Finally!! Some Well-Presented Clarity on Global Climate Change

13 Misconceptions About Climate Change

Supporters Speak Up for Cape Wind as Department of Energy Considers Loan Guarantee

An offshore wind farm off the coast of the Netherlands. 

From California to Craigsville Beach on Cape Cod, nearly twelve hundred people joined together over the past week to voice their support for Cape Wind’s clean, renewable energy and to oppose the ongoing delays depriving our country of its first offshore wind project. Their comments were directed at the Department of Energy (DOE), which was seeking the public’s input as the agency considers a federal loan guarantee for Cape Wind. The immediate issue before DOE is whether to accept the project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement in its consideration of the loan. The rigorous environmental review has been deemed more than adequate by the country’s leading national, regional and local environmental organizations, including Greenpeace, the National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Mass Audubon, Conservation Law Foundation and more.

In a letter sent to DOE on Monday, more than two dozen environmental, clean energy, public health, business and labor stakeholders urged the agency to proceed without delay to consider and grant a loan guarantee for Cape Wind. The letter stated, “Cape Wind will concretely advance the nation’s objectives in addressing the challenge of climate change while promoting energy security and economic development. Following an extremely lengthy and rigorous environmental review, the Cape Wind project should proceed for consideration and grant of a loan guarantee without further delay. Such action will help lay the strongest possible foundation for offshore renewable energy development in the United States.”

Cape Wind Now’s petition to DOE activated Cape Wind supporters across the country who invoked everything from protecting their children’s future to much-needed jobs to national pride in calling on DOE to approve a federal loan guarantee for the project and unleash the potential of offshore wind, one of the country’s most promising, but as yet untapped, sources of clean, renewable energy. Supporters railed against the decade of delay perpetuated by fossil fuel billionaire Bill Koch and his Cape Wind opposition group, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. In yet another delay tactic, the Alliance and a couple of House Republicans recently sought to distract DOE and wrap up the loan guarantee process in red tape by questioning the completed, thoroughly researched and vetted environmental review. “No more delays!” was the common refrain from petitioners, including many Cape residents, who pleaded with DOE to do everything in its power to get the wind turbines built now.

DOE announced in November 2012 that it was considering a federal loan guarantee for the project. The DOE loan guarantee is a key component of Cape Wind’s financing, lowering the cost of the project’s debt and ultimately the cost of Cape Wind to Massachusetts ratepayers. DOE will issue its decision in the coming months.

Want to stay current on Cape Wind’s progress? Sign up to receive email updates from Cape Wind Now.

By Karen Wood for clf.org

NH Forest Society Versus The Northern Pass Project and Related News

September 20, 2012 By nnp_girl

• Will PSNH announce a new route through Coos county?
• NH Forest Society versus PSNH and the Northern Pass project
• Trees NOT Towers Golf Tournament October 12th
• Only 85 foot towers through the White Mountain National Forest?
• ROW rental fees for the Northern Pass Project?

Will PSNH announce a new route through Coos county?

My my, so much happening in the news today! Is PSNH possibly ramping up to announce a new route for the Northern Pass project through Coos county? Our website already shares this link, however if you don’t see it, here it is again for you to read from our friends at Responsible Energy Action LLC. What will you do?

NH Forest Society versus PSNH and the Northern Pass project

PSNH and Northern Pass affiliates would like you to believe the reason that the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests is buying land for conservation easements and claiming to fight the Northern Pass project, is simply a convenient way to raise funds for their own selfish purposes… Shall we compare the mega billion dollar corporations–PSNH and Hydro Quebec–planning to reap billions of dollars from a privately funded and damaging high voltage transmission line, to a society formed in 1901 dedicated to conserving land for the preservation of New Hampshire’s finest asset–it’s forest’s? Hello! The hypocrisy of the statement is astounding. It reminds me of a new disorder my husband and doctor made up, HPD or hypocrisy personality disorder. In this case, there is no medicine like New Hampshire citizen’s standing up against the project.

The best way to fight this project right now is to support the Forest Society and donate immediately to the Northern Pass Initiative.

Trees NOT Towers Golf Tournament October 12th

Another fun way to fight the project and donate to the Forest Society, is to participate in the Trees NOT Towers Golf Tournament & Auctions at the Owl’s Nest Golf Resort. The event will be held on FRIDAY OCTOBER 12 rain or shine. There is golf, food, drinks, an auction, and best of all, live entertainment with the ATTA GIRLS!

Please go to the Owl’s Nest link above to see all the details. If you would like to attend only the evening festivities, it is $75 for dinner and entertainment with a cash bar. All the proceeds go DIRECTLY to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests to secure the necessary land to block the Northern Pass project projected route by October 31st. One important note: Even if PSNH announces a route before the Forest Society secures the conservation easements, they would need eminent domain to get through these blockades of land purchases by the Forest Society. Do not be deterred by the fancy wording that PSNH might use to attempt to discourage you from donating.

Only 85 foot towers through the White Mountain National Forest?

Will the sudden efforts by PSNH to claim they can erect smaller towers for the Northern Pass project in the White Mountain National Forest to a mere 85 feet–where feasible–guarantee them a place to plant their metal structures through New Hampshire’s state treasure? Read the article and find out why this may not be all that it seems. A little bait and switch? Tom Wagner is the sole decision maker for the White Mountain National Forest. He may grant PSNH a special use permit for the Northern Pass project to cross the National Forest if there is NO other feasible route in the entire state. I think this project could go quite nicely down our existing state owned ROW (like route 93) in an underground fashion. Now, that would be feasible. Therefore, let’s hope this special use permit though the WMNF will be denied! We at the Alliance Against Northern Pass believe that line burial is truly the right thing to do.

ROW rental fees for the Northern Pass Project?

One other question for our readers: does the public have the right to know how much rent the Northern Pass or other projects would pay to inhabit a ROW for the purpose of transmitting power through their state? In this clip at the SB 361 commission meeting, Tom Mullen asks representatives from the North East Energy Link project how much they will pay the state of Maine to run the line underground through the state. NEL will not divulge this information. PSNH has never stated how much The Northern Pass will pay to rent their ROW either. Since the Northern Pass is a privately funded project and not rate payer driven, how much information should they divulge to us? When is it appropriate to disclose this information?

Massachusetts Approves Cape Wind / NSTAR Power Purchase Agreement

Monday, November 26, 2012 November 26, 2012 BOSTON, MA – Cape Wind secured another major milestone today with the approval by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) of the 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with NSTAR to buy Cape Wind’s energy, capacity and renewable energy credits. Cape Wind President Jim Gordon said, “This decision helps secure the position of Massachusetts as the U.S. leader in offshore wind power, launching a new industry that will create jobs, increase energy independence and promote a cleaner and healthier environment. With this decision, Massachusetts electric consumers have secured an abundant, inexhaustible, and clean energy resource that provides price stability and avoids all of the external costs of fossil fuels. Finally, our region will no longer be at the end of the energy pipeline, by harnessing an endless supply of offshore wind power, we will be producing homegrown and clean energy right here.” The NSTAR / Cape Wind PPA is for 27.5% of Cape Wind’s power. In December, 2011, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court unanimously upheld the DPU’s approval of Cape Wind’s PPA with National Grid for 50% of Cape Wind’s power. Theodore Roosevelt IV, Managing Director of Barclays and Cape Wind’s Financial Advisor said, “Taken together, these two PPAs provide Cape Wind with the critical mass to continue securing project financing.” Cape Wind President Jim Gordon added, “We are very pleased with the favorable reception we have been experiencing from the financial community and this approval of our PPA with NSTAR will further help Cape Wind secure financing and deliver all of the public benefits this important project will provide.” Extracts from the DPU Order approving the Cape Wind / NSTAR PPA: “Accordingly, we conclude that the attributes of the Cape Wind facility, when considered in the aggregate, remain unique among Section 83-eligible resources and will provide benefits to NSTAR Electric ratepayers that far exceed those that could be provided by other potential Section 83 contracts. The critical unique attributes of the Cape Wind facility relate to its size, capacity factor, location on the regional transmission system, and stage of development.” p. 149. “Accordingly, as we concluded in D.P.U. 10-54, at 229-230, the Cape Wind facility will produce far greater benefits in terms of its: (1) contribution to narrowing the projected gap between supply and demand of renewable resources; (2) contribution to compliance with GWSA emission reductions requirements; (3) contribution to fuel diversity; (4) price suppression effects; (5) ability to act as a hedge against future fuel price increases and volatility; (6) contribution to system reliability; and (7) ability to moderate system peak load. As discussed below, the value of the Cape Wind facility as compared to alternative Section 83-eligible resources is further enhanced when these benefits are considered in combination with the facility’s favorable location on the regional transmission grid and advanced stage of development.” p.150 Link to the DPU Order: http://www.env.state.ma.us/dpu/docs/electric/12-30/112612dpuord.pdf Cape Wind is America’s first offshore wind farm to secure Federal and State approval and to be issued a lease to operate by the Federal Government. Cape Wind will create jobs and promote greater energy independence and a cleaner environment. Cape Wind will also establish Massachusetts as a leader in offshore wind power. For more information visit: www.capewind.org.

2011 Arctic Ozone Loss "Unprecidented"

WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2011 (ENS) - Earth's protective ozone layer above the Arctic was pierced by a hole of unprecedented size last winter and spring caused by a long cold period in the stratosphere, finds new research led by scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA.

The hole covered 772,204 square miles (two million square kilometers) - about the size of Mexico - and allowed high levels of harmful ultraviolet radiation to strike northern Canada, Europe and Russia this spring, the researchers say.

The stratospheric ozone layer, extending from about 10 to 20 miles (15 to 35 kilometers) above the surface, protects life on Earth from the Sun's ultraviolet rays.

Ozone in Earth's stratosphere at an altitude of approximately 12 miles (20 kilometers) in mid-March 2011, near the peak of the 2011 Arctic ozone loss. (Image courtesy NASA)

To investigate the 2011 Arctic ozone loss, 29 scientists from 19 institutions in nine countries analyzed measurements, including daily global observations of trace gases and clouds from NASA's Aura and CALIPSO spacecraft, ozone measured by instrumented balloons, meteorological data and atmospheric models.

The scientists - from the United States, Germany, The Netherlands, Canada, Russia, Finland, Denmark, Japan and Spain - found that at some altitudes, the Arctic cold period lasted more than 30 days longer in 2011 than in any previously studied Arctic winter, leading to the unprecedented ozone loss.

"Day-to-day temperatures in the 2010-11 Arctic winter did not reach lower values than in previous cold Arctic winters," said lead author Gloria Manney of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro.

"The difference from previous winters is that temperatures were low enough to produce ozone-destroying forms of chlorine for a much longer time," Manney said.

Dr. Gloria Manney, senior research scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (Photo courtesy NASA)

"This implies that if winter Arctic stratospheric temperatures drop just slightly in the future, for example as a result of climate change, then severe Arctic ozone loss may occur more frequently," she said.

The study, published online Sunday in the journal "Nature," finds the amount of ozone destroyed in the Arctic in 2011 comparable to that seen in some years in the Antarctic, where an ozone hole has formed each spring since the mid-1980s.

The Arctic ozone loss "exceeded 80 percent over 18-20 kilometres altitude," the scientists said.

"Our results show that Arctic ozone holes are possible even with temperatures much milder than those in the Antarctic. We cannot at present predict when such severe Arctic ozone depletion may be matched or exceeded," they said.

Environment Canada scientist David Tarasick, whose research group played a key role in the report, is not being allowed to discuss the discovery with the media.

Dr. David Tarasick (Photo courtesy Environment Canada)

Environment Canada told reporter Margaret Munro of Postmedia News that an interview with Tarasick "cannot be granted."

"Tarasick is one of several Environment Canada ozone scientists who have received letters warning of possible 'discontinuance of job function' as part of the downsizing underway in the department," Munro reported Sunday.

Environment Canada and Health Canada now tightly control media access to researchers and orchestrate interviews that are approved, Munro reported in 2010.

University of Toronto physicist Kaley Walker is not bound by such restrictions.

"In the 2010-11 Arctic winter, we did not have temperatures that were lower than in the previous cold Arctic winters," said Walker. "What was different about this year was that the temperatures were low enough to generate ozone-depleting forms of chlorine for a much longer period of time."

"Arctic ozone loss events such as those observed this year could become more frequent if winter Arctic stratospheric temperatures decrease in future as the Earth's climate changes," Walker said.

Stratospheric ozone has decreased three percent globally between 1980 and 2000 and thins by 50 percent over Antarctica in winter and spring.

The Antarctic ozone hole forms when extremely cold conditions trigger reactions that convert atmospheric chlorine from human-produced chemicals into forms that destroy ozone.

Chlorine monoxide, the primary agent of chemical ozone destruction in the cold polar lower stratosphere, in mid-March 2011. (Image courtesy NASA)

The same ozone-loss processes happen each winter in the Arctic. But the warmer stratospheric conditions there limit the area affected and the time frame during which the chemical reactions occur, resulting in far less ozone loss in most years in the Arctic than in the Antarctic.

The 2011 Arctic ozone loss occurred over an area considerably smaller than that of the Antarctic ozone holes.

The scientists explain that this happened because the Arctic polar vortex, a persistent large-scale cyclone within which the ozone loss takes place, was about 40 percent smaller than a typical Antarctic vortex.

While smaller and shorter-lived than its Antarctic counterpart, the Arctic polar vortex is more mobile, often moving over densely populated northern regions. Decreases in overhead ozone lead to increases in surface ultraviolet radiation, which are known to have adverse effects on humans and other life forms.

Although the total amount of Arctic ozone measured was more than twice that typically seen in an Antarctic spring, the amount destroyed was comparable to that in some previous Antarctic ozone holes.

This is because ozone levels at the beginning of Arctic winter are typically much greater than those at the beginning of Antarctic winter, the scientists say.

Manney said that without the 1989 Montreal Protocol, an international treaty limiting production of ozone-depleting substances, chlorine levels already would be so high that an Arctic ozone hole would form every spring.

Antarctic ozone hole, September 29, 2011 (Image courtesy NASA)

Even with the limitations on emission of ozone-depleting chemicals, the long atmospheric lifetimes of substances already in the atmosphere mean that Antarctic ozone holes, and the possibility of future severe Arctic ozone loss, will continue for decades.

The scientists say further studies are needed to determine what factors caused the cold period to last so long.

"Our ability to quantify polar ozone loss and associated processes will be reduced in the future when NASA's Aura and CALIPSO spacecraft, whose trace gas and cloud measurements were central to this study, reach the end of their operational lifetimes," Manney said. "It is imperative that this capability be maintained if we are to reliably predict future ozone loss in a changing climate."

"Each of the balloon and satellite measurements included in this study were absolutely necessary to understand the ozone depletion we observed this past winter," said Walker at the University of Toronto. "To be able to predict future Arctic ozone loss reliably in a changing climate, it is crucial that we maintain our atmospheric measurement capabilities."

Other institutions participating in the study included: Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, Germany; NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia; Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, The Netherlands; Delft University of Technology, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands; Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Greenbelt, Maryland, and Hampton, Virginia; Science and Technology Corporation, Lanham, Maryland; Environment Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Central Aerological Observatory, Russia; NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado; Arctic Research Center, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finland; Danish Climate Center, Danish Meteorological Institute, Denmark; Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia; National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan; National Institute for Aerospace Technology, Spain; and University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2011. All rights reserved.