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Lack Of Storage Hurting Energy Revolution
Currently, America’s transmission grid—the power lines and electrical equipment that bring us electricity—has very few devices that store power from renewable clean energy sources such as solar and wind. This is hindering the deployment of these energy sources and limits their usefulness. Consider solar … the sun shines during the day, lots of electricity is…
Read MoreVideo: Coal Export Threatens The Northwest
Would you want to live next door to a coal export terminal? Wait, maybe that’s too vague of a question. Instead, let me ask you this… Would you want mile-long coal trains traveling through your community 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Would you want your children exposed to noxious coal dust as…
Read MoreIsland Nations Plea For Controls On Climate Change
(Earthjustice attorney Erika Rosenthal is attending the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa. This is the first in a series of blogs she will be filing from the conference.) “We will succeed together, or we will fail together.” – Sprent Dabwido,…
Read MoreTr-Ash Talk: Some Dirty Air With That Murky Water, Please
Looks like that murky glass of water shouldn’t be your only concern. Several states weak on coal ash disposal also have another dubious claim: many are the worst offenders of air pollution. In August, we released a report detailing the lack of state-based regulations for coal ash disposal and the 12 worst states when it…
Read MoreMeet The Power Plants
Imagine you live in a neighborhood full of families. There are many nice people, but a few households are real menaces. They’re loud, they burn things in the backyard, and they drive around so fast that you’re worried they’re going to run someone down The neighborhood bands together and one-by-one succeeds in getting these menaces…
Read MoreWhich Page of the Times Do You Read?
Last Sunday, Dec. 4, the weekly review/opinion section of The New York Times carried a sober and sobering piece by Robert Semple, a Times editorial writer who seldom gets to sign his pieces. He wrote of the climate meetings taking place this week in Durban, South Africa, where no one seems to think much progress will…
Read MoreBirth Defects Linked to Mountaintop Removal
Climate change skeptics, industries in denial, regulators avoiding environmental cleanup… They all sound alike when it comes to evidence of environmental harm. They argue there isn’t enough data. They insist the data is skewed. They see no reason to take action on some of the most obvious negative impacts of industrial activity. Let’s take a…
Read MoreFriday Finds: Big Coal’s Big Sugar Daddies
Report finds allegedly “green” banks finance dirty coal A recent investigation by a group of non-governmental organizations found that a number of supposedly “green” banks fall into the top 20 institutions to finance coal-mining and coal-fired energy generation, reports the UK Guardian. Taking the first three places is JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup and Bank of…
Read MoreAussie Energy Co. Buys Into U.S. Coal Mines
“This is a good company from Australia who is well funded, well banked, and they have bought a mine in Montana and have every intention to ship it to Asia. It’s a great story.” – Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer Yes, governor, it’s a great story. It’s a story of air pollution, global warming and ruined…
Read MoreAir Watch
Tom Frantz grew up in California’s central valley. The once sparse rural area is now the source of food for millions of Americans, and throughout his life Tom has seen the bucolic pastures of his childhood transform into modern-day mega-farms. When Tom’s daughter was 10 she started to develop migraines. Then Tom started having breathing…
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