Often times numbers scare me. Numbers like "1.970 Tg of CO2 produced," which I mentioned in my video about so-called "clean coal." Sometimes, numbers just piss me off. Numbers like those in an article I recently read about the coal industry which pushes the propaganda.
Here's the numbers: In 2008 the "American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity," the mouthpiece for the coal industry, which is fully funded by coal companies, spent $45,000,000 ($45 million doesn't get the point across like all those zeros) on its "America's Power" campaign which touts the benefits "clean coal." What's more, the companies themselves spent more than $125,000,000 on lobbying against federal legislation promoting clean energy. That's quite a bit of money.
How much did they actually spend on new cleaner coal technologies, like carbon capture and storage? Well, over about three years, all those companies combined spent $3.5 billion. Well, you might say, that seems like a lot, but consider this, that figure is for the forty eight companies which fund the "American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity." The gross profits for those same companies in 2007 alone: $57,000,000,000. $57 billion. In profit. So, they put about 6% of their profits into research for this new technology. Somehow that doesn't mesh with the idea that they are fully behind the new tech, and fully behind the environment.
Just something to think about next time you see a commercial for "clean coal."
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The fact that coal-fired power plants throughout the world are the major sources of radioactive materials released to the environment.
ReplyDeleteIf the public only were aware of the facts in this article at the link below... there would be an outcry to phase out coal plants.
http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev26-34/text/colmain.html
We are all breathing radioactive materials realeased into the air from coal plants. Shame, shame on OUR government for not getting on with the key energy solution which is to close out coal power plants and phase in the real clean and safe nuclear power plants.