Coal | Grist

smoke in the water

Coal ash contamination imperils July 4 festival goers in Tennessee 0
Posted 3 hours, 54 minutes ago
Big Coal Lobby Does Not Want You to See This Powerful New Film

Coal Country Film Premiere 0
Posted 13 hours, 48 minutes ago
Poverty Near The “High Hazard” Coal Ash Sites 0
Posted 1 day, 4 hours ago
time for former Vice President to visit Coal River Valley

Bo Webb to Al Gore: come to Ground Zero in climate battle 0
Posted 1 day, 6 hours ago
This is a guest post by Bo Webb, a Vietnam veteran and former businessman in the Coal River Valley, West Virginia, who has been one of the lead organizers in stopping mountaintop removal strip-mining. Webb received notice last week that mountaintop removal operations in Clay's Branch, directly above his home, will resume, despite regulatory violations noted by federal officials.
Breaching the dams

How fast can the US electric sector reform? 8
Posted 2 days, 4 hours ago
Is the electric sector capable of rapid, large scale reform? Many policies implicitly assume the answer to that question is No, especially when it comes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission control.

The result is a policy conversation that hinges on the assumption that it is hard to change. How much must we spend to accelerate new technology? How many decades should we allow for a phase-in of new regulations?

As it turns out, the industry can change -- and indeed, has changed -- at a much faster pace than you might think. Contrary to conventional wisdom, it turns out to be quick and fairly painless to replace meaningful fractions of our power fleet in very short time frames.
Wow, check out these liner notes

New soundtrack/website rocks the coalfield justice movement 0
Posted 2 days, 7 hours ago
This just might be the most powerful soundtrack and organizing tool for the coalfield justice and climate change movements today.
Who knew?

Screwing up environment not so great for economy, studies find 2
Posted 3 days, 3 hours ago
You know all those things we do that screw up the environment but are allegedly necessary for a vibrant economy? Recent studies paint a different picture ...
Maria Gunnoe Testimony at Senate Hearing on Mountaintop Removal

What About the Homeland Security of the Coalfield Residents? 1
Posted 3 days, 12 hours ago
Editor Jon Queally at Common Dreams has just posted the testimony of Goldman Prize winner Maria Gunnoe from last Thursday's historic Senate hearing on mountaintop removal. Below is the full text from Gunnoe, who is a community organizer with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition.
NASA’s James Hansen arrested in protest on mountaintop removal 0
Posted 4 days, 3 hours ago
Why is the Obama Administration Supporting Union-Busting Thugs?

VIDEO: Violent Massey attack on Goldman Prize winner Judy Bonds 2
Posted 6 days, 8 hours ago
Question of the week: Has any Obama administration or West Virginia state official publicly denounced the violence by the mountaintop removal operators this week?
Jailed for protesting coal 0
Posted 1 week, 1 day ago
My friend Michael Brune of the Rainforest Action Network gets jailed for protesting coal--his first-person account is worth a read.
From the Senate to the WV coalfields, a pivotal week for mountaintop removal 0
Posted 1 week, 1 day ago
This has been a historic and game-changing week in the fight to end mountaintop removal.
We All Live Downstream

Historic Senate hearings on Clean Water Protection Act today 1
Posted 1 week, 1 day ago
The first bipartisan Senate hearing on mountaintop removal in a generation takes place today, with expert testimony coming from Goldman Prize Award winner Maria Gunnoe of West Virginia, among many others on the impact of mountaintop removal strip mining on communities and watersheds, and the reality of dumping of mining waste into streams.
Obama’s environmental adviser talks coal and mountaintop mining 1
Posted 1 week, 1 day ago
If you could CEQ her now

Coal is here to stay, says Obama’s chief environmental adviser 2
Posted 1 week, 1 day ago
"Clearly coal is a part of our energy mix now and it's likely to be so in the future," says Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. In an exclusive interview, she also talks about economic stimulus, green jobs, and mountaintop-removal mining. Watch the video and read the highlights.
Letter from Europe

Britain coughs up a coal-powered climate policy 0
Posted 1 week, 2 days ago
"Give me clean coal," UK environmental minister Ed Miliband seems to be saying, "and I'll give you a climate policy."
Solar passes gas

RE less than G 8
Posted 1 week, 2 days ago
The next time someone tells you solar is too expensive, send them here (PDF).

It's a contract PG&E signed for a 230 MW solar photovoltaic project, delivering 592 GWh/year. That’s a lot. But the best part? Look at the chart on the bottom of page 3. It won't tell you the price exactly, but it’s below 13 cents/kWh—which is the proxy price for a combined cycle gas turbine.

Solar cheaper than the fossil fuel alternative.
Marsh Fork Mountaintop Removal Protest 0
Posted 1 week, 2 days ago
EPA chief on mountaintop mining, climate, and more 0
Posted 1 week, 2 days ago
Action Jackson

EPA chief Lisa Jackson on mountaintop removal, climate legislation, toxics, and more 3
Posted 1 week, 2 days ago
The EPA can't stop mountaintop-removal mining under current law, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson tells Grist. In an exclusive interview, she also talks about climate legislation, toxics, environmental justice, and what it's like to be part of Obama's "green Cabinet." Watch the video and read the highlights.