Richmond - A new report shows that investing in energy efficiency instead of building the Wise County coal plant to meet the same electricity demand would yield hundreds of millions of dollars more annually for the state and create at least 2,600 more jobs than the controversial 585-megawatt coal-fired power plant. The benefits would be even greater if, as anticipated, the federal government enacts controls on global warming emissions.

The report compares the economic effects of building Dominion Power's Wise County coal plant with investing in energy efficiency measures that would meet the same electricity demand. The study finds that avoiding construction of the coal plant by investing in efficiency would save the average household in Dominion's service territory between $52 and $91 per year in 2012.

The analysis was performed by Abt Associates, an independent, global research firm that works with clients including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy and major U.S. corporations. The findings were released by the Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition at a press conference today at the Capitol Building in Richmond.

"[T]he Energy Efficiency Alternative would be both less costly than the [Wise County] Plant for ratepayers, and substantially more beneficial to the Virginia economy in terms of Gross State Product (GSP) and job effects," the report concludes. Energy efficiency includes "Energy Star" appliances, compact fluorescent light bulbs, better insulation and high-efficiency heating and cooling systems for buildings and other measures that reduce demand.

Because electricity from coal is much more expensive than electricity saved through efficiency, building the coal plant would result in higher electric bills for homes and businesses, which would diminish consumer spending and weaken Virginia's economy. Improving energy efficiency, on the other hand, would lower electric bills, leave more money in the hands of consumers and businesses, and boost our economy, according to the analysis. In addition, efficiency policies will directly create jobs, especially in the contracting industry for retrofitting and weatherizing homes, businesses, schools and other buildings.

"Even if you don't factor in the issues of mountaintop removal coal-mining, climate change, and toxic pollution and look only at the economics, investing in efficiency instead of more dirty coal is the better choice," said Tom Cormons of Appalachian Voices. "Energy efficiency is the cleanest, cheapest, and quickest way to meet our electricity needs."

According to the study, energy efficiency instead of the Wise County plant would boost the state economy by at least $228 million to $323 million each year between 2012 and 2025. It would also lead to at least 2,600 more permanent jobs than would exist if the investment were made in the Wise County coal plant.  The report finds even greater benefits if the federal government implements "cap-and-trade" regulations on carbon dioxide, the main contributor to global warming, which will increase the cost of electricity from coal, according to the report. The Abt researchers estimate that, if such regulations are enacted, efficiency will boost the State Gross Product by up to between $483 million and $675 million annually between 2012 and 2025, as compared to the coal plant. It would result in a net gain of between 4,000 to 6,000 permanent jobs during the same period.

"In addition to being better for the Commonwealth economically, energy efficiency can grant a reprieve on the death sentence of the Appalachian mountains which are being devastated by mountaintop-removal coal mining," said Kathy Selvage of Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards (SAMS). SAMS has joined Appalachian Voices, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the Sierra Club and the Southern Environmental Law Center in filing two lawsuits to stop Dominion's coal plant.

Although the study focused on the Dominion plant, coalition members said the findings can also be applied to the $6 billion coal-fired power plant in Surry County recently proposed by Old Dominion Electric Cooperative. "The proposal to build a massive new coal plant in Surry County is extremely concerning and out of touch," said Glen Besa of the Sierra Club-Virginia Chapter. "Efficiency is a win-win. It allows us to meet our electricity demands while saving money for consumers and preserving the environment. Another conventional coal plant would be a giant step in the wrong direction."

"From a moral standpoint, choosing energy efficiency is the right thing to do," said Rabbi Romer of Or Ami Congregation in Richmond. "Through efficiency we will be protecting God's creation and putting Virginia families first."

Energy policy will be a top priority for the Virginia General Assembly this upcoming session as it grapples with climate change recommendations and a major budget crisis. Proponents argued that energy efficiency is the best way for legislators to tackle both issues and urged them to enact mandatory efficiency measures this legislative session.

"Let's declare 2009 to be the year the Commonwealth begins to address global climate change and the devastating practice of mountaintop removal, and gives our children healthier air to breathe and water to drink, all while saving money," Selvage said. "We can get started on all of these by passing true energy efficiency measures in the General Assembly."
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The mission of the Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition is to stop Dominion Power's coal-burning power plant in Wise County and turn Virginia toward a cleaner, sustainable energy future. The coalition includes Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Appalachian Voices, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Sierra Club and Southern Environmental Law Center. 

Click here to read the complaint (pdf).

The Southern Environmental Law Center filed the lawsuit challenging the Shepherd Bend Mine permit in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County on behalf of Black Warrior Riverkeeper. The groups say ADEM violated state law and its own rules by issuing the wastewater discharge permit without notifying the public. Also in violation of state law, the permit lacks a plan to prevent or mitigate pollution, according to the suit.

"ADEM should have reviewed this permit very carefully, given that the drinking water of thousands of people is at risk. Instead, ADEM went badly astray in granting this permit without ensuring that an adequate plan to prevent pollution was in place," said SELC attorney Catherine Wannamaker.

In December 2007, Shepherd Bend, LLC, applied to ADEM for a permit to discharge wastewater from the proposed 1,773-acre mine on Mulberry Fork in Walker County.  Black Warrior Riverkeeper and others, including the Birmingham Water Works Board, submitted comments pointing out deficiencies in the application and their concerns about the impact to the city's drinking water. The discharge would be just 800 feet upstream from the water works intake pipe, and would contain, among other toxins, iron, aluminum, manganese, chlorides, and sulfates. The water works board, noting that the proximity of the proposed mine to the drinking water source was, to its knowledge, "unprecedented," said the cost to clean the water would likely increase.

ADEM issued the permit July 21 without notifying the public, despite continued inquiries by Riverkeeper and others. When recently asked by the news media about the failure to follow the required procedures, an ADEM spokesman said the agency did "what's best for the state."

"This was not a mix-up. The permit was deliberately issued without notifying the public of ADEM's decision to allow more pollution in our drinking water supply," said Nelson Brooke, Executive Director of Black Warrior Riverkeeper. "ADEM can't be allowed to get away with this. With more than 90 coal mines in the Black Warrior watershed, we must have strong regulatory oversight to ensure the river stays healthy for both human use and aquatic habitat."

"It's inconceivable that the agency ok'd this permit, first without telling anyone, second without any plan to prevent pollution of the Black Warrior watershed, and third with very weak limits for toxic metals," Wannamaker said..

The groups also filed on Monday an administrative appeal of the permit pursuant to state requirements for challenging environmental permits. The legal actions seek revocation of the permit and an injunction preventing any activities that purport to be authorized by the permit.

“State law demands that the Division of Air Quality evaluate all of the impacts of Titan’s proposed cement plant and quarry,” said Geoff Gisler, staff attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center.  “DAQ must not shirk its responsibility to protect public health by rushing through a draft air permit based on an incomplete analysis.”

In a letter sent to the DAQ today, the two organizations urged the withholding of any draft air permit until a thorough review could be conducted in keeping with legal requirements. DAQ’s review should take advantage of information gathered in an upcoming evaluation of the environmental impacts by a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stakeholder group. Working with the Corps, a team of state and federal agencies, local community groups, and environmental organizations will conduct an extensive environmental analysis of the project and its impacts on the surrounding area.

“A project of this magnitude deserves careful and thorough study and public input, especially considering the potential impacts on human health and water resources,” said Michelle Nowlin, supervising attorney at the Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic. “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will publish new regulations governing some of the toxic air emissions from cement kilns in the spring.  We should be careful about a rush to permit before the new EPA information is available.”

The proposed site for the Titan cement plant is located on the Northeast Cape Fear River--a river that the state has already listed as impaired due to mercury contamination--near Wilmington.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, eight percent of American women of childbearing age have mercury in their bodies at levels high enough to put their babies at risk of birth defects, loss of IQ, learning disabilities and developmental problems. Toxic mercury accumulates in people and wildlife that breathe contaminated air and eat contaminated fish.

The Southern Environmental Law Center and Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic represent NC Coastal Federation and PenderWatch & Conservancy in this matter. The groups include concerned residents of the nearby Wilmington area and Cape Fear basin.
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Founded in 1986, SELC is the only non-profit regional organization dedicated to protecting the native forests, wetlands, air and water quality, wildlife habitat and rural landscapes in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. SELC works in partnership with more than 100 diverse groups on legal advocacy, policy reform and public education to achieve lasting environmental protections. www.southernenvironment.org

The Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic is a joint enterprise of Duke University’s Law School and School of the Environment and Earth Sciences.  The Clinic trains the next generation of environmental leaders while providing support to non-profit organizations and clients involved in environmental conflicts.  www.law.duke.edu/envlawpolicy/

Attorneys at Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), Clean Air Task Force, Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council, Southern Environmental Law Center, and Waterkeeper Alliance filed the lawsuit today in DC District Court on behalf of American Nurses Association, CBF, Conservation Law Foundation, Environment America, Environmental Defense Fund, Izaak Walton League of America, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Ohio Environmental Council, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Sierra Club, and Waterkeeper Alliance.

Today’s lawsuit follows President-elect Barack Obama’s appointment of Lisa Jackson to head the agency. Groups expressed hope that the incoming administration will take a new approach to regulating pollution from power plants and act quickly to bring the problem under control.

“We are far past both the legal and, indeed, the moral deadline for EPA to take action to control toxic air emissions from this enormous industrial source of mercury and other poisons,” said Clean Air Task Force attorney Ann B. Weeks. “At the same time we are hopeful that the Obama administration will act quickly to mandate the deep cuts in this pollution, as the Clean Air Act requires.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, eight percent of American women of childbearing age have mercury in their bodies at levels high enough to put their babies at risk of birth defects, loss of IQ, learning disabilities and developmental problems.

“Children and women of childbearing age are at risk when power plants emit the levels of mercury they are emitting today—all 50 states, and one US territory, have declared fish advisories warning about mercury contamination,” said John Suttles, senior attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center. “It is time to require deep reductions from this industry.”

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA was required to control power plants’ emissions by December, 2002. Instead of meeting that requirement, however, the Bush administration asked Congress to roll back the control requirements. Then, unable to win Congress’ support for that request, the administration unlawfully tried to declare that the required pollution controls were simply not necessary or appropriate.

“Power plants are the largest unregulated industrial source of air toxics,” said Earthjustice attorney Jim Pew. “It is unconscionable that six years after the deadline for action, we still do not have air toxics controls on these large existing sources of pollution.”

The federal appeals court in D.C. tossed out EPA’s attempt in February 2008, in a lawsuit brought by a coalition of environmental and public health groups, states and Native American tribes. Baffled by the Bush administration’s reasons as to why it should not set these requirements, the Court compared its logic to that of the dangerously irrational Queen of Hearts character in Alice in Wonderland. Now EPA is back where it started: in violation of the 2002 statutory deadline to control power plants’ toxic pollution.

“EPA’s failure to protect our children’s health from toxic mercury pollution has allowed coal plants to release more than 700,000 pounds of mercury pollution over the past eight years. The era of deny and delay in failing to protect America’s children from toxic air pollution is coming to a close,” said Vickie Patton, deputy general counsel at Environmental Defense Fund. “We look forward to working with new leadership for America that will follow the science and enforce the law to protect our children and our communities from toxic air pollution.”

In the intervening 10 months since the court ruling, EPA has made no moves to comply with the court’s order, prompting today’s lawsuit.

“With the devastating impacts mercury is having on our waterways, fish, women and children in the US, EPA’s failure to pass a mercury control rule that safeguards both human and environmental health is perhaps the most damning example of an agency blind to its mission and mandate,” stated Waterkeeper Alliance Legal Director Scott Edwards. “Sadly, once again, the Bush administration has accomplished what the energy industry hired it to do eight years ago—protect their profits, promote their interests and avoid any accountability.”

Approximately 1,100 coal-fired units at more than 450 existing power plants spew some 96,000 pounds of mercury into the air each year.

“There are affordable technologies widely available today that can substantially reduce mercury and other toxic pollution from coal-fired power plants,” said Bruce Nilles, director of the Sierra Club’s National Coal Campaign. “By turning a blind eye to these technologies the EPA is unnecessarily putting the health of children everywhere at risk.”

Much of the mercury and other metals in the air toxics plume fall out within 100 miles of the power plant source, and mercury accumulates up the food chain in fish and in the animals that consume it. In addition to human health effects, significant adverse effects on wildlife also have been linked to power plant mercury.

“Studies have clearly demonstrated that a significant amount of mercury pollution from power plants falls locally, and almost all waterways in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania have fish consumption advisories due to mercury,” said Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Director of Litigation Jon Mueller. “While some states have taken action to reduce mercury pollution others have not, underscoring the need for national standards.”

“The Bush EPA will leave behind a mercury pollution legacy of shame and irresponsible delay,” said John Walke, senior attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council. “After eight years, all they managed was to break the law and fail to clean up power plants’ rising toxic emissions.”

A copy of the complaint filed today in DC district court is available here:
http://www.earthjustice.org/library/legal_docs/power-plant-pollution-dec-08-complaint.pdf

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Founded in 1986, SELC is the only non-profit regional organization dedicated to protecting the native forests, wetlands, air and water quality, wildlife habitat and rural landscapes in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. SELC works in partnership with more than 100 diverse groups on legal advocacy, policy reform and public education to achieve lasting environmental protections.
www.southernenvironment.org

Duke has asked for a less restrictive “minor source” permit for this project without making any changes to the pollution control equipment on the plant. Groups opposing it point out numerous inconsistencies and incorrect assumptions in the Duke permit that put their low pollution numbers in question.  An experienced engineer retained by environmental groups to examine Duke’s proposal found even a very slight change to one of Duke’s assumptions or increase in emissions would force Duke to accept the more stringent major source permit under the Clean Air Act. Among the groups’ concerns are assertions from vendors that equipment likely would not perform at the levels Duke predicts, a lack of binding commitment to prevent the burning of even dirtier coal than Duke projects (as the plant is built to burn even the dirtiest varieties that are avoided in other plants), and a lax monitoring scheme that requires monitoring of the plant’s emissions for only a few hours once per year.

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC)Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) represented Environmental Defense Fund, National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Sierra Club and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy in the case. The groups include thousands of North Carolina residents, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains and other nearby natural areas already affected by pollution from Cliffside.

A noted power plant expert has also listed his concerns over Duke’s numbers in documents that can be viewed at http://docs.nrdc.org/energy/ene_08121601.asp

Following are reactions from the groups involved:

“Duke’s conjured up another scheme to dodge the law,” said Derb Carter, Carolinas Office Director for SELC. “Calling Cliffside a minor source of hazardous pollutants is like calling Mount Everest a mole hill. Duke’s claims gamble the health of people throughout the Carolinas on untested theories that should be proven for more than just a few hours per year.”

“Having already violated the law, Duke is now trying to issue itself a get out of jail free card.” said Patrice Simms, a Senior Attorney for NRDC. “Instead of stepping up and agreeing to reduce mercury and other dangerous pollutants from their new coal plant, they are once again trying to game the system to avoid emission limits that they should have adopted before they even started construction.”

“The proposed facility would pollute the air in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which already holds the dubious honor of having some of the highest levels of mercury pollution of any national park in the United States. In addition to risking the health of park visitors, mercury pollution from the Cliffside plant will make its way through the food chain in the Smokies and harm park wildlife,” said Bart Melton, program analyst, Southeast Regional Office, National Parks Conservation Association. “The Smokies is a national treasure and one of our region’s most valuable economic resources; Cliffside’s coal plant pollution does not add value to this resource.”

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Founded in 1986, SELC is the only non-profit regional organization dedicated to protecting the native forests, wetlands, air and water quality, wildlife habitat and rural landscapes in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.  SELC works in partnership with more than 100 diverse groups on legal advocacy, policy reform and public education to achieve lasting environmental protections. www.southernenvironment.org

The Natural Resources Defense Council is an international, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has 1.2 million members and online activists, served from offices in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Beijing. www.nrdc.org

The Southern Environmental Law Center filed suit in federal court in 2006 on behalf of several groups alleging that studies completed for the $150 million bridge project -- called the Briggs-DeLaine Pearson Connector -- downplayed environmental impacts and ignored other needed transportation improvements, like repairing crumbling roads.

SCDOT argued that it did not have to answer in court for its studies.  The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond disagreed, and issued an order on Friday that requires SCDOT executive director Buck Limehouse to remain a defendant in the case.

"This order holds South Carolina officials accountable for pushing wasteful projects that block funding for needed improvements," said Blan Holman, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center.  "In an age of shrinking budgets, SCDOT needs to forego the fat and serve up lean projects that solve real problems."

According to SCDOT's own studies, the proposed connector would provide minimal transportation benefit, saving as little as three minutes in travel time between Orangeburg and Sumter. The studies also found the bridge would bring little economic development to the local area.  A University of North Carolina transportation professor who reviewed the study concluded that even these benefits were overstated.

The road project would bisect a swampy swath of wilderness downstream of Congaree National Park, where the Wateree and Congaree rivers meet to form the headwaters of Lake Marion.  Known as Upper Santee Swamp, the remote area has been revered by sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts for generations.

"Upper Santee Swamp is an incredibly valuable asset that needs to be preserved, not paved over," said Dana Beach, executive director of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, a plaintiff in the case. "The path to prosperity is through smart projects that improve the economy and the environment at the same time. This isn't one of them."

With the appeals court order, the case now goes back to the United States District Court in Charleston for a trial on the studies' validity.

Congress has earmarked some $16 million for the project.  Holman noted that in the past, funding for South Carolina earmarked projects has been redirected to other projects also in South Carolina.  "If SCDOT decided to redirect this funding to another project, this case would probably be over," he said. "It's up to them."
 

The ruling (pdf) will force Duke to undergo a stringent process to investigate the plant's likely pollution levels and the appropriate technology to control toxics released from the massive new coal boiler. This process must begin within 10 days and result in controls that live up to the strict requirements of the Clean Air Act within 60 days. If they do not comply, the court could halt construction on the plant.

The court's decision clearly rejected Duke Energy's arguments that their plant had slipped through a loophole allowing them to avoid federal pollution controls. Additionally, the court rejected assertions that Duke could substitute voluntary efforts for the mandatory requirements of the Clean Air Act and Duke's last-minute claims that the plant's emissions were too small to require additional controls.

The Southern Environmental Law Center and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) represented Environmental Defense Fund, National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Sierra Club and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy in the case. The groups represent thousands of North Carolina residents, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains and other nearby natural areas already affected by pollution from Cliffside.

Following are reactions from the groups involved:

"The court confirmed that building a coal-fired plant without proper controls for mercury and dozens of other hazardous air pollutants is wholly unacceptable," said John Suttles, Senior Attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). "This decision about Duke's North Carolina power plant should have people around the country breathing a big sigh of relief."

"The trend against dirty coal-fired power plants is becoming clear," said Ben Longstreth, a Senior Attorney for NRDC. "The Court rejected Duke's efforts to sidestep the stringent control of mercury and other hazardous toxins. This forces them to do the right thing for communities all over North Carolina by living up to the Clean Air Act."

"We are pleased with the court's rejection of Duke's arguments," said Stephen Smith executive director of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. "Now it is time for Jim Rogers to stop building coal plants and focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy to power North Carolina into the 21st century."

"This ruling is particularly significant because other coal plant proponents around the country are attempting the same dodge that Duke tried here," said Patrice Simms, Senior Attorney for NRDC. "This decision sends a strong signal that it is time for these other plants to stop playing games and come into compliance with these important clean air requirements."

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The Natural Resources Defense Council is an international, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has 1.2 million members and online activists, served from offices in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Beijing. www.nrdc.org

Founded in 1986, SELC is the only non-profit regional organization dedicated to protecting the native forests, wetlands, air and water quality, wildlife habitat and rural landscapes in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.  SELC works in partnership with more than 100 diverse groups on legal advocacy, policy reform and public education to achieve lasting environmental protections. www.southernenvironment.org

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization working to promote responsible energy choices that solve global warming problems and ensure clean, safe, healthy communities throughout the Southeast. www.cleanenergy.org
 

Following is a statement from SELC Senior Attorney Chris DeScherer:

"We are disappointed that the Supreme Court's ruling interpreted the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act in a way that does not fully protect the marsh from developments next to the marshlands, like the Cumberland Harbour development.  The Supreme Court today left nearly 400,000 acres of one of the world's most productive natural resources in uncertain hands. This ruling limits what had been one of the strongest tools available to ensure the necessary balance of ecological protections with economic development as the Georgia coast continues to grow.  We are considering whether to file a motion with the Court to reconsider its opinion.

"We believe, however, that the Supreme Court's opinion does affirm the duty of the Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee to consider whether stormwater discharges cause direct physical alteration of the marsh.  As the committee reconsiders the permit for impacts to wildlife, the conservation groups will present evidence that the massive discharges of stormwater from Cumberland Harbour will physically alter the marsh in violation of the Supreme Court opinion.  That kind of damage is all too frequent from the increasing development of land in areas adjacent to the marsh.

"SELC and its partners will continue to use the protection of the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act, together with the patchwork of other state and federal regulations, to ensure that our irreplaceable coastal resources are protected." 

Background:

The Cumberland Harbour development plans up to 1,200 homes and commercial facilities on the upland, as well as two large-scale marinas and community and private docks.  The largest marina project ever to be permitted in Georgia, Cumberland Harbour is located directly across from Cumberland Island National Seashore. The Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee approved a permit for Atlanta developer Land Resource Companies without considering the impact of the development on the marsh as a whole, such as increased stormwater pollution. The committee also failed to consider adequate protections for critically endangered species such as the right whale, manatee and five species of sea turtles.

SELC, on behalf of its clients, had argued that the Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee was obligated to protect Georgia's marshlands from the impacts of large-scale development by considering, among other things, the discharge of polluted stormwater runoff, the amount of roads, driveways, rooftops and other impervious surfaces, impacts to marine life, and the design and maintenance of natural buffers.  The state had previously asserted that the Committee was not required to regulate upland activities and could instead permit development in an "a la carte" approach that only considers those portions constructed in the marsh.
 

Tara Rae Miner is Managing Editor for Orion magazine. She received a B.A. in English from the University of Oregon and an M.S. in Science from the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Montana, with an emphasis on environmental and creative writing. Her professional life has been dedicated to editing, writing, and nonprofit work, including stints at the magazines Camas, Headwaters News, and the Chronicle of Community as well as the Center for the Rocky Mountain West and the Oregon Natural Desert Association.
 
The Reed award has two categories: Journalism for newspaper and magazine writing, and Book for non-fiction books.  The primary judging criteria is the quality of writing.  Prizes of $1,000 are awarded to the winner in each of the Journalism and Book categories.  The winners will be announced at SELC's headquarters in Charlottesville, Virginia during the popular Virginia Festival of the Book in late March.

• All submissions must be received by January 2, 2009.  Nominations can be made by anyone, including the author or publisher. 
• Submissions must have been published during the calendar year 2008.
• Submissions must relate to the natural environment in at least one of the following states: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee or Virginia. 
• Minimum length of 3,000 words per entry.  Awards may be split between two co-authors in each category.  Submissions with more than two authors must indicate which two are being nominated.  Each author must meet the minimum word requirement.
• Send 16 copies to Reed Award, SELC, 201 W. Main Street, Ste. 14, Charlottesville, VA  22902.  Submissions cannot be returned.  Include at least one copy in original format for proof of publication. For Journalism category, also provide a digital version to verify word length.                 

www.SouthernEnvironment.org  >>Newsroom  >> Reed Writing Award

Judges for the 2009 Reed Environmental Writing Award are:  

Marilou Awiakta - Poet and essayist whose writing weaves her Cherokee/Appalachian heritage with science; award winning author of Abiding Appalachia: Where Mountain and Atom Meet, and Selu: Seeking the Corn-Mother's Wisdom.
Joel K. Bourne, Jr. - Contributing writer and former Senior Editor for the Environment at National Geographic; winner of Outstanding Explanatory Journalism award from Society of Environmental Journalists.
Michael Carlton - Former editor of Yankee Magazine and Coastal Living; former features editor at Philadelphia Inquirer and Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Jan DeBlieu - Essayist and author of several books including Year of the Comets and Wind, winner of the 1999 John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Natural History Writing; Cape Hatteras CoastKeeper.
Jim Detjen - Director, Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, MSU; founding president of Society of Environmental Journalists; former award-winning reporter for Philadelphia Inquirer.
Nikki Giovanni - Grammy-nominated poet, activist and author of two dozen books including volumes of poetry, illustrated children's books, and three collections of essay; Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech.
Janet Lembke - Author of Touching Earth, Dangerous Birds and other nature books; translator of Greek and Latin classics; poems and essays have appeared in Audubon, Southern Review, and The New York Times Book Review.
Will Martin - Nashville-based attorney and businessman; former Deputy Assistant Secretary at NOAA; Senior Fellow for World Wildlife Fund; member SELC President's Council.
Bill McKibben - Author of Deep Economy, The End of Nature and several other books; contributor to The New Yorker, Orion, The Atlantic Monthly and other publications; co-founder StepItUp.org and 350.org; scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College.
Tara Rae Miner - Managing editor of Orion magazine; formerly on staff with Camas and Headwaters News, as well as the Center for the Rocky Mountain West and the Oregon Natural Desert Association.
Deaderick Montague - Civic leader, teacher and writer; guiding inspiration behind creation of the Reed Environmental Writing Award; Vice President of SELC Board of Trustees.   
Janisse Ray - Poet, activist and award-winning author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, Wild Card Quilt, and Pinhook: Finding Wholeness in a Fragmented Land; founding board member of Altamaha Riverkeeper; Reed award winner in 2000.
Charles Seabrook - Former veteran environmental reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; author of Cumberland Island and other books; Reed award winner in 1998. 
Donovan Webster - Author of The Burma Road and After-math: The Remnants of War; former editor of Outside; contributor to New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker and National Geographic.

The award is named in memory of SELC founding trustee Phillip D. Reed, a talented attorney and committed environmental activist who helped guide our organization through the early years before his untimely death in 1993.

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"Government, business and environmental organizations all have an important role to play when it comes to protecting the environment.  Yet the most profound and lasting changes will come from ordinary people making better choices in how they live.  An informed citizenry is the cornerstone of our democracy.  We rely on the journalists and writers who tell the stories of our natural world and give voice to the rivers, forests and wildlife.  Each year, the Southern Environmental Law Center provides a valuable public service in honoring those writers whose work contributes to our understanding of our relationship with the Earth with the annual Phillip D. Reed Memorial Award for Outstanding Writing on the Southern Environment."     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         - Al Gore