Frack Check WV » public hearings

Clean Power Plan Hearings: Environment, jobs not an either-or question for West Virginia

Duane Nichols — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 09:05:10 +0000

Hearing for Healthy Communities to Protect the Clean Power Plan

Sierra Club Holds Clean Power Plan Hearing: WeAreWVProud

From an Article by Jessica Schueler, WVNS-TV News 59, November 29, 2017

CHARLESTON, WV — While the U.S. EPA hosted a public hearing in the Capitol Complex, the Sierra Club was also holding a hearing to discuss the potential repeal of the Clean Power Plan. The environmental conservation organization hosted a press conference, panel discussion and public hearing at the University of Charleston to send a strong message to the EPA. All testimony recorded Tuesday will be handed over to the EPA as written comment tomorrow.

From health impacts to economic concerns- experts, leaders and neighbors spent their day breaking down why they believe the Clean Power Plan has to stay.

“Who is the administration thinking about now when they try to repeal the clean power plan? They’re not thinking about their children, they’re not thinking about the next generation, they’re not thinking about our planet,” Mark Magana, CEO of Green Latinos, explained.

Alternative energy entrepreneurs touted the success of renewable resources in other countries, helping protect the earth and save money. “Every single case that I address with colleagues and fixed the pollution problem- improved the bottom line of the company we were working with,” Allan Tweedle said.

Advocates also argue the Power Plan doesn’t take away jobs. “There are now twice as many jobs in the solar industry in the United States, as in the entire fossil fuel industry combined,” Tweedle added.

One veteran physician said more than half of all doctors now believe the Clean Power Plan will improve the health of Americans. “It’s estimated that up to 90,000 asthma attacks a year would be prevented. 1,700 heart attacks would be prevented and 3,600 premature deaths would be prevented- every single year,” Laura Anderko of Georgetown University said.

The EPA required speakers to sign up ahead of time in order to share thoughts on the Clean Power Plan for the hearing, however time is being allocated in the late afternoon for anyone in the public to come in and address staff.

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Environment, jobs not an either-or question for West Virginia

Letter to Morgantown Dominion-Post, Betsy Jaeger Lawson, December 3, 2017

The Dominion-Post’s coverage of the Environmental Protection Agency’s hearing in Charleston left me with the usual sense of frustration when reading that limiting carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels and protecting jobs is an either-or situation.

Repealing the Clean Power Plan is not going to help us or bring coal-mining jobs back.

It will keep us trapped in an endless cycle of poverty and poor health. As many people at the hearing said, the Clean Power Plan does not go far enough.

More carbon and methane in the atmosphere will create much worse health problems down the road and we need even stricter limits than what President Obama’s EPA proposed.

To say that the EPA is overstepping its bounds by protecting air and water quality is nonsensical. Their job is to protect the environment and our health. Employment is the responsibility of the Department of Labor.

I attended the hearings in Charleston. The Sierra Club sponsored a well-attended hearing at the same time with an impressive panel of experts, which was never mentioned in the newspaper article.

It is not environmental regulations that are causing the coal industry to wind down. But that is a convenient excuse given by the fossil fuel barons who want to protect their wealth. We have to stop thinking of clean environment and jobs as an “either-or.” The future of West Virginia depends on it.

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Sent from my iPad

Input Solicited for the 2013 West Virginia State Energy Plan

Duane Nichols — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 00:04:34 +0000

: Jeff Herholdt, WV D.O.E.

The State of West Virginia is beginning the process to develop the 2013-2017 West Virginia State Energy Plan. This plan will include analyses and policy guidelines for WV in reliably meeting its future energy needs in a cost-effective and sustainable manner while fostering an innovative clean energy economy. The plan is updated every five years.

A series of hearings will be held to invite public comment on a new state energy plan. If you would like for your voice to be heard, you may register to speak at one of these meetings. You may register online or call 304-957-9363 or 304-957-9332. Registration is also available at the meeting location on the day of the meeting, 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. If you are unable to attend a public meeting, you may post your comments online.

See the 27 page WV State Energy Plan for 2008 – 2012 at this Internet location:

http://www.wvcommerce.org/app_media/assets/pdf/energy/publications/StateEnergyPlan.pdf

The West Virginia Division of Energy invites public comments for the 2013 State Energy Plan. The topic areas to be developed in the plan are based on and guided by the requirements specified in WV State Code, §5B-2F-2. A “comment submission form” is provided on the web-site. Then, you must agree to follow the “public comment rules.”

Following is a list of the public hearings, in Huntington, Morgantown, and Martinsburg:

September 5, 2012, Huntington, WV

Azalea Room, Big Sandy Superstore Arena-Convention Center, Huntington, WV 25701

September 6, 2012, Morgantown, WV

Grand Hall AB, WVU Erickson Alumni Center, One Alumni Drive,
Morgantown, WV

September 7, 2012, Martinsburg, WV

Foxcroft Ballroom, Martinsburg Holiday Inn, 301 Foxcroft Avenue, Martinsburg, WV 25401

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WVU Coal & Biomass Development Conference,

Morgantown, WV. September 19, 2012

The Appalachian Hardwood Center, Bio-based Materials Center and National Research Center for Coal and Energy at West Virginia University and the West Virginia Division of Energy are hosting a conference on coal and biomass opportunities on September 19th 2012 at the Erickson Alumni Center in Morgantown, WV. West Virginia is the nation’s second largest coal-producing and third most heavily forested state in the nation. Opportunities exist for the co-development of biomass and coal energy which combine the sustainable qualities of woody biomass and the fuel density of WV coal.

Topics at the one-day event include biomass and coal development opportunities, bioenergy research and development, torrefied biomass and coal blends, energy policy and environmental impacts, and the technical and financial feasibility of coal and biomass as feedstocks for liquid transportation fuels.

The meeting will consist of a number of presentations as well as detailed question and comment sessions with the goal of developing coal and biomass opportunities in region. Speakers include scientists from West Virginia University, University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Lab (NETL), and Agri-Tech Producers. The meeting will be held between 8 am and 3 pm and will include a light breakfast networking session as well as a luncheon for those attending. There is no registration fee.

For more information and to register, visit http://ahc.wvu.edu and follow the conference link. Please register early – space is limited and registration will close on September 12, 2012. If you have any questions, please contact Shawn Grushecky – sgrushec@wvu.edu, (304) 293-9417.

Public Hearings and Comments on Air Pollution Rules at WV-DEP To July 30th

Duane Nichols — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 21:05:38 +0000

: John Benedict, Director, Air Quality WV-DEP

The WV Department of Environmental Protection has scheduled public hearings for its 2013 proposed legislative rules. All hearings will take place at the DEP’s Charleston headquarters, located at 601 57th St., S.E., Charleston, . WV, 25304.

Oral and written comments will be limited to the proposed revisions and will be made a part of the rulemaking record. Copies of the rules are available from the Secretary of State’s office or by visiting the DEP’s Web site at: http://www.dep.wv.gov/pio/Pages/Rules.aspx.

You may also obtain hard copies of the information by calling the phone numbers listed below. Written comments may be submitted to the Public Information Office at the above address.
The hearing dates and locations are as follows:

Division of Air Quality - - -
45CSR14 — Permits for Construction and Major Modifications of Major Stationary Sources of Air Pollution for the Prevention of Significant Deterioration.
45CSR16 — Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources.
45CSR18 — Control of Air Pollution from Combustion of Solid Waste.
45CSR25 — Control of Air Pollution from Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.
45CSR30 — Requirements for Operating Permits.
45CSR34 — Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants.

The public hearing for all Air Quality rules is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., on July 30, 2012 in the Dolly Sods Conference Room. The comment period will end at the conclusion of the public hearing on July 30. Comments may also be emailed to: DEP.Comments@wv.gov.

Upon authorization and promulgation of revisions to 45CSR14, the DAQ will submit the rule to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a revision to the State Implementation Plan pursuant to the federal Clean Air Act.

Upon authorization and promulgation of revisions to 45CSR18, the DAQ will submit the final rule to the EPA for approval as part of West Virginia’s Section 111(d)/129 Plan and program delegation of the federal New Source Performance Standards.

Rules 45CSR16, 45CSR25, and 45CSR34 will be submitted to the EPA to fulfill other federal obligations under the Clean Air Act, including delegations, plans and program approvals. Upon authorization and promulgation of 45CSR30, the rule will be submitted to the EPA as a revision to the State’s Operating Permit Program under Title V of the federal Clean Air Act.

ALSO: Office of Oil and Gas
35CSR8 — Rule Governing the Development of Horizontal Wells.

Proposed Rule

The public hearing for this rule is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., on July 31, 2012 in the Coopers Rock Conference Room. The comment period will end at the conclusion of the public hearing on July 31.

Select Marcellus Committee to Meet in Morgantown and Clarksburg

Duane Nichols — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:36:42 +0000

The Legislature’s Select Committee on Marcellus Shale held its first public hearing last week in Wheeling. Some 150 people attended, and of the nearly 40 speakers, the majority supported stronger regulations. You can read and watch coverage of that hearing here, here and here.

Concerns that have been raised include:

§ Air pollution from drilling sites and compressor stations.
§ Spills of tainted water and other fluids from well pads.
§ Damage to roads used by trucks carrying heavy drilling equipment.
§ Traffic safety because of the same trucks.
§ Rights of both mineral and surface property owners.

There are two more opportunities to share your concerns in person and let legislators know what you would like to see in a bill to regulate natural gas drilling in West Virginia. Here are the details for this week’s public hearings:

Monday, July 25 in Morgantown ~ 7:30PM at the West Virginia University College of Law, off University Avenue near the Medical Center

Wednesday, July 27 in Clarksburg ~ 7:30PM in the auditorium at Robert C. Byrd High School

The Select Committee is specifically looking for language or issues to include in new regulation of the drilling industry. These public hearings are scheduled to last only 90 minutes, so sign-up sheets will be used and time for each speaker will likely be two minutes or less.

Marcellus Drilling Hearings set for Wheeling, Morgantown and Clarksburg

Duane Nichols — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 01:14:04 +0000

Public hearings sponsored by the House members of the legislature’s Select Committee on Marcellus Shale begin this week. You can tell the Legislature in person what you would like to see in a bill regulating natural gas drilling in West Virginia! The first hearing is this Thursday, July 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at West Virginia Northern Community College’s B&O Building, 1704 Market St., Wheeling. The second hearing is Monday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Morgantown at the West Virginia University College of Law. The final hearing is Wednesday, July 27 in Clarksburg. The time and location for the Clarksburg meeting have not yet been set. These public hearings are scheduled to last only 90 minutes, and the amount of time allotted to individual speakers will be allocated according to how many citizens want to speak.

On July 12^th the Governor issued Executive Order 4-11 which outlines several requirements for natural gas companies including but not limited to: Surface land use that will disturb 3 or more acres must be certified by and constructed in accordance with plans certified by a registered professional engineer. Companies withdrawing over 210,000 gallons of water a month must file a water management plan with the DEP and adhere to certain specified standards. Before fracking begins, such companies must also provide a list of additives that will be used in the frack fluid, and after fracking is complete, the additives actually used. When using water from a public stream, a company must identify the designated and existing uses of that stream.

However, the Executive Order does not address protection for surface land owners or for road repairs and traffic issues. Further, the air pollution issues of leaks, vents and uncontrolled releases are not considered. Flares, fires and explosions are not that uncommon. The Westover (Monongalia County) City Council has tabled their ban on Marcellus drilling as a result of the Executive Order which calls for public notice before drilling takes place within a municipality. Click here to read Executive Order No. 4-11