Agreed. Apply the technologies to the stacks. That's not the message Washington state sends. It does everything possible to prohibit coal transportation thus coal as an energy source.
I've toured many mountain mining operations in the Virginias during my mining career. In most cases, terrain that was too steep to farm or even build on was transformed into places where commerce and communities can be built. Here in the west, land that was overrun with sagebrush was reformed into grasslands. There are positive solutions out there to your concerns.
How Coal Works | Union of Concerned Scientists
A Case Study: The Side Effects of a Coal Plant
A 500 megawatt coal plant produces 3.5 billion kilowatt-hours per year, enough to power a city of about 140,000 people. It burns 1,430,000 tons of coal, uses 2.2 billion gallons of water and 146,000 tons of limestone.
It also puts out, each year:
10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide (SOx) is the main cause of acid rain, which damages forests, lakes and buildings.
10,200 tons of nitrogen oxide. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) is a major cause of smog, and also a cause of acid rain.
3.7 million tons of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas, and is the leading cause of global warming. There are no regulations limiting carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S.
500 tons of small particles. Small particulates are a health hazard, causing lung damage. Particulates smaller than 10 microns are not regulated, but may be soon.
220 tons of hydrocarbons. Fossil fuels are made of hydrocarbons; when they don't burn completely, they are released into the air. They are a cause of smog.
720 tons of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas and contributor to global warming.
125,000 tons of ash and 193,000 tons of sludge from the smokestack scrubber. A scrubber uses powdered limestone and water to remove pollution from the plant's exhaust. Instead of going into the air, the pollution goes into a landfill or into products like concrete and drywall. This ash and sludge consists of coal ash, limestone, and many pollutants, such as toxic metals like lead and mercury.
225 pounds of arsenic, 114 pounds of lead, 4 pounds of cadmium, and many other toxic heavy metals. Mercury emissions from coal plants are suspected of contaminating lakes and rivers in northern and northeast states and Canada. In Wisconsin alone, more than 200 lakes and rivers are contaminated with mercury. Health officials warn against eating fish caught in these waters, since mercury can cause birth defects, brain damage and other ailments. Acid rain also causes mercury poisoning by leaching mercury from rocks and making it available in a form that can be taken up by organisms.
Trace elements of uranium. All but 16 of the 92 naturally occurring elements have been detected in coal, mostly as trace elements below 0.1 percent (1,000 parts per million, or ppm). A study by DOE's Oak Ridge National Lab found that radioactive emissions from coal combustion are greater than those from nuclear power production.
The 2.2 billion gallons of water it uses for cooling is raised 16 degrees F on average before being discharged into a lake or river. By warming the water year-round it changes the habitat of that body of water.
Coal mining creates tons of hazardous and acidic waste which can contaminate ground water.
Despite all of these advanced techniques, it may never be possible to produce energy from coal without carbon emissions. Most of the heat produced from coal is generated from carbon, which provides more than 70 percent of the energy content. Since there is so much coal in the world, and the cost of extracting it is so low, it will take a concerted effort to avoid massive carbon emissions. More efficient use is a start, but replacing coal with renewables is the ultimate solution to the environmental impacts of coal.
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Majority of scientists agree that carbon emissions are a problem.
Loren
