EC December 2012

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by Sally Wilts 27 Dec '12

27 Dec '12

http://pizino.com/wp-content/themes/zbench/images/perfectway.php

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Chesapeake announces personnel reduction
by James Kotcon 21 Dec '12

21 Dec '12

I just saw this from Friday and found it ironic. Chesapeake cuts 275 jobs and sells Marcellus assets. But this week, the WV Chamber of Commerce predicts 58,000 new jobs in WV gas industry. Do you suppose the Chamber was paying attention to what Chesapeake actually does, or just their PR? JBK >>> "Donald C. Strimbeck" dcsoinks(a)comcast.net> 12/15/2012 4:19 AM >> ( mailto:dcsoinks@comcast.net ) THE STATE JOURNALChesapeake announces personnel reduction Posted: Dec 14, … [View More]

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Fwd: [GW-ACT-LEADERS] Tremendous new report on a carbon-free electric sector in 2030
by James Kotcon 21 Dec '12

21 Dec '12

New report argues that we should "overbuild" renewable capacity. Instead of sizing wind and solar for our electric generation needs, it is cheaper to build lots of excess capacity for when the wind don't blow, and when it is blowing, use the excess to decarbonize other energy sectors. This may be a "game-changer", just as the gas industry claims Marcellus is. JBK ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ned Ford <Ned.Ford(a)fuse.net> Date: Wed, Dec 19, 2012 at 3:10 PM Subject: [GW-… [View More]ACT-LEADERS] Tremendous new report on a carbon-free electric sector in 2030 To: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS(a)lists.sierraclub.org This article just came from the Club's frack list. I found a link to the actual report, to save folks a couple of clicks. This is the first article I have seen (except for ones I've written) which gets it right. For those of us in the Midwest, they modeled PJM. It overstates the cost of ending fossil fuels in the electric sector because they do not examine the two most attractive forms of energy storage, building thermal storage and compressed air energy storage. But since they reach the right conclusion by using electric batteries and one tenth of the load from fossil fuels, it does not matter. Here is a link to the actual article they report, which fortunately is open access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378775312014759 What is particularly important about this is that they find that building excess generating capacity (up to three times peak load) is cheaper than trying to build to load and manage the variability with a larger amount of storage. This is an essential part of an overall climate strategy because it allows us to use the excess capacity for water and space heating to displace natural gas, and for vehicles to displace petroleum. (Both of those uses are generally going to enhance energy storage). We could use 50% more electricity in 2030 than EIA projects, and starting toward that goal today will prevent us from being whipsawed by the aging nuclear plants as they fail. Note that the headline below says 99.9% fossil-free, but the actual article says 90 to 99.9%. By the time we get there it won't matter. Some of you may find the graphic of renewable generation versus storage requirements to be the most interesting part of the article. It certainly takes a big bite out of the argument that all renewables need massive storage capability. I would like to work with people in the Club who want to articulate the message that the Sierra Club wants MORE electricity in the next two decades than EIA assumes we will need. Planning now, and starting now to build towards 50% more electricity than we use today is the only way we will get through the next decade with all the coal plant closures and the likely nuclear failures without economic catastrophe. We have to be a little circumspect about how we state that, but there is a growing body of argument that Business As Usual is going to end any chance of an economic recovery because of the high cost of new fossil plants. I have another reference I also found today, but it is a 5.4 MB powerpoint, and I will circulate a link if and when I can find one. In the mean time, if you are a glutton for this stuff, ask me offlist for the Risk powerpoint. There is a full report available from RAP, but the powerpoint is much more lucid than the written report. - Ned On 12/19/2012 11:49 AM, david Meiser wrote: http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2013/dec/renewable-energy-121012.html Renewable energy could fully power a large electric grid 99.9 percent of the time by 2030 at costs comparable to today’s electricity expenses, according to new research ( http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378775312014759 ) by the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical Community College. A well-designed combination of wind power, solar power and storage in batteries and fuel cells would nearly always exceed electricity demands while keeping costs low, the scientists found. “These results break the conventional wisdom that renewable energy is too unreliable and expensive,” said co-author Willett Kempton ( http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/people/profile.aspx?willett ), professor in the School of Marine Science and Policy in UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment ( http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/default.aspx ). “The key is to get the right combination of electricity sources and storage — which we did by an exhaustive search — and to calculate costs correctly.” The authors developed a computer model to consider 28 billion combinations of renewable energy sources and storage mechanisms, each tested over four years of historical hourly weather data and electricity demands. The model incorporated data from within a large regional grid called PJM Interconnection, which includes 13 states from New Jersey to Illinois and represents one-fifth of the United States’ total electric grid. Unlike other studies, the model focused on minimizing costs instead of the traditional approach of matching generation to electricity use. The researchers found that generating more electricity than needed during average hours — in order to meet needs on high-demand but low-wind power hours — would be cheaper than storing excess power for later high demand. Storage is relatively costly because the storage medium, batteries or hydrogen tanks, must be larger for each additional hour stored. One of several new findings is that a very large electric system can be run almost entirely on renewable energy. “For example, using hydrogen for storage, we can run an electric system that today would meeting a need of 72 GW, 99.9 percent of the time, using 17 GW of solar, 68 GW of offshore wind, and 115 GW of inland wind,” said co-author Cory Budischak, instructor in the Energy Management Department at Delaware Technical Community College and former UD student. A GW (“gigawatt”) is a measure of electricity generation capability. One GW is the capacity of 200 large wind turbines or of 250,000 rooftop solar systems. Renewable electricity generators must have higher GW capacity than traditional generators, since wind and solar do not generate at maximum all the time. The study sheds light on what an electric system might look like with heavy reliance on renewable energy sources. Wind speeds and sun exposure vary with weather and seasons, requiring ways to improve reliability. In this study, reliability was achieved by: expanding the geographic area of renewable generation, using diverse sources, employing storage systems, and for the last few percent of the time, burning fossil fuels as a backup. During the hours when there was not enough renewable electricity to meet power needs, the model drew from storage and, on the rare hours with neither renewable electricity or stored power, then fossil fuel. When there was more renewable energy generated than needed, the model would first fill storage, use the remaining to replace natural gas for heating homes and businesses and only after those, let the excess go to waste. The study used estimates of technology costs in 2030 without government subsidies, comparing them to costs of fossil fuel generation in wide use today. The cost of fossil fuels includes both the fuel cost itself and the documented external costs such as human health effects caused by power plant air pollution. The projected capital costs for wind and solar in 2030 are about half of today’s wind and solar costs, whereas maintenance costs are projected to be approximately the same. “Aiming for 90 percent or more renewable energy in 2030, in order to achieve climate change targets of 80 to 90 percent reduction of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the power sector, leads to economic savings,” the authors observe. The research was published online last month in the Journal of Power Sources. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS-signoff-request(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ [View Less]

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] the "12 Days of Coal" carol
by James Kotcon 21 Dec '12

21 Dec '12

Did you all see thios? Happy Holidays! JBK >>> James Kotcon <jkotcon(a)gmail.com> 12/21/2012 7:55 AM >>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: barbara conover <bconifer022(a)gmail.com> Date: Tue, Dec 18, 2012 at 4:41 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] the "12 Days of Coal" carol To: coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org I found this through a link from a link... so I don't know where it started or to whom to credit it... beyond Care2... but I … [View More]thought you might enjoy adding this carol to your repertoire. (http://www.care2.com/causes/go-climate-carolsing-rudolph-the-dying-polar-be…) 12 Days of Coal On the 1st day of Christmas my true love said to me: There’s no such thing as clean coal On the 2nd day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 3rd day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 4th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 5th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 6th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 7th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 7 poisoned elementary schools 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 8th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 8 sludge-filled rivers 7 poisoned elementary schools 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 9th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 9 flattened mountains 8 sludge-filled rivers 7 poisoned elementary schools 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 10th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 10 asthmatic children 9 flattened mountains 8 sludge-filled rivers 7 poisoned elementary schools 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 11th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 11 unemployed workers 10 asthmatic children 9 flattened mountains 8 sludge-filled rivers 7 poisoned elementary schools 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal On the 12th day of Christmas Bank of America gave to me: 12 destroyed communities 11 unemployed workers 10 asthmatic children 9 flattened mountains 8 sludge-filled rivers 7 poisoned elementary schools 6 paid off politicians 5 coal silos 4 melting glaciers 3 coal trucks 2 blackened lungs And there’s no such thing as clean coal -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ [View Less]

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from ScienceDaily e-newsletter: New approach could help resolve mountaintop mining issues
by Paul Wilson 11 Dec '12

11 Dec '12

New approach could help resolve mountaintop mining issues<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/Wvk…> Posted: 10 Dec 2012 07:13 AM PST A progressive approach to resolve the complex issues surrounding mountaintop mining needs to incorporate good civic science and meaningful routes for public involvement, researchers say. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward … [View More]

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Fwd: NPR.org - Conflicts, Errors Revealed In Positive Fracking Study
by James Kotcon 08 Dec '12

08 Dec '12

You may recall this story earlier this year. The study has now been withdrawn, and the authors have been retired/resigned. http://www.npr.org/2012/12/07/166755886/positive-fracking-study-was-funded-… Conflicts, Errors Revealed In Positive Fracking Study by Wade Goodwyn ( http://www.npr.org/people/1939802/wade-goodwyn ) December 7, 2012 A report that shed favorable light on fracking is at the center of a controversy at the University of Texas. The head of the school's Energy Institute has … [View More]stepped down and another professor has retired after an investigation found numerous errors and flaws in the report — and undisclosed conflicts of interest. Copyright © 2012 National Public Radio. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required. AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: A University of Texas study that says hydraulic natural gas fracturing is safe has been withdrawn, and its author has retired and left the university. From Dallas, NPR's Wade Goodwyn has the story. WADE GOODWYN, BYLINE: The fracking study is now a black eye to the University of Texas after an independent review of national experts found it scientifically unsound and tainted by conflicts of interest. The author of the study, Dr. Charles Groat, retired in the wake of the scathing review, and the university announced that Dr. Raymond Orbach, head of the university's Energy Institute that released the study, has resigned his position. The original fracking study concluded that hydraulic fracturing was safe, the danger of water contamination low and suggestions to the contrary mostly media bias. But then it was reported this summer that Professor Groat sat on the board of a natural gas drilling company and received more than a million and a half dollars in compensation. That information was not disclosed in Groat's report. In a statement, the University of Texas said it accepted the findings of the independent review. This is the third time in three months that fracking research by energy-friendly university industry consortiums has been discredited. The Shale Resources Institute at the State University of New York at Buffalo was closed after questions were raised about the quality and independence of its work. And an industry canceled their fracking study after professors at Penn State University refused to participate. Wade Goodwyn, NPR News, Dallas. Copyright © 2012 National Public Radio A more detailed story, with additional links, from Texas Public radio is at: http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2012/12/06/review-of-ut-fracking-study-fin… This is gonna be HUGE. Thanks to Dave Mcmahon for the original link. Jim Kotcon [View Less]

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Fwd: [Coal Volunteers List] Volunteer Webinar - Your Input Requested on Sierra Club Climate Agenda
by Paul Wilson 08 Dec '12

08 Dec '12

*fyi, paul * ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Verena Owen <verena_owen(a)prodigy.net> Date: Fri, Dec 7, 2012 at 11:21 PM Subject: [Coal Volunteers List] Volunteer Webinar - Your Input Requested on Sierra Club Climate Agenda To: coal volunteer list <coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org> Please join us! Verena *You are invited to a webinar to share your thoughts on the Sierra Club's 2013 climate and clean energy agenda for the White House. * Now that President … [View More]Obama has won reelection, many of you have asked what the Sierra Club's major climate and clean energy asks will be in his second term. A stellar group of volunteers and staff members from across the Sierra Club have been working on this Agenda, which will drive our compelling and powerful work out of the gates in 2013. As part of that process, we want to get your input and ideas. We will be holding two webinars for volunteers next week to give an overview of the Agenda, along with our plans to roll it out publicly in January with “100 Days of Action” between the Inauguration and Earth Day. There will be time in the agenda to get your feedback on the agenda. Please join us for one of the following webinars! *Volunteer webinars: Wednesday & Thursday, Dec. 12 & 13 - 8:00pm ET / 7:00 CT / 6:00 MT / 5:00 PT * Please note that you have to register in advance to participate in the webinar, which you can do at the link below. Be sure you register for the appropriate webinar - staff or volunteer - as they will be structured a bit differently. Also, you only need to attend one webinar - we will be repeating the same content both times, and are offering multiple time slots to allow the maximum number of people to participate *Register for a session now by clicking a date below:* Wed, Dec 12, 2012 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EST <https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/160378839> Thu, Dec 13, 2012 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EST <https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/665136319> Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with information you need to join the Webinar. *System Requirements* PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 ServerMac®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newerMobile attendees Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet -- To access the Beyond Coal Campaign Resource Portal, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/sierraclub.org/beyond-coal-resource-portal/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "#Coal-Volunteers" group. To post to this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list(a)sierraclub.org. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coal-volunteers-list+unsubscribe(a)sierraclub.org. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle [View Less]

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Fwd: WVNS story: NY Times Knows More About WV Tax Breaks than Legislators
by Paul Wilson 06 Dec '12

06 Dec '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Public News Service <wvns(a)newsservice.org> Date: Thu, Dec 6, 2012 at 3:51 AM Subject: WVNS story: NY Times Knows More About WV Tax Breaks than Legislators To: PaulWilson <pjgrunt(a)gmail.com> NY Times Knows More About WV Tax Breaks than Legislators Dan Heyman, Public News Service-WV http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29659-1 Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService<http://www.facebook.com/… [View More]PublicNewsService> Twitter: @pns_news <http://twitter.com/#!/pns_news> @pns_WV<http://twitter.com/#!/pns_WV> Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice <http://plus.google.com/106260479325451709866> (12/06/12) CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A major New York Times investigation is pushing West Virginia lawmakers to examine the tax breaks they give to businesses. According to the Times, each year state and local governments give companies the equivalent of about $850 per West Virginian. That's one of the highest ratios in the country - equal to about one-third of the state budget. Senate Finance Committee Chair Roman Prezioso (D-Dist. 13)) says for years he has been frustrated trying to find out how much the state gives out in tax breaks, let alone how many jobs are created in the process. "How could the New York Times come in and do an oversight, when we as legislators can't get those answers? We want to know why a third of our total budget does not have the oversight folks say it should." Many in the business community say the tax breaks spark economic growth and new jobs. Prezioso agrees it is probably true for some, but lawmakers have no way of knowing which ones. During the last session, Prezioso says he refused to pass any new tax breaks. As he puts it, he "boxed them up" in his committee because the state doesn't measure how many jobs are created or how the tax programs could be made more efficient. "I took a lot of heat: 'He must be against business.' Well, I'm not against business. We just can't continue to go down this path without having specific benchmarks." Nine years ago, officials negotiated what is known as a "tax increment financing" deal with outdoor retailer Cabela's. The company won subsidies worth about a $150 million dollars. Prezioso says it was probably worth it, but he wonders if the state risks undermining funding for schools when it makes such deals. "Is there a tipping point? Can you overextend the state in tax increment financing, then all of a sudden your revenues dry up, but you have all this infrastructure?" The legislature will hold a public hearing on the issue on Dec. 12. It will start at 11 a.m. in the House of Delegates chamber at the state capitol. The New York Times findings on West Virginia can be found at www.nytimes.com<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/01/us/government-incentives.html…> . Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29659-1<http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/29659-1> --- To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org <remove(a)publicnewsservice.org?subject=remove>and put the word "remove" in the subject line. -- Paul Wilson Sierra Club 504 Jefferson Ave Charles Town, WV 25414-1130 Phone: 304-725-4360 Cell: 304-279-1361 "There is no forward until you have gone back" ~Buddha "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" ~ Aristotle [View Less]

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from the Center for Media and Democracy: ALEC and Heartland Aim to Crush Renewable Energy Standards in the States
by Paul Wilson 05 Dec '12

05 Dec '12

ALEC and Heartland Aim to Crush Renewable Energy Standards in the States [image: Image of ALEC and Heartland Institute logos]An effort to stomp out state renewable energy mandates across the country has roots in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). As reported by *The Washington Post*, the Heartland Institute wrote the bill, had it passed through ALEC, and is now targeting the 29 states and the District of Columbia, which have passed renewable energy requirements in some form. … [View More]

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energy organizer?
by James Kotcon 04 Dec '12

04 Dec '12

We have been working recently on the First Energy/Harrison power plant transfer with some national staff, as well as allies such as EEWV. As you may recall, First Energy wants to raise rates to transfer the Harrison power plant to Mon Power, so that ratepayers, not stockholders, are responsible for any costs associated with carbon rules, etc. The PSC is hearing these rate cases this month, and Mon Power is asking for a decision on the transfer case by the end of March. I made a strong … [View More]

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EC December 2012