We happen to live in a coal industry state and quite often we see license plates that advocate the influence of coal “it’s what keeps the lights on”. Well, that’s really not true to a large extent. The latest stats on the production of electricity from the retail utility industry breaks down the sources this way: natural gas – 42%: renewables (sun & wind) – 21%; nuclear – 18%; and coal – 16%. We mention this because climate change is constantly a sword hanging over our heads. Coal produces all kinds of dangerous byproducts in its chemical process. Utilities have tried scrubbing to comply with Federal and State mandate for years but the truth is: coal is a dying industry except for exports to countries where coal is a last resort. Put coal into its proper context the next time you think energy.

Tags

Comments are closed