Bottom of the Barrel: Newsweek’s Least Green Companies

Which of the S&P 500 companies are the least environmentally friendly? Newsweek unveiled its Green Rankings last week and while there has been a lot of discussion about the top 5, there’s another story to be told in the bottom 5.

Unsurprisingly, nearly all of the bottom-ranking companies on the Newsweek list are in the energy industry. Here they are with their green scores (based on environmental impact, green policies and performance, and reputation):

Consol Energy – Basic Materials – Green Score: 28.65
ConAgra Foods – Food and Beverage – Green Score: 27.49
Allegheny Energy – Utilities – Green Score: 25.04
NRG Energy – Utilities – Green Score: 22.75
Peabody Energy – Basic Materials – Green Score: 1.00

Pretty big drop there for the bottom company, Peabody Energy (the world’s largest private-sector coal company). Peabody Energy comes in dead last thanks to its incredibly high toxic emissions and the negative impact that its product has on the environment.

This company is one of the biggest offenders in violating the Clean Water Act, injecting billions of gallons of coal slurry and sludge into the ground in the past 5 years. Pine Ridge, a subsidiary of Peabody Energy, reported to West Virginia officials that 93 percent of the waste it injected into the city of Charleston has illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic, lead, chromium, beryllium and nickel.

Green business expert Joel Makower has a great overview of how the companies were scored and, as he notes, the list isn’t perfect. Since it’s only a list of the S&P 500, far greener companies than the top 5, like Patagonia, are left out. However, it does bring together a lot of data in a way that’s efficient and easy to understand. If only they included a greenwashing factor – each company’s real efforts versus its claims about being green. Maybe next year.

Link [Newsweek] + [Joel Makower]
Photo credit: PeabodyEnergy.com

Tennessee Town Still Looks Like a Moonscape After TVA Spill

It’s been nearly 7 months since the residents of Harriman, Tennessee woke up to find their properties – and the once-pristine lakes that could be seen from their windows – engulfed in a toxic mess of wet, gray coal sludge.  Sadly, the view from their homes still hasn’t changed much, and their children are beginning to show signs of troubling health problems.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, which is responsible for the December 22nd, 2008 spill at its coal power plant in neighboring Kingston, Tennessee, insists that the coal ash waste is safe, but residents – including the Hampton family, who live near the spill site – say that their health tells a different story.

CNN reports:

“Everything here is changed,” Hampton said, her eyes glistening. “[The landscape] reminds me of what you see on the moon. It breaks my heart.”

Residents are afraid of the chemicals that were released into the environment: arsenic, selenium, lead and radioactive materials including chromium and barium.

Whatever the official reports say, the Hamptons believe that the air outside their home could be toxic to their children. Pamela Hampton says she first noticed that her children were having health problems only days after the spill.

First, 11-year-old Monica started complaining about headaches. Then, all three children — Monica, 6-year-old Noah and 3-year-old Joshua — began to experience upper-respiratory problems, fevers, ear infections, runny noses and red eyes.

“You’re taking your child to the doctor yet again, or two children, and then in a week, the next child is sick,” Hampton said. “After about the third or fourth time, that’s when I started realizing that this is not a coincidence. It’s like being sucker-punched.”

Noah Hampton’s ear infections were so persistent, his ears so inflamed, Pamela Hampton says, the family’s doctor said it looked like he had growths in his ears resembling small grapes.

The doctors’ visits over the past six months have been frequent, expensive and inconclusive.

Here it is, July, and yet all the residents have received from TVA and the government is unfulfilled promises. The EPA, which doesn’t consider coal ash a hazardous material, still hasn’t revisited that stance despite reassurances from administrator Lisa Jackson that it would. TVA told residents that it would set up clinics to test community members’ blood for potential toxics – but they’ve been saying that for months.

In contrast to TVA’s finding that the water and air in the area was safe, a Duke University study concluded that toxic elements from the coal ash could be suspended in the air, which poses a health risk. It also found that coal ash caused contamination in surface waters, and that accumulation of toxic substances found in the river sediment could poison fish. Sure enough, researchers have noticed fish with gills coated completely in coal ash sediment, a sign of what it may be doing to humans’ lungs as well.

Sadly, these families don’t have the funds to leave the area and start a new life somewhere else – they’re participants in a lawsuit against the TVA, but that could be drawn out for years. They have little choice but to wait, and hope that things don’t get any worse.

Link [CNN]
Photo credit: Dirty Coal TVA

Coal Company Urges Boycott of Mountaintop Removal-Unfriendly Tennessee

Coal-Mac, a subsidiary of a coal company that has tried in the past to convince people that mountaintop removal mining is “the right thing to do”, has now resorted to urging its employees to cancel vacations to Tennessee because of the state’s anti-mountaintop removal stance. Tennessee, home to the beautiful Smoky Mountains National Park, has endorsed bi-partisan federal legislation that would effectively ban mountaintop removal in a bill called the Appalachian Restoration Act.

From the NRDC Switchboard:

In a letter to local Chambers of Commerce, the company warns: “[I]f you want our industry’s business, we suggest you let your representatives know that the industry they are trying to destroy is a major source of your tourism money.”

The letter also notes that two other out-of-state Arch subsidiarues have cancelled their annual company picnics to Dollywood this year.  Apparently, a pro-MTR group called Citizens for Coal is joining in by asking all of its members to also boycott Tennessee travel.

“We’re trying to say to our employees and to other coal miners, that let’s hit them in the wallet with their tourism,” explained Coal-Mac official Richie Phillips.  “Tourism is how they make a living and coal mining is how we make a living.”

Right, because blowing up the mountains that tourists come to see in the first place will really increase revenue for the state. Mr. Phillips’ logic is so brilliant, it takes my breath away.

I’m sure that residents and lawmakers in the mountainous eastern region of Tennessee are so devastated to lose the business of a handful of jackass coal execs, and keep their beautiful views instead.

Link [NRDC Switchboard]
Photo credit: MountainAction.org

The Dirty Glory Days are Over: Signs of Peak ‘Cheap’ Coal

The United States can no longer claim to be “The Saudi Arabia of Coal”. That’s according to an analysis by the Wall Street Journal, which states that the days of cheap coal in America are nearly over. It’s a major blow to the coal industry, which has sought to defend itself against the advent of clean energy with the argument that coal is still a reliable long-term energy solution.

From the Wall Street Journal, via NRDC Switchboard:

No one says the U.S. is facing a coal shortage. But the emerging ranks of “peak coal” theorists argue that current production levels may be unsustainable and, if anything, create a false sense of security. David Rutledge, an electrical-engineering professor at the California Institute of Technology who has studied global coal production, figures the U.S. has about half as much recoverable reserves as the government says, which would work out to about 120 years’ worth.

In the field, challenges are becoming more apparent. Mining companies report they have to dig deeper and move more earth to extract coal from aging mines, driving up costs. Utilities have grown skittish about whether suppliers can ship promised coal on time. American Electric Power Co., the nation’s biggest coal buyer, says it has stepped up its due diligence to make sure its suppliers can make deliveries after some firms missed shipments last fall. It even bought a mine to lock down supplies.

Of course, coal advocates claim that concerns about future supplies are overblown, but the Obama administration isn’t taking their word for it. The Energy Information Administration, part of the Department of Energy, intends to create a new coal baseline from which it will begin its annual subtraction as soon as possible, according to a member of the energy analysis team.

Peak “cheap” coal doesn’t equal peak coal, and we certainly couldn’t count on peak coal happening before the planet gets to an irreversible stage of climate change. But if coal is going to get more expensive anyway, there goes the coal industry’s strongest argument for remaining the United States’ top source of energy indefinitely.

Link [The Wall Street Journal] via [NRDC Switchboard]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Offshore Wind Power Could Replace Coal, says Salazar

Wind power has the ability to not just supplement but possibly entirely replace coal-fired power plants if it were fully developed off the East Coast, says Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.  Salazar spoke on Monday at a public hearing in Atlantic City on how America’s offshore areas can be used to meet our energy needs.

And who was the first to pipe up that this is impossible, but a coal industry group?

From Yahoo News:

“The idea that wind energy has the potential to replace most of our coal-burning power today is a very real possibility,” he said. “It is not technology that is pie-in-the sky; it is here and now.”

Salazar said ocean winds along the East Coast can generate 1 million megawatts of power, roughly the equivalent of 3,000 medium-sized coal-fired power plants, or nearly five times the number of coal plants now operating in the United States, according to the Energy Department.

Jason Hayes, a spokesman for the American Coal Council, said he was puzzled by Salazar’s projections. He said wind power plants face roadblocks including local opposition, concerns about their impact on wildlife, and problems in efficiently transmitting power from far offshore.

“It really is a stretch,” he said of Salazar’s estimate. “How you put that many new (wind) plants up, especially in deep water, is confusing. Even if you could do what he said, you still need to deal with the fact that the best wind plants generate power about 30 percent of the time. There’s got to be something to back that up.”

Salazar’s spokesperson clarified that the secretary does not expect wind power to be fully developed, but was speaking about its potential. Of course, it would take time – but the point is that it’s possible. And, given the environmental benefits, why shouldn’t we push wind power technology to its limits? Unless [shudder] a Republican wins the next election and we’re back to Bush-era policies within 5 years, the coal industry is already speaking from beyond the grave and they know it.

Link [Yahoo]

Photo credit: EarthFirst composite/Wikimedia Commons

Capitol Power Plant Protesters Declare Victory

Yesterday, thousands of protesters converged on Washington D.C. in an act of civil disobedience against coal power. The crowd consisted of about 2,500 people who marched, held signs and spoke out against coal outside the Capitol Power Plant’s northeast corner gate. Despite planning for it (and not for lack of trying), no one was arrested.

Grist’s Kate Sheppard reported from the scene (via The Huffington Post):

“I think any time you have 2,500 people willing to take action and risk going to jail to stop a coal plant, it’s a good thing,” Michael Brune of the Rainforest Action Network told Grist as the protest wrapped up. “And I think what’s quite clear is that we have more momentum than ever to start shutting down coal plants around the country.”

Climate movement luminaries were on hand, including climate scientist James Hansen, veteran activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., actress Daryl Hannah, writer Wendell Berry, former Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson, and 350.org founder and Grist board member Bill McKibben (who also blogged about Monday’s action). Hansen, McKibben, and Anderson were at the front of the action, signaling their intention to get arrested.

But it’s the rank-and-file protesters who gave the strongest sense of how the anti-coal movement is growing. Among them was Rory McIlmoil, campaign coordinator for Coal River Wind, which is fighting to get wind power going in his home state of West Virginia rather letting more mountains be destroyed by coal mining. He was arrested on Feb. 3 at an action against coal company Massey Energy, which plans to blow up Coal River Mountain, and he has since been served a restraining order to keep him off all Massey property.

The protest, which was organized by the Rainforest Action Network, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Greenpeace, got a big boost from some of the 12,000 students who had also convened in Washington D.C. for the PowerShift 2009 conference.

Unsurprisingly, the turnout for the ‘Celebrate Coal!’ counter-protest was dismal, with fewer than 20 people showing up. Those few who did decide to take part held signs that said predictable things like ‘Our Economy Runs on Coal’ and disparaged Al Gore. What a joke, in comparison to the huge crowd that marched against the environmental and health injustices of coal power.

Thanks to everyone who braved the extremely cold temperatures and 6 inches of snow to make sure our leaders in Washington get the message that we’re not going to accept coal power any more. Clean energy FTW!

Link [Grist] + [The Huffington Post]

Congress Struggles to Clean Up Power Plant in its Own Backyard

While Congress emphasizes the importance of switching to clean energy around the U.S., it’s got a dirty little secret in its own backyard: the Capitol Power Plant, which still burns coal and produces one-third of Congress’ greenhouse gas emissions. Lawmakers have been attempting to clean it up for years, and they’ve also reduced their energy consumption and cut back the percentage of coal burned, but it’s a long way from being fully green.

So the question some people are asking is, how can Congress demand that power companies cut emissions and switch to cleaner energy sources when they’re not even doing it themselves?

From MSNBC:

The plant’s story is one that is likely to play out across the United States as Congress looks to limit greenhouse gases and require more of the country’s energy to come from wind, solar and other renewable sources.

The issues hampering the cleanup — politics, cost and technological barriers — could trip up similar efforts elsewhere. The U.S. counts on coal-fired power plants for about half of its electricity; the plants are also the biggest source of heat-trapping gases.

So if Congress cannot act locally, as the environmental slogan goes, how can it begin to think globally?

The Capitol Power Plant was at the center of the Capitol Climate Action anti-coal protest that went down in Washington D.C. yesterday. A coalition of over 90 groups came together, risking arrest, to demand the demise of coal as an energy source. Dr. James Hansen, the NASA scientist who has been instrumental in raising awareness about global warming, said that the battle starts with getting coal out of Congress.

Of course, it’s not surprising that nothing happened during Bush’s two terms in office to convert the plant. In 2000, senators from coal-producing states blocked an effort to rid the plant of coal and oil and the Bush Administration has never made any effort to push green energy in any capacity. But, we may make some headway soon now that Obama is in office. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have proposed converting the plant to 100% natural gas.

It may be an expensive investment, but Congress has got to practice what they preach and get this plant cleaned up.

Link [MSNBC]
Photo credit: Greenpeace

TVA Spill Update: Worried Residents and More Coal Spills

Over three weeks after the December 22nd TVA coal ash spill in Harriman, Tennessee, residents of the affected area wait for answers – is their drinking water safe? Where will they go? Underneath the wet, toxic mess in their backyards is once-fertile land, now contaminated and uninhabitable. As workers protected by HAZMAT suits pick through the sludge, the devastated, coughing residents whose homes and property have been destroyed wonder if they should be wearing protective gear, too.

Nashville Scene News reports:

What will happen when it dries and whips over the countryside, spirited by the wind coursing through these East Tennessee hills?

But there’s not much they can do. Their homes are all but worthless; no one’s shopping for fixer-uppers on a hazardous waste site. And without ample nest eggs, few have the money to leave.

“The most we could hope for is TVA buying our property,” Brenda Bailey says. “It’s ruined. We don’t even have the money to relocate.”

Residents of areas where TVA plants are located are torn between gratitude for the thousands of jobs that TVA has provided in their area and fears about pollution. Some locals are holding on to the hope that the Kingston spill was truly an accident and was not caused by TVA cutting corners to save money, while others angrily decry what they see as the sacrifice of their safety for higher profits.

One week ago today, as much as 10,000 gallons of coal waste spilled into Widows Creek in northeastern Alabama – at another plant owned by TVA. Claiming that it poses no threat to human health, TVA blamed a leaking pipe for the calcium sulfate spill and dismissed concerns about whether drinking water in the area was affected. Lab test results are expected on Monday.

The Huffington Post is reporting that yet another coal spill has occurred – this time, rather than coal ash sludge, it’s 110 tons of coal spilled next to New River in Scott County, Tennessee after a train overturned. This third spill is not connected to TVA, but does provide another sobering reminder of the danger that coal poses to the human health and the environment.

TennesseeGreen.com is reporting on the reaction of environmental groups and members of Congress:

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

“The Tennessee Valley Authority has a lot to answer for – the first step is to prevent further spills and damage to communities around its plants. I have asked the TVA for a complete assessment of the safety of its waste disposal sites and their plans for upgrading those sites. This second pollution spill must be a wakeup message to the TVA and to the U.S. EPA that the current situation is unacceptable.”

Bruce Nilles, Director of the Sierra Club’s National Coal Campaign

“Even as residents in Roane County Tennessee are still trying to grasp the full impact of the Kingston disaster, communities in northeastern Alabama are now threatened with a new toxic coal waste spill.

“While initial accounts indicate that this latest spill is smaller than the Tennessee disaster, we hope that TVA and EPA have learned from the Tennessee disaster and move quickly to protect residents….

“Clearly current regulations are not adequate. We need the Environmental Protection Agency to start regulating coal ash before more communities are put at risk.”

The good news is, the US House of Representatives is moving forward on fly ash regulation after the Kingston spill made the entire country aware of just how dangerous this coal waste product can be. U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia filed legislation on Wednesday requiring that federal standards be put in place for coal ash ponds and other members of Congress are questioning why the EPA has not regulated coal ash in the past. Obama’s EPA nominee, Lisa Jackson, pledges to assess the situation in depth and look at strict regulation.

TVA has also been ordered by a federal judge to clean up four coal-fired plants in Eastern Tennessee and Alabama, which have been fouling the air in nearby Western North Carolina. Emissions from the plant were found to unreasonably interfere with the rights of North Carolina citizens, affecting health, the local economy and natural resources. The plants will now be required to use year-round pollution controls.

The coal industry must be held responsible for the damage they’re doing. We can’t continue to let them get away with things like this.

If you want to help the cleanup effort in Tennessee, please contact United Mountain Defense. They are currently in need of donations for HAZMAT respirators and independent air monitors.

Link [Nashville Scene News] + [The Huffington Post] + [TennesseeGreen] + [Knox News] + [CNN]
Photo credit: United Mountain Defense

Tennessee Coal Ash Spill Spurs Worries Around the Country

If anything could open the eyes of the entire nation to the dangers of coal, the Tennessee TVA spill should be it. When more than a billion gallons burst a wall at a power plant in Harriman, Tennessee on December 22nd, just over two weeks ago, it swallowed up most of the town, destroying homes and leaving behind a mess of toxic sludge. Many wonder whether the area will ever really be able to recover, as residents worry about the safety of their water and air.

Those who saw the sludge come barreling at their homes described it as a ‘tsunami’, and people who saw the spill’s effects firsthand said the land resembled that of the fictional Mordor, from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. It’s been said that the Tennessee coal ash spill may be the worst environmental disaster in this nation’s history, and as details have emerged about how the coal combustion waste was stored by the Tennessee Valley Authority, people around the country worry that it could happen to their town, too.

100 miles away in Gallatin, Tennessee, coal ash is stored the same way as it was in Harriman, albeit on a smaller scale.

From the Tennessean:

Betty Johnson of Gallatin lives more than 100 miles from East Tennessee’s massive ash sludge spill. But to her and her neighbors, the disaster hit a little too close to home.

That’s because they’re in the shadow of another Tennessee Valley Authority power plant — which uses the same method to store coal ash as the one that failed at the Kingston plant last month, spilling tons of potentially toxic sludge into the surrounding community.
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“It happened there, it can happen here,” said Johnson, who has lived on Odom’s Bend Road near the Gallatin Fossil Plant for 10 years. “It’s always a concern when you live near any kind of plant.”

TVA and state inspection reports show that the Tennessee Valley Authority knew for the past decade of leaks at the ash retention pond. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that in both 2003 and 2006, leaks in the landfill where the wet fly ash was dumped were so bad that TVA repaired drainage and dikes around the retention ponds and, for nearly a year and a half, TVA suspended adding any more ash deposits to the landfill in an attempt to let the dredge cell dry out and stabilize.

Environmental groups are demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency set national standards for ash removal and regulate coal residue as a hazardous material. It’s currently treated as an industrial waste, and disposal is regulated by state agencies. A congressional hearing will be conducted on Thursday about the Kingston spill and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hear at least one call from an environmental leader who wants fly ash to be more strictly regulated by the EPA.

Activists have been disseminating information about the dangers of coal ash to ensure that citizens are properly informed, since many feel that the TVA has tried to downplay the toxicity of the sludge. Independent tests on the water quality at the spill site and downstream revealed arsenic levels 300 times what federal laws allow and all samples contained “elevated levels of arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel and thallium”.

On December 30th, 8 days after the spill occurred, the TVA finally released some information about the Kingston Fossil Plant waste generation.

“In just one year, the plant’s byproducts included 45,000 pounds of arsenic, 49,000 pounds of lead, 1.4 million pounds of barium, 91,000 pounds of chromium and 140,000 pounds of manganese. Those metals can cause cancer, liver damage and neurological complications, among other health problems. And the holding pond … contained many decades’ worth of these deposits.”

The coal industry is, of course, frantically trying to keep Americans under the impression that coal can be clean. Coal industry advocates continue to insist that Kingston is an isolated event despite the fact that the EPA has recorded smaller ash pond leaks at about two dozen other sites. Previous ash pond leaks have killed hundreds of fish, yet industry leaders claim there are no proven instances of significant dangers to human health.

Such attempts to placate the public may not go over as well as they have in the past, however. Appalachia residents are more concerned than anyone, given that they live so close to so many coal mines and plants, and they’re demanding action in their own towns.

From Alternet:

Long before this latest disaster, citizens in the Coal River valley in southern West Virginia have pointed to the threats of massive sludge ponds in their neighborhood: Brushy Fork, which contains 9 billion gallons of sludge and the 2.8 billion gallons that sit above Marsh Fork Elementary School, which according to reports written between 1998 and 2005 by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, is at risk for failure which could fatally impact 1,000 people downstream. From the Coal River Valley — and across the nation — the people cry for Marsh Fork Elementary to be moved away from the toxic waste dump which has accrued hundreds of repeated violations. But West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, III has refused this community’s requests. Massey Energy, which runs the operation, assures West Virginians that their dam is safe and inspected regularly. But that is also what TVA assured the people of Kingston.

The Tennessee Valley Authority must be held accountable for this tragedy, and we must not let the coal industry lull us back into a false sense of safety. Let this be a warning once and for all of just how dangerous coal is, to our health and that of the environment. It’s time to move on.

Link [Tennessean] + [Chattanooga Times Free Press] + [Alternet]

Tennessee Coal Ash Disaster Dwarfs Exxon Spill

One of the worst environmental disasters in recent memory has unfolded over the last week in Kingston, Tennessee, where a massive coal waste spill has unleashed over a billion gallons of potentially toxic sludge into the Clinch River and surrounding land. Worst yet, the Tennessee Valley Authority – the nation’s largest government-owned utility, which owns the plant where the spill occurred – failed to properly warn residents in the area of the toxins the sludge contains.

The spill is nearly 50 times as big as the famous 1989 Exxon-Valdez spill in Alaska. It occurred around 1am on December 22nd when a wall holding back 80 acres of sludge from the TVA’s Fossil Plant gave way.  Eight days later, the TVA has yet to release sampling data from the ash pile, and they’re actually trying to claim that the fly ash is not toxic.

From CNN:

The sludge is a byproduct of the ash from coal combustion. A retention site at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s power plant in Kingston, about 40 miles west of Knoxville, contained the waste until a wall breached last Monday, sending the sludge downhill to damage 15 homes and cover at least 300 acres.

All the residents were evacuated, and three homes were deemed uninhabitable, according to the TVA.

The TVA’s initial estimate for the spill tripled from 1.8 million cubic yards, or more than 360 million gallons of sludge, to 5.4 million cubic yards, or more than 1 billion gallons.

Aerial footage of the spill, from the TVA website:

The cause of the dam break is still under investigation. TVA has vowed to clean up the mess but says it could take months or even years. Meanwhile, residents fear that toxic elements could end up in their drinking water. They’re also concerned that once the mire dries out, fly ash will become airborne. The EPA has found elevated levels of arsenic in surface water, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation said elevated contaminant levels were found in the immediate area of the spill.

Coal ash contains heavy metals including arsenic, mercury and lead. United Mountain Defense, a non-profit environmental organization based in Knoxville, Tennessee, has a fact sheet on the toxicity of coal ash based on 2007 EPA findings. The fact sheet details an EPA assessment that found extremely high risks to human health and the environment from the disposal of coal ash in waste ponds and landfills. The chart below illustrates the cancer risk of exposure to coal ash compared to that of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.

The Examiner reports that two United Mountain Defense activists trying to take photos of the spill were arrested and detained on Saturday. It’s not clear why TVA police detained the two men, since they were on public land.

David Cooper and Matt Landon who were detained by the TVA police planned to take water samples but were just taking photographs of the spill at the time of their arrest. TVA has not responded to requests for more information on the incident.

David Cooper commented, “…the dust and airborne contaminants from the coal ash are dangerous.  Workers on the clean up site should be wearing respiratory protection.  This could cause breathing problems for the workers like we saw at the World Trade Center.”  He also went on to say he was sorry that he and his fellow activist had caused problems for TVA, and that their “concern is for the safety of nearby residents and their families.”

David Cooper gave The Huffington Post a first-hand account of how UMD has been coordinating a citizen response to the disaster, handling the media, and testing the water. Of his detainment, he says:

When we tried to take pictures of the sign, we were quickly accosted by an agitated TVA official wearing agreen vest, who demanded we leave immediately. We drove on to the next checkpoint, where we were detained for almost an hour. The TVA official called TVA police and demanded that we be arrested. Fortunately the local ABC News affiliate (Channel 6) was there to capture the whole scene of our detention, and we were eventually allowed to leave.

Clean coal, my ass. This is just another heartbreaking example of how toxic coal really is. The citizens of Kingston and surrounding areas will be dealing with the effects of this spill for years into the future, and the way TVA is downplaying the effects is reprehensible.

If you want to help, the United Mountain Defense has details on their blog, TVA Coal is Killing Tennessee.

Link [CNN] + [The Examiner] + [The Huffington Post] + [UMD]
Photo credit: UMD

Taking Action Against Coal in Belgium

This Belgian activist took a day off from work to demonstrate against the construction of a new coal fired power plant. He spends his free time volunteering for Greenpeace and says it’s his favorite hobby…so what are YOU waiting for? Get yourself off that couch and go save the world!

The Truth About “Clean Coal”

The coal industry has spent over $40 million on misleading advertising that touts coal as the next great thing to solve the energy crisis. It’s time for a reality check. Watch this video released by the Sierra Club to learn more about the deception of the coal industry and how it stands in the way of real solutions such as wind and solar. Better yet, learn the facts and join the conversation at coalisnottheanswer.org/

China’s Increasing Coal Use: ‘Business as Usual’ vs. ‘Not Going to Happen’

The graphic above, created by the US Energy Information Administration, shows expected trends in coal use over the next two decades, with China’s consumption skyrocketing. This is the ‘business as usual’ scenario, assuming that China doesn’t do anything to stop their current rate of coal use. As scary as that is, there is hope. A lot of factors could effect coal use, not the least of which is the ‘Buy Local’ movement.

From Treehugger:

Other scenarios are equally plausible, involving certain overlooked freed-back loops and consumption drivers. For example:

* Escalating consumption of oil by China drives up the price of oil on world markets, slowing the US economy to an extent that OECD nation (US especially) consumers buy far fewer Chinese exports.

* Reduced OECD nation demand for made-in-China products slows the Chinese economy, which leads to reduced construction of coal-fired electrical generators there. And so on.

* The US actually takes climate action seriously.

Under the “Not Going To Happen” scenario, a predetermined outcome would certainly be reduced carbon emissions. People would be getting by with far less consumption. Reclamation and refurbishment of products would become major economic activities.

Imagine how different things could be if we didn’t buy so many Chinese exports. More Americans would have stable jobs. We’d have more security in knowing that the products were safe. Fewer American corporations would be growing fatter and richer due to their cheap factories in China at the Chinese people’s (and the world’s) expense. We wouldn’t waste so much fuel shipping things over. And of course, less pollution and strain on the environment.

But perhaps the biggest factor to stop this nightmare Chinese coal scenario – and global warming – would be buying less stuff, period. Our culture is far too dependent on inexpensive gadgets that we use for a little while and then toss in a landfill. Less is more!

Link [Treehugger]

Greenpeace Crashes Coal Meeting with Fake Identity

It’s like Silverleaf Resorts in reverse! Greenpeace got into the 2008 McCloskey Coal USA conference by posing as a pro-coal organization. Calling themselves the Institute for Energy Solutions, Greenpeace was able to become a co-sponsor and set up a booth at the conference. The McCloskey group figured out who they were, but decided to let them speak anyway.

From Reuters:

Greenpeace spokesman Carroll Muffett was allowed to speak against coal as a polluting fuel for a few minutes, and the team manned a booth offering information and anti-coal paraphernalia.

“It’s a lot of value for the money,” said Muffett of the $8,500 co-sponsorship fee that made the Greenpeace front group publishers of the conference brochure.

In the brochure, an ad for the fake Institute seems pro-coal, but if readers go to the www.tomorrowsenergytoday.org website, they are redirected to www.coal-is-dirty.com.

The Greenpeace team handed out business cards that read: “The Institute for Energy Solutions is a joke. So is clean coal.” The cards were signed Greenpeace.

Awesome! We’re glad to hear they were able to get their message out. Of course, they did manage to offend a few people by using Muffett’s 9-year-old daughter and two boys aged 10 and 11 to hand out athsma inhalers and masks. Muffet rebuffed the criticism by declaring that the real issue is the fact that the coal industry causes athsma in children.

Props to our friend Kevin Grandia of DeSmogBlog for getting his Coal-is-Dirty.com site linked up!

Link [Reuters]
Photo credit: Flickr user greenpeace.italia

Morgan Spurlock Hits the West Virginia Coal Mines for ’30 Days’

Coal has certainly taken a beating lately, reputation-wise. Websites like Coal-is-Dirty.com highlight all of the problems with using coal as an energy source, not the least of which is the astounding amount of pollution it produces – which not only harms the environment, but is a serious health hazard as well. That doesn’t mean that the coal industry is going anywhere for the time being, though. As gas prices rise, a lot of people who are more concerned about their wallets than global warming are wondering why we can’t just increase use of the abundance of coal located right here in the USA. Currently, half of the electricity in the United States is powered by coal.

For his cable television show, 30 Days, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock returned to his home state of West Virginia to explore what it’s really like to be part of the coal industry – specifically, to experience daily life as a coal miner. Watch it below and check out our commentary afterward.

On his first day, Spurlock was overwhelmed by the difficulty of shoveling coal onto a moving belt. Sweating profusely and covered in soot, he commented, “I’d like to think that what I’m shoveling here is powering the electricity for a children’s hospital, but in reality, what I’m shoveling here is probably powering some guy masturbating in front of his computer.”

His trainer on the belt said, “All you need to be a coal miner is a weak mind and a strong back. That’s all you need.” That doesn’t mean it doesn’t take skill, though: there are a million things that can go wrong at any point in the day. Coal mining is definitely hard work, and dangerous work at that: probably not worth the average $65,000 annual salary miners make.

The miners are painfully aware of how much West Virginia and the nation depend upon them. That hasn’t stopped many of them from discouraging their children from working in the mines, though. They want them to go to college instead, and avoid falling into the trap of working in a coal mine. These men are all too aware of the fact that every day, they risk never seeing the outside of the mine again.

With this episode, Spurlock has provided a great opportunity to hear what coal miners really think about the industry as well. One miner commented that it’s about time to start using other sources of energy, and that coal miners aren’t stupid – they just can’t pass up the high pay in an area that doesn’t provide any other opportunities. “You’ve got to do something to raise a family.”

The show raises the important point that coal is destined to be a thing of the past as the world looks toward cleaner sources of energy. Wouldn’t it be great to provide these coal miners with safer jobs that won’t give them cancer or leave their families without a husband and father? Imagine if new, renewable energy industries set up shop in places like West Virginia to give these people a new life – a life without coal. In the meantime, more restrictions need to be in place to protect miners and the environment. It may take a long time, but we can only hope that the future holds better things for these people and the rest of the nation.

30 Days airs on FX Tuesdays at 10pm.

Link [Hulu]

Coal is Clean! Get the Real Facts About the Coal Industry

As oil gets scarcer and more expensive, the coal industry is revving up their ad campaigns and propaganda to portray coal as a clean, patriotic energy source. So, when you visit the website Coal-is-Clean.com, you may not be too surprised to see images like that of a young boy in overalls and a cowboy hat waving an American flag, and headlines like ‘The Future of America’s Coal-Based Economy and National Security Depends Upon You’. Sick, right? Well, keep reading.

You may then notice ‘Health Workers for Clean Coal’ and ‘From Coal Mine to Golf Course’. Hmm. Then you’ll see ‘Move over java, it’s time for Hot Coal-Cappuccino!’ and ‘Check out what Dr. Coal has to say about the health benefits of coal for you and your family!’ If you’ve ever read The Onion, you know where this is going.

Click on any of the links on the page and you’re taken to Coal-is-Dirty.com, where everything is suddenly all flip flopped around on you. Coal is Dirty has gathered all of the straight facts about coal energy and put them together on one website where you can get info about how coal pollution is threatening our national parks, negative health effects of coal and how the coal industry has turned the greenwashing dial to 11 to convince Americans that it’s a clean source of energy.

The article ‘Clean Coal = Greenwash’ explains it perfectly. Here’s a snippet:

But in 2008 they are going primetime. Having tapped coal companies and utilities for money, the groups launched a $45 million TV, print and online advertising campaign to re-brand coal as clean and patriotic- trying to greenwash one of the dirtiest sources of energy on earth.

ACCCE’s campaign spin has taken over the election season, blitzing key state presidential primaries with clean coal propaganda in the form of billboards, advertisements and a blue sky painted “Power Van” driven by “volunteers” all over the country to political rallies and debates and loaded with clean coal propoganda handouts, t-shirts, hats etc…

Along with their print ad campaign and billboards, ACCCE paid CNN $5 million to be one of the main co-sponsors of six presidential debates, which gave them saturation advertising during the debates on television and on the CNN webpage. Grist noted the irony that during these debates, no questions have been asked about climate and specifically about coal.

Some startling figures really put it all into perspective. You may not have known that 24,000 people die every year from pollution from coal-fired power plants, or that smokestack emissions from coal fired power plants are the primary source of mercury pollution in the U.S. These are just a few of the facts you’ll find on the Coal is Dirty website, which is a joint project managed by The DeSmog Project, Rainforest Action Network and Greenpeace USA.

Once you’re done reading all of the sobering facts about dirty, dirty coal, check out the video ‘Clean Coal’ for a laugh that might help brighten up your mood a bit. Then pass on the link to everyone you know.

Link [Coal is Clean]

Sierra Club Seeking National Online Organizer to Fight Coal Industry

Down with the coal industry! The Sierra Club has posted a job announcement seeking someone who can take over the efforts to fight the coal industry and push clean renewable energy in the U.S. Let’s help them find a good candidate for this important job! Here are the details – spread it around and email it to anyone you know who might be interested.

The Sierra Club, the nation’s largest grassroots environmental group has launched a nationwide campaign to stop the construction of new coal plants and end destructive mining practices in Appalachia. The campaign is part of the overall strategy to move the United States beyond coal and slash global warming pollution. Organizers or campaigners of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply for this full-time, paid position.

From the Sierra Club:

The National Coal Campaign online organizer will work alongside our top campaigners to stop the coal rush by fighting individual power plants, stopping mountain-top removal, and speeding up the deployment of clean and renewable energy sources across the US.

To apply, email natalie.foster -at- sierraclub =d0t= org with “Coal Online Organizer application” in the subject line. This position is geo-flex, full-time, and includes a competitive salary and full benefits.

Key skills we’re looking for:

- An organizer at heart. You should be eager to empower and engage others in the democratic process and work well with all types of people.

- Passionate about protecting the planet by building grassroots power. Saving the world is your life, not just your job.

- Calm under fire. When the Kansas legislature reverses the veto of Governor Sebelius to stop a coal-fired power plant, you quickly, strategically and coolly swing into gear.

- Leadership experience. You start projects, rally people, inspire others.

- Excellent writing skills. Your writing should be sharp, personable, and hard-hitting.

- Strong self-starter, entrepreneurial. You don’t need someone to tell you what to do.

- Willing to do what it takes to make a project come off. Low ego, high focus on getting stuff done.

- Hard worker, can do flexible hours and manage your time independently. You know that changing the country doesn’t always happen between 9 and 5.

- At ease with technology. You don’t have to know HTML, but you should know what HTML is.

Link [Sierra Club]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

China’s Down to 12 Days Worth of Coal and Counting – What Does it Mean to Us?

What would it mean to the world if China went dark? What would it mean to America?

That’s what people are starting to ponder as news has hit that most power stations in China are down to just 12 days worth of coal, and some have less than a week. That’s three days less than a month ago. Coal provides China with 70% of its electricity, and while production is up this year, demand is rapidly growing in this country of nearly 1.3 billion people. This report, which came out of Beijing on April 23rd, doesn’t elaborate on the exact reasons for the shortage.

One reason reserves are low is the dark and cold winter that has just passed, and a hotter than average upcoming summer along with lower than average rainfall is going to continue the strain. This summer’s Olympic Games will also put a squeeze on the country’s coal and power supply, something the Chinese government is currently scrambling to manage without much luck; the figures involved just can’t seem to agree to a compromise. China started importing coal last year, but so far, it hasn’t made much of a dent in the shortage.

Never mind, for the moment, what this means to the environment, as coal is the dirtiest of all fuels that produce energy. Never mind that according to many estimates, pollution is the number one cause of death in China. Never mind that China has plans to build nearly one coal plant a week for the next decade, causing a huge increase in greenhouse gas emissions that might just completely undo the efforts of every other nation in the world. It’s on the tail of the United States, headed toward becoming the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Most of us are aware of just how pervasive Chinese-manufactured products are in our everyday lives. Trying to live entirely without anything that has been produced in China is likely to be fruitless, unless you’re living very low-tech out in the woods or the desert somewhere. The average American family couldn’t do it while maintaining their current lifestyle. What would happen if imports of Chinese goods temporarily stopped? Many American businesses rely on China for their daily operations. If they don’t have their China-made products, they don’t have anything to manufacture and/or sell. In an already damaged economy, this could be really bad news.

Not to mention the fact that China’s leaders aren’t exactly known for playing well with others. Constant expansion plus imperialism plus a desperate need for a particular asset in order to retain the current status quo could equal very, very bad news for the world. Who’s to say that, backed into a corner, China wouldn’t begin to wield its frightening potential for power as a weapon against the rest of us? The US-China trade deficit doesn’t exactly put us in a good position if such a thing were to happen. Our government has already allowed the destruction of our industrial base for the good of a communist country’s industrialization.

In the end, won’t there be a price to pay for the cheap goods and labor that Americans have enjoyed courtesy of the Chinese? We’re all so embroiled in a society of more, more, more. We are deep into a mess of dependence on China. Think about what’s in your own house. If someone suddenly came in and took away everything that was made in China, what would you have left? Not much.

Many are predicting that China will find a way to manage the situation fairly quickly, and it will all blow over. Americans will go on with their obsessive consumerist ways, constantly buying more than we need, and continuing to rely on China for a startling quantity of the products used daily in this country. I hate to say it, but, a close call won’t teach Americans anything – in fact, the vast majority of us probably don’t know about the coal situation in China and don’t care.

Some are of the viewpoint that China will soon realize that continuation of their current pace of growth is simply impossible, and they’ll be forced to slow down. This is a fairly optimistic take on the situation, and maybe – just maybe – we could see a change in daily life in America if that were to happen.

No one can accurately predict the consequences of this coal scenario; but one thing we Americans might want to consider is learning Mandarin – just in case.

Link [news.com.au]

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons + Wikimedia Commons

Pranking on The Coal Industry: NRDC Spoofs “America’s Power”

The good folks over at NRDC have taken America’s Power website (Coal Industry Front) and added a varnish of truth to it for today’s Prankstivities.

Before:

After:

Coal is the Enemy of Mankind. Anyone who rips on the purveyors of humanity’s destruction is good in my book. Nice Work NRDC! Swing over and check out their spin.

Thanks to Michael for sending this one over.

Links [Evil Coal Baron Fronted Shill Group] & [Fun Loving Green Pranksters Spoof Page]

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