Commentary – Page 18

Another Prison, An Even Worse Idea

The Brush Valley Preservation Association (BVPA) fought long and hard to stop the destruction of the Trout Run portion of Brush Valley, a pristine 1900-acre watershed that boasts a high quality water supply and a diverse wildlife population.

Today, Trout Run is threatened once again – this time by a county prison, floated by the county commissioners as a solution to ending the litany of lawsuits that have plagued the prison in recent years. The idea is to construct a brand new $60M prison in Trout Run expanding the current prison’s capacity and thus putting the county into the business of incarceration with hopes of attracting prisoners from all across the Commonwealth.

A few problems:

The county’s legal plight is not due to physical conditions at the prison but alleged abuse and mistreatment by prison staff. In addition to all the problems associated with the federal prison project proposed before, this new proposal would cripple our already floundering county with another $60 million of debt. This isn’t to say that the prison doesn’t require structural improvements; however, the county commissioners should first look at the possibility of refurbishing the existing facility, which could save considerable taxpayer dollars. $60 million is a huge price tag for a county that just raised taxes, is losing its tax base and has to spend millions on upgrading the 911 call center.
This is not an economic development project and will not result in permanent job creation, merely job relocation.
Considering the massive public opposition to the federal prison being built in Trout Run, the county should ensure that this entire process is open and includes plenty of opportunity for public input.
Moving the prison from the county seat will mean higher costs associated with transporting prisoners from the courthouse.
The “infrastructure” that currently exists at the Trout Run site is nothing more than a short extension of sewer pipe that leads from the existing state prison.
Northumberland County has many abandoned industrial and commercial sites that offer the necessary infrastructure and shovel ready potential needed for a project like this; in fact the SEEDCO industrial complex in Coal Township, where Reinhart food services is currently housed, has received millions of taxpayer dollars for site preparedness and infrastructure upgrades. If it is deemed essential to move the prison from Sunbury to Coal Township, our residents should demand the prison be cited at SEEDCO — where no other industry has yet to come — to maximize the investment already made by taxpayers in this nearly empty site.
The county’s own natural inventory conducted a few years ago states:
- In the event that the Trout Run Watershed lands are considered for sale, a concerted effort should be made to secure much of this contiguous valley for conservation and recreation purposes.
- The Trout Run and South Branch Roaring Creek watersheds have not been mined. Consequently, the water in these streams is of high quality supporting trout populations and a diverse array of aquatic life.
- The water is of such high quality that the Water Company was able to provide unfiltered drinking water to their customers until recent state regulations required the water to be filtered
Trout Run is far more valuable to the area in its natural state than if developed; in 2010, Pennsylvania state parks alone hosted 37.9 million visitors who spent $839 million on their visits. If Trout Run were to be acquired as a state park or forest, the county would have the opportunity to draw tourists, families, local businesses, sportsmen, and outdoor enthusiasts who will spend time and dollars in our region…not just more prisoners.
The water company is a publicly traded company and a private landowner and certainly can do what it wants with its land; however, when our taxpayer dollars are used for a project like this, we become the investors and have a right and responsibility to speak out.

Over a decade ago involved and informed people came together in our area to prevent a foolish and reckless plan. I feel they that common sense and public involvement will do so again if needed.

Bottom line: Building a prison in Trout Run was a bad idea twelve years ago; it’s an even worse idea today.

We Can No Longer Afford Fossil Fuels

What if we did exactly what climate scientists asked us to do: Reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and reduce our carbon emissions. What if?

Why should we reduce our coal consumption?

Right now over 50% of our the US electricity production is generated by coal. Coal is arguably one of the dirtiest fuels, causing environmental degradation, deforestation, water pollution, air pollution, and serious human health issues. Below are a few examples of the impacts of coal:

U.S. coal plants combined emit approximately two billion tons of CO2 into the air each year. [1]
Coal plants emit large amounts of mercury into the air and water. Scrubbers were installed to reduce this pollution by half. “Mercury affects the human brain, kidneys, liver and cardiovascular system. Since mercury impairs the development of the brain and nervous system, unborn and young children are particularly vulnerable to mercury toxicity.”[2]
“Mountaintop removal mines in Appalachia have demolished an estimated 1.4 million acres of forested hills, buried an estimated 2,000 miles of streams, poisoned drinking water, and wiped whole towns from the map.” [3]
Coal plants are also the leading source of sulfur dioxide. “Sulfer dioxide reacts with other compounds in the atmosphere to form small particles. These particles penetrate deeply into sensitive parts of the lungs and can cause or worsen respiratory disease, such as emphysema and bronchitis, and can aggravate existing heart disease, leading to increased hospital admissions and premature death.”[4]
Acid mine drainage is the overflow of acidic water from a mining site. “In the eastern U.S., more than 5,150 stream miles have been contaminated, causing the loss of aquatic life and restricting stream use for recreation, public drinking water and industrial water supplies.”[5]

Why should we reduce our oil/natural gas consumption?

The United States consumes over 6.5 billion barrels of oil each year or approximately 19 million barrels each day. [6] According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States imports approximately 11 million barrels a day. There are numerous impacts of oil and natural gas, including the following:

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, The oil and gas industry “is the largest industrial source of emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a group of chemicals that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone (smog). Exposure to ozone is linked to a wide range of health effects, including aggravated asthma, increased emergency room visits and hospital admissions, and premature death. EPA estimates VOC emission from the oil & natural gas industry at 2.2 million tons a year in 2008.”
The oil and natural gas industry also is a significant source of emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas that is more than 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide. Emissions of air toxics such as benzene, ethylbenzene, and n-hexane, also come from this industry. Air toxics are pollutants known, or suspected of causing cancer and other serious health effects.
Twenty-two percent (22%) of the U.S. oil imports came from the Persian Gulf. [7] The costs to protect our overseas oil interests in the volatile Middle East has resulted in multiple wars, occupations and institution of multiple military bases. What is the cost to U.S. taxpayers? A Princeton professor published a peer-reviewed study on the cost of just maintaing aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf from 1976 to 2007. These aircraft carriers patrol the gulf primarily to secure oil shipments. By examining Pentagon budget data, he determined a cost of $7.3 Trillion, over three decades. [8] This is part of the cost of securing overseas oil interests. This of course does not include the costs of the wars and established military bases in the Middle East.
The U.S. Mineral Management Service (now Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement) determined that 1,443 incidents occurred in the Outer Continental Shelf waters from 2001 – 2007. Of these incidents, 41 fatalities, 302 injuries, 476 fires, and 356 pollution events were reported. [9]
From 2000 – 2009, pipeline accidents accounted for 2,554 significant incidents, 161 fatalities, and 576 injuries in the United States. [10]

What if we invested in more solar and wind production?

The U.S. has the opportunity to recharge its manufacturing sector, eliminate its dependency on foreign fuels and significantly reduce carbon emissions, environmental degradation, and air and water pollution. The solar and wind industry are already employing Americans in a variety of work sectors including manufacturing, installation and service, sales, etc.

While the development or manufacturing of solar and wind technologies do have a carbon footprint, the energy produced through these renewable sources emits zero greenhouse gases, thus offsetting the carbon emissions from construction.

A 2003 fact sheet by the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory noted that a “100-by-100-mile area of Nevada could supply the United States with all of its electricity” and that much of this electricity could come from abandoned industrial sites.

Eight turbines constructed in a rural community in Iowa deliver 12.8 megawatts to local communities and rural utilities, enough juice to power 6,000 Iowa homes. [11]

According to a study conducted by the global investment bank, Lazard, “figures show that when the effects of subsidies that all energy industries receive are stripped away, wind power beats everything else, natural gas included.” In fact, subsidized rates show that wind energy ranges from $48-95 MWh; natural gas (in a combined-cycle plant that recycles waste heat)costs from $61-$89 MWh; coal is about $62 – 141 and natural gas ranges from $200-231. “When subsidies are factored in, the cost of wind energy dips as low as $26 per megawatt-hour. The only better deal than wind, according to Lazard, is not to use power at all: Energy efficiency costs from zero to $50 for every megawatt-hour saved.” [12]

What is the bottomline?

cleaner air and water
human lives saved
increased savings on healthcare and improved health for Americans, overall
increased energy independence and decreased expenditures for overseas defense of oil reserves
wildlife habitat protected/less likely to be disturbed
safer, more affordable energy
tax dollars saved
slow down of the impacts of climate change, including violent weather patterns and devastating floods and droughts that are requiring additional government aid
less demand for dangerous pipelines and other costly infrastructure
less chance of environmental disasters such as oil spills that add costs to taxpayers and consumers and put strain on our environment and wildlife
re-energized American economy

EndNotes

1 Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Coal and Climate Change Facts. Online at http://www.c2es.org/science-impacts/basics/fact-sheets/coal-facts.

2 New Mexico Department of Health. “Protect Yourself and Your Baby: Avoid Mercury”. Online. http://www.health.state.nm.us/eheb/documents/PregandMercury09.30.pdf

3 Sierra Club. “The Cost of Coal”. Online. http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/costofcoal/west-virginia/default.aspx

4 Environmental Protection Agency. “Sulfur Dioxide: Health”. Online. Coal plants are also the leading source of sulfur dioxide. http://www.epa.gov/oaqps001/sulfurdioxide/health.html

5 Environmental PRotection Agency. “Mining Operations as Nonpoint Source Pollution. Online. http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/nps/mining.html

6 U.S. Energy Information Administration. Online. http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=33&t=6

7 U.S. Energy Information Administration.”How dependent are we on foreign oil?” Online. http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/energy_in_brief/foreign_oil_dependence.cfm

8 Maass, Peter. “The Ministry of U.S. Defense”. Foreign Policy, August 2010. Online. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/08/05/the_ministry_of_oil_defense.

9 National Wildlife Federation. “Assault on America: A Decade of Petroleum Company Disaster, Pollution and Profit“, p. 3. 2010. Online. http://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Global-Warming/Reports/Assault-on-America-A-Decade-of-Petroleum-Company-Disaster.pdf

10 National Wildlife Federation, p. 3.

11 Welch, Stephen Austen. “Wind Rush: Anywhere it Blows“. Sierra Magazine, March/April 2013. Online. http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201303/wind-power-turbine-technology-clean-energy.aspx

12 Welch, Stephen Austen.

DCED Funds Distributed in Northumberland County in Last Twelve Years

Norry Noise submitted a right to know request to determine the amount of funding that has been distributed to entities in Northumberland County through the Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) from the years 2000-2012. This is simply the raw data and recipients include businesses, nonprofits, the county, fire companies and local municipalities.

Norry Noise is looking to submit additional queries to determine the effectiveness of this funding in Northumberland County…stay tuned.

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Bridy, Unbridled

County Commissioner Bridy proposed a resolution that would nullify any new federal gun laws in Northumberland County. So nice that he is so adamantly defending the 2nd amendment while being sued by county residents for allegedly violating their 1st amendment rights.

As a supporter of the 2nd amendment and married to a gun owner I want to know why the Commissioner would automatically oppose any debate on this topic. In particular, why would he oppose federally enforced, universal background checks. According to a recent poll, nine in ten gun owners support universal background checks. Basically these checks would ensure that guns do not wind up in the hands of felons and criminals. In addition, it will be strengthened, universal background checks that help keep guns out of the hands of those struggling with mental health issues.

There is no simple solution for gun violence. We cannot just take guns away from law-abiding citizens. The 2nd amendment guarantees this right and the Supreme Court has reinforced this right. However, there may be federal laws that can regulate the 2nd amendment to make our society safer. I support the language of the 1st amendment to have an open discussion about this important issue and I support the language of the 2nd Amendment that calls for a regulated approach.

Many argue that there are already thousands of gun laws on the books. And it is true. However, the problem with these laws is that there is no federal agency that has the capacity to enforce them. Republicans in Congress have rendered the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) useless by defunding the agency and refusing to appoint a full-time director. In addition, NRA-financed republicans have slipped amendments into unrelated laws that make it impossible for stronger laws to be enacted or enforced.

In a humorous attempt to illustrate the weakness of the ATF, Jon Stewart of the Daily Show aired an actual ATF video where ATF staff advise gun suppliers on how to handle inebriated customers. What is clearly absurd is that there is no law that prohibits the supplier from selling the gun to someone who is intoxicated. They may choose not to sell to that person but the federal government can not prohibit it. There are apparently no legal consequences to the gun distributor if he/she sells a gun to an intoxicated buyer.

There Goes the Boom – Daily Show with Jon Stewart

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The NRA argues that more guns offer the solution to our gun violence epidemic. Not surprising: the NRA is not an advocate for gun owners but an advocate for gun manufacturers. The manufacturing of more guns is exactly what gun manufacturers want. And the NRA’s ridiculous call for more guns in schools is not just a superfluous attempt to sell more guns but it is also an unfunded mandate – how is this a realistic solution for police departments and school districts that are already strapped.

It is a complicated issue that requires thought and leadership. Carelessly taking solutions off the table is dangerous and irresponsible. Moreover, we’re a nation, united and, as Americans, we abide by our nation’s laws. Gun violence is an issue that should be debated at the federal level since weapons can easily cross political and geographic boundaries.

Thankfully, Commissioner Bridy’s proposal to disregard federal gun laws in Northumberland County lacks legal standing. I’d suggest that the Commissioner focus on improving rights to county citizens that he can control. He can start with 1st amendment rights.

Pennsylvania’s Top Ten Takers

Where are your tax dollars going? Which corporations are receiving the most in Pennsylvania taxpayer-funded subsidies? Learn more about the impacts of these subsidies by reading Welfare State: Corporate Socialism.

10. Aquion Energy = $13 M

Aquion Energy is a Pittsburgh based company that manufactures sodium ion batteries and energy storage systems. Aquion will use state funding to renovate a Westmoreland County factory to site its manufacturing facility. The company claims 400 jobs will be created once it is in full production. Aquion also received a $5 M U.S. Department of Energy Grant.

Aquion joins a long list of failed manufacturers brought to the Westmoreland County plant over the last four decades, including Sony (received at least $40 M), Chrylser and Volkeswagen (received $100 M).

9. The Vanguard Group, Inc. = $15.5 Million

Vanguard is the world’s largest mutual fund company, with about $2 trillion invested in the U.S. in more than 170 index, active, and exchange-traded funds.

Vanguard received incentives through the state’s opportunity grant program and job creation tax credit totaling $15.5 M. It is unknown from these sources how many permanent jobs have been created.

9. How Do You Know Productions, Inc. = 15.8 Million

This was a 2010 film produced by Gracie Films, distributed by Columbia Pictures and filmed in Philadelphia.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the total production cost of the film was $120 M minus tax breaks both from Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. The combined salaries of the four major cast members and the director totaled $50 M. The film only grossed about a quarter of the total production costs.

8. Harley Davidson = $19.5 Million

Harley Davidson is an American motorcycle manufacturer which has a manufacturing plant in York County. As of 2009, the plant employed 3200 workers. The company has about $9.7 B in assets and recorded its revenue in 2011 as $5.3 B.

In 2000, Harley Davidson threatened to leave Pennsylvania and the Commonwealth provided the company with $4 M in tax credits. In addition, they received an additional $500 K under Governor Ridge for improvements to their museum and tourism facility.

In 2009, the company once again threatened to leave. Governor Rendell offered up to $25 M in tax credits. The company took advantage of up to $15 M in tax credits and remained in York. Their workforce went from approximately 3200 to about 1,000, as reported by the Wall Street Journal in 2012.

7. Nova Prime, Inc. = $20.5 Million

Pennsylvania native M. Night Shalalam’s latest film entitled After Earth received $20.5 M through Nova Prime, Inc., a California-based company. M. Night Shyamalan, according to a 2012 Watchdog.com article, received over $48 M in Pennsylvania film tax credits.

In 2012, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Shalalam lobbied then Governor Rendell and key members of the legislature to preserve the film tax credits which at the time were threatened due to a $3.2 B budget deficit. In 2009, the Patriot-News reported that Shalalam moved his $10 B film production of the 2010 film entitled Devil to Canada due to concerns that the state’s film tax credits would be eliminated.

6. Merk & Co., Inc. = 22.5 Million

Merck Sharp & Dohme, MSD (Merck & Co., Inc.) is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Total assets are reported as over $105 B and their 2011 revenues topped $48 B.

In 2011, Merck & Co., Inc. received $19.6 M through the Pennsylvania Research & Development Tax Credit Program and an additional credit of $2.9 M in 2009 and 2010.

This amount does not include the tax abatements and subsidies given to Cherokee Pharmaceuticals LLC, which for a short period of time owned and operated the Riverside, PA Merck Manufacturing Plant from 2008 to 2010. During this time, Cherokee received $6.9 M for Job Creation Tax Credit, Opportunity Grant Program and Job Creation Tax Credit. It is not known whether jobs were created under Cherokee’s ownership of the plant.

5. Delta Airlines = $30 Million

Delta is the second largest airline in the nation and had earned approximately $1.6 B in 2012. Delta’s subsidiary, Monroe Energy LLC, purchased the Trainer Refinery Complex south of Philadelphia for $150 M.

Delta’s subsidiary received $30 M in state assistance for job creation and infrastructure improvements. According to a Delta press release, “Jet fuel production is expected to begin during the third quarter, and changes to the plant infrastructure to increase jet fuel production would be complete by the end of the third quarter, resulting in expected 2012 fuel savings of more than $100 million.”

In 2012, Bizjournals.com reported that Delta would increase its fares, on average, by $10.

4. News Corp = $34.7 Million

News Corporation or News Corp is worth over $60 B and was founded by current CEO, Rupert Murdoch. News Corp’s U.S. holdings include Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and Twentieth Century Fox. The global conglomerate owns all or a portion of 75 newspapers, 33 magazines, 4 publishing companies, 21 film studios, over 100 television channels.

The corporation received $34.7 M, according to the New York Times: United States of Subsidies in film tax credits. According to the 2011 Report to the General Assembly on the Film Production Tax Credit Program, 20th Century Fox received $20.8 M for a 2010 film entitled Unstoppable, filmed in Pittsburgh an another $1.5 M for a Fox television series entitled Locke & Key.

3. Comcast Corporation = $45.6 Million

Comcast Corporation is the nation’s largest cable television and high-speed internet provider, with assets of over $160 B. Comcast holds a 51% controlling interest in NBC Universal.

According to the New York Times Corporate Subsides Database, Comcast has received taxpayer subsidies through the Opportunity Grant Program, Job Creation Tax Credit, Customized Job Training, Research and Development Tax Credit, and Infrastructure Development Program Grant.

According to a Bizjournals.com article, Comcast received $42.8 M in taxpayer funds in 2005, under then Governor Rendell, through the Commonwealth to construct a $435 M complex in Philadelphia. In 2008, according to the Subsidy Tracker, Comcast received an additional $3.6 M in Research & Development Tax Credits.

2. Paramount Pictures (Subsidiary of Viacom)= $63.5 Million

Paramount Pictures is a subsidiary of Viacom, a global mass media corporation, worth over $22 B. Viacom is the world’s 4th largest media conglomerate and in 2012, Viacom’s profits were $3.3 B.

Paramount received Pennsylvania 25% film tax credit, which is given to film companies that spend at least 60 percent of their total production budget in the Commonwealth.

The Center on Budget & Policy Priorities conducted a study entitled State Film Subsidies: Not Much Bang for Too Many Bucks and found that the subsidies: 1) were rewarding companies for something they would probably anyway; 2) are supporting the creation of good-paying jobs but just menial labor; and the economic impact generated by the film industry does not nearly cover the cost of the subsidies.

According to Subsidy Tracker, over $7 B has been divvied out in Film-related tax credits.

1. Royal Dutch Shell = $1.65 Billion

Royal Dutch Shell is the largest oil company in Europe and tops the list of Fortune Global Top 500 companies for the last two years. Shell’s 2012 profits totaled $27B.

Governor Corbett has offered a $1.65 B subsidies package (over a 25-year period) to Shell to build an ethane cracker plant in Western Pennsylvania. There are wide speculation on the numbers of jobs that will be created. Some will be permanent, some will be temporary, some will be indirectly created. 400-600 permanent jobs are expected to be created at the factory. A natural gas industry-funded report predicts up to 20,000 new jobs; however, according to a NPR’s Sate Impact Pennsylvania article, these number are much harder to estimate and track.

Sources: New York Times: United States of Subsidies; Subsidy Tracker

Notes: The New York Times data only includes state, county and local expenditures and does not take into account federal dollars directly allocated. The Subsidy Tracker data is based on data provided by PA state agencies as of September 2012.

This piece attempts to track monies processed through parent corporations and subsidiaries, based on the source data indicated and additional research; the author attempts to be as accurate as possible despite the lack of transparency in corporate governance of subsidiaries and the limitations of the source data.