Coal is becoming obsolete.

[Archae]

I was thinking about this while my Mom told me about how their coal-fired furnace had some quirks.

Coal burning is becoming obsolete, so the coal interests are doing two things:

1. PR campaign that uses glitzy graphics and fake terms like "Clean Coal" to try to convince people to keep burning it.

2. Buying politicians who try to (and sometimes succeed) in passing laws that favor coal burning and suppress technology that is making coal obsolete.

[valerief]

1. I wish Koch would, too. nt

[former9thward]

2. Tell that to China, India and countless other countries in the developing world.

They are using coal in increasing amounts every year to bring hundreds of millions into the middle class.

[exboyfil]

3. Actually one of the biggest drivers

for suppressing coal is natural gas fracking. A procedure that is not very popular on this board.


In Iowa it appears that we have reached a saturation point for wind energy. Most of the potential area is too far from trasmission lines or those lines are already running at capacity. We are in a perfect storm right now for adoption of solar (high subsidies and low cost because of excess capacity). If you are going to do solar on a personal level, then you should ASAP.

I would not be sure about the death of coal.

[Archae]

5. It'll happen.

How many homes still have coal furnaces?

[Lugnut]

6. Our house does.

I live in anthracite coal country and my husband is a UMWA miner.

[Junkdrawer]

4. Coal-to-China is our next big export market....

We're the Saudi Arabia of Coal.

So...next time we break our arm patting ourself on the back for reducing carbon emissions, remember the exported coal that isn't included in the calculation.

[pansypoo53219]

7. what did whalers do when their jobs were dying. what about typewriter manufacture?

west VA needs options.