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Virginia's 'cleanest-burning coal plant' racks up third consent order for air pollution violations - Virginia Mercury
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 09 Dec '19

09 Dec '19

https://www.virginiamercury.com/blog-va/virginias-cleanest-burning-coal-pla… Virginia’s ‘cleanest-burning coal plant’ racks up third consent order for air pollution violations From an Article by Sarah Vogelsong, Virginia Mercury, December 6, 2019 Dominion's Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in Wise County, Virginia, 2019. (Sarah Vogelsong/Virginia Mercury) A Southwestern Virginia power plant praised by Dominion Energy as “one of the cleanest-burning coal plants in the country” has agreed to consent orders for violating state environmental laws more times than any other Dominion facility in Virginia since 2002, despite only being in operation seven years. This October, the utility signed a consent order with the Department of Environmental Quality for exceeding state particulate matter limits at the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in Wise County during stack testing conducted this past April. The company also agreed to pay a $32,550 civil penalty for the violations. A consent order is a legal agreement between the state and another party to institute corrective action following a violation instead of engaging in litigation. A review of DEQ enforcement actions since 2002 shows that no other Dominion facility during that time has had as many as Virginia City. The utility entered into two for the Chesapeake Energy Center, one in 2014 and one in 2015, but that facility has since been shut down. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dominion spokespeople have previously said the company has a policy against speaking with the Mercury. The Virginia Air Pollution Control Board offered no reaction to Virginia City’s latest violation during its December meeting, although members showed some confusion about what high-priority notices of violation — a label given to the facility’s most recent violation — mean and how much leeway the group has in dealing with them. “Do we have any flexibility in terms of increasing the penalty or decreasing the penalty?” board member Roy Hoagland asked. DEQ staff said they would brief the board on its ability to adjust proposed fines at its next meeting. State law closely governs the assessment of civil penalties. According to the latest notice of violation, DEQ tests found that the Virginia City facility had exceeded its particulate matter limits by between 42 and 47 percent. Particulate matter is a combination of solids and liquids emitted from industrial facilities that can be harmful to human health when inhaled and consequently is regulated by both the federal and state governments. Virginia City previously violated particulate matter emissions limits in spring 2013 and summer 2017. The spring 2013 violations also involved carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide emissions above permitted levels, while the 2017 violations included excessive hydrochloric acid emissions and a failure to conduct certain routine sampling and analysis. Dominion paid civil penalties of $47,651 in 2013 and $73,351 in 2017. Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center has been controversial since it was proposed. Although the facility is considered a co-fired plant, 93 percent of the fuel it currently burns to produce energy is coal, with the remaining 7 percent being biomass. In recent regulatory proceedings, Dominion stated that the plant has never operated without burning coal; nevertheless, the utility has sought to include the proportion of the energy the facility produces from biomass in its renewable energy portfolio.

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Giving Tuesday is Tomorrow, MonValley Clean Air Coalition!
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 02 Dec '19

02 Dec '19

From: Clean Air Council <members(a)cleanair.org> > Date: December 2, 2019 at 4:25:15 PM EST > Subject: Giving Tuesday is Tomorrow, MonValley Clean Air Coalition! > > > > December 2, 2019 > > > Dear MonValley Clean Air Coalition, > > You might have seen that yesterday, in our excitement, we let the cat out of the bag early. We hope you think the early announcement was just as incredible as we do! > > As we said yesteday, Clean Air Council and its new sister organization Clean Air Action Fund will work in lock-step to ensure that our elected officials and polluters of all kinds are held accountable and that you have a voice in the process that is stronger than ever. > > If you'd like to see the original announcement again, we have it posted on our blog here. > > To see an expanded list of the Council's 2019 achievements and victories that includes the topics discussed over the course of Membership Week, check out our blog here. > > None of what we accomplished this year was possible without your support. As you well know, tomorrow is Giving Tuesday and I sincerely hope that you will consider a gift to the Council while all gifts are matched. I hope I can count on seeing your name as one of our 2020 supporters. > > > > Sincerely, > > > Joseph Otis Minott, Esq. > > Executive Director and Chief Counsel > > PHILADELPHIA > > 135 S. 19th Street > Suite 300 > Philadelphia, PA 19103 > P: (215) 567-4004 > F: (215) 567-5791 > Pittsburgh > > > 200 First St. > Suite 200 > Pittsburgh, PA 15222 > P: (412) 954- 8494 > WILMINGTON > > 100 W. 10th Street > Suite 607 > Wilmington, DE 19801 > P: (302) 691-0112

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Huge Battery Investments Drop Energy-Storage Costs Faster Than Expected, Threatening Natural Gas
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 08 Nov '19

08 Nov '19

Huge Battery Investments Drop Energy-Storage Costs Faster Than Expected, Threatening Natural Gas, Jeff McMahon, Green Tech, October 29, 2019 https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2019/10/29/huge-battery-investment…

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Thursday night
by Barbara Howe via MVCAC 04 Nov '19

04 Nov '19

Thanks for the phone message, Duane, but I have another commitment Thursday evening and cannot attend. Barb

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A Scary Year for Climate Change - Scientific American Blog Network
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 03 Nov '19

03 Nov '19

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/a-scary-year-for-climate-… A Scary Year for Climate Change Scientists’ warnings about climate change have intensified over the past 12 months. Will world leaders finally listen? Article by Cristine Russell, Scientific American, November 2, 2019 Greta Thunberg outside the Swedish Parliament Credit: Anders Hellberg Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) One year ago, the international scientific community could hardly have expected that Greta Thunberg, a teenager from Sweden, would become one of its greatest allies. Since beginning her weekly “School Strike for the Climate,” the petite 16-year-old has skillfully used her public appearances and powerful social media presence to push for bolder global action to reduce carbon emissions. “Again and again, the same message,” she tweeted recently. “Listen to the scientists, listen to the scientists. Listen to the scientists!” Well, what are the scientists saying?The answer, of course, is that they have been warning about severe global impacts from climate change for more than three decades. But over the past 12 months those warnings have intensified. Reports detailing the massive environmental, economic, and human consequences of unfettered global warming have come at a fast and furious pace. And, collectively, they are far scarier than the sum of their parts. The deluge began last October, with the release of a special report from the United Nations’ global climate science authority, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), on the potential impacts of a rise in global temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius or more. Three international IPCC working groups with 91 authors and editors from 40 countries examined 6,000-plus scientific studies and called for “global carbon dioxide emissions (to) start to decline well before 2030” to avoid the most severe consequences of global warming. It said “global warming is likely to reach 1.5 degrees Celsius between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate.” The release of the report provided a “breakthrough” moment in public consciousness and press coverage, with countless soundbites, headlines, and images warning of a “12-year” deadline to head off “climate change catastrophe.” The “12-year” catchphrase was even more alarming than the IPCC’s already strong admonitions. The planet won’t implode in 2030, but further delays in major global actions will make it increasingly difficult to move to a low-carbon world. In November, the United States’ Fourth National Climate Assessment, produced by government and outside experts, reinforced the gloom-and-doom message of the October IPCC report. “Climate change creates new risks and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities in communities across the United States, presenting growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth,” it warned. The Trump administration’s attempt to minimize media coverage of America’s climate report card by releasing it on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, backfired: The congressionally mandated report got double coverage as both an environmental and a political story. The dire news didn’t abate as 2018 drew to a close. A December report from the World Health Organization (WHO) said that emissions from fossil fuel-powered electricity, transportation, and other sources are “a major contributor to health-damaging air pollution, which every year kills over seven million people.” It called extreme weather events linked to human-caused climate change “a clear and present danger to health security” and concluded the health benefits of addressing climate change “far outweigh the costs of meeting climate change goals.” Just as the disastrous future impacts of climate change were coming into clearer focus, we also received sobering news about the present. Last December, the Global Carbon Project projected that carbon dioxide emissions worldwide reached an all-time high in 2018, up more than two percent after three years of almost no growth. A January 2019 U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report estimated an increase of nearly 3 percent in 2018 energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, the largest jump since 2010 — reversing a trend that had seen three consecutive years of decline. The EIA estimated that total U.S. emissions would fall in 2019, and that prediction appears to be bearing out, due to a drop in coal consumption. However, total global carbon dioxide emissions will see a rise again for 2019, says Stanford University’s Rob Jackson, who chairs the Global Carbon Project’s Scientific Steering Committee. Alarm bells about climate change impacts in the Arctic sounded throughout the year. In April, a NASA-funded study of the Greenland ice sheet, published online on Earth Day, found the mass loss of ice discharged into the ocean from glaciers on the world’s largest island had increased six-fold since the 1980s. Meanwhile, sea level had risen nearly 14 millimeters since 1972, with half of that in the last eight years. (Later, a severe mid-summer Arctic heat wave contributed to historic melting of the Greenland ice sheet, with 12.5 billion tons of ice melting into the ocean on a single day — the “biggest single-day volume loss on record,” according to the Washington Post). A little-publicized Stanford University study, also released on Earth Day, found that global warming from fossil fuel use “very likely exacerbated global economic inequality” over the past 50 years. The study’s authors found that warming has likely enhanced economic growth in cooler, wealthier countries while dampening economic growth in hotter, poorer countries. In May, a landmark U.N. biodiversity report provided another stark statistic: One million animal and plant species on Earth are threatened with extinction, and rates of extinction are “accelerating.” The report gave a devastating assessment of how climate change and global economic development over the past 50 years have impacted nature and threatened the health of ecosystems important to humans and all other species. The report’s research underpinnings are strong: a systematic review of some 15,000 scientific and government sources that also includes indigenous and local knowledge. In August, on the heels of record-breaking global heat waves, from South Korea to northern Norway, another major IPCC special report called attention to land-related climate change threats. It found that “climate change, including increases in frequency and intensity of extremes, has adversely impacted food security and terrestrial ecosystems as well as contributed to desertification and land degradation in many regions” of the world. The report recommended sustainable land development and adaptation practices to combat further destruction. The highly anticipated September 23rd U.N. Climate Action Summit in New York brought additional climate reports. On September 22nd, the U.N. Summit’s Science Advisory Group released United in Science, an ambitious synthesis connecting the dots between “the very latest authoritative” science and “concrete actions” to “halt the worst effects of climate change.” The IPCC released a post-summit blockbuster report outlining profound changes underway in the Earth’s oceans and frozen regions, including glaciers and ice sheets. The report concluded that warming oceans, melting ice, and rising sea levels are already affecting everything from coral reefs to the nearly 10 percent of the global population living in low-lying coastal areas — and negative impacts will greatly worsen in the future. The oceans report capped 12 months of overwhelming scientific evidence of global climate change hazards. The consistent message is that severe climate-change damage is already well underway; some impacts will be long-lasting or irreversible; the damage disproportionately hits vulnerable populations; and combatting climate change will require unprecedented economic, social, and technological transformation. But, crucially, the reports say it is likely not too late to prevent the worst effects of global warming by adopting meaningful adaptation and mitigation strategies. So, where does this leave us? I’d argue that, more than anything, we’re left with a heightened sense of urgency, as well as uncertainty, about immediate and forthcoming climate dangers. For many years, coverage of climate science reports had an implicit future tense, as in, “It’s a problem for your grandchildren.” Alas, the future came faster than science had predicted, and the world is now confronted with the reality of climate change-related extreme weather events and other threats. The frightening wildfires now racing through Southern and Northern California show what this climate-related new reality looks like for the country’s most populous state. The upcoming U.N. Climate Change Conference — the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP25) to the U.N. climate treaty — will once again put pressure on delegates from nearly 200 nations to deliver concrete action on promises made under the 2015 Paris Agreement. (COP25 was set to be held in Santiago in early December before the Chilean government abruptly pulled out of hosting the event.) The disappointing substantive and political outcomes of the September summit in New York, particularly the lack of stronger commitments from big carbon emitters like China, India, and the U.S., mean expectations are low. The leadership vacuum left by American President Trump, with his strident pro-fossil-fuel rhetoric and planned exit from the Paris Agreement, makes things worse. But don’t underestimate the persistence of Greta Thunberg and the growing Fridays for Future youth movement she inspired. An estimated 7.6 million people protested worldwide during September’s U.N. Climate Week. Strike organizers are planning a major global protest on Black Friday directed at COP25 decision-makers. In her emotional speech at the U.N. Climate Action Summit, Thunberg chastised world leaders for failing to act on climate change: "For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here saying that you're doing enough, when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight.” Her angry phrase “How Dare You?” went viral on social media, and millions viewed the video of Thunberg’s speech on YouTube. This plucky young activist is likely to deliver a similarly strong message at COP25, pushing the scientific case for significant government action now to help protect her generation and others in the future. Will the world leaders at COP25 be listening, and what will they do?

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Public Meeting on Longview II Power Plant — Thursday, November 7th at 6 pm
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 30 Oct '19

30 Oct '19

........................... MON VALLEY CLEAN AIR COALITION (MVCAC) .................... To Our Residents and Friends Monongalia County, WV On November 7, 2019, from 6 to 9 pm, the Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition is hosting a public meeting in the Monongalia Arts Center at 107 High Street. The purpose of this meeting is to provide a public forum to discuss the proposed Longview II gas-fired power plant and the tax breaks proposed for a PILOT Agreement (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes). We believe that it is important for the public to be heard on any such huge projects that will affect our county for decades. In addition to financial considerations, there are air quality and public health to consider. And, it is now obvious that greenhouse gases are affecting our way of life here on earth. We are aware of other issues that deserve a hearing. We will publicize the event and encourage members of the public to come to learn more about the proposed plant and to express their views. You will also be invited to speak, if you so wish. We hope to have a good turnout and encourage well-informed discussion. Sincerely, Duane Nichols Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition 330 Dream Catcher Circle Morgantown WV 26508 duane330(a)aol.com

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Public Meeting on Longview II — November 7th at Mon Arts Center
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 30 Oct '19

30 Oct '19

Public Meeting on Longview II — November 7th Mon Arts Center, 107 High Street, Morgantown, WV ..... 6 PM

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Recent Increase in Fine Particulate Matter Associated With More Premature Deaths in U.S. - Tepper School of Business - Carnegie Mellon University, October 21, 2019
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 26 Oct '19

26 Oct '19

https://www.cmu.edu/tepper/news/stories/2019/october/muller-clay-research.h… PM 2.5 — Tepper School of Business @ CMU (Pittsburgh) Carnegie Mellon University October 21, 2019 Recent Increase in Fine Particulate Matter Associated With More Premature Deaths in U.S. In the United States, annual average levels of fine particulate matter--PM2.5, a measure of solid particles and liquid droplets that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller found in the air--declined 24% from 2009 to 2016, then increased 5% between 2016 to 2018. In a new study, researchers explored how the increase occurred by looking at economic activity, wildfires, and enforcement of the Clean Air Act during this period. They found that the increase was associated with 9,700 additional premature deaths, and that these deaths represent damages of $89 billion. The study, by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), is published as an NBER working paper. "The health implications of this increase are significant," notes Karen Clay, professor of economics and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College, who led the study. "The number of deaths and the damages highlight the importance of air pollution as an important and timely policy issue." To learn more about the increase, the researchers used data from the Air Quality System database of daily monitored readings provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA maintains a network of air pollution monitors because PM2.5 is regulated under the Clean Air Act. In total, the researchers studied 653 counties with monitors for fine particulate matter. They also looked at information from the EPA's enforcement database, as well as vital statistics (population and mortality rates) by county. Increases in PM2.5 from 2016 to 2018 were observed in many U.S. counties. In the West and Midwest Census regions, fine particulate matter rose during this period; in the Northeast and South Census regions, it stayed the same. Every year, the EPA designates each county as having met or failed to meet air pollution standards under the Clean Air Act. Increases in fine particulate matter occurred in counties that met the standards as well as in those that failed to meet them, according to the study. The rise in PM2.5 increased the number of premature deaths of adults over age 30 by about 9,700 from 2016 to 2018, with 80% of the premature deaths occurring among the elderly and 20% of the premature deaths among adults ages 30 to 64, the study found. These calculations use the same methods used by the EPA to relate fine particulate matter to mortality. The damages of $89 billion are calculated by multiplying deaths by the EPA's value of a statistical life. Increases in PM2.5 in the air were especially pronounced in California, with 43% of the rise in deaths nationally from 2016 to 2018 occurring in the state. The researchers present evidence on three possible causes for the national increase: Changes in economic activity: Increased use of natural gas in households and industries, and growth in the number of miles traveled by fossil fuel-powered vehicles likely contributed to the rise in PM2.5 in certain counties, while decreases in coal-fired power drove declines in other areas. Increases in wildfires: In parts of the West and Midwest, rising numbers of wildfires during the period studied were associated with increases in fine particulate matter. California experienced numerous wildfires during this period, with the most deadly--the Camp Fire--taking place in November 2018. Decreases in enforcement of the Clean Air Act: Enforcement of this law may influence compliance by firms, and the study found that the most frequent type of enforcement of the Clean Air Act fell from 2009 to 2016 and continued to fall from 2016 to 2018. "This research demonstrates that recent increases in fine particulate matter have appreciable effects on risks of premature mortality," explains Nicholas Muller, associate professor of economics, engineering, and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, who coauthored the study. "These increases are worrisome and should persuade policymakers to take the necessary steps to maintain limits on air pollution."

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Modern life is killing our children: Cancer rate in young people up 40 per cent in 16 years
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 22 Oct '19

22 Oct '19

Sent out by Jan Milburn, Westmoreland County, PA, October 22, 2019 So concerning. ""Dr Denis Henshaw, Professor of Human Radiation Effects at Bristol University, the scientific adviser for Children with Cancer UK, said air pollution was by far the biggest culprit, accounting for around 40 per cent of the rise, but other elements of modern lifestyles are also to blame. Among these are obesity, pesticides and solvents inhaled during pregnancy, circadian rhythm disruption through too much bright light at night, radiation from x-rays and CT scans, smoking during and after pregnancy, magnetic fields from power lines, gadgets in homes, and potentially, radiation from mobile phones." https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/09/03/modern-life-is-killing-our-c… Sent from my iPad, DGN

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CLIMATE CHANGE position of Mon Co Comm
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 16 Oct '19

16 Oct '19

Climate Change Has Come Home to Roost This Fall We Cannot Say “Not in My Backward” About Climate Change,It’s Already Here>>> From the Editorial of the Morgantown DominionPost, October 6, 2019 <<<Perpetual heatwaves and severe drought are a big issue. Unlike some issues, fear of climatechange is as real as the threat it poses.Theenormity of climate change demands a sense of urgency to address but is yetdifficult to comprehend and respond to effectively. For many in north-centralWest Virginia it’s obvious our climate is increasingly hotter and drier. Septemberwas one of the warmest and driest on record. Less than an inch of rain wasrecorded in the month.Thoughheat waves were never uncommon in West Virginia, in recent years episodes ofsuch intense hot spells are almost the new norm. Despite our current respitefrom the heat, drought conditions are worsening statewide that make the loss ofcrops and water shortages likely.The U.S.Drought Monitor map classified large parts of southern West Virginia in asevere drought while the entire northern swath of the state was labeledabnormally dry. Recent unusual mild winters with little snowfall and averagetemperatures far above average, though welcomed by many, have left that seasonout of balance, too.We haveyet to see 90 degree days in January, but it’s increasingly possible as ourstate’s climate no longer aligns with any calendar or past weather trends.Other signs of climate change that some of us have observed for several yearsare also making headlines now.Accordingto one major study, the total bird population in the United States and Canadahas declined by 29% since 1970 — t h at ’s 3 billion birds. That loss is notlimited to several threatened species, either. Indeed, it is spread across awide array of birds, from migratory to backyard.The studywas primarily a census and did not attempt to determine the causes of thesedeclines. Some are obvious, such as buildings and wind turbine collisions anddisease outbreaks. But since bird population health truly is the canary in thecoal mine regarding environmental health, this fact alone is reason for graveconcern.We may bewasting our breath asking state and federal governments to commission furtherdetailed studies to more aptly address the issues this decline of birdsportends.But in the spirit of theSeptember 20th Global Climate Strike, we demand ourleaders do more to combat these changes that are no longer just in the public’sconsciousness, but are in its backyard. Talk of the planet’s warmingoften causes many to freeze up. What can one person do to stop something thataffects us on a global scale. Consequently, this issue must be elevated to atop priority much like our national security and public safety. Defense of our planet is just asimportant as defense of our country or our home. As some have said, otherwise,what is there to defend? It’s notunusual when forecasts turn out to be wrong. But there’s something wrong withthe weather and the birds. Something that should be a major concern beyond justthe Weather Channel and the Audubon Society.#########################See this report: North America Has Lost More Than 1 in4 Birds in Last 50 Years, New Study Says | Audubon Society,September 19, 2019See also: Plummeting insect numbers ‘threatencollapse of nature’| Environment | The Guardian, February 10, 2019 Submitted to the MonongaliaCounty Commission by Duane Nichols, Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition, 330 DreamCatcher Circle, Morgantown, WV 26508 on October 16, 2019.

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