EC November 2009

ec@lists.wvsierraclub.org

8 participants
20 discussions

FW: NYT (Friedman -- While Detroit Slept)
by James Kotcon 05 Jan '10

05 Jan '10

From my father-in-law. JBK >>> "Bob Elliott" <rdelliott(a)socal.rr.com> 12/12/2008 7:29 AM >>> <http://www.nytimes.com/> <http://www.nytimes.com/> The New York Times <http://www.nytimes.com/> _____ December 10, 2008 Op-Ed Columnist While Detroit Slept By <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/tho maslfriedman/index.html?inline=nyt-per> THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN As I think about our bailing out Detroit, … [View More]I can't help but reflect on what, in my view, is the most important rule of business in today's integrated and digitized global market, where knowledge and innovation tools are so widely distributed. It's this: Whatever can be done, will be done. The only question is will it be done by you or to you. Just don't think it won't be done. If you have an idea in Detroit or Tennessee, promise me that you'll pursue it, because someone in Denmark or Tel Aviv will do so a second later. Why do I bring this up? Because someone in the mobility business in Denmark and Tel Aviv is already developing a real-world alternative to Detroit's business model. I don't know if this alternative to gasoline-powered cars will work, but I do know that it can be done - and Detroit isn't doing it. And therefore it will be done, and eventually, I bet, it will be done profitably. And when it is, our bailout of Detroit will be remembered as the equivalent of pouring billions of dollars of taxpayer money into the mail-order-catalogue business on the eve of the birth of eBay. It will be remembered as pouring billions of dollars into the CD music business on the eve of the birth of the iPod and iTunes. It will be remembered as pouring billions of dollars into a book-store chain on the eve of the birth of Amazon.com and the Kindle. It will be remembered as pouring billions of dollars into improving typewriters on the eve of the birth of the PC and the Internet. What business model am I talking about? It is Shai Agassi's electric car network company, called Better Place. Just last week, the company, based in Palo Alto, Calif., announced a partnership with the state of Hawaii to road test its business plan there after already inking similar deals with Israel, Australia, the San Francisco Bay area and, yes, Denmark. The Better Place electric car charging system involves generating electrons from as much renewable energy - such as wind and solar - as possible and then feeding those clean electrons into a national electric car charging infrastructure. This consists of electricity charging spots with plug-in outlets - the first pilots were opened in Israel this week - plus battery-exchange stations all over the respective country. The whole system is then coordinated by a service control center that integrates and does the billing. Under the Better Place model, consumers can either buy or lease an electric car from the French automaker Renault or Japanese companies like Nissan (General Motors snubbed Agassi) and then buy miles on their electric car batteries from Better Place the way you now buy an Apple cellphone and the minutes from AT&T. That way Better Place, or any car company that partners with it, benefits from each mile you drive. G.M. sells cars. Better Place is selling mobility miles. The first Renault and Nissan electric cars are scheduled to hit Denmark and Israel in 2011, when the whole system should be up and running. On Tuesday, Japan's Ministry of Environment invited Better Place to join the first government-led electric car project along with Honda, Mitsubishi and Subaru. Better Place was the only foreign company invited to participate, working with Japan's leading auto companies, to build a battery swap station for electric cars in Yokohama, the Detroit of Japan. What I find exciting about Better Place is that it is building a car company off the new industrial platform of the 21st century, not the one from the 20th - the exact same way that Steve Jobs did to overturn the music business. What did Apple understand first? One, that today's technology platform would allow anyone with a computer to record music. Two, that the Internet and MP3 players would allow anyone to transfer music in digital form to anyone else. You wouldn't need CDs or record companies anymore. Apple simply took all those innovations and integrated them into a single music-generating, purchasing and listening system that completely disrupted the music business. What Agassi, the founder of Better Place, is saying is that there is a new way to generate mobility, not just music, using the same platform. It just takes the right kind of auto battery - the iPod in this story - and the right kind of national plug-in network - the iTunes store - to make the business model work for electric cars at six cents a mile. The average American is paying today around 12 cents a mile for gasoline transportation, which also adds to global warming and strengthens petro-dictators. Do not expect this innovation to come out of Detroit. Remember, in 1908, the Ford Model-T got better mileage - 25 miles per gallon - than many Ford, G.M. and Chrysler models made in 2008. But don't be surprised when it comes out of somewhere else. It can be done. It will be done. If we miss the chance to win the race for Car 2.0 because we keep mindlessly bailing out Car 1.0, there will be no one to blame more than Detroit's new shareholders: we the taxpayers. _____ Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and favorite sites in one place. Try <http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000 010> it now. [View Less]

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makeup of Oil and Gas Inspectors' Examining Board
by Frank Young 30 Nov '09

30 Nov '09

BlankAt SierraFest in October, and at last week's WVEC board meeting, Beth Little brought up the matter of oil and gas inspectors, and the state "examining board" that employs them. I have highlighted below sections (a) (1) and (2) which outline the makeup of that board. Note that the Chiefs of the Oil and Gas and of the Water Resources Division of DEP are two ex officio members of the five person Oil & Gas examining board, and are appointed by the Director of DEP, and that the only … [View More]qualifications for their appointments are that they be "competent and qualified persons"- but with no further explanation of what "competent and qualified" means. §22-1-8. Supervisory officers. (a) The secretary shall appoint a competent and qualified person to be the chief executive officer of each office (which includes the offices of Oil & Gas and of Water Resources- F.Y.) specified in section seven of this article. The three bolded paragraphs below summarize the makeup of the O&G examining board. (underlined emphasis mine- F.Y.) §22C-7-3. Oil and gas inspectors' examining board created; composition; appointment, term and compensation of members; meetings; powers and duties generally. (a)(1) There is hereby continued an oil and gas inspectors' examining board consisting of five members, two of whom shall be ex officio members and three of whom shall be appointed by the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Appointed members may be removed only for the same causes and like manner as elective state officers. One member of the board shall be the representative of the public at large and shall be a person who is knowledgeable about the subject matter of this article and has no direct financial interest in oil and gas production other than the receipt of royalty payments which do not exceed ten percent of his or her annual income and who by reason of previous training or experience may reasonably be said to represent the viewpoint of surface owners or environmental organizations: Provided, That the public member serving on the board on the first day of January, two thousand one, shall remain on the board until the expiration of his or her term and is also eligible for reappointment. One member shall be a person who by reason of previous training and experience may reasonably be said to represent the viewpoint of independent oil and gas operators. One member shall be a person who by reason of previous training and experience may reasonably be said to represent the viewpoint of major oil and gas producers. (2) The chief of the office of oil and gas of the division of environmental protection and the chief of the office of water resources of the division of environmental protection or their designees shall be ex officio members. (3) The appointed members of the board shall be appointed for overlapping terms of six years, except that the original appointments shall be for terms of two, four and six years, respectively. Any member whose term expires may be reappointed by the governor. (4) The board shall pay each member the same compensation and expense reimbursement as is paid to members of the Legislature for their interim duties as recommended by the citizens legislative compensation commission and authorized by law for each day or portion thereof engaged in the discharge of official duties. (5) The chief of the office of oil and gas or the chief's designee serving pursuant to subdivision two of this subsection shall serve as chair of the board: Provided, That for any level three grievance proceeding the chief or the chief's designee may not serve as a chair or vote. The board shall elect a secretary from its members. (6) Members of the board, before performing any duty, shall take and subscribe to the oath required by section five, article IV of the constitution of West Virginia. (7) The board shall meet at such times and places as shall be designated by the chair. It is the duty of the chair to call a meeting of the board on the written request of two members. Notice of each meeting shall be given in writing to each member by the secretary at least five days in advance of the meeting. A majority of members is a quorum for the transaction of business. (b) In addition to other powers and duties expressly set forth elsewhere in this article, the board shall: (1) Establish, and from time to time revise, forms of application for employment as an oil and gas inspector and supervising inspector, which shall include the applicant's social security number, and forms for written examinations to test the qualifications of candidates, with such distinctions, if any, in the forms for oil and gas inspector and supervising inspector as the board may from time to time deem necessary or advisable; (2) Adopt and promulgate reasonable rules relating to the examination, qualification and certification of candidates for appointment, and relating to hearings for removal of inspectors or the supervising inspector, required to be held by this article. All of such rules shall be printed and a copy thereof furnished by the secretary of the board to any person upon request; (3) Conduct, after public notice of the time and place thereof, examinations of candidates for appointment. By unanimous agreement of all members of the board, one or more members of the board or an employee of the division of environmental protection may be designated to give to a candidate the written portion of the examination; (4) Prepare and certify to the director of the division of environmental protection a register of qualified eligible candidates for appointment as oil and gas inspectors or as supervising inspectors, with such differentiation, if any, between the certification of candidates for oil and gas inspectors and for supervising inspectors as the board may from time to time consider necessary or advisable. The register shall list all qualified eligible candidates in the order of their grades, the candidate with the highest grade appearing at the top of the list. After each meeting of the board held to examine such candidates and at least annually, the board shall prepare and submit to the director of the division of environmental protection a revised and corrected register of qualified eligible candidates for appointment, deleting from such revised register all persons: (a) Who are no longer residents of West Virginia; (b) who have allowed a calendar year to expire without, in writing, indicating their continued availability for such appointment; (c) who have been passed over for appointment for three years; (d) who have become ineligible for appointment since the board originally certified that such persons were qualified and eligible for appointment; or (e) who, in the judgment of at least three members of the board, should be removed from the register for good cause; (5) Cause the secretary of the board to keep and preserve the written examination papers, manuscripts, grading sheets and other papers of all applicants for appointment for such period of time as may be established by the board. Specimens of the examinations given, together with the correct solution of each question, shall be preserved permanently by the secretary of the board; (6) Issue a letter or written notice of qualification to each successful eligible candidate; (7) Hear and determine proceedings for the suspension, dismissal or other discipline of inspectors or the supervising inspector in accordance with the provisions of this article; (8) Make an annual report to the governor concerning the administration of oil and gas inspection personnel in the state service; making such recommendations as the board considers to be in the public interest; and (9) Render such advice and assistance to the director of the division of environmental protection as the director shall from time to time determine necessary or desirable in the performance of such duties. If not for love, then what? There is no wealth but life. (John Ruskin 1819-1900) [View Less]

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Re: [EC] makeup of Oil and Gas Inspectors' Examining Board
by James Kotcon 29 Nov '09

29 Nov '09

I am in the process of putting together a listing of the legislative changes needed for a comprehensive reform. The fact that the industry has a majority of the Board that appoints their own inspectors does seem like the purest example of a conflict of interest I have seen in a while. How about adding two citizen representatives, one having expertise in water quality issues, and one having expertise in landowner rights issues. We could probably get support from the Farm Bureau for that last one.… [View More] I would also add that phrase about no direct financial interest in oil and gas production to the qualifications for representatives of the oil and gas industry. Surely the industry can find someone who is retired or otherwise independent of financial conflicts of interest as their representative. Alternatively, I can just imagine the kinds of editorials we could get if we force the industry to try to publicly justify why they are entitled to representatives with a financial conflict of interest on a State Board! Even legislators are required to recuse themselves if they have a personal financial involvement in a vote. :-) But to do this, we will need a laundry list of horror stories for the Legislature. These could include landowner complaints of the non-responsiveness of inspectors specifically, and DEP generally, to problems with gas drillers. But we need to demonstrate that the system is broken, or it will never get fixed. Any horror stories out there? How about other suggestions for reform? JBK >>> "Frank Young" 11/29/09 1:26 PM >>> At SierraFest in October, and at last week's WVEC board meeting, Beth Little brought up the matter of oil and gas inspectors, and the state "examining board" that employs them. I have highlighted below sections (a) (1) and (2) which outline the makeup of that board. Note that the Chiefs of the Oil and Gas and of the Water Resources Division of DEP are two ex officio members of the five person Oil & Gas examining board, and are appointed by the Director of DEP, and that the only qualifications for their appointments are that they be "competent and qualified persons"- but with no further explanation of what "competent and qualified" means. §22-1-8. Supervisory officers. (a) The secretary shall appoint a competent and qualified person to be the chief executive officer of each office (which includes the offices of Oil & Gas and of Water Resources- F.Y.) specified in section seven of this article. The three bolded paragraphs below summarize the makeup of the O&G examining board. (underlined emphasis mine- F.Y.) §22C-7-3. Oil and gas inspectors' examining board created; composition; appointment, term and compensation of members; meetings; powers and duties generally. (a)(1) There is hereby continued an oil and gas inspectors' examining board consisting of five members, two of whom shall be ex officio members and three of whom shall be appointed by the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Appointed members may be removed only for the same causes and like manner as elective state officers. One member of the board shall be the representative of the public at large and shall be a person who is knowledgeable about the subject matter of this article and has no direct financial interest in oil and gas production other than the receipt of royalty payments which do not exceed ten percent of his or her annual income and who by reason of previous training or experience may reasonably be said to represent the viewpoint of surface owners or environmental organizations: Provided, That the public member serving on the board on the first day of January, two thousand one, shall remain on the board until the expiration of his or her term and is also eligible for reappointment. One member shall be a person who by reason of previous training and experience may reasonably be said to represent the viewpoint of independent oil and gas operators. One member shall be a person who by reason of previous training and experience may reasonably be said to represent the viewpoint of major oil and gas producers. (2) The chief of the office of oil and gas of the division of environmental protection and the chief of the office of water resources of the division of environmental protection or their designees shall be ex officio members. (3) The appointed members of the board shall be appointed for overlapping terms of six years, except that the original appointments shall be for terms of two, four and six years, respectively. Any member whose term expires may be reappointed by the governor. (4) The board shall pay each member the same compensation and expense reimbursement as is paid to members of the Legislature for their interim duties as recommended by the citizens legislative compensation commission and authorized by law for each day or portion thereof engaged in the discharge of official duties. (5) The chief of the office of oil and gas or the chief's designee serving pursuant to subdivision two of this subsection shall serve as chair of the board: Provided, That for any level three grievance proceeding the chief or the chief's designee may not serve as a chair or vote. The board shall elect a secretary from its members. (6) Members of the board, before performing any duty, shall take and subscribe to the oath required by section five, article IV of the constitution of West Virginia. (7) The board shall meet at such times and places as shall be designated by the chair. It is the duty of the chair to call a meeting of the board on the written request of two members. Notice of each meeting shall be given in writing to each member by the secretary at least five days in advance of the meeting. A majority of members is a quorum for the transaction of business. (b) In addition to other powers and duties expressly set forth elsewhere in this article, the board shall: (1) Establish, and from time to time revise, forms of application for employment as an oil and gas inspector and supervising inspector, which shall include the applicant's social security number, and forms for written examinations to test the qualifications of candidates, with such distinctions, if any, in the forms for oil and gas inspector and supervising inspector as the board may from time to time deem necessary or advisable; (2) Adopt and promulgate reasonable rules relating to the examination, qualification and certification of candidates for appointment, and relating to hearings for removal of inspectors or the supervising inspector, required to be held by this article. All of such rules shall be printed and a copy thereof furnished by the secretary of the board to any person upon request; (3) Conduct, after public notice of the time and place thereof, examinations of candidates for appointment. By unanimous agreement of all members of the board, one or more members of the board or an employee of the division of environmental protection may be designated to give to a candidate the written portion of the examination; (4) Prepare and certify to the director of the division of environmental protection a register of qualified eligible candidates for appointment as oil and gas inspectors or as supervising inspectors, with such differentiation, if any, between the certification of candidates for oil and gas inspectors and for supervising inspectors as the board may from time to time consider necessary or advisable. The register shall list all qualified eligible candidates in the order of their grades, the candidate with the highest grade appearing at the top of the list. After each meeting of the board held to examine such candidates and at least annually, the board shall prepare and submit to the director of the division of environmental protection a revised and corrected register of qualified eligible candidates for appointment, deleting from such revised register all persons: (a) Who are no longer residents of West Virginia; (b) who have allowed a calendar year to expire without, in writing, indicating their continued availability for such appointment; (c) who have been passed over for appointment for three years; (d) who have become ineligible for appointment since the board originally certified that such persons were qualified and eligible for appointment; or (e) who, in the judgment of at least three members of the board, should be removed from the register for good cause; (5) Cause the secretary of the board to keep and preserve the written examination papers, manuscripts, grading sheets and other papers of all applicants for appointment for such period of time as may be established by the board. Specimens of the examinations given, together with the correct solution of each question, shall be preserved permanently by the secretary of the board; (6) Issue a letter or written notice of qualification to each successful eligible candidate; (7) Hear and determine proceedings for the suspension, dismissal or other discipline of inspectors or the supervising inspector in accordance with the provisions of this article; (8) Make an annual report to the governor concerning the administration of oil and gas inspection personnel in the state service; making such recommendations as the board considers to be in the public interest; and (9) Render such advice and assistance to the director of the division of environmental protection as the director shall from time to time determine necessary or desirable in the performance of such duties. If not for love, then what? There is no wealth but life. (John Ruskin 1819-1900) [View Less]

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Fwd: Fw: 2010 Chapter Leader Training
by James Kotcon 28 Nov '09

28 Nov '09

To Energy Committee: This on-line/conference call training sounds like a good idea, and several Chapter leaders have already reserved. If you would like to participate, let Jim Sconyers know ASAP. The first 2 people in get to do this. JBK >>> Jim Sconyers <jim_scon(a)yahoo.com> 11/20/2009 10:48 AM >>> Interested? I am. This is the campaign that is getting national money - and besides it's the most critical issue of our time. Not to mention all the potential for … [View More]strengthening the Chapter. Please let me know if you'd like to do the training. Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Thu, 11/19/09, Greg Casini <alert(a)sierraclub.org> wrote: From: Greg Casini <alert(a)sierraclub.org> Subject: 2010 Chapter Leader Training To: "Sierra Club Activists" <alert(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009, 8:00 PM November 18, 2009 To: Chapter Chairs From: The Leadership & Organizing Training Team Re: 2010 Chapter Leader Training NOTE: APPLICATIONS ARE DUE DECEMBER 18 Dear Chapter Chairs, The Sierra Club will be offering Chapter Leader Training beginning in January, 2010. In the past, the training has been a four-day in-person retreat following a standard classroom format. We are now taking a new approach in order to reach more chapter leaders in the most cost effective way possible. Many of you indicated you would be interested in learning more about the Sierra Club's effort to focus on the single most important fight of our lifetime - climate recovery. This learning opportunity is targeted at helping you build the most effective chapter possible to do that work. To increase your power, rather than take up your time, the training will be offered remotely as a conference call and online training, and we are inviting you to recruit a team of 3-5 additional Chapter leaders to participate along with you, so they can support you in your role and help you apply the skills learned in the training to the real work of your ExCom. Training Structure There are two main components to the training: a series of five conference call training sessions that will link all participants by phone, and a coaching call just for your team following each training session. The training sessions will be 90 minutes in length, starting in January, and will be spaced three weeks apart. The roster of sessions is as follows: Session 1: Connecting your Chapter to Climate Recovery Campaign Objectives: Understand how your state and local goals can fit with Climate Recovery Campaign objectives, reflect on the core functions of Chapter ExComs, learn how to inventory and report your Chapter's performance in these areas, review and improve your priority setting process. Session 2: Creating a High-Performing ExCom Team: Examine trust building, team norms, operating procedures, decision-making practices and accountability strategies; learn how to build a high-performing ExCom team that achieves significant results. Session 3: Structuring Effective ExCom Meetings: Explore new ideas on crafting meeting agendas, running productive meetings and following up on action items; learn how to transform your agendas and get important work done. Session 4: Chapter Communications in the 21st Century: Learn how your Chapter can develop an online organizing strategy to expand your outreach and effectiveness; explore the use of Convio, HELEN and other communications technologies. Session 5: Expanding your Leadership Structure to Build a Broader Movement for Climate Recovery: Assess your local resources; learn how to expand your leadership structure in order to build a movement around climate recovery work that engages a broad diversity of people in your communities. Training Benefits Here are some of the benefits you can expect as a result of this training: After this training, you will: --Have more clarity on the role and expectations of the Chapter ExCom --Understand the Club's climate recovery campaigns and how to be a part of them --Improve the functioning of your Chapter ExCom to engage more effectively in climate recovery work --Transform your meetings to get more done in less time --Develop a 21st century communications strategy --Expand your leadership infrastructure in order to build a broader movement around climate recovery work Training Dates (Pacific & Mountain Time Zones) Session 1 Tuesday, January 12 at 6pm PT, 7pm MT Session 2 Tuesday, February 2 at 6pm PT, 7pm MT Session 3 Tuesday, February 23 at 6pm PT, 7pm MT Session 4 Tuesday, March 16 at 6pm PT, 7pm MT Session 5 Tuesday, April 6 at 6pm PT, 7pm MT Training Dates (Eastern & Central Time Zones) Session 1 Thursday, January 14 at 6pm CT, 7pm ET Session 2 Thursday, February 4 at 6pm CT, 7pm ET Session 3 Thursday, February 25 at 6pm CT, 7pm ET Session 4 Thursday, March 18 at 6pm CT, 7pm ET Session 5 Thursday, April 8 at 6pm CT, 7pm ET To Apply for the Training 1. Read the Mutual Agreement below. 2. Recruit 3-5 other Chapter leaders who will commit to participate with you through the entire training program (you must recruit a minimum of three leaders). Some of your best candidates might be your Vice-Chair, Conservation Chair and most senior staff person. 3. Complete the Mutual Agreement form and return it to Greg Casini by December18. Chapters will be chosen based on their level of commitment, and notified no later than December 21. There is no fee to participate. Much of this training will be conducted on the phone and over the internet. You will need to have access to a computer for the duration of these sessions. Questions If you have questions about this training, contact greg.casini(a)sierraclub.org ( about:/mc/compose?to=greg.casini@sierraclub.org ) or 415-977-5651. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Virtual Training for Chapter Leadership Teams - Mutual Agreement RETURN BY DECEMBER 18, 2009 The Training: This training is intended not just for the ExCom Chair, but also for a core leadership team of 3-5 additional leaders who can support the Chair in his/her role. The expectation is that there will be four to six people from each Chapter working together with the Chair to ensure a highly effective ExCom. You may be seasoned leaders or new volunteers, but the common thread should be your commitment to learning and applying new skills to the real work of your ExCom. There are two main components to the training: a series of five conference call-based training sessions, and individual coaching between sessions. Training sessions will be 90 minutes each, starting in January and spaced three weeks apart. Coaching calls will be conducted between the trainings and through June. Each Chapter leadership team will have an assigned coach. The coach will serve as a sounding board and help to facilitate the implementation of training lessons into chapter practices. The coach will also be on point for the teams to give feedback to the trainers. The Trainers' Commitment: --We will be prepared to offer quality training for all participants --We will offer training that is relevant and useful to the chapter teams --We will solicit and accept constructive feedback on the progress of the training sessions and coaching. Your Commitment: --Come to the sessions prepared, and actively participate in all five training sessions. --Complete any pre- or post-session work assignments --Listen to the recording of any missed calls and work with your coach to "make up" a missed session. --Apply the skills and practices learned in the sessions to your Chapter ExCom work --Build a working relationship with your coach. --Provide honest feedback to the coach and trainers to help shape this and future trainings. During this process, we will be using some technologies that are new to the Club and to this group of trainers. There will be a concerted effort to test new technologies in order to mitigate the fact that we are not meeting face-to-face. The trainers will do their best to ensure that the technology is appropriate and functional, but there is an element of experimentation here. All parties need to have some patience and be willing to change plans in the event of technology glitches. APPLICATION FOR 2010 CHAPTER LEADERSHIP TRAINING WE HAVE REVIEWED THIS MUTUAL AGREEMENT AND WE AGREE TO ABIDE BY THE EXPECTATIONS OUTLINED. YES ____ NO ___ DATE: CHAPTER: CHAPTER CHAIR: EMAIL ADDRESS: PHONE NUMBER: OTHER TRAINING PARTICIPANTS (MINIMUM OF 3): NAME POSITION EMAIL ADDRESS HAVE ALL PARTICIPANTS AGREED TO ATTEND ALL SESSIONS? YES ____ NO ___ Return to greg.casini(a)sierraclub.org ( about:/mc/compose?to=greg.casini@sierraclub.org ) by December 1 [View Less]

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Upstate New Yorkers Split by Leasing of Land for Natural Gas Wells - NYTimes.com
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 28 Nov '09

28 Nov '09

*Please note, the sender's email address has not been verified. You have received the following link from william.depaulo(a)gmail.com ******************** If you are having trouble with any of the links in this message, or if the URL's are not appearing as links, please follow the instructions at the bottom of this email. Title: Upstate New Yorkers Split by Leasing of Land for Natural Gas Wells - NYTimes.com Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to access the sent … [View More]

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Fwd: FW: OSM Changes to Improve Oversight of Surface Coal Mining
by James Kotcon 27 Nov '09

27 Nov '09

Does anyone on the Energy Committee want to take a crack at developing comments on these? We have been hollering for years, now here is our chance. OSM is listening, and I hope the coal industry is not the only voice they hear. JBK >>> "Calhoun, Roger W." <rcalhoun(a)osmre.gov> 11/19/2009 10:38 AM >>> The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) announced a series of actions and proposals intended to improve its oversight of state … [View More]

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Fw: Coal: the missing numbers
by Jim Sconyers 25 Nov '09

25 Nov '09

good one Jim Sconyers jim_scon(a)yahoo.com 304.698.9628 Remember: Mother Nature bats last. --- On Tue, 11/24/09, Mark Redden <markaredden(a)hotmail.com> wrote: From: Mark Redden <markaredden(a)hotmail.com> Subject: Coal: the missing numbers To: information(a)sierraclub.org Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 10:00 PM http://www.shift2020.com/coalnumbers.html Windows Live Hotmail: Your friends can get your Facebook updates, right from Hotmail®.

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Fw: Power Demand Dims Outlook
by Frank Young 21 Nov '09

21 Nov '09

Subject: Electric Power Demand Power Demand Dims Outlook a.. Article b.. Comments (1) more in Business » By REBECCA SMITH Electricity sales remained weak in the third quarter, prompting speculation that the sluggishness could persist even after the U.S. economy rebounds. Some utilities don't expect power sales to recover to pre-recession levels until 2012 -- if at all -- because so many factories have closed. Getting a read on future demand is crucial for utilities … [View More]because they require long lead times to build power plants and make other upgrades. Declining sales put pressure on utilities to raise prices, cut costs or make other adjustments to bolster profits. The sector began to feel the recession, which started in late 2007, later than many others. Sales held up well in the first half of 2008 but then declined and have continued falling this year, though some regions are reporting an uptick. The federal Energy Information Administration expects overall electricity sales to decline 3.3% this year and grow modestly next year, but many utilities anticipate far larger declines for the year. Duke Energy Corp. said its energy sales to the textile industry based in the Carolinas fell 20% in the third quarter, versus a drop of 13.7% for sales to all industrial users. For the first nine months of 2009, electricity sales to the textile industry were down 23.5%, from the prior year, and overall industrial sales were down 15.8%. American Electric Power Co. of Columbus, Ohio, which owns utilities in 11 states, saw industrial electricity sales plunge 17% for the third quarter versus the year-ago period. Chief Executive Mike Morris said his company is counting on industrial demand recovering about a third of the lost ground in 2010. Beyond that, he is wary of making predictions. "I don't know if we'll ever get all of it back," he said, acknowledging that factory closings in the auto sector will have a lasting effect. Larry Makovich of consultancy Cambridge Energy Research Associates is among the few who believe electricity sales will experience a "strong rebound" next year. "It is dangerous to misinterpret a short-run phenomenon as a structural change," he said. Atlanta's Southern Co., which owns utilities in four Southeastern states, has seen year-to-date industrial demand drop 15%, including a 9.6% drop in the past quarter. Chief Executive David Ratcliffe said he sees signs of recovery, but added that it feels "fragile." Bill Johnson, chief executive of Progress Energy, which has utilities in Florida and the Carolinas, said he thinks homes mostly have cut use voluntarily, unlike businesses. Total sales fell 10.9% in the first nine months of the year across all customer categories, led by industrial sales that dropped 11.4% in the Carolinas and 12.9% in Florida. "I think there's still a high level of concern and a great deal of unease" about the economy, Mr. Johnson said, adding that he doesn't expect a sharp recovery. Bob Shepard, chief executive of Oncor in Dallas, said he thinks the drop in energy use in 2008 "was so quick that it wasn't structural but was probably cyclical." Nevertheless, he said he doesn't expect a full recovery in total sales volumes until 2012. Portland General Electric in Oregon saw residential sales rise 4.6% for the quarter, but the gain was offset by a 5.3% drop in industrial sales. Utility analyst Chris Ellinghaus at Shields & Company in New York said he isn't hopeful the sector will recover next year but thinks "2011 will look more normal." Write to Rebecca Smith at rebecca.smith(a)wsj.com ********************* Joy Towles Ezell hopeforcleanwater(a)yahoo.com "We are the ones we've been waiting for." http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HopeForCleanWater/ http://grooups.yahoo.com/group/EANoF/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FloridiansAgainstIncineratorsInDisguise/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SaveTaylorCountyFloridaResidents/ 850 584 7087 office & fax 850 843 1574 cell _______________________________________________ No New Coal Plants! (nonewcoalplants(a)energyjustice.net) Energy Justice Network http://www.energyjustice.net Un/Subscribe, change your settings or access the archives at: http://mail.energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nonewcoalplants_energyjustic… [View Less]

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Gas Drilling vs. Drinking Water: New York City Consultant’s Report Sets Stage for Fight With Albany | FLYP
by william.depaulo＠gmail.com 20 Nov '09

20 Nov '09

*Please note, the sender's email address has not been verified. You have received the following link from william.depaulo(a)gmail.com ******************** If you are having trouble with any of the links in this message, or if the URL's are not appearing as links, please follow the instructions at the bottom of this email. Title: Gas Drilling vs. Drinking Water: New York City Consultant’s Report Sets Stage for Fight With Albany | FLYP Copy and paste the following into your Web … [View More]

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Fwd: Question on WV Tourism Assoc. letter
by Paul Wilson 19 Nov '09

19 Nov '09

see the comment below on the WV Tourism Assoc. Has anyone heard of this? Jenny has outlined some national response, but maybe we want to do something like LTEs, op-eds? just a thought, best, paul ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jenny Coyle <Jenny.Coyle(a)sierraclub.org> Date: Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 6:33 PM Subject: Greetings Paul! I have a question... To: pjgrunt(a)gmail.com Hey Paul -- Hope all is well for you there in the mountains. I'm doing well, though I had a … [View More]

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