# [Hydrogen Hasn’t Been This Popular Since the Dirigible
Liftoffs](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/21/hydrogen-
hasn%e2%80%99t-been-this-popular-since-the-dirigible-liftoff/)
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Air Liquide Innovation Campus Delaware in Newark
**VIEWPOINT: Hydrogen is key to energy transition**
>> [Article by Guest Writer, Delaware Business
Journal](https://delawarebusinesstimes.com/news/viewpoint-hydrogen-is-key-t…
energy-transition/), August 29, 2022
This week, Air Liquide was proud to host at our Innovation Campus Delaware
(ICD) U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Labor
Marty Walsh, Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester,
and Governor John Carney for a productive discussion of our nation’s energy
future and the key role that hydrogen will play in decarbonizing some of our
most carbon intensive industries.
Following the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law by
President Biden, the United States is in a stronger position than ever to
strengthen its domestic hydrogen market to the benefit of our environment and
economy. The energy tax provisions included in the new law send a strong
market signal that the United States is serious about hydrogen’s role in
driving a clean energy transition, incentivizing continued private sector
investment and increased hydrogen production.
It is important to note that the technologies for hydrogen exist today.
Alongside programs like the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydrogen Hub
program, we are now poised to make real progress on the regional and localized
deployment of hydrogen technologies and infrastructure across the country. In
doing so, we will be able to make hydrogen more accessible and affordable for
consumers across the economic spectrum looking to curb their carbon
footprints.
Hydrogen provides the flexibility and reliability needed to achieve a true
clean energy transition swiftly and effectively. Indeed, it can decarbonize
our transportation and industrial sectors – which are the source for the
majority of our nation’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – and facilitate the
onboarding of more renewable energy on the electric, and can serve as
critical, scalable energy storage.
In addition to its environmental benefits, the development of a strong
domestic hydrogen market will support the growth of our economy and create
critical new clean energy jobs for American workers. According to a recent
McKinsey report, a mature domestic hydrogen market stands to deliver an
estimated $140 billion per year in revenue and 700,000 new jobs across the
hydrogen value chain by 2030.
Globally, by 2050, the global hydrogen economy could avoid 6 gigatons of
carbon dioxide emissions, create a $2.5 trillion market for hydrogen and fuel
cell equipment, and provide sustainable employment for more than 30 million
people.
Simply put, hydrogen is proof that our environment and economy can grow hand-
in-hand.
It is no coincidence that this week’s discussion on our energy future took
place in Delaware. The state has an impressive and inspiring history as a
bastion for American innovation. From medicine to aerospace to defense and
technology, so much of the R&D that has progressed our economy, society, and
modern way of life has links to Delaware’s universities, corporations, and
entrepreneurs.
In fact, it is this legacy that drove Air Liquide’s decision 15 years ago to
establish the Innovation Campus, the anchor of research and development for
the Americas, in Newark. We saw clearly that Delaware’s commitment to
innovation matched our own. Today, the ICD signifies a $100 million investment
in innovation and the advanced technologies that will change the future, like
hydrogen for the clean energy transition, working in partnership with entities
like DOE and the University of Delaware.
The R&D conducted at the ICD supports the cutting-edge technology that Air
Liquide deploys in its operations, in support of the development of the U.S.
hydrogen market and the achievement of our national and global environmental
goals.
In partnership with DOE, the ICD is currently focused on demonstrating the
first-of-its-kind hydrogen refueling infrastructure for maritime applications,
developing an integrated approach for sustainable steelmaking, solving the
technical challenges of blending hydrogen in natural gas pipelines, and
enhancing the technology of high-density hydrogen energy storage. And that’s
but a fraction of the exciting work underway.
As we look forward to the promise of emerging technologies and the next phase
of our nation’s energy landscape, it is essential that we have the right
public policies in place to support further investment and commitment. To-
date, Air Liquide has invested more than $1 billion into hydrogen in the U.S.,
and we are committed to investing another $10 billion globally in the entire
low-carbon hydrogen value chain by 2035.
The energy tax provisions of the IRA send a strong signal that the United
States takes hydrogen’s role in our clean energy future seriously, and is an
example of the smart climate policy needed to make that future a reality.
>>> Adam Peters is the CEO of Air Liquide North America
#######+++++++#######+++++++########
**Hindenburg Disaster: Real Zeppelin Explosion Footage
(1937 …**
**Video here** ~ <https://youtu.be/CgWHbpMVQ1U>
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/21/hydrogen-hasn%e2%80%99t-been-
this-popular-since-the-dirigible-liftoff/>
# [Pros & Cons of FRACKING IN WEST VIRGINIA Are Not Even
Equal](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/20/pros-cons-of-fracking-in-wes…
virginia-are-not-even-equal/)
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Some people have well water that is at risk or already contaminated
**Fracking ‘pros’ never appear, but its ‘cons’ do**
From a [Letter by Barbara Daniels, Morgantown Dominion Post,
Sunday](https://www.dominionpost.com/2022/12/17/dec-18-letters-to-the-
editor-2/), December 18, 2022
**According to the Ohio River Valley Institute, in the most heavily fracked
county in West Virginia, the industry promise of jobs never materialized.**
What did materialize, though, was a reduced population, dangerously polluted
air and water and major damage to infrastructure. Also damaged was the clean,
wild and wonderful West Virginia that supports tourism, recreation and
farming. Yet even with the highest gas production in West Virginia, **Wetzel
County still suffers from double digit unemployment**.
A recent study conducted by the **Environmental Working Group** states just
one fracked drilling site deploys harmful chemicals sufficient “to contaminate
more than 100 billion gallons of drinking water to unsafe levels … more than
10 times as much water … New York uses in a single day.” These chemicals are
often so dangerous that frack-waste cleanup crews report sores covering their
legs and soles burnt off boots.
**Wetzel County** also had many frack vehicle accidents; dump trucks smashed
through guardrails, semis straddling roads, cranes toppled into ravines and
drill rigs fallen off semis — on deeply rutted roads littered with industry
equipment. Meanwhile, Marcellus gas is mainly exported to other countries,
keeping U.S. natural gas prices high.
However, as a **Bloomberg** report put it, extraordinarily generous fossil-
fuel subsidies hide the true cost of fracking, wherein the average well
production declines by 60% in the first year. So, though needing more and more
costly wells to maintain output, destructive drilling — using taxpayer dollars
— continues.
While fracking created startlingly few jobs in **Appalachia** , most of them
no longer exist. Instead, the money went to corporate profits and out-of-state
workers.
#######+++++++#######+++++++########
**See also** : [Health Professionals: Fracking Can’t Be Done Without
Threatening Public Health](https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/health-
professionals-fracking-cant-be-done-without-threatening-public-health), Grant
Smith (EWG) & Tasha Stoiber, Ph.D. (EWG), March 16, 2018
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/20/pros-cons-of-fracking-in-west-
virginia-are-not-even-equal/>
# [Drilling & Fracking Exposes Workers and Residents to Toxic
Chemicals](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/19/drilling-fracking-expose…
workers-and-residents-to-toxic-chemicals/)
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Some of the impacts are shown in this earlier study!
**We can’t forget the health dangers of fracking**
Letter from [Joseph Otis Minott, Penn Capital Star](https://www.penncapital-
star.com/commentary/we-cant-forget-the-health-dangers-of-fracking-opinion/),
December 18, 2022
**It’s time Pennsylvania residents and regulators demand that the health risks
of fracking be addressed.**
Although it’s taken far too long – and so much work lies ahead – confronting
the climate crisis has become a defining policy goal of the U.S. government,
and people are starting to notice. International conferences like COP27 draw
extensive coverage, and more and more parts of society are taking part in the
conversation around climate change. Whether that talk will lead to necessary
action is still unclear, but people are recognizing the need to move away from
fossil fuels, including fracked gas.
Yet climate impacts are just one aspect of the threat posed by fossil fuels. A
growing body of research is confirming a dangerous link between fracking and a
wide range of health problems. It’s time Pennsylvania residents and regulators
demand these health risks be addressed, including by establishing safer
distances between fracking sites and people’s homes under state law.
A recent **Yale School of the Environment** report details the established
connection between fracking and health risks. **Physicians for Social
Responsibility** and Concerned Health Professionals of New York report that
17.6 million people live within a mile of a fracked oil or gas well. That’s a
public health crisis, according to the healthcare professionals and scientists
in the group.
Earlier this year, Yale researchers found that children living near
Pennsylvania wells that use fracking to extract gas (aka methane) are two to
three times more likely to contract a form of childhood leukemia than their
peers who live farther away. Another study from Harvard found that elderly
people living near or downwind from gas pads have a higher risk of premature
death than seniors who don’t live in that proximity.
Across thousands of peer-reviewed research papers, the health effects linked
to exposure to fracking include respiratory conditions, heart disease, cancer,
stress, and adverse effects on the developing fetus. For at-risk groups and
all Pennsylvania residents, greater protections are needed. There are a few
commonsense actions we can take now.
The first is to require safer distances between these toxic fracking sites and
the areas where people live and work. Known as setbacks or protective buffers,
these limits on how close fracking infrastructure can be to buildings,
schools, hospitals, and natural resources are established in Pennsylvania law.
Currently, Pennsylvania only requires that well pads be 500 feet from
residential buildings. Some well pads are 40 acres across – yet can be within
500 feet of a school or hospital. According to the Yale study and many others,
a 500-foot barrier is woefully inadequate in protecting populations from the
health hazards of fracking.
**Earlier this year, Clean Air Council partnered with several Pennsylvania
environmental groups to form Protective Buffers PA. The Coalition calls for
statewide action creating larger protective buffers between fracking sites and
our communities and natural sites.**
Some states, such as New York, have banned fracking because of its negative
impact on public health. Pennsylvania should do the same. But if fracking is
going to be allowed, Protective Buffers are a proven and no-cost solution to
the public health crisis caused by fracking.
Yet in the context of a growing body of research and the tremendous threat of
climate change, these setbacks should only be a stepping stone toward a more
permanent and impactful solution: to deliberately phase out fracking and
methane production and transition to a renewable energy.
Fracking poses a threat to current and future Pennsylvania residents. It poses
a threat to our current and future environment. It poses a threat to our
current and future communities. It’s time to create a safe distance between
our schools, hospitals and residences and fracking as we work to phase out
fossil fuels for good.
>>> Joseph Otis Minott is the executive director and chief counsel of Clean
Air Council in Philadelphia. CAC also has an office in Pittsburgh.
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/19/drilling-fracking-exposes-
workers-and-residents-to-toxic-chemicals/>
# [SIXTH Mass Extinction Underway on
EARTH](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/18/sixth-mass-extinction-underw…
on-earth/)
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An Article, an Audio CD Set, and a best selling Book by Elizabeth Kolbert
**Coextinctions dominate future vertebrate losses from climate and land use
change**
[Scientific Article by Giavonni Strona & Corey Bradshaw, Science
Magazine](https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.abn4345?et_rid=24…,
Dec. 16, 2022
**ABSTRACT** ~ Although theory identifies coextinctions as a main driver of
biodiversity loss, their role at the planetary scale has yet to be estimated.
We subjected a global model of interconnected terrestrial vertebrate food webs
to future (2020–2100) climate and land-use changes. We predict a 17.6% (±
0.16% SE) average reduction of local vertebrate diversity globally by 2100,
with coextinctions increasing the effect of primary extinctions by 184.2% (±
10.9% SE) on average under an intermediate emissions scenario. Communities
will lose up to a half of ecological interactions, thus reducing trophic
complexity, network connectance, and community resilience. **The model reveals
that the extreme toll of global change for vertebrate diversity might be of
secondary importance compared to the damages to ecological network
structure.**
**INTRODUCTION** ~ **The planet has entered the sixth mass extinction (1–5)**.
**There are multiple causes underlying the rapid increase in observed and
modeled extinction rates in recent times, of which land-use change,
overharvesting, pollution, climate change, and biological invasions figure as
dominant processes (6).** However, assessing the relative importance and the
realistic impact of such drivers at the global scale remains a challenge.
Another aspect rendering assessment difficult are the synergies between
drivers — a species might go extinct for multiple, simultaneous reasons, and
in such contexts, ecological interactions play a fundamental role in
predicting its fate (7). Growing recognition of the importance of species
interactions in promoting the emergence of biodiversity in complex natural
communities implies that an additional, fundamental component of biodiversity
loss is represented by the amplification of primary extinctions across
ecological networks. Coextinction — the loss of species caused by direct or
indirect effects stemming from other extinctions — is now recognized as a
major contributor to global biodiversity loss, strongly amplifying the effect
of primary (e.g., climate-driven) extinctions (8–11).
Networks of ecological interactions are central to global patterns of
diversity loss not only because coextinctions can be triggered by other
extinction drivers, but also because network structure and dynamics might
modulate several processes that can either reduce or increase extinction rate.
For example, it is intuitive that a species’ success in colonizing a new area
depends strongly on its ability to exploit local resources while
simultaneously escaping enemies (predators and parasites). The addition of the
new species might also initiate substantial changes to and have important
cascading effects in the local network. Ignoring the structure of ecological
networks and how they reconfigure as their constituent diversity changes
therefore gives a possibly misleading view of the future of global diversity.
Previous attempts to predict the future of global diversity in the face of
climate change and habitat modification have only considered the direct
effects of these drivers on species (typically on single taxonomic groups),
without explicitly accounting for ecological interactions. For instance,
Thomas et al. (12) used projections of species’ distributions and species-area
relationships to predict extinction rates for 20% of Earth’s surface, and
Malcolm et al. (13) applied both species-area and endemic-area relationships
to predictions of biome shift under climate change in **Biodiversity
Hotspots**. van Vuuren et al. (14) also applied species-area relationships to
vascular plants to project extinctions under different land-use and climate-
change scenarios within the **Millennium Ecosystem Assessment** , and Jetz et
al. (15) used a similar approach for birds. Others have applied analogous
techniques to many other taxa, including lizards (16), crop wild relatives
(17), chelonians (18), bird, amphibians, and corals (19). Later, Warren et al.
(20) applied point-process and global circulation models to predict climate
change–induced shifts in species’ distributions, and Urban (21) did a meta-
analysis (including many of the studies cited above) to predict extinction
rates of various taxa under several climate-change scenarios. Despite this
extensive research foundation, future inferences of biodiversity’s fate over
the coming century are likely to underestimate extinctions arising from global
change (11).
Apart from the obvious modeling and computational challenges to incorporate
interactions among species, the main reason why there are few studies
accounting for interactions is that obtaining sufficient data in most
communities is intractable. Therefore, global-scale modeling of entire
ecosystems appears to be the only viable solution, even if a challenging one
(11, 22). Recent developments in network approaches have shown that potential
ecological interactions can be derived by applying different techniques (e.g.,
machine learning) to available datasets on species distribution and ecology
(23, 24). In previous work (11), we built on that idea to generate global-
scale models of biodiversity by including species interactions using virtual
species constructed to follow real-world archetypes. In such synthetic
approaches, a virtual species is a plausible ecological entity that has a
combination of ecological traits consistent with real-world species despite
not corresponding exactly to them.
There are several advantages in using virtual species in this manner. The
first is that once the rules have been set to generate virtual species,
current gaps and biases in biodiversity sampling cease to be a limitation; we
can use virtual species to populate the entire Earth and generate plausible
ecological communities, even in areas where data on local diversity are scarce
or missing. Second, virtual species avoid preconceptions (and biases) about
current biodiversity patterns, permitting instead a focus on the processes
involved in change. Here, we can populate an entire virtual planet with
species, let them develop communities based on a modest set of realistic
ecological rules and assumptions, and then explore the emerging patterns. With
such an approach, real-world data serve as a template for generating the
virtual species and for identifying the basic ecological rules controlling
community dynamics and as a benchmark with which to validate the realism of
modeled predictions.
We previously demonstrated how coextinctions increase the pace of annihilation
of life on Earth by up to 10 times relative to primary extinctions, but only
in the face of catastrophic, no-return environmental change modeled as either
extreme planetary heating or cooling (11). Although an instructive proof of
concept, that model contained many simplifications and was applied to
(hopefully) unrealistic scenarios of global change. Building on that original
approach, here we developed a more complex, and ecologically realistic dynamic
model to represent all terrestrial vertebrate communities with which we
project future biodiversity trends. By accounting for both primary extinctions
and their resulting coextinctions, the model predicts the cumulative toll on
global biodiversity of different climate and land-use change projections up to
2100 at a spatial scale of 1° × 1° and at a monthly temporal resolution. In
addition to providing estimates of potential global diversity loss, the model
quantifies the relative contribution of the different extinction drivers at
the global scale for the first time.
[This Article continues in Science
Magazine.](https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.abn4345?et_rid=2…
#######+++++++#######+++++++########
**See also:** [The Sixth Extinction? | Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker
Magazine](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/05/25/the-sixth-extinctio…,
May 18, 2009
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/18/sixth-mass-extinction-underway-
on-earth/>
# [Endangered Candy Darter May Be Saved for
Posterity](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/17/endangered-candy-darter-
may-be-saved-for-posterity/)
[](…
content/uploads/2022/12/4912784C-E610-4D55-A064-FACCBB0F4A71.jpeg)
Endangered Candy Darter with amazing coloration.
**U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ~ Candy Darter ~ Small fish, huge news!**
>> Press Release for Public Distribution, December 15, 2022
**Biologists at White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery in West Virginia
recently released hatchery-raised candy darters into the wild for the first
time ever!**
This conservation milestone was reached thanks to partners as well as the
dedicated hatchery staff trialing new methods for the care of this vibrant
(and rare) fish.
**More on the conservation efforts to help the festive-looking candy darter:**
<http://ow.ly/nZEN50LIGuG>
Photo: Courtesy of Joel Sartore/Photo Ark
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/17/endangered-candy-darter-may-be-
saved-for-posterity/>
# [Zombie Dirty MVP ‘Reform’ Deal Dies Again (3rd Time) in
Senate](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/16/zombie-dirty-
mvp-%e2%80%98reform%e2%80%99-deal-dies-again-3rd-time-in-senate/)
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Sen. Manchin is attempting to run politics over the environment!
**Oxfam applauds defeat of Senator Manchin’s zombie ‘permitting reform’ deal**
>> From the [News Release of Karelia Pallan, Oxfam
News](https://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/press-releases/oxfam-applauds-defe…
of-senator-manchins-zombie-permitting-reform-deal/), December 15, 2022
**In response to the failure of Senate amendment 6513 to the National Defense
Authorization Act, Chelsea Hodgkins, Oxfam America’s Climate Policy Advisor,
made the following statement:**
“ _We applaud the Senators who stood with communities on the frontline of
climate change today and defeated Senator Manchin’s dirty deal. It is alarming
that Democratic leaders – including President Biden, Speak Pelosi, and Leader
Schumer – spent time and capital resurrecting a ‘permitting reform’ deal at
the 11th hour despite widespread opposition. This must be a wake-up call to
leaders from all parties to work with communities to advance legitimate and
sustainable climate solutions.
“Defeated for the third time this year, this zombie bill would have fast-
tracked dangerous fossil fuel and mining projects that would undercut the
positive impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act. Senator Manchin’s proposal
would do nothing to address the real barriers to renewable energy development,
which include fully resourcing underfunded agencies and investing in
community-supported renewable systems.
“Continued reliance on fossil fuels is making communities in the US sick and
driving climate change impacts in communities around the world. It is time for
leaders claiming to be climate champions to cut the hypocrisy and stop this
deal once and for all.
“Senator Manchin’s dirty deal had absolutely no place in a must-pass bill like
the National Defense Authorization Act; it is unpopular and dangerous. If we
are to create a more just future that keeps warming below 1.5C, let this be
the end of the debate on the dirty deal_.”
NOTE 1 ~ Analysis from Oil Change International shows that the industry-backed
permitting scheme would speed up permits for oil and gas projects that would
be the equivalent of 665 million tons of CO2 per year, a five times greater
increase of emissions than emissions reductions from renewable transmission in
the package.
NOTE 2 ~ This deal would expand dangerous pipelines and mines that help warm
our climate and perpetuate violence and harm against women, especially
Indigenous women, women in rural communities, and other women living close to
mining operations. Extractives projects have known negative health impacts and
have been linked to increasing gender-based violence, and other harms to women
and communities of color, both of whom are disproportionately impacted by
fossil fuel and mining projects.
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/16/zombie-dirty-
mvp-%e2%80%98reform%e2%80%99-deal-dies-again-3rd-time-in-senate/>
# [NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR WEST VIRGINIA ~ Combined Cycle NG Power Plant & CO2
Capture](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/13/new-technology-for-west-
virginia-combined-cycle-ng-power-plant-co2-capture/)
[](…
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Middle Island Creek in Doddridge & Tyler Counties needs protection
**Doddridge County Commission approves PILOT for $3 billion CPV project**
From an [Article by Sam Kirk, WBOY News 12, Clarksburg,
WV](https://www.wboy.com/news/doddridge/doddridge-county-commission-approve…
pilot-for-3-billion-cpv-project/), 12/12/22
**WEST UNION (WBOY) — Competitive Power Ventures (CPV), a carbon capture
energy company that aims to make fossil fuels more environmentally friendly,
announced Monday that it is officially bringing a project to Doddridge
County.**
Plans for the Doddridge County development were announced in September, but
now, a payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement for the project has also
been approved by the Doddridge County Commission and Doddridge County Board of
Education. This approval will allow the project to move forward with
permitting and regulatory approval processes.
“This is an outstanding day for Doddridge County,” said Doddridge Commission
President Shawn Glaspell. “We are so glad that Competitive Power Ventures
chose Doddridge County for this innovative project, and we look forward to
continuing to work with this forward-thinking company.”
**The project will invest $3 billion into building the CPV Shay Energy Center,
a 1,800 MW combined-cycle natural gas power station utilizing carbon capture
technology.** The release said that the project will go into operation “later
this decade” and power nearly 2 million homes and businesses in West Virginia
and the region while capturing the vast majority of carbon emissions from the
facility.
“The County has been extremely professional and receptive to the CPV Shay
project which represents a key pillar in CPV’s vision for a reliable low
carbon future,” Peter Podurgiel, CPV’s Executive Vice President of Project
Development.
According to the Monday release, the new CPV Shay Energy Center project will
create 2,000 jobs during the construction period and several hundred long-term
positions.
“CPV’s decision to site this project in Doddridge County is a game changer,”
explained Jennifer Wilt, Director of the Doddridge County Economic Development
Authority. “This investment will not only create a large number of jobs during
construction but will also support high-paying careers for a generation to
come as this area becomes a key player in the country’s decarbonization
efforts.”
The release said that West Virginia is an “ideal location for a project of
this magnitude” because of recent state legislation which established the
basic rules for regulating the carbon energy industry.
[](h…
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Doddridge & Marshall Counties already have $$$ Billion Dollar natural gas
processing facilities
**Carbon capture has been one proposed solution for making fossil fuels more
environmentally friendly, although there is still debate on its cost-
efficiency compared to other renewable energy sources.**
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/13/new-technology-for-west-
virginia-combined-cycle-ng-power-plant-co2-capture/>
# [Diversified Energy is Dominating with “Orphaned” Gas
Wells](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/12/diversified-energy-is-
dominating-with-%e2%80%9corphaned%e2%80%9d-gas-wells/)
[](…
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The WV Surface Owners Rights Organization supports the plugging of abandoned &
orphaned oil & gas wells
**Don’t let (leaking) orphaned wells be taxpayers’ problem**
From a [Letter by Jim Kotcon to Dominion Post,
Sunday](https://www.dominionpost.com/2022/12/10/dec-11-letters-to-the-
editor-2/), December 11, 2022
**The Nov. 26 article regarding well plugging by Diversified Energy is a
welcome turn-around.** The article correctly indicated that significant new
funding to close orphaned wells is available thanks to the bipartisan
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and that wells owned by
existing companies are not “orphaned” but are the responsibility of the
private businesses that own them.
**One important issue is worth bringing to the attention of readers. More so
than any other West Virginia company, Diversified has acquired so many old
declining wells that its current rate of capping and plugging would require
hundreds of years.**
Over the last few years, it has acquired more of these old wells much faster
than it is plugging non-producing ones, which means it keeps getting further
and further behind. Thus, there is a real risk that Diversified may join the
long list of companies that are bankrupt, dead and gone before all those old
wells get capped, creating a large pool of “orphaned” wells that become the
responsibility of the taxpayer.
That is why I hope that companies such as Diversified would support
legislation to prevent more orphan wells from being created, so their plugging
costs would not be passed on to the taxpayer.
The Orphan Well Protection Act would require adequate bonding in an escrow
account to assure that, even if large companies go bankrupt, West Virginia
taxpayers will not be on the hook to pay the business expenses of a private
company. We know that existing orphaned wells will need to be plugged but
let’s at least stop the situation from getting worse.
As the old saying goes: “If you find yourself stuck in a hole, stop digging!”
>> _> Jim Kotcon,[W.Va. Chapter of Sierra
Club](https://www.sierraclub.org/west-virginia), Morgantown_
######++++++######++++++#######
**See Article from WVSORO ~** [If you find out there is a proposal to plug an
oil or gas well on your land, what should you do?](https://wvsoro.org/if-you-
find-out-there-is-a-proposal-to-plug-an-oil-or-gas-well-on-your-land-what-
should-you-do/) - [**WV Surface Owners ' Rights
Organization**](https://WVSORO.org)
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/12/diversified-energy-is-
dominating-with-%e2%80%9corphaned%e2%80%9d-gas-wells/>
# [Canada is Banning Single-Use Plastics — Phase 1
Now!](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/11/canada-is-banning-single-use-
plastics-%e2%80%94-phase-1-now/)
[](https:/…
content/uploads/2022/12/432CD975-CFCD-4FA2-9CFA-2475A9D335F7.jpeg)
Prevention of plastic pollution is practical & desperately needed
**Phase 1 of Canada 's single-use plastics ban goes into effect 12/20/22**
From an [Article by Michael Lee, Canadian Television
News](https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/phase-1-of-canada-s-
single-use-plastics-ban-comes-into-effect-this-month-these-are-the-products-
on-the-list-1.6189050), December 9, 2022
**Canada 's ban on single-use plastics, starting with the manufacture and
import for sale of a number of products, comes into effect later this month on
December 20, 2022.**
The prohibition on several categories of plastics will begin Dec. 20,
affecting a range of products from checkout bags and cutlery to takeout
containers and stir sticks. A ban on the sale of these products will start in
December 2023.
The move is part of an effort by the Canadian government to achieve zero
plastic waste by 2030, citing the impact that plastics have had on the
environment through pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
**Here are the products that will be subject to Canada 's single-use plastics
ban starting Dec. 20:**
**CHECKOUT BAGS ~ Checkout bags made entirely or in part from plastic and used
to carry purchased goods from a business will be subject to the Dec. 20 ban on
manufacture and import for sale.**
The ban also includes fabric bags that cannot meet a stress test, meaning they
can't break or tear if carrying 10 kilograms over a distance of 53 metres, 100
times, or when washed.
**CUTLERY ~ The ban on cutlery includes single-use plastic knives, forks,
spoons, sporks and chopsticks that contain either polystyrene or
polyethylene,** or that change their physical properties when run through a
household dishwasher 100 times.
**TAKEOUT CONTAINERS ~ The prohibition includes clamshell containers, lidded
containers, boxes, cups, plates and bowls made entirely or in part from
plastic and designed for serving or transporting ready-to-eat food or
beverages.**
These products will be subject to the ban if they contain: expanded or
extruded polystyrene foam, the latter commonly referred to as Styrofoam;
polyvinyl chloride, often used in salad containers; carbon black or black
plastic food containers that usually come with a transparent lid; or oxo-
degradable plastic.
**STIR STICKS ~ All types of plastic stir sticks, designed to mix beverages or
prevent them from spilling from a lid, will be banned under the federal
government 's current regulations.**
**STRAWS ~ The prohibition will include straight plastic drinking straws and
flexible straws that are packaged together with beverage containers, such as
juice boxes and pouches.** Straws that contain polystyrene or polyethylene, or
which can't be run through a dishwasher 100 times, are subject to the ban.
Single-use plastic flexible straws, not packaged with a beverage container,
are excluded under certain conditions, such as to accommodate people with
disabilities. A retail store, for example, may sell a package of 20 or more
single-use plastic flexible straws if a customer asks and the package is not
displayed publicly. Retailers may also sell beverage containers with a
flexible plastic straw for another two years.
**TIMELINE ~ The manufacture and import for sale in Canada of the five
categories of single-use plastics comes into effect on Dec. 20.**
A ban on the sale of these products will begin the following year by Dec. 20,
2023, while a prohibition on the manufacture, import and sale for export of
these plastics will come into effect on Dec. 20, 2025.
A prohibition on the manufacture and import for sale in Canada of ring
carriers or six-pack rings, used to carry aluminum cans and plastic bottles,
will begin on June 20, 2023. Their sale will be banned by June 20, 2024, while
their manufacture, import and sale for export will be prohibited starting Dec.
20, 2025.
>>>>>……………>>>>>……………>>>>>……………>>>>>
[](https:/…
content/uploads/2022/12/A4A6B84A-A0DF-4821-80D0-3F2E1B40B3BB.jpeg)
**Climate Barometer newsletter:** [Sign up to keep your finger on the climate
pulse](https://www.ctvnews.ca/content/ctvnews/en/home/newsletters.html)
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/11/canada-is-banning-single-use-
plastics-%e2%80%94-phase-1-now/>
# [HISTORY IS MORE THAN DATES IN TIME, NOW AFFECTING
EVERYONE](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/10/history-is-more-than-date…
in-time-now-affecting-everyone/)
[](https:/…
content/uploads/2022/12/DC60DBCA-B25A-4028-B48C-8168AE02118C.jpeg)
COP27 was infiltrated by fossil energy interests, not in the public interest
**THESE EVENTS HAVE SHAPED OUR LIVES, more events to come …….**
**December 7, 1941 ~** Japan bombed Pearl Harbor including the USS West
Virginia battleship;
**December 8, 1941 ~** U.S. declares war on the Empire of Japan;
**December 11, 1941 ~** U.S. declares war on Germany and Italy.
Over the course of the war, B-29s flew 20,000 sorties and dropped 200,000
tonnes (180,000 tons) of bombs. B-29 gunners were credited with shooting down
27 enemy aircraft. In turn 78 B-29s were lost; 57 B-29 and reconnaissance
variants were lost in action and 21 were non-combat losses.
**May 8, 1945 ~** Victory in Europe Day (VE Day);
**August 6, 1945** ~ The first atomic bomb, named Little Boy, was dropped on
Hiroshima from the Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber, at 8:15 AM on The second bomb,
named Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki from the Bockscar, also a B-29 bomber,
at 11:02 AM on **August 9, 1945.**
**September 2, 1945 ~** Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day).
**December 11, 1946 ~** UNICEF established. UNICEF, originally called the
United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially
United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible
for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. It is
herewith proposed that our UUFM donate $500 to aid in relief for the children
of the Ukraine.
**March 21, 1994 ~** The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) established an international environmental treaty to combat
"dangerous human interference with the climate system", in part by stabilizing
greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. [International meetings
called Congress of the Parties (COP1 thru COP27) continues negotiations.]
**December 11, 1997 ~** United Nations sponsored a Kyoto Protocol. In short,
the Kyoto Protocol operationalizes the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change by committing industrialized countries and economies in
transition to limit and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in accordance
with agreed individual targets. China was not included, and the U.S. failed to
adopt it.
**December 12, 2015 ~** The Paris Agreement (aka Accords) is a legally binding
international treaty on climate change adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in
Paris. The goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5
degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. To achieve this long-term
temperature goal, countries aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas
emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate neutral world by mid-
century.
######+++++++######+++++++######+++++++######
**COP27 UPDATE ~ Historic “loss and damage” deal reached at climate talks but
not much else, Channel 4 News Video.
See Video:** <https://youtu.be/MQ06Uq8TyZ0>
**See Also:** <https://youtu.be/YKukrOHMn3I>
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/10/history-is-more-than-dates-in-
time-now-affecting-everyone/>
# [Sustainability Students Learn to Repair Broken Solar Panels at Cornell
Univ.](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/09/sustainability-students-lear…
to-repair-broken-solar-panels-at-cornell-univ/)
[](…
content/uploads/2022/12/1F052C75-FED7-4DB3-9B95-4806EC617A92.jpeg)
Members of the Solar Panel Reboot team at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
**Sustainability students bring dead solar panels back to life**
From an [Article by Blaine Friedlander, Cornell
Chronicle](https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2022/12/sustainability-students-
bring-dead-solar-panels-back-life), December 7, 2022
**Students are using polyurethane, resin, epoxy – and gallons of wit – to give
new life to cracked, broken and nonworking solar panels.**
“We’re refurbishing solar panels and that has probably never been taught in
class, as far as we know,” said Anant Gupta ’25, leader of the Cornell
University Sustainability Design (CUSD) Solar Panel Reboot team. “By giving
these panels a second life, we’re learning how to solve problems that don’t
have a definite solution.”
**In 2019, Tobias Hanrath, the Marjorie L. Hart ’50 Professor in Engineering
at the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, received 1,200
damaged solar panels from the installers of a utility scale solar farm near
Ithaca.**
Hanrath, in turn, gave the panels to the CUSD group and asked them to design,
implement and test refurbishing methods – and evaluate panel durability. The
living-laboratory, circular-economy project paused during the pandemic, but
students returned to the panel problem when the university reopened.
In addition to Gupta, the current team members include master’s degree
students Sarah Alruwaily and Saikant Kamble; and undergraduates En Lo ’25 and
Michelle Yang ’26.
In their Ward Laboratory setup, an extra space to conduct work adjacent to the
Engineering Quad, the students test the panels using a halogen light array
system, originally built by the Cornell chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable
World. The apparatus imitates the sun. The students – who hope to create a
handbook on the process – test each solar panel’s performance and measure
power output.
“In class, you can always look in the textbook and find an answer. You get
your exam back and there’s a solution key,” Gupta said. “As we work through
problems on these broken solar panels, there’s no one to say that’s right or
that’s wrong. We’ve encountered weird problems, that if you look online, you
won’t find an answer. We figure it out for ourselves and I think that’s
valuable.”
**To fix damaged glass, for example, they put the panel on a flat surface and
use liquid resin to repair it. That’s logical. The setback: the resin does not
settle evenly. It bunches up and wrinkles. For now, the students applied
thinner coats – which has worked to some extent.**
Another big issue: fast degradation when the panels are not in use. The
students believe that deterioration occurs in each panel’s junction box system
– the wires that connect panels to each other.
“Every time we test the panels, they degrade,” Gupta said. “We’re sort of
sapping a little bit of life out of them, because we’re disconnecting and
connecting, but we’re trying to figure out how to make sure our power data
results are reliable.”
**One new panel’s output is about 400 watts per hour. After the reboot team
finishes, the students aim to achieve an output of 150 watts. Some of the
renewed panels have gone to the Ithaca Re-Use Center, where they have found
new homes.**
In fact, the group has begun talking with local farmers to sell them
refurbished panels for production agriculture needs – such as powering a small
irrigation system, a water pump, a fan or a few barn lights – where a full-
power electric system isn’t needed.
“We’ve met with farmers and I was amazed by how much a refurbished solar panel
can help them,” Alruwaily said. “It had never crossed my mind that a repaired
item like a solar panel can do that. It was a proverbial light-bulb moment for
me.”
Gupta said the group aims to connect further with the local community and
wishes to find more opportunities for refurbished panels.
For Yang, the team’s youngest member, this was an opportunity to work and
absorb. “Refurbishing panels feels very fresh,” she said. “You go to the Ward
lab and put on gloves, wash down the panels, refurbish them and conduct
testing. We’re learning firsthand about energy.”
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/09/sustainability-students-learn-
to-repair-broken-solar-panels-at-cornell-univ/>
# [The “Dirty Deal” of Senator Manchin Threatens Our
Planet](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/08/the-%e2%80%9cdirty-
deal%e2%80%9d-of-senator-manchin-threatens-our-planet/)
[](…
content/uploads/2022/12/42750114-2DCB-426F-BD7C-10831BB2E4FA.jpeg)
Join CCAN's Virtual Night of Action to STOP Manchin's Dirty Deal!
**Manchin Releases Permitting Text and Urges Colleagues to Support MVP and
Permitting Amendment to NDAA**
From the [Appeal of Grace Tuttle, Protect Our
Water—Heritage—Rights](https://act.chesapeakeclimate.org/page/46961/data/1),
December 7, 2022
**Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released the full text of the
Building American Energy Security Act of 2022. He also urged his colleagues on
both sides of the aisle to support amending the National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA) to include this comprehensive, bipartisan permitting reform and
complete the critical Mountain Valley Pipeline.
“Failing to pass the bipartisan, comprehensive energy permitting reform that
our country desperately needs is not an acceptable option. As our energy
security becomes more threatened every day, Americans are demanding Congress
put politics aside and act on commonsense solutions to solve the issues facing
us. The Senate must vote to amend the NDAA to ensure the comprehensive,
bipartisan permitting reform our country desperately needs is included,” said
Chairman Manchin.**
To read the Building American Energy Security Act of 2022 in full, [click
here.](https://www.energy.senate.gov/services/files/FAED4818-E382-4210-B452…
[To read a summary of the changes, click
here](https://www.energy.senate.gov/services/files/66701873-A0CC-4DD3-A5A0-….
**CCAN Event:** **RSVP** : **
<https://act.chesapeakeclimate.org/page/46961/data/1>**
**Description: Join CCAN 's Virtual Night of Action to STOP Manchin's Dirty
Deal!**
It's time. Our senators need to hear from us. We will not stand for Manchin's
dirty deal. We can't make policy with backroom negotiations that exclude
impacted communities. We can't keep feeding our addiction to fossil fuels.
**Our goal is to get 150 residents to email their senator in one night to stop
the dirty deal.
6:00-6:15 Latest policy update, Q&A
6:15-6:30 Outreach to personal VA friends and family
6:30-7:00 Textbank with CCAN **
>> _Grace Tuttle, Development & Programs Coordinator
Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR)_
#######+++++++#######+++++++########
**P.S. The members of the US Congress need to hear from you. Senator Joe
Manchin (D-WV) is trying to include his Dirty Deal – to roll back bedrock
environmental protections and force the construction of the Mountain Valley
Pipeline – in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). We can only block
this if enough Senators stand up and promise to vote against the NDAA if it
includes the Dirty Deal.**
**Priority List:**
Senator Kaine (202) 224-4024
Senator Warner (202) 224-2023
Senator Carper (202) 224-2441
Senator Schumer (202) 224-6542
Senator Schatz (202) 224-3934
Senator Murray (202) 224-2621
Senator Reed (202) 224-4642
Senator Leahy (202) 224-4242
Senator Warnock (202) 224-3643
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/08/the-%e2%80%9cdirty-
deal%e2%80%9d-of-senator-manchin-threatens-our-planet/>
# [ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE? ~ Renono Gas-Fired Power Plant Given +18 Months
Extension](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/06/environmental-justice-
renono-gas-fired-power-plant-given-18-months-extension/)
[](…
content/uploads/2022/12/BAA2EE41-79BB-4466-9424-DB94DDCCC61F.jpeg)
Renovo, PA, is 28 miles northwest of Lock Haven on the West Branch of the
Susquehanna River
**GROUPS APPEAL PA-DEP’S EXTENSION OF ILLEGAL POWER PLANT AIR PERMIT**
From the [Web Site Blog of the Clean Air Council, Pittsburgh,
PA](https://cleanair.org), November 22, 2022
RENOVO, PA ~ **The Clean Air Council, PennFuture, and the Center for
Biological Diversity have appealed an extension of Renovo Energy Center’s air
pollution permit for a large gas-fired power plant — a significant source of
new pollution within an environmental justice area.** The extension by the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP) allows the power
plant developer an additional 18 months to build the North-Central
Pennsylvania power plant. **PA-DEP originally permitted the gas-fired plant in
April 2021, but Renovo Energy Center has failed to secure financing to move
forward.**
This extension comes amid an ongoing appeal by the same groups, challenging
the power plant’s air permit, which PA-DEP extended in October. In August, the
Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board ruled in favor of the groups in that
appeal, finding that DEP set pollution limits too high for two harmful
pollutants. That legal challenge continues toward trial on other claims.
Still, rather than allow the illegal permit to lapse, PA-DEP sent Renovo
Energy Center a letter granting the requested extension. PA-DEP did nothing to
alter or fix the illegal permit. In their Notice of Appeal, the environmental
groups object that the extension is illegal because the permit it extends is
illegal and the requirements for an extension were not met.
Renovo is an environmental justice area located along the West Branch
Susquehanna River. The permit authorizes the plant to emit hundreds of tons of
noxious pollutants annually and more greenhouse gases than the City of
Pittsburgh. Pollution from the power plant would impose a cost of billions of
dollars in impacts to health and communities over the course of its lifetime.
The power plant is being developed by Bechtel Corporation, a Virginia-based
multinational engineering corporation.
“Extending a permit that judges just found to be illegal is a slap in the face
to residents of Clinton County and to the rule of law,” said Joseph Otis
Minott, Executive Director and Chief Counsel of Clean Air Council, on behalf
of all three environmental groups filing this appeal. “Why in the world would
DEP break the law just to ensure that a giant fossil fuel power plant can
dirty the community’s air? Renewable energy is cleaner, cheaper, and more
abundant.”
###
**Clean Air Council** is a member-supported, non-profit environmental
organization dedicated to protecting everyone’s right to a healthy
environment. The Council has offices in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and
Wilmington, and works through public education, community advocacy, and
government oversight to ensure enforcement of environmental laws. For more
information, please visit www.cleanair.org.
**PennFuture** is leading the transition to a clean energy economy in
Pennsylvania and beyond. We are protecting our air, water and land, and
empowering citizens to build sustainable communities for future generations.
Visit www.pennfuture.org.
The **Center for Biological Diversity** is a national, nonprofit conservation
organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated
to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/06/environmental-justice-renono-
gas-fired-power-plant-given-18-months-extension/>
# [GREENHOUSE GASES (GHG) ~ Let’s Attend to All Those Conventional Oil & Gas
Wells](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/05/greenhouse-gases-ghg-
let%e2%80%99s-attend-to-all-those-conventional-oil-gas-wells/)
[](https:/…
content/uploads/2022/12/0AC4B130-F6C3-45D2-B224-91DC36340B70.jpeg)
The Earthjustice group agrees; plug the leaks a.s.a.p.
**Methane mitigation means opportunity for West Virginia**
Guest Essay by [Delegate Evan Hansen, Morgantown Dominion
Post](https://www.dominionpost.com/2022/12/03/guest-essay-methane-mitigatio…
means-opportunity-for-w-va/), Sunday, December 4, 2022
Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is used to heat our homes and
cook our food. Yet, much of this valuable natural resource is wasted into thin
air via emissions from the many smaller, low-producing wells with leak-prone
equipment that dot our landscape. These wells are responsible for roughly half
the emissions at U.S. well sites but account for merely 6% of the nation’s oil
and gas production. This waste does not serve West Virginians or our economy
and must be addressed.
Commonsense standards to cut this waste such as those proposed by the
Environmental Protection Agency will produce good-paying, family-sustaining
jobs and economic opportunities for our residents.
The methane mitigation industry is a rapidly expanding field, deploying robust
technology to capture emissions, generating revenues that will rev up our
economic engine. These jobs create opportunities in communities where natural
gas is being sourced, allowing them to profit from the industry directly.
As West Virginians, we take pride in our reputation as a top energy producer.
The methane mitigation industry will help ensure our status as the fifth-
largest energy producer in the United States and will provide our energy
workers with continued job security as we promote energy security. This is
possible while creating a brighter, healthier future through reduction of the
state’s greenhouse gas footprint.
I hope you’ll join me in encouraging other legislators to support the EPA’s
sensible rule to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, in order
to provide new opportunities for West Virginia’s energy workers.
_>>> Delegate Evan Hansen represents the current House of Delegates 51st
District in Monongalia County._
#######+++++++#######+++++++#######+++++++
**[Clean Air Council, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh& Wilmington,
DE](https://cleanair.org), December 5, 2022**
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 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.**](https://cleanaircouncil.salsalabs.org/fracking/index.html?eTy…
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/05/greenhouse-gases-ghg-
let%e2%80%99s-attend-to-all-those-conventional-oil-gas-wells/>
# [Greenhouse Gases (GHG) Still the “Elephant in the Room” after
COP27](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/04/greenhouse-gases-ghg-still-
the-%e2%80%9celephant-in-the-room%e2%80%9d/)
[](…
content/uploads/2022/12/54141D15-389E-4651-800C-FCE64A49EE0F.jpeg)
The “Elephant in the Room” is not seen but was obvious at COP27
**Op-ed: It’s time to re-think the United Nations’ COP climate negotiations**
From the [Opinion-Editorial by Ruth G. Bell, Environmental Health
News](https://www.ehn.org/climate-change-cop-2658803975.html), December 01,
2022
**When you work on climate change, cognitive dissonance is a daily experience.
I recently visited West Virginia to bask in the glorious colors of fall. All
seemed right with the world — normal in a way that can make one forget the
existential crises humming along in the background.**
I felt the same jarring disconnect as I watched the now concluded Conference
of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC). It might be time to strip away the parts of this annual
ritual that have value and jettison the rest.
The people trying to hammer out solutions to this vexing global challenge are
serious individuals who care deeply. Some have spent entire careers moving
from venue to venue, making their best efforts to find a pathway toward a
safer world. The negotiations are sober and sincere.
The cognitive dissonance arises because they have nothing to offer that
matches the severity of the problem. Carbon emissions might have been worse
without this annual attention, but it’s hard to escape that the current
pathway is essentially business as usual.
What is the return on value of almost 30 years of meetings? We’ve seen record-
breaking increases in global average atmospheric carbon dioxide and little
progress toward concrete support for poor countries that suffer the most from
the climate’s radical changes, though they contributed the least to the
destruction.
**Climate accords built on mutual trust** ~ The international process has
produced breakthroughs. The 2015 Paris Agreement rejected conventional
thinking to recognize that each country must find its own way to lower its
emissions with steadily more ambitious targets. Its innovation was
acknowledging that by working together, each pushing the other to improve,
countries could collectively build the momentum toward progress.
Then came the Trump years. Progress as envisioned in Paris requires mutual
trust. Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord delivered a gut-punch
reminder that agreements are not just about signatures on a page.
Post-Trump, President Biden recommitted to the accord and brought back John
Kerry, who had built the coalition for the Paris success. But even Kerry’s
credibility on the world stage can’t erase the doubts made tangible by Trump’s
destructive behavior.
**Years of talk already (30 years or more)** ~ On one side of the ledger, the
COP is an annual platform for the countries that stand to lose the most from
mounting emissions. For two weeks, at least, they can make their case on a
public stage.
**On the other, the meetings have made those with genuine claims into
supplicants.** For decades, they brought their case to the streets and the
side events. The remedies they propose, like taxing fossil fuel companies’
profits, are out of step with political reality. Their concerns finally became
central this year, but the answer they got was, as characterized by David
Wallace-Wells, a shell, “vague on all of the important points: who will pay
into the fund and how much, who will distribute that money and to whom.”
**The credibility of the COP is eroded by years of failure to meet
commitments, with many wrong turns and the perception of slow bureaucracy.**
And the unstated objective of wealthier countries appears to be to maintain
their current lifestyle, only by changing the source of the energy that powers
it from fossil fuels to more benign inputs. While efficiency has improved, the
U.S. and similar countries continue as wasteful energy consumers. The West
doesn’t seem to want to make the kind of changes that might cause a little
discomfort, much less
**Making the side events the main event** ~ With limited progress toward the
root mission of lowering greenhouse emissions, it’s time to rethink COP.
**Most of the good news on climate comes from technological developments: the
plummeting price and wider availability of solar; advances in wind; improved
efficiency.**
This suggests shifting from formal negotiations to a consultative platform
that facilitates information sharing, financing and partnerships that might
produce faster technological change. This would draw on the strongest parts of
the meeting process, making the side events into the main event.
The hallway conversations are more concrete, informative and realistic than
the negotiations. For example, the New York Times highlighted how
entrepreneurs came together at the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers
program to develop the Waterplan software that helps companies facilitate
water resource planning. This model could be strengthened at COP.
Annual COP climate talks have also become a magnet for financiers backing the
development of energy-efficient technologies. Regular meetings with that focus
could broker partnerships that might not happen otherwise.
A redesigned COP could also be a place for high-level, off-the-record
conversations. Leaders need to meet, but maybe the current model is too
formal. Although Copenhagen in 2009 is considered in much of the environmental
community to have been a failure, Barack Obama used his time to have
unscripted conversations and infuse a sense of urgency. Admittedly, unplanned
discussions with heads of state are an outlier. But climate has shifted over
time to what is now an ongoing crisis.
More frequent if less formal meetings might better meet the urgency of a
developing crisis, more akin to generals planning a constantly shifting war.
And why not hold these meetings where the impacts on poorer populations can be
more readily grasped — out in the field, so to speak.
**One piece of the current process that works well is the critically important
work of the IPCC,** the independent scientific body founded under the auspices
of the World Meteorological Organization and the U.N, Environment Programme.
The IPCC is independent of the COP, but it provides the increasingly blunt,
comprehensive and credible assessment reports used by UNFCC, policymakers and
a world audience. These reports are widely seen as the most reliable sources
of scientific information on desertification, land degradation, sustainable
land management, food security and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial
ecosystems. Even the deeply conservative U.S. state of Louisiana used IPCC
data to prepare its highly acclaimed Coastal Commission Report.
A benefit of redesign would be to free the UNFCCC itself from the need for
annual conference planning and allow it to be more opportunistic in the best
sense, to focus instead on unexpected possibilities of achievement.
**Real climate opportunities** ~ Asking whether we should reimagine this
convoluted international process will not win me friends in the environmental
community. I am aware that raising these questions can be misinterpreted by
climate deniers and opponents of collective world action.
But not asking the question is equally dangerous, committing us to thinking
that repeating the same routine year after year will somehow lead to a better
result. The real issue is whether we will assure a minimally habitable world
for our children and their children. If the pathway involves stripping down to
the essentials to identify real opportunities of change, so be it.
>>> Ruth G. Bell is a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars.
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/04/greenhouse-gases-ghg-still-
the-%e2%80%9celephant-in-the-room%e2%80%9d/>
# [Hydrogen is So Elusive, You May Never See
It?](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/14/hydrogen-is-so-elusive-you-may-
never-see-it/)
[](https:/…
content/uploads/2022/12/E6B7AA86-F39C-4763-803F-71EEDF34F8C1.jpeg)
What if the fossil fuel interests infiltrated the government, as happened at
COP27?
**Much of This Hype for Hydrogen “Energy” is Just Smoke and Mirrors?**
From an [Article by Jim Walsh and Mia DiFelice, Food & Water
Watch](https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2022/12/13/hydrogen-energy-hype/),
December 13, 2022
**The recent outpouring of attention and funds for hydrogen just distracts
from renewables, while doubling down on pollution. Industry advocates herald
hydrogen energy as the “fuel of the future” — but after clearing away the
smokescreen, we find many reasons for skepticism.**
Unfortunately, policy makers worldwide are buying into the industry hype, as
they finally start looking to address the climate crisis. But with a closer
look, it becomes clear that the hydrogen hype is just another greenwashing
effort from fossil fuel interests and Big Ag.
Ultimately, so-called hydrogen energy isn’t an energy source, but rather an
energy-user. Hydrogen “energy” is inherently inefficient, expensive, and
emissions-intensive. This hype will cost taxpayers and ratepayers billions of
dollars, with few — if any — climate benefits to show for it.
**Hydrogen’s Threat to Climate Change**
Proponents claim that hydrogen is a greenhouse gas-free energy source.
However, this ignores the climate impacts of hydrogen production,
transportation, and use. Even so-called green hydrogen, produced with
renewables, can divert renewable energy that could otherwise displace fossil
fuels.
Right now, a whopping 95% of hydrogen we use today comes from methane, sourced
mainly from fracking. This gray hydrogen requires both fossil fuel feedstocks
and fossil heat for production. Currently, hydrogen production accounts for 2%
of global CO2 emissions. Its climate impact is even greater considering
methane leakage from hydrogen production.
You may have heard of blue hydrogen, too, made with carbon capture technology
built to grab CO2 emissions from gray hydrogen production. But research shows
that blue hydrogen is worse for the climate than burning coal. It’s also
costly — billions in U.S. subsidies for carbon capture have only financed
failures.
Moreover, carbon capture claims allow dirty energy companies to continue
operating business-as-usual, just with a shiny new toy attached. This means
more pollution from the fracking that blue and gray hydrogen rely on.
Hydrogen, green or otherwise, has a dirty little secret the industry likes to
ignore: hydrogen in the air has a climate impact 33 times greater than CO2
over 20 years. That means any leaks — which are likely, due to the small size
of hydrogen molecules — would invariably harm the climate.
**The “Fuel of the Future” is Less Fuel, More Farm**
Though boosters call it the “fuel of the future,” we only use a bit of the
hydrogen we produce for energy. The rest goes to a variety of industrial
processes, like steel-making and ammonia production for fertilizers. In the
U.S., almost 70% of hydrogen produced here goes to oil refining.
But worldwide, ammonia fertilizers comprise the vast majority of demand, with
the industry pushing to make the U.S. a major exporter. These fertilizers have
a huge climate impact, thanks to their fossil fuel feedstocks. Moreover,
fertilizer escaping from soil into the air creates nitrous oxide, which has
265 times the global warming potential of CO2. The risks of ammonia are
compounded by the fact it can be very explosive.
The industry suggests “green” hydrogen can make “carbon-free” fertilizer, but
that only greenwashes other issues with fertilizers that need addressing. Big
Ag already over-treats fields, leading to polluted waterways and public health
problems. If the market expands, so will these issues, its climate impacts,
and industry profits.
**Hydrogen “Energy” is Expensive, Inefficient, and Harmful**
Hydrogen is stored, transported, and burned as-is, but it’s also stored and
transported as liquid ammonia. That ammonia is less explosive than pure
hydrogen, but still dangerous. Transitioning hydrogen to ammonia, then back to
hydrogen at end-use, is also energy-intensive.
At the same time, utilities are pushing plans for “hydrogen blending.” That
entails mixing hydrogen with fracked gas in pipelines for home heating and
energy production.
But hydrogen blending can be even more harmful to public health than methane.
Burning it releases six times as much nitrogen oxide as burning methane, which
worsens respiratory harms and other health impacts. Furthermore, it can
require infrastructure changes that increase gas prices for consumers (and
profits for private utilities).
Moreover, this practice is inefficient, emissions-intensive, and doubles down
on the public health risks of fracked gas heating. Any utility or company
advocating for hydrogen in our daily lives is just trying to prolong the life
of their dirty business models.
**Hydrogen Comes for Communities Across the Country**
Hydrogen investment is growing around the world. That support will have dire
consequences if we don’t have guardrails that stop polluting projects hiding
under the guise of “emissions reductions.”
Right now, fossil fuel corporations are planning huge blue hydrogen projects,
touting their “clean” credentials. But no one should call any of these
projects “clean” when they prolong the life of polluting infrastructure,
instead of shutting it down.
**The Ohio River Valley faces one such project: a massive hydrogen hub
spanning Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. It stands to further harm a
region already threatened by fracking and petrochemical infrastructure.**
Meanwhile, in New Jersey, the fossil fuel industry is pushing legislation to
define hydrogen and other petrochemicals as “renewable natural gas.” This
would allow utilities to charge ratepayers for dirty energy investments, while
claiming them as “renewable.”
In Los Angeles, the City Council is advancing hydrogen plans that will keep
dirty power plants online, rather than shutting them down and replacing them
with clean renewable energy.
**We’ll Stay Vigilant as Hydrogen Hype Rises Higher**
No matter the color, hydrogen is full of problems. It greenwashes and
entrenches harmful industries like oil refining, fracking, and unsustainable
fertilizer. And while there could be a few niche uses for hydrogen energy,
there’s no reason to use it in, say, cars and home heating — other than
corporate profits.
As the hydrogen hype grows, we need to stay wary of industry claims. Before
making any investments in hydrogen or issuing permits, governments must
evaluate the full impact of hydrogen. That includes comparing it to the tools
we already have to transition away from fossil fuels, including
electrification, energy efficiency, and clean renewable energy.
**Warn your friends and family: Don’t believe the hype!**
URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/14/hydrogen-is-so-elusive-you-may-
never-see-it/>