While oil is our main energy source, coal is still a very important and relevant energy source in today's economy and industry. Most, if not all of our electricity comes from coal powered power plants instead of being powered by oil. Just like most things in life, there are both positives and negatives when it comes to coal powered power plants. The benefits for these coal power plants are most related to oil and the U.S. economy. By using coal for electricity, this helps the U.S. by not contributing to our ever increasing dependence on oil, but instead provides us with energy form another source.
Unfortunately, they have immense environmental implications from these coal power plants. First off, just the top fifty (50) dirtiest coal power plants are responsible for 30% of the energy industry's carbon emissions. Not only is that contribution staggering by itself, but if we think about it a different way, we see that these fifty (50) power plants actually contribute to climate change more than just six (6) countries in the world, (Light, John; 2013). Further focusing on coal power plants, ninety-eight (98) of the top one hundred (100) dirtiest power plants are from coal.
Hopefully this enormous amount of pollution will soon be at least tapered down. With regulations in the works to control the amount of emissions new power plants are allowed to emit, the future looks at least a little less dim than it did last year, (Banerjee, Neela; 2013). Alas, with seemingly any environmental pollution regulation, there is always a twist. The new regulations don't target the older power plants which are the real culprits for carbon emissions. This is a constant problem with passing any sort of environmentally friendly legislature - They are fought throughout the entire process, eventually the opposition gets a minor victory, causing various loopholes like this one. So while the new regulations will help with new plants that are being built, the plants that are producing 30% of the carbon emissions are completely ignored and allowed to keep spewing out pollution.
Other regulations have also been put in place to potentially help reduce the carbon emissions from these coal plants. The EPA has announced that coal powered plants will have to "capture and store a portion of the carbon dioxide they produce," (Drajem, Mark; 2013). This sounds great, right? Wrong. This new rule only applies to new coal powered plants just like the other ones. While this is a step in the right direction for new power plants, this does diddly-squat in terms of our already constructed CO2 spewing power plants. It is not easy to successfully get any regulations on energy company emissions, but if the EPA or another organization can push one regulation through successfully, then we will be heading in the right direction. It's not always about just reducing how newer power plants or cars, or what ever it is, produce CO2, but it's about fixing the already constructed pollution machines.
Overall, it seems that there isn't a real solution yet available that is environmentally friendly and still effective. There are nonstop obstacles that we must overcome to regulate CO2 emissions from our current power plants, as well as a whole other set of obstacles to overcome in order to being and improve "green" energy. The potential for clean energy is there, there is just a lot of opposition to it - Like the oil and coal companies, as well as politicians and other government officials who are making loads of money from these industries. Even though coal energy isn't good for the environment, the silver lining of it all is that it does allow the U.S. to have one source of energy that they rely on that is not oil.
"Diversity is important not only for energy security, but also for national security. Over-dependence on any one source of energy, especially a foreign source, leaves us vulnerable to price shocks, supply interruptions, and, in the worst case, blackmail," (George W. Bush)
Banerjee, Neela September. "Proposed Power Plant Restrictions Raise Questions on More Limits." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013. <http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-epa-coal-20130921,0,2976466.story>.
Drajem, Mark. "New Coal Plants Must Capture Carbon Dioxide Output: EPA." Bloomberg Business Week. Bloomberg News, 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 2013. <http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-09-20/new-coal-plants-must-limit-carbon-pollution-under-epa-regulation>.
Light, John. "How Close Do You Live to America’s Dirtiest Power Plants?" Bill Moyers. N.p., 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013. <http://billmoyers.com/2013/09/18/are-the-dirtiest-polluters-near-you/?utm_source=EANY+Media+Digest&utm_campaign=73d8f6700d-Media_Digest3_1_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2b837a6864-73d8f6700d-52072261>.
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