Eighty members of the federal Urban Search and Rescue Team, PA-TF1, have been deployed for the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Earl in the northeastern United States, according to Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Robert P. French.  

The team, which is based out of Harrisburg with members from throughout Pennsylvania, will be staged at Westover Air Reserve Base in Massachusetts.

"These responders are ready to go to work at a moment's notice," said French. "If needed in the aftermath of the hurricane, this team will work quickly to aid anyone who may be trapped or injured."

PA-TF1 is one of 28 certified, operational and deployable federal assets of the National Urban Search and Rescue System established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They are comprised of more than 210 personnel from numerous participating agencies. This includes personnel staffing management, rescue, medical, search and technical team positions.

French reminded Pennsylvanians of available resources that can help them prepare for and respond to any emergency. Materials such as home and car emergency kit checklists and emergency plan templates are available online at www.ReadyPA.org or by calling 1-888-9-READYPA.  

For more information regarding PA-TF1, visit www.pa-tf1.com.  

Media contact: Maria A. Finn, 717-651-2009

SOURCE Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency

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Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) today welcomed the release by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) of an independent, third-party evaluation of the utility's SmartMeter™ program. The report is available at www.pge.com/smartmeter.

The report, prepared by The Structure Group of Houston, Texas, states that PG&E's new meters are recording customer electric usage accurately. It also found that issues that arose early in the program were limited in scope, were being "appropriately addressed by PG&E" and often reflected factors unrelated to the meters, including higher-than-normal energy usage caused by a heat wave.

"We have wholeheartedly supported this third-party verification in order to make sure that our meters are accurate and our program is sound," said PG&E Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Helen Burt. "We want our customers to be armed with the facts, not with speculation. We are pleased that The Structure Group's detailed analysis confirms the integrity of our meter program and provides assurance to customers that our meter readings are accurate. We also agree with its criticism of our failure to address customer concerns on a timely basis, and have taken steps to address that real shortfall in our program."

At the CPUC's direction, Structure independently tested 750 SmartMeter™ devices and 147 legacy electromechanical meters from April to August of this year, both in the laboratory and in the field. The consulting firm also reviewed 1,378 accounts from customers who complained about their bills, and conducted 20 direct phone interviews with customers.

This assessment is the second expert third-party evaluation of advanced metering devices in the United States. The previous assessment, conducted by another consultancy for the Texas Public Utilities Commission, concluded that similar utility smart meters are accurate.

Highlights from the report include:

• Structure said its "evaluation provides the reasonable conclusion that PG&E's SmartMeters™ are accurately recording electric usage within acceptable CPUC tolerances, and are being accurately utilized in customer billing."
• "Identified exceptions related to meter and billing issues appeared to have been limited and did not appear to have been prevalent in the overall deployed Smart Meter population."
• Structure "identified multiple factors that appeared to contribute to the escalation of Smart Meter high bill complaints during late 2009 and early 2010," including the deployment of meters coincident with a heat wave that drove up customer energy usage; individual changes in customer usage, such as room or pool additions; and rate increases that compounded the effects of weather on bills.
• Structure was also critical of PG&E, noting that issues arose because the utility took inadequate steps to notify customers about the meter installations, failed to address their concerns about new technology and lacked stringent bill quality control.
• "Structure found PG&E to have been historically in compliance, or have recently come into compliance, with the majority of best practices associated with Smart Meters."
• "All of the Smart Meters tested in Structure's independent laboratory passed the accuracy testing." Of 613 field tests, two SmartMeter™ meters malfunctioned and all the rest passed accuracy tests. In contrast, of 148 legacy electromechanical meters reviewed, one malfunctioned and six failed the accuracy test.
• Structure also concluded the PG&E's cyber security program meets the objectives set by the main Smart Grid industry task force.

SmartMeter™ devices are part of a statewide energy infrastructure upgrade that is critical to California's economic future. This automated metering technology will help modernize the electric grid to make it stronger and more efficient. It will empower customers to better understand and manage their energy use to reduce monthly costs. The SmartMeter™ program is also essential to enabling growth in renewable energy, laying the foundation for a low-carbon economy.

Since May, PG&E has released reports that are submitted to the CPUC on a monthly basis regarding all aspects of its SmartMeter™ program. The reports, along with weekly updates on the SmartMeter™ program, can be found at www.pge.com/smartmeter.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.

SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company

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Today, World Growth Chairman Ambassador Alan Oxley warned of the consequences for the world's poor of blindly treating as fact erroneous and widely circulated claims about palm oil in a letter to Mrs. Caroline Spelman, the UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081204/DC49733LOGO)

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081204/DC49733LOGO)

The letter follows the first Global Business of Biodiversity Symposium in London where Mrs. Spelman announced that the UK government will fund a research project on Britain's consumption of palm oil.  World Growth expressed concern that the starting point for this research is a misconception that the palm oil industry is currently unsustainable. In fact palm oil is the most sustainable vegetable oil in the world.  It generates almost 10 times the energy that it consumes and has a higher yield than other crop-based oilseeds.

Citing support from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and Africa's first female Nobel Laureate, Wangari Maathai, Mr. Oxley's letter states that poverty is the leading cause of deforestation in developing nations, an inconvenient truth for the radical environmental NGOs who intone with environmental officials claim that palm oil drives deforestation in Southeast Asia. He also warned that discouraging trade and growth of palm oil, a food staple in the developing world, would hinder efforts to reduce poverty.

In closing, Mr. Oxley urged Mrs. Spelman, "to ensure the enquiry encompasses the vital development dimension of palm oil, considers the sustainability issues objectively and recognizes the importance of expanding palm oil production to ensure supply is adequate to address the looming global food crisis and meet the rapidly growing demand in the developing world."

To view the World Growth letter to Secretary of State Spelman, click here.

To speak with World Growth's experts, please email media@worldgrowth.org or call +1-866-467-7200.

World Growth is a non-profit, non-governmental organization established to expand the research, information, advocacy, and other resources to improve the economic conditions and living standards in developing and transitional countries. At World Growth, we embrace the age of globalization and the power of free trade to eradicate poverty and create jobs and opportunities. World Growth supports the production of palm oil and the use of forestry as a means to promote economic growth, reduce poverty and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. World Growth believes a robust cultivation of palm oil and forestry provides an effective means of environmental stewardship that can serve as the catalyst for increasing social and economic development.  For more information on World Growth, visit www.worldgrowth.org.

SOURCE World Growth

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Doors opened today to the Nature Inn at Bald Eagle, the first facility of its type in Pennsylvania's nationally recognized state park system, offering visitors modern accommodations and an up-close experience with nature.

"Our vision was to expand the range of overnight accommodations in our state park system to attract new visitors," Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary John Quigley said. "You can now stay the night at a primitive tent site, a yurt, camping cottage or modern cabin, or have modern conveniences provided at the Nature Inn, depending on your preference.

"As a southern entrance point to the 12-county Pennsylvania Wilds, this Nature Inn will welcome people to a region known for its wealth of state parks and forests and opportunities for wildlife watching and many other outdoor adventures," Quigley added.

Quigley said new visitors may include busy families staying closer to home and taking shorter vacations; visitors who are looking for modern amenities in their overnight accommodations; extended families taking advantage of multiple overnight choices at the park; businesses or organizations looking for a different kind of retreat or meeting locale; and people with disabilities.

"Along with offering a good night's rest, we also are demonstrating stewardship and conservation by connecting guests to outdoor activities in the park and showing them 'green,' energy efficient building features and how to collect and use rainwater," Quigley added. "We will have accomplished our goals if visitors develop a love of bird-watching and therefore work to protect habitat, or try out one of the 'green' features in their own homes."

Each of the inn's 16 rooms is named for a different bird and features coordinating prints by artists John James Audubon and Ned Smith.

"One reason Bald Eagle State Park was chosen as the first location for a nature inn was the terrific wildlife-watching opportunities at the park that result from its ridges, valleys and diverse habitat that attract many bird species," Quigley said.

Every spring, songbirds including warblers, flycatchers and swallows, display courtship rituals and sing enchanting melodies while searching for nesting spots in the park. Boaters and beach-goers commonly see herons, gulls, geese and osprey around the lake. In the fall, visitors can find migrating mergansers, cormorants and buffleheads on the lake.

Quigley said the 18,500-square foot inn also demonstrates the use of environmentally friendly architecture and green technology, and explains it to visitors.

Green features include: a high efficiency geothermal heating and cooling system; solar collectors to heat water for showers and laundry; five rain barrels and four large cisterns to collect and harvest rainwater for flushing toilets; low-water-use plumbing fixtures and high efficiency lighting; Pennsylvania hardwoods from certified sustainable forests that were used in the structure, finishes and furnishings; and direct access to hiking and biking trails to enable and encourage healthy interaction with park resources.

Featuring several works of art by local artisans including a large stained-glass window of a bald eagle, and butternut wood fireplace mantels and oak frames in the guest rooms, the inn will display artisan products and connect people to the Pennsylvania Wilds Artisan Trail.

DCNR has contracted with an innkeeper, Charlie Brooks, to handle general operations and provide guest services, while the park staff will be responsible for buildings and grounds maintenance. Reservations can be made through the existing state park reservation system (www.visitPAParks.com).

Rooms include a microwave, refrigerator, cable TV, DVD player and Internet access. Breakfast is provided with an overnight stay.

Bald Eagle State Park is located in Centre County, not far from Interstate 80. The inn is approximately a 3-hour drive from Pittsburgh; slightly longer from Philadelphia.

For more information about the Nature Inn, visit www.natureinnatbaldeagle.com or call 814-625-2879.

Media contact: Christina Novak, 717-772-9101

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

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More than $200 million in spending and 4,000 Virginia jobs supported by the six million visitors each year to Jamestown, Chincoteague and Shenandoah National Park are at risk if climate change remains on its current path, according to a major new report issued today by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization (RMCO) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).   Among the possible changes: a loss of Chincoteague's beach, the  complete flooding by higher tidal waters of historic Jamestown Island – site of the continent's original English settlement in 1607 – and the decline of the brilliant fall colors of Shenandoah National Park.

The report details the wide range of impacts from higher temperatures, rising water levels and stronger hurricanes on Jamestown, which is a part of Colonial National Historical Park (NHP), Shenandoah National Park, and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).  

The RMCO/NRDC report and audio recording of the news event will be available online at www.rockymountainclimate.org/programs_10.htm.

Jamestown is where America's colonial history began, with the first permanent European settlement in what became the original colonies and then the United States. It also is where representative democracy in America began.  Chincoteague NWR on the southern end of Assateague Island on Virginia's Atlantic coast has more than 14,000 acres of beach, forest, and marsh habitats that are home to a wide variety of migratory birds, plants, and other animals. Located just 70 miles from Washington, D.C., Shenandoah NP is a crown jewel of the United States' national park system.

Theo Spencer, senior advocate, Climate Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, said: "Climate change poses the greatest risk our National Parks have ever faced. The natural and cultural resources of Virginia's special places are directly linked to hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity and thousands of jobs. Unfortunately, Jamestown, Shenandoah and Chincoteague face greater threats than ever before as a result of climate change, and on a scale that will substantially undercut people's interest in visiting those historic and natural sites. By acting now to reduce the pollution that causes climate change we will stimulate our economy and create millions of new jobs while continuing America's long-standing position of technological leadership."

Stephen Saunders, president, Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, said:  "The extent to which these special places could be harmed illustrates why human-caused climate disruption is considered the greatest threat ever to our national parks and wildlife refuges. These three special places deserve particular attention. They show how much Virginia has at stake, from its coasts to its mountains and from its natural and cultural resources to its economy, as people alter the climate. And these three special places are extraordinarily important not just to Virginians but also to Americans everywhere."

Highlights of the report include the following:

• Jamestown, Chincoteague and the Shenandoah NP are linked to a total of 4,030 jobs and $210.1 million in visitor spending.   "But these contributions to Virginia's economy are threatened by how climate disruption puts at risk the natural and cultural resources that draw visitors to these special places," according to the report.
• Higher seas resulting from human-caused climate change threaten Jamestown and Chincoteague NWR. Globally, three feet or more of sea-level rise is now believed to be most plausible by century's end. Because the land along Virginia's coastlines is naturally subsiding, the local rise of seas and tidal waters will be even greater than the global average. The report identifies such possible outcomes as the flooding of "virtually all of Jamestown Island" and "'nothing less than a wholesale transformation'" of Chincoteague after sea-level rise of about three to four and a half feet by this century's end.
• Before Jamestown and much of Chincoteague may be inundated by higher water levels, key historical, archaeological, and natural resources could be destroyed or damaged by storm surges and erosion resulting from stronger hurricanes and coastal storms. At risk is the original Jamestown Fort of 1607, a corner of which has already been lost to erosion by the James River. The barrier island containing Chincoteague is at very high risk of fragmentation by the natural forces of winds and waves, augmented by unnaturally higher seas and stronger storms resulting from human-caused climate change.
• Also threatened by erosion could be resources at the Yorktown battlefield, which like Jamestown is part of Colonial NHP. One key site at risk is Redoubt 10, on the edge of a cliff along a stretch of the York River that has suffered erosion over the years. This was the scene of a key battle won by Revolutionary forces under the command of Colonel Alexander Hamilton, part of the decisive final offense that led to the surrender a few days later of the British army at Yorktown, effectively ending the Revolutionary War. The nearby Moore House, at which the terms of surrender were arranged, is also potentially exposed to shoreline erosion.
• The famous fall colors of the Shenandoah are at risk due to the projected invasion of less colorful pine and other trees considered to be more Southern.
• Higher temperatures are expected at all three sites.  Jamestown and Chincoteague could be 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit hotter and Shenandoah 8.1 degrees Fahrenheit hotter, under one scenario.  According to the report: "With the region's largest temperature increases projected for the summer, intolerable heat may become a real problem (for would-be visitors) at Jamestown and perhaps Chincoteague."
• Extreme weather in the form of major downpours and more flooding could transform Shenandoah NHP. The amount of rain falling in heavy storms increased by 20 percent over the past century, and scientists believe there is at least a 90 percent likelihood that heavy downpours will become even more frequent and intense, causing more flooding. Shenandoah, with its steep mountain terrain, is particularly vulnerable to slope failure and debris flows during severe storms, as illustrated by a June 1995 storm in which about two feet of rain fell in a few hours, causing a mountainside slope in the park to give way, sending trees and boulders the size of houses tumbling downhill.      

ABOUT THE GROUPS

The Natural Resources Defense Council (http://www.nrdc.org) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to protecting public health and the environment, with more than 1.2 million members and online activists.

The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization (http://www.rockymountainclimate.org) is a Colorado-based coalition that works to reduce climate disruption and its effects.

EDITOR'S NOTE:  A streaming audio replay of the news event will be available on the Web at www.rockymountainclimate.org/programs_10.htm as of 5 p.m. EDT on September 1, 2010.

SOURCE Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, D.C. and Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, Denver, CO.

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