April 2023 - News - lists.lwvwv.org

Hydrogen Could Find More Uses, But Isn’t Practical as Our Primary Energy Medium
by Frack Check WV: Diana Gooding 30 Apr '23

30 Apr '23

# [Hydrogen Could Find More Uses, But Isn’t Practical as Our Primary Energy Medium](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/30/hydrogen-could-find-more-us… but-isn%e2%80%99t-practical-as-our-primary-energy-medium/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/B61B463E-6529-4170-8745-D80CC6282C38-300x200.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/B61B463E-6529-4170-8745-D80CC6282C38.jpeg) Shell Oil Co. has this REFHYNE facility in Germany to produce hydrogen. **Is hydrogen a miracle solution for climate, or the new** From an [Article by Ivy Main, Virginia Mercury](https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/04/25/is-hydrogen-a-miracle- solution-for-climate-or-the-new-ethanol/), April 25, 2023 **The hydrogen gold rush is on. Spurred by the urgency of the climate crisis, and attracted by generous incentives in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, companies ranging from oil majors to small start-ups are pouring money into the Next Big Thing in energy: a fuel that is flexible, transportable and carbon-free.** Is hydrogen a critical piece of the decarbonization puzzle that needs floods of new funding, or a[n over-hyped, not-ready-for-prime-time financial boondoggle? At this point the answer seems to be both](https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/04/25/is-hydrogen-a-miracle- solution-for-climate-or-the-new-ethanol/). In his 2022 Energy Plan, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin touted hydrogen as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reimagine Virginia’s future and meet energy needs through an abundant, dispatchable, and zero-emission fuel source where water is the only required input.” This statement has its problems, including the fact that water is actually not the only required input. Making hydrogen from water requires a lot of energy, which must come from some other fuel. Therein lies the rub. [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/DAC105E4-0035-453F-82BC-43D3402EA734-300x163.png)](… content/uploads/2023/04/DAC105E4-0035-453F-82BC-43D3402EA734.png) (Click on image to enlarge it) **DIAGRAM ~ How the Department of Energy believes clean hydrogen could help decarbonize the U.S. economy. (U.S. Department of Energy)** One way to make hydrogen — and the method everyone is talking about — is using electricity to split water (H2O) into its components, hydrogen and oxygen, through electrolysis. Energy is lost in the process, so there is no point in using hydrogen for anything that can plug into the grid. Hydrogen is also more expensive and less efficient than battery storage, which explains why automakers are focusing on electric vehicles rather than ones that run on hydrogen fuel cells. Yet some kinds of transportation (aviation, long-haul trucking) and many industrial processes are hard or impossible to electrify, at least for now. Hydrogen, ammonia and other products can often replace fossil fuels for these uses, and perhaps also play a role in long-term energy storage for grid power. **Recognizing this potential, last year’s Inflation Reduction Act included a range of incentives to spur investment in so-called green hydrogen, defined as hydrogen made from renewable energy. Growing the supply of green hydrogen will require a massive buildout of wind and solar as well as years of technological refinement, but airlines, steelmakers and other customers are already either starting to use green hydrogen or say they want it for their operations.** **Unfortunately, any time the government dangles a subsidy, some businesses will look to exploit any opening to grab free money, even if the result is contrary to the whole point of the subsidy. Those businesses do find champions among politicians who are more interested in generating economic activity than in making sound public policy (or maybe they just confuse the two). But getting the rules right is critical for the climate, and for making sure customers get the carbon-free product they sign up for.** **Hydrogen is already used in many industrial processes and in the manufacture of fertilizers but today it is mostly made from methane gas, at half the cost of green hydrogen. Oil companies like Chevron have urged that to build the market quickly, making hydrogen green is “secondary” to making it affordable. This is all wrong. The great promise of hydrogen is the potential to make it from renewable energy once wind and solar have scaled up so much that there is a glut of cheap, emissions-free power.** **That is not the situation today.** Nationally, fossil fuels make up 60% of electricity generation, with all renewables together representing 21.5%. The regional grid that serves Virginia includes less than 10% wind and solar in the generation mix. Renewables are growing fast while coal shrinks, but few states have so much renewable energy that some of it occasionally goes to waste. California has experienced this under ideal conditions, and is likely to be the first to have surplus renewable energy on a predictable basis. **The challenge is that a company that invests in the capital costs of a hydrogen production facility may not want to run it only when there is surplus wind and solar. These companies will make the most money by running their systems around the clock; profitability might even depend on it. Their choices are to build new renewable energy and battery storage for their own purposes and cut back production when they have to, or manipulate the rules.** So as the U.S. Treasury Department writes the rules around eligibility for green hydrogen incentives, corporate America is asking for loopholes. NextEra, the world’s largest renewable power generator, wants to be allowed to use fossil fuels to fill in whenever there isn’t enough wind or solar energy on the grid, without losing the “green” designation and all the subsidies that accompany it. The company proposes buying carbon credits as an offset. The proposal makes climate advocates very uneasy. We have seen this movie before. When the federal government first offered subsidies for ethanol made from corn in the 1970s, the idea was that blending American-made ethanol into gasoline would reduce our dependence on foreign oil and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Forty years later, the program still consumes some 30 million acres of corn every year, and is estimated to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars, all while actually harming the climate. But just try scaling back ethanol subsidies today. Any politician who proposes such a thing gets their head handed to them by the powerful farm lobby. **That makes it really important that rules set into place today for hydrogen and other “green” fuels do not compromise on the requirement that they be made from carbon-free sources. Make an exception once, and we’ll never close the loophole.** ### URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/30/hydrogen-could-find-more-uses- but-isn%e2%80%99t-practical-as-our-primary-energy-medium/>

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WVU Schedules Drilling for Geothermal Research Well in Morgantown Industrial Park
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 29 Apr '23

29 Apr '23

# [WVU Schedules Drilling for Geothermal Research Well in Morgantown Industrial Park](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/29/wvu-schedules- drilling-for-geothermal-research-well-in-morgantown-industrial-park/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/1820A1CB-62E8-4362-8A6A-3FC5FCB48669-300x200.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/1820A1CB-62E8-4362-8A6A-3FC5FCB48669.jpeg) **NNE Marcellus Well Pad @ Morgantown Industrial Park** ~ Drilling for the new WVU geothermal data-collection well is set to begin during the second week of May. **WVU announces drill date for first geothermal & carbon dioxide storage research well in West Virginia** . . [From the WVU News Service, Morgantown](https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2023/04/28/wvu-announces-drill- date-for-first-geothermal-carbon-capture-and-storage-data-collection-well-in- west-virginia), April 28, 2023 . . **Drilling will start on the West Virginia University geothermal and carbon capture data-collection well during the second week of May, marking a significant step forward in clean energy research in West Virginia.** The well is located at an existing well pad operated by Northeast Natural Energy in the Morgantown Industrial Park. Core samples at shallower depths will be collected to study the potential for underground carbon dioxide storage. [This will be the first-of-its-kind geothermal study in West Virginia and will collect core samples and temperature data down to a depth of 15,000 feet, critical to testing the potential of geothermal energy in the region. Data also will be gathered on the potential for underground carbon storage in the Appalachian basin — another scientific first in the state.](https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2023/04/28/wvu-announces-drill-dat… for-first-geothermal-carbon-capture-and-storage-data-collection-well-in-west- virginia) The project is a collaboration first spearheaded by the WVU Energy Institute with WVU faculty and experts at Northeast Natural Energy LLC and the U.S. Department of Energy, with support from the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey and Hewitt Energy Strategies. **The DOE provided approximately $9.1 million in funding from the Geothermal Technologies Office and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. Northeast Natural Energy, WVGES and WVU contributed $2.76 million in cost- share funding.** “The successful partnership between DOE, industry and academia to test the potential of both geothermal and carbon sequestration in the state is a significant step towards creating new economic opportunities in clean energy diversification,” said Shikha Sharma, geology professor in the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and the project’s principal investigator. **Drilling will be located at an existing well pad at the Morgantown Industrial Park operated by Northeast Natural Energy, a West Virginia-based energy company.** “It’s exciting for Northeast Natural Energy to be able to use its scientific and operational expertise to help better understand the geothermal energy and carbon capture potential of our great state,” said B.J. Carney, vice president of Geoscience and Innovation at Northeast Natural Energy. **This is the second drilling research project that Northeast Natural Energy has partnered on with WVU. The first was the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory for which WVU coordinated with academia, government and industry partners that started in 2015. MSEEL scientists used multiple Northeast Natural Energy wells near Morgantown to research new technologies to improve well production and minimize environmental impacts during unconventional natural gas development projects.** “We look forward to partnering with the researchers at WVU and the DOE to lead the way in the Appalachian Basin toward establishing additional clean energy sources,” Carney said. “We are also eager to understand the feasibility of capturing and storing CO2 in the subsurface to ensure a sustainable future for our vast natural gas resources already in place. These types of projects fit with Northeast Natural Energy’s focus on providing energy of all types to serve our communities and improve their quality of life,” Carney added. “To be clear, instead of producing energy, this well will produce data,” said Sam Taylor, assistant director of Strategic Partnerships and Technology at the WVU Energy Institute. “The goal is to gather enough data to decide if geothermal reservoirs in the region can be a cleaner energy source for parts of West Virginia and mid-Appalachia, along with collecting data on possible carbon storage.” “We’re excited that the test well will provide WVU students with hands-on experience in the field, working with industry professionals while collecting data, providing them with invaluable, real-world experience as a part of their academic studies at WVU,” Sharma said. House Bill 4098 was passed in 2022 and gave the Department of Environmental Protection regulatory oversight on geothermal energy. Taylor was invited to provide expert testimony to state delegates when the bill was reviewed. “This project is a significant milestone in the testing of geothermal energy potential, not only in the state, but also in 70% of the U.S. where lower subsurface temperatures have prevented its use,” Sharma said. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/29/wvu-schedules-drilling-for- geothermal-research-well-in-morgantown-industrial-park/>

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Mountain Valley Pipeline ~ A 303 Mile “Uniquely Risky” & Unnecessary Experiment
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 28 Apr '23

28 Apr '23

# [Mountain Valley Pipeline ~ A 303 Mile “Uniquely Risky” & Unnecessary Experiment](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/28/mountain-valley- pipeline-a-303-mile-%e2%80%9cuniquely-risky%e2%80%9d-unnecessary-experiment/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/5BE0EFB3-D0B1-4BFB-B63C-3AC90D27D1C0-300x168.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/5BE0EFB3-D0B1-4BFB-B63C-3AC90D27D1C0.jpeg) PHOTO ~ MVP pipe in water near a home in Franklin County, VA: according to a local landowner, this pipe was left in a trench that sometimes filled with water up to 2 feet high, for more than a year, until the trench was dewatered ~ Source: Preserve Bent Mountain **Mountain Valley Pipeline: "Uniquely Risky" Due to Plastic Coating & Multiple Other Reasons** . . [Article by Amy Mall, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)](https://www.nrdc.org/bio/amy-mall/mountain-valley-pipeline-uniquely- risky-0), November 3, 2022 . . **Steel pipelines used to transport fossil fuels are prone to corrosion.** Contaminants in oil or gas, such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, can cause corrosion on the inside of the pipes. Rain and dew can cause corrosion on the exterior of pipes when they are stored outdoors. Soil constituents and groundwater can cause corrosion on the exterior of pipes when they are buried beneath the surface, with wet areas more susceptible to corrosion than dry areas. **Corrosion in a pipeline is extremely dangerous, leading to catastrophic explosions and death. Indeed, corrosion problems are the second greatest cause of pipeline failures.** Fortunately, coatings can be applied to pipes to help protect against corrosion. Ideally, pipes are coated both internally and externally to protect from both types of corrosion. Unfortunately, federal regulations only require external coatings for oil and gas pipelines. And pipe coating is not permanent or indestructible. It has to be carefully maintained to retain its protective qualities. If coated pipes are stored outdoors and exposed to the elements, the pipe coating can degrade due to rain, wind, and—especially—ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight. As coating degrades, its protective function also diminishes. Even a tiny imperfection in the coating can create a concentrated area of accelerated corrosion. The rate and extent of coating degradation will vary by the particular circumstances at a site, but according to the National Association of Pipe Coating Applicators: “Above ground storage of coated pipe in excess of 6 months without additional Ultraviolet protection is not recommended.” A 2020 study found that coated pipes that were not provided with additional protection and were exposed to UV rays for many years beyond the recommended six-month maximum “completely failed to retain their original properties and attributes” and were “no longer fit for purpose." (Ref. 1) **Mountain Valley Pipeline coatings not reliable** Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is a partially completed pipeline that would have high explosive risk if it is completed and enters operation. Its large diameter and high pressure are enough to make it a higher risk pipeline than most other gas transmission pipelines. This risk is further increased by the steepness of the Appalachian mountain slopes it would traverse for long distances. MVP is designed to traverse 75 miles of the steepest slopes in Appalachia and more than 200 miles with “high landslide susceptibility,” which places it at higher risk for explosions. This has never before been attempted for a large gas pipeline. **Taking all of this into consideration, MVP is perhaps the riskiest new pipeline construction project in the country. Indeed, it’s been called “uniquely risky” by an environmental hydrologist. This is not a hypothetical risk. MVP has already caused dozens of “slips” where a slope has become unstable, including slopes outside of the pipeline’s right-of-way. And, in 2019, MVP itself reported that a landslide along the pipeline route “progressed to the point where a residence directly downslope is unsafe to be occupied.”** **PHOTO in Article** ~ MVP construction on a steep slope in the Adney Gap area of Franklin County, VA, with a home below ~ SOURCE: Preserve Bent Mountain **Pipes for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) were purchased years ago. From company testimony in a 2018 court hearing, it appears that they were ordered before the project had even obtained a certificate of approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ref. 2). The pipes are primarily coated with 3M Scotchkote Fusion Bonded Epoxy (FBE) 6233 coating. Many are still being stored outdoors throughout the pipeline route in Virginia and West Virginia; some are sitting in trenches in the ground and some are stacked in storage yards. Each separate pipe is stamped with the “date of coating.”** **MVP pipe has coating date stamps from as long ago as December 2016 — six years ago. Local citizens report they have not come across any pipe dated later than 2017**. **PHOTO in Article** ~ MVP pipe with 2016 date stamp in Franklin County, Virginia ~ Source: Preserve Bent Mountain **According to the Pipeline Safety Trust, “There are significant concerns about the effectiveness of the FBE epoxy coatings on the pipeline segments that have been exposed to sun and weathering for far longer than recommended by the manufacturer.” MVP’s coated pipe has been exposed to the elements for up to six years because of the pipeline owner’s bullish decision to purchase and coat the pipes before resolving outstanding issues regarding the unlawfulness of its design and permits issued by federal agencies during the Trump Administration.** MVP claims that they will inspect the pipe and repair any damaged coating or thin spots on exposed pipe before installing it in the ground. But there aren't any federal regulations that specify standards for repair. According to the Pipeline Safety Trust, “The regulations are written to largely allow the operator to determine if the coating is appropriate as opposed to prescribing exactly what would make a coating safe or unsafe.” When pipes for the proposed (and now cancelled) Keystone XL pipeline were stored outdoors for approximately six years due to delay, a company representative stated that any pipe determined to need recoating would have to be transported back to a plant to be stripped and recoated. That requires time — and money. Given that MVP is already more than $3 billion over budget and more than five years behind schedule, the company has incentive to cut corners. **Leaving pipeline inspection and repair up to the pipeline company is simply wrong.** The communities along the route need to able to sleep at night with confidence that their lives and those of their loved ones are being considered — perhaps the most important purpose of the coatings. These pipes are sitting on private property that belongs to real people who live in what is known as the “blast zone”— the distance from an explosion where death or serious injury is likely. And they won’t be able to sleep at night knowing that a pipeline company that has been fined millions of dollars for hundreds of state alleged violations is allowed to decide how to address the risks associated with deteriorating pipe coating that has been exposed to the elements for far too long. Reference #1. Keith Coulson, James Ferguson, and David Milmine, “Study of stockpiled fusion bond epoxy coated pipe,” in Corrosion Management, Institute of Corrosion, January/February 2020. Reference #2. Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC, Plaintiff, vs. Sharon Simmons, et al, Defendants, Civil Action Number: 1:17CV211, Proceedings had in the Motion Hearing on January 23, 2018. ### URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/28/mountain-valley- pipeline-a-303-mile-%e2%80%9cuniquely-risky%e2%80%9d-unnecessary-experiment/>

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U.S. Secretary of Energy is Misguided on Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP)
by Frack Check WV: admin 27 Apr '23

27 Apr '23

# [U.S. Secretary of Energy is Misguided on Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP)](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/27/u-s-secretary-of-energy-is- misguided-on-mountain-valley-pipeline-mvp/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/E9EBED77-1927-4976-AFED-0AA34CBA40B7.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/04/E9EBED77-1927-4976-AFED-0AA34CBA40B7.jpeg) One of the rallies over the last eight years opposing the 42” MVP …. **Despite Environmental Justice Pledge, Pres. Biden Disrespects People Like Me in Path of Fracked Gas Pipeline** From the [Article by Maury Johnson (Monroe County, WV), Common Dreams](https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/biden-administration-disrespec… mountain-valley-pipeline-impacted-communities), 4/26/23 **Secretary Granholm 's letter cheerleading the Mountain Valley Pipeline came the day after she promised to meet with me, a landowner impacted by Senator Manchin's pet fossil fuel project.** I am saddened by the depths that proponents of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) will go to advance a false narrative and spread inaccuracies. This time it is Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm who on Friday, April 21, 2023 wrote a cheerleader's letter rooting for the MVP, Joe Manchin's pet project. It is very ironic and even a bit disturbing that she wrote this letter one day after she appeared before the Senate Energy Committee and the very next day after she told me personally that she (or her staff) would meet with me in the next week or two. I am currently in Washington, D.C. where I attended the Senate Energy Committee meeting on Thursday, April 20. I spoke to the Secretary at the conclusion of the hearing and asked her to meet with me. She indicated that a meeting could be arranged this week or next. But in what appears to be a hastily prepared letter — even possibly dictated by the fossil fuel lobby — she expressed her desire to exert political pressure on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other federal agencies. **The Secretary apparently decided that she did not need to talk to those most affected by the project or even entertain an opposing viewpoint.** Like many agencies, she did not talk with or listen to any affected landowner and totally continued to perpetrate the social, racial, and environmental injustice concerns that President Joe Biden had just a few hours before expressed that his administration would take seriously. **You can 't have it both ways**: You either listen to impacted communities or you don't. This letter appears to be written to appease Senator Manchin and others in the MVP camp. It is also strange that this letter was filed just before Equitrans Midstream Corporation — the company behind the pipeline — had its shareholder meeting on Monday morning, April 24. You can't have it both ways: You either listen to impacted communities or you don't. **The MVP project is not necessary to support the nation 's energy security and energy supply.** Just because they say it is so, doesn't make it true. It actually would do just the opposite. It would lock us into decades of methane and carbon pollution that the nation or the planet can ill afford. As the lead federal agency for the project under the FAST-41 framework, I feel that the FERC has failed in its regulatory duty to be an independent agency by submitting to inappropriate industry-generated political pressure similar to that which is reflected in Secretary Granholm's letter. It appears to me to be an attempt to intimidate the commission. **In a letter I just completed and sent to the FERC, I requested that they do their job and follow their charter as an independent agency:** to evaluate all projects on their merits and with regard to their impact on climate change and to resist the political pressure placed on them by politicians like Senator Manchin, who would build more pipelines, mine more coal, drill for more oil and gas, despite the fact that it would put us on a fast track to total environment destruction. I do not believe that the MVP project would help ensure the "reliable delivery of energy that heats homes and businesses, and powers electric generators that support the reliability of the electric system," despite what Secretary Granholm may state in her letter. **This is a 42-inch diameter interstate transmission line which is most likely slated to transmit gas for export.** Infrastructure such as MVP destroys communities, pollutes water, harms our environment, and has no role to play in the clean energy transition. Unproven technologies such as "carbon capture" facilitated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act are not something you should rely on to fix our climate emergency. With the severe problems we are facing, these proposals are too little, too late. No new pipeline infrastructure is needed. The rapid growth of hydrogen as an emissions-free fuel is also a misnomer, especially if the hydrogen is produced as a byproduct of more drilling. The transport of carbon dioxide through a pipeline might be the most dangerous thing we could ever do. I believe Secretary Granholm herself knows better than what she stated in her April 21 letter. As extreme weather events continue to put strain on the U.S. energy system, we must quickly transition to green energy and continuing to build pipelines cannot be part of that transition. The MVP project would, if completed, lock us into decades of climate-busting greenhouse gas emissions as it destroys communities and property across its entire route. **The MVP project would, if completed, lock us into decades of climate-busting greenhouse gas emissions as it destroys communities and property across its entire route.** **Now here is the hardly disguised, hard-hitting core message embedded in a (not so funny part of) Granholm 's letter:** _" While the Department takes no position regarding the outstanding agency actions required under federal or state law related to the construction of the MVP project, nor on any pending litigation, we submit the view that the MVP project will enhance the Nation's critical infrastructure for energy and national security. We appreciate the Commission's prompt actions to fulfill its regulatory responsibilities regarding natural gas infrastructure under the Natural Gas Act, and the interagency coordination it provides as the lead federal agency for the project under FAST-41. We look forward to continuing to work with FERC to ensure consumers have access to reliable, cost-effective, and clean energy."_ **That was a very strong armed tactic, if I ever saw one. I believe it is totally inappropriate to write such a letter, especially when just one day before she said she would meet with me and the president issued the Executive Order Revitalizing Our Nation 's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All on the morning before she wrote her letter to the FERC. The president said all executive branch agencies have a duty to pursue environmental justice. Apparently Secretary Granholm did not get the message.** Meanwhile, I am still in Washington D.C. waiting to hear from Secretary Granholm. Personally, I don't understand her rush to write her letter cheering for the MVP. It is also typical of how most government leaders have treated landowners and other citizens in the path of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/0ACD60AA-63B0-4B8D-BB39-431A6FAF1191-150x150.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/0ACD60AA-63B0-4B8D-BB39-431A6FAF1191.jpeg) Maury Johnson inspected a section of the plastic coated pipe here >>> Maury Johnson is a southern West Virginia landowner, whose organic farm has been impacted by the Mountain Valley Pipeline. He is a member of Preserve Monroe and the POWHR (Protect Our Water, Heritage, & Rights) Coalition, both have been fighting the MVP and other harmful projects across WV/VA&NC for 8 years. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/27/u-s-secretary-of-energy-is- misguided-on-mountain-valley-pipeline-mvp/>

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Our Methane Opportunity and Our Responsibility ~ Control Natural Gas ASAP — Part 2
by Frack Check WV: admin 26 Apr '23

26 Apr '23

# [Our Methane Opportunity and Our Responsibility ~ Control Natural Gas ASAP — Part 2](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/26/our-methane-opportunity-and- our-responsibility-control-natural-gas-asap-%e2%80%94-part-2/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/568EFB2E-2EA6-4B62-907E-156AB8AFACE4.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/04/568EFB2E-2EA6-4B62-907E-156AB8AFACE4.jpeg) When fracking is done just for petroleum, the excess gas is flared **Getting companies to cut methane emissions is the challenge** Continued [Article by Jim Krane (Rice University), Yahoo! News](https://news.yahoo.com/why-fixing-methane-leaks-oil-132702814.html), 11/17/22 **Motivating U.S. producers to act has been the big hurdle.** ~ The Biden administration is aiming for an 87% reduction in methane emissions below 2005 levels by the end of the decade. To get there, it has reimposed and strengthened U.S. methane rules that were dropped by the Trump administration. **These include requiring drillers to find and repair leaks at more than 1 million U.S. well sites.** **The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 further incentivizes methane mitigation, including by levying an emissions tax on large oil and gas producers starting at $900 per ton in 2024, increasing to $1,500 in 2026.** That fee, which can be waived by the Environmental Protection Agency and doesn’t affect small producers or leaks below 0.2% of gas produced, is based on the social cost to society from methane’s contribution to climate damage. Customers are also putting pressure on the industry. Regulatory indifference by the Trump administration to U.S. methane flaring and venting led to cancellation of some European plans to import U.S. liquefied natural gas. Reducing methane isn’t always straightforward, though, particularly in the U.S., where thousands of oil companies operate with minimal oversight. A company’s methane emissions aren’t necessarily proportional to its oil and gas production, either. For example, a 2021 study using data from the EPA found Texas-based Hilcorp Energy reporting nearly 50% more methane emissions than ExxonMobil, despite producing less oil and gas. Hilcorp, which specializes in acquiring “late life” assets, says it is working to reduce emissions. Other little-known producers have also reported large emissions. Investor pressure has pushed several publicly traded companies to reduce their methane emissions, but in practice this sometimes leads them to sell off “dirty” assets to smaller operators with less oversight. In such a situation, the easiest way to encourage companies to clean up is via a tax. Done right, companies would act before they had to pay. **Using technology to keep emissions in check** ~ Unlike carbon dioxide, which lingers in the atmosphere for a century or more, methane only sticks around for about a dozen years. So, if humans stop replenishing methane stocks in the atmosphere, those levels will decline. **A review of methane leaks in the Permian Basin shows the big impact that some regions can have.** ~ Researchers found that gas and oil operations in the Permian, in west Texas and New Mexico, had a leakage rate estimated at 3.7% in 2018 and 2019, before the pandemic. A 2012 study found that leakage rates above 3.2% make climate damage from using natural gas worse than that from burning coal, which is normally considered the biggest climate threat. Methane leaks used to escape detection because the gas is invisible. Now, the proliferation of satellite-based sensors and infrared cameras makes detection easy. **Companies such as GTI Energy’s Veritas, Project Canary and MiQ have also launched to assist natural gas producers in reducing emissions and then verifying the reductions. At that point, if leaks are less than 0.2%, producers can avoid the federal fee and also market their output as “responsibly sourced” gas.** >>> This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Jim Krane, Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/26/our-methane-opportunity-and-our- responsibility-control-natural-gas-asap-%e2%80%94-part-2/>

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Our Methane Opportunity and Our Responsibility ~ Control Natural Gas ASAP — Part 1
by Frack Check WV: Dee Fulton 25 Apr '23

25 Apr '23

# [Our Methane Opportunity and Our Responsibility ~ Control Natural Gas ASAP — Part 1](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/25/our-methane-opportunity-and- our-responsibility-control-natural-gas-asap-%e2%80%94-part-1/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/7AF06D55-D86F-43EF- BF56-F54FA0C513B9-300x168.jpg)](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/7AF06D55-D86F-43EF-BF56-F54FA0C513B9.jpeg) OMG! Flaring adds carbon dioxide directly to the earth’s atmosphere **Why fixing methane leaks from the oil and gas industry can be a climate game-changer – one that pays for itself** From an [Article by Jim Krane (Rice University), Yahoo! News Service](https://news.yahoo.com/why-fixing-methane-leaks-oil-132702814.html), 11/17/22 **What’s the cheapest, quickest way to reduce climate change without roiling the economy? In the United States, it may be by reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.** Methane is the main component of natural gas, and it can leak anywhere along the supply chain, from the wellhead and processing plant, through pipelines and distribution lines, all the way to the burner of your home’s stove or furnace. **Once it reaches the atmosphere, methane’s super heat-trapping properties render it a major agent of warming. Over 20 years, methane causes 85 times more warming than the same amount of carbon dioxide. But methane doesn’t stay in the atmosphere for long, so stopping methane leaks today can have a fast impact on lowering global temperatures.** That’s one reason governments at the 2022 United Nations climate change conference in Egypt focused on methane as an easy win in the climate battle. So far, 150 countries, including the United States and most of the big oil producers other than Russia, have pledged to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas by at least 30%. China has not signed but has agreed to reduce emissions. If those pledges are met, the result would be equivalent to eliminating the greenhouse gas emissions from all of the world’s cars, trucks, buses and all two- and three-wheeled vehicles, according to the International Energy Agency. **There’s also another reason for the methane focus, and it makes this strategy more likely to succeed: Stopping methane leaks from the oil and gas industry can largely pay for itself and boost the amount of fuel available.** **Capturing methane can pay off** ~ Methane is produced by decaying organic material. Natural sources, such as wetlands, account for roughly 40% of today’s global methane emissions. But the majority comes from human activities, such as farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants – and fuel production. Oil, gas and coal together make up about a third of global methane emissions. In all, methane is responsible for almost a third of the 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) that global temperatures have risen since the industrial era. Unfortunately, methane emissions are still rising. In 2021, atmospheric levels increased to 1,908 parts per billion, the highest levels in at least 800,000 years. Last year’s increase of 18 parts per billion was the biggest on record. Among the sources, the oil and gas sector is best equipped to stop emitting because it is already configured to sell any methane it can prevent from leaking. Methane leaks and “venting” in the oil and gas sector have numerous causes. Unintentional leaks can flow from pneumatic devices, valves, compressors and storage tanks, which often are designed to vent methane when pressures build. Unlit or inefficient flares are another big source. Some companies routinely burn off excess gas that they can’t easily capture or don’t have the pipeline capacity to transport, but that still releases methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. **Nearly all of these emissions can be stopped with new components or regulations that prohibit routine flaring.** **Making those repairs can pay off.** Global oil and gas operations emitted more methane in 2021 than Canada consumed that entire year, according to IEA estimates. If that gas were captured, at current U.S. prices – $4 per million British thermal unit – that wasted methane would fetch around $17 billion. The IEA determined that a one-time investment of $11 billion would eliminate roughly 75% of methane leaks worldwide, along with an even larger amount of gas that is wasted by “flaring” or burning it off at the wellhead. **The repairs and infrastructure investments would not only reduce warming, but they would also generate profits for producers and provide direly needed natural gas to markets undergoing drastic shortages due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.** **See Part 2 tomorrow.** >>> Jim Krane is a Fellow for Energy Studies, Baker Institute for Public Policy & Lecturer, Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University in Houston, TX URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/25/our-methane-opportunity-and-our- responsibility-control-natural-gas-asap-%e2%80%94-part-1/>

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Pollution Incidents from Shell Cracker Plant are Recurring Problems
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 24 Apr '23

24 Apr '23

# [Pollution Incidents from Shell Cracker Plant are Recurring Problems](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/24/pollution-incidents-from- shell-cracker-plant-are-recurring-problems/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/A755C990-9BD3-4296-9FD7-250806D916B1-300x157.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/A755C990-9BD3-4296-9FD7-250806D916B1.jpeg) The Ohio River valley in Pennsylvania continues its challenging ways (Click image to expand) **Pennsylvania investigating Odor Events at Shell ethane cracker & cited for 3 separate violations** From an [Article by Reid Frazier, State Impact Penn.](https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2023/04/14/state- investigating-odor-event-at-shell-ethane-cracker/), April 14, 2023 The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is investigating a release of odors from Shell’s Beaver County ethane cracker this week. Shell reported on Wednesday the odor came from its wastewater treatment facility, and said the smell could be detected outside of the facility’s boundaries. “Depending on wind direction, the odor was detected in certain areas offsite as well. We are working to resolve this matter as quickly as possible,” the company said. **Under the facility’s state air permit, the plant is not allowed to release “malodorous air contaminants” outside of the company’s property line.** Curtis Thomas, a spokesman for the company, said this happened after the company drained a tank for scheduled maintenance during a plant shutdown. As a result, he said, “a watery oil mix” entered the facility’s wastewater treatment plant, causing the release of odor. The company added water to the oily mix “with the goal of minimizing the odor,” Thomas said. The area nearby was closed off, he said, “and normal work that would have been done in the area was paused.” Contrary to statements on social media, there was no plant-wide evacuation, and no release of the carcinogen benzene, Thomas said, in an email. **Smells “like burning gas and maple syrup”** ~ Lexy Stawick of the nearby town of Beaver said her 7-year-old daughter first smelled the odor when she went outside before school on Wednesday morning. “She just went out in the backyard to get her shoes and she came in and told me it smells really bad outside,” Stawick said. “And she asked me to come outside to smell it, and it smelled like someone had come into our backyard and just like, doused it in gasoline. It reeked of gas.” Rosemary Rush, of Brighton, said her 8-year-old son first alerted her to the smell when she rolled the windows down while driving him to school in Beaver Wednesday morning. “He was like, ‘Mom, what is that smell? It smells so bad.’ And I didn’t really think anything of it at first, but we literally could not keep the window down,” she said. “I was like instantly nauseous, instantly had a headache.” Rush said she drove to different spots in Beaver to see if the smell, which she described as “like burning gas and maple syrup mixed together” was still present, and it was. “It was like this heavy, thick, almost like a cloud of something that I was breathing in that I could feel in my throat,” she said. **PA- DEP responds ~** DEP spokeswoman Lauren Camarda said agency personnel were at the plant Wednesday and Thursday investigating after getting numerous reports from the public and from Shell about the event. The DEP staff documented “on-and-offsite odors, which Shell reports were caused by oil entering its wastewater treatment plant,” Camarda said. Camarda said Shell had reported higher than normal readings for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at the company’s fence line air monitors, and that local ambient air pollution readings reported higher than normal levels of particulate matter. But Camarda said these levels did not exceed federal health-based air standards. Camarda said the agency “has no evidence to date of any unpermitted materials being discharged to a waterway” from the plant. **Problems at the plant not new ~** The event follows a rocky few months of operations at the plant, which began in November, and includes a state notice of violation in December for high levels of flaring during startup operations. Three other recent violations in April were for visible emissions from flaring in February; exceeding its 12-month limit of nitrogen oxide emissions in January; and exceeding its 12-month emissions limits of both nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emissions in February. In March, a compressor failure led to another bright flaring event at the plant. Stawick said she is worried about the overall impact of the plant’s emissions on her children, 5 and 7. “It seems like Shell is having an issue almost monthly. So I worry about what that’s doing to our air, what our kids are being exposed to,” she said. The plant, which makes plastic out of ethane, a component of natural gas abundant in the Utica and Marcellus shale, opened in November and received a $1.65 billion Pennsylvania tax credit, the largest in state history. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/24/pollution-incidents-from-shell- cracker-plant-are-recurring-problems/>

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Air Pollution Fines from Natural Gas Processing @ $9 Million Dollars
by Frack Check WV: S. Tom Bond 23 Apr '23

23 Apr '23

# [Air Pollution Fines from Natural Gas Processing @ $9 Million Dollars](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/23/air-pollution-fines-from- natural-gas-processing-9-million-dollars/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/4E46125A-2321-41CA- BAE8-ACC1B21E46F21-231x300.jpg)](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/4E46125A-2321-41CA-BAE8-ACC1B21E46F21.jpeg) (Click to expand image) ~ Meet the Author ~ Michael Barrick to present book entitled ‘Fractured Sanctuary’ **Regional natural gas companies agree to more than $9 million in air quality fines** . . From an [Article by Logan Smith, Newsbreak, CBS Denver](https://www.newsbreak.com/news/3001608774822-regional-natural-gas- companies-agree-to-more-than-9-million-in-air-quality-fines), April 22, 2023 . . **Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday settlements with three natural gas processing companies for their alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act.** **The settlements total $9.25 million that will be shared among the federal agency, six states (Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming), and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. This includes $346,500 for Williams Companies facilities in Marshall County, WV.** **The agreements also require improvements to be made by the companies at 25 gas processing plants and 91 compressor stations across 12 states and two Tribal communities.** The settlement with one company is notable for its plants' proximity to the Denver metro area. WES DJ Gathering LLC, formerly known as Kerr McGee Gathering, LLC, operates three adjacent processing plants comprising the Fort Lupton Complex located 35 northeast of Denver. To resolve the allegations of state and federal clean air requirements at those facilities, WES DJ Gathering is paying the state and the EPA $1.75 million each. "The area where the Fort Lupton Complex is located does not meet EPA's 8-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone and is designated as 'severe' nonattainment," the EPA stated in its press release. Ground-level ozone has adverse affects on human health, according to the EPA. Methane, one of the primary components of natural gas, "substantially" contributes to greenhouse gases and climate change, the agency claims. The EPA and the Colorado Department Public Health and Environment filed a complaint about the Fort Lupton Complex violations on July 1, 2020. As part of the settlement, WES DJ Gathering agreed to replace older equipment with low- emission valves and connectors; repair leaking equipment; implement a leak detection and repair quality control program; use newer gas imaging technology to improve monitoring and detection of leaks; and improve equipment at a nearby Frederick Compressor Station, including the removal or replacement of two pre-1981 engines. "When fully implemented," the EPA's press release claimed, "the settlement will reduce ozone-producing air pollution in northern Colorado by an estimated 162 tons per year and greenhouse gases by 17,433 tons per year of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), including methane." A second settlement agreement was made with Williams and Harvest Four Corners (The Williams Companies, Inc.), the EPA announced Thursday. Williams is required to pay $3.75 million civil penalty due to alleged failures to control volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from natural gas processing plants. The penalty will be divided between the EPA ($2,227,500), the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in southwestern Colorado ($307,500) and the states of Colorado ($298,875) and Wyoming ($142,500). Williams is also required to strengthen its leak detection and repair (LDAR) practices at 15 natural gas processing plants, including those near Parachute, Rifle and Ignacio, Colorado, and Wamsutter and Opal, Wyoming. Williams must also perform leak monitoring and repair at 80 natural gas compressor stations across the U.S., including 10 throughout Wyoming. A third settlement agreement was announced with MPLX LP addressing noncompliance and strengthening air pollution controls at seven natural gas processing plants and three compressor stations in North Dakota, Wyoming, and the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Utah. **The consent decrees for the WES DJ, Williams, and MPLX settlements are available at U.S. Department of Justice websites. The public has 30 days to comment.** Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1970. Major revisions were made to it in 1977 and 1990. #######+++++++#######+++++++######## **See Also:** [Book ‘Fractured Sanctuary,’ about the Grassroots Response to the Fracking Industry](https://appalachianchronicle.com/2023/02/28/book- fractured-sanctuary-a-chronicle-of-the-destructive-fracking-industry-in- appalachia-now-available/), **Now Available** – [The Appalachian Chronicle](https://appalachianchronicle.com/2023/02/28/book-fractured- sanctuary-a-chronicle-of-the-destructive-fracking-industry-in-appalachia-now- available/) URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/23/air-pollution-fines-from- natural-gas-processing-9-million-dollars/>

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West Virginia Ranks #8 in Drilling & Fracking Nationwide
by Frack Check WV: admin 22 Apr '23

22 Apr '23

# [West Virginia Ranks #8 in Drilling & Fracking Nationwide](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/22/west-virginia-ranks-8-i… drilling-fracking-nationwide/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/BAFC6764-CF61-4D9E-91C6-38AB86E2DD21-231x300.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/BAFC6764-CF61-4D9E-91C6-38AB86E2DD21.jpeg) (Click to enlarge) Open meeting on West Virginia community struggles with drilling & fracking **How prevalent is fracking in West Virginia?** [Update from the Stacker Service, Apr 10, 2022](https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/how-prevalent-is-fracking-i… west-virginia/) **Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is a means of gas extraction that requires blasting large volumes of water, sand and chemicals into subterranean rock to drive out and capture natural gas. The first fracking occurred in the U.S. in the 1860s, followed almost a century later by what we recognize today as modern fracking.** Natural gas is significantly more productive than other fossil fuels, with a 92% efficiency rate between wellhead to home compared to 32% for coal. But opponents of fracking cite numerous environmental and health threats, from poisoned groundwater and the destruction of habitats to heightened ground- level ozone that can increase the risk of asthma and other respiratory issues. Stacker analyzed data from FracFocus, a national hydraulic fracturing chemical registry, to rank states with the most fracking wells. States are ranked by 2020 data, the most recent complete year available. Additional data on natural gas withdrawals from the Energy Information Administration is also provided, however, data on gas production exclusively from fracking is not available. On average, a fracking well can produce for 20 to 30 years, with some wells producing for far longer. During a fracked well’s lifetime, output often drops in the first few years from more than 1,000 barrels a day to 100 barrels. That dropoff means new wells have to be dug regularly to maintain supply. This constant demand can lead to boom towns left with rampant unemployment, wells running dry, and potential health and environmental hazards. Water contamination and air pollution, and even heart attacks and reduced fertility, have all been linked to fracking, studies have shown. **Between 2000 and 2015, the number of hydraulically fractured wells in the United States leaped from 23,000 to 300,000, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. These fracking wells represented about 67% of natural gas production and 51% of crude oil production across the nation.** **#10. Wyoming** – Number of wells, 2020: 4,701 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 1,655 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 3.6% Two of Wyoming’s biggest regions for fracking are the gas sand reservoirs in the Greater Green River and Powder River basins. Since 2010, the state has required disclosure of fracking chemicals by companies. Statewide polling data from the Petroleum Association of Wyoming in 2020 found a full 86% of Wyoming voters approve of oil and natural gas production there. Wyoming’s gas boom has provided plenty of power—over 2 million cubic feet of natural gas by 2013—but at the cost of its air quality. The state’s smog in 2011 was rated worse than Los Angeles. **#9. Ohio** – Number of wells, 2020: 6,741 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 2,245 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 2,190.9% Natural gas was extracted via fracking from more than 80,000 oil and gas wells in Ohio between the years 1952 and 2014, with natural gas production there ballooning more than 2,200% between 2012 and 2019. Much of the fracking in Ohio occurs along the central-eastern portion of the state over the Marcellus Shale and Point Pleasant-Utica Shale regions. A report released in February 2021 found that investments into the Ohio River valley to support the oil and gas industry instead resulted in 22 counties throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia experiencing documented job losses. Seven of those counties are located in Ohio; they collectively saw a net job loss in excess of 8% and a more than 3% drop in population. **#8. West Virginia** – Number of wells, 2020: 6,741 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 3,098 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 882.3% As coal mining loses steam in West Virginia, fracking has spread throughout the state. The natural gas boom began in 2011, with the state experiencing a 50% increase in extraction every year since. The Energy Information Administration reported that in the first half of 2021, 34% of dry natural gas production in the United States came from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. When mining operations were done with steam or even horses, the use of “split estates”—when landowners agree to relinquish their rights to the minerals below ground while maintaining ownership of everything at ground level—was widespread. As technology advanced, these old contracts have come to light as energy companies constructed wells and infrastructure for fracking sites in the otherwise remote countryside and towns. #7. Louisiana – Number of wells, 2020: 8,515 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 4,771 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 114.8% Oil and gas companies have long been drawn to Louisiana for its expansive tax incentives, with fracking primarily concentrated in the Haynesville Shale region in the northwestern part of the state. Natural gas is also extracted from the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale in central Louisiana. In 2014, St. Tammany Parish voted to ban fracking; in 2015, a state judge ruled that the town could not use zoning regulations to block fracking. In March 2017, new regulations in Louisiana stipulated that fracking operators must provide a chemicals list for their fracking processes—however, like in other states, those chemicals considered to be “trade secrets” do not have to be disclosed. #6. Oklahoma – Number of wells, 2020: 15,787 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 7,788 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 72.8% Oklahoma has seen a sharp rise in earthquake frequency—most of which are due to “wastewater disposal,” in which liquid waste from gas and oil production is shot deep underground. Roughly 90% of this injection in Oklahoma is to get rid of waste from oil extraction, not fracking. The oil and gas division within the Oklahoma Corporation Commission requires that fracking companies report any potential seismic effects of injecting fluids into wells. Oklahoma’s largest-known fracking-induced earthquake was a magnitude 3.6 in 2019. **#5. Pennsylvania** – Number of wells, 2020: 17,441 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 7,828 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 4,759.9% A historic measure was passed in February 2021 by the Delaware River Basin Commission as all four basin states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) voted to permanently ban fracking in northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New York, citing evidence of polluted surface, ground, and drinking water. The vote affected two counties in northeastern Pennsylvania that comprise part of the Marcellus Shale. #4. New Mexico – Number of wells, 2020: 20,015 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 9,749 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 19.6% Oil and gas extraction has been touted as essential to the New Mexico economy, with proponents arguing that fracking has been conducted in the state for half a century without a single incident of groundwater contamination. Opponents to fracking made headway in 2021 with a bill that would put a four-year moratorium on new fracking contracts, claiming oil and gas extraction could cause irreparable damage to ecosystems and human health. #3. North Dakota – Number of wells, 2020: 20,364 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 9,533 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 1,663.3% Much of North Dakota’s oil and natural gas production occurs in the western part of the state, in the Bakken and Three Forks formations. In 2012, the state surpassed Alaska and became the #2 oil-producing state in the U.S., a rise in status widely attributed to its fracking operations. Many landowners got big payouts by signing property over to natural gas extraction, but they now face a sobering reality of potential water contamination that could affect farms, livestock, and residents. #2. Colorado – Number of wells, 2020: 20,955 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 14,509 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 164.5% One of the first large-scale American fracking operations began in 1973 in Colorado’s Wattenberg Gas Field. That field, located between Denver and Greeley and discovered in 1970, is the Colorado site where the most oil and gas extraction to date has occurred to date. Over the last half-century, wells have dried up and more have been dug, creating a patchwork of drill sites across rural Colorado that creeps ever closer to higher-density residential areas. Today, drillers have their sights set on populated areas north of Denver, queueing up heightened anxiety toward fracking regulations. **#1. Texas** – Number of wells, 2020: 136,342 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 82,763 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 79.8% Texas is situated over parts of numerous basins (Anadarko, Palo Duro, and Permian) and shales (Barnett, Eagle Ford, and Haynesville-Bossier). At the end of the 20th century, when natural gas was giving Texas its second oil boom, Anadarko Basin provided the largest output of natural gas anywhere in the U.S. **Today, fracking is primarily done around Eagle Ford Shale. The first fracking ban in Texas was passed in 2014 in Denton, located along the northern edge of the Barnett Shale. The largest fracking-related earthquake in U.S. history took place in 2018 in Texas and was a magnitude 4.0.** URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/22/west-virginia-ranks-8-in- drilling-fracking-nationwide/>

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The West Virginia Hills & Valleys have Become ‘Fractured Sanctury’
by Frack Check WV: admin 21 Apr '23

21 Apr '23

# [The West Virginia Hills & Valleys have Become ‘Fractured Sanctury’](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/21/the-west-virginia-hills- valleys-have-become-%e2%80%98fractured-sanctury%e2%80%99/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/3017A998-CE42-44AE-B5BC-C78E883163A9-300x135.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/3017A998-CE42-44AE-B5BC-C78E883163A9.jpeg) Drilling and fracking on large Marcellus well pads continues in WV **Public lecture on grassroots activism in West Virginia** From the [Announcement by Betsy Lawson, Sierra Club](https://appalachianchronicle.com/), April 17, 2023 _Join us for this open presentation and discussion: “Fractured Sanctuary”_ **What** : Michael Barrick will discuss his new book; ‘Fractured Sanctuary’ **Where** : The public meeting room, Church of the Brethren, 464 Virginia Avenue (Wiles Hill), Morgantown. (COVID-19 masks are optional.) **When** : 3 pm, Sunday, April 23rd Our speaker Michael Barrick will describe reluctant citizen activists providing grassroots resistance against fracking, pipeline construction etc… in WV and beyond. Telling our stories helps encourage, empower and heal one another. Community preparedness and emergency management will be described to meet the threats to our communities from fracking, flooding or a major spill of hazardous chemicals, as recently happened in East Palestine, Ohio. Michael Barrick holds a postgraduate Certificate in Community Preparedness and Emergency Management from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. He has extensive experience in these areas. He was born in Clarksburg and is a graduate of Glenville State. The co-sponsors of this event are the WV Sierra Club, WV Interfaith Power & Light, Morgantown Church of the Brethren, Morgantown Friends (Quaker) Meeting and the local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Refreshments will be provided. Celebrate Earth Day by joining us. We hope to see you there, on Wiles Hill in Morgantown. >>> _Betsy Lawson, Secretary, Monongahela Group, Sierra Club_ **See also:** [The Appalachian Chronicle](https://appalachianchronicle.com/) ~ [appalachianchronicle.com](https://appalachianchronicle.com/) URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/21/the-west-virginia-hills-valleys- have-become-%e2%80%98fractured-sanctury%e2%80%99/>

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First Responders Challenged by Chemicals at Train Derailment(s)
by Frack Check WV: Diana Gooding 20 Apr '23

20 Apr '23

# [First Responders Challenged by Chemicals at Train Derailment(s)](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/20/first-responders- challenged-by-chemicals-at-train-derailments/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/10EFBD76-2B33-4D8A-BBE1-219BF4B004B81-300x168.jpg)]… content/uploads/2023/04/10EFBD76-2B33-4D8A-BBE1-219BF4B004B81.jpeg) Tank car chemicals intentionally set on fire to speed the “cleanup” process **East Palestine First Responders Faced Communications Gap With Railroad** Article by [Curtis Tate, West Virginia Public Broadcasting](https://wvpublic.org/east-palestine-first-responders-faced- communications-gap-with-railroad/), March 23, 2023 **Fire departments from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia responded to the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. At first, they didn’t have a lot of information to work with.** **Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that none of the first responders on the scene had access to an app that was created by the rail industry precisely for that kind of situation.** The AskRail app was created in 2014 to help first responders amid a series of derailments and fires involving trains carrying crude oil and ethanol. Ian Jeffries, CEO of the Association of American Railroads, the industry’s principal lobbying group, said the app needs to be in more hands. “There are a lot of first responders in this country,” he said, “and having 35,000 with the app is absolutely not sufficient, not where we need to be.” U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, a member of the Commerce Committee, said the railroad also needed to improve its communication. “They were pledging safety and funds to help train, and things of this nature,” she said, “but they still have missed the ball in terms of communications.” **The NTSB is investigating the East Palestine derailment and separately probing Norfolk Southern’s safety culture. Since the Feb. 3 derailment, other crashes have occurred in Michigan, Ohio and Alabama**. Homendy said advance notification of hazardous materials moving through communities is key. “Because they need to be prepared,” she said. “They need to be adequately trained, they need the right gear, and they need to have emergency response planning done in coordination with the railroads.” Capito said a bipartisan bill to improve rail safety was likely coming in the next several months. **Meanwhile, East Palestine first responders were among the first to enroll in a hazardous materials training class in Bellevue, Ohio, paid for by Norfolk Southern. The training class is (now) available to first responders in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The first class began the week of March 23rd (too late).** #######+++++++#######+++++++######### **See Also:** [The Appalachian Chronicle – Fiercely Independent Reporting & Analysis](https://appalachianchronicle.com/) URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/20/first-responders-challenged-by- chemicals-at-train-derailments/>

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The West Virginia Hills ~ How Majestic & How Grand!
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 19 Apr '23

19 Apr '23

# [The West Virginia Hills ~ How Majestic & How Grand!](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/19/the-west-virginia-hills-how- majestic-how-grand/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/6C4916F2-4795-4777-82C2-6AF747B3A631-232x300.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/6C4916F2-4795-4777-82C2-6AF747B3A631.jpeg) Click on this image to expand it. Hillsboro, Marlinton & Green Bank are in Pocahontas County, WV **Earth Day Open Forum: A Discussion of Emergency Preparedness to be held at Hillsboro Library** From [Michael M. Barrick, The Appalachian Chronicle](https://appalachianchronicle.com/), April 18, 2023 **Howdy Folks! Greetings to West Virginians in All 55 Counties!** This is a brief reminder that the Hillsboro Library Friends are hosting an Open Forum that I will be facilitating, based in part on by book, Fractured Sanctuary: A Chronicle of Grassroots Activists Fighting Pipelines of Destruction in Appalachia. [Details follow](https://appalachianchronicle.com/). Join us if you can and please share the word! Thanks, Pocahontas County is a great place to visit. I hope to see you there or in Morgantown on Sunday @ 3 PM. MMB #######+++++++#######+++++++######## **Hillsboro is Historic in the West Virginia Hills & Mountains** Brigadier General William W. Averell and his Federal troops encountered Confederate troops led by Brigadier General John Echols at Droop Mountain on November 6, 1863. The federal army had encountered Echols while on their second attempt to the Virginia-Tennessee Railroad located at Salem, Virginian. Echols and his troops positioned themselves on the high ground of Droop Mountain, a tactical advantage to the smaller army. However, despite using artillery to block the road, the Confederate troops were overwhelmed by Averell’s men. The Battle of Droop Mountain served as the final significant Civil War battle for the newly formed West Virginia. The site of the battle was declared West Virginia’s first state park on July 4, 1928. In 1892, famous author Pearl S. Buck was born in a large white two-story house at the northern end of Hillsboro. Shortly thereafter, her family, Presbyterian missionaries, returned to China, but her West Virginia roots nevertheless had a significant impact on Pearl through her mother Carrie. The Dutch-style "city house," now on the National Register of Historic Places, has been restored into a museum, The Pearl S. Buck Birthplace. It displays an array of antiques from the 1892 period, including many family originals. Also on the National Register of Historic Places are the Richard Beard House and Locust Creek Covered Bridge. Hillsboro is also featured in the movie Patch Adams, where Dr. Patch Adams purchased land to build a medical clinic based on his philosophy of doctor- patient interaction. A medical clinic is planned but has not yet been constructed, as fund-raising is still underway. Currently, the Gesundheit Institute host people at the facility to engage in learning and volunteering. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/19/the-west-virginia-hills-how- majestic-how-grand/>

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Michael Barrick will Speak on the Book titled “Fractured Sanctuary” on Sunday 4/23/23 @ 3 PM
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 18 Apr '23

18 Apr '23

# [Michael Barrick will Speak on the Book titled “Fractured Sanctuary” on Sunday 4/23/23 @ 3 PM](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/18/michael- barrick-will-speak-on-the-book-titled-%e2%80%9cfractured- sanctuary%e2%80%9d-on-sunday-42323-3-pm/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/50C62608-2BD2-4413-9E9C-C6F70E1244AF-300x169.png)](… content/uploads/2023/04/50C62608-2BD2-4413-9E9C-C6F70E1244AF.png) Co-sponsors are the Morgantown Friends (Quaker) Meeting, the Church of the Brethren, the WV Sierra Club and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Morgantown **PUBLIC MEETING: “Fractured Sanctuary” by Micheal Barrick, 3 PM on April 23rd** [ANNOUNCEMENT, Morgantown Dominion Post, Sunday, April 16, 2023](https://appalachianchronicle.com/2023/04/13/barrick-to-discuss-book- fractured-sanctuary-at-public-meeting-on-april-23-in-morgantown/) At 3 pm on Sunday, April 23rd our speaker will be Michael Barrick on his new book titled 'Fractured Sanctuary'. This open meeting is being held in the public meeting room of the Church of the Brethren, 464 Virginia Avenue, Wiles Hill Neighborhood, Morgantown. (COVID-19 masks are optional.) Our speaker Michael Barrick will describe reluctant, citizen activists providing grassroots resistance against fracking, pipeline construction and other activities in West Virginia and beyond. Telling our stories helps encourage, empower and heal one another, so an open exchange of experiences and ideas will take place. Also, community preparedness and emergency management will be described to meet the many threats residents face in their communities, whether it be fracking, flooding or a major spill of hazardous chemicals as recently happened in East Palestine, Ohio. Michael Barrick was born in Clarksburg and graduated from Glenville State. He holds a postgraduate Certificate in Community Preparedness and Emergency Management from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. He has extensive experience in these areas. The co-sponsors of this event are the WV Interfaith Power & Light, Morgantown Church of the Brethren, WV Sierra Club, Morgantown Friends (Quaker) Meeting and the local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. **See also:** [The Appalachian Chronicle ~ appalachianchronicle.com](https://appalachianchronicle.com/2023/04/13/barri… to-discuss-book-fractured-sanctuary-at-public-meeting-on-april-23-in- morgantown/) #######+++++++#######+++++++######## **NOTE: SPECIAL SERIES** ~ [HOW CLIMATE-DRIVEN ICE LOSS THREATENS EVERYONE](https://www.npr.org/series/1168056854/beyond-the-poles-ice-melt) ~ Beyond the Poles: The far-reaching dangers of melting ice, National Public Radio, Week of April 17, 2023 URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/18/michael-barrick-will-speak-on- the-book-titled-%e2%80%9cfractured-sanctuary%e2%80%9d-on-sunday-42323-3-pm/>

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Chemical Pollutants from Norfolk Southern Train Wreck
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 17 Apr '23

17 Apr '23

# [Chemical Pollutants from Norfolk Southern Train Wreck](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/17/chemical-pollutants-from- norfolk-southern-train-wreck/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/B98233A8-7521-4003-AE0E-B605D98BF552.png)](https://… content/uploads/2023/04/B98233A8-7521-4003-AE0E-B605D98BF552.png) Dioxins are dangerous even in very low concentrations **[Dioxin: The deadly legacy of a toxic compound](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/17/norfolk-southern- derailment-east-palestine-ohio-carcinogenic-chemical-levels)** Article contributed by Randi Pokladnik (PhD), Tappan Lake, Ohio, April 15, 2023 On February 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying 51 cars had an [accident where 38 cars derailed](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-east-palestine- ohio-train-derailment-chemicals-evacuations/). Eleven of those that derailed were tanker cars carrying hazardous materials such as benzene residue, butyl acrylate and vinyl chloride. Five of the eleven cars carried vinyl chloride which is used to make PVC. Some estimates say 1.1 million pounds of vinyl chloride were in those five rail cars. The accident happened in the small community of East Palestine, Ohio; population around 4,000. **[Vinyl Chloride is a well-established animal and human carcinogen](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3327051/) and is associated with liver cancer as well as brain and lung malignancies. It is polymerized into polyvinyl chloride, a plastic that is used to make pipes and packaging. Globally, 16 billion pounds are produced annually.** Since the derailment, the citizens of East Palestine and the rest of the world have been getting an education on how easily one industrial accident can change your life forever. One fact is obvious, no one, including local, state and federal officials and agencies, or the employees of Norfolk Southern, was really aware or prepared for the long-term consequences of accidents involving hazardous materials. “The [National Transportation Safety Board issued its preliminary report](https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/02/27/rail-f27.html) on the derailment which, even in its abbreviated form, made clear that the “accident” which has devastated the town was completely preventable and that through its actions Norfolk Southern ignored warnings for nearly an hour that one of the axles was overheating and would fail.” Alan Shaw, CEO of Norfolk Southern said, “[the ‘vent and burn’ decision emerged from a unified command group led by a local fire chief](https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2023/03/20/east- palestine-norfolk-southern-pa-senate-chemical-release/stories/202303200077).” He added that local, state and federal officials including both Ohio and Pennsylvania Governors agreed on the decision that it was better to burn the vinyl chloride than risk an explosion. **On Feb. 6, vinyl chloride was intentionally released and burned. This resulted in a massive cloud of black smoke, resembling a mushroom cloud from a nuclear detonation, to rise above the surrounding area. It could be seen for miles as it blanketed the Ohio River valley.** This decision left the residents of the area with a much larger toxic mess because the combustion of this chlorinated organic compound (PVC) creates a group of some 400 compounds called “dioxins.” The first time I heard the term “dioxin” was in college during an environmental engineering class. Our instructor explained that no one intentionally makes dioxin, it is an unintended by-product of incomplete combustion. It also has the reputation of being one of the most toxic compounds known. **The[International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies dioxin as a human carcinogen](https://www.cancer.org/healthy/cancer-causes/chemicals/agent- orange-and-cancer.html). Dioxin was a contaminant in Agent Orange, the herbicide used as a defoliant during the Vietnam War. It was also found in contaminated oil that was sprayed over the roads to suppress dust in the now uninhabited town of Times Beach, Missouri. In 1976, an explosion at a chemical facility in Seveso, Italy resulted in the release of a cloud of dioxin. At the time, humans had never been exposed to this high a concentration of dioxin.** Most of human exposure to the compound is through foods, mainly meat and dairy products, as dioxins are very fat soluble. The half-life of dioxins once they enter the body is 7 to 10 years. Because they are present throughout the environment in small quantities, they accumulate in the food chain like DDT. Dioxins are classified as persistent organic pollutants or POPs because they persist in the environment, resisting breakdown. “Dioxin buried or leached under the surface or deep in the sediment of rivers and other bodies of water can have a half-life of more than 100 years.” **In 2001, The International Forum on Chemical Safety along with the United Nations Environmental Program developed a treaty, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). This treaty is aimed at reducing POPs.** **Dioxins were in the first 12 listed POPs addressed by the Stockholm Convention in the category of “by-products” from incomplete combustion, especially the combustion of chlorine-containing carbon compounds. This type of combustion happens when hospitals burn wastes, when municipalities incinerate their wastes and when hazardous wastes are burned in kilns like those at the Thermal Heritage Incinerator in East Liverpool, Ohio.** When I first learned about this incinerator in 1993 (it was then the WTI Incinerator), I was shocked as to the amount and types of toxic compounds it was being allowed to accept. The facility’s permit allowed it to emit over four tons of lead a year. At the time the facility was being permitted, citizens exposures to dioxin via the food chain were ignored. It was said that the incinerator would produce the most deadliest form of dioxin, 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8 TCDD). **The Ohio River Sanitary Commission or ORSANCO, monitors dioxin levels in the Ohio River.** Their data shows that incinerators, especially WTI, are a significant source of dioxin. In 2010, the Ohio Department of Health said that East Liverpool has a “strikingly high incidence rate of cancers (especially bladder, colon and rectum, esophagus, lung and bronchus, multiple myeloma, and prostate cancer) when compared to Ohio and the U.S.” Sadly, the facility was allowed to go online even though it failed to pass its test burn. “Its efficiency rating for removing mercury from emissions was only 7 percent, as opposed to the required 99.99 percent.” The United States lawmakers and agencies continue to cater to the petrochemical industry. Although the USA has signed the Stockholm Treaty, it has never officially ratified it or placed appropriate regulations in place that would require industries in the USA to adhere to it. So, companies in this country still produce POPs. PVC has a significant impact on human health and the environment from cradle to grave. Dioxin is not only released when PVC is burned but also when it is produced. [PVC is 60 percent chlorine by weight.](https://noharm- europe.org/sites/default/files/documents-files/6807/2021-06-23-PVC-briefing- FINAL.pdf) In years past, chlorine, a very toxic gas, was made via a process that used mercury to split salt into sodium and chlorine. Newer processes used today are just as dangerous and require membranes coated with the forever PFAS compounds. In Lake Charles, [Louisiana, a jury found one of the United States’ leading PVC manufacturers liable for “wanton and reckless disregard of public safety”](https://chej.org/wp- content/uploads/PVC%20&%20Environmental%20Justice%20-%20REP%20026.pdf), as it was responsible for one of the largest chemical spills in the nation’s history. The spill contaminated the groundwater underneath the surrounding community. Consumers are exposed to PVC via food contact containers and water pipes in their homes. Leaching of organic toxic compounds (carbon tetrachloride, toluene, chloroform, styrene, o-xylene, bromoform, dibromomethane, cis-1,3-dichloropropane, and trans-1,3-dichloropropane) from PVC water pipes has been reported. Sadly, some can coatings have replaced the bisphenol-A (BPA) with another toxic coating: PVC. Even at the end of its life, PVC continues to pollute because it releases vapors like dioxin when in landfills. If PVC is incinerated, dioxin is produced. Because PVC often has additives like the heavy metal cadmium, the waste ash from incineration is also toxic. Using plastics like PVC for a fuel source in cement kilns and incinerators is never a good way to dispose of the substance because of the emissions released. The **[recent fire at a recycling facility](https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/11/us/richmond-indiana-recycling-plan… fire/index.html)** near the Indiana-Ohio border is an example of what happens when plastics are burned. The emissions are causing concerns for the residents and experts and recent tests show they contain benzene, chlorine, hydrogen cyanide, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide. Our dependence on so many petrochemicals places us in a precarious position. We need to embrace safer alternatives. This is especially true in health applications where patients can be exposed to high levels of toxins from plastics items like IV tubing and IV bags. Safer alternatives include ethylene vinyl acetate for IV bags, silicone or polyurethane for tubing, and PVC free nitrile gloves, which are stronger than PVC gloves. In construction, PEX or cross-linked polyethylene pipes are comparable to copper but cheaper. They can bend a bit more than PVC and will last up to 50 years. PVC coated fabric which is used for tents, tarps and protective clothing for fire-fighters can be replaced with Rivercyclon’s fabric called Rivertex which is UV resistant as well as waterproof and PVC free. **The bottom line is we, as consumers, need to demand safer products and alternatives to toxic materials. Every day we are being exposed to toxins from petrochemicals in our lives. The communities living around the toxic facilities as well as those who work in these facilities are suffering and dying from exposures that can be eliminated. Just say no to toxic petrochemicals and products made from them.** URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/17/chemical-pollutants-from- norfolk-southern-train-wreck/>

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Message for You and West Virginia and our Earth!
by Frack Check WV: Diana Gooding 16 Apr '23

16 Apr '23

# [Message for You and West Virginia and our Earth!](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/16/message-for-you-and-west- virginia-and-our-earth/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/A0D7115F-73E1-4C52-82BC-D99479FF5CC7-300x300.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/A0D7115F-73E1-4C52-82BC-D99479FF5CC7.jpeg) The authors continue to add meaning, advice and warnings! **Words Sometimes Provide Tremendous Meaning for the Future** From the [Announcement by Mary Anne Hitt, Author & Activist, Shepherdstown](https://www.nottoolateclimate.com), April 5, 2023 It’s publication day! I have an essay in this book edited by Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young-Lutunatabua, and the title sums up everything I’ve ever tried to say about climate change in three words – “Not Too Late.”⁣ ⁣ I practically fell out of my chair when Rebecca reached out and asked me to contribute an essay to this new climate anthology. The full title of the book is “Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Conversation from Despair to Possibility,” and Rebecca is one of my favorite writers because she’s constantly changing important conversations from despair to possibility. In her work she reminds us the future has not yet been written, and persuasively makes the case that each one of us can be its author, inspiring us with the stories of those before us who built a better world against the odds, who are doing so alongside us even today. ⁣ ⁣ My essay is a love letter from our clean energy future, imagining a day in the all-important year of 2030 when we’re looking back at the better world we’ve created, because we actually stepped up and tackled the climate crisis. I think this is possible down in my bones, with every fiber of my being, and every morning I wake up trying to live and love and work from that place. We’re the last generation of people with the power and opportunity to turn this crisis around, if we can block out the cynical voices telling us nothing can be done.⁣ ⁣ I’m astounded by the amazing company I’m in here, writers and leaders I love and admire including Leah Stokes, Adrienne Maree Brown, Mary Annaïse Heglar, Nikayla Jefferson, Jacquelyn Gill, and many more. Thank you Rebecca and Thelma for bringing this vision to life, and for including me as part of it. I think it’s just what the world needs right now.⁣ ⁣ [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/F782FD4F-1D00-44A0-905A-EECC1D299111-150x150.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/F782FD4F-1D00-44A0-905A-EECC1D299111.jpeg) Mary Anne Hitt **You can pick up a copy at your local bookstore – it’s on the shelf in Shepherdstown at Four Seasons Books – or online.** More here: [www.nottoolateclimate.com](https://www.nottoolateclimate.com) #######+++++++#######+++++++######## **See Also:** [Thirty (30) Best Spring Flowers to Plant in Your Garden ~ Weary of winter? Check out these spring bloomers](https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden- ideas/g31102712/early-spring-flowers/). Article by Arricca Sansone & Janece Maze, Country Living, March 23, 2023 ⁣ URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/16/message-for-you-and-west- virginia-and-our-earth/>

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Fracking In and Around Ohio State Parks Goes to Court
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 15 Apr '23

15 Apr '23

# [Fracking In and Around Ohio State Parks Goes to Court](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/15/fracking-in-and-around-ohio- state-parks-goes-to-court/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/21FB202E-BF1B-4164-A426-0284FC5D8900.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/04/21FB202E-BF1B-4164-A426-0284FC5D8900.jpeg) Hocking Hills State Park is unusually popular for hiking in Ohio **Environmental groups sue to stop fracking in Ohio State parks** From an [Article by Julie Grant, The Allegheny Front](https://www.alleghenyfront.org/environmental-groups-sue-to-stop- fracking-in-ohio-state-parks/), April 14, 2023 **While Pennsylvania has a moratorium on new drilling leases in state parks and forests, a controversial new law in Ohio requires state agencies to lease land for gas drilling. The law went into effect on April 7 and is designed to accelerate gas drilling under state-owned lands, like state parks. State agencies have had the authority to do this since a 2011 law allowed for it, but the difference with this new law is the language. The previous law stated that agencies “may” lease state lands for gas production; the new law says they “shall” lease it.** Sponsors of the bill say they changed the language in response to requests by the gas industry because energy companies were frustrated by the lack of movement on their drilling requests. **Environmental groups sue to prevent “wild west” drilling permits** ~ Four environmental groups filed a lawsuit in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, trying to stop the law from going into effect until the state creates rules to regulate drilling on state lands. Those rules were not created after the 2011 law was passed. The Oil and Gas Land Management Commission recently started that process. According to attorney **Megan Hunter of EarthJustice** , the rules could cover how parcels would be put forward for leasing, how the state would decide which leases to grant, and which parcels and bidders to move forward with. Currently, she said, the law is in effect without rules to govern how drilling applications will be decided. “And that… process includes a certain number of protections… the commission would have to consider environmental issues, economic issues, impacts to tourism, the current uses of the public lands before they would make a decision on what lease is going to move forward,” **Megan Hunter** said. “There’s also a requirement that the leases would go to the highest and best bid.” Without rules in place, **Megan Hunter** doesn’t think that will necessarily happen. She described it as a “wild west” moment, meaning a time for the worst and most dangerous bids to come forward. According to the **Cleveland Plain Dealer** , even before the law was signed by Governor DeWine in January, Encino Energy offered the state the potential of nearly $2 billion to be the first to frack Salt Fork, Ohio’s largest state park. That offer was ultimately rejected. **The Environmental Groups’ Legal Argument** ~ While the environmental groups would like to prevent fracking in state parks altogether, concerned about the environmental impacts it could have, their lawsuit only seeks to stop the state from leasing state-owned lands until rules are in place to regulate it. When the Ohio House passed this bill, HB 507, last spring, it looked completely different. It was focused on poultry. The Senate added amendments last December, including the provision about gas drilling on state lands, and another that redefines natural gas as green energy. The lawsuit claims that this violates the Ohio constitution, which only allows one subject per bill. Each bill also is required to have three hearings in both the state Senate and the House. “Both of those rules are there in the Constitution to ensure a fair legislative process that people can understand so that people can really participate in the legislative process and have their voices heard,” **Megan Hunter** said. “And that just didn’t happen here.” She said citizens didn’t get a chance to speak to lawmakers about their concerns before the bill was passed. “The only provisions that the public gave comment on were the agricultural provisions of the bill,” **Megan Hunter** said. “There was never a public hearing once the additional language had been added to include the mandatory leasing provision and the green energy provision.” So far, the environmental groups lost their request for a temporary, immediate halt on the law. A Franklin County judge said there was no evidence to indicate risk of imminent and irreparable harm if the law stands while the court decides on the issues, and noted **Governor DeWine** said that no leases would be signed in the immediate future. The court will next consider the constitutional issues in the lawsuit, and whether to put the brakes on this law until rules are in place. [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/3114D1A9-8898-4F2B-8D87-CA42DA466643.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/04/3114D1A9-8898-4F2B-8D87-CA42DA466643.jpeg) Hocking Hills State Park [LISTEN to Julie Grant discuss her reporting with The Allegheny Front’s Kara Holsopple](https://www.alleghenyfront.org/environmental-groups-sue-to-stop- fracking-in-ohio-state-parks/) URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/15/fracking-in-and-around-ohio- state-parks-goes-to-court/>

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Truck Accident Closes Marshall County Roads ~ Slippery Oily Sludge Spilled
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 14 Apr '23

14 Apr '23

# [Truck Accident Closes Marshall County Roads ~ Slippery Oily Sludge Spilled](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/14/truck-accident-closes- marshall-county-roads-slippery-oily-sludge-spilled/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/04AA91C9-8A69-4E37-9073-302F58545F8E-300x168.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/04AA91C9-8A69-4E37-9073-302F58545F8E.jpeg) Clay-based absorbent material applied to miles of highway **SPILL CLOSES PORTION OF ROBERT 'S RIDGE IN MOUNDSVILLE** From an [Article by Gianna Dapra, WCHS News 8 (WTOV News 9)](https://wchstv.com/news/local/spill-closes-portion-of-roberts-ridge-in- moundsville), March 13, 2023 **MARSHALL COUNTY, W.Va. —Multiple roads in Marshall County were closed throughout the day because of an oil spill. Around 10 o 'clock on Sunday night, a Tug Hill truck was transporting materials that included fracking, or drilling sludge.** Roberts Ridge Road from Lindsay Lane to Snedeker Drive are all closed for cleanup. The West Virginia Department of Highways is urging commuters to use alternate routes. "Nature's broom, or floor dry, is kind of the brand name for what it is material that we put down to provide traction and to absorb the oil," DOH District 6 Engineer Tony Clark said. But that is not all being done, as Tug Hill has committed to an environmental cleanup. Clark says its important a proper cleanup is completed before the roadways can be re-opened, as oil is more dangerous than you might think. ([Video clip is in the Article](https://wchstv.com/news/local/spill-closes- portion-of-roberts-ridge-in-moundsville).) "It’s extremely slick, so it's no different than driving on black ice, for instance, for where you don’t necessarily think it's going to be slick until you're sliding off the road," Clark said. #######+++++++#######+++++++######## **Several roads in Marshall County remain closed following truck oil leak** From the [Article of WV Transportation News](https://transportation.wv.gov/communications/PressRelease/Pages/Sever…, March 13, 2023 The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) is assisting with the cleanup of several roadways in Marshall County following an oil mud leakage from an oil and gas truck on Sunday, March 12, 2023. **The truck traveled more than 14 miles, on WV 2 and county routes, while leaking drilling fluid.** The following roadways are closed on Monday, March 13, 2023, as a result of the spillage: Roberts Ridge Road (CR 21) from Fallen Timber Lane to Lindsay Lane Road (CR 88/5), all of Lindsay Lane Road and Round Bottom Hill Road (WV 2 ALT). WV 2 just south of Moundsville was impacted by the spill but crews have that 2.5-mile portion reopened. A clay and sand-based absorbent material was placed on that roadway to assist in drying it. The oil and gas company responsible for the spill is hiring a professional contractor to clean the closed roadways. The spill along with weather conditions has caused slippery roadways. WVDOH is monitoring the cleanup and advises motorists to avoid the areas. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has staff on site and no environmental impacts have been observed. The roads impacted are expected to be closed for the remainder of Monday, March 13, 2023. #######+++++++++#######+++++++++######### **See Also:** [Truck carrying toxic soil from East Palestine overturns in Ohio](https://www.wtrf.com/ohio/truck-carrying-toxic-soil-from-east-palesti… overturns-in-ohio/), Chelsea Simeon, WTRF News 7, April 11, 2023 URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/14/truck-accident-closes-marshall- county-roads-slippery-oily-sludge-spilled/>

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The Icefin Instrument Goes Under Glaciers for Research on Melting
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 13 Apr '23

13 Apr '23

# [The Icefin Instrument Goes Under Glaciers for Research on Melting](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/13/the-icefin-instrument-goes- under-glaciers-for-research-on-melting/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/2E51FF92-C9A2-45CE-9A99-A956CCE80CAA-300x168.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/2E51FF92-C9A2-45CE-9A99-A956CCE80CAA.jpeg) Prof. Britney Schmidt studies planets including Earth in detail **Prof. Britney Schmidt named one of Time’s 100 most influential people** From an [Article by Linda B. Glaser, Cornell Chronicle](https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2023/04/britney-schmidt-named-o… times-100-most-influential-people), April 13, 2023 **Time Magazine has named Britney Schmidt, associate professor of astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences and Earth and atmospheric sciences in Cornell Engineering, to the 2023 list of the world’s 100 most influential people.** Each year, the Time100 features people who have changed the world, scientific pioneers along with innovators, artists, leaders, titans and icons. Schmidt was recognized for her contributions to climate science, following the recent publication of surprise results about the melting of the imperiled Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. The lead author of the companion paper from the project, Peter Davis of the British Antarctic Survey, was also named. **The Thwaites Glacier is roughly the size of Great Britain or Florida and is particularly susceptible to climate and ocean changes. The total collapse of the glacier would contribute an additional 65 centimeters to sea-level rise, whilst also destabilizing surrounding snow and ice.** Schmidt and her team develop robotic tools and instruments and use spacecraft to study planets. By exploring Earth’s ice shelves and glaciers and the oceans beneath them, Schmidt’s team helps to capture the impacts of changing climate on the cryosphere, while understanding analogs for Ocean Worlds like Jupiter’s moon Europa. **Icefin, the underwater, under-ice robotic oceanographer she and her team developed, allowed the team from the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration to access to environments under ice shelves that had never been directly observed. Shaped like a torpedo, 13 feet long and 10 inches wide, Icefin carries cameras, sonar equipment, speed sensors, water column measuring tools and other devices. The team slips it into open water through a hole.** “Using Icefin, we could see for the first time how and where significant melt under the ice shelf is happening,” Schmidt said. “These new views show us how change is happening under the ice, revealing complex and intricate systems that are responding to climate change and driving sea level rise. Antarctica may feel distant and rugged, but the truth is that it is incredibly vulnerable, and that changes there affect every one of us. Understanding how the planet responds to our actions is critical for stemming the tide of climate change.” “If crisis is going to unite us, we must find within ourselves that same empathy,” TIME editor in chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal wrote in 2022. “The spectrum of leaders on this list, wielding influence in so many ways, is a reminder that we all have the option to use our power for good.” Schmidt received a B.S. in physics from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. in geophysics and space physics from the University of California, Los Angeles. She’s worked on numerous NASA projects, including the Dawn and Europa Clipper missions and the Europa Lander and LUVOIR Space Telescope mission concepts. >>>>>>>>……………………>>>>>>>>……………………………>>>>>>>>> **See also:** ”[The Female Scientist Who Discovered the Basics of Climate Science — and Was Forgotten By History](https://www.audubon.org/news/the- female-scientist-who-discovered-basics-climate-science-and-was-forgotten)” ~ By Tyler Santora, Reporter, Audubon Magazine, July 17, 2019 Celebrate Eunice Foote’s 200th birthday ++++ by learning how she predicted the effect of greenhouse gases before the man who gets the credit. Over two hundred years ago, on July 17, 1819, Eunice Foote was born. Thirty-some years later, the amateur climate scientist made the remarkable discovery that when sunlight shines on carbon dioxide in a closed container — our atmosphere, for example — heat builds up inside. [She was onto the ”greenhouse effect” of the Earth’s atmosphere.](https://www.audubon.org/news/the-female-scientist-who- discovered-basics-climate-science-and-was-forgotten) URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/13/the-icefin-instrument-goes- under-glaciers-for-research-on-melting/>

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Chemical Analysis of East Palestine Railroad Derailment Contamination
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 12 Apr '23

12 Apr '23

# [Chemical Analysis of East Palestine Railroad Derailment Contamination](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/12/chemical-analysis-of- east-palestine-railroad-derailment-contamination/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/87DACBF6-45E5-4880-9373-3FAB34A7853C-300x171.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/87DACBF6-45E5-4880-9373-3FAB34A7853C.jpeg) Pollution came mainly from decision to burn off contents of tank cars **East Palestine Derailment Prompts Independent Testing** From the [Staff Report, Chemical Engineering Progress](https://www.aiche- cep.com/cepmagazine/april_2023/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1869680&…), April 10, 2023 **In the wake of the Norfolk Southern train derailment that released hazardous chemicals into the environment in East Palestine, OH, citizens are seeking out independent testing to determine what kind of contamination the town may be facing.** Both individuals and university teams have been conducting their own sampling of the area near the chemical release. These results are still being analyzed, but initial reports suggest that there are chemicals in streams and wells in East Palestine that state and federal agencies are not looking for. "One of the biggest issues with this response has been transparency," says Andrew Whelton, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Purdue Univ. who is leading some of the independent testing. "As things have become more visible, we’ve found out that officials haven’t been testing for the right chemicals." **For instance, governmental officials had not conducted indoor surface testing of homes near the spill site as of early March.** A contractor for Norfolk Southern did one-time air monitoring in some homes, but residents told reporters that they were not informed that the testers were hired by the rail operator, according to The Guardian. Experts also say that these one-time, short-term air sampling tests are not sufficient to show that indoor air is safe. The tests conducted can detect certain volatile organic compounds, but do not measure other potential pollutants from the spill, such as benzene. **Experts have also raised concerns about dioxins, which are carcinogenic and highly persistent in the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requiring Norfolk Southern to test for dioxins within two miles of the spill site, although details of the testing plan are unclear.** **The derailment occurred on Feb. 3, 2023, when dozens of freight train cars carrying hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, isobutylene, and butyl acrylate went off the tracks and caught fire near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Several days later, officials made the decision to flare off the vinyl chloride for fear of an explosion should the flammable chemical ignite. Residents complained of chemical smells, rashes, and headaches in the days following the crash and the controlled release.** A lack of interagency communication and communication with the public created a sense of mistrust among residents from the early days after the accident. The state and county environmental and health agencies did not immediately release their testing data, nor were they forthcoming about what chemicals they were testing for, Whelton says. As a result, residents who could afford it began to seek testing through independent laboratories, and volunteers from around the country have started working to build tools to help coordinate the sharing of the results. **Devon Oship, a neuroscientist in Buffalo, NY who has a platform on TikTok, began creating forms for residents to report health symptoms, an effort that has grown into a database for citizens to report their own independent testing data under a nascent organization called United for East Palestine**. "We have been racing against the clock to make a database that can keep up with all of the new influx of information and has a good data structure to allow for a really robust analysis," Oship says. The goal is to compare the citizen-science results with official testing results from the state and federal EPA, county health department, and other responding agencies. **Independent results are still rolling in, Oship says. Whelton and other researchers at Purdue Univ., Carnegie Mellon, and Texas A &M have also traveled to East Palestine to take air and water samples and screen them broadly. So far, Whelton and his team have found that two creeks near the derailment site, Sulfur Run and Lesley Run, are contaminated with acrolein, butyl acrylate, 1,2-butadiene, ethylene glycol, naphthalene, butyl acrylate, n-butyl ether, 2-butoxy ethanol, and 2-ethyl hexanol.** Upon the team’s first visit in late February, only data about surface water in the creeks had been released, showing low contamination, Whelton says. But locals weren’t warned about possible contamination in the streambeds. "We found that people were walking their dogs near the creek and the kids were playing near the creek because they were not told about the acute, immediate health risks the creeks posed to them," Whelton says. The testing revealed gaps in the official surveillance. For example, the federal EPA had found acrolein in the air after the chemical release but had not tested surface water or drinking water wells for the chemical, Whelton says. He and his team are now doing further analysis to determine whether the levels of these contaminants are dangerous. Whelton has conducted environmental testing in the wake of other disasters, including the 2022 Marshall Fire in Colorado, and says that communities and local agencies differ in their support of bringing in outside experts and providing transparency. The situation in East Palestine has been "markedly different" than the norm, he says, with agencies being slow to publicize what chemicals they were testing for and where. The usefulness of business and property owners testing their own soil, water, and air will likely depend on what testing is available from whichever commercial lab they choose, Whelton says. Comprehensive environmental monitoring is financially out of reach for most, he says. Even Whelton and his team are unsure if they will be able to afford to return to East Palestine for additional sampling, given that they are self-funding the effort. But citizens can continue to pressure politicians and environmental agencies to expand the testing agenda, he says. **" The only way [residents] can really support the response is by requiring and demanding that the officials that are supposed to be acting in their best interest do so," Whelton says.** URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/12/chemical-analysis-of-east- palestine-railroad-derailment-contamination/>

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COMMENTS DUE ~ Should the PLEASANT$ POWER $TATION be Bailed Out at This Time, in This Way?
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 11 Apr '23

11 Apr '23

# [COMMENTS DUE ~ Should the PLEASANT$ POWER $TATION be Bailed Out at This Time, in This Way?](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/11/comments-due- should-the-pleasant-power-tation-be-bailed-out-at-this-time-in-this-way/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/60445583-0800-4D10-B23E-0D5402EDB465-300x172.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/60445583-0800-4D10-B23E-0D5402EDB465.jpeg) The cooling tower accident happened here in April 1978, 51 worker killed. It’s on the Ohio River near St. Mary’s in Pleasants County. **DON 'T LET FIRST ENERGY SELL US OUT! ~~~ TAKE ACTION BY APRIL 14TH ** From the [West Virginians for Energy Freedom](https://www.energyfreedomwv.org/) & Others, April 7, 2023 **If you are a Mon Power or Potomac Edison customer, we need your voice now!** [Submit your comments to the West Virginia Public Service Commission opposing the Pleasants Power Station bailout before April 14th.](https://www.energyfreedomwv.org/pleasants-power-station-bailout-acti… First Energy is scheming to keep Pleasants Power Station open by forcing it on ratepayers like you. Not only is it an out-of-date, coal-fired power station that was actually scheduled to close in 2019, but even First Energy acknowledges that the plant is expensive to operate. The worst part is that we don’t even need the plant – we have enough power being generated in-state already to meet our needs! First Energy has proposed that Mon Power and Potomac Edison customers pay more to keep the plant open another year while government officials decide whether the plant is to be permanently subsidized by ratepayers. If the plant doesn't operate during that year, most families' bills will go up by about $36 a year – but if the plant operates, bills will go up even more. The Pleasants plant can already sell power into a regional power market, where it has to compete with other power plants. But the plant is no longer competitive, and the plant is facing serious environmental liabilities. First Energy wants ratepayers to subsidize the plant even though customers don't need the plant, and even though First Energy’s own analysis acknowledges the plant's many problems. Worse, First Energy’s proposal would protect its own shareholders, while forcing West Virginia customers to bear all of the costs and risks. If First Energy’s scheme is successful, customers would be saddled with potentially massive costs and liabilities. We've been here before. In 2017, Mon Power requested to buy the plant from another First Energy subsidiary. The PSC and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission both recognized the proposal as a risky deal for West Virginians. And as before, this current Pleasants bailout proposal would raise customer bills. [TAKE ACTION](https://www.energyfreedomwv.org/pleasants-power-station-bailout- action) ~ _**Please sign the petition below and add some personal information* about how increased electric bills would affect your family or business.**_ [Personalize your letter: tell the Commissioners how increased rates will harm you and the people and businesses you love.](https://www.energyfreedomwv.org/pleasants-power-station-bailout-acti… Tell them why this is important to you. *Data collected will be shared with the [West Virginians for Energy Freedom](https://www.energyfreedomwv.org/) coalition. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/11/comments-due-should-the- pleasant-power-tation-be-bailed-out-at-this-time-in-this-way/>

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East Texas Getting New $8.5 Billion Ethane Cracker Plastics Facility
by Frack Check WV: S. Tom Bond 10 Apr '23

10 Apr '23

# [East Texas Getting New $8.5 Billion Ethane Cracker Plastics Facility](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/10/east-texas-getting- new-8-5-billion-ethane-cracker-plastics-facility/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/03/3636BAD3-0CFA-4F0D-90AE-A341380013CA.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/03/3636BAD3-0CFA-4F0D-90AE-A341380013CA.jpeg) These ethylene production operations consume fracked ethane and also generate huge tonnages of carbon dioxide (GHG) **Chevron Phillips Chemical & QatarEnergy begin construction of $8.5 billion East Texas integrated cracker complex** From an [Article by Pearl Bantillo, ICIS News](https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2023/03/10/10863117/qatar… cp-chem-begin-construction-of-8-5bn-us-integrated-cracker-complex/), March 10, 2023 **SINGAPORE (ICIS)– Chevron Phillips Chemical Co (CP Chem) and QatarEnergy have started building their joint $8.5bn integrated cracker complex called Golden Triangle Polymers Plant in the US.** A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the project located in Orange County, Texas, QatarEnergy said in a statement on 8 March. “We are investing $8.5 billion to build this world-scale facility, which is QatarEnergy’s second largest investment in the US after the more than $11 billion investment in the Golden Pass LNG [liquefied natural gas] production and export facility, which is currently under construction about 35 miles from here in Sabine Pass, Texas,” said Ahmad Saeed Al-Amoodi, executive vice president for surface development & sustainability at QatarEnergy. The project includes an ethane cracker with a 2.08m tonne/year ethylene capacity, with two downstream high density polyethylene (HDPE) units with a combined capacity of 2m tonnes/year, it said. Scheduled for start-up in 2026, the project will be owned by Golden Triangle Polymers Company LLC, a 51:49 joint venture between CP Chem and QatarEnergy. The project and the joint venture firm were named after Texas’s Golden Triangle region that encompasses the community of Orange. “This plant will also be, by far, the most significant economic investment in the Orange community in decades, creating jobs and supporting economic growth,” Al-Amoodi added. Based on information available on CP Chem’s website, the Golden Triangle Polymer Plant is expected to create more than 500 full-time jobs and about 4,500 construction jobs and generate an estimated $50bn for the community in residual economic impacts over 20 years. QatarEnergy and CP Chem made a final investment decision on the project on 16 November 2022, with plans to export the majority of its HDPE output to key markets in Asia, Europe and Latin America. **ALSO: RAS LAFFAN PROJECT IN QATAR** **The two companies have a similar project worth $6bn in the works in Ras Laffan, Qatar, which is also expected to begin production in 2026.** The Ras Laffan petrochemicals complex, Qatar’s biggest investment in the sector to date, will consist of an ethane cracker with a capacity of 2.1m tonnes/year of ethylene, and two HDPE trains with a combined 1.7m tonnes/year of capacity. Most HDPE output is targeted for exports. QatarEnergy will own 70% of the joint venture firm Ras Laffan Petrochemicals, which will implement the project, with CP Chem holding the remaining 30%. The project will double QatarEnergy’s ethylene production capacity, and increase its local polymer production to more than 4m tonnes/year from the current 2.6m tonnes/year. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/10/east-texas-getting- new-8-5-billion-ethane-cracker-plastics-facility/>

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Wind Turbines in the Mountains Provide Sustainable Electricity
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 09 Apr '23

09 Apr '23

# [Wind Turbines in the Mountains Provide Sustainable Electricity](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/09/wind-turbines-in-the- mountains-provide-sustainable-electricity/) **WINDExchange: West Virginia Land-Based Wind Speed at 100 Meters** From the U. S. [Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy](https://windexchange.energy.gov/maps-data/344) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/3A2142F0-3BC1-4DAE-97A5-46DC3A5FA2141-300x274.jpg)]… content/uploads/2023/04/3A2142F0-3BC1-4DAE-97A5-46DC3A5FA2141.jpeg) Numerous Wind Turbines are Already Installed on the Allegheny Front Range ~ (Click on the map to expand it.) **WIND TURBINES ARE ALREADY BEING DEPLOYED IN THE PLAINS, MOUNTAINS AND COASTAL WATERS ~** This map was produced by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) using modeled wind resource estimates developed by NREL via the Wind Integration National Dataset (WIND) Toolkit and is intended for general educational purposes only. While these 100-meter wind speed maps can provide a general indication of good or poor wind resources, they do not provide a resolution high enough to identify local site features such as complex terrain, ground cover, and data needed prior to siting a wind project. [Watch a video tutorial for understanding land-based and offshore wind resource maps. See more wind resource maps, download wind datasets from NREL, and learn more about wind resource assessment and characterization on DOE’s website.](https://windexchange.energy.gov/maps-data/344) URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/09/wind-turbines-in-the-mountains- provide-sustainable-electricity/>

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William & Mary College TO CLOSE Virginia Coastal Policy Center
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 08 Apr '23

08 Apr '23

# [William & Mary College TO CLOSE Virginia Coastal Policy Center](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/08/william-mary-college-to-clo… virginia-coastal-policy-center/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/B980CF87-F82B-4C2F-8640-0C217823ABC6-300x150.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/B980CF87-F82B-4C2F-8640-0C217823ABC6.jpeg) Water rising in neighborhoods of coastal Virginia **William & Mary unveils details of plan to replace Virginia Coastal Policy Center** From an [Article by Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury](https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/04/07/william-mary-unveils- details-of-plan-to-replace-virginia-coastal-policy-center/), March 7, 2023 Following William & Mary’s announcement it plans to close its widely respected Virginia Coastal Policy Center this summer, the university has unveiled a new initiative to address sea level rise and stormwater flooding. The school has touted the new Virginia Coastal Resilience Collaborative as being part of a university-wide approach that is in line with its Vision 2026 plan to establish a greater presence in Virginia’s efforts to deal with water issues. “We’re excited about the potential of this new university-wide collaborative to expand, evolve and streamline the scholarship, educational, and advisory work that W&M and [the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences] have been engaged in across campus,” said Brian Whitson, the university’s chief communications officer. “This will be a multi-disciplinary approach, bringing together expertise across campus to produce a broader range of research, education and advisory work for policy makers and stakeholders.” The new collaborative will be organized under an assistant provost, who will coordinate work across William and Mary’s five schools of marine science, law, business, education and arts and sciences, as well as with other universities and state agencies. That coordination will allow the school and VIMS the ability to “develop and implement timely, real-world solutions — and legal scholarship and policy advice,” a description on William & Mary’s website reads. “With a broader, multidisciplinary university-wide approach, the Virginia Coastal Resilience Collaborative will also have the ability to address economic, social, business and/or private sector issues, whereas VCPC was focused more directly on legal and policy questions,” Whitson said. “The Provost, in coordination with the steering committee, will develop an implementation plan including recruiting personnel for the new collaborative.” Other staff at the collaborative will include a policy analyst and clerical support roles. The former VCPC had a director and three staff members, whose positions will be terminated June 30 when the center is dissolved. The steering committee, chaired by the dean of the School of Marine Science and director of VIMS, will first meet April 15 to develop the plan for the new collaborative, with help from Virginia Sea Grant, other school leaders, legislators, municipalities, policymakers and industry representatives. The current timeline calls for the plan to be submitted to the school’s president and provost in June. Recruitment of personnel will begin in July, and the collaborative will formally launch in September. The former VCPC had become a go-to resource in the state and Mid-Atlantic region for science-backed policy recommendations on evolving issues linked to climate change. Environmental nonprofits, local governments and regional commissions lauded the center for its contributions, with many members saying they are keeping an eye on the new collaborative to see if it lives up to its predecessor. “VCPC evolved into an institute of excellence, providing three critical functions for Virginia,” including the convening of resilience professionals, workforce training and policy guidance, said Mary-Carson Stiff, deputy director of environmental nonprofit Wetlands Watch. “We will see if this new entity will serve these three important functions for the betterment of Virginia.” Anna Killius, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, said she hopes the new collaborative continues VCPC’s track record of science-based policy recommendations. “I hope the conversation about the Virginia Coastal Policy Center has made clear the many important relationships that have been built by the center and its directors over the years with administration leaders, state lawmakers and many other public and private organizations,” Killius said. “To make sure that the collaborative is primed to deliver value for both the university and the community, it will be very important to see these stakeholders at the table as the collaborative takes shape. **Immediate impacts ~ The loss of the center has had ramifications in the legislative world**. Gov. Glenn Youngkin has already recommended an amendment to House Bill 2393 from Del. Keith Hodges, R-Middlesex, to strike a reference to the Virginia Coastal Policy Center that would otherwise have appeared in state code. Hodges’ bill, which passed both chambers unanimously, expands the range of universities the state can confer with when crafting resilience policy from solely VIMS to include VCPC, Virginia Sea Grant, the Virginia Cooperative Extension and the recently unveiled Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience at Old Dominion University. The Virginia Cooperative Extension offers agricultural research services through a partnership between Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and local governments. Virginia Sea Grant is the state’s program within a federal network established by Congress in 1966 to facilitate research opportunities across the state’s university network. Another amendment to Hodges’ bill from Youngkin could be more significant. The governor is suggesting a change that would add the word “led by” in front of Virginia Sea Grant. Some environmental nonprofits and universities have privately voiced worries the change will allow Virginia Sea Grant to determine which entities could provide input and which couldn’t. Virginia Sea Grant Executive Director Troy Hartley said his agency did not ask for the amendment. However, he said the amendment wouldn’t preclude state agencies from seeking advice from other universities if they so desired. “Prior to [VCPC’s] existence, we were leveraging interns and the National Sea Grant Law Center. No question that’s at a lower capacity than [what] existed with VCPC,” Hartley said. “We tap on the expertise of our member institutions and throughout the commonwealth, so we don’t make contact decisions. We’re helping collaborate and communicate across the institutions.” Hodges said he worked on the amendments with the Youngkin administration. Macaulay Porter, a spokesperson for Youngkin, said the amendments were requested by the Hodges and eliminated redundancies by also removing reference to the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience, which falls under the purview of Virginia Sea Grant already. “The issues that we have are very, very complex, so you need to bring in all of the universities to solve the problem,” Hodges said. “[Virginia] Sea Grant makes perfect sense to be the one to lead that effort.” The inclusion of other collaborators doesn’t diminish the role of VIMS, Whitson said, pointing to state code specifically outlining its role. Lewie Lawrence, executive director of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission, highlighted the collection of scientists, engineers, public outreach experts, educators and students brought together by Virginia Sea Grant to tackle coastal issues. “I don’t know of a more established public entity with a national statutory responsibility administered at the state level better equipped with a solid foundation to help lead and coordinate,” Lawrence said. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/08/william-mary-college-to-close- virginia-coastal-policy-center/>

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NEW GREEN PROJECTS at Coal Mine Sites Under Development in USA
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 07 Apr '23

07 Apr '23

# [NEW GREEN PROJECTS at Coal Mine Sites Under Development in USA](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/07/new-green-projects-at-coal-min… sites-under-development-in-usa/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/32CA6090-CD86-44A9-99D7-D2AEEBAC6D90.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/04/32CA6090-CD86-44A9-99D7-D2AEEBAC6D90.jpeg) Roth Rock wind farm and Mettiki Coal processing plant near Oakland, Maryland **U.S. DOE Offers $450 Million for Green Energy Projects at Coal Mining Sites** From an [Article by Cristen Jaynes, EcoWatch News](https://www.ecowatch.com/green-energy-project-grants-mining-sites.htm…, April 5, 2023 The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the availability of $450 million through the **2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) for clean energy projects — like solar farms — on current and former mining sites** , a White House press release said. There are about 17,750 mine land sites in the U.S. covering 1.5 million acres. These sites contaminate land, water and air quality, as well as expose local communities to toxic pollutants. The repurposing of the sites for renewable energy projects would generate up to an estimated 90 gigawatts of green energy — enough power for almost 30 million homes. These projects will “provid[e] new economic opportunities for historic coal and mining communities,” the press release said. **President Joe Biden has set a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2050.** **Up to five of the projects will be funded through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, including at least two solar farms.** “[T]hese projects could spur new economic development in these communities,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said, as The Hill reported. “As with all BIL- funded projects, we’ll be prioritizing those that partner directly with communities.” **According to the White House, renewable energy project developers will also be able to access billions of dollars in bonus credits on top of Inflation Reduction Act investment and production tax credits. “These bonuses will incentivize more clean energy investment in energy communities, particularly coal communities,” the press release said.** A former coal power plant site in Massachusetts in the process of transitioning to offshore wind that Biden visited last summer was the model for the new projects, reported The Associated Press. “It’s very clear that… the workers who powered the last century of industry and innovation can power the next one,” Granholm said, as The Associated Press reported. **According to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, in order to reap all the advantages of the bonus, developers are required to pay workers current wages and hire an adequate number of apprentices. “These provisions will ensure that workers in energy communities reap the benefits of the clean energy economy they are helping to build,” Yellen said, as reported by The Associated Press.** A searchable mapping tool to help locate areas potentially eligible for the energy community bonus has been provided by the U.S. Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service and the Interagency Working Group on Energy Communities, the press release said. A Coal Power Plant Redevelopment Visualization Tool is also available for stakeholders to be able to find opportunities for the redevelopment of closed coal power plants, as well as community reinvestment. Grant applications are due by the end of August of this year, with decisions expected in early 2024. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/07/new-green-projects-at-coal-mine- sites-under-development-in-usa/>

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Permafrost Releases Methane Gas Directly to the Atmosphere
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 06 Apr '23

06 Apr '23

# [Permafrost Releases Methane Gas Directly to the Atmosphere](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/06/permafrost-releases- methane-gas-directly-to-the-atmosphere/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/1C6BA459-46A1-402D-9FA0-7B4BBAA7F784-300x198.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/1C6BA459-46A1-402D-9FA0-7B4BBAA7F784.jpeg) Permafrost quite extensive in Arctic Polar Regions **Climate change: Thawing permafrost is a triple-threat** From an [Article by Marlowe Hood, Science X News](https://phys.org/news/2022-01-climate-permafrost-triple-threat.html), 01/12/22 Wellhead equipment is located at the Utrenneye field, the resource base for Novatek's Arctic LNG 2 project, located in the Gydan Peninsula. Thawing Arctic permafrost laden with billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases not only threatens the region's critical infrastructure but life across the planet, according a comprehensive scientific review. Nearly 70 percent of the roads, pipelines, cities and industry — mostly in Russia — built on the region's softening ground are highly vulnerable to acute damage by mid-century, according to one of half-a-dozen studies on permafrost published this week by Nature. Another study warns that methane and CO2 escaping from long-frozen soil could accelerate warming and overwhelm global efforts to cap the rise in Earth's temperature at livable levels. Exposure of highly combustible organic matter no longer locked away by ice is also fuelling unprecedented wildfires, making permafrost a triple threat, the studies report. Blanketing a quarter of the northern hemisphere's land mass, permafrost contains twice the carbon currently in the atmosphere, and triple the amount emitted by human activity since 1850. By definition, it is ground that has been at temperatures colder than zero degrees Celsius (32F) for more than two years, though much permafrost is thousands of years old. Temperatures in the Arctic region have risen two to three times more quickly over the last half-century than for the world as a whole—two to three degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The region has also seen a series of freakish weather anomalies, with temperatures in winter flaring up to 40C above previous averages. Permafrost itself has, on average, warmed nearly 0.4C from 2007 to 2016, "raising concerns about the rapid rate of thaw and potential old carbon release," note researchers led by Kimberley Miner, a scientist at the California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. **Zombie fires do occur ~** Their study projects a loss of some four million square kilometres of permafrost by 2100 even under a scenario in which greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced in the coming decades. Rising temperatures are not the only driver of accelerated melting. Arctic wildfires rapidly expand the layer of permafrost subject to thawing, the researchers point out. As the climate warms, these remote, uncontrolled blazes are projected to increase 130% to 350% by mid-century, releasing more and more permafrost carbon. Indeed, thawing renders buried organic carbon more flammable, giving rise to "zombie fires" that smoulder throughout frigid winters before igniting again in Spring and Summer. "These below-ground fires could release legacy carbon from environments previously thought to be fire-resistant," Miner and colleagues warn. **The most immediate threat is to the region 's infrastructure.** Northern hemisphere permafrost supports some 120,000 buildings, 40,000 kilometres (25,000 miles) of roads and 9,500 kilometres of pipelines, according to another study led by Jan Hjort, a scientist at Finland's University of Oulu. "The strength of soil drops substantially as temperatures rise above the melting point and ground ice melts," the study noted. No country is more vulnerable than Russia, where several large cities and substantial industrial plant sit atop frozen soil. Some 80 percent of buildings in the city of Vorkuta are already showing deformations caused by shifting permafrost. Nearly half of oil and gas extraction fields in the Russian Arctic are in areas with permafrost hazards threatening current infrastructure and future developments. Clean-up operation followed a massive fuel spill in the Ambarnaya River outside Norilsk on June 10, 2020. A fuel tank ruptured after its supports suddenly sank into the ground near the Siberian city of Norilsk, spilling 21,000 tonnes of diesel into nearby rivers. Thawing permafrost was blamed for weakening the plant's foundation. North America does not have large industrial centres built on permafrost, but tens of thousands of kilometres of roads and pipelines are increasingly vulnerable too. While scientists know far more than a decade ago, basic questions remain unanswered as to how much carbon may be released as Arctic soil warms. As a result, "permafrost dynamics are often not included in Earth system models," which means their potential impact of Earth's rising temperature are not adequately taken into account, Miner and colleagues note. This is especially true, they warn, for the sudden structural collapse of permafrost, a process known as thermokarst. It is also still an open question as to whether climate shifts will cause the Arctic region to become drier or wetter. The answer has huge implications. "In a greener, wetter Arctic, plants will offset some or all permafrost carbon emissions," the authors not. In a browner, drier Arctic, however, CO2 emissions from decomposing soils and the amount of ever-more flammable fuels for wildfires will increase. Permafrost covers 30 million square kilometres, roughly half of it in the Arctic, and a million km2 across the Tibetan Plateau. Most of the rest was covered when seas rose at the end of the last ice age. More information: Miner, K.R., Turetsky, M.R., Malina, E. et al. Permafrost carbon emissions in a changing Arctic. Nat Rev Earth Environ 3, 55–67 (2022). doi.org/10.1038/s43017-021-00230-3, www.nature.com/articles/s43017-021-00230-3 URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/06/permafrost-releases-methane-gas- directly-to-the-atmosphere/>

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Our Planet Under Examination, But Few Want to See or Understand
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 05 Apr '23

05 Apr '23

# [Our Planet Under Examination, But Few Want to See or Understand](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/05/our-planet-under- examination-but-few-want-to-see-or-understand/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/E4061BF5-20B6-4EA0-A2B1-E01A16669438.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/04/E4061BF5-20B6-4EA0-A2B1-E01A16669438.jpeg) Fungal diseases are under the influence of climate change … **‘The Last of Us’ Is Right. Our Warming Planet Is a Petri Dish** . . From an [Article by Neil Vora, New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/02/opinion/the-last-of-us-fungus- climate-change.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Opinion), April 2, 2023 . . **“The Last of Us,” a postapocalyptic television thriller, recently concluded its first season with a stunning finale. However, as a physician and horror superfan, I found the show’s beginning more striking: A 1960s talk-show host asks two epidemiologists what keeps them up at night. “Fungus,” one replies.** He’s worried about a real-world species of Ophiocordyceps known to hijack the body and behavior of ants. Fast forward to the show’s central, fictional drama: a pandemic caused by a type of that fungus, which mutated as the world grew warmer. The new version infects humans and turns them into ravenous, zombielike beings whose bodies are overtaken by mushrooms. **Fungal epidemics in humans are infrequent, in part because human-to-human transmission of fungi is rare, and I am not aware of any involving zombielike creatures. It’s far more likely that the next pandemic will come from a virus. But the idea that climate change is making the emergence of new health threats more likely is solid. Could it cause a fungus ubiquitous in the environment to morph into a lethal pathogen in humans? It’s possible.** Scientists like me worry that climate change and ecosystem destruction may be creating opportunities for fungal pathogens to grow more infectious, spread over larger distances and reach more people. For example, Candida auris, a drug-resistant yeast that can be deadly in hospitalized patients, may have gained the ability to infect people thanks to warmer temperatures, according to some scientists. On March 20, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Candida auris has spread at “an alarming rate” in health care facilities and is “concerning.” But international efforts to strengthen global health security rarely consider fungal pathogens. Given that the risks are growing, that leaves us unprepared and failing to take adequate steps for their prevention. No fungal vaccines exist, diagnosis is complicated and costly, and there are not enough drugs to combat the fungus. Unless governments fund research to better address fungal disease and reverse the environmental factors that fuel their emergence, we will remain vulnerable. **For many plants and animals, fungi are a scourge. Fusarium wilt, which devastates banana plants and for which there are limited treatments, is spreading globally and is a major threat to the multibillion-dollar banana industry. An infection known as white-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats across North America. Ninety amphibian species have gone extinct from chytridiomycosis, a dreadful disease that causes a frog’s skin to fall off.** Humans have largely been exempt from fungal outbreaks because of our warm blood — 98 degrees Fahrenheit, too hot for many fungi to survive. That could be changing. A January study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that heat kicked a fungus called Cryptococcus deneoformans — which can infect humans — into evolutionary overdrive, increasing certain genetic mutations fivefold. This means more opportunities to develop dangerous adaptations, such as heat tolerance and drug resistance. In another lab study, a research team grew and heated a type of fungus known to kill insects. Within four months, two strains could reproduce at 98 degrees Fahrenheit, up from a previous limit of about 90 degrees. **Some microbiologists believe climate change is already accelerating fungal evolution in nature.** Their theory is that global warming may have selected for strains of Candida auris in the environment that could survive at higher temperatures. This allowed the yeast to break a thermal barrier that previously limited spread, such that it gained the ability to infect warm- blooded birds — and humans exposed to those birds. A changing climate may also increase the transmission of fungal disease. These microorganisms are everywhere: kitchen counters, backyard soil and the air we breathe. Typically, systemic fungal infections occur in immunocompromised individuals — cancer patients, organ recipients and others — who have inhaled spores from their environment. But regional outbreaks among healthy people are of increasing concern since flooding, cyclonic winds and wildfire smoke can create conditions for fungi to flourish and spread. Counterintuitively, so can drought. In the American Southwest, long periods without rain have dried out the earth, leading to dust storms. Reported cases of Valley fever, a once-rare respiratory illness caused by soil-borne fungal spores, have soared nearly tenfold since 1998; the fungus has also spread to new regions, including Washington State. A warming planet is creating more vulnerability in humans, too. Reduced crop yields, for example, lead to malnutrition, while heat stress causes kidney disease. At the same time, deforestation, inadequate safety measures on farms and commercial wildlife trade increase the risk of so-called spillovers, where viruses like Ebola jump from animals to people. Fungi, nature’s savviest opportunists, will use these disturbances to their advantage. We saw this in the 1980s as fungal infections surged alongside H.I.V., a virus that emerged from spillover. We also saw it more recently when a unique fungal disease affected thousands of people in India who had received immune-suppressing steroids as part of their treatment for Covid-19. **Last October, the World Health Organization created a list of “fungal priority pathogens” for the first time. “Fungal pathogens are a major threat to public health,” the group wrote.** This was an important symbolic gesture, but it does not give doctors what they need: better tools to fight these infections. There are no approved vaccines. Globally, many countries lack the capacity to diagnose certain common fungal diseases. Even in New York City, where I treat patients, it can take weeks for some to receive a diagnosis for fungal infections. Worse yet, many fungal pathogens already are resistant to the few antifungal drugs we do have available. In part, this is a technical challenge: It’s difficult to develop antifungals that don’t also destroy our cells. But we cannot develop cures if we don’t try — and right now, fungal research output is abysmal. For example, cryptococcal meningitis, a fungal infection, kills more people than bacterial meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis, yet the latter receives over three times as much research funding. Fungal pathogens simply haven’t been on government funders’ radar — they receive just 1.5 percent of all research funding for infectious disease research. Likewise, pharmaceutical companies have little incentive to invest in research and development, because the potential profit is limited. To help fill this void, the National Institutes of Health must increase support for the study of fungal diseases, as it recently did for Valley fever. The U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which helps develop vaccines and drugs for public health emergencies through public- private partnership, must also make them a priority. Currently, none of the 83 initiatives listed on the B.A.R.D.A. medical countermeasures portfolio website are for fungal pathogens, though it has announced its support for the development of novel antifungals. **This moment also calls for humility. In the 1960s, some prominent experts erroneously believed infectious diseases were a diminishing threat. But nature is full of surprises.** From 2012 to 2021, I investigated outbreaks with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As my colleagues and I responded to Ebola, rabies, poxviruses and coronaviruses, we saw firsthand how the ways people interact with the environment and animals can surface disease in horrific and unexpected ways. Often, we don’t learn how devastating these diseases are until we are in the midst of a full-blown emergency. With only 5 percent of an estimated 1.5 million fungal species identified to date, fungi are perhaps the great blind spot in public health. Our health depends on a delicate ecological equilibrium. Maintaining that balance — by weaning ourselves off of fossil fuels to slow climate change and halting the loss of nature to prevent viral spillovers — is perhaps our best hope for avoiding a fungal horror show. **>>> Dr. Neil Vora is the pandemic prevention fellow at Conservation International and led New York City’s Covid-19 contact tracing program from 2020 to 2021.** URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/05/our-planet-under-examination- but-few-want-to-see-or-understand/>

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Mountain Valley Frack Gas Pipeline ~ Unnecessary Risk for Residents, Farms, Streams & Mountains
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 04 Apr '23

04 Apr '23

# [Mountain Valley Frack Gas Pipeline ~ Unnecessary Risk for Residents, Farms, Streams & Mountains](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/04/mountain-valley- frack-gas-pipeline-unnecessary-risk-for-residents-farms-streams-mountains/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/ED8FCDB3-53A1-4ACE-9D62-F02C6821C305.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/04/ED8FCDB3-53A1-4ACE-9D62-F02C6821C305.jpeg) MVP 42 inch coated pipeline actually too large for rough terrain and varied conditions **M.V.P. Plans ~ Pipeline’s pros can’t outweigh its cons** From the Letter to Editor of [Betsy Lawson](https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/2022-11/M…, Sunday Edition, Morgantown Dominion Post, April 2, 2023 . . **A guest essay in Sunday’s Dominion Post (3-26-23) extolling the benefits of finishing the Mountain Valley Pipeline is so glaringly misleading that a response is required.** The remaining unbuilt section would cross the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Trail — one of the most pristine areas in Appalachia. People who live there have seen whole sections of already built pipeline slide down the steep hillsides, an unstable terrain where a pipeline eruption and possible explosion seem inevitable. The construction of pipelines to carry natural gas at high pressures of 1,200 psi, some to ports on the coast where it will be sold overseas, risks the safety of many residents for the profit of a few elsewhere. This pipeline will not benefit the common good. Landowners will lose some of their land through eminent domain and see a decrease in their property values, while profits go to the corporate shareholders. Fewer tourists, hunters and fishermen will visit an area that looks industrialized. Soil erosion from these massive scars on the land will destroy trout streams and water quality. Tax revenue will decrease in this area and ratepayers may be stuck paying off this boondoggle as renewable energy makes fossil fuels less economic. **Further, fracking for natural gas mostly benefits the few people who sell it. The pollution and noise from fracking lower the quality of life for everyone who lives in proximity. We are experiencing 24/7 noise now from construction of a new fracking pad in our neighborhood. When the drilling starts, it will be far worse.** West Virginia has been under the thumb of the fossil fuel industry for much too long, making us one of the least healthy and least prosperous states in the country. We must vote for leaders who look to the future and promote the economic prosperity of clean energy. >>> [Betsy Lawson, Morgantown Area of Monongalia County, WV](https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/2022-11/MSS_2… URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/04/mountain-valley-frack-gas- pipeline-unnecessary-risk-for-residents-farms-streams-mountains/>

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US Court of Appeals Rejects M.V.P. Water Quality Permit From WV-DEP
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 03 Apr '23

03 Apr '23

# [US Court of Appeals Rejects M.V.P. Water Quality Permit From WV- DEP](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/03/us-court-of-appeals-rejects-m-… p-water-quality-permit-from-wv-dep/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/21B425A9-D4DD-4673-A510-A3D2D904FFC2.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/04/21B425A9-D4DD-4673-A510-A3D2D904FFC2.jpeg) US Court of Appeals Issues Unanimous Decision to Protect Streams **Court vacates critical West Virginia water permit for Mountain Valley Pipeline** [Press Release from Jessica Sims, Appalachian Voices](https://appvoices.org/2023/04/03/mvp-wv-401/), April 3, 2023 RICHMOND, Va. — Today, a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit vacated the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Clean Water Act § 401 certification for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, finding that the agency’s justification behind its conclusion that the pipeline would not violate the state’s water quality standards was deficient. The 401 certification is a critical permit that MVP needs in order to resume construction through rivers and wetlands in West Virginia, including 193 remaining water crossings in the state. This decision comes days after the same court upheld a § 401 water quality certification granted in Virginia. Mountain Valley Pipeline has devastated water resources in West Virginia, receiving citations for scores of violations of water quality standards and racking up at least $550,000 in fines for failing to timely and adequately control runoff along the construction route. The court identified multiple failures by West Virginia in issuing the certificate. Specifically, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection did not sufficiently address the history of MVP’s water quality violations, did not include a condition requiring MVP to comply with the construction stormwater protection permit, and did not adequately explain why they waived review of location-specific antidegradation policy. Without a § 401 water quality certification from West Virginia, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cannot issue the related Clean Water Act § 404 water quality permit that MVP needs for its stream and wetland crossings. In addition, MVP still has not received authorization to cross the Jefferson National Forest. Now that the developers behind the MVP will have to reapply for a 401 water quality certification in West Virginia, the timetable for the project is even more uncertain. In this case, Appalachian Mountain Advocates represented Sierra Club, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Indian Creek Watershed Association, Appalachian Voices and Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Today’s ruling uplifts the tireless efforts of every single coalition member and volunteer fighting to protect land, water and people,” said Russell Chisholm, managing director for the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights Coalition. “Mountain Valley Pipeline’s assurances don’t match the facts as documented in violation after violation. MVP should abandon their ill-fated project because we will defend every stream and river crossing that can still be saved from permanent harm.” “West Virginia communities have endured Mountain Valley Pipeline’s damage to their water resources and environment for far too long,” said Jessica Sims, Virginia field coordinator for Appalachian Voices. “The WVDEP’s insufficient safeguards have been exposed, and this ruinous project must be canceled.” “West Virginia has been ground zero for the MVP and this ruling today makes clear that communities from West Virginia to North Carolina have worked together to protect the water,” said Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck, co-founder of 7 Directions of Service. “People need investment in clean, fossil-fuel free, non-extractive energy — not the MVP — and developers should cancel the project.” URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/03/us-court-of-appeals-rejects-m-v- p-water-quality-permit-from-wv-dep/>

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Green Hydrogen Can Find Diverse Applications, Some More Logical
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 02 Apr '23

02 Apr '23

# [Green Hydrogen Can Find Diverse Applications, Some More Logical](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/02/green-hydrogen-can-find- diverse-applications-some-more-logical/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/92FEBD7D-56A4-4B27-B381-0775F99876C9.jpeg)](https:/… content/uploads/2023/04/92FEBD7D-56A4-4B27-B381-0775F99876C9.jpeg) An electrolyser stack in the research and development area of the Plug Power facility in Concord, Massachusetts **Green hydrogen is having a breakthrough moment, can we make the most of it?** From an [Article by Oleksiy Tatarenko & Natalie Janzow, Energy Monitor](https://www.energymonitor.ai/tech/hydrogen/opinion-green-hydrogen-is- having-a-breakthrough-moment-how-do-we-make-the-most-of-it/), March 31, 2023 . . **Developers and policymakers should set their sights on projects catering to sectors most acutely in need of green hydrogen, like steelmaking, fertilizers and shipping.** Landmark federal legislation is now mobilising billions of dollars to energise a fledgling industry around green hydrogen, a carbon-free fuel and chemical feedstock that is produced with renewable energy. The good news is that green hydrogen is a versatile tool that can decarbonise industries ranging from marine shipping to steelmaking to fertilizer production. The caveat? The generous federal subsidies that are critical to rapidly scaling green hydrogen don’t yet dictate what the hydrogen is used for, which could result in projects that are financially viable for companies but aren’t in the best interest of the climate or consumers. State and federal agencies have the power to ensure that public funding for green hydrogen doesn’t go towards building an energy bridge to nowhere. Instead, public agencies and regulators can guide green hydrogen towards the sectors where its use is both financially viable and where better alternatives aren’t already available. Staffers at the **US Department of Energy** (DOE), for example, can allocate funding from the **Loan Programs Office and the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations** towards projects that decarbonise heavy industry and energy-intensive transport. State policymakers can develop road maps with a clear vision for where hydrogen will be used, then implement funding programmes and deployment targets to incentivise hydrogen fuel- switching in priority sectors. **Building a green hydrogen economy for today and tomorrow** Under last year’s **Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)** , producers of green hydrogen can claim tax credits for the hydrogen they make, as well as for any new clean electricity that they generate to make that hydrogen. In some scenarios, the generous subsidies can make even inefficient uses of green hydrogen profitable. One prominent example is using power to produce hydrogen, then burning that hydrogen in a power plant to produce power again – wasting most of the energy along the way. While hydrogen may eventually play a role in decarbonising electricity, it will be as a store of energy for backup power to manage the variability of renewables, not as a primary source of baseload power. Importantly, the federal subsidies are time-limited, so use cases that are marginally profitable today may be woefully uncompetitive down the line. Misguided investments in hydrogen uses like baseload power generation or home heating could leave utility customers on the hook for inefficient and expensive infrastructure that has only a short window of financial viability. Even with optimistic assumptions, for example, using hydrogen to heat homes will require at least three-times as much electricity as using a heat pump, and will be more expensive for consumers in the long run. **Getting our priorities straight with clean energy** **Fortunately, there are several priority industries that promise to be far better long-term customers for clean hydrogen producers. Sectors such as steelmaking and fertiliser production provide a more stable and lucrative market for green hydrogen, which offers a carbon-free alternative to coal, diesel and other polluting fossil fuels. Not only can green hydrogen fetch higher prices in those sectors, but it would also make a much bigger dent in global carbon emissions.** **For example, analysis from the non-profit RMI finds that every kilogram (kg) of green hydrogen that displaces traditional fuels in the coal-heavy steel sector would prevent 33.6kg of CO2 from being emitted — more than five times the carbon savings of using hydrogen to generate power or heat buildings, where better decarbonisation technologies already exist.** Producing fertiliser from hydrogen instead of fossil gas would also provide substantial climate benefits, while boosting food security and insulating farmers from the volatility of fossil fuel prices. Similarly, deploying hydrogen-derived fuels such as ammonia and e-methanol in shipping and e-kerosene in aviation would enable widespread emissions reductions without limiting the scalability of these vital transport sectors. **Fuelling the US 's clean Industrial Revolution** The US now has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to turbocharge the hydrogen economy – and ensure it is headed in the right direction. As part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the federal government is allocating $8bn to develop regional hydrogen hubs across the nation. These hubs will comprise clusters of interconnected hydrogen producers, consumers and transport infrastructure. **Regional coalitions looking to develop clean hydrogen hubs will submit their final applications to the DOE in April.** The state agencies and private- sector players in these coalitions are eager to get in on the ground floor of this nascent industry, and their cost-sharing contributions will bring tens of billions of dollars to these regions. The hubs that are selected – and the industries within those hubs – will help determine whether green hydrogen reaches its economic and climate potential. Forthcoming guidance from the Treasury Department and the IRS that clarifies how the new IRA tax credits are implemented will also help shape the early hydrogen economy, given that these tax credits will spur potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in investment. The boom in funding from IRA incentives, hydrogen hub investments and other initiatives gives the US a real opportunity to establish vibrant regional hydrogen hubs and clusters of clean industry. Alliances such as the **Mission Possible Partnership** , which helps align heavy industries and their customers behind decarbonisation solutions, can help grow these seeds into a nationwide hydrogen economy that transforms and modernises some of our highest-emitting industries. US policymakers have successfully summoned an unprecedented surge of interest and activity in carbon-free hydrogen. If they can channel it to the right sectors, they can help revitalise and decarbonise the nation’s industrial base at the same time. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/02/green-hydrogen-can-find-diverse- applications-some-more-logical/>

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U. S. Government Promotes Large-Scale HYDROGEN HUBS for Regional Energy Supply?
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 01 Apr '23

01 Apr '23

# [U. S. Government Promotes Large-Scale HYDROGEN HUBS for Regional Energy Supply?](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/01/u-s-government-promotes- large-scale-hydrogen-hubs-for-regional-energy-supply/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/03/2384ECD4-E266-4A38-A73D-A915C4459212-300x168.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/03/2384ECD4-E266-4A38-A73D-A915C4459212.jpeg) Hydrogen Hub intended to generate green hydrogen as an alternative fuel **The Outlook for U.S. Hydrogen Hubs: What Can They Achieve?** From an [Article by Anna Mende & Emily Kent, Clean Air Task Force](https://www.catf.us/2023/03/outlook-us-hydrogen-hubs/), March 29, 2023 As efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address the impacts of climate change ramp up around the world, public and private sources of capital have turned their attention to hydrogen—an energy carrier that does not produce carbon emissions when utilized in fuel cells or combusted. This zero- carbon fuel has garnered attention for its potential to play a key role in achieving full, global, economy-wide decarbonization. In 2022 alone, private equity and venture firms spent over $5 billion on hydrogen-related companies on the tailwinds of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Beyond authorizing $1.2 trillion of investment in infrastructure upgrades to help the United States transition to a zero- carbon economy, the legislation allocated $8 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE) to fund four Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs—or H2Hubs—across the U.S., and DOE has indicated that it may use the funding to support the development of as many as ten H2Hubs. The hubs will be localized centers for the production, transportation, storage, and end-use of hydrogen. This first- of-a-kind demonstration program intends to catalyze domestic clean hydrogen production in the United States and can serve as a platform and framework for operationalizing the technological and commercial advances developed through DOE’s Hydrogen Shot program, which aims to bring the cost of production down by 80% to $1 per kilogram in one decade. Given the massive investment by the federal government and the promising benefits hydrogen hubs can provide, it is important that these hubs are developed thoughtfully and designed in a way that maximizes climate and community benefits. The IIJA directs the DOE to fund hubs that: 1\. Demonstrably aid the achievement of the clean hydrogen production standard; 2\. Demonstrate the production, processing, delivery, storage, and end-use of clean hydrogen; and 3\. Can be developed into a national clean hydrogen network to facilitate the production and use of low-emissions hydrogen in sectors of the economy that will be difficult or impossible to electrify. DOE will evaluate applicants on a variety of factors, including: Production methods and feedstock diversity: The IIJA requires at least one H2Hub to demonstrate production of clean hydrogen from fossil fuels, one from renewable energy, and one from nuclear energy. End-use diversity: At least one H2Hub will demonstrate the end-use of hydrogen in the electric power generation sector, one in the industrial sector, one in the residential and commercial heating sector, and one in the transportation sector. Cost share: The hubs program requires a minimum of 50% non-federal cost share. Cost share must come from non-federal sources such as private project participants, state or local governments, or other third-party financing. Community benefits: In alignment with the federal Justice40 Initiative, DOE will require hub applicants to include community benefits plans (CBPs) as part of their full applications to DOE. These plans are crucial aspects of the application and will be weighted at 20% of the technical and merit review of the proposals. DOE will give priority to regional hydrogen hubs that are likely to create opportunities for skills training and long-term employment to the greatest number of residents in the region. In the lead up to the full application deadline on April 7th, CATF has mapped and identified leading stakeholders and regions that have responded to the DOE funding notice and intend to submit a full application. You can further explore state and regional application efforts in our new map here. **What benefits do we expect hydrogen hubs to create?** The establishment of a hydrogen hubs program is historic. It signals significant governmental commitment to scaling the innovative technologies and industries we need to ensure deep decarbonization in the decades to come. We expect the program to deliver the following impacts: Decarbonization of hard-to-electrify end-use sectors: The hydrogen hubs program has the potential to catalyze the decarbonization of industries such as marine shipping, heavy-duty trucking, aviation, steel making, and industrial process heating – sectors that were responsible for nearly 16% of U.S. emissions in 2018. These sectors would greatly benefit from the availability of low-carbon hydrogen. We expect some of these industries to be firmly planted within a hub—for example, industrial facilities that use hydrogen instead of natural gas to fuel their high temperature processes. Other end-users like marine shipping, heavy-duty trucking, and aviation will flow between hubs – stopping in regions across the U.S. to refuel with low- carbon hydrogen or hydrogen derivatives. Connective infrastructure and export potential: For in-hub users like industrial facilities, hydrogen will often be supplied directly from the producer to the end-user by short pipelines. For other end-use sectors—particularly transportation—the distribution of hydrogen will be much more dispersed. CATF expects the hydrogen hubs program to foster the creation of hydrogen and ammonia-fueled transportation corridors that stretch between the hubs. This will create stronger economics for individual hubs, accelerate their development, and foster the build-out of a global hydrogen network, potentially positioning the U.S. to become a hydrogen exporter via our ports. Lowering costs and driving investment: Coupled with the hydrogen production credit from the Inflation Reduction Act (Section 45V), which gives hydrogen projects that begin construction before 2033 a tax credit of up to $3.00 per kilogram of clean hydrogen produced based on its carbon intensity, the hydrogen hubs program should help lower the cost of hydrogen production and creates significant incentive for project developers. The required 50% non- federal cost share will also attract private and state pools of capital to enter the hydrogen market. Job creation and community benefits: There is significant potential for the hubs program to drive localized clean technology job creation and workforce development opportunities. Additionally, when clean hydrogen is utilized in the transportation sector, it has the potential to improve local air quality, especially around ports and heavy-duty-trucking corridors. Additionally, the requirement that 40% of benefits from federal funding flow to historically disadvantaged communities means that the hubs chosen will need to have robust community benefits plans. Stay tuned to learn more from CATF on what comes next for the hydrogen hubs program, exploring some of what we have seen from hub applicants and the timelines and expectations from DOE over the coming year. >>> Anna Menke (amenke(a)catf.us), Senior Hydrogen Hubs Manager, and Emily Kent (ekent(a)catf.us), U.S. Director for Zero-Carbon Fuels, are important members of our CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE team. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/01/u-s-government-promotes-large- scale-hydrogen-hubs-for-regional-energy-supply/>

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News April 2023