Posted: April 19, 2025 by main_y0ke11

Climate Corner: DOGE strikes again for Earth Day

Apr 19, 2025

Jean Ambrose

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

“Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.” — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

***

The first Earth Day in 1970 responded to a world in crisis — rivers catching fire from pollution, smog choking city skies, and wildlife vanishing at alarming rates. That national outcry led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and, a few years later, the Endangered Species Act. For over five decades, these protections helped preserve clean air, drinkable water, and essential ecosystems.

But today, those hard-won gains are under threat. Federal environmental protections have been weakened or rolled back, and leadership in many agencies now seems more hostile than helpful. In the face of that, the responsibility to safeguard the planet falls more heavily on everyday citizens. If change is going to happen, it’s up to us.

A local example is unfolding right now. Saturday, April 26, a major cleanup of Buckley Island is scheduled as part of the annual Ohio River Sweep. The Friends of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge have spent weeks preparing — coordinating volunteers, planning logistics, and organizing resources. But just yesterday, six AmeriCorps National Service members who had come to assist with the effort were abruptly dismissed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an extralegal agency with growing power and no accountability.

This follows a disturbing pattern. DOGE previously fired staff at the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, and now they’re interfering in environmental work with no explanation or regard for local impact. Their actions threaten more than just a weekend cleanup. Local projects — like tree planting and trail retaining wall construction — were planned based on having a full-time crew. The disruption affects not only the health of the Ohio River but the Refuge’s ability to attract visitors and support the local economy.

What can we do? We show up. We act. We clean up our rivers, plant our trees, and refuse to be sidelined.

Join us on Saturday. Boats will depart for Buckley Island from the Williamstown boat ramp (101 Julia Ave) at 1 p.m. All cleanup supplies will be provided. Before that, volunteers can enjoy a simple lunch at noon, hosted by Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action (MOVCA) at the nearby Refuge office. To help organizers prepare, please email Hunt Brawley at hbrawley@peoplesbanktheatre.com to register. But if you can’t RSVP, come anyway. Your presence matters.

This year, it’s especially vital for youth groups and volunteer teams to connect with the Refuge to help finish the work left undone — planting trees and stabilizing trails that protect the island’s future.

Action is the antidote to despair. Even small, local efforts can bring real change — and that change gives us hope.

Fortunately, the Mid-Ohio Valley is home to many organizations ready to support your ideas and passion for protecting the earth. Here are just a few:

* Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action (MOVCA), focused on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability. Find resources and connect at movclimateaction.org or on their active Facebook page.

* Green Sanctuary Committee, based at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta. This group models how faith communities can lead through pollinator gardens, solar energy, ethical eating, and public education.

* West Virginia Rivers Coalition advocates for clean water across the state, monitoring water quality and educating the public. More at wvrivers.org.

* WV Citizen Action Group partners with MOVCA to provide PurpleAir monitors, allowing residents to track local air quality. Contact Kayla Deem at kayladeem@ymail.com or 304-483-3718.

* Save Ohio Parks, a grassroots group, fights to protect public lands from oil and gas extraction, especially in Ohio’s state parks and forests. Learn more at hello@saveohioparks.org.

* Ecological Restoration Projects, led by Mark Krivchenia. Volunteers remove invasive species and restore habitats in parks like Mountwood and Broughton Preserve. Contact mark.krivchenia@gmail.com.

* Buckeye Environmental Network, a watchdog group exposing environmental risks — like spreading toxic oil and gas waste on Ohio roads. Their Brine Waste Task Force is pushing for reform. Contact: roxannegroff1227@gmail.com.

* Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL), a nonpartisan organization advocating for national climate policy and educating Congress. For Ohio’s District 06, contact George Banziger at gbanziger497@gmail.com.

Despite its wounds, the Earth still gives to us — with beauty, wonder, and sustenance. It’s time we return the gift. Let’s rise with hope and purpose, shoulder to shoulder, and protect what we all share.

***

Jean Ambrose works at not being a criminal ancestor to her granddaughter.

 

Posted: April 12, 2025 by main_y0ke11

Suggested Readings for April 2025

MOVCA Selected Media Postings February & March 2025

Compiled by Cindy Taylor

NOTE from Cindy: When scrolling through this selected media listing, you will find some media postings openly available without any costs, while other sites may have a paywall or request contributions (or registration). MOVCA appreciates the coverage provided by independent journalists, coalition groups and all media sources that publicize climate and environmental concerns, sustainable solutions, legislative actions, and opportunities for community members to learn and make a difference. Public libraries and educational institutions have many of these sources available to everyone.

 

Available on The Marietta Times:

March 13, 2025 Opinion- Editorial   “A Broken Process”

https://www.mariettatimes.com/opinion/editorials/2025/03/a-broken-process/

 

February 24, 2025 Letter-to-Editor by Scott Lacey, Marietta, OH

“Your safety and environment are in peril” A call to Action.

https://www.mariettatimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2025/02/your-safety-and-environment-are-in-peril/

 

February 20, 2025 Letter-to-editor by Sue Price

“Marietta Area Recycling at a crossroads”

https://www.mariettatimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2025/02/marietta-area-recycling-at-a-crossroads/

 

February 15, 2025 Local News article by Evan Bevins, City Editor

“Marietta Recycling Center seeking new home, volunteers”

https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2025/02/marietta-recycling-center-seeking-new-home-volunteers/

 

January 28, 2025 Letter-to-Editor by Dawn E. Hewitt, Marietta, OH  “No Climate Corner?”

https://www.mariettatimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2025/01/no-climate-corner/

 

MOV Climate Corner columns also appeared in The Marietta Times links are provided under the News & Sentinel listing

 

Available online in The Parkersburg News and Sentinel:

March 29, 2025  “West Virginia utilities, consumer groups raise concerns over energy”

https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/business/2025/03/west-virginia-utilities-consumer-groups-raise-concerns-over-energy/

 

March 29, 2025  “Into the Dustbin: Marietta Area Recycling Center announces closure”

https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/business/2025/03/into-the-dustbin-marietta-area-recycling-center-announces-closure/

 

March 6, 2025 Business article by Evan Bevins, City Editor

“Changes coming to Multi-Cultural Festival, Parkersburg Homecoming”

https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/business/2025/03/mid-ohio-valley-foundations-entertainment-changes-coming-to-multi-cultural-festival-parkersburg-homecoming/

MCF will be June 20-22 at Civitan Park, Belpre, OH  the theme is “The Roots of Our Community.” Homecoming Fri Aug. 15-17.

 

March 1, 2025  Business article by David Beard

“West Virginia House passes ban on some food dyes, preservatives” (HB 2354)

https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/business/2025/03/west-virginia-house-passes-ban-on-some-food-dyes-preservatives/

 

February 28, 2025 Community News Staff report  (Adeline Bailey’s  press release)

“Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, First Unitarian Green Sanctuary to host film festival March 20 and 22”

https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/community-news/2025/02/mid-ohio-valley-climate-action-first-unitarian-green-sanctuary-to-host-film-festival-march-20-and-22/

 

February 22, 2025 Letter-to-the-Editor by Phillip Wiley, New Martinsville

“Nonsense from our elected officials” (about HR33 which proposed renaming Spruce Knob to “Trump Mountain’)

https://www.newsandsentinel.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2025/02/nonsense-from-our-elected-officials/

 

February 15, 2025 Business article by Evan Bevins, City Editor

“A Lot to Process: Marietta Recycling Center seeking new home, volunteers”

https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/business/2025/02/a-lot-to-process-marietta-area-recycling-center-seeking-new-home-volunteers/

 

February 7, 2025 Article by Steve Allen Adams
“West Virginia joins multi-state lawsuit over New York superfund tax”

https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/business/2025/02/west-virginia-joins-multi-state-lawsuit-over-new-york-superfund-tax/

 

Available on the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

See articles by Mike Tony, Environment and Energy Reporter: (example provided below)

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/energy_and_environment/

 

Available on The Statehouse News Bureau:

February 7, 2025 Article by Sarah Donaldson  Text and audio

“Activists again ask that DeWine snuff out fracking in Ohio state parks”

https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2025-02-07/activists-again-ask-that-dewine-snuff-out-fracking-in-ohio-state-parks

 

Available on The Herald-Star (Steubenville, OH):

February 8, 2025 Local column by Randi Pokladnik

“Guest column/The Ohio Valley has a radiation problem”

https://www.heraldstaronline.com/opinion/local-columns/2025/02/guest-column-the-ohio-valley-has-a-radiation-problem/

 

Available on WTAP:

March 31, 2025 Article by Logan Riggenbach

“Parkersburg bee population has declined due to environmental causes”

https://www.wtap.com/2025/03/31/parkersburg-bee-population-has-declined-due-environmental-causes/

 

February 17, 2025 Article by Chase Campbell

“Demonstrators hold 50501 protest in Marietta”

https://www.wtap.com/2025/02/17/demonstrators-hold-50501-protest-marietta/

 

February 14, 2025 Article by Shyla Florence

“Resolution introduced to change West Virginia’s Spruce Knob to ‘Trump Mountain’

https://www.wtap.com/2025/02/14/resolution-introduced-change-west-virginias-spruce-knob-trump-mountain/

 

February 14, 2025 Feature by Emma Grace Myers

“Project allows residents to work with officials to resolve community issues” Local team working toward local solutions

https://www.wtap.com/2025/02/14/project-allows-residents-work-with-officials-resolve-community-issues/

 

February 11, 2025 Feature by Chase Campbell    Text and video

“Demonstrators protest against reported DOGE visit to Parkersburg”

https://www.wtap.com/2025/02/11/demonstrators-protest-against-reported-doge-visit-parkersburg/

 

February 10, 2025 Article by Shyla Florence

“DOGE expected to visit treasury offices in Parkersburg, reports say”

https://www.wtap.com/2025/02/10/doge-expected-visit-treasury-offices-parkersburg-reports-say/

 

Available on Mountain State Spotlight:

March 25, 2025 Environment Article by Sarah Elbeshbishi

“West Virginians face soaring electricity costs. To prop up coal, lawmakers could make it even worse”

https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/03/25/power-rates-propping-up-coal/

 

March 20, 2025 Environment Article by Sarah Elbeshbishi

“From reclassifying waterways to loosening inspections, lawmakers are chipping away at West Virginia’s clean water protections”

https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/03/20/lawmakers-rolling-back-water-protections/

 

March 11, 2025 Environment Article by Sarah Elbeshbishi

“Weaken and appeal: Inside chemical industry’s fight for looser drinking water rules”

https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/03/11/drinking-water-regulation-rollback-chemours/

 

March 4, ,2025 Environment Article by Sarah Elbeshbishi

Chemical companies urge West Virginia lawmakers to roll back water protections”

https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/03/04/bill-weakens-water-protections/

 

February 25 , 2025 Environment Article by Sarah Elbeshbishi

“West Virginians want to know what’s in the air they breathe. Chemical companies want to cast doubt on what they find”

https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/02/25/citizen-air-monitoring-use-limitations/

 

February 19, , 2025 Environment Article by Sarah Elbeshbishi

“Days before West Virginia’s latest devastating storm, Morrisey budgeted no money for the state’s flood protection fund”

https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/02/19/morrisey-flood-mitigation-fund/

 

February 15, 2025 Environment Article by Sarah Elbeshbishi

“Trump’s halt on federal spending could cost West Virginia Millions to clean up hazardous gas wells”

https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/02/15/trump-funding-freeze-orphaned-wells/

 

February 4, 2025 Environment Article by Sarah Elbeshbishi

“West Virginia utilities are replacing toxic lead water pipes under a 2024 EPA rule. Trump may roll back the program”

https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/02/04/water-utility-customer-help/

 

Available on Save Ohio Parks: https://saveohioparks.org

February 27, 2025 Save Ohio Parks Blog Post/ Press Release  by Cathy Cowen Becker

“Save Ohio Parks Testifies on Senate Bill 2” (Includes link to read testimonies)

https://saveohioparks.org/2025/02/27/save-ohio-parks-testifies-on-senate-bill-2/

 

February 7, 2025 Save Ohio Parks Blog Post/ Press Release

“30 organizations demand moratorium on fracking Ohio state parks and public lands”

https://saveohioparks.org/2025/02/07/30-organizations-demand-moratorium-on-fracking-ohio-state-parks-and-public-lands/

(MOVCA and coalition groups were signatures on the Feb. 3, 2025 letter to Gov. Mike DeWine)

 

Available on The Allegheny Front:

March 20, 2025 Article by Julie Grant

“As Fracking at Ohio’s Largest State Park Gets Underway, How the Industry Has Changed This Rural County”

https://www.alleghenyfront.org/ohio-fracking-guernsey-county-salt-fork-state-park/

 

Available from Buckeye Environmental Network:

March 28, 2025 Article by Becca Pollard

“An Environmental Victory: Harrison County Reverses Decision on Oil and Gas Brine Use for Winter Road Treatment”

https://benohio.org/harrison-county-commissioners-reverse-decision-on-radioactive-brine-spreading-after-hearing-from-advocates/

 

March 13, 2025 Article by Bev Reed

“Debunking The Myth: Electrolyzing Hydrogen For Energy Is Wasteful & Higher Emissions”

https://benohio.org/debunking-the-myth-electrolyzing-hydrogen-for-energy-is-wasteful-higher-emissions/

 

Available on Public News Service:

April 1, 2025 Article by Judith Ruiz-Branch, Producer

“Nonprofit races to save science, environmental-justice website data”

https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-04-01/environmental-justice/nonprofit-races-to-save-science-environmental-justice-website-data/a96079-1

 

March 18, 2025  Article by Radia Ramlagan, Producer

“Bill aims to weaken WV coal and gas industry chemical tank regulations”

https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-03-18/environment/bill-aims-to-weaken-wv-coal-and-gas-industry-chemical-tank-regulations/a95846-1

 

Available on West Virginia Rivers Coalition:

March 28, 2025 Action Alert “ “High Impact Data Centers” could be on their way to West Virginia”

https://wvrivers.org/2025/03/action-alert-data-centers/

Call to Reject or Amend HB2014

 

March 10, 2025 “Stop More Pollution in West Virginia’s Rivers and Streams!”

https://wvrivers.org/2025/03/stop-more-pollution-in-west-virginias-rivers-and-streams/

 

March 5, 2025 ACTION ALERT –

“URGENT: Protect West Virginia’s Drinking Water: Tell Legislators to Keep Category A Protections”

https://wvrivers.org/2025/03/action-alert-wqs/

 

March 4, 2025 Call to Action-    “Action Alert: Protect WV State Parks – Reject SB 6271”

https://wvrivers.org/2025/03/action-alert-reject-sb-627/

 

March 2025 Updates from WV Rivers Coalition

https://wvrivers.org/2025/03/wv-rivers-news/

 

February 2025 Updates from WV Rivers Coalition

https://wvrivers.org/2025/02/wv-rivers-news-february-2025/

 

February 27, 2025 Call to Action- “ACTION ALERT; Protect Community Air Monitoring! OPPOSE SB 575!”

https://wvrivers.org/2025/02/action-alert-oppose-sb575/

 

Available on PUBLIC JUSTICE.net:

February 25, 2025 Press Release

“West Virginia Rivers Coalition Asks Court to Stop Chemours’ Releases of a Forever Chemical that Violate the Clean Water Act and Threaten Ohio River Drinking Water”

https://www.publicjustice.net/west-virginia-river-coalition-chemours-forever-chemicals-clean-water-act/

 

Available on Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services:

March 31, 2025 “WV Rivers Coalition VS. Chemours – An Explainer on the Motion for a Preliminary Injunction”

https://www.fairshake-els.org/blog/wvriversvschemours

 

Available on West Virginia Environmental Council:

March 21, 2025 West Virginia Environmental Council’s “GREEN Newsletter, Volume 35, Issue 6”

https://wvecouncil.org/green-volume-35-issue-6/

 

March 21,2025  Newsletter article by Lucia Valentine and Kasey Russell, WVEC Lobbyists

“WVEC Weekly legislative Round-Up”

https://wvecouncil.org/wvec-weekly-legislative-round-up-4/

 

February 28, 2025 Event is scheduled for March 17, 2025 from 9am – 2pm at the WV State Capital, Charleston

“Register Now for E-Day on March 17!”

https://wvecouncil.org/register-now-for-e-day-on-march-17/

 

February 28, 2025 Newsletter article by Lucia Valentine and Kasey Russell, WVEC Lobbyists

“WVEC Weekly legislative Round-Up”

https://wvecouncil.org/wvec-weekly-legislative-round-up/

 

February 20, 2025 Action Alert

“Save our State Parks – Ask your two senators to vote YES on Senator Stover’s Amendment to SB 688.”

https://wvecouncil.org/save-our-state-parks/

 

February 11, 2025 “WVEC’s 2025 Legislative Priorities”

https://wvecouncil.org/wvecs-2025-legislative-priorities/

 

Available on West Virginians for Energy Freedom:

March 24, 2025 WV for Energy Freedom News Article

“Governor’s Microgrids Bill Represents Opportunity- But Also Questions About Effects on Ratepayers”

https://www.energyfreedomwv.org/news/2025/3/24/governors-microgrids-bill-represents-opportunity-but-also-questions-about-effects-on-ratepayers

 

Available on Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI):

Resource available: Appalachian Hydrogen Facts , an ORVI project.  https://appalachiahydrogenfacts.org

 

March 27, 2025 Report by Nick Messenger

“Tariffs and Appalachia’

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/tariffs-and-appalachia/

 

March 21, 2025 Article by Joe Cullen

“BIL/IRA Implementation Digest – March 21, 2025”

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/bil-ira-implementation-digest-march-21-2025/

 

March 21, 2025 Article by Tom Torres

“ARCH2: It’s Time for Our Leaders to Start Asking Tough Questions”

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/arch2-its-time-for-our-leaders-to-start-asking-tough-questions/

 

March 21, 2025 Article by Sean O’Leary

“A Month from Hell”

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/a-month-from-hell/

 

March 17, 2025 Article by Deirdre Lally

“The Carbon Implications of Ammonia Production”

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/the-carbon-implications-of-ammonia-production/

 

March 14, 2025 Article by Joe Cullen

“BIL/IRA Implementation Digest – March 14, 2025”

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/bil-ira-implementation-digest-march-14-2025/

 

March 3, 2025 Report by Zane Gustafson, Eric de Place, and Julia Stone

“The Uncertain Ammonia Industry, Present & Future”

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/the-uncertain-ammonia-industry-present-future/

 

March 3, 2025 News statement by Tom Torres

“27 Appalachian Groups Call on Feds to Assess Full Impact of Appalachian Hydrogen Hub”

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/27-appalachian-groups-call-on-feds-to-assess-full-impact-of-appalachian-hydrogen-hub/

 

February 20, 2025 ORVI statement by Tom Torres

“Statement on the Approval of West Virginia’s Class VI Primacy Application”

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/statement-on-the-approval-of-west-virginias-class-vi-primacy-application/

 

February 20, 2025 Article by Nick Messenger

“EV Charging Station Funding Freeze Forfeits More Than $400 Million and Over 3,500 Ohio River Valley Job Opportunities”

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/ev-charging-station-funding-freeze-forfeits-over-400-million-and-3500-ohio-river-valley-job-opportunities/

 

February 13, 2025 Article by Ted Boettner

“Damage Control: Federal Funding to Plug Orphaned Wells – And Create Good-Paying Jobs – Is In Jeopardy”

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/damage-control-federal-funding-to-plug-orphaned-wells-and-create-good-paying-jobs-is-in-jeopardy/

 

February 13, 2025 Article by Eric Dixon
“Damage Control: AML Reclamation Funding Freeze Puts Projects, Jobs in Jeopardy”

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/damage-control-aml-reclamation-funding-freeze-puts-projects-jobs-in-jeopardy/

 

February 7, 2025 Article by Eric de Place and Julia Stone about REPORT.  Links to download, Summary & toolkit

“Beaver County Data Analysis: 2025 Update”

https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/beaver-county-data-analysis-2025-update/

 

Available on ReImagine Appalachia:

See all events (to register) and access recordings and resources: https://reimagineappalachia.org/events/

 

March 27, 2025 Sustainability Messaging Blog Article by Liam Gerrity, Digital Media and Communications Specialist

“3 Messaging Mistakes Advocacy Organizations made in 2024 and How We can reach more audiences in 2025 – according to PA data”

https://reimagineappalachia.org/3-messaging-mistakes-advocacy-organizations-made-in-2024-and-how-we-can-reach-more-audiences-in-2025-according-to-pa-data/

 

March 20, 2025 Blog Article by Brendan Muckian-Bates, Policy Advocacy Associate, Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center

“Nature-Based Solutions Needed to Combat Appalachia’s Growing Flood Risks”

https://reimagineappalachia.org/appalachia-governments-need-more-assistance-to-combat-flood-risks-3/

 

February 20, 2025 Blog Article by Sionainn Rudek, Research Associate ReImagine Appalachia

“Strengthening Appalachian Green Building Product Supply Chains”

https://reimagineappalachia.org/strengthening-appalachian-green-building-product-supply-chains/

 

February 20, 2025 Blog feature by Sylvia Porras  (updated originally written in March 2024)

“A Guide to Earmarks for Appalachian Communities”

https://reimagineappalachia.org/a-guide-to-earmarks-for-appalachian-communities/

 

February 18, 2025 Blog feature by Bikash Gupta, Sustainable Manufacturing Research Analyst

“What Can Appalachia Learn From the Economic and Climate Change Resiliency Efforts in the Himalayas?”

https://reimagineappalachia.org/what-can-appalachia-learn-from-the-economic-and-climate-change-resiliency-efforts-in-the-himalayas/

 

February 13, 2025 Blog feature by Kate Rudek and Sioniann Rudek, Research associates ReImagine Appalachia

“The Industrial Commons in North Carolina: A trip to the Future of Circular Manufacturing”

https://reimagineappalachia.org/the-industrial-commons-in-north-carolina-a-trip-to-the-future-of-circular-manufacturing/

 

February 6, 2025 Article by Blaise Reader   Summaries and links to recordings from the Summit provided.

“2025 Strategy Summit Debrief”

https://reimagineappalachia.org/2025-strategy-summit-debrief/

 

Available on West Virginia Citizen Action Group:

March 26, 2025 CAG blog post –“Thank You for Showing Up for West Virginia at E-Day 2025”

https://wvcag.org/thank-you-for-showing-up-for-west-virginia-at-e-day-2025/

 

March 19, 2025 CAG blog post by Morgan King

“People’s Public Hearing Participants to Legislators: Protect Our Water!”

https://wvcag.org/peoples-public-hearing-participants-to-legislators-protect-our-water/

 

March 4, 2025 CAG Blog post by Morgan King

“Climate & Energy Update: Join Our Fight Against Dirty Energy Projects”

https://wvcag.org/climate-energy-update-join-our-fight-against-dirty-energy-projects/

 

February 19, 2025 CAG blog – “Attacks On Community Air Monitoring Threaten Our Democracy”

https://wvcag.org/attacks-on-community-air-monitoring-threaten-our-democracy/

Available on West Virginia Watch:

February 14, 2025 Commentary by Morgan King

“Attacks on community air monitoring in West Virginia threated our democracy”

https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/02/14/attacks-on-community-air-monitoring-in-west-virginia-threaten-our-democracy/

 

Available on Conservation West Virginia:

See WV Conservation’s list of details and evaluation on current bills before legislature regarding: Clean Air, Pure Water, Climate, Land & Wildlife and Development:  https://www.conservewv.org/issues/

 

March 21, 2025 Article by Neal Bakus

“New Bill Seeks to Fund Flood Emergencies”

https://www.conservewv.org/new-bill-seeks-to-fund-flood-emergencies/

 

March 17, 2025 Article by Neal Barkus

“Legislature Seduced By Economic Possibilities of Large Data Centers”

https://www.conservewv.org/legislature-seduced-by-economic-possibilities-of-large-data-centers/

 

Appalachian Voices https://appvoices.org 

March 28, 2025 Blog Article by Chelsea Barnes

“EPA announces rollback of decades’ worth of regulations”

https://appvoices.org/2025/03/28/epa-regulation-rollback/

 

February 11, 2025 Press Release  Contact is Dan Radmacher, Media Specialist for Appalachian Voices

“Abandoned Mine Land cleanup disrupted by federal funding freeze”

https://appvoices.org/2025/02/11/aml-freeze/

 

Available on FaCT (Faith Communities Together for a Sustainable Future:  https://factsustain.org

See  Distinguished Speakers: https://factsustain.org/distinguished

March 1, 2025 3PM Distinguished Speaker Series

“Climate Uncensored: Professor Kevin Anderson”

https://factsustain.org/articles/climate-uncensored-professor-kevin-anderson

 

Appearing on-line on WV Public Broadcasting or WOUB (PBS) or NPR

February 27, 2025 Environment article by Alejandra Borunda, Michael Copley, Lauren Sommer, & Hansi Lo Wang

“Trump administration Layoffs hit NOAA, agency that forecasts weather, hurricanes”

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/27/nx-s1-5298738/trump-administration-layoffs-hit-noaa-the-agency-that-forecasts-weather-and-hurricanes

 

February 12, 2025 NPR Climate Article by Michael Copley

“Trump funding freeze could leave communities on their own as climate threats grow”

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/12/nx-s1-5285701/trump-funding-freeze-climate-change

 

Available on Environmental Health News EHN: https://www.ehn.org

See the numerous informative articles on many topics available, below is one example:

February 28, 2025 Article by EHN Curators

“Trump administration drops PFAS discharge limits, shifting burden to states”

https://www.ehn.org/trump-administration-drops-pfas-discharge-limits-shifting-burden-to-states-2671234740.html

 

Available on Food & Water Watch:

See the numerous informative articles on many topics available https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/

 

SEE ALSO THESE EVENTS, RESOURCES, RESEARCH AND ARTICLES OF INTEREST

Available on US Department of Energy: Office of NEPA and Compliance –

“DOE/EIS-0569: Appalachian Hydrogen Hub”

https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0569-appalachian-hydrogen-hub

 

Available on US Department of Energy: https://www.energy.gov

Check out Tax Credits & Rebates and Energy Saving Tips

 

Available on Halt the Harm Network:

February 28, 2025  Ryan Clover, Webinar Host for film screen and discussion  with filmmaker Michael Rowley & Ranjana Bhandari from Liveable Arlington

“Faces of Fracking – Documentary Storytelling as a Tool for Change”

https://halttheharm.net/faces-of-fracking/

 

February 22, 2025  Conference hosted by Physicians for Social Responsibility PA, League of Women Voters of PA, Dof Environment and Energy Engineering at Duquesne University, Halt the Harm Network (live streaming & networking)

“Shale Gas & Public Health in 2025: New Directions”

https://halttheharm.net/shale-gas-public-health-in-2025-new-directions/

 

See Resources available on Fractracker Alliance:  see https://www.fractracker.org/about-us/

 

Available on Truthout:

February 26, 2025 Environment & Health article by Emily Sanders & Dana Drugmand, Exxonnews/ The Lever

“A Horrific Gas Leak Prompted CO2 Pipeline Safety Rules. Trump Removed Them.”

https://truthout.org/articles/a-horrific-gas-leak-prompted-co2-pipeline-safety-rules-trump-removed-them/

 

February 23, 2025 Environment & Health article by Jake Bittle, GRIST

“Trump Admin Is Trying to Raid “Green Banks” Meant to Fund Local Climate Projects”

https://truthout.org/articles/trump-admin-is-trying-to-raid-green-banks-meant-to-fund-local-climate-projects/

 

Available on Inside Climate News:

March 27, 2025 Justice & Health Article by Amy Green

“Supreme Court Declines to Hear Youth-Led Climate Case. The Youth Say They Will Fight On”

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27032025/supreme-court-declines-to-hear-juliana-v-united-states-fossil-fuel-policies/

 

March 13, 2025 Inside Clean Energy Article by Dan Gearino

“How Does Your State Produce Its Electricity? The Variations are Wild and Weird”

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13032025/inside-clean-energy-how-each-state-produces-electricity/

 

February 20, 2025 Inside Clean Energy Article by Dan Gearino

“EV Battery Manufacturing Capacity Will Rise When 10 New Plants Come Online This Year. But Can They Thrice in Chaos?”

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/20022025/inside-clean-energy-ev-battery-manufacturing-capacity/

 

February 4, 2025 Justice & Health Article by Anika Jane Beamer

“ ‘Canary in a Coal Mine’: Data Scientists Restore a Climate Justice Tool Taken Down by Trump”

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/04022025/data-scientists-restore-climate-justice-tool-taken-down-by-trump/

 

Available on Environmental Working Group:

March 27, 2025 Press release by EWG Contact JR Culpepper

“New EPA data shows 158M people exposed to ‘forever chemicals’ in U.S. drinking water”

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2025/03/new-epa-data-shows-158m-people-exposed-forever-chemicals-us

 

February 26, 2025 Press release by EWG   Contact Monica Amarelo, EWG

“EWG Tap Water Database update shows hundreds of contaminants widespread in U.S. tap water”

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2025/02/ewg-tap-water-database-update-shows-hundreds-contaminants

Note –link provided to search by postal codc for water quality reports and filter recommendations.

 

February 12, 2025 Article by Al Rabine (EWG) , Scott Faber (EWG)

“Trump EPA may threaten state and local bans of toxic weedkiller glyphosate”

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2025/02/trump-epa-may-threaten-state-and-local-bans-toxic-weedkiller-glyphosate

 

Available on Yale Climate Connections: https://yaleclimateconnections.org

February 24, 2025 Article by Nikayla Jefferson

“How to write your way through climate anxiety and uncertainty” Creative expression can help you process emotions and build resilience.

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/02/how-to-write-your-way-through-climate-anxiety-and-uncertainty/

 

February 18, 2025 Article by YCC Team.   Text and audio

“Why is it so cold outside when the climate is warming?” An answer to a perennial question.

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/02/why-is-it-so-cold-outside-when-the-climate-is-warming/

 

February 18, 2025 Climate change and extreme weather Article by Bob Henson

“Update: How’s U.S. winter weather changing in a warming world?”

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/02/update-hows-u-s-winter-weather-changing-in-a-warming-world/

 

February 17, 2025 Mental Health Article by Nikayla Jefferson

“How to build resilience in hard times”

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/02/how-to-build-resilience-in-hard-times/

 

CHECK OUT these Solutions and Climate Action Resources offered by YCC: “It’s easy to take climate action” https://yaleclimateconnections.org/solutions/

 

Available on Sierra (The Magazine of the Sierra Club):

February 3, 2025 Environment Explained Article by Jill Langiois

“Your Pet’s Health Is Tied to Climate Change, Just like Yours” Here’s what to keep an eye on, and how to be prepared

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/environment-explained/your-pet-s-health-tied-climate-change-just-yours

 

Available on Earthday.org; https://www.earthday.org

Posted  “Earth Day 2025 : OUR POWER, OUR PLANET”

https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2025/

Includes links to planning events and many resources such as Quizzes, Fact Sheets, Articles and MORE.

 

Available on Rewiring America https://www.rewiringamerica.org:

Resource- “See how much you could save on electric appliance upgrades”

https://homes.rewiringamerica.org/calculator

 

Posted: April 12, 2025 by main_y0ke11

Climate Corner: Frustration!

Apr 12, 2025

Vic Elam

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

If a team of master mechanics told you that your brakes are severely worn and that if you continue to drive without making the necessary repairs you run a serious risk of brake failure and a resulting accident, would you instead agree with the 1% or 2%, who work for the brake rotor company that benefits from replacing rotors that have been destroyed by worn out brake pads, and take your family for a drive through the mountains? Would you instead accuse your mechanics of being conspiracy theorists? Would you insist that the mechanics do not know what they are talking about, that the mechanics have ulterior motives? Would you insist that brake wear is a natural occurrence, not caused by everyone’s usage, and nothing to worry about, or that it’s all China’s fault? The point being that even though there are some unscrupulous mechanics out there, would you bet your family’s life that they are wrong.

Climate scientists have no skin in the game when they tell you the planet is warming because of human activity and that we are on our way to global devastation without prompt action. Petroleum industries and many others that do have skin in the game have been fighting to sow the seeds of doubt in our minds in support of their continued financial interests for decades.

Even if you think your mechanic might be just trying to sell you some new brakes, are you going to take that risk with your family? Worse yet, we are destroying the brakes for generations to come.

Those of us who care deeply about you and your family as well as ours, who try to make you understand that this is real and ask what harm there is in taking action even though you may not be convinced, find it frustrating to be met with excuses not to take action that are not wise or based in any real science.

Even though the scientific evidence is overwhelming, corporations that stand to lose from the adoption of policies and measures that combat climate change are well organized, well funded and well connected to allow the spread of disinformation. Disinformation, in this sense of the term, is the intentional spread of outright false claims, or as is often the case, taking a nugget of truth and misconstruing or spinning a tale that destroys the credibility of climate information that is instructive.

It is usually relatively easy to refute disinformation with a little investigating, but many of us don’t have the time or willingness to invest the energy to get to the truth. Many people are conditioned to believe what they want to believe is the truth and they seek news outlets that epitomize that belief and are not exposed to the truth. Often the truth that people want to believe is associated with their perception of what is in their best interest. If it is in your best interest to not pay money for brake repairs, and you can find a narrative that says that brake repairs are unnecessary and for losers, you might adopt that disinformation as the truth.

The frustration for many of us who accept climate change as fact is that we cannot fix this problem without everyone getting on board and it seems that many of us are perfectly content to drive with the risk of failing brakes. The several writers who contribute to this column are aware that most who read it are those who really don’t need to read it. Our only hope is that we reach an occasional reader who is open to the realization that science can be trusted and should be trusted to provide us the ability to make informed decisions about our actions and make the needed change that we all need to make to protect our environment.

I hope that if you have been out there driving with worn brakes that you can relate to this analogy and make better decisions for all of us.

***

Vic Elam is an avid outdoorsman and contributor to organizations that share his concern for our environment, including Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.

Last Updated: April 6, 2025 by main_y0ke11

Climate Corner: The broken promise of natural gas

Apr 5, 2025

George Banziger

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

The March 12, 2025, edition the Marietta Times ran a front-page story on reports touting the importance of natural gas and oil to the region. It was noted in these reports that Mahoning and Trumbull counties were tops in natural gas production in the state. In its subsequent edition (March 13) the Times rightly pointed out that these shiny proclamations have had no discernible effect on the economies of this region of Appalachia. Mahoning County, the home of Congressman Michael Rulli, still has a poverty rate of 17.6% and an employment rate of 6.6% (figures for the U.S. as a whole are 11.1% and 4.1 %, respectively). The editorial went on to state, “Something about this process is broken.”

What is “broken” is the inequity in the fact that capital-intensive oil and gas industries are reaping billions of dollars from the extraction of natural gas and providing no appreciable benefit to the region from which it is extracting these natural resources.

In fact, our region, specifically Washington County, is forced to deal with the excrement from high-pressure hydraulic fracturing, i.e., fracking, in the form of production waste, also called brine waste. Washington County leads the state in amount of production waste injected into its grounds while it experiences little of the benefits of the fracking industry. Just in the last few weeks Deep Rock Disposal has filed a permit request to the Division of Oil and Gas Resource Management of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for yet another injection well in our county. Warren Township trustees, in addition to many others in the county, have requested a public meeting on this topic; yet the Division refuses to set such a meeting where questions and concerns about the safety of drinking water and other environmental and health concerns can be addressed.

Although the fossil-fuel interests have promised economic growth, and jobs in the region, the strategic economic triad of natural gas, petrochemicals, and hydrogen, are actually dragging down northern Appalachia (eastern Ohio, West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and western Pennsylvania), according to a recent study by the Ohio River Valley Institute (2025). The expansion of natural gas extraction has not delivered on its promise of jobs and economic development. ARCH2, an Appalachian manifestation of a national initiative to produce hydrogen mainly from methane (i.e., natural gas) has lopped off projects in the region as the result of many involved in this business who have recognized that an ARCH2 project is a failed and unsustainable business model.

The growth in production of natural gas in northern Appalachia has not translated into job growth; income growth in this region lags the U.S. by over 30%. The gas-producing areas of Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania are getting poorer, older, and less populated, according to this ORVI report. In the 30 counties of this tri-state region that produce natural gas, jobs declined by 1%, while nationally they grew by 14%, and population declined by 3% (it grew by 10% nationally).

The future of natural gas production does not bode well for consumers. Much of the natural gas produced in this area, including that extracted from beneath our state parks, will be used to fuel new gas-fired power plants. The need for electricity is rapidly accelerating all over the country with the expansion of data centers, which are power-hungry hogs. Natural gas will further be used for conversion to liquified natural gas (LNG) for export with the support of new infrastructure at our ports. The expected market demand for all this natural gas will likely result in higher utility prices for consumers.

So, what are some alternatives to the extraction of natural gas in the region for the promotion of economic development? What is needed for economic expansion, job growth, and population increase are labor-intensive industries that result in sustainable and high-wage jobs. One idea, which was raised by the group, ReImagine Appalachia, in a recent presentation on this issue (March 2025) is development of the wind-turbine supply chain — not the actual establishment of wind turbines in the region but the manufacture of the components of these rapidly growing sources of electricity. In any one wind turbine device there are over 8,000 components. Turbine blades are the most noticeable and cumbersome of these components; they are too big to be transported by truck so our proximity to the Ohio River would allow for the shipment of these items by barge. Parts for batteries, generators, and other electrical items often rely on components that require rare-earth minerals. Researchers at the University of Kentucky and at West Virginia University are working on processes to extract these minerals from coal ash. The fabrication of structural materials, making turbine blades from recyclable materials, transport of turbine blades and related manufacturing activities can result in numerous opportunities for labor-intensive economic and job growth for the region.

***

George Banziger, Ph.D., was a faculty member at Marietta College and an academic dean at three other colleges. He is a member of the Green Sanctuary Committee of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta, Citizens Climate Lobby, and of the Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action team.

 

Posted: March 29, 2025 by main_y0ke11

Climate Corner: HB 2014 is a dead end

Mar 29, 2025

Eric Engle

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

House Bill 2014, the Power Generation and Consumption Act of 2025, introduced on 3/18/25 into the WV House of Delegates by Speaker Roger Hanshaw at the behest of Gov. Patrick Morrisey, is a recipe for keeping West Virginia an extraction colony and sacrifice zone, with a 21st Century spin.

HB2014 would enable microgrids (smaller energy grids that are not connected to broader utility grid operations) to utilize fossil fuels instead of renewable energy only, as the law pertaining to microgrid energy use is written today. It would also expand land use options for microgrid districts and “high impact” data centers and allow for certified microgrid districts to avoid being subject to the Public Service Commission “with respect to rates, obtaining a certificate of convenience and necessity, conditions of service or complaints…”

A recent piece published by Reuters News pointed out that the power used by data centers has tripled over the last decade and could triple again by 2028, according to a report by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for the Department of Energy issued in December 2024. Last July, 60 data centers operating in what is referred to as Data Center Alley (a 30-square-mile area outside of D.C.) suddenly dropped off the grid and switched to on-site generators. The drop was caused by a standard safety mechanism used by the data center industry to protect electronic equipment, computer chips and more from damage caused by fluctuations in voltage.

This drop-off resulted in a huge surge of excess electricity, forcing grid operator PJM and utility Dominion Energy to reduce output from power plants in order to avoid mass outages across the region. What happens with these microgrids if a safety mechanism triggers a switch to generators? How are those generators going to be powered if not by the microgrid? Will we be seeing generators instead powered by the utility grid and a sudden influx of demand from a data center(s) in a scenario like this?

Data centers also require intensive cooling to counter the heat generated. This often leads to not only further energy demand but extensive water usage. With all the surface and subsurface water already permanently pulled from our region for fracking, as just one example, what will ever-growing and ever more demanding data centers do to our fresh water supplies? What about the waste heat from data centers? How will it be managed or possibly utilized? Will it be managed or put to use at all?

With data centers come high operating costs. Costs for things like components, services and energy are variable, especially if you’re using fossil fuels for power. There can also be supply chain issues, especially in an increasingly unstable world caused by the “very stable genius” regrettably occupying the White House at the moment. The legislation makes mention of taxation of high impact data centers and taxes for microgrid districts, but something we can all bet on is that the private companies involved (e.g., Microsoft, Google, Amazon) will be given every opportunity to avoid taxation and regulatory oversight.

Returning to the issue of land use, these data centers tend to be enormous complexes. The last thing this state needs are more runoff and drainage issues and more roads to have to maintain for these companies while miles and miles of our other roads crumble. There are thousands of people in this state who lack adequate septic systems (if they have one at all) and are not part of communal water and sewer systems, but I’m sure water and sewer will be top of the line for these private companies. Think they’ll let West Virginians in flooded out Southern WV counties come use their facilities routinely?

I understand society’s need for data storage and use and fast computing and that AI is a genie that’s out of the bottle in both good ways and bad. These facilities will be built somewhere, but West Virginia needs these companies to provide strong flows of tax revenue, to be held accountable for their own messes, and to use renewable energy, with maximized energy efficiencies and a focus on sustainability. How many jobs will these data centers and the development and maintenance of these microgrids actually create, both short-term and long-term, and what will the pay and benefits look like for them? The legislation has nothing to say about that, no estimates or predictions. Such figures usually come from separate studies, with industry numbers always comically overstated.

It is long past time for West Virginians to start asking what’s in it for us. We deserve well-paying, safe, accommodating jobs with great benefits and a union contract. We deserve to see large corporations and the wealthy paying their fair share into our tax bases. We deserve clean, safe potable water and healthy, thriving rivers and streams. We deserve clean air and healthy, safe soils and a stable global climate system. We deserve safe, sustainable, well-engineered infrastructure. We deserve sustainable agriculture and development and a circular waste economy.

HB2014 is another dead end. As I write, it is in the House Energy and Public Works Committee where it was introduced, but it will no doubt move quickly with this legislative session coming to an end April 12. You can track the bill’s status at wvlegislature.gov under “Bill Status” by typing in 2014 as the bill number. Let your Delegates and State Senators know that we deserve better than this legislation.

***

Eric Engle is board president of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.

Last Updated: March 24, 2025 by main_y0ke11

Climate Corner: Carbon Capture and Sequestration not the answer

Mar 22, 2025

Randi Pokladnik

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is a process which captures carbon dioxide from industry emissions and injects the CO2 deep into the ground via Class VI injection wells. It is an unproven technology at scale and relies on taxpayer subsidies to be affordable. Once again, marginalized communities of the region will be facing more pollution from this process and taxpayers will be footing the bill.

One of many risks associated with CCS is potential leakage of carbon dioxide. These leaks would negate any climate benefits that CCS might provide, and have the potential to asphyxiate people and animals who are exposed. Several factors could contribute to leaking of the super critical CO2 gas from the underground storage locations. One of these is seismic activity. “The presence of seismic activity, both natural and induced, is of great importance when evaluating CO2 sequestration potential. Extensive fault zones may provide leakage pathways along which CO2 could migrate.” Additionally, the very act of injecting high-pressure CO2 into continental crusts could induce earthquakes and jeopardize carbon storage. “Deep borehole stress measurements at the Mountaineer coal-burning power plant on the Ohio River in West Virginia indicate a severe limitation on the rate at which CO2 could be injected without the resulting pressure build-up initiating slip on preexisting faults.”

The 2022 report by the Department of Energy, “Carbon Capture Transport, and Storage,” researches the supply chain needed to create what the DOE refers to as a “carbon pollution-free power sector” by 2035. The supply chain includes necessary materials, energy, and infrastructure needed. One of the materials needed is the chemical monoethanolamine (MEA). “Through 2050, the United States’ CCS program will require 13.7 million tons of MEA, which is made from ethane gas obtained from fracking. It is the absorbent solvent used to trap the carbon dioxide from industrial emissions. This compound, as well as an intermediate chemical in the process, ethylene oxide, are extremely dangerous and will be produced, stored, and used in our communities. In addition, CCS infrastructure in the U.S. will require 632 kilotons of triethylene glycol (TEG), 24-32 million tons of steel, and 1.1 million tons of cement. The production of these materials will add even more carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

CCS does not remove any existing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere but rather captures carbon dioxide from industrial processes, including ethanol fermentation, methane reforming, Portland cement production, gasifying fuels like waste plastics, and fossil fuel power plants. CCS will therefore not lower the current amount of CO2 in the air; only direct air capture could do that. CCS is not a climate solution, and CCS employed on power plants will require 30% additional energy output and two times the water use. This is at a time when AI is positioned to require enormous amounts of additional energy.

CCS tax credits will be rewarding companies for their pollution using taxpayers’ money. The Inflation Reduction Act established rates per ton of CO2 sequestered at $85/ton. Considering that a large coal power plant emits 15 million tons of CO2 per year; the subsidy would be 1.25 billion tax-payer dollars per year for one power plant.

Tenaska, a company out of Omaha, Neb., has set up offices in the tri-state area and is creating what it calls a carbon hub. The amount of carbon dioxide they claim can be stored per year in this hub area is just over 5 million tons. This pales in comparison to the amounts of carbon dioxide emitted by local industry. Additionally, the company claims, “A CCS storage field can coexist with oil and gas production.” But peer reviewed studies state the opposite. “Production of natural gas from shale and other tight formations involves fracturing the shale with the explicit objective to greatly increase the permeability of the shale. As such, shale gas production is in direct conflict with the use of shale formations as a caprock barrier to CO2 migration.”

Another consideration is that the Ohio Valley’s geology is like Swiss cheese; containing hundreds of old vertical oil wells, unplugged orphan oil wells, and underground coal mines. The previous extraction of oil and coal has poked holes into the bedrock and now companies want to inject high pressure (1000 psi) carbon dioxide in these areas hoping it will remain underground in perpetuity. These old wells will need to be permanently plugged before any carbon sequestration can occur. “The cost of plugging an oil or gas well varies, but states report average costs between $3,500 and $80,000 per well.”

Some landowners are worried that companies might try to invoke eminent domain to use the pore space under their land. In West Virginia, the government can use eminent domain to take private property for public use, including for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. West Virginia was granted primacy for CCS Class VI wells on February 26, 2025. Ohio is currently seeking primacy for Class VI wells and is also proposing the use of eminent domain to seize private lands for CCS. See the recently introduced (HB 170).

Although industries try to claim over 50 years of experience in CCS, the methods they have used are primarily enhanced oil recovery, not the injection of a known asphyxiant under farmlands and forests. Failures of two CCS projects run by Norwegian state-owned energy company Equinor ASA, shine light on the reliability of CCS. The Sleipner, running since 1996, and Snohvit, running since 2008, were said to be success stories of CCS. “But Sleipner struggled with carbon dioxide unexpectedly migrating upwards by 220 meters from the original underground storage site, while Snohvit saw storage capacity cut from an estimated 18 years to less than two years once the operation was underway, according to a review of studies by Grant Hauber of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.”

The real proof of the failure of CCS is “as of 2024, approximately 50 million metric tons of carbon dioxide were captured annually by operational CCS facilities worldwide. This accounts for roughly 0.1 percent of global CO2 emissions.” We need to turn off the tap for carbon emissions. CCS is too expensive and too dangerous.

***

Randi Pokladnik, Ph.D., of Uhrichsville, is a retired research chemist who volunteers with Mid Ohio Valley Climate Action. She has a doctorate degree in environmental studies and is certified in hazardous materials regulations.

Posted: March 15, 2025 by main_y0ke11

Climate Corner: Ban the brine

Mar 15, 2025

Rebecca Phillips

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

On the increasingly rare occasions when this old lady has to drive in the winter, I try to wait until after the road-clearing crews and salt trucks have done their work. Since moving to Ohio more than forty years ago, I have developed a true appreciation for these winter warriors who do so much to make the roads safer for the rest of us.

Unfortunately, in Ohio, some of those road-clearing trucks may well be spraying oilfield brine. Plain brine, of course, is salt water, and we are all familiar with salt’s ice-melting properties. Oilfield brine, unfortunately, is not just salt and water. This byproduct of oil and gas drilling contains a number of toxic substances, and spraying it on Ohio roadways has been legal since 1985.

The brine sprayed on roadways does not come from fracked wells (that waste going instead into the injection wells causing earthquakes in Washington County), only from conventional vertical wells. When the law permitting the use of oilfield brine was written, waste from conventional wells was believed to be less toxic than that from horizontal (fracked) wells. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Studies commissioned by various state agencies over the last forty years have found that all oilfield waste brine contains a toxic stew of, among other things, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylene, and our old friends, the “forever chemicals” PFOA and PFAS. In addition to these substances, oilfield brine contains radium brought up from the underground regions where it normally resides.

Radium is one of the most worrisome materials found in oilfield brine. Its two most common isotopes (Radium-226 and -228) have a half-life of more than 1600 years, making it yet another “forever chemical” in human terms. Radium-226 dissolves in water and is “bone-seeking;” that is, the body mistakes it for calcium and stores it in bones, which can lead to bone cancer.

Both 226 and 228 decay into lead, a known neurotoxin, and radon, the second most common cause of lung cancer. Many MOV residents already need to seal their basements against the naturally-occurring radon in our soils; we do not need more exposure. Our cancer rates are already high; they do not need to be higher.

Radium exposure is cumulative. A 2021 Ohio Department of Health study of AquaSalina, a brine product then available for residential use, found that a single driveway application would expose the home’s residents to a year’s worth of background radiation. Because of radium’s half-life, that exposure would be repeated with every use of the product, endangering children in particular and increasing their risk of a variety of cancers. ODH recommended against its residential use, and the product is no longer sold in our big box stores; ODOT, which had been purchasing it for several years by the time of the study, discontinued use. Unfortunately, other varieties of oilfield brine are still being used on roads in Ohio and other states. Even though the material is not available to spray on our driveways, runoff from melting snow and ice contaminates roadside soils, increasing exposure anytime we or our children are in these spaces. Additionally, runoff finds its way into groundwater, endangering not only drinking water for humans but all the wildlife that depends on natural water sources. And we are not exposed only in winter: brine is sprayed as a dust suppressant during summer dry spells and finds its way onto our cars and into their ventilation systems. If you have ever driven on a dusty Ohio back road, you have probably inhaled a fair amount of radium.

Fossil fuel companies argue that this brine is “natural,”and it is true that many of the substances found in drilling brine–like radium and arsenic–are naturally occurring. It is also true that all of us are exposed to natural background radiation every day of our lives–but the brine coming up from production wells exceeds all recommended radiation exposure limits. Ohio’s legal limit for radium per liter of oil and gas waste allowed in landfills is 0.005 picocuries. One batch of processed brine tested in 2021 contained 9,602 picocuries per liter, or NINETEEN THOUSAND TIMES the legal limit for landfills, and brine from production wells all over Ohio has been found to contain elevated levels of radium. Do we really want this substance on our roads, our tires, and our garage floors? ODOT no longer uses oilfield brine, but the Ohio Revised Code allows local governments to apply for permits to use this dangerous substance, and the ODNR website contains an application form. When a bill that would have prohibited brine spreading statewide was introduced in the Ohio legislature in 2022, it died in committee and has not been reintroduced. Safer ice melts are readily available. For the long-term health of our children, we need to write our legislators and urge a permanent statewide ban on oilfield brine spreading.

***

Rebecca Phillips is a longtime Ohio resident and a member of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.

Last Updated: March 11, 2025 by main_y0ke11

Climate Corner: Profit, people, planet

Mar 8, 2025

Jean Ambrose

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

Is it true that government should be run more like a business? This seems to be a given these days, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

The goal of a business is straightforward: to return a monetary profit to its owners or shareholders. The objectives are clear and simple.

However, the goals of government — our government — are not as easily defined. The preamble to the U.S. Constitution outlines our national purpose: to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare. Nowhere in our national purpose statement do we find efficiency or profit as objectives. Rather, the Constitution describes how we will make decisions together to achieve these ambitious goals.

Our Founding Fathers set forth a challenge: to balance multiple, often competing, priorities. Running a democratic government successfully requires a level of competence, experience and intelligence far beyond that needed to run a business. The general welfare of the people does not lend itself to the cheapest option possible. If “We the People” truly means all the people, then ensuring access to health care, education, housing, nutrition and safety is not just a financial decision — it is a shared commitment to long-term prosperity and a resilient nation.

While such a mandate from the past requires resources, an unhealthy, uneducated and unskilled population is no asset to a nation. Smart governments invest in their people and their environment with confidence that the general welfare and prosperity will be strengthened, just as smart businesses invest in research and development. The current obsession with slashing government spending is akin to taking a chainsaw to our Constitution instead of making thoughtful, measured adjustments. Using efficiency as the primary benchmark for government success ignores its fundamental responsibilities. A better approach — the Triple Bottom Line — considers more than just cost reduction.

The Triple Bottom Line concept, introduced by John Elkington over 25 years ago, holds that sustainable decision-making requires balancing three key pillars: People, Planet and Profit. Including social and environmental considerations alongside financial factors provides a more accurate picture of an organization’s true impact. Yet, economic priorities often overshadow the other two, putting long-term sustainability at risk.

Many businesses have come to embrace this philosophy, endeavoring to ensure that their economic decisions actively support human and environmental interests rather than harm them. They have successfully integrated social impact initiatives into their business models, and they expect places where they operate to have similar ambitions. Examples include Ben and Jerry’s, LEGO, Mars, Starbucks, Unilever, Patagonia, Intuit, Dannon and IKEA. There are many more.

West Virginia provides one example of the Triple Bottom Line in action. Since 2019, communities across the state have participated in the SNAP Stretch program, created by the WV Food and Farm Coalition in partnership with the USDA. This initiative provides access to fresh, affordable food while supporting small agricultural businesses and promoting environmental sustainability. Local food production reduces long-distance transportation, cutting fossil fuel use and benefiting the environment. To date, the program has benefited nearly 80,000 families and generated $3 million in agricultural sales but its future is threatened, like many state/federal partnerships that have been incubators for new ways of doing things.

The Triple Bottom Line challenges the idea that financial goals should override human and environmental well-being. Sustainable economic decisions must support people and the planet rather than exploit them. This 3P approach should also guide policy decisions today, rather than allowing financial goals to be the sole driver of governance.

This kind of forward-thinking approach is what we should demand from leaders at the community, state and federal levels — not short-sighted, indiscriminate budget cuts. We need to demand to know the costs to people and to the environment of budget cuts. If we are to thrive as a nation and as a state, we must recognize that prosperity is not just about profit — it is about people and the planet as well.

***

Jean Ambrose lives on a ridge near Mountwood Park.

Posted: March 5, 2025 by main_y0ke11

Film Festival!

10 films from 4 continents in 2 hours! Climate Future Film Festival!

 

Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action invites you to join us (and co-host Green Sanctuary Committee)

for Merlyn Climate Grants Climate Future Film Festival, in the social hall at First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta, (232 Third St.).

We plan two, free-admission screenings:

 

Thursday, March 20, at 7:00pm

or

Saturday, March 22, at 2:00pm

 

This traveling festival of award-winning short films explores the full range of human and artistic response to what may be coming next. The 10 short films – drama, satire, comedy, films of hope and films of sadness, documentary and animation – were created by filmmakers from four different continents.

Bill McKibben, one of  America’s leading voices and authors on climate, is the Festival’s Honorary Judge and introduces it on screen.

While climate change is front-page news, in our own back pages many are grieving. Or numb. Or outraged. Or frightened. Or isolated and feeling hopeless. Others may be oddly celebrating a future of climate disorder. Watch the trailer and see the descriptions of the films at https://www.climatefuturefilm.com

Calling all filmmakers: The Festival is produced by Merlyn Climate Grants (Merlyn Education and Climate Protection Project), a Rhode Island 501(c)3). Merlyn is currently accepting short film submissions for their second Festival, which will premiere in Rhode Island in late 2025 and  tour throughout 2026. Rules and information about submissions are available at https://filmfreeway.com/ClimateFuture

Adeline Bailey, MOVCA program organizer.

Posted: March 1, 2025 by main_y0ke11

Climate Corner: No movies on a dead planet

Mar 1, 2025

Aaron Dunbar

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

This weekend marks the occasion of the 97th annual Academy Awards. This year’s Oscars come on the heels of the January wildfires that devastated much of Los Angeles, scorching nearly 57,000 acres of Southern California. Among the untold victims of these deadly conflagrations, which were made an estimated 35% more likely due to climate change, was the widely acclaimed and visionary filmmaker David Lynch.

Lynch, a lifelong smoker from the age of eight, announced in August of last year that he’d been diagnosed with emphysema and had become largely housebound, requiring supplemental oxygen to perform even the most basic of tasks. Being forced to evacuate during the L.A. fires ultimately proved fatal for Lynch, robbing us of one of the most iconic and influential directors of his era. As one article published in The Vermont Cynic aptly puts it: “David Lynch’s death represents the intersection of the two major addictions of the twentieth century: tobacco and fossil fuels.”

Not so coincidentally, the brood of vipers once selling cigarettes to 8-year-old David Lynch is the same one currently brainwashing today’s children into believing that climate change is a hoax (see the 2014 documentary “Merchants of Doubt.”)

These events got me thinking about the subject of climate change as it’s depicted in film. Despite the misguided conservative notion of Hollywood as some devious purveyor of leftwing propaganda, I generally find myself quite disappointed with the scant supply of popular media attempting to meaningfully explore the most urgent crisis of our times.

Still, there are a handful of decent climate films I’ve managed to stumble across through the years, so I thought I’d share my abbreviated thoughts on a few that have made a lasting impact on me.

* Snowpiercer (2013), directed by Bong Joon-ho

From the Korean filmmaker who directed 2020 Best Picture winner Parasite (also, arguably, an excellent climate film in its own right), Snowpiercer is a dystopian scifi tale set a mere six years into the future. Humanity, in its attempt to restore the balance from catastrophic global warming, has unwittingly unleashed a new Ice Age on the planet via a doomed attempt at geoengineering. The few remaining survivors of this disaster are housed aboard a train whose tracks encircle the Earth, and whose passengers are sorted into different cars by adherence to a rigid class structure. The film presents a relentlessly bleak and brutal vision of the future, wherein environmental desecration intersects with a hellish society of total elite domination- one which we presently find ourselves knee-deep in the process of creating.

* Don’t Look Up (2021), directed by Adam McKay

Often described as “Dr. Strangelove for the climate crisis,” this Oscar nominated film depicts global society’s widespread failure to respond to the impact of an approaching comet, which threatens to destroy the Earth. An obvious metaphor for climate change, the film has been dismissed by some critics as too heavy-handed or on-the-nose. Curious, then, that our entire society should still be acting identically to the one depicted in the film.

* Four Souls of Coyote (2023), directed by Aron Gauder

A gorgeously hand-drawn animated feature of the kind that seldom gets produced these days, Four Souls of Coyote is initially set in the present day, depicting a group of Indigenous land protectors as they attempt to halt an oil pipeline being constructed on their ancestral lands. From here the film leaps back for most of its runtime to explore humanity’s larger, fraught relationship with nature through the telling of ancient Indigenous Creation stories.

There are some potential issues with representation in this film, being a Hungarian production centered around Native American folklore, that I do want to make a point of acknowledging. That said, I find the visuals and underlying themes of this movie to be deeply impactful.

* Take Shelter (2011), directed by Jeff Nichols

Having loved this film for years, I only recently had the belated epiphany that it could, in fact, be considered a climate change movie at all.

Take Shelter tells the story of Curtis LaForche, an Ohio construction worker with a family history of schizophrenia, who begins suffering from vivid nightmares and hallucinations of biblical storms that threaten him and his family. He begins to work obsessively at building an elaborate storm shelter in his backyard, convinced that these visions will soon come to fruition. His panicked doomsaying soon alienates members of his close-knit community and puts the security of his wife and hearing impaired daughter at risk. Powerfully acted by the incomparable Michael Shannon, this film essentially explores the premise: what if God told Noah to build the ark, and everyone, including himself, thought he was insane for doing so?

There’s little doubt in my mind that many of our readers must surely view folks like myself with a disdain similar to LaForche’s own community, with his seemingly hysterical warnings of a coming apocalypse, and very little in the way of tangible proof he can offer for his claims. This sort of evangelizing on behalf of the climate puts one in a strange position of wanting to be proven both right and wrong at the same time. Obviously, the accusation that one is delusional makes one all the more eager to vindicate oneself, and yet I can safely say that most climate activists would love nothing more than to be proven incorrect, if it meant being able to somehow spare the world from the coming storm that awaits it.

* First Reformed (2017), directed by Paul Schrader

A favorite film of mine, and arguably the darkest one on this list. First Reformed features a harrowing performance by Ethan Hawke as Reverend Ernst Toller, the troubled minister of a small Dutch Reformed church. One Sunday, a pregnant parishioner asks Toller to provide counseling to her husband, a radical environmentalist caught in the grip of hopelessness over climate change, who believes that it’s wrong of them to be bringing a child into a doomed world.

Toller’s own demons leave him highly susceptible to the influence of the conversation that ensues. The crisis of faith he’s been experiencing becomes sharply accentuated by climate despair, and his psychological state grows increasingly disturbed as his personal circumstances worsen.

Toller is further vexed upon realizing that the Albany megachurch bankrolling his tiny congregation is heavily funded by a major industrial polluter, a conflict of interests that prevents the church from meaningfully addressing the issue of climate change. This puts me in direct mind of a comment I once received from a reader some years back, about how the preacher at her church refused to discuss climate change and its spiritual implications, for fear of offending pipeline workers present in her congregation. This is, I think, the exact sort of moral cowardice that would have Jesus Christ of Nazareth flipping over tables in outrage.

Regardless of one’s religious affiliation, this film asks a question that will haunt the viewer long after the credits have rolled: “Can God forgive us for what we’ve done to this world?”

***

Aaron Dunbar is a member of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action

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