The potential for significant heat energy is under foot

From the Essay by Delegate Evan Hansen (Monongalia County), WV Legislature

The promise of a booming clean energy sector and new clean energy jobs for West Virginia workers has never been more hopeful. The potential for job growth is enormous, which is why it is so critical that Sen. Manchin maintains a seat at the negotiating table to fight for new jobs in the budget package that is still being discussed in Washington.

Investment in clean energy technologies like solar and wind energy was a focal point of the original Build Back Better plan. These opportunities will supplement coal and natural gas and provide West Virginians with a lifeline to a new era of prosperity and growth. Our state has an immense opportunity to create good-paying, clean energy jobs, but only if a deal can be made in Washington.

One area that would see substantial growth with federal investment is geothermal energy.

As West Virginians, we hold an ace up our sleeve. In 2010, a team of researchers at Southern Methodist University discovered that West Virginia may well be sitting on a gold mine of renewable energy. The team uncovered the largest geothermal hot spot in the eastern United States and significantly increased the previous geothermal generation capacity estimate, opening the door to the possibility that large-scale renewable energy power plants could be built in our state.

Geothermal energy is effectively the heat that comes from below the surface of the earth. To produce power, wells are dug thousands of feet deep. Cool liquid is pumped down into the ground, and hot liquid is pumped up, producing steam that, if hot enough, can then be used to generate electricity. In the near future, West Virginia University researchers will drill the state’s first geothermal test well near Morgantown to take actual temperature measurements. If the temperatures are hot enough, electricity generation may be possible. If not, geothermal energy could still be used to generate steam to heat buildings.

What makes our situation unique is that, while there are literally thousands of geothermal locations that have been identified west of the Mississippi River, there are but a couple dozen east of the Appalachian Mountains. Right here in West Virginia, we are sitting on top of the mother lode.

So, consider this for a moment. If the most recent Build Back Better framework were to pass through Congress, the state of West Virginia could tap into more than $300 billion in tax incentives and lead the way in promoting renewable energy technologies like geothermal. Our state would see an inflow of new jobs that can’t be outsourced. And new, zero-carbon electricity and/or heat would be available to attract companies to the state that have strict carbon reduction targets.

While WVU researchers continue to do their groundbreaking research, getting a deal over the finish line in Washington is a win-win-win for West Virginia. We could once more be looked upon as an energy sector pioneer and create good-paying jobs, while also providing for a better future for our children.

>>> Delegate Evan Hansen (D-Monongalia) is a member of the WV House Energy and Manufacturing Committee.

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See Also: West Virginia has a (Deep) Geothermal Hot Zone | Science | AAAS, Eli Kintisch, October 4, 2010

Researchers have uncovered the largest geothermal hot spot in the eastern United States. According to a unique collaboration between Google and academic geologists, West Virginia sits atop several hot patches of Earth, some as warm as 200˚C and as shallow as 5 kilometers. If engineers are able to tap the heat, the state could become a producer of green energy for the region.

Planting trees near Wheeling’s Heritage Trail, learn about tree identification & management

Article by Maureen Zambito, West Liberty University, April 21, 2021

WEST LIBERTY, WV — Just in time for Earth Day, West Liberty University (WLU) students in Professor James Wood’s biology and ecology classes are planting trees in Wheeling’s public spaces and on campus.

Last Saturday students planted two types of native flowering trees along a portion of the Heritage Trail along the Ohio River, near WesBanco Arena. The purchase of the trees was made possible thanks to a grant obtained by West Virginia University Agricultural Extension Agent and Wheeling resident Karen Cox.

“These trees will add beauty to this public green space in the city, supporting birds and other pollinators while also providing shade for trail users in the height of summer heat,” said Wood. “Adding trees along the trail make it better for everyone.”

New signs here

But the students’ work wasn’t done just yet. On Sunday these students partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in addition to WVU Extension, to work on the National Wildlife Refuge at the northern tip of Wheeling Island.

PHOTO — New signage at the northern tip of Wheeling Island identifies the space as a National Wildlife Refuge, perfect for bird watchers.

“The Wildlife Refuge is a such a great resource for the public and for wildlife. It offers beautiful views of the river and is a great place to go bird watching close to downtown,” said Wood. “We are pleased to be a part of improving Wheeling’s public spaces.”

The outreach and service projects also provide WLU students with a hands-on look at careers in natural resources. Extension Agent Karen Cox and U.S. Fish and Wildlife representative Elian Barr spoke with students about working to protect and restore natural areas and educating the public about managing for endangered species and invasive exotic plants.

The students took time to clean up trash found in Wheeling Island’s Wildlife Refuge. “Our next project is closer to home, we’ll plant trees on campus near Campbell Hall,” said Wood.

“The goal is to increase educational opportunities on the WLU campus, while making the campus more visually attractive and promoting conservation. This round of tree planting will support the planting event last fall when over 40 native trees were planted by students during a service project.”

Dr. Wood is a faculty member in the biology department in the College of Sciences. Biology majors include Environmental Stewardship and Education; Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology and Zoo Science. Students also have the opportunity to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology + Master of Science Physician Assistant Studies degree through the 3+2 program.

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See also: The Trillion Trees bill was reintroduced in this Congress

House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Bruce Westerman reintroduced his Trillion Trees legislation in the House yesterday afternoon with over 60 co-sponsors. The bill has provisions related to increasing carbon sequestration through reforestation, improved forest management and market incentives. Among other provisions, the bill removes the cap on the Reforestation Trust Fund to $180 million to help address the reforestation backlog on the NFS. It also has language standing up urban wood and biochar grant programs, as well as integrating carbon storage into FIA and encouraging the Forest Service to utilize advanced geospatial technologies in FIA. The section-by-section summary below is useful.

(a) Westerman Leads Bipartisan Introduction of The Trillion Trees Act | Congressman Bruce Westerman (house.gov)

(b) trillion_trees_act_-_one_pager.pdf (house.gov)

(c) trillion_trees_act_-_section-by-section.pdf (house.gov)

(d) Full Bill Text in US Congress

Wild & Wonderful West Virginia, if we can keep it?

From the Letter of Leslee McCarty, The Beckley Register Herald, March 27, 2021

The Greenbrier River is one of West Virginia’s crown jewels. Why risk ramming the 42-inch Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) across it so the big out-of-state energy corporation can profit?

After the courts threw out MVP’s slapdash plans to dig a trench across the Greenbrier, the MVP is asking the state to approve – six years into the project – a new plan to bore under the river.

The bore at Pence Springs would use half a million gallons of water mixed with drilling mud and take up to four months to complete. It will be the longest bore on the MVP – nine times the average. If any of that drilling mud gets into the river, it would be a disaster for both tourism – the one industry offering real hope for the area – and the health of the river itself.

MVP has a terrible record. State officials in West Virginia and Virginia have fined the project more than $2.7 million because – as the Roanoke Times put it – “construction on steep mountainsides has led to muddy runoff, and to hundreds of violations of environmental regulations meant to control erosion and sedimentation.”

Environmental Hydrologist Dr. Jacob Hileman says the MVP would have more impact on forests and streams than any other gas pipeline. He called the MVP “an unprecedented and highly consequential experiment.”

Why do we have to risk the best things we have? Will we continue to allow West Virginia to be a sacrifice zone for big energy corporations, or will we protect our vulnerable water resources? Sadly, the Legislature seems to want to ignore the health and safety of our water. I hope the WV Department of Environmental Protection doesn’t ignore MVP’s impact on the Greenbrier River.

Let’s stop this misguided pipeline project now and get to work on renewable energy projects for a sustainable, clean energy future!

Leslee McCarty, Founding Member,
Greenbrier River Watershed Association
Lewisburg, WV

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Final remaining tree sitter removed from MVP site, arrested

From a Newscast of WDBJ News 7, Roanoke, VA on March 24, 2021

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) – According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s office, the final remaining tree sitter has been removed from the site of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

Alexander Lowe, 24 of Worcester, Massachusetts, was arrested and charged with Obstruction of Justice and Interfering with the Property Rights of Another. He is being held in the Montgomery County Jail with no bond.

The Virginia State Police worked from a crane-suspended basket to safely remove the man from the “sleeping dragon” and the tree. He was checked by medics after being lowered to the ground. The sheriff’s office said he received no injuries during the extraction.

Tree sitters understand that the intrusive large 42 inch pipe is not needed

Lowe was the lone remaining tree sitter Wednesday after all others were removed Tuesday from the site on Yellow Finch Lane.

Law enforcement worked Tuesday to negotiate with the tree sitters, who had been protesting the building of the Mountain Valley Pipeline for more than two years. One tree sitter, a 23-year-old woman from Vermont, was arrested Tuesday.

Environmental monitoring, regulation, justice, etc.

From Sandra Fallon, West Virginia Environmental Council, March 5, 2021

I’m writing about West Virginia Environmental Council’s upcoming virtual E-Day to see if you would help spread the word. I’m now on the WVEC Board and helping to organize this year’s event.

I’m remembering the E-Day in Charleston last year — what a year it’s been since then. Hope you and yours are doing OK.

The E-Day event is Wednesday, March 10 from 6pm-7:30pm via Zoom.

There are two images attached, an E-Day Graphic and a Charlie Hamilton print we’re auctioning. Registration has been pretty light so far so we want to make a big push in the days leading up to March 10.

So then, join us virtually for the year’s E-Day! Support our lobby team and learn more about what is going on at the WV Capitol! We will have experts on hand to bring you up to date as the session reaches its halfway point. No GREEN Jam this year (boo!) but you can join us in your jammies!

When: Wednesday, March 10 from 6:00 – 7:30 PM

What: WVEC’s annual E-Day will include a legislative update, live West Virginia music, a live auction of this Charlie Hamilton print

Where: It’s Virtual and free – but registration is required. (Suggested donation of $10.00 to support the WVEC lobby team).

Register here! More at our Facebook event! See you On Line!

Charlie Hamilton print

Thank you! Sandra Fallon, Citizens Climate Lobby, Morgantown, WV

See the FracTraker Alliance for extensive coverage

From an Article by Nick Cunningham, DeSmog Blog, February 11, 2021

The fracking boom has received broad support from politicians across the aisle in Appalachia due to dreams of enormous job creation, but a report released on February 10 from Pennsylvania-based economic and sustainability think tank, the Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI), sheds new light on the reality of this hype.

The report looked at how 22 counties across West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio — accounting for 90 percent of the region’s natural gas production — fared during the fracking boom. It found that counties that saw the most drilling ended up with weaker job growth and declining populations compared to other parts of Appalachia and the nation as a whole.

Shale gas production from Appalachia exploded from minimal levels a little over a decade ago, to more than 32 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2019, or roughly 40 percent of the nation’s total output. During this time, between 2008 and 2019, GDP across these 22 counties grew three times faster than that of the nation as a whole. However, based on a variety of metrics for actual economic prosperity — such as job growth, population growth, and the region’s share of national income — the region fell further behind than the rest of the country.

Between 2008 and 2019, the number of jobs across the U.S. expanded by 10 percent, according to the ORVI report, but in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, job growth only grew by 4 percent. More glaringly, the 22 gas-producing counties in those three states — ground-zero for the drilling boom — only experienced 1.7 percent job growth.

“What’s really disturbing is that these disappointing results came about at a time when the region’s natural gas industry was operating at full capacity. So it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the results would be better,” said Sean O’Leary, the report’s author.

The report cited Belmont County, Ohio, as a particularly shocking case. Belmont County has received more than a third of all natural gas investment in the state, and accounts for more than a third of the state’s gas production. The industry also accounts for about 60 percent of the county’s economy. Because of the boom, the county’s GDP grew five times faster than the national rate. And yet, the county saw a 7 percent decline in jobs and a 2 percent decline in population over the past decade.

“This report documents that many Marcellus and Utica region fracking gas counties typically have lost both population and jobs from 2008 to 2019,” said John Hanger, former Pennsylvania secretary of Environmental Protection, commenting on the report. “This report explodes in a fireball of numbers the claims that the gas industry would bring prosperity to Pennsylvania, Ohio, or West Virginia. These are stubborn facts that indicate gas drilling has done the opposite in most of the top drilling counties.”

A Boom Without Job Growth

This lack of job growth was not what the industry promised. A 2010 study from the American Petroleum Institute predicted that Pennsylvania would see more than 211,000 jobs created by 2020 due to the fracking boom, while West Virginia would see an additional 43,000 jobs. Studies like these were widely cited by politicians as proof that the fracking boom was an economic imperative and must be supported.

But the Ohio River Valley Institute report reveals the disconnect between a drilling boom and rising GDP on the one hand, and worse local employment outcomes on the other. There are likely many reasons for this disconnect related to the long list of negative externalities associated with fracking: The boom-and-bust nature of extractive industries creates risks for other business sectors, such as extreme economic volatility, deterring new businesses or expansions of existing ones; meanwhile air, water, and noise pollution negatively impact the health and environment of residents living nearby.

“There can be no mistake that the closer people live to shale gas development, the higher their risk for poor health outcomes,” Alison Steele, Executive Director of the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project, told DeSmog. “More than two dozen peer-reviewed epidemiological studies show a correlation between living near shale gas development and a host of health issues, such as worsening asthmas, heart failure hospitalizations, premature births, and babies born with low birth weights and birth defects.”

Moreover, oil and gas drilling is capital-intensive, not job-intensive. As the example of Belmont County shows, only about 12 percent of income generated by the gas industry can be attributable to wages and employment, while in other sectors, on average, more than half of income goes to workers.

In other words, it costs a lot of money to drill, but it doesn’t employ a lot of people, and much of the income is siphoned off to shareholders. To top it off, equipment and people are imported from outside the region — many of the jobs created went to workers brought in from places such as Texas and Oklahoma.

Despite the huge increase in shale gas production over the past decade, the vast majority of the 22 counties experiencing the drilling boom also experienced “economic stagnation or outright decline and depopulation,” the report said.

“[W]e could see long ago that the job numbers published and pushed out by the industry years ago were based in bluster, not our economic realities,” Veronica Coptis, Executive Director of Coalfield Justice, a non-profit based in southwest Pennsylvania, told DeSmog, commenting on the report. “At industry’s behest and encouragement, Pennsylvania promoted shale gas development aggressively in rural areas for more than a decade. And yet, the southwestern counties at the epicenter of fracking do not show any obvious improvement in well-being.”

Petrochemicals Also a False Hope

After natural gas prices fell sharply amid a glut of supply beginning in 2012, the number of wells drilled began to slow. Industry proponents then pinned their hopes on a new future: plastics. Petrochemical facilities would process low-cost natural gas into the building blocks of plastic and spur a virtuous cycle of new manufacturing while prolonging the drilling boom.

But the petrochemical promise has mostly been a mirage. Most of the proposed ethane crackers have been cancelled or delayed. Only one has moved forward: Shell’s ethane cracker in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, which was lured to the state with a $1.6 billion tax credit, the largest tax break in Pennsylvania history.

Even in Beaver County, job growth has been anemic: the county saw employment actually contract by 0.5 percent between 2008 and 2019, despite breaking ground on Appalachia’s flagship petrochemical facility, according to ORVI. In reality, the Shell cracker will employ several thousand people temporarily during construction, but only employ 600 people permanently when it comes online.

The market for petrochemicals has soured dramatically since Shell gave the greenlight on the project several years ago, raising doubts about future growth. And yet, in 2020, the Pennsylvania legislature passed another $667 million tax credit intended to lure in more petrochemical facilities to the state. Democratic Governor Tom Wolf supported it.

As the ORVI report concluded: “[P]olicymakers should look very critically at proposals to expand or otherwise assist the natural gas industry, which has yet to demonstrate that it is capable of contributing positively locally or on a large scale to the states and counties where it is most prevalent.”

Mobley is the location of a natural gas processing facility in Wetzel County, WV

From an Article by Laurence Hammack, Roanoke Times, January 19, 2021

Federal regulators hit the brakes Tuesday on a request to speed up construction of a portion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, throwing another wrench into the problematic project.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission deadlocked 2-2 on Mountain Valley’s request to bore under streams and wetlands along the pipeline’s first 77 miles in West Virginia.

After running into legal problems with a permitting process that would have allowed digging trenches through water bodies, the company asked FERC to authorize an alternative method of drilling a tunnel below some of the streams and wetlands through which the pipe would pass.

Approval by the commission would have enabled Mountain Valley to put the first 77 miles of the pipeline into service while work on the remaining 226 miles — including a stretch through the New River and Roanoke valleys — is slowed by legal attacks from environmental groups.

But at FERC’s virtual meeting Tuesday, an order approving the boring request failed to get a majority vote. With the panel split 2-2, and the fifth commissioner abstaining from voting, the matter essentially died unresolved.

“It’s a significant setback” for Mountain Valley, said Gillian Giannetti, a staff attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “MVP is in a holding pattern, and there’s no clear end in sight,” she said.

The council and other environmental groups had objected to Mountain Valley’s request to bore under the 69 water bodies that lie between the pipeline’s origin in northern West Virginia and the point where it will connect with another pipeline.

Boring “inherently presents significant risks” that should be evaluated more thoroughly, the council wrote in comments submitted to FERC last month.

“Mountain Valley failed to conduct geotechnical surveys, groundwater surveys and subsurface soil composition studies necessary to assess whether conventional bores are appropriate,” the filing stated.

Natalie Cox, a spokeswoman for the joint venture of five energy companies building the pipeline, said the tie vote means that FERC could revisit the stream-crossing issue in the future.

However, the regulatory landscape for natural gas pipelines will likely change under the administration of President-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to be less supportive of the industry than President Donald Trump.

FERC usually meets on the third Thursday of every month, but the January meeting was moved up to Tuesday — one day before Biden was to be sworn in. A spokesperson for the agency said the change was made to accommodate a schedule that included Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and Wednesday’s closing of federal offices for the inauguration.

The Mountain Valley proposal was listed as a consent item on the agenda, which generally indicates it was expected to pass. “It is exceptionally rare for an order to be put up for a vote and fail,” Giannetti said. The head of the presidentially appointed commission is responsible for putting items on the agenda, she said, and it’s possible Republican chair James Danly did not realize Mountain Valley lacked majority support.

While FERC’s membership is not expected to change immediately under Biden’s watch, the chair will likely switch from Danly to one of the two Democrats on the commission. That in turn could make things more difficult for Mountain Valley down the road.

One of many things that remained unknown Tuesday was the role of Mark Christie, the newest member of FERC, who did not cast a vote on the company’s request. Christie, a former member of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, was sworn in to FERC earlier this month.

Mary O’Driscoll, a spokeswoman for the agency, said Christie felt that Mountain Valley’s proposal could relate to his 17 years with the SCC. “Christie may explore such issues in these proceedings in the future,” O’Driscoll wrote in an email.

Pipeline opponents expressed surprise at Tuesday’s non-decision by FERC, which they say generally acts as a rubber-stamp to applications from Mountain Valley and other pipeline companies.

“While the commissioners could possibly revisit this decision later, for now, they have prevented an unjustified attempt to skirt environmental regulations,” said David Sligh, conservation director of Wild Virginia.

In comments at Tuesday’s virtual meeting, Commissioner Richard Glick — who in the past has been the lone vote against many Mountain Valley proposals — objected to FERC’s “piecemeal approach” of allowing construction to move forward while the company lacks all of its required permits.

Glick noted that the meeting marked the first time since August 2018 that all five members of FERC were seated. Allison Clements, who became a member last month, joined him in voting against Mountain Valley.

Since work on the pipeline began in 2018, three sets of federal permits have been set aside by the courts. Environmental organizations have repeatedly filed complaints about uncontrolled erosion and other harms caused by burying the pipeline along steep mountain slopes.

While the permits have since been reissued, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Nov. 9 stayed Mountain Valley’s latest approval, issued by the Army Corps of Engineers, to cross streams and wetlands.

That in turn led the company to request FERC approval to bore under streams, a crossing method that does not require approval by the Army Corps. Previously, FERC has approved individual requests for boring, including under the Roanoke River in Montgomery County.

In a separate decision last week, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management granted a right of way for the pipeline to pass through the Jefferson National Forest — as expected after approval several days earlier by the Forest Service.

Despite the latest setback, Mountain Valley still plans to have the $6 billion project completed by the end of the year, Cox said. But with the stream crossing issue still unresolved, and other legal battles brewing, opponents say there is still a chance of stopping the pipeline.

“Finally, FERC may actually be changing to work for the citizens of the US and not for the energy corporations,” Maury Johnson said in a statement from the anti-pipeline group Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights. “We can only hope this holds and we see a whole new era at FERC.”

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See also: Glick named FERC chair, promises ‘significant progress’ on energy transition, Catherine Morehouse, Utility Drive, January 21, 2021

Utility Dive Brief:

§ — Commissioner Richard Glick was named chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by President Joe Biden Thursday morning.

§ — Glick was considered a front runner for the chairmanship as the longest serving Democrat on the commission. He will succeed Chairman James Danly, and the commission is expected to retain its Republican majority until Commissioner Neil Chatterjee’s term is up June 30.

§ — Glick has said publicly that on the electric side he would prioritize transmission reform, reassessing capacity markets, and continuing efforts to lower barriers to clean energy resources in regulated markets. On gas, he believes the commission should rethink how it assesses greenhouse gas emissions and more seriously review environmental justice impacts when approving gas infrastructure.

Horseshoe Bend in New River seen from Grandview Park

From an Article by Olivia Rosane, EcoWatch.com, January 7, 2021

The U.S. is beginning the new year with a new national park. The nation’s 63rd national park is also the first to be designated as such in the state of West Virginia. New River Gorge, in Fayetteville, was officially changed from a national river to a national park as part of the COVID-19 relief bill that passed on Dec. 27, 2020.

Redesignation of the National River to a National Park and Preserve will shine a brighter light on West Virginia and all that it has to offer, and provide another catalyst for our tourism industry and local businesses. The New River Gorge is already a beloved destination for outdoor enthusiasts. It sees almost one million visitors every year and boasts activities like hiking, fishing, rafting, rock climbing and camping.

Despite its name, the river is actually believed to be one of the oldest in North America. It has been important for West Virginians throughout the state’s history, serving both Indigenous Americans and railway and coal-mining communities. It has been managed by the National Park Service as a national river since 1978, but hopefully its new status will attract more visitors.

Outdoor recreation is a $9 billion industry for West Virginia, and making the gorge a national park could boost visits by over 20 percent.

The efforts to redesignate the river represents a signal that West Virginia is shifting its economy from coal mining to conservation and recreation. The Congress people met with small business owners and outdoor enthusiasts in the state to build support for the new park, and emphasized its economic benefits.

This designation will increase the international recognition by highlighting West Virginia’s world-class beauty and resources. This designation will promote the beauty and rich history of the New River Gorge, while ensuring that the longstanding traditions of hunting and fishing are protected for generations to come.

To accommodate hunting and fishing, the new park will also double as a National Preserve. It will feature 7,021 acres of protected riverfront and a 65,165 acre preserve where hunting and fishing can take place. This makes it the only duel park and preserve outside of Alaska.

The New River Gorge is home to all West Virginia has to offer – beauty, small businesses, and adventurous tourism opportunities. This legislation will preserve and protect the New River Gorge for generations to come and make the state an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.

{NOTE — This Article has been edited for clarity and to remove political inferences.}

Robert Goes Solar -– Falling Waters, West Virginia

From Solar United Neighbors in West Virginia, July 2, 2019

Get help from Solar United Neighbors

Go solar and join the future! System size: 11.4 kW

Why did you decide to go solar?

My wife and I have owned an electric vehicle since 2015 and we knew we wanted to have enough solar to power the car and the house. Our array provides enough power to offset the annual usage of the all-electric house, two electric vehicles, and all electric lawn equipment. Controlling the source and cost of energy for the home and cars was a big factor along with minimizing CO2 emissions and pollution.

Has anything surprised you about going solar?

I was quite surprised by how quickly the array went up on the roof. The paperwork may have taken a few weeks, but the actual install was fast. I’m very pleased with the look of the final installation.

What electricity savings have you experienced since going solar?

Since the system went onto a new house we are unsure about exact usage, but I am estimating about $2,700 saved in electricity since September 2017. I estimate an additional $1,300 saved in fuel for vehicles over that time. We have also made efficiency improvements to the house, so there are some variables, but we’ve had a $5/month power bill, the minimum charge, since March 2018 and have a 3,500 kWh credit at the moment.

What advice would you give to someone is considering going solar?

First, look at solar not only as an investment in your home, but also the environment. Second, consider what efficiency upgrades you can make to your existing home. Get an energy audit! Lastly, I’d recommend pairing an electric vehicle with your solar system if at all possible. Once you know the convenience of waking up to a full tank every morning and not even noticing the price of gas, you won’t go back. And, EVs are a blast to drive! Go solar and join the future!

TOMORROW …. “West Virginia fails to legalize Power Purchase Agreements”

Michelle Rotellini, Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce, promotes solar project

From an Article by Jessica Farrish, Beckley Register Herald, September 1, 2020

Raleigh County Commission, on a 2-1 vote, welcomed the county’s first solar farm, a decision that was backed by Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce.

Raleigh Commission President David Tolliver and Commissioner Ron Hedrick voted in favor of a resolution to permit Raleigh Solar, a company formed in West Virginia in 2018 by Dakota Renewable Energy of Denver, to pay the county based on the amount of electricity the farm generated, with Commissioner Linda Epling voting against it.

The original agreement had offered only $1.4 million to the county, but Tolliver, Raleigh Sheriff Scott Van Meter and Raleigh Assessor Linda Sumner had rejected that offer. The approved version on Tuesday was an increase of $600,000, with Van Meter saying he would have liked to have seen the county receive more in the agreement.

Raleigh Solar is responsible, under the agreement, for treating the soil and for putting up a bond to disassemble all the panels, once the 15 years are past.

During the Tuesday meeting, Tolliver reported that there had been a change to the amount of money that the county would receive over a 20-year period. The county is now set to receive $2 million under the plan.

The Raleigh Commission agreed to accept the Dakota offer of just over $2 million for 20 years, or about $600,000 more than the original offer, said Tolliver.

Raleigh Solar signed an agreement to purchase about 600 acres on Grandview Road where it plans to place 1,000 solar panels, if favorable tax incentives are granted, according to Tolliver. A portion of the land is leased.

The agreement that Commission approved on Tuesday has no bearing on the location of the farm. The Raleigh Board of Zoning and Appeals must approve the location, Tolliver said.

Under county code, the agreement had to be approved by the Raleigh Assessor and Raleigh Sheriff, who is the treasurer of the county. Raleigh Assessor Sumner and Sheriff Van Meter both approved the resolution during the Tuesday meeting.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people over this, and I struggled a little, but I’m going to vote yes,” said Van Meter. “Because $2 million extra dollars for 20 years, I can’t leave on the table. “I’d like to have got more for the county, for sure, but I’ll vote yes.”

Raleigh Solar must now present the resolution to the Raleigh Board of Education for approval. Raleigh County Schools receives 78 percent of the funds. Raleigh Schools Superintendent David Price does not vote on the agreement, as was previously reported.

Commissioner Epling’s husband, Beckley businessman Doug Epling, had opposed the plan to allow a solar energy farm to come into the county without paying taxes. Doug Epling, who has interests in coal, had said that while he is in favor of diversifying energy resources in the county and is not “against” solar energy, he disagreed with the tax breaks that are being extended to solar energy, which could potentially cut local coal jobs.

Historically, West Virginia is a coal mining state. State lawmakers recently passed legislation that makes the state friendlier to solar farms but has not yet made explicit laws to allow purchase power agreements (PPA) in the state. A PPA would allow a solar energy company to erect panels on private property, at little or no cost to the property owner. Power generated would be available to the property owner, at a rate that would reduce the owner’s monthly power bill, and any additional generated power would be sold by the company.

Days prior to the Commission vote, Raleigh Chamber had issued a statement in support of diversification of the economy and the solar farm, with Chamber CEO Michelle Rotellini and Beaver Coal Co. General Manager Joe Bevel both voicing support of solar farm plans.

Rotellini pointed out that a diverse economy is a factor that helps attract Fortune 500 companies to a region.

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See also: Raleigh Chamber supports solar farm, Beckley Register Herald, August 29, 2020

“In conclusion, the BRCCC supports an ‘all of the above’ approach to energy options to ensure the future economic growth of Beckley-Raleigh County and all of Southern West Virginia.”

According to information from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal-fired power plants accounted for 92 percent of West Virginia’s electricity net generation in 2018. Renewable energy resources — primarily hydroelectric power and wind energy — contributed 5.3 percent and natural gas provided 2.1 percent.

The West Virginia Legislature in March passed a solar energy bill, a step toward diversifying the state’s energy portfolio. The law created a program that encourages the development of solar energy in the state.

According to statements by attorney Roger Hunter, who represented Raleigh Solar during an Aug. 18 public meeting, the estimated total construction cost for the solar farm is more than $90 million.

MVP construction has been active recently

From the Press Release of Appalachian Voices, November 9, 2020

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals today sided with conservation groups and issued an immediate stay of Mountain Valley Pipeline’s stream and wetland crossing permits in southern West Virginia and Virginia. The groups, noting the company’s stated rush to resume construction and the serious environmental harms likely to result, had asked the court for the stay while it considered the merits of their challenge of the water-crossing permits issued by the Corps of Engineers.

The eight groups, represented by Appalachian Mountain Advocates, filed a challenge of the Corps’ reissuance on September 25 of two “Nationwide Permit 12” approvals that would allow MVP, LLC to trench through some 1,000 streams, rivers, wetlands and other water bodies in the two states. The 4th Circuit had rejected the Corps’ first round of permit approvals in 2018.

As noted in the groups’ filings, Mountain Valley Pipeline’s operator recently told its investors that it intends to blast and trench through “critical” streams “as quickly as possible before anything is challenged.”

The court had issued an emergency stay October 16; today’s stay remains in effect until it rules on the groups’ petition to overturn the Corps’ water permits for the MVP project.

The groups filing the challenge include Appalachian Voices, Center for Biological Diversity, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Indian Creek Watershed Association, Sierra Club, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, and Wild Virginia.

>>> Peter Anderson, Virginia Program Manager, Appalachian Voices:
“Communities along the pipeline route have been on edge these past several weeks as the company has moved in heavy equipment and started doing work, so we’re very glad the court pressed pause on this permit while the water-crossing issues are reviewed further.”

>>> David Sligh, Conservation Director, Wild Virginia:
“Once again, the court has shown that it sees the dire threat this dangerous and damaging project poses to our precious waters and vulnerable communities. Convincing a court to stay an agency decision requires plaintiffs to convince the judges that they have a good chance to prove their case after full review. Now, we look forward to doing just that — to show conclusively that the Corps of Engineers abdicated its duty to protect us and our resources.”

>>> Anne Havemann, General Counsel, Chesapeake Climate Action Network:
“The companies behind the Mountain Valley Pipeline have proven countless times that they are unfit to build this pipeline safely, with hundreds of violations and thousands of dollars in fines already. They’ve done nothing to prove that future construction won’t result in the same. We applaud the court for standing on the right side of history and issuing this stay.”

>>> Joan Walker, Senior Campaign Representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign:
“The MVP has already doubled its timeline and budget, and it’s not even close to being finished. If they were smart, they would quit throwing good money after bad and walk away from this fracked gas disaster like Duke Energy and Dominion Energy did with the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.”

>>> Jared Margolis, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity:
“This decision will help ensure the pipeline doesn’t keep posing catastrophic threats to waterways that people and imperiled species depend on to survive. Despite the project’s clear failure to comply with the law, Mountain Valley keeps pushing this climate-killing menace. We’ll continue working to ensure this destructive pipeline doesn’t poison waters and threaten communities along its route.”

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See also: ‘Less-than-ideal bedfellows’: Mountain Valley Pipeline payout to Appalachian Trail Conservancy prompts criticism, Elizabeth McGown, Energy News Network, October 5, 2020

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy expected scrutiny for accepting a $19.5 million gift from the MVP pipeline’s developers but believes time will show it was the right decision.