One solid indication that Al Gore has decided not to run for President in 2008 is his recent statement to Nicholas Kristof:
I can’t understand why there aren’t rings of young people blocking bulldozers, and preventing them from constructing coal-fired power plants.
You don’t say that sort of thing if you plan on taking campaign contributions any time soon.
I have poked around the Internets looking for evidence of any group planning on being engaged in any such civil disobedience anytime soon. I couldn’t find a thing, although interestingly there is some non-profit work related to the subject. Gore’s not just whistling Dixie; the U.S. PIRG Education Fund released a document last summer entitled, “Making Sense of the ‘Coal Rush’: The Consequences of Expanding America’s Dependence on Coal.” It’s a good read, but I note it especially for two informative sections:
Prevent the Construction of Any New Coal-Fired Power Plants
States and the federal government should not allow any new coal facility to be built unless it meets strict conditions consistent with both climate stabilization goals and the financial interests of electricity consumers. For example, the Idaho Legislature set a two-year moratorium on coal-fired power plants in the state after Sempra Energy proposed to construct a coal-fired power plant in Jerome County. (142) The moratorium states that “coal-fired power plants may have a significant negative impact upon the health, safety and welfare of the population,
the quality and financial security of existing agricultural businesses and industries, economic growth of the state of Idaho, and the environmental quality and natural resources of this state,†and that the moratorium will offer time to study these issues. (143) States and the federal government should establish their own moratoriums, and set them for the long term. Moratoriums should be lifted only if it can be demonstrated that a coal-fired technology (such as gasified coal with carbon storage) is the least-cost way to reduce global warming
pollution consistent with climate stabilization goals, and that carbon storage is feasible and permanent.142 Michelle Dunlop, “Coal Plant Moratorium Sails Through Senate,†Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho), 30 March 2006.
143 “NCC Study Claims Maximizing Coal Use Will Reduce Energy Costs; Idaho Lawmakers Restrict Coal-Fired Plant Development,†Foster Electric Report, 29 March 2006.
Appendix C: List of Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plants
Sponsor, Location, Size (MW)
Nuvista Alaska, Bethel 100
Usibelli Coal Mine Inc. Alaska, Healy 200
Agrium US Alaska, Kenai 350
Tucson Electric Power Arizona, Springerville 400
Tucson Electric Power Arizona, Springerville 400
Southwestern Power Group Arizona, Bowie 600
LS Power Development Arkansas, Osceola 665
Fernald Power California, Humbolt City 2,500
Radar Acquisitions Corp. / Kiewit Colorado 400 – 500
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Colorado, Front Range 600
Lamar Light & Power & Ark. River Power Auth. Colorado, Lamar 39
Xcel Energy Colorado, Pueblo 750
NRG Energy Connecticut, Montville 752
NRG Energy Delaware, Indian River 752
Jacksonville Electric Florida, Duval 600
Orlando Utilities Comm. & U.S. DOE Florida, Orange County 285
Seminole Electric Cooperative Florida, Putnam County 750
Florida Mun. Power Agency, City of Tallahassee,
JEA and Reedy Creek Improvement District Florida, Taylor County 800
Gainesville Regional Utilities Florida 220
Florida Power & Light Florida, TBA 1,700
Longleaf Energy (LS Power Development) Georgia, Early County 1,200
Sempra Energy Resources Idaho, Elmore or Jerome 600
Southeast Idaho Energy LLC Idaho, Pocatello 500
Dynegy Illinois, Baldwin 1,300
Illinois Energy Group Illinois, Benton 1,500
Corn Belt Energy Illinois, Elkhart 91
Turris Coal Company Illinois, Elkhart 25-35
Indeck Energy Service Illinois, Elwood 600
Clean Coal Power Resources Illinois, Fayette County 2,400
EnviroPower Illinois, Franklin County 500
Madison Power Corp. Illinois, Marion 500
Southern Illinois Power Illinois, Marion 120
City Water, Light & Power Illinois, Springfield 200
Erora Group Illinois, Taylorville 777
Peabody Energy / Prairie State Energy Campus Illinois, Washington City 1,500
United Supply of America Illinois, White County 270
Steelhead Energy Company LLC Illinois, Williamson County 545
Cinergy Corp. Indiana, Edwardsport 600
Tondu Corp, Indiana, St. Joseph County 630
EnviroPower Indiana, Sullivan County 500
MidAmerican Energy Iowa, Council Bluffs 790
Dairyland Power Cooperative Iowa, Mitchell or Chickasaw 400
LS Power Iowa, Waterloo 750
Sunflower Electric Power Corp. and
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Kansas, Garden City (Holcomb) 1,300
Great Plains Energy Kansas 850
EnviroPower Kentucky, Calvert City 500
Peabody Energy/ Thoroughbred Campus Kentucky, Muhlenberg 1,500
Estill County Energy Partners Kentucky, Estill County 110
Cash Creek Generation Kentucky, Henderson City 1,000
East Kentucky Power co-op Kentucky, Maysville 268
East Kentucky Power co-op Kentucky, Maysville 278
Global – Kentucky Pioneer Energy – DOE Kentucky, Clark County 540
LG&EPowergen Kentucky, Trimble County 750
Cleco Power Louisiana, Boyce 600
NRG Energy Louisiana, New Roads 775
NRG Energy Louisiana, New Roads 230 (Repowering)
AES Corporation Maryland, Cumberland 180
Manistee SaltworkTondu Corp. Michigan, Manistee 425
Great River Energy Minnesota, Dakota County 250-500
Excelsior EnergyMesaba Energy Project Minnesota, Itasca County 531
Xcel Energy / LS Power Minnesota, Rosemount 550
Tractebel Power Mississippi, Choctaw County 440
Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. Missouri, Carroll County TBD
Springfield City Council Missouri, Springfield 275 (Additional)
Great Plains Energy Kansas City Power & Light Missouri, Weston 850
Bull Mountain Development Montana, Billings 700
Southern Montana Electric Gen & Trans Montana, Great Falls 250
Centennial Power Montana, Hardin 116
Great Northern Power Development / Kiewit Montana, Miles City 500
Thompson River Co-Gen LLC Montana, Thompson River 13
Bechtel / Kennecott Energy Montana, Undetermined 750 (Phase I)
Hastings Utilities, Grand Island Nebraska, Hastings 220
Omaha Public Power District Nebraska, Nebraska City 660
Sierra Pacific Resources Nevada 1,500
Sempra Granite Fox Power Nevada, Gerlach 1,450
Newmont Mining Corp. Nevada, Elko 200
Barrick Gold Nevada, East of Reno 115
Sithe Global Power Nevada, Mesquite 750
LS Power Associates White Pine Energy Nevada, White Pine County 500 (out of a possible 1,600)
Sierra Pacific Nevada, White Pine County 1,500
Sithe Global Power New Mexico, Desert Rock 1,500
Peabody Energy / Mustang Energy New Mexico, Milan 300
Jamestown Board of Public Utilities New York, Jamestown 40
NRG Energy New York, Huntley 752
Duke Power North Carolina, Cliffside 800
Montana Dakota Utility Westmoreland Power North Dakota, Gascoyne 175
South Heart Coal North Dakota, Stark County 500
Nordic Energy Ohio, Ashtabula 830
Dominion Energy Ohio, Conneaut 600
CME International Ohio, Hanging Rock 600
American Municipal Power-Ohio Ohio, Letart 1,000
Global Energy Ohio, Lima 600
American Electric Power Ohio, Meigs County 600
Sunoco Ohio, Scioto County 80
SynFuel Oklahoma, Enid 600
LS Power Development Oklahoma, Sequoyah 1,000
Summit Power Group Oregon, Clatskanie 600
River Hill Power LLC Pennsylvania, Clearfield County 290
Wellington Development Pennsylvania, Greene County 525
Reliant Energy Pennsylvania, Indiana 520
Waste Management and Processors Inc Pennsylvania, Schuykill County 41
EnviroPower Pennsylvania, Somerset 525
PA Energy Development Corp. Pennsylvania, Southwestern region 1,000
Robinson Power CO. Pennsylvania, Washington County 250
Santee Cooper South Carolina, Berkeley County 1,280
LS Power Development South Carolina, Marion City 500-1,100
Otter Tail Power Company South Dakota, Milbank 600
CME North America Merchant Energy Tennessee, Chattanooga 1,000
Sempra Generation Texas, Bremond 600
City Public Service Board of San Antonio Texas, Calaveras Lake 750
LS Power Development Texas, Riesel 800
TXU Texas, Robertson County 1,720
TXU Texas, Milam 630
TXU Texas, Freestone 800
TXU Texas, McLennan 800
TXU Texas, McLennan 800
TXU Texas, McLennan 800
TXU Texas, Rusk 800
TXU Texas, Titus 800
TXU Texas, Mitchell 800
TXU Texas, Fannin 800
Formosa Plastics Texas, Point Comfort 300
NuCoastal Power Texas, Point Comfort 303
NRG Energy Texas, Limestone 800
NRG Energy Texas, Limestone 100 (Uprate)
PacifiCorp Utah, Emery 850
Intermountain Power Utah, Delta 950
Nevco Energy Utah, Sigurd 270
LS Power Development Virginia, Sussex County 1,600
Dominion, AEP, Appalachian Power Virginia, Southwest TBD
Composite Power Washington, Richland 2,500
Energy Northwest Washington, Kalama 600
GenPower LLC Longview West Virginia, Monogalia County 660
Western Greenbrier CO-Generation / DOE West Virginia, Greenbrier County 85
Appalachian Power (American Electric Power) West Virginia, Mason County 600
North American Power Group Ltd. West Virginia, Not yet located 300
Anker Energy West Virginia, Upshur County 450
Alliant Energy Wisconsin, Portage 500
MidAmerican Energy Wisconsin, Cassville 200
Wisconsin Energy &Madison Gas Wisconsin, Oak Creek 1,200
Wisconsin Public Service Corp. Wisconsin, Wausau 500
North American PowerGroup Wyoming, Campbell County 300
Basin Electric Power Cooperative Wyoming, Gillette 375
Black Hills Corp. Wyoming, Gillette 90
Black Hills Corp. Wyoming, Gillette 90
Rentech Wyoming, Gillette 104
DKRW Wyoming, Medicine Bow 200
That is a list of potential targets for civil disobedience; those interested in finding an updated list can find it in the regular Energy Department publication, “Tracking New Coal-Fired Power Plants,” most recently published in May 2007. Those interested in engaging in civil disobedience would most likely be able to find more exact locations of plants being built through a local search of county public record.
The ethical question stands before all this, though: is civil disobedience with the aim of shutting down construction of new coal-fired power plants a justifiable tactic? What is the justification for choosing the power plants as targets? How can such civil disobedience be carried out with all due attention to environmental and public safety? What is the identified alternative to the coal-fired power plant, and what is the practical means for the use of that alternative in each instance of civil disobedience?
Al Gore’s statement provides a useful impetus. Now it’s time for those who are interested to begin the discussion about how to actually go about achieving the goals that Gore (and the PIRGs, and James Hansen) set out.
The rings of young people are too busy checking MySpace for new friends to go out and protest.
Civil disobedience I feel is admirable, as long as it doesn’t involve destruction or hurting others. It’s also a great way to attract media coverage.
The best way to protest is with dollars, or more specifically, not giving them any. It’s difficult for many people, but the most effective way of shutting down ecologically destructive institutions is to stop giving them money. Put your money toward companies that are eco-conscious and show others that they can be profitable.
Yeah, let’s just stop ANYTHING that may involve generation of electricity, and tell the youngsters to turn off myspace, since there won’t be any POWER to boot their computers with.
Brilliant. Freaking IDIOTS.
Whatever, how about you turn off the sarcasm for a minute and specifically propose or oppose something with sincerity?
Yeah. What are YOU doing to make it better, Whatever? If you’re not doing anything YOU are the freaking idiot.
And you tell me Junga, what are you doing to make it better besides being an activist? (ohh…I feel so much more empowered…) Now shut up.
We need to expand on wind, solar, hydro, bio, nuclear, and anything else that has potential. And I hope someday hydrogen based economy comes into being. Until then, we need to accerate our power generation in the states to lessen our dependancy on foreign sources. I would love an practical electric car. But imagine the impact on our grid system which is already reeling. So what’s Gore answer? Shut down anything that is already contributing??? Close the dams, they’re killing fish!! Stop the wind turbines, they’re killing birds!!
I mean…WTF.
With all the banter – I have not heard one viable alternative to providing the power this nation will need to maintain a viable and growing economy. While renewables will pay a roll in the future they can NOT provide the energy needed over the next decade. And to put all our eggs in the natural gas basket is simply foolish. We are constructing 200 new natural gas wells a year and not keeping up with current demand. If not coal or nuclear generation for baseload needs – then what is the source for dependable, affordable energy??
No, sorry Whatever, I’m not going to shut up.
One thing I’m doing is implementing a program for CONSERVING ENERGY at home and work. As much whining as you do, and dcm’s talk about the energy “needed” over the next decade, there’s a hell of a lot of unnecessary, wasteful use of energy practically everywhere we go.
I didn’t think you would be able to mention one thing that YOU are doing to make it better, Whatever. It’s your style just to whine and complain.
Hey Junga, I work from home. I drive a car perhaps 3-4 times a week an average of 2-3 miles. I placed energy-conserving bulbs everywhere. The only rooms that have a bulb on are the ones I or my wife are in. I recycle everything I get my hands on that can be.
No, what I get from YOU is you are just another leftist who believes they are the answer to everything. Delusional from the start…
When did I say THAT, Whatever?!? You’re just another whiner who puts words in other people’s mouths and then tells them to shut up.
Still waiting for a concrete example of your conservation at home program, Junga.
Hey, this is an improvement. At least people are talking sincerely. Use the energy in the room, people! Work it! Unh! Work it good!
So, minus the snarls here and there, I see that Whatever has a problem with the Gore “shut down the coal-fired-plant construction through civil disobedience” thingamabob. I agree there are problems with the approach. First is that either there’s going to have to be conservation, OR there’s going to have to be an alternative energy source, OR just shutting down a coal-fired power plant under construction will only move it elsewhere, which is classic NIMBY activism that puts power plants in the backyards of the unorganized. There needs to be some kind of policy structure that leads to conservation, AND there needs to be innovation on fuels, OR we need to push ahead with present alternatives (such as windfarms off Martha’s Vineyard, or Nuke Plants, or solar concentration plants) before a coal-fired plant can simply be shut down.
There’s also a number of public relations headaches, like if people would be driving their fossil-fuel cars a hundred miles to shut down a coal-fired power plant.
BUT I stand ready to be converted on those points by an impassioned and informed person. ALSO, I think that coal-fired plant civil disobedience is an arrow in the ol’ quiver that might be useful. BUT, before that arrow should be used, a lot of other, er, arrows, need to, um, be shot, just like this arrow metaphor is now completely shot.
Don’t be stupid, Whatever. You’re “still waiting” for a concrete example of my conservation at home?!?
You never asked for one!
I’ll give you one. Just one, you weird freak. I’m reinsulating my house to cut down on energy used to heat it during the winter.
Now, what, are you going to accuse me of being just another leftist who wants to burn tires in the streets of Paris?
You know, Junga, when we put our names together it’s like we’re some kind of playground device. We could be in some Japanese kid’s cartoon called Zarkonta V or something. Oh, right. Back to the topic: good on insulation!
55% of the nation’s electricity comes from coal. For many reasons, we do not need to make things more difficult for the domestic companies that provide energy to American Citizens. We NEED energy that originiates at home (coal). The issues with coal is improved carbon capture technologies. I believe that there is a common understanding that we all need to conserve natural resources. The Federal Government, instead of villifying our American energy providers, should provide incentives for private industry to accelerate the improvement of economically-viable (the consumer will ultimately pay the bill) carbon capture technologies.
Green and carbon footprint are buzz words that get everyone going. A new coal plant is opened, and a group is upset because of the impact on the environment. Electric rates raise, and the same group is upset because it cost more to run the computer they use to express their concerns about how bad the energy companies are. They want all alternative energy, but don’t want to pay for it.
Junga and Whatever, neither of you are doing everything possible to conserve energy and support future alternative growth. This means that there is someone out there doing more than either of you. So instead, talk nice, take ideas from each other. Look at the realistic cost (environmental and financial) vs.. gain (again environmental and financial).
Take a look at people like Richard Branson who are making money putting tons of carbon in the air. He realizes that he can make money in the airline industry, so instead of cursing it, he is investing in a fuel research company to find a zero carbon footprint fuel. Who knows if he will succeed, but at least he is trying. Unlike Gore, who would rather tell everyone else that we have a problem while he is still flying jets around the country to show he cares about the environment. Sure he is raising awareness, but when does the cost out way the gain.
I agree with Jim. I am waiting for a real, rational, view that has action items everyone can take. As for me in the meantime, I have insulated and changed my light bulbs. I have purchased new high efficiency appliances, turned the temp down in the winter and up in the summer, but eventually, there is no more an individual can do. This is why we need you to keep your passion and hopefully convince people like Jim and I to join your cause to persuade research into the right direction.
I work for a utility and I’m also a liberal Democrat. It frustrates me that there is no much absolutism on line about climate change when the truth is there still is a lot of scientific disagreement about the cyclical nature of climate change, the assumptions of some models, and human and industrial interactions. See http://www.heartland.org for another view of this issue.
Our economy and quality of life relies on affordable, available energy, to power everything including the PCs being used to promote action against the coal plants that enable our lifestyle. I hear a lot about solar but the sun doesn’t shine all the time, and significant battery back up systems to store the power, create their own environmental issues. Unless you can afford a $60,000 plus solar system to meet your needs, and are willing to do without power when the sun isn’t there, your local utility still must plan to meet your potential needs (as long as you maintain your grid connection and that option).
If you really believe that industry emissions increase global warming, don’t complain about utilities’ efforts to find affordable ways to meet your needs and emissions limits, while keeping costs as low as possible. take action to significantly reduce your own carbon emissions while R&D efforts continue toward a future where zero emissions, affordable energy is a reality.
Affordability matters. What if you couldn’t afford to drive to work, fly, turn on your lights, PCs, or fans? Even Californians, the supposedly greenest Americans, forget about conservation when it’s truly needed during periods of peak demand. We all want the energy we want, when we want it. Who am I to say you shouldn’t have what you feel you need? I agree with the rational views expressed by some of the commenters on this site, that the power to reduce emissions is in OUR hands, not the utilities. And by the way, home generator emissions are unregulated, and these units emit a lot more CO2 per kilowatt hour, so don’t think buying one of those is helping out.
Well, that’s an awfully convenient re-spinning of what people have said, Shell. But while it does matter what individuals do, it also matters what utilities do, and in my experience no large corporation has changed the way it has done things without external pressure. While I think evading individual responsibility is a mistake, I also think it would be a big mistake to fail to consider the responsibilities of utility corporations and governments. For me the question is how pressure for change at the corporate and governmental level should be exerted (and to what ends), not whether such pressure should be exerted at all.