December 9, 200915 yr ^No, I wouldn't be ok with that, but that's not the case right now! Power companies have taken huge strides to curb mercury emissions and our waterways are much cleaner now than they were 30 or 40 years ago. We're going in the right direction! The answer is not to stop using coal as a power source. Over 60% of the mercury measured in the US comes from sources outside the US anyway (http://www.mercuryanswers.org/plants.htm). So, as my Father always told me, you can only control what you can control. That's the problem with a lot of environmentalists. They start out doing great things and affecting change for the better. But once initial goals are met they just keep pushing. Now that we've reduced toxic emissions from coal power plants many environmentalists want to dump coal entirely as a power source. Get real. We should all work together to make the world a better place, but the goals need to be realistic and achievable.
December 9, 200915 yr Yeah, "attack the messenger". Truly weak I do not believe anyone was "attacking the messenger" here.
December 10, 200915 yr I am all for moving away from coal as a dirty source of energy, but it bothers me when people quote Kennedy as though he's some great environmentalist. The guy is one of the biggest environmental hypocrites of our time. If anything he is hurting the cause more than helping. Let's stick with the facts of "Coal and its effects" and avoid soundbites from corrupt politicians. "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." - Warren Buffett
December 10, 200915 yr ^No, I wouldn't be ok with that, but that's not the case right now! Power companies have taken huge strides to curb mercury emissions and our waterways are much cleaner now than they were 30 or 40 years ago. We're going in the right direction! (http://www.mercuryanswers.org/plants.htm). No, they have not. The only mercury removal is incidental treatment on plants that have scrubbers. Only about three of Ohio's coal fired power plants have scrubbers. Ohio utilities dealt with the acid-rain regulation by buying low sulphur coal: they did not clean up the pollution with scrubbers. We should all work together to make the world a better place, but the goals need to be realistic and achievable. How many children with autism would be a "realistic" accomodation for the utilities to be able to continue with "business as usual"?
December 10, 200915 yr More than three in Ohio. AEP/Duke Energy has retrofitted all of the power plants along the Ohio River, at least between Cheshire to Cincinnati, with scrubbers that A power plant produces: Sulfur dioxide (SOx): Acid rain Nitrogen oxide (NOx): Smog Carbon dioxide (CO2) Small particulates: Currently unregulated if it is under 10 microns, but this may change Hydrocarbons: Smog Carbon monoxide (CO) Ash and sludge from the scrubber. This is converted into gypsum, which is marketed as drywall or placed into a landfill Arsenic, lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals. This has caused most inland lakes to feature restrictions on fish consumption -- for instance, Summersville Lake in W.Va. People wondered how arsenic and lead got into the lake... well, this is how. And, uranium.
December 10, 200915 yr Coal executive not registered as lobbyist By John Cheves, Herald-Leader, December 9, 2009 FRANKFORT — An Alliance Coal executive connected to a state firing controversy has called, written and met with political appointees of Gov. Steve Beshear's administration on coal-related issues for at least the past year without registering as a lobbyist. Raymond "Rusty" Ashcraft has made suggestions to aides in Beshear's office and at the Energy and Environment Cabinet about policy on mountaintop-removal mining, blasting, slurry ponds, state budgeting for mine regulators, federal mining funds and other issues, according to records obtained by the Herald-Leader.
December 10, 200915 yr We should all work together to make the world a better place, but the goals need to be realistic and achievable. How many children with autism would be a "realistic" accomodation for the utilities to be able to continue with "business as usual"? Do you have any data to back up your assertion that mercury emissions from power plants are increasing the rate of autism in children? Please post if you do. I'd be interested in reading that. I'll ask you directly, what do you want the electric companies to do? They went to low sulfur coal and installed scrubbers on many of their power plants. What could they do that would make coal a viable energy source in your eyes?
December 10, 200915 yr EPA Administrator Carol Browner issued regulations for MACT/Maximum Acheivable Control Technology to reduce mercury emissons TO 10% of what they had been. Bush's EPA recinded that and made the regulation 30%. 30% is what the coal companies would have achieved when they installed scrubbers and other contemporary control systems. So, the bushies gave the coal companies a pass and that they could spend nothing. where do you think mercury in the environment comes from if not from power plants? How can having three times as much in the environment ever be a good thing? That is why the EPA issued the MACT regulation. edit:TO not by
December 12, 200915 yr Report details extent of surface mining in Eastern Kentucky By Bill Estep, Herald-Leader, December 11, 2009 Coal companies got approval to fill hundreds of hollows in Eastern Kentucky during the last decade, according to a new federal report. Such fills, called hollow or valley fills, are controversial because they often bury stream areas.
December 12, 200915 yr EPA Administrator Carol Browner issued regulations for MACT/Maximum Acheivable Control Technology to reduce mercury emissons by 10% of what they had been. Bush's EPA recinded that and made the regulation 30%. 30% is what the coal companies would have achieved when they installed scrubbers and other contemporary control systems. So, the bushies gave the coal companies a pass and that they could spend nothing. where do you think mercury in the environment comes from if not from power plants? How can having three times as much in the environment ever be a good thing? That is why the EPA issued the MACT regulation. So the EPA wanted to reduce mercury emissions by 10% and Bush told them to reduce it by 30%? I don't understand that part of your post. I think you mixed something up. Please clarify. Regardless of what your clarification is I'm sure my response would be the same anyway, so I'll go for it. There is still a cost/benefit analysis that needs to take place before any regulation takes effect. What is the quantifiable effect of reducing mercury emissions by 10% and how much will it cost? You can't cause undo stress onto communities through greatly higher electricity bills if the benefit isn't there. If it's really worth it then Obama will get the EPA to reinstate the mandate. Mercury in the environment occurs naturally and also comes from coal power plants. I never denied that. I stated in an earlier post that 60% of the extra mercury in the environment comes from other countries. The point is that we can only control our power plants and even if we catch all mercury emissions there is still that 60% that will get into our rivers and streams.
December 12, 200915 yr Yes, I meant to say "to" 10% of what they had been So, Bush/Cheney would allow three times the amount of mercury to be emitted. Report details extent of surface mining in Eastern Kentucky Coal companies got approval to fill hundreds of hollows in Eastern Kentucky during the last decade, according to a new federal report. Such fills, called hollow or valley fills, are controversial because they often bury stream areas. This countryside will become ugly wastelands of rubble in perpetuity. The land will never support a farm or a forest. Meanwhile, the profits flow back to some corporate owner in Cleveland who will bequeath million dollar trust funds to his foul offspring.
December 12, 200915 yr Yes, I meant to say "to" 10% of what they had been So, Bush/Cheney would allow three times the amount of mercury to be emitted. Thanks for clarifying. My point was that 3 times something very little is still very little. Obviously the Bush administration felt that the added cost to the consumers to implement these further reductions was not worth the cost. If the Obama administration disagrees then it will be changed.
December 13, 200915 yr CoalSwarm releases “CLIMATE HOPE: On the Front Lines of the Fight Against Coal” In the spring of 2007, after Energy Department analyst Erik Shuster circulated a document revealing that 151 new coal-fired power plants were slated for construction, climate scientists sounded the alarm. Coal is the most carbon-intensive and plentiful of the fossil fuels, with reserves that dwarf those of oil and gas. If these facilities was built, there would be little chance of preventing greenhouse gases from reaching truly dangerous levels. In response to the crisis, hundreds of grassroots groups mounted an intense mobilization to block the proposals, and by late 2009 at least 110 proposed coal plants had been stopped. CoalSwarm's first book, Climate Hope: On the Front Lines of the Fight Against Coal, by Ted Nace, reveals the organizing methods and political tactics that enabled underdog activists in state after state to take on and defeat Big Coal, one of the most politically dominant industries in America. Here are some of the activists, scientists, and political leaders profiled in Climate Hope: Climatologists James Hansen and Pushker Kharecha, whose calculations identified a moratorium on new coal plants and a phase-out of existing ones as the key measure capable of staunching climate chaos. Judy Bonds, Bo Webb, Larry Gibson, and hundreds of other Appalachian activists who took a stand against mountaintop removal mining, risking violence and other forms of intimidation. Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius, who put her career on the line by repeatedly vetoing the Sunflower coal plant. Organizer Ted Glick, whose Washington, D.C., hunger strike and Vietnam-era organizing skills inspired and instructed a new generation of activists. Hannah Morgan, Kate Rooth, and scores of other direct action protesters who blockaded mines and coal plants, despite repeated police use of pepper spray, tasers, and pain compliance holds. Navajo activist Elouise Brown, whose impromptu blockade in subzero weather turned the tide against billionaire Steve Schwarzmann's Desert Rock power plant. Attorney Bruce Nilles, who forged the Sierra Club's pioneering campaign against coal while most other national environmental groups sat on their hands. Organizers Dana Kuhnline and Sierra Murdoch, whose Power Past Coal campaign sparked over three hundred grassroots protests. Climate Hope was released on December 7 (ISBN 978-0615314389, 288 pages, $15 paperback, $10 Kindle and other ebook formats). The book is available from Amazon and other outlets, but non-profit groups are entitled to substantial discounts if they purchase directly from CoalSwarm. We're eager to get get this book into the hands of as many activists and groups as possible. To receive a complimentary copy, email [email protected]. There’s more at the CoalSwarm wiki See: http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001FWOIEyOKRSKEf_ZjBbBsY_ScU0CK3x67AIVFFKCQ4gIk86MPndkTcnknKXPTa4agB568cSgyTTMmoYiLRytCwdyfWVA0XWZUYsKBYny763ex6-1avEdDVvK5s4qY7Tu2tuWmFHUzmis%3D
December 16, 200915 yr Fired mining regulator’s personnel file contained no complaints By John Cheves, Bluegrass Politics, December 15, 2009 Gov. Steve Beshear’s administration recorded no complaints about the performance of Ron Mills, director of the state Division of Mine Permits, until it fired him without explanation last month, according to a review of Mills’ personnel file and internal state correspondence. “This action is being taken without a determination of cause,” the Energy and Environment Cabinet told Mills in the Nov. 13 letter dismissing him after 16 months in his appointed post.
December 17, 200915 yr Lone family populates 'ghost town' By Jessica M. Karmasek, Daily Mail, December 14, 2009 TWILIGHT, W.Va. -- Lawrence Richmond has taken chances all of his life. As a soldier in World War II and an underground coal miner for almost 30 years, Richmond, 85, said he doesn't mind being the last to stay in the area once known as Lindytown in Boone County.
December 18, 200915 yr Brownsville, PA and Olive Hill, Kentucky packed up and moved to Niles when the GM Lordstown Plant opened in 1966. Cannot depend on a mine to sustain a community.
December 23, 200915 yr TVA coal ash spill has hundreds suing for damages By Bill Poovey, AP, December 22, 2009 CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Hundreds of people sued the Tennessee Valley Authority for damages before a one-year deadline to file personal injury claims related to the utility's huge coal ash spill at Kingston. Court clerks said 20 more federal lawsuits were filed in Knoxville on the final day before the Monday deadline, most of them seeking damages for multiple plaintiffs. TVA has filed motions that contend the nation's largest public utility was providing a government service and is immune from such damage claims.
January 8, 201015 yr Study: Mountaintop-removal mining has too many ill effects By Tom Hamburger, Tribune Washington Bureau, January 7, 2010 WASHINGTON -- A scientific study released Thursday says mountaintop-removal coal mining - the practice of blowing up mountain peaks to get access to coal seams below - should be halted immediately because of evidence of environmental and public health effects. The unusually strongly worded report in the journal Science presents a new and difficult challenge to the Obama administration, which has upset environmentalists by continuing to approve such permits but has vowed to rely on scientific expertise as it rules on whether to grant permits for the controversial practice. -- After review of mountaintop mining, scientists urge ending it By Renee Schoof, McClatchy Newspapers, January 7, 2010 WASHINGTON -- Scientific evidence that mountaintop-removal coal mining destroys streams and threatens human health is so strong the government should stop granting new permits for it, a group of 12 environmental scientists report in Friday's issue of the journal Science. The consequences of this mining in eastern Kentucky, West Virginia and southwestern Virginia are "pervasive and irreversible," the article finds. Companies are required by law to take steps to reduce the damages, but their efforts don't compensate for lost streams nor do they prevent lasting water pollution, it says. -- EPA proposes nation's strictest smog levels ever By Jim Tankersley, Tribune Washington Bureau, January 7, 2010 WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency proposed the nation's strictest-ever smog limits Thursday, a move that could put large parts of the country in violation of federal air quality regulations. The EPA proposed reducing ground-level ozone concentration measured over an eight-hour period from 75 parts per billion to somewhere between 60 and 70, to be decided after public hearings next month. The 75-ppb standard was adopted under President George W. Bush in 2008.
January 10, 201015 yr State signs off on new rules to regulate streams buried by surface mining By Bill Estep, Herald-Leader, January 8, 2009 Far fewer stream areas in Eastern Kentucky would be buried by surface mining under new guidelines the state has adopted. Under the guidelines, coal companies would put more excess rock and dirt back on the mined area rather than putting it in nearby hollows, which covers up stream areas.
January 11, 201015 yr Coal tax breaks cost state more than $111 million a year By John Cheves, Herald Leader, January 10, 2010 FRANKFORT — This winter, before the General Assembly decides how much further it may have to cut education, social services and public safety to balance the budget, more than $111 million is already off the table. That's the estimated annual total for tax breaks devoted to the coal industry. The next year, regardless of Kentucky's fiscal health, it's set to rise to almost $114 million, or as much as Kentucky spends on its Department of Juvenile Justice.
January 11, 201015 yr Under the guidelines, coal companies would put more excess rock and dirt back on the mined area rather than putting it in nearby hollows, which covers up stream areas. That is good news.
January 11, 201015 yr Yeah, but it is vague at best and you know they will fight that or continue dumping "a little less."
January 12, 201015 yr I just clicked on this thread thinking it was titled "Cocaine and its effects".
April 8, 201015 yr EPA study confirms damage from strip mining By Ken Ward Jr., Charleston Gazette, April 3, 2010 CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Federal government scientists say a "growing body of evidence" shows that mountaintop removal coal mining is destroying Appalachian forests and dangerously polluting vital headwater streams. In a new report, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency outlines the results of dozens of scientific papers published over the last decade about the controversial mining practice.
April 16, 201015 yr East Ky. Power delays coal plant By Scott Sloan, Herald-Leader, April 16, 2010 East Kentucky Power Cooperative is backing away, at least for a while, from its long-sought plans to build a new coal-fired power plant in Clark County. The cooperative filed a request with the state Public Service Commission on Thursday asking that the panel allow it to withdraw its request for commission approval of up to $900 million in private financing. While East Kentucky Power would have obtained the debt from banks and other lenders, such action requires the approval of the three-person commission, which regulates utilities in Kentucky.
May 18, 201015 yr New report says little strip-mined land is used for economic development By Andy Mead, Herald-Leader, May 17, 2010 Kentucky has more surface-mined land than other Appalachian states, and more mountains that have been lowered by mountaintop removal mining, according to new research released Monday. The research also found that very little of that flatter land is put to "beneficial" use. The research was conducted by Appalachian Voices and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
May 21, 201015 yr Black Mountain area designated as endangered, historic By Bill Estep, Herald-Leader, May 20, 2010 The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in America for 2010: • America's State Parks and State-Owned Historic Sites • Black Mountain, Harlan County • Hinchliffe Stadium, Paterson, N.J. • Industrial Arts Building, Lincoln, Neb. • Juana Briones House, Palo Alto, Calif. • Merritt Parkway, Fairfield County, Conn. • Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, Washington, D.C. • Pågat, Yigo, Guam • Saugatuck Dunes, Saugatuck, Mich. • Threefoot Building, Meridian, Miss. • Wilderness Battlefield, Orange and Spotsylvania Counties, Va. Source: National Trust For Historic Preservation Historic preservation has crept into the controversy over mountaintop mining in Eastern Kentucky. The National Trust for Historic Preservation included Black Mountain, in Harlan County, on its annual list of the most endangered historic places in the U.S. and territories. The trust released the list this week, designating 10 places and an 11th notation for state parks nationwide.
June 15, 201014 yr TVA hit with $11.5 million penalty for ash spill Associated Press, June 14, 2010 CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Valley Authority has been hit with civil penalties totaling $11.5 million for the December 2008 coal ash spill at the utility's Kingston plant. Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation officials announced the penalty Monday, saying it is for violations of the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act and the Tennessee Solid Waste Disposal Act.
June 23, 201014 yr This is how it works, sadly. You complain about safety conditions, you lose your job. You are essentially blacklisted and can't get hired anywhere remotely close. You lose any benefits you may have accrued... MSHA: Massey ordered to rehire W.Va. coal miner AP/Charleston Daily Mail, June 17, 2010 CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- An administrative law judge has ordered coal producer Massey Energy to rehire a miner who claims he was fired illegally for complaining about dangerous working conditions, federal officials said Thursday. Ricky Lee Campbell gets his job back at one of Massey's West Virginia mines until his case is resolved, the Mine Safety and Health Administration said. "No miner should have to risk his life for his job," MSHA director Joe Main said in a prepared statement. "The law is clear in its protections toward miners whose actions may lead to retaliation." -- And more good news in the quest to stop mountaintop removal mining. Expedited mine permitting suspended in Appalachia By Tim Huber, AP/Daily Independent, June 17, 2010 CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers suspended an expedited process for obtaining surface mining permits across much of the nation's eastern coalfields Thursday. The decision is the latest step by the Obama administration to curb mountaintop removal coal mining. Environmental groups contend the practice of blasting away mountaintops to expose multiple coal seams causes too much damage and want it banned. New surface coal mines in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia will no longer be able to use the expedited process to obtain permits to bury streams with excess waste, the corps said.
April 8, 20178 yr Gotta love it.... Kentucky Coal Museum installs solar panels to save on electricity bills http://nbc4i.com/2017/04/06/kentucky-coal-museum-installs-solar-panels-to-save-on-electricity-bills/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 7, 20195 yr Coal producer Murray Energy files for bankruptcy Murray Energy, based in St. Clairsville in eastern Ohio and one of the nation’s biggest coal miners, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Columbus (on Tuesday, October 29). ... Robert Murray, the company’s 79-year-old founder, is relinquishing the CEO job to Robert D. Moore, the company’s chief operating officer who also is president and CEO of coal producer Foresight Energy, a company over which Murray Energy has a controlling interest. Foresight is not part of the bankruptcy. Murray is expected to remain as Murray Energy’s board chairman. The company is seeking to restructure $2.7 billion in debt. It also says it has more than $8 billion in actual or potential legacy liabilities including pensions. ... Bankruptcy documents blame the company’s struggles on the same thing that has led to the bankruptcy of more than 40 coal companies since 2008: the closing of coal-fired power plants, record production of inexpensive natural gas and the growth of wind and solar energy that, coupled with gas, are displacing coal plants. ... In 2007, coal was used to produce half of the nation’s electricity. Today, it is about 25% and forecast to go to 22% in 2020, according to the Energy Information Administration. Murray Energy was the fifth-biggest coal producer in the U.S. in 2018, according to federal data that shows the company mined nearly 50 million tons of coal, or 6.1% of the nation’s output. The bankruptcy documents show the company has about 5,500 employees and operates 13 mines in six states and the South American country of Colombia. Murray Energy, which began in 1988 with a single mine in Belmont County, once operated multiple mines in eastern Ohio, but only one remains — the Century Mine near Beallsville in Monroe County. MORE: https://www.thisweeknews.com/business/20191029/coal-producer-murray-energy-files-for-bankruptcy More from Columbus Business First about Murray Energy Holdings Co. and its 96 affiliates(!) Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/11/07/the-week-in-bankruptcies-murray-energy-holdings-co.html
November 7, 20195 yr https://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20191103/what-will-happen-to-murray-energys-coal-mines-if-company-goes-out-business The Dispatch asks "What will happen to Murray Energy’s coal mines if the company goes out business?" The answer is . . . nothing good: Quote Murray Energy, which has filed for bankruptcy protection, has 13 mining permits in Ohio. As Murray Energy bankruptcy proceedings continue, state officials are trying to figure out what to do with its Ohio mining permits if the company walks away from them before they’re reclaimed. The St. Clairsville-based coal company is the largest permit-holder for coal mining in Ohio. An actuarial report on the state’s coal reclamation fund issued in June estimates that it would take more than $202 million to clean up all of the Murray mining sites. That would be a problem. The state’s fund to cover the costs of reclaiming coal mining sites that companies abandon contains about $21 million. That means taxpayers could be asked to make up the difference.
November 7, 20195 yr Which led to this Dispatch editorial about the Murray Energy bankruptcy and its potential impact to Ohio: https://www.thisweeknews.com/opinion/20191106/editorial-murray-bankruptcy-exposes-folly-of-ohios-energy-policy Quote A perfectly predictable disaster is a step closer to happening in Ohio, and if it does we’ll have decades of bad Statehouse policy to thank. The precarious financial position of Murray Energy Corp. means Ohio could find out, sooner rather than later, what happens when a giant coal company goes bankrupt and forfeits its abandoned mine sites without reclaiming the land. Likely it won’t be pretty. For decades, Ohio hasn’t asked enough of coal companies. Rather than require them to secure bonds to cover whatever the cleanup cost might be, the state has allowed them to pay $2,500 per acre mined plus 14 cents per ton to support a reclamation fund — to pay for reclamation if owners abandon or forfeit mines. It’s not enough, and that’s typical of Ohio’s tendency to favor private interests over the public. Now, with the steady decline of the coal industry, it could lead to a crisis.
April 28, 20223 yr The Zimmer Power Plant near Moscow will be closing this year, ahead of the previously announced timeline that it would be closed "by the end of 2027". The Miami Fort Power Plant in North Bend is also scheduled to be closed by the end of 2027. So out of the three coal plants nearest to Cincinnati, the two largest will be shut down in just a few years. This is likely to have a measurable impact on Greater Cincinnati's air quality and the health of its citizens.
April 29, 20223 yr This is unrelated to the power plant closing but my one professor this semester wrote a book about coal and it's effects. Might be of interest to the people following this thread. https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/11328/coal-and-empire
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