Column on Mountaintop Removal

Cross-posted from: here

I have a column out today in the paper about the Obama Administration’s shameful approval of 42 mountaintop removal permits. I want to be sure to post it for you.

Mountaintop removal: No science, no ethics

MATT DERNOGA

The Environmental Protection Agency recently approved 42 of the 48 permit applications for mountaintop removal operations in West Virginia, deeming them environmentally responsible. A review of mountaintop removal would serve the EPA well.

Mountaintop removal is a way for the coal companies to avoid having to mine the mountain the traditional way. Instead, they use millions of tons of dynamite to blow up the mountain so they can easily extract the coal underneath. Dynamite is cheaper than coal miners; no jobs created here. The toxic waste from this process is then dumped into the nearby valleys and riverbeds below, which can ruin the entire ecosystem.

More disturbing is the effect on the communities that live in the area. Coal slurry is a toxic byproduct of the mining waste, with billions of gallons stored in dams around the mining sites. At mountaintop removal sites like those in the Appalachia in West Virginia, this can shatter the community in two ways.

There was an incident last December in Tennessee where a coal slurry dam between Nashville and Knoxville burst, causing 500 million gallons of sludge to flow into the tributaries of the Tennessee River, which is also the water supply for millions living in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. It was estimated to be 40 times larger than the infamous Exxon Valdez spill.

Living near a mountaintop removal operation and living near a coal slurry dam is like living in a war zone. Explosions are going off all the time. Ash and rock is raining down around communities. Machinery is clanging all day and night. The air and water is contaminated with toxic metals and chemicals, including arsenic, lead, selenium, boron, cadmium and cobalt. A friend of mine recently traveled to a West Virginia community to see the devastation and said residents have numbness in their extremities because what they are ingesting is so toxic.

In desperation, coalfield residents of West Virginia wrote a letter to the EPA and Department of Interior begging them to stop the madness. “You are our last hope for justice at this point,” they wrote.

The EPA responded to a different letter instead. They wrote back to a West Virginia Congressman who was determined to ensure the permits went through. The EPA letter said, “I understand the importance of coal mining in Appalachia for jobs, the economy and meeting the nation’s energy needs.” You know the rest.

The health hazards mentioned came to light as a result of the EPA’s own analysis and report on the impacts of living near coal ash and slurry ponds. Both President Barack Obama and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson have pledged to base decisions on science. Science has returned to the White House, we’re told. Exactly what kind of “science” are we talking about? This reminds me of my sixth grade “science” fair project that involved lots of burnt bread and no numbers.

Jackson, the EPA and Obama have made a mockery of science. They placed the coal industry above human decency. They let the people of Appalachia’s hopes slip right through their fingers. In so doing, they’ve undermined (no pun intended) the moral integrity of America and failed West Virginia, as well as the rest of the country.

Matt Dernoga is a senior government and politics major. He can be reached at mdernoga@umd.edu

Sources

On the 42/48 approved…

http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2009/05/15/rahall-epa-clears-42-of-48-permits-for-approval/

The EPA’s response to the Congressman

http://wvgazette.com/static/coal%20tattoo/epa2rahall.pdf

Link for the coal slurry disaster

http://madrad2002.wordpress.com/2008/12/23/coal-slurry-dam-disaster/ (article link is in the first paragraph, butthere’s a lot of background info in the entire post).

The following two highlight the dangers of being near coalslurry ponds.

http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/pub640.cfm

http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/pubs/FINAL%20COMING%20CLEAN%20EJEIP%20Report%2020090507.pdf

Source for the letter..

http://www.grist.org/article/urgent-letter-to-epa-and-

Just when I thought things couldn't get worse in Virginia…

As the rest of the nation rejects coal plant after coal plant… Virginia is building one in SW and proposing another one three times the size in the Hampton Roads area.

As our neighbors in Maryland pass the strongest state legislation to regulate carbon emissions… Virginia’s own Rick Boucher is working to water down and nullify any impact a federal climate bill could have.

It’s a tough fight here in Virginia, and I will continue to fight every single day to promote sustainable energy policy for the commonwealth.

Amidst it all, I still remember things could be worse, we could be WEST VIRGINIA!

Our friends in West Virginia just declared coal the state rock.

Cross posted from our friends at Center for American Progress’s Blog:

Gov. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has made coal the official state rock of his state. According to the West Virgina Coal Association, the teen-aged daughter of a coal company employee “got the measure placed before the state legislature this year with the help of Sen. Truman Chafin (D-Mingo) and Del. Harry Keith White (D-Mingo).” On Wednesday, Manchin signed the resolution into law:

Bituminous coal is now West Virginia’s official state rock. Gov. Joe Manchin has signed a House of Delegates resolution making the designation based primarily on coal’s contribution to the state’s economy and history.

Despite $118 million in coal-mining annual income, West Virginia has the nation’s lowest median household income, worst educational services, worst social assistance, the highest population with disabilities, and nearly a quarter of West Virginia children in poverty.

Seems to me the best way to preserve the state rock is to keep it in the GROUND! Who’s with me?

Ted delivers 100% auction message directly to Chairman Rangel

CCAN’s Policy Director Ted Glick spent some time Tuesday on Capitol Hill delivering a sign-on letter to Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and other members of the House Ways and Means Committee. The letter, circulated by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and signed by 32 religious, climate and environmental groups, calls for 100% auction of pollution permits as part of climate legislation being developed in the Housel.

Rangel is the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee which, along with the Agriculture Committee (and possibly other committees), is next in line to take up the sweeping proposal to establish a national renewable electricity standard and a cap-and-trade program to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Among other things, Ways and Means deals with trade and revenue measures, both of which will be impacted by the proposed bill.

The sign-on letter that Ted handed directly to Chairman Rangel addressed revenue measures in the climate bill. After Congressman Boucher and others in the House Energy and Committee had their say, the bill left Committee poised to give away 85% of the pollution permits. Fifty percent of those free permits would be given to the fossil fuel industry, thirty-five percent of them directly to the coal industry. All these free giveaways amount to handing our nation’s biggest polluters a check for $20.8 billion a year beginning in 2012.

Auctioning 100% of the permits to emit global warming pollution is the only fair way to cap carbon and ensure pocketbook protection for American families. Instead of Boucher’s coal-friendly bill, those who signed the letter support President Obama’s campaign pledge to auction 100 percent of the carbon permits and rebate most of the money to consumers.

Read the entire sign-on letter below the fold. Continue reading

CCAN Takes a Break to Celebrate – join us!

Next Tuesday, June 9th CCAN will take a break from organizing for a night to honor some of Maryland’s clean energy and climate champions.

We have a lot to celebrate this year – passing the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act, seeing movement to cap carbon at the national level and through the EPA. While we still have a lot of work ahead of us, it’s important to celebrate the victories along the way.

So…we’ve put together a great party. We’ve got excellent food, beer, wine, and live jazz lined up. Plus an excellent list of honorees.

You can reserve your tickets at www.chesapeakeclimate.org/mdaward.

Reserve them by 5pm tomorrow and you can bring a friend for half price. Don’t miss out!

Our award winners range from a U.S. Congressman to a local climate activist. Even the lists of hosts is impressive: Bill McKibben, Energy Action’s Jessy Tolkan and Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin join the long list of those hosting the event.

We are proud to present award to the followed guests: Continue reading

1Sky Leadership Summit. Take your skills to the next level!

You’ve already made calls, sent emails, and met with your representatives in Congress to pass a strong clean energy bill this year.

And all your hard work is paying off: President Obama’s EPA is poised to regulate carbon emissions, and Congress is debating a climate bill.

Now it’s time to take your climate leadership to the next level — and we want to provide you with the skills to set you up for success.

Join us for a weekend of advanced skill-building and networking at the 1Sky Leadership Summit on Saturday, June 27th and Sunday, June 28th in Washington, D.C.

1sky crowd
The Summit will give you a chance to meet other climate leaders, receive a full policy briefing, and learn valuable skills like how to communicate with elected leaders and work with the media. More importantly, we’ll have face time with each other to strategize moving forward in a number of districts and states.

Please take a minute to sign up for this leadership opportunity today.

You can expect to come away from this weekend with new friends in the movement and a sense of empowerment and momentum to move your leaders and motivate your peers. We can’t wait to get rolling!

Members of the CCAN staff will be in attendance and we look forward to seeing you there!

Hope for Surry shines through the smog

STOP THE COAL PLANT!

Surry, Virginia, is about as picturesque as they come. A portrait of the rural south, Surry and its neighbor, Dendron, offer testament to the unique charm and unavoidable beauty that accompanies the idea of small-town America. Wary of outsiders and exceptionally warm toward neighbors and friends, the residents of Surry County understand the inherent splendor of a life that is unhindered by external influence. Naturally, it comes as no surprise that Old Dominion Electric Cooperative’s proposed dirty, unhealthy, coal-fired power plant has been received with very few open arms in the community. Of course, this has not dampened the large cooperative’s desire to take advantage of a small town with its share of economic difficulties. With the promise of new jobs and increased tax revenue, ODEC has repeatedly stressed the so-called benefits to be won from the massive plant’s construction. On Monday evening, Dendron’s town council brought these claims to task during their regular meeting. Dendronites are engaged in a fight against the health of their community, their children, and the irreplaceable beauty of the surrounding environment.

Continue reading

A Common Person's Guide to the Federal Climate Bill

A Common Person’s Guide to the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009

On May 21st, following months of work, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACESA), a 932-page piece of climate legislation. There have been mixed reactions from environmental and climate groups, but most groups are in agreement that it needs to be strengthened going forward. For some groups the problems they see with the bill have led to their public withdrawal of support. These groups include Greenpeace USA, Public Citizen and Friends of the Earth. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network also does not support the bill in current form.

Below is a summary analysis of the main features of the bill.

–Cap and Trade System: The bill would establish a “cap-and-trade” system that sets mandatory and declining limits on greenhouse gas emissions over the next 40 years. By 2050 it projects reductions of 83% from 2005 levels for the United States. It does this primarily through the establishment of 1) a “cap” on emissions and the annual issuance by the government of permits to emit greenhouse gases, both of which–the cap and the emissions permits–come down steadily year after year, and 2) a tradable market to buy and sell those permits to emit global warming pollution. That’s why it’s called a “cap-and-trade” system.

–Wide-Open Buying and Selling: Significantly, this market is open to anyone, not just those entities which emit greenhouse gases. For example, Wall Street firms whose primary purpose is to make money for their investors can buy and sell pollution permits. Anyone, whether Goldman Sachs or John Q. Public, can get into this newly-created market. From page 430 of the bill: “The privilege of purchasing, holding, selling, exchanging, transferring, and requesting retirement of emission allowances, compensatory allowances, or offset credits shall not be restricted to the owners and operators of covered entities, except as otherwise provided in this title.” Especially following the sub-prime mortgage/credit/banking crisis, there is concern among many people, including some on Capitol Hill, about the potential for this system to be abused by those out to make quick and big profits.

–Goals and Targets: The document states that one of its prime objectives is to help the world “avoid atmosphere greenhouse gas concentrations above 450 parts per million carbon dioxide equivalent; and global surface temperature 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above the pre-industrial average.” However, a growing number of scientists, journalists and climate activists believe that we need to reduce emissions more deeply if we are to have a good chance of avoiding climate catastrophe.

–2020 Targets: It projects a 17% reduction in greenhouse gases (ghg) from 2005 levels by 2020. This is about 3% below U.S. ghg levels in 1990; 1990 is the baseline year used by the nations of the world. There is an additional 10% reduction of ghgs projected via investments in the prevention of deforestation outside the United States, and there could be a few percent more reductions through other means. This could add up to about a 20% reduction by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. The world’s international climate negotiators have called for industrialized countries to reduce their emissions by 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020.

Continue reading

And the fight goes on…

For those of you who were wondering what’s happening with that whole nuclear expansion thing in MD, never fear! We’re still fighting the new reactor at Calvert Cliffs, and we need your help to launch a new phase of the campaign.

First, a quick reminder about why CCAN, a climate group, cares about nuclear power. Isn’t it carbon neutral? Well, it may produce less CO2 than dirty coal-fired power plants, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous. And the most nefarious costs are the ones that are hidden: particularly the fact that investment in nuclear pushes out renewable energy. Dr. Peter Bradford, a former commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and utility expert, said it best:

The “all of the above” approach to our national energy portfolio does not necessarily play out well at the local level. Sometimes solutions [to energy demand] drive out other solutions. If a region commits to a 1,600 Mw reactor, than there is little motivation to do efficiency or renewables.

There’s the reason. If we get new nukes, then we won’t get more wind. On the local level, here in MD, it’s an either/or decision. I’d rather have wind, thanks. (see? wind turbines are so cute!)

So what can you do? Sign this petition, asking the Public Service Commission to continue to stay engaged in the regulatory process, so that citizens have the opportunity to share their concerns.

**Bonus News!** This just in: in yet another example of how ridiculous this whole process is, bullets from a nearby firing range hit buildings at the Calvert Cliffs plant.

Farewell to CCAN

After nearly two years of fighting global warming with the rest of my wonderful colleagues (and all of you awesome volunteers and activists!), it’s time for me to say farewell.

As I look back on my time here, there are a couple of things that really stick out to me – a series of town hall meetings for global warming (my first project ever!), rallying in the snow on Governor O’Malley’s birthday, celebrating green jobs in Baltimore, passing the strongest state-wide cap in the country, and moving on to Congress to push for real climate solutions on the federal level.

But what really sticks out to me are all the wonderful people that I’ve worked with – all of you, who are making a difference every day in this fight against global warming. Luckily for this polar bear, he doesn’t need Al Gore – he has all of you!

If you want to say good-bye to me in person, please join CCAN, LCV, Sierra Club and Environment MD for a volunteer thank you party this Saturday. We’ll be celebrating our victories on the state level, in appreciation of all your hard work.

When: Saturday May 30th, 5 pm to 8 pm

Where: Pavilion 2, Alpha Ridge Community Park, 11600 Old Frederick Rd Marriottsville, MD 21104
(We tried to pick a central location. This is close to where I-70 meets 32 outside of Baltimore)

Please RSVP so that we know how much food to get – we’ll provide burgers (veggie and non) and drinks. If you like, bring a side or a dessert to share!

Best of luck to all of you!

Holly Gorman
MD/DC Campaign Coordinator

Put A Cap On It – Song & Video

Thousands of people from Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. are calling for a science-based cap on global warming pollution in 2009.

If you love it, then you better PUT A CAP ON IT… Enjoy the video!

Video and Backup Vocals: Adiel Kaplan

Lead Vocals: Gabbi Winick

Lyrics by: Kirsten Collings