Mmmm-mmmm, mercury. It's what's for dinner /dulcet tones. Wired has a thing for mercury.
And of course, reducing power usage is simply un-American. Don't forget that alternative energy sources are the devil's own playthings. Ole Daddy Coal is king, worthy of music video, no less.
Wired News: Eco Concern: Coal Plant Boom A building boom that would add scores of new coal-fired power plants to the nation's power grid is creating a new dilemma for politicians, environmentalists and utility companies across the United States.Should power companies be permitted to build new plants that pollute more but are reliable and less expensive? Or should regulators push utilities toward cleaner burning coal plants, even if it means they will cost more and are based on newer, yet still unproven, technology?
How those questions are answered will have huge implications over the next few decades. It could determine how Americans light, heat and cool their homes and business, the rate of return on utility investments and the potential environmental impact of the new plants.
Nowhere do these competing interests play out with such force as in Texas, where 16 new coal-fired plants are proposed -- 11 of them by Dallas-based TXU, the state's biggest power company.
Some 154 new coal-fired plants are on the drawing board in 42 states. Texas and Illinois are the only states where 10 or more plants are planned, according to the National Energy Technology Laboratory.
Critics, however, counter the company is driven by profits and is rushing to beat more stringent federal restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions in an era of escalating concerns over global warming. Texas already produces more carbon dioxide than any other state, a fact that worries big city mayors downwind of the proposed plants.
The debate soon could end up in federal court. Dallas attorney Rick Addison recently announced plans to sue TXU, alleging potential violations of the federal Clean Air Act.
“It's remarkable and unnecessary the amount of pollutants they are going to put in the air,” said Addison, a member of the Houston-based Locke Liddell and Sapp law firm. “The only way to get these issues resolved is at the highest level and reviewed under the appropriate law.”
The battle lines were drawn April 20, when TXU Chief Executive John Wilder announced the company's plans shortly after much of Texas underwent a rolling power blackout. Since then, each side has assembled a team of backers comprised of affected residents, lawmakers, and lawyers.
But Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and Houston Mayor Bill White recently formed a coalition of 17 mayors opposing the TXU's 11 proposed plants and five others being considered by other Texas companies. The group has lined up law firms statewide bracing for a courtroom battle.
Miller recently spent a week visiting existing TXU plants, as well as a coal gasification plant in Tampa, Florida, that turns coal into gas and removes the pollutants before the fuel is burned.
Coal gasification plants can cost up to 20 percent more to build than a conventional plant. But they also can be more efficient to operate and save utilities the hassle and expense of adding pollution-control devices.
Tags: Energy, /environment
