The Parkersburg News and Sentinel publishes a piece every week from Greg Kozera, director of marketing and sales for Shale Crescent USA. Shale Crescent USA is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization dedicated to oil and gas and petrochemical expansion in the Ohio River Valley around the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Mr. Kozera’s byline says he is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering and 40 years of experience in the energy industry. That’s great! That background should lead to more to offer than just oil and gas public relations.
Usually, Mr. Kozera’s pieces are fairly benign and hard to disagree with; that’s part of public relations. This past week, though, in the March 7 edition of the News and Sentinel, Mr. Kozera got downright insulting.
“Whenever there was a public hearing on an oil and gas issue,” Kozera said, “the ‘antis’ would show up in force. One of their standard lines was, ‘It’s all about the money.’ I would laugh because they had no clue. Oil and gas is not alone, the petrochemical and manufacturing industries are similar in their concern for people and communities.”
Is that so, Mr. Kozera? That’s interesting.
As I write this, a bill is advancing in the West Virginia Legislature’s House of Delegates that would, to quote from the Charleston Gazette, “remove tanks containing 210 barrels or less of ‘brine water or other fluids produced in connection with hydrocarbon production activities’ in zones of critical concern from regulation under the Aboveground Storage Tank Act.” Zones of critical concern are defined by the WVDHHR as areas for a public surface water supply that are comprised of a corridor along streams within a watershed that warrant more detailed scrutiny due to their proximity to the surface water intake and the intake’s susceptibility to potential contaminants within that corridor. The Aboveground Storage Tank Act requires registration and certified inspection of such tanks as well as submittal of spill prevention response plans, but industry doesn’t want to continue complying for many tanks.
According to the 7th Edition of the Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking, a fully referenced 475-page compilation provided by Concerned Health Professionals of New York and Physicians for Social Responsibility, “the 2005 Energy Policy Act exempts hydraulic fracturing from key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act. As a result, fracking chemicals have been protected from public scrutiny as “trade secrets.” Companies are not compelled to fully disclose the identity of chemicals used in fracking fluid, their quantities, or their fate once injected underground. Of the more than 1,000 chemicals that are confirmed ingredients in fracking fluid, an estimated 100 are known endocrine disruptors, acting as reproductive and developmental toxicants, and at least 48 are potentially carcinogenic.
Adding to this mix are heavy metals, radioactive elements, brine, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which occur naturally in deep geological formations and which can be carried up from the fracking zone with the flowback fluid. A 2020 study identified 1,198 chemicals in oil and gas wastewater, of which 86 percent lack toxicity data sufficient to complete a risk assessment.” The oil and gas industry doesn’t appear to see a problem here.
The WV Legislature is also considering water quality standards updates for West Virginia. In 2015, the U.S. EPA recommended 94 water quality standards updates, including on some standards that have not been updated since the 1980s. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection decided to update 56 of these standards. When the matter came to the WV Legislature, industry stepped in and essentially said that West Virginians are fat and we don’t eat our fish, so we can handle more toxins. The can got kicked down the road and now the legislature is only considering 24 water quality standards updates and is seeking to weaken 13 of those, including for a contaminant that massively poisoned the water of Paden City.
The climate crisis rages, plastics pollution contaminates every part of the globe (and our bodies), and we can’t get industry to clean up its messes (see Preston County and the Cheat River, orphaned oil and gas wells, and Minden, W.Va., as examples). If this is communal caring and concern, I’d hate to see Mr. Kozera’s definitions of neglect and malevolence.
***
Eric Engle is Chairman of the not-for-profit volunteer organization Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, Board Member for the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, and Co-Chairman of the Sierra Club of West Virginia Chapter’s Executive Committee.
Appearing on-line in The Bargain Hunter(Weekly news magazine serving Ohio Counties: Holmes, Tuscarawas, Wayne, and the surrounding area. Stark, Medina, Summit and Cuyahoga):
Sunday, February 28, 2021 Column by Dr. Randi Pokladnik
At the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020, thanks to grants from the Center, Health, Environment & Justice and The Story of Stuff, OVEC volunteer Dr. Randi Pokladnik conducted a series of workshops at community meetings in and around the Ohio River Valley.
You can register to watch recording of three of Randi Pokladnik’s presentations
Appearing on-line on Ohio River Valley Institute (an independent, nonprofit research and communications center – “Sound research for a more sustainable, equitable, democratic, and prosperous Appalachia”:
February 10, 2021 ORVI announces New Report by Sean O’Leary, Senior Researcher
“New Report: Natural Gas Counties’ Economies Suffered As Production Boomed”
February 2021 Report by Department of Economics and Political Economy Research Institution (PERI) authored by Robert Pollin, Jeannette Wicks-Lim, Shouvik Chakraborty, and Gregor Semieniuk
Impacts of the ReImagine Appalachia & Clean Energy Transition Programs for West Virginia: Job Creation, Economic Recovery, and Long-Term Sustainability. Download available at this site:
Thursday, February 25, 2021 Zoom Meeting of Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) presenting study:
Overview of the ReImagine Appalachia Climate Infrastructure Plan which would create 41,100 family-sustaining jobs in West Virginia. Angie Rosser, Robert Pollin (lead author of report), Delegate Evan Hansen, Quenton King, Mayor Steve Williams and Josh Sword. 38-minute Recording available:
Article feasters news of fire at WV facility that processes radioactive oilfield waste generated from fracking and Petta facility in Cambridge, OH and concerns about TENORM – Technologically Enhanced Radioactive Materials
Available on-line on Forbes:
February 4, 2021 Energy News article by Ken Silverstein, Senior Contributor
“Will The Fracking Boom Ever Translate Into Jobs And Income For Appalachia’s Residents?”
Reporting on the news of the February 3, 2021 conference hosted by Ohio River Valley Institute (see Events)
EVENTS:
Monday, March 1, 2021, 9am Virtual Public Hearing before House Judiciary Committee promoted by WV Citizen Action Group. Registration is by 2/26/21 required.
People’s Public Hearing on Water Quality Standards Rule HB 2389
Friday, February 26, 2021, 8am Public Hearing organized by WV Rivers Coalition, WV Environmental Council, WV Citizen Action Group, WV Sierra Club , OVEC and other co-sponsors including MOVCA.
Peoples’s Public Hearing on HB 2598- altering the definition of an aboveground storage tank (exemptions for oil & gas tanks from Aboveground Storage Tank Act) . For more information and registration to speak, see:
Hearing was posted live to Facebook and an YouTube Recording is posted by OVEC WV at this link:
Thursday, February 18, 2021, 7pm Zoom Public Event hosted by MOVCA (registration required)
Co-sponsors: FactOhio/The Ohio HealthProject,West Virginia Rivers Coalition, West Virginia Citizen Action Group and made possible with generous funding from the Dunn Foundation and MOVCA donors.
Livestreamed Lecture by Dr. Sandra Steingraber presenting findings from the recently released 7th edition of The Compendium of Scientific , Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking
For more information and link to download the full compendium released December 14, 2020 by Concerned Health Professionals of NY and Physicians for Social Responsibility see: https://concernedhealthny.org
Monday, February 15, 2021, 6 pm Zoom Meeting by Ohio Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Call for Moral Revival: (Registration required)
“Healthier Days Ahead!!! . . . And how we can make sure of it !!!!”
Ben Hunkler from Concerned Ohio River Residents will tell about project stopping PTTG cracker plant. Thailand-based petrochemical and refining company named PTT Global Chemical has proposed to build an ethane chemical “cracker” plant in Dilles Bottom, oh, about 5 mises south of Shadyside, OH and directly across the Ohio River from Moundsville, WV. Another proposed petrochemical project is the Appalachian Storage hub , a misleading term used to describe a mega-infrastructure project that would greatly expand unconventional oil and gas drilling (fracking ) in our state and region, If built, this petrochemical complex would include five or more cracker plants and regulating stations. We will discuss the impact these new facilities would have on our health and environment and how they coincide with the poor Peoples Campaign 14 policy priorities.
Thursday, Feb 4, 2021 3:00 PM Public Zoom Event by OVEC – Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
“Press Conference: Legislative Response to WVDEF Oil and Gas Budget & Layoffs”
Wednesday, February 3, 2021, 10:30 am Forum Hosted by Ohio River Valley Institute (posted to YouTube)
“Critical Condition: ‘The Shale Crescent’ and the Dream of an Appalachian Petrochemical Boom”
Panelists Kathy Hipple, Prof. of Finance at Bard College, John Hanger, energy consultant and former Pennsylvania DEP Secretary, and Anne Keller, industry consultant and former Wood-Mackenzie analyst discuss the future of regional petrochemical buildout in the Ohio Valley.
Omitted from previous month listing:
Monday, January 25, 2021 Zoom Program Hosted by West Virginia Center on Climate Change
“What Now?- – Climate Solutions in 2021, and Securing a Just Transition for West Virginia”
Of Interest: International Report – (mentioned by Dr. Steingraber)
Available on-line on Common Dreams:
Thursday February 18, 2012 News Article by Brett Wilkins, staff writer
“UN Head Decries ‘Senseless and Suicidal’ Destruction of Nature as New Report Urges Systemic Solutions”
Article about The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report, entitled “Making Peace With Nature: A scientific blueprint to tackle climate, biodiversity, and pollution emergencies” released Feb 2021 Download at this site: https://wedocs.unep.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/34948/MPN.pdf
Tuesday, February 9, 2021 News Article by Jake Johnson, staff writer
“With 10-point Declaration, Global Coalition of Top Energy Experts Says: ‘100% Renewables Is Possible’ ”
Did you know that Texas generates 70% of its energy from fossil fuels?
If you’re like me, I’m guessing you didn’t.
I’m also guessing that in the wake of a severe arctic storm blasting the United States, you’ve probably heard something to the effect that “frozen wind turbines caused millions of people to lose power during freezing temperatures across the Lone Star state.”
What you probably didn’t hear from these same folks is that wind energy makes up a mere 24% of Texas energy production, and that at least 80% of outages across the state were due to the failures of coal and gas powered plants.
To be clear, wind farms in Texas ran at about half the capacity they were expected to. While there were issues with frozen wind turbines, they can absolutely be used effectively in cold climates if they’re designed to do so (there are, after all, wind farms in Antarctica of all places.)
But of course, Texas isn’t really the type of place where you expect this sort of winter storm to hit as severely as it has, leaving energy systems unprepared to handle such punishingly cold conditions (Texas also has significant issues with its power grid as well as the rampant deregulation of its energy market, both of which contributed immensely to this crisis.)
For all the conservative and fossil fuel industry efforts to paint this tragedy as a consequence of renewable energy and the (currently nonexistent) Green New Deal, there’s actually a strong chance that such unprecedented winter weather is a direct result of climate change, as rapid heating in the arctic pushes frigid air southward.
So to sum up, the fossil fuel industry directly caused the planet to heat, lied about it, played a significant hand in affecting these deadly weather conditions, then lied about their own systems failing in a bid to turn public opinion against renewables, ensuring that additional crises such as this are all but guaranteed.
There’s a very simple word for what’s taking place here: propaganda.
The bad faith actors who spread this dreck will continue to do so at immense cost to human lives for as long as they can get away with it. Learning to recognize these underhanded industry tactics and making a swift transition to renewable energy is the only way we can pursue a fair, livable future on our planet for all.
Sunday, February 14, 2021 Energy and Environment news article by Mike Tony, staff writer
Features research of professor Richard Thomas and alumnus Justin Mathias published in Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences
Scientists have long known that trees are essential to human life, making the air we breathe healthier by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis to store energy and releasing oxygen for us to take in.
But a newly published study by a West Virginia University professor and alumnus scrutinizing past studies of tree rings suggests that trees are still more vital in helping us breathe and keeping the Earth’s temperature in check than previously thought.
In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences, WVU biology professor Richard Thomas and alumnus Justin Mathias found that photosynthesis is mainly responsible for a recent increase in trees’ water-use efficiency, the ratio of carbon taken up by photosynthesis to water loss that serves as a key measure in climate change research.
“Our study really pinpoints trees as an integral part of removing some of that fossil fuel emission from the air,” Thomas said. “… We’re really highlighting how important trees are in that process.”
Earlier studies held that a closing of pores on the leaves of trees amid an escalation in carbon dioxide in the air was allowing trees to use water more efficiently. But this new study could change how trees’ role in climate change is viewed, especially since water-use efficiency is an important link between water and carbon cycles.
“[Carbon cycle and water cycle] models will directly inform policy and land management in the future and in the present, so if we can reduce the uncertainty around our future predictions derived from those models, we can then make better predictions and more informed decisions for our policy in the future,” Mathias said.
Mathias was a doctoral student working under the direction of Thomas during the study, which analyzed tree rings spanning over 11 decades of 36 different tree species across 84 sites around the world.
After graduating last year, Mathias has joined the University of California, Santa Barbara as a postdoctoral scholar.
Mathias plans to continue his work in ecosystem ecology and learn more about what fuels the forest ecosystems that fuel us.
“That’s the beautiful thing about science … There are still many more questions that need to be answered, and there’s a lot of research we can address moving forward,” Mathias said. “I guess science doesn’t sleep.”
I just got my electric bill for January and I’m pleased as can be.
It was $58.34, even though I have a furnace that uses electricity as a backup. In January. That’s because I have solar panels on my house that generate electricity and feed it back into the power grid. (My house is three stories with lots of glass.) What my house generates is subtracted from what I use, and it saves me money every single month. There’s not much that can go wrong with the panels, and they are estimated to last for at least 25 years. Many panels are still going strong after 40 years. That’s a lot of money saved, especially since electricity rates always go up, never down!
But most people can’t afford to get solar panels because in our state, the individual has to front the entire purchase price to put up the panels. In the states surrounding West Virginia, third party power purchase agreements are legal, which allow a business or a nonprofit to front the installation costs for you. My daughter has this in Connecticut. The third party acts as your power company and sets a rate for you that is lower than your current rate and protects you from rate increases. No up front costs. Everyone benefits, even the public utilities who don’t have to build expensive new power plants and increase rates to pay for them. For some reason, West Virginia public utilities have opposed these PPAs for the past two years and prevented most building owners from generating electricity from the solar energy that falls on us, free of charge, every single day. That is not acting in the public interest AT ALL, and the state Public Utilities Commission should do whatever in its power to help bring these new sources of power online to benefit West Virginians of all incomes. Please go to the website West Virginians for Energy Freedom, and tell your legislators to legalize PPAs.
We will need a mix of energy sources for quite a while as we move into the future, but one of the great things about renewable energy is that we can all generate our own power whenever the sun is out (even on a cloudy day.) Imagine if we all had solar panels on our buildings! Fossil fuels could be saved for when there were no other options. We could all do our part to save the planet for our children and grandchildren, and smile like I do when I open my electric bill.
Among Joe Biden’s first acts as President was to revoke the permit for the abomination known as the Keystone XL Pipeline. Conservative lawmakers, days after betraying our nation by rejecting Biden’s electoral win and then hypocritically calling for unity, instantly took to apoplectic fits and crocodile tears across social media and elsewhere, grieving the pipeline’s loss as though mourning the death of America itself.
“Joe Biden’s team has indicated he plans to eliminate thousands of jobs and break a major contract with Canada,” bemoans Ohio District 6 Congressman Bill Johnson, who’s received a total in $666,261 in donations from the oil and gas industry throughout the course of his political career, according to campaign finance website OpenSecrets.org.
“Shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline will eliminate thousands of good-paying union jobs, stifle economic growth, increase costs for working families and undermine America’s energy security,” writes Senator Rob Portman, who’s received $1,104,733 in fossil fuel money during his time in office.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret here — these men do not care one iota about American jobs or the well-being of workers when they bemoan the termination of projects like Keystone XL. If this was actually the case, the entire Republican Party would voice its full-throated support of initiatives like the Green New Deal, a transformative shift toward renewable energy that would create tens of millions of well-paying jobs.
The fossil fuel industry is dying, and there’s no longer any way of getting around this fact. Renewables are the fastest-growing source of energy in the United States, and if our nation actually wants to remain competitive with the rest of the world, as Republicans make a great show of pretending to do, we must begin leading the way in innovation and growth in sustainable technologies and infrastructure.
There is absolutely no defense for approving massive new fossil fuel projects in the year 2021, when we have less than a decade to prevent catastrophic global warming from running wildly out of our control. If Republican lawmakers and the Fox News talking heads actually care about creating good-paying American jobs and building thriving communities, they’ll end their support for the relic of the past that is the fossil fuel industry, and support a rapid transition toward building a green, sustainable future that works for all of us.
Appearing on-line in The Bargain Hunter(Weekly news magazine serving Ohio Counties: Holmes, Tuscarawas, Wayne, and the surrounding area. Stark, Medina, Summit and Cuyahoga):
Monday, January 28, 2021 Column by Randi Pokladnik, Ph.D.
Panelists: Bill Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh, PA; Stephen T. Williams, Mayor of Huntington, WV; Jamael Tito Brown, Mayor of Youngstown, OH; Steve Patterson, Mayor of Athens, OH
WEBINAR/ online Zoom
Monday, January 25, 2021 Zoom Program Hosted by West Virginia Center on Climate Change
“What Now?- – Climate Solutions in 2021, and Securing a Just Transition for West Virginia”
Webinars/Public Events held by other Coalition Partners:
Thursday, January 21, 2021, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Public Event hosted by Concerned Ohio River Residents, OVEC,Buckeye Environmental Network & Ohio Poor People’s Campaign
“Mountaineer NGL Storage Facility Community Meeting”
Hear from advocates, experts, and legal professionals about the risks associated with the Mountaineer NGL Storage facility
Citizens’ Climate Lobby – selections from December Conference
December 9, 2020 “Motivational Climate Presentations”
CCL Silicon Valley North Chapter members, Yifei Huang and Irene Yang, show how to use personal narratives to schedule and deliver motivational presentations to bring people together as a community, and drive them towards climate action.
December 8, 2020 “Introduction & Opening Keynote Panel- Hahrie Han (Pol. Sci professor at Johns Hopkins U), Shi-Ling Hsu (Law professor at Fl. State U), John Wood, Jr, Braver Angels. Moderated by Mark Reynolds, CCL ex. Director
December 8, 2020 “Youth Action: Perspectives and Strategies Coast to Coast”
December 8, 2020 “Empowering the Climate Generation” presented by Clara Fang, CCL Student Engagement Coordinator
December 7, 2020 “Talking to Conservatives – What’s Working”
INSPIRING:
Hosted by the Mind & Life Institute (https://www.mindandlife.org):
January 10, 2011 Live webcast from Dharamsala, HP, India organized by the Mind & Life Institute
“The Dalai Lama in Conversation with Greta Thurnberg and Leading Scientists”- A Conversation on the Crisis of Climate Feedback Loops
PARKERSBURG — A local environmental group supports a federal court’s ruling overturning a Trump administration rule that loosened regulations for greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel-fired power plants.
The Affordable Clean Energy Rule promulgated last year by the Environmental Protection Agency to replace the Obama-era Clean Power Plan on carbon dioxide emissions was flawed, an appeals court for the District of Columbia said this week. The decision sends the rule back to the EPA and reinstates the Clean Power Plan that requires, among other things, reductions of carbon dioxide emissions of about a third by 2030.
The appeals court “made an incredibly wise decision with regard to the Trump administration’s Affordable Clean Energy Rule,” said Eric Engle, chairman of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, a local organization promoting awareness of climate change and what impacts climate.
“In the ruling, a three-judge panel, according to the Washington Post, said that the purpose of the Trump admin rule was ‘to slow the process for reduction of emissions’ and the court called that ‘arbitrary and capricious,’” Engle said.
Engle and Giulia Mannarino, also a representative of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, testified before the EPA during a hearing in Charleston when the agency was considering replacing the Clean Power Plan. Besides greenhouse gas emissions, health impacts from the emissions also were cited.
“Numerous other (Climate Action) members submitted public comments for the same reason in other ways at that time,” Engle said. “We feel vindicated that the D.C. court’s decision essentially reinstates the Clean Power Plan with the Biden administration now at the helm. This is a win for a more stable climate and a cleaner, safer environment.”
The decision by the court means the new Biden administration can develop its own rule without having to first undo the Trump administration’s rule, the Environmental Defense Fund said. Joe Biden became the new president on Wednesday.
Joanne Spalding, the chief climate counsel for the Sierra Club, which has opposed the rule change, said the decision is “the apt bookend to the Trump Administration’s EPA, which was defined by a general subservience to the fossil fuel industry and dozens of legal defeats brought by public health and environmental organizations.” The Trump EPA rule is referred to as the Dirty Power Plan by the Sierra Club.
“Despite (former EPA Director) Andrew Wheeler’s frequent protests, the EPA’s role is to protect the American people from dangerous pollution and act on the greatest threat to our country: the climate crisis,” she said. “The Dirty Power Plan didn’t do either of these things and the court rightly vacated it. We now look forward to the Biden Administration keeping its promise and acting aggressively to restore the EPA to its institutional mandate and put its resources and expertise toward solving problems, not creating more of them.”
Among Joe Biden’s first acts as President was to revoke the permit for the abomination known as the Keystone XL Pipeline. Conservative lawmakers, days after betraying our nation by rejecting Biden’s electoral win and then hypocritically calling for unity, instantly took to apoplectic fits and crocodile tears across social media and elsewhere, grieving the pipeline’s loss as though mourning the death of America itself.
“Joe Biden’s team has indicated he plans to eliminate thousands of jobs and break a major contract with Canada,” bemoans Ohio District 6 Congressman Bill Johnson, who’s received a total in $666,261 in donations from the oil and gas industry throughout the course of his political career, according to campaign finance website OpenSecrets.org.
“Shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline will eliminate thousands of good-paying union jobs, stifle economic growth, increase costs for working families and undermine America’s energy security,” writes Senator Rob Portman, who’s received $1,104,733 in fossil fuel money during his time in office.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret here — these men do not care one iota about American jobs or the well-being of workers when they bemoan the termination of projects like Keystone XL. If this was actually the case, the entire Republican Party would voice its full-throated support of initiatives like the Green New Deal, a transformative shift toward renewable energy that would create tens of millions of well-paying jobs.
The fossil fuel industry is dying, and there’s no longer any way of getting around this fact. Renewables are the fastest-growing source of energy in the United States, and if our nation actually wants to remain competitive with the rest of the world, as Republicans make a great show of pretending to do, we must begin leading the way in innovation and growth in sustainable technologies and infrastructure.
There is absolutely no defense for approving massive new fossil fuel projects in the year 2021, when we have less than a decade to prevent catastrophic global warming from running wildly out of our control. If Republican lawmakers and the Fox News talking heads actually care about creating good-paying American jobs and building thriving communities, they’ll end their support for the relic of the past that is the fossil fuel industry, and support a rapid transition toward building a green, sustainable future that works for all of us.
Monday, December 14, 2020 Opinion by Eric Engle, Parkersburg, WV
I was startled out of the lull of nightly streaming with my fiancée when news broke on my iPhone about an explosion and fire at a Chemours facility.
At first, I thought it was the Washington Works plant near my home in Parkersburg. I was not at all relieved to learn that it was, in fact, a facility about 10 miles outside of Charleston, in Belle. That facility earlier this year was fined by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection in the amount of $14,193 for failure to properly manage hazardous waste.
That fine is not even half the cost of an average new car these days. Here we are, just over two months after this “penalty,” and one person is dead, three are injured, and a shelter-in-place order had to be issued for a 2-mile radius around the plant site for approximately four hours on a cold night — the relevance of the cold being that the order required households to turn off their heating units for air-safety reasons.
Where’s the accountability?
To switch gears a bit, the latest data as I write shows that 64,394 West Virginians (and counting) have been infected with COVID-19 and 978 West Virginians (and counting) have died. Hospitals and medical personnel are overwhelmed. The accompanying economic crisis has led and is leading to unemployment, low earnings, evictions, utility shutoffs and other untold suffering. The Justice administration, meanwhile, is sitting on about $800 million in unspent federal funding for the state and a deadline to use it of Dec. 31.
Where’s the accountability?
Then there’s climate change. Recent reporting by Jeff Goodell in Rolling Stone titled “How Climate Change is Ushering in a New Pandemic Era” details how our warming planet is “expanding the range of deadly diseases and risking an explosion of new zoonotic pathogens from the likes of bats, mosquitoes, and ticks.” The article states: “By one count, an estimated 1.7 million currently undiscovered viruses are thought to exist in mammal and avian hosts. Of those, more than 800,000 could have the ability to infect humans.”
Find Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action on the following social media:
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
A caring and benevolent industry? Hardly
Mar 15, 2021
Eric Engle
editorial@newsandsentinel.com
The Parkersburg News and Sentinel publishes a piece every week from Greg Kozera, director of marketing and sales for Shale Crescent USA. Shale Crescent USA is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization dedicated to oil and gas and petrochemical expansion in the Ohio River Valley around the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Mr. Kozera’s byline says he is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering and 40 years of experience in the energy industry. That’s great! That background should lead to more to offer than just oil and gas public relations.
Usually, Mr. Kozera’s pieces are fairly benign and hard to disagree with; that’s part of public relations. This past week, though, in the March 7 edition of the News and Sentinel, Mr. Kozera got downright insulting.
“Whenever there was a public hearing on an oil and gas issue,” Kozera said, “the ‘antis’ would show up in force. One of their standard lines was, ‘It’s all about the money.’ I would laugh because they had no clue. Oil and gas is not alone, the petrochemical and manufacturing industries are similar in their concern for people and communities.”
Is that so, Mr. Kozera? That’s interesting.
As I write this, a bill is advancing in the West Virginia Legislature’s House of Delegates that would, to quote from the Charleston Gazette, “remove tanks containing 210 barrels or less of ‘brine water or other fluids produced in connection with hydrocarbon production activities’ in zones of critical concern from regulation under the Aboveground Storage Tank Act.” Zones of critical concern are defined by the WVDHHR as areas for a public surface water supply that are comprised of a corridor along streams within a watershed that warrant more detailed scrutiny due to their proximity to the surface water intake and the intake’s susceptibility to potential contaminants within that corridor. The Aboveground Storage Tank Act requires registration and certified inspection of such tanks as well as submittal of spill prevention response plans, but industry doesn’t want to continue complying for many tanks.
According to the 7th Edition of the Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking, a fully referenced 475-page compilation provided by Concerned Health Professionals of New York and Physicians for Social Responsibility, “the 2005 Energy Policy Act exempts hydraulic fracturing from key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act. As a result, fracking chemicals have been protected from public scrutiny as “trade secrets.” Companies are not compelled to fully disclose the identity of chemicals used in fracking fluid, their quantities, or their fate once injected underground. Of the more than 1,000 chemicals that are confirmed ingredients in fracking fluid, an estimated 100 are known endocrine disruptors, acting as reproductive and developmental toxicants, and at least 48 are potentially carcinogenic.
Adding to this mix are heavy metals, radioactive elements, brine, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which occur naturally in deep geological formations and which can be carried up from the fracking zone with the flowback fluid. A 2020 study identified 1,198 chemicals in oil and gas wastewater, of which 86 percent lack toxicity data sufficient to complete a risk assessment.” The oil and gas industry doesn’t appear to see a problem here.
The WV Legislature is also considering water quality standards updates for West Virginia. In 2015, the U.S. EPA recommended 94 water quality standards updates, including on some standards that have not been updated since the 1980s. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection decided to update 56 of these standards. When the matter came to the WV Legislature, industry stepped in and essentially said that West Virginians are fat and we don’t eat our fish, so we can handle more toxins. The can got kicked down the road and now the legislature is only considering 24 water quality standards updates and is seeking to weaken 13 of those, including for a contaminant that massively poisoned the water of Paden City.
The climate crisis rages, plastics pollution contaminates every part of the globe (and our bodies), and we can’t get industry to clean up its messes (see Preston County and the Cheat River, orphaned oil and gas wells, and Minden, W.Va., as examples). If this is communal caring and concern, I’d hate to see Mr. Kozera’s definitions of neglect and malevolence.
***
Eric Engle is Chairman of the not-for-profit volunteer organization Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, Board Member for the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, and Co-Chairman of the Sierra Club of West Virginia Chapter’s Executive Committee.
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Recommended readings for March 2021
Appearing in The Marietta Times:
Thursday, February 4, 2021 Letter-to-the-Editor by Victor Elam, Marietta, OH
“Everybody lives downstream”
https://www.mariettatimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2021/02/everybody-lives-downstream/
Appearing in The Parkersburg News and Sentinel:
Saturday, February 6, 2021 Letter-to-the-Editor by Charles Pickering, Williamstown, WV
“Support PPAs in West Virginia”
https://www.newsandsentinel.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2021/02/support-ppas-in-west-virginia/
Appearing on-line in the Charleston Gazette-Mail:
Thursday February 25, 2021 Energy and Environment news article by Mike Tony, staff writer
“New report predicts power of investments in clean energy infrastructure in WV”
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/energy_and_environment/new-report-predicts-power-of-investments-in-clean-energy-infrastructure-in-wv/article_aa5a4473-df72-53ec-a217-b43ae38b8634.html
Friday, February 19, 2021 Op-Ed by Eric Engle, chairman of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action
“Eric Engle: Legislation that would create jobs and save money”
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/opinion/op_ed_commentaries/eric-engle-legislation-that-would-create-jobs-and-save-money-opinion/article_6b947033-d52d-5d26-9365-32f2aceaff36.html
Monday, February 8, 2010 Op-Ed by Eric Engle, chairman of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action
“Eric Engle: WV delegation’s balk at climate plan senseless”
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/opinion/op_ed_commentaries/eric-engle-wv-delegations-balk-at-climate-plan-senseless-opinion/article_e1195ae6-a219-56b9-bff4-d86b58d008df.html
Friday, February 5, 2011 Opinion by Hoppy Kercheval
“Hoppy Kercheval: WV should beef up staff of gas, oil inspectors”
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/opinion/op_ed_commentaries/hoppy-kercheval-wv-should-beef-up-staff-of-gas-oil-inspectors-opinion/article_6ef26e56-cc23-5f13-87e7-3cbfe6d44a56.html
Thursday, February 4, 2021 News Article by Mike Tony, Staff writer
“Environmental groups, state lawmakers focus on budget shortfall hurting DEP oil and gas well oversight capability”
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/environmental-groups-state-lawmakers-focus-on-budget-shortfall-hurting-dep-oil-and-gas-well-oversight/article_1765e2c1-aa70-5b49-9281-c032b789d8a6.html
Wednesday, January 27, 2021 Energy and Environment news article by Mike Tony, Staff writer
“State and federal environmental priorities come into focus during West Virginia Center on Climate Change Webinar’
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/energy_and_environment/state-and-federal-environmental-priorities-come-into-focus-during-west-virginia-center-on-climate-change/article_0e9cc8c6-682b-5292-894f-4e52037cddb2.html
Appearing on-line in The Columbus Dispatch:
February 4, 2021 News article by Beth Burger
“Thousands of gallons of fracking waste spilled from Noble County well”
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/02/04/thousands-gallons-flthousands-of-gallouid-spilled-oil-and-gas-well-noble-co-damage-and-cause-unclear/4397912001/
Appearing on-line in The Athens News:
Wednesday, January 27, 2021 Letter to the Editor by Aaron Dunbar, Athens, OH
“Keystone XL Pipeline interests by politicians insincere”
https://www.athensnews.com/opinion/letters/keystone-xl-pipeline-interests-by-politicians-insincere/article_bd985e16-cfe8-5872-805a-d21f2e9437fa.html
Appearing on-line in The Times Leader, Martin’s Ferry, OH:
Saturday, February 6, 2021 Local News Article by Robert A. DeFrank, Staff Writer
“Panel discusses economic future of oil and gas”
https://www.timesleaderonline.com/news/local-news/2021/02/panel-discusses-economic-future-of-oil-and-gas/
Appearing on-line in The Bargain Hunter (Weekly news magazine serving Ohio Counties: Holmes, Tuscarawas, Wayne, and the surrounding area. Stark, Medina, Summit and Cuyahoga):
Sunday, February 28, 2021 Column by Dr. Randi Pokladnik
“Polystyrene and your food is a bad combination”
https://thebargainhunter.com/news/col-randi-pokladnik/polystyrene-and-your-food-is-a-bad-combination
Monday, January 28, 2021 Column by Randi Pokladnik, Ph.D.
“When the ability to dissent is taken away”
https://thebargainhunter.com/news/col-randi-pokladnik/when-the-ability-to-dissent-is-taken-away
Sunday, January 17 Column by Randi Pokladnik, Ph.D.
“Greenwashing hydrogen gas as a clean fuel source”
https://thebargainhunter.com/news/columnists/source
Appearing on-line in Hoots and Hollers a blog of Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC):
February 26, 2021
“People’s Public Hearing on HB 2598: Compelling Testimony”
(Includes text of testimony presented by Eric Engle and link to recording of the Hearing:
February 22, 2021 Article by Randi Pokladnik
“The Truth About Polystyrene”
February 9, 2021
“Plastics and Petrochemicals: How They affect You and the Environment”
At the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020, thanks to grants from the Center, Health, Environment & Justice and The Story of Stuff, OVEC volunteer Dr. Randi Pokladnik conducted a series of workshops at community meetings in and around the Ohio River Valley.
You can register to watch recording of three of Randi Pokladnik’s presentations
Appearing on-line on Ohio River Valley Institute (an independent, nonprofit research and communications center – “Sound research for a more sustainable, equitable, democratic, and prosperous Appalachia”:
February 10, 2021 ORVI announces New Report by Sean O’Leary, Senior Researcher
“New Report: Natural Gas Counties’ Economies Suffered As Production Boomed”
Link to download report (updated Feb. 12, 2021):
“The Natural Gas Fracking Boom and Appalachia’s Lost Economic Decade”
Appalachia’s Natural Gas Counties: Contributing more to the U.S. economy and getting less in return
Click to access Frackalachia-Report-update-2_12_01.pdf
February 8, 2021 Short Video (3 – 4 minutes) presented by Ohio River Valley Institute
“How Appalachia’s shale gas boom became an economic bust”
February 5, 2021 Article by Erin Brock Carlson, WVU and Martina Angela Caretta, Lund University
“Living with natural gas pipelines” – Appalachian landowners describe fear, anxiety and loss
(Article republished from Feb. 3, 2021 article see The Conversation)
https://theconversation.com/living-with-natural-gas-pipelines-appalachian-landowners-describe-fear-anxiety-and-loss-152586
Available on-line on ReImagine Appalachia and Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), Amherst, MA:
February 2021 ReImagine Appalachia shares Summary of results from PERI economic recovery program analysis:
“West Virginia Job Impact Brief” – ReImagine Appalachia blueprint creates 41,000 Jobs in West Virginia
Click to access ReImagine-Appalachia_PeriBrief_WV_Feb2021.pdf
February 2021 Report by Department of Economics and Political Economy Research Institution (PERI) authored by Robert Pollin, Jeannette Wicks-Lim, Shouvik Chakraborty, and Gregor Semieniuk
Impacts of the ReImagine Appalachia & Clean Energy Transition Programs for West Virginia: Job Creation, Economic Recovery, and Long-Term Sustainability. Download available at this site:
Click to access Pollin-et-al-WV-Reimagine-Appalachia-Clean-Energy-Study-2-23-21.pdf
Thursday, February 25, 2021 Zoom Meeting of Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) presenting study:
Overview of the ReImagine Appalachia Climate Infrastructure Plan which would create 41,100 family-sustaining jobs in West Virginia. Angie Rosser, Robert Pollin (lead author of report), Delegate Evan Hansen, Quenton King, Mayor Steve Williams and Josh Sword. 38-minute Recording available:
https://m.facebook.com/PERIatUMass/?ref=page_internal&mt_nav=0
Available on-line on ENERGY NEWS NETWORK:
February 26, 2021 News article by Kathiann M. Kowalski
“Critics fear investors’ push for profits could thwart other FirstEnergy priorities”
February 23, 2021 News article by Kathiann M. Kowalski
“Ohio refinery city joins coalition to support local clean energy transitions”
Tuesday February 9, 2021 Research Article by Kathiann M. Kowalski, Reporter from Cleveland
“Ohio geologists study potential for geothermal in abandoned coal mines”
Featuring research by geologists at Ohio University, Athens, OH.
Available on-line on DeSmog (headquartered in Seattle, Washington):
Thursday, February 18, 2021 News article by Justin Nobel
“Fire at Oil and Gas Waste Site Raises Safety Concerns Around Possible Radioactive Accidents”
https://www.desmogblog.com/2021/02/18/fire-oil-gas-waste-petta-dallas-pike-safety-radioactivity
Article feasters news of fire at WV facility that processes radioactive oilfield waste generated from fracking and Petta facility in Cambridge, OH and concerns about TENORM – Technologically Enhanced Radioactive Materials
Available on-line on Forbes:
February 4, 2021 Energy News article by Ken Silverstein, Senior Contributor
“Will The Fracking Boom Ever Translate Into Jobs And Income For Appalachia’s Residents?”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2021/02/04/will-the-fracking-boom-ever-translate-into-jobs-and-income-for-appalachias-residents/?sh=1d5adb9d37d6
Reporting on the news of the February 3, 2021 conference hosted by Ohio River Valley Institute (see Events)
EVENTS:
Monday, March 1, 2021, 9am Virtual Public Hearing before House Judiciary Committee promoted by WV Citizen Action Group. Registration is by 2/26/21 required.
People’s Public Hearing on Water Quality Standards Rule HB 2389
Friday, February 26, 2021, 8am Public Hearing organized by WV Rivers Coalition, WV Environmental Council, WV Citizen Action Group, WV Sierra Club , OVEC and other co-sponsors including MOVCA.
Peoples’s Public Hearing on HB 2598- altering the definition of an aboveground storage tank (exemptions for oil & gas tanks from Aboveground Storage Tank Act) . For more information and registration to speak, see:
https://wvrivers.salsalabs.org/hb2598alert
Hearing was posted live to Facebook and an YouTube Recording is posted by OVEC WV at this link:
Thursday, February 18, 2021, 7pm Zoom Public Event hosted by MOVCA (registration required)
Co-sponsors: FactOhio/The Ohio Health Project, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, West Virginia Citizen Action Group and made possible with generous funding from the Dunn Foundation and MOVCA donors.
Livestreamed Lecture by Dr. Sandra Steingraber presenting findings from the recently released 7th edition of The Compendium of Scientific , Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking
For more information and link to download the full compendium released December 14, 2020 by Concerned Health Professionals of NY and Physicians for Social Responsibility see: https://concernedhealthny.org
Monday, February 15, 2021, 6 pm Zoom Meeting by Ohio Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Call for Moral Revival: (Registration required)
“Healthier Days Ahead!!! . . . And how we can make sure of it !!!!”
Ben Hunkler from Concerned Ohio River Residents will tell about project stopping PTTG cracker plant. Thailand-based petrochemical and refining company named PTT Global Chemical has proposed to build an ethane chemical “cracker” plant in Dilles Bottom, oh, about 5 mises south of Shadyside, OH and directly across the Ohio River from Moundsville, WV. Another proposed petrochemical project is the Appalachian Storage hub , a misleading term used to describe a mega-infrastructure project that would greatly expand unconventional oil and gas drilling (fracking ) in our state and region, If built, this petrochemical complex would include five or more cracker plants and regulating stations. We will discuss the impact these new facilities would have on our health and environment and how they coincide with the poor Peoples Campaign 14 policy priorities.
Thursday, Feb 4, 2021 3:00 PM Public Zoom Event by OVEC – Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
“Press Conference: Legislative Response to WVDEF Oil and Gas Budget & Layoffs”
Wednesday, February 3, 2021, 10:30 am Forum Hosted by Ohio River Valley Institute (posted to YouTube)
“Critical Condition: ‘The Shale Crescent’ and the Dream of an Appalachian Petrochemical Boom”
Panelists Kathy Hipple, Prof. of Finance at Bard College, John Hanger, energy consultant and former Pennsylvania DEP Secretary, and Anne Keller, industry consultant and former Wood-Mackenzie analyst discuss the future of regional petrochemical buildout in the Ohio Valley.
Omitted from previous month listing:
Monday, January 25, 2021 Zoom Program Hosted by West Virginia Center on Climate Change
“What Now?- – Climate Solutions in 2021, and Securing a Just Transition for West Virginia”
Of Interest: International Report – (mentioned by Dr. Steingraber)
Available on-line on Common Dreams:
Thursday February 18, 2012 News Article by Brett Wilkins, staff writer
“UN Head Decries ‘Senseless and Suicidal’ Destruction of Nature as New Report Urges Systemic Solutions”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/02/18/un-head-decries-senseless-and-suicidal-destruction-nature-new-report-urges-systemic
Article about The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report, entitled “Making Peace With Nature: A scientific blueprint to tackle climate, biodiversity, and pollution emergencies” released Feb 2021 Download at this site: https://wedocs.unep.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/34948/MPN.pdf
Tuesday, February 9, 2021 News Article by Jake Johnson, staff writer
“With 10-point Declaration, Global Coalition of Top Energy Experts Says: ‘100% Renewables Is Possible’ ”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/02/09/10-point-declaration-global-coalition-top-energy-experts-says-100-renewables
Article about JOINT DECLARATION of the Global 10% RE Strategy Group. Download at this site:
Click to access Joint-Declaration-of-the-Global-100-RE-Strategy-Group-210208.pdf
SEE also RELATED EVENT- February 9, 2021 Recorded presentation at CleanTech Business Club Meeting
“Joint Declaration of The Global 100% RE Strategy Group at CleanTech Club Thought Leaders”
Featuring the Authors of Joint Declaration of The Global 100% RE Strategy Group: Prof. Andrew Blakers (Australian National University);
Hans-Josef Fell (Energy Watch Group); Prof. Brian Vad Mathiesen (Aalborg University); Prof. Eicke Weber (ESMC, CBC, US Berkley em.)
Prof. Christian Breyer (LUT University); Prof. Mark Z. Jacobson (Stanford University); Tony Seba (RethinkX)
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Tilting at windmills
Letters to the Editor by Aaron Dunbar
Feb 26, 2021
Did you know that Texas generates 70% of its energy from fossil fuels?
If you’re like me, I’m guessing you didn’t.
I’m also guessing that in the wake of a severe arctic storm blasting the United States, you’ve probably heard something to the effect that “frozen wind turbines caused millions of people to lose power during freezing temperatures across the Lone Star state.”
What you probably didn’t hear from these same folks is that wind energy makes up a mere 24% of Texas energy production, and that at least 80% of outages across the state were due to the failures of coal and gas powered plants.
To be clear, wind farms in Texas ran at about half the capacity they were expected to. While there were issues with frozen wind turbines, they can absolutely be used effectively in cold climates if they’re designed to do so (there are, after all, wind farms in Antarctica of all places.)
But of course, Texas isn’t really the type of place where you expect this sort of winter storm to hit as severely as it has, leaving energy systems unprepared to handle such punishingly cold conditions (Texas also has significant issues with its power grid as well as the rampant deregulation of its energy market, both of which contributed immensely to this crisis.)
For all the conservative and fossil fuel industry efforts to paint this tragedy as a consequence of renewable energy and the (currently nonexistent) Green New Deal, there’s actually a strong chance that such unprecedented winter weather is a direct result of climate change, as rapid heating in the arctic pushes frigid air southward.
So to sum up, the fossil fuel industry directly caused the planet to heat, lied about it, played a significant hand in affecting these deadly weather conditions, then lied about their own systems failing in a bid to turn public opinion against renewables, ensuring that additional crises such as this are all but guaranteed.
There’s a very simple word for what’s taking place here: propaganda.
The bad faith actors who spread this dreck will continue to do so at immense cost to human lives for as long as they can get away with it. Learning to recognize these underhanded industry tactics and making a swift transition to renewable energy is the only way we can pursue a fair, livable future on our planet for all.
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
New WVU biology study of trees has implications for future climate change predictions
Appearing on-line in the Charleston Gazette-Mail:
Sunday, February 14, 2021 Energy and Environment news article by Mike Tony, staff writer
Features research of professor Richard Thomas and alumnus Justin Mathias published in Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences
Scientists have long known that trees are essential to human life, making the air we breathe healthier by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis to store energy and releasing oxygen for us to take in.
But a newly published study by a West Virginia University professor and alumnus scrutinizing past studies of tree rings suggests that trees are still more vital in helping us breathe and keeping the Earth’s temperature in check than previously thought.
In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences, WVU biology professor Richard Thomas and alumnus Justin Mathias found that photosynthesis is mainly responsible for a recent increase in trees’ water-use efficiency, the ratio of carbon taken up by photosynthesis to water loss that serves as a key measure in climate change research.
“Our study really pinpoints trees as an integral part of removing some of that fossil fuel emission from the air,” Thomas said. “… We’re really highlighting how important trees are in that process.”
Earlier studies held that a closing of pores on the leaves of trees amid an escalation in carbon dioxide in the air was allowing trees to use water more efficiently. But this new study could change how trees’ role in climate change is viewed, especially since water-use efficiency is an important link between water and carbon cycles.
“[Carbon cycle and water cycle] models will directly inform policy and land management in the future and in the present, so if we can reduce the uncertainty around our future predictions derived from those models, we can then make better predictions and more informed decisions for our policy in the future,” Mathias said.
Mathias was a doctoral student working under the direction of Thomas during the study, which analyzed tree rings spanning over 11 decades of 36 different tree species across 84 sites around the world.
After graduating last year, Mathias has joined the University of California, Santa Barbara as a postdoctoral scholar.
Mathias plans to continue his work in ecosystem ecology and learn more about what fuels the forest ecosystems that fuel us.
“That’s the beautiful thing about science … There are still many more questions that need to be answered, and there’s a lot of research we can address moving forward,” Mathias said. “I guess science doesn’t sleep.”
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Lawmakers can save you money
Letters to the editor Appearing in The Parkersburg News and Sentinel:
Saturday, February 13, 2021 Letter-to-the-Editor by Jean Ambrose, Walker, WV
I just got my electric bill for January and I’m pleased as can be.
It was $58.34, even though I have a furnace that uses electricity as a backup. In January. That’s because I have solar panels on my house that generate electricity and feed it back into the power grid. (My house is three stories with lots of glass.) What my house generates is subtracted from what I use, and it saves me money every single month. There’s not much that can go wrong with the panels, and they are estimated to last for at least 25 years. Many panels are still going strong after 40 years. That’s a lot of money saved, especially since electricity rates always go up, never down!
But most people can’t afford to get solar panels because in our state, the individual has to front the entire purchase price to put up the panels. In the states surrounding West Virginia, third party power purchase agreements are legal, which allow a business or a nonprofit to front the installation costs for you. My daughter has this in Connecticut. The third party acts as your power company and sets a rate for you that is lower than your current rate and protects you from rate increases. No up front costs. Everyone benefits, even the public utilities who don’t have to build expensive new power plants and increase rates to pay for them. For some reason, West Virginia public utilities have opposed these PPAs for the past two years and prevented most building owners from generating electricity from the solar energy that falls on us, free of charge, every single day. That is not acting in the public interest AT ALL, and the state Public Utilities Commission should do whatever in its power to help bring these new sources of power online to benefit West Virginians of all incomes. Please go to the website West Virginians for Energy Freedom, and tell your legislators to legalize PPAs.
We will need a mix of energy sources for quite a while as we move into the future, but one of the great things about renewable energy is that we can all generate our own power whenever the sun is out (even on a cloudy day.) Imagine if we all had solar panels on our buildings! Fossil fuels could be saved for when there were no other options. We could all do our part to save the planet for our children and grandchildren, and smile like I do when I open my electric bill.
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Keystone XL Pipeline interests by politicians insincere
Wednesday, January 27, 2021 Letter to the Editor by Aaron Dunbar, Athens, OH
“Keystone XL Pipeline interests by politicians insincere”
https://www.athensnews.com/opinion/letters/keystone-xl-pipeline-interests-by-politicians-insincere/article_bd985e16-cfe8-5872-805a-d21f2e9437fa.html
Among Joe Biden’s first acts as President was to revoke the permit for the abomination known as the Keystone XL Pipeline. Conservative lawmakers, days after betraying our nation by rejecting Biden’s electoral win and then hypocritically calling for unity, instantly took to apoplectic fits and crocodile tears across social media and elsewhere, grieving the pipeline’s loss as though mourning the death of America itself.
“Joe Biden’s team has indicated he plans to eliminate thousands of jobs and break a major contract with Canada,” bemoans Ohio District 6 Congressman Bill Johnson, who’s received a total in $666,261 in donations from the oil and gas industry throughout the course of his political career, according to campaign finance website OpenSecrets.org.
“Shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline will eliminate thousands of good-paying union jobs, stifle economic growth, increase costs for working families and undermine America’s energy security,” writes Senator Rob Portman, who’s received $1,104,733 in fossil fuel money during his time in office.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret here — these men do not care one iota about American jobs or the well-being of workers when they bemoan the termination of projects like Keystone XL. If this was actually the case, the entire Republican Party would voice its full-throated support of initiatives like the Green New Deal, a transformative shift toward renewable energy that would create tens of millions of well-paying jobs.
The fossil fuel industry is dying, and there’s no longer any way of getting around this fact. Renewables are the fastest-growing source of energy in the United States, and if our nation actually wants to remain competitive with the rest of the world, as Republicans make a great show of pretending to do, we must begin leading the way in innovation and growth in sustainable technologies and infrastructure.
There is absolutely no defense for approving massive new fossil fuel projects in the year 2021, when we have less than a decade to prevent catastrophic global warming from running wildly out of our control. If Republican lawmakers and the Fox News talking heads actually care about creating good-paying American jobs and building thriving communities, they’ll end their support for the relic of the past that is the fossil fuel industry, and support a rapid transition toward building a green, sustainable future that works for all of us.
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Recommended Reading for February 2021
January 2021 – MOVCA Selected Media Postings
Compiled by Cindy Taylor
Appearing in The Parkersburg News and Sentinel:
Saturday, January 16, 2021 Local Column by Randi Pokladnik, Ph.D.
“Op-ed: Doubtful Mountaineer NGL will store ‘green’ hydrogen”
https://www.newsandsentinel.com/opinion/local-columns/2021/01/op-ed-doubtful-mountaineer-ngl-will-store-green-hydrogen/
Thursday January 7, 2021 Local News Article by Tyler Bennett, Staff writer
“Senate flip elevates Manchin to Energy chair”
https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/local-news/2021/01/senate-flip-elevates-manchin-to-energy-chair/
Eric Engle is quoted.
Appearing on-line in Charleston Gazette-Mail:
Wednesday, January 27, 2021 Energy and Environment news article by Mike Tony, Staff writer
“State and federal environmental priorities come into focus during West Virginia Center on Climate Change Webinar’
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/energy_and_environment/state-and-federal-environmental-priorities-come-into-focus-during-west-virginia-center-on-climate-change/article_0e9cc8c6-682b-5292-894f-4e52037cddb2.html
January 16, 2021 Energy & Environment News Article by Mike Tony, Staff writer
“Electric resource plans suggest hotly contested path to WV’s energy future”
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/energy_and_environment/electric-resource-plans-suggest-hotly-contested-path-to-wvs-energy-future/article_e7fa2df7-ea8f-5971-8776-5a042c2af731.html
Includes quotes from Autumn Long (SUN WV), Emmett Pepper (Energy Efficient WV) & Karen Ireland (Sierra Club WV)
Appearing on-line in Herald-Dispatch, Huntington, WV:
January 12, 2021 News article by Taylor Stuck, reporter
“Final equipment arrives for Marshall’s composting facility”
https://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/final-equipment-arrives-for-marshalls-composting-facility/article_c37fea90-a0f6-54ac-a772-b712d6f29131.html
Appearing on-line in WV News:
Sunday, January 24, 2021 Article by Charles Young, Senior Staff Writer
“Del. Evan Hansen plans bills to create jobs, address West Virginia’s lack of renewable energy”
https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/del-evan-hansen-plans-bills-to-create-jobs-address-west-virginias-lack-of-renewable-energy/article_1bf311b4-3f1d-58bd-80f6-9f76b10456d5.html
Appearing on-line in The Bargain Hunter (Weekly news magazine serving Ohio Counties: Holmes, Tuscarawas, Wayne, and the surrounding area. Stark, Medina, Summit and Cuyahoga):
Monday, January 28, 2021 Column by Randi Pokladnik, Ph.D.
“When the ability to dissent is taken away”
https://thebargainhunter.com/news/col-randi-pokladnik/when-the-ability-to-dissent-is-taken-away
Sunday, January 17 Column by Randi Pokladnik, Ph.D.
“Greenwashing hydrogen gas as a clean fuel source”
https://thebargainhunter.com/news/columnists/source
Tuesday, January 13 Column by Michelle Wood, Holmes County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD)
“ ‘I wish I were hiking,’ she said, her voice trailing”
https://thebargainhunter.com/news/col-michelle-wood/i-wish-i-were-hiking-she-said-her-voice-trailing
Friday, January 1, 2020 Column by Randi Pokladnik
“Ignorance is bliss in the U.S.”
https://thebargainhunter.com/news/col-randi-pokladnik/ignorance-is-bliss-in-the-u-s
Available on-line at West Virginia Rivers:
January 15, 2021 News blog by WV Rivers
“Changes to Important Water Quality Permit by WVDEP”
Appearing on-line in Hoots and Hollers a blog of Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC):
January 23, 2021 blog requesting action
“Ask Biden to Solve Plastic Pollution Crisis With Eight Executive Actions”
January 22, 2021 blog about the Jan. 9th Anniversary event marking the spill on the Elk River w. link for viewing
“ICYMI: Remembering the WV Water Crisis”
January 22, 2021 blog summarizing forum with links for viewing.
“ICYMI: Congressional Committee’s Environmental Justice Now Tour: Appalachia”
January 13, 2021 Article by Randi Pokladnik
“The Myth of Green Hydrogen”
January 12, 2021 Article by Dustin White
“DEP’s Belle Explosion Air Quality Statement Is Just Hot Air”
Available on-line Inside Climate News:
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Article by James Bruggers, Reporter, Southeast, National Environment Reporting Network
“The Senate’s New Point Man on Climate Has Been the Democrat’s Most Fossil Fuel-Friendly Senator”
West Virginia’s Joe Manchin once shot a hole in a climate bill in a campaign as. People who know him say his views have since evolved
Appearing on-line in WV Metro News – the Voice of West Virginia:
January 8, 2021 News article by Marsha Chwalik, Staff writer
“Former DuPont site to be utilized for solar energy”
Appearing on-line on 5 WDTV:
January 25, 2021 by WSAZ News Staff
“Marshall University to go plastic-free by 2026”
https://www.wdtv.com/2021/01/25/marshall-university-to-go-plastic-free-by-2026/
Appearing on-line in WV Public Broadcasting and WOUB (PBS):
Friday, January 24, 2021 Energy & Environment News by Mason Adams
“Two Months After Judge Ordered Them Down, Tree-Sitters Still Block Mountain Valley Pipeline”
https://www.wvpublic.org/energy-environment/2021-01-22/two-months-after-judge-ordered-them-down-tree-sitters-still-block-mountain-valley-pipeline
Omitted from Last month listing:
Wednesday, December 9, 2020 Energy & Environment News by Liz McCormick (Text and Audio)
“Putnam Co. Man Identified As Fatality In Belle Chemical Plant Explosion”
https://www.wvpublic.org/government/2020-12-09/putnam-co-man-identified-as-fatality-in-belle-chemical-plant-explosion
EVENTS:
Available On-Line ReImagine Appalachia (https://reimagineappalachia.org) hosted these Zoom events:
Friday, January 15, 2021 , 7am Zoom discussion, posted live to Facebook
“Senator Brown Roundtable on the Intersection of Manufacturing and Climate Change”
https://www.facebook.com/ReImagineAppalachia/videos/senator-brown-roundtable-on-the-intersection-of-manufacturing-and-climate-change/436940037441521/?__so__=channel_tab&__rv__=related_videos
Senator Sherrod Brown discussed the intersection of manufacturing and climate change.
Tuesday January 12, 2021 Live Zoom summit, posted to Facebook.
“2021 Strategy Summit: Securing a New Deal that Works for Us”
https://www.facebook.com/ReImagineAppalachia/videos/686159432019394/?__so__=channel_tab&__rv__=all_videos_card
A discussion by a panel of experts on how to achieve a 21st Century sustainable Appalachia & shared prosperity in the region
Tuesday, January 12, 2021 1pm Live posted to Facebook (part of Live summit)
“Appalachian Mayors Panel” moderated by Erika Strassburger, Pittsburgh City Councilmember
https://www.facebook.com/ReImagineAppalachia/videos/appalachian-mayors-panel/4216560221706932/?__so__=channel_tab&__rv__=related_videos
Panelists: Bill Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh, PA; Stephen T. Williams, Mayor of Huntington, WV; Jamael Tito Brown, Mayor of Youngstown, OH; Steve Patterson, Mayor of Athens, OH
WEBINAR/ online Zoom
Monday, January 25, 2021 Zoom Program Hosted by West Virginia Center on Climate Change
“What Now?- – Climate Solutions in 2021, and Securing a Just Transition for West Virginia”
Webinars/Public Events held by other Coalition Partners:
Thursday, January 21, 2021, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Public Event hosted by Concerned Ohio River Residents, OVEC, Buckeye Environmental Network & Ohio Poor People’s Campaign
“Mountaineer NGL Storage Facility Community Meeting”
Hear from advocates, experts, and legal professionals about the risks associated with the Mountaineer NGL Storage facility
https://www.concernedohioriverresidents.org/post/mountaineer-ngl-storage-facility-community-meeting-recording
January 21, 2021, 3pm Program hosted by Ohio Citizen Action
“Moving Forward on Ohio Energy Issues in 2021: HB6 and Beyond”
A conversation with Rachael Belz, Ohio Citizen Action, & SeMia Bray, Advocate for Equity &Sustainability Black Environmental Leaders
For registration and info : https://www.ohiocitizen.org/events_rallies
Presented by West Virginia Interfaith Power & Light:
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 4:00- 5:00 PM On-Line Zoom Panel and Community Discussion
“Holding Water in WV: A Community Discussion”
Registration required. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lce-uqTwuHNM8kXGNUNwn0CHoPUJU9tUn
Presented by The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC)
January 9, 2021 5pm OVEC hosted Zoom event occurring on 7th anniversary of Elk River spill, posted to Facebook
“Remembering the WV Water Crisis: Panel Discussion”
https://www.facebook.com/OVEC.WV/videos/423008318755273/
January 8, 2021 Press Release about January 9, 2021 Event
“5th Anniversary of the Paris Agreement Celebration – A WV Online Celebration”: Panel discussion and special performance from WV musical artists
Citizens’ Climate Lobby – selections from December Conference
December 9, 2020 “Motivational Climate Presentations”
CCL Silicon Valley North Chapter members, Yifei Huang and Irene Yang, show how to use personal narratives to schedule and deliver motivational presentations to bring people together as a community, and drive them towards climate action.
December 8, 2020 “Introduction & Opening Keynote Panel- Hahrie Han (Pol. Sci professor at Johns Hopkins U), Shi-Ling Hsu (Law professor at Fl. State U), John Wood, Jr, Braver Angels. Moderated by Mark Reynolds, CCL ex. Director
December 8, 2020 “Youth Action: Perspectives and Strategies Coast to Coast”
December 8, 2020 “Empowering the Climate Generation” presented by Clara Fang, CCL Student Engagement Coordinator
December 7, 2020 “Talking to Conservatives – What’s Working”
INSPIRING:
Hosted by the Mind & Life Institute (https://www.mindandlife.org):
January 10, 2011 Live webcast from Dharamsala, HP, India organized by the Mind & Life Institute
“The Dalai Lama in Conversation with Greta Thurnberg and Leading Scientists”- A Conversation on the Crisis of Climate Feedback Loops
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
MOV Climate Action praises court decision on Affordable Clean Energy Rule”
Appearing in The Parkersburg News and Sentinel:
Friday, January 22, 2021 Local News Staff Report
“MOV Climate Action praises court decision on Affordable Clean Energy Rule”
https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/local-news/2021/01/mov-climate-action-praises-court-decision-on-affordable-clean-energy-rule/
PARKERSBURG — A local environmental group supports a federal court’s ruling overturning a Trump administration rule that loosened regulations for greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel-fired power plants.
The Affordable Clean Energy Rule promulgated last year by the Environmental Protection Agency to replace the Obama-era Clean Power Plan on carbon dioxide emissions was flawed, an appeals court for the District of Columbia said this week. The decision sends the rule back to the EPA and reinstates the Clean Power Plan that requires, among other things, reductions of carbon dioxide emissions of about a third by 2030.
The appeals court “made an incredibly wise decision with regard to the Trump administration’s Affordable Clean Energy Rule,” said Eric Engle, chairman of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, a local organization promoting awareness of climate change and what impacts climate.
“In the ruling, a three-judge panel, according to the Washington Post, said that the purpose of the Trump admin rule was ‘to slow the process for reduction of emissions’ and the court called that ‘arbitrary and capricious,’” Engle said.
Engle and Giulia Mannarino, also a representative of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, testified before the EPA during a hearing in Charleston when the agency was considering replacing the Clean Power Plan. Besides greenhouse gas emissions, health impacts from the emissions also were cited.
“Numerous other (Climate Action) members submitted public comments for the same reason in other ways at that time,” Engle said. “We feel vindicated that the D.C. court’s decision essentially reinstates the Clean Power Plan with the Biden administration now at the helm. This is a win for a more stable climate and a cleaner, safer environment.”
The decision by the court means the new Biden administration can develop its own rule without having to first undo the Trump administration’s rule, the Environmental Defense Fund said. Joe Biden became the new president on Wednesday.
Joanne Spalding, the chief climate counsel for the Sierra Club, which has opposed the rule change, said the decision is “the apt bookend to the Trump Administration’s EPA, which was defined by a general subservience to the fossil fuel industry and dozens of legal defeats brought by public health and environmental organizations.” The Trump EPA rule is referred to as the Dirty Power Plan by the Sierra Club.
“Despite (former EPA Director) Andrew Wheeler’s frequent protests, the EPA’s role is to protect the American people from dangerous pollution and act on the greatest threat to our country: the climate crisis,” she said. “The Dirty Power Plan didn’t do either of these things and the court rightly vacated it. We now look forward to the Biden Administration keeping its promise and acting aggressively to restore the EPA to its institutional mandate and put its resources and expertise toward solving problems, not creating more of them.”
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Keystone XL Pipeline interests by politicians insincere
Wednesday, January 27, 2021 Letter to the Editor by Aaron Dunbar, Athens, OH
https://www.athensnews.com/opinion/letters/keystone-xl-pipeline-interests-by-politicians-insincere/article_bd985e16-cfe8-5872-805a-d21f2e9437fa.html
Among Joe Biden’s first acts as President was to revoke the permit for the abomination known as the Keystone XL Pipeline. Conservative lawmakers, days after betraying our nation by rejecting Biden’s electoral win and then hypocritically calling for unity, instantly took to apoplectic fits and crocodile tears across social media and elsewhere, grieving the pipeline’s loss as though mourning the death of America itself.
“Joe Biden’s team has indicated he plans to eliminate thousands of jobs and break a major contract with Canada,” bemoans Ohio District 6 Congressman Bill Johnson, who’s received a total in $666,261 in donations from the oil and gas industry throughout the course of his political career, according to campaign finance website OpenSecrets.org.
“Shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline will eliminate thousands of good-paying union jobs, stifle economic growth, increase costs for working families and undermine America’s energy security,” writes Senator Rob Portman, who’s received $1,104,733 in fossil fuel money during his time in office.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret here — these men do not care one iota about American jobs or the well-being of workers when they bemoan the termination of projects like Keystone XL. If this was actually the case, the entire Republican Party would voice its full-throated support of initiatives like the Green New Deal, a transformative shift toward renewable energy that would create tens of millions of well-paying jobs.
The fossil fuel industry is dying, and there’s no longer any way of getting around this fact. Renewables are the fastest-growing source of energy in the United States, and if our nation actually wants to remain competitive with the rest of the world, as Republicans make a great show of pretending to do, we must begin leading the way in innovation and growth in sustainable technologies and infrastructure.
There is absolutely no defense for approving massive new fossil fuel projects in the year 2021, when we have less than a decade to prevent catastrophic global warming from running wildly out of our control. If Republican lawmakers and the Fox News talking heads actually care about creating good-paying American jobs and building thriving communities, they’ll end their support for the relic of the past that is the fossil fuel industry, and support a rapid transition toward building a green, sustainable future that works for all of us.
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Where’s the accountability?”
Appearing on-line in Charleston Gazette-Mail:
Monday, December 14, 2020 Opinion by Eric Engle, Parkersburg, WV
I was startled out of the lull of nightly streaming with my fiancée when news broke on my iPhone about an explosion and fire at a Chemours facility.
At first, I thought it was the Washington Works plant near my home in Parkersburg. I was not at all relieved to learn that it was, in fact, a facility about 10 miles outside of Charleston, in Belle. That facility earlier this year was fined by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection in the amount of $14,193 for failure to properly manage hazardous waste.
That fine is not even half the cost of an average new car these days. Here we are, just over two months after this “penalty,” and one person is dead, three are injured, and a shelter-in-place order had to be issued for a 2-mile radius around the plant site for approximately four hours on a cold night — the relevance of the cold being that the order required households to turn off their heating units for air-safety reasons.
Where’s the accountability?
To switch gears a bit, the latest data as I write shows that 64,394 West Virginians (and counting) have been infected with COVID-19 and 978 West Virginians (and counting) have died. Hospitals and medical personnel are overwhelmed. The accompanying economic crisis has led and is leading to unemployment, low earnings, evictions, utility shutoffs and other untold suffering. The Justice administration, meanwhile, is sitting on about $800 million in unspent federal funding for the state and a deadline to use it of Dec. 31.
Where’s the accountability?
Then there’s climate change. Recent reporting by Jeff Goodell in Rolling Stone titled “How Climate Change is Ushering in a New Pandemic Era” details how our warming planet is “expanding the range of deadly diseases and risking an explosion of new zoonotic pathogens from the likes of bats, mosquitoes, and ticks.” The article states: “By one count, an estimated 1.7 million currently undiscovered viruses are thought to exist in mammal and avian hosts. Of those, more than 800,000 could have the ability to infect humans.”
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