Published: July 30, 2007
One Terrible Idea For Solving Our Energy Needs
Only the coal industry would think that using the dirtiest fossil fuel could be the solution to our oil addiction.
And maybe Congress.
Tell not to provide liquid coal subsidies>>
Generating electricity by burning coal has ravaged the climate and made coal mining executives rich. But with increased awareness of global warming they are worried about the end to their gravy train. Now they have a new idea, and its atrocious.
Turning to 1920's technology coal companies can take 1 ton of coal and create a liquid out of it that can replace 2 barrels of oil. It is no wonder that Big Coal likes the idea - to wean the United States off of just 1 million barrels of the 21 million barrels of crude oil consumed daily, an estimated 120 million tons of coal would need to be mined each year.
In addition to the carbon dioxide emitted while using the fuel, the production process creates almost a ton of carbon dioxide for every barrel of liquid fuel. Which is to say, one ton of coal in, more than two tons of carbon dioxide out.
Mining companies love the idea of liquid coal - but we don't>>
Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa used liquid coal because they were cut off from oil imports and without alternatives. But the United States has alternatives - conservation, fuel efficiency, plug-in hybrid and electric cars, cellulosic ethanol, petro-free organic agriculture, land-use changes, public transit, and on and on. Any one of these options would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make us more energy independent. And all these options would be more cost-effectively than liquid coal.
Tell Congress that Liquid Coal is not an energy option>>
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