The Reality Blog

No new dirty coal in the UK

Yesterday, the United Kingdom pledged not to allow the construction of any new dirty coal plants. Meaning, only plants that capture and store a portion of their carbon dioxide emissions can now be built. From the Guardian:

The energy and climate change secretary, Ed Miliband, said the new policy balanced three challenges: the need to ensure the security of the UK’s energy supply, the need to build a low-carbon economy and the need to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

Miliband imposed a new requirement that any new coal plant would be forced to demonstrate CCS from the start, with emissions equivalent to 300MW being trapped. He abandoned a previous proposal of allowing plants to be ‘CCS-ready’

“The era of new unabated coal has come to an end,” he said.

The American coal industry insists they are committed to CCS, but in Reality this is exactly the type of progress they have been fighting against. For all their talk about new, clean technology, not a single power-plant in America — or the UK — actually captures and stores it’s carbon pollution.

And despite increasing profits, the coal industry has yet to make a significant investment to develop the technology needed to actually make coal clean.

Instead, groups like ACCCE spend $45 million a year to keep talking about the new technology they haven’t yet demonstrated, perpetuate misleading information about the devastating impact of continuing to burn dirty coal, lobby Congress to block clean energy legislation, and fight to continue building new dirty coal plants — about which the the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission just said “We may not need any, ever.”

If ever there was an opportunity to be part of the solution, and actively play a part in promoting solutions to the climate crisis, this is it. Now that the UK has said a definitive “no” to new, dirty coal plants, it’s time for the coal industry to hear “London calling” — and answer.

Not a moment too soon

A big announcement yesterday from the EPA on regulating coal ash, the incredibly toxic byproduct of burning coal:

The Obama administration will propose new regulations governing coal combustion waste by the end of the year, and will act immediately to prevent accidents like the release in December of more than a billion gallons of coal ash that smothered 300 acres in eastern Tennessee and choked nearby waterways, a senior Environmental Protection Agency official said.

On the heels of this announcement, news of yet another coal ash spill, upriver in Maryland.

Tragic poetry. A gift from our continued dependence on dirty coal electricity.

Get clean coal clean!

Today Reality started airing our latest ad. It’s called “Air Freshener” and we’re very excited to say it’s directed by Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen.

The ad directly calls out the coal industry on their ridiculous claims that coal is clean, as only the Coen brothers can. Watch the ad, and please share with your friends:

UPDATE: Watch the Coen brothers working behind the scenes on the Clean Coal Clean shoot:

LATER UPDATE: Submit your own ad to Reality! You could get $500 for helping share the reality about dirty coal. Learn more…

Welcome to The Reality Blog

Welcome to The Reality Blog! We’re here to keep you updated on the dirty truth about coal, stop the coal industry’s misleading advertising, and let you know about ways to get involved.

This is a place for honest discussion. And the fact is, the coal industry hasn’t been honest about their product. Instead, they’ve launched a massive PR campaign that hides the truth and makes coal seem “Clean” and even cool.

In Reality, coal plants are responsible for a full third of America’s carbon dioxide pollution — the chief cause of global warming. One third. We burn coal to make electricity, and in the U.S. today, not a single coal-fired power plant exists that captures and stores its carbon pollution.

That’s not clean, and it’s definitely not cool.

We can make real progress on truly clean energy. In fact, we can Repower America to have 100% clean electricity in 10 years. Electricity from coal can be a part of that mix, but it’s going to take a lot more than a misleading ad campaign that conceals the damage coal does every day to our climate. It’s going to take a serious investment in research, technology, and better environmental practices by the coal industry.

If we’re going to stand up to coal’s disingenuous advertising effort, we’re going to need your help. We want to hear from you and we hope you’ll stay involved to spread the truth about coal.

It’s time for the coal industry to get real with us.

Welcome to Reality.