A NEW WORLD COMING AND IT WON’T BURN COAL

Think the idealism of the 1960s is gone forever? Maybe. Or maybe it has emerged as a clear-eyed, strong-willed commitment to make this a climate-stable New Energy world free of greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions, and let the peace, love and understanding follow in the wake of that.

The young and young-at-heart idealists today are rising up in defense of the air and water and wildlife threatened by pollution and global climate change.

Remember that guy in the 1970s movie who was mad as hell and determined not to take it anymore? That could be the motto of the world-wide movement that has declared war on coal.

Misplaced passion?

Former Vice President/Nobel Peace Prize laureate Al Gore doesn't think so.

Vice President Gore: "If you're a young person looking at the future of this planet and looking at what is being done right now, and not done, I believe we have reached the stage where it is time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not have carbon capture and sequestration..."

Not only does Gore believe the exigencies of fighting global climate change justify such action, he also believes building coal plants without carbon-capture-and-sequestration (CCS) technology is unlawful.

Gore: "I believe for a carbon company to spend money convincing the stock-buying public that the risk from the global climate crisis is not that great represents a form of stock fraud because they are misrepresenting a material fact...I hope these state attorney generals around the country will take some action on that."

A recent legal decision in England substantiated Gore's position.

From Cleared: Jury decides that threat of global warming justifies breaking the law: “The threat of global warming is so great that campaigners were justified in causing more than £35,000 worth of damage to a coal-fired power station, a jury decided yesterday. In a verdict that will have shocked ministers and energy companies the jury at Maidstone Crown Court cleared six Greenpeace activists of criminal damage…Jurors accepted defence arguments that the six had a "lawful excuse" to damage property at Kingsnorth power station in Kent to prevent even greater damage caused by climate change…”

The U.S. has 28 coal plants under construction and another 20 plants permitted for construction. The country may soon have more civil unrest as well.

Activists from Mountain Justice, Blue Ridge Earth First, Rising Tide, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Coal River Mountain Watch, Students for a Democratic Society and RAN successfully blockaded the construction site of Dominion's Wise County site September 15 demanding Renewable Jobs and Clean Energy for Appalachia. 11 people were arrested. From RANVideo via YouTube.

Utilities shrink the role of coal on global-warming worries
Paul Davidson, September 21, 2008 (USA Today)
and
Biden: ‘No coal plants here in America’
Ben Smith, September 22, 2008 (Politico)
and
Gore urges civil disobedience to stop coal plants
Michelle Nichols, September 24, 2008 (Reuters)

WHO
The coal industry; Utilities (Ex: Xcel Energy, Georgia Power, DTE Energy Services, Logansport Municipal Utilities, Minnesota Power); Bill Ritter, Governor, Colorado

WHAT
In what USA Today calls a “trend,” the power industry is turning away from coal as a power generation source and from the construction of new coal plants.



WHEN
- The trend at present only involves some utilities that are closing older, dirty plants and building New Energy installations.
- Example of the 28 Renewable Electricity Standards (RESs) in states around the country driving the “trend”: Colorado’s Governor Ritter wants his state to cut greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions 20% by 2020.
- Example of the 28 Renewable Electricity Standards (RESs) in states around the country driving the “trend”: Minnesota requires its utilities to obtain 25% of their power from New energy sources by 2025 and cut GhGs 30%.

WHERE
- Coal generates 48-to-49% of U.S. electricity.
- ~30 new coal plants are under construction in the U.S., the most in a generation.
- Coal has until recently been expected to play a big part of the U.S. energy future but the combination of emissions constraints due to global climate change and doubts about the possibility of developing cost-effective carbon-capture-and-sequestration (CCS) technology bring that expectation into question.
- Xcel Energy is the 5th biggest utility in the U.S.

WHY
- Because coal is the biggest source of GhGs and a cap-and-trade system is expected, U.S. utilities have begun looking for ways to reduce coal in their power generation mix.
- Ex: Colorado regulators approved Xcel Energy's closing of 2 small coal plants over the next 4 years. Xcel plans to add a solar power plant, wind installations and new natural-gas-fired plants to replace them.
- Ex: Georgia Power will convert a coal plant to biomass. DTE Energy Services will convert a coal plant to biomass next year. Logansport Municipal Utilities is studying a coal plant to biomass switch because of the rising cost of coal. Biomass has ~50% less energy than coal can be cost-efficient for utilities because of renewable energy credits sold to other utilities seeking to offset their GhGs.
- Ex: Minnesota Power is ending a coal contract with a North Dakota supplier and will build a wind farm in North Dakota to replace the coal power.

click to enlarge

QUOTES
- Glenn Unterberger, attorney/advisor to utilities on environmental issues: "[The trend] promises to grow [because of climate change concerns]…"
- Mark Stutz, spokesman, Xcel: "We are trying to help meet the [Colorado] governor's goal of reducing our CO2 footprint…"
- Bruce Nilles, Sierra Club: "[Because of global climate change] we're going to have to start turning over the fleet [of dirty power plants]…"
- Joe Biden, Democratic candidate, Vice-president: "I don't think there's much of a role for clean coal in energy independence, but I do think there's a significant role for clean coal in the bigger picture of climate change…Clean-coal technology is not the route to go in the United States, because we have other, cleaner alternatives…[America should push for a] fundamental change in technology [in China]…"
- John McCain, Republican candidate, President: "…One important way that we are going to create jobs [in Ohio] is with the development of additional nuclear plants and through investments in clean coal technology…"