Comments on: Tennessee not-so-clean coal sludge spill estimate grows to 1 billion gallons http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/ The Latest on Climate Science, Solutions, and Politics Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:18:44 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Bob Wallace http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25969 Bob Wallace Thu, 01 Jan 2009 06:49:40 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25969 Mr. Mom - the first stage of fixing a problem is to recognize that the problem exists. We humans are poor at recognizing the ways in which we mess our nests until the stench gets strong. Coal has been a cheap source of power and we've been willing to overlook/accept the problems until they reached a very serious level. Typical of us. It seems to me that we are in the early days of the end of coal. I'd say that in 20 years or less we will look at coal as an arcane method of feeding our grids. It will seem as old fashioned as the coal stove in my grandparent's sitting room. Mr. Mom – the first stage of fixing a problem is to recognize that the problem exists. We humans are poor at recognizing the ways in which we mess our nests until the stench gets strong.

Coal has been a cheap source of power and we’ve been willing to overlook/accept the problems until they reached a very serious level. Typical of us.

It seems to me that we are in the early days of the end of coal. I’d say that in 20 years or less we will look at coal as an arcane method of feeding our grids. It will seem as old fashioned as the coal stove in my grandparent’s sitting room.

]]> By: David B. Benson http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25957 David B. Benson Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:30:16 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25957 John Mashey --- Thanks. After all, what's 170 million tons among friends. :-) John Mashey — Thanks. After all, what’s 170 million tons among friends. :-)

]]> By: John Mashey http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25953 John Mashey Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:24:58 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25953 David: Google: us coal supply eia Numbers over last few years are between 1 and 1.17B tons, as I read their charts. I just wrote 1B for a quick sanity check, 1 significant digit. David:
Google: us coal supply eia

Numbers over last few years are between 1 and 1.17B tons, as I read their charts. I just wrote 1B for a quick sanity check, 1 significant digit.

]]> By: David B. Benson http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25950 David B. Benson Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:37:30 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25950 John Mashey --- I suspect quite a bit more than one billion tons per year. John Mashey — I suspect quite a bit more than one billion tons per year.

]]> By: John Mashey http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25930 John Mashey Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:42:05 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25930 <a href="http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c01.html" rel="nofollow">UCS</a> says there are about 600 coal plants in the US, and <a href="http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c02d.html" rel="nofollow">here</a> says: "Waste created by a typical 500-megawatt coal plant includes more than 125,000 tons of ash and 193,000 tons of sludge from the smokestack scrubber each year. Nationally, more than 75% of this waste is disposed of in unlined, unmonitored onsite landfills and surface impoundments." So, that sounds like 600 * ~300,000 tons/year = 180M tons/year, which makes sense, given that the US burns about 1B tons/coal/year. UCS says there are about 600 coal plants in the US, and here says:

“Waste created by a typical 500-megawatt coal plant includes more than 125,000 tons of ash and 193,000 tons of sludge from the smokestack scrubber each year. Nationally, more than 75% of this waste is disposed of in unlined, unmonitored onsite landfills and surface impoundments.”

So, that sounds like 600 * ~300,000 tons/year = 180M tons/year, which makes sense, given that the US burns about 1B tons/coal/year.

]]> By: Mr.Mom http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25928 Mr.Mom Wed, 31 Dec 2008 03:03:57 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25928 Everytime I read about the horrible things weve done to our HOME, I begin to loose hope, inch by inch. Its getting to hard to read, all the death we cause in our environment. Everytime I read about the horrible things weve done to our HOME, I begin to loose hope, inch by inch. Its getting to hard to read, all the death we cause in our environment.

]]> By: Rick C http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25926 Rick C Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:10:51 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/30/tennessee-clean-coal-ash-sludge-spill/#comment-25926 Maybe this coal sludge spill will be a watershed event that effects the coal and utilities industries the way that Three Mile Island and the Chernobyl disaster did to nuclear power. Maybe this coal sludge spill will be a watershed event that effects the coal and utilities industries the way that Three Mile Island and the Chernobyl disaster did to nuclear power.

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