A coal - fired discussion (Sunday Las Vegas Sun)

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http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may/04/coal-fired-discussion/

Proposals to build coal-fired power plants have brought the debate over global climate change home to Nevadans. Coal provides half the nation’s electricity, and a fifth of Nevada’s power, but many people think it’s time to break our reliance on the shiny black rock and start using the sun, wind and heat of the Earth for a new generation of power plants.

Environmentalists say pollution from coal plants will make people sick, ruin the air and harm plants and animals.

Power plant developers say they’re necessary to keep Las Vegas homes and casinos cool and bright, and that renewable energy can’t meet growing power demand in the Southwest without sending power bills through the roof.

But opponents of the plants, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid among them, say utilities are gambling with ratepayers’ money. The price of Sierra Pacific Resources’ proposed plant near Ely has swelled to $5 billion over the past two years. With Congress poised to levy taxes on every ton of carbon dioxide emitted by power plants, this cheap fuel might not end up being so cheap after all.

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