Energy Companies' to Exploit the American West to Feed China's Insatiable Appetite for Coal

[ProudDad]

The days when coal was burned close to where it was mined are coming to an end. As the market in the U.S. is squeezed due in large part to environmental problems associated with coal-firing, the industry is simultaneously expanding its business into China. All the work to end coal use in the U.S. may be diminished if China continues to expand its energy appetite.

"This is a worst-case scenario," David Graham-Caso, spokesman for the Sierra Club, recently told the New York Times. "We don't want this coal burned here, but we don't want it burned at all. This is undermining everything we've accomplished."

In September 2010 Peabody Energy, the world's largest coal producer, announced to its shareholders that "coal's best days are ahead." Peabody stated that exports of coal from the Powder River Basin would be central to the company's expansion goals. In particular, ports near Portland, Oregon may be used in the future to export coal to Asian countries, a company spokesperson noted.

http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/148983

<Peabody supplies the trainload of coal PER DAY it takes to provide electricity to my Southern Arizona SUN FLOODED town>

[theoldman]

1. I think China has as much coal as the US.

That is why they have so many coal fueled electrical power plants. If the price of a barrel of oil goes up it will not be economical to ship coal to Asia.

[elleng]

3. fwiw, getting coal to ports done by rail; relatively small use of oil.

After its at ports, that's another matter, I suppose. I guess freighters don't use wind/sail power!

[ProudDad]

8. By then it will be too late

We've already overshot with greenhouse gasses...

If we don't radically power-down in the next 20 years, our grandchildren (well, my Great-grandchildren) will not be able to survive...

[Motown_Johnny]

2. IMO this has been the (R)s plan for decades

to suck up all the oil they could as fast as they could so that the coal we have would increase in value

pollution and climate change never occurred to them

[ProudDad]

9. This is NOT a party thing

This is NOT about -Rs and -Ds...

This is a corporate capitalist thing...and both right-wings of the Corporate War Party are in collusion...

This evil is "bipartisan"...

[Motown_Johnny]

13. so Bush/Cheney is equal to Obama/Biden on this?

I disagree

[ProudDad]

16. In actual practice

yes...

republican = democrat = tool of the corporate capitalist masters...

What's the SUBSTANTIVE difference?

Where's your proof?

Which laws have they passed to ameliorate Climate Destabilization (the tiny increase in CAFE standards does NOT count!)? To keep the polluters from killing us all?

When we ABSOLUTELY NEED a reduction of greenhouse gas production to 80% of 1990 levels by the year 2020...in order to have a chance to survive the century...

[Lint Head]

4. This is doing damage to our security and environment and should be banned.

[IDemo]

5. Coal and coal bed methane extraction are turning the Powder River Basin into a lunar landscape

http://www.hcn.org/issues/214/10823

[ProudDad]

11. I was afraid that it would look like that (n/t)

[somone]

6. So we're becoming a Chinese colony for raw materials

like Africa and Australia.

[theophilus]

7. This is SO wrong on so many levels. It's bad enough they are going

to burn the coal. Extracting it is another nightmare. And, the Chinese will probably get it really cheap. LOSE, LOSE, LOSE. Why are greedy people so stupid?

[ProudDad]

10. "Why are greedy people so stupid?"

'Cause they're doing great...





http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/imageuploads/ic.5f988b327394cda9ea2655d3933be6d9.450x337x1244300842_80,o177,o117,o97,j.jpg

The Rich and Famous Party Together...
http://www.hollyscoop.com/hot-spots/the-rich--famous-party-together_685.aspx

[glinda]

15. Humans are stupid. That is why we will fail the planet.

[ProudDad]

17. The planet will be fine...rest easy

It's just the failed experiment in large brained bipeds that's probably doomed...

Mom Nature will just continue with all of the other evolutionary experiments...

No great loss...

[ProudDad]

12. Amazing -- Zero recs for the end of the Earth

as a viable habitat for large air-breathers...

Geez, folks, we're fucked...

[Blue_In_AK]

14. Up here they want to build a coal mine

through a salmon-spawning stream, and the fishermen are pretty upset about it -- not to mention that it would spoil the beautiful view across Cook Inlet to Mt. Susitna.

Mudflats writes about it at length here: http://www.themudflats.net/2010/09/20/chuitna-and-the-curse-of-coal/


Of course, this is just one of many wrong-headed mining projects that are being talked about in Alaska, including the horrific Pebble Mine prospect.