A Resurgence for Coal?

The Choices We Can't Afford 

Since scientists began raising concerns about global warming more than two decades ago, the coal industry has tried to stymie every national and international effort to solve the problem. While the international community has moved forward with the Kyoto Protocol, the U.S. government has largely ignored the solutions at hand.

But the story is worse than that. While President Bush and Congress continue to keep their heads in the sand on global warming, the coal industry is moving forward with a proposal that would make the problem worse. Much worse.

In less than ten years, the coal industry is proposing to build more than 140 brand new plants across the country. Not only would this accelerate global warming, but it would undo much of the progress that other countries have made through the Kyoto protocol.

Building these 140 new plants will cost nearly $120 billion--some of which will be paid for by the federal government. Imagine the progress we could make if this money were invested in solving the problem instead of worsening it.

In 2004, the U.S. produced 335 GW of electricity from coal. These new plants alone would produce an estimated 87 GW--in effect, a 25 percent increase in coal production and related global warming emissions.

Check out the interactive map that Environmental Action has pieced together to learn about proposals in your state or in a neighboring state.