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Fwd: A Rare Republican Call to Climate Action - The New York Times
by Jonathan Rosenbaum via EC 14 Feb '17

14 Feb '17

-------- Original Message -------- SUBJECT: A Rare Republican Call to Climate Action - The New York Times DATE: 2017-02-13 12:36 FROM: Len Conly <lconly(a)lmi.net> TO: CONS-TRANS-CHAIRS-FORUM(a)LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG > https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/13/opinion/a-rare-republican-call-to-climat… > > A RARE REPUBLICAN CALL TO CLIMATE ACTION > > By THE EDITORIAL BOARD [1]*FEB. 13, 2017 > > Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg > > The most … [View More]important thing about a carbon tax plan [2] proposed last week may be the people behind it: prominent Republicans like James Baker III, George Shultz and Henry Paulson Jr. Their endorsement [3] of the idea, variations of which have been suggested before, may be a breakthrough for a party that has closed its eyes to the perils of man-made climate change and done everything in its power to thwart efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. > > This gang of Republican elder statesmen -- they call themselves the Climate Leadership Council [4] -- is not made up of the usual environmentalists, which is why their proposal might gain traction, though probably not right away. > > Their proposal [5] would tax carbon emissions at $40 a ton to start and would be paid by oil refineries and other fossil fuel companies that would pass costs on to consumers with higher gas and electricity prices. The money raised would be returned to Americans through dividend checks; a family of four would get about $2,000 a year to start. This would help people adjust to higher energy prices and give them an incentive to reduce consumption or switch to renewable sources of energy. Most lower-income and middle-class families would get back more than they pay in taxes. To avoid placing American industry at a disadvantage, imports from countries that do not impose a comparable tax would be subject to a per-ton tax on the carbon emitted in the production of their products, while exports to those nations would not be. > > Scientists and economists have long argued that putting a price on carbon would encourage conservation and investment in renewable energy. Ireland, Sweden and British Columbia already have carbon taxes [6]. The European Union, Quebec, California and Northeastern states like New York and Massachusetts have adopted cap-and-trade systems [7] that use emission permits to lower emissions over time. > > The last serious effort to impose a national price on carbon came in 2009 with cap-and-trade legislation [8] by Edward Markey and Henry Waxman, both then Democratic House members. The bill passed the House, but never received a vote in the Senate. Since then, Republican control of one or both houses of Congress has thwarted ambitious climate legislation. As a result, President Obama turned to administrative actions to reduce emissions, including the Clean Power Plan [9] and higher fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks. Those regulations and standards are now on the chopping block under the Trump administration. > > The new Climate Leadership Council argues that conservatives should support a carbon tax because it is a more market-friendly approach than Mr. Obama's regulations. And after a carbon tax is put in place, the council says, the government should eliminate most of those rules, since they won't be needed. But there are legitimate fears that the tax alone might not achieve emission reductions on the scale needed to save the planet from out-of-control warming, and that regulations and other policies like public investments in renewable energy will be needed, too. > > Neither President Trump nor Republicans in Congress have embraced the proposal. Many conservatives believe they'll be able to dismantle Mr. Obama's regulations through administrative, legal or legislative maneuvers, without compromising. Plus, many are philosophically opposed to, and politically fearful of, any new taxes. > > Their dismissal of the council's proposal is myopic and puts their party out of step with the country. A large majority of Americans want the government to address climate change -- 78 percent of registered voters [10] support taxing emissions, regulating them or doing both, according to a Yale survey conducted after the election. The Republican elders are offering their party an opening to change the conversation. It should take the cue. Links: ------ [1] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/opinion/editorialboard.html [2] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/opinion/a-conservative-case-for-climate-… [3] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/science/a-conservative-climate-solution-… [4] https://www.clcouncil.org/ [5] https://www.clcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/TheConservativeCasefor… [6] https://www.carbontax.org/where-carbon-is-taxed/ [7] https://www.edf.org/climate/how-cap-and-trade-works [8] https://www.c2es.org/federal/congress/111/acesa [9] https://www.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan/clean-power-plan-existing-power-plants [10] http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/politics-global-warming-n… [View Less]

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Fw: New England's Shrinking Need for Natural Gas
by James Kotcon via EC 07 Feb '17

07 Feb '17

Compliments of the Mass and Conn Chapters,(and others), this is the kind of report we need to help fight the WV pipelines. JBK ________________________________ From: Synapse Energy Economics <bcopes=synapse-energy.com(a)mail119.suw11.mcdlv.net> on behalf of Synapse Energy Economics <bcopes(a)synapse-energy.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 7, 2017 11:49 AM To: James Kotcon Subject: New England's Shrinking Need for Natural Gas Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser&… [View More]

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WV State Journal New Op/Ed by Brooks McCabe
by James Kotcon via EC 23 Jan '17

23 Jan '17

McCabe is a member of the PSC, so these may give insights into his position on PSC issues, as well as provide arguments that may resonate. Key initiatives he supports include: * Support and invest in the Appalachian Storage Hub to create the multistate pipeline backbone for the petrochemical manufacturing resurgence that is on the immediate horizon based on the Marcellus and Utica Shale resources in West Virginia, southwestern Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and eastern Kentucky. * Support … [View More]

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Wyoming Considers Ban On Solar And Wind Energy
by James Kotcon via EC 19 Jan '17

19 Jan '17

Should we be watching for this in WV? >>>>> Wyoming's legislature is considering a bill<http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2017/Introduced/SF0071.pdf> that would effectively outlaw renewable energy in the state. The so-called "Electricity Production Standard<http://trib.com/news/electricity-production-standard/article_224f2c66-3112-…>" proposes to penalize utilities in Wyoming for generating electricity from solar and wind energy. The bill would allow electric power to … [View More]

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Fwd: WV Senators and the White House
by Yarnell, Karen via EC 17 Jan '17

17 Jan '17

_____________________________ From: Matt Kearns <mkearns(a)wvrivers.org<mailto:mkearns@wvrivers.org>> Sent: Monday, January 16, 2017 12:57 PM Subject: WV Senators and the White House To: Birth Place of Rivers <birthplaceofrivers(a)tws.org<mailto:birthplaceofrivers@tws.org>> http://www.theet.com/news/free/gauging-west-virginia-s-relationship-with-wh… Matt Kearns Public Lands Campaigns West Virginia Rivers Coalition 304-873-6556 office | 304-444-4567 mobile WVRivers.… [View More]

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Great LTE by Carol Nix in today's Dominion Post
by Sally Wilts via EC 16 Jan '17

16 Jan '17

So, which one is it? Almostheaven or almost hell?You ’ve seen the acres of greenplastic pipe piling up along thewest bank of the Monongahlea River,you’ve seen the trains bringingmore every day, and maybe youknow that it will be used for theAtlantic Coast Pipeline.But did you know that thispipeline hasn’t even been approvedyet? Can you smell a rubber stamp?Did you know that it’s designed tocarry West Virginia gas to an exportterminal in Norfolk, Va.? And to anout-of-state power plant? That none … [View More]

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Study finds net benefit for fracking communities
by James Kotcon via EC 14 Jan '17

14 Jan '17

I have not done a thorough review, but since this is likely to get a lot of press, be aware that the study admits three glaring weaknesses. 1) The study assumes that local property owners own their mineral rights and we see lease revenue as a gain in income. 2) the study assumes that all workers are "homogeneous", and have an equal chance of getting jobs with fracking companies. But an older worker without the specialized skills needed for fracking is very unlikely to ever get a job, or … [View More]

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Accuracy of climate projections.
by James Kotcon via EC 06 Jan '17

06 Jan '17

Great You-Tube video comparing 40 years of climate projections from meteorologists, versus actual NASA temperature records, showing remarkable consistency and accuracy. Be sure to watch through to the end for a comparison with climate models by "contrarians". Please share with any "denier" colleagues. Jim Kotcon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPSIvu0gQ90&feature=youtu.be

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"Clean Coal " trying for a comeback
by James Kotcon via EC 02 Jan '17

02 Jan '17

In the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/02/science/donald-trump-carbon-capture-clean… [https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/01/03/science/03SCI-CarbonCover/03SCI-…]<http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/02/science/donald-trump-carbon-capture-clean…> Can Carbon Capture Technology Prosper Under Trump?<http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/02/science/donald-trump-carbon-capture-clean…> www.nytimes.com Progress has come in fits and starts, but supporters believe a new plant in Texas may … [View More]

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EQT Corp. will drill 43 wells in the Marcellus Shale in West Virginia in 2017 and an undisclosed number in the Utica Shale, the company has announced.
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. via EC 02 Jan '17

02 Jan '17

so, what are YOUR plans for 2017? *CLICK <http://www.theet.com/statejournal/eqt-announces-wv-gas-well-drilling-plans/…>* *AND THAT'S NOT ALL....* Lewis County and state oil and gas industry to grow in 2017 and beyond <https://www.theet.com/news/local/lewis-county-and-state-oil-and-gas-industr…> - by Darlene J. Swiger STAFF WRITER - Dec 25, 2016 WESTON — Lewis County is poised for tremendous growth, as the oil and gas industry is expected to rebound in 2017 and beyond, … [View More]

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