"Millions of tons of toxic coal ash is piling up in power plant ponds in 32 states, a practice the federal government has long recognized as a risk to human health and the environment but has left unregulated..." "the power industry estimates that the ponds contain tens of thousands of pounds of toxic heavy metals." Toxic coal ash piling up in ponds in 32 states - Yahoo! News . .
Yes, it's a big problem. For years people have screamed and yelled about the risks of nuclear power, while ignoring the coal fired plants in their back yards. In addition to toxic coal ash, coal fired plants emit radiation and heavy metals. That doesn't mean I think we should close them down. We need to get our power from somewhere, but we need to understand the risks and trade-offs that are made in doing so, and be responsible for the entire cycle of power generation, including fuel extraction, processing, and disposal. Tom
Fascinating that this stuff has just been allowed to sit and contaminate the surrounding ecology all these years. I know the local university here has been doing research for well over ten years on recycling fly ash and other byproducts of coal burning into concrete and other construction products. I guess the technology must not be there yet. As we're about to spend billions to redo roads and bridges nationwide, it's too bad we can't just turn this stuff into infrastructure (of course, roads and polluting vehicles are a problem unto themselves)! Jim
yeah, it's shocking how much mercury is emitted by coal plants. It various of course, depending on where the coal comes from, but it's all shite. There is a staggering amount of arsenic in that coal ash. Part of the reason that coal is so cheap is that the tax pays and the environment are absorbing a lot of the cost.
The Great Lakes have enough mercury that we have to limit the amount of fish that can be eaten. It is believed that most of this mercury originated in coal. Tom
Yup, that's a pretty common problem all across the States and probably the rest of the world, or at least areas with Coal fired power plants... oh wait, same thing.
You obviously haven't been paying attention to the coal industry's propaganda. Here's the reality: 'Clean' Coal? Don't Try to Shovel That. - washingtonpost.com ... Brad
Watch Frontline's "Heat" (21 Oct 08) and "Crude Awakening." Big Carbon (oil & coal) makes gobs of money and has no intent to change. As long as people keep buying, Big Carbon will keep extracting and selling. Just as with fission power, toxic coal ash is an afterthought that is not viewed as an immediate problem.
Coming soon to a theater near you... Ohio.com - Coal mining still haunts Akron documentary maker At the rate we're going, we're committing ecological suicide. We should rename Planet Earth to Planet Easter Island.
Be aware that coal, just like oil, has the easily mined stuff removed first. As we continue to mine, the size of the mountains to be removed and the area affected will be larger and larger for the same amount of coal extracted. Then to add injury to injury, the low sulfer coal is being used up initially, leaving the higher sulfer coal for the future generations. Time to go turn off a light.
Thank you everyone for the additional information. I'm just now learning that there are heavy metals in coal. From a geology standpoint, it makes perfect sense, but I suppose the general public (and unfortunately many Congressmen/women) would probably ask you "what exactly do you mean by 'heavy metals?'" As a biochemist, I know very well what heavy metals will do to your body, and that's why they are called "TOXIC heavy metals" when speaking to the public. Burning them into the air is ten times worse, and leaching them into the drinking water is [almost] just as bad. Time to begin a non-profit organization specifically to persuade the general public to purchase their own solar panels.
Furthermore, a lot of the remaining coal is lower BTU content so you have to burn more of it to get the same amount of power generated. The cost of coal was moving steadily upwards before the global recession hit. It's the fastest growing energy source globally, which means that there's increasing pressure on the price.
I'm surprised that someone hasn't considered finding a use for all that coal ash. Since coal ash is a major component of making cement and concrete, they could suddenly be very valuable, especially if President-elect Obama's infrastructure program to rebuild roads and bridges starts (which will require massive amounts of cement and concrete).
60 Minutes ran an insightful piece on coal ash earlier tonight. It looks like the entire video is up at Coal Ash: 130 Million Tons of Waste - 60 Minutes - CBS News. I was unaware of this problem but it makes perfect sense that there's crap leftover from burning coal.
We buried our head in the sand a long time ago when we decided not to generate electricity with breeder reactor technology. Every alternative we have has some negative side to it even solar and wind. The really sad part is the biggest problem we have is honesty in big business, every company is out to protect their own bottom line at the expense of everyone else and getting to the best solution for society is nearly impossible for that reason. Oh I forgot government isn't really on our side either because the politicians can't be trusted to do the right thing anymore either. So what we are left with is lies and false truths as we try to get to the real cost of anything in our society as it exists today. :ballchain:
There was a huge exposé last night on 60 minutes regarding the toxins and tonage of coal burning byproducts. The generation of electricity via coal is highly profitable and no doubt the industry has a HUGE lobby keeping the info out of the main stream media. It wouldn't surprise me if CBS lost advertising dollars over the piece they did last night. Are you folks in coal burning states ready to strap more of the actual cost (via higher electric bills) to make your power? Or is it better to keep the status quo. .
