It's Getting Hot In Here » kendrakallevig

Mountaintop Removal Blasting Sends Boulder Into Local Home

kendrakallevig — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:43:27 +0000

Mountaintop Removal Blasting Sends Boulder Into Local Home: EPA Considers More Permits for Mountaintop Removal in the Region

Last week Frasure Creek Mining Company set off a mining blast that dislodged a massive boulder sending it cascading down the mountain into a nearby home.

The dislodged boulder rolled directly into the bedroom of two local Floyd County residents, who were away from the home at the time of incident. According to state mining officials, the company has been assessed charges of around $10,000. For the coal industry, this equals about 2 coal train car loads of coal in profit.

The incident comes at a time when the EPA is reviewing dozens of proposed Mountaintop Removal permits, including more for Floyd County where the boulder rolled into a home. The EPA is anticipated to release their decisions on the pending permits as soon as mid-September.

To see the full list of pending Mountaintop Removal permits under consideration by the EPA, see: http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Coal_Mining_Tracker&autologin=true

Take urge the EPA to deny any further Mountaintop Removal permits, you can take action, here: https://secure2.convio.net/sierra/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2313

Posted in Coal, Dirty Energy, global warming, Impacted Communities, Mountain Top Removal

Conversations with Duke Energy at the World Business Summit on Climate Change

kendrakallevig — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:46:25 +0000

“We gave you 17 percent, what do you mean you want more?”

That was the response of Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers when I told him recently I’d like him to reconsider Duke’s actions to weaken the Waxman/Markey climate change bill. As the U.S. youth representative at a recent meeting of world business leaders in Copenhagen, I approached Mr. Rogers after the Executive Director of one of the world’s largest environmental organizations helped 4 other youth representatives and me “find” our way into the private conference dinner. Explaining my role as a representative of SustainUS and the Energy Action Coalition, I proceeded to tell him that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls for reductions of 25-40 percent from a 1990 baseline (not the weaker 2005 target in Waxman/Markey) to reduce the chances of catastrophic climate change that threatens future generations. I told Mr. Rogers that the actions of Duke Energy are unacceptable to the youth climate movement, and that the survival of future generations is being endangered with such a modest climate bill that companies like his have tried to further weaken.

He smiled and sarcastically thanked me for my concern.
That wasn’t the last run-in I had with one of the U.S.’s biggest blockers of climate progress. During the dinner, I sat next to another executive from Duke. I explained to him why I was at the conference and who I was representing, and how disappointed we are with the bill in its current form. I added that young people are concerned about the potential for reaching a deal in Copenhagen when the U.S. is bringing reduction targets to the table that are far below what science says is necessary. I also asked why Duke feels they deserve to receive billions of dollars worth of free permits. Mr. Duke (I’ll just call him that) explained that the federal regulatory commissions are a major obstacle to implementing clean energy, and that free credits are necessary early in the carbon market (and by early he meant all the way until 2025 or 2030), because we can’t trust how the government will invest auction revenue. He was adamant that by receiving giveaways, Duke will pass along all savings directly to the consumer. In response to the question about U.S. targets this December, Mr. Duke said that 2020 targets are less important because the technology will allow us to catch up in later years. What he didn’t seem to understand is that young people don’t trust Duke Energy and don’t trust the dirty energy industries to do what is right, because they haven’t done it before. The best available science says we need to start reducing our emissions now. If we wait until 2020 to take serious action, it will be too late, as climate change will start rapidly accelerating. Mr. Duke didn’t seem to understand that we are literally fighting for our future, and that we will not stand silently as companies such as Duke dismantle our first legislative attempt at a clean energy future. It is up to young people to let Duke Energy know that we see through them and their attempts to manipulate the legislation that will shape our future.

Since January, the U.S. climate movement has seen unprecedented government action to reduce emissions. Unfortunately, the nation’s first chance at comprehensive energy and climate legislation became dramatically weakened as it moved through the House Energy and Commerce Committee. This bill is now nowhere near where science says is necessary to minimize the chance of catastrophic climate change in our lifetimes. International negotiators are meeting monthly between now and the 15th Conference of Parties (COP 15) in Copenhagen, where world leaders will likely settle on a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol. The Copenhagen Climate Council, a coalition of government, NGO, and businesses determined to reach a strong deal at COP 15, sponsored the conference I attended to bring together top executives to build support for a global deal.

I guess Duke didn’t get the message.

The conference definitely had its promising moments, though: major business leaders agreed that technological and adaptation support to developing countries is essential in reaching a global deal; Ban Ki Moon, Tim Flannery, and Kate Blanchett gave impassioned speeches for business leaders to take action on climate, always invoking the need to protect future generations; and we saw the launch of a global youth petition called Planet Call to bring together youth networks from all over the world in support of a strong global treaty. Add your name to the petition at www.planetcall.org, and continue to let Duke Energy and Congress know that the only climate bill we will accept is one that protects the Earth for us to inherit.

Posted in Climate Policy, Corporate Responsibility, global warming

“Will Obama deliver on the World’s ‘hope’ for a climate treaty?”

kendrakallevig — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:36:35 +0000

The governments of Denmark, Poland, and France hosted a conference on Monday to discuss the role of the United States at this December’s UN Climate Negotiations in Poznań, Poland. These negotiations will set the stage for a final post-Kyoto climate treaty to be signed in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009. The Poland negotiations need to produce a robust roadmap with a shared vision that leads to a climate agreement in 2009. From the lead climate negotiator of Denmark, to the Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Strategic Planning from the UN, the message was clear. The United States must take the lead in ensuring a strong climate treaty by Copenhagen.

Paula Dobriansky, the lead climate negotiator from the US State Department also spoke at the conference; however, no one seemed interested in how the Bush Administration will approach negotiations in Poznań. The Bush Administration’s approach to climate change over the past several years has already been made clear in its refusal to ratify Kyoto or establish federal legislation on GHG emissions reductions. All eyes are on President-Elect Barack Obama and the members of his transition team who are expected to attend the negotiations in December. Representatives of President-Elect Obama will likely be some of the most popular and sought-out people at the negotiations.

Denmark, France, and Poland have a similar set of expectations for the new administration. First and foremost, American leadership on a future climate treaty is essential. Second, all parties agree that, apart from American leadership, US domestic legislation is essential to a global treaty. Will the Obama administration be able to enact serious climate legislation in its first twelve months in office?

It is a daunting task but we have reason to believe, as we saw in federal government’s response to the financial crisis, that our government is capable of enacting swift, effective legislation in the face of crisis. Many would agree that climate change will prove to be an even larger crisis than the financial crisis if not addressed. As the ambassador of the European Commission, John Bruton, explained, approximately .05% of GDP is needed to respond to climate change, while the cost of inaction is around 5-20% of GDP. The choice is clear, the challenges are surmountable, and all hopes are pinned on Barack Obama.

Senator Obama’s election brings hope to millions around the world, especially those working on climate change, given his promise of a clean energy future. He has the ability to change the course of the US response to climate change and to react effectively to our generation’s most serious dilemma. Mr. Obama, seven billion people are counting on you to take the lead and secure the world for future generations.

SustainUS, the US Youth Network for Sustainable Development and many other international youth delegations will be present in Poland to hold governments accountable for securing our future. SustainUS, in particular, is there to represent the over 340,000 PowerVoters who helped vote Mr. Obama into office under the belief and hope that he will offer an about-face on US climate policy. SustainUS will lobby on behalf of all American youth to secure United States’ leadership on the completion of a strong, legally binding climate treaty with science-based targets by December 2009.

Posted in global warming, Government, Politics, United States, Youth Leaders