COLUMBUS, Ohio - "Going green" is a matter of faith for some houses of worship in Ohio. They are implementing measures that save money and help the environment. At First Presbyterian Church of Athens, Pastor Rob Martin says addressing greenhouses gases that lead to climate change seems like an overwhelming challenge, from a global perspective. But he says if each person takes simple steps to reduce energy use, it will add up and make a difference.

"We looked at it from a theological perspective of caring for creation, that we're called to find out ways we can have more sustainable kinds of energy use in our daily lives," he says

First Presbyterian Church of Athens was recognized for its energy-efficiency efforts in the Environmental Protection Agency's 2013 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition. Martin says they reduced energy use 20 percent for the past 12 months and in the process, prevented an estimated 9.2 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

With the assistance of Ohio Interfaith Power and Light, as well as Columbia Gas and AEP Ohio, Martin says his church used a variety of strategies to reduce energy use.

"We were fortunate enough to partner with the local utilities companies to help pay for the audit and then also help pay for the upgrades," he says "We discovered we could save money if we purchased a new boiler system, changed our lights over to LED lights, and did some insulating around some windows."

Martin says the energy-efficiency steps they are taking at the church are inspiring members of the congregation to look at ways they can save energy in their own lives.

"People have asked us questions about, 'Is that something I can do in my own home; is this something I could even do in my own business?' So, I think we're looking to the future in terms of just getting the word out," says Martin.

The Pastor adds, they will continue to look for ways to reduce energy consumption and hope to share their knowledge with other congregations. Energy use in commercial buildings is estimated to account for almost 20 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.


get more stories like this via email

The Biden administration has proposed a rule to limit methane flaring from oil and gas development on public lands.

The rule would impose royalty payments for excessive flaring, and the Bureau of Land Management estimates it would generate nearly $40 million a year.

Melissa Hornbein, a senior attorney based in Montana with the Western Environmental Law Center, said she's encouraged by some aspects of the proposal, but believes an outright ban would be more effective, as long as there are no safety concerns in a given situation.

"There's really no need for it," she said, "and instituting a pay-to-play system is not likely to be effective in terms of really reducing the waste of associated gas through venting and flaring."

Hornbein said it's important that the BLM has recognized its authority to regulate such oil and gas waste as methane, and her organization would like to see the agency go further to create a consistent and durable rule that will last into the next administration.

A spokesperson for the Independent Petroleum Association of America said the regulations should be handled by the Environmental Protection Agency, because the BLM doesn't have enough expertise on this issue.

The nation is beefing up its power grids for the transition to fueling everything from cars to home cooling systems with electricity, and addressing hazards along the way.

Engineers believe they are ready to implement a common-sense solution for stopping the sparks from power lines, which have led to destructive wildfires, including the one that burned down the entire town of Paradise, California.

Paul Chinowsky, director of the climate consulting firm Resilient Analytics, said burying distribution lines underground would essentially eliminate the risk of sparking wildfires.

"Most people would agree that other than places where you have very high flood danger, that's a great option," Chinowsky argued. "Why aren't we doing it when other countries are? Bottom line: cost. Who's going to pay for it?"

Chinowsky called President Joe Biden's infrastructure legislation a good start, but with the price of undergrounding power lines at $4 million per mile or more, much more will be needed to reconfigure power distribution, especially across vast expanses in Colorado and other Western states.

Chinowsky pointed to successful federal efforts which brought electricity to rural America for the first time in the 1930s as one potential way forward.

He pointed out the cost of damage from wildfires -- lost homes and other structures, the health impacts of dangerous air quality and the long term impacts on watersheds -- far outweighs any upfront investment to move power lines underground.

"The Marshall Fire, that was a huge event. It's not going to be the last one," Chinowsky noted. "There is no question that the investment long term will be less than the amount we would pay in rebuilding after disaster events."

According to state officials, Colorado's core fire seasons are 78 days longer on average than they were in the 1970s, a situation made more dire by rising temperatures, prolonged drought and blasting winds.

Chinowski added what gets lost in hyperpartisan debates around infrastructure investments is the fact power lines can spark wildfires in any neighborhood, regardless of political affiliation.

"We lose the focus that this is ultimately a public-safety issue, and we're talking about trying to save peoples' lives," Chinowski contended. "We need to focus on that again."


get more stories like this via email

The Arizona Corporation Commission has unanimously voted development of the massive SunZia Transmission Wind Project can continue.

The commission approved amendments to SunZia's Certificate of Environmental Compatibility, which completes the Arizona permitting process for the 3,000 megawatt wind project.

Adam Stafford, managing senior staff attorney for Western Resource Advocates, said they commend the decision to move forward with the project. Based in central New Mexico, it will provide power to an estimated 2.5 million customers in states Stafford pointed out are already feeling the impacts of climate change.

"Decarbonization needs to happen, and the science is telling us that we are facing a rapidly closing window to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees," Stafford asserted. "These are the kinds of steps that we need to be taking - adding new clean energy, adding new transmission lines, increase regionalization to try and minimize cost."

This summer, Pattern Energy acquired the SunZia project from Southwestern Power Group. Pattern Energy will use the 550-mile long SunZia Transmission line to deliver power from New Mexico to Arizona. Southwestern Power plans to develop a second, parallel transmission line, called El Rio Sol.

Stafford said together, they will transmit power from the largest wind project in the Western Hemisphere.

According to U.S. Census data, Arizona is one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S.

Stafford emphasized while Arizona has focused mostly on solar energy, which is part of the clean-energy puzzle, other forms should not be overlooked. According to Western Resource Advocates, the SunZia line will avoid nearly 17 million metric tons of annual CO2 emissions.

"At the hearing, they showed the generation profile of the wind, and it's complementary to the profile of solar generation in Arizona," Stafford stressed. "It comes in, in the evenings, and blows at nighttime when the sun's not shining."

Pattern Energy is expected to begin operations in 2025. Southwestern Power is expected to bring El Rio Sol online by 2031. The projects are privately funded, and are estimated to bring $1 billion in direct economic benefits to governments and communities in Arizona and New Mexico.