Righteous anger from author Jeff Biggers about the notion of "clean coal" — or as I call it, "clean enemy of the human race."
He’s watching some of America’s oldest mountains get blown up, landscapes scarred, communities immiserated … and it doesn’t look clean to him.
We’ve noted here many times that new coal is not cheap. Capital costs have skyrocketed and the entire industry lives in mortal fear of impending carbon legislation. Imagine if the industry were forced to actually follow safety and environmental regulations and fairly compensate communities for health and nuisance impacts. Imagine if a new president and Congress passed laws with teeth and boosted enforcement. Coal would get even more expensive.
Clean or cheap. Never both.
