On this West Virginia Morning, concerns over CO2 build up in the atmosphere causing climate change have people asking where to store that CO2 so it doesn’t cause problems. But not everyone agrees with storing it back underground. Eric Douglas has the story.
On this West Virginia Morning, concerns over CO2 build up in the atmosphere causing climate change have people asking where to store that CO2 so it doesn’t cause problems. But not everyone agrees with storing it back underground. Eric Douglas has the story.
Also, in this show, forests can help fight climate change by storing planet-warming carbon. That’s the basic premise behind carbon credits – where companies can buy offsets for their pollution from organizations or landowners that maintain woodlands. The Allegheny Front’s Kara Holsopple reports on one program that started in Pennsylvania and sells carbon credits on behalf of smaller family forest owners.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.
Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.
Teresa Wills is our host.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia’s hospitals continue to navigate an altered landscape since the onset of COVID-19. As Caroline MacGregor reports, even after the end of the pandemic, significant challenges remain.
On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia’s hospitals continue to navigate an altered landscape since the onset of COVID-19. As Caroline MacGregor reports, even after the end of the pandemic, significant challenges remain.
Also, in this show, The Allegheny Front, based in Pittsburgh, is a public radio program that reports on environmental issues in the region. We listen to their latest story about plastic pollution in our region.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.
Eric Douglas is our news director and produced this episode.
Teresa Wills is our host.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
According to the Air Now Fire and Smoke Map, West Virginia’s panhandles are experiencing the majority of particle pollution in the state, especially in the Eastern Panhandle, where Shepherdstown has been issued a code red warning for “unhealthy” air quality.
Officials are encouraging vigilance as smoke from intense Canadian wildfires makes its way south on changing wind patterns.
The smoke arrived in West Virginia over the past few days, as metropolitan areas like New York City and Washington D.C. experienced orange skies due to air pollution.
Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, which are microscopic solid or liquid droplets that can be inhaled and cause serious health problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
PM2.5 is considered unhealthy for “Code Orange” and sensitive groups once the Air Quality Index surpasses 100, according to AirNow, a website that publishes air quality data. The chart measures from green to maroon with green being good and maroon being hazardous for all.
Director of Environmental Health with the American Lung Association (ALA), Kevin Stewart called this “an extensive event.”
“There are more than 150 wildfires, most of which are out of control in Quebec, that are leading to this event,” Stewart said. “And we do know that there are air pollution plumes that are coming out of Canada, affecting states, the whole way from the Ohio Valley to New England to the Carolinas. So this is not a small event.”
The above image is a screenshot of the Fire and Smoke Map taken at 12:35 p.m., June 8, 2023. Click here to view the map in real time.
“I’ve seen a succession of events where New England and New York City were affected first, then Pennsylvania, New Jersey, then Maryland and D.C. and I think West Virginia is bringing up the rear here in terms of this part of the country, especially probably more than the north, the Morgantown area,” Steward said.
According to the Air Now Fire and Smoke Map, West Virginia’s panhandles are experiencing the majority of particle pollution in the state, especially in the Eastern Panhandle, where Shepherdstown has been issued a code red warning for “unhealthy” air quality.
Stewart said air pollution levels can change just 50 miles away, or a couple of zip codes away. She said it is important to pay attention to local air quality by checking resources like Airnow.gov to check the air quality in your particular zip code.
“We want people to pay attention to the air quality,” Stewart said. “We also want people to pay attention to members of their families, their loved ones who are in sensitive groups. That includes children, senior citizens, people who have chronic lung disease or heart disease. If anyone’s experiencing, you know, any minor symptoms, it’s important to be in touch with a physician to make sure that you’re getting the proper care and treatment.”
The Canadian smoke is a complex mixture of “piny fine particles” that can get into the deepest parts of the lungs and cross into the bloodstream.
“But we also are aware that there are chemicals in the smoke that are air toxins, it’s just not good to be breathing them. It’s not that they’re necessarily going to cause an immediate health effect,” Stewart said. “But it’s also true that any type of air pollution that includes air toxins from burning things isn’t a good idea to be breathing, it adds to your lifetime cancer risk and other problems like that.”
Dr. Albert Rizzo, the chief medical officer for the American Lung Association, said his association and the EPA are tracking two particles of particular respiratory health concern: the particle matter itself and ozone.
“The particle matter is the one that really goes up when we have wildfires, such as we are having in Canada, and those wildfires send these small particles about maybe a 30th of the size of a hair throughout the air hundreds of miles away, so it can affect large populations of individuals,” Rizzo said. “It tells us that the particle matter now is at a level where not only will people who have underlying lung conditions like asthma or COPD may notice that they’re having a harder time outside coughing, feeling some chest tightness or wheezing.”
Much like air quality on a day-to-day basis, winds and temperatures also change, sending particles with them. Dr. Rizzo said according to multiple reports the smoke could be around for a few weeks.
“It depends on the winds, the temperatures, things of that nature,” Dr. Rizzo said. “You have a lot of mountains in West Virginia, so that can make a difference as well. I think the important thing it tells us is, you got to be on guard, you got to be aware of what’s changing on a daily basis, especially if you’re one of those patients who are at risk because of your lung condition.”
Dr. Rizzo said the best course of action for those with underlying conditions is to limit exposure to the outdoors until the air quality improves. They can do that by limiting outdoor activities and keeping air conditioners on to recirculate air so that particles do not enter the home.
“Individuals who have this should try to make sure they have enough of their medication on hand, especially what we call rescue inhalers if they can get to a mask and are able to use them during times when they’re outdoors,” Rizzo said.
According to Stewart, West Virginia sits on the edge of the main pollution plume, but varying wind patterns could change that. To check the air particle pollution in your area, visit Fire.airnow.gov.
“So far, thank God, West Virginia isn’t in that area, but at the same time, it doesn’t mean you’re not affected by it, you know. There’s still some increase in air pollution as a consequence of it,” Stewart said. “And it might not be this week, but as long as those wildfires continue, in Quebec, you know, all it will take is another different weather system, and you might be at the brunt of it, depending on which way the wind flows.”
For more information, visit lung.org/wildfires or call 1-800-586-4872 or 1-800-LUNG USA.
The Potomac Conservancy gave the river a B grade on its “Potomac River Report Card.” That’s a step up from a report 10 years ago.
The Potomac River is cleaner than it used to be, according to a new report. But there is still work to be done.
The Potomac Conservancy gave the river a B grade on its “Potomac River Report Card.” That’s a step up from a report 10 years ago. It’s also a slight improvement from the B-minus grade the conservancy’s last report granted in 2020.
The improvement is in large part because of a sharp reduction in river pollutants like nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment over the past three decades, according to measurements from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program.
Wildlife is also coming back to habitats in and around the Potomac, with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reporting a return in abundance of American shad.
Runoff pollution, deforestation and climate change were noted as the top threats the Potomac River currently faces against restoration. According to the report, habitats along the river are not recovering as quickly as projected. That means restoration efforts likely won’t reach certain benchmarks by 2025, a goal set by the Chesapeake Executive Council in 2009.
West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle includes about 100 miles of the Potomac River, from Hampshire County to its confluence with the Shenandoah in Harpers Ferry.
The Gauley River National Recreation Area is getting some federal funds to help cap an abandoned gas well.
The Gauley River National Recreation Area is getting some federal funds to help cap an abandoned gas well.
The National Park Service has received nearly $10 million in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to plug, remediate and reclaim abandoned oil and gas well sites in national parks.
One such orphaned well in the Gauley River National Recreation Area will be plugged with cement and its access road will be reseeded with native grass by next year.
The natural gas well – one of about 20 in the park – dates from the 1950s and has been inactive for around 20 years. Some of the wells in the park remain active.
The park service estimates that between 150 and 180 wells in national parks throughout the country are abandoned or orphaned and will need to be plugged and reclaimed.
This is part of a much larger federal investment to clean up legacy pollution across the country.
A Kentucky coal company has been found in contempt for failing to submit court-ordered plans to clean up two polluted West Virginia mine sites.
A Kentucky coal company has been found in contempt for failing to submit court-ordered plans to clean up two polluted West Virginia mine sites.
U.S. District Judge Robert Chambers issued a contempt order against Lexington Coal Company LLC. Chambers wrote last week that the company “shirked its responsibility to satisfactorily comply” with an order to submit a plan by April 16 to address selenium discharges and other pollution at the sites in Mingo County.
Chambers said he will fine the company if it does not submit a cleanup plan within 10 days, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.
Environmental groups alleged in a 2019 lawsuit that the company was discharging pollutants illegally at its Low Gap Surface Mine No. 2 and No. 10 Mine.
