Clean Coal: is it the answer to foreign fuel dependency, or yet another gigantic delusion leading to further land and life destruction in an ongoing tirade of political agenda?  Either side you take, “clean coal” is a hot topic.

We need off to ween ourselves from the drying teat providing us with oil.  Several months ago when prices of gas where $5 a gallon, Americans desperately yearned to end our addiction to oil.  A little complacency set in with gas once again hitting $2 or less a gallon, but prices will inevitably rise again, and soon.  So until we have fantastic solar-powered cars of the future, and our homes are heated in renewably-resourced ways, what are the answers in the interim?

During election season, “clean coal” was a major buzzword among democrats arguing its superiority against domestic offshore oil drilling.  And I bought it.  Again, until solar, wind, hydrogen, etc. are more accessible and affordable, we must look for answers in the interim.  Those answers may not be perfect, but if they are progress away from the current standards and toward those “loftier” alternative energies, I say cheers!  And if Obama and team say coal can be made a cleaner resource, I’m sure it can be, right?

A while back, The Washington Post wrote regarding the dirty and deadly truth on “clean coal”.a  The article focuses on mining and what it does to the workers and communities involved, including the Appalachian communities that have

“become the poster child for strip mining’s worst depravations, which come in the form of mountaintop removal. An estimated 750,000 to 1 million acres of hardwood forests, a thousand miles of waterways and more than 470 mountains and their surrounding communities — an area the size of Delaware – have been erased from the southeastern mountain range in the last two decades. Thousands of tons of explosives — the equivalent of several Hiroshima atomic bombs — are set off in Appalachian communities every year. ”.  

Green Pepper’s piece on Give Coal the Boot! campaign a gave insights into activism against the ideas of “clean coal”.  The Good Human also recently posted a MUST-SEE video dispelling the myths of clean coal.  

But the government seems so intent that coal can be clean energy… what’s with the polar views of this energy?

Unfortunately, in December, a coal ash spill in Kingston, Tennessee revived the argument with evidence that coal is not clean.  In fact, the situation has only worsened as a second coal pond has erupted in Alabama, and due to a lack of regulations regarding coal ash ponds, states like North Carolina can soon expect to face such tragedies too.  According to an AP story, 

Without federal guidelines, regulations of the ash ponds vary by state. Most lack liners and have no monitors to ensure that ash and its contents don’t seep into underground aquifers…  

Despite improvements in state programs, many states have little regulation other than requiring permits for discharging into waterways — as required by the federal Clean Water Act.

In North Carolina, where 14 power plants disposed of 1.3 million tons in ponds in 2005, state officials do not require operators to line their ponds or monitor groundwater, safety measures that help protect water supplies from contamination.

Similar safety measures are not required in Kentucky, Alabama, and Indiana.

And while other states like Ohio have regulations to protect groundwater, those often don’t apply to many of the older dumps built before the state rules were imposed.

Dorothy Griffith of Banner Elk, NC provided aerial views of the TN disaster, appearing on Freakonomics.

Residents in Tennessee are now facing illnesses and potential long-term health consequences for this tragedy, and immediate testing of metals in their bodies is vital.  And the Tennessee Valley Authority, whom should be paying for these $700 per person tests, naturally, like Exxon, will do what they can to minimize their costs, deny impact, and cover their own tails.  

TVA Coal is Killing Tennessee is a blog covering the TVA dirty coal and spill disaster, as well as working with the United Mountain Defense to raise funds to help victims of the spill.  Their coverage is EXCELLENT and where you need to head for all the information you could need.  

The true tragedy to this is that it was all avoidable, we won’t know the long-term devastation to these communities and the land for potentially decades to come, and more of these spills are inevitable despite them being avoidable as well.

So, besides the question of how are we going to clean up this mess and stop future disasters from happening, the next big question is:

When will we stop kidding ourselves that coal can be a clean and safe solution?

Yes, now I understand why “clean” coal is a myth… and hopefully other previous supporters do too.

2009 is the year of change,

Ashley Sue

This entry was posted on Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 5:26 pm and is filed under *ELECTION 08, NC, creatures, define "green"?, energy, fuel, health, influences, terminology, transportation, water. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.