We all know by now that clean coal is a dirty lie, but what other dirty secrets is the coal industry hiding? Waterkeepers Alliance is about to unveil the shocking truths about the destructiveness of coal’s entire life cycle—from mining to transportation to scrubbing to burning to waste storage. Tomorrow, the Alliance is launching its new web site—thedirtylie.com—to debunk the clean coal con job and present the hard facts about coal. Ultimately, the only clean coal is the coal that stays in the ground. Everything about the use of coal is inherently dirty—especially the politicans and companies promoting its continued use.
The March issue of Blue Ridge Outdoors also examines the dirty truth about coal. Our in-depth investigation into three toxic coal spills in the Southeast also includes a cradle-to-grave illustration of the coal life cycle from the beheaded mountains to the clean coal ads on your coal-fired television. We’ve also included a map of the 35 largest coal ash storage sites and over 200 additional sludge impoundments across the Southeast. All of these toxic coal sludge dams are disasters waiting to happen—most notably the 2.8 billion gallon sludge impoundment hovering a few hundred yards above an elementary school.
Thankfully, the momentum to move toward truly clean renewable energy is mounting quickly. Next week, the largest rally for climate change in world history will take place in Washington, D.C. Powershift 2009 is attracting some of the country’s biggest names—like Nancy Pelosi, Van Jones, Lisa Jackson, and Wendell Berry. The weekend of advocacy will also include activism at a coal-burning power plant site near D.C. To make a date with history, visit powershift09.org.
