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Hydrogen Hasn’t Been This Popular Since the Dirigible Liftoffs
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 21 Dec '22

21 Dec '22

# [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/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/B1B624FA-2AD6-40D1-B2F7-51CDF37B6221-300x200.jpg)](… content/uploads/2022/12/B1B624FA-2AD6-40D1-B2F7-51CDF37B6221.jpeg) 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/>

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Pros & Cons of FRACKING IN WEST VIRGINIA Are Not Even Equal
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 20 Dec '22

20 Dec '22

# [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/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/B4198A3A-E13D-4A22-84CD-689162DAA3CC.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2022/12/B4198A3A-E13D-4A22-84CD-689162DAA3CC.jpeg) 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/>

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Drilling & Fracking Exposes Workers and Residents to Toxic Chemicals
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 19 Dec '22

19 Dec '22

# [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/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/D217B31F-C248-4944-99EF-8A973AFAF3EF-258x300.jpg)](… content/uploads/2022/12/D217B31F-C248-4944-99EF-8A973AFAF3EF.jpeg) 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/>

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SIXTH Mass Extinction Underway on EARTH
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 18 Dec '22

18 Dec '22

# [SIXTH Mass Extinction Underway on EARTH](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/18/sixth-mass-extinction-underw… on-earth/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/182F9FB2-AE64-42D6-995C-861BE703FA01.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2022/12/182F9FB2-AE64-42D6-995C-861BE703FA01.jpeg) 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/>

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Endangered Candy Darter May Be Saved for Posterity
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 17 Dec '22

17 Dec '22

# [Endangered Candy Darter May Be Saved for Posterity](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/17/endangered-candy-darter- may-be-saved-for-posterity/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/4912784C-E610-4D55-A064-FACCBB0F4A71-300x199.jpg)](… 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/>

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Zombie Dirty MVP ‘Reform’ Deal Dies Again (3rd Time) in Senate
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 16 Dec '22

16 Dec '22

# [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/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/729988DD-03DD-45DE-9C91-231F3195B2E9-300x168.jpg)](… content/uploads/2022/12/729988DD-03DD-45DE-9C91-231F3195B2E9.jpeg) 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/>

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LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ~ Tenth Annual Penna. Shale & Public Health Conference (2022)
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 16 Dec '22

16 Dec '22

# [LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ~ Tenth Annual Penna. Shale & Public Health Conference (2022)](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/15/league-of-women- voters-tenth-annual-penna-shale-public-health-conference-2022/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/C44334F8-D96F-44D3-9B42-44E7DD805E05-300x46.jpg)](h… content/uploads/2022/12/C44334F8-D96F-44D3-9B42-44E7DD805E05.jpeg)**Videos Now Available — Tenth Annual Shale & Public Health Conference** >>> From the [Pennsylvania League of Women Voters, Tenth Shale Conference](https://www.shalepalwv.org/2022-shale-public-health-conference/), November 15 & 16, 2022 **We thank those of you who helped organize the conference program, who were our speakers, and who attended the[tenth annual Shale & Public Health 2022 conference](https://www.shalepalwv.org/2022-shale-public-health- conference/).** **[The videos of all sessions are now available](https://www.shalepalwv.org/2022-shale-public-health-conference/). You can watch any of the sessions you missed, re-watch a presentation, or share it with colleagues.** [**VIEW ALL SESSIONS!**](https://www.shalepalwv.org/2022-shale-public-health- conference/) **Visit our Website:** [www.ShalePalwv.org](https://www.shalepalwv.org/) URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2022/12/15/league-of-women-voters-tenth- annual-penna-shale-public-health-conference-2022/>

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NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR WEST VIRGINIA ~ Combined Cycle NG Power Plant & CO2 Capture
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 15 Dec '22

15 Dec '22

# [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/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/14F93BDA-A65B-408C-AE08-911ADD678593-300x157.jpg)](… content/uploads/2022/12/14F93BDA-A65B-408C-AE08-911ADD678593.jpeg) 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. [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/D90403CE-4988-4670-8868-6811258772C8-300x99.jpg)](h… content/uploads/2022/12/D90403CE-4988-4670-8868-6811258772C8.jpeg) 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/>

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Diversified Energy is Dominating with “Orphaned” Gas Wells
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 15 Dec '22

15 Dec '22

# [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/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/FF5E4125-78A4-453B-B300-3C6252C62EF8-300x161.jpg)](… content/uploads/2022/12/FF5E4125-78A4-453B-B300-3C6252C62EF8.jpeg) 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/>

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Canada is Banning Single-Use Plastics — Phase 1 Now!
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 15 Dec '22

15 Dec '22

# [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://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/432CD975-CFCD-4FA2-9CFA-2475A9D335F7.jpeg)](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://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/A4A6B84A-A0DF-4821-80D0-3F2E1B40B3BB.jpeg)](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/>

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HISTORY IS MORE THAN DATES IN TIME, NOW AFFECTING EVERYONE
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 15 Dec '22

15 Dec '22

# [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://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/DC60DBCA-B25A-4028-B48C-8168AE02118C.jpeg)](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/>

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Sustainability Students Learn to Repair Broken Solar Panels at Cornell Univ.
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 15 Dec '22

15 Dec '22

# [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/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/1F052C75-FED7-4DB3-9B95-4806EC617A92-300x168.jpg)](… 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/>

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The “Dirty Deal” of Senator Manchin Threatens Our Planet
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 15 Dec '22

15 Dec '22

# [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/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/42750114-2DCB-426F-BD7C-10831BB2E4FA-300x198.jpg)](… 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/>

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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE? ~ Renono Gas-Fired Power Plant Given +18 Months Extension
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 15 Dec '22

15 Dec '22

# [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/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/BAA2EE41-79BB-4466-9424-DB94DDCCC61F-300x224.jpg)](… 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/>

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GREENHOUSE GASES (GHG) ~ Let’s Attend to All Those Conventional Oil & Gas Wells
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 15 Dec '22

15 Dec '22

# [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://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/0AC4B130-F6C3-45D2-B224-91DC36340B70.jpeg)](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/>

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Greenhouse Gases (GHG) Still the “Elephant in the Room” after COP27
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 15 Dec '22

15 Dec '22

# [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/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/54141D15-389E-4651-800C-FCE64A49EE0F-300x150.jpg)](… 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/>

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Hydrogen is So Elusive, You May Never See It?
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 14 Dec '22

14 Dec '22

# [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://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/E6B7AA86-F39C-4763-803F-71EEDF34F8C1.jpeg)](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/>

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