February 2023 - News - lists.wvupress.com

WV Legislature ~ House Bill (HB-3110) To Add Oil & Gas Inspectors
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 28 Feb '23

28 Feb '23

# [WV Legislature ~ House Bill (HB-3110) To Add Oil & Gas Inspectors](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/28/wv-legislature-house-bi… hb-3110-to-add-oil-gas-inspectors/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/DF321E80-BB6F-4DFB-92BC-C21B309C099A.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/02/DF321E80-BB6F-4DFB-92BC-C21B309C099A.jpeg) Contact WV State Senators who can (might) do the right thing(s)? **WV Legislature HB-3110 for Oil & Gas Inspectors Passes House, Now in Senate Finance Committee** From an [Article by Mike Tony, Charleston Gazette](https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/legislative_session/wv-house- passes-bill-to-boost-funding-for-states-understaffed-financially-strained-oil- and-gas/article_c99c0b82-b975-514e-aba7-cbfd1f452b0d.html), February 23, 2023 **The West Virginia House of Delegates approved a bill that would increase funding for the state Office of Oil and Gas after rejecting an amendment from Delegate Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, that would have given the office a bigger financial boost.** The West Virginia House of Delegates passed the bill without opposition or debate Thursday that would bolster funding for the state’s understaffed, financially stressed gas and oil well inspection unit. **The House approved this HB-3110 in a 98-0 vote, sending it to the Senate.** **The state Department of Environmental Protection has estimated the bill would raise roughly $2 million annually to be allocated to the Office of Oil and Gas** , which is responsible for monitoring the exploration, drilling, storage and production of natural gas and oil in West Virginia. The office is in charge of monitoring 75,000 wells statewide. The bill would allocate 0.75% of oil and gas severance taxes and a tiered system of annual well oversight fees to benefit the Office of Oil and Gas. **HB 3110 would impose an annual $350 fee per well for an operator’s first 400 unplugged wells** that produce an average of 250,000 cubic feet of natural gas or more per day. The bill would impose an annual $75 fee per well for an operator’s first 400 unplugged wells that produce an average of between 60,000 and 250,000 cubic feet of gas per day. The legislation would impose a $25 fee for an operator’s first 4,000 wells that produce between 10,000 and 60,000 cubic feet of gas per day, with operators with 500 or fewer unplugged wells producing in that range of gas excluded from that fee. The House had rejected an amendment proposed by Delegate Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, that would have removed the 400- and 4,000-well caps on unplugged wells for which operators would have to pay oversight fees to support the Office of Oil and Gas. Hansen and environmental health proponents have argued that large producers can afford and should be required to pay more to support the state’s oil and gas regulators. **Stephanie Catarino Wissman, executive director of American Petroleum Institute Pennsylvania** , Appalachia Region, showed a lack of support for any fee-driven approach to supporting West Virginia environmental regulators. Wissman said the industry backs supporting the DEP through the existing severance tax. “[W]e need policies that enable investment in drilling and energy infrastructure, not additional taxes and fees,” Wissman said. **The DEP reduced the size of the Office of Oil and Gas from about 45 to 25 staff members in 2020 over a lack of funding stemming from a decrease in revenue from the one-time permit fees the office relies on for support.** **DEP Deputy Secretary Scott Mandirola has said HB 3110’s tiered fee system followed discussions with industry.** Mandirola told the House Energy and Manufacturing Committee prior to its approval of HB 3110 the Office of Oil and Gas’ 10 well inspectors are dwarfed by Pennsylvania’s 66 and Ohio’s 38. (West Virginia is the nation’s fourth-largest gas producer. The WV DEP has planned to bring back 10 inspectors to get back to the 20 the Office of Oil and Gas had prior to the 2020 cutbacks.) **West Virginia Surface Owners’ Rights Organization co-founder Dave McMahon** has urged state lawmakers to support around 40 well inspectors instead of going back to the 2020 status quo. Before the Energy and Manufacturing Committee earlier this month, McMahon cited a 2018 study of West Virginia well sites by Princeton and McGill university researchers that found active conventional wells are a significant source of methane emitted into the atmosphere. **Environmental, royalty and surface owner advocates have urged the Legislature to shore up funding for the Office of Oil and Gas in recent years** , citing lost royalties and harmful methane emissions due to gas leaks thriving with limited monitoring stemming from an understaffed inspection unit. **The study estimated that each active conventional well loses roughly 9% of production. Researchers found that the emission factor used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to project methane emissions from conventional active wells underestimates those emissions by 7.5 times.** Methane is typically released alongside other air pollutants that can cause cancer, asthma, premature birth and other devastating health outcomes. Also, methane traps at least 80 times as much heat in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, accelerating climate change that is driving an increase in major floods and power outages — to which West Virginia is especially prone. #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **HOUSE BILLS,** [HB-3110, “Relating to funding the Office of Oil and Gas in the Department of Environmental Protection”](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?IN…. West Virginia Legislature, February 28, 2023. HB-3110 assigned to Senate Finance Committee. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/28/wv-legislature-house-bill- hb-3110-to-add-oil-gas-inspectors/>

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VIRGINIA Should Stay in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative [RGGI]
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 27 Feb '23

27 Feb '23

# [VIRGINIA Should Stay in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative [RGGI]](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/27/virginia-should-stay-in-the- regional-greenhouse-gas-initiative-rggi/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/0FBF55F3-4D77-4538-98AC-48E0BABEA96F-300x168.png)](… content/uploads/2023/02/0FBF55F3-4D77-4538-98AC-48E0BABEA96F.png) Most all the northeastern states are in the RGGI **ZOOM SESSION: Reminder ~ Join us Wednesday to save Virginia 's RGGI funding!** From the [Action Alert of Zander Pellegrino, Chesapeake Climate Action Network](https://actionnetwork.org/events/defend-rggi-public-comment-writin… party/), 2/25/23 **Bad news, Virginia! Governor Glenn Youngkin is moving forward on his extremely unpopular crusade to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).** A recent poll found that huge bipartisan majorities of Virginians, including a plurality of Republicans, want to stay in RGGI. Yet four appointees on the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board – all hand-picked by Governor Youngkin – voted to remove us from RGGI. **Virginia has already received over $523 million from RGGI.** But Governor Youngkin's scheme puts us at risk of losing vital funds to prevent flooding and would throw our state's carbon cap-and-trade market into chaos. **Now the decision to leave RGGI is up for public comment and we need YOUR voice! Join CCAN and fellow climate activists for a virtual comment-writing party on Wednesday March 1 at 6:30 PM.** [RSVP today!](https://actionnetwork.org/events/defend-rggi-public-comment-writing- party/) We’re hosting this comment-writing party to make sure Virginians like YOU are heard. The League of Conservation Voters, Appalachian Voices, Nature Forward, and Sierra Club will be joining us. **Our featured speakers – Megan Root and McKenzie Brocker – work for the city of Roanoke on climate adaptation and sustainability. They will share what RGGI funding can mean for their part of Virginia.** **Then we will go into breakout sessions** where organizers will coach you on how to craft a strong comment. By the end of the hour, your comment will be ready for submission on the online portal! We will even help you navigate the website to make sure yours gets in. Sign up today! Last fall, we submitted 838 comments and an overwhelming number were in favor of RGGI. Generating another immense outpouring of support for RGGI will not only build the case against the Air Board repeal, it will also bolster RGGI’s support with lawmakers in the VA state legislature – where RGGI’s fate is legally decided. **And we will keep fighting!** [So RSVP today to join us Wednesday March 1 at 6:30 PM for a public comment-writing party.](https://actionnetwork.org/events/defend-rggi-public-comment-writing- party/) _See you there, Zander Pellegrino, CCAN, 2/25/23_ <https://actionnetwork.org/events/defend-rggi-public-comment-writing-party/> URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/27/virginia-should-stay-in-the- regional-greenhouse-gas-initiative-rggi/>

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Environment Day (E-Day) at the West Virginia Legislature is February 28th
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 26 Feb '23

26 Feb '23

# [Environment Day (E-Day) at the West Virginia Legislature is February 28th](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/26/environment-day-e-day-at-the- west-virginia-legislature-is-february-28th/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/CDE6A105-9438-48AC-9166-CE53C4B302F9-300x41.jpg)](h… content/uploads/2023/02/CDE6A105-9438-48AC-9166-CE53C4B302F9.jpeg)[![](http… content/uploads/2023/02/C7EB5141-EEA4-4D60-9803-57E2EF6FC09A-300x200.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/02/C7EB5141-EEA4-4D60-9803-57E2EF6FC09A.jpeg) **To the Residents of West Virginia’s 55 Counties, North South East & West!** From [Aileen Curfman, Conservation Chair, West Virginia Sierra Club](https://www.sierraclub.org/west-virginia) **[You’re invited to the annual Environmental Day at the West Virginia State Capital on February 28 from 9 AM to 2 PM.](https://wvecouncil.org/youre- invited-to-environmental-day/)** This event is organized each year by the West Virginia Environmental Council. It’s a great opportunity to connect with our legislators and to network with other environmentalists across the state. The Environmental Council has put together a short list of some legislation to address West Virginia’s long-standing environmental and economic woes. **Learn more here:** <https://wvecouncil.org/youre-invited-to-e-day-at-the-capitol-2/> If you would like to attend, or your group would like to have a table, please sign up here: <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdLXTPELMQWdk63ZCrM7VjWrJWHQRGUuU4…> _The West Virginia Sierra Club is excited about attending. I hope to see you there!_ [Sign Up For E-Day!](https://wvecouncil.org/youre-invited-to-environmental- day/) #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **P.S. Mark the date! On June 10, 2023, the West Virginia Sierra Club will have a picnic at the Grandview area of the New River Gorge National Park. All members, family and friends are invited. Please join us for a fun day with your fellow Sierrans in our nation’s newest National Park. Mark your calendar! Details will be coming soon.** URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/26/environment-day-e-day-at-the- west-virginia-legislature-is-february-28th/>

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§ Shale Gas Drilling & Fracking Quite Active But Moderating ~ $-Natural Gas Much Cheaper
by Frack Check WV: admin 25 Feb '23

25 Feb '23

# [§ Shale Gas Drilling & Fracking Quite Active But Moderating ~ $-Natural Gas Much Cheaper](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/25/%c2%a7-shale-gas- drilling-fracking-quite-active-but-moderating-natural-gas-much-cheaper/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/4B5B7645-8E2F-42B0-97F6-7B0B52F2A982-300x147.png)](… content/uploads/2023/02/4B5B7645-8E2F-42B0-97F6-7B0B52F2A982.png) Natural gas forecast doesn’t reflect the current volatility! **Chesapeake Energy to reduce drilling amid natgas price slump** From an [Article by Reuters, Business & Industry Connection](https://www.bicmagazine.com/industry/drilling- exploration/chesapeake-energy-to-reduce-drilling-amid-natgas-slump/), February 23, 2023 **(Reuters) U.S. natural gas producer Chesapeake Energy Corp said it would pull back on drilling and completing wells this year as natural gas prices have crashed to a quarter of what they were last summer.** **Chesapeake** said it will drop two rigs in the Haynesville region that covers parts of Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana this year, and one rig in Marcellus shale of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. "We certainly see that it's prudent to pull back capital, and we think we're seeing others do the same," Chief Executive Nick Dell'Osso said of energy firms pulling back in a shale gas play in Louisiana and east Texas. "We're making money on the capital that we are investing but the margins are not nearly on a full cycle basis what they were historically," he added. Other operators, primarily private firms, were also pulling back activity in that region, he said. Earlier this month, **Comstock Resources** Inc said it would cut drilling rigs to seven from nine this year. **Henry Hub natural gas futures on Wednesday briefly dipped below $2 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) for the first time since September 2020, and were down from last year 's $8 peak.** Shares of Chesapeake were up 2.3% to $79.77 in midday trading. Chesapeake, which previously announced plans to sell its oil position to focus on gas production, on Tuesday said it would sell oil assets in South Texas to chemical maker **INEOS** for $1.4 billion. That deal comes a month after it agreed to sell a separate part of its assets there to **Wildfire Energy** for $1.43 billion. Chesapeake expects to receive $1.7 billion in after-tax proceeds from those sales. Rival shale oil producer **Diamondback Energy** on Wednesday said it was increasing its non-core asset sale target to at least $1 billion by the end of this year, up from $500 million previously. #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **Natural Gas Price Volatility ‘Simply Noise’ for Heavily Hedged CNX, Says CEO** From an [Article by Andrew Baker, NGI Shale Daily](https://www.naturalgasintel.com/natural-gas-price-volatility-simply- noise-for-heavily-hedged-cnx-says-ceo/), January 27, 2023 **CEO Nicholas Deluliis hosted a conference call to discuss fourth-quarter and full-year 2022 results for Canonsburg, PA-based CNX, formerly part of CONSOL Energy of Pittsburgh.** Appalachian Basin pure-play **CNX Resources Corp.** is aiming to lock in elevated natural gas prices and protect itself from market swings through an aggressive hedging strategy. Also, “from a macro perspective, we expect the recent pricing volatility to continue in 2023 as the US domestic markets continue to fluctuate with shifting weather expectations, uncertain domestic production levels,” and growing liquefied natural gas demand from around the world. “How gas prices unfold in 2023 will depend on a difficult to predict combination of those three core elements.” The CEO said “while the extreme volatility in the natural gas markets will significantly impact near term results, prices along the strip are still materially higher than in recent years and as such, the rates of returns on previous capital investments remain not just high, but improved in this environment…” As a result, “the future business plan not only remains intact, but even stronger,” he added. CNX is forecasting capital expenditures (capex) of $575-675 million in 2023, including $430-475 million for drilling and completions. Total capex in 2022 was $566 million. Plans are to run one to two drilling rigs and one continuous, all electric hydraulic fracturing crew throughout the year, Deluliis said. **‘Modestly Lower’ Output** ~ CNX is expecting “modestly lower” production in 2023 versus 2022, he said. Management expects production levels to be at their lowest during the first quarter, then to accelerate as the year progresses. Production “is a result for us, not an objective within our strategy and business model,” he told analysts. “Most importantly, we’re expecting to return to our 2022 production level run rate around mid-year 2023 plus or minus, and from there return to more elevated annual levels in 2024 and beyond,” the CEO said. Also, “this annual capital budget assumes a full year of the increased inflationary cost environment that we experienced during the latter part of 2022 and reflects our desire to use the highest quality crews and products and to make the best long-term focused decisions to help derisk our plan.” The company expects to bring online 30 wells for the year, including 27 in Southwest Pennsylvania (SWPA) and three in Central Pennsylvania. The SWPA wells would comprise 23 in the Marcellus Shale and four in the Utica Shale, with average lateral lengths of 14,500 feet and 13,600 feet, respectively. **Deluliis noted that “today’s higher capital costs are more than offset by the increased pricing outlook that we continue to hedge into.” The company has hedged 82% of its expected natural gas volumes for full-year 2023.** The company “will continue to add higher priced hedges in what is an elevated natural gas price environment compared to when a lot of the hedges were originally put on,” Deluliis said. He added, “Locking in these increased pricing levels translates to significant future margin expansion that will add material free cash flow compared to the original seven-year plan that we put out in 2020.” **In other words, “we believe that the volatility that we’re seeing in the commodity markets [is] simply noise as it relates to our sustainable business model and long-term plan,” said Deluliis.** “Despite the uncertainty in the gas markets we are currently seeing in 2023 along with the uncertainty around the broader economy, we are confident in the sustainable business model that we have created.” As to the potential for mergers and acquisitions (M&A), Deluliis said, “I think the kind of bolt-on opportunities are fairly reduced at this point. There’s not a lot of private equity operators left and we always compare any potential M&A opportunity to the opportunity of doing M&A on ourselves through our buybacks, so it’s a pretty high hurdle when you come at it from that perspective. There’s currently nothing kind of on our radar from that perspective given where our share prices are trading.” CNX generated a company record $707 million of free cash flow in 2022, Deluliis highlighted. The company fetched an average realized gas price after hedging off $2.76/Mcf during 4Q2022, versus $2.54 in 4Q2021. The full-year average price was $2.92/Mcf in 2022, up from $2.57 in 2021. **Realized hedging losses totaled $360 million during the fourth quarter, compared to losses of $400 million in the corresponding 2021 period.** Production averaged 1.53 Bcfe/d in 4Q2022, down from 1.72 Bcfe/d in 4Q2021. Full-year 2022 production averaged 1.59 Bcfe/d, compared to 1.62 Bcfe/d in 2021. CNX reported net income of $1.17 billion ($6.64/share) for the fourth quarter of 2022, up from $630 million ($3.02) in 4Q2021. For full-year 2022, CNX posted a net loss of $142 million (minus 75 cents/share), versus a loss of $499 million (minus $2.31) in 2021. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/25/%c2%a7-shale-gas-drilling- fracking-quite-active-but-moderating-natural-gas-much-cheaper/>

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Some Growing Threats from Chemical Pollution ~ Frac Sand Sentinel #431
by Frack Check WV: admin 24 Feb '23

24 Feb '23

# [Some Growing Threats from Chemical Pollution ~ Frac Sand Sentinel #431](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/24/some-growing-threats-from- chemical-pollution-frac-sand-sentinel-431/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/11A73B7B-186F-4BC4-9769-E3B738027F22-300x180.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/02/11A73B7B-186F-4BC4-9769-E3B738027F22.jpeg) Cool & clear & clean water is wonderful and necessary …! **Growing Threats of Land Disturances, Water Contamination & Air Pollution** From the [Article of Patricia Popple, Frac Sand Sentinel #431](https://wisair.wordpress.com/), February 23, 2023 **Chemical additives of all varieties have been added to the hydraulic fracturing process along with frack sand and water to crack open fissures in the earth 's layers to allow oil and gas to leave the formation. In addition, various chemicals are added to the cleaning process when frack sand is blasted, crushed, washed and processed at facilities located throughout the United States. The additives are not disclosed to the public. Should we be concerned about our water, our soil, and our air and what has been added to our environment just to allow the fossil fuel industry to function without concern for life on this planet?** Other industries are known chemical pollutors too, and they have been doing so for many decades. It is not that we haven't known about it. We have been made aware of the issues over many years. Finding "forever chemicals" in our drinking water only serves to highlight the severity of the issues we face currently but also in the future for generations to come. This past week, I received a YouTube video link from a friend in St. Paul. It involved a discussion between a scientist and Nate Hagens known for his interest in health and environmental issues. I urge you to watch it. It may be longer than you would like, but it will give you an understanding of the issues we face and a challenge to all of us to take action to end the use of chemicals known to cause damages to all living things. Plastic use is also a topic of discussion. [The link is HERE!](https://youtu.be/2wgcCd7TOyo) ………. OR the same link below: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wgcCd7TOyo](https://youtu.be/2wgcCd7TOyo) #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE** : wisair.wordpress.com and for additional information, click here for panoramic aerial views of frac sand mines, processing plants, and trans-load facilities. FracTracker.org is also an excellent source of information and a picture source. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/24/some-growing-threats-from- chemical-pollution-frac-sand-sentinel-431/>

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The Climate Crisis Getting Worse ~ Faster & Faster, Dangerously So!
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 23 Feb '23

23 Feb '23

# [The Climate Crisis Getting Worse ~ Faster & Faster, Dangerously So!](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/23/the-climate-crisis-getting-wor… faster-faster-dangerously-so/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/9CA30C01-3C92-4DCF-997D-071821B39B93.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/02/9CA30C01-3C92-4DCF-997D-071821B39B93.jpeg) Plastics accumulation in the oceans, in rivers & streams, and in landfills is getting worse! **Some 27 feedback loops could accelerate climate crisis, warn scientists** From an [Article by George Hughes, Environment Journal (UK)](https://environmentjournal.online/articles/27-feedback-loops-could- accelerate-climate-crisis-warn-scientists/), February 21, 2023 Scientists are advising governments to take urgent action, as they have identified 27 global feedback loops which could lock the world into irreversible climate change. An international collaboration of Oregon State University researchers shared their findings in the One Earth journal and implored policymakers to avert the worst of the climate crisis. Feedback loops are climate-caused alterations which can trigger a process which causes even warming. For example, a melting Arctic could result in further warming, as sea water absorbs rather than reflects solar radiation. OSU College of Forestry postdoctoral scholar Christopher Wolf explained: ‘Many of the feedback loops we examined significantly increase warming because of their connection to greenhouse gas emissions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the most extensive list available of climate feedback loops, and not all of them are fully considered in climate models. What’s urgently needed is more research and modeling and an accelerated cutback of emissions.’ The scientists recommends ‘immediate and massive’ emission reductions to minimise short-term warming which is already causing disasters, such as wildfires and coastal flooding. This could then help to avoid climate tipping points which could result in unavoidable and self-perpetuating climate change. Both biological feedbacks, such as forest dieback and soil carbon loss, and physical feedbacks, like reduced snow cover and increased Antarctic rainfall, were considered. Professor William Ripple who also led the study said: ‘Transformative, socially just changes in global energy and transportation, short-lived air pollution, food production, nature preservation and the international economy, together with population policies based on education and equality, are needed to meet these challenges in both the short and long term. It’s too late to fully prevent the pain of climate change, but if we take meaningful steps soon while prioritizing human basic needs and social justice, it could still be possible to limit the harm.’ Ripple and Wolf worked with co-authors from the University of Exeter, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the Woodwell Climate Research Center and Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Associates on the research. They say that even modest warming will heighten the likelihood that the Earth will cross over tipping points which could fundamentally alter the climate system. ‘In the worst case, if amplifying feedbacks are strong enough, the result is likely tragic climate change that’s moved beyond anything humans can control,’ Ripple added. ‘We need a rapid transition toward integrated Earth system science because the climate can only be fully understood by considering the functioning and state of all Earth systems together. This will require large- scale collaboration, and the result would provide better information for policymakers.’ The scientists also identified seven dampening climate feedbacks which act to stabilize the climate system, such as carbon dioxide fertilization where rising CO2 leads to increasing carbon uptake by vegetation. However, the full effects of these seven feedbacks are still unknown. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/23/the-climate-crisis-getting- worse-faster-faster-dangerously-so/>

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13th National Monitoring Conference @ Virginia Beach on April 24 – 28
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 22 Feb '23

22 Feb '23

# [13th National Monitoring Conference @ Virginia Beach on April 24 – 28](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/22/13th-national-monitoring- conference-virginia-beach-on-april-24-28/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/AA8EB8AC-F13E-45B1-8316-FF30B17BAAC1-300x33.png)](h… content/uploads/2023/02/AA8EB8AC-F13E-45B1-8316-FF30B17BAAC1.png) Conference cosponsors are NOAA, US EPA, USGS, & NALMS **The National Water Quality Monitoring Council will host its 13th National Monitoring Conference during the week of April 24–28, 2023, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.** Monitoring for water quality/quantity and public and ecological health in all water resources will be represented, including lakes and wetlands, rivers and streams, coastal waters and estuaries, and groundwater. All federal, state, tribal and local water professionals, nonprofits, academia, water consultants and industry, and volunteer scientists are welcome at this important national forum. The conference will be offered in a hybrid format primarily in person, including a limited virtual format. Networking and opportunities to create new relationships will abound for attendees. Whether you seek to develop new skills, learn about the latest technologies, or simply exchange information on a wide variety of topics relevant to water resources, the National Monitoring Conference is for you. The conference attracts the highest quality professional papers and posters and is a destination conference for many in the field. Please look for the Call for Session Proposals and Call for Abstracts in Spring and Summer of 2022. **§§§ ~~~ 2023 Conference Themes Include:** **50 Years After the Clean Water Act and Similar Efforts** — a retrospective & prospective; lessons learned in water quality condition, assessment, justice & equity and long-term trend monitoring **Effectiveness Monitoring** — Are management actions working? Restoration results, best management practices, monitoring and education/outreach successes, inform priorities and track progress in protecting and restoring the condition of our nation’s waters **Protecting High Quality Waters** — monitoring to identify and evaluate waters; inform/implement protection strategies **Monitoring Collaboration** — national, tribal, regional, state and local initiatives, partnerships, and councils; inclusive stakeholder identification and engagement; Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion **Volunteer and Community-Based Monitoring** — volunteer monitoring, school & community groups and watershed associations, data to action, stewardship, increasing diversity & inclusion **Aggregating, Analyzing,Visualizing & Disseminating Data and Information** — Open data science tools and tool development; data portals; data equity; R-Shiny applications, story maps, and dashboards; communicating assessment, condition, and trends to decision makers and public **Hot Topics in Monitoring and Analysis** ~ Climate Change (impacts on quantity, quality, and biota), Harmful Algal Blooms (freshwater & marine), Persistent Toxic Contaminants (emerging and bioaccumulative contaminants, including PFAS), Nutrients (dynamics, impacts, monitoring, modeling, and analysis), Source Identification (nonpoint source, point source, stormwater, atmospheric deposition), New and Emerging Technologies (in situ and continuous monitoring, remote sensing, analytical methods, eDNA), Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning **[FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION SELECT HERE](https://nalms.wildapricot.org/event-5071822?utm_source=Master+List&ut… URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/22/13th-national-monitoring- conference-virginia-beach-on-april-24-28/>

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HYDROGEN HAS TAKEN A ‘BOLD ROLE’ FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 21 Feb '23

21 Feb '23

# [HYDROGEN HAS TAKEN A ‘BOLD ROLE’ FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/21/hydrogen-has- taken-a-%e2%80%98bold-role%e2%80%99-for-future-development/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/6122058A-3639-4FD0-9857-CF2E974BC3E4-300x190.png)](… content/uploads/2023/02/6122058A-3639-4FD0-9857-CF2E974BC3E4.png) Blue hydrogen involves the capture of carbon dioxide and its usage or storage **Hydrogen: The time has come for the simplest chemical substance, H2** From an [Article by Ropa Mugadza, Independent Community Intelligence Service](https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/hydrogen-the-time-has-come/) (ICIS) News Hydrogen has recently gained traction in government strategies, business plans and the media as a potential silver bullet for reaching net zero. But in reality, hydrogen has been considered as a potential aid to mitigating climate change for over 50 years. **So, why now?** What makes the attention given to hydrogen in the 2020s different from the 1970s? Firstly, political, environmental and economic landscapes have shifted. In the 1970s, there was a lack of policy and regulation to drive the hydrogen market forward. As well as this, the technology to bring low-carbon and renewable hydrogen would have required additional investment and research. All of this meant that there was no concrete economic benefit for decarbonised energy. However, the market has moved forward. Governments have set targets, regulators are establishing conditions for market participants and businesses are under pressure from investors, consumers and stakeholders to commit to net zero emissions. This shift can be seen across many developments that solidify the prospect of the hydrogen transition across the value chain. On July 15, the European Commission revealed funding for 41 hydrogen projects totalling €5.4 billion. The Indian government is currently holding consultations with stakeholders and is anticipated to launch a comprehensive renewable hydrogen mission that may announce purchase obligations for different industries. On the back of anticipated increased demand, the chemical company Johnson Matthey (JM) has announced a plan to build a manufacturing facility to produce hydrogen fuel cell components. The hydrogen movement is gaining momentum on a global scale, but where is this heading? **Navigating the hydrogen transition** As a means of reaching net zero by 2050, policymakers have set multiple targets for hydrogen market participants over the course of this decade. All over the world, countries have created roadmaps and policies to ensure that steps are continuously taken towards a decarbonised society. Many countries have issued official hydrogen strategies and roadmaps in order to increase their hydrogen consumption and develop the necessary infrastructure. The targets in these strategies indicate that they are on track to increase hydrogen production capacity to 400 times that of 2020 by the end of this decade. As of the end of May 2022, the industry had announced 680 large-scale hydrogen project proposals worldwide. Most recently, the UK government published a policy paper highlighting investment opportunity across the entire hydrogen value chain and providing information on the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund, which was established to support hydrogen deployment as well as hydrogen business models that provide revenue support to pioneer hydrogen projects. All of this indicates that hydrogen is becoming a more appealing investment. For the first time since hydrogen was coined as the energy of the future, market participants are facing concrete implementation plans at a scale hitherto unseen. **The roadblocks to hydrogen are substantial** Hydrogen is rarely found on its own, it needs to be manufactured. The production process usually requires purchasing electricity or natural gas, and the final cost of producing hydrogen can vary substantially depending on the type and environmental impact. In other words, producing hydrogen comes with a price tag. Alongside this, although hydrogen appears to offer numerous opportunities for future investment, demand for the commodity is not set in stone. It can be used in transport, industry, power and for heating – but governments are yet to finalise the targets for using certain volumes within these different areas. This means that market sizing is difficult for new entrants to understand. **Conclusion** ~ A strong government commitment to deep decarbonisation, supported by financial investment, regulation and clear hydrogen strategies and targets, has sparked unprecedented momentum in the hydrogen industry. If the initial goals set out by policymakers and legislators are to be fulfilled, momentum must now be maintained, and a long-term regulatory framework must be established. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/21/hydrogen-has- taken-a-%e2%80%98bold-role%e2%80%99-for-future-development/>

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‘Real Clean Energy’ Needed, Not Climate Crisis Causing Coal
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 20 Feb '23

20 Feb '23

# [‘Real Clean Energy’ Needed, Not Climate Crisis Causing Coal](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/20/%e2%80%98real-clean- energy%e2%80%99-needed-not-climate-crisis-causing-coal/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/A6515E27-416B-473C-B156-2A5BCD3DE205-300x150.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/02/A6515E27-416B-473C-B156-2A5BCD3DE205.jpeg) Carbon dioxide and methane are accumulating in the Earth’s atmosphere exponentially! **End taxpayer rip-offs; invest in real clean energy** From the [Letter to the Editor by Jim Kotcon, Morgantown Dominion Post](https://wvecouncil.org/), February 19, 2023 [West Virginia legislators are adopting one taxpayer rip-off after another.](https://wvecouncil.org/) For example, bills to subsidize uncompetitive coal companies or power plants are moving quickly (e.g., HB 3133). Nuclear power, the most expensive way to generate electricity, seems to be targeted for West Virginia. (HB 2896 allows radioactive waste dumps in West Virginia.) Bills to encourage a hydrogen hub are also being adopted. Building carbon capture and sequestration may make sense for biofuels, but it only throws good money after bad when trying to prolong fossil fuels (SB 162). If any of these had a legitimate role in combating climate change, I might be more supportive, but there is simply no way they will make a meaningful impact. There are better options. A report last month from Energy Innovation and University of California, Berkeley shows that building renewable energy such as wind or solar will generate electricity more cheaply than operating any existing power plant in West Virginia. Instead of gouging ratepayers or ripping off taxpayers, our political leaders should invest in the cheapest, cleanest, safest and fastest alternatives first. Why should we continue to subsidize the dirtiest and most expensive alternatives? If the free market has spoken, why are our political leaders so intent on subsidizing dinosaurs and ripping off the taxpayers? #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **NOTE** : _You are invited to E-Day at the West Virginia State Capitol Building on February 28th from 9 am to 2 pm._ [WV Environmental Council](https://wvecouncil.org/). URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/20/%e2%80%98real-clean- energy%e2%80%99-needed-not-climate-crisis-causing-coal/>

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Weekly Report for “Living on Earth” on Important News
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 19 Feb '23

19 Feb '23

# [Weekly Report for “Living on Earth” on Important News](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/19/weekly-report- for-%e2%80%9cliving-on-earth%e2%80%9d-on-important-news/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/AB6403B0-C4B4-4D47-8CBD-32DB983C9B95-300x200.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/02/AB6403B0-C4B4-4D47-8CBD-32DB983C9B95.jpeg) In February 1969, polar explorer and flier Bernt Balchen predicted that the Arctic pack ice is thinning and that the summertime ocean at the North Pole would become open water within a decade or two, something that actually happened by about the year 2000. (Photo: Kevin Lockwood, Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0) **LIVING ON EARTH** ~ [Beyond the Headlines: Air Date: Week of February 17, 2023](https://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=23-P13-00007&segmen… Journalist Peter Dykstra joins Host Steve Curwood this week to discuss the recent Ohio train derailment, which sent 50 cars carrying toxic chemicals including vinyl chloride careening off their tracks. They also discuss the proposed more efficient energy standards for washing machines, refrigerators, and freezers. For a history lesson, they dive into a prescient 1969 paper warning that the Arctic pack ice is thinning and the summertime ocean at the North Pole would soon become open water. **CURWOOD** : It’s Living on Earth, I’m Steve Curwood. It's time now to take a look beyond the headlines with living on Earth commentator, Peter Dykstra. You there Peter, you got something for us today. DYKSTRA: Major story that got in my opinion minor treatment in the national news, I'm talking about the train derailment in Ohio on the Ohio Pennsylvania border. On February 7, 2023, members of the Ohio National Guard’s 52nd Civil Support Team started to assess hazards from the Feb. 3 derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals near East Palestine, Ohio. Tanker car after tanker car contained toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen. Local residents were evacuated, there were no immediate injuries among the train crew or local residents, but possible health impacts are something that are still a mystery. Some local residents have taken it to court, including asking for the responsible parties to pay for testing of all local residents in this incident that forced people to leave town that started a huge fire that got very little notice. **CURWOOD** : Yeah, I mean, it was a really big deal. The governor of Ohio Mike DeWine asked the police to arrest people who refuse to evacuate they were so concerned how dangerous these chemicals are. And more and more of the petrochemical industry is interested in shipping chemicals around to make more and more plastic. DYKSTRA: Right, they view plastic, the petrochemical industry as their safety valve no pun intended for the days when oil and natural gas are in decline over climate change concerns if they begin to disappear as a vehicle fuel, all of those petrochemical products can help keep the oil and gas industry alive. And in the case of this train another concern is that the right to know laws that used to be so common on the state and local and federal level have been eroded. That's happened ever since 911, when it was viewed, that giving the public and local fire departments and local safety people all the information about what toxic chemicals were involved in factories or trains or ships would be an open door for terrorists to take that information and make some pretty bad things with it. So right to know, is something that isn't widespread anymore. So it took a long time for those people in East Palestine, Ohio and towns across the state line in Pennsylvania to know what they were exposed to. **CURWOOD** : Hey, what else do you have for us Peter? DYKSTRA: There's been a proposal by the Department of Energy to make washing machines and refrigerators much cheaper to power and much more efficient by the year 2027. Right now, it's estimated that the greenhouse gas emissions in the US from washers and refrigerators are equal to the entire greenhouse output of the nation of Argentina. This would help a lot toward meeting climate change goals in just a few years. **CURWOOD** : Talk to me about the numbers here, Peter. I'm sure the appliance manufacturers are saying wait, wait, wait, this is going to cost us a lot of money. DYKSTRA: It may cost a lot of money at first. It's estimated it could cost $2 billion for appliance makers to retrofit that's opposed to consumer savings of over $3 billion. Not one time, but every year. And those reduced energy bills also mean reduced climate risk. **CURWOOD** : And Peter at one point we unplugged an old freezer that we had and the thing was costing us maybe a buck or two a day to run, it was crazy. DYKSTRA: We had the same thing in our house. There was an old refrigerator that we used as a backup when the kids grew up and moved out. We didn't need two refrigerators. We got rid of the old one, and our electric bills suddenly declined by about 25%. **CURWOOD** : Hey, let's take a look back in history now, Peter. DYKSTRA: Last week you and I talked about how Lyndon Baines Johnson back in 1965 was the first American President to mention the potential risks of co2 and climate change. But just four years later, on February 20 1969, there's a Norwegian born Arctic explorer named Bert Balkan, who warned that the Arctic ice pack is thinning. And he said the North Pole could be open ocean, quote within a decade or two **CURWOOD** : Well, he was right and he was wrong. That took about 30 years before people like Jim McCarthy were in boats at the North Pole and open water. But he was right about the trend. Certainly, huh. DYKSTRA: He was right about it at the time. Someone else that was paying very close attention to the thickness of ice in the Arctic were the naval fleets of the United States of America and the Soviet Union. They kept very diligent measures of how thick the ice As was in case they ever needed to break through that ice with their submarines to fight a nuclear war, those numbers weren't revealed until after the fall of the Soviet Union. But they revealed something very alarming from all those tree huggers in the US Navy and the Russian Navy. **CURWOOD** : And just these last 40 years, apparently, we've lost three quarters of the volume of the Arctic sea ice. We are changing things on this planet rapidly. Well, thanks, Peter. Peter Dykstra is a commentator with Living on Earth. We'll talk to you again real soon. DYKSTRA: All right, Steve, thanks a lot. Talk to you soon. **CURWOOD** : And there's more on the stories on the Living on Earth webpage. That's LOE dot ORG. **Links to Further Reading ~** 1\. Grist | “The Ohio train derailment underscores the dangers of the plastics boom” 2\. Washington Post | “Washing machines and fridges could be much cheaper to power by 2027.” 3\. New York Times archives | “Expert Says Arctic Ocean Will Soon Be an Open Sea; Catastrophic Shifts in Climate Feared if Change Occurs Other Specialists See No Thinning of Polar Ice Cap” URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/19/weekly-report- for-%e2%80%9cliving-on-earth%e2%80%9d-on-important-news/>

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A Sustainable Plan for the Budget ‘Surplus’ in West Virginia
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 18 Feb '23

18 Feb '23

# [A Sustainable Plan for the Budget ‘Surplus’ in West Virginia](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/18/a-sustainable-plan-for-th… budget-%e2%80%98surplus%e2%80%99-in-west-virginia/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/73F61A08-4C39-4AE8-957F-485CA6829C53-300x168.png)](… content/uploads/2023/02/73F61A08-4C39-4AE8-957F-485CA6829C53.png) FrackCheck says that any surplus should go to the counties where the excess originates. **What’s a Sustainable Plan for West Virginia’s Budget “Surplus”?** From the [Weekly Post of the WV Center on Budget & Policy](https://wvpolicy.org/whats-a-sustainable-plan-for-west-virginias- surplus/), February 17, 2023 The 2023 state legislative session has seen both chambers heavily focused on turning the state’s revenue “surplus” into personal income tax cuts, despite the clear need for new spending after four years of austerity forced by flat budgets. We’ve covered at length the temporary factors driving the surplus, as well as the fallacy of calling it a surplus at all when much of that money is obligated to future budget spending based on decisions lawmakers have already made. This piece will take a look at West Virginia’s expected FY 2023 surplus and outline how we could spend it in equitable and sustainable ways while still meeting our budget obligations. Seven months into the fiscal year, West Virginia has a budget surplus of $995.3 million. Half of that, $497.8 million, is severance tax collections above estimates, which have resulted from temporarily high energy prices due to factors outside of West Virginia’s control. To put the historic severance tax collections into context, just seven months into FY 2023, we’ve collected 252 percent of the severance tax we estimated to bring in this year. If current revenue trends continue, we would expect the total FY 2023 surplus to be just over $1.7 billion, which is the amount state officials are projecting as well. Earlier this month, Senate Finance Chairman Eric Tarr identified in an interview that they used the budget hearing process as a workaround to understand each state agency’s upcoming spending needs. What the Senate Finance committee learned is that the state is already on the hook for “at least $917 million” in ongoing, base budget spending obligations based on legislation previously passed, which means that much of the surplus is simply not available to fund tax cuts without changing existing laws or drastically cutting the budget. Chairman Tarr noted that over $900 million is already obligated before lawmakers pass any additional legislation this year that has a price tag. That leaves about $800-850 million remaining of the FY 2023 surplus. If current trends continue, we can expect the severance tax portion of the surplus to be around $800-850 million. We’ve long cautioned that severance tax revenues are incredibly temporary as they are tied to volatile energy prices. A fiscally responsible practice would be to not use any temporary severance tax revenue toward permanent spending — either for the budget or for permanent tax cuts. That said, it’s important for the state to meet its legal spending obligations. With the $800-850 million of severance tax surplus remaining, these funds could be incredibly transformative in the coal and natural gas communities where these tax benefits derive from and which, in many cases, have seen underinvestment in recent years in both infrastructure and economic development. Last year, we called on lawmakers to create an infrastructure and development fund for counties that have coal and natural gas production and to place the FY 2023 severance tax surplus into that fund. With an $800-850 million pot of money, many meaningful projects could be pursued to improve economic opportunities in these communities for this and the next generation. That more than exhausts the FY 2023 surplus. However, some of the costs Chairman Tarr identified as upcoming base-building costs do not become part of the budget until FY 2025 or later. Additionally, the state still has about $500 million in unappropriated surplus funds from FY 2022 that could go to one-time needs, but again, it would be deeply irresponsible to base any ongoing spending or tax cuts on temporary surplus dollars—either those from the severance tax or from the remaining FY 2022 surplus. West Virginia could make some long-needed one-time investments with these dollars — for example, investing in child care subsidies for thousands of families who lost theirs at the end of last year, launching a paid family and medical leave program, and investing in education and workforce training programs. There are also equitable one-time ways to get money back into the pockets of West Virginians. The best option would be a child tax credit applied to all children in the state under the age of 18. For about $350 million, every child in the state could get a one-time $1,000 child rebate. If revenues continue to grow in future years, the legislature could come back and consider making the program permanent. West Virginia’s FY 2023 surplus does present significant opportunities to invest in our people—but most of that investment will need to be in the form of meeting our obligations for public services that serve all of our people. The plan laid out above to meet our spending obligations, invest temporary severance tax revenues back into our coal and natural gas communities, and get more money into the pockets of families with children is both a sustainable and an equitable approach. [Read Kelly Allen’s full blog post here](https://wvpolicy.org/whats-a- sustainable-plan-for-west-virginias-surplus/). <https://wvpolicy.org/whats-a-sustainable-plan-for-west-virginias-surplus/> URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/18/a-sustainable-plan-for-the- budget-%e2%80%98surplus%e2%80%99-in-west-virginia/>

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Warning ~ The Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is Melting (and Retreating)
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 17 Feb '23

17 Feb '23

# [Warning ~ The Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is Melting (and Retreating)](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/17/warning-the-thwaites- glacier-in-antarctica-is-melting-and-retreating/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/ACEBEC31-D6D6-402C-A093-79309624F0BC-300x300.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/02/ACEBEC31-D6D6-402C-A093-79309624F0BC.jpeg) The Thwaites glacier is seen here as part of Antarctica, for now! **Underwater robot helps explain Antarctic glacier’s retreat** From the [Article by James Dean, Cornell Chronicle](https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2023/02/underwater-robot-helps- explain-antarctic-glaciers-retreat), February 15, 2023 **First-of-their-kind observations beneath the floating shelf of a vulnerable Antarctic glacier reveal widespread cracks and crevasses where melting occurs more rapidly, contributing to the Florida-sized glacier’s retreat and potentially to sea-level rise, according to a Cornell research team and international collaborators.** **Deploying the remotely operated Icefin underwater robot through a nearly 2,000-foot-deep borehole drilled in the ice, the team captured the first close-up views of the critical point near the grounding line where Thwaites Glacier in western Antarctica – one of the continent’s fastest changing and most unstable glaciers – meets the Amundsen Sea.** **Icefin is a small robotic oceanographer that allows researchers to study ice and water around and beneath ice shelves – and develop the technology to explore other oceans in our solar system.** From that area, the researchers concluded that Thwaites has retreated smoothly and steadily up the ocean floor since at least 2011. They found that flat sections covering much of the ice shelf’s base were thinning, though not as quickly as computer models had suggested. Meanwhile, the walls of steeply sloped crevasses and staircase-like features were melting outward at much faster rates. The findings, reported Feb. 15 in the journal Nature, provide new insight into melting processes at glaciers exposed to relatively warm ocean water, and promise to improve models predicting Thwaites’ potentially significant contribution to sea-level rise. “These new ways of observing the glacier allow us to understand that it’s not just how much melting is happening, but how and where it is happening that matters in these very warm parts of Antarctica,” said Britney Schmidt, associate professor of astronomy and earth and atmospheric sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and Cornell Engineering. “We see crevasses, and probably terraces, across warming glaciers like Thwaites. Warm water is getting into the cracks, helping wear down the glacier at its weakest points.” Schmidt, whose team developed Icefin, is the lead author of “Heterogeneous Melting Near the Thwaites Glacier Grounding Line,” and a co-author of “Suppressed Basal Melting in the Eastern Thwaites Glacier Grounding Zone,” whose first author is Peter Davis, an oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Additional co-authors from the Department of Astronomy (A&S) and Schmidt’s Planetary Habitability and Technology Lab include: Research Scientist Peter Washam; Senior Research Engineers Andrew Mullen and Matthew Meister; Research Engineers Frances Bryson ’17 and Daniel Dichek; Program Manager Enrica Quartini; and Justin Lawrence, a former doctoral student and visiting scholar. “Icefin is collecting data as close to the ice as possible in locations no other tool can currently reach,” said Washam, who led analysis of Icefin data used to calculate melt rates. “It’s showing us that this system is very complex and requires a rethinking of how the ocean is melting the ice, especially in a location like Thwaites.” Researchers collected the first close-up observations of the grounding line where the remote Thwaites Glacier, one of Antarctica’s fastest changing and most unstable glaciers, meets the Amundsen Sea. The robotic under-ice observations were collected in early 2020 as part of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC), the largest international field campaign ever undertaken in Antarctica, funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.K.’s Natural Environment Research Council. Complementing Icefin’s observations, partners on ITGC’s MELT project also collected data using radar, ocean moorings and other sensors at multiple sites. **Since the 1990s, the Thwaites grounding line has retreated nearly 9 miles and the amount of ice flowing out of the 75-mile-wide region has nearly doubled, according to ITGC. Because much of the glacier sits below sea level, it is considered susceptible to rapid ice loss that could raise sea levels by more than 1.5 feet. Collapse of the ice sheet behind Thwaites could add substantially more, “with profound consequences for humanity,” according to BAS.** The BAS team, which used hot water to drill the borehole Icefin accessed about 1 mile from the Thwaites grounding line, reported that over a nine-month period, the ocean in that area became warmer and saltier. Surprisingly, the vertical melt rate over much of the ice was less than previously modeled, averaging 6 feet to 18 feet per year. “Our results are unexpected, but the glacier is still in trouble,” Davis said. “If an ice shelf and a glacier is in balance, the ice coming off the continent will match the amount of ice being lost through melting and iceberg calving. What we have found is that despite small amounts of melting there is still rapid glacier retreat, so it seems that it doesn’t take a lot to push the glacier out of balance.” Covering an area larger than Florida or Britain, collapse of the Thwaites Glacier in western Antarctica could contribute significantly to sea-level rise, according to the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. The researchers attributed the varying melt rates in different topography to water stratification and mixing. Along flat sections of ice, a thin layer of melted freshwater acts as a barrier to warmer ocean currents, suppressing upward melting. In contrast, water funneling through sloped crevasses and scalloped terraces transfers heat that promotes faster sideways melting, at estimated rates of up to 140 feet per year. Schmidt and her team of students and staff, including Meister, Dichek and Lawrence, began developing Icefin nearly a decade ago while at the Georgia Institute of Technology, to explore previously uncharted terrain including grounding lines. Designed to descend through narrow boreholes, the pencil- shaped vehicle – measuring less than 10 inches in diameter and more than 12 feet long – is equipped with thrusters, cameras, mapping instruments and sensors for measuring ocean current speeds, temperature, salinity and oxygen levels – information needed to estimate melt rates. **Icefin’s ongoing development – a fourth-generation vehicle is now under construction – has been supported by NASA. In addition to improving climate models, the space agency believes lessons learned in the Antarctic could inform eventual missions searching for life on the icy moons Europa and Enceladus.** The newly published research also includes co-authors from New York University; New York University Abu Dhabi; Georgia Institute of Technology; Oregon State University; University of Portland; Lewis & Clark College; Pennsylvania State University; University of Kansas; University of California, Irvine; California Institute of Technology; University of Gothenburg in Sweden; and the University of St. Andrews and University of East Anglia in the U.K. #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **NOTE:** GLACIERS SOMETIMES ADVANCE BUT MAINLY ARE RETREATING ~ During years when more snow and ice are gained in the accumulation zone than what are lost in the ablation zone the glacier will move forward (advance). During years when more snow and ice are lost in the ablation zone than what are gained in the accumulation zone, the glacier will instead move backwards (retreat). URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/17/warning-the-thwaites-glacier-in- antarctica-is-melting-and-retreating/>

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The Sun Shines on Toyota in Putnam County! What About the Rest of West Virginia?
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 16 Feb '23

16 Feb '23

# [The Sun Shines on Toyota in Putnam County! What About the Rest of West Virginia?](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/16/the-sun-shines-on-toyota- in-putnam-county-what-about-the-rest-of-west-virginia/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/B77C6ACE-5109-43E2-8CBC-8A65FD1305D0-300x180.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/02/B77C6ACE-5109-43E2-8CBC-8A65FD1305D0.jpeg) Is this for real or a scene from “Star Wars?” **Flower power: Solar arrays resembling flowers provide energy at Toyota Putnam plant** From an [Article by the Staff of WCHS- TV](https://wchstv.com/news/local/flower-power-solar-arrays-resembling- flowers-provide-energy-source-at-toyota-putnam-plant), February 6, 2023 PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS-TV) — New power sources that resemble flowers have sprouted up around the Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia plant in Buffalo in Putnam County. Five SmartFlower solar arrays were recently installed to help power the facility’s services buildings that house the uniform and footwear stores, credit union, clinic and pharmacy, according to a news release from Toyota. Three EV charging stations also are being powered by the solar arrays, the company said. Company officials said the solar arrays “bloom” at sunrise and follow the sun’s path throughout the day. With the arrays keeping a 90-degree angle to the sun, the power captured is optimized over traditional solar panels, the company said. The flowers fold back up at sunset. “This is just one more way Toyota West Virginia is embracing alternative energy and reducing our ecological footprint here in the Mountain State,” David Rosier, Toyota West Virginia’s president, said in the news release. Toyota said it also has the largest solar array in the state. Located behind the plant, the array can generate 2.6 megawatts – enough to power more than 400 homes. The company said the solar generation reduces the Buffalo plant’s CO2 emissions by an estimated 4 million pounds per year. #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **See Also:** [Smartflower Solar Review: Beautiful Solar That's Not Worth It,](https://www.cnet.com/home/energy-and-utilities/smartflower-solar-revie… beautiful-solar-sculpture/) Andrew Blok, CNET, May 5, 2022 Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. In the solar panel industry, one company has charted a different path. It's producing solar electricity, not with rooftop panels or a traditional ground mounted rack, but with solar powered sunflowers. **Smartflower Solar** offers what it calls "sculptural" solar: an array of panels that unfurls in the morning, tracks the sun across the sky and folds up at night. It looks like a large, mechanical flower. Smartflower turns solar into a statement as well as a conversation piece and does both with a pretty simple installation process. But while some customers may prefer Smartflower's look, it comes at a premium. Beautiful design with a high price tag are why most of the company's customers are organizations, not homeowners. [….. more ……](https://www.cnet.com/home/energy-and-utilities/smartflower- solar-review-beautiful-solar-sculpture/). URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/16/the-sun-shines-on-toyota-in- putnam-county-what-about-the-rest-of-west-virginia/>

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OMG! Some Short-Term & Chronic Health Effects of the Climate Crisis
by Frack Check WV: Diana Gooding 15 Feb '23

15 Feb '23

# [OMG! Some Short-Term & Chronic Health Effects of the Climate Crisis](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/15/omg-some-short-term-chronic- health-effects-of-the-climate-crisis/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/83804959-2969-4186-81C5-5C062B5FC7F5.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/02/83804959-2969-4186-81C5-5C062B5FC7F5.jpeg) Coal miners ‘black lung’ and frackers ‘white lung’ are examples of such ailments **How Does Climate Change Affect Our Health?** From an [Article by Eglė Krištopaitytė, Health News](https://healthnews.com/news/how-does-climate-change-affect-our-health…, January 20, 2023 **Climate change impacts all aspects of our lives, including our health. From inflammation caused by wildfire smoke to diseases-carrying vectors migrating to new areas, the threats associated with changing climate are here to stay**. [[It can get worse! See Paul Brown’s challenge.](https://www.amazon.com/NOTES- DEAD-PLANET-Please-Prove-ebook/dp/B09QCZCX9V)] This past year 2022 was the world's 6th-warmest year on record since 1880, according to the latest report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Millions of Americans have experienced the consequences of climate change firsthand, as the country endured 18 separate disasters, including hurricanes and droughts, damages of which exceeded $1 billion. Moreover, these disasters resulted in the deaths of 474 people. In 2021, an international group of medical professionals suggested that rising temperatures due to climate change was the greatest threat to global public health. Scientists expect temperatures to continue increasing this year. In 2024, they could set a new global record. In an interview with Healthnews, Juan Aguilera, MD, PhD, MPH, a director of Translational Environmental and Climate Health at Stanford University, explains how climate change damages our mental and physical health. **Wildfire smoke causes inflammation; wildfires also cause public displacement and property damages.** Aguilera says that climate change impacts different aspects of our lives. For example, rising temperatures prolong drought periods, leading to the drying of the forests' soils. When weeds and bushes are not hydrated enough, the fires tend to expand and cover wider areas. "Smoke contains many different particles that are harmful to human health, with some being small enough to go into the respiratory system and even to penetrate deeply into the circulation," he told Healthnews. Once in blood circulation, particles cause inflammation which, in the long term, could lead to heart diseases, stroke, hardening of the arteries, and even cancer. According to Aguilera, scientists are now learning that wildfire smoke may also affect the immune system, making people weaker against any other types of diseases. The effects of climate change are also linked to mental health problems. For example, living in an area where wildfires may occur can be a source of anxiety. "You never know when a wildfire will occur, how big and wide it is going to be. You may be in danger and need to evacuate your home. Following the news also might be a source making anybody feel anxious," Aguilera, MD, added. Moreover, harmful particles from wildfire smoke may affect neurons and, therefore, mental health. "As we learn more about how these smaller particles affect our entire bodies, we can also explain issues related to mental health," he says. **Extreme climate events are more frequent now.** Climate change also exacerbates extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and thunderstorms, eventually leading to flooding. This causes more humidity within the homes, which can result in mold, Aguilera explains. For some, mold may cause mild symptoms, such as sore throat, coughing, or wheezing. However, those with asthma or people allergic to mold may have severe reactions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2022, flooding caused by Hurricane Ian led to a spike in potentially deadly infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus, also known as "flesh-eating" bacteria. Over 60 cases of infections and 11 deaths were reported in Florida. "Mosquitos and other vectors are getting adjusted to conditions where the climate is changing. They reach areas where there usually aren't mosquitos, ticks, or any other vectors," Aguilera added. Researcher says that as climate changes, the pollen season is expanding to up to ten months; therefore, pollen allergies will become more frequent. **How to protect yourself from pollution?** Air pollution is one of the drivers of climate change. In 2021, about 67 million tons of pollution were emitted into the atmosphere in the U.S. Unsurprisingly, research reveals more or more harm of pollution to human health. For example, a study from last year found that unborn babies have black carbon particles in vital organs, such as the liver, lungs, and brain, as early as the first trimester. Another study demonstrated that women in their late 40s and early 50s who were exposed long-term to air pollution with nitrogen dioxide and ozone saw increases in their body size and composition measures. So how to protect ourselves from toxic pollutants? Aguilera says that while not everybody will be able to move out of regions that are exposed to air pollution, we can take some lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the steps is to follow the air quality index, which allows tracking of real-time air pollution conditions on a certain day. "Vulnerable groups, such as pregnant, elderly people, children, and people with asthma, may want to consider some personal barriers, such as wearing a mask. Depending on your situation, it might be an N95 mask," he says. In addition, air purifiers may help to trap these particles and reduce the amount of pollution inside the houses. Aguilera explains that in the United States, some low-income communities live closer to freeways and roads, meaning that there are higher levels of air pollution coming from the traffic. "Some homes don't have proper insulation, and because of impending climate change, people who live there may suffer from heat stress or heat stroke. Measures to protect themselves, such as better cooling devices or air purifiers, cost money and are not necessarily accessible to everybody," he adds. Researcher says that the first step in achieving health equity is an awareness that our actions do affect not only ourselves but also people in other countries. "In Africa, they deal with severe droughts and shortages of food because of how climate changes make soils less fertile in some areas," he says. **References & Sources ~ ** 1\. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2022 was world’s 6th- warmest year on record. 2\. The New England Journal of Medicine. Call for Emergency Action to Limit Global Temperature Increases, Restore Biodiversity, and Protect Health. 3\. The University of Aberdeen. Babies have air pollution in their lungs and brains before they take their first breath. 4\. The University of Michigan. Air pollution tips the scale for obesity in women. 5\. Kaiser Family Foundation. Climate Change and Health Equity: Key Questions and Answers. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/15/omg-some-short-term-chronic- health-effects-of-the-climate-crisis/>

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Take a Look at HYDROGEN ~ It’s Elusive from There to Here
by Frack Check WV: S. Tom Bond 14 Feb '23

14 Feb '23

# [Take a Look at HYDROGEN ~ It’s Elusive from There to Here](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/14/take-a-look-at-hydrogen- it%e2%80%99s-elusive-from-there-to-here/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/FC65A114-D602-40F6-AAB7-E4C1BAD2D0E5.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/02/FC65A114-D602-40F6-AAB7-E4C1BAD2D0E5.jpeg) Hydrogen is expensive and a safety risk regardless of the ‘color’ **A Huge, Uncharted Experiment on the U.S. Economy Is About to Begin** Letter to Editor by [Robinson Meyer, New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/12/opinion/economy-ira-infrastructur… clean-energy.html), February 12, 2023 **If you want to understand the immense windfall the Biden administration is about to bestow on green industries, take a look at HYDROGEN.** Engineers still aren’t exactly sure what role the gas will play in a climate-friendly economy, but they’re pretty sure that it will be useful for something. We might burn it to generate heat in factories, for instance, or use it to make high-tech chemicals. **And thanks to three laws Congress passed over the past two years — the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and the climate- focused Inflation Reduction Act — the industry will be very well taken care of.** Over the next decade, the government is going to invest **$8 billion on hydrogen “hubs” across the country,** special zones where companies, universities and local governments can build the machinery and expertise that the new industry needs. **Other hydrogen projects will qualify for a $10 billion pot of money in the I.R.A. or $1.5 billion in the infrastructure bill. Still others could draw from a new $6.3 billion program that will help industrial firms develop financially risky demonstration projects.** So that’s up to $25.8 billion before you get to the bazooka: an uncapped tax **credit for hydrogen that could pay out perhaps $100 billion or more over the next decades.** **Few Americans realize it yet, but the trifecta of the Biden-era laws amounts to one of the biggest experiments in how the American government oversees the economy in a generation.** If this experiment is successful, it will change how politicians think about managing the market for years to come. If it fails or misfires, then it will greatly limit the number of tools to fight climate change or a recession. The story of the 21st-century American economy is being shaped now. **I say “experiment,” but, really, there are two. The first concerns the economy.** Mr. Biden’s team believes that it can move the United States toward a more robust, high-capacity and even re-industrialized economy. Can it? And can it use policy moreover to make sure that innovative ideas don’t get lost in the research lab or patent office, but instead make their way to the factory floor and corporate showroom, generating jobs and economic value along the way? **The second experiment:** Can that same economy — which has, virtually since the abolition of slavery, derived a good deal of its industrial energy from extracting carbon from the ground and setting it on fire — find a new primary energy source? Even today, America generates 79 percent of its energy from fossil fuels. The administration is, in a sense, trying to conduct a high- stakes transplant on the heart of the economy while the patient remains alive and voluble on the table. **Don’t get me wrong: Some kind of climate boom is now all but assured**. The investment bank Credit Suisse predicted last year that the I.R.A. would put more than $800 billion into the economy by the end of the decade, galvanizing more than $1.7 trillion in climate-friendly public and private spending overall. The law will transform the United States into the “world’s leading energy provider,” the bank said. The American renewable industry alone could attract 78 percent more investment per year by 2031, according to the energy- research firm Wood Mackenzie. **But I worry that the federal government has started its experiments too haphazardly.** The I.R.A. did not emerge from careful study and bipartisan consensus building, but from intraparty haggling and a harried legislative process. Even the bipartisan CHIPS Act was more of a crisis measure than a strategic intervention. >>> **These shortcomings are forgivable; in the I.R.A.’s case, it’s not like Republicans were ever going to help pass a climate bill. But these constraints have deprived the government of the strong institutions, internal expertise and administrative capacity that have made similar experiments successful in other countries……..** **1\. For practical purposes, that means, first, that the government won’t be able to spend all this money in the right place.** The U.S. financial system persistently struggles to fund projects that take a long time to turn a profit and that can expect to have only modest returns. Unfortunately, the biggest and most important physical infrastructure — factories, transmission lines — often fall under that category. In other countries, industrial policy has entailed creating an agile, entrepreneurial agency that can get money to the right companies in the right ways — as a loan, as equity, as a purchase guarantee. Congress took some steps in that direction last year. The I.R.A. beefed up the Loan Programs Office, the Department of Energy’s in-house bank, and it established a new green lending office within the Environmental Protection Agency. But Congress has put these institutions on a short leash with a limited mandate. This means that the government can’t support as many risky investments as it should. **2\. Second, the government may lack the ability to coordinate its own actions.** Late last year, the Biden administration declined to help reopen a “green” aluminum factory in Ferndale, Wash., that was exactly the kind of low- carbon industry it wants to champion. The local union, electric vehicle makers and the state’s Democratic leadership all wanted to revive the factory. The project even has national-security relevance, since the United States currently imports aluminum from Russia. But Mr. Biden chose not to intercede with the local electricity provider, the Bonneville Power Administration, to supply the plant with enough cheap power to operate even though it is a federal agency ostensibly under the president’s control. Never mind the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing: The right hand couldn’t get the left hand to plug the cord in. **3\. Finally, the government may not understand enough about the companies it’s trying to help.** In Taiwan and South Korea, industrial-policy agencies don’t only hand out money; they constantly gather information from the private sector and use it to adjust goals and policies over time. The I.R.A. contains very few mechanisms for this kind of in-flight course adjustment. Its main incentives are tax credits, which are hard to repeal once they’re in place and hard to fix if they’re not working. They are an unusually mindless way to incentivize companies to change their behavior. **And this points to a related concern: that we have underestimated just how hard decarbonization will be. One of the most cherished and widely held ideas in climate activism is that we could have solved climate change by now if only we’d had the “political will.”** This idea, once true enough, may soon outlive its utility. Mr. Biden and his successors will discover that decarbonization is an inherently difficult and complex societal challenge that cannot be solved with money alone. Some important activities will be legitimately hard to do without emitting carbon pollution; there will be some trade-offs that flummox even the most committed progressives. **Which is to say: Even if the U.S. had an agency that could finance or approve any industrial project in the exact right way at the precise right time, it would still be legitimately unclear which projects it should support.** Will a new lithium mine create jobs and build political support for decarbonization, or will its local pollution effects provoke backlash? If a new hydrogen hub opens in your hometown, will you love the growth or hate the higher housing costs? The Biden experiments bear the mark of a particular set of lawmakers and White House staff members who needed to meet a particular set of goals. They sought to stimulate the pandemic-depleted economy, reduce carbon pollution in a durable way, respond to what they saw as the Chinese manufacturing juggernaut and — perhaps above all — revitalize the American working class to prevent the next Trumpian crisis. They stumbled on a germ of an idea, a climate-friendly “industrial strategy,” and after 18 months of excruciating legislative wrangling, they have somehow made it the law of the land. **But the lawmakers who wrote that policy are not charged with carrying it out, and many of the officials who championed it most — like Brian Deese, the director of the National Economic Council — are now leaving the White House. Will the next crew understand what they’ve inherited?** In order for Mr. Biden’s two experiments to have a chance of success, the officials must not go on autopilot or disarm the parts of the I.R.A. meant to build domestic political support. And they cannot assume that everything about the coming climate boom will work out in the end. More than just the country’s fate depends on it. >>> **Robinson Meyer is a climate change reporter** in Washington, D.C., and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/14/take-a-look-at-hydrogen- it%e2%80%99s-elusive-from-there-to-here/>

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Halliburton Loophole Under Study ~ Frack Fluid Safety?
by Frack Check WV: admin 13 Feb '23

13 Feb '23

# [Halliburton Loophole Under Study ~ Frack Fluid Safety?](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/13/halliburton-loophole-under- study-frack-fluid-safety/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/383C8874-11FE-4A73-B183-0E2F378F9665.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/02/383C8874-11FE-4A73-B183-0E2F378F9665.jpeg) Vice President Cheney was the oil & gas industry inside government **Outcomes of the Halliburton Loophole: Chemicals Regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act in US Fracking Disclosures, 2014-2021** From an [Article by Vivian Underhill, et. al., Environmental Pollution](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S026974912…, November 8, 2022 Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has enabled the United States to lead the world in gas and oil production over the past decade; 17.6 million Americans now live within a mile of a fracked oil or gas well. This major expansion in fossil fuel production is possible in part due to the 2005 Energy Policy Act and its “Halliburton Loophole,” which exempts fracking activity from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). To begin quantifying the environmental and economic impacts of this loophole, this study undertakes an aggregate analysis of chemicals that would otherwise be regulated by SDWA within FracFocus, an industry-sponsored fracking disclosure database. This paper quantifies the total disclosures and total mass of these chemicals used between 2014-2021, examines trends in their use, and investigates which companies most use and supply them. We find that 28 SDWA-regulated chemicals are reported in FracFocus, and 60-80% of all disclosures (depending on year) report at least one SDWA-regulated chemical. Of these, 19,700 disclosures report using SDWA-regulated chemicals in masses that exceed their reportable quantities as defined under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Finally, while the most common direct-supplier category is “company name not reported,” Halliburton is the second-most named direct supplier of SWDA regulated chemicals. Halliburton is also the supplier most frequently associated with fracks that use SDWA regulated chemicals. These results show the necessity of a more robust and federally mandated disclosure system and suggest the importance of revisiting exemptions such as the Halliburton Loophole. **See access to the full Publication here:** <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749122017663> URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/13/halliburton-loophole-under- study-frack-fluid-safety/>

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Let’s Ban Fracking or Regulate It? The Time is Now to Limit Climate Change!
by Frack Check WV: admin 12 Feb '23

12 Feb '23

# [Let’s Ban Fracking or Regulate It? The Time is Now to Limit Climate Change!](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/13/let%e2%80%99s-ban-fracking- or-regulate-it-the-time-is-now-to-limit-climate-change/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/EB935DA7-7700-4618-B31A-EAEBA2DCDBC8.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/02/EB935DA7-7700-4618-B31A-EAEBA2DCDBC8.jpeg) If the US Government will not actually regulate the Oil & Gas Industry, fracking should be banned! **US Department of Energy Releases Report on Economic & National Security Impacts of a Hydraulic Fracturing Ban** From the [Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management](https://www.energy.gov/fecm/office-fossil-energy-and-carbon- management), U.S. DOE, January 14, 2021 Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy delivered a new report to the President on negative impacts of the ill- conceived hydraulic fracturing ban some have proposed. [Economic and National Security Impacts Under a Hydraulic Fracturing Ban](https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2021/01/f82/economic-and- national-security-impacts-under-a-hydraulic-fracturing-ban.pdf) explains why a ban would have far-reaching and severe consequences, including the loss of millions of jobs, price spikes at the gasoline pump and higher electricity costs for all Americans—and the likelihood of increased CO2, SO2, and NOx emissions. A ban would end the U.S. role as the world’s largest oil and natural gas producer and would force the United States to become a net importer of oil and gas once again. It would weaken the Nation’s geopolitical influence and put our national security at risk. “Hydraulic fracturing tapped the great reservoir of America’s natural resources. That technology made the United States the world’s largest oil and natural gas producer, while also creating high-paying jobs and delivering great consumer savings,” said Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg. “This report to the President details just how devastating the economic and national security impacts of a ban would be. Banning this technology would derail our recovery from recent COVID-related economic disruptions and increase the risk of another recession.” During 2019, U.S. LNG exports helped to reduce the trade deficit and created $9.5 billion in revenue. But it is consumers, in particular, who would bear the impacts of a hydraulic fracturing ban. In recent years, increased domestic oil and natural gas supply has put significant downward pressure on consumer prices for gasoline and natural gas. In 2019, gasoline and diesel prices were 40 percent and 38.3 percent lower, respectively, compared to 2012, and average end-user prices for natural gas fell 24.3 percent in 2019 from 2008 levels. The report shows how consumers would bear the impacts of a hydraulic fracturing ban through higher electricity and natural gas costs. Retail electricity costs would increase by more than $480 billion between 2021 and 2025, and retail natural gas costs would increase by more than $400 billion between 2021 and 2025. And the report estimates how much higher gasoline and diesel costs could go if hydraulic fracturing were banned. Annual average gasoline prices would increase over 100 percent to over $4.20 per gallon in 2022 and 2023, and annual average diesel prices would increase 95 percent to $4.56 per gallon in 2022. Higher prices for gasoline, diesel, and petroleum products would amount to $1.9 trillion in additional, cumulative costs from 2021 to 2025 across all sectors. The shale revolution created by hydraulic fracturing and related technology is also responsible for a well-documented U.S. environmental success record: the reduction of carbon and other emissions to record-low levels. Natural gas is key to that environmental success because it fuels more than one-third of U.S. electric power plants and serves as an important enabler for integrating low- carbon intermittent renewables like wind and solar. “Taking away hydraulic fracturing technology from America’s oil and natural gas industry removes the primary technique needed to efficiently and responsibly extract abundant U.S. energy resources. Without new wells brought online, U.S. natural gas and oil production would rapidly fall, reversing the past decade's energy security gains,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil and Natural Gas Shawn Bennett. From a national security and foreign policy perspective, significantly curtailing American natural gas and oil production increases global energy dependence on Russia and the member nations of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Currently, the U.S. exports natural gas—mostly in the form of LNG—to 39 countries on five continents. A decrease in LNG and crude oil exports would weaken our geopolitical standing globally and take away an important diplomacy tool. Given the interconnectedness of the global economy, higher energy costs would reverberate across the world, affecting economic growth and the outlook from Asia to Europe. With a weakened American economy, the U.S. would experience a national security setback, becoming reliant, once again, on other nations for its energy needs. The full extent of the economic, environmental and national security impacts of a ban on hydraulic fracturing is detailed in [the report that DOE produced at President’s direction](https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2021/01/f82/economic-and- national-security-impacts-under-a-hydraulic-fracturing-ban.pdf). To learn more about hydraulic fracturing, visit FE’s website. #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **See Also:** [Fracking Threatens America's Air, Water and Climate](https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/fracking/), Center for Biological Diversity ~ Fracking poisons our water, contaminates our air and emits massive greenhouse gas pollution. {+} #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **See Also:** [Fracking Companies Exploiting Halliburton Loophole to Inject Toxic Chemicals,](https://eponline.com/articles/2014/10/23/fracking-companies- exploiting-halliburton-loophole-to-inject-toxic- chemicals.aspx?admgarea=ht.hydraulicfracturing) Environmental Protection Online, October 23, 2014 Despite a federal ban on the use of diesel fuel in hydraulic fracturing without a permit, several oil and gas companies are exploiting a Safe Drinking Water Act loophole pushed through by Halliburton to frack with petroleum-based products containing even more dangerous toxic chemicals than diesel. Investigation finds at least 6 fracking fluids on the market with higher concentrations of benzene (a carcinogen) than diesel fuel, and at least 153 wells fracked with liquids containing ethylbenzene (a probable carcinogen) in 11 states. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/13/let%e2%80%99s-ban-fracking-or- regulate-it-the-time-is-now-to-limit-climate-change/>

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NEWS UPDATE ~ Coal Cost Crossover 3.0 says “Clean Energy is More Economical”
by Frack Check WV: S. Tom Bond 11 Feb '23

11 Feb '23

# [NEWS UPDATE ~ Coal Cost Crossover 3.0 says “Clean Energy is More Economical”](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/11/news-update-coal-cost- crossover-3-0-says-%e2%80%9cclean-energy-is-more-economical%e2%80%9d/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/FDB08D4F-3EB7-431A-95BF-6D7DF9B188FF-300x115.png)](… content/uploads/2023/02/FDB08D4F-3EB7-431A-95BF-6D7DF9B188FF.png) Data from Clean Technia report of July 2022 **Coal Cost Crossover 3.0: Local renewables plus storage create new economic and reliability opportunities** From the [Coal Cost Crossover 3.0 dated January 28, 2923](https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Coal-Cost- Crossover-3.0-One-Pager.pdf) **NEARLY ALL U.S. COAL PLANTS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN NEW CLEAN ENERGY** _Coal powered the United States economy for decades, but that era is fast coming to a close. The cost of new clean energy technologies has plummeted over the past decade while coal costs have stayed flat or risen, creating a “cost crossover” between coal and renewables in 2020 when renewables provided more power to our grid than coal for the first time._ **Our first Coal Cost Crossover report, based on the 2017 coal fleet, found 62 percent of U.S. coal capacity was more expensive to run than to replace with renewables, while our second, based on the 2019 coal fleet, found 72 percent of capacity more expensive than renewables.** **The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) accelerates this coal cost crossover.** First, the IRA extends and expands the investment and production tax credits, significantly reducing wind and solar costs. Second, IRA funding for loan guarantees to refinance fossil fuel power resources and reinvest in new clean energy infrastructure, creates an economic opportunity to pay down coal debt and attract investment in new renewable resources. Our third Coal Cost Crossover report analyzes 2021 costs for 210 coal plants across the country (totaling 220 gigawatts of coal capacity), comparing them to actual costs for solar and wind in 2021, and incorporating the new tax credits. We find 99 percent of plants (209 out of 210) are more expensive to run than replacing their generation capacity with either new solar or new wind. The savings of using renewables would be significant: The cost of either new wind or solar is at least 30 percent cheaper than the cost of running more than three-quarters of existing U.S. coal plants. **LOCAL RENEWABLES CAN DRIVE $589 BILLION INVESTMENT IN COAL COMMUNITIES** The IRA created a bonus “energy communities” tax credit for building projects in areas that have historically depended economically on the fossil fuel industry. To capture the potential of this tax credit to generate new clean energy investment for these communities, we compared the cost of building new wind and solar resources within 30 miles of each coal plant to the cost of running the existing coal plant. **For 199 of the 210 coal plants, local solar replacement is less expensive than existing coal, and for 104 plants, local wind is less expensive. For 89 plants, both local wind and local solar were cheaper than coal, indicating a clean energy portfolio including local wind and solar is a viable replacement option for those plants, while providing additional grid reliability value.** Between solar and wind, our study finds replacing 204 coal plants with new local clean energy would generate up to $589 billion in new investment in energy communities across the country. Local replacement of coal plants with renewables offers several advantages, including preserving tax revenue and creating jobs in energy communities, qualifying projects for IRA-authorized funding and loans, and potentially avoiding the need to build new transmission to connect to the grid by using existing coal plant infrastructure. **PAIRING LOCAL RENEWABLES WITH STORAGE PROVIDES ADDED RELIABILIY** We also evaluated the cost of adding four-hour battery storage with local solar to provide additional reliability value and in some cases, higher market profitability. We find that the potential savings from switching from coal to local solar can finance 137 GW of four-hour battery capacity across the coal fleet, or more than 60 percent of the capacity of all 210 coal plants we studied. While reliability does not necessarily depend on adding storage, adding some amount of storage can help integrate renewables and accelerate clean energy adoption. For more than a third of the coal plants we studied, we find that in addition to replacing the electricity generation with local solar, 80 percent or more of the plant’s capacity can be replaced with four-hour batteries at a combined cost that is still lower than the cost of operating the coal plant. For the remaining coal plants, the percentage of capacity that can be economically replaced is still quite significant: Savings from renewable generation could fund battery storage at more than 50 percent plant capacity at 135 plants. **POLICIES TO SPEED THE COAL TO CLEAN TRANSITION** The economics are clear: Solar and wind offers much cheaper power compared to coal and without compromising the reliability of our electricity system. However, policymakers must act to unlock the cost savings, redevelopment, and human health benefits for coal communities. Several policies can hasten the coal-to-clean transition: • **Regulators should:** o Encourage utilities to utilize IRA financing programs from the Departments of Energy and Agriculture. o Enable competitive resource procurement. o Require reassessment of any utility investment plan, including integrated resource plans and market- based solicitation for renewable supply, completed prior to IRA as renewables costs will be out of date. • **State legislatures and energy offices should** plan and fund a coal community economic transition, where local clean energy resources anchor a more expansive economic transition plan. • **Regulators and system operators should:** o Improve methods to assess reliability and resource adequacy that reflect the reliability value of renewable portfolios and value the reliability attributes of a high-renewable grid. o Update interconnection study rules to leverage existing coal plant interconnection rights to speed grid connection processes for local renewable replacement resources. #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **See Also:** [Most Renewables Now Cheaper Than Cheapest Coal](https://cleantechnica.com/2022/07/21/most-renewables-cheaper-than- cheapest-coal-in-g20/) - CleanTechnica, July 21, 2022 <https://cleantechnica.com/2022/07/21/most-renewables-cheaper-than-cheapest- coal-in-g20/> URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/11/news-update-coal-cost- crossover-3-0-says-%e2%80%9cclean-energy-is-more-economical%e2%80%9d/>

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PUBLIC NOTICE ~ U.S. ARMY CORPS ~ 15 Day Extension of MVP Comment Period
by Frack Check WV: admin 10 Feb '23

10 Feb '23

# [PUBLIC NOTICE ~ U.S. ARMY CORPS ~ 15 Day Extension of MVP Comment Period](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/10/public-notice-u-s-army- corps-15-day-extension-of-mvp-comment-period/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/E6262D77-9F21-4E69-B122-565A76256C00.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/02/E6262D77-9F21-4E69-B122-565A76256C00.jpeg) Huntington Branch of US-ACE has responsibility for stream protection **RE: Public Notice No. LRH-2015-00592-GBR, LRP-2015-798, NAO-2015-0898 ~ Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP)** **From** [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Issuance Date: February 10, 2023 to Closing Date: February 25, 2023](https://www.lrh.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Public- Notices/Article/3243440/lrh-2015-00592-gbr-lrp-2015-798-nao-2015-0898/) **STREAMS** : Elk, Gauley, Greenbrier, Roanoke, Blackwater Rivers (Section 10 waters) and other streams **NOTICE OF COMMENT PERIOD EXTENSION:** The United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) published on December 12, 2022 for public comment a supplemental Public Notice to Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC’s proposal to discharge dredged and/or fill material into waters of the United States and work in and under navigable waters of the United States associated with the construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline and can be accessed on our website at: [https://www.lrh.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Public- Notices/Article/3243440/lrh-2015-00592- gbr- lrp-2015-798-nao-2015-0898/](https://www.lrh.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regula… Notices/Article/3243440/lrh-2015-00592-gbr-lrp-2015-798-nao-2015-0898/) This Public Notice solicits comments related to supplemental information provided by the applicant. The public comment period on this proposal was extended until February 10, 2023 via public notice of December 20, 2022. The public comment period on this proposal is being extended an additional 15 days until February 25, 2023 to allow additional time for review of additional documents being provided for the benefit of public awareness and to inform any further comments on the proposed project. **DESCRIPTION OF THE SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:** In addition to the supplemental information described in our December 12, 2022 Public Notice (see link above), revised and additional documents are being provided to the public as follows (month of receipt and/or last update of document in parentheses; documents marked with an asterisk (*) contain updated information from that previously provided via public notice, or impact information being presented in a new organizational format): • Summary of Impracticability of Using a Trenchless Crossing for the Blackwater River (original October 2021/updated November 2021); • Riffle and Pool Complexes Avoidance and Minimization Summary (received January 2022); • Mountain Valley Pipeline’s Responses to Additional Comments Provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (July 27, 2022) for the Clean Water Act Section 404 Individual Permit (received August 2022); • Hydrogeomorphic Functional Assessment Summary (received October 2022); • *Streams with Multiple Separate Crossings (received October 2022); • *Bent Mountain Resources Table (received October 2022); • *Table 15. Crossing Method Determination Summary (original February 2021/updated February 2023); • Updated Environmental Justice Screening Tool Results (original November 2021/updated February 2023); and • *Tables A-1 and A-3 West Virginia Stream Impacts and Summary (original February 2021/updated February 2023). [1] Corps staff have reviewed the applicant’s webpage to confirm the above listed documents are accessible. In the event the applicant’s webpage is not accessible, the public may contact Mr. Adam Fannin at (304) 399-5610 to schedule an appointment to view the information. The application, previously provided supplemental information described in our December 12, 2022 Public Notice, and the above described information may be accessed on the applicant’s webpage at: <https://www.mountainvalleypipeline.info/news-info/> Select “IP Applications Supplemental Information February 2023” from the menu on the right-hand side of the page[1]. **PUBLIC INTEREST REVIEW AND COMMENT:** This application will be reviewed in accordance with 33 CFR Parts 320-332, the Regulatory Program of the Corps, and other pertinent laws, regulations, and executive orders. The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impacts, including cumulative impacts, of the proposed activity on the public interest. That decision will reflect the national concern for both the protection and the utilization of important resources. The benefit that reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. All factors that may be relevant to the proposal will be considered, including the cumulative effects thereof; among those factors are conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, historic properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, floodplain values, land use, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of property ownership and, in general, the needs and welfare of the people. **SOLICITATION OF COMMENTS:** The Corps is soliciting comments from the public, federal, state and local agencies and officials, Indian Tribes and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the supplemental information provided by the applicant. Reference the text of the March 29, 2021 Public Notice and December 12, 2022 Supplemental Public Notice for additional details. The Corps will only consider comments pursuant to the scope of the supplemental information. **CLOSE OF COMMENT PERIOD:** The Huntington District has been designated as the lead Corps district, thus all comments pertaining to this Public Notice must reach their office on or before the close of the comment period listed on page one (1) of this Public Notice. If no further comments are received by that date, it will be considered that there are no additional objections related to the supplemental information. Comments should be submitted electronically to Mr. Adam Fannin by email at CELRP-MVP(a)usace.army.mil. If you do not have internet access, comments may be submitted through the United States Postal Service (USPS) to the following address: United States Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District ATTN: CELRH-RD-E, Public Notice: LRH-2015-00592-GBR, LRP-2015-798, NAO-2015-0898, 502 Eighth Street, Huntington, West Virginia 25701-2070. Copies should only be provided through the USPS when electronic transmission is not possible. Precautionary internal mail handling procedures may be instituted to protect our workforce, which may result in longer than normal times to process and receive hard copy submissions. To be considered in our evaluation, comments submitted through the USPS should have a postmark dated on, or prior to, the close of the comment period listed on page one (1) of this Public Notice. Please note names and addresses of those who submit comments in response to this Public Notice become part of our administrative record and, as such, may be available to the public under provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. Thank you for your interest in our nation’s water resources. If you have any questions concerning this Public Notice, please contact Adam Fannin of the Energy Resource Branch at (304) 399-5610, by mail at the above address, or by email at: CELRP-MVP(a)usace.army.mil. #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **Please address all comments and inquiries to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District ~ ATTN: CELRH-RD-E Public Notice No. (referenced above) 502 Eighth Street, Huntington, West Virginia 25701-2070 ~ Phone: (304) 399-5610** URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/10/public-notice-u-s-army- corps-15-day-extension-of-mvp-comment-period/>

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Crypo Mining Noise Jars Mountain Community in North Carolina
by Frack Check WV: admin 10 Feb '23

10 Feb '23

# [Crypo Mining Noise Jars Mountain Community in North Carolina](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/10/crypo-mining-noise-jars- mountain-community-in-north-carolina/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/4CA9000D-73E7-43FE-815F-79E4DDFC0AF3-300x168.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/02/4CA9000D-73E7-43FE-815F-79E4DDFC0AF3.jpeg) Crypto mining computer banks generating high noise level 24/7 **How the blare of a crypto mine woke up this Blue Ridge Mountain town** From [News Report of Bill Weir, Cable News Network (CNN)](https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/19/us/north-carolina-crypto-mine-noise- weir-wxc/index.html), January 19, 2023 **Murphy, North Carolina (CNN) ~** When Judy Stines first heard about cryptocurrency, “I always thought it was smoke and mirrors,” she said. “But if that’s what you want to invest in, you do you.” **But then she heard the sound of crypto, a noise that neighbor Mike Lugiewicz describes as “a small jet that never leaves” and her ambivalence turned into activism.** The racket was coming from stacks and stacks of computer servers and cooling fans, mysteriously set up in a few acres of open farm field down on Harshaw Road. **Once they fired up and the noise started bouncing around their Blue Ridge Mountain homes, sound meters in the Lugiewicz yard showed readings from 55-85 decibels depending on the weather, but more disturbing than the volume is the fact that the noise never stopped.** Mike Lugiewicz describes the noise generated by the nearby crypto mine as "a small jet that never leaves. “There’s a racetrack three miles out right here,” Lugiewicz said, pointing away from the crypto mine next door. “You can hear the cars running. It’s cool!” “But at least they stop,” Stines chimed in, “And you can go to bed!” **The word “mine” evokes pickaxes and coal dust in this region, so at first, the neighbors around Murphy, North Carolina, had no idea that mining a so- called “proof of work” crypto coin is more like playing a computer game with billion-sided dice. Instead of shovels, modern miners need enormous amounts of server power to roll the winning number faster than their competitors around the world.** **This unrelenting demand for electricity was one reason China banned cryptocurrency, touching off a virtual gold rush from Appalachia to New York’s Finger Lakes.** Crypto miners began putting down stakes in places where power is cheap and affordable, and if land use or noise regulations even exist, enforcement is weak. **The mine in Murphy is just one of a dozen in Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina owned by a San Francisco-based company called PrimeBlock, which recently announced $300 million in equity financing and plans to scale up and go public.** But a year and a half after crypto came to this ruby red pocket of Republican retirees and Libertarian life-timers, anger over the mine helped flip the balance of local power and forced the Board of Commissioners to officially ask their state and federal officials to “introduce and champion legislation through the US Congress that would ban and/or regulate crypto mining operations in the United States of America.” “I personally think that if we can get a bill into the system, other (North Carolina) counties will join,” newly elected Chairman Cal Stiles said after the motion was read. When it passed 5-0, the crowd cheered. “Oh boy, they wanted us so bad a year ago,” PrimeBlock co-owner Chandler Song replied via LinkedIn DM when asked about the move to outlaw his crypto mine. “It is unconstitutional, to say the least.” **In 2019, Song and his co-founder Ryan Fang made the Forbes “Big Money” 30 under 30 list which features young entrepreneurs with over $10 million in funding. According to the profile, they founded their first blockchain company, ANKR Network, in 2017 when they were in their early 20s.** ANKR was eventually folded into the umbrella company PrimeBlock and in the final quarter of 2021, they claimed “$24.4 million of revenue, and over 110 megawatts of installed data center capacity.” This came as Song and Fang teamed up with former Goldman Sachs investment banker Gaurav Budhrani to create a company with an “estimated enterprise value of $1.25 billion” with the hopes of selling public stock on the Nasdaq. A few weeks after that announcement, residents packed the Cherokee County Board meeting where representatives from the company were scheduled to appear, but soon learned that management had changed their minds after a power outage at another crypto site nearby. “When (the outage) was investigated, it was found out that the power outage occurred because someone shot, with a gun, one of the (service lines),” County Commission Chair Dan Eichenbaum told the room to groans. “As a result of that, the crypto mining people decided they weren’t going to come.” “They could have joined over video!” one resident said to the board in frustration after the clerk read the company’s statement explaining they canceled “for employee safety.” Months later, Song told The Washington Post that he had received no noise complaints from Cherokee County and said he would build noise insulation walls and install quieter water-based cooling systems. But after erecting walls on only two sides of the mine, construction stopped and the dashed hopes of the community only poured more fuel on local anger as they headed to the polls. **“I’m old. I’m a senior citizen. Social media is not really in my bailiwick,” Stines said as she explained how noise pollution transformed her into an activist. “I like to be behind the scenes and I like to stir the pot. But I knew that we needed to win an election.”** Chandler Song went silent when presented with follow-up questions on LinkedIn, but the mine on Hershaw Road roars on as the Cherokee County attorney searches for ways to put legal teeth into a newly passed law against continuous noise without rankling liberty-loving landowners. **“The Tennessee Valley Authority does not pursue cryptocurrency mines and it is not one of our target markets,” Scott Fiedler, a spokesman for the TVA told CNN. But he acknowledged that the federally owned utility that serves millions in seven states does not keep track of the mines using TVA power, and it’s up to local utilities like the Murphy Electric Power Board to decide who gets service and who gets cut in a blackout.** **That last contingency brought even more bad blood and lost trust during the brutal winter storm that gripped much of the South and forced some of the first rolling blackouts in TVA history. While residents were plunged into cold darkness, they say the power-hungry mine kept humming.** “They shut us down on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day every hour for anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes to an hour,” resident Ron Wright told CNN. “Well, once your power goes down, your heat pumps go off and pipes freeze. But less than one mile away is crypto, allowed to run on the low end. As soon as the power came back, boom! They’re cranking before we are. **Back on Harshaw Road, Mike Lugiewicz pointed to the For Sale sign in front of his house. “September of 2021, I think, is when they turned this on and my wife and I just shook our heads, said, ‘No, we’re out of here.’” He hopes to stay in the area and keep fighting alongside neighbors like Judy Stines until the quiet comes back.** _“I don’t really care what folks invest in,” Stines said with a sigh. “I do care about this noise that affects us every day, all day, all night. It’s never-ending.”_ #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **See Video for Crypto mining noise ~** [This is the sound in front of Mike Lugiewicz’s garage. Source: CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/19/us/north- carolina-crypto-mine-noise-weir-wxc/index.html) URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/10/crypo-mining-noise-jars- mountain-community-in-north-carolina/>

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WVSORO ~ West Virginia Needs Fully Staffed Oil & Gas Inspectors
by Frack Check WV: admin 09 Feb '23

09 Feb '23

# [WVSORO ~ West Virginia Needs Fully Staffed Oil & Gas Inspectors](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/09/wvsoro-west-virginia- needs-fully-staffed-oil-gas-inspectors/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/5330E509-1F2F-4F3C-A588-1BAD7AEEC42E-300x245.png)](… content/uploads/2023/02/5330E509-1F2F-4F3C-A588-1BAD7AEEC42E.png) Regular comprehensive inspections are necessary to protect the public and the workers **WV Surface Owners say DEP needs at least 45, not just 23, oil and gas inspectors** Alert from [WV Surface Owners Rights Organization (WVSORO)](https://wvsoro.org/), February 7, 2023 **WVSORO and our State of WV needs your help.** Senate Bill 448 and House Bill 3110 have passed out of the Energy Committees in their respective houses and are now in their Finance Committees. The WV-DEP and the industry and the Governor and maybe some Legislator agreed to fund a total of (only) 23 inspectors in this bill. No one talked to us surface owners whether we agreed to that number — and we are where the wells are leaking and stinking! And that is only half the inspectors per well that Pennsylvania and Ohio have. **The good news is that those bills will take the DEP from 10 inspectors to 23. The bad news is that the IOGCC research shows we should have 127 inspectors to inspect each of our 75,000 wells (not to mention 20,000 associated tanks) just once a year — and that does not include their other jobs of checking permit applications, visiting well pads during critical drilling stages, overseeing federal orphaned well plugging, responding to complaints etc.** **WVSORO is asking for enough money from the Finance Committees to hire at least 45 inspectors. We do not care if it comes from a share of severance taxes or a fee on industry like a $100 inspection fee on each well.** [Please go to this link that the West Virginia Rivers Coalition is sharing with us and let your legislators know we did not agree to 23 inspectors](https://wvrivers.salsalabs.org/oogfunding/index.html) — that we need at least 45 inspectors — as many per well as other states! [Put that in your message!](https://wvrivers.salsalabs.org/oogfunding/index.html) [For more details see our one-page of bullet points on this subject.](https://wvsoro.org/wvsoro-points-out-that-much-more-funding-is- needed-for-many-more-inspectors/) #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **See Also:**[ GREEN Legislative Update, West Virginia Environmental Council, ASAP](https://wvecouncil.org/) URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/09/wvsoro-west-virginia-needs- fully-staffed-oil-gas-inspectors/>

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It Isn’t Easy Being ‘Green’ ~ Some Will Fake It! … Shame on Ryan & DeWine
by Frack Check WV: admin 08 Feb '23

08 Feb '23

# [It Isn’t Easy Being ‘Green’ ~ Some Will Fake It! … Shame on Ryan & DeWine](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/08/it-isn%e2%80%99t-easy- being-%e2%80%98green%e2%80%99-some-will-fake-it-%e2%80%a6-shame-on-ryan- dewine/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/E8390E86-8380-454D-8C57-B474B8B704E9-300x133.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/02/E8390E86-8380-454D-8C57-B474B8B704E9.jpeg) Kermit the Frog is correct, you can be green too, if you try! **No, natural gas is not “green energy”** Submitted by [Randi Pokladnik, PhD, Enviro. Scientist](http://main.movclimateaction.org/category/contributors/randi- pokladnik/), Tappan Lake, OH **During the recent “lame duck” session, Ohio’s predominantly Republican legislature and Governor DeWine rushed to pass HB 507.** The amended bill prohibits communities from banning pesticides within city borders and allows state lands and parks to be leased for oil and gas development. The legislation would also “[create a broad new legal definition of ‘green energy’ that would include natural gas](https://www.cleveland.com/open/2022/12/senate- passes-bill-expanding-drilling-on-state-land-dubbing-gas-green-energy.html).” An anonymously funded, pro-natural gas, dark money group, the [Empowerment Alliance](https://www.energyandpolicy.org/the-empowerment-alliance/), helped Ohio lawmakers spin the narrative that natural gas is ‘green.’ Seems like there are also Democrats willing to spin this narrative of methane as being ‘green’ energy. The group, “[Natural Allies for Clean Energy Future](https://naturalalliesforcleanenergy.org/)” has been running TV ads during programing in my area. They claim that gas is “necessary to accelerate our clean energy future.” In January, **they recruited a new Democrat to greenwash the industry: Tim Ryan (D-Ohio)**. This 501c4 organization says it wants to “better inform the public and policy makers about natural gas” but labeling gas as ‘green’ energy does not change the scientific facts: the combustion of methane produces carbon dioxide, and methane itself is a potent greenhouse gas. The bio-geo-chemical processes that created the methane gas and coal deposits in the geographic area of Ohio took place millions of years ago, when carbon sources such as ancient plants and animals decayed in anaerobic conditions. Coal has a higher percentage of carbon than methane; therefore, it produces more carbon dioxide per BTU when burned. However, both substances are fossil fuels that contribute to climate change, and both have limited supplies. Methane produces lower carbon dioxide emissions when burned but that benefit is overshadowed by the fact that extracting methane via high pressure [hydraulic fracking releases enormous amounts of methane gas](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/fracking-boom- tied-to-methane-spike-in-earths-atmosphere) into the atmosphere. These emissions can be from leaks of storage tanks, compressor stations, blowdowns, pipelines, and flaring. A [report published in “Energy Science and Engineering” states“](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ese3.35) natural gas (both shale gas and conventional gas) is responsible for much of the recent increases in methane emissions, and because of this have a higher greenhouse gas footprint than coal or oil. **Pound for pound, the comparative impact of methane is 25 times greater than carbon dioxide.** Actual ‘green’ energy sources differ dramatically from fracked methane gas when it comes to infrastructure needed, energy costs, and environmental externalities. After initial construction, renewable energy projects such as wind turbines and solar panels require little resource inputs. Their energy sources are limitless and free and the carbon footprint is minimal. “[Utility- scale renewable energy prices are now significantly below those of coal and gas](https://energyinnovation.org/2018/01/22/renewable-energy-levelized-cos… of-energy-already-cheaper-than-fossil-fuels-and-prices-keep-plunging/).” Fracking requires extensive infrastructure and constant inputs of resources such as water, sand and chemicals used to extract the methane. When it comes to the energy costs of fossil fuels, consumers are at the mercy of an industry which consistently makes record profits [while it receives $20 billion a year in subsidies](https://www.brookings.edu/research/reforming-global-fossil-fuel- subsidies-how-the-united-states-can-restart-international-cooperation/). **Ohio’s southeastern counties provide examples of how fracking has turned rural communities into sacrificial industrial sites.** Pipelines mar wooded hillsides, well pads rise over the landscape, thousands of trucks loaded with carcinogenic chemicals, frack sand and toxic produced- water travel our roads every day. Local residents are exposed to air and water emissions from [the process which releases hazardous air pollutants and contaminants water](https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/fracking/). In **February 2018, a gas well in Belmont County experienced a blowout**. The well released methane gas for 20 days before the leak could be contained. The total emissions from the 20-day event were estimated to be equivalent to the total annual emissions of [several countries or 120 metric tons per hour](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1908712116). **Given the significant contribution of methane gas to climate change and the environmental destruction caused by fracking** , it is hard to understand why any educated person would call this energy source “green”. The only time “green” can legitimately be used to describe methane gas is when pointing out it is a potent greenhouse gas. #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **See Also:** [Ohio Leads On ‘Green’ Energy By Embracing Methane Gas](https://cleantechnica.com/2023/01/24/ohio-leads-on-green-energy-by- embracing-methane-gas/) - Steve Hanley, CleanTechnica, January 24, 2023 URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/08/it-isn%e2%80%99t-easy- being-%e2%80%98green%e2%80%99-some-will-fake-it-%e2%80%a6-shame-on-ryan- dewine/>

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What’s It Like Living Next Door to a Frack Sand Mine (WI, MN, MI, etc.)
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 07 Feb '23

07 Feb '23

# [What’s It Like Living Next Door to a Frack Sand Mine (WI, MN, MI, etc.)](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/07/what%e2%80%99s-it-like-livin… next-door-to-a-frack-sand-mine-wi-mn-mi-etc/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/01/6FF43073-517F-4090-A170-180E465BC2D0-300x200.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/01/6FF43073-517F-4090-A170-180E465BC2D0.jpeg) “White Lung” like Black Lung is a debilitating (permanent) condition **PHOTO ~ Pure White Silica Sand & Respirable Crystalline Silica Dust** From the Message by [Patricia Popple, Frac Sand Sentinel # 428](https://wisair.wordpress.com/frac-sand-sentinel/), January 30, 2023 **Doug Wood, who lives with his wife, Dawn, in Michigan, just south and west of Detroit, is besiged with a continually developing silica mine right next door to his home. Silica dust is carcinogenic and has known to be so for many years. It settles in the deep lung and in other body parts, unable to be released in anyway due to the small glasslike particulates that are a part of the geological formation.** While Michigan may have a standard set for respirable crystalline silica dust, it seems there is no enforcement by state protection agencies in residential areas. Who is responsible? Doug and his wife have worked endlessly it seems to get someone in the regulatory agencies and mining industry, to install air quality monitoring, and yet nothing has been achieved. Neighbors seem to be unconcerned about the presence of a mining operation that continues to spew dangerous dust into the air without concern for the residential areas that exist around the silica mine. There are other problems also associated with this operation including truck traffic and noise, but the dust produced is horrific and dangerous. **While it could take 20 years for silicosis to develop in the deep lung, it could take less. The glass like particulates don 't seem to be much different than asbestos which is also a known carcinogen.** [Take a look at the video at the site and see for yourself](https://youtu.be/T6PSl9Cdhvw) the problems that the Wood family members are dealing with. They need help and support from the state and neighbors and Michigan's protective agencies and organizations to spread this information and their concerns and more than that, take action. [Fractracker has played a role in the production of this video](https://www.fractracker.org/), and [there are other videos in this series](https://www.fractracker.org/resources/photos/) about the problems faced when regulatory agencies aren't much concerned about the health, safety, and welfare of people and their offspring living near silica or other mines that bring the potential for grave health conditions to a neighborhood. Also, look for them on YouTube. **Please click on the video link here:** <https://youtu.be/T6PSl9Cdhvw> I know that Wisconsinites are aware what the Wood Family is facing, but there are others of you in other locations who may be in similar situations. The industry must tighten its regulations, states and local governmental officials and groups much enforce. Residents and others must get involved by speaking out and by attending meetings of local and state agencies who can make a difference through rules, comprehensive plans, ordinances, zoning, and action. >>> _And by the way, register to VOTE in your communities at upcoming primary and general elections. It is critical that everyone get to the polls or participate in voting via absentee ballot. You can make a difference by researching candidates who are responsive to people facing environmental and health issues in your communties across the nation. Make a difference by exercising your right at your nearest voting location. VOTE!_ >>> [Welcome to the Frac Sand Sentinel,](https://wisair.wordpress.com/frac- sand-sentinel/) a newsletter highlighting resource links, news media accounts, blog posts, correspondence, observations and opinions gathered regarding local actions on, and impacts of, the developing frac sand mining and processing industries. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/07/what%e2%80%99s-it-like-living- next-door-to-a-frack-sand-mine-wi-mn-mi-etc/>

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Looking Inward AND Looking Outside Ourselves ~ Convocation Set for April 27th
by Frack Check WV: admin 06 Feb '23

06 Feb '23

# [Looking Inward AND Looking Outside Ourselves ~ Convocation Set for April 27th](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/06/looking-inward-and-looking- outside-ourselves-convocation-set-for-april-27th/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/FD1F2BBC-5C39-420E-A9DD- AFD11A2D1F2D.png)](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/FD1F2BBC-5C39-420E-A9DD-AFD11A2D1F2D.png) UU Buddhist Convocations have been ongoing since 2005 **Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship: Convocation 2023 on April 27th** From the [Announcement of James Ford, UU Buddhist Fellowship](https://www.patheos.com/blogs/monkeymind/2023/01/unitarian- universalist-buddhist-fellowship-convocation-2023.html), January 9, 2023 **Convocation is a biennial opportunity for UU Buddhists** to sit together, compare notes on our sangha experiences, study and play together. We have been holding convocations since 2005. For each convocation we invite a guest teacher to offer dharma talks and teaching. In addition, there will be times of meditation, workshops, and informal meals and breaks where you can get to know other attendees. The 2023 Convocation will begin on Thursday, April 27, with a “grab and go” dinner available at 6 pm, and will end on Sunday, April 30 at 11:30 am. The [DeKoven Center, is lovely retreat center on the shores of Lake Michigan](https://www.dekovencenter.org/). You can register as 1) an online zoom participant, 2) a commuter participant with meals, or 3) an in-person participant, including lodging. There will also be a public talk on Saturday, April 29. **Registration will continue until 4/12/2023.** A limited number of scholarships are available. If you are in need of a scholarship in order to attend, please email _jzimmerman(a)uuma.org_ before registering. There are several major airports nearby (including O’Hare and Milwaukee), and Racine is also served by Amtrak trains. We will be arranging carpooling for the retreat, connecting those who can provide rides with those in need of ground transportation. [CLICK HERE TO REGISTER](https://secure.myvanco.com/L-Z6WK/home) **More on David Loy and the theme of the Convocation ~** Dr. David Robert Loy is a professor of Buddhist and comparative philosophy and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. Loy is one of the founding members of the new Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center, near Boulder, Colorado. He is the author of many books, including Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis. **For our weekend together, Loy writes:** _“Traditional Buddhist teachings help us wake up individually and realize our interdependence with others. Today we need to wake up collectively in another way. We need to wake up to what is one of the greatest dangers that humanity has ever encountered. Buddhism can help us understand and respond appropriately to the climate emergency driven ecological crisis. Neither the Buddha nor Asian Buddhist traditions have faced the complex set of challenges of the twenty-first century. Yet Buddhism includes many teachings that are relevant to our situation._ >> _There are profound parallels between our individual human struggles which Buddhism addressed and our ecological predicament today. The parallels suggest that the eco-crisis is as much a spiritual challenge as a technological and economic one. In both cases, at the root of the problem is our illusion of separation: that “I” am separate from others, and that we are separate from the natural world._ >> _Perhaps the most important thing that Buddhism has to offer today is a new version of the bodhisattva — or ecosattva — path, which can respond to collective and institutionalized versions of greed, ill will and delusion (the three poisons). All this suggests, the ecological challenge is also a challenge to the ways we understand and practice Buddhism.”_ #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **See Also :** [Morgantown Buddhist Meditation](https://morgantownbuddhism.wixsite.com/morgantownmeditation) <https://morgantownbuddhism.wixsite.com/morgantownmeditation> URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/06/looking-inward-and-looking- outside-ourselves-convocation-set-for-april-27th/>

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Religion Involves Looking Inward at Ourselves AND Outward at Our Earth
by Frack Check WV: admin 05 Feb '23

05 Feb '23

# [Religion Involves Looking Inward at Ourselves AND Outward at Our Earth](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/05/religion-involves-looking- inward-at-ourselves-and-outward-at-our-earth/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/9B186F79-5C17-4575-B3E7-913FB621D441-300x147.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/02/9B186F79-5C17-4575-B3E7-913FB621D441.jpeg) Religion is more than a narrow self-centered viewpoint; a comprehensive worldview involves concern for the Earth **How religious faith can and should inspire environmental action** From an [Article by Christopher Ives, The Conversation](https://phys.org/news/2023-01-faith-environmental-action.html), January 9, 2023 It has become clear that meaningful progress on climate change is not going to be achieved by one person or indeed, one government. Coordinated action between governments, industry, local leaders and society is needed urgently. The recent COP27 decision itself mentions the importance of local communities, cities, indigenous peoples and children. But strikingly absent is the role of faith or religion. Roughly 84% of the global population identifies with some sort of religion, a figure expected to rise to 87% by 2050. Our research shows there is potential for faith to mobilize social environmental change, yet it is usually left out of conversations about sustainability. Religion can have a significant and positive influence on people's behavior when it comes to the environment. Spiritual practices and liturgies are being developed to help believers integrate environmental concerns with their spirituality. **Two key publications are Pope Francis 's encylical Care for our Common Home and Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh's Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. Both highlight the relevance of religious ideas to environmental crises and guide people to live sustainably.** **Faith can be a driving force behind environmentally responsible investment. The organization FaithInvest helps religious institutions use their financial resources ethically and sustainably.** Religious groups can also coordinate collective action on the climate. **Ahead of COP27, faith leaders from around the world published a letter calling for an end to new fossil fuel projects.** Of course, the same influences can and have been used to obstruct action on climate change, and formal institutional commitment does not necessarily translate to personal action. Our research helps explain how mechanisms of religious belief can be used to inspire environmental action. **Faith and the planet Earth** ~ We were interested in understanding processes of personal and practical change towards sustainability among Christians in the UK. We studied responses to the Archbishop of Canterbury's 2020 Lent book, **Saying Yes to Life** , authored by Ruth Valerio. The book presented theological perspectives on the importance of taking care of the natural world, focusing on environmental challenges such as water scarcity, air pollution, land degradation, biodiversity loss and energy use. **We surveyed 133 people from a range of age groups and church backgrounds before and after engaging with the text, and conducted focus groups. We found that this intervention significantly influenced participants ' beliefs and behavior related to the environment.** After engaging with the text, people had more positive attitudes towards the environment. Most reported at least a short-term increase in pro-environmental behaviors, particularly around energy use, food choices and recycling. Framing environmental issues in theological terms also influenced participants' environmental attitudes. They reported perceiving nature as sacred, feeling more connected to the natural world, and adopting a belief that humans should care for creation. **We identified three steps that people go through when their faith is mobilized into action:** 1\. The first step is revealing, where the nature of environmental problems and pre-existing theological beliefs (such as humans having a divine right to dominate the environment) are illuminated to the individual. For our participants, this came through thoughtful reading of the text and discussion with other believers. 2\. The second step is reflecting. People then consider how their own beliefs and lifestyles might need to be reconsidered according to new theological ideas or scientific information. 3\. The final step depends on the degree of environmental commitment already held. For those whose lifestyles are incompatible with the new information, the step of redirecting describes a process of internal (cognitive or spiritual) and external (behavioral) change. For those already pursuing pro- environmental lifestyles, the step of reinforcing involves further strengthening these commitments. **Tackling the environmental crisis** ~ Currently, many conversations about the environment are framed by economics—the triple bottom line (a concept urging businesses to think about profit, people and the planet), natural capital and green investment. Appealing to moral and spiritual worldviews could inspire people to think about environmentalism in terms of justice, sacred duty, compassion, empathy and kindness. **Having a community of faith that can support, reinforce and sustain environmental action is another critical function of religion. Many participants mentioned the hope and resolve that came from knowing they were part of a larger body of Christian believers working for change.** Appealing to faith-based worldviews has potential to bypass political divides and cultural affiliations that have stifled action. Indeed, in this research, the greatest shifts towards environmental concern were among participants who self-identified as politically conservative. **Faith is fundamental to many people 's outlook on the world.** Our research shows that religion offers a powerful opportunity to inspire environmental action. But there is work to be done on both sides. Religious leaders could further incorporate environmental matters into their spiritual teaching and practice, and scientists and policymakers could engage more with people of faith. **Humanity 's ability to avert environmental catastrophe will depend on sustainability becoming embedded into every institution and cultural setting. Religion is no exception.** >>> **Christopher Ives is a professor of religious studies at Stonehill College**. In his teaching and writing he focuses on ethics in Zen Buddhism and Buddhist approaches to nature and environmental issues. His publications include _Zen on the Trail: Hiking as Pilgrimage; Imperial-Way Zen: Ichikawa Hakugen’s Critique and Lingering Questions for Buddhist Ethics_. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Buddhist Ethics. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/05/religion-involves-looking- inward-at-ourselves-and-outward-at-our-earth/>

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MVP Comment Period for EIS Extended by US Forest Service to February 21st
by Frack Check WV: admin 04 Feb '23

04 Feb '23

# [MVP Comment Period for EIS Extended by US Forest Service to February 21st](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/04/mvp-comment-period-for-eis- extended-by-us-forest-service-to-february-21st/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/D5286E9D-BF84-49F4-9A4D-2E1545516F15-300x168.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/02/D5286E9D-BF84-49F4-9A4D-2E1545516F15.jpeg) Appalachian Voices held a COMMENT WRITING PARTY on Jan. 25th **USDA Forest Service Mountain Valley Pipeline and Equitrans Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Update** >> From the [USDA Forest Service](https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/USDAFS/2023/02/03/file… (forestservice(a)public.govdelivery.com), February 3, 2023 **In December of 2022 we informed you that the Forest Service’s Mountain Valley Pipeline Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) was available. The USDA Forest Service (FS) had prepared a DSEIS to the 2017 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and the 2020 FS Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and Equitrans Expansion Project.** Publication of the Notice of Availability of the DSEIS in the Federal Register on December 23, 2022 initiated a 45-day public comment period on the DSEIS that was scheduled to end on February 6, 2023. **We are extending the comment period by two weeks. The comment period for the DSEIS will now end on February 21, 2023. Interested parties have been notified in accordance with 36 CFR 220.5(f)(3) and public notification of this comment extension will appear in the Federal Register on February 10, 2023.** **The preferred method to provide specific, written comments during the 45-day comment period is by submitting comments electronically to:** <https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?Project=50036>. This web-based comment form will only be active during the designated comment period. Written comments may be mailed to: Dr. Homer Wilkes, Under Secretary, Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture, c/o Jefferson National Forest, MVP Project, 5162 Valleypointe Parkway, Roanoke, VA 24019. Please note, this project will not be subject to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s project level 36 CFR 218 Subparts A and B pre decisional administrative review process because the responsible official is the Undersecretary, Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture, (36 CFR 218.13(b)). For more information on this project or to request documents in another format, please contact Joby Timm, Forest Supervisor for the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, by leaving a voicemail at 1-888-603-0261. Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at: 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. For inquiries for the BLM, contact Robert Swithers, District Manager, BLM Southeastern States District Office, by phone at 601-919-4650 or by email at BLM_ES_SSDO_Comments(a)blm.gov. >> **Sincerely, Joby Timm, Forest Supervisor,** George Washington and Jefferson National Forests **SOURCE** ~ [20230203 Mountain Valley Pipeline DSEIS _Interested Party Comment Extension.pdf](https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/USDAFS/2023/02/0… URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/04/mvp-comment-period-for-eis- extended-by-us-forest-service-to-february-21st/>

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Put MVP on ICE! Support the CCAN Polar Bear Plunge @ National Harbor!
by Frack Check WV: admin 03 Feb '23

03 Feb '23

# [Put MVP on ICE! Support the CCAN Polar Bear Plunge @ National Harbor!](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/03/put-mvp-on-ice-support-the- ccan-polar-bear-plunge-national-harbor/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/D5F396A2-6E1C-4CC8-B0C3-F07A4A47153E-300x168.png)](… content/uploads/2023/02/D5F396A2-6E1C-4CC8-B0C3-F07A4A47153E.png) Hopefully, this will be the last we will hear about the MVP! **Take the Polar Bear Plunge on Sat. Feb. 11th. SIGN UP NOW!** From the [Invitation of Mike Tidwell, Chesapeake Climate Action Network](https://us-p2p.engagingnetworks.app/7945/keepwintercold), February 1, 2023 **Fighting dangerous fossil fuel projects like the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is tough work, I’ll admit it. This year we’re fighting harder than ever to make sure fossil fuels stay in the ground and the MVP never gets built. But we can’t do it alone.** That’s where you come in. Spread the word, join the movement to move from fossil fuels to a sustainable future by joining our CCAN Polar Bear Plunge on Saturday February 11 (just one week away)! Like I said, saving the climate is tough work. That’s why it’s important to make a little room for joy. Warm towels! Free pizza! Yes, you read that right. Joy! The Polar Bear Plunge is FUN. You almost don’t feel the shock of cold when you run into the icy waters. That’s because you’re surrounded by so many loving activists who are all in this together. Then you get to join your friends afterwards for free pizza. [So sign up now!](https://us-p2p.engagingnetworks.app/7945/keepwintercold) We have big plans in 2023. In addition to fighting dangerous pipelines in Virginia, we’re working to electrify buildings in Maryland and push for rapid implementation of the historic clean-energy initiatives in the federal Inflation Reduction Act. These are just a few of the ways that we'll fight climate change this year with the funds raised by the Polar Bear Plunge. Our Polar Bear Plunge Sponsors know how important this event is to CCAN's work. I’d like to thank Neighborhood Sun, Green 2.0, MOM's Organic Market, US Wind, and Orsted for taking the Plunge with us in 2023 and supporting our upcoming campaigns. **Our annual CCAN Polar Bear Plunge is only one week away!** [SIGN UP NOW to take a winter swim with us on Saturday February 11](https://us-p2p.engagingnetworks.app/7945/keepwintercold). The Plunge brings in one third of our funds raised from individuals. The more we raise, the more flexibility and power we have to win our campaigns! [See you there, Mike Tidwell, Executive Director,](https://us-p2p.engagingnetworks.app/7945/keepwintercold) **Chesapeake Climate Action Network** #######+++++++#######+++++++####### **NOTE RECORDING ~** [Mountain Valley Pipeline Lunch and Learn February 2, 2023](https://wvrivers.org/2023/02/mvpfeb2023/) – WV Rivers Coalition **ACCESS WINDOW~** <https://wvrivers.org/2023/02/mvpfeb2023/> **YouTube Recording ~** <https://youtu.be/42d-68a1-tc> URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/03/put-mvp-on-ice-support-the-ccan- polar-bear-plunge-national-harbor/>

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Groundhog Day Webinar: WV Rivers Discusses the Mountain Valley Pipeline
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 02 Feb '23

02 Feb '23

# [Groundhog Day Webinar: WV Rivers Discusses the Mountain Valley Pipeline](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/02/groundhog-day-webinar-wv- rivers-discusses-the-mountain-valley-pipeline/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/D946DE1A-A2AA-4A05-8CAE-3754695AF6AE2-300x251.jpg)]… content/uploads/2023/02/D946DE1A-A2AA-4A05-8CAE-3754695AF6AE2.jpeg) Punxsutawney Phil has relatives in West Virginia who care! **West Virginia Rivers Coalition on the MVP** >>> Received on January 31 at 8:41 AM Make sure you join us Thursday, February 2nd, for a special #GroundhogsDay webinar on the [Mountain Valley Pipeline](https://bit.ly/MVPGroundhogsDay). Right now, there are two permits from federal agencies pending approval and you have the opportunity to comment! **Learn how you can send your comments. This a webinar is set for 12:00 Noon!** All registrants will receive a recording of the webinar. Register here: <https://bit.ly/MVPGroundhogsDay> URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/02/groundhog-day-webinar-wv-rivers- discusses-the-mountain-valley-pipeline/>

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The Largest Owner of Oil & Gas Wells (Diversified Energy) Could Go Bankrupt
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 01 Feb '23

01 Feb '23

# [The Largest Owner of Oil & Gas Wells (Diversified Energy) Could Go Bankrupt](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/01/the-largest-owner-of-oil- gas-wells-diversified-energy-could-go-bankrupt/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/02/F991AFB1-B2D7-4A9D-9FE5-FC022EA11081-240x300.png)](… content/uploads/2023/02/F991AFB1-B2D7-4A9D-9FE5-FC022EA11081.png) Diversified Energy has ~ 70,000 wells, mostly for natural gas **Diversified Energy’s liabilities exceed its assets — Will public wind up paying to plug its ~ 70,000 wells** From an [Article by Kristina Marusic, Environmental Health News](https://www.ehn.org/abandoned-oil-and-gas-wells-2659296731.html), January 26, 2023 PITTSBURGH — Diversified Energy Company, the largest owner of oil and gas wells in the country, might abandon up to 70,000 oil and gas wells throughout Appalachia without plugging them, according to a new report. The company, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, spent the last five years acquiring tens of thousands of aging, low-producing conventional oil and gas wells and some fracking wells primarily in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. Conventional oil and gas wells are traditional wells where fossil fuels are extracted through vertical boreholes. **A new report, published by the Ohio River Valley Institute,** finds that the company’s financial liabilities exceeded its assets by more than $300 million in June 2022. It’s rare for an oil and gas company’s liabilities to exceed its assets to this extent, prompting concerns that Diversified Energy will go bankrupt without plugging its wells. “We don’t want to see citizens and taxpayers have to pay for plugging these well after this company is gone,” Ted Boettner, author of the report and a senior researcher with the Ohio River Valley Institute. “The way Diversified’s business model is set up, this is a distinct possibility.” Boettner’s report expands on a previous report on Diversified Energy published by the same organization in April 2022 that found the company did not have enough funds on hand to plug its rapidly growing inventory of wells. The company claims it can plug wells at a cost less than half the industry average, claims dying wells will continue producing for decades longer than can be reasonably anticipated, and misrepresents methane emissions. “These unusual assumptions — as well as accounting practices that function to punt cleanup costs down the line — are not used by any other company in the industry,” says Kathy Hipple, report coauthor and research fellow at the Ohio River Valley Institute. A spokesperson for Diversified Energy told EHN, “like other publicly traded peers, we’re held to strict financial reporting standards, including third- party auditing, and we’re measurably reducing emissions by deploying hand-held methane detectors, eliminating or replacing pneumatics, and upgrading equipment.” They added that Diversified Energy retires wells responsibly and is “helping states tackle the orphan well challenge.” **The Ohio River Valley’s new report comes on the heels of a December report by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection finding that abandonment of wells and improper reporting by the conventional oil and gas industry are the norm, rather than the exception in Pennsylvania. The agency found more than 17,000 violations at conventional well sites between 2017 and 2021, with more than 3,300 violations issued over operators’ attempts to abandon a well. “Clearly,” the report stated, “there is significant noncompliance with relevant laws in the conventional oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania.”** Unplugged oil and gas wells can emit climate-warming methane and air pollutants that are hazardous to human health, contaminate soil and groundwater, and allow gas to migrate into occupied buildings, creating a risk of fatal explosions. When drillers abandon wells without plugging them, taxpayers are generally left to clean up the mess. **In 2021, reporters for Bloomberg visited 44 of Diversified Energy’s aging wells throughout Appalachia and found methane leaks and an observable lack of maintenance at most of them, with many wells appearing abandoned.** **Corporate welfare is on the table** The 2021 federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocated $4.7 billion to plug abandoned oil and gas wells throughout the country. Soon after the legislation was passed, Diversified Energy began acquiring well-plugging companies to take advantage of these federal funds. **Diversified Energy has not received federal funds to plug its own wells, but the new report from the Ohio River Valley Institute found that through one of its new well-plugging subsidiaries, the company secured federal funding to plug other orphan wells at a per-well cost more than six times greater than the company earmarks to plug its own wells. “All of this leads me to believe that Diversified’s business model is built on a faulty foundation,” Boettner said. “This is something regulators should be taking a closer look at.”** Boettner also noted that many wells listed as abandoned by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and submitted to the federal government for its orphan well plugging program actually have documented owners, including Diversified Energy, which by law should be liable for plugging them. In May 2022, the Sierra Club informed the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection that the federal list of orphaned wells that state regulators hope to use federal funds to plug includes 7,300 active wells in Pennsylvania that still have identified owners. The group urged state regulators to require the companies that have profited from these wells to pay for their cleanup instead of putting the burden on taxpayers. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said it doesn’t have the resources to track down the owners of these wells and require the companies to pay for plugging them and was considering hiring contractors to help. The Sierra Club, along with a number of other environmental advocacy groups, also petitioned Pennsylvania state regulators to look into increasing bonding for the oil and gas industry to protect against abandoned wells in the future. **Pennsylvania’s current bond rate for conventional oil and gas wells is $2,500 per well or a blanket bond of $25,000 to cover all of a company’s wells.The petition, however, estimates that the full cost of plugging and reclaiming a conventional oil and gas well is $38,000 and a Marcellus Shale fracking well is $83,000, so it recommends raising bond rates to those levels.** Wells drilled before 1984 don’t require any bonds in Pennsylvania, so the actual funds on file to cover Pennsylvania’s conventional wells amounts to just $15 per well, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The agency is studying whether raising bonding rates to the levels recommended by the petition is feasible. **Unusual accounting practices** ~ The new report highlights a number of unusual accounting practices used by Diversified Energy, which Boettner said are not typical for the oil and gas industry. They include claiming it can plug wells for less than half the industry standard cost, assuming dying wells will continue producing for longer than they’re likely to in order to delay plugging them, understating the rate at which oil and gas production is likely to decline over time, recording acquisitions as financial gains, and carrying forward $183 million in unused tax credits, which it generated when gas prices were low. “It’s honestly hard to make heads or tails of the way they report some of these financials,” Boettner said, “but we do know that much of what they’re doing is not typical.” Every well is different and requires different costs to plug based on its age, depth and location. Some wells can be plugged for as little as $5,000, while some can cost as much as $125,000 to plug, Boettner said, noting that Diversified Energy could streamline some of its plugging costs now that it owns several well-plugging companies. “But even given all of that, these numbers are still well below industry norms,” he added. “No matter how you look at it, they’ve just continued to make very questionable assumptions regarding retirement of their well inventory.” Gas prices have soared in recent years, but Diversified Energy has missed out on most of that revenue because it engages in a practice known as “hedging” — locking in a price for oil and gas to hedge against volatile shifts in the market. This ensures that they’ll get that minimum price even if the market price is lower, but also prevents them from reaping large profits when the market price is high. “The bottom line is that it’s highly unlikely that this company will have enough revenue to be able to plug all of its wells,” Boettner said. “Their financial outlook is not good, and if something happens to this company, we’ll all be on the hook for it.” URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/02/01/the-largest-owner-of-oil-gas- wells-diversified-energy-could-go-bankrupt/>

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