Thanks for the interesting post Glen. I couldn't agree more. And, it's not as if we don't have alternatives to coal. We just have to get past the false notion that these don't measure up to the energy provided by fossil fuels.

Fascinating in-depth article on the recently announced UN stance on global warming from burning coal, and its unacceptable human consequences

You are probably familiar with the coal fired power plants that are scheduled to be built in Nevada and Utah. This is much bigger than the power companies let on. Here are a number of very interesting points that are actually whole stories unto themselves.

1. California has set a goal of 25% reduction of greenhouse emissions by 2020. Oregon, California, Washington, New Mexico, and Arizona have formed a regional pact to develop a similar target. Yet Nevada is headed in the opposite direction. Nevada, with these coal fired power plants, will double our emissions of greenhouse gases by 2020. If this trend continues, all that will happen is that urban areas will shift their smog to rural areas.

2. The proposed Frontier power line that extends from White Pine County to Las Vegas actually extends from Wyoming to California – where the coal is, to where the largest number of customers are. Planners claim that this will diversify California's power generation needs. But almost all of the Generators along the Frontier Line will be coal fired power plants. It appears that the utility companies intend to only supply coal fired power to California. With nothing else to buy, California will be forced to rescind their mandate to not buy coal fired power.

3. Since the Frontier power line will be privately owned, it will be privately managed. One power line is susceptible to down time and resultant power shortages. It's as if failure has been planned into the Frontier Line on purpose so that power can be unreliably supplied – and prices raised. A repeat of Enron like price hikes looks highly likely.

4. With all of the coal fired power plants planned, it is inevitable that the price of coal will rise – just like the price of natural gas did. The utility companies have based a 50 year decision on a volatile condition; cheap coal. And as the price of coal rises, the price of solar power continues to fall. It is predicted that, at today's coal prices, within ten years solar energy will be half that of coal fired power.

5. If the price of coal fired power goes through the roof, it won't hurt the rich. They'll have the money to buy solar panels, windmills, and flywheel or super-capacitor energy storage. The exorbitantly priced coal fired power will be sold to the poor and the lower middle class – who will have no choice but to pay and pay.

6. The local politicians in the rural areas have been duped into believing that they will receive a tax windfall. However, when the biggest strain on local services will happen, during construction; property taxes will be minimal and sales taxes will flow to state coffers. In White Pine County, the population will increase temporarily by about 25% - and taxes will have to be raised (which is just the opposite of what the coal fired power people are promising us).

7. The Sierra Pacific/Nevada Power coal fired power plant is part of the Las Vegas water grab. Southern Nevada Water Authority has admitted that they will buy one third of the coal fired power plant's production. Sierra Pacific says they won't be selling power directly to SNWA, but they will be selling power to the intertie to be sold on the open market (which is essentially the same thing). Also; we know that SNWA wants water in Spring Valley. Sierra Pacific/NV Power refused to build a power plant in Spring Valley. Now they want water from Steptoe Valley, Duck Creek Basin, Butte Valley, and maybe Smith Valley. Effectively, this is just an extension of the water grab.

8. The two proposed coal fired power plants for White Pine County are actually comprised of units. These units are actually separate power plants unto themselves. Which means that LS Power is actually planing to build three coal fired power plants and Sierra Pacific is actually planing to build five.

9. Where does the smog go? The coal fired power plant companies need thousands of acres because they plan to put the chemicals (that would have gone into the sky) into toxic sludge landfills – for Rural Nevada to keep.

10. A Public Hearing will be held concerning air pollution from the LS Power/Dynegy coal fired power plant on Thursday, March 8, at 6:00 pm, in the Bristlecone Convention Center, 150 Sixth Street, Ely, NV. This our last chance to speak out to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection.

I have much more information on my blog

http://noshootfoot.blogspot.com

In Australia, the latest Australian of the Year, Tim Flannery, has flagged avoiding dangerous climate change for a lead role in his year in the post. He also flagged coal as loosing its social acceptance as a power source.

Bob Brown, Australian Senator and leader of The Greens said their election policy was to develop a plan to phase out the use of coal in power generation by 2010, for immediate
implementation following that.
The Greens do not favour leading the change to a low carbon economy through the unproved process of geosequestration.

I understand Sweden, whilst phasing out nuclear power, is developing a low carbon energy future for itself.

Now James Hansen of the Goddard Institute of Space Science suggests no new coal fired power plants for the US.

Brown was described variously as loosing his grip on reality by the old political parties, the coal industry and the unions, including the description of 'barking mad'.

Given the IPCC Assesssment and the Stern Review, reports that put the impacts and costs of further dangerous climate change into physical and economic perspective, how long before the clearly barking mad are seen to be President George W. Bush and Australian Prime Minister Howard along with those retaining faith
in continuing coal use with unproved geosequestration leading their strategies when we have only several decades before we move from the current 430ppmv of CO2 equivalent past the upper threshold of what is believed to be manageable level of warming gases [550ppmv CO2 eq] into an unknown zone of global heating and the following impacts.

Crrent rates of gas growth are averaging 2.2ppmv of CO2 and 2006 had, I believe, a growth of 2.9. If rates continue to ramp up to feed faster and faster growth then the timelines for the arrival of runaway heating will rapidly close in on us.

All of those proposing to lead their plans to address climate change with unprooved technologies must be suffering from a similar madness to those who are barking their ignorance for any informed person to see, driven by the economies adddiction to coal and blinkered thinking.

The changes from water and wind power that were engendered by the development of the steam engine and the commencement of the industrial revolution are now to be risked on an altar to consumption ignoring not only the premise in the idea behind the Limits to Growth [Brundtland] Report but in the basics of understanding of the operation of all systems.

Even the sun will exhaust itself, consuming its fuel bilions of years of fuel.

Besides failing to understand these inherent limits, many are completlely ignorant of what warming will mean.

On the Austrlaian Broadcating Corporation program Lateline, when PM Howard was asked what a 4dC warming would mean he said "It would be a little less comfortable for some".

It is not such a leap to imagine Bush being caught with an ignorance rating that is below his underatanding of the consequences of his attack on Iraq.

Unfortunately, I am of the view that try as we might and must, that it will require an event of the magnitude of the "Day After Tomorrow" in a location[s] of importance similar to New York to focus attention and action.

Yes, its got to be worse than New Orleans or so obviously caiused by global heating that the reason for it and the action required to avoid it are undeniable.

Hi Glen,

I wonder when someone is going to persuade our Prime Minister, Mr Howard, of the reality of what you are saying. Seems to me that he is determined to follow the 'clean coal' mirage regardless.

Regards

John

Isn't Asia polluting enough with thrie coal fired Energy Plants Now!
This form of Energy needs to be banned to Protect The Global Enviromental Inpacts Here and Abroad.
Our Planet will not and cannot survive.
Peolple rtake notice of the mass devastation world wide.
We need to come together and put the reigns on Global Warming!!

You are probably familiar with the coal fired power plants that are scheduled to be built in Nevada and Utah. This is much bigger than the power companies let on. Here are a number of very interesting points that are actually whole stories unto themselves.

1.

California has set a goal of 25% reduction of greenhouse emissions by 2020. Oregon, California, Washington, New Mexico, and Arizona have formed a regional pact to develop a similar target. Yet Nevada is headed in the opposite direction. Nevada, with these coal fired power plants, will double our emissions of greenhouse gases by 2020. If this trend continues, all that will happen is that urban areas will shift their smog to rural areas.
2.

The proposed Frontier power line that extends from White Pine County to Las Vegas actually extends from Wyoming to California – where the coal is, to where the largest number of customers are. Planners claim that this will diversify California's power generation needs. But almost all of the Generators along the Frontier Line will be coal fired power plants. It appears that the utility companies intend to only supply coal fired power to California. With nothing else to buy, California will be forced to rescind their mandate to not buy coal fired power.
3.

Since the Frontier power line will be privately owned, it will be privately managed. One power line is susceptible to down time and resultant power shortages. It's as if failure has been planned into the Frontier Line on purpose so that power can be unreliably supplied – and prices raised. A repeat of Enron like price hikes looks highly likely.
4.

With all of the coal fired power plants planned, it is inevitable that the price of coal will rise – just like the price of natural gas did. The utility companies have based a 50 year decision on a volatile condition; cheap coal. And as the price of coal rises, the price of solar power continues to fall. It is predicted that, at today's coal prices, within ten years solar energy will be half that of coal fired power.
5.

If the price of coal fired power goes through the roof, it won't hurt the rich. They'll have the money to buy solar panels, windmills, and flywheel or super-capacitor energy storage. The exorbitantly priced coal fired power will be sold to the poor and the lower middle class – who will have no choice but to pay and pay.
6.

The local politicians in the rural areas have been duped into believing that they will receive a tax windfall. However, when the biggest strain on local services will happen, during construction; property taxes will be minimal and sales taxes will flow to state coffers. In White Pine County, the population will increase temporarily by about 25% - and taxes will have to be raised (which is just the opposite of what the coal fired power people are promising us).
7.

The Sierra Pacific/Nevada Power coal fired power plant is part of the Las Vegas water grab. Southern Nevada Water Authority has admitted that they will buy one third of the coal fired power plant's production. Sierra Pacific says they won't be selling power directly to SNWA, but they will be selling power to the intertie to be sold on the open market (which is essentially the same thing). Also; we know that SNWA wants water in Spring Valley. Sierra Pacific/NV Power refused to build a power plant in Spring Valley. Now they want water from Steptoe Valley, Duck Creek Basin, Butte Valley, and maybe Smith Valley. Effectively, this is just an extension of the water grab.
8.

The two proposed coal fired power plants for White Pine County are actually comprised of units. These units are actually separate power plants unto themselves. Which means that LS Power is actually planing to build three coal fired power plants and Sierra Pacific is actually planing to build five.
9.

Where does the smog go? The coal fired power plant companies need thousands of acres because they plan to put the chemicals (that would have gone into the sky) into toxic sludge landfills – for Rural Nevada to keep.
10.

A Public Hearing will be held concerning air pollution from the LS Power/Dynegy coal fired power plant on Thursday, March 8, at 6:00 pm, in the Bristlecone Convention Center, 150 Sixth Street, Ely, NV. This our last chance to speak out to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection.

I have much more information on my blog

http://noshootfoot.blogspot.com

If you are interested, I can write you a press release.

Rick Spilsbury

When I had the opportunity recently to become violently ill from a stomach virus I knew that it was the bad cake I had eaten the evening before. However, no one else became ill from eating the cake, just me but it had to be the cake, didn’t it? Well, no it didn’t.

We as human beings react to stimuli in an interesting and almost psychotic way. If we vomit, what we last ate must have caused it! What else could it have been?

The virus I had quietly incubated for days prior to my becoming ill was the real culprit. But I was sure it was the cake I had eaten the previous night. The way some view climate change is very similar to this reaction. The weather is changing and we look for the easiest explanation for it to satisfy our hunger for answers. We need immediate answers to everything, even if those answers are not really accurate.

If the weather is changing, it has to be caused by man! Doesn’t it? No it really does not. If we all take a step (or ten) back from the sky is falling mentality of Al Gore, we might be able to slow down enough to make an educated decision. We may actually see other possibilities.

Human beings thirst for answers. We have such an ingrained genetic desire to know everything, that even science and physics will alter itself to satisfy that need. Unanswered questions leave scientists with a feeling of inadequacy. Many scientists think they have answers to just about everything so naturally the remaining questions get sucked up into the vacuum of theory. For some less initiated into intellectual circles, these empirical notions can then twist into fact.

My point; not all of what we see is fact. Not all of what we know is true.

Today's Pillory guest: Reactionary Scientists, in it only for the grants.

Dave