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Coal Lobbying

Decent Essays

Envisage a world where only the twinkle of candlelight illuminates windows in the night, warmth is provided by wood stoves, and horse drawn carriages provide transportation: a world without energy provided by fossil fuels. One might think this is the world of our forefathers and of bygone days; however, with staggering increases in energy demands perhaps such a world may not be so far from reality if humanity fails to adapt to these changing needs and how we produce energy to meet global energy requirements. There is no doubt that the greatest issues affecting humanity today are that of pollution fueled climate change and energy insecurity (Jacobson and Delucchi 1154). A number of solutions have been proposed in efforts to reduce our dependence …show more content…

The narrative of clean coal has been propped up by the industries primary lobbyist group, the National Mining Association, with a budget of nearly twenty million dollars a year (Coniff). Lobbying is a natural part of the political process, but the issue becomes when the lobbying is disingenuous and the coal industry has zero intentions of implementing clean coal, based on the fact that no coal plants currently in the United States make use of any of the technology. Although the technology is still being developed, there are no future plans to implement it as well. On the other side, those who speak out against coal and clean coal are naturally groups concerned about the environment, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and green advocacy groups. They recognize that coal power plants are the primary contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and thus their emissions must be controlled (Eilperin and Mufson). They also believe even though limiting coal power plants will cost a great deal of money, the American people will have a net benefit due to lower public health costs as a result of air pollution while also benefitting globally by reducing greenhouse gas fueled climate change. Essentially, clean coal is pursued by those who have a vested commercial interest in its being as a mainstay of electricity generation, while those who oppose it are against the negative health and climate effects it

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