Photo by Stephen Codrington
The coal industry is pushing our government to subsidize and support the conversion of coal into liquid fuel as a fuel source for the future. Liquid coal carries all of the health and environmental problems of traditional coal, while creating new pollution and waste through its dirty production process. Mountaintop removal and strip mining to extract coal already creates severe environmental destruction, wiping out streams and polluting water. Liquid coal production wastes more water and produces further air pollution. Over the full life cycle, liquid coal emits twice the greenhouse gases of conventional gasoline.
Liquid coal produces a tremendous amount of greenhouse gases in mining and production. A Prius running on liquid coal would produce more global warming pollution than an SUV running on conventional gasoline. At a time when we are working to prevent catastrophic global warming, our government must not subsidize this dirty fuel.
Coal mining and liquid coal production pollute the environment and destroy ecosystems. Mountaintop removal has destroyed more than 500 mountains in Appalachia and in total 10% of the Central Appalachian region has been surface mined. Strip mining, the most common way to mine coal, causes massive deforestation and destruction of natural habitats that contribute substantially to greenhouse gas emissions.
Liquid coal facilities also produce massive amounts of air pollution. Mines emit methane and production facilities emit sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, particulates, and carbon monoxide.
Liquid coal wastes water in production and destroys waterways in mining. Government studies estimate that liquid coal production will consume at least 50% more water than fuel produced, with some factories using as much as 10 times more water than fuel produced.
Pollutants from sludge and other run-off from coal mines and refineries poison drinking water and contaminate ground waters that become toxic to fish and plants. Mountaintop removal in Appalachia has destroyed more than 1,200 miles of streams.
Coal mining has always been dangerous for workers and destructive for their communities. Twelve thousand miners have died from black lung disease between 1993 and 2002 as a result of working in coal mines. Thousands of current and former coal miners suffer from black lung cancer caused by the inhalation of dust containing crystalline silica, and other health problems from inhaling toxic fumes and gases including mercury, exposure to ultraviolet and infrared radiation, noise-induced hearing loss, and heat stroke and exhaustion. Coal mining continues to be an industry blighted by tragic accidents. Since 2001, there have been two major coal mining disasters, each killing at least 12 mine workers.
Without the help of the U.S. taxpayer, liquid coal would not be profitable—and the industry knows this. We must fight any attempts to use tax dollars to jumpstart a liquid coal industry.
The coal lobby has already won tax credits for producing this dirty fuel. The industry has also lobbied the government to guarantee loans to build liquid coal plants. This would enable coal companies to gain financing for risky projects, with U.S. taxpayers and residents picking up the financial and environmental tabs. Currently, it is illegal for any government agency to contract for fuels that produce more global warming pollution than gasoline. However, in an effort to find domestic supplies of jet fuel, the Air Force has pushed for long-term contracts for liquid coal, which would give the expensive and dirty industry a huge, dedicated client. We must ensure that the government enforces existing regulations against dirty fuels and uses more of our tax dollars to support green energy solutions, not polluting industries.
