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Tyrone Coal

Clean Energy - If not now, When?

The Alternatives

  • Wind
  • Solar
  • Others

Xcel / NSP

  • Proposal
  • The Good
  • The Bad
  • The Ugly

Tryone Site

  • Nuclear history
  • Land Theft
  • Natural Area

With all the amazing technological advancements over the last century, one thing that has not changed very much is our reliance on fossil fuels, in particular, dirty coal to generate electricity. When should we use the alternatives we have developed? After the next dirty coal plant or after the one after that? If we put off clean energy, we are putting off the health of our children, our economy and the future of our world. Lets start now.

Coal-fired power plants are major producers of:

  • Nitrogen oxides, which combine with other pollutants to form ground-level ozone, one of the most noxious parts of the smog brew.
  • Sulfur dioxide, which contributes to the yellow haze that hangs over Southern Ontario and is a major factor in causing acid-rain damage to our lakes, rivers and forests.
  • Mercury, which can in even tiny amounts have a devastating impact on the human nervous system - especially for children and the unborn. Exposure to mercury can cause brain and kidney damage
    and even death. Mercury exposure has also been linked to impairment of children's reasoning skills.
  • Lead, which is also particularly harmful to children and can cause brain damage, impair growth, damage kidneys and cause learning and behavioral problems.
  • Heavy metals, including cadmium and chromium, which are known cancer-causing toxins.

Out of the entire electric industry, coal-fired power plants contribute 96% of sulfur dioxide emissions, 93% of nitrogen oxide emissions, 88% of carbon dioxide emissions, and 99% of mercury emissions.

The Environmental Protection Agency admits that fine particle pollution from power plants trigger hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks every year and contribute to tens of thousands of premature deaths from cardiac disease and lung cancer. New research estimates that as many as 30,000 people die prematurely each year because of exposure to fine particles from power plants, far exceeding the U.S. annual death toll caused by drunk driving (16,000) and homicides (17,000), commonly understood to be major public policy priorities.

Cleaner sources of electricity:

  • Wind power -- zero air emissions
  • Solar photovoltaic -- zero air emissions
  • Hydro -- zero air emissions (can have other impacts)
  • Landfill gas/bio-gas (e.g. from municipal composting facility) -- varies depending on technology and source
  • Natural gas --The smog-causing sulfur dioxide emissions of a modern high-efficiency natural gas power plant are 99% less than those from existing coal-fired plants. Emissions of nitrogen oxides (also a source of smog) are 90% less and emissions of greenhouse gases are 60% less. Gas-fired plants emit no mercury, lead or heavy metals, all of which are emitted by coal-fired power plants.

What else wrong with coal?

Burning Coal is Dirty - everyone knows that. It's bad for your body. It's bad for your mind. Burning large amounts of coal will pollute the air we breath, but it will also pollute our water our tourism industry, our recreation and threaten our economy. DNR Advisories for Mercury in our fish will not improve our economy. The dirty air will not attract good employers. Our lights will not burn any brighter but our electric bills will be higher. We would be paying for this dirty coal plant with more than our health. When new power plants are built, prices go up not down.

Coal is anti-sustainable
Not only does coal but dirtier than any other fossil fuel, It also fuels global warming. Far from promoting a steady state fuel economy it quickens our race to the bottom.