Carrie La Seur’s Posts

• The Merchant of Menace

  How "merchant coal" is changing the face of America 2

  Posted 3 years, 3 months ago

   
  From his rolling green soybean fields above a slow river in eastern Iowa, Don Shatzer looks out over the farm where he was raised, across land he and his neighbors have farmed all their lives. Below him are the garden beds where his wife Linda grows organic vegetables to safeguard the family's health, and the farm pond and beach he built for the grandkids. A few miles to the west lies the city of Waterloo, with a population of about 66,000. The sky is clear and the southwest wind sweet on a humid summer day.

  Shatzer's land is some… Read More

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  transmission

  There's another very important reason why the push for major new transmission is problematic: there's absolutely no guarantee that the new or expanded power lines will be used for renewable energy.  The regions that most want increased transmission are the biggest coal producers in the country.  Utilities are already talking up the need for "load following" (i.e. fossil fuel) generation to "back up" renewables on these new power lines.  Never mind that there are other ways to do this.  The coal industry never sleeps, and it's very much present in the transmission development process. The map that shows all that big wind coming out of the Dakotas?  Well, the wind power doesn't exist.  What you'll actually find are the dirtiest coal plants in the country and a lot of people working on building more.On There are two ways of improving the electrical grid, each with its own politics and challenges posted 9 months ago 4 Responses