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 Governor Ted Strickland DAYTON — “I was excited to see on a recent trip the wind farms in the Lafayette area. The fifth grade class that I teach are taking part in a program encouraging children to become aware of and minimize wasteful energy use, and then going home and passing this information along to their parents. We spend much time and effort teaching our children that alternative sources for energy are available. Yes, coal is cheaper, but at what cost? They are amazed that we, as a society, continue to depend on an energy source that has such a negative impact on our environment. They have the same incredulous looks on their faces when we talk about times when people thought is was alright to discriminate against people because of their skin color or when people didn’t realize that smoking was bad for their health. They don’t seem to understand why, when faced with difficult or costly choices, those in power choose to do what is easier rather than what is right,”
— Katie Combs, Dayton
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 Robert Indian, Ohio Department of Health COLUMBUS — “[Robert Indian, chief of the Ohio Department of Health's comprehensive cancer-control program] said that in the 15 years he’s investigated cases such as these, he’s never found a definitive link between cancer cases and any toxic substance or pollutant. He said there are so many other factors, including lifestyle choices, that make investigations difficult. ‘To find it, to say, ‘Aha! I’ve found the smoking gun!’ is everyone’s dream,’ Indian said. ‘It just doesn’t match up to reality.’
Environmental advocates disagree. Teresa Mills of the Buckeye Environmental Network said officials don’t want to link cancers to businesses. ‘These studies are inconclusive by design,’ Mills said.”
— Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch
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 Cecil Roberts, President, United Mine Workers of America WASHINGTON, DC — “United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts has observed that, through Massey’s brand of mountaintop removal, CEO Don Blankenship has ’caused more suffering to more people in Appalachia than any other human being.’ Both the Catholic and Presbyterian churches have condemned mountaintop removal as ’sinful’ because of its impact on God’s creation and Appalachia’s communities. Morality aside, mountaintop removal is undeniably a criminal enterprise. Mr. Blankenship acknowledged, in a recent debate with me, that mountaintop removal cannot be accomplished without violating the law. His company paid a record $20 million penalty for 60,534 Clean Water Act violations it admitted committing between 2000 and 2006, including spills of deadly chemicals like arsenic and selenium illegally dumped into Appalachia’s waterways.”
— Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, The Hill
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WASHINGTON, DC — Coal mining continues legacy of affordable energy, job source in an era of dubious ‘green’ alternatives, Don L. Blankenship, The Hill.
MARTINSVILLE, VA — “It could be more than a year before Martinsville officials learn how much the city owes toward the development of a coal-fired power plant project in Ohio that was discontinued in November.
American Municipal Power (AMP) spent roughly $200 million on developing the project, which was canceled due to high cost estimates by contractors. Martinsville’s prorated share of the cost was estimated at $2.08 million. City Manager Clarence Monday said he understands it could be 12 to 18 months before AMP can determine what the city’s exact share will be. ‘I doubt if we will have that information within a year,’ said Mayor Kathy Lawson. ‘That is my gut feeling. When you’re involved with lawyers and litigation, it usually is a slow process.’”
—Mickey Powell, Martinsville Bulletin
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MARIETTA – “The shutdown of Eramet Marietta’s No. 18 ferromanganese furnace due to an operational incident Sunday evening will apparently impact the company’s production schedule for an as-yet undetermined period of time.
On Monday Eramet officials declared a ‘force majeure event’ – an unanticipated and uncontrollable incident that may affect the company’s ability to fulfill its contracts.
‘When there’s an inability to deliver a product, a force majeure declaration provides some protection for the company and allows us to set the wheels in motion to allocate some portions of the product to our customers,’ said Joy Frank-Collins, spokeswoman for Eramet Marietta.
She said no timeframe has been established for how long the force majeure declaration will remain in effect,”
— Sam Shawver, Parkersburg News and Sentinel
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 As Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, left, gives the 2010 State of the State speech, Ohio Senate President Bill Harris, center, and Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish, right, listen. COLUMBUS – Ohio state officials have given the proposed Baard Energy coal refinery at least $805,000 in grants and $4.5 million in loans already. All of it our money. They have done this despite Baard Energy’s failure – since 2003 – to secure investors, coal suppliers, or buyers for the liquid fuels. Meanwhile, the same state officials have been slashing essential state services, saying there’s no money. The State Controlling Board approved these subsidies, and the three men who control that board are Governor Ted Strickland, House Speaker Armond Budish and Senate President Bill Harris. Ohio Citizen Action members have already sent 2,300 letters each to Gov. Strickland, and his election opponent, John Kasich, about the Baard project.
Please write to Harris and Budish, letting them know what you think of Baard Energy’s proposal and how tax dollars could be better spent than on another coal plant on the Ohio River. Invite them to write you back, explaining why they have been giving our tax dollars to the Baard pipe dream.
Ohio Senate President Bill Harris
1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish
11 S. High Street 14th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Thanks.
- Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action
 COLUMBUS – “A technology called gasification is generating enthusiasm among Cleveland officials as a next step in making the city a center for green energy and sustainability. But some environmental groups say the technology isn’t as environmentally friendly as its proponents claim, and are calling for more scrutiny… ”
“‘These are what we call incinerators in disguise.’ That’s Bradley Angel, head of the California-based group Green Action. ‘They’re disguised as power plants, they’re disguised as recycling and renewable energy, when in fact they are at best unproven technologies that often make claims that really need scrutiny, to put it in a polite term.’”
“Local environmentalists – like Sandy Buchanan of Ohio Citizen Action – say they are uncertain about the gasification technology being proposed. She points out that the city’s agreement with Princeton Environmental group was negotiated out of the public eye.”
- Bill Rice, WCPN
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 Baard Energy CEO John Baardson speaks to the World Coal-To-Liquids Conference in Washington, DC, March 2009, the same month he withdrew his application for U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantees. COLUMBUS — On December 22, 2008, John Baardson, CEO Baard Energy, analyzed the prospects for financing a coal refinery in Wellsville in a loan guarantee application to the U.S. Department of Energy:
Debt markets in chaos
In today’s environment, there is no debt available to projects like Ohio River Clean Fuels [the coal refinery]. Debt markets are essentially closed to all large-scale project finance companies, even without considering the technology integration risk. Until debt markets markedly improve, the prospects for raising commercial debt for Ohio River Clean Fuels are dim. It is unclear when conditions will improve.
Equity requires assurances that debt will be available
Our discussions with potential equity investors indicate that “forward funding risk” is paramount to them right now. Equity investors are reticent to invest in the early stage of projects because of the risk that commercial debt markets will not be open or won’t be reasonably priced when the time comes to obtain construction financing. A U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantee mitigates this risk and will enable Ohio River Clean Fuels to secure equity sooner and on more reasonable terms.
1. We agree with your December 2008 analysis. Without a loan guarantee, you had no prospects for financing the coal refinery. No grants, no loans, no equity. Given that, why did you doom the refinery project by pulling your loan guarantee application?
2. Since you did pull the plug on your only chance at financing, why have you continued to maintain — publicly at least — that the project is going ahead?
3. Why are you asking Wellsville businesses to lobby for a federal loan guarantee application that doesn’t exist? According to the February 27, 2010 Morning Journal –
[On February 25, Wellsville Area Chamber of Commerce President Randy Allmon] said [Baard President Steve] Dopuch asked the chambers to have their members send letters to President Obama, urging him to support the coal-to-liquid fuel plant. Copies of the letters were distributed to members… [the letter] notes that Baard Energy is ‘fully permitted for construction in Wellsville, Ohio,’ but needs a Department of Energy loan guarantee.
- Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action
MARIETTA – “An incident at Eramet over the weekend has left one furnace off line and started an internal investigation.”
“Eramet spokes people tell us that at roughly 8:00 Sunday night a “incident” caused damage to furnace number 18. Officials at the plant say they are not able to characterize the incident as an explosion, but property damage did result.”
“Eramet has launched an internal investigation into the incident. No injuries were reported.”
- Erin Pulsanti, WTAP News
 CHARLESTON, WV – “During her appearance this afternoon at the National Press Club in Washington, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson got a question about what her agency plans to do about mountaintop removal. Her comments didn’t make especially big news, especially given EPA’s statement in my Sunday story, but I thought I would pass them along anyway.”
[Excerpt from U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson's statement:]
The EPA is currently in the process of reviewing those mountaintop mining permits that have been held through years and years, almost decades would be a fairer way to say it, of litigation…
What we’re finding at EPA is that the process of filling the streams has a detrimental impact on water quality and as you might expect the more you fill, the more likely you’re going to see problems with water quality.
I’m really proud of the fact that EPA has stepped forward and said we’re going to review each and every one of these outstanding permits to try to minimize, if not end, any environmental degradation to the water. Because, after all, for EPA … EPA doesn’t regulate mining. We fight for clean water under the Clean Water Act. So our role is limited to ensuring that these projects if they’re approved do not have a detrimental impact on clean water. We’ll continue to do that.
- Ken Ward Jr., Coal Tattoo, Charleston Gazette
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