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What is PM2.5 and what does NonAttainment mean for us?
December 26, 2008
Very fine particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) is so fine that it is not caught by the cilia in the nose and throat, and therefore can become lodged deeply in the lungs. It generally cannot be coughed out, as coarser particulate matter sometimes can. It is fine enough to get into the blood stream from the lungs, enter the brain and heart, and cause severe damage. See this scientific article for more information.
When asked what this means for Mon County, West Virginia, Jim Kotcon of the Sierra Club's West Virginia Chapter said, "The designation will require the WV-DEP to propose a revision to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) within 3 years. The SIP will require emissions reductions adequate to return the area to "attainment" of the EPA Health Standard. Ultimately, this will require reductions in emissions of fine particulates, and the implementation of these reductions is to occur by 2014. According to the EPA data, (available at: www.epa.gov/pmdesignations/2006standards/rec/letters/03_WV_EPAMOD.pdf, the largest "uncontrolled sources" contributing to Mon County nonattainment currently are the Fort Martin, and Hatfields Ferry power plants." Kotcon notes that both of those coal-fired power plants are having scrubbers installed, which should help the problem. He says that while those are the largest PM sources in the area, we still have others we need to worry about, including more distant power plants such as the Kammer plant in Marshall county, as well as diesel trucks and similar mobile sources.
Mon and Greene Counties Now in Nonattainment for PM2.5
December 22, 2008, News Release from US EPA
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced that Monongalia County, WV and a portion of Greene County, PA are in nonattainment for very fine particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5). EPA's 12/22/08 News Release.
Also included in the designation for West Virginia are Kanawha, Putnam, Cabell, Wayne Counties, and part of Mason County. For Pennsylvania, the counties constituting the greter Pittsburgh metro area are in nonattainment. Here is a table of all the PM2.5 nonattainment areas in the US.
Not Another Power Line? Here comes PATH
December 2008, News Release from Allegheny Energy
Allegheny Energy, along with American Electric Power, plans yet another multi-state high-voltage transmission line. This one, dubbed PATH(Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline), is planned to cut across West Virginia south of TrAIL.
Public hearings are being held in December 2008. Here's more information on the hearings and what you can do.
PA Approves TrAILCo Power Line
November 13, 2008, News Release from Allegheny Energy
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) approved "construction of a 1.2-mile segment of its 500-kilovolt transmission project in Pennsylvania. The 1.2-mile segment will extend south from the new 502 Junction substation in Greene County to the West Virginia border. This segment is the starting point of the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line (TrAIL), a 215-mile project that will traverse parts of West Virginia and extend into northern Virginia." PDF of News Release.
PA Judges Recommend PUC Denial of TrAILCo Power Line
August 21, 2008, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review & Observer-Reporter
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission's (PUC's) Office of Administrative Law Judges recommends that the PUC deny TrAILCo all five of its applications. September 10, 2008 is the deadline for filing objections to this recommendation and September 22, 2008 is the deadline for replies to objections. The news stories (links below) say the judges were very critical of TrAILCo's applications. The PUC reportedly has no deadline to rule. Both the Washington County Commission and the Greene County Commission have opposed TrAILCo. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review story and Observer-Reporter story.
Sierra Club Appeals WV PSC Decision
August 8, 2008. The Sierra Club appeals the PSC Order approving TrAILCo's permit. Story A pdf copy of the appeal is here.
WV Public Service Commission approves TrAILCo
August 1, 2008. The WV Public Service Commission (PSC) approved TrAILCo's application. To follow the document Trail, go to the PSC's webdocket for this case and click on Activities at the top of the page. The (very large) pdf of the Order is here.
"Consumer Advocate" cuts deal with TrAILCo
April 17, 2008. The consumer advocate for the WV Public Service Commission (PSC), Byron Harris, has worked a deal for the TrAILCo High-Voltage Transmission Line to follow an existing transmission line. The route will increase the size of the right of way needed along the existing corridor by 200 feet. The new proposed route diverges from the exiting power-line corridor in Preston County to avoid Maryland. Here is a good interview with the PSC's Consumer Advocate on WV PBS via YouTube.
Governor Manchin Backpedals on Support?
Governor Joe Manchin originally supported the proposed TrAILCo High-Voltage Power Line, but now he appears to be feeling the political heat. Story
PSC Staff Opposes TrAILCo Transmission Line
The Staff of the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) and its consultants have come out against the proposed TrAILCo High-Voltage Transmission Line. Story
New Reports Out
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The Dirty Truth about Coal and Coal Rush have been prepared by the Sierra Club. They discuss coal from mining to burning to waste and "Why Yesterday's Technology Should Not Be Part of Tomorrow's Energy Future."
The First-Ever State of the Carbon Cycle Report from the Carnegie Institution of Science was funded by the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). It finds a "Finds Troubling Imbalance" in North America's carbon budget caused by human-generated emissions.
MVCAC Opposes Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Company (TrAILCo)
Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Company (TrAILCo), part of Allegheny Energy, plans to build a huge high-voltage transmission line through southwestern Pennsylvania, across northern West Virginia, and into Virginia.
MVCAC supports the Halleck and Southern Monongalia County Community Association, the Capon Valley Coalition, the Laurel Run Watershed Association, and the Sierra Club, West Virginia Chapter in West Virginia, Stop the Towers in Pennsylvania, and Virginia's Commitment in opposing TrAILCo's proposed transmission line.
Check out NoTowersinWV.org to see exactly how you can help.
The PSC's evidentiary (court) hearing will be conducted in two parts. The first will be presentation of evidence by all parties except TrAILCo and is scheduled January 9 through January 11, 2008 and January 14 through January 15, 2008. The second phase, consisting of TrAILCO’s direct case and possibly Commission staff’s expert witness, is scheduled for February 12 through February 15, 2008 and February 19 through February 22, 2008. The evidentiary hearing will be conducted in the HMC Hearing Room, PSC headquarters, 201 Brooks Street, Charleston, WV and are open to the public.
