http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/coal/ en-us Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:01:47 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413824/posts 'There Is a Shift Going on Across America' Despite a lack of substantive action on climate change in Copenhagen or, yet, in Washington, environmental groups are celebrating a year of victories over one of climate change’s biggest culprits. Coal releases more carbon dioxide emissions per unit of energy produced than any other fossil fuel, but it also provides more than half the United States’ electricity supply. It is possible, however, that 2009 marked a turning point away from that reliance on coal. Seminole Electric dropped plans to build a new coal-fired power plant in Florida late last week, in part... solve climate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413824/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:01:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413403/posts Barack Obama gave himself a B+ on Oprah Winfrey’s White House Christmas Special on ABC, but the American public is far less generous. The latest influential Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll of likely US voters gives Obama a thumping 56 percent disapproval rating – an F grade by any measure. 46 percent strongly disapprove of the president’s job performance, while just 25 percent strongly approve. That’s a Presidential Approval Index rating of -21 percentage points, a staggering figure for a president just 11 months into his term of office. These are historically low approval ratings for a US president, that... The London Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413403/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:34:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411917/posts The head of the UN's climate change panel - Dr Rajendra Pachauri - is accused of making a fortune from his links with 'carbon trading' companies, Christopher Booker and Richard North write. No one in the world exercised more influence on the events leading up to the Copenhagen conference on global warming than Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and mastermind of its latest report in 2007. Although Dr Pachauri is often presented as a scientist (he was even once described by the BBC as “the world’s top climate scientist”), as a former... Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411917/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:14:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411933/posts It was the slap heard 'round the coalfields: Cordelia Ruth Tucker, wearing the fluorescent-striped shirt of a miner, strode past West Virginia state troopers and into a stream of marchers protesting mountaintop removal mining to deliver an audible smack. (snip) There have been nearly 100 arrests in 20 protests, most involving trespassing. Led by a new group called Climate Ground Zero, the activists have chained themselves to giant dump trucks, scaled 80-foot trees to stop blasting and paddled into a 9 million-gallon sludge pond. They've blocked roads, hung banners and staged sit-ins. Virginia-based Massey Energy claims a single 3 1/2-hour... AP via Yahoo! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411933/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:51:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410297/posts An extraordinary recent statement by Sen. Robert Byrd has stunned his coal-dependent home state and left West Virginia politicians and business leaders scrambling to understand the timing and motivation behind his unexpected discourse on the future of the coal industry. In an early December op-ed piece released by his office — also recorded on audio by the frail 92-year-old senator — Byrd argued that resistance to constraints on mountaintop-removal coal mining and a failure to acknowledge that “the truth is that some form of climate legislation will likely become public policy” represent the real threat to the future of coal.... Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410297/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:29:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409199/posts Regulations: The Clean Water Act is being rewritten to give a government bureaucracy the power to regulate every body of water from the Mississippi River to a rain-flooded field. The first casualty may be American coal. With all the concern for the harm that cap-and-trade and regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant might do to the American economy and free markets, the Environmental Protection Agency is doing quite enough damage with an existing law on the books — the Clean Water Act. Congress plans to revise it to make it an even more powerful bludgeon against industry, energy producers and... Investors.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409199/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:10:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408942/posts The clean-coal industry has been shut out of the global emissions trading scheme at the Copenhagen climate change talks, dealing a blow to the UK, US and Australia. The three Western countries and Saudi Arabia had strongly argued that advanced new clean-coal plants, which trap emissions underground, ought to earn credits for being a low-carbon source of energy. But a United Nations committee decided not to include the industry in its Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which rewards companies that invest in green energy. Ed Miliband, Energy and Climate Change Secretary, is a strong supporter of the fledgling technology, which attempts... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408942/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:40:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407041/posts LINFEN, China (AFP) – The choking soot that coats Linfen is testament to an inconvenient truth behind Beijing's promises to curb its greenhouse gas emissions: cheap and carbon-belching coal remains king in China. Although they say things are improving, residents of this city in northern Shanxi province live in one of the most polluted places on Earth thanks to China's reliance on coal, a dependence expected to continue for decades. "Everyone here hates the pollution. It's better than before... but it is hard to imagine it being worse than just a few years ago," said Qi Bao, who owns a... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407041/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:46:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405388/posts Vast coal deposits lying deep beneath the North Sea will be burnt in situ to generate up to 5 per cent of Britain’s energy needs, under new plans approved by the Government last week. The UK Coal Authority has awarded licences to Clean Coal, an Anglo-American company, to develop five offshore sites for a technology called Underground Coal Gasification (UGC). The method, which has not been used on a commercial scale in the UK, although it is widely used in Australia, taps the high energy content of coal while doing away with the costly and labour-intensive need to mine it... The Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405388/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:14:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2403224/posts What is the WRVA-Alden Aaroe Shoe Fund?.The “Shoe Fund” was started in 1968 by legendary WRVA morning host Alden Aaroe as a way to raise money to literally buy shoes for needy Richmond area youngsters. Since its conception more than 6 million dollars has been raised for that purpose. Today the fund also buys coats, school supplies and other items. One thing is still the same, every penny stays here in the Richmond area. The fund is administered by the Greater Richmond Salvation Army. If you’re interested in making enough of a contribution to pay for a pair of shoes,... wrva.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2403224/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 22:55:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402071/posts Process could capture carbon more cheaply. Researchers at Ohio State University are developing a novel process for generating electricity from coal that also promises to make capturing carbon-dioxide emissions cheaper. The work is being done with the help of a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. The technology has been proven in laboratories; researchers will use the new funds to demonstrate it in a 250-kilowatt, pilot-scale power plant. A coal-fired plant based on the process, which is called chemical looping, would produce a highly concentrated stream of carbon dioxide. Such a stream... Technology Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402071/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 16:28:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399452/posts A controversial economist working at the Office of Management and Budget has raised questions about whether a new air pollution rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency would impose too high a cost on coal-fired power plants...Randall Lutter, who served as the Food and Drug Administration's head of policy under George W. Bush and has battled environmentalists for years on issues such as climate change and smog, has been examining the economic impact of federal rules at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Lutter is a long-time ally of OIRA's director, Cass Sunstein. While Lutter's job portfolio remains unclear,... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399452/posts#comment Thu, 3 Dec 2009 17:26:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386795/posts COAL RIVER MOUNTAIN, W.Va. – This mountain in southern West Virginia, right in the middle of Appalachia’s spine, is fast becoming someone’s Waterloo. It’s too soon to tell who will be the loser: the coal industry, the environmentalists or the people who call this region home. Nearly 500 mountaintops in Appalachia have been destroyed (or used for commerce, depending on your perspective) by mountaintop-removal mining. MRM, as it is known, is cheaper and faster than underground mining. It involves blasting the top of a mountain to remove its layers of coal. The Coalition for Mountaintop Mining, an advocacy group under... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386795/posts#comment Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:39:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385572/posts Not exactly sure what I can post since it is from Bloomberg but if you go the site one of the lead articles is the EPA threatening coal mining in Applachia over a insect. What the Spotted Owl did to the timber industry in the Pacific Northwest this bug will do to coal mining. Bloomberg http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385572/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:48:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382373/posts Dr. Rand Paul, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, explained his position on taxes, government spending, the drug abuse epidemic, welfare and other government benefits during an exclusive interview with the Times-Tribune, just hours before his appearance at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg. Initially, Dr. Paul addressed drug abuse in rural Kentucky. As a doctor, he immediately zeroed in on more vigilant policing of doctors who recklessly write prescriptions. He asked, “Are they being disciplined? I’m a doctor and occasionally I’ll get notification from the medical licensure board of people who are having their licenses suspended.” Referencing a recent... The Times-Tribune, Corbin, Ky. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382373/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 20:28:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379575/posts Leadership: As Palin jousts with Biden on energy independence, the government reports that we lead the world in energy reserves. From oil to gas to coal, we are sitting on prosperity. So why are we importing anything? One of the interesting sidelights of the NY-23 race was an exchange on energy independence between Vice President Joe Biden and the former governor of energy-rich Alaska, Sarah Palin. Biden, who came in to campaign for Democrat Bill Owens, was reminded of the issue of energy. "The fact of the matter is that Sarah Palin thinks the answer to energy was 'Drill, baby,... Investor's Business Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379575/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:53:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2379039/posts Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway upped its stake in Burlington Northern yesterday, paying about $26 billion for the rest of the big railway system. Is the purchase all about playing with trains? Not really. Buffett said it's a bet on the U.S. economic recovery, that moving goods around will surge when things pick-up again. It's also seen by some as a big bet on coal. B&N's system goes through Wyoming's Powder River Basin, which is the primary source for a lot of the low-sulfur coal many U.S. power plants rely on these days to keep down their emissions (including the W.A.... Houston Cronicle Energy Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2379039/posts#comment Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:55:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2378384/posts The United States could be energy independent if it possessed the collective political will to make it happen. After all, the country has the largest energy reserves on earth, according to a recently-released Congressional Research Service report. Bob McCarty Writes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2378384/posts#comment Wed, 4 Nov 2009 16:31:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2377575/posts Despite the fact that Navajo Nation president Joe Shirley Jr. won an international award for environmentalism, he's a thorn in the side for environmentalists. Why? Because, according to them, the power plant that provides energy and jobs to his people in Arizona is an environmental hazard, one that creates an unsightly haze over the Grand Canyon. The Environmental Protection Agency wants the Navajo Generating Station, which is supplied with coal from mines on Black Mesa, to install air-scrubbing equipment. A Sierra Club spokesman described the plants as "low-hanging fruit." And the journalist reporting the story cites Shirley as the only... washingtonexaminer.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2377575/posts#comment Tue, 3 Nov 2009 18:38:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377313/posts NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said Tuesday it will buy railroad operator Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $44 billion. Berkshire (BRKA, Fortune 500), which already has major stake in the company, said it would acquire the remaining 77.4% of the company in a cash-and-stock offer worth $100 per share. Widely regarded as both one of the world's richest men and the investment community's more brilliant minds, Buffett called his firm's investment an "all-in wager on the economic future of the United States." "Our country's future prosperity depends on its having an efficient and well-maintained rail system," Buffett... CNNMoney.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377313/posts#comment Tue, 3 Nov 2009 13:29:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2376042/posts Cap and Trade will be a disaster for what is left of manufacturing in this country. Right now, the Rust Belt is just rusty. With Cap and Trade, the rust will inevitably turn into dust. And, for what? Because some politically-driven environmentalists have trumped up a phony belief that mankind is completely killing the planet? Cutting Through The Fog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2376042/posts#comment Sun, 1 Nov 2009 20:16:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371288/posts While campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama said his cap-and-trade tax plans would "bankrupt" anyone building a coal-fired power plant. Although those taxes haven't materialized, the Environmental Protection Agency has put the brakes on 79 surface mining permits in four states since he was elected. The EPA says these permits could violate the Clean Water Act and warrant "enhanced" review. But the agency went even further last week, announcing plans to revoke a permit for the Spruce No. 1 Mine in West Virginia - a move that has caused anxiety among coal-state Democrats about the future of the... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371288/posts#comment Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:54:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371104/posts Almost two years ago, Barack Obama told the editors of the San Francisco Chronicle that anyone who wanted to open a new coal-burning electrical plant would get “bankrupted” by his policies. They may not even get the coal to burn, thanks to the EPA. The Washington Times’ Amanda Carpenter reports that the agency has held up scores of surface mining permits in an action that will get the attention of coal-producing states — and their Senators: While campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama said his cap-and-trade tax plans would “bankrupt” anyone building a coal-fired power plant. Although those... Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371104/posts#comment Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:38:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2367356/posts CHARLESTON -- The governor of the country's second-largest coal-producing state is angling for a sit-down with President Barack Obama over his administration's stance on climate change and its pursuit of cap-and-trade legislation. West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin told The Associated Press on Tuesday that his state has a role to play as the nation considers cutting climate-affecting energy sources. Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere, and coal releases that gas when burned. The White House wishes to curb carbon emissions and reduce the use of fossil-derived fuel, though that goal also dovetails with the push to replace foreign oil... The Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2367356/posts#comment Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:37:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364761/posts There was almost a round of cheers at the joint meeting of the Alaska House Resources, Senate Resources and Senate Energy committees in Anchorage on Oct. 9, as enthusiastic legislators listened to executives from Cook Inlet Region Inc. unveil a plan to develop an underground coal gasification plant on CIRI land on the west side of Cook Inlet, with no requests for state funding for a project that might supply electrical power for the Alaska Railbelt for many years to come. CIRI is the Native Region corporation for the Cook Inlet area. “Our project we believe is a very exciting... Petroleum News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364761/posts#comment Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:24:49 GMT