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* UPDATED x1 * If there is a war on coal, then coal is losing badly

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* 2017…

Phil Gonet, president of the Illinois Coal Association, said the state produced 62 million tons of coal in 1990 and employed about 10,000 people in the industry. By 2014, though, he said, coal employment plummeted to about 4,500 workers statewide, while overall production budged only slightly, to 58 million tons.

“We produced about the same amount of coal as we did in 1990, with about half the people,” he says.

And in 2015, Gonet said, more than 57 percent of Illinois’ coal production came from a handful of mines that use longwall mining, a highly mechanized technique that removes large sections of coal at a time.

The increasing use of mechanization means that even if the industry were to recover, there would be fewer jobs to be had.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, 3,219 people were employed in Illinois coal mines in 2016.

* From the US Department of Energy…

(N)et generation from coal sources declined by 53 percent between 2006 and September 2016, while electricity generation from natural gas increased by 33 percent and solar by over 5,000 percent —from 508,000 MWh to just over 28,000,000 MWh. The solar growth only includes utility-scale facilities. In fact, between September 2015 and September 2016 alone, distributed solar photovoltaic generation increased 35 percent nationwide, while estimated total solar —both utility-scale and distributed generation—increased by 52 percent across the country.

These shifts in electric generation source are mirrored in the sector’s changing employment profile, as the share of natural gas, solar, and wind workers increases, while coal m ining and other related employment is declining . It is important to note, however, that the majority of U.S. electrical generation continues to come from fossil fuels (coal and natural gas) and that, under latest EIA modeling in the Annual Energy Outlook 2016, will continue to provide 53% of total U.S. electricity in 2040.

* With that in mind…

Liberal Chicago Dems like @JBPritzker are advocating for the complete eradication of coal and the power and jobs that coal provides. These radical policies will cripple many of the towns and families across #IL, including ones that I represent. #StopTheWarOnCoal #twill https://t.co/YxcTR3ro8d

— Avery Bourne (@AveryBourne) August 6, 2018

…Adding… BND…

You’d be hard-pressed to find a town more closely identified with coal mining than Marissa, Illinois.

More than a dozen coal mines operated within a 3-mile radius of the village during its first 100 years. Its annual homecoming is known as the Marissa Coal Festival. A massive miners monument stands in the park, and a “Coal Country” exhibit greets visitors at the entrance of the history museum. […]

Enter Chad Easton, Marissa’s new 37-year-old mayor. He has found himself in the unlikely position of promoting solar energy as a way to help the former coal community cope with high power costs.

Plans call for construction of two solar farms, one 5 acres and one 11 acres, on village property on the west edge of town. Officials expect them to eventually provide all the electricity for the wastewater-treatment plant and most of it for other village buildings, saving thousands of dollars a year.

“That’s a big change,” said Easton, who got interested in solar while serving as a village trustee, before he was appointed to replace retiring mayor Jerry Cross last month.

The future is not coal.

*** UPDATE *** From the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition…

Republicans and Democrats who worked to pass the Future Energy Jobs Act recognize that the foundation of Illinois’ jobs economy lies in renewable energy. There is nothing “radical” about this rapidly growing industry, its job creation rate that outpaces Illinois’ overall jobs growth, billions of dollars in new private investment, workforce development training, and the cost savings it brings to consumers and communities throughout the state.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:04 am

Comments

My understanding is that the War on Coal is mostly being waged by natural gas.

Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:07 am
Glad to see the GOP is still using their 1970 playbook for the Bourne race.

Comment by Give Me A Break Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:14 am
=These radical policies will cripple many of the towns and families across=

So acknowledging the obvious by investing in natural gas and solar is considered “radical”? Sounds like Ms. Bourne wants to put those workers out of business in favor of coal mechanization. If JB is favoring anything it would appear to be the crippling of coal machines.

Remind me again who’s being radical here?

Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:14 am
Before of snake-oil-selling politicians who tell you they’re bringing back coal jobs. They’re either profoundly cynical or blissfully ignorant about economics, technology and energy.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:17 am
Holding the environment hostage for a small segment of the population who remain in an industry that’s been dying for 50 years rather than embracing and investing in new cleaner technology and training people to work in it, cool. Definitely a good long term solution, GOP.. .

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:20 am
The big issue is climate change. Shortly before he died Stephen Hawking said that he estimated that we have about 6 centuries before the Earth becomes uninhabitable unless we change course.
So Avery Bourne is advocating continuing to burn coal so that we can save some 3200 jobs in Illinois? It’s not sound policy IMO but it might buy her some votes.

Comment by The Dude Abides Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:21 am
Ms. Bourne is also the representative who had Charlie Wheeler explain to her that the school districts in her district aren’t getting less than Chicago.

Ms. Bourne has been a colossal disappointment. There isn’t a phony narrative she won’t embrace, there’s not an ounce of homework that she’ll do.

You’d think Ms. Bourne would embrace her appointment and later election to the General Assembly to be thoughtful, well read, a visionary within the party, and be one of those “new” members you hope other members that follow her would emulate. She’s not.

Refusing to understand how monies to her own schools measure up, and reading this tweet about coal, and her lock step voting record with Rauner, even if it meant hurting her district, there’s little difference between Ms. Bourne or any other Raunerite. What a wasted opportunity.

So, Ms. Bourne doesn’t understand the coal industry’s evolution and how school funding worked before and its impact after, am I suppose to see her as the future of the GOP when her math to schools was either misinformed or purposely misleading, and her long vision in energy is to look backwards, not forward?

Hmm.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:21 am
Knowing very little about current mining practices U am going to guess mechanization has killed off more coal jobs than anything else.

Comment by Cheryl44 Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:22 am
It would be refreshing if Rep Bourne would be honest with her constituents with an eye toward jobs in the present and future economies. Instead, she panders to those reliant upon fossil fuel jobs, and the patently false notion that they are sustainable or will look anything like the 1960’s ever again. Always talking points over policy and symbols over substance. No doubt her benefactor Rauner is beaming with pride.

Comment by factchecker Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:23 am
Words are never more important than the confirmation bias the audience digests.

Comment by Alternative Logic Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:25 am
Every home or business that uses solar cells needs a transfer switch to separate solar cell/battery electricity from utility company electricy. That’s a lot of work right there.

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:27 am
== It is important to note, however, that the majority of U.S. electrical generation continues to come from fossil fuels (coal and natural gas) and that, under latest EIA modeling in the Annual Energy Outlook 2016, will continue to provide 53% of total U.S. electricity in 2040.==

Yes, let’s definitely explore options. But hooking your energy wagon to California’s utopian ideas? Maybe not such a great idea. California has a very different geography, climate and energy requirements.

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:28 am
Solar and Wind are the future. I think Rep Bourne has been misinformed as to the scientific consensus as well as the bipartisan political will of moving towards renewable energy. While I share Rep Bourne’s concern regarding the employment prospects of the 10,000 former coal mining workers, I believe retraining is more important in conjunction with our state community colleges and universities than trying to prop up an industry that is waning world wide. Also, I believe early medical screening to catch medical conditions that are statistically very likely to have been caused by long term coal mining exposure should be part of a holistic approach.

Comment by Biker Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:31 am
Coal seems to be doing just fine and dandy. It’s the folk digging it and such that are losing.

Comment by A State Employee Guy Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:32 am
Not even to mention how black lung disease is coming back in a terrible way in coal producing areas. Even if I were a coal miner, I wouldn’t want my kids to follow me in the business.

Comment by NoGifts Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:34 am
Maybe these displaced coal mine workers can go to work as Wal Mart checkers. Oh wait….Nevermind

Comment by Gruntled University Employee Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:36 am
==Shortly before he died Stephen Hawking said that he estimated that we have about 6 centuries before the Earth becomes uninhabitable unless we change course.==

Yeah, politicians whether D or R *always* carefully consider ramifications to the world 100 or 600 years from now way more than winning the next election.

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:39 am
The whole “we’re bringing back coal” shtick is aimed at the voting block yearning for yesteryear and I’ll leave it at that. Coal is as dead as a dinosaur.

Comment by Glengarry Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:46 am
=The big issue is climate change.= Not to voters at the state and local levels.
The “change the planet” outcry crowds-out better arguments against coal. The big issue is the toxins that poison local air and water, while coal ash ponds are a constant threat. Climate change is a global issue that has long term consequences far removed from the immediate concerns of most folks. Those who care about breathable air and drinkable water should be out front showing the clear and present danger from coal.
Coal is uneconomic and unhealthy and should be allowed to die a natural death.

Comment by Climate Schlimate Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:47 am
What about the whalers? We used to use whale fat for lamps. Will nobody bring back whales as a source of fuel? Where are Rauner and Pritzker on whaling?

Comment by Albany Park Patriot Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:50 am
If Pritzker wins, he might allow the new power lines from western Iowa to cross in to Illinois. At this point, existing power producers in Illinois are fighting it. On windy nights, there is a surplus of power, and the spot price for electricity drops to near zero. When that happens, nukes, coal, and natural gas lose out to wind.

Comment by DuPage Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:53 am
A responsible,cost friendly energy policy requires an assortment of fuel types. Obviously renewables are the future, but to think we can go it alone without coal is silly talk.

Comment by BlueDogDem Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:54 am
I worked the mines for years. I got laid off twice due to EPA regulations. Its time to realize that coal has had its heyday. Time to move forward like all us former miners have had to do. Re-invent yourselves.

Comment by Generic Drone Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:58 am
Fossil fuels at the federal level get “depreciation allowance” tax deductions. Uranium miners get a 22.5% rate off of their gross revenue. Oil and gas 15% and coal 10%. Illinois has no royalty tax save 3% on cracked gas. Coal is even Exempt from paying Illinois sales tax. About 90% of of illinois coal goes to China to make steel. We should stop subsidizing fossil fuels and our competitors.

Comment by Al Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:03 am
==These radical policies will cripple many of the towns and families across #IL, including ones that I represent.==

I’m looking forward to her follow up tweet defending IL lumberjacks…the backbone of the fireplace industry.

Comment by Jocko Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:06 am
=Obviously renewables are the future, but to think we can go it alone without coal is silly talk.=

No one is making that claim at this point. What’s clear is that the coal industry can go without coal workers and has been doing so for some time. Bourne isn’t advocating for the coal worker, she’s saving the coal machines that have replaced them. And she’s doing it in a very disingenuous manner.

Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:06 am
Coal is being killed by something Conservatives used to love: market forces. Coal is on its last legs: renewable energy continues to decrease in cost while coal costs continue to rise: “Prices have fallen so much that it is now cheaper to build new commercial renewable energy sources than it is to keep existing coal and nuclear power plants running.”

https://futurism.com/solar-energy-prices-continue-plunge-coal-prices-climb-higher/

Comment by IllinoisBoi Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:15 am
Ms. Bourne lacks curiosity which is an essential ingredient to be effective in most jobs but especially as a rep.

So sad that her laziness continues in this area just as it did yesterday with the bogus advisory referendum on firearms legislation.

She is a major disappointment.

Comment by don the legend Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:21 am
sort of a goofy connection to coal and jobs, as JB was responding to a NYTimes article outlining President Trumps proposal to rollback MPG and California tailpipe regs.

Comment by Texas Red Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:22 am
=Coal is being killed by something Conservatives used to love: market forces.=

If our millionaires and billionaires running government these days were so committed to coal jobs they could put their money where their mouths are and invest in manual coal production.

Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:23 am
The world-changing breakthrough will be grid storage of electricity. How do we save excess energy for when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining? Why not invest in those technologies instead?

Comment by Skeptic Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:25 am
==On windy nights, there is a surplus of power, and the spot price for electricity drops to near zero. When that happens, nukes, coal, and natural gas lose out to wind.=

Indeed. Wind energy is great when it works and it should be utilized. But it is far from a panacea. Much more is needed than just wind and windmills standing in a field or on a building. They need functioning electric generating mills and turbines. And available parts. A recent followup article about a windmill experiment in New York state found that 4 of the 5 windmills were off line because of mechanical problems and parts were not available due to the french mfr of the windmills declaring bankruptcy.

And Minnesota, with a climate similar to ours has found that the wind turbines (bought used from California) freeze up in winter due to frozen hydraulic fluid and are basically inoperable.

https://venturebeat.com/2010/02/08/minnesotas-frozen-turbines-raise-new-doubts-about-wind-power/

I have a friend in the insurance industry who is tied into the construction and maintenance end of wind energy. She has been a wealth of knowledge about these issues.

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:25 am
University of Utah is making carbon fiber with their coal.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:27 am
===it is far from a panacea===

Nobody said it was.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:29 am
The future is not coal jobs. The future will still certainly involve coal.

Comment by Saluki Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:35 am
I am in deep southern IL, and do not believe the whole man made global warming thing.
But, coal mining will not and should not ever get back to what it once meant to southern Illinois. To me it is about resources, conserving what you can and making the best use of all of the ones you have. Wind works somewhat but presents many problems even when it does. Solar has great potential and few drawbacks. One thing I have been exploring is Solar farms on lands that are being wasted now. Put those lands to use. Biomass looks good to me also. Utilize resources that are being dumped in landfills or just piled and burned. One thing I just recently started researching is hydrokinetic, and found that it is being used somewhat in Illinois and a company with one of its main offices in northern IL is an industry leader. This has great potential to lower energy costs from our rivers without using up any natural resources.
We should strive to find renewable resources that allow us to be energy independent without destroying the world we live in. We have to make energy in this end of the State as cheap as possible for this area to be affordable for growth.

Comment by SOIL M Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:38 am
=Ms. Bourne lacks curiosity which is an essential ingredient to be effective in most jobs but especially as a rep.=

Avery Bourne was attending law school, where she undoubtedly practiced critical thinking, prior to becoming a state rep. She isn’t pandering because she lacks knowledge or information, she’s pandering because she thinks her constituents are easily duped. It’s no different than when Rauner puts on his vest.

We have to stop thinking that these elected officials don’t know any better. They do.

Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:42 am
“the whole man made global warming thing”

The word you are looking for is “science”.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:43 am
The word you are looking for is “science”.

– MrJM
Way to go JM. You once again put an argument down to just belittling the commentor. There is also science that disagrees with the coming ice age…no wait its global warming…umm no lets change it again to climate change.
You also missed the point that regardless of how you believe on global warming, there are other strong reasons to support new renewable energy sources that make better use of our available resources.

Comment by SOIL M Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:59 am
Soil M- the whole change in terms from “global warming” to “climate change” was started by Frank luntz (a conservative pollster / propagandist) , not democrats, as you assert. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/environment/2003/mar/04/usnews.climatechange

Comment by Ike Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 12:13 pm
I can be skeptical of the Copernican theory, but the sun will come up tomorrow. In fact, Trump’s own Department of Defense believes in climate change.

https://tinyurl.com/ycz3fj62

Comment by Jocko Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 12:14 pm
The new mayor of Marissa going with solar with a bit of irony to boot; the retiring mayor was a former employee of the United Mine Workers of America.

Comment by nadia Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 12:21 pm
“do not believe the whole man made global warming thing.”

I’m sorry. I didn’t read any further than that. I came for reasonable and hopefully informative discussions so I skip over the folks that believe their opinions trump overwhelming evidence.

If I didn’t I’ld be stupid enough to give Rauner a donation.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 12:30 pm
I’m going to guess that Bourne’s tweet tests really well in a focus group of likely voters in the district above the age of 65.

It doesn’t matter that it’s not true, it only matters that lots of likely voters believe it to be true.

This is the opposite of leadership, but we’ll find out soon enough if it’s good politics.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 12:36 pm
Ike– the term was actually first used in 1966 or 1975, depending on which source you believe, but neither one was Lutz. I also never made an assertion to either party due to people supporting the theory exist in both partys.
I also didn’t intend to start an argument over man made global warming but instead over the fact that there are other reasons to support renewable energy sources besides global warming.
When people of different ideologies agree to move forward,for whichever reason you want to use, we might get some things done.

Comment by SOIL M Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 12:47 pm
===I’m going to guess that Bourne’s tweet tests really well in a focus group of likely voters in the district above the age of 65.

It would be harmless, but this kind of nonsense ignores the very real need for economic development in the communities Rep Bourne represents. Those 65 year olds will be fine, but their grandkids desperately need new opportunities.

Comment by Archpundit Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 12:49 pm
Maybe she can dig up the old coal gasification plant scam for some more votes.

Comment by TaylorvilleTornado Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 12:59 pm
==and do not believe the whole man made global warming thing.==

That’s nice. You have some scientific reason for that statement? Or are you just on the denial train. It’s the height of arrogance to believe that man has not had an impact on the planet’s environment. And coal has more than likely contributed to that impact. Being stuck on coal for the simple fact of retaining mining jobs isn’t a good reason to do so. There is no reason we shouldn’t be looking to replace the energy provided by coal and other dirty sources.

Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 1:08 pm
People mistakenly believe that there is one energy source that will be used in the future, but the truth is that all energy sources are likely to be needed, at least for the coming decades. Hopefully coal can continue its downward slide because it contains the most carbon per BTU, and therefore has the worst impact on global warming, but mining will continue.

The nonsense about coal jobs is just proof that Bourne is a politician like all the others. If she cared about jobs, she would be supporting wind and solar, who have been rapidly increasing jobs, while coal mechanizes and sheds jobs even while maintaining production. No arguments about global warming are needed. Wind and solar are favored due to job creation alone.

Comment by Jibba Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 1:12 pm
==And Minnesota, with a climate similar to ours has found that the wind turbines (bought used from California) freeze up in winter due to frozen hydraulic fluid and are basically inoperable.==
Why don’t the owners install little solar cells on the windmills attached to heat tape? Problem solved.

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 1:32 pm
- Responsa - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 11:25 am:

==On windy nights, there is a surplus of power, and the spot price for electricity drops to near zero. When that happens, nukes, coal, and natural gas lose out to wind.=

===And Minnesota, with a climate similar to ours has found that the wind turbines (bought used from California) freeze up in winter due to frozen hydraulic fluid and are basically inoperable.===

A problem, but should be fixable.
It would be like buying a used car from California with a thicker oil in it, and finding it won’t start in a Minnesota winter. Winterizing cars and trucks in Minnesota can include thinner winter oil, block heaters, oil pan heaters, larger batteries, battery warmers, etc. These are all things not needed in nice warm California. The problem with frozen windmills could probably be solved, by looking at windmills that were originally built for and are running fine in Minnesota. They could look at how those windmills are “winterized” and make similar modifications to the ones from California.

Comment by DuPage Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 1:52 pm
Wind and solar are favored due to job creation alone.
Jibba—Wind is not as great an option on the southern end of the state as further north. We do however have plenty of rivers. We also have areas, some of them with fairly large acreage, where the majority of the summer is spent battling johnson grass. Could those be betger put to use as solar farms? Even some interstate exit ramps are 5-10 acres that the state seldom mow. Could this be put to use and save money from having to mow them? Aren’t there better ways to use the resources we have to find the multiple solutions to get to sustainable renewable and cheaper energy?

Comment by SOIL M Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 1:55 pm
===hey could look at how those windmills are “winterized” and make similar modifications to the ones from California.

Minnesota has largely done this and then on the bitter cold days you shut them down. Most of the new windmills are built in the Midwest anyway. Minnesota is about 25% renewable with 18% of all energy being wind. There has been a lot of solar development in the last 3 years, but it’s still a limited portion of overall energy. THe cost has fallen on solar dramatically as well. Coal use is down 10 percent from a few years ago and natural gas actually dropped a bit.

Wind won’t be a sole source of power in Minnesota, but it will be a critical part of the mix. Illinois doesn’t have the same amount of wind to utilize, but it can be a part of the mix there as well.

http://www.startribune.com/renewable-energy-now-produces-25-percent-of-electricity-in-minnesota/475552393/
Meanwhile, the cost of wind energy in Minnesota — even without tax subsidies — now appears lower than electricity produced from both natural gas and coal.

Comment by Archpundit Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 2:14 pm
= I am in deep southern IL, and do not believe the whole man made global warming thing. =

A few years ago, researchers at the University of Illinois published a report that looked at the impacts climate change will likely have in the state. These include more heat-related deaths, higher electricity costs, rising flood and crop insurance prices and lower crop yields for Illinois farms. You may want to give it a read.

https://igpa.uillinois.edu/report/preparing-climate-change-illinois

Comment by Going nuclear Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 2:27 pm
“Bring Back Coal Jobs!” is a racial and class-warefare dogwhistle, and decoded, it really means; “bring back the glorious days when white people ran everything and you could feed a large family on muscle work with no education”.

There are many more jobs to be had in any other sector of energy production than coal. We could save money overall by just closing all the mines and paying the remaining miners a pension, if they won’t take money to be re-trained to do something else.

Coal is filthy, dangerous, procuring it ruins the land, air, and water. It’s mostly exported from here because it’s too dirty to burn versus western coal. Longwall mining tears up the underground and causes subsidence at the surface, messing with building foundations, farmland and aquifers. The waste products are toxic - even more radioactive than any operating nuclear plant.

Renewables and nuclear power are the way to go. Along with an improved grid system.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 2:45 pm
“You once again put an argument down to just belittling the commentor.”

I didn’t intend to belittle you.

But I didn’t intend to argue either.

Like gravity and the speed of light, anthropogenic climate change is a scientific fact.

There’s nothing to argue about.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 2:50 pm
Anonymous@2:45. That was the dumbest post ever.

Comment by BlueDogDem Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 2:59 pm
Soil M…I do not exclude biomass from the mix. Again, we should be thinking of using all energy supplies in the future, not just one or two. I pointed to wind and solar specifically because they already have a track record of creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the last decade, and currently employ more people than coal. Support the winners, and don’t spend taxpayer money to support high-polluting supplies that market forces are ending on their own.

Comment by Jibba Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 3:11 pm
Soil M - no, there isn’t a a debate about “global warming/climate change” going on in both political parties. The GOP has actively been propagandizing the idea that there is a “lack” of scientific consensus by using “bunk” studies funded by oil and coal industries.

Comment by Ike Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 3:24 pm
=I am in deep southern IL, and do not believe the whole man made global warming thing.=
Do you believe in any of the man-made air pollution thing from toxic coal emissions?
Do you believe in any of man-made water pollution thing from toxic coal emissions, storage, and runoff?
Do you believe in the whole man-made building damage from mine subsidence thing?
These are all real local and regional drawbacks and costs associated coal power production regardless.

Comment by Deadbeat Conservative (TBB) Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 4:27 pm
–Anonymous@2:45. That was the dumbest post ever.–

Don’t sell yourself short, BDD.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 5:33 pm
–Wind is not as great an option on the southern end of the state as further north.–

There’s less wind in southern Illinois?

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 5:38 pm
I wish that more is done to stop the slaughter of raptors by windmills/turbines. It’s against the law to kill these animals. That is as inhumane as the slaughter of whales is to only take the fins and then leave these magnificent animals to die.
Lastly over all the centuries has coal or all the active volcanoes produced the most pollution on our planet?

Comment by cc Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 6:52 pm
Speaking of dumb. Expensive renewables would probably minimize the effect of those free A/C unit ideas floating around.

Comment by blue dog dem Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 7:44 pm
Blue Dog Dem, I think you just figured out the best possible use case of renewable energy performing a socieo-economic good. Add in batteries and you can do it while making the entire grid more stable.

Comment by Biker Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 9:00 pm
Before totally doing away with using coal, find other jobs for the coal-miners.

Comment by Mama Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 9:08 pm
I chuckle at the comments about “market forces” aiding wind and solar.

Yes - market forces are helping natural gas because of the advent of hydraulic fracking. The US is leading the world in production of oil and natural gas.

Nuclear, solar, and wind are the subject to HUGE non-market forces. The RPS standard and the Clean Jobs bill MANDATE the purchase of a set percent of these energy sources.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 10:48 pm
I chuckle to think some people don’t know fossil fuels, including natural gas, are heavily subsidized.

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Wednesday, Aug 8, 18 @ 6:49 am
=Before totally doing away with using coal, find other jobs for the coal-miners.=

You’re about 20 years too late. Coal production didn’t go away the jobs did due to automation. Propping up the industry at this point only benefits the owners not the miners. And this phenomenon is not limited to coal.

Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Aug 8, 18 @ 8:16 am