Big Coal

Why TVA Coal Investigation Matters: Interview with Former MSHA Investigator

Jeff Biggers | Posted 12.30.2008 | Green


Jeff Biggers

When wildfires consume beautiful homes in California, it headlines the evening news. But when thousands of people go without water for weeks in Appalachia, it's not "newsworthy."

Ash Christmas: Yesterday's TVA Coal Disaster is Toxic Wake Up Call to Nation

Jeff Biggers | Posted 12.23.2008 | Green


Jeff Biggers

Coal ash contains mercury, lead, and arsenic. Nearly 800 Olympic-size swimming pools of that toxic mix are flowing into the waterways of Tennessee right now.

Dear Carol Browner: Dirty Coal Will Turn Green Recovery Gray

Jeff Biggers | Posted 12.19.2008 | Green


Jeff Biggers

The incoming Secretary of Energy will have the choice of committing billions of dollars to relaunch the shipwrecked FutureGen coal-fired plant, or allocating that amount of funding to launch a sustainable wind or solar clean jobs project in the same Illinois area.

Why Raul Grijalva Matters at Interior: Black Mesa Nightmare Redux

Jeff Biggers | Posted 12.05.2008 | Politics


Jeff Biggers

For the sake of a balanced approached to mining, indigenous rights, and environmental concerns, let's hope U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva takes the reins at the Department of the Interior.

"This Is Reality" Takes On the Clean Coal Lie

Jake Brewer | Posted 12.05.2008 | Green


Jake Brewer

Big Coal has spent more than Tobacco did making us think cigarettes were ok, to make us believe the "Saudi Arabia of coal" - the United States - will lead a clean, prosperous future.

Dear Al Gore: Speak Against the Rape of Coal River Mountain

Jeff Biggers | Posted 11.25.2008 | Green


Jeff Biggers

Dismissing an overwhelming majority of West Virginian support for clean energy, Governor Manchin granted a mining permit revision for proposed mountaintop removal of Coal River Mt.

Obama Appointments: Time for a Coal-Onoscopy

Jeff Biggers | Posted 11.21.2008 | Green


Jeff Biggers

If President-elect Obama is truly serious about affecting climate change... then we must end the appointment of coal and other extraction industry executives.

Speak Now Against Bush's Great Coal Giveaway

Jeff Biggers | Posted 10.20.2008 | Green


Jeff Biggers

After a year of record profits, coal operatives will receive nearly $2.8 billion in tax credits in the recent Wall Street bailout.

The Banality of Clean Coal: Extraction Crimes

Jeff Biggers | Posted 10.08.2008 | Green


Jeff Biggers

In the 1970s, as the nation panicked, the coal industry announced a massive "clean coal" plan for coal-to-liquid gas conversion that would free us from foreign oil dependence. Sound familiar?

Grilling Clean Coal at the Republican National Convention

Kevin Grandia | Posted 09.03.2008 | Green


Kevin Grandia

When it come to "clean coal," well-known writer Jeff Goodell put it best: "Clean coal is not an actual invention, a physical thing - it is an advert...

Wake Up, Democrats: Send Dirty Coal Packing

Jeff Biggers | Posted 08.27.2008 | Green


Jeff Biggers

In one of the creepiest displays of propaganda this week in Denver, Dirty Coal certainly thinks the Democratic convention is for sale.

McCain Would Raise Energy Bills for Ohio and all America

Joseph Romm | Posted 08.08.2008 | Politics


Joseph Romm

What happens when your country is 50% dependent on coal, and you foolishly adopt McCain's energy and climate plans. Your electricity rates and bills will soar, for several reasons.

Why Did Tom Friedman Misrepresent Al Gore's Challenge?

Jeff Biggers | Posted 07.22.2008 | Green


Jeff Biggers

Tom Friedman distorted Al Gore's new energy challenge, which called for an energy policy based on 100 percent renewable sources, by including the role of coal. Isn't coal a nonrenewable fossil fuel?

Coal to Liquid Plan Means a Kentucky Fried Earth

Kevin Grandia | Posted 07.15.2008 | Green


Kevin Grandia

At a time when we need to cut our emissions by at least 80 percent to curtail destructive climate change, the idea of nearly doubling global warming pollution from liquid coal ought to be tossed aside.

What's Not The Matter With Kansas: Kate Sheppard Talks To Governor Kathleen Sebelius

Kate Sheppard | Posted 07.11.2008 | Green


Kate Sheppard

Governor Kathleen Sebelius has advocated for a major increase in the amount of wind power generated in Kansas, and pushed for massive reforms to the state's energy plan.

Obama: A Mighty Wind Awaits You on Coal River Mountain

Jeff Biggers | Posted 07.09.2008 | Green


Jeff Biggers

The Coal River Wind Project is the first community-based full scale assessment to directly counter the nightmare of mountaintop removal with a renewable energy alternative prior to the actual mining.

Virginia is For Coal Lovers

Glenn Hurowitz | Posted 06.30.2008 | Green


Glenn Hurowitz

Virginia decided that what the world really needs is another coal-fired power plant with no controls on release of carbon dioxide, and so gave the Dominion Company the go-ahead to build one.

"No, I'm Not From Here, But I Got Here Just as Soon as I Could"

Glenn Hurowitz | Posted 06.24.2008 | Green


Glenn Hurowitz

It's Eden in the Mountains here in Appalachian Virginia -- miles and miles of green, forested mountains in every direction. But these natural wonders are being devoured by the coal industry.

Obama's Audacity in Appalachia

Jeff Biggers | Posted 05.28.2008 | Politics


Jeff Biggers

The mountaintop removal issue transcends any narrow debate of jobs vs. trees by clearly showing that the environmental devastation has gone hand-in-hand with economic decline.

Thomas Friedman's Green Pie in the Sky

Jeff Biggers | Posted 05.12.2008 | Media


Jeff Biggers

There are some hard questions from the green movement -- especially on his disingenuous touting of "clean coal" -- that Thomas Friedman has been ducking for too long.

One Hand Clapping ...

A. Siegel | Posted 05.09.2008 | Politics


A. Siegel

The Coal-Subsidy Act (fundamentally inadequate in face of the threat before us, before the US) seems unlikely to muster enough support to pass Congress.

Global Warming Legislation: What Matters?

A. Siegel | Posted 04.18.2008 | Politics


A. Siegel

Despite Joe Lockhart's and Barbara Boxer's enthusiasm, Lieberman-Warner is not the bill the nation (or the globe) requires.

Agape and The New Climate Movement

Jonathan Isham, Jr. | Posted 04.09.2008 | Politics


Jonathan Isham, Jr.

Unless climate activists affirm that they can love Rush Limbaugh, the coal lobby and other opponents of action to fight global warming, I fear that this movement will fail, with dire consequences for our planet.

Another Coal-Sponsored Debate Without Questions on Global Warming

Laurie David | Posted 02.22.2008 | Politics


Laurie David

What a surprise then that no questions were asked about global warming in the state that is the number one emitter of CO2 emissions when the debate was sponsored (once again) by polluting coal interests.

Can Anyone Spell Cartel?

Carl Pope | Posted 02.20.2008 | Politics


Carl Pope

Coal is sending not-so-subtle messages to gas producers that if they keep reminding the public of their product's advantages, they can expect some vicious responses.