Methane Farming?

There is news from Wyoming of two companies that are seeking approval for "methane farming", which involves injecting several types of microbes into coal seams.  The microbes convert the coal to methane gas. At a time when minable coal seams are getting harder to find, this may be good news for Appalachia.  There is lots of coal in West Virginia and elsewhere that is  unrecoverable because it is in seams that are too thin to mine underground, and are under too much cover to strip mine economically.  The Casper Tribune reports on the two processes:

Two companies, Luca Technologies and Ciris Energy Inc., are preparing to employ the process in Wyoming. Both use processes that accelerate methane production by microbes that feed on coal beds. But there are differences between the two: While Luca pumps nutrients underground to the gas-producing microbes, Ciris uses a process that breaks down coal into a solution for easy feeding by the microbes. Unlike Luca, Ciris plans to use an above-ground facility.

Business Week also had a report on it.

EPA Inspector General Criticizes EPA Climate Change Endangerment Finding Procedures

The Inspector General of the EPA has just issued a report concluding that EPA did not follow its own guidelines for reviewing data before it concluded that that greenhouse gases pose an environmental danger, referred to as the Endangerment Finding.  The following sentence is taken from the AP and Washington Post:

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration cut corners before concluding that climate-change pollution can endanger human health, a key finding underpinning costly new regulations, an internal government watchdog said Wednesday.

The Endangerment Finding was the foundation of all the GHG regulations that have followed its issuance in December of 2009.  EPA has been criticized for failing to evaluate the Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change report that was the primary  basis for EPA's actions, and this report by the IG seems to confirm those complaints.  If an objective analysis of the IPCC report is performed, it is not likely to stand close scrutiny in light of the evidence that has mounted against anthropogenic global warming since that report was issued.

Peak Oil Is Often Predicted, But Hasn't Arrived

I remember when the natural gas crisis hit in the late 1970s and we stayed home from school one winter for an extended period because natural gas was being saved for "critical users" such as hospitals and manufacturing.  Gas supplies were too low, there weren't any large reserves remaining, and we were told that we should get used to living in the cold.

Then they deregulated natural gas prices, and an amazing thing happened.  As prices rose, gas exploration and drilling increased. As they increased, new reserves were found that could be profitably exploited.  Recently we've seen this trend continue, as a method has developed for accessing the huge amounts of natural gas, and some petroleum, located in tight shale formations.

Daniel Yergin writes on this phenomenon in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, explaining why peak oil never seems to arrive. There have been predictions since the late 1800's that we would run out of oil, and they've always been wrong. As he remarks:

 Things don't stand still in the energy industry. With the passage of time, unconventional sources of oil, in all their variety, become a familiar part of the world's petroleum supply. They help to explain why the plateau continues to recede into the horizon—and why, on a global view, Hubbert's Peak is still not in sight.

Former Mine Sites Prove Valuable

New ways of using mountaintop removal sites keep popping up.  The Charleston Gazette's Rick Steelhammer reports on a former mine site that is being used to test armored troop carriers that will be sent to Afghanistan.  Another use is to put roads in the areas the mines were located, as Kentucky is doing with Route 460 and West Virginia is doing with the King Coal Highway.  The roads will not only make good use of the disturbed land, it is hoped they will also entice people to build homes  out of the floodplain, where many people in southern West Virginia live.

Obama Administration Puts GHG Regulation on Hold

I haven't had a chance to look at this, but the Wall Street Journal reports that the Obama Administration is putting greenhouse gas (GHG) regulation on hold.  A New York Times blog entry on the story is here. There hasn't been any announcement on when the regulations will be forthcoming.

DEP Schedules Youth Environmental Conference

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection will sponsor its 36th annual Youth Environmental Conference, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, at Twin Falls Resort State Park, near Mullens. The deadline to register for the conference is Sept. 15.

The conference is open to members of the DEP’s Youth Environmental Program, ages 13 to 18. A limited number of scholarships are available on a first-come, first-serve

basis.  

Environmental workshops are scheduled for Friday evening of the conference. Conference participants also will visit the Raleigh County Solid Waste Authority’s state-of-the-art landfill and the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine. Other activities include a recycling contest, group reports and a Sunday morning motivational program.

For information on how your youth group can become a member of the Youth Environmental Program and take part in the Youth Environmental Conference, please contact Diana Haid at 304-926-0499, Ext. 1114 or email diana.k.haid@wv.gov .

Licensed Remediation Specialist Exam Set for September 21.

In order to conduct a brownfield clean up in West Virginia under the Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Act, one needs to have the remediation process planned and overseen by a Licensed Remediation Specialist (LRS). In order to become a LRS one must pass the exam, which has been scheduled for September 21st in South Charleston. 

The rule governing VRRA clean ups, which is the subject of the test,  is found at 60 CSR 3.  It includes the general remediation agreement and default clean up levels. The DEP's notice follows:

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s next examination to certify licensed remediation specialists is scheduled from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., on Sept.

21, at the Marshall Graduate College in South Charleston.

The exam will be given in Room 213 of the Robert C. Byrd Academic Center Building, 100 Angus E. Peyton Dr., South Charleston.

Certification is required for anyone submitting voluntary remediation and brownfields cleanup designs to the agency’s Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) for review.

A bachelor’s degree in an approved scientific field and at least six years of relevant professional experience, or a high school diploma and 10 years of relevant professional experience, are needed to qualify for the exam. In either case, at least one year of supervisory or project management experience is needed.

To take the exam, register online at http://www.dep.wv.gov.

Under the Office of Environmental Remediation, go to the licensed remediation specialist online application and follow the instructions. Fees of $300 for the application and $250 for the examination are required.  Online applications must be received by Sept. 9.

Only approved candidates with picture identification cards will be admitted to the testing site. Photo identification and the $250 testing fee must be presented before the exam starts.

For more information about the exam, call Jamie Wolfe, CEGAS manager, at (304) 696-6042, or by email at jawolfe@marshall.edu. Marshall University (CEGAS) administers the licensing exam for OER.

The state legislature enacted the voluntary remediation and brownfields law during the 1996 legislative session.

Voluntary remediation involves a responsible party cleaning up a site for future development, and brownfields involves clean up by a third party.

============================================================

To Unsubscribe from this Mailing List, login at:

http://apps.dep.wv.gov/MLists/

Charleston Meeting Fine Particulate Air Standard

A National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) has been set for PM2.5 (dust  that is smaller than 2.5 microns in size) in order to protect human health.  Small particles of dust are more likely to be inhaled deeper into the lungs.  "Under EPA regulations in 40 CFR part 50, section 50.13 and in accordance with Appendix N, the 24-hour primary and secondary PM2.5 standards are met when the 98th percentile 24-hour concentration is less than or equal to 35 [micro]g/m\3\."   EPA has announced that Charleston is in compliance with the NAAQS for fine particulate, which would relieve the WV DEP from having to file an attainment demonstration and other action.    Here's the Federal Register notice, from which the following was excerpted:
SUMMARY: EPA is proposing to determine that the Charleston, West Virginia nonattainment area for the 2006 fine particulate matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) has clean data for the 24-hour 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. This proposed determination is based upon quality assured, quality controlled, and certified ambient air monitoring data showing that this area has monitored attainment of the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS based on the 2007-2009 data and data available to date for 2010 in EPA's Air Quality System (AQS) database that show the area continues to attain. If this proposed determination is made final, the requirements for this area to submit an attainment demonstration, associated reasonably available control measures, a reasonable further progress plan, contingency measures, and other planning State Implementation Plans (SIPs) related to attainment of the standard shall be suspended for so long as the area continues to meet the 24-hour 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. DATES: Written comments must be received on or before September 19, 2011.

President Obama Withdraws Ozone NAAQS

President Obama has withdrawn EPA's proposal to lower  the National Ambient Air Quality Standard(NAAQS) proposed for ground level ozone (smog).  By way of summary, Politico reports:

 The rest of the Politico report explains the political pressures that led to the president's decision to forego a significant reduction of the standard in an attempt to preserve jobs, and some potential ramifications. 

In January 2010, the EPA proposed to set the national health-based standard for ozone between 60 and 70 parts per billion when averaged over an eight-hour period. The Bush administration tightened the ozone limits from 84 ppb to 75 ppb in 2008, despite scientific advisers' recommendations to issue a standard between 60 ppb and 70 ppb.

You can find more about the ozone standard here. The history of EPA's attempt to decrease the standard can be found here. The West Virginia nonattainment designations under the  2008 75 ppb standard (Charleston, Huntington/Ashland, Parkersburg/Marietta, Steubenville/Weirton and Wheeling) are here, and the designations under the 1997 standard are here.

The Presiden'ts statement:

Over the last two and half years, my administration, under the leadership of EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, has taken some of the strongest actions since the enactment of the Clean Air Act four decades ago to protect our environment and the health of our families from air pollution. From reducing mercury and other toxic air pollution from outdated power plants to doubling the fuel efficiency of our cars and trucks, the historic steps we’ve taken will save tens of thousands of lives each year, remove over a billion tons of pollution from our air, and produce hundreds of billions of dollars in benefits for the American people.

 
At the same time, I have continued to underscore the importance of reducing regulatory burdens and regulatory uncertainty, particularly as our economy continues to recover.  With that in mind, and after careful consideration, I have requested that Administrator Jackson withdraw the draft Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards at this time. Work is already underway to update a 2006 review of the science that will result in the reconsideration of the ozone standard in 2013.  Ultimately, I did not support asking state and local governments to begin implementing a new standard that will soon be reconsidered.

 
I want to be clear: my commitment and the commitment of my administration to protecting public health and the environment is unwavering. I will continue to stand with the hardworking men and women at the EPA as they strive every day to hold polluters accountable and protect our families from harmful pollution.  And my administration will continue to vigorously oppose efforts to weaken EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act or dismantle the progress we have made.

Brownfields Conference in Morgantown September 14-15

This is a very useful conference covering all aspects of brownfields development in West Virginia.  My colleague Rob Lannan and I have  participated and found it helpful.

Morgantown’s Waterfront Place Hotel will be the site of the annual West Virginia Brownfields Conference, Sept. 14-15.

The conference is hosted each year by the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Centers at Marshall and West Virginia universities, in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, the West Virginia Development Office and the Air and Waste Management Association.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines a brownfield as “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.”

Examples of brownfields include vacant warehouses and factories; abandoned railroads; former service stations; landfills; parking lots; and former coal mining sites.

Brownfields are often transformed into new real estate for housing or commercial use or for green space, on which new parks and recreation facilities can be constructed.

Among the topics covered at this year’s conference will be financing options for brownfield development; understanding site assessments; public-private partnerships; and ways to make your community standout. There will also be training sessions on topics such as grant writing.

The keynote address will be delivered by West Virginia Secretary of Commerce Keith Burdette.

The state Brownfields Assistance Centers at Marshall and WVU were established in 2005 to help West Virginia communities identify brownfields, formulate plans to redevelop properties and to assist in securing money for projects. Several federal agencies are funding sources for brownfield projects.

To register for this year’s conference go to www.wvbrownfields.org or call for more information at 304-

293-6984 or 304-696-5456.

Is Fracking Fluid Safe To Drink?

Is fracking fluid (the water and chemical mixture that's injected underground at great pressure to break apart rock formations) safe to drink?  According to the Huffington Post, the folks at Halliburton think it is. I had to laugh, though - the Halliburton CEO didn't take a swig himself, but reportedly called another executive up to the podium to do the deed.

During a keynote lunch speech at the conference presented by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, Halliburton Co. CEO Dave Lesar talked about addressing public concerns about hydraulic fracturing, which extracts natural gas by blasting a mix of water, chemicals and sand underground.

He raised a container of Halliburton's new fracking fluid made from materials sourced from the food industry, then called up a fellow executive to demonstrate how safe it was by drinking it, according to two attendees.