Coal Mining
Coal mining has a profound impact on the land and communities where it is mined. In the West, those impacts span from air and water pollution to the disruption of historical agricultural production to the loss of hunting grounds and wildlife habitats. Many of the founding members of WORC are directly impacted by coal mine developments. More on coal mining.

Coal Exports
As domestic demand for coal dwindles in the United States, coal companies have been increasingly eyeing foreign markets, specifically countries in the Pacific Rim. Exporting coal, particularly from the Powder River Basin, would open new mines, expand existing mines and require new rail lines throughout the West. These new mines and rail lines would have many negative consequences for communities in the coalfields and beyond. More on coal exports.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Local residents greeted Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer when he traveled to Longview, Washington, to support a proposed coal export facility.

Carbon Capture and Sequestration
Viewed by some as a way to continue burning coal without contributing as much to global climate change, Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) refers to technologies that would capture carbon dioxide emitted by fossil fuel plants and then pump it underground. CCS has not been successfully demonstrated on a wide scale and has so far proven to be too expensive and too risky for utilities to invest in alone, requiring major subsidies from taxpayers. In fact, the world’s largest CCS project is leaking carbon dioxide. More on carbon capture and sequestration.

Liquid Coal
Plans to turn coal into liquid fuel have been proposed for various parts of the United States over the past few years. Liquid coal plants use a technology originally developed by Nazi Germany that turns water and coal into a liquid fuel. This process requires massive amounts of water and energy and ends up contributing double the amount of global warming pollution, as compared to conventional transportation fuels. More on liquid coal.

Coal Plants and Coal Plant Waste
Burning coal results in huge amounts of pollution sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter, all of which are referred to as “coal combustion waste.” These pollutants enter the air we breath as well as streams and waterways that provide drinking water, and can cause serious health problems and premature death. Coal combustion waste is the nation’s second largest waste stream after municipal solid waste. More on coal plants and coal plant waste.