There was an interesting article in the SF Chronicle about mining up near Redding and how toxic the runoff can be. Apparently exposed pyrite can be involved in some interesting biochemical reactions!
Brian -----Original Message----- From: "Allan Streib" <str...@cs.indiana.edu> Sender: mercedes-boun...@okiebenz.com Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:36:40 To: Mercedes Discussion List<mercedes@okiebenz.com> Reply-To: Mercedes Discussion List <mercedes@okiebenz.com> Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT: Coal Power I wouldn't count on complete objectivity from the HuffPo on a topic like this.... Modern coal plants are vastly cleaner and more efficient than old ones. Modern mining operations are also safer and more environmentally responsible than those in the past. It's not a perfect fuel by any means, but it's a domestic resource, it's reasonably cheap, the engineering is a solved problem, it can't really spill and contaminate anything (coal barge sinks? No big deal. The carbon might actually clean up the water a bit). No Chernobyl-style disasters possible at a coal-fired generating plant. Coal plants are much cheaper to build than nuclear, and don't have the ongoing security and waste disposal concerns. It's a good compromise on a lot of fronts. Allan On Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:03 -0400, "archer" <arche...@embarqmail.com> wrote: > Coal Power Industry: Biggest US Expansion In 2 Decades, Emissions > Equivalent To Putting 22 Million Cars On The Road > > WYODAK, Wyo. - Utilities across the country are building dozens of old- > style coal plants that will cement the industry's standing as the > largest industrial source of climate-changing gases for years to come. > An Associated Press examination of U.S. Department of Energy records > and information provided by utilities and trade groups shows that more > than 30 traditional coal plants have been built since 2008 or are > under construction. The construction wave stretches from Arizona to > Illinois and South Carolina to Washington, and comes despite growing > public wariness over the high environmental and social costs of fossil > fuels, demonstrated by tragic mine disasters in West Virginia, the > Gulf oil spill and wars in the Middle East. The expansion, the > industry's largest in two decades, represents an acknowledgment that > highly touted "clean coal" technology is still a long ways from > becoming a reality and underscores a renewed confidence among > utilities that proposals to regulate carbon emissions will fail. The > Senate last month scrapped the leading bill to curb carbon emissions > following opposition from Republicans and coal-state > Democrats.....snip > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/17/coal-power-industry-sees-_n_684506.html > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
