268 Down, 262 To Go. More Than Half of the U.S. Coal Plants Billowing Poison Into the Atmosphere in 2010 Shuttered
For those of us with lungs, it really hasn’t been a bad eight years. Though it seems like it was eons ago, it was in 2010 that the U.S. had 530 operating coal-fired power plants. Now more than half of them have been retired or committed to retire.
Ironically, this has precious little to do with our environmental sensibilities; it has everything to do with competition from natural gas and renewables, combined with reductions in load due to efficiency solutions.
In any case, we’re on the right track; it’s best not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Craig,
Oh dear, the poor old Sierra Club still bleating impotently.
Coal fired power has faced in recent years a rationalization of ageing, inefficient small units into large power stations, competition from Natural Gas (ironically a resource vehemently opposed by the cranky old guys at the Sierra Club), and eights year of enduring President Obama’s War on Coal.
Yet despite all this, Coal has increased its share in the US power mix from 30% to close to 33-4%.
The recent revival of global coal sequestration, carbon recycling, and carbon by products (including fuel) from advanced clean(er) coal has led to a world wide revival in Coal investment.
Thanks to the personal involvement of President Trump clean(er) Coal technology has not only been kept in the US, but nations like the Peoples Republic of China, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, Brazil etc, have agreed to fund a research facility in Wyoming with links to major Universities world wide to advance clean(er ) coal technology.
A condition imposed on membership by President Trump will have great significance. All participating nations have agreed to incorporate or retro-fit any new technology to global coal fired power generation world wide as part of getting the technology free of licensing.
The potential benefit to the environment will be massive ! Currently Coal fired generation is over 40% of the world electricity and the 800 or so giant new coal fired power facilities under construction globally, will all benefit from this technology and from future developments.
The possibility of cutting emission by 80-90 % globally is a huge boon to the planets environment.
Which raises the question ? Why are you not celebrating the news of an important (probably the largest ) reduction in the planet’s harmful emission, instead of repeating old, inaccurate, negative items from the Sierra Club ?
The other Question that must be asked, is why as an environmentalist you can’t bring yourself to even become familiar with such an important environmental event ?
You remind me of a story related by Abraham Lincoln about a backwoods neighbour he encountered when young. The neighbour always replied stubbornly to any new proposal ” I don’t care how good your proposition, I’m agin’ it!”