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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Life after coal
We can't wait for new nukes, so what do we do now? |
Joseph Romm |
09 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Suppose the leaders of this country were wise enough to put a moratorium on traditional coal (the most urgent climate policy needed, as discussed here)? How will we meet our steadily growing demand for carbon-free power over the next decade? And to get on the 450 ppm path, we don't just need to stop U.S. emissions from rising -- we should return to 1990 levels (or lower) by 2020. Nuclear Nuclear is an obvious possibility, beloved of conservative Francophiles like McC ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, energy efficiency, nuclear power, renewable energy, wind power (all these topics) |
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Notable quotable
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David Roberts |
08 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| 'Are there negatives associated? Sure. But 50,000 people die per year in our highway system, and you don't think about that when you get into your car. And you shouldn't.' -- Fred Palmer, senior vice president for governmental affairs at Peabody Energy (formerly Peabody Coal), responding to a question about air and water pollution from coal |
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| Topics: air pollution, coal, energy, quotables, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Coal moratorium now!
Preventing dirty coal plants is the most urgent climate policy |
Joseph Romm |
07 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A livable climate can (probably) survive the burning of almost all of the world's conventional oil and gas -- but not if we also burn even half the coal (see here [PDF] and figure below). So the top priority for any climate policy must be to stop the building of traditional coal plants -- which is why that has become the top priority of NASA's James Hansen (see here). The next priority is to replace existing coal plants with carbon-free power, which could include c ... |
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| Topics: carbon sequestration, carbon trading, climate, climate science, coal, energy (all these topics) |
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This One's for Mom Earth
Sierra Club will sue over new coal plants |
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07 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:11 AM on 07 May 2008 The Sierra Club is planning lawsuits to halt construction of coal plants in seven states, arguing that the mercury-spewing plants violate the Clean Air Act. Noting that a federal appeals court ruled in February that the Bush administration's mercury regulations were too lax, the green group seeks to require the coal plants to get new state permits meeting tougher emissions standards. "We wan ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, litigation, mercury, news, Sierra Club (all these topics) |
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In their humble overestimation ...
IPCC likely too optimistic about recoverable coal |
Andrew Dessler |
06 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Anyone interested in the climate should watch this talk by Professor David Rutledge from Caltech. He makes the argument that there are a lot less recoverable fossil fuels than assumed by just about everyone, including the IPCC emissions scenarios. His conclusion is that even if we burn all the fossil fuels on the planet, atmospheric carbon dioxide will not exceed 500 ppm. Is he right? Perhaps, although his analysis considers only conventional fossil fuels and does ... |
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| Topics: climate science, coal, energy, fossil fuels, IPCC (all these topics) |
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Monday links
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David Roberts |
05 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| As promised, here's yet another bunch of links for your leisurely perusal: Fortune writer Adam Lashinsky has a great round-up from the Brainstorm Green conference. My only beef is with this, about Lomborg: Even if you believe that global warming is an abject crisis, I simply reject the argument that it's a bad idea to test your beliefs by listening to someone who disagrees or who is proposing a different solution. Well ... of course. The question is whether, af ... |
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| Topics: climate change skepticism, coal, energy, John Dingell, politics (all these topics) |
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Minnesota to Bill Gates: No new coal!
Legislators protest Gates family's stake in Big Stone II |
Ted Nace |
04 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Bill Gates. Unlike his bridge buddy Warren Buffett, who recently canceled six planned coal projects, Bill Gates is still pushing coal. Cascade Investment Management, his personal investment company, is the largest stakeholder (9 percent) in Otter Tail Corporation, the lead sponsor of the controversial Big Stone II coal project. Last week, eight Minnesota legislators, led by Rep. Jean Wagenius (DFL) of Minneapolis and Sen. Ellen Anderson (DFL) of St. Paul, wr ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, Minnesota, politics, state politics (all these topics) |
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The ghost of link dumps past
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David Roberts |
03 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| So I was thinking to myself, self, you should do a link dump post so you can close out some of this cluttery crap in your browser. I go to start one, and what do I find? An old link dump post that I'd never published! So here's an old link dump. Watch for a new one in mere days! ----- Thanks to the UK Times Online for deeming Gristmill "the green blog from the other side of the pond." It's a shame this op-ed is relegated to the Billings Gazette. I'd li ... |
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| Topics: coal, dumbassery, energy, green building, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Coal and agrofuels win the subsidy sweepstakes
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JMG |
29 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Via the WSJ energy blog, follow the money: Since 1999, federal energy subsidies have more than doubled-from $8.2 billion to $16.6 billion in 2007. Who gets the most? 'Renewables' landed $4.8 billion last year, but that includes $3.25 billion for ethanol and other biofuels. Coal and cleaner-burning 'refined' coal took home $3.3 billion, while the nuclear power industry got $1.3 billion. In all, about 40% of the energy subsidy pie went toward electricity production ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, nuclear power, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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A Tough Drill to Swallow
President Bush stumps for ANWR drilling and dirty-energy expansion |
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29 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:17 PM on 29 Apr 2008 In a speech Tuesday, President Bush aimed to pacify Americans' concerns about skyrocketing fuel and food prices with the assurance that it's all Congress' fault. Bush advocated tackling energy prices by throwing environmental protection to the winds (in not quite those words), urging Congress to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and rah-rah-ing new ... |
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| Topics: Arctic Refuge, coal, dumbassery , energy, George Bush, news, nuclear power, oil and gas drilling, politics (all these topics) |
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The latest on the expensivest cheap power around
The fight over coal heads to a climax in Kansas |
David Roberts |
29 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The fight over coal in Kansas is headed to a climactic battle on Wednesday, when the legislature gathers to finish its session. Twice it has sent bills to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius that would allow two blocked dirty coal plants to move forward; twice she has vetoed. The game on Wed. is for pro-coal legislators to scare up enough votes to override the veto. There's a good rundown on the action in the Kansas City Star, which includes this laugh-out-loud quote: 'We're ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, Kansas, legislation, politics, state politics (all these topics) |
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Carbon policy dilemma, 1
You can't achieve the three goals of climate policy at once |
David Roberts |
28 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I've been thinking about carbon policy lately (shocker, I know), prompted by recent interactions with Monica Prasad, Peter Barnes, and our own Sean Casten. The more I think about it, the more one of the central tensions becomes clear to me. Here are three goals for good climate legislation: Simplicity: The bill should not be hundreds of pages long, packed with addenda, loopholes, provisos, and over-specifications. Complexity boxes out ordinary citizens and insure ... |
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| Topics: carbon trading, climate, coal, energy, legislation, messaging, politics (all these topics) |
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Lily Tomlin was right
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JMG |
26 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Wags used to joke that Bush and Co. would put a coal-fired power plant in the Grand Canyon if you let them. As Lily Tomlin observed, 'It's hard for cynics to keep up these days. |
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| Topics: coal, energy, George Bush (all these topics) |
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Is 450 ppm politically possible? Part 2.5
What is the impact of peak oil and peak coal? |
Joseph Romm |
26 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The goal of this post is to explore how peak oil and, yes, peak coal might affect the world's effort to stabilize CO2 concentrations. Here I present calculations I haven't seen anywhere else, and since different sources provide different numbers, please view these as a crude estimates. I welcome corrections. At recent growth rates for oil consumption, we are all but certain to peak in oil production within two decades -- and if we follow the recent trend-line for coa ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, fossil fuels, greenhouse-gas emissions, oil (all these topics) |
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Friday music blogging: Kathy Mattea
Songs about the enemy of the human race |
David Roberts |
25 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| It is rare that my idiosyncratic and widely ignored Friday music blogging overlaps with the subject matter that occupies the rest of my time. But today we have a happy confluence. Kathy Mattea is a Grammy-winning country artist, born in West Virginia. She had a string of hits in the '80s and '90s, but her turn to the social activism that fuel ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, mining, music (all these topics) |
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If At First You Don't Succeed, Perhaps It Was a Bad Idea
Third try at coal-plant bill heads to Kansas governor |
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25 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:46 PM on 25 Apr 2008 With firm belief in the power of try, trying again, Kansas legislators have sent another coal-plant proposal to the desk of veto-happy Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. The governor has twice shot down legislation to allow a new two-unit coal plant to be built in her state, but legislative leaders say the new plan is a compromise: it would reduce the size of the ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, Kansas, legislation, news, politics, state politics (all these topics) |
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Climate Be Damned
E.U. plows ahead with coal |
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23 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:24 AM on 23 Apr 2008 Even as it makes plans to cut greenhouse-gas emissions, the European Union is gearing up to put some 50 coal plants on line in the next five years. Europeans' distaste for nuclear energy and the relative cheap cost of coal -- even when carbon permits are factored in -- have made the black rock attractive for meeting rising demand. E.U. electric companies say they're seeking out "clean" coal, an oxymoron that ... |
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| Topics: climate, coal, dumbassery , energy, European Union, news (all these topics) |
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Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars
New Sundance doc tells the story of the TXU coal fight in Texas |
David Roberts |
22 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I finally got around to watching my preview copy of Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars, the new short documentary from Robert Redford's Sundance outfit. It's about the battle over the 12 coal plants proposed for Texas by TXU in 2007. A couple things that I thought were quite well done: Environmentalists play virtually no role -- they're scarcely seen, except on the edge of the action. The main players are small-town Texans and Texas mayors. It's very clear that th ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, grassroots activism, movies, state politics, Texas (all these topics) |
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Fortune Brainstorm Green
An interview with Vinod Khosla |
David Roberts |
22 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Adam Lashinsky interviews Vinod Khosla. I liveblog. VK's four major investment areas: oil, coal, efficiency, and materials. AL: India finance minister called biofuels a crime against humanity. What up? VK: Food-based ethanol isn't the big driver of food prices. Regardless, biofuels don't have to be food-based. AL: But you've invested in food-based ethanol. VK: Only one, Cilian (sp?), to see if we could get a big reduction. But cellulosic has moved so quickly, ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, ethanol, interview (all these topics) |
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Fortune Brainstorm Green
An unusually interesting discussion of 'clean coal' |
David Roberts |
21 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Earlier today I attended a small roundtable discussion about clean coal. Most of the people there were basically pro-clean coal: people from NRG energy, railroad companies, venture capital firms, and David Hawkins from NRDC. Some other folks were uncommitted. In the anti column were me and Mike Brune from Rainforest Action Network. Also in attendance: Fred Krupp of EDF and eco-oldtimer Stewart Brand. There were pockets of agreement. To his credit, the guy from NRG l ... |
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| Topics: carbon sequestration, coal, energy, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Can the coal industry be saved in spite of itself? Should it be?
New analysis explores whether Congress can do a better job with CCS than Bush administration |
Joseph Romm |
20 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| One of biggest debates about climate solutions is whether coal generation with carbon capture and storage (CCS) is going to be practical and affordable on the timescale needed to avoid catastrophic outcomes. And, of course, there are many who don't think coal should be saved at all. I am not in the second camp, but I doubt coal with CCS is likely to exceed one wedge (I'll discuss this more next week). And we probably need 14 wedges to stay below 450 ppm. I have ... |
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| Topics: carbon sequestration, climate, coal, Congress, energy, legislation, politics (all these topics) |
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A story in pictures
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David Roberts |
19 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Minorities are 79 percent more likely than whites to live in neighborhoods where industrial pollution ... is suspected of posing the greatest health danger, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.... The Government Accountability Office concluded earlier this year that EPA devoted little attention to environmental equality when it developed three major rules to implement the Clean Air Act between 2000 and 2004. The EPA's inspector general r ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, environmental justice, health, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Sebelius to Kansas legislature:
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David Roberts |
17 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| No, I really meant it. |
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| Topics: coal, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, Kansas, legislation, politics, state politics (all these topics) |
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ABEC is dead, but long live coal
Americans for Balanced Energy Choices gets new name, t-shirts |
Sean Casten |
17 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| ABEC has re-branded themselves the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. See here for an interview with President Stephen Miller, who does an admirably media-savvy job of laying out their talking points and PR strategy. His key points: 'If we push too hard, too fast, we will force fuel switching away from coal.' 'The president and the congress have a role to play to make sure the public sector invests in coal-fired power.' We've spent a lot of money ... |
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| Topics: advertising, business, coal, energy, messaging (all these topics) |
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Blocking Ferrari-ready driveways
Maine becomes third state to pass tough coal law |
Ted Nace |
16 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Yesterday, Maine Gov. John E. Baldacci signed LD 2126, 'An Act To Minimize Carbon Dioxide Emissions from New Coal-Powered Industrial and Electrical Generating Facilities in the State.' The law, which was sponsored by Rep. W. Bruce MacDonald (D-Maine), requires the Board of Environmental Protection to develop greenhouse gas emission standards for coal facilities. It also puts a moratorium in place on building any new coal plants until the standards are developed. Three st ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, Maine, politics, state politics (all these topics) |
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