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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] from High Country News; Bankruptcy expected for Arch Coal, a reflection of industry woes
by James Kotcon 11 Nov '15

11 Nov '15

Stock in Peabody coal was selling for over $1000 per share in 2011, not it is at $13.00 Arch Coal was at $3600 in 2011, now it is at $1.50. The WV Legislature is convinced that "Coal's Best Days Are Ahead!" Thanks to Paul for the story at the link below. JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Paul Wilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> Date: Tue, Nov 10, 2015 at 4:02 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] from High Country News; Bankruptcy expected for Arch Coal, a reflection of industry woes To: Coal Alerts <coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Bankruptcy expected for Arch Coal, a reflection of industry woes <http://list.hcn.org/t?r=3391&c=3558&l=1&ctl=6B6C:9DD3FCF87D66B19654BB1AB8D5…> Climate policies make a rebound for coal unlikely. -- Paul Wilson Project Healing Waters Fly-fishing Sierra Club Military Outdoors 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 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 JUSTICE, ONLY JUSTICE, SHALT THOU PURSUE. Deuteronomy 16:20 -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org.

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Fwd: I'll be retiring-- Internal Job Announcement - Director, Virginia Chapter
by James Kotcon 06 Nov '15

06 Nov '15

FYI. JBK ----- Original Message ----- *From:* Glen Besa <glen.besa(a)sierraclub.org> *To:* CONS-FRED(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG *Sent:* Thursday, November 05, 2015 10:02 AM *Subject:* FYI : I'll be retiring-- Internal Job Announcement - Director, Virginia Chapter Hi folks, dear colleagues, After almost 20 years with the Sierra Club, I'll be retiring the end of May 2016. It's been a great ride, and I expect to stay active as a volunteer--too much fun holding politicians accountable, especially climate deniers. In any case, the VA Chapter is beginning an intensive search for my replacement. Below is the internal posting that will go public next week. There is no anticipated successor at this stage so please forward to interested persons. We are fortunate to have a fairly stable $700,000 annual budget and 9 dedicated staff so this is a big job in a perpetual swing state--Dems just got their butts kicked on Tuesday--ugh! I will not see you at the colloquium because I'll be at the Paris climate talks (on my own dime--not the club's). I hope to see many of you before I retire or in some voluntary capacity after I retire. Thanks, Glen ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: HRD <hrd(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Nov 4, 2015 at 5:16 PM Subject: Internal Job Announcement - Director, Virginia Chapter To: SierraClub HRD <hrd(a)sierraclub.org> *Announcement of Job Openings for Internal Employees:* *JOB:* *Director, Virginia Chapter* For full details and to apply as an internal applicant*: https://chj.tbe.taleo.net/chj01/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=SIERRACLUB&… Internal Deadline: *11/11/15* Category: *4* Region: *2* Union: *Chapter/Non-Rep* *Only current Sierra Club staff or recall candidates may apply using the link included above. External applicants must apply via Sierra Club's careers website (www.sierraclub.org/careers) after the internal deadline passes. -- Human Resources Department Sierra Club National Headquarters Shar-De Herr: 415.977.5615 Brett Johnson: 415.977.5586 Fax: 415.977.5796 ***You can now submit HR issues via the HelpDesk! Please create a ticket via HelpDesk (https://helpdesk.sierraclub.org <https://helpdesk.sierraclub.org>)** OR by emailing HR.Help(a)sierraclub.org <HR.Help(a)sierraclub.org> directly*. *Please only choose one option when submitting your issue.*** ***Please allow up to 5-7 business days for HRD to review and respond to any request and/or inquiry sent to this address. If you haven't heard back within this time frame, please follow up as needed.*** *NOTE: This communication contains information that is confidential, and proprietary to The Sierra Club. If you are not the intended recipient, please note that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify sender immediately and delete it from your system. * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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

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Costs iof Harrison Power Plant - See We Told You So.
by James Kotcon 04 Nov '15

04 Nov '15

Full story at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/article/20151103/GZ01/151109834 Tuesday, November 3, 2015 Testimony highlights costs of Harrison Power Plant purchase By Andrew Brown, Business Reporter The full cost of the Public Service Commission’s decision to approve MonPower’s takeover of the Harrison Power Plant north of Clarksburg is now being revealed. On Monday, testimony from the PSC staff, the state’s Consumer Advocate Division and the West Virginia Energy User’s Group was filed as part of MonPower and Potomac Edison’s ongoing expanded net energy case. The testimony details the companies’ request for an additional $144.5 million to cover the cost of coal supplies, energy purchases and 17 months of operating expenses for the Harrison plant, which MonPower purchased for $1.1 billion in 2013 from FirstEnergy, its parent company. As it stands, the proposal could increase the average residential customer’s monthly bill by more than $7 a month, and industrial electric customers in the state could see their rates increase by 19.6 percent on average. All of the parties in the case offered up adjustments to the $144.5 million request, based on a number of factors. The PSC staff suggested delaying some costs and reducing the current request by more than $17 million. The consumer advocate’s office proposed a reduction of $30.9 million to account for pension costs and current coal purchase contracts. And the West Virginia Energy User’s group proposed shrinking the request to a $65.7 million increase. According to the various testimony, a large part of the $144.5 million request stems either directly or indirectly from MonPower’s deal to take over the remaining 79 percent of the Harrison plant that it didn’t own in 2013 — an arrangement critics warned the commission not to approve. More than $44 million — roughly 31 percent — of the proposed increase is the result of underestimated operating costs at the Harrison plant, including $22.6 million charged during an outage in December 2014. Officials with the West Virginia Energy User’s Group questioned whether all of those under-recovered costs are fair and whether some of those operating expenses should have been handled before MonPower’s takeover. “A significant portion of the under-recovery is associated with what appears to be deferred maintenance while the units were owned by Allegheny Generating Company,” the energy user group’s testimony states. At the same time, testimony filed by the consumer advocate and FirstEnergy officials points out that the company’s choice to take over the roughly 1,983 megawatts of capacity at the Harrison plant has not paid off like the company expected in 2013. FirstEnergy officials had hoped that the takeover would benefit their customers in West Virginia by selling excess electricity from their coal-fired power plants onto the regional market, which would have brought down costs for MonPower and Potomac Edison customers in West Virginia. But because of lower-than-expected prices for wholesale electricity and increased competition from gas-fired power plants, MonPower has not been able to sell as much energy as it estimated. The consumer advocate’s testimony points out that between July 2014 to June 2015 MonPower produced an additional 4,829 gigawatt-hours beyond what their customers in West Virginia needed, and throughout much of that time, the company was not netting as much profit from that excess electricity as it would have liked. As an example, the company estimated it would make about $42 million from the regional markets in July and August of this year, but in reality, MonPower only netted $29 million in those two months, according to the consumer advocate’s testimony. Company officials have said that they expect the purchase of the Harrison plant to benefit customers in the long run. But that outcome is dependent on wholesale prices going back up, as a result of market conditions and new rules put in place by the PJM Interconnection, the company that controls the grid for West Virginia and 12 other states. The consumer advocate division didn’t challenge the companies’ forecasts that show wholesale sales increasing for MonPower, but it did question if the company could accurately predict the regional market. “If PJM energy prices recover, the company will be in a position to achieve additional net PJM energy revenues,” the consumer advocate’s testimony stated. “However, if PJM energy prices remain low, it is difficult to see how the company will be able to reap substantial revenues from the PJM market.”

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Harness the Sun
by Duane 28 Oct '15

28 Oct '15

“Harness the Sun” for the Earth in West Virginia by S. TOM BOND on OCTOBER 28, 2015 WV SUN meetings scheduled Commentary on “Harness the Sun” by S. Tom Bond, Lewis County, WV A recent issue of Science, the Journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, ran a book review titled “A bright future,” a review of a book called “Harness the Sun, America’s Quest for a Solar-Powered Future,” by Philip Warburg. It concerns the amazing progress and prospects for the future of solar. “A Bright Future” says the solar is scaling up faster than cell phones did. In Australia solar rooftop installations have been adopted at 10 times the rate of California, a similar climate. In some places 90% of the homes have it. In 2013 China added more solar capacity than the U. S. has since. Photovoltaic has popped up everywhere from inner city, to tribal lands to military bases. In remote locations like wells, electric fences and road signs it allows the use of electronics without power lines. Solar is the fastest growing energy source Solar has fallen in price more than 100 fold since 1975, and 80% in just the last five years. Warburg, the author of “Harness the Sun,” explains both photovoltaic and concentrating solar plants, which use mirrors to reflect the sun’s light on boilers in an easy to understand way. He goes into government subsidies, and how financial arrangements can be made to make solar available to renters and low income people. He covers “net metering,” which allows homeowner to sell the excess power back to the grid. He also explains domestic solar power politics, and trade disputes. Some interesting facts come out is that there is a potential for 5.5 trillion watts being generated on land in the U. S. that is contaminated “brown fields” and not suitable for many other uses. Rooftops, brownfields and commercial buildings could provide a great deal of the area needed, but the area around dedicated installations could be pastured. This appeals to me as a farmer because it would keep the grounds clear (remember the White House lawn pastured sheep in WWII) and would have no effect on the production of electricity, plus would produce beef, mutton or goat meat. It could also be wildlife habitat, for example. Solar efficiency has risen from 13.5% in 2008 to 21% at present. Then there is the matter of global warming potential and toxic emissions. Solar has very little, if any. Most cost accountings do not place a value on them in comparison. Warburg claims they must be considered to make solar comparable. However, the reviewer points to the increase in efficiency and notes that several more recent accountings, namely “Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Laurence Berkley National Laboratory, and half-dozen major financial houses have found that utility grade solar, now averaging under a nickel, generally beats gas plants’ lifetime cost per kilowatt-hour even without carbon or the volatility of gas cost.” This value estimate includes the federal solar subsidy (which is set to fall from 30% to 10% after 2016).” However “permanent subsidies for non-renewable energy” are generally larger. The reviewer notes some additions he would like to see. One is the resilience of solar. Some 90% of the billion watts of solar in New Jersey survived Hurricane Sandy. As a result, new installations are being designed to work without being hooked to the grid in emergencies. There is no discussion of ways to accomplish storage. Flexible loads, distributed thermal storage, and other substitutes for electrical storage should be considered. We now have lithium batteries at the point they can be purchased for home use – at prices just over $7000, but that is expected to fall rapidly.) Third, business models need to be transformed to include renewable energy. This author wishes to include two more. One is the nature of the work. Hydrocarbon burning is capital intensive, low labor and low skill labor, for the most part. Men spend a lot of time away from their wife and family, working atrocious hours in very seriously dangerous and dirty jobs. Many are the equivalent of “high plains drifters” made famous by the movie of that name starring Clint Eastwood. Alternative energy is more highly skilled, doesn’t require living away from home, work is eight on, five days a week, and much safer. The other is that the neighbors of the extraction industries’ huge installations have no negotiating power against what those industries want to do, and must endure noise and night lights as well as air and water borne chemicals, uglification of the neighborhood, and loss of property values. These are costs externalized on people living in the neighborhoods where the industry establishes itself. On the other hand alternative energy is smaller in scale (or in appropriate places like deserts or mountain tops) and do not involve characteristics so intrusive on the senses, health, esthetics and pocketbook. # # # # # # # # # # WV SUN ground rules: 1. Be respectful. 2. Keep discussions focused on solar energy. 3. No advertising. I’m super excited to be headed up to the lovely town of Thomas for an info session at the historic Buxton & Landstreet building at 571 Douglas Road, October 28th at 7 PM. Corey Chase, a small business owner and resident of Thomas has organized the Tucker County Renewables Cooperative and they will be hosting us and getting the word out around town. I have also been in touch with April Keating in Upshur County and she is helping reserve time and space in Buckhannon for a meeting on November 12th at the Public Library. So, help promote that meeting. We also want a meeting in Elkins for Randolph County. Questions:solarteam@wvsun.org See also: www.wvsun.org/solar-coops/tucker Sincerely, Karan Ireland, October 27, 2015 << Duane Nichols, Cell- 304-216-5535, www.FrackCheckWV.net >>

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Gov. Tomblin says WV will do a SIP for the Clean Power Plan
by James Kotcon 27 Oct '15

27 Oct '15

Undecided about whether to ask for a two-year extension. The really interesting part is what Bill Raney says: "Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, said he agreed with Roberts that the state should ask for the two-year extension in implementing the Clean Power Plan, but it was too soon to say if the state should submit its own plan. “We don’t know if it’s even possible to submit a plan that we can be on board with,” Raney said in an interview." Full story at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/article/20151027/GZ01/151029571 JBK >>>>> Tomblin will submit plan to comply with Clean Power Plan By David Gutman, Political Reporter ROANOKE, W.Va. -- Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin intends to submit a state plan for West Virginia to cut greenhouse gas emissions in compliance with the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, bucking calls from state and national Republicans to ignore the environmental regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan requires each state to cut carbon emissions from power plants by a certain amount, but leaves it to states to decide how to reach those goals. If states do not submit plans, they are threatened with the federal government implementing a plan for them, likely some sort of carbon cap-and-trade system. Republicans, most prominently U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have called on governors across the country to refuse to submit state plans. Tomblin said West Virginia would not follow that advice.“If we do not [submit a plan], like some have suggested and some are doing around the country, obviously EPA will say, ‘OK, if you don’t have a plan you’re going to buy our plan,’” Tomblin said in an interview following his speech at the state Energy Summit at Stonewall Jackson Resort. “I’d prefer to have a plan in place when the time comes. If they don’t agree with it then we’ll at least have a starting point where we can talk.” The Clean Power Plan was finalized -- published in the federal register -- on Friday. That same day, West Virginia and 23 other states, along with several coal companies, sued the EPA to block the regulations. The United Mine Workers of America is also a part of that litigation. Despite that, UMWA President Cecil Roberts said Tuesday that he also thinks the state should go forward with developing its plan to comply with the regulations, intended to help the U.S. secure an international agreement to fend off the worst effects of climate change. Roberts called for a state-implemented plan to build a new fleet of power plants, co-fired by coal and natural gas, that would use carbon capture and storage technology to meet the EPA’s new greenhouse gas emission standards. “Shaking our fists at Washington, D.C., and retreating behind our mountains simply won’t cut it anymore,” Roberts said in prepared remarks. “It doesn’t solve the problem.” States must submit plans, or ask for a two-year extension, by late next year. Roberts pushed for taking the extension, a decision Tomblin said he is still considering. The finalization of the Clean Power Plan started a 180-day countdown, during which time the state Department of Environmental Protection must complete a feasibility study on the prospects of a West Virginia compliance plan. Under a law passed earlier this year, based on model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council, a national conservative group, that study must be submitted to the Legislature, which must approve any state plan. Tomblin said he hoped the Legislature would be receptive to the plan his administration comes up with. “To do nothing, or just ignore the EPA, in my opinion is something we should not do. They are the federal regulatory agency,” Tomblin said. “If we can show that we put a lot of time and study into a plan for West Virginia, we would have a better chance of hopefully lessening the pain that they may inflict upon us.” Tomblin’s openness to comply comes as the state’s congressional delegation continues to fight the regulations. On Tuesday, U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin, along with 45 other senators, introduced a resolution to block the Clean Power Plan, just the latest piece of legislation they have pushed to block the EPA. All such legislation would face an almost certain veto from President Barack Obama. In his speech, Roberts told the crowd of mostly energy executives and lobbyists that, no matter the result of lawsuits against the Clean Power Plan, the next president will still be bound by the Supreme Court’s 2007 decision giving the EPA authority to regulate carbon emissions. “We can’t ignore that fact,” Roberts said. “Over the next 40 years different presidents will use that authority in different ways.” Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, said he agreed with Roberts that the state should ask for the two-year extension in implementing the Clean Power Plan, but it was too soon to say if the state should submit its own plan. “We don’t know if it’s even possible to submit a plan that we can be on board with,” Raney said in an interview. Roberts called for the Legislature to take advantage of a 1985 law that allows a state agency to issue public bonds to construct new power plants, using a public-private partnership.

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Re: Mary Anne Hitt's latest: New Report Finds U.S. Leads the World in Moving Beyond Coal
by James Kotcon 27 Oct '15

27 Oct '15

Latest article from the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal director, and West Virginia's own, Mary Ann Hitt. This is awesome news and hope for the planet! Jim Kotcon >>> THU OCT 22, 2015 AT 01:00 PM PDT We Are Changing the World: New Report Finds U.S. Leads the World in Moving Beyond Coal <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World…> byMary Anne Hitt <http://www.dailykos.com/user/Mary%20Anne%20Hitt>Follow <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World…> forDK GreenRoots <http://www.dailykos.com/blog/DK%20GreenRoots> - - - 12 Comments / 12 New <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World…> This is what changing the world looks like. A new report out <http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/10/21/climatechange-g-idUKL8N12L1BB20151…> this week finds the U.S. leads the industrialized nations of the world in shifting away from coal, a feat even more remarkable because we are home to the world's biggest fleet of coal plants. This remarkable progress has been over a decade in the making <http://www.politico.com/magazine/politico50/2015/mary-anne-hitt-bruce-nilles>, and was made possible by Beyond Coal activists who first stopped utilities from building a wave of new coal plants, and then proceeded to win dozens of campaigns to retire existing coal plants across the United States and replace them with clean, renewable energy. Even better, the news comes in the lead-up to international climate negotiations in Paris this fall <http://actinparis.org/>, where the U.S. is positioned to lead thanks to this unprecedented progress on coal and clean energy. As the report <http://www.e3g.org/news/media-room/japan-isolated-as-usa-leads-the-way-in-g…> released by E3G puts it, the U.S. is "leading a clear move away from coal evident across all G7 members" (with one exception - Japan). That's because, since 2005, 184 proposed new coal plants, valued at $273 billion, have been cancelled at various stages of development. Retirements of existing coal plants are gathering pace, with 205 plants representing 84 gigawatts of capacity already confirmed for retirement. And that progress will accelerate over the coming months, as we work toward our goal of securing replacement of half the nation's coal plants with clean energy by 2017 <http://www.sierraclub.org/compass/2015/04/doubling-down-bloomberg-philanthr…> . This report confirms what I’ve been living and breathing for many years now: Communities who want clean energy and no more dirty coal power are a force to be reckoned with. They comprise a sophisticated network of grassroots activists across America <http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/05/inside-war-on-coal-000002> who are moving the global needle on climate, carbon pollution, and clean energy. Together they have been successfully challenging coal operators who are trying to prop up aging plants, and they are unstoppable, because they’re driven by the very real and present danger coal poses to our climate, clean air, and clean water. Overall, coal is the largest source of carbon pollution in the U.S., as well as the nation's largest source of mercury, sulfur dioxide, and toxic water pollution. We recently announced the retirement of the 200th coal plant <http://content.sierraclub.org/coal/200> nationwide (we're now up to 204), which represents the phase out of nearly 40 percent of the 523 U.S. coal plants that were in operation just five years ago. attribution: None Specified While we knew this was big news domestically, this new report confirms that it’s a big deal for the planet as well. The work of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign and more than 100 allied organizations to retire these plants and replace them with clean energy has enabled the United States to lead the industrialized world in cutting global warming pollution, and has put the White House on firm footing to push for a strong international climate accord in Paris at the end of this year. As the report states <http://www.e3g.org/news/media-room/japan-isolated-as-usa-leads-the-way-in-g…> , The USA is leading the charge despite facing the largest challenge given the scale of its existing coal use. With 288GW of capacity, the scale of the coal fleet in the U.S. is more than twice the size of the other G7 members combined. Nevertheless, the USA is making the most positive progress of all the G7 countries; recent retirement announcements amount to more than 84GW by 2020, with new policies reducing coal pollution and setting the framework for investment in clean energy. I continue to be in awe of our tireless activists nationwide – they are not only cleaning up our air and water, but they’re also giving our climate a fighting chance. And they’re working hard to ensure that coal power is replaced by clean, renewable energy. In the lead-up to Paris, this grassroots rebellion <http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/04/beyond-coal-plant-activism> is moving the global carbon needle, and I’m so grateful for everyone involved in this game changing campaign. TAGS ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Heather Moyer <heather.moyer(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thu, Oct 22, 2015 at 4:21 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Re: Mary Anne Hitt's latest: New Report Finds U.S. Leads the World in Moving Beyond Coal To: #Coal <coal-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Coal-Volunteers < coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org>, #Media <media-list(a)sierraclub.org> Sorry, Huffington Post link is this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-anne-hitt/we-are-changing-the-world_b_83… --- Heather Moyer Senior Content Producer 202-675-6276 Sierra Club 50 F Street, 8th Floor Washington, DC 20001 On Thu, Oct 22, 2015 at 4:09 PM, Heather Moyer <heather.moyer(a)sierraclub.org > wrote: > Hi folks, > Beyond Coal director Mary Anne Hitt's latest column is now live - and it's > about a report out this week showing that the US is leading G7 nations in > moving beyond coal. Please help share it! > > *Retweet:* > https://twitter.com/sierraclub/status/657286899342659585 > > *Possible tweets:* > We Are Changing the World: New Report Finds US Leads the World in Moving @ > BeyondCoal <https://hootsuite.com/dashboard#>: bit.ly/1W77Zph > <https://t.co/bovOt4ZKke> (by @maryannehitt > <https://hootsuite.com/dashboard#>) #coal > <https://hootsuite.com/dashboard#> > > Report Finds US Leads the World in Moving Beyond #Coal; "Made possible by > @BeyondCoal activists" says @maryannehitt: bit.ly/1W77Zph > > > *LINKS* > *Compass:* http://bit.ly/1W77Zph > > *Daily Kos: * > http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World… > > *HuffPost:* > http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437467/-We-Are-Changing-the-World… > > --- > Heather Moyer > Senior Content Producer > 202-675-6276 > > Sierra Club > 50 F Street, 8th Floor > Washington, DC 20001 > -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ To sign up for this list, email neha.mathew(a)sierraclub.org with the subject and message "SUBSCRIBE #coal-volunteer" --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org.

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First Energy ENEC case
by James Kotcon 16 Oct '15

16 Oct '15

EEWV has intervened in this case before the PSC, and is requesting help to fund an expert witness from ACEEE. In August, First Energy filed a request for a $165 million rate increase. Most of this is associated with under-recovered costs for the Harrison Power plant acquisition due to lower than projected electricity prices at PJM (see we told you so). They are also proposing to reduce funding for their energy efficiency programs. They have a rate surcharge to cover the cost of EE programs, but have collected more than they spend, so instead of spending more on EE, they propose to cut the surcharge. EEWV (as WV-CAG) has intervened in this case ( case number 15-1351-E-P) and needs an expert witness to testify. They have identified someone from ACEEE, but do not have the funds to cover this cost. They are asking if we can contribute $10,000. This is one of the major issues for the Chapter's Energy Efficiency campaigns, and has the potential to produce a lot more EE than most of our other projects, but we have not intervened in the case, and I think that opportunity has passed. The deadline for filing the testimony is Nov. 2 with a hearing Nov. 19-20, so if we are going to be involved, we need to do something soon. Is this something we can afford? Is this something we should do? How else can we get our members involved? Jim Kotcon

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Re: [EC] Governor Tomblin Appoints Kara Cunningham Williams to Public Service Commission
by James Kotcon 12 Oct '15

12 Oct '15

Allan, April, et al.: We are currently pushing various political bodies to support full funding of the President's Power Plus Plan. That would provide a billion dollars for Abandoned minelands clean-up, more money for economic diversification, and a couple billion to shore up miners health and retirement funds, etc.. Unfortunately, this has run into opposition from the Coal Association who thinks that any support for funding for "economic diversification" means you support a death sentence for coal. So most of our congressional delegation is either silent or actively opposes bringing billions in federal funding to the coal fields. (Where is Senator Byrd when we need him?) Nevertheless, we must support economic transition in the coalfields or we will have abandoned those communities to the tender mercies of the coal companies. An opportunity to speak to the PSC may be coming up soon, as the utilities must file their "Integrated Resource Plans" with the PSC in about 10 weeks. At that point, the PSC will open a case to take public input, and I think this will be an important venue to get the PSC to think long-term about where the electric industry is going in the next 5-10 years. The PSC has directed the utilities to describe how they will address the Clean Power Plan in their IRP, so this promises to be a fairly comprehensive and important case. Jim Kotcon ________________________________ From: April Pierson-Keating <aprilkeating(a)gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, October 11, 2015 9:25 PM To: Citizens Climate Lobby of West Virginia Cc: James Kotcon; EC(a)osenergy.org; Mark.Kresowik(a)sierraclub.org; bridget.lee(a)sierraclub.org; bbraun(a)compositetranstech.com; garyz(a)wvcag.org; janet.ovec(a)gmail.com; fyoung(a)mountain.net Subject: Re: [EC] Governor Tomblin Appoints Kara Cunningham Williams to Public Service Commission Great ideas, Allan. I want to be part of it. Whatever JB comes up with, please let me in on it. -april On Friday, October 9, 2015 at 1:02:19 PM UTC-4, Allan Tweddle wrote: James Disappointing, but not surprising. We have known that the Governor preferred to find a woman from outside Charleston. But as a lawyer with Steptoe & Johnson, are there any conflict issues? That firm is heavily involved with the utilities and coal industry. And, with all due respect for the legal profession, he has appointed “another lawyer?” With no background in the technologies, and especially with the current ant-net metering posture that is pervasive, there is no one is in the PSC to press for embracing the future energy technology and economic trends that are well underway...instead of accepting AEP & friends to thwart progress. I’m admittedly prejudiced, but there needs to be a non lawyer voice, preferably an engineering voice either on, or in front of the PSC. So isn’t it time to pull together a very vociferous ground swell of citizenry that demands progress...instead of clinging to the past and preventing progress? All the environmental organizations, plus AARP, plus Union of Concerned Scientists, plus who else? I may seek an opportunity to testify in the PSC debate over net metering, as the current trend is to embrace the Koch Brother’s ALEC approach to defeat all efforts for growth of solar energy nation wide. I’ve also asked John Christiansen if he has any detailed statistics of the physical potential of solar in West Virginia...a market analysis so that I/we could present the economic potential to the Governor, and Legislature, with loud and consistent public statements, op-eds, etc. Preaching to the choir won’t do it. We must loudly educate the non coal aligned citizens of WV that as coal continues to decline, solar has real economic potential for the state to 1. offer miners a place to be retrained... 2. maybe attract our young talent to stay in the State with jobs aligned with the future 3. stimulate economic growth... 4. including tax revenue... 5. reduced unemployment... 6. be a way to comply with the CPP,...rather than wasting tax dollars suing the EPA.. Any thoughts? Allan From: James Kotcon Sent: Friday, October 09, 2015 12:05 PM To: WV Chapter Energy Committee ; Mark Kresowik ; Bridget Lee Subject: [EC] Governor Tomblin Appoints Kara Cunningham Williams to Public Service Commission FYI. JBK http://www.governor.wv.gov/media/pressreleases/2015/Pages/Governor-Tomblin-… 10/9/2015 Page Content CHARLESTON, W.Va. (October 9, 2015) – Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin today announced the appointment of Kara Cunningham Williams to the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC), effective immediately. Williams will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Commissioner Jon McKinney. “There are a number of important issues pending before the PSC, which is why I took the time to find the most appropriate person for this important job,” Gov. Tomblin said. “Kara’s professional background and community involvement in both the Lewisburg and Charleston communities make her experienced and knowledgeable on a variety of issues that come before our state’s PSC. She will be a great asset to the Commission moving forward.” A graduate of Washington & Lee University and Harvard Law School, Williams began her career in a commercial litigation practice at Hunton & Williams in Washington, D.C. In 1999, she returned home to West Virginia, where she worked at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. During her time at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, she served on the Recruiting and Ethics Committees, while practicing commercial litigation before state and federal courts and agencies. Williams has also served as an adjunct lecturer at West Virginia University College of Law, teaching courses in Payment Systems and Appellate Advocacy. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Public Service Commission, and I appreciate Governor Tomblin’s confidence in me to serve the people of West Virginia,” Williams said. “I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners in this new role.” Williams shares her personal time and community service in both Lewisburg and Charleston. Since 2006, she has served as a volunteer at the YWCA of Charleston, where she is a past President of the Board of Directors. In addition, Williams currently serves on the Board of Directors for Carnegie Hall, Inc. in Lewisburg, where she has chaired the Legislative Affairs/Arts Advocacy Committee and served as a member of the Finance Committee. Williams’ term expires June 30, 2017. In addition to appointing Williams, Gov. Tomblin reappointed current Commission Brooks McCabe to a term that expires June 30, 2021. Contact Information 304-558-4977 ________________________________ _______________________________________________ EC mailing list E...(a)osenergy.org http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec

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Utilities want higher charges placed on rooftop solar customers
by frank young 10 Oct '15

10 Oct '15

"To be sure, any customer who purchases less electricity than the average is 'subsidized,'" Young wrote. "It is the average rate structure, not net metering, that shifts costs among retail customers." http://www.wvgazettemail.com/article/20151005/GZ01/151009735/1102

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Governor Tomblin Appoints Kara Cunningham Williams to Public Service Commission
by James Kotcon 09 Oct '15

09 Oct '15

FYI. JBK http://www.governor.wv.gov/media/pressreleases/2015/Pages/Governor-Tomblin-… 10/9/2015 Page Content CHARLESTON, W.Va. (October 9, 2015) - Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin today announced the appointment of Kara Cunningham Williams to the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC), effective immediately. Williams will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Commissioner Jon McKinney. "There are a number of important issues pending before the PSC, which is why I took the time to find the most appropriate person for this important job," Gov. Tomblin said. "Kara's professional background and community involvement in both the Lewisburg and Charleston communities make her experienced and knowledgeable on a variety of issues that come before our state's PSC. She will be a great asset to the Commission moving forward." A graduate of Washington & Lee University and Harvard Law School, Williams began her career in a commercial litigation practice at Hunton & Williams in Washington, D.C. In 1999, she returned home to West Virginia, where she worked at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. During her time at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, she served on the Recruiting and Ethics Committees, while practicing commercial litigation before state and federal courts and agencies. Williams has also served as an adjunct lecturer at West Virginia University College of Law, teaching courses in Payment Systems and Appellate Advocacy. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Public Service Commission, and I appreciate Governor Tomblin's confidence in me to serve the people of West Virginia," Williams said. "I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners in this new role." Williams shares her personal time and community service in both Lewisburg and Charleston. Since 2006, she has served as a volunteer at the YWCA of Charleston, where she is a past President of the Board of Directors. In addition, Williams currently serves on the Board of Directors for Carnegie Hall, Inc. in Lewisburg, where she has chaired the Legislative Affairs/Arts Advocacy Committee and served as a member of the Finance Committee. Williams' term expires June 30, 2017. In addition to appointing Williams, Gov. Tomblin reappointed current Commission Brooks McCabe to a term that expires June 30, 2021. Contact Information 304-558-4977

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