Cliffside

I recently resubscribed to my local newspaper, Raleigh's News & Observer. It's only been about two weeks now and I'm thinking about dropping my subscription again.

Yesterday, I marched with about 150 other people in the rain as part of the International Day of Climate Action. We went to the Governor's Mansion to ask Beverly Perdue to stop Duke Power from building the Cliffside Coal Plant and to ask President Obama to take strong action to stop global warming.

The News & Observer reported that six people were arrested. No mention of the rest of us chanting across the street to show our support and gratitude for those were arrested. No mention of global warming. No mention of the other 5,200 plus events around the world. Our local TV station, WRAL, did a much better job.

Follow me below the fold for a discussion of local news coverage and what we should do about it.

House Bill 1050, the NC SAVE$ ENERGY bill, is going to be introduced into the Energy and Energy Efficiency Committee this Wednesday. The bill, which plans on creating an independent energy efficiency program in North Carolina, will create thousands of green jobs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and keep all of our energy rates down in the coming years.

As tired as we all may be about listening to environmental organizations preach about the need to reform our outlook toward global climate change, their message has still not fully been heard. The problems that climate change has placed on this world are very real, and are becoming more and more apparent everyday. Yet still, most Americans are content either giving in to apathy or ignoring these important issues all together.

Some of you may wonder why I have yet to speak out about the recent acquiescence by DAQ in the issuance of a new air quality permit for Duke Energy's Cliffside #6 coal-fired power plant. Frankly, the DAQ's complete reversal from its previous position last fall knocked my legs out from under me, and every time I think about it I see red. It's a good thing I didn't attend the recent protest, because I'd probably still be locked up. That being said, this discussion must continue, and it must be based on the real-world dangers associated with this reckless project.

Have we learned everything we need to know about the truth about coal? today on Daily Koss they have assembled gobs of reports about what the issues are about COAL

www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/23/61828/9692/801/520914

This river supplies drinking water to more than a million people along the way and supports the water needs of numerous coal and nuclear power plants. Duke Energy's renewal of its federal license to manage the Catawba is set to expire this year.

This happened about a year ago. But with Cliffside in the news, I think this deserves some attention. Last May, around the time that the Progress Energy plant was a hot topic in Asheville, Duke Energy floated a fascinating proposal to the NC Utilities Commission. In it, they suggested that they would promote energy efficiency as a "fifth fuel" by sponsoring education programs and providing subsidies for the purchase of more energy-efficient appliances and devices.

So far, so good. Where it gets weird is in the reward Duke sought for being virtuous: a new fee (starting at $15 per customer per year) that would compensate the utility for the electricity it didn't sell because of decreased demand. That fee was based not only on program costs or unsold wattage, but also on the cost of the power plants the utility would have had to build if customers didn't conserve.

According to Jim Rogers Duke Energy CEO:

"He said that Duke Energy was the third largest emitter of carbon in the United States and the twelfth in the world -- and if considered an independent nation, Duke Energy would be 41st in the world -- so carbon emissions is a huge issue for him and his firm and wants to turn that around."

We can act now to channel over $1 billion into local government efforts to improve energy efficiency, lower energy usage, and reduce fossil fuel emissions.

Looks like the pro-Cliffside crowd want Duke energy to break our Clean Air Law. Fortunately the SELC would rather them not.

Mountain Xpress: This morning, the Southern Environmental Law Center and 18 other environmental organizations from across the state issued a petition to the state Division of Air Quality, urging the agency to revoke or modify an air permit issued to Duke Energy for its new Cliffside facility.

In a letter to Keith Overcash, director of the division, the SELC charges that the permit, which was issued to Duke on Jan. 29, violates the Clean Air Act because it does not require Duke to use the best available controls for mercury emissions.