Tag: Energy & Environment

Expert Nose Has Ability to Detect MCHM 'Far Greater' Than Current Testing Methods

Researchers involved in the independent, taxpayer-funded testing project known as WV TAP say results from a single expert panel show that Crude MCHM can be detected by an expert human nose when analytical methods used in testing the water indicate non-detect levels.

The WV TAP program was established in response to lingering concerns over water quality and testing after the January 9 spill by Freedom Industries. The spill fouled the drinking water supply of 300,000 West Virginians for up to 10 days.

In a summary of the documents disclosed Monday afternoon, WV TAP researchers said  the “ability of the expert human nose” to detect Crude MCHM is “far greater than any analytical method available today.” According to the summary, “the estimated OTC for the Expert Panel is in the realm of parts per trillion (ppt), a very low concentration.”

The National Guard and state officials tested the water at a threshold of 2 parts per billion (ppb). Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deemed the water “safe” for drinking at levels below 1 part per million (ppm).

Odor threshold values reported from the WV TAP study show:

  • Odor Threshold Concentration: 0.15 ppb [The actual OTC for the experts is likely less than 0.15 ppb]
  • Odor Recognition Concentration: 2.2 ppb [15 times greater than OTC]
  • Odor Objection Concentration based on degree of liking: 4.0 ppb [27 times greater than OTC]
  • Odor Objection Concentration (OOC) based on complaint: 4.0 ppb [27 times greater than OTC]

The summary states that estimated thresholds determined in the Expert Panel study “support consumer observations” that “people recognized and objected to the licorice odor caused by Crude MCHM in their drinking water even though the analytical reports were showing non-detect at a minimum reporting level of 10 ppb.”

On Monday, the WV TAP project also released a literature review of studies on health effects of MCHM. 

Marshall Co. Sees Jump in Oil, Gas Tax Revenue

Marshall County’s slice of the state oil and gas severance tax is growing.

County Administrator Betsy Frohnapfel tells The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register that the county’s severance tax revenue increased from $71,161 in fiscal 2011 to $429,810 in fiscal 2013.

Marshall County Chamber of Commerce executive director Dave Knuth says the county should use the revenue to help the state repair roads damaged by oil and gas industry truck traffic and a harsh winter.
 
Frohnapfel and County Commissioner Brian Schambach say the state is responsible for maintaining roads.
 
Shambach says he’s willing to serve as a liaison between the companies and residents concerned about the matter.
 

Ginseng TV Show Features Questionable Practices

The History Channel featured a new show this year that focused on ginseng in Appalachia. According to Neilson ratings, the show, called Appalachian Outlaws, was one of the most popular on cable channels, averaging over 2.7 million viewers per each of its six episodes. There’s no official word if season two is in the works, and while some fans are hoping that there will be a second season, other people are hoping the show will just go away.

What is Ginseng?

Wild American ginseng has been harvested from North America since the 1700s. Demand for the plant’s root comes from Asian markets where plants like ginseng have been used medicinally for over 2500 years. And yes, we’re talking serious demand. A pound of quality, dried ginseng can easily sell for $400-$900. But that’s wild ginseng, or wild simulated (which means it’s being grown under watchful eyeballs in forested areas where it would naturally grow—if it had a chance).

The up-shot is that the plant is at risk. It’s been declining in numbers and it faces a lot of threats. In fact, it’s listed alongside things like ivory and shark and mahogany on CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, an international agreement between governments, which exists to protect species against over-exploitation through international trade.

Threats:

  • Habitat loss
  • Overharvesting
  • Browsing by white-tailed deer
  • Invasive species

Learn More:

How to Pick:

Three For the Money:

Is Appalachian Outlaws Irresponsible TV?

Some worry it promotes all the wrong practices, and viewers are mislead by inaccuracies. A letter has been written to A&E Network expressing concern. Petitions have been created to help in conservation efforts.

Post by Appalachian Outlaws.

 
 

Post by Appalachian Outlaws.

State Deadline Reached, Freedom Tanks Still on Site

A tank cluster that leaked chemicals into 300,000 West Virginians’ drinking water shows few signs that it’s on the brink of destruction.
 
Freedom Industries hit a state deadline Saturday to start scrapping its chemical storage headquarters. So far, crews have carved a small patch out of one tank to remove chemical remnants.

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Randy Huffman said the order is both protective and symbolic.
 
Federal Chemical Safety Board officials said it’s unique to force a facility like Freedom to be torn down, since there was no major explosion or similar destruction at the plant.
 
Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Tom Aluise said there’s no firm timeline for knocking down the tanks. But the black licorice chemical smell will likely resurface.

W.Va. Environmentalists Unhappy with Fracking Bill

West Virginian environmentalists are concerned about a bill to overturn tonnage caps for landfills accepting gas well drill cuttings from hydraulic fracturing operations.
 

The bill passed both legislative chambers in special session and now awaits the governor’s approval.
 
Delegate Stephen Skinner, who voted against the bill passed Friday, calls it a Band-Aid on a very serious problem.

The bill lifts tonnage caps for drilling waste, mandates monitors for radioactivity, and requires the DEP to study leaching.
 
Last year the DEP allowed landfills to accept the waste beyond monthly tonnage limits until this June.
 
Several environmental groups oppose the bill. The West Virginia Environmental Council says municipal landfills aren’t designed to handle the sheer bulk of the drilling waste or the possibility they contain heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, and radioactive materials.

DEP Cites Company That Moved Chemicals for Freedom Industries

West Virginia regulators have issued notices of environmental violations to a company that cleaned up and hauled a chemical from the site of a spill which contaminated the tap water of 300,000 residents.
 
The Department of Environmental Protection said Friday it issued two violations to Diversified Services LLC in St. Albans after a sheen was detected in a drainage system that empties into a tributary of the Kanawha River.

The citations include a stormwater permit violation and a failure to minimize or prevent a potentially harmful discharge. The DEP says the chemical was detected in the drainage system near Diversified Services’ facility.
 
The company worked for Freedom Industries to remove a coal-cleaning agent after the Jan. 9 spill in Charleston.
 
Diversified has until March 26 to respond to the violations.

     
 

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