Saturday, November 14, 2015

Coal ash

I wrote a little bit about clean coal technology awhile back, and this is a bit of an update.

Are the clean coal people pulling our legs about clean coal tech?  I am inclined to think not.  Here's why in a Wikipedia article about coal ash.  Consider these quotes:
  • After a long regulatory process, the EPA published a final ruling in December 2014, which establishes that coal fly ash does not have to be classified as a hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
  • in the case of bituminous coal, with the notable exception of boron, trace element concentrations are generally similar to trace element concentrations in unpolluted soils [ so this causes cancer????]
  • As of 2006, about 125 million tons of coal-combustion byproducts, including fly ash, were produced in the U.S. each year, with about 43% of that amount used in commercial applications
Okay, that's enough.  It should be noted that this isn't even clean coal sources of ash.  In that case, the coal ash is most likely benign.

I am of the opinion that this is another case in which an energy source is being hampered by hysteria generated by the radical enviornmentalist lobby.  Keep in mind that, although Obama was positive about clean coal at one time, he has cooled to the idea lately.

Whatever he does is political in nature.  If he moves left, it must be for a reason.


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