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It's Raining 'Forever Chemicals' Around the Great Lakes, Scientists Find - EcoWatch
by DUANE NICHOLS 13 Jun '21

13 Jun '21

To: Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition, PFAS pollution proliferates, 6/11/21 https://www.ecowatch.com/forever-chemicals-rain-great-lakes-2653326949.html It's Raining 'Forever Chemicals' Around the Great Lakes, Scientists Find Audrey NakagawaJun. 11, 2021 11:15AM ESTHEALTH + WELLNESS Eric Hansen / 500px / Getty Images In the Great Lakes region, it is quite literally raining toxic chemicals. "You can actually say it's raining PFAS at this point," said Marta Venier, an environmental chemist at Indiana University, according to Grist. A team of American and Canadian scientists found high levels of PFAS chemicals, also known as "forever chemicals," after studying the rainfall in six different sites across the Great Lakes region. The scientists collected samples of ambient air and rainwater from Cleveland, OH, Chicago, IL, Sturgeon Point, NY, Ontario, Canada, Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI, and Eagle Harbor in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, according to Cleveland.com. PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They were first used in the U.S. in the 1940s. The chemicals don't break down and can accumulate as time goes on — making exposure to them harmful to humans, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). At each testing site, there were more PFAS in the samples than other pollutants like polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This finding shows that PFAS are a major contaminant in the region and they're in snow and rain. The samples of rainwater contained PFAS levels of 100 to 400 parts per trillion (ppt). To put these statistics into perspective, the EPA's safe limit for drinking water is 70 ppt. In Cleveland, Ohio, two weeks of rainwater collected contained around 1,000 ppt of PFAS compounds, according to MLive. According to a peer review study conducted by scientists from the Environmental Working Group, PFAS contamination may be in drinking water that supplies 200 million Americans. The study also found that there are 2,337 locations in 49 states that have PFAS contamination. This new research in the Great Lakes area was conducted by the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network, a program funded by the EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office, and is managed by Indiana University, according to Cleveland.com. PFAS are synonymous with certain man-made substances like fast food containers, microwave popcorn bags, non-stick cookware, cleaning products, and other grease-resistant products. Firefighting foam is another large source of PFAS. "All of these products that we use in our everyday life are treated with PFAS," Venier said in a report to Grist. "So every time we use them, there is either dust or air where these chemicals are released." The researchers will continue to analyze PFAS in rainwater in hopes of tracing them back to specific polluters, and they plan to also study the seasonal trends of PFAS concentration.

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Carbon dioxide peaks near 420 parts per million at Mauna Loa observatory - Welcome to NOAA Research
by DUANE NICHOLS 08 Jun '21

08 Jun '21

https://research.noaa.gov/article/ArtMID/587/ArticleID/2764/Coronavirus-res… Carbon dioxide peaks near 420 parts per million at Mauna Loa observatory Theo Stein Monday, June 7, 2021 Atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory peaked for 2021 in May at a monthly average of 419 parts per million (ppm), the highest level since accurate measurements began 63 years ago, scientists from NOAA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego announced today. Scripps’ scientist Charles David Keeling initiated on-site measurements of carbon dioxide, or CO2, at NOAA’s weather station on Mauna Loa in 1958. NOAA began measurements in 1974, and the two research institutions have made complementary, independent observations ever since. This graph depicts the upward trajectory of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as measured at the Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory by NOAA and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The annual fluctuation is known as the Keeling Curve. Credit: NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory In May, NOAA's measurements at the mountaintop observatory averaged 419.13 ppm. Scientists at Scripps calculated a monthly average of 418.92 ppm. The average in May 2020 was 417 ppm. Pieter Tans, a senior scientist with NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory, noted that CO2 is by far the most abundant human-caused greenhouse gas, and persists in the atmosphere and oceans for thousands of years after it is emitted. “We are adding roughly 40 billion metric tons of CO2 pollution to the atmosphere per year,” said Tans. “That is a mountain of carbon that we dig up out of the Earth, burn, and release into the atmosphere as CO2 - year after year. If we want to avoid catastrophic climate change, the highest priority must be to reduce CO2 pollution to zero at the earliest possible date.” CO2 pollution is generated by emissions from carbon-based fossil fuels used for transportation and electrical generation, by cement manufacturing, deforestation, agriculture, and many other practices. Along with other greenhouse gases, CO2 traps outgoing heat from the planet’s surface that would otherwise escape into space, causing the planet’s atmosphere to warm steadily. While the year-to-year increase of 1.8 ppm in the May CO2 peak was slightly less than previous years, CO2 measurements at Mauna Loa for the first five months of 2021 showed a 2.3 ppm increase over the same five months of 2020, close to the average annual increase from 2010 to 2019. There was no discernible signal in the data from the global economic disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. What is the Keeling Curve? A plaque honoring Charles David Keeling, a Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientist, adorns the wall of NOAA's Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory. Keeling discovered the seasonal fluctuation of carbon dioxide in the global atmosphere after initiating measurements there in 1958. Credit: Susan Cobb, NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory The highest monthly mean CO2 value of the year occurs in May, just before plants in the northern hemisphere start to remove large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere during the growing season. In the northern fall, winter, and early spring, plants and soils give off CO2, causing levels to rise through May. Charles David Keeling was the first to observe this seasonal rise and subsequent fall in CO2 levels every year, a dynamic which is now known as the Keeling Curve. Keeling was also the first to recognize that despite the seasonal fluctuation, CO2 levels were rising every year. In fact, every single year since the start of the measurements CO2 was higher than the preceding year. Keeling’s son, geochemist Ralph Keeling, runs the Scripps program at Mauna Loa. "The ultimate control knob on atmospheric CO2 is fossil-fuel emissions,” said Ralph Keeling. “But we still have a long way to go to halt the rise, as each year more CO2 piles up in the atmosphere. We ultimately need cuts that are much larger and sustained longer than the COVID-related shutdowns of 2020." Mauna Loa measurements take the pulse of Earth’s atmosphere Perched on a barren volcano in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the Mauna Loa observatory is a benchmark sampling location for CO2. It’s ideally situated for sampling well-mixed air- undisturbed by the influence of local pollution sources or vegetation, producing measurements that represent the average state of the atmosphere in the northern hemisphere. The Mauna Loa data, together with measurements from sampling stations around the world, are incorporated into NOAA’s Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, a foundational research dataset for international climate scientists and a benchmark for policymakers attempting to head off the impacts of climate change. The atmospheric burden of CO2 is now comparable to where it was during the Pliocene Climatic Optimum, between 4.1 and 4.5 million years ago, when CO2 was close to, or above 400 ppm. During that time, sea level was about 78 feet higher than today, the average temperature was 7 degrees Fahrenheit higher than in pre-industrial times, and studies indicate large forests occupied areas of the Arctic that are now tundra. In February, the United States officially rejoined the Paris Agreement on climate change, an international treaty signed by 196 countries that have committed to limiting global warming and avoiding its potentially destabilizing impacts. Yet, as the measurements from Mauna Loa show, despite decades of negotiation, the global community has been unable to meaningfully slow, let alone reverse, annual increases in atmospheric CO2 levels. “The solution is right before our eyes,”said Tans. “Solar energy and wind are already cheaper than fossil fuels and they work at the scales that are required. If we take real action soon, we might still be able to avoid catastrophic climate change.” For more information, contact Theo Stein, NOAA Communications, at theo.stein(a)noaa.gov.

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U.S. Steel abandons clean tech plans in Pittsburgh region following damning health study - EHN
by DUANE NICHOLS 07 May '21

07 May '21

https://www.ehn.org/us-steel-pittsburgh-pollution-asthma-2652882219.html U.S. Steel abandons clean tech plans in Pittsburgh region following damning health study From an Article by Kristina Marusic, Environmental Health News, May 7, 2021 The company scraps planned Pennsylvania investments and will instead shut down three polluting batteries in 2023. The announcement comes a week after a study shows lower lung function in people living near its Pittsburgh-region facility. PITTSBURGH—A recent study found that people with asthma who live near a U.S. Steel facility experienced worsened symptoms following a 2018 fire that damaged pollution controls—and that even prior to the fire, a trend of lower lung function was observed in people living close to the plant. About a week after that study came out, U.S. Steel announced it would renege on its promise to invest $1.5 billion in equipment upgrades that would have substantially lowered harmful emissions at its Pittsburgh-area plants while providing the region with up to 1,000 additional union jobs. The project was announced to much fanfare in 2019, but in the fall of 2020 during a quarterly earnings call, U.S. Steel's CEO David Burritt said of the funds promised for the project, "The key word in all of this is really the optionality. We can decide to put it in Mon Valley. We can decide to put it somewhere else." U.S. Steel exercised that "optionality" to purchase a non-union steel making facility in Arkansas that already has better pollution controls in place. It has also promised to eventually shut down some of the most polluting portions of its Pittsburgh operations, which would result in lower emissions. A U.S. Steel spokesperson said reduced operations will take place over the next couple years to avoid job loss.* "We have invested approximately $400 million since 2018 to secure our future in the Steel City. As we set new horizons for our future, we remain honored that Pittsburgh is our home," a U.S Steel spokesperson wrote in a statement to EHN. "U. S. Steel began its journey making steel in Pittsburgh, and today we optimistically continue this journey with a bright vision for the next generation of sustainable steelmaking." Health advocates, however, say the new study and this shift in plans epitomize the company's history in the region, revealing an ongoing pattern of sickened residents, ongoing pollution, and broken promises. "U.S. Steel had the capital to do these projects and they chose to invest the money elsewhere despite making a promise to people in this region," Matt Mehalik, executive director of the Breathe Project, a coalition of more than 40 environmental advocacy groups in the region, told EHN. "They have a long history of making similar big promises to our communities and then not following through with them." Residents at risk and in the dark Christine Panaiia and her family. "It's mind blowing to me that a company of that size would choose not to care for the people in the immediate community living around its facilities." (Credit: Christine Panaiia) U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works plant, about 20 miles south of Pittsburgh, converts coal into coke (a key ingredient in steelmaking) by heating it to extremely high temperatures in large ovens called batteries. It's the largest such facility in the U.S. The company is frequently fined—and sued—for illegally high emissions from the site, which contain chemicals including formaldehyde, cadmium, arsenic, and sulfur dioxide, which often makes the region stink of rotten eggs. Exposure to coke oven emissions is linked to cancer, COPD, heart disease, and asthma. In lieu of the promised equipment upgrades, U.S. Steel announced that in 2023 it will shut down the three oldest, most polluting coke batteries at the Clairton Coke Works, stating in its "open letter to our Pittsburgh family" that the decision is aimed at reducing the company's carbon footprint. The shift will reduce coke production at the facility by about 17 percent, which will also lead to a reduction in emissions (though the extent of that reduction has not yet been quantified). "I'd look forward to the reduction in air pollution, but 2023 is another couple years down the road where they're continuing to allow toxics to enter into the environment and harm the people who live here," Christine Panaiia, who lives in Jefferson Hills, about four miles from the Clairton Coke Works, told EHN. Panaiia, a mother of two teenage girls who worked as a project manager for BNY Mellon for 22 years until COVID-19 hit, developed asthma as an adult—soon after moving to Jefferson Hills about 10 years ago. She signed up for an asthma registry through the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's asthma clinic. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health used data from that registry for their recent study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, which determined that asthma patients living within 10 miles of Clairton Coke Works had an 80 percent increased risk of worsened symptoms following a fire on Christmas Eve in 2018 that damaged pollution controls and lead to illegally high levels of emissions for weeks afterwards. On Christmas Day, 2018, Panaiia was preparing to host 10 members of her extended family for Christmas dinner when she started feeling sick. "I was trying to get myself ready, get the house organized, and get the food ready, but as the day wore on I was having more and more difficulty breathing," she said. "I felt sluggish and winded and I had to turn to my rescue inhaler. I couldn't understand it—usually with my asthma it's more of a gradual buildup." She pushed through her discomfort to host her family for the holiday and waited until the next day to call her doctor, who prescribed her a round of steroids to get her asthma under control. It wasn't until several weeks later, when someone from the asthma registry contacted her about it, that she found out about the fire and the increased pollution. "I was extremely disappointed that I hadn't known about it sooner," Panaiia said. "I have friends in the area who are also asthma sufferers…I heard lots of similar stories from people who have asthma or have kids with asthma who were having trouble breathing right after the fire and had no idea why." Panaiia and her friends weren't alone. Of the people surveyed by University of Pittsburgh researchers, only 44 percent had heard about the fire. Smokestacks of US Steel's Clairton Coke Works are visible behind a row of homes in Clairton, PA, in 2018. (Credit: Connor Mulvaney for Environmental Health News) "Keep in mind that these were all people who were already part of the registry, so they likely have a heightened awareness about their disease and its triggers," Dr. Sally Wenzel, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Asthma and Environmental Lung Health Institute and co-author of the study, told EHN. "I'd guess if you just talked to people on the street, even fewer people in those communities would have been aware that there was a fire and that there was heightened air pollution that could be harmful to their health." Panaiia said she was frustrated by the news that U.S. Steel had canceled its plans to invest in better equipment at its Pittsburgh facilities. "It's mind blowing to me that a company of that size would choose not to care for the people in the immediate community living around its facilities," she said. "Assuming they've been following the study the Asthma Institute released, you'd think they'd want to do right by folks who lived and worked at that facility." The study conducted by Wenzel and her colleagues also found that prior to the fire, asthma patients who live closer to Clairton Coke Works generally had lower lung function than those who live further away. "If we looked at that group that lived within the 10 mile circle of the plant and those outside, we saw there was a significant decrease in their baseline lung function," James Fabisiak, another co-author of the study and director of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Healthy Environments and Communities, told EHN. He noted that their sample size for this part of the research was small so further research is needed but added, "This implies that asthma severity may be worse for people who live in that particular area." This is not the first study linking Clairton Coke Works to increased or worsened asthma. In a 2018 study of 1,200 school children, researchers found the asthma rate for kids in Clairton was 18 percent. The national average is 8 percent. Emissions from U.S. Steel's facilities also contribute to the region's higher than average cancer rates. Several of the communities surrounding the Clairton Coke Works plant are considered environmental justice areas, which the state of Pennsylvania defines as census tracts where at least 20 percent of people live in poverty and/or at least 30 percent are people of color. Environmental and racial equity advocates in the region have cited the high levels of pollution experienced by these communities as an example of environmental injustice. Wenzel noted that their study doesn't include many of the residents in the region who are most at-risk. "We noticed that in general people who came into the clinic to be seen were more advantaged from a socioeconomic standpoint than people who just filled out the survey," she said. "I think we need to remember that the most vulnerable people out there probably don't have time to come into the ivory tower to get their lung function tested or enroll in health registries, and we know that the most vulnerable people in these communities have worse health outcomes and higher mortality rates." A history of broken promises U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works. (Credit: Mark Dixon/flickr) About a week before announcing that it would nix plans to upgrade its Pittsburgh facilities, U.S. Steel announced plans to pursue a goal of carbon neutrality by the year 2050 and a 25 percent reduction of its carbon footprint by the year 2030. The Breathe Project said the plan is lacking, citing the fact that the announced plans don't follow Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting standards, the lack of involvement from community stakeholders in the decision-making process, the company's ongoing air quality violations, and U.S. Steel's recent opposition to proposed tightening of coke oven emission regulations during a public comment period. They also pointed out that the industry has a long history of breaking its environmental promises. Since as early as 1965, the company has violated clean air laws while continuously promising that it was on the verge of cleaning up its act. In 1975, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified the steel industry as the top industry that was failing to comply with the recently-passed Federal Clean Air Act, specifically citing U.S. Steel as a "problem polluter." A New York Times story from 1975 details the company's battles with federal, state, and county governments over pollution from the Clairton Coke Works—and many of the same pollution issues identified in that article persist today. "They always identify an excuse. It might be a market downturn. This latest time it's blaming the health department for delays in permitting related to COVID-19 and blaming environmentalists for wanting to improve air quality," Mehalik said. "The reality is it's always been under their control because they decide where to invest their capital." Throughout the 1980s and 90s during the collapse of the steel industry, U.S. Steel often hinted at the possibility of re-investing in other former plants in the region, including Homestead Steel Works, Duquesne Works and McKeesport Tube Works before ultimately closing those facilities, leaving polluted brownfields in their wake. In 2008 U.S. Steel promised to invest a billion dollars to replace several coke batteries built in the 1950s, including batteries 1, 2, and 3—the same ones it's now promising to shut down in 2023—but in 2014 they backed away from those plans. In 2014, the company announced plans to build a new corporate headquarters in the Lower Hill District as part of an initiative to redevelop that region. Two years later they cancelled those plans, too. In response to questions about this history, U.S. Steel said, "the Mon Valley Works' low-cost operation makes it a vital part of our Best of Both strategy. The facility will continue supply to key customers in the appliance, construction, and service center markets." Mehalik said this is "not the behavior of an entity that values the community or its workers." "After 50 years of this, it's time for local leadership to look for a new direction," he said. "Our communities cannot succeed with this approach of misleading and broken promises for the future." Editor's note: This story has been updated to include U.S. Steel clarification on the timeline of the investments and announcement, and the plan to avoid job loss in the batteries' shutdown. Banner photo: Erica Butler of the Pediatric Alliance administers an asthma screening to Montaziyah Evans at Clairton Elementary School in Clairton, PA. (Credit: Connor Mulvaney for Environmental Health News) Sent from my iPad

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MVP - Notice of Scoping comment Period ends tomorrow; ACP - Restoration plan comment period ends Friday
by Duane Nichols 14 Apr '21

14 Apr '21

From: Jessica Sims <jessica(a)appvoices.org> > Date: April 14, 2021 at 12:11:40 PM EDT > Subject: MVP - Notice of Scoping comment Period ends tomorrow; ACP - Restoration plan comment period ends Friday > > Just a reminder of some upcoming comment deadlines on MVP and ACP: > ____________________________________________ > > Mountain Valley Pipeline > The Notice of Scoping comment period for MVP's request to bore at 180+ waterbodies, FERC Docket CP21-57, closes tomorrow, April 15th at 4:59pm. > > If you want to weigh in, here are a couple options: > Public petition from App Voices, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, POWHR + CCAN (url to share: bit.ly/MVPscoping) > > CP21-57 Talking points > Sierra Club petition > Wild Virginia Guide > Submit a comment via ecomment directly into the docket > Need help navigating the site? > > ______________________________ > Atlantic Coast Pipeline > The ACP restoration plan comment period closes Friday, April 16th at 4:59pm. > Here is information from Friends of Nelson on how to weigh in. > Submit a comment via ecomment directly into the docket > > Thank you! > -- > Jessica Sims, Virginia Field Coordinator > Appalachian Voices, 812 E. High Street > Charlottesville, VA 22902 > (434) 226-0589 office > jessica(a)appvoices.org > To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/stop-pipelines-wvvanc/CAFLrgVJ5%2BDEa0oCT….

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How Can You Help Stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline? Free Tickets, Tue, Mar 16, 2021 at 6:30 PM | Eventbrite
by Duane Nichols 14 Mar '21

14 Mar '21

How Can You Help Stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline? Free Tickets, Tue, Mar 16, 2021 at 6:30 PM | Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-can-you-help-stop-the-mountain-valley-pipe…

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Fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke more harmful than pollution from other sources
by Duane Nichols 07 Mar '21

07 Mar '21

https://phys.org/news/2021-03-fine-particulate-wildfire-pollution-sources.h… Fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke more harmful than pollution from other sources by University of California - San Diego Credit: CC0 Public Domain Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego examining 14 years of hospital admissions data conclude that the fine particles in wildfire smoke can be several times more harmful to human respiratory health than particulate matter from other sources such as car exhaust. While this distinction has been previously identified in laboratory experiments, the new study confirms it at the population level. This new research work, focused on Southern California, reveals the risks of tiny airborne particles with diameters of up to 2.5 microns, about one-twentieth that of a human hair. These particles—termed PM2.5—are the main component of wildfire smoke and can penetrate the human respiratory tract, enter the bloodstream and impair vital organs. The study appears March 5 in the journal Nature Communications by researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego. It was funded by the University of California Office of the President, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Alzheimer's Disease Resource Center for Advancing Minority Aging Research at UC San Diego and theOffice of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. To isolate wildfire-produced PM2.5 from other sources of particulate pollution, the researchers defined exposure to wildfire PM2.5 as exposure to strong Santa Ana winds with fire upwind. A second measure of exposure involved smoke plume data from NOAA's Hazard Mapping System. A 10 microgram-per-cubic meter increase in PM2.5 attributed to sources other than wildfire smoke was estimated to increase respiratory hospital admissions by 1 percent. The same increase, when attributed to wildfire smoke, caused between a 1.3 to 10 percent increase in respiratory admissions. Corresponding author Rosana Aguilera said the research suggests that assuming all particles of a certain size are equally toxic may be inaccurate and that the effects of wildfires—even at a distance—represent a pressing human health concern. "There is a daily threshold for the amount of PM2.5 in the air that is considered acceptable by the county and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)," said Aguilera, a postdoctoral scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "The problem with this standard is that it doesn't account for different sources of emission of PM2.5." As of now, there is not a consensus as to why wildfire PM2.5 is more harmful to humans than other sources of particulate pollution. If PM2.5 from wildfires is more dangerous to human lungs than that of ambient air pollution, the threshold for what are considered safe levels of PM2.5 should reflect the source of the particles, especially during the expanding wildfire season. This is especially relevant in California and other regions where most PM2.5 is expected to come from wildfires. In Southern California, the Santa Ana winds drive the most severe wildfires and tend to blow wildfire smoke towards populated coastal regions. Climate change delays the start of the region's rainy season, which pushes wildfire season closer to the peak of the Santa Ana winds in early winter. Additionally, as populations grow in wildland urban interface areas, the risks of ignitions and impacts of wildfire and smoke increase for those who live inland and downwind. Coauthor Tom Corringham points to the implications for climate change: "As conditions in Southern California become hotter and drier, we expect to see increased wildfire activity. This study demonstrates that the harm due to wildfire smoke may be greater than previously thought, bolstering the argument for early wildfire detection systems and efforts to mitigate climate change." >>>>> Explore further.......... Wildfire smoke more dangerous than other air pollutants for asthma patients More information: Nature Communications (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21708-0

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BREAKING! Almost no job growth in fracking counties as natural gas production boomed
by Duane Nichols 04 Mar '21

04 Mar '21

From: "Ryan Clover, Halt The Harm Network" <ryan(a)halttheharm.net> > Date: March 4, 2021 at 12:18:59 PM EST > Subject: BREAKING! Almost no job growth in fracking counties as natural gas production boomed > Tomorrow we're hosting another Coffee Break conversation – this time with Joanne Kilgour Esq., the executive director of the Ohio River Valley Institute. > > Meet Joanne, and learn more about an economic study they've released that shows almost no job growth in fracking counties, despite gas production boom. > > Sign-up for the conversation here. > > (Did you miss the last session on the EHN Fractured Report? You can check it out, and see all our events here.) > > And here's the link to the story, > > BREAKING! Almost no job growth in fracking counties as natural gas production boomed. See the new ORVI report and a video. > > JOHNSTOWN, Pennsylvania, – A new Ohio River Valley Institute report titled, “Appalachia’s Natural Gas Counties: Contributing more to the U.S. economy and getting less in return” quantifies the decade-long failure of the natural gas boom in the Marcellus and Utica fields to deliver growth in jobs, income, and population to the 22 Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia counties that produce more than 90% of the region’s natural gas. > If you'd like to meet Joanne Kilgour Esq. to discuss the study and get questions answered, please join us for tomorrow's coffee break on Halt the Harm Network! > > Register here for the 2:00 PM Eastern via Crowdcast. > > 🎉 This live stream is part of a weekly series for us to connect and discuss the latest news about fracking. > > > About Coffee Break discussions > > This is a weekly live stream via Crowdcast that I'm hosting along with friends Shannon Smith at FracTracker Alliance, talking about the harms of fracking and what we can do about it. > > See all of Halt the Harm Network events at https://www.crowdcast.io/halttheharm > > Sincerely, Ryan Clover, Halt the Harm Network > > Supporting Your Fight Against The Gas Industry > > Discover services – www.halttheharm.net > > Join the network – www.thecampaignnetwork.org > > > New to Halt the Harm Network? Set-up your profile in the Leader Directory > 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW Suite 440, Washington, District of Columbia 20015 >

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First-in-the-nation rule to slash methane emissions from Colorado oil and gas operations relied on compromise
by Duane Nichols 19 Feb '21

19 Feb '21

https://coloradosun.com/2021/02/19/oil-gas-controllers-colorado-rule-methan… First-in-the-nation rule to slash methane emissions from Colorado oil and gas operations relied on compromise From an Article by Mark Jaffe, Colorado Sun, February 19, 2021 A rule clamping down on air pollution from key devices used by the oil and gas industry – which drew support from environmental groups and industry – was unanimously adopted by Colorado air quality regulators Thursday. The first-in-the-nation rule requires the installation of non-emitting controllers on all new oil and gas operations and the retrofitting of existing controllers – a major source of emissions in the industry. The environment groups and the industry worked out a compromise proposal that they jointly submitted to the Air Quality Control Commission. A wide range of local governments, including Weld County, the state’s top oil-producing county, also supported or did not oppose the proposal. ”There’s not a whole lot to talk about,” Commissioner Elise Jones said. “This is such an unusual situation with everybody agreeing.” The state Air Pollution Control Division had initially proposed a rule to the AQCC that would have required non-emitting controllers only at new facilities, but over the past few months negotiations among industry representatives, environmental groups and local governments broadened the rule to encompass existing operations. The regulation will lead to “a large portion of controllers in the state being non-emitting by May 1, 2023,” according to the Environmental Defense Fund, one of the groups involved in the compromise. Controllers manage temperatures, pressure and liquid levels at oil and gas facilities and drill pads. Most controllers run on natural gas from the well itself and every time they open and close a valve or other mechanism, they release a little bit of gas. The methane released is a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to Front Range ozone pollution. While the amount of gas released is small — an average 2.8 standard cubic feet of methane an hour, according to one study — there were an estimated 100,000 controllers operating in Colorado in 2019. Nationally, controllers account for 29% of the oil industry air emissions, according to David McCabe, a senior scientist with the Boston-based Clean Air Task Force, a public health and environmental advocacy group. The new rule requires non-emitting controllers at all wells and production facilities constructed after May 1, 2021, or at existing facilities when new wells are drilled or wells are refracked to boost production. The regulation also applies to new natural gas compressor stations and existing compressor stations that swap out equipment to increase their horsepower. Operators are also obliged to systematically replace emitting controllers at existing facilities and they were given the flexibility to develop companywide plans to do it. The size of the required emissions cuts is also on a sliding scale – between 15% and 40% – with companies already using non-emitting controllers needing to make smaller reductions. “With the flexibility offered by the companywide plans, each operator would be able to make the retrofits that are most cost-effective,” according to EDF. The regulation also provides limited exemptions from the requirements for temporary or portable equipment, distant or offsite wells, as well as safety and production issues. The exemption would have to be approved by the state’s APCD. Older and smaller wells – known as stripper wells – that produce the equivalent of 15 barrels of oil or less per day would also be exempt, although their status is set to be reviewed in future negotiations. The compromise rule was supported by groups ranging from the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, an industry trade group, to Conservation Colorado. More than 60 local governments also backed the rule. “The stakeholder discussions surrounding pneumatic controllers have proven intensive and deeply substantive, but the collaborative and good-faith work across parties has led to a clear path forward for further emissions reductions in the state,” Lynn Granger, executive director of the trade group API-Colorado, said in a statement. The APCD also backed the compromise. “It’s unique rulemaking,” said Jeramy Murray, a division environmental specialist. “Compromise and collaboration are the Colorado way.” Commissioner Curtis Rueter said, “as a commission it is really nice for something to come forward with no outstanding issues.” Sent from my iPad

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Mountain Valley Pipeline cited again for erosion and sedimentation violations
by Duane Nichols 07 Feb '21

07 Feb '21

https://roanoke.com/news/local/mountain-valley-pipeline-cited-again-for-ero… Mountain Valley Pipeline cited again for erosion and sedimentation violations From an Article by Laurence Hammack, Roanoke Times, February 5, 2021 The Mountain Valley Pipeline has sunk deeper into trouble with muddy water flowing unchecked from construction sites. A proposed consent order from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection would require the company to pay a $303,706 fine for repeated violations of erosion and sediment control regulations. West Virginia had previously fined Mountain Valley $266,000 for similar violations along the first 198 miles of the natural gas pipeline. In Southwest Virginia, where the pipeline continues for another 105 miles, regulators have imposed more than $2 million in penalties on three separate occasions. But pipeline opponents say the fines are too small to deter future environmental damage from the $6 billion project. “Three hundred thousand dollars is a tiny percentage of the project’s overall cost, and does not even begin to adequately cover the damage that’s been done to our streams,” said Autumn Crowe, a staff scientist for the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. The most recent enforcement action was signed Jan. 11 by Robert Cooper, who is heading construction of Mountain Valley. The West Virginia DEP will accept written comments through March 13 before taking final action, according to spokesman Terry Fletcher. Included in the order are 29 notices of violation from February 2019 to September 2020. Most of the problems were related to maintenance of erosion and sedimentation controls, “all of which have been remediated with no additional corrective actions required,” Mountain Valley spokeswoman Natalie Cox wrote in an email Thursday. “In cooperation with the WVDEP, we have enhanced the level of environmental controls that were originally approved, and the measures in place today are substantially better than those initially installed,” the email stated. Since work began in February 2018, construction crews have struggled to prevent storm water from flowing off steep slopes that have been cleared of trees and graded so the 42-inch diameter pipe can be buried in trenches. According to the consent order, sediment-laden water was allowed to escape the 125-wide construction zones due to failures of silt fences, water bars and other erosion control devices. In some cases, water bars — earthen barriers built on steep slopes to divert stormwater — were improperly installed, allowing runoff to accumulate downhill in quantities that overwhelmed retention ponds. Mountain Valley also failed to adequately plant grass on denuded strips of land, which contributed to problems with runoff, the order stated. Inspectors often observed sediment in nearby streams, which can endanger fish and other aquatic life and cause problems with water quality farther downstream. There have also been slips, or a gradual movement of earth downhill that is akin to a slow-motion avalanche. Last April in Lewis County, West Virginia, slips caused a segment of the pipe that had already been buried to shift in at least three locations, according to an inspection report filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Had pressurized natural gas been flowing through the pipeline, any underground movement could have caused a rupture and explosion, pipeline opponents said. Cox said at the time that Mountain Valley would conduct an investigation as a precautionary measure, but added that the pipeline was designed to withstand minor ground shifting as it settles in the final stages of construction. Asked about the matter Thursday, Cox said the pipe was excavated, inspected and replaced, and the hillside was stabilized using a mechanically engineered geotechnical reinforcement method. “As an additional safety precaution, MVP crews surveyed and inspected pipe in other locations along the route to confirm that this was an isolated incident, which was the case,” her email stated. As for the erosion problems cited in the consent order, Cox noted that of the 29 notices of violation, only four were written in 2020 despite significant rainfall that year — evidence, she said, that Mountain Valley is working to make improvements. Although there were 29 notices issued, some of them contained multiple violations. A total number was not available Thursday. Mountain Valley says it is on target to finish the pipeline by the end of the year, despite multiple legal challenges to its permits that have caused delays and cost overruns. The joint venture of five energy companies plans to ship 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day to markets in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the country. Environmental groups, however, say the project will scar the scenic landscape of Southwest Virginia, clog its streams with sediment and jeopardize endangered species of fish and bats. Last week, Appalachian Voices and six other organizations asked a federal appeals court to stay two recent orders from FERC — one lifting a stop-work order last October and the other giving Mountain Valley two more years to complete the project. “Seemingly endless environmental violations have further slowed construction while fouling waters and land along the pipeline’s route,” the coalition said in a filing with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The court is currently considering two legal challenges to FERC’s actions, and a stay would put pipeline work on hold until a decision is reached. Five more lawsuits are pending against other federal agencies that reissued permits after the original ones were struck down. Mountain Valley has agreed to stop construction, with the exception of erosion and sedimentation control, until Feb. 22 — the date by which the D.C. Circuit was asked to rule on the request for a stay. 15 comments

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Protecting Our Environment ~ Locally & Globally
by Duane Nichols 04 Feb '21

04 Feb '21

NOTE the important briefing at 3:00 PM today ....... Duane > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ACTION ALERT > PUBLIC NOTICE: Legislative Response to WVDEP Oil and Gas Budget/Layoffs > > PUBLIC BRIEFING ON LAYOFFS AT WV DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION SET FOR THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4th AT 3:00 PM VIA ZOOM > Online via Zoom Conference > > In summer 2020, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) Office of Oil and Gas cut its staff from 40 to 25 positions due to recurring budget shortfalls. As a result, there is now only one inspector per every 5000 gas wells. Currently, the Office is funded solely through one-time fees on new permit applications. This funding structure is not only inconsistent with other WVDEP Offices, it is also insufficient for sustaining the office's responsibility for monitoring and regulating all actions related to the exploration, drilling, storage and production of oil and natural gas. > > We urge the West Virginia Legislature to immediately act on this issue. > > FULL INFORMATION HERE > > > > > > GREENBRIER.ORG > > > > > > > IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER > AVAILABILITY OF MONITORING DATA FOR UNREGULATED CONTAMINANTS FOR LEWISBURG, WV > > Our water system has sampled for a series of unregulated contaminants. Unregulated contaminants are those that do not yet have a drinking water standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The purpose of monitoring for these contaminants is to help EPA decide whether the contaminants should have a standard. As our customers, you have a right to know that this data is available. > > If you are interested in examining the results, > please contact Randy Johnson or Charlie Cooper at > (304)647-5585 > > You may also mail your request to: > LEWISBURG WATER PLANT > 2539 Stonehouse Rd > LEWISBURG, WV 24901 > > or email your request to: WaterPlant(a)Lewisburg-wv.com. > > Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received the notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). > > This Notice is being sent to you by LEWISBURG Water Plant > State Water System ID# WV3301307 January 21, 2020 > > > > > > Governor Justice Names New WV DEP Secretary > > Justice has appointed Harold Ward to take over leadership of the DEP effective January 18, 2021. Ward has served as the DEP's deputy secretary of operations and director of the Division of Mining and Reclamation, where he oversaw all operational components of the department in addition to the agency's mining regulatory program. "Harold Ward has been a superstar in the WVDEP for a long time and the work he's done during my administration, leading our Division of Mining and Reclamation, has been truly incredible," Justice said "I have all the confidence in the world that he will do a fantastic job." > > > > > > > > Reintroduction of the Roadless Area Conservation Act > > > > (West Virginians for Public Lands. February 2, 2021) Efforts are underway to codify a Forest Service rule that prohibits road construction for logging and mining in designated backcountry areas. > > Known as the "Roadless Rule," The Roadless Area Conservation Rule was first implemented by the Forest Service in 2001. Here in West Virginia, the Roadless Rule is important to the integrity of about 182,000 roadless acres throughout our three National Forests (Monongahela, Jefferson, and Washington). > > Codification of the Roadless Rule is a priority for public lands advocates due to its vulnerability. Last year, the Trump administration exempted the Tongass National Forest in Alaska from the Roadless Rule, which opened 9 million acres to extractive industries and logging, including 168,000 old growth acres. > > Learn more about the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2021 which would make the Roadless Rule law. > > > > > > > * Earth Day ~ April 22 ~ Save the Date * > > > President Biden signs Executive Order > on January 27, 2021. The order reaffirms that the President will host a Leaders' Climate Summit on Earth Day, April 22, 2021 > > President Biden Takes Executive Actions to Tackle the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, Create Jobs, and Restore Scientific Integrity Across Federal Government > > The order sets a goal of protecting 30% of the nation's lands and waters by 2030. These conservation measures are identified as critical to slowing the effects of climate change. > Land conservation helps to mitigate climate change by storing and removing carbon through a process known as "carbon sequestration." The more carbon that is stored and removed through natural processes, the less carbon dioxide will reach the atmosphere. This is considered a "natural solution" to climate change. Academic literature suggests natural solutions can provide over one-third of cost-effective climate change mitigation needed by 2030. The concept of protecting 30% of land and water by 2030 isn't a new idea, President Biden's executive order is based on the 30x30 Campaign for Nature, which is championed by the President's Department of the Interior Secretary nominee, > Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-NM) > > > > > > FERC weighs tightening rules on pipeline eminent domain > February 1, 2021 > > The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is eyeing stricter rules to empower property owners affected by natural gas pipelines or export projects. The five-member panel, now led by President Biden's pick of Democratic Chairman Richard Glick, issued anorderlast week seeking input on potential changes to its eminent domain proceedings, among other topics."Glick is reopening the door for landowner rights," said Paul Patterson, a utility analyst with Glenrock Associates LLC. "You don't have to be a tremendous student to know he is not happy with the way FERC has been approaching gas pipelines."Republican Commissioner James Danly, who served as chair under former President Trump, issued a sharply worded dissent challenging the move on procedural grounds. > > FULL STORY HERE > > > > > If you appreciate the work we are doing, please consider a donation today. > > > > > > > > Contract Position Open > > The Greenbrier River Watershed Association is going to contract with a new coordinator. If you are interested in working about ten hours a week on projects with a goal of educating the public about our issues, please let us know and we will forward you the job description. > > Email leslee(a)mtnwaters.com > > > > > WV Flood Tool > http://www.mapwv.gov/flood/ > LINK TO STATEWIDE STREAM GAUGES > https://www.facebook.com/100005485393020/posts/962748470584657/ > > > > > > Greenbrier River Watershed Association, PO Box 1419, Lewisburg, WV 24901 > > > >

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