West Virginia Blue
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In Greenbrier County WV, the Beech Ridge Wind Farm is a $300 million, 119-wind turbine wind farm presently under construction. The 400 feet (120 m) tall wind turbines, each of which will generate 1.5 megawatts of electricity, will be scattered for 15 miles (24 km) along Shellcamp, Smokehouse, Beech, Rockcamp and Big ridges and Cold Knob, Old Field, Blue Knob and Nunly mountains. Total output for the project will be 186 megawatts.
Take a look at the map below to compare Greenbrier's existing power transmission lines to those where the Coal River Mountain project in Raleigh County has been proposed.
It's pretty obvious that while Raleigh County has some hefty lines crisscrossing right through it (intersecting at Beckley), most of Greenbrier County is pretty power-line free. Apparently that's why there's a new power line a new 13.8 miles (22.2 km), 138 kilovolt power transmission line, to be located in Greenbrier and Nicholas counties. The construction of those lines are already injecting revenue into the local economy.
Note that there's a really hefty power transmission line crisscrossing Grant and Tucker because Grant County's Mount Storm Wind Energy Center has a 66 megawatt plant with 44 1.5 megawatt turbines that generate enough electricity to power 22,000 homes. It's 132 wind turbines stretch along 12 miles of the Allegheny Front, and can generate up to 264 megawatts. That's enough electricity to serve about 66,000 homes and businesses. And Tucker County's wind farm consists of 44 NEG Micon 1.5 megawatt (MW) wind turbines that produce 66 MW of electricity. Tucker county's Mountaineer Wind Energy Center generates enough electricity to power approximately 20,000 homes.
The reason I delineated Kanawha county in red is because the transmission lines coming from its polluting coal-fired John Amos power plant are far fewer and less impressive than those running through Tucker and Grant county, which lead me to suspect that someone from our "extraction" state may well have over specified the power line right-of-way requirements from non-coal producing power generating systems. BTW I found the above power line grid map on the U.S. Dept. of Energy website, so it should be fairly accurate.
Anyway, since Tucker County has had its wind farm on line since 2003, it may be useful to know what its done for the county. Resident Robert Burns worked for the Tucker County Development Authority during the planning and construction of the wind farm, and recently spoke with a southern WV coalfield delegation about some bottom line incentives for wind in West Virginia.
"Our local government was looking for two things when deciding about the economic development of Mountaineer Wind Energy - taxes and jobs."
The project created local jobs, and the county tax revenues increased significantly from the onset of the project. And although school districts across our southern coalfield are failing due to lack of funds, 60-70% of tax payments to Tucker county from Mountaineer Wind Energy are reinvested into schools. source
One last item regarding the ability of "extraction states" to fund wind farm projects
Chinese banks put up $1.5 billion for a 36,000-acre wind farm in Texas with the power to light up 180,000 homes. CBSnews, Oct. 29, 2009
"The project is a joint venture with U.S. Renewable Energy Group, a private equity firm, Austin, Texas-based Cielo Wind Power LP and Shenyang Power Group of China
"The joint venture also plans to tap into U.S. stimulus funding for alternative energy, said Cappy McGarr, managing partner of U.S. Renewable Energy.
"Armed with nearly $1 billion in federal grants, wind farm developers installed 1,649 megawatts of capacity from July through September - enough to serve the equivalent of 480,000 average households and about 18 percent more than the year-ago quarter, the American Wind Energy Association said last week.
"That suggests the industry is doing better than might be expected, easing fears that a lack of lending would stall new wind capacity". source
Check this out
"Now is a great time to be investing [in renewable energy] because of all of the advantages of the stimulus package money," said McGarr, managing partner of U.S. Renewable Energy Group."And this is an opportunity to create something that will last a long, long time."
"The $1.5 billion project is an opportunity for China, which has been aggressively expanding its wind power, to get a toehold in the U.S. renewable energy market. The deal was announced on the same day U.S. trade negotiators said China agreed to drop a restriction that has insulated Chinese wind turbines from import competition."
"Hornaday said the Chinese investment helped to make up for the impact of low energy prices. Wind farms have looked less attractive to investors as the price of natural gas, which heavily influences the price for power in Texas, remains low.
"...To qualify for the stimulus grant, the project must begin construction by 2010.source
Anyone wondering how much of the stimulus money Governor Manchin hasn't spent developing "renewable" alternative energy sources in WV can follow the money at this link
There's a shovel-ready wind project in Raleigh County for which the residents have been petitioning the state to save for quite some time now. But due monumental acts of bad faith by agents of the WV Department of Environmental Protection and the WV Department of Energy, it may never come to pass.
The problem is that their state agents have decided to contravene the The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) and issue permits to Massey subsidiary Marple Coal without properly reviewing the woefully inadequate post-mining land use master plan which calls for the mountains to be restored to support "forest, wildlife, and fish". So the blasting away of a natural, non-polluting solid and reliable source of income for Raleigh County has begun, and along with it the hopes and dreams of that community.
Please call President Obama today at 202-456-1414 and implore him to use his agencies and influence with West Virginia politicians to stop the destruction of Coal River Mountain immediately.
Today, on Monday, March 29, 2009, a "Resolution Supporting the development of a permanent utility-scale wind farm on Coal River Mountain in the Coal River Mountain Area of Raleigh County, West Virginia" will be introduced on the floor of the West Virginia House of Delegates with 41 Co-Sponsors already signed on!!! The lead sponsor on the Resolution is Raleigh County Delegate Sally Susman, and overall, four out of the five Raleigh delegates are signed on!! This is an amazing and symbolic accomplishment, as it shows that there is legislative support from Raleigh County and from across West Virginia for the Coal River Mountain Wind campaign!!
But this week is going to be a battle. We still need to get 10 more House Delegates to support the Resolution, and after it gets read on the floor of the House this morning, it will most likely be sent to the House Rules Committee, where some believe it will be killed by being left off of the Committee agenda. So, we also need YOUR help in making sure the Resolution makes it out of the Rules Committee.
We thank you for participating and helping this week. The coal industry has already begun fighting against the Resolution, and as you know, they have a lot of power over our lawmakers, so we need numbers and voices to OVERCOME their influence. With your help we can do that.
(How can anyone in southern West Virginia forget July 8th 2001 a horrible day. - promoted by wvblueguy)
July 8, 2001 was by far the saddest day in the life of yours truly bluemcdowell. The house that I had lived in for over 31 years destroyed in really under an hours' time.
The night before the flood I went to bed about midnight. At that time I tended to sleep very late in the day up until about 11am. But this time I had actually gotten up a little earlier at about 9am in the morning. I slept in the floor that night in a bed bad which really I did pretty commonly at that time with the air conditioner running full blast which really comforted me and made me sleep more easily,
I turned on the TV to watch WWE wrestling, The very second I did so I saw that the very first flash flood warning had been issued I think for Raleigh County, WV. I then peaked out the window for the very first time and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was raining the hardest I had ever seen it rain before in my whole entire life. My house was really lower than my neighbors at the time, so my yard was normally wetter then them most of the time. I kept excepting, hoping, and praying the rain would either let up and stop. It didn't. In fact it even seemed to rain heavier and heavier.
For the first time in my life however I could not even see one blade of grass sticking above the water. All of my yard was under water. 100 percent of it. Even my neighbors' yards were 90 percent covered.
Usually they say that all you can do is stay inside in a situation like that. But I firmly believe that if I had done so I wouldn't be here writing this diary today.
Actually my next door neighbor at the time, a guy that my family really especially me whose family really hated me and my grandparents with a passion told me that the creek almost had come out of its banks in April of 2001. And that was the absolutely first time I had heard of it.
Sadly I'm the talk of that community even today 6 years later. I never did anything to those people. I'm the "joke' up there.
Remember the negative stereotypes of West Virginians? It's people like them who give us our bad name. I better leave it at that at the present time.
But the church I went to there was by the far the best church I have ever been to. And I still visit it from time to time. They hated the way that family and their friends treated me. I love that church to death. To me it's really like home.
Back to the main story at hand:
While I was watching wrestling flash flood warning after flash flood warning was issued: Fayette County, Raleigh County, Mercer County, Wyoming County, heck even Bland County VA had flash flood warnings issued to them. But absolutely nothing about McDowell County.
Then I checked the outside window. And it was the 2nd saddest sight that I had ever seen in my entire life. The creek was flowing out of its banks, something I never dreamed I would see in my entire life. My beloved grandparent's car was flooded in a matter of seconds.
Then the 1st saddest sight came. Water had actually entered into the bottom door of my house. I actually had to get out of there and ask my arch enemies for help. That guy did so but did so very reluctantly. The only reason that he did it in my honest opinion is because God told him he had to or else. Believe me you do a lot of praying to Jesus and God when your life is in your worst enemy's hands.
He and I slowly climbed up the hill to the road on the hillside. I actually thought climbing it would be much easier than what it was. I never dreamed climbing it would be so difficult even when wet. I almost fell twice. My enemy threatened both times to leave me and only very reluctantly stuck out his hand. Thank God we finally made to the road. I was huffing and puffing and exhausted. He wasn't. And that guy was laughing his butt off and me and then left saying he had to help his family.
I was literally forced to stand for 2 hours in the heaviest rain I had ever seen in my life. I was scared, crying, wondering if that would be the end. All the roads into and out of that hollow were under water.
Then an ATV showed up. Again a member of my enemy's family. For some reason this time he was nicer to me than his cousin. He took me to his parents who let me stay there for the evening.
While I stayed at his parents I actually thought that my house had been spared. I guess I just wanted to believe positively that my house could withstand it. This husband and wife chain-smoked the whole time I was there. They had just heard their son too was flooded out and were crying profusely. I then asked them if I could check my house. They agreed to do it. I really should have stayed there but I wanted to go back so badly I wasn't rational at the time.
Everything was under water. And I mean everything. But I still thought that my house had escaped because the water was still below my floor. Then I had to wait another 2 hours standing outside crying my heart out. I then went to my local Methodist church and prayed like I never did before. Then two more people came and let me stay with them as they lived on the hillside above. They were also of my enemy's family but they were the best people of that family.
I actually had a good stay with them overnight. I just cannot sleep at a stranger's house. I was tossing and turning for close to 10 hours because they got up late too. Again though sadly my stay was short-lived because they told me that they had to help their flooded out daughter.
I couldn't understand why they didn't trust me. I had never even done one bad thing to them. Now I realize that a main reason thwy wouldn't let me stay with them another night was because they wanted me to do my business outside instead of the camode which was not working because the city water was off but wouldn't because of two very mean biting dogs that they loved to death. Why did they love their dogs over me I wondered?
I finally then got to go back to my house. But I was dead wrong in thinking that my house was spared. My grandad's "pride and joy" his riding mower flipped upside down. Mud and debris everywhere. I was forced to sleep that night in my muddy house because no one would let me stay with them. The next night another one of my enemy's family let me stay with him.
Finally my family had been able to come and get me after the water receded and the roads were halfway dry. I was scared and frightened and crying myself to death inside. Finally after spending that whole time with my enemies I finally got to stay with my family and friends. I moved two houses away from my mom and step-dad. I was finally free as a bird.
But May 2, 2002 the second 100 year flood in a matter of 10 months struck. My mom and step-dad were flooded out. But thank God he did spare my house this time, as it was just trickling outside my door. One more inch and my house would have been destroyed for a 2nd time.
I still live in the same house today. People sort of cringe when I say this but I know it's just a matter of time before I'm flooded out, this time for good. I probably will have to leave McDowell County and relocate to the Bluewell-Brushfork-Bluefield area or to the Glenwood-Princeton area when that happens. There is a young lady in my hometown that I like a lot. Sadly when I do get flooded out I will be forced to leave her probably for good because God has blessed her and her mom with a house outside the flood plain, and even they said the May 2 flood got them with logs and coal debris.
Mullens destroyed. Most of Welch destroyed. Landgraff wiped completely off the map. Kimball now with just one business in downtown even though it now has Wal-Mart. Sadly at least 8 people lost their lives because of the July 8, 2001 flood and the May 2, 2002 flood just 10 months later.
Actually since it's way past my bedtime I will have to close this diary out. If you do a Google search do a McDowell County Muddy Waters Song. There will be a 5 minute song chronicling both floods.
STOP MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL NOW!
AND IF YOU'RE GOING TO LOG DO IT IN A RESPONSIBLE MANNER AND RECLAIM THE LAND!
I send my heartfelt condolences to those families of lost loved ones lost durning those destructive floods. May God bless you all.
wvablueguy posted about the 13 arrested during the Marsh Fork Elementary School protest Saturday at the Capitol in Charleston.
The 50 protestors who were in Gov. Joe Manchin's office's reception area wanted the governor's assurance that the school would be re-located due to the extreme dangers posed by Don Blankenship's Massey Energy coal mining operations way-too-close to the school.
Here's what else the group wants:
In addition to closing the school, the group wants to shut down Goals Coal's preparation plant and a 1,849-acre mountaintop removal mine site and a 2.8 billion-gallon coal sludge dam about 400 yards from the school.
Here's what prompted Saturday's protest:
The protest follows Tuesday's ruling by the state Surface Mine Board that reversed the rejection of a permit for the silo.
Massey Energy Co. subsidiary Goals Coal Co. is seeking a second storage silo for its preparation plant next door to Marsh Fork.
Don Blankenship's subsidiary Goals Coal then submitted a new application, "which was rejected last year because federal and state laws prohibit new mining operations within 300 feet of a school."
So one state agency rejected the process and another reversed the rejection.
Jspiker had great details Thursday on the permit process.
Massey Energy, the WV Surface Mine Board, and the WV Department of Environmental Protection have been raging war on each other for over two years now.
Don Blankenship just doesn't understand the word NO.
Isn't it ironic a man spending millions of dollars under the guise of "For the Sake of the Kids" would pursue such legal proceedings?
In 2005, a court battle over a coal silo near Marsh Fork Elementary School, denied Massey Energy the right to expand operations because it was within 300 feet of the school. The law is intended to protect our children from safety and health hazards associated with coal mining in this area.
Almost a year ago, a Massey Energy engineer testified that he altered the permit boundary shown on official maps when the company sought approval for a new coal silo near the Raleigh County School.
Paul McCombs, an engineer for Massey's Goals Coal subsidiary, said he expanded the map boundary to match what he believed the real permit area should have been, based on a field examination at the site. McCombs told the state Surface Mine Board that he did not seek state Department of Environmental Protection approval for the changes, or notify the DEP that he had made the changes.
In a split decision last week, the state Surface Mine Board overturned a Department of Environmental Protection order that previously blocked the new silo.
A majority of the board - members Henry Rauch, Stephen Capelli, Michael Hastings and Randy McMillion - sided with the company.
They found "the construction of a silo is a tool for decreasing and minimizing dust in high dust areas" and "the construction of the silo will not place a significant burden on public health."
Board Chairman Tom Michael and members Paul Nay and Ed Grafton disagreed. They found, "the construction of the silo less than 300 feet from the school places a significant burden on the public health and the environment of the local community."
Manchin filed an appeal to the Surface Mine Board's reversal of the rejection. In other words, he filed to stop the project.
Manchin's Department of Environmental Protection filed an appeal Thursday challenging the mine board's ruling. DEP lawyer Tom Clarke asked for a stay of the board ruling while the appeal is heard, and argued that the board ruling alone - without a subsequent DEP permit approval under the board's legal standard - does not allow the silo construction to start.
Don Blankenship claims the second coal silo would "protect the environment" are as credible as his claim that he wanted to stock the West Virginia legislature with 42-hand-picked Republicans was "for the sake of the kids."
Here's a comment from Clem Guttata that helps illustrate (with photos) the dangers Blankenship would rather ignore:
This whole situation is just yet another horrible accident waiting to happen.
Above the prep plant, a road zigzags up the face of an earthen dam holding back billions of gallons of coal sludge in Massey's leaking Shumate impoundment. A worker at this site, now alleges he is gravely ill from the chemicals used on site. He says portions of this dam where not constructed properly and Mine Safety and Health Administration records support his statements.
Beyond the impoundment--that black lake of toxic goo--another Massey Energy subsidiary, Independence Coal, is starting an 1,849 acre strip mine. How crazy to have blasting at this strip mine above an impoundment held by a violation-prone earthen dam--just 400 yards from an elementary school!
Don Blankenship, Richmond, Va.-based Massey's chief executive officer, said the second silo would enable the company to make additional environmental improvements and cut down the amount of coal dust at the site.
But when it denied the silo permit for a second time last year, the DEP noted that there had never been an open coal stockpile in the area where the silos were planned. And in February 2006, the DEP turned down a related Massey permit request to double the allowable air pollution from the Goals Coal site.
In a federal court lawsuit, Blankenship alleges that the DEP is fighting the silo project as part of Manchin's effort to punish Massey for Blankenship's political involvement against the governor.
Activists, however, wanted more assurances from the governor that a new school would be built and the elementary school near the coal site would be closed.
In West Virginia, such decisions are left to county school boards.
Minutes before the arrests, Manchin Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Martin read a statement from the governor to the crowd. The statement said Manchin will encourage the Raleigh County school board to put the decision of building a new school at Marsh Fork to a countywide vote, but stressed that decision is out of the governor's hands.
"Before the state can get involved in issues such as whether a school should be moved or if a new school should be built, a decision must first be made at the local level," Martin read.
During occasionally tense exchanges earlier in the day, Martin tried to persuade the protesters to stop chanting and singing.
At one point, Wiley shouted at Martin, "Enough of this whispering in my ear, telling me to settle this down. We'll raise the roof off the dang place," which was met by cheers from the protesters.
Many of the protesters were from West Virginia's southern coalfields but a substantial number were college students, who said they were from Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and Maine. Others came from colleges throughout West Virginia.
The protest appeared organized at least in part by a group called Mountain Justice Summer, which on its Web site bills this week as "Mountain Justice Spring Break" in Charleston. (Clem Guttata posted about Mountain Justice here.)
All of which leads to this terrible scene.
Here's YouTube video of the arrests from West Virginia Public Television:
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