shutterstock_14976709.jpg Warren Buffett, the third wealthiest man on the planet (net worth: $44 billion), often referred to as the "Oracle of Omaha," is the target of a May 5 action called for by Stop Coal B.C. Well, not Buffett directly, but a rail company he owns through his massive holding company, Berkshire
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DeSmogBlog: Exporting Coal: Struggling U.S. Coal Industry Trying to Stay Relevant By Shipping Through the Northwest
110326007Paul_K_Anderson_Coal-copy.jpg U.S. coal companies are facing some tricky math these days. Production levels have remained more or less the same since 2005, according to the Energy Information Agency (EIA), but during that time domestic consumption has dropped nearly 11 percent. Where is all that extra coal going? Some is piling
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Coal Ash Sites Posing Increasing Dangers To Water Supplies, Public Health
toxins-in-water.jpg The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) has once again put together a fantastic report regarding water contamination near coal ash disposal sites. Last year, the EIP released several reports showing that drinking water near coal ash disposal sites in states across America contained dangerous levels of heavy metals and other
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Coal Train to Boardman: EPA Warns of "Significant" Public Health Threats in Northwest Coal Export Proposal
110326007Paul_K_Anderson_Coal-copy1.jpg As demand for coal in the United States has cooled off in recent years, coal mining companies have been scrambling to deliver their dirty loads to customers abroad. But what does this mean for communities along the transportation routes, particularly at the ports and export terminals where the coal
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: American Lung Association Releases 2012 State of the Air Report
state of the air 2012.jpg The American Lung Association (ALA) released their annual State of the Air report today, followed by a live discussion on Twitter where the organization answered questions. While the report offers some positive news for American citizens, it also shows us that the Clean Air Act
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: What Does China Want for Christmas? Coal, More Coal.
China may claim that it ‘gets’ global warming and that it’s going green. It’s not. This chart from the Washington Post’s WonkBlog shows who’s who when it comes to coal consumption from 2000 to 2010. Coal consumption has pretty much flatlined or declined in most of the world. The exception
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Spruce Mine Mountaintop Removal Coal Permit Restored
mine.gif In late March, a federal court ruled to open the Spruce No. 1 mine in Logan County, WV, to mountaintop removal coal mining. The EPA had originally vetoed the permit back in January of 2011, explaining that the destructive practices of mountaintop removal would endanger communities' health and access
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Sierra Club Launches "Mr. Coal" Video Campaign to Mock Dirty Coal PR
The Sierra Club launched a funny new "Mr. Coal" video campaign this week in its ongoing 'Beyond Coal' effort to shut down coal plants throughout the United States. The campaign will feature a steady stream of satirical TV commercials mocking the coal industry's incessant and incredulous claims about job creation, "clean coal," and many
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: The Business of Risk – Insuring Against Climate Change
Insurance_Photo.jpg When it comes to assessing risk, the insurance industry is one of the leaders in the field. Whether it is health insurance, car insurance, or homeowner’s insurance, the industry is forced to analyze every possible scenario for a given person or structure, and impose a fee based on the
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Exporting Emissions: Coal Supplies Heading Overseas, But Pollution Will Hurt Everyone
coal transport – motomo flickr.jpg The coal industry in the United States has found a way to increase their profits, while at the same time avoiding the cumbersome environmental standards in place to protect American citizens from coal emissions – they can just ship their filthy products overseas where regulations
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Demise of Keystone XL Means More Bakken Shale Gas Flaring
NA-Pipeline-Map-Theodora.png Damned if we do, damned if we don't – this is the CliffsNotes version of the ongoing Keystone XL pipeline debate. President Barack Obama recently halted TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline project, which would bring tar sands crude, or dilluted bitumen ("dilbit") from Alberta, B.C. through the heart of the U.S., to
Continue readingCanada’s Energy Future
Pressure mounts in the Media, as Canadian Petroleum Producers bombard us with propaganda to forcefeed the Northern Gateway Pipeline and it’s associated Tanker traffic in the most dangerous and pristine water ways in the world. Across Canada, you are being told by the Press that the majority of British
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: The Year In Dirty Energy: Coal
coal_mining.jpg Most children already have a fear of coal – after all, they are threatened during childhood that if they misbehave, Santa Claus will leave them nothing but a lump of coal in their stocking. The older members of society, too, have plenty of reasons to fear coal as an
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: The Year In Dirty Energy: Money, Corruption, And Misinformation
Handcuffed_to_Money.jpg It is said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That statement has proven itself true time after time in both politics and business, but I would like to amend that statement slightly: Power corrupts, but money and power corrupt absolutely. This year has been no different. We’ve
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: The Year In Dirty Energy: The Koch Brothers
Kochtopus money bags.jpg Over the last 12 months, DeSmogBlog contributors have helped spread the word about some of the most dastardly deeds of Charles and David Koch. Here are some of the biggest stories we covered this year on the issue of corruption and dirty energy money. It is impossible
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Smeared But Still Fighting, Cornell’s Tony Ingraffea Debunks Gas Industry Myths
ingraffea.jpg Cornell University Professors Robert Howarth and Anthony Ingraffea made waves in April 2011 when they unveiled what is now known simply as the "Cornell Study." Published in a peer-reviewed letter in the academic journal Climatic Change Letters, the study revealed that, contrary to the never-ending mythology promulgated by the gas
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Are New York Lawmakers Poised To Throw Upstate Residents Under The Fracking Bus?
NYS watershed.jpg Despite last week’s temporary win protecting the Delaware River Basin and its inhabitants from natural gas fracking, the debate rages on in New York State. Lawmakers, industry lobbyists and concerned landowners have debated for over a year about whether or not to open up the state to the
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: ACCCE Doesn’t Want To Pony Up For Life-Saving, Job-Creating New Emissions Standards
scrooge-mcduck-make-it-rain.jpeg The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) is apparently trying to show the EPA its empty pockets as a new set of standards capping mercury, arsenic, acid gases, and other toxic chemicals is about to go forward. Although the new laws will save thousands of lives, the coal
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Australia Gets a Price on Carbon Despite Toxic Anti-Science Campaign
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THEY paid millions of dollars for adverts on television, in newspapers and online. They flew in climate change deniers from across the globe. They held rallies, engaged prominent…
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Dogwood Initiative Exposes BC’s Dirty Coal Export Secret
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British Columbia plays a special role in the pollution and warming of the atmosphere, according a new report from the Dogwood Initiative on BC’s rapid…
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