Font ResizeCoal has been the world's most inexpensive energy source for hundreds of years, but it is time for the coal era to end. Coal has three strikes against it:
1. Mining coal is harmful because underground mines frequently contaminate ground water, while strip mines leave dead zones and often contaminate surface water.
2. Burning coal adds to greenhouse gases, puts ash into the air and releases heavy metals into our atmosphere.
3. More recently, coal fly ash has become a major pollution concern. When coal is burned, the residue fly ash must be stored, and with more than 129 million tons produced each year, storing it has become a big issue. The 600 storage sites in 46 states have been regulated as nontoxic sites, but with 67 sites in 23 states showing signs of contaminating the environment, the Environmental Protection Agency appears ready to act to more tightly regulate coal fly ash storage.
Coal will remain a major energy source for years to come, but it is time to turn the page toward new energy sources. We need to be at the beginning of the future, not the end of the past.
David Hart
Torrey
