Coal

Coal-fired power plants are one of our nation's largest—and dirtiest—sources of energy. Although these plants already produce about half of our electricity, there are plans on the drawing board to build over 150 new plants in the next few years. With new laws to fight global warming expected on the horizon, the coal industry is in a rush to build as many new plants as possible before pollution safeguards are in place. In an industry motivated by the bottom line, it's not surprising that 85% of this "new generation" of proposed plants would use the same old technology of your grandparent's era—the same technology that creates the global warming pollution.

In the midst of this rush to build, we owe it to ourselves and our children to slow down and consider the truth behind coal before we lock ourselves into a new generation of polluting plants that will be with us for the next 50 years. Coal-fired power plants are a leading cause of respiratory illness, and already account for over 40% of our nation's carbon dioxide emissions, the lead cause of global warming. We need to take time to expand our energy choices beyond the limited, unhealthy options of the past. The good news is there are readily available alternatives to coal that can to be used today to meet our energy needs and save us money, all while boosting the economy, creating jobs, improving public health, and combating global warming.

Nevada’s pristine air will be an obvious casualty if we build coal-fired power plants, but its environmental impacts will be felt far and wide and in ways unique to the desert landscape and both native and non-native plant and animal species.

Officials in neighboring Utah and Colorado are keeping a close eye on plans for the project, fearing pollution levels will increase over the Rocky Mountains and Southwest, where increased coal use is already being blamed for dirtier skies.

Emissions from coal plants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides contribute to the formation of acid rain and particulate matter, which produces a milky haze that blankets wide regions and is a serious public health problem. Fine particles are a mixture of a variety of different compounds and pollutants that originate primarily from combustion sources such as power plants. Among particles, fine particles are of gravest concern because they are so tiny that they can be inhaled deeply, thus evading the human lungs' natural defenses

The Environmental Protection Agency admits that fine particle pollution from power plants trigger hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks every year and contribute to tens of thousands of premature deaths from cardiac disease and lung cancer. New research estimates that as many as 30,000 people die prematurely each year because of exposure to fine particles from power plants, far exceeding the U.S. annual death toll caused by drunk driving (16,000) and homicides (17,000), commonly understood to be major public policy priorities.

Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of mercury pollution in the country. When coal is burned to generate electricity, mercury in the coal is released into the atmosphere. Eventually the mercury falls to the earth in the form of rain and snow, which enters streams, lakes, oceans and reservoirs, contaminating many of the fish we eat.

In children and infants, even small amounts of mercury can affect learning ability, language and motor skills. At elevated levels, it can cause permanent brain damage. In adults, mercury can damage the nervous, cardiovascular, immune and reproductive systems.

Letter to Michael Yackira from Scot Rutledge

Notes from Push Poll Call

Click here for a question and answer session about coal. Thanks to the Sierra Club and the Nevada Clean Energy Campaign for the information.

Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA) is a massive database containing information on the carbon emissions of over 50,000 power plants and 4,000 power companies worldwide. Power generation accounts for 40% of all carbon emissions in the United States and about one-quarter of global emissions. CARMA is the first global inventory of a major, emissions-producing sector of the economy. Visit their website at www.carma.org