MVCAC October 2006

mvcac@lists.osenergy.org

6 participants
11 discussions

Thanks!
by William Wonderlin 01 Nov '06

01 Nov '06

A week ago today, several CALP/MVCAC members made the trip to Charleston for our final appeal to the WV Supreme Court to overturn the Public Service Commission's approval of Longview's siting and transmission line certificates. The road to our day in court was, in fact, much longer than a 160 mile drive down I-79, because it really was the culmination of the effort to stop Longview that we began organizing in late 2002 and continued through the PSC's review from 2003 until now. As you have … [View More]probably heard, the Supreme Court voted 4 to 1 not to hear our appeal. The justices' decision was a bitter disappointment given the many good arguments and the weight of evidence on our side. Although Longview still needs more permits, the Supreme Court's decision is the end of the road for challenging the PSC's approval of Longview's certificates. This truly was a battle of David versus Goliath, and the big money and political influence wielded by Longview's proponents outweighed the public's welfare. It has been a reminder that the people who ultimately make the big decisions that influence our communities and environment often fly under the public's radar. Too few people are aware of the irresponsible decisions made by our County Commission, the pro-business appointees on the Public Service Commission, the corruption and incompetence of the Supreme Court justices, or the myopic lobbying by the construction trades. With West Virginia now being "Open for Business", we need to be even more vigilant and active in protecting our communities and environment. I am certainly looking at the recent deluge of election flyers from the Affiliated Construction Trades in a different light now. So, where does this leave us? First of all, as Jim Kotcon has frequently reminded us, "we haven't lost--they haven't built Longview." We have been successful in delaying the construction of Longview, and perhaps it never will be built. Although coal-fired power plants are a hot commodity these days, the delay might have bought enough time for potential investors to want to take a closer look at whether it really is a good idea to build a new coal-fired power plant with out-of-date technology. Some utility companies are beginning to push for higher-tech, cleaner coal-fired power plants in anticipation of new and costly regulations that are likely to come into effect during the lifetime of the power plants. Perhaps those concerns will diminish the interest of investors in Longview. Second, our experience with Longview has greatly increased the local awareness of air quality issues, and we must continue to work on these issues. Our opposition to Longview was a reactive effort--it's time to be proactive. ----------------------------------- Now, for the important part! Thanks to the all of the people who: *wrote letters to our County Commissioners, the DEP and the PSC *spoke out in favor of better air quality *made donations to help stop Longview *handed out flyers *attended countless organizational meetings *wrote letters to the editor opposing Longview *generally helped raise public awareness of our concerns about air quality A special thanks must also go to Phil Gaujot, our fearless lawyer who led us through the legal jungle of the PSC & Supreme Court. Phil displayed a lot of passion and professionalism in preparing for the PSC & Supreme Court and going toe-to-toe with the lawyers for Longview. He ensured that we left no stone unturned in developing our case against Longview, and, judged on its merits, we should have prevailed. Thanks, Bill Wonderlin [View Less]

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Next MVCAC meeting
by Duane330＠aol.com 22 Oct '06

22 Oct '06

Dear Friends, it's time to plan our next meeting of the Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition......... >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> COOL ROOFS - AN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOLUTION CBS 3 - TV News (Philadelphia) featured a segment on alternative energy solutions on Aug. 3, during its 4 p.m. news. Meteorologist Maria LaRosa discussed … [View More]

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Doing Our Part, RE: Climate Change
by Duane330＠aol.com 19 Oct '06

19 Oct '06

Will Morgantown Become a Cool City? The Monongahela Group of Sierra Club has been encouraging the Morgantown City Council to participate in the Cool Cites Campaign by signing the U. S, Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement. This Agreement pledges the City to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases by 7 % below 1990 levels by the year 2012. The real goal of this Campaign is not so much in passing a resolution, but in providing a long-term mechanism to develop an emissions baseline, implement … [View More]

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proposed Longview plant-- news
by Duane330＠aol.com 19 Oct '06

19 Oct '06

NOTICE: The "concerned citizens of Monongalia County" will present their Appeal of the Longview siting and transmission certificates to the state Supreme Court this coming Tuesday, October 24th, shortly after 10 am in the East Wing of the Capitol Complex, in Charleston, WV. These proceedings are open to the public. Our lawyer Phil Gaugot will have about 5 minutes to review our case, which has already been presented in written form as a petition. Longview, the PSC, and the … [View More]Building Trades will each have about 5 minutes for rebuttal. Then, within a day or two the Supreme Court will decide whether to schedule the case for full hearing or to set it aside (reject it). Jarrett Jamison will be driving a new Suburban and invites anyone who wishes to ride along to join him; please call Jarrett on 292-2323 to arrange to park in Westover and meet him at around 7 am on October 24th. [Jarrett has an email address: Jarrett425(a)aol.com] >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Recent Information On Longview Power, LLC I presented the following information to the Mon County Commission yesterday. 1. The ownership of Longview Power, LLC, has changed to: 10% GenPower, LLC (the former owner) 90% GenPower Holdings, L.P., a Cayman Islands Limited Partnership. 2. The above change was made after First Reserve Corporation joined GenPower as a venture partner. First Reserve has been in business for a number of years to promote a wide variety of energy related projects. 3. Longview has changed the estimated cost of the proposed power plant to 1.8 billion dollars, from an initial estimate of around 900 million, to an estimated 1.2 billion this past April. 4. First Reserve has put 500 million on the table as equity financing. Now, I don't believe that a check was actually written, rather a letter was probably provide to state their intention. So 1.8 billion minus 500 million, that leaves 1.3 billion yet to be raised. [Seems to me, if you raise the cost by 600 million, then claim equity of 500 million, you now have more to raise than before.] SO, FINANCING FOR THIS PROPOSED PLANT IS STILL UP IN THE AIR. 5. Longview stated that they are aiming for a start of construction this January. This is not feasible since they must submit blue prints 120 days before construction, and they still have a number of outstanding permits to secure. 6. I pointed out that I would have preferred a county wide referendum on this proposed plant as the majority of citizens have questions about it. Commissioner Kennedy said that according to the law, they are not allowed to put this question out for referendum. 7. I pointed out that the Ft. Martin Church received a letter from Longview requesting permission to place a noise monitor on the Church, and this the same day that Longview submitted a brief to the Public Service Commission stating that the Ft. Martin Church was uncooperative. 8. I pointed out some of my own problems with the Longview plant, to night glow, the large steam plume, the fine particulates (non-attainment) problems, noise and traffic on local roads, and a very very large addition to greenhouse (carbon dioxide) gas emissions in the county. Commissioner Kennedy said that he understood these problems and had some concerns too. He said that he had been told that there would be no steam plume (but there will be). He said that he liked the idea that some trees are being planted around the region to help bring the carbon dioxide problem under control; and I said that this will be an insignificant improvement, and he nodded agreement with that. 9. I talked about Longview's incomplete information to the PSC regarding estimated taxes, the offense PILOT agreement, the noise studies and the incomplete specification of the plant equipment and viewshed. They were very attentive and thanked me for presenting this information. 10. Commissioner Bell (President of the Commission) said that he was going to refer some of these questions to the County Development Authority, that he didn't know whether the agreements with Longview would be affected. Both Commissioners said they were trying to do their best, believing the benefits to the county will be substantial, with some disadvantages. Duane Nichols, Convenor, Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition, P. O. Box 4679, Morgantown, WV 26504-4679 [View Less]

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proposed Longview power plant............
by Duane330＠aol.com 17 Oct '06

17 Oct '06

THE PROPOSED LONGVIEW POWER PLANT On October 12th, 90% Ownership of Longview, LLC was assigned to GenPower Holdings, L.P., a Cayman Islands Limited Partnership, according to documents filed with the WV Public Service Commission. See below. [Note: The announcement that Longview has acquired $1.8 billion in financing is incomplete without a full disclosure of all the conditions and stipulations attached thereto. It would be in the public interest for these conditions to be … [View More]known, as they are relevant to the public understanding of this proposed power plant project. We do know that the Siting and Transmission Certificates are under appeal to the WV Supreme Court of Appeals, the preliminary hearing being scheduled for October 24th at 10 a.m. in Charleston. We also know that the Storm Water permits for construction and for operation have not been granted, as is the case for a few other permits.] Duane Nichols, Convenor, MVCAC. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> NOTICE OF TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP OF LONGVIEW POWER, LLC Comes Longview Power, LLC (“Longview”) by counsel, and provides notice to the Public Service Commission (“PSC” or “Commission”) that the ownership of Longview Power, LLC has been transferred in part to a third party. Longview will retain both the Siting Certificate for the facility and the Certificate of Convenience and Necessity for the transmission line. Longview makes this notice even though a change in the ownership of Longview does not require notice to the Commission under either the certificate of site approval statute or regulations. The PSC’s regulations, as quoted below, require notice to the Commission only if the Siting Certificate itself is transferred or assigned to a new owner. In the case of the transmission line certificate of convenience and necessity, Commission approval is required only when a public utility holds the certificate, and Longview is not a public utility. 1. Under the Exempt Wholesale Generator (EWG) Siting Regulations, 5 150-30-7.1, the Commission must be given thirty days’ notice of a transfer of ownership or assignment of an siting certificate: [The owner or operator shall, at least 30 days prior to the closing date of such transfer or assignment, provide the Commission with notice of the identity of the transferee, the mailing address of the transferee, the name and mailing addresses of the management members or officers of the transferee and an affidavit of the transferee stating that the transferee agrees that it is bound by all terms and conditions of the Siting certificate for the 24-2-1 1 (c) facility.] 2. Under West Virginia Code (“WVC”) §24-2-12(g) a public utility must obtain advance approval from the Commission before a third party “acquires directly or indirectly a majority of the common stock of any public utility organized and doing business in this state.” 3. The Commission has specifically held that Longview, like other EWG facilities, is not a public utility. Longview Power, LLC, Case No. 03-1 860-E-CS, Order entered August 27, 2004, (“[T]he Commission recognizes that an exempt wholesale generator is not a regulated public utility., .”), p. 117. 4. The Commission has specifically held that the “enactment of W.Va. Code $24-2-1 IC, clarified that the requirements of W.Va. Code §24-2-12(g) do not apply when an EWG decides to sell or otherwise transfer a siting certificate issued by the Commission.” [Nedpower Mount Storm, LLC and Shell Windenergy, Inc., Case No. 05-1486-E-PC, Conclusion of Law, No. 1, Order entered December 14,2005, p. 10. ] 5. Though the Siting Certificate and the Certificate of Convenience and Necessity are not being transferred or assigned, Longview has elected to provide this notice to the Commission of the transfer of ownership. 6. On October 12, 2006, GenPower, LLC transferred ninety percent (90%) of its membership interest in Longview to GenPower Holdings, L.P., a Cayman Islands Limited Partnership: On that date the ownership of Longview became: 90% Ownership - GenPower Holdings, L.P. 10% Ownership - GenPower, LLC. 7. The mailing address of GenPower, LLC is 1040 Great Plain Avenue, Needham, MA 02492. 8. The names and addresses of the managing members of GenPower, LLC are as follows: Robert D. S. Place, Chairman and Managing Director, 1040 Great Plain Avenue, Needham, MA 02492. John A. O’Leary-Vice Chairman and Managing Director, 1040 Great Plain Avenue, Needham, MA 02492. 9. The mailing address of GenPower Holdings, L.P., is 1 Lafayette Place, Greenwich, CT 06830. 10. The directors of GenPower Holdings, L.P. are as follows: Anne E. Gold, 1 Lafayette Place, Greenwich, CT 06830 Mark McComiskey, 1 Lafayette Place, Greenwich, CT 06830 11. Longview acknowledges that it remains obligated and bound by all terms and conditions of the Siting Certificate and Certificate of Convenience and Necessity issued by the Commission in the above-referenced cases and will ensure that the terms and conditions of the Siting Certificate and Certificate of Convenience and Necessity are met. 12. Longview will continue to be responsible for compliance and reporting on the same to the Commission. Longview will continue to honor all agreements entered into with third parties relating to the construction and operation of the EWG facility and transmission line. LONGVIEW POWER, LLC By Counsel Lynn C. Photiadis, Esquire (SB #284) Bowles Rice McDavid Graff & Love LLP 600 Quarrier Street, Post Office Box 1386 Charleston, West Virginia 25325-1386 Counsel for Longview Power, LLC [View Less]

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Slogan
by Linda Shuster 16 Oct '06

16 Oct '06

Some of you may have noticed the "Open for Business" slogan that has been added to the West Virginia signs at the borders. Many people have objected to this slogan, because it implies that we will welcome any business, no matter how negative its effects might be on the state and the environment. There is an online petition to Governor Manchin that asks that the slogan be removed. According to the Charleston Gazette: "It was the 20th most popular petition on an international site that … [View More]

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PSC approves Net Metering
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 14 Oct '06

14 Oct '06

For Immediate Release 10-11-06 Contact; Gary Zuckett, WV Citizen Action Group 304-346-5891 *Community Groups Applaud PSC Agreement on Net Metering* Charleston -- Citizen groups and electric utilities testified before the WV Public Service Commission yesterday in support of a package of standards to allow homeowners who generate their own electricity using renewable methods such as wind and solar to "run the meter backwards" and actually send their excess power to the public electric … [View More]grid. Net Metering, as this is called, is already allowed in all surrounding states but the rules in each state vary widely. "This agreement is a great start into Net Metering," commented Gary Zuckett, of WV Citizen Action, one of the parties of the negotiation process which brought the proposed rules to the Commission, "This will give a much needed economic incentive for homeowners and small business to install wind & solar generation equipment." Commission staff and the Consumer Advocate, Billy Jack Greg, brought together stakeholders including, AEP, Allegheny, APCO, APC and other utilities and the WV Environmental Council and WV Citizen Action Group to work out differences in their concepts of how Net Metering should be implemented in WV. After hearing no objections to the consensus agreement at the hearing yesterday, the Commissioners took a short recess then came back in and passed the Net Metering rules. The agreement accepted by the Commission has several benchmarks that are favorable for homeowners and small businesses who want to trade excess generated power back to their utilities to offset their electric bill: 1. An even trade for power used vs. power returned to the utility's grid. In other words power sent into the grid would be credited as an offset to the customer's future electric bill on a net kwh basis (the utility's applicable retail rate). In contrast, Ohio's reimbursement only cover's the utilities fuel costs (a wholesale rate much lower than retail) 2. This generation credit will be carried over on a rolling twelve (12) month basis. Again, Ohio has only a one-month window to redeem such credits. 3. Maximum rating of Net Metering installations is 25 Kilowatts where many states limits are 10 KW. William DePaulo, counsel for the citizen's groups closed his presentation to the Commission with the following comment , "My clients, WV Environmental Council and Citizen Action Group, support these Net Metering rules as a good beginning of the active promotion of domestic small-scale alternative energy generation. Our long term goal should be to maximize production of non-fossil based energy. Future generations are depending on our commitment today to deal with potentially irreversible climate change linked to our fossil-based economy. The production of clean energy is an essential component of this critical effort to combat global warming." Federal tax credits can offset up to 30% of the cost of new Net Metering installations for homeowners and small businesses. In addition, many states have their own tax incentives or matching grants to promote renewable energy. "West Virginia's new net metering standards put it in a good position to enter the emerging market of small-scale renewable energy generation. More and more households and small businesses in Ohio are opting to trim or eliminate their electric bill by becoming part of the solution to our nation's energy crisis through Net Metering," commented Matthew Bennett of DovetailSolar.com a SE Ohio company that specializes in solar and wind energy installations, "Now its time for the WV Legislature to step up to the plate and provide state tax credits or other incentives to kick-start the market." In Ohio, the Dept. of Economic Development's Office of Energy Efficiency administers an "Energy Loan Fund" (http://www.odod.state.oh.us/cdd/oee/ELFGrant.htm ) which includes a variety of loan and grant programs providing economic incentives for renewable energy installations for both homeowners and small business. This ten million dollar a year development program is funded by a small surcharge on consumer's monthly electric bills. PSC Net Metering References, Case No. 06-0708-E-GI: http://www.psc.state.wv.us/imaged_files/Docket/2006_09/dck20060914165633.pdf WV Citizen Action filed Comments http://www.psc.state.wv.us/imaged_files/Docket/2006_09/dck20060915161314.pdf WVEC comments http://www.psc.state.wv.us/imaged_files/Docket/2006_10/dck20061003105039.pdf Consensus document filed with PSC [View Less]

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future articles
by Paul Brown 14 Oct '06

14 Oct '06

As many of you know, the articles I write are for an ongoing series called The Clock is Ticking. The archive of more than 2 years' weekly articles is at http://clockticking.com. For a free email subscription, send an email to subscribe(a)clockticking.com. To subscribe to my free daily newslink service send an email to esamizdat(a)clockticking.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. Paul Brown Paul Brown Physiology Department West Virginia University Health Sciences Center Morgantown, WV … [View More]

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Minutes from 9/25/06
by Duane330＠aol.com 09 Oct '06

09 Oct '06

Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition Meeting Minutes September 25, 2006 The monthly meeting of the Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition (MVCAC) was held on Monday, September 25, 2006 at the home of Martha and Larry Schwab. Attendees: Duane N., Bill W., Jarrett J., Sandy E., Larry S., Paul B., Bobby M., Mark B., Paula H., Jim E., Martha S., Jim K. Duane provided the Treasurer’s Report on behalf of Treasurer Cindy O’Brien, who was unable to attend the meeting. MVCAC currently has a … [View More]balance of $105.65 in its checking account. Since the last meeting, we paid $1,000 to Synapse Energy. We still owe Synapse $1,000. Synapse provided much needed expert testimony for the Public Service Commission hearing on Longview Power’s Siting Certificate and Certificate of Need for a Transmission Line. There was some discussion of the Sierra Club helping MVCAC with some of its expenses. Jim K. said those invoices must be submitted very, very soon. Duane said he visited USEPA Region III headquarters in Philadelphia recently. The librarian was excited to help him, since she receives few visitors. Unfortunately, most of the reports on the shelves were quite dated. Duane also spoke to the person nominally in charge of our area regarding the acid-mine-drainage-cooling water coming from Pennsylvania for the proposed Longview power plant in West Virginia. He voiced concerns that the large amount of water being evaporated (3,700 gallons per minute) would create clouds, and those clouds would have large quantities of dissolved solids, due to the source of the water. The USEPA representative told Duane that essentially, she could not help us. She said Longview’s cooling-water clouds were up to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Division of Air Quality. Duane discussed Longview’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater permit application and draft permit. Some of the meeting attendees present had also attended the DEP’s public hearing regarding the draft permit. Longview applied for a stormwater permit for the construction of a parking lot and construction trailer, and then applied for a permit to operate a power plant, without a permit application to complete the major portion of the construction activities. DEP granted them a draft permit for the construction and operation on the basis of these incomplete applications. Duane thinks all of our comments at the public hearing and our letters and various phone calls are having an impact on this stormwater permit. Matt Sweeney at the DEP is the permit writer. Jarrett called him several days ago, and Mr. Sweeney had not looked at any of the public comments yet. None of the attendees present knew of a statutory deadline for DEP to approve or deny a stormwater permit. They are generally considered to be fairly routine – at least until now. Duane reported on his email interactions with Billy Jack Gregg, the PSC’s Consumer Advocate, regarding the proposed scrubbers at Fort Martin. Below is Mr. Gregg’s response: Yes, you heard right. The estimate for the construction costs of the plant that was included in the PSC's securitization order was $338 million. Allegheny has now come back and told us that based on site specific engineering, the cost will be closer to $500 million. They have not made any formal filing with the PSC as of yet. My initial reaction is to stick with securitization at $338 million and have Allegheny finance the difference, using traditional rate making for any recovery of their investment. This may ultimately cost more in the long run than securitizing the entire amount, but I think it places an appropriate share of the risk on Allegheny and will provide a better incentive for them to minimize costs. The irony here is that if they had come initially and estimated the cost to be $500 million, we probably would have approved it, since the cost is still less than the scrubbers at Harrison that were installed in 1994. Billy Jack Gregg, PSC Consumer Advocate ---------------------------------- By consensus, the participants present decided that MVCAC would send a letter to Billy Jack Gregg at the PSC stating that MVCAC does not support securitization of the additional cost in the form of a flat rate per month, but rather, MVCAC supports a rate-based approach in combination with passing the additional cost on to Allegheny Energy’s stockholders. Duane noted that when Allegheny Energy pleaded its case for securitization of the $330+ million before the PSC, the company was close to bankruptcy. Now revenues are up and its stock has increased and has even been rated a “Buy” by some stock-rating companies. The Internal Revenue Service has been contacted regarding MVCAC’s application for 501( c)(3) nonprofit status and was told we were in the queue, but they have only now reviewed applications submitted in December 2005. MVCAC’s application was submitted in February 2006. Apparently, if the IRS does not approve nonprofit status right away it means something about the application requires more scrutiny. Duane tried to call the person assigned to the case, Ms. Schaal, but she was unavailable. The meeting attendees agreed by consensus that MVCAC should continue to contact Ms. Schaal by telephone in an attempt to determine why our application was not considered to be straightforward. An overview was presented of the West Virginia Public Service Commission’s conditional approval of Longview Power’s Siting Certificate and Certificate of Need for a Transmission Line in August and the appeal by Concerned Citizens, CRD, CALP, CLEAR, and others at the State Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will hear the petition to appeal on October 24, 2006. Phil Gaujot, despite recently having the lobe of one lung removed, has agreed to present the petition on behalf of Concerned Citizens. Jim K. commented on the new USEPA air standard for fine particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5).. Jim basically said, The EPA … lowered the daily standard from 65 down to 35 ug/m3; however, they left the annual standard at 15 ug/m3, ignoring their own science advisory panel that recommended a level between 12 and 14. The American Lung Association was recommending a daily standard of 25 ug/m3, much lower than the EPA’s 35µg/m3. For Morgantown, PM2.5 has been coming down in recent years. Our 3-year average was right at the annual limit (15 ug/m3), but the scrubbers at Fort Martin should reduce that somewhat. Nevertheless, our daily peaks have been at or above the 35 ug/m3 standard in some years, and our annual average is well above the 12 ug/m3 that the American Lung Association recommended. The new standards are proposed to go into effect in 2007, with nonattainment designations to be made in 2009. Areas with bad air would not have to reduce pollution to attain the new standard until 2015, so please hold your breath until then. Dennis G. sent a note saying he regretted being unable to attend the meeting, so his “Update on the Nemacolin Greene Energy Resource Recovery Project (GERRP)” email was read to the attendees and is as follows: MVCAC donated some of the first funds that got the appeal going. The hearing of the appeal before the PA Environmental Hearing Board concluded in June. The final post-hearing briefs have been filed in the past week or so. We expect a ruling from the PA Environmental Hearing Board late this year - most likely November, but perhaps sooner. It can't be much later, because the developer must, under PA law, begin construction sometime in December (18 months after the permit was granted, with no adjustment for appeals). I was in a conference call yesterday with the other appellants and our attorneys. Of the four major issues we have raised, we think we have a reasonable chance on two of them. But we also realize that we will most likely need to carry the appeal to a higher level. We're lining up counsel for that. Please extend my thanks again, and those of the other GERRP appellants, for MVCAC’s crucial early support. Jim reminded the group that Longview in WV also had an 18-month deadline to start construction, but they quietly asked for and received an extension for two years from the WV DEP. The WV DEP considered it a minor permit modification. Paula said she would mention this to Dennis. The meeting participants suggested that the appellants require GERRP to notify the appellants, send them a copy of any extension request, and require PADEP to accept public comment before deciding on an extension. There was some discussion of a public event: bringing in speakers to talk about air quality. Possible speakers would be from the WVDEP, USEPA, American Lung Association, WVU Hospitals/Health Sciences Center, etc. Specific names were mentioned and some of those people will be called to see if they would participate. Bill announced that the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), responsible for submitting this area’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan, is having its last public meeting on October 4th at 6:30pm at the Erickson Alumni Center. Bill felt that we needed a good turnout and we need to challenge the MPO and its consultants about the plan. The plan consists of building more roads with little or no planning for mass transportation or alternate forms of transportation. The MPO and its Plan ignores air quality and the fact that this area is teetering on the brink of nonattainment. Bill asked that everyone please attend this meeting. Jarrett said he sent the WVDEP/DAQ information about mercury that he received from NIOSH. Jim K. reported on the Sierra Club’s Cool Cities initiative with the City of Morgantown and the Sierra Student Coalition’s (Student Sierra Coalition?) initiative to do the same with WVU and the “Campus Climate Challenge,” the university equivalent of Cool Cities. By consensus, the participants present decided that MVCAC would send a letter to Morgantown City Manager Dan Boroff in support of the Cool Cities initiative. In addition, the participants present decided, by consensus, that MVCAC would send a letter to WVU’s Board of Governors requesting that they choose a University President that will lead the state in environmental initiatives (not just to football conference championships). Jarrett discussed the Indiana bat and Running Buffalo Clover in relation to the Longview site. Jarrett noted that Longview does not have the letters it needs from the Fish & Wildlife Service, The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), or the Army Corps of Engineers. Bill noted that a recent issue of Scientific American is devoted entirely to energy, with a large discussion of the use of coal in energy production. The meeting was adjourned around 9:00 pm. Respectfully submitted, Paula Hunt, Assistant to the Secretary, September 26, 2006. [Reviewed and distributed on October 9, 2006.] [View Less]

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Local hot climate...Post Gazette
by duane330＠aol.com 06 Oct '06

06 Oct '06

URL for article: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06279/727848-113.stm Study says Pittsburgh to be one hot town Fossil fuels seen to cause soaring temperatures here Friday, October 06, 2006 By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Hot enough for you?" It's a common, sweltering, summertime query on the streets of Pittsburgh, but no matter what your response, you ain't seen nothing yet. James Hilston, Post-Gazette A new two-year study of climate change projections in the … [View More]northeastern United States. By the end of this century, summers in Pittsburgh could resemble those in Georgia or Alabama if we continue the unabated burning of fossil fuels -- coal, oil and natural gas, according to a new two-year study of climate change projections in the northeastern United States. The Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment report released Wednesday says Pittsburgh, which annually averages nine days above 90 degrees and one day above 100 degrees now, could, by 2100, see 66 days above 90 degrees and 24 days above 100 degrees. Even if we begin to substantially reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases today, Pittsburgh's summer in 2100 will still warm up to resemble the temperatures now found in Kentucky and Virginia. That means the city will experience 30 days above 90 degrees and six days above 100 degrees. Such extreme heat can be problematic in urban areas, where it is amplified by the heat island effect and can create dangerous, unhealthy conditions for the elderly, children and other vulnerable populations. "The very notion of the Northeast as we know it is at stake," said Cameron Wake, co-lead author of the report and research associate professor at the University of New Hampshire's Climate Change Research Center. "The near-term choices we make in the Northeast and around the world will help determine the climate and quality of life our children and grandchildren experience." The assessment of how global warming may further affect the climate of Pittsburgh, and other areas in the northeastern United States, uses projections from three sophisticated, independently run climate change models. Each model compared what would happen if higher emissions of heat-trapping gases -- primarily carbon dioxide -- continued, to an alternate scenario in which emissions were substantially reduced. In both scenarios, the Northeast will experience significantly higher temperatures through the century's midpoint. But if immediate action is taken to cut emissions by 3 percent annually using existing, proven technologies, heat-trapping emissions would peak by mid-century and then decline, significantly reducing peak temperatures by the turn of the century. Taking the present, higher emissions path, winters here could warm by 8 to 12 degrees and summers by 6 to 14 degrees. Projections on the lower emissions path show increases of 5 to 7.5 degrees in winter and 3 to 7 degrees in summer. The higher temperatures will mean less snow throughout the Northeast. By the end of the century, the length of the winter snow season could be cut in half and the character of the seasons will change significantly if emissions are not reduced. Already, the report said, climate is changing in noticeable ways. Temperatures have been rising, particularly in winter, snow cover is decreasing and spring is arriving earlier. That doesn't sound so bad, but the smaller snow pack and higher summer temperatures will reduce the water supply, which will be further depleted by a longer growing season. Annual droughts are probable. "The character of the Northeast is already changing," said Katharine Hayhoe, a co-author of the report and research associate professor at Texas Tech University's Department of Geosciences. "Do we want to continue using fossil fuels at the present rate when we are, in effect, picking up the Northeast and moving it to the South?" M. Granger Morgan, head of the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, said the conclusions of the new report are very similar to those of a U.S. Global Change Research Program study of climate change impacts on the United States done in 2000. "We're already committed to significant climate change. The question is can we decarbonize the electric system of the U.S., and the answer is yes for about 20 percent more than the current delivered price of electricity," said Mr. Morgan, who did not participate in the study but is an internationally recognized expert on climate change policy. "People who argue that a policy like that will wreck our economy are not paying attention to the current technology available." Though climate change is a global issue, the Northeast, from Pennsylvania through Maine, plays a big role. According to the report, the nine-state region produces more carbon dioxide emissions than all but six nations. In the Northeast, transportation emissions account for the most emissions, one-third of the total, and electric power plant emissions total just under one-third. Peter Frumhoff, Union of Concerned Scientists director of the Global Environment Program, said a simple "replacement strategy" -- using fuel-efficient, low-emission or no-emission technologies already available -- could allow the region, nation and world to reduce emissions by as much as 3 percent a year over the next 25 years. "Right now we're adding fuel to a fire and it will burn more intensely if we don't make changes," said William Moomaw, professor and director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at Tufts University. "Doing nothing is the worst action we can take." The Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment is a collaboration of the Union of Concerned Scientists and a 14-member team of climate experts to assess climate change and its impacts on the northeastern United States. The group already has begun a follow-up round of analyses to assess climate change impacts on forests, agriculture, coastal areas, urban centers and human health, as well as options for mitigation and adaptation. A report is expected early next year. "Our forests will be affected by higher temperatures and lower water, as will our agriculture and public health, even under the aggressive lowering of emissions. We need to prepare and cope with the changes because the impacts are now unavoidable," Mr. Frumhoff said. "And our potential to cope is a factor of the emissions choices we make today. The chance we have now is to minimize the stresses on the system by minimizing emissions of heat-trapping gases." (Don Hopey can be reached at dhopey(a)post-gazette.com or 412-263-1983. ) ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more. [View Less]

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Env. Council report.........
by Duane330＠aol.com 01 Oct '06

01 Oct '06

NEWS FROM THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE W. V. EVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL OF SEPTEMBER 29 & 30. Bill McGlinchey was there for much of Saturday and gave a fine presentation on alternative fuel vehicles. Coincidentally, we learned that the Governor, in an address to the Southeast Governor's Association this weekend, was to announce a comprehensive energy proposal. It had been drafted by Allan Tweddle, long associated with the WVEC and I think maybe on the WVIGCCC Steering Committee … [View More]early on. In it the Governor was to declare that WV has a goal of becoming independent of "foreign oil" in year 2020 (I think that was the date) and a mechanism was by re-birthing the Public Energy Authority which, in fact, has the authority to go into the energy business itself. Allan is one of the 7 members, including 4 citizen members. Anyway, there was a lot of excitement about this even though we know that Manchin has coal at heart. The council adopted a "renewable energy campaign" as one of its legislative priorities last year. Among the legislative/administrative implementation steps this year are: 1. Restoring the tax credit for hybrid vehicles. 2. Adopting more stringent fleet standards for state-owned vehicles. (It was noted that fewer cars are being purchased, more leased but there can be fuel efficiency conditions in the leases.) 3. Financial incentives for a) installation of energy-efficient technology for homes, businesses, etc. probably in the form of tax benefits, and b) training and certifying installers of energy-efficient technology (This could be via $$ to unions for workforce development to bring them on board and to increase jobs.) 4. Requiring all rules proposed by DEP to include a public health assessment. (Not really directly on our "screen" but if greenhouse gases were regulated, they would fall under this as well.) A bill was introduced last year with 11 sponsors; this will be long in coming but is being stimulated by efforts to at least get a study on the health impacts of air-borne mercury which is supported by the Nurses Ass'n. and others. The other "good news" was that there has already been a first step to Morgantown becoming a "cool city" in that the Mayor has signed a "proclamation" calling on mayors to sign on to the U.N.'s "Urban Environmental Accords" and to implement them. It says "We commit...to build an ecologically sustainable, economically dynamic, and socially equitable future for our urban citizens;...." The WVU Student Sierra Club has the "cool cities" designation as a priority and Council-member Don Spencer gave a presentation about how to go about getting the council to go the next steps. He pointed out that, although we would love to have the "environmental good" as their motivation, we will get response easier if we emphasize financial aspects, i.e., cost-savings. Such savings are already being realized by cities among the 300+ that have signed on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Spencer was given our contact list and asked to be included on it. Speaking of savings, Bill urged those present to approach their Boards of Education to switch to bio-diesel fuel which takes no conversion of the diesel buses and gives them a higher reimbursement for transportation costs from the State BOE. Mon County has come out $70,000 ahead in their 3rd year of being on bio-diesel. I have joined the WVEC as an individual member and will recommend our group join as it is fundamentally a coalition of organizations. I believe we can work with them as they have lobbyist(s) during the sessions and who work year-round. The Sierra Club is a good opportunity to connect with young people and to support them so they will assume their leadership roles as we fade into the sunset! or just get tired! The other neat thing was that Nate Webster's brother, Dan, and his friend Ryan came from their college on Saturday afternoon. There were students from WVU and Shepherdstown who contributed a lot to the meeting. The next regular monthly meeting of the WV Interfaith Global Climate Change Campaign will be Tuesday, October 12, at 7 p.m. at St. Paul's Lutheran Church on Patteson Drive across from Hardy's. Mary Rehmann, Interfaith Global Climate Change Campaign [THANK YOU, MARY, FOR SHARING THIS SUMMARY. THE MON VALLEY CLEAN AIR COALITION IS A MEMBER ORGANIZATION OF THE WV ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL.] [View Less]

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MVCAC October 2006