coal-fired power plants
Climate grief and the stark choice that confronts us
If the five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, Americans can be found at all points along the continuum when it comes to global climate change and the environmental crisis that accompanies it. Like many who’ve contemplated a grim healthcare diagnosis that seems to belie of how they feel in the […]
New life for old coal: Minelands and power plants are hot renewable development spots
PETERSBURG, Ind. — AES Indiana’s Petersburg Generating Station, which towers over the White River here in southwest Indiana, has been burning coal to generate electricity since the late 1960s. That era, though, will come to an end soon. Two of the power plant’s four coal-burning units have already retired and the last is planning to […]
Winter is coming and the U.S. grid remains vulnerable to power plant failures
From winter storms to sweltering summer heat, there’s a consensus among experts that increasing extreme weather, a shifting electric generation mix, delays in getting new power generation projects connected and the difficulties in getting new transmission lines and other infrastructure built all pose an increasing risk to the grid. At U.S. Senate committee hearings as […]
Long-term exposure to air pollution increases risk of death from COVID-19
As the Trump administration relaxes several environmental regulations governing air pollution, scientists have learned that a person’s long-term exposure to microscopic air emissions — including those from power plants, wood pellet facilities, and quarries — is a risk factor for dying from COVID-19. Harvard University researchers analyzed 17 years’ worth of data for 3,000 US […]
‘Parents like me should not have the burden of proving that coal ash is dangerous’
ARLINGTON, Va. — Susan Wind’s 19-year-old daughter is recovering from thyroid cancer, but Wind still worries constantly about her family’s health. Wind, a former resident of Mooresville, N.C., moved with her family to Florida after her daughter was among the 110 people diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the area within the last five years. “We […]
Citing climate change, health and environmental justice, DEQ sends letter to EPA opposing new federal air pollution rules
New federal environmental regulations could cause the premature deaths of 14,000 people in the US by 2030, equivalent to 10 Manteos, four Wilkesboros or one Roanoke Rapids. The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday unveiled its “Affordable Clean Energy Rule” — which in terms of human health and the climate, is neither affordable nor clean — […]