Coal

I have written frequently to explain how dramatic expansion of unconventional oil like bitumen in Canada is found by all leading international analysts to be inconsistent with the 2 C limit our political leaders promise to strive for. The same is true for any expansion of coal-fired power plants. For this reason, I agreed to sign my name to this statement by leading researchers on the urgent need for no new coal plants, anywhere in the world, unless they capture and store the carbon pollution. We can no longer allow the construction of new, unabated coal plants.

...After a billion litres of coal slurry leaked from the old Obed Mountain mine’s “containment” pond into the Athabasca River without anyone noticing, McQueen assured Albertans, “We have very strict environmental standards in this province, and they’re all being followed.” So “strict” adherence to Alberta’s rigorous environmental standards has resulted in what may be the biggest spill of pollutants in Canadian history. Again we see a complete disconnect between the minister’s words and reality.

About a dozen protesters, including one of Canada's leading energy-environment economists, were arrested Saturday after setting up a blockade on train tracks in White Rock, B.C., aimed at stopping U.S. coal trains from reaching local ports. Mark Jaccard, a professor of sustainable energy at Simon Fraser University and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, was arrested along with several others late Saturday evening following a day-long protest in the 15000 block of Marine Drive. "Thirteen protesters were arrested without incident and were respectful of the police and the process that was ...

Opponents of a proposal to expand the Fraser Surrey Docks coal terminal presented Surrey city council with a petition on Monday afternoon that calls for broad human health studies to be conducted before a final decision is made on the project. Paula Williams, organizer of a group called Communities and Coal, says that over the past three months, more than 11,000 people signed the anti-expansion petition. Williams says that it’s not necessarily coal dust that her group opposes, but diesel particles from the train engines hauling coal to the terminal on the Fraser River.

About a dozen protesters, including one of Canada's leading energy-environment economists, were arrested Saturday after setting up a blockade on train tracks in White Rock, B.C., aimed at stopping U.S. coal trains from reaching local ports. Mark Jaccard, a professor of sustainable energy at Simon Fraser University and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, was arrested along with several others late Saturday evening following a day-long protest in the 15000 block of Marine Drive. "Thirteen protesters were arrested without incident and were respectful of the police and the process that was ...

Dr. Frank James is an American - his citizenship is significant to this story - and the health officer for Washington state's San Juan County. He is also a professor of public health at the University of Washington. James is a member of Whatcom Docs, a group of physicians that formed two years ago when it learned of a proposal to ship up to 48 million tons of Wyoming coal through Bellingham. It would mean 50 kilometres of coal train running along the shores of Puget Sound per day. From an initial core of about 140 interested physicians, Whatcom Docs has since grown to 215 members.

This is a guest post by Mike Stark from FossilAgenda. Last month, I attended Platt’s 36th Annual Coal Marketing Days. As a journalist predominantly focused on climate change and the coal industry for the past year, I was pleasantly surprised at how much ground was covered. At the same time, I was not surprised by the subdued mood that permeated this event.