The Coal Industry’s New-Found Aggression

The tobacco industry sells the only legal product that, when used as directed, causes death — and for that, they have rightfully earned the highest level of our contempt.  I suppose one could argue that agribusiness, Monsanto in particular, has a solid grasp on the number two position.  But apparently, the coal industry is not content to settle for number three. 

My colleague, SmartGridNews editor Jesse Berst, reports that remarkably:

The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) has issued a statement claiming natural gas and renewables threaten the grid. Among their arguments:

• Coal is more reliable
• Transforming the grid to accommodate gas and renewables will cost too much (an estimated $1 trillion by 2030,  according to a CalTech report.  (This is approximately 20% of the projected costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. – ed)
• Natural gas has problems including lack of pipeline capacity

 As you will read (in the article linked above) they’re taking the gloves off with fighting words such as “ideologues and activists…fail to grasp the basic fact that the current infrastructure cannot meet their pie in the sky policies.” Whichever side you’re on, you should brace yourself for a new, louder, more contentious debate.

Personally, I’m on the side of the people concerned about the health of all living things on Earth, which is absorbing huge levels of damage from coal – on a daily basis.  I’m not sure that makes me a radical…