New Energy Audit Grants and Renewable Energy Assistance Programs For Rural America - USDA

Photo courtesy of Clean Energy Resources Teams, St. Paul, Minn..

WASHINGTON, D.C.- In an effort to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses identify ways to reduce energy consumption, the United States Department of Agriculture is announcing that it will give grants to eligible applicants to conduct energy audits and renewable energy development assistance programs under the Rural Energy for America Program.

Those eligible to receive funds include: state, local, and tribal governments, land grant colleges and universities, and other institutions of higher education, as well as rural electric cooperatives and public power entities.

Audits will be conducted by certified energy managers or professional engineers that focus on potential capital-intensive projects and that will involve the detailed gathering of field data and engineering analysis. In addition, audits will provide detailed project costs and savings information.

To ensure that the largest number of eligible applicants can participate in the program, grant funds will be limited to up to $100,000 per approved applicant, according to the Federal Register.

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EPA Puts Hold on Permits for Kentucky and W. Virginia Mountain Top Mining Operations

A baby holds a protest sign at a rally on the state capitol grounds in Charleston, W. Va to tell Governor Joe Manchin to end mountaintop removal. The photo is courtesy of Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Huntington, West Virginia, and taken by Jesse Mwaura.

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Concerns over potential irreparable harm to West Virginia and Kentucky ecosystems from mining proposals by Highland Mining Co., Morganfield, Ky., and Central Appalachia Mining LLC, Freeburn, Ky. has caused the United States Environmental Protection Agency to postpone giving the companies permits to proceed pending further discussing and proposal modifications. Permit applications for such projects are required by the Clean Water Act.

Two EPA senior officials sent letters to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stating that the coal mines would likely cause:

• Water quality problems in the streams below the mines.
• Significant degradation to streams buried by mining activities.

In addition, the letters expressed concerns that the proposed steps to offset these impacts are inadequate. More specifically, with regards to Highland Mining, John R. Pomponio, director of the EPA’s Environmental Assessment and Innovation Division, said in his letter to Colonel Dana R. Hurst, that “the permit, if issued, will eliminate or impact 13,174 linear feet of headwater streams” near the town of Ethel, Logan County, West Virginia.

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Industrial Polluters Will Have to Cleanup and Pay Hefty Fees for EPA Violations

Protesters against Massey Energy Co. Photo Courtesy of Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Regulated power and fuel companies found in violation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement and compliance program in 2008 will have to clean up and pay out record amounts, according to David Ryan, EPA Washington press officer.

A total of approximately $11.8 billion will be paid out for pollution controls, cleanups, and environmental projects as penalties resulting from the conclusions of civil and criminal enforcement actions taken by the EPA this year. Beyond power and fuel companies, other violators included in this payout total were: home builders, manufactures, operators of hazardous waste sites, and chemical companies.

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