“Big Fish” are much preferred over “small potatoes”

From an Article by Mike Nolting, WAJR Radio, January 16, 2022

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – When West Virginians think about pandemic response one of the top names that comes to mind is Jim Hoyer. But, the retired general is also very involved in state level economic development efforts through the Joint Interagency Task Force. Hoyer describes his current work in economic development as “running interference” between business, state leaders and Vantage Ventures.

Vantage Ventures is part of the WVU John Chambers School of Business and Economics with the goal of transforming West Virginia into a start-up state. Since 2019, Vantage Ventures has nurtured the ideas and talent of potential entrepreneurs to implement concepts into economic impact. ”Sarah Biller and the folks at Vantage Ventures that are not just working on 24 high-tech companies right now,” Hoyer said. “We’ve modified their mission a little bit to working at what I call catching the big fish.”

The influx of pandemic relief money has opened more opportunity. Hoyer said his challenge is to work as a team to identify the most impactful use of that one-time relief money. “We’re starting right now to focus on assiting the state economic development team — Mitch Carmichael, Mike Graney, the governor’s office and local economic development folks on the bandwidth of assests,” Hoyer said.

West Virginia has to compete with other states on tax structure, available workforce and geographic location to potential customers or users. But here, there are fewer suitable plots of land for development. State government and the federal relief money can help enhance infrastructure. “We’ve got to not only be a good place to do business, but we have to have ready places to do business,” Hoyer said.

Following the announcement of a $2.7 billion Nucor Steel mill in Mason County and a medical warehouse in the Morgantown area, Hoyer believes the state is on the rise. Hoyer based that observation on many years working with state lawmakers and serving in the West Virginia National Guard. “I would tell you that I have never seen a greater interest in operating in the state of West Virginia than I’ve seen in the last 12 to 18 months,” Hoyer said.

Another job announcement is expected in the spring that involves a company possibly locating in a 300,000-square foot facility at the Morgantown Industrial Park. The Morgantown Utility Board is upgrading water and sewer facilities there with a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

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I-79 Harmony Grove interchange moves up priority list

From an Article by Mike Nolting, WV MetroNews, April 3, 2022

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The planning and design stages of the proposed I-79 Harmony Grove interchange for the Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP) is moving forward.

Morgantown Metropolitan Planning Organization Bill Austin said the project has been moved up on the project priority list. Most recently, the project has been moved to the Tier 1 priority list which means it will be completed within the next 8 to 10 years. But, Austin said an enormous amount of work is required to expand or add exits to the interstate highway system.

“The interstate is the biggest federal investment in our country that we have and protecting it’s capacity and making sure it is serving the needs of the community is very important,” Austin said on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.”

The interchange will be a vital part of Mountaintop Beverage. Mountaintop Beverage is expected to operate up to 100 semi-trucks daily from the Morgantown Industrial Park. Additionally, reports indicate when the project is officially announced other expansion announcements are expected when project bids are awarded to a contractor.

“There are several potential expansions or additions to the industrial park that would require direct access to the interstate,” Austin said.

The most recent step is the Interchange Justification Report. That report is completed by the developer, Enroute Properties and consultant to show the scope of work to the DOH. “We’re at the point where the DOH and the consultant are reviewing what the study says and preparing a presentation for the Department of Highways,” Austin said.

According to Austin, when the project is complete it will be a very unique set of opportunities to the region. “The thing to remember about the industrial park is it’s actually a truly multimodal facility,” Austin said. “It has rail access, it has barge access and with this it will have interstate access, which is really a confluence that very few areas within the state have.”

Sea level rise is real and accelerating

From an Article by Jordan Davidson, EcoWatch.com, September 11, 2019

PHOTO — Aerial view of Maldives. Low-lying atoll nations are especially threatened by climate change.

The images of the climate crisis are devastating. People around the world, especially the world’s poor, are suffering from extreme weather, droughts and wildfires. The latest example was in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, when Bahamans fleeing the wreckage that upended their lives were denied entry to the U.S.

Now a new report from a commission of 34 leaders in politics, scientists and business says that nations rich and poor must invest in adapting to the climate crisis or pay a much heavier price in years to come. Furthermore, an investment now will reap benefits that will outweigh the costs 4 to 1 in the near future, as Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.

Adapt Now: A Gobal Call for Leadership on Climate Resilience by the Global Commission on Adaptation was led by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, World Bank chief executive Kristalina Georgieva and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

“Global actions to slow climate change are promising but insufficient,” the report stated. “We must invest in a massive effort to adapt to conditions that are now inevitable.”

It pinpointed several key areas to consider in adapting to the climate crisis. The analysis found that a $1.8 trillion global investment in five specific areas over the next decade could generate $7.1 trillion in total net benefits, as a United Nations press release stated.

The five key areas will produce a triple dividend — escaping future losses, generating economic gains through innovation, and delivering social and environmental benefits. The five areas of focus, as the BBC reported, are:

>>> Warning systems: For island and coastal communities, early warnings about storms, very high tides and other extreme weather can save lives.

>>> Infrastructure: Building better roads, buildings and bridges to suit the changing climate.

>>> Improving dry-land agriculture: Something as simple as helping farmers to switch to drought-resistant varieties of crops could protect livelihoods and prevent hunger.

>>> Restoring and protecting mangroves: Underwater mangrove forests protect about 18 million people from coastal flooding, but they’re being wiped out by development. Restoration projects could protect vulnerable communities from storms and boost fisheries’ productivity

>>> Water: Protecting water access – and making sure that water’s not being wasted – will be vital in a changing climate.

“We are the last generation that can change the course of climate change, and we are the first generation that then has to live with the consequences,” said former UN chief Ban Ki-moon at the report’s launch in Beijing, as AFP reported. “Delay and pay, or plan and prosper.”

The study authors worry that a dearth of bold political leadership will cause a default to the delay strategy. The report found that the money is there for investment, what is not is “political leadership that shakes people out of their collective slumber.

In the foreword to the paper, Ban, Gates and Georgieva wrote, “The climate crisis is here, now: massive wildfires ravage fragile habitats, city taps run dry, droughts scorch the land and massive floods destroy people’s homes and livelihoods. So far the response has been gravely insufficient.”

Ban Ki-moon mentioned election cycles as part of the problem, since it fosters short-term thinking that will garner votes. “I am really concerned about the lack of vision of political leaders,” he said, as the Guardian reported. “They are much more interested in getting elected and re-elected, and climate issues are not in their priorities. We are seeing this in the US with President Trump.”

SEE ALSO:
World Bank to Invest $200 Billion to Tackle Climate Change … ›

Public Meeting, Tuesday, January 8, 2019, Charleston, WV

Public Advisory from the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC), January 3, 2019

Contacts: Robin Blakeman, OVEC, 304-522-0246, robin@ohvec.org
Angie Rosser, WVRC, 304-437-1274, arosser@wvrivers.org
Janet Keating, CCM, 304-360-4201, keatingjanet49@gmail.com

What: On the eve on the fifth anniversary of the 2014 water crisis, community members are invited to gather for “WATER: A sacred gift, a human right, and our stewardship role”

When: 6 – 8 p.m. Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Where: Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1600 Kanawha Blvd E, Charleston, WV 25311

More what: Community leaders will:
– Examine West Virginia water justice issues through a moral and faith-based lens
– Discuss current and legacy water pollution issues our community faces and ways West Virginia residents can be proactive in protecting safe drinking water
– Hold a candlelight vigil on the banks of the Kanawha River to mark the fifth anniversary of the West Virginia water crisis.

This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments served.

Who: Invited speakers include: Delegates Barbara Fleischauer and Mike Pushkin

Confirmed speakers include: Angie Rosser (West Virginia Rivers Coalition), Genevieve and Karan Ireland, Robin Blakeman, (OVEC–Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition), Janet Keating (Creation Justice Ministries), Fr. Brian O-Donnell (West Virginia Council of Churches), Rev. Rose Edington (West Virginia Interfaith Power and Light), Gary Zuckett (West Virginia Citizen Action Group)

Co-sponsoring groups: OVEC–Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition / West Virginia Rivers Coalition / Creation Justice Ministries / West Virginia Citizen Action Group / West Virginia Council of Churches / West Virginia Interfaith Power and Light / Christians for the Mountains / CARE–Call to Action for Racial Equality

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SOURCE: The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, PO Box 6753, Huntington, WV 25773-6753. Email: info@ohvec.org Phone: 304-522-0246

Martina Angela Caretta, WVU assistant professor of geography

Source: WVU, Institute of Water Security & Science, October 30, 2017

Water is the driving force of all nature, but how do people react when an area begins to run out of water? Martina Angela Caretta, assistant professor of geography at West Virginia University, seeks to answer that question in a report she co-authored for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

In the report, Caretta discusses how water scarcity leads to migration of a land, while also studying how gender plays a role in the migration process. She also evaluates how water availability affects social stability and the number of jobs available for younger generations. The report indicates that two-thirds of the world’s population, or four billion people, live in conditions of severe water scarcity at least one month per year, while another half billion people face severe water scarcity year-round.

“Climate change is triggering migration, especially in areas of the world that are water scarce,” Caretta said. “Water is a resource we cannot live without in the Global North as in the Global South. My research is about how our society is organized around water, who has access to it and who doesn’t and how we can preserve water or remedy water quality so that we can have sustainable development.”

Without that water, individuals cannot grow food for themselves, so they have to migrate to another area to find food and water. This migration ultimately leads to overcrowding, which can upset local citizens and lead to conflict.

One example of this dilemma is the war in Syria, says Caretta. Communities in the northern part of the country could not produce enough food for themselves due to water scarcity, so they migrated to the capital, which led to population pressure in a city where food shortage was already an issue. This, in turn, triggered conflicts between the local ethnic group and the newcomers.

“There are a few studies that show a connection between climate change and reduced rainfall, failing yields, loss of livelihoods, conflict and migration,” Caretta said. “More research needs to be done to close this knowledge gap.”

The report estimates that nearly 25 million people per year are forced from their homes nationally and internationally due to natural disasters. These migrants move from dry to wet countries in search of better economic opportunities and a better quality of life.

With much of the Global South, or countries with low and medium development, living in water scarcity conditions, a failure of the agricultural sector is expected to lead to substantial employment cuts, according to the report. Agriculture is a primary employment sector and unreliable water resources threaten the disappearance of jobs. Roughly 95 percent of jobs in the agriculture sector, 30 percent of jobs in the industry sector and 10 percent of jobs in the services sector are heavily dependent on water, according to the United Nations’ World Water Development Report in 2016.

Climate change has different impacts on women and men, explains Caretta. While few studies provide research of this phenomenon, migration is a gendered process which depends on local societal gender norms. However, there is a lack of knowledge and resources regarding the link between migration, youth employment, gender and water scarcity due to the dangers associated with carrying out research in water-scarce countries. Caretta has been collaborating with UNESCO to address this knowledge gap.

“The truth of the matter is that this phenomenon cannot be studied any other way than going to refugee camps and interviewing people to understand how water played a role in their migratory decision and how the water resources in the receiving society have been put under strain,” Caretta said.

In addition to the UNESCO study, Caretta is currently researching how local organizations, in large part led by women, in West Virginia are working to restore rivers contaminated by chemical industries or acid mine drainage.

“We are a headwater state that can actually use water for economic development, but our water here is impaired,” Caretta said. “I’m looking at organizations that are trying to remedy these situations and specifically at what type of economic development we can have in this state that can restore and maintain where we have clean water quality.”

Together with Jamie Shinn, an assistant professor in geography, Caretta is also carrying out another project focusing on the response to the 2016 floods in southern West Virginia.

“The work of Caretta and other social science researchers at WVU contributes what is often the missing human perspective to the technical aspects of water scarcity and quality,” said Tim Carr, chair of the Department of Geology and Geography. “Her work helps to complete the picture and to outline viable paths to address the critical personal, regional and global issues of water supply.”

To learn more about the UNESCO report, visit http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/water/wwap/display-single-news/news/wwap_launches_a_new_paper_on_water_and_migration/

"Defend the Sacred" with Bold Appalachia

Defend the Sacred: A Celebration of Life, Land, and Water

Public is Invited   ·  Hosted by Bold Alliance and Bold Appalachia

Date and Time:  Saturday, June 10^th at 3 pm to 10 pm.

Location:  Elmwood Park, 706 S. Jefferson Street, Roanoke, VA 24016

Description: The proposed Mountain Valley (MVP) and Atlantic Coast  (ACP) fracked gas pipelines threaten the land, water, and livelihoods of Appalachia. Communities all around Virginia and West Virginia are answering the call to stand for what is sacred. NOW is the time to act. This event serves to raise awareness of the risks, injustices, and alternatives to these proposed pipelines. Through dance, music, film, farm-to-table food, and much more we will celebrate community around respect for what is sacred: our land, our water, our being.

When: June 10th, 2017;  Times:  3:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Where: Elmwood Park (outdoor amphitheater), Roanoke VA

Music: Groova Scape; Seph Custer and the Papa Tom Band; Jordan Fallon; The Commons

Dance: Trail of Tears Intertribal Dance Troupe; Dance of Universal Peace; Delwin Fiddler – Native American Hoop Dancer

Speakers: Mekasi Horinek Camp, Floris White Bull, Landowners, Pipeline Fighters, Regional Poets, Local Faith Leaders and more….

Food and Beverage: Parkway Brewery, Foggy Ridge Cider, Peaks of Otter Winery, Longfin Grill Food Trailer, Viva la Cupcake, LEAP, potluck style (please bring your favorite dish!*)
*PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN CUPS AND PLATES TO REDUCE WASTE! THANKS!

Children’s Activities: arts and crafts, group games, environmental education

Water Blessing — PLEASE bring a container of WATER from your home and/or land

Film: Screening of “AWAKE,” by Josh Fox

NOTE: In the days after: Seeds of Resistance/Sacred Ceremonies Tour begins on Bent Mountain the following day, Sunday (June 11th), and subsequent ceremonies and plantings throughout the week on lands directly on the proposed pipeline route or elsewhere as time permits.

Vendor Application Form: https://goo.gl/forms/FTSXNk5sGVZqlX4O2

Contact Information:
William Adams
email: willmadams@gmail.com
phone: 540-521-6995

Carolyn Reilly
email: carolyn@boldalliance.org
phone: 540-488-4358

QUOTATION: “To be alive in this beautiful, self-organizing universe –to participate in the dance of life with senses to perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from it— is a wonder beyond words.”    ― Joanna Macy

Dr. Vincent Post

Vast freshwater reserves found beneath the oceans

Article by Marketing and Communications at Flinders University, December 6th, 2013

Scientists have discovered huge reserves of freshwater beneath the oceans kilometres out to sea, providing new opportunities to stave off a looming global water crisis.

A new study, published December 5 in the international scientific journal Nature, reveals that an estimated half a million cubic kilometres of low-salinity water are buried beneath the seabed on continental shelves around the world.

The water, which could perhaps be used to eke out supplies to the world’s burgeoning coastal cities, has been located off Australia, China, North America and South Africa.

“The volume of this water resource is a hundred times greater than the amount we’ve extracted from the Earth’s sub-surface in the past century since 1900,” says lead author Dr Vincent Post (pictured) of the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NCGRT) and the School of the Environment at Flinders University.

“Knowing about these reserves is great news because this volume of water could sustain some regions for decades.”

Dr Post says that groundwater scientists knew of freshwater under the seafloor, but thought it only occurred under rare and special conditions.

“Our research shows that fresh and brackish aquifers below the seabed are actually quite a common phenomenon,” he says.

These reserves were formed over the past hundreds of thousands of years when on average the sea level was much lower than it is today, and when the coastline was further out, Dr Post explains.

“So when it rained, the water would infiltrate into the ground and fill up the water table in areas that are nowadays under the sea.

“It happened all around the world, and when the sea level rose when ice caps started melting some 20,000 years ago, these areas were covered by the ocean.

“Many aquifers were – and are still – protected from seawater by layers of clay and sediment that sit on top of them.”

The aquifers are similar to the ones below land, which much of the world relies on for drinking water, and their salinity is low enough for them to be turned into potable water, Dr Post says.

“There are two ways to access this water – build a platform out at sea and drill into the seabed, or drill from the mainland or islands close to the aquifers.”

While offshore drilling can be very costly, Dr Post says this source of freshwater should be assessed and considered in terms of cost, sustainability and environmental impact against other water sources such as desalination, or even building large new dams on land.

“Freshwater under the seabed is much less salty than seawater,” Dr Post says. “This means it can be converted to drinking water with less energy than seawater desalination, and it would also leave us with a lot less hyper-saline water.

“Freshwater on our planet is increasingly under stress and strain so the discovery of significant new stores off the coast is very exciting. It means that more options can be considered to help reduce the impact of droughts and continental water shortages.”

But while nations may now have new reserves of freshwater offshore, Dr Post says they will need to take care in how they manage the seabed: “For example, where low-salinity groundwater below the sea is likely to exist, we should take care to not contaminate it.

“Sometimes boreholes are drilled into the aquifers for oil and gas exploration or production, or aquifers are targeted for carbon dioxide disposal. These activities can threaten the quality of the water.”

Dr Post also warns that these water reserves are non-renewable: “We should use them carefully – once gone, they won’t be replenished until the sea level drops again, which is not likely to happen for a very long time.”

The study “Offshore fresh groundwater reserves as a global phenomenon” by Vincent E.A. Post, Jacobus Groen, Henk Kooi, Mark Person, Shemin Ge and W. Mike Edmunds is published in the latest issue of Nature.

The National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training is an Australian Government initiative, supported by the Australian Research Council and the National Water Commission.

Deadline to Submit Information for EPA’s Hydraulic Fracturing Study is November 15th

From the US Environmental Protection Agency :

Greetings: To ensure that the EPA is up-to-date on evolving hydraulic fracturing practices and technologies, we’ve been soliciting relevant data and scientific literature specific to potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. EPA’s Federal Register Request for Information to Inform Hydraulic Fracturing Research Related to Drinking Water Resources will be closing on Friday, November 15, 2013.

While the EPA is conducting a thorough literature search, there may be studies or other primary technical sources that are not available through the open literature. Interested persons may provide scientific analyses, studies, and other pertinent scientific information, preferably information which has undergone scientific peer review. The EPA will consider all submissions but will give preference to all peer reviewed data and literature sources.

Thank you for your interest in EPA’s study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources.

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US Coast Guard Wants Input on Frack Waste Barging

Comment deadline November 29, 2013

Those wishing to comment on whether companies such as GreenHunter should barge natural gas fracking waste have until Nov. 29 to let the Coast Guard know their concerns.

GreenHunter is in the process of building a frack water recycling plant at N. 28th Street in Warwood, directly adjacent to the Wheeling Heritage Trail. John Jack, vice president of Business Development for GreenHunter, said the facility will help reduce congestion on roadways by replacing truck traffic with barge transport. He estimates only one loaded vessel will leave the Warwood dock each week.

However, members of the “Wheeling Water Warriors,” as well as Wheeling Jesuit University biology professor Ben Stout, remain concerned about GreenHunter’s plans. Stout believes having frack water that can contain hazardous materials such as arsenic, barium and bromides at a facility that is 1.2 miles upstream from the city of Wheeling’s water treatment plant is dangerous. Officials with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the brine GreenHunter wants to recycle in Warwood can contain radioactive radium and radon.

Comments must feature the docket number, USCG-2013-0915. They should include one’s name, mailing address and an email address or a telephone number so Coast Guard officials can reach those whom it may question regarding their comments.

Approximately 30 trucks, each carrying about 100 barrels of brine water from local fracking operations, would arrive at the site each day once it is up and running.

THERE ARE THREE OPTIONAL WAYS TO COMMENT BEFORE NOV. 29TH —

<<  The comments must include the docket number, USCG-2013-0915. >>

Those who would like to comment about allowing companies such as GreenHunter to barge natural gas frack waste on U.S. waterways can:

1.Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=USCG-2013-0915-0001

2. Fax comments to 202-493-2251;   3. Mail them to Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, D.C. 20590-0001.