A new ad for the coal industry features a humanoid chunk of coal jogging across America followed by a supportive, diverse and collectively smiling crowd of people. I thought I was watching one of those “Saturday Night Live” spoof commercials until I realized that it was Tuesday and I really was supposed to feel happy about coal. Another similar pro-coal ad ends with an animated image of two hands covering a piece of coal and then releasing a dove.
That’s right. New technology turns once dirty coal into birds that symbolize world peace. (Don’t stand underneath these doves, though; their jet black droppings might burn off your face).
The magic words are “clean coal,” used to describe a broad range of projects including local efforts to upgrade coal burning facilities and a proposed new experimental coal gasification plant in rural Itasca County. “Clean coal” is also used to describe another experimental technology: coal fuel. The New York Times reported on May 28 about efforts by the coal industry to sell new liquefied coal as an “alterative” energy source. Like ethanol, officials say, a modified coal diesel would help us declare independence from foreign oil. But critics point out that this coal fuel probably wouldn’t be any cleaner or cost-effective than oil. In fact, we haven’t even fully proven if ethanol is cheaper or better for the environment and that’s made from healthy heartland corn instead of little rocks as black as, well, coal.
It’s a war of public perception and both political parties are going along for the ride with the coal lobby. As long as we’re at it, I thought of a few new uses for coal as we phase it out of our energy generation:
1) To enhance the landscaping around the smokestacks of your new “shades of green” home.
2) Grounds for a gourmet coffee that tastes bad until you get used to it. Or die.
3) New branding as “old school” diamonds. (“Give her a necklace that says your heart has loved her since the dawn of time … or at least the late Jurassic period when a rotting dinosaur started to become the rock on this tennis bracelet”).
Naturally, I’m kidding here. I like to think I’m fairly pragmatic. Coal generated energy has an important role to play in our country’s near future. We can’t replace it overnight. Efforts to upgrade current coal burners, like what’s happening at Minnesota Power’s Clay Boswell plant are good first steps. But we should be very wary about building new coal burners of any kind. Whether the full effects of global climate change occur in 10 years or 150, the carbon emission decisions we make now are crucial. And the reasons are not entirely environmental. Regulatory changes and atmospheric necessity are putting added pressure on energy companies to reduce carbon. When it becomes financially beneficial to invest in the next generation of baseline energy producing technology, companies will do so – quickly and forcefully.
What we’re seeing is a stalling tactic. “Clean coal” is just a marketing campaign. Coal is carbon. You must release the carbon to extract the energy. You can burn it. You can gasify it. You can liquefy it. All of these processes are cleaner than they used to be, but they are not yet nor will they ever be “clean.” Wind, solar, hydroelectric, hydrogen and nuclear (once technology allows waste abatement) may all be legitimately called clean. These energy sources are the future. Standing in their way is the well funded machine of the coal and energy industries. I don’t blame them for trying, but it is what it is.
Coal had its day. Tomorrow is a new day. The fat cats know this; they’re just waiting to see if we’ll put up with the status quo for another generation. We shouldn’t.
Source : www.hibbingmn.com
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