MVCAC November 2022

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Shared solar launches in Virginia but still faces an uphill battle - Virginia Mercury
by Duane Nichols 30 Nov '22

30 Nov '22

“Shared solar launches in Virginia but still faces an uphill battle” - Ivy Main, Virginia Mercury, November 29, 2022 After years of wrangling, Virginia finally allows certain customers of Dominion Energy Virginia to buy solar energy from independent providers of shared solar, also known as community solar. Don’t applaud yet, though. Dominion has used the rulemaking process and its control over project interconnection to create hurdles for shared solar that lawmakers never anticipated. High minimum bills, prolonged interconnection study requirements and expensive equipment demands are stalling projects and could drive away all but the most tenacious developers. The blow that received the most attention came during the rulemaking process. The State Corporation Commission decided Dominion could impose a minimum bill averaging $55 per month on most customers. The minimum bill is added to the cost of the electricity itself, making shared solar so expensive that the program simply won’t be offered to the general public. However, lawmakers had included a provision exempting low- to moderate-income (LMI) participants from the minimum bill requirement. In effect, then, the SCC’s order turned the shared solar program into a program just for LMI residents. Indeed, the first shared solar project for LMI Virginians launched on Nov. 9 in Dumfries as a partnership between community solar developer Dimension Renewable Energy and low-income housing provider Community Housing Partners. Subscribers are told to expect savings of 10% on their electricity bills. The partners are signing up participants now but have not broken ground on a solar facility to serve them. ..... much more in this article ....... https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/11/29/shared-solar-launches-in-virgini…

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ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROJECT of the Marcellus Region (SW PA, EAST OH, NW WV)
by Duane Nichols 29 Nov '22

29 Nov '22

https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/11/29/public-health-issues-in-the-marcell… Public Health Issues in the Marcellus & Utica Regions of WV & OH & PA Drilling, fracking and flaring have public health impacts ... ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROJECT of the Marcellus Region (SW PA, EAST OH, NW WV) Clean air is necessary for health, but clean air isn’t always a guarantee near shale gas sites. Many residents experience the threat of poor air quality firsthand. They can’t leave windows open for fear that pollution will harm them or their families. Poor air quality is one reason why many families who live near shale gas facilities reach out for help. For more than 10 years, EHP’s public health experts and data scientists have assisted residents and collected exposure data on air quality to pinpoint concerns, recommend steps that can limit exposure to harmful pollution, and provide tools to demand action from elected officials and government agencies. Families shouldn’t have to worry whether they’re breathing polluted air, but your support can give them peace of mind. Donate this Giving Tuesday to help families impacted by pollution get the safe, clean air they deserve.  EHP defends public health in the face of shale gas development. We provide frontline communities with timely monitoring, interpretation, and guidance. We engage diverse stakeholders: health professionals, researchers, community organizers, public servants, and others. Because knowledge protects health. Environmental Health Project, 2001 Waterdam Plaza Drive, Suite 201, McMurray, PA 15317 >>>>>>++++++######=====#####+++++>>>> CLEAN AIR COUNCIL with offices in Pittsburgh & Philadelphia Clean Air Council and its supporters have worked for years to urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce air pollution from new and existing oil and gas facilities. The gas industry emits large quantities of climate-changing methane as well as smog-causing and health-harming volatile organic compounds (VOC), including known carcinogens like benzene. Earlier this month, the EPA proposed pollution standards for gas wells and compressor stations that will better protect public health and help address the climate crisis by reducing 36 million tons of methane, 9.7 millions tons of VOCs, and 390,000 tons of air toxics from 2023 to 2035. This rule requires air pollution inspections at all oil and gas extraction facilities regardless of size and includes significant updates to required pollution control technologies. While the US EPA has taken great steps to reduce air pollution from the gas industry, we need them to improve this rule by eliminating the unnecessary flaring of fracked gas. Comments will be accepted until February 13th and there will be two virtual public hearings January 10th and 11th. Click here to urge EPA to adopt stronger pollution standards. PHILADELPHIA OFFICE, 135 S. 19TH STREET, SUITE 300, PHILADELPHIA, PA, 19103 PITTSBURGH OFFICE, 200 FIRST AVE, SUITE 101, PITTSBURGH, PA 15222 >>>>>>++++++######=====#####+++++>>>> FRACKING COMPENDIUM ~ 8th Edition Now Available, April 28, 2022 “Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking and Associated Gas and Oil Infrastructure,” 8th Edition, April 28, 2022 The Eighth Edition of the Fracking Compendium ~~~~ Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) is proud to co-release the eighth edition of the fracking “Compendium,” a collection of some 2,000 abstracts of and links to medical, scientific and investigative reports about the consequences of oil and gas drilling, fracking, and infrastructure. This unique resource presents evidence that fracking-related activities harm public health, the environment, and the climate; links provide easy access to the source material. The 2022 edition includes reports on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which the U.S. proposes to export in massive quantities to Western Europe, thus prolonging dependence on this potent climate-damaging fossil fuel. PSR co-produces the Compendium with Concerned Health Professionals of New York. Read the press release here.

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Pennsylvania boosts carbon capture research with investment in state geological survey | StateImpact Pennsylvania
by Duane Nichols 24 Nov '22

24 Nov '22

https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2022/11/22/pennsylvania-boosts-car… Pennsylvania boosts carbon capture research with investment in state geological survey Rachel McDevit, State Impact Penna., November 22, 2022 Core samples at the Pennsylvania Geological Survey. Pennsylvania is trying to position itself as a potential hub for carbon capture and storage, a technology that has been billed as a way to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use. The Pennsylvania Geological Survey got $6 million in this year’s budget for a new building to house its growing library of core samples. The samples are big cylinders of rock taken from deep underground, usually by fossil fuel companies looking for the best place to drill or mine. Right now, boxes of core samples from the last century are stacked floor to ceiling in the basement of the Survey’s headquarters in Middletown. Boxes of core samples in storage at the Pennsylvania Geological Survey. State Geologist Gale Blackmer said the new building will give greater access to people who want to study the cores. “The conditions for viewing and maybe doing some on-the-spot analyzing is not really ideal here,” Blackmer said. The site of the new building hasn’t been chosen. The core samples have a lot of value for researchers now looking for the best places to inject carbon dioxide, so it can’t reach the atmosphere. But carbon capture technology has so far been very expensive, and untested at the scale needed to avoid dangerous warming. Geologists estimate rock formations in western and northern Pennsylvania could store billions of metric tons of CO2. But Assistant State Geologist Kris Carter said there will be limitations, such as cost and access. “Not every place that may have storage or prospective storage beneath it is necessarily going to be used for that because there might be competing uses or land use management constraints above ground,” she said. Carter said companies will also need to consider pressure constraints in the rock and whether any old gas wells in the area could compromise storage. Marcellus Shale core samples from Greene County at the Pennsylvania Geological Survey. Gov. Tom Wolf recently approved $1 billion in new tax credits meant to make the state more attractive to companies making “clean hydrogen.” Hydrogen has been touted as a fuel that could help clean up emissions from hard-to-decarbonize sectors like airlines. When burned, hydrogen’s only byproduct is water. But how clean hydrogen is depends on how it’s made. It’s considered “green” if it’s made using renewable energy. Companies planning to make hydrogen from natural gas would need to find a way to capture and store the resulting carbon dioxide for the hydrogen to be considered clean.

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USFS: Mountain Valley Pipeline Notice of Intent Pre-notification
by Duane Nichols 16 Nov '22

16 Nov '22

Subject: USFS: Mountain Valley Pipeline Notice of Intent Pre-notification > ---------- Forwarded message --------- > From: Timm, Joby -FS <joby.timm(a)usda.gov> > Date: Wed, Nov 16, 2022 at 12:24 PM > Subject: Mountain Valley Pipeline Notice of Intent Pre-notification > > Good Afternoon, > > I am reaching out to key partners of the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests to advise you of the next steps in the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project. > > The MVP project crosses 3.5 miles of the Jefferson National Forest in Giles and Montgomery Counties, Virginia, and Monroe County, West Virginia.  Results of litigation in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 2018 and 2022 vacated previous Forest Service decisions related to the project.  > > This summer, MVP submitted a right-of-way application and Plan of Development to the Bureau of Land Management, the federal agency responsible for permitting the pipeline right-of-way.  The BLM forwarded these to the Forest Service for processing. > > As we work to address specific concerns identified by the Court, the Forest Service will prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS). This process begins with an announcement in the Federal Register known as the “Notice of Intent,” which we anticipate being published tomorrow. > > We anticipate the SEIS process will take about a year to complete.  The Draft SEIS, too, will be announced in the Federal Register, and the public will have the opportunity to comment. > > For more information on this project, please visit the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests website. > > If you receive inquiries about this effort, please forward them to SM.FS.GWJNF-PA(a)usda.gov or request the inquirer leave a message at 1-888-603-0261. > > Thank you. -JOB > > > > > > Joby P. Timm > Forest Supervisor > > Forest Service > > George Washington and Jefferson National Forest > > p: 540-265-5118 > > c: 540-339-2523 > f: 540-265-5110 > joby.timm(a)usda.gov > > Supervisors Office > > 5162 Valleypointe Parkway > Roanoke, VA 24019 > > www.fs.fed.us > > > Caring for the land and serving people > >

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LWV PA ... Nov. 16, 2022
by Duane Nichols 16 Nov '22

16 Nov '22

Program agenda by day: https://bit.ly/shalehealth2022agenda Presenter bios: https://bit.ly/shalehealth2022bios Evaluation survey (after your final session): https://www.shalepalwv.org/conference-evaluation-form/ Link to latest Resource Guide - PDF and ordering info: https://www.shalepalwv.org/2021-shale-public-health-conference/ Conference Zoom link for both days https://tinyurl.com/shalehealth2022 Dan Bain co-author/edited a book on the “Environmental Impacts from the Development of Unconventional Oil and Gas Reserves”. It has chapters on global reserves, fracking in Appalachia, governance, air, water, radioactivity, seismic, isotopes, microbiology, and case studies. Here’s the link www.cambridge.org/9781108489195 Use the checkout code EIDUOGR22 for a 20% discount. Here is a link to the Body Burden story by Kristina Marusic: https://www.ehn.org/fractured-series-on-fracking-pollution-2650624600.html Bob says ~ https://bobscaping.com/2022/10/31/pa-study-microplastics-in-100-of-exceptio… https://bobscaping.com/2022/11/07/landmark-lawsuit-latkanich-v-chevron-eqt-… https://bobscaping.com/2022/09/06/childhood-cancer-study-near-fracking-in-s…

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MVCAC November 2022