Oil isn’t America’s only black gold. And with the emerald glow as every candidate claims to be greener than the next, the jury is still out on the long-term future of the country’s most prevalent fossil fuel: coal. In coal-producing Illinois, coal’s role in the environment and economy promises to play a critical role. A [...]
Tag Archives: coal
Coal Mining Runs Deep in Appalachia, But it Only Scratches the Surface of These Mountains
July 6, 2008 – 2:41 pm
(Photo by Phil Taylor) Former coal miner Pete Ramey, 79, grew up in the mountains along Virginia’s border with Kentucky. He said mountain-top removal mining has become so prevalent that his scenery changes daily. By Phil Taylor, Medill When you turn on your computer, do you know where the electricity lighting your screen originates? What [...]
The Idea of Nuclear Power? Just Peachy in This Part of South Carolina
July 3, 2008 – 6:18 am
(Photo by Phil Taylor)Gaffney, South Carolina’s one-million gallon “Peachoid.” Did you know Cherokee County, S.C., once produced more peaches than the entire state of Georgia? A million-gallon, peach-shaped water tower built along I-85 was my first hint while driving into Gaffney, where Duke Energy plans to build a 2,234 megawatt nuclear power plant.
Duke Energy Feud Pits Conservationists Against Carolina Coal
July 1, 2008 – 9:43 pm
Duke Energy’s Lake Wylie Hydro Station, straddling York County, South Carolina and Mecklenburg, North Carolina, generates 60 megawatts of power, enough to power almost 10,000 homes. North Carolina passed an energy mandate last year requiring utilities like Duke to have 12.5 percent of its energy come from renewable sources and energy efficiency by 2021. By [...]
