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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Two Evils
On nuclear vs. coal |
Umbra Fisk |
16 Jan 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I work for a certain large environmental organization, and I have often had to deal with the issue of nuclear and coal-fired power plants. If ever asked which is better, we are officially supposed to say "neither." But I think a response like that doesn't always work for the real world, so I'd like to ask you, oh answerer of environmental questions, which type of power plant do you think is best (or, least worst) for t ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, coal, energy, nuclear power (all these topics) |
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Silly Elliott
Court justice frolicked with coal exec while fraud case was pending |
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15 Jan 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:21 PM on 15 Jan 2008 When found guilty of fraud and penalized $50 million by a West Virginia jury, coal company Massey Energy appealed to the state Supreme Court -- and won in a 3-to-2 decision. Now a motion has been filed to disqualify Justice Elliott Maynard from the case and withdraw his favorable vote, as pictures have surfaced of Maynard and Massey CEO Don Blankenship enjoying each other's company ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, jackassery, litigation, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Charlie Crist Superstar
An interview with Florida's governor, a Republican climate crusader |
Amanda Griscom Little |
14 Jan 2008 |
Grist Feature |
| Charlie Crist. Photo:Steven Murphy/WireImage Meet Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a surprising blend of Grand Ol' Party and bleeding-heart greenie. As a Republican, he defends the Bush administration's environmental record, but he also counts among his personal heroes Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who wrote an entire book condemning Bush as "America's worst environmental pre ... |
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| Topics: climate, coal, energy, Florida, interview, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Coal is not cheap, part XVXIV
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David Roberts |
14 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Clean coal plants are dying on the drawing board. Why? Because ... stop me if you've heard this one ... coal can be cheap or clean, but not both. |
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| Topics: coal, energy (all these topics) |
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Watch the 'Face It' webcast
There is a silver-bullet solution to global warming |
Edward Mazria |
14 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The dialogue between this country's youth and key decision-makers during the important Focus the Nation (FTN) event on January 31st has the potential to become diluted and confused. If it does, another opportunity to move a segment of the country towards seriously addressing climate change will have been wasted. Shotgun Approach Falls Short Although every personal effort at reducing energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions is laudable and helps change the way ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, coal, energy (all these topics) |
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McCain on climate and coal in Michigan
Rubber, meet road |
David Roberts |
13 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| So, McCain made a big deal out of climate change before the New Hampshire primary, sucking up to the state's independents. Now the Republicans are heading to Michigan, where there's an epic fight going on between environmentalists and massive rush of proposed new coal plants. Think McCain will take sides in that struggle? |
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| Topics: climate, coal, elections, energy, John McCain, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Gnashing my teeth over globalization
Can economic democracy make the global economy more sustainable? |
Jon Rynn |
07 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Worried about more coal plants, carbon emissions from transportation, and a crumbling infrastructure? Evidence provided by several recent reports point to one of the least explored causes of these problems: globalization, that is, the transfer of manufacturing capacity from developed to developing countries, particularly China. The mechanisms differ. The U.S. and Europe, which could manufacture using environmentally benign techniques, instead use old, polluting techn ... |
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| Topics: economy, United States, China, business, climate, energy, air pollution, coal, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics) |
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Bad combo
Cheap coal and $100 oil |
Tom Philpott |
04 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Amid vague talk of how $100/barrel oil might represent a kind of sea change, inspiring corporations and individuals to lower their carbon footprints, the smart money is betting on another direction: the burning of more coal.That's a harrowing trend. As NASA climatologist James Hanson recently put it:Coal will determine whether we continue to increase climate change or slow the human impact ... Increased fossil fuel CO2 in the air today, compared to the pre-industrial at ... |
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| Topics: oil, energy, coal, economy, climate (all these topics) |
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A Black Day
With oil prices rising, Asia turns to coal |
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04 Jan 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:44 AM on 04 Jan 2008 You may have heard that oil prices are flirting with $100 a barrel; what's an oil-dependent, energy-hungry globe to do? In Asia, home to a third of the world's proven coal reserves, the answer seems obvious. Across the continent, billions of dollars are being poured into R&D of coal-to-liquid fuel and coal-bed methane extraction. Some tout the new technologies as clean 'n' green -- but coal by any other ... |
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| Topics: Asia, coal, coal-to-liquid fuel, energy, news (all these topics) |
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The Choice of an Old Generation
Peabody Energy partners on Chinese |
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03 Jan 2008 |
News |
| "clean coal" project Posted at 2:01 PM on 03 Jan 2008 Coal behemoth Peabody Energy -- a partner in the infamous FutureGen -- will join with Chinese equity partners to build China's first "clean coal" plant, dubbed GreenGen. (We just threw up in our mouths a little.) Partners say the project will provide near-zero emissions, and the first phase is expected to be on line by 2009. Isn't optimism cute? source: P ... |
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| Topics: carbon sequestration, China, coal, news (all these topics) |
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That's the Worst Idea We've Heard in an E.ON
Plans for new U.K. coal plant move forward |
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03 Jan 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:45 PM on 03 Jan 2008 It's the week o' ill-advised energy choices in Britain, where nuclear power may soon get a boost and plans for the first new coal-fired power plant in decades are inching forward. A local government authority has recommended that Business Secretary John Hutton give the go-ahead to utility E.ON's proposal for a coal plant; concerned that Hutton might just do so, critics have a ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, news, United Kingdom (all these topics) |
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Long, Long Sago
Two years after Sago Mine explosion, many mine-safety standards still not implemented |
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02 Jan 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:57 PM on 02 Jan 2008 In January 2006, 12 coal miners were killed when an explosion in West Virginia's Sago Mine trapped them underground. In response, Congress passed legislation strengthening mine safety standards. Two years later, many of the standards have yet to be implemented, to the frustration of the United Mine Workers union. Says union president Cecil Roberts, "[The fe ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, mining, news (all these topics) |
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China, coal, and the U.S. economy
More evidence that we're exporting massive carbon emissions |
Tom Philpott |
02 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Last month, President Bush signed into law an energy bill most remarkable for its timidity with regard to climate change. According to sometime Gristmill contributor Peter Montague of Rachel's Democracy & Health News, the 2007 Energy Act will reduce U.S. carbon emissions by just 4.7 percent by 2030 -- clearly not nearly enough to avoid risking dire climate change. (Montague leans on this study (PDF) for his calculation.) Given that we're quietly moving our most c ... |
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| Topics: business, China, coal, economy, energy (all these topics) |
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Survey says ...
Two thirds of likely caucus voters in Iowa think conservation more important than coal |
Sean Casten |
02 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Iowa Interfaith Power & Light, the Iowa Farmers Union, and Plains Justice have just completed a survey (PDF) in advance of tomorrow's caucuses. Short version: Iowans think that we've squandered chances to do something meaningful about energy, and that it's time we started to do so before building new coal plants. The executive summary is below the fold, but it's worth having a look at the whole presentation.A scientific, phone-based survey conducted by Opi ... |
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| Topics: coal, elections, energy, energy efficiency, Iowa, politics, presidential race 08, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Solar cheaper than coal and falling
New developments in solar power make 'clean coal' look even dumber |
David Roberts |
26 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Let me be the last in the greenosphere to note that Nanosolar has shipped its first panels, and it's no exaggeration to say that this moment will likely be seen as a historical turning point. For a taste of the breathless anticipation around Nanosolar, read "innovation of the year" over on PopSci (or this recent piece in the NYT). Unlike so many other hyped green tech dreamers, the company is not just talking and researching prototypes. They're building fact ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, solar thermal power, solar voltaic power (all these topics) |
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Perhaps He Had Too Much Eggnog
Tory leader David Cameron lauds |
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20 Dec 2007 |
News |
| "green coal" Posted at 4:50 PM on 20 Dec 2007 British Conservative Party leader David Cameron said in a speech today that under a Tory government, Britain would be a world leader in "green coal" technology. Ahem: Coal. Is. Not. Green. That is all. sources: BBC News, The Press Association see also, in Grist: Coal is the enemy of the human race From the Archives March Orders. U.S. will b ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, news, United Kingdom (all these topics) |
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Bush, Suboleski, and Blankenship
Bush appoints mountaintop-removal mining exec to key DOE position |
David Roberts |
19 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Yesterday we learned that the Bush administration has appointed Stanley Suboleski to the position of assistant secretary for fossil energy for the Dept. of Energy. In that position, he would "oversee projects such as developing clean-coal technologies and carbon sequestration, and polices related to fossil fuels." Suboleski is a long-time executive for Massey Energy, serving there in some capacity since 1981. His main role has been to help Massey evade or sh ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, politics (all these topics) |
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'Even Santa is rethinking his position on coal!'
Coal industry kicks off a PR campaign aimed at influencing lawmakers |
David Roberts |
19 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Santa moonlighting on K Street? Photo: iStockphoto I heard from someone in downtown D.C. this morning who ran into a guy in a Santa suit who handed him a flier saying, "even Santa is rethinking his position on coal!" Yes, really. From The Hill: Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) is sending 30 Santas to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to deliver stockings filled with coal-shaped chocolate. The goal of the campaign is to shift coal's ima ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, holiday, Washington DC (all these topics) |
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Casten on FutureGen: 'Maddeningly stupid'
Grist contributor bashes 'clean coal' |
David Roberts |
18 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| If you'd like to see our very own Sean Casten call the FutureGen clean coal project 'maddeningly stupid' -- about the only part of this segment that isn't creepy and upsetting -- you can do so here. |
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| Topics: coal, energy, TV (all these topics) |
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Pity our poor customers
Coal utilities weigh in on the carbon policy |
Sean Casten |
18 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Something old, something new, something borrowed ... For years, utilities have blurred the line between their interests and those of their customers (which are, under the rules of cost-plus rate-making, precisely opposed). Typically, this argument is used to frame rate cases in the form of, 'if we can't raise rates on customer X, we'll be forced to raise rates on customer Y. Let us tell you how tragic that would be from customer Y's perspective, to cloud the fact that ... |
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| Topics: climate, coal, energy, politics (all these topics) |
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Coal's bad year
Thirteen stories of coal getting stiffed |
David Roberts |
18 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The other day I was thinking I should gather together in one place all the stories from this year about coal getting rejected. And I was feeling lazy, and wishing someone else would do it for me. And look, someone else did! Check it out below the fold: Following are some of the coal plant proposals that have been scrapped since September 2006: 1. Sunflower Electric Power Corporation (Kansas) - proposed 1,400 megawatt (MW) coal plant denied air permit by Kan ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy (all these topics) |
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Back to the FutureGen
FutureGen |
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18 Dec 2007 |
News |
| "clean coal" demonstration plant slated for Illinois Posted at 8:26 AM on 18 Dec 2007 FutureGen, the U.S. Department of Energy's massive "clean coal" demonstration plant, will be sited in Mattoon, Ill., officials announced this morning. Three other potential locations for the plant each lobbied heavily for the roughly $1.8 billion project to be built on their turf -- one other site in Illinois and two others in Texas. The FutureGen project, wh ... |
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| Topics: climate, coal, cogeneration, Department of Energy, news, United States (all these topics) |
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Stan, Stan, He's Not Our Man
Nominee for federal fossil-energy secretary has strong ties to Big Coal |
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17 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 5:18 PM on 17 Dec 2007 From 2001 to 2003, Stanley Suboleski was chief operating officer of mining company Massey Energy, which faces $2.4 billion in fines for more than 4,000 alleged Clean Water Act violations at its coal operations in West Virginia and Kentucky within the past six years. It's only logical, then, that President Bush would nominate Suboleski, who is still an independent ... |
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| Topics: coal, Department of Energy, energy, jackassery, news, politics (all these topics) |
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The U.S. Congress, always willing to be shilling
The terrible omnibus bill |
Brian Beutler |
17 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Rumors began circulating late last Friday -- as the Senate was passing the much-weakened energy bill -- that some terrible provisions had made their way into the omnibus spending package, which will likely face votes in both bodies by the end of the week. Now comes word from Friends of the Earth that 'the omnibus spending bill expected to come before the House of Representatives tonight and the Senate tomorrow directs $20.5 billion in loan guarantees to nuclear pow ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, legislation, nuclear power, politics (all these topics) |
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Watch more Fox News!
FutureGen on at 5:00 p.m. Central, tonight |
Sean Casten |
17 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Fox News is doing a special report on the FutureGen project and -- rather remarkably -- couldn't find anyone to argue that $6500/kW coal-fired power coupled to a hydrogen plant is a dumb idea. Then along came Grist, and this crazy blogger who thinks FutureGen is dopey. The interview was last Friday; they're running the coverage tonight, in advance of tomorrow's decision on whether Illinois or Texas will 'win.' (Nice plug for Grist here, eh? Apparently, nowhere else ... |
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| Topics: business, coal, energy, shameless self-promotion, TV (all these topics) |
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