EC

ec@lists.wvsierraclub.org

2254 discussions

Fwd: a little good news
by James Kotcon 02 Dec '11

02 Dec '11

WOW!!!! Global investment in new electric generation facilities from renewables exceeded fossil fuels for the first time in 2010: $187 billion for wind, sun, waves and biomass versus $157 billion for natural gas, oil and coal. (Bloomberg New Energy Finance). Investment in renewables in developing nations will exceed that in developed countries (Europe, US and China) by 2020. Electricity from solar power will be cheaper than natural gas by 2015, and cheaper than coal by 2020 (MIT). Does this mean that the coal industry in WV will collapse within 10 years? JBK >>> Vickie Wolfe <ibtreehugger(a)gmail.com> 12/1/2011 9:18 PM >>> In case you haven't seen this: http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/11/26/376250/clean-energy-renewable-powe… -- ```````````````````````````````````````````````````` Vickie L. Wolfe PHONE: (304) 744-8777 E-MAIL: IBTreehugger(a)gmail.com ```````````````````````````````````````````````````` "It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save our environment." -Ansel Adams Read *Hot, Flat and Crowded* by Tom Friedman.

1 0

Fwd: Learning Too Late of Perils in Gas Well Leases
by Paul Wilson 02 Dec '11

02 Dec '11

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Fran Hunt <fran.hunt(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 11:04 AM Subject: Learning Too Late of Perils in Gas Well Leases To: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS(a)lists.sierraclub.org [image: image.png] Jared Ely near gas wells leased on his family's land near Dimock, Pa. His father, Scott, says the leases should have been clearer. DRILLING DOWN Learning Too Late of Perils in Gas Well Leases Ruth Fremson/The New York Times By IAN URBINA<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/u/ian_urbina/ind…> and JO CRAVEN McGINTY<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/jo_craven_mcgi…> Published: December 1, 2011 After Scott Ely and his father talked with salesmen from an energy company about signing the lease allowing gas drilling on their land in northeastern Pennsylvania, he said he felt certain it required the company to leave the property as good as new. So Mr. Ely said he was surprised several years later when the drilling company, Cabot Oil and Gas, informed them that rather than draining and hauling away the toxic drilling sludge stored in large waste ponds<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…> on the property, it would leave the waste, cover it with dirt and seed the area with grass. He knew that waste pond liners can leak, seeping contaminated waste. “I guess our terms should have been clearer” about requiring the company to remove the waste pits after drilling, said Mr. Ely, of Dimock, Pa., who sued Cabot after his drinking water from a separate property was contaminated. “We learned that the hard way.” Americans have signed millions of leases allowing companies to drill for oil and natural gas on their land in recent years. But some of these landowners — often in rural areas, and eager for quick payouts — are finding out too late what is, and what is not, in the fine print. Energy company officials say that standard leases include language that protects landowners. But a review of more than 111,000 leases, addenda and related documents by The New York Times<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html> suggests otherwise: ¶ Fewer than half the leases require companies to compensate landowners for water contamination after drilling begins. And only about half the documents have language that lawyers suggest should be included to require payment for damages to livestock or crops<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…> . ¶ Most leases grant gas companies broad rights to decide where they can cut down trees, store chemicals, build roads and drill. Companies are also permitted to operate generators and spotlights through the night near homes during drilling. ¶ In the leases, drilling companies rarely describe to landowners the potential environmental and other risks that federal laws require them to disclose in filings to investors. ¶ Most leases are for three or five years, but at least two-thirds of those reviewed by The Times allow extensions<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…> without additional approval from landowners. If landowners have second thoughts about drilling on their land or want to negotiate for more money, they may be out of luck. The leases — obtained through open records requests — are mostly from gas-rich areas inTexas<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…>, but also in Maryland<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…> , New York<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…> , Ohio<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…> , Pennsylvania<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…> and West Virginia<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…> . In Pennsylvania, Colorado and West Virginia, some landowners have had to spend hundreds of dollars a month to buy bottled water or maintain large tanks, known as water buffaloes, for drinking water in their front yards. They said they learned only after the fact that the leases did not require gas companies to pay for replacement drinking water if their wells were contaminated, and despite state regulations, not all costs were covered. Thousands of landowners in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Texas have joined class action lawsuits claiming that they were paid less than they expected because gas companies deducted costs<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…> like hauling chemicals to the well site or transporting the gas to market. Some industry officials say the criticism of their business practices is misguided. Asked about the waste pits on Mr. Ely’s land in Pennsylvania, for example, George Stark, a Cabot spokesman, said the company’s cleanup measures met or exceeded state requirements. And the door-to-door salesmen, commonly known as landmen, who pitch the leases on behalf of the drilling companies also dismiss similar complaints from landowners, and say they do not mislead anyone. *The Sales Pitch* “There are bad leases out there, and, as with any industry, there have also been some unscrupulous opportunists,” said Mike Knapp, president of Knapp Acquisitions and Production, a company in western Pennsylvania that brokers deals between landowners and drilling companies. “But everyone I know who does this work is on the up and up, and most of the bad actors that there may have been before are no longer in business.” He said that his company’s leases ensure that landowners will get replacement water. The company also encourages landowners to visit an existing drilling site before signing a lease to get an idea of the potential noise and truck traffic. Some of the complaints about leases, he said, are just sour grapes from landowners who are envious about the amount of money they believe their neighbors are earning in bonuses and royalties. To be sure, many landowners have earned small fortunes from drilling leases. Last year, natural gas companies paid more than $1.6 billion in lease and bonus payments to Pennsylvania landowners, according to a report commissioned by the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry trade group. Chesapeake Energy, one of the largest natural gas companies, has paid more than $183.8 million in royalties in Texas this year, according to its Web site <http://www.chk.com/Pages/default.aspx>. Much of the money has gone to residents in rural areas where jobs are scarce and farmers and ranchers have struggled to stay afloat. Mr. Ely once worked for a company owned by Cabot on drilling sites in his area, until he was fired shortly after publicly complaining about Cabot’s drilling practices. But many landowners and lawyers say that gas companies are intentionally vague in their contracts and use high-pressure sales tactics on landowners. If you’ve never seen a good lease, or any lease, how are you supposed to know what terms to try to get in yours?” said Ron Stamets, a drilling proponent and a Web site developer in Lakewood, Pa., who started a consumer protection Web site, PAGasLease.com <http://pagaslease.com/>, in 2008 so that he could swap advice with his neighbors as he prepared to sign a gas lease. Others have also taken steps to better inform landowners about the details in leases. In the past several years, the attorneys general in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania have published advisories about the pitfalls of leasing land for drilling. State regulations also provide protections to landowners above and beyond what is in their leases. At least eight states specifically require companies to compensate landowners for damage to their properties or to negotiate with them about where wells will be drilled, even if the lease does not provide those protections. Asked about the leases, officials from Exxon Mobil, the largest natural gas producer in the United States, declined to comment. *Protecting Landowners* Jim Gipson, a spokesman for Chesapeake Energy, said any claims of damage can be investigated by the state and federal authorities and, he added, noise or other disturbances that may come with drilling tend to be brief. “The most frequently asked question we receive from our mineral owners is, ‘When are you going to drill my well?’ ” he said. Mr. Gipson said that most leased properties do not end up having a well placed on them, so those leases do not need added protections. But some consumer advocates and lawyers say that protections are needed for all leased properties, even those without wells, because drilling may occur underneath them. These advocates also say that landowners’ eagerness to start earning royalties has made them vulnerable to deceptive tactics by landmen. “We’re in town until tomorrow,” the landmen typically say, according to interviews with more than two dozen landowners in Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania. “We have already signed up all your neighbors.” The landmen then claim that if you do not sign right away you will miss out on easy income because other drillers will simply pull the gas from under your property using a well nearby. Some landmen show up in poorer areas shortly before the holidays, offering cash on the spot for signing a lease. They might offer thousands of dollars per acre as a bonus to be paid shortly after the lease is signed. Royalties, which usually run between 12.5 percent and 20 percent of what the companies make for selling the gas, can mean tens of thousands of dollars per year for landowners. Jack Richards, president of the American Association of Professional Landmen <http://www.landman.org/wcm/aapl/>, said his members follow a strict code of ethics. His organization also encourages landowners to ask questions before they sign leases, he said. “We promote open and honest communication between the landman and landowner before signing the lease,” he said, adding that the standard lease forms are written with some protections for landowners. Some leases, however, also include language that comes back to haunt landowners. “I thought I knew what the sentence meant,” said Dave Beinlich, describing a section that said that “preparation” to drill was enough to allow Chief Oil and Gas to extend the duration of his lease. In 2005, Mr. Beinlich and his wife, Karen, signed a lease for $2 an acre per year for five years on 117 acres in Sullivan County in north-central Pennsylvania. They soon realized they had gotten far less money than their neighbors, so they planned on negotiating a new lease when theirs expired in 2010. A day before their lease term ended, no well had been drilled on their land, but the gas company parked a bulldozer nearby and started to survey an access road. A company official informed them that by moving equipment to the site, Chief Oil and Gas was preparing to drill and was therefore allowed to extend the lease indefinitely. The Beinlichs have sued. Kristi Gittins, a vice president at Chief Oil and Gas, says that the company does not comment on pending litigation, but that its goal is to produce gas and it makes an honest attempt to develop the land it leases. Lease contracts work both ways,” she added. “Chief honors the terms of its lease contracts, and we expect the landowners who have signed the lease contract to honor the terms of the contract as well.” But lawyers say that drilling leases are not like other contracts. “You’re not buying a refrigerator or signing a car note,” said David McMahon, a lease lawyer in Charleston, W.Va., and co-founder of the West Virginia Surface Owners’ Rights Organization <http://www.wvsoro.org/>, adding that once a well is drilled, it can produce gas for decades, locking landowners into the lease terms. “With a gas lease, you’re permitting industrial activity in your backyard, and you’re starting a relationship that will affect the quality of living for you and your grandchildren for decades,” he said. Mr. McMahon and other lease lawyers say that unlike many contracts, oil and gas leases are covered by few consumer protection laws, in part because drilling has been most common in states with less regulation. *Clauses With Consequences* “When it comes to negotiation skills and understanding of lease terms, there is a gaping inequality between the average landman and the average citizen sitting across the table,” said Chris Csikszentmihalyi<http://www.media.mit.edu/people/csik>, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who created a Web site last year called the Landman Report Card<http://www.landmanreportcard.com/> that allows landowners to review landmen’s professionalism and tactics. Some lawyers also say that there are major differences between what drilling companies tell landowners and what they must disclose to investors. Under federal law, oil and gas companies must offer investors and federal regulators detailed descriptions of the most serious environmental and other risks related to drilling. But leases typically lack any mention of such risks. In New York, the duration of leases has been an especially contentious issue. As leases near expiration, some gas companies try to extend them, often by invoking “force majeure,” a legal term referring to an unforeseen event that prevents the two sides from fulfilling an agreement. In these instances, gas companies say the unforeseen event is the state’s repeated delays in releasing environmental regulations and issuing drilling permits. Force majeure clauses<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…> appear in as many as half the roughly 3,200 New York leases reviewed by The Times. Another important lease term is the Pugh Clause<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…>, said Lance Astrella, a lease lawyer in Denver. It is named after Lawrence Pugh, a Louisiana lawyer who started adding it to leases in 1947 to ensure that they would not be extended indefinitely without wells being drilled. Fewer than 20 percent of the more than 100,000 Texas leasing documents reviewed by The Times include such a clause, and very few of the leases from Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia include the language. While the leases collected by The Times represent a small fraction of the more than 8 million oil and gas leases in the United States, experts said they illustrated issues that landowners need to understand. Mr. Astrella said that leases also typically lacked a clause requiring drillers to pay for a test of the property’s well water<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…> before drilling started, and landowners often do not think to do the tests themselves. If drilling leads to problems with drinking wells, landowners have few options if they want to prove that their water was fine before drilling started. For some landowners, it can be a costly mistake. “It’s been one expense after another since our water went bad, and the company only has to cover part of it,” said Ronald Carter, 72, of Montrose, Pa. Mr. Carter and his wife, Jean, said they signed a lease in 2006 for a one-time fee of $25 per acre on their 75 acres andannual royalty payments<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/02/us/oil-and-gas-leases.html#br…> of 12.5 percent. The Carters live on $3,500 a month, including the $1,500 per month they average in gas royalties. But they had to spend $7,000 to install a water purifier when their drinking supply became contaminated in 2009 after drilling near their property. The Carters joined a lawsuit with about a dozen neighbors, including Mr. Ely, accusing Cabot Oil and Gas of contaminating their drinking water. Mr. Stark, the Cabot spokesman, said that his company was not responsible for any water contamination in the area and that Cabot’s studies showed that the gas seepage into the drinking water was occurring naturally. “All the testing we have been able to conduct show the water meets federal safe drinking water standards,” Mr. Stark said. In 2009, Pennsylvania ordered Cabot to provide the affected residents with water. For the Carters, the company has paid for bottled water and for the installation of a water buffalo next to their trailer. Mr. Stark added that his company had offered to pay for treatment systems to remove gas if it leaked into their drinking water. Mr. Carter said that even though Cabot had paid to provide him with bottled water and a water buffalo, he can barely afford his electricity bill, which doubled because he has to heat the water buffalo to make sure it does not freeze. Those expenses may soon go up. On Wednesday, Cabot stopped delivering water to the Carters, the Elys and others in Dimock after state regulators said the company had satisfied requirements of a settlement agreement with the state. “It’s a little late now,” Mr. Carter said. “But there are a lot things I’d like to have done different with that lease.” Jeremy Ashkenas and Kitty Bennett contributed research. -- *Frances A. Hunt* Director, Resilient Habitats Campaign Sierra Club 50 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 fran.hunt(a)sierraclub.org 202-675-2386 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS list, send any message to: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp -- 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

1 0

Fwd: Key vote cancelled for Delaware River watershed gas drilling
by Paul Wilson 01 Dec '11

01 Dec '11

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Fran Hunt <fran.hunt(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 3:55 PM Subject: Key vote cancelled for Delaware River watershed gas drilling To: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS(a)lists.sierraclub.org The New Jersey Sierra Club reported that there are 10,000 leases on hold in the basin that could move forward if the regulations are adopted. The National Park Service estimates 35,000 wells eventually could be constructed.... Anti-drilling forces claim victory in delay of Commission vote TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A multistate agency that has spent years developing regulations for natural gas drilling in the Delaware River watershed abruptly canceled a key vote scheduled for Monday after two members announced their opposition. The Delaware River Basin Commission said Friday it was postponing a vote on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to give the agency's five commissioners more time to review the draft regulations. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said he was disappointed by the latest delay, which he said happened because commission members disagreed on the regulation package. The DRBC said no new date had been set. "Pennsylvania is ready to move forward now," Corbett said in a statement released Friday. "We have demonstrated a willingness to compromise and to address issues brought forth by other members of the commission. We have worked with our commission partners in good faith, and it is disappointing to not have these efforts reciprocated." But New York's Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, said an environmental risk-assessment is needed to win public confidence and ensure that the commission's actions are based on science. "This delay further demonstrates that the proposed regulations for fracking in the Delaware River Basin are not ready to see the light of day," Schneiderman said in a statement Friday. "Without a full, fair and open review of the potential risks of fracking in the basin, the public will continue to question the federal government's ability to protect public health and environment." The federal Environmental Protection Agency<http://www.stargazette.com/article/20111118/NEWS11/111180321/Key-gas-drilli…> is studying the effects of fracking, with a draft report due next year. The postponement of a vote came hours after Delaware Gov. Jack Markell told fellow commissioners he would not support the regulations because of concerns over drinking water protections. Earlier, New York announced it would vote no. New Jersey and Pennsylvania had not announced how they would vote, but it was believed both would vote yes. With two Democrats prepared to reject the rules and two Republicans signaling their support, passage would have been left to the fifth member, the Army Corps of Engineers. It's not known how the federal agency was planning to vote. The rules need three votes to pass, though the commission had hoped for unanimous, bipartisan support. Environmentalists saw victory in the delay, claiming an erosion of support by the commission. However, Marcellus Shale Coalition President Kathryn Klaber said she remained hopeful that the commission would adopt "common-sense regulations aimed at responsibly developing clean-burning, job-creating American natural gas in the region." Fracking involves injecting water, sand and chemicals into a gas well to crack surrounding shale thousands of feet underground so trapped natural gas can flow into the well. Environmentalists fear it could result in contamination of drinking water supplies. Because of that fear, New York regulators are proposing to ban fracking in the New York City and Syracuse watersheds. New York state has had a moratorium on fracking since regulators started an extensive environmental review in 2008. The state is now holding hearings on proposed regulations, which, if approved, could allow drilling next year. "We hope to work with DRBC to develop a regulatory program that reflects New York's 3½ years of study," said Emily DeSantis, spokeswoman for New York state's Department of EnvironmentalConservation<http://www.stargazette.com/article/20111118/NEWS11/111180321/Key-gas-drilli…> . New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie rejected legislation permanently banning fracking. The Democratic-controlled Legislature has not taken action on his recommendation for a one-year moratorium, though they may try to override the governor before recessing in mid-December. New Jersey has no Marcellus shale, so its interest in the issue revolves around water quality<http://www.stargazette.com/article/20111118/NEWS11/111180321/Key-gas-drilli…> . Christie's office declined to comment Friday. The commission manages water use for the Delaware River Basin, and environmentalists say the drilling would threaten drinking water for 15 million people. The proposed rules would allow 300 natural gas wells in the Delaware River Basin, followed by a commission review before more are phased in. The eventual total could reach many thousands of wells. The New Jersey Sierra Club reported that there are 10,000 leases on hold in the basin that could move forward if the regulations are adopted. The National Park Service estimates 35,000 wells eventually could be constructed. Pennsylvania already allows drilling outside the watershed area. Environmental groups have gathered more than 73,000 signatures on a petition opposing drilling in the watershed. -- *Frances A. Hunt* Director, Resilient Habitats Campaign Sierra Club 50 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 fran.hunt(a)sierraclub.org 202-675-2386 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS list, send any message to: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

1 0

WV Gas regs and WVEC lobby team input/efforts...
by Frank Young 16 Nov '11

16 Nov '11

Important reading for Sierra Club, WVEC and others who support the laudable efforts of WVEC lobby team --- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://blogs.wvgazette.com/watchdog/ W.Va. leaders ignored previous audits that warned of the state’s need for more gas drilling inspectors November 16, 2011 by Ken Ward Jr. UPDATED: The legislative committee on Marcellus Shale has approved the bill and asked for a special session to consider the measure. Long-time West Virginia political leaders like Sen. Joe Manchin (above) were making much earlier this week (see here and here) about how the state needs time to get a handle on the Marcellus Shale issue and put a proper regulatory system into place, making it clear they want federal officials to pretty much mind their own business. But on at least one crucial issue — whether the state Department of Environmental Protection has enough inspectors and other staff to do the job — West Virginia has had nearly 20 years to remedy the problem, and so far as done next to nothing. That’s the bottom line in a story we posted online last night. Headlined, State ignored previous warnings about drilling inspector shortage, the story explains: Long before most West Virginians had ever heard the words “Marcellus Shale,” outside auditors were warning that the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency was greatly underfunded and severely understaffed. In December 1993, a review by the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission warned that lack of funding and a shortage of inspectors were among the chronic problems facing the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Oil and Gas. “The OOG does not have enough inspectors or funding to fully meet its statutory mandate,” said the 98-page review report, written by a team of regulators from other states, industry officials and environmental group representatives. A decade later, another outside examination found that little had changed. The state oil and gas office still “does not have enough inspectors or funding to fully meet its statutory mandate,” said a 110-page report issued in January 2003. Don Garvin, lead lobbyist for the West Virginia Environmental Council, commented at Sen. Manchin’s Senate committee field hearing, held in Charleston on Monday: The best written rule is no good if you don’t have enforcement, if you don’t have inspectors in the field overseeing the operations. You can read the 1993 review of West Virginia’s oil and gas regulatory program here and the follow-up review done in 2003 here. __._,_.___ 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. Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use. __,_._,___

1 0

Fwd: U.S. Government Confirms Link Between Earthquakes And Shale Gas Extr...
by Paul Wilson 15 Nov '11

15 Nov '11

Subject: U.S. Government Confirms Link Between Earthquakes And Shale Gas Extr.. If you think the only problems with fracking are water and air pollution, take a look at this article. you may want to pass this on to the > Subject: U.S. Government Confirms Link Between Earthquakes And Shale Gas Extraction | Commodities | Minyanville.com INTERESTING--Mike > > http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/earthquake-natural-gas-… = -- 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

1 0

Fwd: ScienceDaily: Top Environment News
by Paul Wilson 14 Nov '11

14 Nov '11

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: ScienceDaily: Top Environment News <newsletters(a)sciencedaily.com> Date: Mon, Nov 14, 2011 at 5:21 AM Subject: ScienceDaily: Top Environment News To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com ** ScienceDaily: Top Environment News<http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/top_news/top_environment/> <http://fusion.google.com/add?source=atgs&feedurl=http://feeds.feedburner.co…> ------------------------------ - Climate policies can help resolve energy security and air pollution challenges <#133a1980156321db_1> - Rising air pollution worsens drought, flooding, new study finds<#133a1980156321db_2> - Climate policies can help resolve energy security and air pollution challenges<http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/%7E3…> Posted: 13 Nov 2011 11:27 AM PST Policies to protect the global climate and limit global temperature rise offer the most effective entry point for achieving energy sustainability, reducing air pollution, and improving energy security, according to a new article. By adopting an integrated perspective on energy and climate policy, one that simultaneously addresses three of the key objectives for energy sustainability, major synergies and cost co-benefits can be realized. Rising air pollution worsens drought, flooding, new study finds<http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/%7E3…> Posted: 13 Nov 2011 11:13 AM PST Increases in air pollution and other particulate matter in the atmosphere can strongly affect cloud development in ways that reduce precipitation in dry regions or seasons, while increasing rain, snowfall and the intensity of severe storms in wet regions or seasons, says a new study. The research provides the first clear evidence of how aerosols can affect weather and climate, with important economic and water resource implications. You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Environment News <http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/top_news/top_environment/> To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now<http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailunsubscribe?k=FnE73EUgOOJXsfXjfcr0UhL…> . Email delivery powered by Google Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 -- 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

2 1

Fwd: [ECOLOG-L] ESA Issues in Ecology: Using Air Pollution Thresholds to Protect and Restore U.S. Ecosystems
by Paul Wilson 13 Nov '11

13 Nov '11

Use the link below to get to this 22 page report. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- *From: *Nadine Lymn <Nadine(a)ESA.ORG> *Date: *November 10, 2011 4:47:22 PM EST *To: *ECOLOG-L(a)LISTSERV.UMD.EDU > The Ecological Society of America has just published another edition of its Issues in Ecology series. Air pollution is changing our environment and undermining many benefits we rely on from wild lands, threatening water purity, food production, and climate stability, according to a team of scientists writing in the 14th edition of the Ecological Society of America's Issues in Ecology. In "Setting Limits: Using Air Pollution Thresholds to Protect and Restore U.S. Ecosystems," lead author Mark Fenn (USDA Forest Service) and nine colleagues review current pollution evaluation criteria. The authors propose science-based strategies to set new limits and put the brakes on acid rain, algal blooms, and accumulation of toxic mercury in plants and animals. Issues in Ecology #14 is available for free as a pdf on ESA's website: http://esa.org/science_resources/issues/FileEnglish/issuesinecology14.pdf Nadine Lymn Director of Public Affairs Ecological Society of America 1990 M Street, NW Suite 700 Washington DC 20036 202.833.8773 ext. 205 202.833.8775 Fax ---------------------------------------------- www.facebook.com/esa.org: "Like" the new ESA Facebook page, ask friends/colleagues to do the same. http://twitter.com/#!/esa_org: "Follow" ESA on Twitter. ESA eStore: Now available: "An Ecologist's Guidebook to Policy Engagement." -- 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 -- 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

1 0

Fwd: NYT on Fracking in Pennsylvania gamelands
by Paul Wilson 13 Nov '11

13 Nov '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Fran Hunt <fran.hunt(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 2:34 PM Subject: NYT on Fracking in Pennsylvania gamelands To: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS(a)lists.sierraclub.org [image: image.png] Gas Drillers Invade Hunters’ Pennsylvania Paradise [image: image.png] · Ruth Fremson/The New York Times By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/katharine_q_se…> Published: November 11, 2011 STATE GAME LAND 59, Pa. — For those who have ever stalked deer, turkey and bear here in “God’s Country” in north central Pennsylvania, this hunting season is like no other. For one thing, it is louder. The soundtrack of birds chirping, thorns scraping against a hunter’s brush pants and twigs crunching underfoot is now accompanied by the dull roar of compressor stations and the chugging of big trucks up these hills. Some of this state’s most prized game lands lie atop the Marcellus Shale, a vast reserve of natural gas. And now more and more drills are piercing the hunting grounds. Nine wells have cropped up on this one game land of roughly 7,000 wooded acres in Potter County, and permits have been issued for 19 more. An old dirt road that meanders up a ridge here has been widened and fortified. Acres of aspen, maple and cherry trees have been cut. In their place is an industrial encampment of rigs, pipes and water-storage ponds, all to support the extraction of natural gas through hydraulic fracturing, a process known as fracking. “Who wants to go into their deer stand in the predawn darkness and listen to a compressor station?” lamented Bob Volkmar, 63, an environmental scientist who went grouse hunting the other day through these noisy autumnal woods. “It kind of ruins the experience.” Like many hunters, Mr. Volkmar is upset that the State Game Commission<http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pgc/9106> is giving over more public land to the gas companies, which does not exactly fulfill the agency’s mission to enhance the hunting experience. The game lands, as he points out, were bought with the proceeds from licenses and fees paid by hunters and trappers. Carl Roe, the Game Commission’s executive director, acknowledges that drilling “does look ugly” but said that on most well sites, the agency had no control over drilling-related activities. Although the agency owns 1.4 million acres of game lands, it does not always own the mineral rights beneath them, so private owners can lease them out to the gas companies, as is the case with Game Land 59 here. Where the agency owns the mineral rights, it can and does restrict drilling and construction on certain days during hunting season. Mr. Roe also said the agency offsets the losses, which are temporary, by using money from the gas leases to purchase more game lands; it just bought a major tract of more than 9,000 acres. “In the long run,” he said, “this will be a net gain for hunters, not a net loss.” Still, the commission had to warn hunters in September to scout their favorite spots in part because a “dramatic increase in drilling” because of interest in the Marcellus Shale had disrupted traditional hunting and trapping areas. In 2008, the Game Commission received $556,000 in lease payments for Marcellus wells on game lands; by the end of this year, it expects to have received more than $18 million. About 50 Marcellus wells have been drilled on game lands across the state, with permits issued for 148 more. All this activity has put hunters and drillers in potential conflict. The Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association<http://www.pioga.org/events/pioga-conference-and-trade-show/>, representing the industry, and the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania<http://www.unifiedsportsmenpa.org/>, which supports the drilling, plan to issue their own advisory. “We don’t want hunters to use our tanks for target practice or to sit on top of them,” said Louis D’Amico, president and executive director of the gas association, which issued a similar statement last year. “We want them to be especially careful during bear and deer season, because of the long reach of their rifles.” Sportsmen are just as divided as others over fracking; they are also divided over whether it should be allowed on game lands. Tony Winters, 59, a former conservation officer who had joined Mr. Volkmar on the grouse hunt, shrugged off the drilling here, saying that these lands had been cleared before by lumber companies and that clearing them now for wells will improve the hunting. Mr. Winters pointed out that clear-cutting of trees leads to forest regeneration. It also creates more “edge,” the open borders around the woods. Generally more edge attracts more animals like deer. As a compressor station hummed in the background, Mr. Winters said that he was not bothered by the noise and that animals would not perceive it as a threat. He said there was enough land to accommodate both hunters and drillers. Margaret Brittingham, a professor of wildlife resources at Penn State, said that the full effects of the wells on the flora and fauna were not yet clear and that she was beginning to study them. Dr. Brittingham expects that some wildlife populations, like deer, are expected to increase after the drillers leave, but that songbirds, salamanders and frogs and other amphibians that help maintain a forest’s ecological balance are likely to decline. “You can see these changes on a really local level now,” she said. “But it will take time to see changes in the larger populations.” She said she was skeptical that this new “edge” would be helpful, saying, “it’s more like a parking lot.” But she said such problems could be minimized if the lands were properly reseeded and reclaimed. Still, she said, “all the truck traffic is bad for wildlife.” Human traffic can be a problem, too. During hunting season, the commission has banned seismic surveying (a labor-intensive process that uses waves to find the right place to drill). “They have several crews going in several different directions, so a hunter can’t get out of the way,” said Michael DiMatteo, chief of environmental planning and habitat protection for the commission. Mr. Volkmar and Mr. Winters are also fishermen and members of Trout Unlimited, which started a coalition last year of a dozen outdoor recreation and wildlife groups called theSportsmen Alliance for Marcellus Conservation <http://sportsmenalliance.org/>. It is not opposed to drilling but seeks better regulations, including erosion-control measures and setback requirements. They take samples regularly from local streams to monitor water quality. They both say that fracking<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/us/02gas.html?_r=1&n=Top%2fReference%2fTi…>, which involves injecting millions of gallons of water, sand and treated chemicals deep into the gas bed, could lead to water pollution and fish kills. So far, no one has found water problems in this immediate area. But others have detected contamination, including fish kills, elsewhere in the state. The industry says that fracking itself is safe and that any problems have been caused by spills or leaks. The Environmental Protection Agency<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/e/environ…> is set to begin a federal investigation<http://water.epa.gov/type/groundwater/uic/class2/hydraulicfracturing/upload…> into whether fracking is spoiling the drinking water in various drilling states, including Pennsylvania. As for spoiling the land, Bill Ragosta, a wildlife conservation officer for the Game Commission on Game Land 59, said that the amount of surface disturbance here was not typical. “Fortunately most of our game lands are not being bombarded like this,” Mr. Ragosta said. But even here, he promised, the drilling would soon end, and reseeding with alfalfa, chicory and clover would bring more deer. “It seems counterintuitive, especially to people who are opposed to drilling,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s better or worse for wildlife in the long run, but it’s not fair to say it’s all black or all white.” A version of this article appeared in print on November 12, 2011, on page A12 of the New York edition with the headline: Gas Drillers Invade Hunters’ Pennsylvania Paradise. -- *Frances A. Hunt* Director, Resilient Habitats Campaign Sierra Club 50 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 fran.hunt(a)sierraclub.org 202-675-2386 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS list, send any message to: CONS-AWL-RESILIENT-HABITATS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

1 0

Tar Sands Action
by Jim Sconyers 08 Nov '11

08 Nov '11

<I can't do it on Nov. 28, but probably can on Nov. 29. Can you help?> I just signed up to be a part of a visit to an Obama 2012 office on November 28th, when people in all 50 states will be visiting campaign offices to ask President Obama to reject Keystone XL. Keystone XL is an environmental disaster waiting to happen: it will carry 800,000 barrels a day of the world's dirtiest oil 1500 miles across the Ogallala aquifer and countless other irreplaceable natural resources. Not only that, it's the fuse to the largest carbon bomb in North America, the Alberta tar sands, which if developed could mean 'game over' for the climate according to NASA scientist James Hansen. President Obama alone has the authority to block the pipeline - Congress plays no role. We're asking him to stop this disaster before it happens, and help us "be the generation that finally frees America from the tyranny of oil," as he declared when he began his run for president way back in 2008. By taking one day to visit offices in all 50 states, we'll show the President that there is a huge amount of support for him to stand up for his campaign promises and reject this pipeline. Click here to sign up: http://www.tarsandsaction.org/sign-up Hoping you can be there with us - we don't have much time to convince the President to reject the pipeline, and this day will be crucial to do it. Hope to see you there. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

1 0

Fwd: Fw: Earth Policy Release -- U.S. Carbon Emissions Down 7 Percent in Four Years
by Paul Wilson 06 Nov '11

06 Nov '11

Have not seen this on any Club emails as yet. fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 1:11 PM Subject: Fw: Earth Policy Release -- U.S. Carbon Emissions Down 7 Percent in Four Years To: ** [image: Earth Policy Institute] <http://www.earth-policy.org> [image: Bookmark and Share]<http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pubid=ra-4d6d74824d18a36a&url=htt…> * U.S. CARBON EMISSIONS DOWN 7 PERCENT IN FOUR YEARS: Even Bigger Drops Coming * Lester R. Brown www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2011/update101 Earth Policy Release Plan B Update November 2 , 2011 EMBARGO 12 NOON EDT Between 2007 and 2011, carbon emissions from coal use in the United States dropped 10 percent. During the same period, emissions from oil use dropped 11 percent. In contrast, carbon emissions from natural gas use increased by 6 percent. The net effect of these trends was that U.S. carbon emissions dropped 7 percent in four years. And this is only the beginning. [image: Graph on U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions, 1950-2010, with Projection for 2011] The initial fall in coal and oil use was triggered by the economic downturn, but now powerful new forces are reducing the use of both. For coal, the dominant force is the Beyond Coal campaign, an impressive national effort coordinated by the Sierra Club involving hundreds of local groups that oppose coal because of its effects on human health. In the first phase, the campaign actively opposed the building of new coal-fired power plants. This hugely successful initiative, which led to a near de facto moratorium on new coal plants, was powered by Americans’ dislike of coal. An Opinion Research Corporation poll found only 3 percent preferred coal as their electricity source -- which is no surprise. Coal plant emissions are a leading cause of respiratory illnesses (such as asthma in children) and mercury contamination. Coal burning causes 13,200 American deaths each year, a loss of life that exceeds U.S. combat losses in 10 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. The campaign’s second phase is dedicated to closing existing coal plants. Of the U.S. total of 492 coal-fired power plants, 68 are already slated to close. With current and forthcoming U.S. Environmental Protection Agency air quality regulations on emissions of mercury, sulfur, and ozone precursors requiring costly retrofits, many more of the older, dirtier plants will be closed. In August, the *American Economic Review* -- the country’s most prestigious economics journal -- published<http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/aer.101.5.1649>an article that can only be described as an epitaph for the coal industry. The authors conclude that the economic damage caused by air pollutants from coal burning exceeds the value of the electricity produced by coal-fired power plants. Coal fails the cost-benefit analysis even before the costs of climate change are tallied. In July 2011, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced<http://www.mikebloomberg.com/index.cfm?objectid=4D1722F5-C29C-7CA2-FCB63853…>a grant of $50 million to the Beyond Coal campaign. It is one thing when Michael Brune, head of the Sierra Club, says that coal has to go, but quite another when Michael Bloomberg, one of the most successful businessmen of his generation, says so. The move to close coal plants comes at a time when electricity use for lighting will be falling fast as old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs are phased out. In compliance with the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, by January 2012 there will be no 100-watt incandescent light bulbs on store shelves. By January 2014, the 75-watt, 60-watt, and 40-watt incandescents will also disappear from shelves. As inefficient incandescents are replaced by compact fluorescents and LEDs, electricity use for lighting can drop by 80 percent. And much of the switch will occur within a few years. The U.S. Department of Energy projects that residential electricity use per person will drop by 5 percent during this decade as light bulbs are replaced and as more-efficient refrigerators, water heaters, television sets, and other household appliances come to market. Even as coal plants are closing, the use of wind, solar, and geothermally generated electricity is growing fast. Over the last four years, more than 400 wind farms -- with a total generating capacity of 27,000 megawatts -- have come online, enough to supply 8 million homes with electricity. (See data at www.earth-policy.org.) Nearly 300,000 megawatts of proposed wind projects are in the pipeline awaiting access to the grid. [image: Graph on Cumulative Installed Wind Power Capacity in the United States, 1980-2011*] Texas, long the leading oil-producing state, is now the leading generator of electricity from wind. When the transmission lines linking the rich wind resources of west Texas and the Texas panhandle to the large cities in central and eastern Texas are completed, wind electric generation in the state will jump dramatically. In installed wind-generating capacity, Texas is followed by Iowa, California, Minnesota, and Illinois. In the share of electricity generation in the state coming from wind, Iowa leads at 20 percent. With electricity generated by solar panels, the United States has some 22,000 megawatts of utility-scale projects in the pipeline. And this does not include residential installations. Closing coal plants also cuts oil use. With coal use falling, the near 40 percent of freight rail diesel fuel that is used to move coal from mines to power plants will also drop. In fact, oil use has fallen fast in the United States over the last four years, thus reversing another long-term trend of rising consumption. The reasons for this include a shrinkage in the size of the national fleet, the rising fuel efficiency of new cars, and a reduction in the miles driven per vehicle. Fleet size peaked at 250 million cars in 2008 just as the number of cars being scrapped eclipsed sales of new cars. Aside from economic conditions, car sales are down because many young people today are much less automobile-oriented than their parents. In addition, the fuel efficiency of new cars, already rising, will soon increase sharply. The most recent efficiency standards mandate that new cars sold in 2025 use only half as much fuel as those sold in 2010. Thus with each passing year, the U.S. car fleet becomes more fuel-efficient, using less gasoline. Miles driven per car are declining because of higher gasoline prices, the continuing recession, and the shift to public transit and bicycles. Bicycles are replacing cars as cities create cycling infrastructure by building bike paths, creating dedicated bike lanes, and installing sidewalk parking racks. Many U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., Chicago, and New York, are introducing bike-sharing programs. Furthermore, when people retire and no longer commute, miles driven drop by a third to a half. With so many baby boomers now retiring, this too will lower gasoline use. As plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars come to market, electricity will replace gasoline. An analysis<http://harvardmagazine.com/2011/07/time-to-electrify>by Professor Michael McElroy of Harvard indicates that running a car on wind-generated electricity could cost the equivalent of 80-cent-a-gallon gasoline. With emissions from coal burning heading for a free fall as plants are closed, and those from oil use also falling fast -- both are falling faster than emissions from natural gas are ramping up -- U.S. carbon emissions are falling. We are now looking at a situation where the 7 percent decline in carbon emissions since the 2007 peak could expand to 20 percent by 2020, and possibly even to 30 percent. If so, the United States could become a world leader in cutting carbon emissions and stabilizing climate. # # # Data and additional resources available at www.earth-policy.org. Lester R. Brown is president of the Earth Policy Institute and author of *World on the Edge <http://www.earth-policy.org/books/wote>*. *Feel free to pass this information along to friends, family members, and colleagues!* *Follow us on:* [image: EPI Fan Page] <http://www.facebook.com/EarthPolicyInstitute> [image: EPI on Twitter] <http://www.twitter.com/EarthPolicy> [image: EPI RSS]<http://earth-policy.org/press_room/C87> [image: EPI Youtube Channel] <http://www.youtube.com/earthpolicy> *Media Contact: *Reah Janise Kauffman (202) 496-9290 ext. 12 rjk(a)earthpolicy.org *Research Contact: *Matt Roney (202) 496-9290 ext. 17 jmroney(a)earthpolicy.org *Earth Policy Institute* 1350 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 403 Washington, DC 20036 --- You are currently subscribed to public as: newviv(a)roadrunner.com To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-public-6031842Q(a)lists.earth-policy.org -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

3 2

Jump to page:

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

EC