coal

10 Most Toxic Ingredients Used In Coal, Oil and Gas Production

10 Most Toxic Ingredients Used In Coal, Oil and Gas Production

By Don Lieber There are many reasons to reject fossil fuels now, after 200 years of their reign as society’s primary energy source. History will articulate both the benefits provided to human society derived from fossil fuel energy technologies from 1750 to the present—and the extensive costs. In addition to transportation, electricity, industrial power, military […]

Join our newsletter

The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    Did Canada Just Have the Largest Coal Slurry Spill in Its History?

    Did Canada Just Have the Largest Coal Slurry Spill in Its History?

    A scary thing happened on Halloween near Hinton, Alberta. Canada had what may be the largest coal slurry spill in its history when a dam failed at the Obed Mountain coal mine and 264 million gallons (1 billion litres) of waste water contaminated at least 25 kilometers of the Athabasca river. Ten municipalities located downstream […]

    U.S. Signals End of Public Money for Coal-Fired Power

    U.S. Signals End of Public Money for Coal-Fired Power

    By Athena Ballesteros U.S. public financing for overseas coal-fired power is likely coming to an end. That’s the clear signal from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s announcement on Tuesday. The Treasury Department provided new guidance for multi-lateral development banks’ (MDBs) financing of coal-fired power. These investments will now need to meet the same greenhouse gas requirements […]

    Coal Export Terminal Draws Resounding ‘No’ at Washington Hearing

    Coal Export Terminal Draws Resounding ‘No’ at Washington Hearing

    Power Past Coal Concerned Southwest Washington and Oregon residents gathered yesterday at the official scoping hearing for the proposed coal export terminal in Longview, WA. A vast majority of the almost 600 attendees at the hearing opposed the proposed coal terminal; 111 of 157 speakers at the hearing spoke about their concerns about the project. […]

    The Incredible Shrinking U.S. Coal Industry

    The Incredible Shrinking U.S. Coal Industry

    Greenpeace By Kelly Mitchell It’s been a big month for news on the state of the U.S. coal industry—from announcements that China is significantly curbing coal use, to the long-awaited unveiling of the Obama Administration’s carbon standards for new coal-fired power plants. Despite Peabody’s claims that “We have trillions of tons of coal resources in the […]

    House Republicans Use Fear Mongering In Fight for Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

    House Republicans Use Fear Mongering In Fight for Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

    Appalachian Voices By Thom Kay A lopsided legislative hearing held by the House Natural Resources committee last Friday is further proof that fans of mountaintop removal mining aren’t giving up without a fight. The hearing focused on legislation recently introduced by Rep. Johnson (R-OH), a proud coal industry advocate, and Rep. Lamborn (R-CO), a pro-coal […]

    Fossil Fuel Industry Continues to Squash Renewable Energy Age

    Fossil Fuel Industry Continues to Squash Renewable Energy Age

    TomDispatch By Michael T. Klare When it comes to energy and economics in the climate-change era, nothing is what it seems. Most of us believe (or want to believe) that the second carbon era, the Age of Oil, will soon be superseded by the Age of Renewables, just as oil had long since superseded the […]

    Will EPA Protect Our Families From Toxic Coal Water Pollution?

    Will EPA Protect Our Families From Toxic Coal Water Pollution?

    Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Mary Anne Hitt In 1982, complying with a federal court order stemming from a lawsuit filed by environmentalists, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), finally issued regulations governing toxic pollution discharges under the 1972 Clean Water Act. Industry polluters had used political clout to delay those regulations for a decade. But […]