AmericanCoalCouncilTomorrow’sLeadershipCouncil)*+,CoalCommunicationsKit

“It’sclearlypossibletoincreasefossilfuelusewhiledecreasingpollution.ThisisalessonthatChinacanlearn–andasitadoptsmoresophisticatedmoderncoalplants,isstartingtolearn.”

–AlexEpstein

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ContentsIntroduction.........................................................................................................................................................3

TechnologicalImprovementsintheCoalIndustry.............................................................................................4

AStrongFoundationforTechnologicalGrowth..............................................................................................4

TechnologicalImprovementsforCoal:FacebookPost...................................................................................4

TechnologicalImprovementsforCoal:ElevatorSpeech................................................................................5

TechnologicalImprovementsforCoal:ObjectionsandResponses................................................................5

AirborneEmissionsandEmissionReductionTechnology..................................................................................6

AGrowingTechnologyLegacy.........................................................................................................................7CarbonCaptureandStorage(CCS)...............................................................................................................7

ACautionaryTale:FutureGen.........................................................................................................................8AirborneEmissions&EmissionReductionTechnology:.................................................................................9

ElevatorSpeech............................................................................................................................................9

CleanPowerPlan..........................................................................................................................................9CoalScalability..................................................................................................................................................10

TransportationInfrastructure.......................................................................................................................10

AccesstotheLargestFuelSourceintheUS..............................................................................................10

FuelVersatility..............................................................................................................................................11

CoalScalability:FacebookPost....................................................................................................................12

RenewableEnergy............................................................................................................................................12

GridReliability...................................................................................................................................................12ReliabilityChallengesofRenewableandOtherSources.............................................................................13

SuperiorityofCoal.....................................................................................................................................13GridReliability:FacebookPost.....................................................................................................................14

GridReliability:ElevatorSpeech..................................................................................................................14

GridReliability:ObjectionsandResponses..................................................................................................14

ClimateChange&CO2......................................................................................................................................15

The“HockeyStickChart”andtheEraofMisinformation.........................................................................15TheMythicalRelationshipbetweenCO2andClimateRelatedDeaths......................................................18

ThePositiveImpactofCO2forPlantLife...................................................................................................19

ClimateChange&CO2:FacebookPost........................................................................................................20

ClimateChange&CO2:ElevatorSpeech......................................................................................................20

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ClimateChange&CO2:ObjectionsandResponses.....................................................................................21

TheHumanCostWithoutCoal.........................................................................................................................22

TheHumanCostWithoutCoal:FacebookPost...........................................................................................25

InternationalTrade...........................................................................................................................................25MajorImportersandExportersofCoal.....................................................................................................26

InternationalTradeRateSlowing..............................................................................................................26

InternationalTrade:FacebookPost.............................................................................................................27

InternationalTrade:ElevatorSpeech...........................................................................................................27

InternationalTrade:ObjectionsandResponses..........................................................................................28

TheEnergyEffect..............................................................................................................................................28

TheEnergyEffect:FacebookPost.................................................................................................................30TheEnergyEffect:ElevatorSpeech..............................................................................................................31

TheEnergyEffect:ObjectionsandResponses.............................................................................................31

MiningImpacts,MountaintopandSurfaceMining.........................................................................................32

MiningImpacts,MountaintopandSurfaceMiningFacebookPost............................................................33

MiningImpacts,MountaintopandSurfaceMiningElevatorSpeech..........................................................33MiningImpacts,Mountaintop&SurfaceMining:Objections&Responses...............................................33

NaturalResources:ResourceDepletionvs.Creation......................................................................................34WhenwillwerunoutofFossilFuels?.......................................................................................................34

AdvancesinTechnology............................................................................................................................35

TheFutureisinOurHands........................................................................................................................36NaturalResources-Depletionvs.Creation:FacebookPost........................................................................36

NaturalResources-Depletionvs.Creation:ElevatorSpeech......................................................................37

EPARegulationsofAirborneEmissions...........................................................................................................37

EPARegulationsofAirborneEmissions:FacebookPost..............................................................................41

EPARegulationsofAirborneEmissions:ElevatorSpeech...........................................................................41

PollutioninChina..............................................................................................................................................42

PollutioninChina:FacebookPost................................................................................................................42

PollutioninChina:ElevatorSpeech..............................................................................................................42

WorksCited.......................................................................................................................................................44

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Introduction2015ProjectObjective:Thisyear’sprojecthastakenourpastTLCworkbeyondtheconceptualstagetobeginprovidingactual,hands-ontoolsthatanyoneinourindustrycanusetobuildbridgesandcounterpublicmisinformationcampaigns.Whetheronanairplane,atacommunityevent,orseekingtoinformrelativesandfriends,coal-relatedindustryemployeesandrepresentativesnowhaveusefulfactsandinformationatthereadytoassisttheminsharingtheimportance,value,andbenefitsofcoal.

Ourindustrymustworktocontinuallygrowoutreach,providingbalancedinformationabouttheeffectsofunreasonableenergyandenvironmentalpolicydecisions/regulatoryactionsthatarefartoocostlyandproducefartoofewenvironmentalbenefits.Wemustalleducatethoseoutsideourindustryaboutthevalueofcoaltothisnation’seconomy(jobs,royaltypayments,taxes,etc.),infrastructure,andenergysupply.Wemusthighlightcoal’sincreasinglycleanenvironmentalprofileandtheimportanceofthecontinueddevelopmentofcleancoaltechnologies.

Todoso,however,coalindustryemployeesandrepresentativesneedinformationthattheycaneasilyaccess,understand,anddistribute/communicate.

Therefore,the2015annualprojecthaspreparedaCoalCommunicationsKit,which:

• Buildscoal-themededucationalresourcesforsharingatACCeventsandinACCpublicationsaswellasonlineandthroughsocialmedia

• MakesuseofthediverseinformationcollectedinpreviousTLCprojects

• Usespublications,research,andproductsavailablefromothercoal-focusedorganizations,academia,industry(PR/Marketing/GovernmentRelations),andgovernmentsources

ThisCoalCommunicationsKitprovidesideasandinformationthatcoalindustryemployeesandrepresentativescanusetoimprovecommunicationsandrelationswithothersinthepublicrealm.Itprovidesreadyresponsestocommonlyheldnegativenotionsaboutcoal.Itoffersconvenient“elevatorspeeches”,Facebookposts,andTweets,aswellasmoredetailedinformationandresources.

Wehopethatthemembersoftheindustryfindthisinformationusefulandeasytoshare.Pleasesendcommentstoinfo@americancoalcouncil.org.

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TechnologicalImprovementsintheCoalIndustryCoalisthelargestenergysourceintheUnitedStates,aswellasoneofthelargestenergysourcesintheworld.Itisimperativethatthecoalindustryworkstoensurethecontinuedavailabilityandaccesstothislife-sustainingfuel.Althoughclaimsofthenegativeenvironmentalimpactsofcoalburningcanbeoverstated,coaldoesproducepotentiallyharmfulemissionswhenburned.Cleancoaltechnologies(CCT)seektoreduceenvironmentalharmbyusingmultipletechnologiestocleancoalandcontain,orreduce,itsemissionsofsulfurdioxideandnitrogenoxide(Dowdey,2007).Cleancoaltechnologieshavebeenbuiltoverseveralgenerationsandcontinuetoevolve.Today,therearemorethan20new,lowercost,moreefficient,andenvironmentallycompatibletechnologiesforvariousindustries(NationalMiningAssociation,2015).Technologydevelopmentwillcontinuetobetheprimarydriverforreducingemissionsanditsassociatedcostsforcoal’sfuture.

AStrongFoundationforTechnologicalGrowthTheDepartmentofEnergy(DOE)CoalRD&DprogramandNationalEnergyTechnologyLaboratory(NETL),havepartneredwiththeprivatesectorsincetheearly1970’stodevelopinnovativetechnologiesthatgreatlyenhanceenergyproductionandimproveairquality(NationalMiningAssociation,2015):

Fluidized-bedcombustion–Limestoneanddolomiteareaddedduringthecombustionprocesstomitigatesulfurdioxideformation.Thereare170oftheseunitsdeployedintheU.S.,and400throughouttheentireworld.

IntegratedGasificationCombinedCycle(IGCC)–Heatandpressureareusedtoconvertcoalintoagasorliquidthatcanbefurtherrefinedandusedcleanly.Theheatenergyfromthegasturbinealsopowersasteamturbine.IGCChasthepotentialtoimprovecoal’sfuelefficiencyrateto50percent.TwoIGCCelectricitygenerationplantsareinoperationintheU.S.

FlueGasDesulfurization–Alsocalled“scrubbers,”theyremovelargequantitiesofsulfur,otherimpurities,andparticulatematterfromemissionstopreventtheirreleaseintotheatmosphere.

LowNitrogenOxide(NOx)Burners–ReducethecreationofNOx,acauseofground-levelozone,byrestrictingoxygenandmanipulatingthecombustionprocess.LowNOxburnersarenowon75percentofexistingcoalpowerplants.

SelectiveCatalyticReduction(SCR)–AchievesNOxreductionsof80-90percentormore,andisdeployedonapproximately30percentofU.S.coalplants.

ElectrostaticPrecipitators–Removeparticulatesfromemissionsbyelectricallychargingparticlesandthencapturingthemoncollectionplates.

TechnologicalImprovementsforCoal:FacebookPostCoalisakeycomponentforaliterallybrighterfuture–cleancoaltechnologiesaretheanswertothequestionofcheap,reliableenergyintheU.S.andabroad.

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TechnologicalImprovementsforCoal:ElevatorSpeechCoalhasgottencleanerandcleaneroverthepastgeneration,utilizingthepowerandingenuityoftechnologieslikescrubbers,IGCC(IntegratedGasificationCombinedCycle)andCCS(carboncaptureandstorage)toextractvitalenergyfromcoalwithminimalnegativeenvironmentalimpact.“Powerplantsbeingbuilttodayemit90percentlesspollutants(SO2,NOx,particulatesandmercury)thantheplantstheyreplacefromthe1970’s,accordingtheNationalEnergyTechnologyLaboratory(NETL).(NationalMiningAssociation,2015).

Thecoal industryhasdemonstrated itseagernesstopioneerthetechnologicaladvancesnecessarytokeepcoal safe, effective and environmentally responsible. With adequate public support, enhanced researchefforts,andcoal-friendlyregulatorypolicies,theindustrycansatisfyenvironmentalconcernsandstillbethecornerstoneofelectricitygeneration.

TechnologicalImprovementsforCoal:ObjectionsandResponses

Objection:Environmentalistssaythatcleancoalisamyth.Cancoaleverreallybeclean?

Response:Theterm“clean,”muchliketheterm“dirty,”isinherentlysubjective.Butregardlessofone’sdefinition,itisamyththat“coalisdirty.”Inreality,theenvironmentalbenefitsofusingfossilfuelslikecoalfaroutweightherisks(Epstein,2014).Withinnovativetechnology,azero-emissionsprocessiswithinreach,andexistingcleancoaltechnologyisalreadymakingenormousstridestowardsmuchcleanercoal.AccordingtotheEPAandothersources,coal-fueledpowerplantsarecapableofreducingupto98percentofsulfurdioxideemissions,90percentofnitrogenoxideemissionsand90percentofmercuryemissions.UsingCCStocapturetheCO2fromasinglethousand-megawattcoalplant,forexample,isequivalentto2.8millionpeopletradinginpickupsforPriuses(Nijhuis,2014).

Objection:CCSseemslikealimitedsolution.HowmuchCO2canweactuallystore?

Response:Inits2008CarbonSequestrationAtlas,theU.S.DepartmentofEnergyreportedthat,together,theU.S.andCanadahaveenoughcapacityatourcurrentrateofproductiontostorealmost1,100years’worthofcarbondioxide.Thisstoragecapacityislocateddeepundergroundacrossthecontinentinvaryingtypesofgeologicalformations–includingunminablecoalseamsaswellasoilandgasreservoirs.SowhiletheU.S.andCanadaarethesourceof3.2billiontonsofman-madeCO2eachyear,thetwonationshavestoragespacefor3.5trilliontonsofCO2.Dothemathandwehavea1,093-yearreservoirofCO2storage(AmericanCoalitionforCleanCoalElectricity,2015).

Objection:CleanCoalTechnologyiswaytooexpensive.Itmakesmoresensetoinvestinrenewableenergysources.

Response:Therearecertainlycostsassociatedwithreducingemissions,butcleancoalisnotsoexpensivethatitcan’talreadycompetewithrenewablesorotherresources.Cleancoalwillrequirelargeinfrastructureinvestments,butsowillamajorexpansionofrenewable-energyprojects.Also,sellingcapturedcarbonforenhancedoilrecoverycanhelpreducethecostofCCS,andnewtechnologieswillallowcarbontobecapturedwithfarlowerenergyexpenditures(Herzog,2014).

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AirborneEmissionsandEmissionReductionTechnologyBy2017,thecoal-basedpowerindustrywillhaveinvestedmorethan$142BilliontodevelopandimplementantipollutiontechnologiesthathaveresultedinadramaticdownwardtrendintheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency’s(EPA)classifiedsixmajorpollutantssince1970;eventhoughweareusingmorefossilfuelthaneverbefore.Thesepollutioncontrolsminimizethenegativeeffectsofburningfossilfuels,whileallowingtheuseof this critical resource inacleaner,moreefficientway.Thanks toantipollution technology, coalhasbeengetting healthier and cleaner. The use of coal has facilitated an unprecedented technological revolutionallowinghumansto improvetheir livingconditionsand live longer,morefulfilling lives. Inthe last20yearsalone, scientists have developedways to capture the pollutants trapped in coal before the impurities canescapeintotheatmosphere.Today,wehavetechnologythatcanfilterout99percentofthetinyparticles,andremovemorethan95percentofacidrainpollutantsincoal.

Processeshavebeendevelopedto literallycleancoal.Mostmodernpowerplants,andallplantsbuiltafter1978,arerequiredtohavespecialdevicesinstalledthatcleanthesulfurfromcoal'scombustiongasesbeforethegasesgothroughthesmokestack.Inmostcases,beforecombustion,coaliscrushedandthenwashedtodecreaseashandpyrite levels.Additionally,“baghousesandelectrostaticprecipitatorsremoveresidual flyash,wetscrubbersdesulfurize,andactivatedcharcoalremovesmercuryandarsenicbeforethe(invisiblebutfor scrubber steamcondensation) fluegas isdischarged.” (Istvan,2014)Theuseof these technologieshasallowed coal-fueledpowerplants todecrease emissionsof SO2,NOx, andparticulatematter by almost 90percentsincethe1970s.Thesereductionsoccurreddespitethefactthat,duringthesameperiod,coaluseincreasedbymorethan170percent.

Coal-fueled generation emission rates have decreased dramatically due to the application of environmental technologies. Sources: EPA National Air Pollutant Emission Trends; EIA Annual Energy Review, EIA AEO 2011, Ventyx – Velocity Suite

The path forward to a long and prosperous future for coal depends largely on continued research anddevelopment for clean coal technologies. As environmental challenges and expectations grow increasinglystringent,cleancoaltechnologiesmustcontinuetoimproveenergyefficiency,andreduceoreliminateSO2,Hg, carbon dioxide (CO2), NOX emissions, and particulate matter. The keys to longevity and success are:adequate public support, enhanced levels of funding and commitment to clean coal technology, reducedgovernmentinterference,greaterprivatesupport/innovation,andaregulatoryandpublicpolicyframeworkthatissupportiveofcoaluse(NationalMiningAssociation,2015)(Yamagata,2014).

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AGrowingTechnologyLegacyAsregulatorypressuremountswiththeadventofnewfederalregulationssuchastheCleanPowerPlan,theimportanceofstayingontheleadingedgeofnewtechnologycannotbeoverstated.Coalliquefactionandgasificationtechnologiesarebeingexploredtoproduceviablealternativestooilandnaturalgasforelectricitygenerationandtransportation.NewtechnologyR&Dfocuseson:

EfficiencyImprovements–TechnologiesinthisfieldraiseplantefficiencyandreduceCO2andotheremissions.Whilesomeefficiencytechnologiesarecommerciallyavailable,others,suchasUltraSupercriticalPulverizedCoal(USPC)andIGCCrequirecontinuedresearch,development,anddemonstration.ImprovedefficiencyatanexistingplantcanreduceCO2emissionsby10-16percent,andby2025,newunitscouldreduceCO2emissionsbyasmuchas30percent.

High-EfficiencyFuelCells–Theseoperateonarangeofdomesticfuelswithvirtuallyemissions-freeperformanceatunsurpassedefficiencies.

AdvancedHigh-EfficiencyCombustion-Generatingsystemsthathaveincreasedoperatingtemperatures,newcomputerizedcontrols,improvedburnerdesignsandhigherperformanceturbines.

HydrogenProduction–Acleanenergycarrier—viagasification.

CarbonCaptureandStorage(CCS)CurrentlyapromisingcleancoaltechnologyisCCS,aprocessbywhichCO2emissionsarecapturedandstoredingeologicformations,ordeepintheoceanwheretheydissolveunderpressure(NationalMiningAssociation,2015).TheprimaryCCStechnologiesbeingdevelopedinclude:

Post-CombustionCapture:CO2isseparatedfromcombustionexhaustgases.Itcanbecapturedusingaliquidsolventorotherseparationmethods.Onceabsorbedbythesolvent,CO2isreleasedbyheatingtoformahighpurityCO2stream.ThisisthepreferredtechnologyforcapturingCO2foruseinthefoodandbeverageindustry(GlobalCCSInstitute).Theprocessisshownbelow(NationalMiningAssociation,2015):

Tweetthis:Coalemissions

aredown40%

sincethe1970s,

whilecoaluse

hastripled

duringthesame

period!#CCT

#Coalisclean

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Pre-CombustionCapture:Amorecomplexprocessthanpost-combustion,involvesconvertingfuelintoagaseousmixtureofhydrogenandCO2.Mostlyusedinindustrialprocesses(GlobalCCSInstitute),anexamplesystemcanbeseenbelow.(NationalMiningAssociation,2015):

OxyfuelCombustion:Usesoxygenratherthanairforcombustionoffuel,producingexhaustgasthatismainlywatervaporandCO2,whichcanbeeasilyseparatedtoproduceahighpurityCO2stream(GlobalCCSInstitute).Thediagrambelowshowsthisprocess:

ACautionaryTale:FutureGenIn2005,theDepartmentofEnergy(DOE)announced“FutureGen,”a$1.3billionprojecttodesign,build,andoperateanearlyemission-freecoal-basedelectricityandhydrogenproductionplant.ThefundingwastobeprovidedbytheDOEinpartnershipwithmultiplecoalcompanies(WorldNuclearAssociation,2015).Confrontedfromitsearliestdayswithextremelychallengingobjectives,budgetissues,andtransitionsintheregulatoryenvironment,fundingfortheprojectwascuttwice,undertwodifferentpresidentialadministrations;theDOEannouncedinFebruary2015thatfundingwouldcease(Romm,2015).

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ConclusionThepathforwardtoalongandprosperousfutureforcoaldependslargelyoncontinuedresearchanddevelopmentforCCTs.Asenvironmentalchallengesandexpectationsgrowincreasinglystringent,CCTsmustcontinuetoimproveenergyefficiency,andreduceoreliminateSO2,CO2,andNOxemissions.Thekeystolongevityandsuccessare:adequatepublicsupport,enhancedresearchandcommitmenttoCCTs,andaregulatoryandpublicpolicyframeworkthatissupportiveofcoaluse(NationalMiningAssociation,2015)(Yamagata,2014).ThecautionarytaleofFutureGendemonstratestheimportanceofregulatorycohesionwiththeobjectiveofsuccessforcoal.

AirborneEmissions&EmissionReductionTechnology:ElevatorSpeechCoal has gotten much cleaner over the past generation with the use of technologies that enable thegenerationofenergywithminimalnegativeenvironmental impact.Powerplantsbeingbuilt todayemit90percentlesspollutants(SO2,NOx,particulatesandmercury)thantheplantstheyreplacedfromthe1970’s.Thecoalindustryhasdemonstrateditseagernesstopioneerthetechnologicaladvancesthatarenecessarytokeepcoalsafe,effective,andenvironmentallyresponsible.Withadequatepublicsupport,enhancedresearchefforts,andcoal-friendlyregulatorypolicies, the industrycanensurethatcoal remainsastapleofU.S.andglobalpowergenerationfortheforeseeablefuture.

Today,energycompaniesareworkingtodevelop,demonstrate,anddeploythenextgenerationofadvancedcleancoaltechnologies.Thesetechnologieswouldmakeitpossibletoreduceemissionsoftraditionalpollutantstoverylowlevelsandtocaptureandsafelystorecarbondioxide–allwhileensuringareliablesupplyofaffordableelectricitytomeetAmerica’sgrowingenergyneeds,whilestillusingoneofAmerica’smostabundant,domesticallyproducedfuels,coal.Thankstotechnology,coalhasbeengettinghealthierandcleanersincethe1800’s.Moderncoaltechnologyhasmanydifferentmeansofreducingpollutants.Therearefiltrationsystemsthatpreventundesirablesubstancesfromgettingintotheair;thereareprocessesthatusechemicalagents,suchaslimestone,tobindpollutantsandpreventthemfrombeingreleased.Therearechemicaldeviceslikewetordryscrubberstoseparateoutunwantedemissions.Moderncleancoaltechnologyharnessesthisnation’sabundantcoal-basedenergyinarelativelyinexpensivemanner.Itisclearlypossibletoincreasecoalusewhiledecreasingpollution,resultinginreliable,affordableandcleanenergyforhumans.Newcleancoaltechnologiespromisetobalanceenvironmentalandeconomicconcerns,whilecontinuingtosatisfyourgrowingworldwithenergyoutput.

CleanPowerPlanTheCleanPowerPlan(CCP)hasonemainstatedobjective,toreducecarbondioxide.TheEPAbelieves“theCleanPowerPlanprovidesnationalconsistency,accountability,andalevelplayingfieldwhilereflectingeachstate’senergymix.”Thisisbeingdonethreedifferentways;bymakingcoal-fueledpowerplantsmoreefficient,shiftingexistingplantstonaturalgascombinedcycleplants,andincreasingtheuseofrenewablepowersources.(EPA,2015)PertheEPAruling,statesareallowedtocreatetheirownplanstomeetthenewrequirements,andhaveuntil2016tosubmittheseplanswithafinalversiondueby2018.Theexistingpowerplantswillberequiredtocutemissionsby32percentof2005levels.Eachstatehasastate-specificcarbondioxidereductiongoal.Thesegoalstakeintoaccounteachstate’senergymix.EPAAdministratorGinaMcCarthysaysthefinalCPPis“flexible,customizable,andputsstatesinthedriver’sseat.”OpponentsoftheCPPhavestatedthattheEPAhasnottakenintoaccountstepstakenbyutilitiesalready.InhisMay,2015lettertothePresident,WisconsinGovernorScottWalker,stated“Oneofthemosttroublingaspectsofthe

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proposalisthattheEPAdoesnotrecognizethe$10.5billioninvestmentmadebyWisconsinutilities…thathasdramaticallyreducedcarbonemissionsandincreasedenergyefficiency.”(ScottWalker,2015)Thenewrulemeansupto90,000MWofcoal-fueledgenerationwillberetiredortakenofflineby2040.Mostoftheseretirementswillbebefore2020(PowerEngineering2015).Inareasthatrelyheavilyoncoalfortheirelectricity,thismeansareductioninjobsandanincreaseinelectricityrates.AccordingtotheNationalRuralElectricCooperativeAssociation,a10percentincreaseinelectricitypricesequals1.2millionlostjobsacrossthecountry.

CoalScalability

TransportationInfrastructureTheU.S.andworldtransportationinfrastructureallowscoaltoprovideareliableandeconomicfuelsource.Akeycomponentofthenation’senergysupplychain,anditsabilitytoexporttoconsumersabroad,isitsinlandwaterwaysystem.TheU.S.hasaveragedover300milliontonsofwaterbornecoalcommerceperyearsince1993(USArmyCorpsofEngineers,2012).Themarinetransportationsystemconsistsof25,320milesofnavigablewaterways,includingrivers,bays,andchannels,andmanythousandsofadditionalmilesontheGreatLakesSaintLawrenceSeawaySystemanddeep-searoutes(U.S.DepartmentofTransportationMaritime,2011).Therearealsoapproximately12,000milesofinlandwaterwaynavigablechannels,and240locksites(Foundation,2014).Astandarddrycargobargemovesasmuchcoalasover70trucks.Thesebargesaretransportedin15-bargetows,whichequatestoover1,050trucks.ThebenefitsandfutureuseofthesewaterwayshavebeenrecognizedbytheDepartmentofTransportation’s(DOT)identificationof18marinecorridors,eightprojects,andsixinitiativesforfurtherexpansionaspartof“America’sMarineHighwayProgram”(U.S.DepartmentofTransportationMaritime,2011).Anothermaincomponentofthecoaltransportationinfrastructureisthefreightrailroadsystem.Asof2014,U.S.freightrailroadsoperatedalmost160,000route-milesoftrackwithnearly26,000locomotivesinservice(AssociationofAmericanRailroads,2015).NosinglecommodityismoreimportanttoAmerica’srailroadsthancoal,whichaccountedforalmost40percentofrailtonnagein2014(AssociationofAmericanRailroads,2015).SincederegulationpursuanttotheStaggersActof1980,therailindustryisnowabletoupgradeequipmentandroutesthatbenefitthefuturedemandsforfuelssuchascoal.Railcarriersarenotdependentontaxpayerfundsforexpansion.From1980through2014,railroadsspent$575billiononrenewal,maintenance,andexpansion(AssociationofAmericanRailroads,2015)andareexpectedtospendanestimated$29billionin2015.Throughtechnologicaladvances,innovativeservice,competitiverates,andaggressivereinvestmentprograms,railroadshaveshowntheirwillingnessandabilitytoprovidehighvalue

transportationservicetocoalshippersthroughoutthecountry(AssociationofAmericanRailroads,2015).

AccesstotheLargestFuelSourceintheUSOnaBTUbasis,therearelargerremainingcoalresourcesthannaturalgasoroilreservesintheUnitedStates(U.S.EnergyInformationAdministration,2015).Asof2014,thedemonstrated

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reservebasewasestimatedtocontain480billionshorttons(U.S.EnergyInformationAdministration,2015).Withconstantlyimprovingminingtechniquesandtechnologies,somesurfaceminesarenowabletorecovermorethan90percentfromtheundisturbeddeposit(U.S.EnergyInformationAdministration,2015).Asof2011,thetotalprovenrecoverablereservesofcoalintheworldwereestimatedat979.8billionshorttons(U.S.EnergyInformationAdministration,2015).Thecurrentcoalcontributiontoglobalprimaryenergyconsumption(30.1percent)isthehighestsince1970.InSoutheastAsiaalone,demandisexpectedtogrowby4.8percentayearthrough2035astheregionturnstocoaltofuelitsgrowingenergyneeds(WorldCoalAssociation,2015).U.S.coalminesprovidetheenergyresourcesandrawmaterialsthatareessentialtoagrowingeconomy.Asof2012,U.S.miningcontributedover$225billiontotheeconomy.FortheU.S.toremaincompetitiveinternationally,itisimperativetoutilizeourmostaccessibleandeconomicfuelsource.

FuelVersatilityCoalisgenerallyviewedasafuelsimplyburnedtocreatesteamforpowergeneration.Yes,conventionalsteamproductionisthemainuse,butevolvingtechnologieshaveallowedcoaltobemoreefficientandenvironmentallyfriendly.Byimprovingthecurrentaverageglobalefficiencyrateofcoal-fueledpowerplantsfrom33percentto40percentthroughthedevelopmentofmoreadvancedoff-the-shelftechnology,twogigatonsperyearofCO2emissionscanbecutimmediately,whilestillallowingaffordableenergyforeconomicdevelopmentandpovertyreduction(WorldCoalAssociation,2015).Coalisalsousedworldwidetoproducesyntheticnaturalgas(or“syngas”),whichisthenusedtocreateelectricityinIGCCunits.Whilemoreexpensivethanconventionalsteam,IGCCunitscanachievegreaterefficiencies.Byaddinga‘shift’reaction,additionalhydrogencanbeproduced,andthecarbonmonoxide(CO)producedduringthegasificationprocesscanbeconvertedtoCO2,whichiscapturedandstoredorusedinindustrialprocesses.IGCCefficienciestypicallyreachthemid-40percentrange,althoughplantdesignsofferingaround50percentefficienciesareachievable(WorldCoalAssociation,2015).Coalisnotonlyusedtogenerateelectricity,itisalsousedinmanymanufacturingandindustrialapplications.Steelisusedineverymajorindustry:energy,construction,automotiveandtransportation,infrastructure,aswellaspackagingandmachinery.Thesteelindustryisheavilydependentuponcoal,as70percentofthesteelproducedtodayrequirescoalforproduction(WorldCoalAssociation,2015).By2050,steeluseisprojectedtoincreaseto1.5timesitspresentlevelsinordertomeetthedemandsoftheworld’sgrowingpopulation(WorldSteelAssociation,2015).“Energyindependence”isatermthathasbecomeubiquitous,asU.S.dependenceonforeignoilhasincreased.Domesticcoaloffersaviablealternativetoforeignoilthroughcoal-to-liquids(CTL)technologies.Therearecurrentlytwoprovenmethods:DirectandIndirectLiquefaction.Anarrayofproductscanbemadeviatheseprocesses,includingultra-cleanpetroleumanddiesel,aswellassyntheticwaxes,lubricants,chemicalfeedstock,andalternativeliquidfuelssuchasmethanolanddimethylether(WorldCoalAssociation,2015).Anexampleofthistechnology’spotentialexistsinSouthAfrica,wherecoal-derivedfuelshavebeenproducedsince1955andthecoal-to-liquidsindustrycontinuestoflourishtoday(WorldCoalAssociation,2015).Here,CTLfuelsareusedincarsandothervehiclesand,inthecaseoftheSouthAfricancompanySasol,havebeenapprovedandplannedforuseincommercialjets(WorldCoalAssociation,2015).Coal-derivedfuelsaresulfur-free,lowinparticulates,andlowinnitrogenoxides(WorldCoalAssociation,2015).

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CoalScalability:FacebookPostTheenergyindependencediscussionstartsandendswithcoal.OnaBTUbasisintheU.S.,therearelargerremainingcoalresourcesthannaturalgasoroilcombined.Theexistingandfuturecoaltransportationinfrastructure,billionsoftonsindemonstratedrecoverablereserves,andtheversatilityofcoalhasprovenitwellequippedtomeetthedemandsofthefuture.Coalkeepshard-earnedmoneyinourcommunitiesandwillallowAmericatoprosperforourgrandchildren.

RenewableEnergyRenewableenergycertainlyhasaplaceintheenergydemandsofthefuture,butfacesmanychallengeswhilescalinguptomeetthesedemands.Assolarpowercontinuesitsgrowth,itwillforceitswayintobaseloadenergydemand,however,itwillbelessabletomeetpeakdemandsduetoalackofdispatchability(PowerMag,2015)andgridenergystorage.DaveRamm,ChairmanandCEOofBrightSourceEnergy,agreed.“Withoutstorage,thistechnologyisn’tworthmuch”(PowerMag,2015).Hydroelectricpowerhasexperiencedreducedgrowthasmanynationshavealreadydevelopedareasthatcouldbeusedasreservoirstosupporthydroelectricgeneration(Asia-PacificEconomicsBlog,2015).Duetothis,only1outofthelast30majorpowerplantprojectswithacapacityofatleast2,000MWhasstartedconstructionwithinthelastcoupleofyears(Asia-PacificEconomicsBlog,2015).Windpowerhasstruggledtomeettheworld’senergydemands,aswell.WiththeexceptionofDenmark,nocountriesorelectricalsystemshaveproducedmorethan10percentoftheirtotalenergydemandfromwindenergy,andmostarebelow2percent(WorldofWindEnergy,2015).DavidKeith,aHarvardappliedphysicistnotes,“IfweweretocovertheentireEarthwithwindfarms,thesystemcouldpotentiallygenerateenormousamountsofpower,wellinexcessof100terawatts,butatthatpointmyguess,basedonourclimatemodeling,isthattheeffectofthatonglobalwinds,andthereforeonclimate,wouldbesevere—perhapsbiggerthantheimpactofdoublingCO2”(Engineering,2013).Onthecontrary,theexistingandfuturecoaltransportationinfrastructure,billionsoftonsindemonstratedrecoverablereserves,andtheversatilityofcoal,hasprovenitwellequippedtomeetthedemandsofthefuture.

GridReliabilityCoalrepresented39percentofU.S.electricitygenerationin2014,makingitthelargestofallenergysources(U.S.EnergyInformationAdministration,2015).Ascoalgenerationcapacitycontinuestobechallengedbygrowingenvironmentalregulations,manyexpertsquestionthefuturereliabilityoftheU.Spowergrid.

Tweetthis:Coalwasthe

largestsource

ofenergyin

2014(39%).

Fueldiversity

includingcoal

ispivotaltoa

reliable

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#KeepTheLightsOn

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Areliablebulkpowersystemisonethatisabletomeetgenerationneedsdespitevariousdisturbancesthatwouldinterruptsupplyoravailabilityofelectricitygeneration.NorthAmericanElectricReliabilityCorporation(NERC)broadlydividesreliabilityintotwocategories:adequacyandsecurity.Adequacyreflectswhetherthereisasufficientcapacityofresourcestosupplyelectricitydemand.Securityisdefinedastheabilitytowithstand“sudden,unexpecteddisruptions,”suchasequipmentfailuresorlossofsystemareas.Fueldiversityispivotaltobothadequacyandsecurity.Backupresourcesmustbeinplacetooffsetunforeseeneventsthatwouldinterruptpowergenerationfromvariousunits(NorthAmericanElectricReliabilityCorporation).

ReliabilityChallengesofRenewableandOtherSourcesGenerators,suchasgas,solar,andwind,areservedbyreal-timefueldeliveryorintermittentweather,andmustbalancefuelsourceswithon-sitestoragecapabilitiestomaintainreliability,survivesuddendisruptions,andcontrolcosts(U.S.EnergyInformationAdministration).Naturalgasasasourceofpowergenerationisparticularlyrestrictedbypipelinecapacitylimitationsinextremewinterweatherconditionsduetocompetitionwithentitiesfeedingresidentialandindustrialend-users.Additionally,equipmentconstraintsfromfrozeninstrumentationduringextremetemperatureslimitthedependabilityofnaturalgasasaprincipalfuelsource(NorthAmericanElectricReliabilityCorporation,2014).Powergenerationsourcedfromsolarandwindresourcesarealsolimitedbythereal-timeenvironmentalconditionsassociatedwitheach,aswellasinsufficienttransmissioninfrastructuretoareaswiththebestenvironmentalconditionsforgeneration(NorthAmericanElectricReliabilityCorporation,2014).

SuperiorityofCoalCoalasafuelsourcehasmanyadvantagestoaidinreliablegenerationofelectricity,contributingtobothadequacyandsecurityofthebulkpowersystem.Forexample,coal-fueled

Coal,39%

NaturalGas,27%

Nuclear,20%

Renewables,13%

Others,1%

U.SElectricityGenera[onbySource,2014

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Tweetthis:MoreCO2can

begood!It

correlateswith

increased

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food,and

medicine.

#MYTHBUSTED

generatingunitsarewellunderstoodduetoyearsofuseasaprimarysourceofenergyacrosstheworld,andinfrastructureiscurrentlyinplacetosupportgenerationfromtheseexistingunits.Asafetystockofcoalmaybeeasilystoredattheplantsite,eliminatingconcernssurroundingreal-timedelivery.The2014polarvortexandthesubsequentspikeingaspricesduetocoldtemperatures,andlackofsupply,servedasaprimaryexampleoftherisksassociatedwitharealtimefueldelivery.

ConclusionOverdependenceonanysingletypeoffuelcreatesagreaterriskofdisruptionstoelectricpowergeneration,especiallyduringextremeweatherevents.Coalasafuelsourcehasmanyadvantagestoaidinreliablegenerationofelectricity:on-sitestorage,yearsofdocumenteduse,andanabundanceofdomestically-sourcedsupply.Coalisavitalcomponentofournation’soverallgenerationmixtomaintainareliablepowersystem.

GridReliability:FacebookPostGridreliabilityisallaboutfueldiversityandavailabilityofbackupresources,astheyareinevitablyneeded.Coalisavitalcomponentofournation’soverallgenerationmixtomaintainareliablepowersystem.

GridReliability:ElevatorSpeechCoalisthelargestofalldomesticenergysources(U.S.EnergyInformationAdministration,2015).Whilethereareotherenergyresources,suchasgas,solar,andwind,theyareservedbyreal-timefueldeliveryorintermittentweatherandmustbebalancedbyfuelsourceswithon-sitestoragecapabilitiestomaintainreliability,survivesuddendisruptions,andcontrolcosts(U.S.EnergyInformationAdministration).

• Naturalgasisparticularlyrestrictedbypipelinecapacitylimitationsinextremeweatherconditionsasequipmentconstraintsfromfrozeninstrumentationduringextremetemperatureslimitthedependabilityofnaturalgasasaprincipalfuelsource(NorthAmericanElectricReliabilityCorporation,2014).

• Solarandwindarebothconstrainedbygeographicalandtransmissionlimitations,asdevelopersinstallsystemsinthemostwindyandsunnylocationsfirst(Helman,2014).

Bycontrast,asafetybufferofcoalmaybeeasilystoredattheplantsite,eliminatingconcernssurroundingreal-timedelivery.Inextremeweatherconditions,particularlylowtemperatures,coalpossessesthenecessarycharacteristicstoconsistentlymeetelectricitydemand.Overdependenceonanysinglefueltypecreatesagreaterriskofdisruptionstoelectricpowergeneration,especiallyduringextremeweatherevents.Coalisavitalcomponentofournation’soverallgenerationmixtomaintainareliablepowersystem.

GridReliability:ObjectionsandResponsesObjection:Renewablesandalternativeenergyresourceswillbeavailabletoreplaceretiredcoalgenerationgoingforward.

Response:Thecurrentbulkpowersystemmustbereconfiguredtosupportincreaseduseofrenewableenergy.Additionaltransmissioncapacitymustbebuiltandexpandedtoreachremoteareaswheremanyrenewableresourcesarelocated.ThistimelinemaynotcoincidewithdeadlinesascurrentlyproposedbytheEPA.Forexample,anewhigh-voltagelinehasaleadtimeof5-15years.Additionally,thecostofthistransmissionexpansionwillbepassedontoend-users.Also,renewablegenerationcapacitycannotbecounted-ontoreplaceon-demandcapacitytomeetsystemneeds.Unlessreplacementfossilcapacityornuclearcapacityisbuilt,gridreservemarginsandtherefore,reliabilitywillbesacrificed.

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Objection:Improvementstoenergyefficiencyalongwithincreaseduseofrenewableswilllessendemandinthefutureenoughtooffsetreductionsinfossilfuelgeneration.

Response:ProjectionsbytheEPAestimatedthatgrowthinenergydemandwouldbemorethanoffsetbygrowthinenergyefficiency,causingtotalenergydemandtocontinuetoshrink.ThestudiescitedbytheEPAwerebasedononly12states’datawhichdon’tadequatelyrepresenttheenergymixanddemographicsofthenationasawhole.Overallenergydemandisseparatedfromavailablepeak-hourgeneratingcapacity,whichisamaindeterminantofgridreliability.

ClimateChange&CO.Constructionofrenewableenergysourceshasbecomeafavoredpolicyresponsetoaddressconcernsaboutclimatechangeandthereductionofcarbondioxide(CO2)emissions.Additionallyfederalregulationshavebeenproposedandpromulgatedthatwouldforcetheretirementofadditionalcoalunitsacrossthecountry.

Despitehyperbolicreportinganddrasticregulatorymeasures,itisimportanttorememberthattherearebenefitsassociatedwithclimatechange.CO2isplantfood.Therefore,increasedatmosphericCO2resultsinmorefood(Kimball,1983)andmedicinethroughincreasedplantgrowth(PlantsNeedCO2).Overall,increasedCO2levelsactuallyarecorrelatedwithdecreaseddeathsfromnaturaldisasters(CATOInstitute,2014).Inaddition,astimepassesCO2willdecreaseinitsabilitytoaffecttemperature(Hoskins,2014).

The“HockeyStickChart”andtheEraofMisinformationOneargumentcontributingtoanegativeviewofclimatechangeisthe“HockeyStickChart,”createdbyresearcherMichaelMann.Thischartismeanttoillustratethattemperaturesacrosstheglobehaveincreasedexponentiallyinthelast100years(IntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange,2001):

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Mann’sstudywasinitiallyverypopular,butapeer-reviewedstudyofMann’swork,conductedbyresearchersStephenMcIntyreandRossMcKitrick,exposedthatdatawithinthe“HockeyStickChart”contained“…collationerrors,unjustifiedtruncationorextrapolationofsourcedata,obsoletedata,incorrectprincipalcomponentcalculations,geographicalmislocations,andotherseriousdefects.Theseerrorsanddefectssubstantiallyaffectthetemperatureindex(McIntyre,2003).”McIntyreandMcKitrickcorrectedtheseerrors,andreconstructedthe“HockeyStickChart”withactualdata.AcomparisonbetweenMann’sversionofthechartandtherevisedversionbyMcIntyreandMcKitrickisdisplayedbelow(McIntyre,2003):

TheresultsoftherevisedversionofMann’schartareastounding.TherevisedchartconfirmsthattemperaturesoftheMedievalWarmingPeriodduringthe1400’swereactuallywarmerthanthoseexperiencedtoday(McIntyre,2003).Itwouldstandtoreasonthatifwarmingtemperaturesactuallydocauseharsherconditionsforsurvival,thetechnologyutilizedinthe1400’swasadequatetocombatit.Therefore,inpresenttime,thereshouldbenofearofwarming,ashistoryhasprovenwehavethecapacitytodealwithanyadverseconditionscausedbyit.Datasuggests,however,thatcatastrophicwarmingisnotlikelytooccur.

ModelsbasedonMann’sworkhavevastlyoverestimatedglobaltemperaturechangeswhencomparedtoreality.Acomparisonbetweenthetwoispresentedbelow.(Spencer,2013)

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Theboldgreenandbluelinesrepresentreality,whiletheboldblacklineistheaveragetemperaturechangepredictedbyacceptedclimatemodels.Aslighttemperatureincreaseofapproximately0.3oChasbeenseen.The0.6oCrisethatwaspredictedby2013didnotcometofruition,butthemodelstillpredictedwarmingwouldoccur.ResearchersprojectedthatiftheaveragetemperaturewithintheUnitedStatesincreasedby2.5oC,therewouldbeapproximately40,000lessmortalitiesperyear,duetodecreasedrespiratorydisease–suchasthefluorpneumonia–contractedinthefrigidweather,(Moore,1996).Awarmerclimatewouldactuallysavelives,notshortenthem.Althoughwarmerweatherwouldsavelives,a2.5oCwarmingwouldbesignificantlyhardtoachieve.

TemperatureriseislinearwithrespecttoexponentialrisesofCO2,meaningthatfurtherchangesinatmosphericCO2,willresultindecreasingincrementalchangesintemperature,asexplainedinthechartbelow(Hoskins,2014):

Asseenabove,only13percentofthetotalpotentialtemperaturechangefromCO2emissionscanbemitigatedwithfuturede-carbonizationpolicies.24billiondollarsoftaxpayers’moneywasspenton

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renewableenergyinitiativesin2011(Dinan,2012).Thequestionmustbeasked;doestheforecastedinsignificanttemperaturechangewarrantsuchalevelofspending?

TheMythicalRelationshipbetweenCO2andClimateRelatedDeathsTheclaimthatincreasedatmosphericCO2willresultinadangerousclimatemustalsobeexplored.WhenCO2emissionsandclimaterelateddeathsareputsidebyside,itiseasytoseethattheworldhasactuallybecomeasaferplaceasCO2emissionshaveincreased(CATOInstitute,2014):

Despiteglobalpopulationgrowthovertime,andCO2emissionsincreasing,totalclimaterelateddeathshavefallen.Thiscanbeattributedtotheincreaseintheabilitytoproduceindustrialgoodsusedforshelter,technology,heating,andcooling.TheestimatedgrowthintheUnitedStatesindustrialproductionindexcanbeseenbelow(FederalReserve,2015):

Theindustrialproductiontotalindexmeasurestheproductionoutputofmanufacturing,mining,andutilitieswithintheUnitedStates.Increasedindustrialproductionmeansthematerialsforinfrastructurewithinthe

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UnitedStatesaregrowing,andthemanufacturingoftechnologyallowingsocietytoavoiddangerousconditionsisincreasing.IncreasedlevelsofindustrialproductionwillgenerateincreasedCO2emissions,duetotheincreaseinenergynecessaryforproductionpurposes.Fossilfuelshave,andwillcontinueto,providethemajorityoftheenergytopowertheseadvancements.Asdemonstratedbytheclimatedeathgraphshownearlier,thetradeoffofincreasedCO2emissionstoprovideenhancedinfrastructure,growingindustrialcapacity,andrapidtechnologicalimprovementisthesavingofmanyhumanlives.

ThePositiveImpactofCO2forPlantLifeInadditiontoCO2emissionsbeingaby-productofprotection,CO2emissionsincreaseplantgrowth,cropyields,andplantantioxidantsbyacceleratingphotosynthesislevels.PhotosynthesisfunctionsviaaplantconsumingCO2,solarenergy,andwater,convertingthosecompoundstocarbohydrates,andthenreleasingwasteasoxygen.

AsCO2levelsincrease,therateofphotosynthesisinplantstendstoaccelerate.A100percentincreaseinatmosphericCO2levelsisestimatedtoincreasephotosynthesisratesby41percentforC3plantsand22percentforC4plants(Note:Highertemperaturesalsocatalyzephotosynthesis,doublingthereactionrateforevery10oFriseintemperature)(Watkins).Anincreaseinphotosynthesisratesdirectlycorrelatestoincreasedplantgrowth.WhenatmosphericCO2levelsaredoubled,plantyieldshavebeenobservedtoincreasebyapproximately33percent.Inadditiontranspiration,whichisevaporationofwaterfromplantpores,isshowntodecreaseby34percentinenvironmentswithdoubletheatmosphericCO2concentration(Kimball,1983).Thisindicateshigherwaterefficiencyusageforplants.FruitgrowthisalsoamplifiedinenvironmentswithhigherlevelsofCO2.Orangesdisplayed80percentgreaterfruityieldwitha75percentpercentincreaseinatmosphericCO2concentration,anda5percentincreaseintheirvitaminCcontent.Strawberriesdemonstratedsimilareffects,increasingfruitweightby17percentwithanadditional170ppmofCO2withintheatmosphere(PlantsNeedCO2).PlantswithmedicinalbenefitshavealsoshownincreasedconcentrationsoftheiractivemedicinalconstituentswithhigherconcentrationsofCO2.Thespiderlily,whichcontainsconstituentsthatcombatleukemia,ovarysarcoma,melanoma,braincancer,coloncancer,lungcancer,andrenalcancer,haverevealedanincreaseof75percentintheiractivemedicinalconstituentswitha75percentincreaseinatmosphericCO2concentration.SaintJohn’sWort,whichassistswithdepression,inflammation,andwoundhealing,sawa100percentincreaseinitshealthpromotingconstituentswhengrownunder1,000ppmatmosphericCO2levels(PlantsNeedCO2).Theincreasesobservedintheseplantsmedicinalpropertiesaresignificant,bothforindustrializedandundevelopedcountries.75percentoftheworldpopulationisstilldependentuponbiologicalremediesastheirprimarysourceofmedication(PlantsNeedCO2).

Additionally,population(asdisplayedbelow)throughtheyear2050,isforecastedtocontinuegrowing(Haub,2012):

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Withanincreasingworldpopulation,morefoodandmedicinewillbeessential.HigherCO2levelsyieldinglargerharvestsoffood,increasedlevelsofmedicinalingredients,andincreasedvitaminswillallbenecessarytosupportahealthyhumanpopulation.

HigherlevelsofCO2alonedonotadverselyaffecthealth.Foranyimpacttohumanhealthtooccur,atmosphericCO2emissionswouldhavetobecloseto15,000ppm,whichis40timesgreaterthanthelevelscurrentlyintheatmosphere(PlantsNeedCO2).However,priortoreachingthatconcentration,increasedCO2levelscorrelatewithabetterqualityoflifethroughmorefoodandmedicine,asaferlifewithenhancedinfrastructuralcapabilities,andareshowntohaveinsignificanteffectsontemperatureinthefuture.

Asafinalnote,increasedenergyproductionusingrenewableswillnotstopCO2emissions.Evensocalled“carbon-free”sourcesgiveoffcarbonwhenanalyzedthroughalifecycleanalysis.Duringtheconstructionphaseofawindturbine,approximately364.8gCO2/kWhiscapableofbeingproduced;forsolar,thisfigurebecomes218gCO2/kWh(Nugent,2014).

ConclusionCO2isnottheevil,lifesuckingpoisonthatclimatechangeactivistssometimesportray.Itisaby-productofalife-preserving,food-producing,industriallysoundculture.Whetherthiscultureissupportedbycoalorrenewablesshouldnotbeaneither/orquestion,theanswershouldbe“yes”toboth.

ClimateChange&CO2:FacebookPostBottomlineonclimatechange:Coalequatestofewerdeaths(Moore,1996),lowermedicalcosts(Moore,1996),andmorefood(Kimball,1983).

ClimateChange&CO2:ElevatorSpeechIftherewasawaytohaveacheap,reliablesourceofelectricgenerationthatalsoboostscropyields(Kimball,1983),increasebasemedicinalingredientprevalence(PlantsNeedCO2),decreasemortalities(Moore,1996),andstrengthenthenation’sinfrastructure(FederalReserve,2015),woulditbeworthdiscovering?

Luckily,wedon’thavetodiscoverit,italreadyexists.Coal-fueledgenerationandtheCO2emittedfromcoalcorrelateswithalloftheabove-mentionedbenefits.ThepopulationonEarthisestimatedtogrowbytwobillionpeoplefrom2015to2050(Haub,2012).Agreateramountofreliablepower,food,medicine,andindustrialproductionwillbeneededtosupportthisgrowth.Let’sstoptheattemptstooutlawcoal,andstartusingittopowerourfuture.

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ClimateChange&CO2:ObjectionsandResponses

Objection:Temperatureincreasesduetoclimatechangewillleadtoirreversibleanddangerouschangesinweatherconditions.

Response:Temperatureswerehigherinthemedievalperiodthanpresent,andhumancivilizationsurvivedthatperiodwithlesstechnology,poorerinfrastructure,lessenergy,andworsewaterquality(McIntyre,2003).IncreasingCO2emissionsoverthepasttwocenturiescorrelatewithfewerclimaterelateddeaths,indicatingthatpowerfromcoalandotherfossilfuelshasbeenusedtoimproveinfrastructureandtechnologyovertime.Inreality,improvedaccesstoaffordable,reliableenergyhashelpedsocietytodealwithextremeweather(CATOInstitute,2014).

Objection:Temperatureincreasesduetoclimatechangehaveledtoicecapmelting.

Response:Articseaicevolumeshaveactuallybeengrowingoverthepastfouryears.In2011,theaverageseaicevolumewasmeasuredat4,275km3,howeverseaicevolumeshaveregeneratedsincethatpoint,reaching10,200km3in2014.Atthesametime,recentstudiesindicatethattheAntarcticicesheethasalsogrown,adding112billiontonsoficeannuallyfrom1992to2001,and82billiontonsannuallyfrom2003to2008.(Zwallyetal,2015)

Objection:Temperatureincreasesduetoclimatechangearemeltingice,leadingtotheextinctionofpolarbears.

Response:Thisstatementisuntrue.AsofJune2014,themajorityofpolarbearpopulationsareeitherestimatedtobeincreasing,orstable(PolarBearScience,2014).

Objection:Temperatureincreasesduetoclimatechangeareleadingtothebleachinganddeathofcoralreefs.

Response:Researchhasshownthatcoralreefsutilizevarioussymbioticrelationshipswithalgaetoadapttocertaintypesofenvironmentalstresses.Oneofthesetypesofalgaeisheattolerantandassistscoraltoavoidbleachingduetotemperatureincreases(Silverstein,2012).However,itisimportanttorememberthat87percentofcarbondioxideseffectontemperaturehasalreadybeenrealized,thereforefuturerisesintemperatureduetocarbondioxidewilllikelybemarginal(Hoskins,2014).

Objection:WarmingtemperaturescausedbyCO2emissionswillresultingreaterdiseaseamongstcrops.

Response:Researchonplantpathogensandclimatechangeisinconclusive(Garrett,2006).However,CO2hasbeendefinitivelyshowntoacceleratephotosynthesis,indicatingthatplantswillgrowfaster;increasingcropyieldsby33percent(Kimball,1983).Inaddition,withtheuptickinplantgrowth,theagriculturalindustryisestimatedtoincreaseagriculturalrevenueby1.3billiondollars(Deschenes,2002).

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Objection:WarmingtemperaturescausedbyCO2emissionswillresultinmoreseverestormsandhurricanes.

Response:TheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange(IPCC)hasstatedthatthereisnoconvincingevidencetosupportthisclaim(IntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange,2013).Inaddition,extraordinarytrendsinlandfallingcyclones,hurricanes,andtyphoonshavenotbeenseen.

Objection:WarmingtemperaturescausedbyCO2emissionswillresultinmoredroughts.

Response:AccordingtotheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange(IPCC),thereisinsufficientevidencetosaywithhighconfidencethatdroughtisactuallyincreasing.Trendsindroughtsfromthe1970’shavebeenoverstated,andthefrequencyandintensityofdroughtsinbothNorthAmericaandnorthwestAustraliahaveactuallydecreased(IntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange,2013).

Objection:Coalisnotarenewableresource,whathappenswhenwerunout?

Response:Whiletotalcoalreservesareonthedecline,itisimportanttonotethattherearepointswherethereservesincreaseduetonewreservesofcoalbeingfound.Coalreservesareoftenunderestimated,ascoalcompaniestendtoplanintheshortterm.Initialestimatesofreservesareoften4-5timesunderstatedwhencomparedtotheactualamountofcoalintheground(WorldEnergyCouncil,2013).Thus,thereisagreatdealmorecoaltobemined.Withthatinmind,weshouldcontinuetotakeadvantageofcoalandcontinuetoresearchnewandreliableenergysolutions,insteadofmandatingmovestoexpensive,intermittent,andunreliablesourcessuchaswindandsolar.Furthermore,thesamequestionofreservescanbeposedtosolarandwindaswell,astheyrequirerareearthmetalstobeminedfortheirconstruction(Catlett,2014).

Objection:Renewablescreatecarbon-freegenerationandareenvironmentallyfriendly.

Response:Thisisnotnecessarilytrue.Whilegeneratingelectricity,bothsolarandwinddonotproduceCO2.However,performingalifecycleanalysisandtakingintoaccountemissionsduringtheirconstruction,windandsolarcangiveoffasmuchas364.8gCO2/kWhand218gCO2/kWh(Nugent,2014).Inaddition,bothsolarandwindprojectsrequireminingrareearthmetalsinChina,sothepracticeofminingwillstillcontinuewithrenewablesbeingused(Catlett,2014).TherareearthmetalcapitaloftheworldisBatou,China,whichissopollutedduetominingtomakewindturbinesthatthepopulationhasdroppedfrom2,000to300people(TheGuardian,2012).Inaddition,amongotherenvironmentalandsocialchallenges,windturbinesintheU.S.havebeenknowntokill1.4millionbirdsandbatseachyear,andsolarpanelshavedisplacedthreateneddeserttortoiseswheretheyareplaced(Catlett,2014).

TheHumanCostWithoutCoalThepushtoeliminatecoalandotherfossilfuelsfromtheU.S.energymixwillhaveasignificantfinancialimpactonallAmericans,butthelowestincomeAmericanswillbeimpactedthemost.Coalhasbeenasourceofcheapandreliableenergyforyears;however,manypoliticianshaveplanstoeliminatecoal.HillaryClintonstates(Clinton,2015)that,ifelected,onDay1ofherpresidencyshewillestablishtwonationalgoals:

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1) Install500millionsolarpanelsacrosstheUSbytheendof20202) InstallenoughrenewablestopowereveryhomeintheUSby2027

But,Ms.Clinton’splandoesnotmentionanyadditionalcoststotheAmericanpeople,orwhatspecificenvironmentalbenefitswillbeassociatedwiththosegoals.AsThomasJeffersonsaid,“Anenlightenedcitizenryisindispensablefortheproperfunctioningofarepublic”(Jefferson,1820).Voterscannotmakeawell-informeddecisionunlessacost-benefitanalysisisclearlycommunicated.

Fromacostperspective,doyoufeelthecurrentconditionofyourenvironmentissobadthatyouwouldmakesignificantfinancialsacrificestoimproveit?Wouldyouranswerchangeifitmeantsacrificingfoodandheatinthewinter?Whatiftheprojectedimprovementwasonlyoneone-hundredthofadegreeCelsiusasstatedbytheformerAssistantSecretaryofEnergyCharlesMcConnellandaffirmedbyEPAAdministratorGinaMcCarthywhentestifyingbeforeCongress(McCarthy)?

AccordingtotheU.S.CensusBureau,over45.3millionAmericans(includingover16millionchildren)livedinpovertyin2013(U.S.CensusBureau,2013).OneofthoseAmericansisBessieMeade.Bessiewasbornin1945andraisedhertwogirlsinEasternKentucky.Shewaswidowedin1997whenherhusbanddiedofasuddenheartattack.Bessiehasworkedhardandbeenthriftyherentirelife.Asaresult,sheisdebtfree.Butattheageof70,theonlyincomeshehasisherSocialSecuritycheckof$753/month.Bessie’selectricbillisherlargestexpense(averaged$203/monthin2014)inpartbecausethemodularhomethatsheandherhusbandpurchasednewinthemid1970’sisnotenergyefficientandshedoesnothavethemoneytomakeitefficient.Afterallhermonthlyexpenses,Bessiehas$157/monthforfood.Sheisabletogetbyeachmonthwiththehelpof$30/monthinFoodStamps.Whenaskedwhatshewoulddoifherelectricbillrose40percentto50percent–theexpectedincreaseneededtoconvertconventionalcoaltosolarPV(U.S.EnergyInformationAdministration,2015)–Bessiestatedbluntly,“Peoplearoundherewouldhavetochoosetoeitherfreezeorstarvetodeath,oneortheother.”

ThesmallenvironmentalbenefitassociatedwiththeeliminationofcoalandotherfossilfuelsfromtheU.S.energymixisinsignificantwhencomparedtothefinancialandsocialimpactsonallAmericans,especiallythelowestincomeAmericanswhowillbehardesthitbyrapidpriceincreases.

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BessieMeade ConventionalMonthlyBudget Coal SolarPVIncome-SocialSecurity 753$ 753$

ExpensesElectric 203$ 304$

HomeownersInsurance 117$ 117$AutoInsurance 33$ 33$Water/Sewer 30$ 30$Medications 20$ 20$

Phone 68$ 68$Gas 50$ 50$

Clothing/TV/Entertainment 75$ 75$TotalExpenses 596$ 697$

RemainingAvailableforFood 157$ 56$

Tweetthis:Coalisthe

answerto

developing

countries

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energypoverty.#Energy4everyone#Coal

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TheHumanCostWithoutCoal:FacebookPostThecostofreliableelectricityintheU.S.withoutcoal-fueledgenerationissignificantforover45millionpoverty-strickenAmericans.ThecostwithoutcoalmeansthatalargegroupofpeopleintheU.S.willbefacedwithchoosingbetweenheatingtheirhomes,andputtingfoodontheirtables.

InternationalTradeCoalrepresented30percentofworldenergyconsumptionin2014,makingitthesecondlargestofallenergysources. Population growth and increases in income per capita are the key drivers behind growingworlddemandforenergy.By2035,theworld’spopulationisprojectedtoreach8.7billion,meaninganadditional1.6billionpeoplewillneedenergy (BP,2015).Most countriesarenotenergy self-sufficient,and thereforeinternationaltradewillplayanincreasinglyimportantroleinworldenergyeconomics.

By2040,theglobalcoaltradewillgrowby40percent,duemainlytorisingcoalimportsinChinaandIndia.Thiswillincreasetheshareofglobalcoaltraderelativetoworldcoaldemandfrom18percentin2012,to23percentby2040(Umbach,2010).Amapdepictingglobalcoal importsandexports,aswellascoalprice, ispicturedbelow:

Inthelong-term,notonlyisglobalcoaltradeexpectedtobehigher,butalsototalworldenergydemandisprojectedtobe37percenthigherthanpresentdayin2035.Notsurprisingly,IndiaandChinawillaccountforhalfofthatgrowth. CoaldemandgrowthinChinaandIndiacombinedislargerthanglobalgrowth,morethanmakingupfordeclinesintherestoftheworld.Jointly,theywillaccountfor66percentoftotalcoaldemandin2035.

TheUnitedStatesontheotherhand,isprojectedtobecomeenergyself-sufficientby2021,andby2035,itcouldbeexporting9percentofitstotalenergysupply.Meanwhile,ChinaisprojectedtoovertaketheEUasthe world’s largest importing country/region by 2025 (BP, 2015). Although China is facing some internalenergystruggleswithnewqualityrequirementsandimportdutiesoncoal,theirimmensecoalconsumption

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cannotbe replacedentirelybygasor renewables.Therefore, it isexpected thatChinawill continue toseecoalasthemajorenergysourcefortheforeseeablefuture.Indiawillfollowsuitasimportlevelsareexpectedtomorethantripleto30percentofglobalcoaltrade.India’scoalimportdependencewillrisesharplyfrom25percentin2012,to40percentby2040(Umbach,2010).

MajorImportersandExportersofCoal

Globalcoalproductionin2014waslittlechangedat7.2billiontons.Ofthat7.2billiontons,about1.3billionistradedallovertheworld,shippedgreatdistancesbyseatoreachglobalmarkets(Euracoal,2015).Overthelasttwentyyears,Seabornetradeinsteamcoalhasincreasedonaveragebyabout7percenteachyear,andSeabornecokingcoaltradehasincreasedby1.6percentayear,ascanbeseeninthechartbelow:

Almost 20 percent of total coal production is internationally traded. The top five coal importers (China,Japan, Korea, India, andTaiwan) are inAsia,while the top five exporters (Indonesia,Australia, Russia, theUnited States and Colombia) are more scattered around the globe. The new coal trade trend has led tomassive investments in coal infrastructure to secure imports and exports (International Energy Agency,2015).Thetablebelowdepictsmajorimportersandexportersofcoalbycountry,inmilliontonnes:

InternationalTradeRateSlowing

Internationaltradeisslowingandsteamcoalpricesaredeclining,thisisduetothreemajorcauses(Euracoal,2015):

Country Exports Share Country Imports Share

Indonesia 421.8 29.8% China 318.5 23.7%

Australia 332.4 23.5% Japan 203.5 15.2%

Russia 150.7 10.7% South Korea 135.7 10.1%

United States 126.7 9.0% India 97.2 7.2%

Colombia 92.2 6.5% Taiwan 71.5 5.3%

South Africa 82.0 5.8% Germany 53.4 4.0%

World 1413.9 World 1342.5

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1. Decreaseinprice–Aresultofovercapacityduetolowerdemand.ThisisaconsequenceofslowingGDPgrowthratesinAsia,especiallyinChina,butalsoduetotheweakglobaleconomicsituations.

2. Changeinexchangerates-MiningcompaniesinRussia,Colombia,AustraliaandSouthAfricahaveacurrencyadvantage,whichenablesthemtomitigatethelowerrevenuesduetolowercoalprices.Thedollar(USD)hasstrengthenedsignificantlyagainsttheeuro(EUR)aswellinthelast13months(+21.8percent),andalsoagainsttheRussianruble(RUB),creatingfurtherpriceadvantagesforRussiancoalexporterstoEurope.

3. Freightrateshavedecreased–Freightrateshavedecreasedbyasmuchas50percent,slumpingto$5-7USDonthebenchmarkRichardsBay-Rotterdamroute,addingtolowercoalpricesatportssuchasARA.

Thesedevelopmentswillcontinueinthemid-term.Longerterm,itisimportantthatthefocusonimprovedcoaltechnologiescontinuesinordertorecognizeincreasedconsumptionintheAsianmarket,whilemitigatingairqualityconcerns.

ConclusionIn order for everyone to benefit from coal as a sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy source,internationaltradeisnecessarytoreachallmarkets.Traditionallycoalwas(andstillcanbe)asomewhatlocalresource.However,thisisn’ttrueforallcountries.Chinainparticularhasagrowingneedforcoalinordertosustainitseconomicdevelopment.Thishasledtoaccelerationingrowth(bothvolumeandshareterms)ofinternationallytradedcoal.Infact,alldevelopmentsinChinaimpactcoalmarkets.However,thefightagainstpollutionisnowadrivingforceofenergypolicy,andAsiancountriesarefollowingsuit.Chinawillcontinuetobethebiggestconsumerandimporterofcoalinthemid-tolong-termfuture,asithasbecometheirsourceofreliableenergysupportingtheir industrialandsocialprosperity.However, toensurecoalcanstillbethedependable energy source of the future in China, the coal industry needs to continue developing andimprovingcleancoaltechnology,asthiswillallowthemtocontinuelightingthewayfordevelopingcountrieswhilecomplyingwithenvironmentalregulations.

InternationalTrade:FacebookPostInternationalcoaltradeallowshumanstosharetechnologiesandmasternewenvironmentswherelittletonoenergysourcesarepresent.Coalalsoimproveslivingstandardsforbothdevelopedanddevelopingcountriesbyprovidingabundant,affordable,reliable,andincreasinglycleanelectricitytopowerhumanlives.

InternationalTrade:ElevatorSpeechMostcountriesarenotenergyself-sufficient,meaningtheinternationalcoaltradeisplayinganincreasinglysignificantroleinprovidingenergytodevelopingcountries. Theshareofcoalintheworldenergysupplyincreasedfrom25percentin1973,toalmost30percentin2014.By2040,globalcoaltradeisexpectedtogrowby40percent,duemainlytorisingcoalimportsinChinaandIndia.Traditionallycoalhasbeenalocalresource,butChina'sgrowingneedforcoaltosustainitsrapideconomicdevelopmenthasledtoaccelerationingrowthofinternationallytradedcoal.Thetopfivecoalimporters(China,Japan,Korea,India,andTaiwan)areinAsia,whilethetopfiveexporters(Indonesia,Australia,Russia,theUnitedStatesandColombia)arescatteredaroundtheglobe.Globalexportstotaled1,300megatons(MT)in2013,morethanseventimesthe185MTamount40yearsearlier.Thegrowingcoaltradetrendhasledtomassiveinvestmentsincoalinfrastructuretosecureimportsandexports.ChinaandotherdevelopingcountriesinAsiawillbethebiggestconsumersandimportersofcoalinthemid-tolong-termfuture.Thecoalindustryhasshownawillingnessto

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adapttoregulationswithtechnologiessuchasscrubbersandlowNOxburners,andwillcontinuetoadapttocarryonprovidingreliableenergytonationsthatneedit.

InternationalTrade:ObjectionsandResponses

Objection:Renewablesandalternativeenergyresourceswillbeavailabletoreplacecoalgenerationgoingforwardonaglobalscale.

Response:Coalisusedinmanyapplicationswhererenewablesandalternativeenergiesdonot(orcannot)playasignificantrole:powergeneration,steelproduction;cementmanufacturing,aluminarefineries,paperproduction,chemicalandpharmaceuticalindustries,etc.Inaddition,manycountriesdonothaverenewableenergyresourcessufficienttocovertheirenergyneeds,andthereforeneedtoimportenergytohelpmeettheirrequirements.InChina,forexample,economicgrowthneedsmoreenergythantheirdomesticenergyoptionscansupply.Diversificationeffortsandtheso-calledeverythingbutcoalpolicy,willleadtobigdevelopmentsofhydropower,wind,photovoltaic(PV),nuclear,andgasuse(Citi:WorldMovingto"EverythingbutCoal",2014).However,investmentsinnewcoalgenerationcapacityandcoalgasificationplantswillalsobeneededtosupportthisgrowth.Thisiswhybothcoalandinternationaltradeareimportanttokeepworldeconomiesrunning(InternationalEnergyAgency,2015).

Objection:Althoughcoalcontinuestobeanimportantpartoftheenergymix,itisnotacleanenergythatshouldbeshippedaroundtheworldforunregulateduse.Shippingcoalrequiresfurtherenergyconsumptionandcreatesadditionalpollution.

Response:Maritimeshippingistheworld'smostcarbon-efficientformoftransportinggoods-farmoreefficientthanroadorairtransport.Yet,theindustryseekstofurtherimprovethefuelefficiencyandcarbonfootprintofitsvessels.Today'scontainershipsandvehiclecarriersenablethemovementoftremendousvolumesofgoodsacrosstheworld.Thismovementofenergyandgoodshasfueledglobaleconomicgrowthinamannerconsideredimplausibleonly50or60yearsago(WorldShippingCouncil,2015).

TheEnergyEffectCoalhasbeenacornerstoneofhumanadaptationandadvancementsincecavemenwalkedtheEarth(DepartmentofEnergy).Greeks,Romans,andChineseusedcoalasearlyas100B.C(HistoryofCoal).DuringtheRevolutionaryWar,coalwasusedtomanufacturetheweaponsthatgaveAmericaitsfreedom.Thoseuseswerebolsteredincreaseduseintransportation,suchasforsteamshipsandrailroadsintheearly1800’s(NETL).In1875,coalbegantobeusedwidelyforheatingandcookingneeds,whichfedhumaningenuityduringtheIndustrialRevolution(DepartmentofEnergy).Steelmadefromcoalbegantobeusedinconstructiontobuildstructurallysoundhomesthatprotectedpeoplefromtheelements(DepartmentofEnergy).Then,in1882,ThomasEdisoncreatedthefirstcommercialpowerplantutilizingcoalasthefuel,whichkeptpeoplesafeandproductivebylightingtheirhomeswhendarknessfell(NETL).Itisduetothisinventionthatpresently,servicessuchashospitalsandwatertreatmentfacilitiescanoperatearoundtheclock.In2014,coalprovided39percentofthetotalelectricitygeneratedacrosstheUnitedStates(U.S.EnergyInformationAdministration,2015).Thisenergyisusedtofulfillmanyofthesameneedsitdidinthe1800’s,suchasheatinghomes,providing

Tweetthis:Mostofthe

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n,2015).#FossilFuelsRule

#Coal#NaturalGas

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electricityforlight,beingusedtocreatesteel,andtosupporteconomicgrowthatalltimesoftheday.Otherfossilfuels,suchasnaturalgasandoil,alongwithnuclearenergysharesimilarstoriesofimprovingthequalityofeverydaylifeforpeople,fromasurvivalandcomfort/productivitystandpoint.

Evenwithatrackrecordshowingcoalandotherfossilfuelshavebenefittedcivilization,environmentalistsclaimfossilfuelsareaharmtosociety,withcommonstatementssuchas:

• Theimpactsoffossilfuelcombustionasanenergysourcenegateanybenefitstotheimprovementofhumanwell-beingandtheenvironment.

• Fossilfuelsareaninefficientandexpensivealternativetorenewableformsofenergy.

• Governmentsmustfindawaytoprovideaccesstosuchrenewablesourcesofenergyastheonlymeanstoimproveaccesstoenergy

However,asmentionedearlier,throughouthistorycoalandotherfossilfuelshaveperformedquitewellatimprovingourlives.LifeexpectancyandrisingGDPhaveoccurredoverthelast200yearsasadirectbenefitoftheuseoffossilfuels,asshownbelow(Goklany,2015).

Isitworthittodenyaccesstotheseresourceswithmandatesandincreasinglystrictregulation?Arerenewableenergyresourcesuptothetaskofprovidingreliableandinexpensivegeneration?

Reliabilityisakeyaspectofprovidingadequateelectricsupply.“Powerallowsbusinessownersandemployeestoincreaseworkinghours.Thisnotonlymeansthattheycanopentheirshopearlierandstayopenlater,butthatbusinessownerscancompleteotherworkrelatedtoowningandoperatingabusinessbeforeandafterdaylighthours(Knoth,2013).” Intheabsenceofcosteffective,industriallyscaledenergystorage,energysourcesmustbeavailablelocally,andinsufficientquantitiestosupplypeople’sneedsthroughouttheyear,day,ornight.Unfortunately,thewinddoesnotalwaysblow,andthesundoesnotalwaysshine,butcoal,oil,andnuclearfuelscanbestockpiledforuseatanytime.Mostrenewablesourcesareunabletosupportsuchaclaim,andinsteadrequireback-upbyothersources,oftenfossilandnuclear.Thesecostsarerarelyfactoredintothetotalcostofproduction,butdirectlyimpactthetotalcosttotheconsumer.Intermsofcostona$/MWhlevel,coaland

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naturalgasarestillthecheapestformsofenergygenerationavailable,asdisplayedbelow(WorldEnergyCouncil,2013):

Itshouldbeofcommoninteresttosupporttheexpansionofinexpensive,reliable,andsustainableenergytobenefitthehumanconditioninallareasoftheworld.Researchhasshownaccesstoreliableandinexpensiveenergyresourcesdramaticallyincreasesaccesstocleanwater,healthservices,foodproduction,transportation,employmentandtechnology.Allofthesefactorsimprovelivingconditions,lifeexpectancy,andhumanity’sabilitytoadapttoachangingplanet.Lowenergycosts,highenergyreliability,andtechnologicaladvancementhaveallbeenmadepossibleduetofossilfueluse.

TheEnergyEffect:FacebookPostEnergyfromcoalandotherfossilfuelshaveexistedasatestamenttohumaningenuitysince100B.C(HistoryofCoal).Whenpeoplewantedtotravelfurther,acarrunningonoilwasinventedthatallowedthemtodoso.Thefirstpowerplantbuilt,whichranoncoal,sparkedanideathatlightcouldexistineveryhome,evenatnight.Presentday,naturalgasfurnacesareburninginpeople’sbasementshelpingthemlivecomfortablyin–sub-zerotemperatures.Fossilfuelsareheretohelpsociety,andhavebeendoingsoformorethantwothousandyears.

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TheEnergyEffect:ElevatorSpeechFossilfuelshavebeenusedtobenefitmankindsince100B.C(HistoryofCoal).Coalspecificallyhaspoweredvariousformsoftransportation,aswellasprovidedheat,steel,andelectricity.However,fossilfuelssuchasnaturalgas,andoil,aswellasnuclearenergy,shareasimilarhistoryofassistingmankindthroughdailylife.Thestoragecapabilityofsomefossilfuelsallowsthemtobeutilizedevenifrealtimeshipmentsofthefuelarenotoccurring.Thisabilitytostockpileenergyresourcesensuresthelightsstayonatalltimesandessentialserviceslikehospitalsandwatertreatmentfacilitiesprovideserviceswhenthey’reneeded.Thestoragecapabilityoffossilfuelsalsomeanstheyareportable,allowingustotransferthemtolocationswheretheyareneeded.Therelativelyinexpensivenatureoffossilfuelsalsoisaclearbenefitforpeople,allowingustoaffordablypowerourcarsandheatourhomes.

Unfortunately,windpoweronlyworkswhenthewindblows,andsolarpoweronlyworkswhenthesunshines,andwhenmandates,subsidies,fulllifecycles,andrequirementsforfirmingpowerandnewtransmissionareincludedincosts,bothareclearlyfarmoreexpensivethanfossilfuel-basedgeneration(WorldEnergyCouncil,2013).Insteadoflookingtoreplacefossilfuelswithlessreliableandmoreexpensivesourcesofgeneration,weshouldbelookingaheadtowhatfossilfuelscouldpossiblydoformankindinthefuture.

TheEnergyEffect:ObjectionsandResponses

Objection:Fossilfuelshavebeenusefulinthepast,butnowneedtobereplacedbyrenewablesources.

Response:Onekeyadvantageoffossilfuelsistheirabilitytobestored.Acommerciallyviablebatterytostoresolarandwindenergyhasnotbeencreatedyet.Therefore,coal,oil,andnuclearmustbestockpiledforwhenthesunisnotshiningandthewindisnotblowingtoallowforreliablegeneration24/7/365.

Objection:Renewableshavecomedowninpricetorivalthatoffossilfuels.

Response:Thoughrenewableshavedroppedinpriceovertheyears,nuclear,coalandnaturalgasarestillamongstthecheapestenergysourceswehaveintheworld.Renewablesarecurrentlyonlyableto“compete”becausefederalandstatemandatesforcethemintotheenergymix.Thenmassivefederalandstatesubsidiescoverasubstantialportionoftheircosts,meaninginmanycases,renewableproducerscanlosemoneyontheenergygeneration,butstillmakemoneyoverallbecauseofgovernmentsupport.Theonlyrenewablesourcethatrivalsfossilfuelswithoutsubsidiesishydroelectric(WorldEnergyCouncil,2013).

Objection:Fossilfuelsarereducingourqualityoflifewiththeirpollution.Response:Fossilfuelshaveactuallyincreasedandimprovedourqualityoflife.Theymakepersonaltransportationbycarpossibleforlongdistances,theyprovidereliablepowerduetotheirstorageproperties,andtheyareinexpensiveincomparisontorenewables.Fossilfuelshavebeenafoundationalaspectofmanyofthetechnological,medical,andinfrastructureimprovementsthatmakehumanlivesmorecomfortableandsafe.Priortothewidespreaduseoffossilfuels,humanslivedmuchshorterlives,thatwerefraughtwithmanymorediseases,muchlessreliablefoodandmedicineresources,andwereseriouslythreatenedbychangingweathereveryyear.

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MiningImpacts,MountaintopandSurfaceMiningSurface/Mountaintopminingremovestheoverburden(surfacevegetation,soil,androcks)tominethecoalseamunderneath.Therecoveryrateisupto90percentduringtheminingprocess,whichisamuchhigherrecoveryratethanmostformsofminingcanpromise(APECSEC,2015).Thesetypesofminingmethodsmakeupabout70percentofU.S.coal.TheNationalMiningAssociationestimatesthedirectvalueofsurfaceminingactivityatmorethan$5billion.Billionsmorecomefromthepurchaseofminingequipment,costsforcoaltransportation,useofengineersandconsultants,andtaxpaymentstogovernment(NationalMiningAssociation,2009).Foreverycoalminingjob,anadditional3.5jobsarecreatedelsewhereintheeconomy(NMA,2015).Coalminingsupportsmorethan800,000jobs,includingover80,000coalminersonthejobandearningapaycheck,sotheycansupportthemselvesandtheirfamilies(NMA,NMAWarnsNewPowerPlantRulesMeansHigherUtilityBills,2013)(NMA,U.S.CoalMineEmploymentbyState,Region,andMethodofMining-2013,2015)

Surfaceminingoperationsaloneprovideenoughenergytopowermorethan25millionAmericanhomes(NationalMiningAssociation,2009).Otherprosforsurfaceminingincludehavingplentifulstrategicreserves,highrecoveryrate,andstoragecapacity.Itisalsooneofthesafestindustriesinthecountry,operatingunderlocal,state,andfederallawsincludingthe1977SurfaceMiningControlandReclamationAct(SMCRA).Inaddition,afterminingisfinished,coalcompaniesarerequiredtoplaceabondthatwillcoverallreclamationcostsandensurethatthesitewillberestored(APECSEC,2015).Listedonthefollowingpagearepicturesofbeforeandafterreclamation:

ConclusionSurface/Mountaintopminingiscosteffective,providesahighrecoveryrate,producesthousandsofjobsdirectlyandindirectly,addstaxpaymentstogovernments,andisthesafest

Tweetthis:Surfaceminingoperationsaloneprovideenoughenergytopowermorethan25millionAmericanhomes(APECSEC,2015).#NoBlackOuts#CoalEqualsReliability

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methodofmining.Everyenergymixwillhaveprosandconsforeachsupplysource.However,withlawsandrequirementsinplacetohelppreventcontamination,orfailuretoreclaim,surfaceminingofcoalremainsacosteffectivemethod.Overall,coalminingishelpingtoproducemorejobssafely,whilealsoboostingeconomicgrowththroughoutthecountry.

MiningImpacts,MountaintopandSurfaceMiningFacebookPostSurface/Mountaintopmininghasgoodstrategicreserves,goodrecoveryrate,storagecapacity,andisoneofthesafestindustriesinthecountry.Foreverycoalminingjob,anadditional3.5jobsarecreatedelsewhereintheeconomy(NationalMiningAssociation,2009).Coalminingkeepsabout800,000peopleemployedincludinganestimated80,000coalminersonthejobandearningapaycheck,allowingthemtosupportthemselvesandtheirfamilies(NMA,2015).Surfaceminingoperationsaloneprovideenoughenergytopowermorethan25millionAmericanhomes(NationalMiningAssociation,2010).

MiningImpacts,MountaintopandSurfaceMiningElevatorSpeechSurfaceandmountaintopmininghasbeendescribedaswasteful,environmentallyharmful,andcostly.But,inreality,recoveryratesduringsurfaceminingareapproximately90percent,whichisamuchhigherrecoveryratethanmostformsofminingcanpromise.Inaddition,afterminingisfinished,coalcompaniesarerequiredtoplaceabondthatwillcoverallreclamationcostsandensurethatthesitewillberestored(APECSEC,2015).TheNationalMiningAssociationestimatesthedirectvalueofsurfaceminingactivityatmorethan$5billion.Billionsmorecomefromthepurchaseofminingequipment,costsforcoaltransportation,useofengineersandconsultants,aswellastaxpaymentstogovernment(NationalMiningAssociation,2009).Foreverycoalminingjob,anadditional3.5jobsarecreatedelsewhereintheeconomy(NMA,2015).Coalminingkeepsabout800,000people,includinganestimated125,000coalminers,onthejobandearninganaverageannualwageofapproximately$85,000.Thesetypesofwell-payingcareershelpindustryworkerstosupportfamiliesandcommunities(NationalMiningAssociation,2010).

Coalisthelifebloodofourdomesticenergysupply.Surfaceminingmethodsmakeupabout70percentofU.S.coal.Surfaceminingisanefficient,environmentallyresponsible,andeconomicmeansofprovidingsafeandreliablepower.

MiningImpacts,Mountaintop&SurfaceMining:Objections&ResponsesObjection:Removaloftheoverburdentoextractthecoalfromtheearthtakesatollontheenvironment.

Response:TheSMCRA(SurfaceMiningControlandReclamationActof1977)requiresminingcompaniestoleavereclaimedminesinbettershapethanbeforetheybeganmining.Beforeminingevenbegins,managersmustdecidehowtheywilluseminelandsandpreparedetailedplansandenvironmentalimpactsassessmentstojustifythatuse.Forexample:airports,housingdevelopments,golfcourses,etc.areoftenbuilt.Inotherareas,minesarereturnedtoanaturalstate.Today,coalcompaniesarerequiredtoplaceafinancialbondthatwillensuremineswillberestored,evenifthecompanyexperiencesfinancialdifficulties,ordoesnotproperlyreclaimaminesite.Thesebondsarenotreleaseduntilafterithasbeenfullyreclaimedandmonitoredforasmuchasadecade,dependingonthelocationofthemine.

Objection:Potentialwatercontamination.

Response:Themineisrequiredtoensurewaterqualityismaintainedviaon-sitemonitoring.Ifwaterdoesbecomecontaminated,theareaiscloselycontrolled(pondsaresealed)untilthecontaminantsbecomeasolidthatcanbesafelyremoved.Oncetheremovalprocessiscomplete,priorcontaminationisundetectable.

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Objection:ThenegativeperceptionofSurface/Mountaintopminingwiththelocalcommunities.

Response:Accordingtowww.facesofcoal.org,about70percentofU.S.coalisminedusingvarioussurfaceminingmethods(EnergyandSecurityFederationforAmericanCoal).TheNationalMiningAssociationestimatesthedirectvalueofsurfaceminingactivityatmorethan$5billion.Billionsmorecomefromthepurchaseofminingequipment,costsforcoaltransportation,useofengineersandconsultants,andtaxpaymentstogovernment(NationalMiningAssociation,2009).Jobsintheminingindustryprovideaverageannualsalariesofover$85,000,meaningminesactuallyhelpraiseaveragewagesintheirarea.Notonlydoesthistypeofminingprovidejobstothelocalcommunity,itissafe,andlessexpensivethanothermethodsofmining.

NaturalResources:ResourceDepletionvs.CreationWhenwillwerunoutofFossilFuels?USAToday,6/28/2014:TheWorldHas53.3YearsofOilLeft

TheIndependent,5/16/2014:UKto‘RunOutofOil,GasandCoal’in5Years

Headlineslikethesecaptureourattention.Fromayoungage,wearetaughtthatfossilfuelsarefiniteresourcesandatonepointtheworldwillrunout.Accordingtosomesources,theendpointcouldbeasearlyas2088(Ecotricity):

Suchdoomsdaywarningsarecontradictedbyreportsonhowmuchreservesareleftintheworld.

Energy Reserves over Time

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“…asofJan.1,2010,provedworldoilreservesasreportedbytheOil&GasJournal,wereestimatedat1,354billionbarrels–12billionbarrels(about1percent)higherthantheestimatefor2009(Discovery,2010).”

Estimatingworldwidereservesisadifficulttaskthattreatstheknownreservesasstaticfigures-apracticalamountofwhatiseasilyextractedandfinanciallyfeasiblethroughcurrentconventionalmethods.However,theseestimatesareneglectingtheamazingcapabilityofhumaningenuity.Weareaspeciesofinventorsandproblemsolvers.NewtechnologiesarecontinuallybeingdevelopedtoaccessandretrieveresourcesfromtheEarththatwerepreviouslyeitherfinancially,orgeologically,difficulttoobtain.

“Wedon’tbelievethatprovenreservesaloneareanappropriatemeasureforjudgingtotalresourceavailabilityinthelongrun.Forexample,despitecontinuedproduction,globalreserveshaven’tdeclinedhistorically(becauseof)exploration,discoveryandreservereplacement,”statedLindaDoman,aninternationalforecastingexpertwithEIA(Discovery,2010).

AdvancesinTechnologyTechnologicaladvancesinhowweextractfossilfuelshavemadesignificantimpactsintheindustry.Theseadvancesaremostnotableinnaturalgasproductionandexploration.Advancesinhorizontaldrillingtechniquesareincreasingproductionatanastonishingrate.Beforethehorizontaldrillingboomaround2009,naturalgasexplorationanddevelopmentinPennsylvaniawassteadywithoperatorsdrillingafewthousandverticalwells.Before2009,wellsinPennsylvaniaproducedaround500millioncubicfeetperday.Asdrillingshiftedfromverticaltohorizontalmethods,gasproductionquadrupledwithwellsinthesameregionnowaveraging3.5billioncubicfeetperdayin2011(EIA).

Thesametechnologicaladvancesusedfornaturalgasarealsohavinganimpactonthecoalindustry.InMarch,2014,BritishscientistsannouncedadiscoveryofmassivecoaldepositfindundertheNorthSea.Seismictestsshowtheseabedcontainsupto20layersofcoalwithanestimateofupto23trilliontonnesofreserves.Energycompaniesknewonshoredepositsextendedoffshore,butwereuncertaintowhatscaleanddeemedinaccessible.Usingtechnologiesnowinplaceforoilandgasdrilling,thesepreviouslyinaccessibledepositsarebeingmovedtoaccessiblestatus,andthereforeprovidingenoughresourcestopowertheUKforyearstocome(UKDailyMail,2014).

Notonlyarewegettingbetterataccessingtheseresources,we’realsomoreefficientusingthem.Greatstrideshavebeenmadeintheautomotivesectorwithregardstofuelconsumption.Vehiclefuel

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consumptionin1975averagedlessthan15milespergallon(mpg).Fast-forwardto2010andvehiclesnowaveragearound27mpg(Pewtrusts,2011)

Evenmorefascinatingiswhatliesaheadforthecoalindustry.Alotofmediafocushasbeenoncleancoaltechnologies(CCT)andcarboncaptureandstorage(CCS)toincreaseoilproductionviaenhancedoilrecovery(EOR).1Asthesetechnologiesprovetobecomemorereliableandfinanciallyfeasible,thereismoreresearchunderwayforevenmoreviablesolutions.UndergroundCoalGasification(UCG)mayprovetobeanotherkeysolutionforfuturesustainability.UCGisappliedtoinsitucoalseams,particularlydeepdepositsthatareuneconomictoextractviatraditionalmethods.Usingthesamechemicalreactionsassurfacegasifiers,theseseamscanbeconvertedtosyngastofuelelectricgenerators.CombiningUCGwithCCScouldverywellbethekeytoextendingthelifeofreservesworldwide(SME,2015)

TheFutureisinOurHandsWemustcontinuetomaketechnologicalandengineeringadvancementsinaccessingandusingfossilfuels.ThisphilosophyisbestexpressedinaReportoftheDepartmentoftheInteriorfrom1919,whichdiscussedthefutureofournation’snaturalresources.Nearlyahundredyearslater,wearestilldiscussingthesesameissuesandcomingupwiththesameconclusions.

“Toknowwhatwehaveandwhatwecandowithit–andwhatweshouldnotdowithit,also!–isapolicyofwisdom,apolicyoflastingprogress.Andinfurtheranceofsuchapolicythefirststepistoknowourresources–ournationalwealthinthingsandintheirpossibilities;thesecondstepistoknowtheiravailabilityforimmediateuse;thethirdstepistoguardthemagainstwasteeitherthroughignoranceorwantonness;andthefourthstepistoprolongtheirlifebyinventionanddiscovery.”(DepartmentoftheInterior,1920)

NaturalResources-Depletionvs.Creation:FacebookPostTechnologicaladvancementsprovideawinningscenarioforfossilfuels:theyhaveledtoincreasesinamount of estimated recoverable reserves, increases in production, and increases in usageefficiency.

1TheprocessofenhancedoilrecoveryisdescribedontheOfficeofFossilEnergy,U.S.DepartmentofEnergy’swebsite-http://energy.gov/fe/science-innovation/oil-gas-research/enhanced-oil-recovery

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NaturalResources-Depletionvs.Creation:ElevatorSpeechFordecades,themediahasbeenreportingtheworldisrunningoutoffossilfuels.Yet,asourtechnologyandabilityimproves,morereservesarebeingdiscoveredacrosstheglobe.Wecannowaccessreservespreviouslydeemedtechnicallyoreconomicallyunminable.Wecandrilldeeperandminefurtherthaneverbefore.Wehaveimprovedrecoveryandaretremendouslyefficientinusingnaturalresources.Mostimportantly,wearemorecreativeincomingupwithmethodsofkeepingourresourcessustainable.Whatoncesoundedlikesciencefiction–horizontaldrilling,carboncapture,andundergroundcoalgasification–isnowbecomingareality.Thankstotechnology,insteadofrunningout,weareaddingdecadestothelifespanoffossilfuels.

EPARegulationsofAirborneEmissionsTheCleanPowerPlan(CPP)hasbeenpromotedbygovernmentofficialsasbeinga“Landmarkactiontoprotectpublichealth,reduceenergybillsforhouseholdsandbusinesses,createAmericanjobs,andbringcleanpowertocommunitiesacrossthecountry(OfficeofthePressSecretaryoftheWhiteHouse,2015).”But,whentheCPPisanalyzedonacloserlevelwebegintoaskourselves…aretheseresultsplausible?Beforedelvingintothis,alistofmainpointssummarizingtheCPPhasbeendisplayedbelow:

• OnAugust3rd,2015,GinaMcCarthyreleasedthefinalCPP.TheCPPexpressedthebestsystemofemissionreduction(BSER)intheformoftwosource-specificcarbondioxideemissionratesforpowerplants–oneperformancerateforcoalsteamandoilsteamplants,andoneperformanceratefornaturalgasplants(SidleyAustinLLP,2015).

• TheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)GreenhouseGasUtilityRegulationsconsistsoftwoparts,whichareasfollows:1.)StandardsofPerformanceforGreenhouseGasEmissionsforNew,ModifiedandReconstructedSources

o CleanAirAct(CAA)section111(b)establishstandardsforcarbondioxideemissionratesfornewandmodifiedenergygeneratingunits(EGUs)(SidleyAustinLLP,2015).

2.) CarbonPollutionEmissionGuidelinesforExistingStationarySourceso CleanAirAct(CAA)section111(d)establishesrequirementsforeachstateforperformance

forcarbondioxideforexistingfossilfuelfiredEGUs(SidleyAustinLLP,2015).

• Overall,thenationalcarbondioxide(CO2)reductiontargetincreasedfrom30percentbelow2005levelsby2030intheproposedrule,to32percent(SidleyAustinLLP,2015).

• TheCAAincentivizesrenewableenergyanddemandsizeenergyefficiency.Thisrulediscouragestheuseofnaturalgasasanalternativetomeetthestringent32percentreductiontargetof2030(SidleyAustinLLP,2015).

• Theruleisdesignedtopromotezerocarbonrenewableenergyandenergyefficiency(SidleyAustinLLP,2015).

• Compliancebeginsin2022,thoughEPAhasinstitutedanew“CleanEnergyIncentiveProgram”thatrewardsstateswithemissionscreditsfortakingactionspriorto2022(SidleyAustinLLP,2015).

• Individualstatetargetsaresignificantlychangedfromtheproposedrule.AccordingtoEPA,thischangehelpsto“rebalance”stategoalsandmaketherulemoreequitable(SidleyAustinLLP,2015).

• Comparedtotheproposedrule,33stateshavelessstringenttargetsand16stateshavemorestringenttargets(seegraphicbelow).However,itisimportanttocomparefinaltargetstobaselineprojectionstounderstandandcomparestatecompliancechallenges.(Grant,2015).

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Fromapublichealthstandpoint,airpollutantsundertheCPPfallunderthreecategoriesonhowthey’reregulated.Section111doesnotapplytoairpollutantsthatarenotregulatedasacriteriapollutantundersection108,orasahazardousairpollutant(HAP)undersection112.Hazardousairpollutantsarechemicalsthatareknown,orsuspected,tocausecancerorotherserioushealtheffects,suchasreproductiveproblemsorbirthdefects,andthatadverselyaffecttheenvironment.Othercriteriapollutantssuchassulfurdioxidefallundersection108.Regulationsundersection111areseparatedintotwoparts:(b)appliesonlytoairpollutionsforwhichtheexistingsourcewouldberegulatedundersection111ifitwereanewsourceand(d)establishesemissionguidelinesforexistingsources.CO2isnotacriteriapollutantregulatedundersection108,oraHAPundersection112.CO2fallsunder111asapollutantthatmaybeharmfultopublichealthorwelfare(EnvironmentalProtectionAgency,2015).ThefocusforreducingcarbondioxideemissionsisthatburningcoalandnaturalgasforenergyemitsCO2,whichisthoughttoleadtoglobalclimatechange.CO2emissionsaremeasuredingigatons(GT)andoccurinnatureasfollows:plants120GT,oceans90GT,andhuman–fromfossilfueluse–9GT.Afteritisemitted,CO2isre-absorbedbyoceans,forests,andother"carbonsinks"whichnaturallyabsorbexcessCO2fromtheatmosphere.“About50percentoftheCO2releasedfromtheburningoffossilfuelsandotherhumanactivitieshasalreadybeenre-absorbedbytheearth’scarbonsinks”(ProCon,2015).Therefore,withoutclearscientificprooffromtheEPAthatCO2isactuallyknowntoharmpeopleortheenvironment,arulehasbeenissuedrestrictingit.

EPAclaimsthattheCleanPowerPlanwillreduceenergybillsforhouseholdsandbusinesses,andcreateAmericanjobs.Ascanbeseeninthechartbelow,whichshowsarelativereferenceofwherestatesfallintermsofprogressmeetingtheCPPrestrictions,somestateswillneedtospendvastlymorethanotherstomeettheemissiongoals.

Tweetthis:TheClean

PowerPlan

willcost

227,000

hardworking

bluecollar

peopletheir

jobby2030

(Dayaratna,

2015).#CPPReality

#SupportJobs

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Statesthatrelyheavilyoncoal,inregionssuchasWyoming,theSoutheast,andtheMidwest,arerequiredtomakethemoststringentcuts.Thesestatesrelyoncoaltopowertheirinfrastructure.Iftheutilitiesinthesestatesneedtoreplacetheircurrentgenerationwithnewsources,thecapitalcostsofdoingsowillflowdirectlytotheratepayer.Inaddition,ifstateswantedtoretrofitoldercoalornaturalgasboilerstobecompliantwiththerule,theCPPlanguagemakesitnearimpossibletodoso.

(Association,2015)

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(Association,2015)

TheCPPrestrictsCO2emissionsfromnaturalgasandcoalfiredfacilitiesasfollows:

GenerationType Section111(b)(NEW) Section111(d)(Existing)

Coalfiredpowerplant 1,400poundsCO2/MWh 1,305poundsCO2/MWh

Naturalgascombinedcycle 1,000poundsCO2/MWh. 771poundsCO2/MWh

TheserestrictionsshowthatexistingcoalandnaturalgasplantsmustoutputlessCO2thanthenewesttechnologyavailable.CCSwouldbeanoptionifitwereprovenonacommercialscale.Howeverithasnotbeen,andifitdoesgetthereitwillbeextremelycostlyfortheutilities,andtheratepayerstoconstruct(Allison,2014).

IntermsofAmericanjobs,theCPPwillhaveasignificantnegativeimpactonmanufacturingandminingstates.WorkforcesinstatessuchasAlabama,Georgia,andWisconsinareprojectedtoseeapproximatelya4to6percentdecreaseoftotalmanufacturingjobsbyyear2023(Dayaratna,2015).AcrosstheentireUnitedStates,itisprojectedthat500,000jobswillbelostinmanufacturingduetotheCPP(Dayaratna,2015).Thisincludestheeliminationofmorethan45percentofcoal-miningjobs,andatotalincomelossperpersonof$7,000(Dayaratna,2015).EconomistspredictthatthenewCPPregulationswillcreate273,000jobsoverall(IEC,2015).Therefore,overalltheCPPendsupbeingabaddealforAmericanworkersastheseprojectionsindicateanetjoblossof227,000.

Intermsofprovidingcleanpower,yestheCPPsupportswindandsolarprojects,whichmayprovide“cleanpower”whilegenerating.Howeverthisdoesnottakeintoaccountthecarboncreatedwhenminingtherareearthmetalsfortheirproduction,orrefiningthesteelusedintheirconstruction,orthespinningreservepower–typicallyfossilfuels–thatisrequiredtofirm,orbackup,renewableenergywhenthewinddoesnotblowandthesundoesnotshine.Therefore,windandsolarcannotclaimtobecarbonfreesourceseither.

TheCPPmayreduceCO2emissions,butotherwiseitappearsbenefitsoftheCPPlistedbygovernmentofficialsare,atbest,speculative.ItisnotknowniftheCPPwillhaveanyeffectonpublichealth.AstheCPPwillendupcostingmanyfamiliesmoreontheirutilitybills,andisprojectedtoresultinnetjoblossesaroundthecountry,overallimpactsonhealthandwell-beingarelikelytobeprofoundlynegative.

EPARegulationsofAirborneEmissions:FacebookPostEPAclaimsthattheCleanPowerPlanwillreduceenergybillsforhouseholdsandbusinesses,andcreateAmericanjobs.But,ifyouliveinmajorcoalpoweredstatethiswillnotbetrue,ascostsforthesenewgeneratingsourceseventuallyarepassedontoratepayers.Jobgrowth?Tryjobloss.About500,000manufacturingjobsbytheendof2030areexpectedtobeeliminatedduetotheCleanPowerPlan(Dayaratna,2015).

EPARegulationsofAirborneEmissions:ElevatorSpeechTheCleanPowerPlan’s(CPP)goalistoreduceCO2emissionsfrompointsourcessuchascoalandgas-firedpowerplantsbypushingstatestowardsrenewablesourcesofenergy.Bydoingso,governmentofficialsclaimthatpublichealthwillimprove,energybillswillbereduced,andAmericanjobswillbecreated(OfficeofthePressSecretaryoftheWhiteHouse,2015).However,whenanalyzingtheCPP,noneofthesedesirableeffectsseemplausible.TheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)describesCO2asacompoundthatmayormaynotcauseharmtotheenvironmentorpeople,meaningthattheEPAdoesnotpossessfirmproofofanyactualharmduetoitspresence(EnvironmentalProtectionAgency,2015).Intermsofenergybills,utilitieswillhavetospendbillionsofdollarstoconstructwindandsolarprojectstoreplacegasandcoal-fueledgenerators.Utilitiesareallowedtorecoupcostsassociatedwiththeseprojectsfromratepayers,whichwillmostlikelycorrelatetoanincreaseinelectricitycostsforthem,notadecrease.Lastly,itisestimatedthat

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500,000manufacturingjobswillbelostduetotheCPP,withonlyanincreaseofapproximately273,000jobsfromthebill(Dayaratna,2015)(IEC,2015).Thisresultsinanetdecreaseof227,000jobsacrosstheUnitedStates.TheCPPisastepbackforAmericansociety;bothfromanemploymentandeconomicsstandpoint,withoutanyconcreteevidenceofincreasedhealthbenefits.

PollutioninChinaChinadoeshaveapollutionproblem,andtheworldisurgingthemtoaddressit.Chinaisamajorcontributortoglobalgreenhousegasemissions,andwithcoalrepresentingabout70percentoftheirenergyproduction(InstituteforEnergyResearch,2015),theuseofcoalisgettingaverycloselook.InNovemberof2014,ChinaandtheU.S.announcedanagreementinwhichChinesePresidentXiJinpingpromisedhiscountry’sCO2emissionswouldpeakaround2030(BloombergNews,2015).

However,unliketheU.S.,Chinacontinuestobuildnewcoalpowerplants.“Chinaadded39gigawattsofcoal-fueledcapacityin2014.Thatisequivalenttothree1,000megawattunitseveryfourweeks.Inaddition,Chinaisexpectedtoaddtheequivalentofanew600-megawattplantevery10daysforthenext10years(InstituteforEnergyResearch,2015).”China’scoalgenerationcapacityiscurrentlytwicethatoftheUnitedStates,butisprojectedtobefourtimesasmuchby2040(InstituteforEnergyResearch,2015).Chinaisachievingthisbyusing“ultra-supercritical”technologyinitsnewcoalplants,whileshuttingdownsmallerlessefficientplants.Ultra-supercriticaltechnologyrunscoalboilersattemperaturesabove1,100oFandatsupercriticalpressurestoensureoptimalsteamcycleefficiency.Thismeanslesscoalisneededtocreatethesameamountofenergyasatypicalpulverizedcoalboiler.Inaddition,ultra-supercriticalplantshaveloweremissions,lesssolidwastetodisposeof,reducedwateruse,andloweroperatingcosts(AmericanElectricPower,2011).AccordingtoSophieLu,aBeijing-basedanalystfromBloombergNewEnergyFinance,theultra-supercriticalcoalplantswillproduceabout90percentfewerpollutants,suchasdustandsulfurdioxide(SO2)perkilowatt-hourofelectricitygenerated(BloombergNews,2015).

Inthefaceofmountingpressureconcerningpollutionandglobalwarming,Chinaisnotturningitsbackoncoal.Infact,theyareinvestingincoaltechnologytofindwaystocontinuetousethecheap,abundantresource,butinamoreenvironmentallyfriendlyway.CoalisprojectedtoremainthedominantfuelsourceinChinafordecadestocome,withthehelpofcontinuingimprovementsincoaltechnology(InstituteforEnergyResearch,2015).

PollutioninChina:FacebookPostUltra-supercriticalplantshaveloweremissions,lesssolidwastetodisposeof,reducedwateruse,andloweroperatingcoststhantraditionalcoalplants(AmericanElectricPower,2011).Chinahasadded39GWsofcoal-fueledgenerationin2014alone,theequivalentofthree1,000megawattunitseveryfourweeks,muchofitusingtheseadvancedtechnologies(InstituteforEnergyResearch,2015).Newer,cleancoaltechnologiessuchastheultra-supercriticalcoalplantsallowforacleaneratmosphere,whilealsosecuringenergyreliability.

PollutioninChina:ElevatorSpeech

Tweetthis:Ultra-supercriticalcoalplantswillproduce90%fewerpollutants,producelesssolidwaste,reducewateruse,andhaveloweroperatingcosts(AmericanElectricPower,2011).#Coalcares#Thefutureishere

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Chinaisaddressingitspollutionissuesresponsiblybyretiringolder,lessefficientcoalboilers,andreplacingthemwithnewcoalboilers!Chinahasadded39GWsofcoalfiredgenerationin2014alone,theequivalentofthree1,000megawattunitseveryfourweeks.Inaddition,Chinaisprojectedtoaddtheequivalentofanew600-megawattpowerplantevery10daysforthenext10years(InstituteforEnergyResearch,2015).Cleancoaltechnologyhasmadeseriousadvancementsinthepast20years.Oneofthesetechnologicaladvancementsisultra-supercriticalboilers,whichhaveloweremissions,lesssolidwastetodisposeof,reducedwateruse,andloweroperatingcoststhantraditionalcoalplants(AmericanElectricPower,2011).Inaddition,ultra-supercriticalboilersstillprovidethereliabilitythatfossilfuelsareknownforinanenergyportfolio.Chinaisrefusingtogiveuptheirsourceofreliablegeneration,whilealsoworkingtomeettheiremissiongoals.Withnewer,cleaner,coaltechnologiessuchastheultra-supercriticalcoalplants,andreasonableregulations,asimilargenerationportfoliocouldbeestablishedintheUnitedStates,onethatallowsforacleaneratmosphere,whilealsosecuringenergyreliability.

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