[Platform] MLEV takes a stand against coal gasification!

[John Walsh]

Correction:  Nader/Gonzalez

On Mar 10, 2008, at 12:29 PM, John Walsh wrote:

> Very interesting.
> I still cannot figure out why geothermal is never added into the mix.
> There is actually a geothermal plant in western MA and I would love
> to see it some time.
> john walsh
> p.s. I hope people sign up to get missives from Nader/Gomez.
> WWW.VoteNader.com
>
>
>
> On Mar 10, 2008, at 11:59 AM, Jill Stein wrote:
>
>> Thought you might be interested. See below. -jill
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters
>> [mailto:MLEV at mail.democracyinaction.org]
>> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 10:43 AM
>> To: jstein at massmed.org
>> Subject: MLEV EcoPolitics: Election Victories; Climate Change;
>> Greenwashing
>>
>> Skip to <>  main content
>>   _____
>>
>>
>> Greenwashing Clean Coal
>>
>> You can't watch presidential debates this year without seeing an ad
>> <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=iSh3Gzy%
>> 2FDLGSNP
>> A5BaPE1Wrm52SeOUoM>  for "clean coal", America's power. So what's the
>> deal? Can dirty coal become clean and help us reduce our  
>> dependence on
>> foreign energy sources? Or maybe this is just putting lipstick on a
>> pig.
>>
>> The development of new technologies has made coal a hot topic these
>> days. Clean coal is a term for many technologies from scrubbers that
>> reduce sulfur dioxide to capturing carbon dioxide. Advocates claim
>> that
>> through a process known as "capture and sequestration", the carbon
>> emitted from coal plants can be captured and contained on site to be
>> transported and stored deep into the earth. Scientists believe that
>> this
>> could certainly work to reduce CO2 emissions, but the question is for
>> how long and at what cost? Carbon from smokestacks is difficult to
>> capture and must be done through a process called gasification, which
>> concentrates the CO2 emissions of the plant. Unfortunately, about 25
>> percent of the energy created through this process is needed to
>> operate
>> the plant, making it inefficient and extremely costly.
>> And then there is the issue with transport and liquidification. Since
>> the coal cannot simply be pumped back into the earth below the
>> plant due
>> to the incapabilities of coal rocks to store carbon, it must be
>> transported to an area with these capabilities. Then it must be
>> liquefied before it is pumped into the ground. Again, this process is
>> extremely expensive and uses about 20 percent of the energy
>> generated at
>> the plant in the first place.
>> Okay, so even the federal government that has been giving out  
>> billions
>> of dollars in loans to coal-fired power plants has decided to suspend
>> <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?
>> v=2&c=UDHubbFWf127uo%2
>> B9184TsQ9gr21MIlz%2F>  the program until further analysis can be done
>> due to environmental concerns and the rising costs of construction.
>> Maybe this clean coal thing isn't as great as it appeared at first
>> blush. Currently, a conference committee in the Massachusetts
>> legislature is ironing out final details of an energy bill that
>> included
>> support for liquefied coal in the House version. We urge the  
>> conferees
>> to not include liquefied coal as a renewable, clean resource. This is
>> not a viable solution right now to reducing our greenhouse gas
>> emissions.
>> C2005 Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters - info at mlev.org -
>> Site
>> <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?
>> v=2&c=I9yZPysjKp46luxJ
>> IKAmvGrm52SeOUoM>  Map
>> website by cdeVision
>> <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?
>> v=2&c=Iewg4tKfCRXfuOD0
>> xFOzUWrm52SeOUoM>
>>
>>   <http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/TrackImage?key=553918099>
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>
> John V. Walsh, MD
> Professor of Physiology
> University of Massachusetts Medical School
> 508-856-3360 (Office)
> 508-868-1653 (Cell)
> john.walsh at umassmed.edu
>
>
>
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John V. Walsh, MD
Professor of Physiology
University of Massachusetts Medical School
508-856-3360 (Office)
508-868-1653 (Cell)
john.walsh at umassmed.edu