Conference Call tonight (Wednesday, June 22) at 6:30 PM.
Dial 866-501-6174.
Conference Code 1005700#
Agenda:
1) New Energy Committee members. (Jim Kotcon, Jim Sconyers?)
2) Wind Farms. Several new proposals are before the PSC. I have asked Frank Young to monitor these, but it needs 1-2 more people.
3) Coal-To-Liquids (TransGas Development, LLC in Mingo County). The Club's Environmental Law Program in San Francisco is monitoring this one closely, and will likely want us to intervene. Bill Price has contacts with citizens in Mingo County, but we need 1-2 more volunteers.
4) Carbon Capture and Sequestration (Mason County) Also a CCS Working Group at WV-DEP is preparing rules for CCS facilities, so we should be monitoring both.
5) Fly Ash impoundments. Jim Sconyers and I drafted comments on the Kammer facility, and new federal and state rules are needed.
6) PATH. This is our big one. Bill DePaulo, Jim Kotcon, and at least 2-3 others are needed. I suggest we do one subcommittee on "local organizing", one on "fund raising", and one on "technical experts/legal strategy". Barbara Fallon is doing fundraising on this, and 1-2 more people are needed to make stuff happen on that.
7) Cap and Trade. This federal legislation is the main driver for everything we do, and so far, that anti-cap and trade folks have had all the demonstrations and media attention. We need 2-3 people who will follow up on the bill, lobby Rockefeller and Byrd, and organize local media events in support of whatever we are in support of. The Sierra Club's position is that we support Cap and Trade, but the House bill needs major strengthening. (Note: WVEC has taken the position that the House bill is hopelessly weak and complex, and they support a carbon tax as a quicker, simpler alternative. I don't see it happening, unless the Waxman bill dies.) I got a call from Associated Press Friday, asking for a response from someone in favor of it, because no one except the opponents is saying anything. We are almost invisible in West Virginia.
8) Longview Mitigation Fund. Bill Depaulo, Jim Sconyers and Jim Kotcon. This will take some effort this summer and fall, but it looks like it is a "Go".
9) Landfill gas. Methane recovery facility at the Greenbrier Landfill. Kevin Fooce?
10) Mountaintop removal. Jim Sconyers
I have promised that this call will not go beyond 8 PM, so it will be important that we move expeditiously. My primary goal is to assign tasks and get subcommittees started on these issues. So this is not the time for long-winded brainstorming on issues, and if I get too long-winded, someone cut me off. The average time per issue must not exceed 7.5 minutes.
JBK