The last of EPA's originally scheduled listening session on the proposed carbon standards is today in Philadelphia, but I suspect that a few additional ones will be scheduled closer to home.
JBK
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Frank Zaski frankzas@aol.com Date: Wed, Nov 6, 2013 at 1:22 PM Subject: Re: [Coal Volunteers List] from High Country News; Pro-coal arguments win the day at Denver EPA hearing on CO2 regulations To: verena_owen@prodigy.net, pjgrunt@gmail.com, coal-volunteers-list@sierraclub.org
Here are a few more talking points:
*Surveys** find more citizens are concerned about global warming and want government and business action to address it.* Examples:
*Americans*' Concerns About Global Warming on the Rise http://www.gallup.com/poll/161645/americans-concerns-global-warming-rise.asp...
More than half of people in *Columbus* say that more should be done about global warming at all levels of government http://environment.yale.edu/climate-communication/filtered/?action=add_filte...
Poll Shows *Latinos* Overwhelmingly Support Obama Call For Action on Industrial Carbon Pollution http://www.nrdc.org/media/2013/131017.asp
*Michigan*: 63% opposed the government shutdown that would interfere with the EPA developing standards to reduce the carbon pollution from the nation's power plants. http://www.usclimatenetwork.org/hot-topics/climate-polling (There is a lot of other climate research in this site.)
*Negative climate change impacts on the Midwest* ANN ARBOR—Climate change will lead to more frequent and more intense Midwest heat waves while degrading air and water quality and threatening public health. Intense rainstorms and floods will become more common, and existing risks to the Great Lakes will be exacerbated. http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/21105-climate-change- to-profoundly-affect-the-midwest-new-report-says
More climate change impacts on the Midwest from the draft National Climate Assessment report: Decreasing agricultural productivity, habitats for many tree species driven northward, disruptions to forest ecosystems, .. degraded air quality, .. change in the range and distribution of important commercial and recreational fish species,.. increased invasive species, declining beach health, .. harmful blooms of algae, to name a few more. http://ncadac.globalchange.gov/download/NCAJan11-2013-publicreviewdraft-chap...
*Global warming impact allergies*. Dr. Weber predicts that Michigan will see *more ragweed* in the fall because we don't get a killing freeze as early as we used: http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/21809196/could-global-warming-impact-aller...
Higher levels of CO2 benefits the growth of *poison ivy* whose growth and potency has doubled since the 1960shttp://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/health/climate-change-is-making-poison-ivy-grow-bigger-and-badder-696379/, With CO2 rates expected to rise from 400 parts per million to 560 ppm in the next 30 to 50 years, it could double again. The enhanced poison ivy won't just threaten humans; it could also kill trees at a faster pace. http://www.weather.com/home-garden/garden/poison-ivy-growing-out-control-tha...
*Moose die off* because climate change allows the survival of many more parasites. Moose are the upper Midwest equivalent of polar bears. http://greatlakesecho.org/2013/10/22/fears-rise-about-possible-moose-die-off...
*Methane: *Also mention to the EPA that more needs to be done to reduce methane emissions. The International Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest report finds that methane is *34 times* stronger a heat-trapping gas than CO2 over a 100-year time scale and *86 times* more than CO2 over 20 years. http://americanenergycoalition.com/2013-news/natural-gas-is-more-harmful-tha...
-----Original Message----- From: Verena Owen verena_owen@prodigy.net To: pjgrunt pjgrunt@gmail.com; Coal Alerts < coal-volunteers-list@sierraclub.org> Sent: Wed, Nov 6, 2013 11:04 am Subject: Re: [Coal Volunteers List] from High Country News; Pro-coal arguments win the day at Denver EPA hearing on CO2 regulations
The good news is that there is still time to go to one of the listening sessions EPA is holding: DC, Dallas and Seattle tomorrow and Chicago and Philadelphia on Friday! Let's show up and tell EPA we want strong and just carbon standards and why we need them.
Verena
I know that the sessions in Lenexa,KS and San Francisco were great:
RESIDENTS CALL FOR STRONG CARBON POLLUTION LIMITS FROM EXISTING POWER PLANTS Clean air advocates testify at regional EPA office in Lenexa Monday, November 4, 2013 Contact: Alison Flowers, 303-246-6297, alison.flowers@sierraclub.org Glen Hooks, (501) 744-2674, glen.hooks@sierraclub.org *Lenexa, KS* -- Today residents from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa testified at the regional Environmental Protection Agency office in Lenexa, calling on officials to enact the strongest possible limits on pollution levels of the carbon pollution that disrupts our climate, threatens our communities and that is linked to life-threatening air pollution like the smog that triggers asthma attacks. Traveling hundreds of miles, clean air advocates, including health professionals, community leaders and residents, attended the Environmental Protection Agency's public listening session for its upcoming proposal of carbon pollution protections from coal and gas-fired power plants.
“Hundreds of people like me took time off of work and brought their friends and families to speak out in favor of strong protections against climate pollution today,” said *Larry Lazar, a former climate change denier turned climate action leader from Eureka, Mo., who attended the listening session. *“The things we love most about the Midwest are at risk. It's time to wake up and put these life-saving safeguards in place.”
Coal and gas-fired power plants emit more than 2.3 metric tons per year of carbon pollution, approximately 40% of total U.S. energy-related carbon pollution. Carbon pollution is the main contributor to climate disruption, which costs Americans both economically and environmentally. Last year alone, Americans spent over $140 billion as a result of devastating droughts, raging wildfires, tragic floods, record heat and powerful storms - $1,110 per American.
“If the clean air protections are strong enough, then rich fossil fuel companies will no longer get a free pass to pollute,” said *Glen Hooks, senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign.* “They won't be able to dump unlimited amounts of climate pollution into our air anymore.”
"The need for action by EPA has never been more urgent," said *Andy Knott, campaign representative for the Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign in Missouri.* "From droughts to floods to violent storms here in the Midwest, the evidence of climate disruption and its impacts on people, the economy and public budgets is undeniable. In 2011 and 2012, Missouri ranked 7th in the nation in federal disaster recovery spending at $2.5 billion. Missouri also has a long way to go to reduce its contribution to climate disruption, as 80% of its electricity comes from coal. We call on EPA to adopt strong safeguards that reduce power plant carbon pollution.”
The proposed safeguards would also protect families from dangerous air pollution like toxic mercury and dirty soot.
EPA listening session includes stroller parade of concerned parents Tuesday, November 5, 2013 Contact: Nathan.Landers@sierraclub.org
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 office in San Francisco was full to capacity today as the agency hosted an official listening session to hear from Bay Area residents on a nationwide proposal to limit carbon pollution from power plants. Coal and natural gas power plants are the country's biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions causing storms, droughts and wildfires, and other climate problems that have affected millions of Americans. These plants currently have no legal limit on the amount of carbon pollution they can emit into the air.
The event began with a “stroller parade” of determined moms and dads with kids in tow demanding stronger carbon pollution protections, and it included a press conference with representatives from the Sierra Club, Climate Parents, the California Wind Energy Association, Union of Concerned Scientists, San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and the San Francisco Department of the Environment.
*Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune issued the following statement:*
"The Environmental Protection Agency must propose strong and just standards that can curb this dangerous carbon pollution and put us on a path toward cleaner and more stable sources of energy. We cannot afford weakened or watered-down protections.
"Power plants are responsible for 40 percent of total U.S. energy-related carbon pollution, which fuels the increased frequency of extreme weather. My hometown in New Jersey was caught in the path of superstorm Sandy, and my family is not alone in suffering the pain of an unraveling climate—these storms, wildfires, droughts, and record heat waves are affecting the lives of millions of people across the country. Carbon pollution is also linked to dangerous air pollution like the smog that triggers asthma attacks. The EPA has a moral and legal imperative to limit these unchecked emissions as a threat to public health.
"These new standards should be a call to action for U.S. innovation in clean energy. Solar and wind technology have grown by leaps and bounds in just a few short years, and these clean energy technologies are ready to provide inexpensive power and create jobs across America. We have the potential to build a clean energy economy here at home that will clear our air and water and provide more equitable economic opportunities for thousands of U.S. families."
Background:
The EPA’s listening sessions are the first public effort to get input from key stakeholders across the country, including here in San Francisco. This proposal for cleaning up existing coal and natural gas power plants follows September’s announcement of a carbon pollution standard for new power plants. The San Francisco listening session is one of 11 scheduled nationwide to ensure input from all Americans.
Power plants are responsible for 40 percent of the carbon pollution in the U.S. that causes climate disruption. Coal plants alone are responsible for one-third of U.S. emissions.
------------------------------ *From:* Paul Wilson pjgrunt@gmail.com *To:* Coal Alerts coal-volunteers-list@sierraclub.org *Sent:* Wednesday, November 6, 2013 9:37 AM *Subject:* [Coal Volunteers List] from High Country News; Pro-coal arguments win the day at Denver EPA hearing on CO2 regulations
Got this issue yesterday from the HCN email list. fyi, paul Pro-coal arguments win the day at Denver EPA hearing on CO2 regulations Document Actions
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Emily Guerinhttp://www.hcn.org/@@search?portal_type%3Alist=Blog+Post&Creator=eguerin&sort_on=PublicationDate&sort_order=descending | Nov 04, 2013 11:12 AM http://www.hcn.org/@@search?portal_type%3Alist=Blog+Post&Creator=eguerin&sort_on=PublicationDate&sort_order=descending At 5 a.m. on Oct. 30, coal miners and residents of Moffat County, Colorado, gathered at a McDonald’s in Craighttp://www.craigdailypress.com/news/2013/oct/25/moffat-county-residents-will-head-denver-protest-e/ for a pancake breakfast before boarding buses to Denver chartered by Peabody Coal. They were headed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s listening tour,http://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards/public-listening-sessions in which the agency travels around the country seeking input on its new regulations for existing coal-fired power plants, which it plans to release next June. The EPA already debuted its proposal for new power plantshttp://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards/2013-proposed-carbon-pollution-standard-new-power-plants in September, and has since turned its attention to drafting rules for existing plants, which could have a much more profound effect on the coal industry, and on emissions, given that few new coal plants are being built anymore.http://www.hcn.org/blogs/goat/dispatch-from-a-colorado-coal-confab-where-new-emissions-regs-were-top-of-mind Craig’s economy is highly dependent on coal – there are three near-by mines and a large coal plant – so naturally, people wanted to tell EPA Region Eight Administrator Shaun McGrath, EPA Region Eight Air Program Director Carl Daly and other officials how carbon dioxide regulations would affect them. They were joined in Denver by boilermakers, coal company executives, trade groups and politicians from other coal-dependent areas around the West, many of whom took the EPA to task for scheduling its listening sessions far from areas like Wyoming and West Virginia where coal is mined and burned. [image: EPA co2 hearing map]http://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards/public-listening-sessions Jessica Unruh, a North Dakota state senator who works in the lignite coal industry, told the EPA that its choice of meeting locations “disenfranchises from the process people whose livelihoods will be directly affected.” And House Republicans went so far as to accuse the EPA of selective listening. “EPA conspicuously failed to schedule any listening sessions in states where electricity price increases may be the highest as a result of the agency’s (new regulations),” reads a blog post from the House Energy and Commerce Committee website.http://energycommerce.house.gov/blog/obama-administration-shuns-communities-most-impacted-its-regulations-multi-state-tour#sthash.K6d4QSBQ.dpuf But, as political news website *The Hill*noteshttp://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/327589-gop-epas-regulatory-listening-tour-dodges-coal-powered-states, the tour does include “states that produce large amounts of coal. The tour includes dates in Illinois, Texas and Pennsylvania – which all ranked in the top ten http://www.nma.org/pdf/c_production_state_rank.pdf as recently as 2011, according to National Mining Association figures.” The distance didn’t seem to stop many coal industry employees from making the long trip to Denver last week, with speakers hailing from Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and Minnesota. Over the course of the day-long session, a few themes emerged: *Local economic impacts* A number of retirees from Wyoming and Montana, some of whom had worked in the coal industry, said they were worried about the price of electricity rising if the EPA further regulates coal plants. Regulations “usually cost the consumer in the end,” said Carl Dickerson, a coal miner from Wyoming who said he spoke up at the Denver listening session “for his family.” Many others were concerned about the loss of jobs in coal and related industries if plants shut down rather than install the expensive carbon capture technology that would allow them to continue operating. Some workers worried they wouldn’t be able to transition to jobs in natural gas if coal power is regulated out of existence. “If natural gas replaces coal, we’ll experience tens of thousands of lost jobs in maintenance workers like myself,” said Jason Small, a union boilermaker from East Helena, Mont. (As *HCN* has reported beforehttp://www.hcn.org/issues/44.19/economics-not-environmental-regs-are-battering-coal-power, low natural gas prices are a major contributor to that fuel’s popularity, not just the EPA’s regulation of coal emissions). *Asset stranding* Utility and trade group representatives worried new carbon dioxide regulations would force the closure of plants that had just spent lots of money to comply with previous EPA regulations on mercury, nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide. (For more on asset stranding, read “Will stricter emissions limits mean stranded assets for investors?”http://www.hcn.org/blogs/goat/stranded-assets-and-climate-deniers) Wade Boeshans, who traveled from North Dakota to represent the Lignite Energy Council, told the EPA his members “have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in improved technology that is at risk of being stranded if your regulations are not flexible or appropriate.” And because so many of North Dakota’s power plants are mine-mouth, meaning they are fed by a single coal mine that has no other buyer, a power plant shut down would also strand investments in coal mines. *Singling out coal* A number of speakers who supported carbon dioxide regulations criticized the EPA for targeting coal-fired power plants for their contributions to climate change while giving natural gas a free pass. Kathleen Bailey, who described herself as “a concerned citizen,” asked EPA not to “be a natural gas promoter,” citing the many ways in which natural gas and oil extraction pollutes ground and surface water. “I am very concerned that you will be promoting the conversion from coal plants to natural gas plants rather than helping clean coal,” she said. *“A drop in the bucket”* Many coal supporters worried any reduction in U.S. carbon dioxide emissions will be insignificant because China and other countries will still be burning lots of fossil fuels. But Denver resident Josh Phillips refuted those claims, arguing that “the U.S., and specifically Colorado, has a chance to lead here in reducing carbon emissions.” That pioneering sprit, he said, is what “made our country great.” Listening to their comments, the arguments of the pro-coal types seemed to carry the day. They definitely won the epic travel award, coming in from much further than the majority of the pro-regulation speakers. They also were not just interested citizens; they represented companies, utilities and industry groups. Environmental and renewable energy groups made a somewhat poor showing, leaving self-identified private and concerned citizens from Denver to make their arguments. Or perhaps they’re just waiting for the EPA to visit San Francisco or Seattle next week, when they’re much more likely to be the majority in the room. *Emily Guerin is a correspondent for* High Country News. *She Tweets* *@guerinemily*.
-- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361
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