Current news:

Landmark EPA decision (November 13, 2008) is expected to "put the brakes on" all new coal plants: "Will EPA decision affect RC coal-fired plant plans?"  Mike Modrzynski, in the Alpena News.

Publications

• “Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future” by Jeff Goodell: Jeff Goodell is a best-selling author and a contributing editor at Rolling Stone and the New York Times Magazine. In this 2006 book, he presents a thorough examination of the Coal Industry's impact on the Industrial Revolution, as well as the Political, Environmental, Economic and Human impacts of this fossil fuel in America. "In this penetrating analysis, Goodell debunks the faulty assumptions underlying coal's revival and shatters the myth of cheap coal energy. In a compelling blend of hard-hitting investigative reporting, history and industry assessment, Goodell illuminates the stark economic imperatives America faces and the collusion of business and politics--what is meant by 'big coal'--that have set us on the dangerous course toward reliance on this energy source." We can only begin to understand where we are going, by examining and learning from the past.
• “The Sustainability Revolution—Portrait of a Paradigm Shift” by Andres R. Edwards: This book "presents an alternative that supports economic viability and healthy ecosystems by modifying consumption patterns and implementing a more equitable social framework. The Sustainability Revolution draws its significance and global impact from a wide spectrum of interests with common fundamental values. Like the Industrial Revolution, the Sustainability Revolution is far-reaching and is having a profound impact, shaping everything from the places we live and work to the foods we eat and the endeavors we pursue as individuals and as communities."

 

 

Articles

Coal, Economics, Future of Coal

• The Future of Coal Consumption in a Carbon Restrained World--MIT Study
• Gambling With Coal: How Future Climate Laws Will Make New Coal Power Plants More Expensive. Intensive study by the Union of Concerned Scientists that explains why coal plants are an imprudent financial investment. It is now virtually inevitable that America will adopt a federal law limiting global warming pollution from power plants. Indeed, given the momentum of emerging policy responses to global warming on the local, state and regional levels in the United State, as well as internationally, federal legislation will probable be adopted within the next five years. Published: September 2006
• Cost of coal energy skyrockets now! In this January 2008 article, "Study Explodes Cheap Coal Myth", Jim Dulzo reports for Michigan Land Use Institute on the Sanzillo Report revealing increased costs for energy from coal in Northern Michigan.
  
• Carbon Risk, Coal, and Higher Electricity Prices
• Merchant of Menace-How “Merchant coal is changing the face of America”
• The Michigan Land Use Institute "Michigan's Energy Epicenter is Turning Black, Not Green" article of August 10, 2007 highlights some of the problems that Michigan faces with the current push for coal-based energy in our state and what is happening in our political system.
• Opposition to LS Power Coal-fired Power Plants in Georgia and Kansas Increases.
• This November, Representative Henry A. Waxman, 110th Congress, announced at a congressional hearing with EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson that he will introduce legislation that establishes a moratorium on the approval of new coal-fired power plants under the Clean Air Act until the EPA finalizes regulations to address the greenhouse gas emissions from these sources. The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Coal Technology

• How Coal Works. An overview of coal formation, mining, transportation, combustion, impact and future presented by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
• Gasification Technologies Council: To The Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands and Climate Change. A statement regarding the opportunities that Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plants offer coal-based electric power generators to meet more stringent SO2 and NOx emissions standards as well as possible new limitations on carbon and mercury emissions. Gasification is a widely used, commercially proven technology.
• About IGCC Power

 

Health Implications of Pulverized Coal

• Consensus on Methylmercury and Public Health. Organizations representing medical and public health professionals, women, and advocates of children and families are concerned that the American public is not adequately protected from exposure to mercury in the environment. They call for immediate actions to protect the general public and vulnerable populations, such as children and pregnant women, through stronger regulations to curb mercuy emissions at their source, and through improved fish consumption guidance to reduce exposures.
• Audit: EPA minimized mercury risks. Internal agency report finds rules based on industry plan. Mercury from power plants settles in waterways and accumulates in fish. The toxic metal can cause neurological and developmental problems, particularly in fetuses and young children. It also is being studied for risks associated with cardiovascular diseases.
• New Analysis Tallies Premature Deaths From New Coal-Fired Power Plants The pollution from coal-fired power plants can be deadly. Well-established health science has shown that the greater the emissions, the greater the number of deaths. As stated in this Nov. 21, 2006 report, power plant pollution nationally cuts short nearly 24,000 lives each year.
• "One in Five Women Tested Nationwide Has Mercury Levels Higher Than EPA Limit." (Article) 
• Beyond Mercury- Health Effects of Power Plant Toxic Air Pollution: The more than 60 Air Toxics emitted by power plants when coal is burned comprise a large group of diverse pollutants, with a number of health and environmental effects. Direct inhalation of some air toxics can result in acute respiratory effects such as asthma attacks, respiratory infections, or changes in lung function. However, except for highly reactive pollutants, most air toxics are absorbed and distributed in the body and therefore, may produce effects far beyond the lungs--including impacts on the brain, heart, liver and kidneys. Some of these pollutants are known to cause cancer, while others impair reproduction and the normal development of children. Still others damage the nervous and immune systems. Included in these Air Toxics: lead, arsenic, dioxin, chromium and dozens of others, many of which are emitted at levels that dwarf mercury emissions.
• Dirty Air, Dirty Power: Report that documents for the first time how many heart attacks and lung cancer deaths are caused by power plant pollution. Hundreds of thousands of Americans suffer each year from asthma attacks, cardiac problems, and respiratory problems associated with fine particles from power plants. These illnesses result in tens of thousands of emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and lost work days each year. The elderly, children, and those with respiratory disease are most severely affected by fine particle pollution from power plants.
• State of Air 2007, Particulate Information, American Lung Association
• Ambient Air Pollution: Health Hazards to Children, American Academy of Pediatrics
• Air Pollution Increases Death Risk in People with Diabetes, Heart Failure, COPD or Rheumatoid Arthritis American Thoracic Society

• Scientific Consensus on Environmental Agents Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders 2007

• Testimony to US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works:  Particulate Matter

• Ozone and Short Term Mortality in 95 US Urban Communities 1994 - 2000, Journal of American Medical Association 2004

• Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease:  A Statement for Healthcare Professionals from the Expert Panel on Population and Prevention Science of the American Heart Association

Environmental Impact of Coal

• Study Blasts Growing Use of Coal-Fired Power Plants
• Dirtier Side Betrays Promise of “Clean Coal”
• Comparing the Environmental Impacts of Coal and Wind-based Energy
• National Environmental Trust Reports
• "U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement" 600 Mayors in All 50 States and Puerto Rico Take Action to Reduce Global Warming
• MANISTEE: Coal plant shot down
• The Coal War: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cervenka fight LS Power Plant in Riesel, Texas
• The American Planning Association advocates cleaner energy and community leadership to support energy efficiency, health and environmental protection
• Wisconsin Public Service Commission, DNR report
• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has announced he will “do everything I can” to stop three proposed coal-fired power plants…

Renewable Energy Resources

• The American Wind Energy Association promotes Wind Energy as a clean source of electricity for consumers around the world.
• The United States Department of Energy has a terrific, very easy-to-use site that is filled with everything that you need to know about Wind Energy. Great for kids, too.
• The Michigan Land Use Institute features another well-written article. This one is about the Michigan State University Land Policy Institute Conference on Wind Energy Systems in Michigan.
• npower renewables is one of the UK's leading renewable energy companies, dedicated to generating electricity using sustainable, environmentally-friendly resources. It has a wide-ranging portfolio that includes both onshore and offshore wind farms, hydro plant and co-firing biomass operated through their parent company RWE npower. Utilising these natural resources provides significant sources of power for the UK's present and future electricity needs.
• A comprehensive new MIT-led study of the potential for GeoThermal Energy within the United States has found that mining the huge amounts of heat that reside as stored Thermal Energy in the Earth's hard rock crust could supply a substantial portion of the electricity the United States will need in the future, probably at competitive prices and with minimal environmental impact.
• The U.S. Department of Energy website has information on Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.  Learn about Photovoltaic Cells, Concentrated Solar Power, Wind Power and Hybrid Power Generation.  This site also contains links to the U.S. Green Building Council, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy and many more.
• Read about More-Powerful Solar Cells in Technology Review, published by MIT. 
• Solar Energy information is plentiful at this Wikipedia site that also includes other forms of Renewable Energy Resources.