Study shows methane from power plants far exceeds EPA estimates
Researchers used Purdue University’s flying atmospheric chemistry laboratory, a modified Beechcraft 76 Duchess, to collect air samples and measure emissions. Photo courtesy of Purdue University. A new study shows that estimates of how much methane escapes from natural gas-fired power plants and oil refineries could be much too low, pointing to pollution from leaky industrial hardware. Researchers from Purdue University estimated that emissions from power plants fueled by natural gas could be 21 to 120 times higher than figures in U.S. EPA’s most recent final greenhouse gas inventory. For oil refineries, emissions may be 11 to 90 times higher than EPA estimates. By Hannah Hess, E&E News, Tuesday, March 14, 2017 <more>
Jobs
Outreach and Education Coordinator – BEAT – Pittsfield
Farm Apprentices and Trail Crew Members – Greenagers – Great Barrington
Stream Team and Water Quality Monitoring Volunteers – Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) – Rivers and Streams
Aquatic Habitat Technician – Vermont Fish and Wildlife Dept. – Roxbury, VT
Stewardship Coordinator – Berkshire Natural Resources Council – Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Stream and Pond Sampling Volunteers Needed – Acid Rain Monitoring Project – Various sites
Experienced Solar Technician – BPVS, Berkshire Photovoltaic Services – Adams, MA
Advocacy Center Director – Conservation Law Foundation – Boston
Recruitment Director – The Public Interest Network – Boston
Caretaker – Cold Brook Wildlife Sanctuary – Otis, MA
Streamflow Restoration Specialist (Environmental Analyst II) – Boston
Mourning for the planet:
BCC lowers Ecology Flag to half staff
PITTSFIELD — The Ecology Flag at Berkshire Community College is at half-staff this week in an expression of mourning for the environment, clean energy jobs and the scientific process.
“We did it in order to make a statement,” said Professor of Environmental Science Tom Tyning. “We wanted to acknowledge that we recognize this watershed moment.”
Tyning asked college President Ellen Kennedy for permission to lower the flag on Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m. — right as the President Donald Trump signed an executive order for a review of Obama-era environmental regulations. The flag has flown on campus since the 1970s.
Trump’s order fulfills promises made on the campaign to revitalize the American coal industry by beginning a review of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, which restricts emissions from coal-fired power plants. The order also ends a 14-month moratorium on new coal leases on federal lands, which was part of a three year halt on such leases begun by the Obama administration.
“Given changes and effects to environment, it’s a distressing day,” said Kennedy, who supported lowering the flag as an apolitical statement.
Tyning said that the order will have long reaching effects not only in what it will do to the country, but also the world. It sends the wrong signal, he said, especially to China. The Asian economic giant now leads the world in total emissions. Lowering the flag to half-staff was the school’s way of making a small statement of resistance.
“This is our responsibility,” Tyning said. “We reaped the economic benefits of ignoring climate change for a long time.”
The Clean Power Plan, which was announced by Obama on Aug. 3, 2015, was panned at the time by Republicans and business leaders who believed it would severely curtail jobs and economic development in the coal industry. But the Obama administration and environmental groups pointed to increased clean energy sector development as offsetting most, if not all, job losses from the policy.
A January report from the Energy Department supports their position. The department’s analysis showed that there are fewer than 75,000 coal jobs in the U.S. as opposed to over 650,000 in the renewable energy sector. Nationally, the clean energy industry already generates over $200 billion in annual revenue.
“I think it’s stupid,” said Jane Winn, the executive director of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team, referring to Trump’s executive order. “Clean energy has been driving our economy.”
Winn said she hopes that Massachusetts continues leading the way on clean energy development in the country. Not only is it good for the environment, she said, it’s creating jobs. Data from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center bears that claim out. The state’s clean energy industry grew by 6 percent between the center’s 2015 and 2016 reports and contributes $11.8 billion to Massachusetts’ gross state product. The center, which is publicly funded, also says that the industry has added 45,000 jobs since 2010.
“I’m hoping Massachusetts will continue to lead the way,” said Winn.
Tyning said that he is concerned that the country is moving away from science based environmental policies. Trump has referred to global climate change as a Chinese “hoax” designed to damage the American economy. The head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, said he does not believe carbon dioxide is a major contributor to global warming. The overwhelming consensus of the scientific community contradicts both positions.
“We hold facts and the scientific method in high regard,” said Tyning. “But they’re portrayed differently these days in Washington.”
The flag will remain at half-staff through the end of the week, said Kennedy.
“Without taking a political stance, we just focused on the effect on the environment that was made by this decision,” Kennedy told The Eagle. “These are really difficult times to sort through.”
AG Healey Testifies Before the DPU Urging It to Deny Eversource’s Proposed $300 Million Rate Increase
From the Attorney General’s Office
March 24, 2017
Company’s Proposal Seeks First-Year Rate Hike for NStar Electric Customers of More Than $60 Million and Western Massachusetts Electric Company Customers of More Than $36 Million
BOSTON – Advocating on behalf of the 1.4 million Eversource customers, Attorney General Maura Healey in testimony Thursday night urged the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to reject the utility company’s request to increase its customers’ electric rates by more than $96 million next year and an additional $50 million annually for the next four years.
“[T]his [case] is an important opportunity for the Department to reset the balance between company profits and customer rates,” AG Healey told the DPU at the hearing. “When so many customers today are struggling to make ends meet and businesses are trying to lower their energy costs to maintain and grow jobs, it is time to return money to customers, not to raise their electric bills to benefit highly profitable utility companies.”
In a Jan. 17 filing, Eversource asked the DPU to approve a first-year rate increase of $60 million for NSTAR Electric (NSTAR) customers and $36 million for Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) customers. This would raise NStar customers’ bills in Boston by more than $100 the first year. WMECO customers in Western Massachusetts would see increases in the first year of more than $150. In addition to the initial $96 million rate increase, Eversource is seeking approval for $50 million in charges from 2019 through 2022. Eversource’s proposals also included a request for a 10.5 percent rate of shareholder profits—or return on equity (ROE)—a level of return that exceeds that of other regional utilities.
In her testimony 
, AG Healey challenged the need for Eversource’s rate increase, noting NSTAR’s and WMECo’s high returns over the last few years. Referencing NSTAR’s 2015 return of more than 13 percent, Attorney General Healey told the DPU that “[l]ast year, no state public utility commission in the country allowed a return that high.” Between 2010 and 2015, Eversource’s shareholders of common stock received a cumulative total return (including quarterly dividends and the change in the market price per share) of 89 percent.
AG Healey and her office have been advocating against Eversource’s proposed rate increase since the company announced it in early January. Prior to the company filing its request, AG Healey sent the DPU a letter urging it to launch an investigation to explain why the allowed profits for Massachusetts utility companies are higher than the allowed profits in neighboring states. She echoed that sentiment in her testimony Thursday and challenged the DPU to consider the appropriateness of Eversource’s request to earn a 10.5 percent ROE.
Citing a recent Regulatory Research Associates report and 2016 rate decisions in Connecticut and Maine, AG Healey noted that Eversource’s request is well above the shareholder profits allowed last year by public utility commissions throughout the country (9.3 percent nationwide average in 2016) and in neighboring states (9.1 percent in Connecticut and 9.0 percent in Maine). Small changes in a company’s ROE can either cost or save customers millions of dollars. Every one percent reduction in Eversource’s requested ROE will save customers more than $28 million a year.
The DPU sets a utility company’s ROE as one element of a company’s costs in a rate case. In making its ROE decision, the DPU considers evidence presented by the AG’s Office and utility expert witnesses. If the DPU grants Eversource’s request of a 10.5 percent ROE, it would be the highest ROE granted by the Department in nearly a decade.
AG Healey also urged the DPU to review Eversource’s proposed multi-year rate plan, noting that her office’s preliminary analysis shows that the plan would increase customers’ rates by more than 4 percent every year until Eversource’s next rate case in 2022. These increases, estimated at approximately $50 million a year, would be in addition to the proposed $96 million rate increase.
By statute, the AG’s Office of Ratepayer Advocacy represents the interest of ratepayers in proceedings before the DPU.
AG Healey’s Energy and Telecommunications Division works to ensure Massachusetts businesses and residents have access to reliable, safe and affordable energy. This matter was handled by Division Chief Rebecca Tepper, with the assistance of all of AG Healey’s Energy and Telecommunications Division.
The hearing held today by the DPU is the second of the ten public hearings that the agency is conducting across the state to hear the public’s concerns about NSTAR’s and WMECo’s proposed increase in rates. AG Healey is urging Eversource customers and businesses to attend public hearings and voice their opinions about this proposed rate increase.
The other rate hearings are scheduled for:
- March 30, Cambridge at 6 PM
- April 3, Barnstable at 7 PM
- April 5, New Bedford at 7PM
- April 6, Plymouth at 7PM
- April 10, Pittsfield at 6 PM
- April 12, Springfield at 7 PM
- April 24, Martha’s Vineyard at 6 PM
- April 26, Greenfield at 7 PM
Volunteers Needed for April 1st Day of Civic Participation Workshops
From 4 Freedoms Coalition:
Dear Potential Volunteer,
Room Directors – One hour shifts from 9 to 3 with more needed from 9-10
AV troubleshooting – One for each workshop slot
Videographers – One in each workshop (can be with a cell phone camera)
Set up – 8:30-9:30 am
Clean up – 4-5 pm
Literature table – Set up in morning and keep an eye on it during the day
Photographers – One hour shifts from 9 to 3
- Writing Letters to the Editors
- Calling your Legislators
- Civics 101: City Politics
- Civics 101: State Politics
- Civics 101: Federal Politics
- Social Media Basics
- Running for Local Office (or Helping Someone Else to)
- What is Cultural Competence and How It Can Make You a More Effective Activist
- Conversations Across the Political Divide
- Door to Door Canvassing
You can visit our Facebook event page here and express interest in attending. Our workshop sign-up form will be out shortly.
Looking forward to a terrific day!
https://docs.google.com/spread
Mass. is enforcing its environmental rules less
By David Abel
The Boston Globe
March 9, 2017
Over the past decade, the state Department of Environmental Protection’s enforcement of air and water quality rules has fallen off sharply, as the agency’s workforce shrunk by nearly a third, according to a Globe review of state records.
Enforcement actions for serious violations have dropped by more than half, statistics show, as inspections also declined. Fines collected from violators plummeted during the same period by nearly 75 percent.
Reduced oversight at the DEP — historically one of the nation’s best funded and most progressive environmental agencies — comes as the Trump administration is considering major cuts to the federal EPA budget while transferring some responsibilities to the states. Governor Charlie Baker introduced legislation Wednesday to give the state oversight of pollution in Massachusetts’ waterways, now a federal responsibility.
During his tenure, staff reductions hindered a number of programs, Kimmell said. For example, the agency had to cut back on the labor-intensive work of testing rivers for the illegal dumping of sewage and fecal matter, he said.
“We just didn’t have the staffing to deal with it,” said Kimmell, now president of the Union of Concerned Scientists in Cambridge.
The agency’s budget peaked in 2009 at $62.3 million.
In a statement, Beaton said, “The Baker-Polito administration was pleased to propose increased funding for MassDEP . . . to ensure that safe drinking water, clean air, and land protection remain top priorities.”
But over the past decade, the reductions have been stark.
EPA Extends Comment Period for Proposed Rule to Add Natural Gas Processing Facilities to TRI Reporting
From: U.S. EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics <oppt.epa@public.govdelivery.c
March 8 2017
The EPA has proposed adding natural gas processing (NGP) facilities to the scope of the industrial sectors covered by the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). The proposed rule provided a 60-day comment period with comments due on or before March 7, 2017; EPA is extending the comment period. Comments are now due on or before May 6, 2017.
For additional information, please visit https://www.epa.gov/toxi
Study shows methane from power plants far exceeds EPA estimates
By Hannah Hess
E&E News
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Researchers used Purdue University’s flying atmospheric chemistry laboratory, a modified Beechcraft 76 Duchess, to collect air samples and measure emissions. Photo courtesy of Purdue University.
A new study shows that estimates of how much methane escapes from natural gas-fired power plants and oil refineries could be much too low, pointing to pollution from leaky industrial hardware.
Researchers from Purdue University estimated that emissions from power plants fueled by natural gas could be 21 to 120 times higher than figures in U.S. EPA’s most recent final greenhouse gas inventory. For oil refineries, emissions may be 11 to 90 times higher than EPA estimates.
The study was published yesterday by the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
The team used Purdue’s flying atmospheric chemistry lab — a Beechcraft Duchess light twin-engine airplane equipped with an airflow measurement probe — to collect daily samples at three natural gas power plants and three refineries from July 30 to Oct. 1, 2015.
“Our objective was to collect reliable data to compare to the inventories,” said Paul Shepson, director of Purdue’s Climate Change Research Center.
EPA’s greenhouse gas reporting program focuses on how much escapes from belching power stacks, without considering that methane could be leaking from compressors, valves and industrial hardware, Shepson explained.
“The good news from our study is that while emissions are greater than anticipated, natural gas-burning power plants are still cleaner, relative to burning coal,” Shepson said.
The amount of methane escaping from the plants in the pilot study, combined with previous estimates of methane leakage in the supply chain, is still below the “breaking point” at which it would cancel out the positive climate impacts of switching from coal to natural gas, Shepson explained.
The study was conducted in collaboration with the Environmental Defense Fund, with funding provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Researchers hope to form a partnership with utilities, offering their sophisticated measurement techniques to understand more about which components may be leaking.
“More measurements are needed to better understand the methane emissions from these sectors,” said Joseph Rudek, a lead senior scientist at EDF and a co-author of the paper.
EPA did not respond to an inquiry about the study.
Shepson stressed in an interview today that he never wants to be critical of EPA and thinks the work the agency does is valuable and important. With the study, Shepson said, he hopes to contribute to the conversation around how to protect air quality and “make some positive headway” on climate change.
EPA published its draft greenhouse gas inventory last month, showing that total U.S. emissions declined 2.2 percent between 2014 and 2015, spurred by changes in the power sector (Greenwire, Feb. 14).
According to the draft version, natural gas systems in 2015 emitted a total of 166.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, down from 176.1 million metric tons in 2014 and 175.6 million metric tons in 2013.
Methane emissions resulted primarily from domestic livestock, EPA said.
Last year, the oil and gas industry accused EPA of playing politics with its estimates in an attempt to justify new methane rules for the sector (E&E News PM, April 19, 2016).
Seth Whitehead, a researcher for the industry group Energy in Depth, today stressed that study after study has shown that the transition to natural gas has dramatically reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
“Even if this study’s methane emission estimates are correct, they show that emissions from power plants and refineries are still negligible and would account for just 0.09 percent of total 2014 methane emissions,” Whitehead said.
“It is also important to understand the limitations and flaws that the authors highlighted,” he added. “They note that there were ‘high uncertainties’ in the emission estimates for two of the three natural gas power plants studied and that this study includes only ‘preliminary estimates,’ which were collected during peak operating hours at these facilities, suggesting the estimates may be overstated.”
Jobs
Outreach and Education Coordinator – BEAT – Pittsfield
The Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) is seeking an Outreach and Education Coordinator for 20-25 hrs/week. The job pays $15/hour. Pay is monthly. Must be absolutely passionate about wildlife and wildlife habitat protection! BEAT has a strong anti-discrimination policy and you must be able to work well with ALL types of people, and ALL types of people are encouraged to apply.
Responsibilities include: producing the weekly e-newsletter called The BEAT News, website updates, social media updates, writing and distributing press releases, scheduling monthly Green Drinks guests and publicizing same, set up/break down and attendance at monthly Pittsfield Third Thursdays from May to September as well as tabling at many other events throughout the county.
Must be available to work evenings & weekends several times every month. Must be extremely detail oriented and able to work without supervision. Knowledge of full suite of Microsoft Office products or similar software. Ability to use Google Groups and docs. Some knowledge of HTML a definite plus – will be required to learn some HTML programming. Must be an articulate writer. Please send resume, cover letter, and writing sample of why you care about wildlife habitat protection to Jane Winn, Executive Director, at jane@thebeatnews.org
Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) is an equal opportunity organization and will not allow discrimination based upon age, ethnicity, gender, national origin, disability, race, color, veteran status, marital status, size, religion, sexual orientation, LGBTQ+ status, socioeconomic background, or any other characteristic protected by law. This applies to the people we serve, our volunteers, our staff, our interns, and our Board of Directors.
Visit www.thebeatnews.org to learn more about BEAT!
Great Summer Jobs with Greenagers!
Apply now.
Greenagers employs 50 youth each year for work on local trails and farms, through our trail crews (3 in Berkshire County and 2 in Columbia County) and our Farm Apprenticeships.
Our new and improved Farm Apprenticeships program is the result of an exciting collaboration with Jen Salinetti of Woven Roots Farm in Tyringham, MA. Jen is the new Farm Apprenticeship Coordinator and she has designed a thorough farm/soil/food curriculum to bolster the paid apprenticeship experience. The program runs from April through November. Apprentices are matched with area farms and are expected to work a minimum of four hours per week on that farm. Apprentices will also participate in the Young Farmer Education Series, bi-monthly farm education workshops and farm tours led by Jen on the first and third Wednesday of every month. Workshops are held at Woven Roots Farm, Tyringham, MA and Greenagers, Housatonic, MA. Farm visits will take place throughout Central and South County.
Participant Requirements: 15-22 years old • Able to manage own transportation • Prepared to work outdoors for a minimum of 4 hours/week • Willing to commit to workshop and farm visit schedule • Ready to engage in community dialogue and discovery
Workshop Topics Include • The Soil Food Web • Food Systems • Food Literacy • Food Diversity • Food Justice • Sustainability • Wholesome Food Preparation
If you have any questions about the program, please contact Jen Salinetti, Program Coordinator.
Apply for a Farm Apprenticeship.
Trail Crews consist of 6-8 youth aged 15-24 and one skilled leader with a minimum of 3 years field experience. Our 2017 Trail Crew options are:
~ Appalachian Trail Crew – runs for 4 weeks in July, Mondays to Fridays. This crew camps on-site during the week, returning home for weekends.
~ Community Crews (2 in Berkshire County) run 6 weeks in July and August, Mondays to Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Community Crews build and maintain trails for local land trusts and organizations and begin and end each workday at the Greenagers office in Great Barrington.
~ Columbia Land Conservancy (CLC) Trail Crews – 2 crews based in Columbia County that build and maintain trails on CLC-owned land.
For more information, please contact Elia Del Molino, Trails Coordinator.
Apply for a trail crew member position.
Water Quality Monitoring Volunteers – HVA – Rivers and Streams
Training
Saturday, April 1 10am – Noon Bill Laston Memorial Park, Rte 7, Lanesborough, MA
To prepare for collecting water samples at designated locations on Wahconah Falls Brook and the Southwest Branch of the Housatonic River. Volunteers will need to be available for one morning, once a month, from April through October. We are aiming to collect the second week each month, but collection must follow a dry weather period, therefore an exact date each month will need to be determined. Volunteers will need transportation to their water sampling site(s) and must be physically able to collect the sample(s). All equipment will be provided.
Stream Team Volunteers – HVA – Rivers and Streams
Training
Tuesday, April 4th 5:30 – 7pm Mason Library, 231 Main Street, Great Barrington AND
Saturday, April 8th 2:30 – 4:30pm Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Ave, Pittsfield
This spring (mid April until the end of May) volunteers will help complete river assessments on the Southwest Branch of the Housatonic River (Pittsfield) and the Green River (Austerlitz, NY to Great Barrington) Volunteers will walk or paddle a 1 – 2 mile segment of the river and record observations.
Aquatic Habitat Technician – Vermont Fish and Wildlife Dept. – Roxbury, VT
Category: Temporary
Start date: May 1, 2017 (flexible) End Date: Oct. 30, 2017 (flexible)
Responsibilities: This seasonal position will assist with field assessments of stream crossing structures (culverts and bridges) to assess aquatic organism passage and geomorphic compatibility, and with assessments of state owned riparian lands. The technician will assist with measurements and data recording in the field, and data entry and analysis on a computer. The technician will be expected to lift 50 lbs. and work outdoors under adverse weather conditions. The position may involve some overnight travel.
Qualifications: Associates Degree or higher in biological-life, or physical sciences, math or natural resources field, OR high school diploma or equivalent and two years of work experience in engineering, a biological-life or physical science, math, or natural resources field. The successful candidate will possess excellent organizational skills, be self-motivated, familiar with the collection and entry of data and interact courteously with the general public.
Contact: Will Eldridge [william.eldridge@vermont.gov]
To apply: Send a cover letter describing experience, interest in the position and career goals; resume; and name and contact information for two references to Will Eldridge by April 3, 2017.
Stewardship Coordinator – Berkshire Natural Resources Council – Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Take your next career step as stewardship coordinator at Berkshire Natural Resources Council, a dynamic, growing organization in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. The Stewardship Coordinator monitors (and manages aspects of) BNRC’s fee simple lands, conservation restrictions and trail easements―over 20,000 acres all told, and increasing each year. You’ll be part of a team of landkeepers that is building and caring for the Berkshire High Road, a countywide trail network linking towns to nature. This is a great opportunity for professional growth and leadership in a beautiful locale just 2.5 hours from Boston and New York. Visit http://www.bnrc.org/contact-us-2/employment/ for full job description. Anticipated salary range of +/- $40,000-$45,000, plus generous benefits. Send cover letter and resume to Tad Ames, President, BNRC, 20 Bank Row, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Position will be advertised until filled.
Stream and Pond Sampling Volunteers Needed – Acid Rain Monitoring Project – Various sites
The Acid Rain Monitoring Project is seeking volunteers to sample streams and ponds across Massachusetts. Currently, we have over 80% of the 150 sites covered, but we still need volunteers at 24 sites. Most of these sites are southwest of Boston from Quincy down through Attleboro, Taunton, Fall River, and Westport. There are also two sites available near Pittsfield. To view all of the available sites, please see the map on our website that indicates which sites still need volunteers:
https://wrrc.umass.edu/research/projects/acid-rain-monitoring-project/information-volunteers
Please contact Travis Drury, below, if you are interested in sampling these sites on Sunday, April 2nd. Also, please forward this email to anyone in those areas who may be interested in volunteering for this project.
Thank you,
Travis Drury, ARM Statewide Coordinator
Mass. Water Resources Research Center
203 Ag Engineering Building
250 Natural Resources Rd
Amherst, MA 01003
413-545-5979 or tdrury@umass.edu