“We don’t want to spend taxpayer dollars on fuels that make global warming worse.”
– Hon. Kitty Piercy, Mayor
Eugene, Oregon
June 23, 2008
Last time, I gave you my position on clean coal technologies. They are a myth. However, since no reasonable environmentalist can expect the world to abandon coal overnight, the most important thing for us to do is disseminate the truth about clean coal technologies and drive consumers of coal toward clean, renewable resources.
One area where the environmental community can obtain the fastest results is in educating government bodies. NRDC, the Natural Resources Defense Council, is a very influential organization doing just that. The quote above came in part as a response to their work.
There is no such thing as clean coal but fossilized industries use a multifaceted approach toward putting a happy face on coal as an energy source. They claim mining coal creates jobs and economic stimulus. Well, few practices cause more environmental damage than coal mining but at the same time Appalachia is a heavy mining region of the United States and has the most economically disadvantaged residents per capita.
In this presidential election year, with energy independence a hot topic, which grows hotter by the day, initiatives such as StopDirtyFuels.org from NRDC are vital. They remind us that one need not believe in global warming to oppose coal. Clean, renewable resources are as much about economic sustainability as they are about environmental sustainability.
That’s why we need groups such as NRDC to create initiatives such as StopDirtyFuels.org. We must remind everyone that clean coal technologies are a boondoggle and that, if we remove government subsidies, renewable resources can compete head to head with coal right now, with today’s technology.
Coal is dirty. It is bad for the environment. It is bad for the long-term success of mining communities and, of course, the health of miners. We must eschew this ancient technology in favor of solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable resources and we must begin to change today. StopDirtyFuels.org is one tool to help us do just that.
Fomenting the Triple Bottom Line
Corbett Kroehler
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