2010 may go down as a year for ant-coal activists to celebrate. Those who have been crusading against coal as a form of energy have engaged in major activism campaigns. The activists say, however, that they have positive gains for 2010 to point to such as a decline in the use of coal.
Where Coal Is Declining as a Power Source
Coal is derided by environmental activists as being a major source of the type of emissions that may be causing global climate change. It currently supplies about half of the energy needs for electrical generation in the United States.
These activists were disappointed that climate change legislation stalled in congress last year. But, Mary Anne Hitt, of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, says that the reality for coal-fired power in 2010 was bleak, “as dozens of proposed new coal plants were taken off the drawing board and utilities announced 12,000 MW of coal plant retirements (enough to power 12 million homes).” The Sierra Club says people and utilities are moving away from coal.
Environmental journalist, Joshua Frank, writing for the online news source, Alternet, says that the populous west coast is declining the use of the west’s coal reserves:
“Oregon is looking to nix coal burning by shutting down the state's sole Boardman plant by 2020, if not sooner. California already burns very little coal while the state's largest consumer of power, the Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power, is set to end its purchasing of coal power generated by Arizona's Navajo Station within the next 10 years. And activists in Washington are working hard to shut down the state's sole coal facility in Centralia.”
Anti-coal campaigns have even taken hold in places like the University Of North Dakota, which is in a state that produces a lot of coal.
But, people are also raising concerns about coal in such traditional coal-rich regions as Appalachia.
Resistance to Coal in Appalachia and Beyond
Appalachia is known as “coal country.” The coal mining industry runs deep in this region. But even here, people have their doubts.
Environmentalists and miners are coming together to talk about energy and sustainability in venues like Kentucky community radio station, WMMT. The station regularly reports on the coal industry and invites people to comment about coal on its station.
The Appalachia Rising movement is trying to bring people of the eastern coal regions together to develop ideas for economic development for the region that are not so dependent upon coal extraction.
Coal activists are looking with alarm at China and its almost voracious appetite for coal. The international scene may be a coming focus as they look to move the world beyond coal in 2011.
Jon Pike - Pike is a Ph.D. in communication and writes about activism and popular culture topics for Suite101.
