MVCAC September 2020

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Climate change guide released by coalition of WV environment, social justice groups | Energy and Environment | wvgazettemail.com
by Duane Nichols 22 Sep '20

22 Sep '20

Climate change guide released by coalition of WV environment, social justice groups Article from Staff Reports, Charleston Gazette Mail, September 22, 2020 A Citizens Guide to Climate Change, a 16-page report on the impending climate crisis and summaries of potential solutions proposed to counter it, has been released by the newly formed West Virginia Climate Alliance. "This guide is the beginning of a dialog with West Virginians," said Charleston's Perry Bryant, a member of the Alliance. "Regardless of who wins the election this November, climate change legislation is likely to be considered in 2021. West Virginians need to understand the range of options for addressing climate change and how these options will affect our state and its people." Strategies under consideration for mitigating the effects of climate change are covered in the guide, including carbon fees and taxes, cap-and-trade pricing for carbon, fuel economy standards and tax incentives for low-carbon technologies. Key components of the Green New Deal are also discussed. According to the guide's introduction, information used in its compilation is "scientifically valid," and relies heavily on research from government agencies. The guide was produced for "people who are concerned about climate change and want more information." "We're noticing more West Virginians seeking to have a better understanding of climate change," said Angie Rosser, director of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, one of the groups that make up the West Virginia Climate Alliance. "It's a complex issue with many implications for our state, and this guide is a starting point for people to become more informed." In West Virginia, climate change may have played a role in deadly flooding in June 2016, caused by a downpour severe enough to be expected only once in 1,000 years, according to the guide, citing a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report. Some of the hottest temperatures on record for September and October were recorded last year during those months, according to the guide. While West Virginia is located in the heart of coal country, "we believe people can help fight climate change and at the same time, treat coal miners with dignity and respect," Bryant said. The West Virginia Climate Alliance includes the American Friends Service Committee, Center for Energy and Sustainable Development, Citizens Climate Lobby West Virginia, League of Women Voters of West Virginia, Christians for the Mountains, Moms Clean Air Force-West Virginia, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Sierra Club of West Virginia, West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, West Virginia Citizen Action Education Fund, West Virginia Interfaith Power and Light and the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. To view A Citizen’s Guide to Climate Change, go to wvrivers.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/wvclimate.pdf. For a printed copy of the guide, or to comment on its content, contact Bryant at perrybryantwv(a)outlook.com. SOURCE: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/energy_and_environment/climate-change-gu…

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Global Climate Strike on Friday, September 25
by Duane Nichols 21 Sep '20

21 Sep '20

Greta Thunberg ·September 20, 2020 This is me at the age of 2. The picture was taken 2005 in France. Since then about one third of ALL the world’s fossil fuel CO2 emissions have occurred. Over half of our CO2 emissions have taken place since 1990. That sort of gives you an idea of how fast we’re racing in the wrong direction. Our annual emissions are now so high that every single year of Business As Usual will impact future living conditions for countless generations. Join us this Friday, September 25th for the global climate strike. #FridaysForFuture #facetheclimateemergency Sent from my iPad, DGN

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What Climate Change Does to the Human Body - Scientific American
by Duane Nichols 15 Sep '20

15 Sep '20

What Climate Change Does to the Human Body An ENT physician sees the effects in her patients all the time By Neelu Tummala, Scientific American, August 29, 2020 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-climate-change-does-to-the-…

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'A Matter of Life and Death': After 175 Years, Scientific American Backs Biden With Magazine's First-Ever Endorsement | Common Dreams News
by Duane Nichols 15 Sep '20

15 Sep '20

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/15/matter-life-and-death-after-17… 'A Matter of Life and Death': After 175 Years, Scientific American Backs Biden With Magazine's First-Ever Endorsement The editors blast Trump's rejection of "evidence and science," especially "his dishonest and inept response to the Covid-19 pandemic." By Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams News, September 15, 2020 With unprecedented wildfires burning across western states, the Gulf Coast bracing for a hurricane, and the coronavirus pandemic still raging, Scientific American on Tuesday gave Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden its first-ever endorsement in the magazine's 175-year history. "The 2020 election is literally a matter of life and death. We urge you to vote for health, science, and Joe Biden for president." —Scientific American Although SciAm had refrained from supporting any political candidates up until now, "this year we are compelled to do so," the editors explain in an endorsement published online. "We do not do this lightly." "The evidence and the science show that Donald Trump has badly damaged the U.S. and its people—because he rejects evidence and science," the editors charge, calling "his dishonest and inept response to the Covid-19 pandemic" just the "most devastating example." SciAm's editors note that in addition to his "catastrophic" handling of the ongoing public health crisis, Trump "has also attacked environmental protections, medical care, and the researchers and public science agencies that help this country prepare for its greatest challenges." "That is why we urge you to vote for Joe Biden, who is offering fact-based plans to protect our health, our economy and the environment," they write. "These and other proposals he has put forth can set the country back on course for a safer, more prosperous, and more equitable future." The magazine endorsement details how Trump's mismanagement and dishonesty regarding the pandemic, the Affordable Care Act, and climate change contrast with Biden, who "comes prepared with plans to control Covid-19, improve healthcare, reduce carbon emissions, and restore the role of legitimate science in policy making." The former vice president "solicits expertise and has turned that knowledge into solid policy proposals," the editors point out. Biden is getting advice on these public health issues from a group that includes David Kessler, epidemiologist, pediatrician, and former U.S. Food and Drug Administration chief; Rebecca Katz, immunologist and global health security specialist at Georgetown University; and Ezekiel Emanuel, bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania. It does not include physicians who believe in aliens and debunked virus therapies, one of whom Trump has called "very respected" and "spectacular." SciAm's editors also highlighted a $2 trillion proposal that Biden put forward in July that won praise from environmental and climate campaigners. As Common Dreams reported at the time, some progressive activists who had been critical of the candidate welcomed the plan as a major step forward while still emphasizing that Biden has more work to do and grassroots movements will keep pressuring him to deliver. That message was clear Monday in another endorsement of Biden. The Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, in its endorsement announcement, compared the Democrat's potential with Trump's record of rolling back dozens of environmental and public health protections to appease corporate polluters. "Joe Biden must defeat Donald Trump in November or this planet and our democracy will suffer catastrophic and irreversible damage." —Kierán Suckling, president of the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund "We cannot equivocate in this election. Joe Biden must defeat Donald Trump in November or this planet and our democracy will suffer catastrophic and irreversible damage," said Kierán Suckling, president of the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund. "Donald Trump has been the most anti-environmental president in modern history." The current president "has put children in cages, elevated white supremacy, denigrated women, mocked the suffering of countless people, and divided our nation through the politics of hatred, fear, and ignorance," Suckling said. "Joe Biden can restore decency and give us a fighting chance to stop the environmental calamities we now face." "The nightmare of the Trump presidency must come to an end in November," he added. "After the election we'll push President Biden tirelessly to stop the wildlife extinction crisis, tackle the global climate emergency and protect people from polluters. First, though, we have to get Trump out of office. The future of our planet is at stake." The group's endorsement came as Trump visited fire-ravaged California and publicly denied climate science—telling one state official, "It'll start getting cooler, you just watch"—while Biden delivered a climate-focused speech in Delaware that was applauded by the youth-led Sunrise Movement and other advocacy groups. While Trump in recent weeks has come under fire for his silence and then lies about the current conditions on the West Coast, Biden has faced mounting pressure to prioritize the climate crisis—and especially how his proposed policies stack up against the Trump administration's anti-science agenda—on the campaign trail. "Here's the deal: hurricanes don't swerve to avoid Red States or Blue States. Wildfires don't skip towns that voted a certain way," Biden said in his Monday speech, which also touched on the pandemic. "The impacts of climate change don't pick and choose. That's because it's not a partisan phenomenon, it's science, and our response should be the same. Grounded in science." "We need a president who respects science, who understands that the damage from climate change is already here. And unless we take urgent action, it will soon be more catastrophic," he added. "A president who recognizes, understands, and cares that Americans are dying, which makes President Trump's climate denialism, his disdain for science and facts, all the more unconscionable."

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Ohio Valley ReSource Newsletter 9/14
by Duane Nichols 15 Sep '20

15 Sep '20

From: Ohio Valley ReSource > Date: September 15, 2020 > Subject: Ohio Valley ReSource Newsletter 9/14 > > > > View this email in your browser > > The conversation around coal mining typically centers on the impact the practice has on the environment. This week, we'll be highlighting the stories of those closest to the controversial topic, the miners. Join us as we revisit those stories. > > > Managing Editor Jeff Young at Ohio Valley Resource is reporting on the black lung epidemic and the fallout it's had on coal miners, their families, and the industry itself. The ReSource Team has recently shared the culmination of their reporting on the topic in the new book, "Appalachian Fall". > > > Remembering Charles Wayne Stanley > The first voice in the ReSource book, "Appalachian Fall," is Virginia coal miner Charles Wayne Stanley, who asked that miners get the respect they deserve. Read more... > > > Canary in the Coal Mine > In 2018, a report from the National Academy of Sciences, linked silica and quartz dust from extracting coal to the deadly disease surging among coal miners. Read more... > > > As the Dust Settles > Miners who are fighting for their lives against progressive massive fibrosis (black lung), are also fighting new state laws blocking them from receiving benefits. Read more.. > > > > > > To learn more about the black lung epidemic from the OVR team, click here. > Ohio Valley ReSource is a regional journalism collaborative with public media partners in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. We’re supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and people like you! Please consider a donation to make work like this possible. > > > > > Our mailing address is: > Ohio Valley Resource > Louisville Public Media > 619 S 4th St > Louisville, KY 40202 > >

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Allegheny County Board of Health Greenlights $340K Air Toxics Study, Additional H2S Monitoring | Group Against Smog and Pollution, 9/3/20
by Duane Nichols 03 Sep '20

03 Sep '20

Allegheny County Board of Health Greenlights $340K Air Toxics Study, Additional H2S Monitoring From the Group Against Smog and Pollution, September 3, 2020 The Allegheny County Board of Health on Wednesday approved several Clean Air Fund requests, including a $340,544 proposal for a comprehensive air toxics study in the Mon Valley that would assess health risks to the community. The request from the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) would include both passive and active air quality monitoring, as well as the addition of 10 portable hydrogen sulfide (H2S) monitors. Officials have said the mobile H2S monitors will allow the department to position them throughout the county as needed – allowing them to more effectively investigate odor complaints from community members. “This is a long time coming,” ACHD Deputy of Environmental Health Jim Kelly told the board. “It’s been number one on my wishlist for a long time.” Specifically, funding will cover the cost of analyzing airborne toxic metals in the form of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and several other pollutants of concern. The department said it plans to model its VOC monitoring around US Steel’s Clairton Coke and Edgar Thomson facilities after a program initiated in 2019 by the state Department of Environmental Protection to analyze benzene emissions from the now-defunct Erie Coke Corp. – something GASP this year petitioned officials to consider. GASP has long called on ACHD to conduct additional monitoring in the communities lying in the shadow of U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works facilities and applauds the approval of the study. “This is exactly the type of in-depth air toxics monitoring study we’ve been imploring the health department to undertake,” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini said. “We hope the investment in the mobile H2S monitors foreshadows a new era for ACHD – one where it prioritizes more robust, responsive monitoring and enforcement throughout the county.” She then called on ACHD to also make transparency a priority. “We hope the health department will work to ensure that the information garnered through this study is accessible to the public in a form that’s easy to digest,” Filippini said. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SOURCE: https://gasp-pgh.org/2020/09/03/allegheny-county-board-of-health-greenlight…

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Monongalia County Commission Sept. 2, 2020 - YouTube
by Duane Nichols 02 Sep '20

02 Sep '20

September 2nd Regular Meeting of Mon County Commission .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5Mf_n5O63M Three minute presentation by Duane Nichols starts at 3:00 minute mark. REFERENCE — Continuing Public Health, Safety, and Environmental Threats from the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Pipe Coating, William Limpert, June 29, 2020 https://www.ncwarn.org/wp-content/uploads/Limpert-ACP-pipe-coating-6-29-20.…

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MVCAC September 2020