Coal Powered Plants Prepare To Close - Jobs Lost, Rates to Rise!

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Why do you think they gave so much media coverage to coal disasters. They are also trying to prevent mountain top mining because it endangers the environment. So for whatever reason they are targeting coal in a bad way, and most of the US grid runs off of coal, so that's a bad predicament.

Originally posted by mishigas
reply to post by The Sword

 

To be fair, these people are DESTROYING entire mountains just for coal!

That is greed, plain and simple!

And the people who work for them will suffer for years from miner's lung and other ailments.

Good riddance to coal.

What's so sacred about a mountain? Most coal operations are in lower altitudes than mountains; it's more like foothills. And the landscape is restored.

And Black Lung disease is down about 90% in the past 40 yrs since new safety laws have been passed.

A mountain is one of the last untouched items in nature that man has not destroyed yet. The towns around those mountains in Apalachia that were being used for removal all were annhilated by it. The point me and everyone here is trying to make is we must leave nature alone whenever and however possible because wildlife lives there. The states that this was occuring in was Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Maryland.

Originally posted by mishigas
reply to post by The Sword

 

WAKE UP, fool!

You're being played by the right on this debate.

Look at the greed that goes into extracting this coal.

Do you really support destroying entire mountaintops for coal?

I'm not being played, I'm just not a tree-hugging liberal like you. Greed. What's that about? Our nation - and the world - relies on coal to power many things. So stop being so dramatic and socialistic.

Greed. You mean profit, don't you? And to a marxist, profit is a dirty word. Time to grow up, bunky. Solar power just doesn't make the grade in the real world...

Solar is the future and it's one of those things of "Either get with the program or get left behind" type deal. Greed is how they are so damn greedy that they will destroy mountains, ruin pristine nature preserves just to rape and ravage it for resources instead of harnessing the resources that are readily availible to us currently like the sun and the water. Solar tech has advanced more in the last 3 yrs then it has in the previous 30. The myth that a panel cannot long store the heat has already been debunked and disproven and look at the Solar Impluse project that had a completely solar powered plane fly for 24 hours nonstop using no liquid fuel whatsoever. Boeing and Lockheed Martin now are already designing systems that only use gas for take off and with solar panels on the wings and tail will convert to solar when at crusing altitude with a long range plan to phase it out totally.

The Solar Impluse Project :
www.solarimpulse.com...

Good. And about time.

Btw, some of this is being forced by the court system, the EPA has to enforce it.

Coal is nasty,nasty business. Many of these plants are over 50 years old. Its either upgrade or get out. 600 jobs are worth not having mercury, sulfer dioxide, coal ash, green house gases. and un measurable destruction from mining.
This will save the lives of 4 times more people, and 2500 asthma attacks a year, then those jobs provide.

And as long as outdated technology is allowed to survive, there is less responsibility for finding new and cleaner technology.

The clean air act has been in service for 40 years, and tighter restrictions are always coming down the pike, and companies are given more then enough time to upgrade and comply.

The coal industry knew about this, this is no surprise. There is no reason they didn't prepare for these restrictions, and either build new plants and search or even research new technology.

To the defenders of coal as an energy source: Give us a good reason why coal should still be used as an energy source in this country.

The facts don't lie.

reply to post by TheImmaculateD1


I agree on using solar energy.

I think that most Americans are just too cheap/stupid to contemplate the idea of using solar energy in place of coal, oil and natural gas.

IMO it's really pretty simple, If coal fired power plants cannot find it within their ability to operate without poisoning us in the process then they should be shut down, period.

There are quite a few coal fired power plants in the world that have been built by the higher standard with the proper scrubbers in place to minimize harmful emissions. There are also many others that have upgraded their existing power plants to meet those standards as well and it didn't spell disaster for them. This is really just a choice to do "the right thing."

To be perfectly honest, the current state of the American coal industry has very few redeeming values in my book. They seem to have a complete disregard for both, our environment as well as for the safety of their employees, especially in those mines that do not enjoy union representation. When you stop and look at it, the American coal industry has a completely deplorable record in both areas, at least that's the way I see it. I know that this thread is not about the mining process but I believe it's high time to adopt more stringent regulations with regard to the mining of coal as well.

There are two costs associated with Coal as an energy source.

(1) Energy Production costs from coal.

(2) Enviromental clean-up and associated individual medical expense from polluting factors.

Right now the cost of (1) is what the Coal industry pays to manufacture energy.

The taxpayer and citizens pay (2)...but the Coal industry still reaps the profit.

(2) is a subsidy for the coal industry paid by the Gov. and taxpayers.

The increased regulations return part of that production cost to the actual manufacturer.

And thus they turn to fear mongering and ploys. We will bring economic devastation to your community if you ask us to pay the costs of cleaning up our pollution. We want our free ride or else.

The costs have always been there, it has just been a matter of who pays for it, us or the Coal industry.

At least when the costs are accurately assigned to the coal industry it gives the opportunity for innovation and competition to occur and it surely will.

Either the Coal industry will figure out a way to manufacture energy cleanly AND cheaply or others will eat their lunch. That is the nature of American invention and innovation.

What the coal industry wants is to keep receiving subsidees from the american tax payer. Make the EPA clean up the mess, let joe blow pay for the medical issues.

This isn't a political spin opportunity to those suffering in VA. It is just suffering.

The Roanoke Times

Coal plant will spew toxins

The daily stream of toxic nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds flowing from the plant would contribute to the formation of ground level ozone.

These pollutants are known to contribute to asthma and chronic bronchitis, increased heart rhythm irregularities, chest pain episodes and fatal heart attacks. In addition, the particulates emitted by the facility are linked with low birth weight and preterm births that can lead to other health problems and development delays in the first year of life.

And of real concern to parents would be the large volumes of mercury that plant would release into the air and waterways of Virginia.

www.roanoke.com...

On May 23, 2011, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation released a report, "A Coal Plant's Drain on Health and Wealth," stating that pollution from the $6 billion proposed plant would cause an estimated 26 premature deaths annually and generate additional regional health costs exceeding $200 million a year, as well as threaten safe drinking water in south Hampton Roads.

According to the report, soot particles are projected to cause about 442 asthma attacks a year, and the plant would emit thousands of pounds of pollutants each year, such as benzene and arsenic, which the EPA classifies as carcinogens

Originally posted by mishigas


In what would likely be a devastating blow to the local economy and everyone's electric bill, AEP says it would have to shut down 5 plants in our area and make cutbacks at six others to comply with new federal rules proposed for coal-fired power plants.

Just an FYI

The United States Justice Department filed a lawsuit on November 3, 1999, against AEP and six other companies for violating the Clean Air Act. On October 8, 2007, AEP agreed to install US$4.6 billion in equipment to reduce emission, as well as pay a US$15 million civil fine. The company will cut 813,000 tons of air pollutants annually once all of the controls are installed.[16] According to the press release, the agreement imposes caps on emissions of pollutants from 16 plants located in five states. The facilities are located in Moundsville (2 facilities), St. Albans, Glasgow, and New Haven (2 facilities), West Virginia; Louisa, Kentucky; Glen Lyn and Carbo, Virginia; Brilliant, Conesville, Cheshire, Lockbourne, and Beverly, Ohio; and Rockport and Lawrenceburg, Indiana.


AEP's political action committee, the American Electric Power Committee for Responsible Government, has increased spending since the 1998 election cycle, reaching $1.4 million in contributions in 2007-2008, 57 percent to Republicans.[17] Also in 2008, American Electric Power significantly increased lobbying expenditures from less than $2 million a year to over $11 million, as climate legislation became a key issue in Washington.[18]

In 2009, AEP CEO Michael Morris contributed $100,000 to Newt Gingrich's American Solutions for Winning the Future, which supports increased oil drilling and opposes mandatory limits on greenhouse gas pollution.[19] American Electric Power is also a member of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a lobbying and marketing organization which opposes President Obama's climate and clean energy legislation.[20]

en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by The Sword

so, you close down the power plants here in the states, will that mean that there will be less coal mined? or will they mine just as much coal, and just ship it to china to burn???
so, looking at it from the viewpoint from the miners and the residents in the communities where these mines are located, let's see, the workers are still risking their lives in the mines, residents are still getting sick from the pollution that is caused by the mine companies, but then...low and behold!! they can pay more for their electricity, because the general population doesn't want to breath the soot that these plants spit out!!!
the coal is there, and AEP, I believe would be the company that is providing many of these communities with power. and I've already pointed out, that the overall amount of greenhouse gases is probably less if you take into the consideration the pollution involved in transport whatever sourse of energy you expect to replace it with into the area. not to mention, the cost of sending all the coal that I am pretty sure would still be mined out of the area to whatever third world nation will pay the highest price for...

Originally posted by mishigas

Thanks Obama - this is one of your campaign promises that you kept. Destroying jobs, raising taxes.

W. Virginia is not exactly the richest nation in the US. This will be a devastating blow to them.

In what would likely be a devastating blow to the local economy and everyone's electric bill, AEP says it would have to shut down 5 plants in our area and make cutbacks at six others to comply with new federal rules proposed for coal-fired power plants.

The plan being considered by the EPA would lead to a net loss of 600 jobs at the plants, three of which are in West Virginia-- in Glasgow, New Haven, and Moundsville.

The EPA wants to see these plants phased out by the end of 2014. A timeframe that AEP spokesman Phil Moye says unfairly puts a burden on not just employees but consumers. Rates are expected to shoot up when these plants close. West Virginians would see an increase of 10 to 15 percent , consumers in Kentucky could see up to a 35 percent increase. Employees are hoping the EPA will extend the deadline for a complete shutdown.

The EPA plan also calls for the upgrading or installation of new advanced emissions reduction equipment, and the transfer of coal-fueled generation into natural gas capacity. The deadline imposed by the EPA is December 31st, 2014. AEP is hoping that deadline is extended until at least 2018 possibly 2020.

Coal Plants to Shutdown

I think a few rolling blackouts through Washington DC should fix this attack on the coal fired
power plants. Shutdown the electrical power to the EPA building and the White House.
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When they walk outside and complain, just tell them sorry.
We shutdown the coal fired power plants like you said. Go buy some candles.