gmail.com 317.352.2339 c-317.850.0436 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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Rolling Stones article on fly ash.....
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. 23 Jun '10

23 Jun '10

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/12697/64853

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Save the Mountain: Stop Pine Creek MTR Mine
by Jim Sconyers 22 Jun '10

22 Jun '10

Please send your message about this MTR permit and share widely. Tell the EPA to reject Pine Creek MTR mine permit Dear Sandra, On April 1, Lisa Jackson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, announced strong new guidelines on mountaintop removal (MTR) mining permits. The first test of these tough guidelines for new permits is here. Coal-Mac, Inc. has applied for a new mountaintop removal mine permit for Pine Creek, West Virginia. Join us in telling the EPA that they must protect America's mountains and reject the Pine Creek mine permit. Pine Creek mine would contaminate 2.75 miles of streams, streams that already have dangerous levels of pollution from surface mining, which has made it nearly impossible for aquatic life to survive. Pine Creek mine is also expected to produce 14.3 million tons of coal, which would emit over 40 million tons of carbon dioxide greenhouse gases, further spurring climate change. We need your help to stop the further degradation of the Appalachian Mountains, the contamination of streams and drinking water and the exacerbation of the climate crisis. Please encourage the EPA to keep its word. Tell the EPA to uphold the Clean Water Act and protect Americans' health by rejecting the Pine Creek mine permit. Thank you for taking action to protect the mountains, streams and communities of Appalachia! For the mountains, Amanda Starbuck Global Finance Campaign Rainforest Action Network 221 Pine Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104 USA Phone: (415) 398-4404 Fax: (415) 398-2732

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WVDEP concludes investigation on Buckeye Creek
by Duane330＠aol.com 18 Jun '10

18 Jun '10

============================================================ Friday, June 18, 2010 @ 4:40 PM ============================================================ The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Oil and Gas released its final report on an incident that took place in Doddridge County last summer. In the report, the agency concludes that the petroleum- based material in the stream was most likely associated with Tapo Energy’s drilling activity, but there is insufficient credible evidence to conclude that the discharge was anything other than accidental. As a result of the investigation, Tapo Energy was issued a notice of violation for discharging pollutants into the waters of the state and was assessed a penalty of $10,000. In Aug. 2009, the DEP was notified of an orange substance on the surface of Buckeye Creek near West Union. The Office of Oil and Gas inspectors spent many hours monitoring the cleanup of the material and investigating the incident. The report, which can be found on the agency’s website at http://www.dep.wv.gov/oil-and-gas/Pages/default.aspx, provides chronological detail of the agency’s actions in the investigation, as well as its findings. In addition to the report, all available public information related to the investigation can be found on the Office of Oil and Gas’ site under the heading Buckeye Creek Discharge Investigation.

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"Gasland" movie critical of drilling
by Duane330＠aol.com 18 Jun '10

18 Jun '10

_‘Gasland’ movie critical of drilling_ (http://www.timesleader.com/news/_lsquo_Gasland_rsquo__movie_critical_of_dri…) An organization funded by the natural gas industry disputes the HBO film’s conclusions. By _Steve Mocarsky_ (http://www.timesleader.com/reporter/Steve_Mocarsky.html) _smocarsky(a)timesleader.com_ (mailto:smocarsky@timesleader.com) Staff Writer, The Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, June 18, 2010 After Josh Fox was offered nearly $100,000 to lease his 20 acres in Wayne County to a gas company, he heard two different accounts – one, a story of easy money, the other a tale of horror. The 37-year-old independent filmmaker set out to find the truth about natural gas drilling, and his conclusions can be seen in his documentary film “ Gasland,” to air on HBO at 9 p.m. on Monday. And while representatives of the gas industry call the film a piece of propaganda filled with exaggerations and inaccuracies, Fox stands by his work and says it’s the industry’s response that is propaganda. In a phone interview Thursday afternoon, as he was getting ready for a special screening of the documentary at the HBO Theater in New York City that night, Fox said a land man with a gas company told him in 2008 that the company probably wouldn’t even drill on the land. But he heard from others that environmentally, gas drilling was “very polluting.” “There was such a disparity between what was being said and what was being offered, I needed to see with my own eyes,” Fox said. So, Fox set out for the village of Dimock in Susquehanna County to talk with folks whose well water was polluted by natural gas migration from leaking gas wells. “It was completely a disaster area. There were Halliburton trucks swarming everywhere. Water was bubbling and fizzing; some you could light on fire. There was a feeling of regret and betrayal in the air,” Fox said. Residents were unaware of the contamination until Norma Fiorentino’s water well exploded on Jan. 1, 2009, Fox said. The state Department of Environmental Protection fined the drilling company and ordered the wells capped. Fox visited 23 other states where natural gas drilling was taking place. He interviewed people whose health and quality of life were negatively impacted; scientists, one of whom warns of the dangers of drinking water infused with chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing (commonly called fracking), which releases the gas from the underground shale formations; and government officials on both sides of the issue. One of the officials Fox interviewed was DEP Secretary John Hanger, who minimized the negative effects of fracking but refused to drink a glass of water from an affected well, according to a synopsis of the film on the HBO website. On the same day as a special screening of the film in Montrose earlier this month, Energy in Depth – a gas-industry-funded organization, released an alert on its website entitled “Debunking Gasland,” pulling out numerous quotes from the movie and disputing them. Energy In Depth claimed that Fox was “misstating the law” when he said that a 2005 energy bill exempted the oil and gas industry from the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Superfund law and other regulations. The industry is regulated under every single one of those laws, said Energy In Depth spokesman Chris Tucker. The organization states that Fox was “flat-out making stuff up” when he said the Pinedale Anticline and Jonah gas fields of Wyoming are directly in the path of a 1,000-year-old migration corridor of pronghorn antelope, mule deer and sage grouse, each species of which is endangered. Energy in Depth countered that three species of the pronghorn are endangered and none are found near the Pinedale Anticline, citing the Great Plains Nature Center; that only mule deer from New Mexico, noting that mule deer are so plentiful in Wyoming, there is a mule deer hunting season; and citing a U.S. Fish and Wildlife report stating that the sage grouse is not on the endangered list and there are “robust populations” of the bird in Wyoming. Fox also blamed an algae bloom that killed fish and other aquatic life in Dunkard Creek in Washington County on natural gas development, Tucker said. But DEP reports show the bloom was caused by coal mine drainage. The organization also cites a reference in the documentary to Colorado resident Lisa Bracken, who reported to environmental regulators occurrences of natural gas in the West Divide Creek, which she believed was related to natural gas drilling. “Fox blames methane occurrence in West Divide Creek, Colo., on natural gas development,” the release states. Energy In Depth published links to reports on the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission website that showed the methane was naturally occurring. Tucker said those reports were available long before “Gasland” was released. Theo Stein, communications director for the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, said a commission investigation revealed that the methane Bracken reported bubbling in her beaver ponds near the creek was naturally occurring swamp gas from rotting vegetation. Stein confirmed, however, that about a quarter-mile upstream, some methane gas was still present from a gas migration into the creek from a leak in a well drilled in 2004 by EnCana Oil & Gas, the company that will begin drilling in Luzerne County next month. EnCana received the largest fine in Colorado’s history for allowing that leak to occur. Tucker, who is a native of Kingston Township and has been closely following the development of the Marcellus Shale in Northeastern Pennsylvania, said the press release was addressing only Bracken’s claims in the documentary. He was unfamiliar with the incident involving EnCana and said the issue alert was not meant to be misleading.

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Fwd: Re: [WVaPATH] PATH EIS scoping process begins TODAY
by James Kotcon 17 Jun '10

17 Jun '10

I can only second what Bill and Cindy write below. Let's start turning out some comments. I will prepare a more detailed response for the Chapter, but dozens or hundreds of letters will be needed, so please put this on your "to do" list. JBK >>> Bill Howley <billhowley(a)hughes.net> 6/17/2010 10:56 AM >>> Well, you all have seen Cindy's email about the EIS process. This is big and requires us to move quickly. As far as I can see, they haven't posted any meeting schedules anywhere. These scoping meetings will determine what gets studies and how it gets studied. Of all the public meetings to be held in the EIS, THESE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT. We need to get lots of people to the meetings to push the following ideas: The EIS needs to cover the entire PATH project, not just where the line crosses federal lands. This is actually required by federal law, although bureaucrats try to minimize their workload by just focusing on federal lands. The power companies will be looking to limit the EIS as much as possible. The EIS needs to have an indepth evaluation of the need for PATH. The NPS/USFS have said that the "no build" option is a part of the EIS process. The consulting firm they have hired, CH2M Hill, will not want to recommend "no build" because they also work for power companies and don't want to get a bad reputation among future clients. We are the only ones who can advocate fully for the "no build" option in the EIS process. We need to list the broad range of environmental impacts of PATH -- habitat fragmentation, forest destruction, invasive species, fragmentation of forest floor ecosystems, etc. (be sure to mention greenhouse gases) We need to get ourselves organized quickly, with lots of people, because these meetings will be happening within a month and will likely require some travel, because there will only be three of them. If you want questions answered directly, call the NPS planning coordinator for the PATH EIS, Morgan Elmer at -- Morgan McCosh Elmer, Project Manager NPS Denver Service Center – Planning 12795 W Alameda Pkwy PO Box 25287 Denver CO 80225 (303) 969-2317 cell 303-648-1046 fax: 303-969-2920 Morgan_Elmer(a)nps.gov On 6/17/2010 7:45 AM, clrank(a)hughes.net wrote: ATTENTION ALL: ~~~ Scoping process begins today (June 17, 2010)..... public meetings to be held as well.... Dates and Meeting Notices: The public scoping period will commence on the date this notice is published in the Federal Register and last for at least 30 days or until 15 days after the last public scoping meeting. The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service will hold public meetings near the parks and forest to provide the public an opportunity to review the proposal and project information, and provide comments. All public meetings will be announced through local media, mailings, and the NPS planning Web site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ appa/, at least 15 days prior to each meeting. The meetings will be concluded at least 15 days prior to the close of comment. ContentsFederal Register Vol. 75, No. 116 Thursday, June 17, 2010 Forest Service NOTICES Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Potomac–Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) Project; Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia , 34477–34479 [2010–14581][TEXT] [PDF] ~~~~~ [Federal Register: June 17, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 116)] [Notices] [Page 34477-34479] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr17jn10-95] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE U.S. Forest Service Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) Environmental Impact Statement, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, and Monongahela National Forest, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior and U.S. Forest Service, Agriculture. ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for construction and right-of-way permits requested from Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP), Appalachian National Scenic Trail (NST), Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, and Monongahela National Forest, in connection with the proposed Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) project. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service (NPS), lead agency, along with cooperating agencies, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and conducting public scoping meetings for construction and right-of-way permits requested from the agencies by PATH Allegheny Transmission Company, LLC; PATH Allegheny Virginia Transmission Corporation; Potomac Edison Company; and PATH West Virginia Transmission Company, LLC, collectively referred to herein as Applicants. The Applicants are seeking permits for proposed construction of a new 765kV electric transmission line that would cross federal lands within Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. In May 2009, the Applicants submitted [[Page 34478]] right-of-way applications (Form 299) for those portions of the PATH project proposed to traverse Harpers Ferry NHP, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP, Appalachian NST, Potomac Heritage NST, all managed by the National Park Service; and Monongahela National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service. These applications also serve as the application for Special Use Permits for construction of the proposed project. The Applicants' proposed project would modify and expand existing rights-of-way across Harpers Ferry NHP and Appalachian NST. In particular, the Applicants propose modification and expansion of existing right-of-way agreements held by Potomac Edison Company over Harpers Ferry NHP and Appalachian NST to allow for placement of the 138 kV Millville-Doubs transmission line as an underbuild on the PATH transmission structures; and also the grant of a new 200-feet-wide right-of-way for the PATH transmission line. While the PATH Project would require a 200-feet right-of-way, it would only require an expansion of the existing right-of-way corridor across Harpers Ferry NHP and Appalachian NST by approximately 105 feet. The Applicants seek a new right-of-way authorization across Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP and Potomac Heritage NST. The requested right-of-way would be approximately 200 feet wide, with a distance over the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP and Potomac Heritage NST properties of approximately 400 feet. The proposed crossing route will be adjacent to (on the north side) existing transmission rights-of-way for the 138 kV Millville-Doubs transmission facility operated by Potomac Edison Company and the 500 kV Mt. Storm-Doubs transmission facility operated by Dominion Virginia Power. The Applicants' proposed crossing of the Monongahela National Forest would require USFS authorization for a new 200-feet-wide right-of-way. The Applicants' stated purpose for the PATH project is to strengthen the electrical transmission grid for reliability purposes at the direction of PJM Interconnection, LLC (PJM), the regional transmission organization. PJM oversees the overall movement of wholesale electricity throughout a region comprising all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia. PJM has a duty to maintain reliability of the transmission grid according to standards set by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. PJM's Regional Transmission Expansion Plan has identified numerous projected reliability criteria violations that the proposed PATH project is designed to alleviate and has directed construction of a line of sufficient capacity to address these violations by connecting the existing Amos Substation in Putnam County, West Virginia, with two existing 500 kV transmission lines that are in close proximity to each other at a point approximately three miles southeast of New Market, Maryland. The federal action under consideration in this EIS is the Applicants' proposal that the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service grant the requested permits. The agencies' purpose in taking action is to respond to the application for permits in consideration of the needs expressed therein and the public interest, and in light of the missions, purposes and resource management of the affected NPS and USFS units, as expressed in statutes, regulations, and policies. Federal action is needed because the Applicants have submitted the required applications to the National Park Service in accordance with 36 CFR part 14 and applicable NPS management policies and to the U.S. Forest Service in accordance with 36 CFR part 251.54 and Special Uses Handbook (FSH 2709.11). The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service therefore have a responsibility to consider whether, and with what conditions, if any, to issue the requested permits. The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service will analyze no- action and proposed action alternatives and possibly other alternatives or mitigation strategies that respond to the purpose, need, and objectives of this proposal. The goal of the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service is to identify issues and concerns with the proposed action, additional alternatives, and alternative mitigation strategies through the public scoping process. This notice initiates the public participation and scoping process for the EIS. The public is invited to comment on the purpose, need and objectives for federal action, the proposed action and alternatives to the proposed action to be analyzed in the EIS, the appropriate scope of analysis, or any issues associated with the proposal. More information about the purpose of and need for federal action, and issues identified to date is available from the NPS planning Web site at http:// parkplanning.nps.gov/appa/. It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times and in such a manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of the EIS. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly articulate the reviewers concerns and comments. The submission of timely and specific comments can affect a reviewer's ability to participate in subsequent administrative appeal or judicial review. Dates and Meeting Notices: The public scoping period will commence on the date this notice is published in the Federal Register and last for at least 30 days or until 15 days after the last public scoping meeting. The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service will hold public meetings near the parks and forest to provide the public an opportunity to review the proposal and project information, and provide comments. All public meetings will be announced through local media, mailings, and the NPS planning Web site at , at least 15 days prior to each meeting. The meetings will be concluded at least 15 days prior to the close of comment. ADDRESSES: Comments on issues, potential impacts, or suggestions for additional alternatives can be submitted using any one of the following methods. You may submit comments through the NPS planning Web site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/appa/, which is the preferred method. You may mail your comments to the National Park Service, Attention: PATH EIS Planning Team, Denver Service Center--Planning, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, CO 80225. Comments may also be submitted at any of the three public meetings to be announced. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Morgan Elmer, Project Manager, Denver Service Center--Planning, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, Co 80225, telephone 303-969-2317. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware your entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. All submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety. The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service will not consider anonymous comments. All others will be included in the administrative record [[Page 34479]] upon which the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service will ultimately reach a decision. Margaret O'Dell, Regional Director, National Capital Region, National Park Service. Pam Underhill, Superintendent, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, National Park Service. Jason Reed, District Ranger, Monongahela National Forest, U.S. Forest Service. [FR Doc. 2010-14581 Filed 6-16-10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-70-P http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ appa/ __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Start a New Topic Recent Activity: Visit Your Group MARKETPLACE Stay on top of your group activity without leaving the page you're on - Get the Yahoo! Toolbar now. Get great advice about dogs and cats. Visit the Dog & Cat Answers Center. Get real-time World Cup coverage on the Yahoo! Toolbar. Download now to win a signed team jersey! Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Good news! Re: Valley Fills & NWP21
by Frank Young 17 Jun '10

17 Jun '10

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today it has suspended the use of Nationwide Permit 21 (NWP 21) in the Appalachian region of six states. NWP 21 is used to authorize discharges of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States for surface coal mining activities. The suspension is effective immediately and applies to the Appalachian region of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. ------------ Forwarded message ------------ Whoo-hoo!!!!!!!!! I guess everything everyone went through that night was worth it!!! http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2010/06/17/corps-suspends-streamlined… ~~~~~ ------------ Forwarded message ------------ From: Bill Price <bill.price(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Jun 17, 2010 Subject: [fom] Good news on NWP21 To: 'FOM' <fom(a)lists.riseup.net>, 'The Alliance for Appalachia' <the-alliance-for-appalachia(a)googlegroups.com> NWP 21 is suspended in Appalachian Region. See attachment. Bill Price, Sierra Club EJ Program 922 Quarrier Street, Suite 304 Charleston, WV 25311 Cell 304-389-8822 Fax 304-342-3182 __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources MARKETPLACE Stay on top of your group activity without leaving the page you're on - Get the Yahoo! Toolbar now. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get great advice about dogs and cats. Visit the Dog & Cat Answers Center. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hobbies & Activities Zone: Find others who share your passions! Explore new interests. Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

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Obama's speech tonight
by Jim Sconyers 15 Jun '10

15 Jun '10

Subject: Obama's big speech tonight Hi, Tonight, President Obama will address the nation about the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico and call for clean energy legislation to end America's addiction to oil. But the energy bills currently in the Senate have already been packed with more offshore drilling and taxpayer handouts to Big Oil. I signed a petition urging President Obama to use tonight's speech to demand a bill free of new offshore drilling or tax breaks for Big Oil. Can you join me at the link below? http://pol.moveon.org/obamaoilspeech/?r_by=21126-9116415-a9Chsjx&rc=paste Thanks! PS - We need clean renewable energy NOW, not more handouts for dirty dangerous deadly destructive coal, oil, and nuclear. Tell the President to have some spine and principle and lead us into the clean energy future now! Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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Twilight of the coal era?
by Frank Young 14 Jun '10

14 Jun '10

" The electricity market is in the doldrums, but the market for new generating stations that use natural gas is going strong, industry experts say. Why? Because gas is beginning to replace coal, according to Randy H. Zwirn, president of the Siemens Power Generation Group. " ----------------------------------------- NC power plants quitting coal for gas http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/twilight-of-the-coal-era/?hp __._,_.___

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The Nation on Marcellus
by Jim Sconyers 14 Jun '10

14 Jun '10

Marcellus is a major article in the June 21 The Nation. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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Fw: National Law Review Coal Ash Analysis
by Jim Sconyers 13 Jun '10

13 Jun '10

Note that this aticle like a lot of commentary considers "beneficial" use in road building, construction, etc. but does not even mention dumping millions of tons at mine sites. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Sam Flenner <samf.environmentalintegrity(a)GMAIL.COM> To: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Sent: Sun, June 13, 2010 2:34:06 PM Subject: National Law Review Coal Ash Analysis NATIONAL LAW REVIEW Coal Ash Regulations: EPA Speaks--Sort of... Article By: J. David Brittingham Thomas P. Doyle Dinsmore & Shohl LLP posted on: Saturday, June 5, 2010 On Tuesday May 4, 2010, EPA started the process of federal regulation over the disposal and storage of coal combustion residuals, commonly referred to as coal ash. Coal ash has been largely exempt from federal regulation, leaving oversight to individual states. The December 2008 breach of a coal ash storage facility and the subsequent massive spill in Kingston, Tennessee brought coal ash storage and disposal national attention. On one side, many people and environmental groups are calling for action from the federal government. Conversely, many people are worried about additional oversight and duplicative regulatory controls in an area where state law exists. Many of the arguments against federal regulation concern the continued ability to recycle coal ash waste. Coal ash is used in concrete, cement, roadways, and other materials. Both sides of the debate argue in the context of the possible re-classification of coal ash as a hazardous waste. Solid Waste is federally regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act1 (RCRA), which gives EPA the authority to control all aspects of hazardous waste. Subtitle C governs the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. Subtitle D sets forth a framework for the management of non-hazardous solid wastes. Subtitle D leaves the majority of regulation to each individual state. Coal ash has been exempt from federal regulation since the inception of the "Bevill Exclusion." In October 1980, RCRA was amended by adding section 3001(b)(3)(A)(ii), to exclude "solid waste from the extraction, beneficiation, and processing of ores and minerals" from regulation as hazardous waste under Subtitle C of RCRA. This exclusion held pending completion of a study and a Report to Congress, required by section 8002 (f) and (p), and pending a determination by the EPA Administrator either to promulgate regulations under Subtitle C or to declare such regulations unwarranted. In 1993 and 2000, EPA published regulatory determinations stating that coal ash waste does not warrant regulation under Subtitle C and should remain excluded from the definition of hazardous waste. However, in 2000, EPA determined that national non-hazardous waste regulations under RCRA Subtitle D were needed for coal combustion wastes disposed in surface impoundments and landfills and used as fill in surface or underground mines (minefill). EPA further determined that beneficial uses of these wastes, other than for minefilling, pose no significant risk and no additional national regulations are needed. Since 2000, EPA has continued to conduct research and receive comments in regards to proper regulation of coal ash disposal and use. After Kingston, EPA promised to release a proposal for regulation by the beginning of 2010. On May 4, 2010, EPA finally broke its silence. However, instead of releasing a final proposal, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson requested feedback. Two options were broadly laid out and EPA is seeking public opinion and guidance on each. EPA will hold hearings and seek public comment for 90 days, but there is no time table for a final decision. Both proposals released by EPA would still regulate coal ash waste under RCRA. Under the first proposal, EPA would reverse its August 1993 and May 2000 Bevill Regulatory Determinations regarding coal ash waste and list these residuals as special wastes subject to regulation under subtitle C of RCRA, when they are destined for disposal in landfills or surface impoundments. An EPA e-mail sent after Jackson's comments said the agency was creating a "special waste" classification within the hazardous waste regulations, "to help remove the stigma that some believe attaches when a waste is called hazardous." Under the second proposal, EPA would leave the Bevill determination in place and regulate disposal of such materials under subtitle D of RCRA by issuing national minimum criteria. The Subtitle C option creates federal oversight; the Subtitle D option leaves enforcement to the states and citizen lawsuits. Under both alternatives EPA is proposing to establish dam safety requirements to address the structural integrity of surface impoundments to prevent catastrophic releases. Regulation under Subtitle C would normally classify a substance or material as hazardous and would lead to stricter rules and federal enforcement. Many people were concerned that if coal ash waste was re-classified as hazardous and regulated under Subtitle C, any beneficial use of coal ash would be severely hindered. EPA appears to be looking for a way around this main concern. Under the proposal that regulates coal ash waste under Subtitle C, coal ash would be classified as a "special waste" and could still be used in "beneficial" ways. Since the Kingston spill, one side has been advocating for a hazardous classification and regulation under Subtitle C, while the other side argued to leave the non-hazardous classification in place, continue to utilize and explore beneficial uses, and let states regulate to their specific needs. After EPA's May 4, 2010 announcement, the debate remains largely the same. The only thing EPA has clarified is that no matter the action taken, coal ash will continue to be recycled and apparently will not be classified as hazardous. EPA explained in its own summary of the proposed rules that regulation under Subtitle C would reverse the 1993 and 2000 classification exemptions, but would not change the 2000 Regulatory Determination for beneficially used coal ash waste. However, EPA is clarifying this determination and seeking comment on potential refinements for certain beneficial uses. Both approaches focus on the storage facilities and only apply to the disposal of coal ash from electric generating units. EPA will require composite liners and groundwater monitoring at new dry ash landfills, while existing surface impoundments will have to be retrofitted with liners. Under the Subtitle C option, wet ash storage facilities would specifically be phased out and EPA thinks the new safety requirements under Subtitle D would also lead to the phase out of wet ash containers.2 EPA specifically mentioned Kingston, Tennessee and how the new regulations are being put in place to avoid accidents like the spill in December 2008. EPA administrator Lisa Jackson commented that she hopes the proposals will begin a national dialogue about coal ash regulation and disposal. It appears EPA wants safety without hindering beneficial use or too much regulation. Either way, both sides of the debate still have questions and time to advocate their position. More information about the EPA's proposed regulation can be found here. Click here for the EPA's unofficial pre-publication copy of the proposed rule for public reference. This document has not been published in the Federal Register and is not an official version of the final rule. The official rule will be available here as soon as it is published by the Federal Register Office. Click here to view a chart comparing the key differences between the EPA's Subtitle C and Subtitle D options. ________________________________ (1) 42 U.S.C. §6901 et seq. (1976). (2) While Subtitle D would require coal ash ponds to be retrofitted with a composite liner, it would not “phase out” coal ash ponds. To continue to use the wet ash pond, a company would have to remove all the materials, put the lining in, and then return the wet coal ash to the impoundment. If pond owners elect not to line the existing ponds, Subtitle D requires the owner to discontinue usage of the coal ash pond and implement closure of the pond within five years. © 2010 Dinsmore & Shohl LLP. All rights reserved. · Printer-friendly · Email this Article · Download PDF · ShareThis About The Author J. David Brittingham Partner J. David Brittingham is a Partner in the Product Liability and Toxic Tort Practice Groups. David's practice includes general litigation and dispute resolution, with an emphasis on product liability, mass torts, toxic torts and commercial matters. He primarily represents businesses and manufacturing concerns regarding claims of a complex or severe nature. David's experience with complex litigation in both state and federal courts includes the management, discovery, resolution and/or trial of class actions, multi-district litigation, multi-party suits and claims of mass torts. He has managed... david.brittingham(a)dinslaw.com (513) 977-8455 www.dinslaw.com Contributors Thomas P. Doyle Associate Thomas P. Doyle is a member of the Litigation Department. His practice focuses on general litigation and includes product liability, medical malpractice, and mass tort litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Thomas clerked for the Honorable Judge AJ Wagner, Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. thomas.doyle(a)dinslaw.com (513) 977-8551 www.dinslaw.com -- Samuel E. Flenner III Outreach Associate Environmental Integrity Project samf.environmentalintegrity(a)gmail.com 317.352.2339 c-317.850.0436 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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Fwd: Big Climate Majority - A Stanford Survey Shows
by Paul Wilson 13 Jun '10

13 Jun '10

incase any of you missed this. Byrd voted against the Murkowski resolution. best, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anne Ehrlich <aehrlich(a)stanford.edu> Date: Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 1:15 PM Subject: Fwd: Big Climate Majority - A Stanford Survey Shows To: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS(a)lists.sierraclub.org June 8, 2010 > New York Times > > > The Climate Majority > > > > > By JON A. KROSNICK > > > Stanford, Calif. > > ON Thursday, the Senate will vote on a resolution proposed by Lisa > Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, that would < > http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/06/07/07climatewire-thursday-is-high-noon…>scuttle > the Environmental Protection Agency’s plans to limit emissions of greenhouse > gases by American businesses. > > Passing the resolution might seem to be exactly what Americans want. After > all, national surveys released during the last eight months have been > interpreted as showing that fewer and fewer Americans believe that climate > change is real, human-caused and threatening to people. > > But a closer look at these polls and a new survey by my Political > Psychology Research Group show just the opposite: huge majorities of > Americans still believe the earth has been gradually warming as the result > of human activity and want the government to institute regulations to stop > it. > > In our survey, which was financed by a grant to Stanford from the National > Science Foundation, 1,000 randomly selected American adults were interviewed > by phone between June 1 and Monday. When respondents were asked if they > thought that the earth’s temperature probably had been heating up over the > last 100 years, 74 percent answered affirmatively. And 75 percent of > respondents said that human behavior was substantially responsible for any > warming that has occurred. > > For many issues, any such consensus about the existence of a problem > quickly falls apart when the conversation turns to carrying out specific > solutions that will be costly. But not so here. > > Fully 86 percent of our respondents said they wanted the federal government > to limit the amount of air pollution that businesses emit, and 76 percent > favored government limiting business’s emissions of greenhouse gases in > particular. Not a majority of 55 or 60 percent — but 76 percent. > > Large majorities opposed taxes on electricity (78 percent) and gasoline (72 > percent) to reduce consumption. But 84 percent favored the federal > government offering tax breaks to encourage utilities to make more > electricity from water, wind and solar power. > > And huge majorities favored government requiring, or offering tax breaks to > encourage, each of the following: manufacturing cars that use less gasoline > (81 percent); manufacturing appliances that use less electricity (80 > percent); and building homes and office buildings that require less energy > to heat and cool (80 percent). > > Thus, there is plenty of agreement about what people do and do not want > government to do. > > Our poll also indicated that some of the principal arguments against > remedial efforts have been failing to take hold. Only 18 percent of > respondents said they thought that policies to reduce global warming would > increase unemployment and only 20 percent said they thought such initiatives > would hurt the nation’s economy. Furthermore, just 14 percent said the > United States should not take action to combat global warming unless other > major industrial countries like China and India do so as well. > > Our findings might seem implausible in light of recent polls that purport > to show that Americans are increasingly skeptical about the very existence > of climate change. But in fact, those polls did not produce conflicting > evidence at all. > > Consider, for example, <http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/556.pdf>the > most publicized question from a 2009 Pew Research Center poll: “From what > you’ve read and heard, is there solid evidence that the average temperature > on earth has been getting warmer over the past few decades, or not?” This > question measured perceptions of scientific evidence that the respondent has > read or heard about, not the respondents’ personal opinions about whether > the earth has been warming. Someone who has had no exposure to scientific > evidence or who perceives the evidence to be equivocal may nonetheless be > convinced that the earth has been heating up by, say, the early blossoming > of plants in his garden. > > Or consider a < > http://www.gallup.com/poll/126560/americans-global-warming-concerns-continu…>widely > publicized Gallup question: “Thinking about what is said in the news, in > your view, is the seriousness of global warming generally exaggerated, > generally correct or is it generally underestimated?” This question asked > about respondents’ perceptions of the news, not the respondents’ perception > of warming. A person who believes climate change has been happening might > also feel that news media coverage of it has been exaggerated. > > Questions in other polls that sought to tap respondents’ personal beliefs > about the existence and causes of warming violated two of the cardinal rules > of good survey question design: ask about only one thing at a time, and > choose language that makes it easy for respondents to understand and answer > each question. > > Imagine <http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/12/07/rel18e.pdf>being > asked this, from a poll by CNN: “Which of the following statements comes > closest to your view of global warming: Global warming is a proven fact and > is mostly caused by emissions from cars and industrial facilities like power > plants and factories; global warming is a proven fact and is mostly caused > by natural changes that have nothing to do with emissions from cars and > industrial facilities; or, global warming is a theory that has not yet been > proven.” > > Notice that the question didn’t even offer the opportunity for respondents > to say they believe global warming is definitely not happening — not the > sort of question that will provide the most valid measurements. > > When surveys other than ours have asked simple and direct questions, they > have produced results similar to ours. For example, in November, an ABC > News/Washington Post survey found that < > http://abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1096a7GlobalWarming.pdf>72 > percent of respondents said the earth has been heating up, and a December > poll by Ipsos/McClatchy found this proportion to be 70 percent. > > Our surveys did reveal a small recent decline in the proportion of people > who believe global warming has been happening, from 84 percent in 2007 to 80 > percent in 2008 to 74 percent today. Statistical analysis of our data > revealed that this decline is attributable to perceptions of recent weather > changes by the minority of Americans who have been skeptical about climate > scientists. > > In terms of average earth temperature, 2008 was the coldest year since > 2000. Scientists say that such year-to-year fluctuations are uninformative, > and people who trust scientists therefore ignore this information when > forming opinions about global warming’s existence. Citizens who do not trust > climate scientists, however, base their conclusions on their personal > observations of nature. These low-trust individuals were especially aware of > the recent decline in average world temperatures; they were the ones in our > survey whose doubts about global warming have increased since 2007. > > This explanation is especially significant, because it suggests that the > small recent decline in the proportion of people who believe in global > warming is likely to be temporary. If the earth’s temperature begins to rise > again, these individuals may reverse course and rejoin the large majority > who still think warming is real. > > Growing public skepticism has, in recent months, been attributed to news > reports about < > http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/science/earth/21climate.html?_r=1>e-mail > messages hacked from the computer system at the University of East Anglia > in Britain (characterized as showing climate scientists colluding to silence > unconvinced colleagues) and by the discoveries of < > http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/science/earth/19climate.html>alleged > flaws in reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. > > Our new survey discredited this claim in multiple ways. First, we found no > decline in Americans’ trust in environmental scientists: 71 percent of > respondents said they trust these scientists a moderate amount, a lot or > completely, a figure that was 68 percent in 2008 and 70 percent in 2009. > Only 9 percent said they knew about the East Anglia e-mail messages and > believed they indicated that climate scientists should not be trusted, and > only 13 percent of respondents said so about the I.P.C.C. reports’ alleged > flaws. > > Interestingly, Americans are not alone in having their views portrayed > inaccurately. A February BBC News survey asked Britons, “From what you know > and have heard, do you think that the earth’s climate is changing and global > warming is taking place?” < > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8500443.stm>Seventy-five percent > of respondents answered affirmatively, down a somewhat improbable eight > percentage points from 83 percent in November. A BBC headline blared, > “Climate Skepticism on the Rise,” when it should have proclaimed that a huge > majority of Britons still share common ground with one another and with > Americans on this issue. > > GLOBAL warming has attracted what political scientists dub an “issue > public”: millions of Americans who are passionate about this subject and put > pressure on government to follow their wishes. For over a decade, this group > has been of typical issue-public size, about 15 percent of American adults. > > Although issue publics usually divide about equally on opposing sides — > think of abortion or immigration — 88 percent of the climate change issue > public in our survey believed that global warming has been happening; 88 > percent attributed responsibility for it to human action; 92 percent wanted > the federal government to limit the amount of greenhouse gases that > businesses can emit. Put simply, the people whose votes are most powerfully > shaped by this issue are sending a nearly unanimous signal to their elected > representatives. > > All this makes global warming a singular issue in American politics. Even > as we are told that Americans are about equally divided into red and blue, a > huge majority shares a common vision of climate change. This creates a > unique opportunity for elected representatives to satisfy a lot of voters. > > When senators vote on emissions limits on Thursday, there is one other > number they might want to keep in mind: 72 percent of Americans think that > most business leaders do not want the federal government to take steps to > stop global warming. A vote to eliminate greenhouse gas regulation is likely > to be perceived by the nation as a vote for industry, and against the will > of the people. > > Jon A. Krosnick is a professor of communication, political science and > psychology at Stanford. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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 Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ -- 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: DEP Public Notice - County - Mercer - Applicant - Appalachian Power Co. ...
by Duane330＠aol.com 10 Jun '10

10 Jun '10

FYI -- coal ash disposal in trib of New River.......... See forwarded permit for review........................DN

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job posting
by Jim Sconyers 07 Jun '10

07 Jun '10

<Can you help us get the word out about this job posting, please? Below and attached.> Hi folks - The West Virginia Sierra Club is looking to hire a Lobby and Outreach Organizer to work on shale (Marcellus) gas and related water issues in West Virginia. If you are interested, please apply. Or if you know someone who might be good, please pass the word on to them. Job Description and Help Wanted Ad below. Lobby and Outreach Organizer Position The West Virginia Sierra Club works to protect the environment in West Virginia. We are seeking an individual to promote better regulation and/or legislation for shale (Marcellus) gas drilling in WV. This is a contract job, equivalent to 3/4 time, with salary and expenses. Duration is July 1 - December 31, 2010. Responsibilities Represent the Club and the environment at legislative or agency meetings. Grassroots outreach to citizens, communities, and organizations. Ø Public education: prepare fact sheets, presentations to groups, newsletter articles, web content. Ø Meet with/present to community groups. Ø Media: generate letters, op-eds, radio/TV/newspaper articles and coverage. Qualifications Ø Self-starter with experience working independently and as part of a team. Ø Public speaking and presentation skills Ø Excellent writing skills Ø Concern for WV environmental issues in general. Knowledge of shale (Marcellus) gas and water issues is a plus. Requirements Ø Able to travel (mileage reimbursed). Ø Some weekend and evening work necessary. Ø Ability to work with boards, committees, and a wide range of people. Desired Ø Computer skills (email, web, Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Ø Prepare print material - flyers, pamphlets, fact sheets, etc. Ø Engage and activate individuals and groups. Questions? Contact Karen Grubb (304.367.4878, karen.grubb(a)fairmontstate.edu), or Jim Kotcon (304.293.8822, jkotcon(a)wvu.edu). To apply, send a letter of application outlining your interests and abilities, a resume, and names and contact info for 3 references to: karen.grubb(a)fairmontstate.edu All material must be submitted electronically. References must include email addresses. Application deadline is June 20, 2010. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd:Options for phasing out coal in ES&T (Free!)
by James Kotcon 05 Jun '10

05 Jun '10

These could be some very useful studies, especially for those who need technical data. Perhaps it could even be useful in CCS rule-making, etc. JBK >>> Al Sattler <alsattler(a)IGC.ORG> 6/3/2010 10:43 PM >>> http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es101320m Can the U.S. phase out coal’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030? A new paper by a leading group of scientists, engineers, and architects argues that the U.S. could eliminate CO2 emissions from coal in 20 years. -------------------------- http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es903884a Options for Near-Term Phaseout of CO2 Emissions from Coal Use in the United States Pushker A. Kharecha* ( http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es903884a#cor1 )† ( http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es903884a#afn1 ), Charles F. Kutscher‡ ( http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es903884a#afn2 ), James E. Hansen† ( http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es903884a#afn1 ) and Edward Mazria§ ( http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es903884a#afn3 ) -------------------------- http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es903306e Gigaton Problems Need Gigaton Solutions1 ( http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es903306e#fn1 ) Achieving sustainability requires commanding the whole problem, not just iterative efforts that barely strike a moving target. ------------------------------ http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es903626u Is Carbon Capture and Storage Really Needed?1 ( http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es903626u#fn1 ) If CO2 cannot be stored at profit, perhaps it is best to switch to low-carbon alternative energy post haste. ------------------------------ http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es903036u Why the Debate about Land Use Change Should Not Only Focus on Biofuels1 ( http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es903036u#fn1 ) Extensive change of the landscape for energy production is not limited to farmland alteration. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fwd:Natural Gas/Gulf Oil Spill call on Monday (was: What are we doing?)
by James Kotcon 05 Jun '10

05 Jun '10

Who plans to be on this one? JBK >>> Edward Mainland <emainland(a)COMCAST.NET> 6/4/2010 5:23 PM >>> Michael Brune, Club Executive Director, will be hosting a call at 5 pm Pacific/8 Eastern Monday June 7 for volunteers and staff to "talk about our natural gas campaign and policies and answer questions". Call 1 866-501-6174 — code 223-9223#. This call may be an opportune moment for the Club's grassroots to talk to Michael about the need not only for more Sierra Club militancy on the Gulf oil tragedy but also more specificity on how the Club proposes to "get off oil". And it's not just a matter of "getting off oil". It's getting off all fossil fuels as fast as possible and not wasting another generation of infrastructure and investment on the illusory but fatal temptation of so-called "transition fossil fuels" like natural gas. New NG capacity will continue carbon spewing and fossil-fuel dependency while competing with and slowing the massive transition to renewable power for which the Gulf catastrophe so cruelly demonstrates our need most dire. -- Ed M. - - - - - - - - - - On May 24, 2010, at 3:17 PM Joe Cook wrote: > Barb, Wayne and others, > > I agree that the Sierra Club appears to be missing in action at this > seminal moment for us to shine a light on this issue and engage our > membership to light a fire under and spray dispersant on Obama, his > administration and the Congress. Where is the net roots call to > action and marching feet on the ground in DC to stop the leak, do the > clean up and call a timeout on offshore drilling? Now is the time to > expose the dirty, greedy and inhumane fossil fuel industry and tout > the alternative -- clean, renewable energy. At the same time, the > Kerry-Liberman bill is a travesty in the face of the Gulf blowout and > should be exposed as such. > > Joe Cook > > On Sun, May 23, 2010 at 12:19 PM, Wayne Kenton > <waynekenton(a)comcast.net> wrote: >> Barb, >> >> How do we get the Sierra Club leadership angry, how do we get them to >> respond, how do we get them to get a plan to engage their grassroots >> – are we not a grassroots group? Where is the national call to >> action conference call today? >> >> After two days of sending out emails like this I am asking everyone >> on this list – where is the red button to push! Where is our action >> team response? I want to know what is happening what we are doing >> and how grassroots is being empowered. >> >> I was sent this important web site to read up on what is happening in >> the Oil world, please read and digest. >> >> http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6489#comments_top >> >> www.NRDC.org has Robert Redford on CNN commercials airing as I write >> this call for political leadership today over the Gulf Crisis, where >> is ours! You want to grow public support, then we need to get out >> there with a message and plan that people can support, if you don’t >> people we find a group that does support their interests and >> concerns. Redford is saying the same thing I have been saying, this >> is urgent and to lead Mr. Obama. >> >> Maybe we should be generating a list of actions the Sierra Club could >> be doing now, since nothing seems to be happening… >> >> Wayne >> >> PS. I am not on the leadership list server so some please tell what >> is happening there???? >> >> From: Chp & Grp Global Warming Energy Chairs >> [mailto:CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG] On Behalf >> Of Barbara McKasson >> Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2010 11:46 AM >> To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG >> Subject: Re: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Brune video >> >> We have been told that Micheal Brune, Carl Pope, Allison Chin and >> Robin Mann are responding to the oil spill situation. However, it >> seems they are forgetting that this is supposed to be a grassroots >> organization. I have not seen much on prompting grassroots leaders >> and members to respond to this - and I am a Sierra Club group >> chair!. Let's use the unique strength of Sierra Club as a grassroots >> organization. >> >> This is not the time to hold back!! We must push the Obama >> Administration to be more proactive on this. We need people calling >> Congress and the White House to step up the government response and >> to pressure BP to do more. Using toxic dispersants to hide the huge >> amount of oil that scientists say is gushing out daily is not a good >> solution, yet the Obama administration is allowing it to continue. >> It seems the Obama administration is trying to silence the scientists >> also. If dispersants are used, it should be a less toxic solution! >> We should be making A LOT OF NOISE about this. If we can't hold the >> Obama Administration accountable, who will? The federal government >> response so far has been underwhelming. >> >> Also, we cannot afford to be cowed by the likes of Rush Limbaugh. I >> have always been told that we should respond directly and quickly to >> every attack on the Sierra Club. It doesn't seem that this is being >> done this time! >> >> Barb McKasson, Chair >> >> Shawnee Group Sierra Club >> >> In a message dated 5/23/2010 8:32:30 A.M. Central Daylight Time, >> Dave.Hamilton(a)SIERRACLUB.ORG writes: >>> No matter how Mike came off in that particular interview, (Mathews >>> is always tough) he is anything but tepid in the way he is >>> responding or the way he is preparing the organization to address >>> the disaster over the long term. We have been putting together a >>> very aggressive policy package on oil savings, as well as >>> ypositioning the issue as the central driver and game changer for >>> what happens in Washington for the foreseeable future. >>> >>> DH >>> >>> -----Rodney Robinson <rodney(a)CAL.NET> wrote: ----- >>> >>> ======================= >>> To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG >>> From: Rodney Robinson <rodney(a)CAL.NET> >>> Date: 05/23/2010 03:25AM >>> Subject: Re: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Brune video >>> ======================= >>> Chris Matthews actually says "get on this the stick Michael! You >>> don't >>> seem very excited about this." >>> and I would have to agree with Chris’ request. Get on the >>> stick. >>> Michael presents the Sierra Club as an entity to ignore. There is >>> no >>> fire in the belly. Where is the outrage. A month into this and this >>> is >>> the response we get from the Sierra Club. Shameful. >>> >>> I did not see, through the eyes of CBS News or any other source, >>> the >>> gulf coast chapter members or anyone else on the beaches Friday >>> scooping up the oil mess as it hit shore. Where are the BP execs to >>> be >>> found cleaning the beaches. >>> °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°° >>> A friend just sent this to me. I missed the original 60 minute >>> broadcast and had intended to catch it in the eworld. >>> >>> Here it is in the event that you missed it or would want to pass >>> the >>> link to a friend. >>> >>> >>> http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25474.htm >>> >>> ***************************************** >>> And... You may want to subscribe to the newsletter below. >>> ***************************************** >>> >>> Government of the USA in Exile >>> Free Americans Reaching Out to Amerika's Huddled Masses Yearning to >>> Breathe Free >>> Via <prez(a)usa-exile.org> >>> >>> May >>> 21, 2010 >>> >>> http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/05/21/gulf.oil.spill/index.html?hpt=T1 >>> >>> Gulf Oil Spill Effects to Reach Arctic and Europe, >>> >>> Expert Says >>> >>> By the CNN Wire Staff >>> >>> May 21, 2010 -- Updated 1801 GMT (0201 HKT) >>> >>> Washington (CNN) -- The damaging effects of the massive oil spill >>> in >>> the Gulf of Mexico will be felt all the way to Europe and the >>> Arctic, >>> a top scientist told a congressional panel Friday. >>> >>> "This is not just a regional issue for the wildlife," said Carl >>> Safina, the president of the Blue Ocean Institute. Safina, who >>> recently returned from the Gulf Coast region, presented several >>> photographs, including one of an oil-covered bird. >>> >>> "There will be a nest empty in Newfoundland," Safina said, noting >>> common migratory patterns. Safina warned that multiple forms of >>> marine >>> life in the Atlantic Ocean "come into the Gulf to breed." >>> >>> Safina's briefing to representatives of the House Energy and >>> Commerce >>> Committee was scheduled as part of an ongoing effort to draw on a >>> broad range of expertise for cleanup efforts. >>> >>> "We have to use science to find solutions," said Rep. Ed Markey, D- >>> Massachusetts. Markey has been strongly critical of the current >>> cleanup effort, calling it ineffective. >>> >>> Meanwhile, another congressman, concerned about people who are >>> working >>> to clean up the spill, has asked the White House to set up >>> temporary >>> health care centers along the Gulf Coast to serve volunteers and >>> workers. >>> >>> Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Louisiana, envisions such clinics as >>> providing "medical checkups to people who have come in contact with >>> the oil and assist in monitoring the health effects of the oil leak >>> on >>> south Louisianians." >>> >>> He sent the request Wednesday to Health and Human Services >>> Secretary >>> Kathleen Sebelius. There was no immediate response from the agency. >>> >>> "Many residents and volunteers are being exposed to hazardous >>> materials on a daily basis, and some will have to travel hours to >>> get >>> treatment at the nearest health care facility. It is imperative >>> that >>> temporary health care clinics be established to provide basic >>> health >>> care services in this geographic area," he said. >>> >>> He has also asked Sebelius to "appoint a health care coordinator to >>> oversee and streamline the health care response." >>> >>> Melancon emphasized that BP should be responsible for such health >>> care >>> services in his state. The energy giant was operating the oil rig >>> that >>> exploded and sank in April, triggering the spill. >>> >>> [snip] >>> >>> ------------------------------------------ >>> >>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10139730.stm >>> >>> US oil spill: BP 'recovering less oil' than >>> estimated >>> >>> BP has said the amount of oil recovered from a leaking Gulf of >>> Mexico >>> oil well on Thursday was less than half an earlier estimate. >>> >>> BP said it siphoned 2,200 barrels in the 24-hour period to midnight >>> on >>> Thursday, down from an estimate of 5,000 barrels earlier in the day. >>> >>> The US government has formed a team to develop a more precise >>> estimate >>> of the amount of oil gushing from the well. >>> >>> [snip] >>> >>> ----------------------------------- >>> >>> >>> White House Covers Up Menacing Oil "Blob" >>> >>> by Wayne Madsen >>> >>> Global Research, May 21, 2010 >>> Oilprice.com >>> >>> In an exclusive for Oilprice.com, the Wayne Madsen Report (WMR) has >>> learned from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. >>> Army >>> Corps of Engineers sources that U.S. Navy submarines deployed to >>> the >>> Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast have >>> detected >>> what amounts to a frozen oil blob from the oil geyser at the >>> destroyed >>> Deep Horizon off-shore oil rig south of Louisiana. The Navy >>> submarines >>> have trained video cameras on the moving blob, which remains frozen >>> at >>> depths of between 3,000 to 4,000 feet. Because the oil blob is >>> heavier >>> than water, it remains frozen at current depths. >>> >>> FEMA and Corps of Engineers employees are upset that the White >>> House >>> and the Pentagon remain tight-lipped and in cover-up mode about the >>> images of the massive and fast-moving frozen coagulated oil blob >>> that >>> is being imaged by Navy submarines that are tracking its movement. >>> The >>> sources point out that BP and the White House conspired to withhold >>> videos from BP-contracted submersibles that showed the oil geyser >>> that >>> was spewing oil from the chasm underneath the datum of the Deep >>> Horizon at rates far exceeding originally reported amounts. We have >>> learned that it was largely WMR's scoop on the existence of the BP >>> videos that forced the company and its White House patrons to >>> finally >>> agree to the release of the video footage. >>> >>> The White House is officially stating that it does not know where >>> the >>> officially reported 10 miles long by 3 miles wide "plume" is >>> actually >>> located or in what direction it is heading. However, WMR's sources >>> claim the White House is getting real-time reports from Navy >>> submarines as to the blob's location. We have learned that the blob >>> is >>> transiting the Florida Straits between Florida and Cuba, propelled >>> by >>> the Gulf's Loop Current, and that parts of it that is encountering >>> warmer waters are breaking off into smaller tar balls that are now >>> washing ashore in the environmentally-sensitive Florida Keys and >>> Dry >>> Tortugas. >>> >>> Corps of Engineers and FEMA officials are also livid about the >>> cover- >>> up of the extent of the oil damage being promulgated by the >>> National >>> Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its marine >>> research >>> vessel in the Gulf, RV Pelican. NOAA stands accused by the >>> aforementioned agencies of acting as a virtual public relations arm >>> for BP. NOAA is a component of the business-oriented Department of >>> Commerce. >>> >>> Similarly, the Coast Guard, which takes its orders from the >>> cover-up >>> operatives at the Homeland Security Department, is denying the tar >>> balls washing up on the Florida Keys are from the oil mass. WMR has >>> been told the Coast Guard is lying in order to protect the Obama >>> administration, which has thoroughly failed in its response to the >>> disaster. The White House's only concern is trying to limit >>> political >>> damage to its image in the electorally-important state of Florida >>> while the Pentagon has spent between $25 and $30 billion on oil >>> spill >>> operations in the Gulf and the Atlantic to date. >>> >>> WMR sources also report that the oil mass has resulted in dead >>> zones >>> in the Gulf of Mexico that have cut off oxygen and killed massive >>> numbers of marine creatures and plant life. Seafood wholesalers >>> from >>> the Gulf Coast to New Jersey and New York have been told that the >>> supply of shrimp, oysters, and other seafood from the Gulf is >>> severely >>> in short supply and that they can expect a possible total cut-off >>> as >>> the situation worsens. The shortage will also affect the supply of >>> seafood, especially shrimp, to national seafood restaurant chains >>> like >>> Red Lobster and Long John Silver's. >>> >>> There is also evidence that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean sank a >>> drill to a depth of 35,000 feet at the Deep Horizon site some six >>> months ago without the required permits from the federal >>> government. >>> WMR has learned from U.S. government sources that the drilling at >>> 35,000 feet caused a major catastrophic event that required the >>> firms' >>> oil rig personnel to quickly pull up the drill and close the drill >>> hole. >>> >>> However, the Deep Horizon re-sank the drill some six months after >>> the >>> unspecified "catastrophe," resulting in another, more destructive >>> chain of events following the explosion that destroyed the rig, >>> killing eleven workers. When the Deep Horizon blew up, WMR has been >>> told it also "blew down," cracking the the sub-seabed pipe that may >>> have been re-drilled to a depth of between 25,000 to 30,000 feet, >>> again, without a government permit. >>> >>> Government sources also report that BP is intent on recovering as >>> much >>> oil as possible from the undersea geyser rather than simply >>> plugging >>> and capping the well, which would then place it off-limits to >>> further >>> drilling. The Corps of Engineers reports that BP is playing a game >>> with Obama, convincing him of the feasibility of "shooting junk" >>> into >>> the subterranean pipe, which would stop up the pipe with a >>> manufactured chemical compound called "MUD." However, WMR has been >>> informed that BP actually intends to shoot cement into the pipe in >>> an >>> attempt to cap the well with the later intention of digging a >>> trench >>> for side drilling from the pipe to recover as much oil as possible. >>> The technology that would be employed by BP is the same technology >>> that was used by Kuwait to conduct slant drilling of Iraq's >>> Rumallah >>> oil field -- an event that helped trigger Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. >>> >>> Corps of Engineers and FEMA sources also give a failing grade to >>> both >>> Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who stands accused of >>> being woefully incompetent in handling the disaster, and Interior >>> Secretary Ken Salazar. Government sources say both secretaries >>> should >>> immediately step down or be fired. >>> >>> -------------------------------- >>> >>> >>> http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/05/21-6 >>> Published on Friday, May 21, 2010 by CommonDreams.org >>> >>> Boycott BP >>> >>> by Robert Weissman >>> >>> Why? >>> >>> Because BP must pay. >>> >>> Eleven oil workers are dead. One of the largest oil spills in U.S. >>> history continues to worsen. BP's oil gusher at the floor of the >>> Gulf >>> of Mexico may be 100 times worse than BP first estimated (and 20 >>> times >>> worse than the company presently claims). 100 times! >>> >>> BP's oil gusher is now threatening coastal lands in Louisiana and >>> is >>> almost certain to destroy fisheries and the livelihoods of people >>> who >>> fish and shrimp in the Gulf, or rely on the Gulf for tourism >>> business. >>> The giant plumes of oil deep underwater will exact an unknown toll >>> on >>> sea life. And the spreading oil may even wind up in currents that >>> eventually take it to the U.S. Eastern shores. >>> >>> BP CEO Tony Hayward is sanguine about the whole problem. The >>> Financial >>> Times quotes him saying, "I think the environmental impact of this >>> disaster is likely to have been very, very modest." >>> >>> A boycott will send a message to BP that its shoddy oversight of >>> this >>> project and its history of environmental and worker safety >>> violations >>> is unforgivable. Take the BP Boycott Pledge, and commit not to buy >>> gas >>> from BP for at least three months. Go here: www.beyondBP.org >>> >>> BP cares desperately about its public image. This is the company >>> that >>> has sought to rebrand itself as "Beyond Petroleum." BusinessWeek >>> estimates the BP brand as worth $3.9 billion -- the highest among >>> oil >>> companies. "Not even an Alaskan oil spill or an explosion at a >>> Texas >>> refinery has put a dent in BP's strong [brand] performance," said >>> BusinessWeek in 2006. This time must be different. A boycott will >>> express the organized consumer anger that BP so fears. >>> >>> This is a company that should fear the public's wrath, for the >>> Deepwater Horizon blowout was a preventable disaster. While much >>> remains unknown, there is mounting evidence that BP could have >>> averted >>> the catastrophe. BP made a conscious decision not to install a >>> $500,000 safety device that could have prevented the blowout. There >>> is >>> good reason to believe BP's contractors on the Deepwater Horizon >>> made >>> multiple mistakes leading up to the disaster, but it is ultimately >>> BP's job to make sure its contractors are exercising sufficient >>> care. >>> And Mike Williams, the chief electronics technician on the >>> Deepwater >>> Horizon, told 60 Minutes that BP pressured its contractors to skirt >>> other safety measures that might have prevented the disaster. >>> >>> All this from a company that made $14 billion in profits in 2009 -- >>> a >>> bad year. First quarter profits in 2010 were over $6 billion. >>> >>> After the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon, Tony Hayward >>> reportedly >>> asked why bad things keep happening to BP. >>> >>> But this is not a case of bad things happening to good people. BP >>> has >>> one of the worst environmental and safety records of any oil >>> company >>> operating in the United States. BP has pled guilty in just the last >>> few years to two crimes and paid more than $730 million in fines, >>> penalties and settlements for environmental crimes, willful >>> disregard >>> for workplace safety and energy market manipulation. >>> >>> BP sometimes says it will pay for the harms caused by the spill, >>> but >>> at other times hedges what it may be willing to do. There will be >>> litigation and fines, and BP won't have the final say on what it >>> wants >>> to pay. In any case, cash compensation for economic harms caused -- >>> while necessary -- doesn't bring back destroyed ecosystems and does >>> little to mitigate the company's culpability for not preventing the >>> blowout in the first place. >>> >>> The only good that can come out of the BP disaster is if it forces >>> the >>> United States to fundamentally reorient energy policy. As a matter >>> of >>> simple common sense, the Obama administration should reverse its >>> new >>> policy and stop offshore drilling expansion. More fundamentally, >>> BP's >>> oil gusher is yet another reminder of the need for a massive shift >>> away from fossil fuels and to investments in efficiency and >>> renewable >>> energy. The disaster also emphasizes how crucial it is to hold Big >>> Oil >>> accountable. The BP boycott is a way to start. >>> >>> There are no "good" oil companies, but BP is a particularly bad and >>> irresponsible actor. Consumers should make it pay. Take the BP >>> Boycott >>> Pledge: . >>> >>> Robert Weissman is the president of Public Citizen. >>> >>> >>> On May 22, 2010, at 8:37 PM, Thomas Mathews wrote: >>> >>> > I watched the video, Fred. The last line is Chris Matthews >>> telling >>> > Brune to "get on this Michael! You don't seem very excited about >>> > this." >>> > >>> > And, in fact, Brune's comments are rather, shall we say, tepid. >>> He >>> > doesn't even respond substantively to Rush Limbaugh's attack on >>> > Sierra Club. The other guest, Joan Walsh from Salon.com, does a >>> much >>> > better job of defending Sierra Club than does Brune. >>> > >>> > And, of course, Brune does not go on the offensive against >>> Obama's >>> > handling of the oil spill. Matthews does though. Big time. >>> > >>> > Give Brune some time, I suppose. He's still new on the job. >>> > >>> > Tom Mathews >>> > Iowa Chapter >>> > = >>> > >>> ===================================================================== >>> = >>> > Please see: >>> > >>> > http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageNavigator/adv_oilspill >>> > >>> > The Club has been responding since the first day. Our national >>> > leaders -- Mike Brune, Carl Pope, outgoing president Allison Chin >>> and >>> > incoming president Robin Mann, have been speaking continually in >>> > public and with the media, there is a national response group >>> working >>> > on the oil spill and our Gulf Coast chapters are fully >>> mobilizing. >>> > Here's >>> > a signup form: >>> > >>> > >>> http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageServer? >>> pagename=20100429VolunterGulfCoastOilSpill&autologin=true >>> > >>> > Fred >>> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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Fwd: coal to clean energy?
by Paul Wilson 04 Jun '10

04 Jun '10

please contact the intern if you have info. thanks, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Cramer, Virginia <virginia.cramer(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Jun 2, 2010 at 12:17 PM Subject: coal to clean energy? To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS(a)lists.sierraclub.org Hi everyone, I'm passing along this note from a Club intern in MI. This information would clearly be great for all of us to have compiled so please send her anything you have that might be useful. She's at sierraclubintern(a)gmail.com. thanks, ginny Hello All. I am in the process of compiling a report of nationwide examples of how new alternative energy businesses erected out of the ashes of a fallen coal plant. One Michigan example is Manistee when a coal plant was denied and Mariah began developing the Windspire wind turbine. With great success and much needed job creation, this company continues to thrive today. Mariah donated the wind turnbine that currently powers the Michigan Govenor's own residence! I know there has to be several examples of this transition---or evolution to alternative energy and we want to collect those stories. Please feel free to repost far and wide and please send information and links to me, Stephanie at: sierraclubintern(a)gmail.com I would greatly appreciate any help you can offer! Have a great day! Stephanie Vollick Sierra Club Intern, Beyond Coal Royal Oak, MI Cell: 248-842-7443 -- Virginia Cramer Deputy Press Secretary Sierra Club tel: 804-225-9113 x 102 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS list, send any message to: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -- 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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PSC on PATH- Procedural Order grants the Second Proposal to Toll the statutory due date, until 5/16/2011
by Frank Young 03 Jun '10

03 Jun '10

We expected this, but now it's official. Click on the blue type in the "description" below to read the order. ----- Original Message ----- From: WV Public Service Commission To: fyoung(a)mountain.net Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2010 9:00 PM Subject: [PSC Docket] Activity on PSC Case(s) on 06/03/2010 The Following Cases had activity on 06/03/2010. Subscription Name Case Number Case Name Description(click link to view document) E-mail notification 09-0770-E-CN PATH West Virginia Transmission Company, LLC; PATH Allegheny Transmission Company, LLC; PATH-WV Land Acquisition Company; and PATH-Allegheny Land Acquisition Company Commission Procedural Order granting the Second Proposal to Toll the statutory due date, until 5/16/2011; setting for Evidentiary Hearing beginning 1/10/2011; the Evidentiary Hearing ends on 1/25/2011;For details see Internet Hearing Information; granting the 9/22/2009 Protective Motion regarding the Confidential CEII Data and Confidential Forecast Data; Applicants submit, within 30 days, appropriate motions for protective treatment for all additional documents filed under seal; directing the Applicants to update time-sensitive information contained in the right-of-way information packets distributed by its right-of-way agents; denying the Rappaport/Haverty/WCIG/Wilson requests regarding the Applicants right-of-way agents and land acquisition activities; directing the Applicants to work closely with its right-of-way agents to assure that the agents are providing accurate and timely information to landowners, and are abiding by applicable state and federal rules and regulations; denying Ms. Bonhage-Hale's motion requesting that the Applicants provide a list of property owners along the route of the proposed transmission line; Applicants are not required to respond to the data requests filed by Earl and Delores Irons, Ryan Gaujot, and John W. Cobb; denying the Baker motion for clarification; granting, in part, the JCIG motion to compel and denying, in part, as described in the Discussion section of this Order; the JCIG motion for additional time to file prefiled testimony in denied as moot; denying the WCIG motion to compel as described in the Discussion of this Order; denying as moot the Howley motion in limine; Applicants file supplemental testimony on issues of electrical need and any other issues requiring supplementation by Noon on 7/8/2010; Staff and Intervenors propound discovery on supplemental testimony filed 7/8/2010 due by Noon on 10/29/2010; Staff's and Intervenors prepared direct testimony and rebuttal to the direct testimony of Applicants due by Noon on 11/18/2010; deadline for propounding discovery in response to testimony due 11/19//2010 is due by Noon on 11/30/2010; Applicant's rebuttal testimony to the direct testimony for Staff and Intervenors, and for Staff and Intervenor rebuttal testimony to the direct testimony of one another due by Noon on 12/17/2010; deadline for propounding discovery in response to the rebuttal testimony due 12/17/2010 is due by Noon on 12/28/2010; Written opening statements due by Noon on 1/6/2011; Initial briefs and proposed orders may be filed until Noon on 2/22/2011; Reply Briefs may be filed until 3/10/2011; etc. This is an automated message. Do not respond to this message. The Public Service Commission of West Virginia does not accept electronic filings, you will receive a hard copy in the mail. If you wish to respond to the enclosed document, you may do so in writing. Please send your response to the Executive Secretary at the address below. Please add docketnotify(a)psc.state.wv.us to your address book to ensure delivery of this notice. About this Notice: You were sent this email at fyoung(a)mountain.net because you have subscribed to this particular case and or case type, etc. If you do not wish to receive further messages for this case(s), please go to manage your subscriptions. Please add docketnotify(a)psc.state.wv.us to your address book to ensure delivery of this notice. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at: Public Service Commission Of West Virginia P.O. Box 812 Charleston, WV 25323 304-340-0300 or Toll Free 1-800-344-5113 Fax: 304-340-0325

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Fw: Picking the Right Low-Carbon Investment Strategy
by Jim Sconyers 02 Jun '10

02 Jun '10

Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Edward Mainland <emainland(a)COMCAST.NET> To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Sent: Wed, June 2, 2010 12:43:22 AM Subject: Picking the Right Low-Carbon Investment Strategy Chris Paine blog circulated May 28 by Jim Magavern: Picking the Right Low-Carbon Investment Strategy So what would all the nuclear largesse mean in practice if the K-L bill as written becomes law, and perhaps 12-24 new nuclear power plants are constructed over the next fifteen years in response to the incentives the bill creates? American taxpayers and consumers will have to pay through the nose for the electricity from these plants, which is likely to cost - depending on the project ownership and finance structure-anywhere from 17-34 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) (California Energy Commission, December 2009) when it enters the grid around 2018, instead of buying end-use efficiency "negawatts" today at less than 5 cents per kilowatt hour, industrial waste heat cogeneration today at less than 9 cents per kWh, wind at less than 11.5 cents per kWh, and a wide variety of other renewable sources at less than 17 cents per kilowatt hour, with the expectation of further price declines. In a recent analysis from DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), for example, big box commercial rooftop PV solar is expected to decline from about 11 - 15 cents/kWh (Phoenix versus Kansas City) today to 4.5 - 6 cents per KWh in 2015. Not only will new-nuclear cost more than these other cleaner sources, but the effective carbon displacement arrives 5-7 years later than the other technologies, further raising the overall cost of meeting the GHG reduction targets. The harder, farther, and earlier we push on energy efficiency in a climate bill, the fewer costly nuclear, coal CCS or other "low-carbon" generating plants we'll have to build later on to meet the GHG reduction targets. So there is actually a triple-barreled economic benefit from deferring widespread deployment of the most costly decarbonization pathways (nuclear, coal CCS, renewables in less-favorable locations) until we absolutely need them to stay on track with meeting our reduction targets: (1) lower electricity costs; (2) earlier GHG reductions; and (3) less required future investment in low-carbon central station power plants that have other serious environmental drawbacks. This strategy not only frees up funding for massive early investments in more cost-effective energy efficiency, but it also allows more time for technology innovation to reduce future nuclear (and coal CCS) costs and environmental impacts. The same holds true for currently costly, land-intensive combinations of remotely located large-scale renewables and new high-voltage transmission lines. Rapidly evolving technology and plummeting manufacturing costs may enable a higher proportion of clean energy to come from equally or more cost-effective distributed-generation mounted along highway embankments and atop buildings and parking lots, lessening the burden imposed by some large-scale renewable deployments on the natural environment. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

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