SB 185 is the Governor's "Alternative-Fuel Motor Vehicle tax credit" bill. It eliminates the existing tax credits for biofuels, electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, and even "coal-derived liquid fuels". Tax credits for "Alternative-fuel" vehicles would be limited to natural gas and liquified petroleum gas.
This is an aggressive attack on renewables in the transportation sector and would help to lock in fossil fuels.
The same bill in the House is House Bill 2506. It has been assigned to …
[View More]the Roads and Transportation Committee, Margaret Staggers is Chair.
Jim Kotcon
>>> wva-sun(a)googlegroups.com> 2/16/2013 12:17 PM >> ( mailto:wva-sun@googlegroups.com )
SB 185 ( http://groups.google.com/group/wva-sun/t/48ab5358b7ac8f07 )
John Christensen <john(a)mtvsolar.com> Feb 16 09:50AM -0500
Read it and weep, here is the governor's bill to "fix" the alternatively
fueled infrastructure and vehicle Tax Credit. Not exactly what we were
hoping instead we got a shot over the bow so to speak.
John
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb185%20int…
--
*John Christensen*
*Government Affairs and Advocacy
Mountain View Solar
410-499-4873 cell
304-258-4733 office*
*www.mtvsolar.com
When the sun shines my meter runs in a positive direction! How about yours?
*
[View Less]
excellent opportunity to distribute postcards
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Walton Shepherd <wshepher(a)mix.wvu.edu>
To: sallywilts(a)yahoo.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 9:58 PM
Subject: Re: "Power Hour" in Morgantown re: energy efficiency in WV
Sorry! Here's the attachment...
On Wed, Feb 13, 2013 at 9:56 PM, Walton Shepherd <wshepher(a)mix.wvu.edu> wrote:
Hello Sally,
>
>I was given your name by Cathy Kunkle at EEWV, because in two weeks we're …
[View More]holding a "Power Hour" to educate informed citizens on the poor coal-related decisions our
power company has made, why that has led to higher power bills and more
pollution, and most importantly what we can do about it. In particular is the attempt by MonPower to buy a 40-year old coal plant and stick us with the bill.
>
>Would you be able to help spread the word? Details are below and
attached, and I will also have a Facebook page soon. This meeting will
cover some pretty great "big picture" stuff that I know will be of
interest to you and to your members.
>
>Please call or email me when you have a moment if you would like to discuss next steps, or what I could do to help you in any way.
>
>
>Thank you for your work, and I hope to meet you!
>
>
>W. Chris Shepherd
>304.206.7907
>
>
>
>Morgantown Power Hour:
>Wednesday, February
27, 6 PM at the Morgantown Library
>373 Spruce Street,
Room A
>
>Why is my power bill going up, up, UP?
>
>Because MonPower wants you to pay UP for buying an
old coal plant that will cost us $1.7 BILLION DOLLARS, while it refuses to invest
in energy efficiency that would make your bill go DOWN.
>
>So what are we to do about this $1.7
billion in higher power bills?
>
>
>SAY NO TO PRICEY OLD POWER PLANTS,
>AND YES TO EFFICIENCY.
>
>
>
>
>Learn how you can
advocate for common-sense solutions like energy efficiency that will save you
money and avoid more rate hikes by avoiding the unnecessary cost of buying yet another
old coal power plant.
>
>
>MonPower, your electric
monopoly, is planning to purchase an expensive 40-year old coal plant,
while refusing to invest instead in energy efficiency programs to meet
our power needs, even though energy efficiency is a far cheaper way to meet
energy needs when compared to buying an antiquated coal plant for $1.7 BILLION DOLLARS.
>
>
>It’s just common sense
that we should increase our energy efficiency first, instead of letting
MonPower stick the tab of an old, multi-billion dollar coal plant onto our power bills.
>
> There are two bills in
the legislature this session that would result in the better and less expensive
investment in energy efficiency - learn how you can help support these pieces
of legislation, which will make your bill go DOWN, not UP like your power
company is hoping for.
[View Less]
I guess this tells us what the plan was for Mike Brune and Allison Chin to
get arrested at the White House.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: May Boeve - 350.org <organizers(a)350.org>
Date: Wed, Feb 13, 2013 at 9:58 AM
Subject: Why Bill McKibben is risking arrest again
To: Jim Sconyers <jimscon(a)gmail.com>
Dear friends,
Right now, 50 or so of our friends and allies are on their way to risk
arrest at the White House to encourage President Obama say no to the
…
[View More]Keystone XL pipeline. If he is serious about his words last night in the
State of the Union, stopping the pipeline is the first and simplest way for
him to show it.
Among the group at the White House today are people whose homes and
communities are affected by the pipeline; who have suffered the impacts of
extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy; who lead companies in the
clean energy economy; who lead advocacy organizations, and who lead
communities of faith.
Each of them tell part of the story of climate change: its causes, impacts,
and solutions -- as well as the movement to stop it. Together, they are
delivering a message to President Obama.
*I am inspired by these stories, and our web team has set up a page where
you can read some of them, and share them with your social networks to show
your solidarity. Click here to get to know some of the folks at the White
House today: 350.org/February13<http://act.350.org/go/2732?t=1&akid=2723.570617.H9klVX>
*
This Sunday on February 17, the force of this movement will come together
in bigger numbers than ever before. That action, combined with the serious
message on display in Washington today, are our best tools to push the
President to make his words real.
*Right about now, Bill is risking arrest alongside our friends, but he
wanted me to pass on this message:*
"I'm very glad to see leaders and celebrities standing up to Keystone, but
I don't forget for a moment that it was 1,253 ordinary Americans going to
jail who built this momentum in the first place. And it's the tens of
thousands who descend on DC this weekend who will push this to the next
stage.
We really shouldn't have to be put in handcuffs to stop Keystone XL -- our
nation's leading climate scientists have told us it's dangerous folly, and
all the recent Nobel Peace laureates have urged us to set a different kind
of example for the world, so the choice should be obvious. But given the
amount of money on the other side, we've had to spend our bodies, and we'll
probably have to spend them again."
I hope you can share their stories from today -- each person participating
represents a key part of this fight. I also hope you can come to be heard
yourself this Sunday when we gather for our big action on the National Mall.
Take a moment to appreciate the commitment these folks are making today,
and share their messages with your friends -- *this is such an important
time for us and our movement:
350.org/February13<http://act.350.org/go/2732?t=2&akid=2723.570617.H9klVX>
*
Onwards,
May
------------------------------
350.org is building a global movement to solve the climate crisis. Connect
with us on Facebook <http://facebook.com/350.org> and
Twitter<http://twitter.com/350>,
and sign up for email alerts <http://350.org/signup?akid=2723.570617.H9klVX>.
You can help power our work by getting involved locally, sharing your
story<http://local.350.org/stories/?akid=2723.570617.H9klVX>,
and donating here. <http://350.org/donate?akid=2723.570617.H9klVX>
**
*To stop receiving emails from 350.org, click
here.<http://act.350.org/cms/unsubscribe/unsubscribe/?t=3&akid=2723.570617.H9klVX>
*
* *
--
Jim Sconyers
jimscon(a)gmail.com
304.698.9628
Remember, Mother Nature bats last.
[View Less]
anybody else get this? fyi, paul
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: East BoCo United <eastbocounited(a)gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 11, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Subject: From The Colorado Movement to the Sierra Club Executive Board
To:
To The Sierra Club On Banning Hydraulic Fracturing
To Whom It May Concern:
We would like to take this opportunity to address a recent petition calling
for the Sierra Club to take a leading position on banning the process of
hydraulic fracturing. …
[View More]The petition and supporting documentation around it
spoke very closely to our daily experience of this tragic topic. We believe
that the effort and its request reflect the quality and passion of your
membership, as well as the growing national awareness of the profoundly
destructive impacts of hydraulic fracturing,
Our group, East Boulder County United, is comprised mainly of residents of
Lafayette, Louisville and Gunbarrel Colorado, all which sit on the
Wattenberg Shale. We live our lives, raise our families and educate our
children and value our environment and community highly, and it has been
only recently and entirely against our will that we have been forced to
enter the fight against fracking. We were not aware that our community,
with its hospitals, homes, and elementary schools sits 8000’ above a layer
of shale that spells potentially massive corporate profits.
Like so many populations around the world we have seen the growing
political tensions and corruption that are required by industries seeking
enrichment at the cost of our environment and public health. We live daily
with this reality and struggle to find our way forward despite a government
that has capitulated entirely to the gas and oil companies. We lead lives
of growing desperation and fear as one well after another is plugged into
our aquifers, our community space, and our common air.
We think about the immediate toxicological effects to our children,
neighbors, and loved ones. We wonder if the air will give us cancer. We
wonder if the nose bleeds of our children signal neurotoxicity. Beyond all
of this, we fret over the looming threat of global warming and the massive
destabilizing impacts that the fossil fuel industry produces for our
species for inherently short-term personal enrichment.
Our group is a small community’s attempt to fight against an industry and
government that does not care about our future. We have had our successes
and are growing. But we can never hope to possess the power, national
visibility and resources of groups like your own. We are a desperate,
secondary attempt to fill the void that the larger environmental groups
have created by not confronting the realities of hydraulic fracturing
directly.
It does not need to be like this. The Sierra Club and other national
organizations can take the lead on fighting the environmental and political
devastation that the fossil fuel industry continues to force upon us. To
this end we would in the strongest sense request that you lead a national
ban on the process of hydraulic fracturing. It is the only responsible
position to take, and would go so far to address the growing destruction
this industry is creating. Please contact us at your nearest convenience,
and thank you for your time. We await your response.
Sincerely,
East Boulder County United
EastBoCoUnited(a)gmail.com
Eastbocounited.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]
This from below:
Rutter notes an executive order has established a moratorium on drilling in
state parks,
I was unaware of this. Does anyone have more info?
From: wvec-board(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:wvec-board@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of cindy rank
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2013 9:04 AM
To: WVEC
Subject: [wvec-board] Ryerson from DAILY UPDATE 9 February 2013. News of
interest to Mon river watershed denizens.
As we discussed at our Spring Review a couple years ago (…
[View More]2010 ?), Ryerson
Lake and Park in nearby southwesterm PA was harmed by CONSOL deep mining
that weakened the structure of the dam......
Litigation, fines, and discussion about how and who to 'fix', repair,
replace, mitigate the destruction continue.... The latest involves mediated
negotiations about it all...... See article below for a bit more detail....
Cindy R.
304-924-5802
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Donald C. Strimbeck <dcsoinks(a)comcast.net>
Date: Sat, Feb 9, 2013 at 4:14 AM
Subject:
by Bob Niedbala
<http://www.observer-reporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=bniedbala>
Staff Writer
niedbala(a)observer-reporter.com
Greene Co.
Mediator releases interim report on Ryerson negotiations
Friday, February 8,2013
.
<http://orweb.sx2.atl.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=OR&Date=2013020
8&Category=NEWS02&ArtNo=130209339&Ref=AR?q=100>
The Duke Lake dam at Ryerson Station State Park
A mediator attempting to settle litigation between the state and Consol
Energy regarding damage to the dam at Ryerson Station State Park released a
report Friday that includes recommendations he said he believes can serve as
a basis for resolving the dispute.
The mediator, Thomas A. Rutter, released the interim mediation report with
the approval of all parties to the case. Expanding cracks in the concrete
dam at Ryerson forced the state Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources in 2005 to drain the lake and remove part of the dam.
DCNR filed a claim against Consol suggesting the damage was caused by
Consol's Bailey Mine, which was mining near the park. The state Department
of Environmental Protection later determined the damage was caused by mining
and ordered Consol to restore the dam.
Denying its mining activities was to blame, Consol appealed DEP's decision
to the state Environmental Hearing Board, where the case is scheduled for
trial in May.
Rutter's recommendations build on a proposal he presented at a public
meeting on restoration of the dam last month.
He proposes a settlement under which Consol would pay to rebuild the dam in
return for it being allowed to drill for natural gas beneath the park, but
only from properties adjacent to the park.
Consol would be given the opportunity to lease gas resources beneath the
park. Once its drilling activities are completed on the eight parcels of
land it now owns adjacent to the park, the company would deed those parcels
to the state, which will increase the size of the park by about one third,
Rutter said.
Consol would also agree never to conduct gas drilling on the park lands and
would establish a monitoring program to address concerns related to future
mining in the area of the park.
Rutter notes an executive order has established a moratorium on drilling in
state parks, but he urged parties to consider the proposal for reasons
stated in the report.
"This matter has dragged on too long. If the parties miss this opportunity,
I fear that this case will proceed and the community will continue to suffer
while this lengthy and costly litigation proceeds," Rutter wrote.
The report was released at the request of DCNR secretary Richard J. Allen.
"The report in my view provides a reasonable framework to reach a resolution
of the litigation and to restore the dam," Allen wrote in a letter to
Rutter, which also was released.
Allen said he believes from newspaper articles and other information he's
received that the community would support such a resolution, but to insure
the public is fully informed he suggested the report be released.
Consol spokeswoman Lynn Seay said in an email that the company has supported
the process outlined by the mediator.
"We're hopeful that this mediation sets a new course that takes it out of
the attorney's hands and into a construct where all parties can align around
the common goal of restoring Ryerson dam and the recreational aspects to the
park as soon as possible," she said.
A spokesman for the Center for Coalfield Justice, which intervened in the
case, could not be reached Friday for comment.
In his report, Rutter said he believes from discussion with the parties that
any settlement involving Consol paying a substantial sum to resolve the
claim would have to address, in exchange, Consol's development issues.
The company owns coal rights beneath part of the park that could be mined in
the future, he said. In addition, its subsidiary, CNX Gas, has acquired the
assets of MOB Corp. that include four gas wells in the park.
CNX gas has not drilled any wells in the park but is interested in doing so
in conjunction with its shale gas development on the parcels it owns
adjacent to the park, he said,
DCNR has estimated the cost to rebuild the dam at $21.7 million not
including design and pre-construction services. Consol has estimated repairs
and renovations at between $10.6 and $17.6 million
Rutter said that oral and written testimony he received from about 200
individuals and groups, include more than 40 who testified at the hearing
Jan. 26, indicate people want the dam restored as soon as possible and would
accept a "reasonable resolution" to ensure that result.
He said he heard little opposition to the settlement proposal he presented
at the hearing, which involved having Consol compensate the state for the
dam while allowing it to drill for gas beneath the park.
Each of the parties is ready to prove its case before the hearing board, he
said. Both sides "have marshaled impressive, well credentialed experts who
support their positions."
Parties estimate it could take three to five years to resolve the case
through administrative and appellate court proceedings.
But even if the state wins, the public will lose by the time that has passed
until the lake is restored, Rutter wrote. If the state should lose, he
added, it might find it hasn't the money to replace the dam itself.
Negotiation teams have made progress but the matter has come to a "critical
point" at which those involved in the mediation must obtain authority to
negotiate a settlement under terms specified in the report.
"I may be optimistic, but if you can agree to these terms I believe the rest
of the case can be settled in short order." Rutter said.
Further public comment in writing is still be accepted regarding the report.
Comments can be sent to:
. Stewart L. Cohen, DCNR special counsel, Two Commerce Square, 2001 Market
Street, Suite 2900, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103; facsimile: 215-567-6019;
. Stan Geary, senior counsel, Consol Energy, 1000 Consol Energy Drive,
Canonsburg, Pa. 15317; facsimile: 724-485-4837;
. Michael Heilman, assistant regional counsel, DEP, 400 Waterfront Drive,
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222; facsimile; 412-442-4267
. Odam Salim, Center for Coalfield Justice, University of Pittsburgh School
of Law, P.O. Box 7226, Pittsburgh Pa. 15213-0221; facsimile 412-648-1992
Copyright 2012 Observer Publishing Company.All rights reserved.
__._,_.___
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No virus found in this message.
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[View Less]
my new blogpost: U. Delaware study shows an all-renewable grid by 2030
is possible ( http://groups.google.com/group/va-sun/t/6623d3dabe2dd68b
)
Ivy Main <ivymain(a)cox.net> Feb 04 03:58PM -0500
This new study answers the questions we always get about what to do
when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine. It is available at
www.ceoe.udel.edu/windpower
Below is my blogpost about the study, which you can find at my blog,
www.powerforthepeopleva.com, or at
http://m.dailykos.…
[View More]com/story/2013/02/04/1184546/-For-electric-power-generati…
Ivy Main
Vice Chair, Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club
home: 703-448-7618
cell: 703-967-2876
ivymain(a)cox.net
Read the Virginia Energy Blog: PowerforthePeopleVA.com
For electric power generation, the end of fossil fuel is in sight
by Ivy Main Feb 04, 2013 9:53am PST
The rap on renewable energy is that it’s too variable to meet society’s
demand for a constant supply of electricity. The answer to the problem
turns out to be: More renewables.
Climate change is acting like an ever-tightening vise on our energy
options. Each year that passes without dramatic decreases in our use of
carbon-emitting fuels means the cuts we have to make simply get more
drastic. By 2030, say experts, we must entirely replace coal with
efficiency and renewable energy, or fry. Even the most intrepid
environmentalists wonder if it can be done without huge price hikes and
wholesale changes in how we live and use energy--changes that society
may not accept.
A new study out of the University of Delaware shows it is possible to
power the grid 99.9% of the time with only solar and wind energy, at a
cost comparable to what we are paying today. This counters the
conventional wisdom that we will always need large amounts of fossil
fuel as a backup when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.
It also means the goal of getting largely beyond fossil fuels by 2030 is
not just achievable, but practical.
The study focused on a regional transmission grid known as PJM, which
encompasses parts or all of fourteen states, mostly in the Mid-Atlantic.
Researchers ran 28 billion computer simulations to find the most
cost-effective combinations of wind and solar that could power the
entire grid, at the least possible cost and with minimal amounts of
energy storage. The winning combination relied on natural gas turbines
for backup on only five days out of the four years modeled.
The study authors looked for the least cost taking account of carbon
and other external costs of fossil fuels, which are not being accounted
for today, but they also assumed no technology improvements over time,
making their cost estimates conservative overall. All the least-cost
combinations used much more storage than we have today, but needed it
for only 9 to 72 hours to get through the entire four years modeled.
The secret to dealing with the inherent variability of wind and solar,
it turns out, is to build even more wind and solar. One wind turbine is
unreliable, but tens of thousands spread across a dozen states greatly
reduces the variability problem, and tens of thousands of wind turbines
balanced with millions of solar panels is better still. To get to 99.9%
renewables, you keep adding wind turbines and solar panels until you are
producing three times the electricity that you actually need to meet
demand. To power the grid with renewables just 90% of the time, you
would have to produce “only” 1.8 times the electricity needed. (And yes,
we have the windy sites and the sunny places to support all those
projects.)
While it may sound strange to build more generation than you need, that
is already the way grid operators ensure reliability. To take one
example, if you were in Virginia when the “Big One” struck in 2011, you
will recall that the earthquake caused the North Anna nuclear plant to
shut down for four months. Nuclear energy provides a third of the
electricity in Dominion Virginia Power’s service territory, and yet the
lights stayed on. That’s because the grid wizards at PJM simply called
on other power sources that had been idle or that had spare capacity.
The other component of reliability is the ability to match demand for
power, which rises and falls with the time of day, weather, and other
factors. So-called “baseload” plants like nuclear, coal, and some
natural gas turbines don’t offer that flexibility and must be
supplemented with other sources or stored energy. PJM currently uses
more than 1,300 different generating sources, as well as about 4%
storage in the form of pumped hydro. The right combination of other
sources can replace baseload plants entirely.
Pairing wind and solar improves their ability to meet demand reliably.
Onshore wind tends to blow most strongly at night, while solar energy
provides power during the peak demand times of the day. Offshore wind
power is also expected to match demand well. Combining them all reduces
the need for back-up power.
But until now policy makers have assumed that solar and wind won’t be
able to power the grid reliably, even when combined and spread out over
PJM’s more than 200,000 square miles, and with the addition of wind
farms off the coast. Critics have insisted that renewable energy
requires lots of back-up generating capacity, especially from some
natural gas turbines that can ramp up and down quickly. New gas turbines
have even been designed specifically to integrate with renewables in
anticipation of increasing amounts of wind and solar coming onto the
grid.
This makes the work of the U. Delaware researchers a game-changer by
showing that wind and solar can be backed up primarily by more wind and
solar. And so we can begin planning for a future entirely without fossil
fuels, knowing that when we get there, the lights will still be on.
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encouraged to join this group. As a group we do not represent any
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We should have a poll. I would go as far as saying we need billboards like FOC have. It should state the cost and how much we may have to pay. I would say we need to have several in the larger cities.
Sent from my HTC One™ X, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone
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From: "James Kotcon" <jkotcon(a)wvu.edu>
To: <Duane330(a)aol.com>, <almostnixie(a)cs.com>, <daniel.chiotos(a)gmail.com>, "Jim Sconyers" <jimscon(a)gmail.com>, <ec(a)osenergy.org>,…
[View More] "Bill Price" <Bill_Price(a)sierraclub.org>, <wjreilly99(a)yahoo.com>
Subject: [EC] Fwd: Mississippi power plant poll
Date: Fri, Feb 1, 2013 7:24 PM
The line below caught my attention:
"75 percent of respondents say cost overruns should be paid by utility shareholders."
This is exactly the issue with the First Energy and AEP transfers. Stockholders want to preserve their profits by dumping uncompetitive power plants on ratepayers.
Would it make sense to commission a similar poll in WV?
JBK
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MS: Poll shows customer opposition to rate hikes via Kemper coal plant (Sierra Club)
The Sierra Club was supposed to release last Thursday the results of a poll meant to gauge Mississippi Power Co. ratepayers’ attitudes toward the Kemper County coal plant.
The environmental group delayed the results because of a hearing in which the Mississippi Public Service Commission reached a rate case settlement with the utility.
The delay ended Wednesday morning. The poll, conducted by Fondren Strategies, surveyed by landline and mobile telephone 400 respondents that a press release says were certified to be Mississippi Power customers.
The results say 65 percent of those polled said the possibility of their electricity rates going up approximately 33 percent once the plant is finished erodes their support of the project. About 75 percent of respondents say cost overruns should be paid by utility shareholders.
Mississippi Power has already filed to recover $172 million in financing costs associated with the project. The filing came one day after last week’s settlement, which lowered the maximum cost recoverable via PSC ratemaking proceedings from $2.88 billion to $2.4 billion.
If the PSC grants the $172 million recovery request, Mississippi Power says rates will go up an average of 21 percent, starting in April and lasting through 2013, for customers who use an average of 1,000 kWh per month.
The project’s overall rate impact, the company said on an analyst call Friday, will hover around 25 percent.
The Sierra Club has opposed the plant since its inception in 2009, calling it an expensive and unnecessary environmental hazard. The club has called for the plant to be converted to a natural gas-fired facility, which it says is cleaner than the lignite coal the plant will eventually use.
The project is on time for a May 2014 completion, Mississippi Power said recently.
Sierra Club’s own press release can be found here.
Fondren Strategies interviewed 400 voters in MS from Jan. 14 – 17; MoE is +/- 4.9% points at the 95% CI
-- Caitlin PixleyConservation AssociateSierra Club Atlantic Chapter353 Hamilton StreetAlbany, NY 12210(518)426-9144caitlin.pixley(a)sierraclub.org
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