May 16th, 2012 › Clean Fuel, Coal, Environmental Justice › Seandra Rawls › no comments ›
SACE staffers Anne Blair and Jennifer Rennicks contributed to this post.
May is Asthma Awareness month: an opportunity to highlight a serious, chronic respiratory disease that affects the quality of life of nearly 26 million Americans, including more than seven million children. The exact causes of asthma are unknown, however there are several environmental factors, especially air pollution, that play a key role in causing asthma and/or “triggering” flare ups, episodes or attacks.
Emissions from cars, diesel engines, fires, road dust, and coal and natural gas-burning power plants all contribute to air pollution. These emissions contain many hazardous air pollutants (such as nitrogen dioxide – NO2), fine particles (such as soot) and ozone, which can aggravate asthma and make it harder for people with asthma to breathe. Moreover, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – another known pollutant resulting from energy production and use – may also be contributing to the growing rates of asthma. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and some researchers, increased levels of CO2 in our environment are increasing ozone and pollen production (an allergen), which in turn are increasing allergic reactions and aggravating asthma. New studies also suggest that traffic-related pollution exposure at school and homes may both contribute to the development of asthma.
Read more…
Tags: air quality, asthma, Clean Air Act, climate change, CO2, coal plants, disproportionate impacts, EPA, greenhouse gas emissions, public health
May 14th, 2012 › Energy Efficiency, Utilities › Natalie Mims › no comments ›
Last fall we wrote about Progress Energy’s successful implementation of its Neighborhood Energy Saver program. We are happy to announce that this program has already inspired change in our region: as of last week, Duke Energy South Carolina will be joining the growing group of utilities offering a low-income neighborhood implementation program. Read more…
Tags: Duke Energy, energy efficiency programs, low income, neighborhood implementation model, North Carolina, Progress Energy, South Carolina
May 11th, 2012 › High Risk Energy, Offshore Drilling › Simon Mahan › no comments ›
Photo: Gerald Herbert, AP
Many of the impacts from the BP oil disaster will go unseen. Typically, this is in reference to the hidden ecological impacts, deep underwater, from spewing millions of gallons of crude oil into the ocean. However, it has now come to light that a BP engineer has been charged with intentionally destroying records relating to the Macondo well blowout. Now it seems that not only will ecological impacts go unseen, evidence in a criminal case may also be plunged into the abyss.
As the article states, Kurt Mix heard that BP may have to release its internal estimate of how much oil was actually lost. For whatever reason, he then decided to delete about 300 text messages about oil flow estimates. Analysts say that the company could be criminally liable for up to $17.6 billion – but that figure depends on the estimate of how much oil actually spilled. If more was spilled, the fine could be much higher.
Read more…
Tags: bp disaster, criminal charge, kurt mix, Macondo, MC 252, offshore oil
May 7th, 2012 › Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency › Maria Hubert › 2 comments ›
Have you heard of PACE? Property Assessed Clean Energy? Well, if you live in Florida, you will soon…
Florida’s local elected officials aren’t waiting around for state or federal action requiring enforcement of energy efficiency standards. They know that we have tried and failed too many times to get a Renewable Portfolio Standard for the state of Florida, as utilities have fought any attempt to include renewable energy sources as 20% of their generation mix. So, local officials have decided to sign up for PACE, as is their right under the law, to bring clean energy solutions directly to their businesses.
That will show the utilities!
In 2010, the Florida Legislature passed a law that authorized Florida municipalities to establish PACE districts. The Florida PACE Funding Agency was established in June 2011 with the initial incorporators of Flagler County and the City of Kissimmee.
PACE is a voluntary program whereby property owners can obtain financing for efficiency upgrades, solar projects and windstorm resistance improvements that are repaid through an assessment on their property tax bills for up to twenty years. The Florida PACE funding agency enables local governments to access capital markets without having to implement individual programs.
Read more…
Tags: Broward, Energy Efficiency, Florida, Green Corridor District, Miami, Municipalities, PACE, Renewable Energy, solar, Ygrene Energy fund
May 2nd, 2012 › High Risk Energy, Nuclear, Utilities › Dr. Stephen A. Smith › 3 comments ›
Under the leadership duo of Bill Sansom’s tenure as the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Board Chairman and Tom Kilgore’s years as CEO, we have witnessed some of the largest financial mistakes ever made in the history of the agency. The Kingston Coal Ash Disaster in 2008 will end up costing TVA more than $1 billion in clean-up and corrective actions as a result of that energy disaster. And now we’ve learned that this TVA leadership “missed” the ever-increasing cost of completing the second reactor at the Watts Bar nuclear plant in Tennessee by about $2 billion dollars.
Last week, when the TVA Board of Directors convened in Greeneville, TN, the task before them was to carefully evaluate and consider next steps for the Watts Bar 2 nuclear reactor project. Over the past several months Tom Kilgore had been releasing information about a major cost overrun and multi-year delay in schedule. The CEO’s request for another $1.5 to $2 billion in construction costs as well as a three-year schedule extension should have raised eyebrows and provoked considerable deliberation. It seems the board members thought otherwise. Despite significant information calling into question the management oversight, and despite the ongoing unresolved issues at the second reactor located in the shadow of the Watts Bar dam, the board unanimously approved both the budget increase and the construction extension as though they were approving minutes from a past meeting.
After all, what’s another couple billion dollars between friends — especially when it’s coming out of someone else’s pocket?
Read more…
Tags: Alabama, Bellefonte, Clean Energy, coal ash, high risk, High Risk Energy, Nuclear, reactor, Tennessee, TVA, watts bar
May 1st, 2012 › Offshore Wind, Renewable Energy, Wind energy › Anna Cayce Smit › no comments ›
Earth Day Savannah took place on April 21 in Forsyth Park and provided excellent learning opportunities and fun for all 
ages. The event, which was sponsored by the City of Savannah Water and Sewer Bureau, provided the community and visitors with several festivities to engage in; including RecycleRama, the Forsyth Farmer’s Market, and an Earth Day festival. RecycleRama, gave community members an opportunity to properly dispose of potential water pollutants, such as medications, tires, paint, and cooking oil. The Forsyth Farmer’s Market provided fresh local goods and gave the community a chance to learn where their food comes from. These events preceded the Earth Day festival which featured several exhibitors and a variety of workshops.
SACE was an exhibitor at the festival and our booth was quite popular. Our volunteers worked hard to get petitions signed in support of offshore wind energy and I am proud to say that 159 petitions were signed! These petitions will be shared with with elected officials at various levels of government in the hopes that they will pursue favorable policies to promote offshore wind energy development. If you are interested in signing a petition please click here.
I gave an outdoor workshop on offshore wind energy opportunities in Georgia which was well received. While my presentation materials were quite literally “Gone with the Wind,” (it was really blustery) it was an excellent opportunity to drive home the fact that coastal Georgia has wind energy potential and we should be harnessing this resource to provide clean, renewable energy. Georgia has about 14.5 gigawatts of developable offshore wind energy potential, which is enough to provide a third of the state’s electricity. Read more about Georgia’s wind resources here.
Tags: City of Savannah Water and Sewer Bureau, Earth Day, Earth Day Savannah, Festival, Forsyth Park, offshore wind energy, Petitions, Renewable Energy, wind, wind energy
April 30th, 2012 › Clean Energy, Solar › Maria Hubert › no comments ›
The collective US solar brain trust gathered at the Solar Solutions Conference in Memphis, TN presented by the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Solar Institute, April 10-11. The big news? Technological innovations have propelled solar prices down. Today’s solar market is one of the most attractive to investors — not only is it actually “bankable,” but there are several financial models to choose from, provided your state has the right regulatory framework.
Low Prices and Low Emissions are Compatible
Representatives from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Sunshot Program, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), Navigant Consulting and the Promethius Institute were just a few of the more than 400 attendees. They all had something in common: they were confident that the price of solar is becoming competitive enough for solar to take its place alongside other forms of energy generation. In fact, Kevin Lynn of DOE indicated that innovation continues to propel the cost of solar technologies down to levels previously unheard of: $1 per Watt, with a goal of 6¢ per kilowatt hour (kWh). Meanwhile, the cost of coal increased 19% from 2010 to 2011. Now is the time for Southeastern utilities to acknowledge that low prices and low emissions are compatible.
Solar Investments are Now Bankable
On the utility-scale side, Andrew Kinross of Navigant used the example of the 550 MW, $2 Billion Topaz Solar Farm, financed by First Solar and Warren Buffet’s MidAmerican Energy Holdings. The utlity-scale solar PPA model: MidAmerican took a 50% equity position in the project and secured it with a 25 year Purchase Power Agreement (PPA) with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). Having the PPA in place lowers project risk from an investor’s point of view since they have a guaranteed return.
Read more…
Tags: Clean Energy, Coal, Community Solar, Georgia Power, Green Power Providers, Regulatory framework, Renewable Energy, solar, Solar Solutions, Sunshot, Technological Advances, Tennessee, Tennessee Solar Institute, TSI, TVA
April 27th, 2012 › Coal, High Risk Energy › Amelia Shenstone › no comments ›
On April 10, Power4Georgians (P4G) settled a legal challenge with several environmental groups over our appeal of Plant Washington’s air pollution permit. Afterward, plant developer Dean Alford told the press that Plant Washington is ready to proceed, with its permit in hand and a new backer, retired Colorado utility exec Tim Taylor. He couldn’t be more wrong.
The first obstacle: Plant Washington’s permit was not final in time to avoid a proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that seriously threatens the plant. The proposed rule, Carbon Pollution Standards for New Power Plants, would stipulate that new facilities must produce no more than 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide per MW of power generated – a limit Plant Washington is not designed to meet. No coal plant could, without carbon capture and sequestration, a technology that is expensive, unproven on a commercial scale, and requires specific geological features on site. The Plant Washington site has not even been studied for feasibility. Read more…
Tags: alford, clean coal, Coal, expense, finance, Georgia, mercury, Plant Washington, shenstone, washington
April 27th, 2012 › High Risk Energy, Offshore Drilling › Chris Carnevale › no comments ›
Photo: Gerald Herbert, AP
Two years ago, we witnessed the unraveling of the worst environmental disaster in our country’s history. On April 20, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig exploded into flames, killing 11 people, and spiraled into a horrific 87 days of oil gushing into the ocean, resulting in over 200 million gallons of oil dumped into the Gulf of Mexico. The ensuing months, documented on our blog here, claimed the lives of uncounted fish, birds, and marine mammals, exposed tens of thousands of cleanup workers to hazardous chemicals and decimated several of the Gulf region’s key industries, including fishing and tourism. At a time like this, it is appropriate for us to reflect with critical eyes upon the significance of offshore drilling and its massive impacts. Just now, after two years, we are just starting to see the emergence of some of the long-term consequences of that spill—persistent environmental toxins, human health effects, and long term economic impacts. While BP and many business interests want us to believe that “everything is back to normal,” the increasingly evident truth is that the Deepwater Horizon spill will have lasting impacts for many years and even decades to come. We can and need to do better when it comes to the energy future we want for ourselves and our children, and by reexamining new evidence that only comes with the passing of time, we are better equipped to make those decisions. With that frame of reference in mind, let’s take a look at what we’re finding two years later. Read more…
Tags: BOEM, bp spill, Corexit, Deepwater Horizon, dispersants, g&g, Gulf, Macondo, MC 252, offshore oil, oil drilling, PAH, seafood
April 25th, 2012 › Coal, Energy Policy, Environmental Justice, High Risk Energy, Water › Guest Post › no comments ›
The following post was authored by Sandra Diaz of Appalachian Voices and originally published on “The Front Porch” on April 24, 2012.
Keep Coal Ash Out of Our Water and the Transportation Bill!
West Virginia Rep. David McKinley is a man on a mission — to save the coal industry from the bullies at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. McKinley’s afraid that the EPA may eventually require coal-fired utilities to contain their coal ash so it’s not allowed to continue to pollute our waterways. But McKinley is not alone — he had some help from the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, the organization currently under fire for providing industry the means to unduly influence our elected officials.
McKinley’s bill, H.R. 2273, would literally prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from protecting families from the water and air pollution associated with poor storage and disposal of coal ash, the toxic remnants of coal-burning.
Last Wednesday, McKinley attached the entire toxic bill as an amendment to the “must-pass” House version of the Transportation Bill. With the Senate version already passed a few weeks ago, there will now be a conference of House and Senate members to hammer out the final Transportation bill.
Please contact your Senators and ask them to reject any amendments that would gut federal coal ash protections.
Read more…
Tags: App Voices, Appalachain Voices, coal ash, Congress, Electric Utilities, Georgia, North Carolina, Ret White and Water, South Carolina, West Viginia
