Coal Industry Indifferent About Most Dangerous Pollutants

In a rational world, preventing power plants from spewing hazardous chemicals proven to cause sickness and learning disabilities in children would be a major priority. But here in the U.S., rationality is far removed from energy.

A report released this week by the Environmental Integrity Project found that more than half of the country's most hazardous power plants saw increases in mercury emissions between 2007 and 2008. Concluding that the electric industry was "not making a dent" in trying to reduce mercury, the report singled out some of the worst offenders, including American Electric Power's Gavin plant in Ohio. The report said that Gavin was the 12th worst mercury polluter for emitting 937 pounds in 2008, double the previous year's total. 

When asked for comment, AEP spokeswoman Melissa McHenry told the Columbus Dispatch that mercury levels vary a great deal between batches. So AEP must be doing everything it can to avoid mercury-infested coal, right? Nope! "Our obligation is to find the lowest-cost fuel and, if it meets emission limits, that's the coal we use," McHenry said. "It just so happened that this coal had more."

Come again? Mercury has been proven to be a significant factor in childhood developmental disabilities and is linked to brain damage, kidney problems, and mental retardation. Ohio's rivers and streams have become so polluted with the chemical that the state issued an advisory that residents should not eat more than one meal of locally caught fish each week. And Gavin power plant can't be bothered to fork over a little extra for safer coal? As Grist's David Roberts quipped on Twitter, "Is this the clean coal I keep hearing about?"

So how much money are we talking about? Well, according to Fred Freme, an analyst with the Department of Energy, the cheapest coal is sub-bituminous coal, which is largely from Wyoming's Powder River Basin. This type of coal has less sulfur, but is known to contain more mercury. It can cost up to $16 per ton less than other types, a figure that adds up over thousands of tons. But — here's the kicker — Freme says Powder River Basin coal has a lower heat content, which means that to get "the same amount of electricity at a plant that's burning sub-bituminous coal, they're going to have to burn more."

Which just goes to show, cheaper isn't always better, or even cheaper. I have a bone to pick with everyone who says that clean, renewable energy like wind and solar are a waste of time because they're so much more expensive than coal and nuclear. That's like saying we should eat Big Macs instead of salads for every meal because they're cheaper. It's like saying I should get surgery from an unlicensed doctor to save a buck. I'll save a dollar today and spend a thousand tomorrow. We'll never reduce our reliance on foreign oil and dirty energy sources like coal and nuclear unless we start to accept that safety, cleanliness, and environmental responsibility come at a worthy price.

Photo credit: davipt