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Decades of federal dollars helped fuel gas boom
by James Kotcon 23 Sep '12

23 Sep '12

Full story at: http://news.yahoo.com/decades-federal-dollars-helped-fuel-141648115.html Decades of federal dollars helped fuel gas boomPioneers in gas drilling say government research and tax breaks helped launch boomBy Kevin Begos, Associated Press | Associated Press – 1 hr 42 mins ago Natural gas is burned off next to an oil well being drilled at a site August 23, 2011 near Tioga, North Dakota in the United States." alt=" Natural gas is burned off next to an oil well being drilled at a site August 23, 2011 near Tioga, North Dakota in the United States.Enlarge Photo ( http://news.yahoo.com/photos/world-oil-prices-york-crude-highest-since-may-… ) Natural gas is burned off next … PITTSBURGH (AP) -- It sounds like a free-market success story: a natural gas boom created by drilling company innovation, delivering a vast new source of cheap energy without the government subsidies that solar and wind power demand. "The free market has worked its magic," the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council, an industry group, claimed over the summer. The boom happened "away from the greedy grasp of Washington," the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank, wrote in an essay this year. If bureaucrats "had known this was going on," the essay went on, "surely Washington would have done something to slow it down, tax it more, or stop it altogether." But those who helped pioneer the technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, recall a different path. Over three decades, from the shale fields of Texas and Wyoming to the Marcellus in the Northeast, the federal government contributed more than $100 million in research to develop fracking, and billions more in tax breaks. Now, those industry pioneers say their own effort shows that the government should back research into future sources of energy — for decades, if need be — to promote breakthroughs. For all its success now, many people in the oil and gas industry itself once thought shale gas was a waste of time. "There's no point in mincing words. Some people thought it was stupid," said Dan Steward, a geologist who began working with the Texas natural gas firm Mitchell Energy in 1981. Steward estimated that in the early years, "probably 90 percent of the people" in the firm didn't believe shale gas would be profitable. "Did I know it was going to work? Hell no," Steward added. Shale is a rock formation thousands of feet underground. Among its largest U.S. deposits are the Marcellus Shale, under parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia, and the Barnett Shale is in north Texas. Geologists knew shale contained gas, but for more than 100 years the industry focused on shallower reserves. With fracking, large volumes of water, along with sand and hazardous chemicals, are injected underground to break rock apart and free the gas. In 1975, the Department of Energy began funding research into fracking and horizontal drilling, where wells go down and then sideways for thousands of feet. But it took more than 20 years to perfect the process. Alex Crawley, a former Department of Energy employee, recalled that some early tests were spectacular — in a bad way. A test of fracking explosives in Morgantown, W.Va., "blew the pipe out of the well about 600 feet high" in the 1970s, Crawley said. Luckily, no one was killed. He added that a 1975 test well in Wyoming "produced a lot of water." Steward recalled that Mitchell Energy didn't even cover the cost of fracking on shale tests until the 36th well was drilled. "There's not a lot of companies that would stay with something this long. Most companies would have given up," he said, crediting founder George Mitchell as a visionary who also got support from the government at key points. "The government has to be involved, to some degree, with new technologies," Steward said. Congress passed a huge tax break in 1980 specifically to encourage unconventional natural gas drilling, noted Alex Trembath, a researcher at the Breakthrough Institute, a California nonprofit that supports new ways of thinking about energy and the environment. Trembath said that the Department of Energy invested about $137 million in gas research over three decades, and that the federal tax credit for drillers amounted to $10 billion between 1980 and 2002. The work wasn't all industry or all government, but both. One step at a time, the problems of shale drilling were solved. Crawley said Energy Department researchers processed drilling data on supercomputers at a federal lab. Later, technology created to track sounds of Russian submarines during the Cold War was repurposed to help the industry use sound to get a 3-D picture of shale deposits and track exactly where a drill bit was, thousands of feet underground. "It was a lot of pieces of technology that the industry thought would help them. Some worked out, some didn't," Crawley said. Renewable energy has had similar fits and starts, plagued by the costs and complexities of developing technology, and markets for it. The idea that the government can help industry achieve advances that the private sector can't or won't has been a central contention of the presidential election. President Barack Obama's comment this summer that Republicans seized on — "If you've got a business — you didn't build that" — was part of broader comments about infrastructure, education and other public spending that indirectly helps businesses. Both Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tout the benefits of shale gas, but they differ over the government's role in subsidizing energy research. Obama has suggested continued funding for renewable energy but also eliminating billions of dollars in subsidies for oil and gas companies. Romney calls that an unhealthy obsession with green jobs — and has vowed to cut wind power subsidies, yet keep federal support for ethanol. But the fracking pioneers point out that it's impossible to predict how and when research will pay off. "It wouldn't be research if you already knew that it was going to be effective," said Crawley. Steward and others said today's energy challenge is similar to what they faced: a need to find future sources of energy. "I was concerned about my kids and grandkids. I didn't want my kids sitting out there without energy," Steward said. Terry Engelder, a Penn State University geologist known for his enthusiastic support for gas drilling, is proud that work he did decades ago helped to lay the groundwork for today's boom. But he said the story of how shale gas went from longshot to head of the pack — and how long that took — shows that serious support for renewable energy research makes sense, too. "These renewables have a huge upside," Engelder said. "In my view, the subsidies are really very appropriate." Engelder, who's been both praised and criticized for his support of shale gas drilling, said he's sure that research and technology will ultimately deliver innovations that make renewables a major force. "There's no doubt about it," he said, adding that "the payout might not happen until 2042." Steward is proud of the shale boom, too, but warned that it won't last forever. "Don't be fooled by this. We've got to have a replacement" for shale gas, he said.

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Fwd: Earthjustice Action Alert on Coal Package-share widely
by Jim Sconyers 22 Sep '12

22 Sep '12

Friends, wanted to let you know that a so called “Stop the War on Coal Act of 2012” (H.R. 3409) will be voted on in the House floor as soon as tomorrow Thursday and it contains five egregious bills that would strip Americans of basic clean air and clean water protections. One of the terrible bills within this package is Rep. McKinley’s (R-WV) dangerous coal ash bill that would shield utilities from their responsibility to upgrade unsafe ash dumps, clean up contaminated sites, or close leaking and unstable ponds. Also extending the lives of hundreds of leaking toxic dumps and prohibiting the EPA from ever issuing regulations to require the safe disposal of this waste. ** ** I am sharing below the action alert Earthjustice sent to our activists today about this package, feel free to share widely and recycle any of the language to educate your networks about this attack on public health. In advance, thank you for your time and efforts! **** ------------------------------ ** ** Tell Your Representative To Oppose The Attack On Public Health<https://secure.earthjustice.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&i…> **** Before Congress leaves for its fall recess, the House will try to pass a dangerous bill that will weaken the Clean Air Act and eviscerate protections of the Clean Water Act, allowing for extreme pollution of the air we breathe and the water we drink. The House leadership's bill, H.R. 3409, the latest bit of propaganda in their mythical and false “war on coal” claims, and a last-ditch effort to repay the favors of their big polluter friends.**** H.R. 3409 will take away the public health protections that keep us safe. Dirty air, undrinkable water, climate change and decimated mountains won't create jobs or improve the economy, but they will put our children's and communities' health at risk. This is not a job-creation bill; it is a people-killing bill.**** Every day, our landmark Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and other longstanding environmental safeguards prevent millions of families across this nation from being harmed by uncontrolled pollution. These cornerstone laws prevent big polluters from causing more toxic air pollution, flooding, drinking water contamination, birth defects, illness and even deaths. If passed, this single bill would undermine and even end many of those protections.**** ** ** We must tell our representatives to stop the assault and protect us. Please contact your Representative today to oppose H.R. 3409.**** https://secure.earthjustice.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&i… **** ** ** ------------------------------ ** ** Andrea Delgado**** Legislative Representative**** Earthjustice**** 1625 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 702**** Washington, DC 20036-2212**** T: (202) 797-5240 **** C: (202) 230-6592**** Twitter: @Andrea_Delgado7 <https://twitter.com/#!/Andrea_Delgado7>**** www.earthjustice.org**** ** ** *Because the earth needs a good lawyer* * * *please consider the environment before printing**** ** ** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE list, send any message to: COAL-COMBUSTION-WASTE-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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NYTimes: utility opposes wind tax credit
by Frank Young 14 Sep '12

14 Sep '12

An Argument Over Wind By MATTHEW L. WALD Green: Business With the wind industry facing the expiration of a production tax credit at the end of the year, the sector’s main trade association is facing off against Exelon, the big power generation company, over whether the tax break should be renewed. Last week, the Wind Energy Association expelled Exelon as a member because the company opposed a renewal of the credit. The association says that if the tax credit expires, some 17,000 jobs will be eliminated next year and that deliveries of new turbines will spiral to zero. But Exelon says the tax credit is distorting energy markets because the credit itself is larger than the average value of electricity produced in the Midwest. Surges of wind energy late at night during periods of low electricity demand are driving the market price of electricity below zero, according to independent statistics. Exelon complains that in that circumstance, its nuclear plants actually have to pay grid operators to accept their electricity. The wind farms in that region do as well, but they remain profitable because they earn the production credit. The issue of the tax credit and so-called negative pricing has emerged in the presidential campaign, with the Obama administration favoring an extension of the credit and Mitt Romney opposing it. But the credit’s fate may be resolved by the November election, depending on Congressional action. Exelon plans to release a study on Friday that says that distortions in the market are getting larger as more wind is added. The company is not alone in its complaints. In Texas, the chairwoman of the state’s Public Utility Commission, Donna Nelson,told a state Senate committee last week that Texas had a shortage of generating capacity as a result of a market distortion in which wind energy drove the price of electricity into negative territory. When wind developers can make money even when prices are negative, she said, it discourages others from building other kinds of power plants. The problem for Texas is that wind generation does not coincide with peak demand, which is on hot days that are mostly windless. State power planners estimate that for every 100 megawatts of wind machines installed in the state, only about 8 megawatts will be available on peak days. The tax credit, which applies to projects that are completed by Dec. 31, is 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour. Depending on the tax status of the wind farm developer, the credit can be worth as much as $34 per megawatt-hour. Joseph Dominguez, Exelon’s senior vice president for governmental and regulatory affairs, said that in the last two years, the average price of a megawatt-hour at the Northern Illinois Hub , one of the main spots on the grid in eastern North America where electricity is priced, has ranged from $28 to $31. There is a bit of a paradox in Exelon’s exile from the wind association; the company owns nearly 2 percent of the wind capacity in the United States. Wind industry advocates say that negative pricing is rare and highly localized and simply points up shortcomings in transmission capacity. “It’s all driven by a lack of transmission,’’ said Michael Goggin, the association’s expert on integrating wind into the grid. “Negative prices are the market’s way of saying there is too much supply and not enough demand, and there’s a roadblock keeping that low-cost electricity from reaching consumers.’’ New wind machines are sometimes built faster than new transmission lines, he said. The wind industry also argues that companies that burn coal and natural gas get a subsidy too, in that they are allowed to dump pollutants into the air without paying for the damage they cause. Sometimes new transmission lines can alleviate the negative pricing phenomenon. In 2010 in the Chicago area, the occurrence of negative pricing peaked at 3.1 percent of all hours, according to the regional grid operator, the PJM Interconnection. That dropped to 2.1 percent the following year when more transmission capacity was added. But across the country, wind farms are likely to be added faster than transmission lines. The study sponsored by Exelon, prepared by the NorthBridge Group, which does extensive consulting for utilities around the country, found pockets where the number of negative hours reached 12 percent or more. While various types of electricity generation have received subsidies over the decades, said Frank Huntowski, one of the authors, “I don’t think we’ve seen something as dramatic as this.’’ Part of the problem is also that wholesale electricity prices have declined because of an economic slump and a decline in the price of natural gas. Before the recession began, the subsidy for wind power production was smaller than the average price of a megawatt-hour. Negative pricing occurs mostly on spring and fall nights when the wind is blowing strongly but offices, stores and factories are mostly closed and temperatures are so mild that there is virtually no demand for home heating or air-conditioning. The phenomenon existed before the surge in construction of wind machines, but the new industry is making it worse, some industry participants say, especially for companies with baseload plants that were built to run at a steady rate around the clock. That is a special problem for Exelon, which runs many nuclear plants in the Midwest; nuclear plants cannot change their output quickly. “Prices will go down for an hour and then come back up and a few hours later, go down again, and it’s very hard to maneuver the nuclear plants to work around that,’’ Christopher Crane, the company’s chief executive, said in an interview. “By the time you have briefed the crew to power down the plant, the price is up again,’’ he said. The wind energy association argues that the production tax credit is an incentive to invest in a clean energy source and does not directly affect market prices. But opponents say that when new generation is added in a way that creates sudden surpluses, the market impact is clear. Either way, low prices are a boon for consumers, said Peter L. Kelley, a spokesman for the wind association. “It’s indisputable that wind energy, with or without the production tax credit, drives down electricity prices,’’ he said. “Consumers receive massive benefits of billions and billions of dollars.’’ Meanwhile, the wind business is already preparing for a slowdown. On Tuesday, a wind tower manufacturer, Katana Summit, said it would probably sell or close its two plants, in Nebraska and Washington State, because of the expiration of the tax credit. The two plants employ a total of about 300 people.

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Fw: LARRY GIBSON 1946-2012
by Frank Young 09 Sep '12

09 Sep '12

Larry Gibson, long-time environmental activist, died of a heart attack Sunday, September 10, while working on Kayford Mountain, the family home in Raleigh County which he spent the last decades of his life protecting from the coal mining practice known as mountaintop removal. Kayford was the site of Larry's birth, the final resting place of 300 ancestors stretching back to the 18th century, and the site of Larry's annual 4th of July festival celebrating life in the mountains. As part of his effort to preserve the mountains, Larry traveled across the country, to schools, churches and a wide range of public gatherings where he spread his simple gospel about the mountains: "Love em or leave em; just don't destroy em." A private funeral is planned, and Larry's family has requested that persons wishing to express condolences make donations to Keeper of the Mountains Foundation, which Larry founded in 2004 to support mountain communities. A public memorial service will be announced at a later time. Larry is survived by his wife, Carol, two sons Cameron and Larry, Jr. and his daughter, Victoria. He was sixty-six years old.

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State Energy Plan Hearings - Huntington, Morgantown, Martinsburg
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 05 Sep '12

05 Sep '12

*Comment on State's Energy Plan * West Virginia's Division of Energy is in the midst of updating the state's 5-year energy plan <http://www.wvcommerce.org/energy/energyplan/default.aspx>. The agency is asking for public comment. Click below to view /drafts/ of various sections of the energy plan: Fossil Energy Opportunities For West Virginia <http://www.wvcommerce.org/App_Media/assets/doc/energy/EOD_Recommendations_-…> Energy Efficiency Policy Outlook for West Virginia <http://www.wvcommerce.org/App_Media/assets/doc/energy/EOD_Recommendations_-…> Renewable Energy Policy Outlook for West Virginia <http://www.wvcommerce.org/App_Media/assets/doc/energy/reports/DRAFT-Renewab…> The agency is holding *public hearings* on the plan: *September 5*: in the Azalea Room of the Big Sandy Arena <http://www.bigsandyarena.com/>, Huntington *September 6*: in Grand Hall AB of the Erickson Alumni Center <http://alumni.wvu.edu/eac/> on the WVU Evansdale Campus, Morgantown *September 7*: in the Foxcroft Ballroom of the Martinsburg Holiday Inn <http://www.himartinsburg.com/>. All hearings start at 9:30 a.m. Registration is at 9 a.m., or you can register in advance to speak at a hearing here <http://www.wvcommerce.org/energy/energyplan/process/register/default.aspx>

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WV energy plan documents
by Jim Sconyers 04 Sep '12

04 Sep '12

I am not able to download the draft documents linked here. Went to the DOE's website and was unable to download them there also. Has anyone been able to download/read the docs? If so can you forward them to me please? On Sat, Sep 1, 2012 at 2:19 PM, Jonathan Rosenbaum <jr(a)wvcompletestreets.org > wrote: > *Comment on State's Energy Plan * > West Virginia's Division of Energy is in the midst of updating the > state's 5-year energy plan<http://www.wvcommerce.org/energy/energyplan/default.aspx>. > The agency is asking for public comment. > > Click below to view *drafts* of various sections of the energy plan: > Fossil Energy Opportunities For West Virginia<http://www.wvcommerce.org/App_Media/assets/doc/energy/EOD_Recommendations_-…> > Energy Efficiency Policy Outlook for West Virginia<http://www.wvcommerce.org/App_Media/assets/doc/energy/EOD_Recommendations_-…> > Renewable Energy Policy Outlook for West Virginia<http://www.wvcommerce.org/App_Media/assets/doc/energy/reports/DRAFT-Renewab…> > > The agency is holding *public hearings* on the plan: > *September 5*: in the Azalea Room of the Big Sandy Arena<http://www.bigsandyarena.com/>, > Huntington > *September 6*: in Grand Hall AB of the Erickson Alumni Center<http://alumni.wvu.edu/eac/>on the WVU Evansdale Campus, Morgantown > *September 7*: in the Foxcroft Ballroom of the Martinsburg Holiday Inn<http://www.himartinsburg.com/>. > > > All hearings start at 9:30 a.m. Registration is at 9 a.m., or you can > register in advance to speak at a hearing here<http://www.wvcommerce.org/energy/energyplan/process/register/default.aspx> > > _______________________________________________ > EC mailing list > EC(a)osenergy.org > http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec > -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last. -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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petition-put climate change on presidential debate
by Jim Sconyers 03 Sep '12

03 Sep '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: CCL-DELEGATES automatic digest system <LISTSERV(a)lists.sierraclub.org> Date: Mon, Sep 3, 2012 at 3:00 AM Subject: CCL-DELEGATES Digest - 31 Aug 2012 to 2 Sep 2012 (#2012-143) To: CCL-DELEGATES(a)lists.sierraclub.org There are 2 messages totaling 344 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Help Bring Climate Change to the Presidential Debates (2) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- To get off the CCL-DELEGATES list, send email to LISTSERV(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Make the message text (not the Subject): SIGNOFF CCL-DELEGATES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2012 15:02:48 -0500 From: Craig Wolfe <Protect(a)SierraClub-KS.info> Subject: Help Bring Climate Change to the Presidential Debates Dear Fellow CCL Delegates, I am sending this email because I strongly believe that climate change should be a bi-partisan concern and one of the principal topics of the first Presidential Debate on October 3rd. YOU CAN HELP!! CLICK THE LINK BELOW. THIS IS IMPORTANT. SPREAD THE WORD TO YOUR CHAPTER AND GROUP MEMBERS. As we have all seen with the extreme weather this summer, and it's only going to get worse unless we do something about it. The first step toward getting our government to address the climate crisis is to make sure the public is aware of the facts and where the candidates stand during this election. Will you add your name to the list to make sure climate change is a priority at the debate? Just go to: http://action.lcv.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=913 Millions of voters will get their information about our presidential candidates by watching televised debates this fall. If moderator Jim Lehrer, whose show, the PBS NewsHour, has objectively and factually covered climate change, asks the candidates about the issue, millions of viewers will have a real chance to hear a substantive discussion about climate change on the national stage. That's why I've just signed a petition addressed to Mr. Lehrer urging him to include climate change as a debate topic so he can ask President Obama and Governor Romney about their perception of the facts and how they plan to address the climate crisis. The minimum number of signatures required is 50,000, but one million or five million will add clout to the request and assure adequate time is allowed to ask multiple questions and for both candidates to answer and debate. Record summer heat, drought, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes and insect infestations caused by climate change affect us all. Please forward this email and link to your friends, relatives and associates so they too may add their names to the list and ensure this topic is included in the debate. Craig Wolfe - Kansas Chapter Chair ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- To get off the CCL-DELEGATES list, send email to LISTSERV(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Make the message text (not the Subject): SIGNOFF CCL-DELEGATES ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2012 20:09:08 -0600 From: Becky English <beckyrep(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: Help Bring Climate Change to the Presidential Debates Thanks Craig. Done. Will send to my chapter EnergyCom members on Tuesday ... more broadly if we have room in our Convio allowance. Fellow CCL Delegates, I'm fixin' to be there for the first presidential debate (University of Denver - Jim Lehrer moderating), and will probably blog it for Sierra Club. So far I'm in the second circle -- not in the actual debate auditorium but out with bloggers and the student body. Please send me your conservation questions and, especially, your dirty vs clean energy questions in case I get lucky with the candidates or their staffs. Also, if anyone has anything better than public email addresses for Jim Lehrer, for presidential staff, or for Romneylan staff (weren't those some nasty Star Trek aliens or something?), I'd appreciate your letting me know. Thanks very much, Becky English Rocky Mountain Chapter CCL; ExCom; LegCom; Energy Issue Chair 303 733 4064 ### On Sun, Sep 2, 2012 at 2:02 PM, Craig Wolfe <Protect(a)sierraclub-ks.info >wrote: > ** > > *Dear Fellow CCL Delegates, > > *I am sending this email because I strongly believe that climate change > should be a bi-partisan concern and one of the principal topics of the > first Presidential Debate on October 3rd. > > *YOU CAN HELP!! CLICK THE LINK BELOW. THIS IS IMPORTANT. SPREAD THE WORD > TO YOUR CHAPTER AND GROUP MEMBERS. > > *As we have all seen with the extreme weather this summer, and it's only > going to get worse unless we do something about it. The first step toward > getting our government to address the climate crisis is to make sure the > public is aware of the facts and where the candidates stand during this > election. > > Will you add your name to the list to make sure climate change is a > priority at the debate? Just go to: * > http://action.lcv.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=913*< http://action.lcv.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=913> > > *Millions of voters will get their information about our presidential > candidates by watching televised debates this fall.* *If moderator Jim > Lehrer, whose show, the PBS NewsHour, has objectively and factually covered > climate change, asks the candidates about the issue, millions of viewers > will have a real chance to hear a substantive discussion about climate > change on the national stage. > * > That's why I've just signed a petition addressed to Mr. Lehrer urging him > to include climate change as a debate topic so he can ask President Obama > and Governor Romney about their perception of the facts and how they plan > to address the climate crisis. > > The minimum number of signatures required is 50,000, *but one million or > five million* will add clout to the request and assure adequate time is > allowed to ask multiple questions and for both candidates to answer and > debate. > > Record summer heat, drought, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes and insect > infestations caused by climate change affect us all. Please forward this > email and link to your friends, relatives and associates so they too may > add their names to the list and ensure this topic is included in the > debate. > > Craig Wolfe - Kansas Chapter Chair > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To > unsubscribe from the CCL-DELEGATES list, send any message to: > CCL-DELEGATES-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv > Lists support site for more information: > http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club > Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the > Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at > http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- To get off the CCL-DELEGATES list, send email to LISTSERV(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Make the message text (not the Subject): SIGNOFF CCL-DELEGATES ------------------------------ End of CCL-DELEGATES Digest - 31 Aug 2012 to 2 Sep 2012 (#2012-143) ******************************************************************* -- Jim Sconyers jimscon(a)gmail.com 304.698.9628 Remember, Mother Nature bats last.

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Fwd: FW: MAPP/PATH email
by Jim Sconyers 27 Aug '12

27 Aug '12

Yessssssss!!!!! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Patience Wait" <pwaitster(a)gmail.com> Date: Aug 27, 2012 1:34 PM Subject: Fwd: FW: MAPP/PATH email To: <CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM(a)lists.sierraclub.org> Confirmation, at long last! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <frankc(a)pjm.com> Date: Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 1:09 PM Subject: FW: MAPP/PATH email To: pwaitster(a)gmail.com As Promised…**** ** ** The PJM Board during a phone conference Friday decided to remove the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) and Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway (MAPP) lines from PJM’s regional transmission plans, based on the PJM staff’s recommendations.**** ** ** ** ** *PJM Media Advisory: PJM staff recommends ending PATH, MAPP transmission line projects* – 8 Aug. 2012**** ** ** The PJM transmission planning staff will recommend to the PJM Board that the Potomac Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) and the Mid Atlantic Power Pathway (MAPP) lines be removed from PJM’s regional transmission plans. The recommendations are contained in slides posted today that will be presented, Aug. 9, at a meeting of PJM’s the Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee.**** ** ** **· **Grid conditions have changed since the lines were originally planned, and our updated analysis no longer shows a need for the lines to maintain grid stability.**** **– **A slow economy has reduced the projected growth in the use of electricity.**** **– **PJM’s most recent capacity auction added 4,900 megawatts (MW) of new generation and procured 14,833 MW of demand response. **** **– **Although PJM’s analysis last year showed a diminished need for the two transmission lines the most responsible course was to wait to make a recommendation after analyzing the updated forecast of peak use of electricity (the load forecast), the results of the 2012 capacity auction and the effects on grid stability of the anticipated announcement of generation retirements (16,000 MW) due to environmental regulations.**** **· **PJM’s regional planning process looks 15 years into the future to determine necessary changes to the transmission system to keep power flows stable. Planners study long-term growth in electricity use, generating plant retirements, broader generation development patterns, such as integration of renewable energy resources, and demand response and energy efficiency resources.**** **· **Since PJM’s first regional transmission plan in 2000, the PJM Board has approved more than $24.3 billion in new transmission lines and improvements and upgrades to existing facilities.**** **· **Just this year, PJM staff recommended and the board approved $2.8 billion in electric transmission improvements including new lines needed to keep the grid stable as generating units are retired in response to environmental regulations.**** The presentation can be found at: http://pjm.com/~/media/committees-groups/committees/teac/20120809/20120809-… **** The staff recommendation will be presented to the PJM Board’s Reliability Committee later this month.. **** ** ** Chrisie Franks**** Customer Advisor**** Member Relations**** custsvc(a)pjm.com**** 1-866-400-8980**** *[image: logo-addison]* *Your feedback is very much appreciated. Please take a moment to fill out a quick survey.***** How am I doing? <http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y9TQG3X>** ** ** ** ** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM list, send any message to: CONS-ELP-TRANS-LINES-FORUM-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/

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Fwd: AlterNet: Methane Releases and Global Warming
by Paul Wilson 27 Aug '12

27 Aug '12

fyi, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Dow <ddow420(a)comcast.net> Date: Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 6:52 AM Subject: AlterNet: Methane Releases and Global Warming Methane’s Contribution to Global Warming Is Worse than You Thought<http://act.alternet.org/go/23649?t=14&akid=9276.278737.SwDLtl> To tackle climate change, we need more honest accounting of this potent greenhouse gas. READ MORE»<http://act.alternet.org/go/23649?t=15&akid=9276.278737.SwDLtl> By Jason Mark / Earth Island Journal -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle

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Bloomberg and gas.
by James Kotcon 26 Aug '12

26 Aug '12

So if Bloomberg is giving $6 million to push regulations in 14 states, that works out to over $400,000 per state. How much of that will environmentalists in WV actually see? JBK See story at: http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201208250103 ***** August 25, 2012 NYC mayor weighs in on 'fracking' The Associated Press NEW YORK -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been an influential voice in the debate over the natural gas drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing. His opposition to "fracking" near the city's drinking water reservoirs led to a state ban on drilling in the watershed. But Bloomberg has now endorsed gas drilling in a letter to The Washington Post, co-written with George Mitchell, a pioneer of fracking techniques. The pair say a natural gas boom would spur economic growth, cut energy costs and reduce reliance on dirtier fuels like coal. But they also wrote that fracking should only be done under strong environmental regulations. Bloomberg's foundation said Friday that it would give $6 million to the Environmental Defense Fund to help push for those regulations in 14 gas producing states.

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