During the recent lame duck session, Ohio’s predominantly Republican Legislature and Gov. Mike DeWine rushed to pass HB 507. The amended bill prohibits communities from banning pesticides within city borders and allows state lands and parks to be leased for oil and gas development. The legislation also would “create a broad new legal definition of green energy that would include natural gas.”
An anonymously funded, pro-natural gas, dark money group, the Empowerment Alliance, helped Ohio lawmakers spin the narrative that natural gas is green. Labeling gas as green energy does not change the scientific facts: The combustion of methane produces carbon dioxide, and methane itself is a potent greenhouse gas.
The bio-geo-chemical processes that created the methane gas and coal deposits in the geographic area of Ohio took place millions of years ago, when carbon sources such as ancient plants and animals decayed in anaerobic conditions.
Coal has a higher percentage of carbon than methane; therefore, it produces more carbon dioxide per BTU when burned. However, both substances are fossil fuels that contribute to climate change, and both have limited supplies.
Methane produces lower carbon dioxide emissions when burned but that benefit is overshadowed by the fact that extracting methane using high-pressure hydraulic fracking releases enormous amounts of methane gas into the atmosphere. These emissions can be from leaks of storage tanks, compressor stations, blowdowns, pipelines and flaring.
A report published in “Energy Science and Engineering” states “natural gas (both shale gas and conventional gas) is responsible for much of the recent increases in methane emissions, and because of this have a higher greenhouse gas footprint than coal or oil. Pound for pound, the comparative impact of methane is 25 times greater than carbon dioxide.
Actual green energy sources differ dramatically from fracked methane gas when it comes to infrastructure needed, energy costs and environmental externalities. After initial construction, renewable energy projects such as wind turbines and solar panels require little resource inputs. Their energy sources are limitless and free and the carbon footprint is minimal. “Utility-scale renewable energy prices are now significantly below those of coal and gas.”
Fracking requires extensive infrastructure and constant inputs of resources such as water, sand and chemicals used to extract the methane. When it comes to the energy costs of fossil fuels, consumers are at the mercy of an industry which consistently makes record profits while it receives $20 billion a year in subsidies. Ohio’s southeastern counties provide examples of how fracking has turned rural communities into sacrificial industrial sites. Pipelines mar wooded hillsides; well pads rise over the landscape; and thousands of trucks loaded with carcinogenic chemicals, frack sand and toxic water travel our roads every day. Local residents are exposed to air and water emissions from the process which releases hazardous air pollutants and contaminants water.
In February 2018, a gas well in Belmont County experienced a blowout. The well released methane gas for 20 days before the leak could be contained. The total emissions from the 20-day event were estimated to be equivalent to the total annual emissions of several countries, or 120 metric tons per hour.
Given the significant contribution of methane gas to climate change and the environmental destruction caused by fracking, it is hard to understand why any educated person would call this energy source green. The only time “green” can legitimately be used to describe methane gas is when pointing out it is a potent greenhouse gas.
In last weekend’s edition of the Marietta Times there was a column describing the lack of confidence that the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, have, in the wake of the derailment earlier this month, for government and government officials. The column put a special focus on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Michael Regan. While there is good reason for the residents of East Palestine to lack confidence in government, any failures that the government has shown in responding to this crisis pale in comparison to the negligence, profit-driven insensitivity, and irresponsibility demonstrated by the Norfolk Southern Railway. In the past year they have enjoyed record-setting profits and have passed on twice as much of these profits to shareholders ($18 billion) than they have invested in maintenance of their infrastructure. In the past four years the rate of accidents on Norfolk Southern rails has increased each year (New York Times, Feb. 17). They offer no plan for notification of municipalities along their train routes concerning hazardous materials. The train that derailed earlier this month in East Palestine contained 151 total cars, adding considerable risk of accident all along its route.
Norfolk Southern and other railroad companies have squeezed their employees to work unusual and extended hours in order to cut their company costs. Last fall the union rail workers threatened a strike over the issue of hours worked and lack of time off; the strike was averted by federal action, but the problem of over-extended workers remains.
Many politicians express antagonism and resistance to government regulation, but, clearly, in this case there need to be common-sense, pointed regulations at the federal level for these interstate transportation companies in the interest of public safety, health, and environmental justice: to require them to notify communities on their routes about hazardous materials, to install modern braking systems, to utilize stronger tank cars, to limit the number of cars on these trains, to inspect, repair, and maintain their rail routes, and to provide adequate recovery and rest time for their overworked employees.
If you’ve been paying much attention to the headlines in the last couple weeks, you’ve probably heard about the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3. Following the derailment, citizens in the vicinity had to be evacuated as a burn off of the primary substance in the cars, vinyl chloride, was undertaken to avoid a possible explosion and the flying shrapnel and other dangers that would likely have resulted.
Vinyl chloride is a flammable, colorless gas used in making countless plastics products that can cause headaches, dizziness and drowsiness with short-term exposure, but has been linked to a rare liver cancer with long-term exposure. Vinyl chloride was not the only toxic substance in the wreckage. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to Norfolk Southern following the derailment detailing other hazardous chemicals found. Included in the list were the following, according to reporting by Environmental Health News:
* Ethylhexyl acrylate, an eye, skin, and respiratory irritant that is toxic to aquatic life.
* Ethylene glycol monobutyl, a carcinogen that can be absorbed through the skin and cause liver and kidney damage.
* Butyl acrylate, an extremely flammable chemical that can burn skin and eyes and cause permanent lung damage.
* Isobutylene, a highly flammable compound that can irritate eyes, nose, and throat, and cause coma or death at high levels of exposure.
Testing has revealed the presence of these chemicals and others in the Ohio River, though there seems to be agreement among federal regulators and regulators in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia that water in most municipal systems that pull from or are influenced by the Ohio River is safe to consume and use. Regulators are encouraging users of private wells to have their wells tested. With approximately 3,500 dead fish being found in tributaries to the Ohio River around the East Palestine area, I am not advising anyone reading this to simply trust said regulators. Unfortunately, it is now incumbent upon us all to find all the reliable information we can and make the most informed decisions possible on water filtration and whether or not we should be consuming and using bottled water and for how long.
The air pollution plumes seem to be moving due Northeast, based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plotted on and after Feb. 8. One Twitter user noted earlier this week that they and their family live across Lake Erie in Ontario, Canada, and have had headaches and dealt with the smell of chlorine for a solid week. Those are the kinds of issues we can most likely expect right now, but what about the longer term?
Gerald Poje, an expert in environmental health and former member of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, was quoted in the New York Times saying, “The volume is just stupendous. It is just horrific to think about how much was released and how much was purposefully burned. There could be hundreds of different breakdown products that still remain, for which we have often very poor toxicological profiles. We’re oftentimes in this unknown place.” To restore service of the rail line quickly, it appears toxic chemicals were buried at the site of the wreck. Soil contamination could lead to contamination of groundwater and soil used by local gardeners and farmers.
Representatives of Norfolk Southern refused to show up to a local town hall meeting in East Palestine recently, stating that they feared for their physical safety due to “outside influences,” while providing no evidence that they had any cause for such concerns. Railroad union members have been warning for months that risks of such derailments ran high as cost-cutting measures were taken by the railroad companies that threatened transportation safety. According to reporting by USA Today, “Efforts to reduce costs including lobbying against costly regulation, increasing train lengths, reduced inspection times and major cuts to the railroad workforce have made trains less safe,” said labor representatives and industry experts, “increasing the potential for accidents like the one in Ohio to become more common.”
The Obama administration managed to pass a safety rule for the transport of hazardous materials in 2015, but the rule was fought and weakened by lobbyists, including lobbyists from Norfolk Southern, and was repealed three years later by the Trump administration. The Department of Transportation under Secretary Pete Buttigieg has made no apparent attempt to restore the rule or to write and implement any new rule, in spite of the months of warnings mentioned above. The Biden administration and Congress recently imposed a contract the administration negotiated with the rail companies on the railroad unions, despite the majority of union members voting to reject it, leaving these workers with the impossible choice of accepting unacceptable work and sick leave conditions or unlawfully striking and shouldering the blame for economic calamity.
How many will now suffer and die, and for how long, because our government capitulated to corporate interests (almost 3/4 of Norfolk Southern stock is owned by private equity firms) instead of listening to labor and protecting public health and our lived environment? We the people must demand accountability!
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Eric Engle is chairman of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.
“Goodbyes make you think. They make you realize what you’ve had, what you’ve lost, and what you’ve taken for granted.” — Ritu Ghatourey
***
Anyone who has stood on a sandy beach and watched the waves pound the shore will recognize that the ocean changes the land it touches rapidly and dramatically. Simultaneously, the ocean absorbs the carbon dioxide responsible for rising temperatures, increasing acid levels in the saltwater, eroding protective reef formations, and reducing the survival of fish stocks upon which many island nations subsist. This threatens to consume the land of low-lying islands and the limited freshwater reserves.
The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), established in 1990, represents a group of 44 island nations. The small island states, scattered across the planet, are recognized as being especially vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. The extent of the concern and the potential harmful effects have resulted in the AOSIS becoming a powerful lobbying and driving force in carbon emission reductions.
AOSIS fights against the circumstances that threaten to destroy their very existence. Its members are among the nations least responsible for climate change, having contributed less than 1% to the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. These states advocate for international policy and mechanisms for addressing the inequity of climate impacts.
Tuvalu, is one of the first countries in the world that will need to tackle the challenge of swelling oceans. An island nation of nine atolls between Australia and Hawaii is home to 11,500 people (2021). The country averages 6.5 feet above sea level, but the rising seas are steadily reducing the distance.
Between 1992 and 2020 the global sea level rose eight inches. A panel of scientists estimates that sea levels will rise an additional 20 inches by 2100 if the world can drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions between now and then. If not, these figures could almost double.
While rising sea levels influence the entire planet, they pose the greatest threat to islands close to sea level. Here are islands, like Tuvalu, many of them small nations, under threat by climate change. There are many more.
Maldives is a picturesque chain of 1,190 islands in the Indian Ocean. 80% of Maldives sit less than 3.3 feet from the ocean’s surface, putting the nation at great risk of storm surges, tsunamis, and rising seas. Experts predict the Maldives may be underwater by 2050.
Cabo Verde, off the coast of western Africa, consists of nearly 600 miles of coastline, threatened by flash floods, tropical cyclones, and torrential rains. As a result, this nation is in danger as the planet warms and seas rise.
Fiji, an island nation in the South Pacific, features 330 low lying islands whose coast lands are the most densely populated and at the greatest risk.
Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean consist of 607 islands containing both mountains and low-lying coral atolls and many are sinking. Marine species living throughout Micronesia are being negatively affected by ocean acidification and increased temperatures
Solomon Islands is a sovereign nation in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Papua New Guinea, comprised of a collection of 992 distinct islands and atolls. Five of those islands have already disappeared due to rising sea levels from 1947 to 2014, and more are likely to share a similar fate.
Closer to home, Tangier Island, off the coast of Virginia in the Chesapeake Bay, has lost 65% of its landmass since 1850, and some of the roughly 700 residents are already being displaced as their homes flood with seawater.
Seychelles, a biodiverse and naturally beautiful archipelago comprised of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, is an East African country. The Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean are made up of 1,225 islands spread over 29 coral atolls. If the sea levels rise just 3.3 feet more, much of both of these nations will be lost.
Meanwhile, in Tuvalu, residents continue to live under the constant threat of being washed away from their island homes as climate events become more severe. Their Prime Minister, Enele Sopoaga, asks an important question: “If you were faced with the threat of the disappearance of your nation, what would you do?”
Until next time; be kind to your Mother Earth.
***
Linda Eve Seth, SLP. M.Ed. is a mother, grandmother, concerned citizen, and member of MOVCA.
Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action (MOVCA) is now accepting applications for its Youth Climate Ambassador program for the coming school year. Students in the Mid-Ohio Valley who will be in grades 9-12 in the 2023-2024 academic year are eligible to apply.
Climate ambassadors will implement a community environmental project over the course of the academic year in either their school or the larger community to address a climate-related issue. MOVCA provides up to $250 for project expenses.
Projects will be proposed by the students based on their interests and developed with support from MOVCA’s program coordinator and a teacher-mentor. The program will also help students develop the organizational and leadership skills needed to carry out a long-term environmental project. Upon completion of the program, MOVCA will award a $150 cash stipend to the student for their work.
Applications for the program are being accepted now through March 31. Students do not need to have developed a project idea for the application, but they should have a genuine interest in the issues of climate and the environment. The application form, as well as a summary of current projects being implemented by the 2022-2023 ambassador cohort, is available online at movcayouth.wordpress.com.
Students who submit an application will be contacted around the beginning of April to schedule an interview, and new ambassadors will be notified by the end of April, exact date TBD.
For more information, please contact the program coordinator at movca.youth@gmail.com
On Sept. 8 a brine truck carrying what was reported as drilling brine with zinc salts crashed on or near Mountaineer Hwy. near New Martinsville spilling 1260 gallons into a yard and a creek that leads to Little Fishing Creek which, of course, leads to the Ohio River. The truck could easily have been en route to injection wells in Ohio as seems to be customary. Given the number of miles these brine trucks seem to travel in our part of the world it seems inevitable that these types of incidents are going to happen periodically. My concerns stem from the nature of the contents of these trucks and the seeming lack of concern for this material entering our environment. You don’t have to look far to find that the average level of radiation in the brine carried by these trucks is about 10 times the environmental discharge limit and 236 times the drinking water limit established by the EPA. Then you consider all the other contaminants like zinc, cadmium, arsenic, lead, benzene, and hundreds of others, it seems to be a witches brew unfit for any level of human or environmental exposure.
If this was an oil spill, measures would have been immediately deployed to contain the spill and clean it up, not so for brine spills. Brine is heavier than water, so the damage that is occurring beneath the surface is not apparent to us. Petrochemical-related facilities are already permitted to discharge over 500,000 pounds of toxic pollutants into the Ohio River Basin within Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia annually, so these spills just add to the already contaminated waters that serve us as a source of recreation and millions as a source of drinking water.
Diving deeper
The reason brine spills are not treated with the same level of concern as oil spills may stem from the fact that brine is not considered a hazardous material even though it easily meets the standards. In 1988, political will urged by the petroleum industry forced the USEPA to exempt many substances used or produced by the petroleum industry from regulatory oversight. Since brine is not considered a hazardous material haul trucks don’t require placarding and clean-up efforts are of little concern.
I could go into great depths about the impact “brine” will have to bottom dwelling organisms that form the basis for the food web in streams but suffice to say it is devastating.
There is little doubt that spills resulting from transporting brine are not the only source of brine contamination in the Ohio Valley, and frankly these types of spills may pale in comparison to other sources. Fracking waste that finds its way through fissures and comes to the surface or contaminates water supply aquifers, surfaces through old unplugged wells, or spills from pipelines or other sources have been documented.
The Mid-Ohio Valley was blessed with plentiful, clean water and little by little we seem determined to squander this vital resource. Let us not be complacent until it is too late and lament as in the well-known expression “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink” – or as my grandfather would say, “nary a drop to drink”.
Thanks to many fact sources especially fractracker.org.
With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, perhaps better known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations received up to $7 billion to establish six to 10 regional hydrogen hubs across the country under what is known as the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program. The rules for the program mandate that at least one of the hubs must produce hydrogen from fossil fuels. The Ohio River Valley region (including West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) is under consideration for this fossil fuels-based hub.
According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “Because hydrogen does not exist freely in nature and is only produced from other sources of energy, it is known as an energy carrier. It is a clean-burning fuel, and when combined with oxygen in a fuel cell, hydrogen produces heat and electricity with only water vapor as a by-product.” Hydrogen shows promise in decarbonizing hard-to-decarbonize sectors of the economy like steel- and cement-making, aviation, and international shipping.
This hub would generate hydrogen from methane (aka “natural”) gas coupled with carbon capture and sequestration technology. This type of hydrogen is more casually known as blue hydrogen. This region is being looked upon favorably for a blue hydrogen hub because of its existing infrastructure, a large number of potential industrial end users, a favorable regulatory and political environment, and favorable geologic formations (both natural and man-made) for carbon sequestration. This hub would be yet another fossil fuels-driven quagmire and is the last thing this region needs.
As pointed out by the Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI), an independent, nonprofit research and communications center founded in 2020, a blue hydrogen hub would mean more fracking (and all the pollution that comes with it), increased costs to ratepayers, more pipelines, and few new jobs, all while failing to address the climate crisis and pulling resources away from real climate solutions, such as investing in clean, renewable energy.
The Science and Environmental Health Network (SEHN) administers a website called carboncapturefacts.org, an indispensable site for understanding the plethora of safety and health threats, immense costs, and lack of viability of carbon capture and sequestration technologies and methodologies. The West Virginia Legislature has already passed legislation, Senate Bills 161 and 162, that would allow the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to sell, lease or dispose of property under its control under certain circumstances (SB 161) and to lease state-owned pore spaces beneath state forests, wildlife management areas and other lands under DNR’s jurisdiction for use in carbon sequestration projects (SB 162). These bills were written with the blue hydrogen hub in mind and passed after the Senate suspended state constitutional rules requiring bills be read on three separate days in order to pass both bills on just one day, the second day of the 2023 legislative session.
To quote from the SEHN site, “For a CO2 storage site to be considered suitable, it must have (a) adequate total capacity for the intended load of CO2; (b) must allow the injection of CO2 at the desired pressure and rate without breaking the underground geology; (c) must provide evidence that it will not leak CO2 in the future — the existence of fissures, cracks, fractures, faults must be completely ruled out, and ideally the site would have two layers of impermeable ‘cap rock’ above the pressurized CO2 to stop the upward flow of dangerous hazardous-waste CO2. All this investigation of the geology must take place a mile below ground without compromising the geologic integrity of the storage site. In addition, any old exploratory boreholes and abandoned oil or gas wells must be located and permanently sealed.
West Virginia has more than 4,000 abandoned oil and gas wells that have been documented, but there are likely more. Will all the wells be located and permanently capped before CO2 is injected? How long will that take?
Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit climate and environmental education and advocacy organization for which I am Board President, is partnering with numerous other organizations and groups to oppose the development of a blue hydrogen hub in the Ohio River Valley region. We strongly oppose a blue hydrogen hub in the region for the reasons outlined above but know that numerous powerful and wealthy interests are already committed to seeing the hub to fruition.
If West Virginia continues to pursue a fossil fuel-based hub we must ensure that the project ensures strong safeguards and the maximum benefits possible for our communities, workers and environment. This includes:
* limiting end uses to hard-to-electrify needs that don’t already have better alternatives.
* ensuring users are close to the site of hydrogen production to minimize infrastructure and the associated risk of leaks and accidents.
* requiring robust monitoring, reporting, and mitigation of pollutants, including hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide leaks.
* a safety assessment of any transportation infrastructure.
* meaningfully engaging workers and residents, especially those in environmental justice communities.
Hydrogen produced by separating water molecules via electrolysis powered by renewable energies like solar and wind, aka green hydrogen, is the only sensible means of obtaining hydrogen. The Ohio River Valley deserves better after decades of fossil fuels and chemicals industry exploitation than this proposed blue hydrogen hub.
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Engle is chairman of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.
Focusing on opportunities for Appalachia from the federal climate infrastructure package–including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS Act, ARPA and the Inflation Reduction Act– how do we maximize the benefits to the communities in our region? How do we ensure jobs created come with family-sustaining wages and benefits? That we are creating new opportunities for coal industry workers and historically-marginalized groups? And that we aredoing our region’s part to achieve climate neutrality?
January 3. 2023 Blog Article Post by Natalia Rudiak
“ “Winning the Win” with Community Benefits Agreements! How can we set Appalachia up for success?”
Jan. 28:PFAS; in Untreated Drinking Water; Feb.2: Mountain Valley Pipeline & how to comment on Permit Approvals; Feb.9: Methane, Climate Change and how to comment on EPA Regulations; Feb. 16: WV Public Lands; Feb.23: What is Blue Hydrogen?
See also: “Water Policy News: First Update of the 2023 Session” and “Second Update”(Jan. 27) with links for action, educational resources, etc. https://wvrivers.org/2023/01/policynews2-2/
Appearing on-line on WV Public Broadcasting or WOUB (PBS) or WVXU or NPR:
January 30, 2023 Article by Curtis Tate
“Report: Renewables Now Cheaper Than Coal Plants In West Virginia”
January 26, 2023 Government Feature by WVPB staff, Reporter Curtis Tate Audio link and text summary
“West Virginia Morning – Energy Issues And Housing Costs” (Del. Bill Anderson, R-Wood, Chair House Energy Committee and Del. Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, Minority Vice Chair are interviewed)
Link to Energy Innovation Policy & Technology’s Jan 29th Report – Coal Cost Crossover 3.0 Local Renewables Plus Storage Create New Opportunities For Customer Savings and Community Reinvestment.
“Renewables Projected to Soon Be One-Fourth of US Electricity Generation. Really Soon” Latest EIA report shows renewable generation is about to cross the 25 percent mark, while coal and natural gas lose ground.
January 6, 2023 Politics and Policy Article by James Bruggers
“Congress Urges EPA to Maintain Clean-Air Regulations on Chemical Recycling of Plastics” Lawmakers say chemical recycling contributes to climate change, perpetuates environmental injustice and does not advance a circular economy.
January 6, 2023 Policy and Politics Article by Samantha Harrington
“Checklist: How to take advantage of brand-new clean energy tax credits” Whether you need windows, a furnace, a car, or a rooftop solar system, new tax breaks are available through the Inflation Reduction Act to help you save money and go green
“US renewable energy farms outstrip 99% coal plants economically – study” It is cheaper to build solar panels or cluster of wind turbines and connect them to the grid than to keep operating coal plants.
“Bills to regulate toxic ‘forever chemicals’ died in Congress – with Republican help” Lobbying industry flexed muscle to ensure bills that aimed to set stricter standards on PFAS compounds went nowhere.
When America was attacked on 9/11, more than 20 years ago and before anyone now in high school was born, there was a prevalent idea that if there were the smallest chance of another attack, it was our duty to spend whatever it took to prevent it. Because the consequences of weapons of mass destruction are so dire, then Vice President Cheney said, “If there’s a one percent chance, you have to pursue it as if it were true.”
For young people alive today, climate change is their looming weapon of mass destruction, their Doomsday clock. Glaciers disappearing, water sources for entire countries drying up, coastal cities and island nations under water, critical species like bees diminishing — new signs that our planet is dangerously out of balance appear every year.
Evidence from all branches of science verifies the certainty that today’s young people will suffer a harsh and diminished environment because of what humans have done to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. (Many scientists see our time as the sixth great mass extinction and the only one caused by human activity.) VP Cheney and others hit the panic button about terrorism at only 1% certainty! The “one percent doctrine” can be just as appropriately applied to the climate crisis: If you wait for certainty, it is far too late to do anything about it. The urgency to act decisively increases every day.
Platitudes about how our children are the most precious things in our world and our promises to build them a bright future ring hollow when we observe the continued increase in the emissions of greenhouse gases and the inability of countries to keep even the modest promises made in annual climate summits. It is all too clear that the rising generation will need to come up with the solutions to preserving a habitable planet themselves.
With that necessity in mind, MOV Climate Action has created a new program in partnership with young people called Climate Ambassadors. Over the past year, we provided resources to students attending two area high schools to develop their ideas for projects that address aspects of the climate crisis.
Nathaniel McPeak, a PHS junior, explains. “I wanted to be a Climate Ambassador because I want to help save the world that I am a part of. I enjoy observing nature, going on hikes, and breathing clean air. The idea that at any given moment we are losing a percentage of what we have on this earth is terrifying, and I will do anything to stop it. I want to have a career in conservation and thought being a Climate Ambassador would be a good opportunity to start working towards that.” Nate’s project is installing bat boxes to provide habitat for that critical species.
According to Williamstown junior Alayna Garst: “I wanted to be a Climate Ambassador because I care about nature and want to do my part in the fight against climate change. Being a Climate Ambassador is a way to take an active role in that fight. I like to hike, swim, bike, camp, and take walks in nature. I believe everyone has the right to enjoy those things. While I will most likely pursue a career in art instead of environmental science, art can be useful for spreading information and knowing is half the battle. When I became aware of the melting Artic, dying coral reefs, and burning forests, it inspired me to get involved. Being a Climate Ambassador has given me a voice to speak on issues that are important to me and my community.” Alayna’s project has been to start an environmental club at her school.
We intend the Climate Ambassadors to be the kind of intergenerational collaboration that will be essential to create solutions to the climate crisis. People learn how to make a difference and solve tough problems by picking a place to start, and learning by doing. My generation, which made the problem so much worse during our lifetimes, can and must share resources, connections and skills with rising generations so they can more quickly and effectively solve the problems of maintaining a livable planet. Our goal is to spread the program to students attending at least four area high schools this year. We’ll start recruiting new ambassadors next month.
For more information on how to join the next class of Climate Ambassadors, or how you can support this program, leave a message on the MOVCA Facebook page or at movca.youth@gmail.com.
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Jean Ambrose, of Walker, is trying not to be a criminal ancestor.
Find Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action on the following social media:
Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11
No — natural gas is not really green energy
Feb 25, 2023 Herald Star
RANDI POKLADNIK
During the recent lame duck session, Ohio’s predominantly Republican Legislature and Gov. Mike DeWine rushed to pass HB 507. The amended bill prohibits communities from banning pesticides within city borders and allows state lands and parks to be leased for oil and gas development. The legislation also would “create a broad new legal definition of green energy that would include natural gas.”
An anonymously funded, pro-natural gas, dark money group, the Empowerment Alliance, helped Ohio lawmakers spin the narrative that natural gas is green. Labeling gas as green energy does not change the scientific facts: The combustion of methane produces carbon dioxide, and methane itself is a potent greenhouse gas.
The bio-geo-chemical processes that created the methane gas and coal deposits in the geographic area of Ohio took place millions of years ago, when carbon sources such as ancient plants and animals decayed in anaerobic conditions.
Coal has a higher percentage of carbon than methane; therefore, it produces more carbon dioxide per BTU when burned. However, both substances are fossil fuels that contribute to climate change, and both have limited supplies.
Methane produces lower carbon dioxide emissions when burned but that benefit is overshadowed by the fact that extracting methane using high-pressure hydraulic fracking releases enormous amounts of methane gas into the atmosphere. These emissions can be from leaks of storage tanks, compressor stations, blowdowns, pipelines and flaring.
A report published in “Energy Science and Engineering” states “natural gas (both shale gas and conventional gas) is responsible for much of the recent increases in methane emissions, and because of this have a higher greenhouse gas footprint than coal or oil. Pound for pound, the comparative impact of methane is 25 times greater than carbon dioxide.
Actual green energy sources differ dramatically from fracked methane gas when it comes to infrastructure needed, energy costs and environmental externalities. After initial construction, renewable energy projects such as wind turbines and solar panels require little resource inputs. Their energy sources are limitless and free and the carbon footprint is minimal. “Utility-scale renewable energy prices are now significantly below those of coal and gas.”
Fracking requires extensive infrastructure and constant inputs of resources such as water, sand and chemicals used to extract the methane. When it comes to the energy costs of fossil fuels, consumers are at the mercy of an industry which consistently makes record profits while it receives $20 billion a year in subsidies. Ohio’s southeastern counties provide examples of how fracking has turned rural communities into sacrificial industrial sites. Pipelines mar wooded hillsides; well pads rise over the landscape; and thousands of trucks loaded with carcinogenic chemicals, frack sand and toxic water travel our roads every day. Local residents are exposed to air and water emissions from the process which releases hazardous air pollutants and contaminants water.
In February 2018, a gas well in Belmont County experienced a blowout. The well released methane gas for 20 days before the leak could be contained. The total emissions from the 20-day event were estimated to be equivalent to the total annual emissions of several countries, or 120 metric tons per hour.
Given the significant contribution of methane gas to climate change and the environmental destruction caused by fracking, it is hard to understand why any educated person would call this energy source green. The only time “green” can legitimately be used to describe methane gas is when pointing out it is a potent greenhouse gas.
Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Regulations needed
Feb 22, 2023 The Marietta Times
George Banziger
In last weekend’s edition of the Marietta Times there was a column describing the lack of confidence that the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, have, in the wake of the derailment earlier this month, for government and government officials. The column put a special focus on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Michael Regan. While there is good reason for the residents of East Palestine to lack confidence in government, any failures that the government has shown in responding to this crisis pale in comparison to the negligence, profit-driven insensitivity, and irresponsibility demonstrated by the Norfolk Southern Railway. In the past year they have enjoyed record-setting profits and have passed on twice as much of these profits to shareholders ($18 billion) than they have invested in maintenance of their infrastructure. In the past four years the rate of accidents on Norfolk Southern rails has increased each year (New York Times, Feb. 17). They offer no plan for notification of municipalities along their train routes concerning hazardous materials. The train that derailed earlier this month in East Palestine contained 151 total cars, adding considerable risk of accident all along its route.
Norfolk Southern and other railroad companies have squeezed their employees to work unusual and extended hours in order to cut their company costs. Last fall the union rail workers threatened a strike over the issue of hours worked and lack of time off; the strike was averted by federal action, but the problem of over-extended workers remains.
Many politicians express antagonism and resistance to government regulation, but, clearly, in this case there need to be common-sense, pointed regulations at the federal level for these interstate transportation companies in the interest of public safety, health, and environmental justice: to require them to notify communities on their routes about hazardous materials, to install modern braking systems, to utilize stronger tank cars, to limit the number of cars on these trains, to inspect, repair, and maintain their rail routes, and to provide adequate recovery and rest time for their overworked employees.
Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Climate Corner: Demand accountability for derailment damage
Feb 18, 2023
Eric Engle
editorial@newsandsentinel.com
If you’ve been paying much attention to the headlines in the last couple weeks, you’ve probably heard about the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3. Following the derailment, citizens in the vicinity had to be evacuated as a burn off of the primary substance in the cars, vinyl chloride, was undertaken to avoid a possible explosion and the flying shrapnel and other dangers that would likely have resulted.
Vinyl chloride is a flammable, colorless gas used in making countless plastics products that can cause headaches, dizziness and drowsiness with short-term exposure, but has been linked to a rare liver cancer with long-term exposure. Vinyl chloride was not the only toxic substance in the wreckage. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to Norfolk Southern following the derailment detailing other hazardous chemicals found. Included in the list were the following, according to reporting by Environmental Health News:
* Ethylhexyl acrylate, an eye, skin, and respiratory irritant that is toxic to aquatic life.
* Ethylene glycol monobutyl, a carcinogen that can be absorbed through the skin and cause liver and kidney damage.
* Butyl acrylate, an extremely flammable chemical that can burn skin and eyes and cause permanent lung damage.
* Isobutylene, a highly flammable compound that can irritate eyes, nose, and throat, and cause coma or death at high levels of exposure.
Testing has revealed the presence of these chemicals and others in the Ohio River, though there seems to be agreement among federal regulators and regulators in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia that water in most municipal systems that pull from or are influenced by the Ohio River is safe to consume and use. Regulators are encouraging users of private wells to have their wells tested. With approximately 3,500 dead fish being found in tributaries to the Ohio River around the East Palestine area, I am not advising anyone reading this to simply trust said regulators. Unfortunately, it is now incumbent upon us all to find all the reliable information we can and make the most informed decisions possible on water filtration and whether or not we should be consuming and using bottled water and for how long.
The air pollution plumes seem to be moving due Northeast, based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plotted on and after Feb. 8. One Twitter user noted earlier this week that they and their family live across Lake Erie in Ontario, Canada, and have had headaches and dealt with the smell of chlorine for a solid week. Those are the kinds of issues we can most likely expect right now, but what about the longer term?
Gerald Poje, an expert in environmental health and former member of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, was quoted in the New York Times saying, “The volume is just stupendous. It is just horrific to think about how much was released and how much was purposefully burned. There could be hundreds of different breakdown products that still remain, for which we have often very poor toxicological profiles. We’re oftentimes in this unknown place.” To restore service of the rail line quickly, it appears toxic chemicals were buried at the site of the wreck. Soil contamination could lead to contamination of groundwater and soil used by local gardeners and farmers.
Representatives of Norfolk Southern refused to show up to a local town hall meeting in East Palestine recently, stating that they feared for their physical safety due to “outside influences,” while providing no evidence that they had any cause for such concerns. Railroad union members have been warning for months that risks of such derailments ran high as cost-cutting measures were taken by the railroad companies that threatened transportation safety. According to reporting by USA Today, “Efforts to reduce costs including lobbying against costly regulation, increasing train lengths, reduced inspection times and major cuts to the railroad workforce have made trains less safe,” said labor representatives and industry experts, “increasing the potential for accidents like the one in Ohio to become more common.”
The Obama administration managed to pass a safety rule for the transport of hazardous materials in 2015, but the rule was fought and weakened by lobbyists, including lobbyists from Norfolk Southern, and was repealed three years later by the Trump administration. The Department of Transportation under Secretary Pete Buttigieg has made no apparent attempt to restore the rule or to write and implement any new rule, in spite of the months of warnings mentioned above. The Biden administration and Congress recently imposed a contract the administration negotiated with the rail companies on the railroad unions, despite the majority of union members voting to reject it, leaving these workers with the impossible choice of accepting unacceptable work and sick leave conditions or unlawfully striking and shouldering the blame for economic calamity.
How many will now suffer and die, and for how long, because our government capitulated to corporate interests (almost 3/4 of Norfolk Southern stock is owned by private equity firms) instead of listening to labor and protecting public health and our lived environment? We the people must demand accountability!
***
Eric Engle is chairman of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.
Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Climate Corner: Goodbye, Tuvalu; alas, I hardly knew you
FEB 11, 2023
LINDA EVE SETH
Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Corner
editorial@newsandsentinel.com
“Goodbyes make you think. They make you realize what you’ve had, what you’ve lost, and what you’ve taken for granted.” — Ritu Ghatourey
***
Anyone who has stood on a sandy beach and watched the waves pound the shore will recognize that the ocean changes the land it touches rapidly and dramatically. Simultaneously, the ocean absorbs the carbon dioxide responsible for rising temperatures, increasing acid levels in the saltwater, eroding protective reef formations, and reducing the survival of fish stocks upon which many island nations subsist. This threatens to consume the land of low-lying islands and the limited freshwater reserves.
The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), established in 1990, represents a group of 44 island nations. The small island states, scattered across the planet, are recognized as being especially vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. The extent of the concern and the potential harmful effects have resulted in the AOSIS becoming a powerful lobbying and driving force in carbon emission reductions.
AOSIS fights against the circumstances that threaten to destroy their very existence. Its members are among the nations least responsible for climate change, having contributed less than 1% to the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. These states advocate for international policy and mechanisms for addressing the inequity of climate impacts.
Tuvalu, is one of the first countries in the world that will need to tackle the challenge of swelling oceans. An island nation of nine atolls between Australia and Hawaii is home to 11,500 people (2021). The country averages 6.5 feet above sea level, but the rising seas are steadily reducing the distance.
Between 1992 and 2020 the global sea level rose eight inches. A panel of scientists estimates that sea levels will rise an additional 20 inches by 2100 if the world can drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions between now and then. If not, these figures could almost double.
While rising sea levels influence the entire planet, they pose the greatest threat to islands close to sea level. Here are islands, like Tuvalu, many of them small nations, under threat by climate change. There are many more.
Maldives is a picturesque chain of 1,190 islands in the Indian Ocean. 80% of Maldives sit less than 3.3 feet from the ocean’s surface, putting the nation at great risk of storm surges, tsunamis, and rising seas. Experts predict the Maldives may be underwater by 2050.
Cabo Verde, off the coast of western Africa, consists of nearly 600 miles of coastline, threatened by flash floods, tropical cyclones, and torrential rains. As a result, this nation is in danger as the planet warms and seas rise.
Fiji, an island nation in the South Pacific, features 330 low lying islands whose coast lands are the most densely populated and at the greatest risk.
Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean consist of 607 islands containing both mountains and low-lying coral atolls and many are sinking. Marine species living throughout Micronesia are being negatively affected by ocean acidification and increased temperatures
Solomon Islands is a sovereign nation in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Papua New Guinea, comprised of a collection of 992 distinct islands and atolls. Five of those islands have already disappeared due to rising sea levels from 1947 to 2014, and more are likely to share a similar fate.
Closer to home, Tangier Island, off the coast of Virginia in the Chesapeake Bay, has lost 65% of its landmass since 1850, and some of the roughly 700 residents are already being displaced as their homes flood with seawater.
Seychelles, a biodiverse and naturally beautiful archipelago comprised of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, is an East African country. The Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean are made up of 1,225 islands spread over 29 coral atolls. If the sea levels rise just 3.3 feet more, much of both of these nations will be lost.
Meanwhile, in Tuvalu, residents continue to live under the constant threat of being washed away from their island homes as climate events become more severe. Their Prime Minister, Enele Sopoaga, asks an important question: “If you were faced with the threat of the disappearance of your nation, what would you do?”
Until next time; be kind to your Mother Earth.
***
Linda Eve Seth, SLP. M.Ed. is a mother, grandmother, concerned citizen, and member of MOVCA.
Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Ohio counties lose money by snubbing renewables
Feb. 10, 2023
Letter to the Editor, Salem News
Randi Pokladnik
A public meeting will be held at 9:15 am on February 15 at 105 S. Market Street, Lisbon to
gather comments regarding requests to “bar large scale solar and wind farm facilities from
building in unincorporated areas of Fairfield, Franklin, Perry and West townships.
The county commissioners went on record last year against the 145 MW Kensington Solar
project. Resolutions from trustees said the construction of any type of large wind warm or solar
facility “would not be in the best interests of the residents.”
Unfortunately, misinformation, ill-conceived laws, and politicians catering to the fossil fuel
industry are all contributing to many Ohio counties missing out on economically and
environmentally beneficial renewable energy projects.
In 2021, the Ohio legislature passed HB 52 which allows county commissioners to restrict areas
for the development of large scale wind and solar projects. The bill is “specific to wind and solar
and places no restrictions on any other types of energy” such as fracked methane gas.
According to the International Energy Agency report, solar now provides the cheapest electrical
energy in the world. Major companies are investing in solar for its economic value and to lessen
their impacts on the planet.
While other states move forward with renewable energy projects, Ohio remains in the past.
Sadly, there are many misconceptions about renewable energy and groups are using
pseudoscience to slow down the transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy.
Universities, including Ohio State, are studying how crops can be grown under solar panels in a
process called agrivoltaics. Plants like tomatoes, kale, beets, garlic, carrots and lettuce actually
grow better in the shelter of panels that help hold moisture and protect the plants from intense
rain and hail events. Sheep can graze under solar panels, solar panels actually create more plant
diversity for endangered pollinators and help bee populations, and solar panels can provide
habitat for wild animals.
Solar panels are not toxic and contain only trace amounts of metals which are sealed into the
panel itself. New technology shows that both glass and trace metals can be recycled from solar
panels.
I live in Harrison County, where we recently welcomed the construction of the Nottingham 100
MW solar farm in Athens Township. This project will provide clean, renewable energy to the
Ohio bulk transmission system. During the public meeting held by the Ohio Power Siting Board
on May 18, 2022, local trade unions came out to support the project which could bring up to 400
projected local construction jobs. No one who was in attendance expressed opposition.
It was announced recently that Nottingham Solar and the county commissioners entered into a
payment in lieu of taxes agreement. The county school district, Belmont/Harrison JVS, county
libraries, health department, and Athens Township will be receiving $29 million ($700,000 to
$900,000 per year) from the 35-year agreement.
Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Climate action group accepting youth ambassador applications
Feb 8, 2023 The Marietta Times
Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action (MOVCA) is now accepting applications for its Youth Climate Ambassador program for the coming school year. Students in the Mid-Ohio Valley who will be in grades 9-12 in the 2023-2024 academic year are eligible to apply.
Climate ambassadors will implement a community environmental project over the course of the academic year in either their school or the larger community to address a climate-related issue. MOVCA provides up to $250 for project expenses.
Projects will be proposed by the students based on their interests and developed with support from MOVCA’s program coordinator and a teacher-mentor. The program will also help students develop the organizational and leadership skills needed to carry out a long-term environmental project. Upon completion of the program, MOVCA will award a $150 cash stipend to the student for their work.
Applications for the program are being accepted now through March 31. Students do not need to have developed a project idea for the application, but they should have a genuine interest in the issues of climate and the environment. The application form, as well as a summary of current projects being implemented by the 2022-2023 ambassador cohort, is available online at movcayouth.wordpress.com.
Students who submit an application will be contacted around the beginning of April to schedule an interview, and new ambassadors will be notified by the end of April, exact date TBD.
For more information, please contact the program coordinator at movca.youth@gmail.com
Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Climate Corner: How much are you willing to tolerate?
Feb 7, 2023 The Marietta Times
Vic Elam
On Sept. 8 a brine truck carrying what was reported as drilling brine with zinc salts crashed on or near Mountaineer Hwy. near New Martinsville spilling 1260 gallons into a yard and a creek that leads to Little Fishing Creek which, of course, leads to the Ohio River. The truck could easily have been en route to injection wells in Ohio as seems to be customary. Given the number of miles these brine trucks seem to travel in our part of the world it seems inevitable that these types of incidents are going to happen periodically. My concerns stem from the nature of the contents of these trucks and the seeming lack of concern for this material entering our environment. You don’t have to look far to find that the average level of radiation in the brine carried by these trucks is about 10 times the environmental discharge limit and 236 times the drinking water limit established by the EPA. Then you consider all the other contaminants like zinc, cadmium, arsenic, lead, benzene, and hundreds of others, it seems to be a witches brew unfit for any level of human or environmental exposure.
If this was an oil spill, measures would have been immediately deployed to contain the spill and clean it up, not so for brine spills. Brine is heavier than water, so the damage that is occurring beneath the surface is not apparent to us. Petrochemical-related facilities are already permitted to discharge over 500,000 pounds of toxic pollutants into the Ohio River Basin within Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia annually, so these spills just add to the already contaminated waters that serve us as a source of recreation and millions as a source of drinking water.
Diving deeper
The reason brine spills are not treated with the same level of concern as oil spills may stem from the fact that brine is not considered a hazardous material even though it easily meets the standards. In 1988, political will urged by the petroleum industry forced the USEPA to exempt many substances used or produced by the petroleum industry from regulatory oversight. Since brine is not considered a hazardous material haul trucks don’t require placarding and clean-up efforts are of little concern.
I could go into great depths about the impact “brine” will have to bottom dwelling organisms that form the basis for the food web in streams but suffice to say it is devastating.
There is little doubt that spills resulting from transporting brine are not the only source of brine contamination in the Ohio Valley, and frankly these types of spills may pale in comparison to other sources. Fracking waste that finds its way through fissures and comes to the surface or contaminates water supply aquifers, surfaces through old unplugged wells, or spills from pipelines or other sources have been documented.
The Mid-Ohio Valley was blessed with plentiful, clean water and little by little we seem determined to squander this vital resource. Let us not be complacent until it is too late and lament as in the well-known expression “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink” – or as my grandfather would say, “nary a drop to drink”.
Thanks to many fact sources especially fractracker.org.
Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Climate Corner: Blue hydrogen hub a bad idea for the Ohio Valley
Feb 4, 2023
Eric Engle
editorial@newsandsentinel.com
With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, perhaps better known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations received up to $7 billion to establish six to 10 regional hydrogen hubs across the country under what is known as the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program. The rules for the program mandate that at least one of the hubs must produce hydrogen from fossil fuels. The Ohio River Valley region (including West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) is under consideration for this fossil fuels-based hub.
According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “Because hydrogen does not exist freely in nature and is only produced from other sources of energy, it is known as an energy carrier. It is a clean-burning fuel, and when combined with oxygen in a fuel cell, hydrogen produces heat and electricity with only water vapor as a by-product.” Hydrogen shows promise in decarbonizing hard-to-decarbonize sectors of the economy like steel- and cement-making, aviation, and international shipping.
This hub would generate hydrogen from methane (aka “natural”) gas coupled with carbon capture and sequestration technology. This type of hydrogen is more casually known as blue hydrogen. This region is being looked upon favorably for a blue hydrogen hub because of its existing infrastructure, a large number of potential industrial end users, a favorable regulatory and political environment, and favorable geologic formations (both natural and man-made) for carbon sequestration. This hub would be yet another fossil fuels-driven quagmire and is the last thing this region needs.
As pointed out by the Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI), an independent, nonprofit research and communications center founded in 2020, a blue hydrogen hub would mean more fracking (and all the pollution that comes with it), increased costs to ratepayers, more pipelines, and few new jobs, all while failing to address the climate crisis and pulling resources away from real climate solutions, such as investing in clean, renewable energy.
The Science and Environmental Health Network (SEHN) administers a website called carboncapturefacts.org, an indispensable site for understanding the plethora of safety and health threats, immense costs, and lack of viability of carbon capture and sequestration technologies and methodologies. The West Virginia Legislature has already passed legislation, Senate Bills 161 and 162, that would allow the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to sell, lease or dispose of property under its control under certain circumstances (SB 161) and to lease state-owned pore spaces beneath state forests, wildlife management areas and other lands under DNR’s jurisdiction for use in carbon sequestration projects (SB 162). These bills were written with the blue hydrogen hub in mind and passed after the Senate suspended state constitutional rules requiring bills be read on three separate days in order to pass both bills on just one day, the second day of the 2023 legislative session.
To quote from the SEHN site, “For a CO2 storage site to be considered suitable, it must have (a) adequate total capacity for the intended load of CO2; (b) must allow the injection of CO2 at the desired pressure and rate without breaking the underground geology; (c) must provide evidence that it will not leak CO2 in the future — the existence of fissures, cracks, fractures, faults must be completely ruled out, and ideally the site would have two layers of impermeable ‘cap rock’ above the pressurized CO2 to stop the upward flow of dangerous hazardous-waste CO2. All this investigation of the geology must take place a mile below ground without compromising the geologic integrity of the storage site. In addition, any old exploratory boreholes and abandoned oil or gas wells must be located and permanently sealed.
West Virginia has more than 4,000 abandoned oil and gas wells that have been documented, but there are likely more. Will all the wells be located and permanently capped before CO2 is injected? How long will that take?
Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit climate and environmental education and advocacy organization for which I am Board President, is partnering with numerous other organizations and groups to oppose the development of a blue hydrogen hub in the Ohio River Valley region. We strongly oppose a blue hydrogen hub in the region for the reasons outlined above but know that numerous powerful and wealthy interests are already committed to seeing the hub to fruition.
If West Virginia continues to pursue a fossil fuel-based hub we must ensure that the project ensures strong safeguards and the maximum benefits possible for our communities, workers and environment. This includes:
* limiting end uses to hard-to-electrify needs that don’t already have better alternatives.
* ensuring users are close to the site of hydrogen production to minimize infrastructure and the associated risk of leaks and accidents.
* requiring robust monitoring, reporting, and mitigation of pollutants, including hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide leaks.
* a safety assessment of any transportation infrastructure.
* meaningfully engaging workers and residents, especially those in environmental justice communities.
Hydrogen produced by separating water molecules via electrolysis powered by renewable energies like solar and wind, aka green hydrogen, is the only sensible means of obtaining hydrogen. The Ohio River Valley deserves better after decades of fossil fuels and chemicals industry exploitation than this proposed blue hydrogen hub.
***
Engle is chairman of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.
Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Suggested Readings for February 2023
MOVCA January 2022 Selected Media Postings
Compiled by Cindy Taylor
Appearing on-line in the Charleston Gazette-Mail: viewing available only to subscribers
See Articles by Mike Tony, Environment and Energy Reporter
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/users/profile/mike%20tony/
Appearing on-line on WTAP:
January 11, 2023 Article by Chase Campbell and 1:23 minute video
“Reimagine Appalachia holds its third annual strategy summit”
https://www.wtap.com/2023/01/11/reimagine-appalachia-holds-its-third-annual-strategy-summit/
Appearing on-line on WTRF.com:
January 11, 2023 Article by Karen Compton
“Indian firm opening two new manufacturing plants in Marshall County with 250 jobs”
https://www.wtrf.com/marshall-county/indian-firm-opening-two-new-manufacturing-plants-in-marshall-county-with-250-jobs/
Appearing on-line in The REGISTER-HERALD:
January 4, 2023 Article by Joey James, Morgantown
“Abandoned mine funds can create jobs”
https://www.register-herald.com/opinion/abandoned-mine-funds-can-create-jobs/article_3aa53e12-8ad3-11ed-83fe-dbfba68e4db6.html
Appearing on-line in The Times Leader:
January 18, 2023 Community News Article
“MWCD new solar energy program to reduce carbon footprint, enhance sustainability”
https://www.timesleaderonline.com/news/community/2023/01/mwcd-new-solar-energy-program-to-reduce-carbon-footprint-enhance-sustainability/
Appearing on-line in The Mountain State Spotlight:
January 24, 2023 WV Legislature Article by Alexa Beyer, Environment and Energy Reporter
“West Virginia coal industry pushes for state office to recruit miners, promote coal benefits”
Available on-line on TribLive.com (Pittsburgh area):
January 20, 2023 Letter-to-Editor by Joanne Kilgour, Ex. Director Ohio River Valley Institute with co-signers
“Joanne Kilgour: Future of Southwestern PA – decades of good-paying clean green jobs”
https://triblive.com/opinion/joanne-kilgour-future-of-southwestern-pa-decades-of-good-paying-clean-and-green-jobs/
Appearing on Public News Service:
January 31, 2023 Article by Nadia Ramiagan, producer Text and audio
“Report: WV Taxpayers Burdened by Anti-Sustainable Investing Laws”
https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2023-01-31/budget-policy-and-priorities/report-wv-taxpayers-burdened-by-anti-sustainable-investing-laws/a82651-1
Appearing on-line on ReImagine Appalachia:
January 10, (11 a.m. – 2:15 p.m). & 11 (11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.) ReImagine Appalachia’s 2023 Virtual Strategic Summit
Focusing on opportunities for Appalachia from the federal climate infrastructure package–including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS Act, ARPA and the Inflation Reduction Act– how do we maximize the benefits to the communities in our region? How do we ensure jobs created come with family-sustaining wages and benefits? That we are creating new opportunities for coal industry workers and historically-marginalized groups? And that we are doing our region’s part to achieve climate neutrality?
January 3. 2023 Blog Article Post by Natalia Rudiak
“ “Winning the Win” with Community Benefits Agreements! How can we set Appalachia up for success?”
Appearing on-line on Ohio River Valley Institute https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org :
January 30, 2023 Article by Ben Hunkler. ORVI Communications Manager
“2022 in Review”
https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/9736-2/
January 17, 2023 Research article by Ted Boettner
“First Tranche of Orphan Well Funds Out the Door”
https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/first-tranche-of-federal-orphan-well-funds-out-the-door/
January 12, 2023 Research article by Ted Boettner and Kathy Hippie
“Diversified Energy’s Questionable Financial Practices Continue in 2022”
https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/diversified-energys-questionable-financial-practices-continue-in-2022/
Available from West Virginia Rivers:
Jan 28 – February 23, 2023 Winter Lunch & Learn Webinar Series – Thursdays at Noon for description and registration:
Jan. 28:PFAS; in Untreated Drinking Water; Feb.2: Mountain Valley Pipeline & how to comment on Permit Approvals; Feb.9: Methane, Climate Change and how to comment on EPA Regulations; Feb. 16: WV Public Lands; Feb.23: What is Blue Hydrogen?
See also: “Water Policy News: First Update of the 2023 Session” and “Second Update”(Jan. 27) with links for action, educational resources, etc.
https://wvrivers.org/2023/01/policynews2-2/
Appearing on-line on WV Public Broadcasting or WOUB (PBS) or WVXU or NPR:
January 30, 2023 Article by Curtis Tate
“Report: Renewables Now Cheaper Than Coal Plants In West Virginia”
January 26, 2023 Government Feature by WVPB staff, Reporter Curtis Tate Audio link and text summary
“West Virginia Morning – Energy Issues And Housing Costs” (Del. Bill Anderson, R-Wood, Chair House Energy Committee and Del. Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, Minority Vice Chair are interviewed)
January 26, 2023 Local News Article by Ann Thompson
“Ohio is seen as a test state for solar farms. An increasing number of counties are banning them”
https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2023-01-26/ohio-counties-banning-solar-farms
January 18, 2023 Energy and Environment Article by Shepherd Snyder Text and 0.56 audio
“Harpers Ferry Enters Agreement With FirstEnergy To Support Statewide Solar Farm Construction”
https://www.wvpublic.org/energy-environment/2023-01-18/harpers-ferry-enters-agreement-with-firstenergy-to-support-statewide-solar-farm-construction
January 10, 2023 Energy and Environment article by Curtis Tate
“Advocates Pitch Community Solar To State Lawmakers. Some Say No”
https://www.wvpublic.org/energy-environment/2023-01-10/advocates-pitch-community-solar-to-state-lawmakers-some-say-no
January 3, 2023 Energy and Environment article by Curtis Tate
“PSC Gives Mon Power Until March 31 To Evaluate Pleasants Purchase”
https://www.wvpublic.org/energy-environment/2023-01-03/psc-gives-mon-power-until-march-31-to-evaluate-pleasants-purchase
RESOURCES, RESEARCH, and SOLUTIONS and other articles Relevant to our region:
Available from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
January 12, 2023 Summary of NOAA’s 2022 annual global climate report.
“2022 was world’s 6th-warmest year on record”
https://www.noaa.gov/news/2022-was-worlds-6th-warmest-year-on-record
See information available on Downstream Strategies: Ideas that sustain:
“Renewable energy analysis” Downstream Strategies contact is Joey James
Available on Defend The Atlanta Forest:
January 2023 Sign-on to movement to stop Cop City & defend the Weelaunee Forest (MOVCA is a signatory)
Available on Government Technology: solutions for state and local government:
January 12, 2023 Policy article by Mike Tony (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
“West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Reports Federal Encouragement”
https://www.govtech.com/policy/west-virginia-hydrogen-hub-reports-federal-encouragement
Available on Clean Energy Group:
January 18, 2023 Article by Seth Mullendore, Clean Energy Group
“Looking Back: Five Energy Equity Takeaways from 2022”
January 4, 2023 Article by Abbie Ramanan, Clean Energy Group
“The Top Five Fossil Fuel Industry Myths about Hydrogen”
Article includes link to recording of Dec. 15, 2022 webinar “Environmental Justice Strategies for Hydrogen Opposition”
Available on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Facts:
See https://www.carboncapturefacts.org for links to the following articles and links to media resources:
“What is Carbon Capture and Storage”
“What are Carbon Pipelines?”
“What is Carbon Use?”
“What is Carbon Storage?”
Available on Science and Environmental Health Network:
January 19, 2023 Article by Sandra Steingraber, SEHN senior scientist
“Gas Stoves: The Fracking Tailpipe in Your Kitchen”
https://www.sehn.org/sehn/2023/1/19/gas-stoves-the-fracking-tailpipe-in-your-kitchen
Available on The New York Times:
January 29, 2023 Article by Hiroko Tabuchi
“In the Fight Over Gas Stoves, Meet the industry’s Go-To-Scientist”
January 12, 2023 Climate Article by Hiroko Tabuchi
“Exon Scientists Predicted Global Warming, Even as Company Cast Doubts, Study Finds”
January 6, 2023 Climate Article
“The Plastic Problem”
Available on-line in the journal Science:
January 13, 2023 Review of Climate Projection Study by G. Supran, S. Rahmstorf, and N. Oreskes
“Assessing ExxonMobil’s global warming projections”
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk0063
Available on Inside Climate News:
January 30, 2023 Clean Energy Article by Dan Gearino
“New Wind and Solar Are Cheaper Than the Costs to Operate All But One Coal-Fired Power Plant in the United States”
Link to Energy Innovation Policy & Technology’s Jan 29th Report – Coal Cost Crossover 3.0 Local Renewables Plus Storage Create New Opportunities For Customer Savings and Community Reinvestment.
January 26, 2023 Article by Dan Gearino
“When Will We Hit Peak Fossil Fuels? Maybe We Already Have?”
link to RMI report Peak Fossil Fuel Demand for Electricity: https://rmi.org/insight/peak-fossil-fuel-demand-for-electricity
January 19, 2023 Article by Dan Gearino
“Renewables Projected to Soon Be One-Fourth of US Electricity Generation. Really Soon” Latest EIA report shows renewable generation is about to cross the 25 percent mark, while coal and natural gas lose ground.
January 19, 2023 Science Article by James Brugg
“ ‘Advanced’ Recycling of Plastic Using High Heat and Chemicals Is Costly and Environmentally Problematic, A New Government Study Finds”
January 6, 2023 Politics and Policy Article by James Bruggers
“Congress Urges EPA to Maintain Clean-Air Regulations on Chemical Recycling of Plastics” Lawmakers say chemical recycling contributes to climate change, perpetuates environmental injustice and does not advance a circular economy.
January 5, 2023 Inside Clean Energy Article by Dan Gearino
“Four Big Things to Expect in Clean Energy in 2023”
January 2, 2023 Article by Katie Surma
“Nearly 200 Countries Approve a Biodiversity Accord Enshrining Human Rights and the ‘Rights of Nature’
January 1, 2023 Fossil Fuels Article by Nicholas Kusnetz
“2022 Will Be Remembered as the Year the U.S. Became the World’s Largest Exporter of Liquified Natural Gas”
Available on Battelle.org
January 18, 2023 News Article by Carrie Ghose which was published in The Business Journals (bizjournals.com)
“Battelle, Viking Global spin off startup that destroys ‘forever’ pollutant PFAS
https://www.battelle.org/insights/newsroom/news-details/2023/01/18/battelle-viking-global-spin-off-startup-that-destroys-‘forever’-pollutant-pfas
See also: https://www.battelle.org/markets/environment/investigation-remediation/pfas-assessment-mitigation/pfas-annihilator-destruction-technology
January 17, 2023 Press Release by Battelle Media Relations
“Battelle, Viking Global Investors Launch Revive Environmental”
https://www.battelle.org/insights/newsroom/press-release-details/battelle-viking-global-investors-launch-revive-environmental
Available from Yale Climate Connections:
January 27, 2023 Article by Michael Svoboda
“Want to take action on climate change? These books can help.” Twelve titles offer practical advice for people who want to help protect the climate
January 23, 2023 Article by Karin Kirk
“Myths about fossil fuels and renewable energy are circulating again. Don’t buy them”
January 13, 2023 Article by Sarah Wesseler
“Can induction stoves convince home cooks to give up gas?”
January 12, 2023 Article by Jeff Masters
“2022 was one of Earth’s six warmest years on record” The past eight years have been the eighth warmest record, according to NOAA and NASA
January 9, 2023 Policy and Politics Article by Dana Nuccitelli, research coordinator for Citizens’ Climate Lobby
“2022 was a remarkable year for the climate. Here’s what to expect in 2023” Get ready for more hot weather- and the rapid deployment of clean technologies.
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/01/2022-was-a-remarkable-year-for-the-climate-heres-what-to-expect-in-2023/
January 6, 2023 Policy and Politics Article by Samantha Harrington
“Checklist: How to take advantage of brand-new clean energy tax credits” Whether you need windows, a furnace, a car, or a rooftop solar system, new tax breaks are available through the Inflation Reduction Act to help you save money and go green
Available online from The Guardian:
January 30, 2023 Article by Oliver Milman
“US renewable energy farms outstrip 99% coal plants economically – study” It is cheaper to build solar panels or cluster of wind turbines and connect them to the grid than to keep operating coal plants.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/30/us-coal-more-expensive-than-renewable-energy-study
January 28, 2023 Article by Zoe Dutton
“Can board games teach us about climate crisis? Game creators say yes”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/28/board-games-climate-crisis-daybreak
January 23, 2023 Energy – Damian Carrington, Environment editor interviews Prof Mark Jacobson
“’No miracles needed’: Prof Mark Jacobson on how wind, sun and water can power the world”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/23/no-miracles-needed-prof-mark-jacobson-on-how-wind-sun-and-water-can-power-the-world
January 13, 2023 Article by Tom Perkins
“Bills to regulate toxic ‘forever chemicals’ died in Congress – with Republican help” Lobbying industry flexed muscle to ensure bills that aimed to set stricter standards on PFAS compounds went nowhere.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/13/pfas-toxic-forever-chemicals-republican-house
Available on-line: oil & gas THREAT MAP: https://oilandgasthreatmap.com
The Threat Map is an excellent tool: Find out if your home or child’s school is in the oil & gas threat radius.
Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Climate Corner: An intergenerational partnership
Jan 28, 2023
Jean Ambrose
editorial@newsandsentinel.com
When America was attacked on 9/11, more than 20 years ago and before anyone now in high school was born, there was a prevalent idea that if there were the smallest chance of another attack, it was our duty to spend whatever it took to prevent it. Because the consequences of weapons of mass destruction are so dire, then Vice President Cheney said, “If there’s a one percent chance, you have to pursue it as if it were true.”
For young people alive today, climate change is their looming weapon of mass destruction, their Doomsday clock. Glaciers disappearing, water sources for entire countries drying up, coastal cities and island nations under water, critical species like bees diminishing — new signs that our planet is dangerously out of balance appear every year.
Evidence from all branches of science verifies the certainty that today’s young people will suffer a harsh and diminished environment because of what humans have done to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. (Many scientists see our time as the sixth great mass extinction and the only one caused by human activity.) VP Cheney and others hit the panic button about terrorism at only 1% certainty! The “one percent doctrine” can be just as appropriately applied to the climate crisis: If you wait for certainty, it is far too late to do anything about it. The urgency to act decisively increases every day.
Platitudes about how our children are the most precious things in our world and our promises to build them a bright future ring hollow when we observe the continued increase in the emissions of greenhouse gases and the inability of countries to keep even the modest promises made in annual climate summits. It is all too clear that the rising generation will need to come up with the solutions to preserving a habitable planet themselves.
With that necessity in mind, MOV Climate Action has created a new program in partnership with young people called Climate Ambassadors. Over the past year, we provided resources to students attending two area high schools to develop their ideas for projects that address aspects of the climate crisis.
Nathaniel McPeak, a PHS junior, explains. “I wanted to be a Climate Ambassador because I want to help save the world that I am a part of. I enjoy observing nature, going on hikes, and breathing clean air. The idea that at any given moment we are losing a percentage of what we have on this earth is terrifying, and I will do anything to stop it. I want to have a career in conservation and thought being a Climate Ambassador would be a good opportunity to start working towards that.” Nate’s project is installing bat boxes to provide habitat for that critical species.
According to Williamstown junior Alayna Garst: “I wanted to be a Climate Ambassador because I care about nature and want to do my part in the fight against climate change. Being a Climate Ambassador is a way to take an active role in that fight. I like to hike, swim, bike, camp, and take walks in nature. I believe everyone has the right to enjoy those things. While I will most likely pursue a career in art instead of environmental science, art can be useful for spreading information and knowing is half the battle. When I became aware of the melting Artic, dying coral reefs, and burning forests, it inspired me to get involved. Being a Climate Ambassador has given me a voice to speak on issues that are important to me and my community.” Alayna’s project has been to start an environmental club at her school.
We intend the Climate Ambassadors to be the kind of intergenerational collaboration that will be essential to create solutions to the climate crisis. People learn how to make a difference and solve tough problems by picking a place to start, and learning by doing. My generation, which made the problem so much worse during our lifetimes, can and must share resources, connections and skills with rising generations so they can more quickly and effectively solve the problems of maintaining a livable planet. Our goal is to spread the program to students attending at least four area high schools this year. We’ll start recruiting new ambassadors next month.
For more information on how to join the next class of Climate Ambassadors, or how you can support this program, leave a message on the MOVCA Facebook page or at movca.youth@gmail.com.
***
Jean Ambrose, of Walker, is trying not to be a criminal ancestor.
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