Comments on: Breaking: Second TVA coal ash pond ruptures — at Widows Creek coal plant

By: Dano

Dano — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:16:47 +0000

At the risk of appearing confusing, Bob, I argue the same thing here.

My basic premise for the comment above is that there will be big ecosystem changes (regime change), which will require large-scale human adaptation.

Best,

By: beefeater

beefeater — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:27:55 +0000

Such is the enduring legacy of FDR’s “New Deal”. The TVA is now coming back to destroy life on this planet. So much for wise government control of corporations. How do you sue the TVA, it’s a government owned Enterprise.

By: Bob Wallace

Bob Wallace — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 04:57:49 +0000

It might be too late now, but does it make sense to even consider that a possibility?

If your ship is sinking and you’ve got no lifeboat you bail as hard as you can and shout for help as loudly as you can.

You might get lucky and stay afloat a bit longer and have another vessel come into hearing distance.

If you don’t bail and shout you will drown.

By: Dano

Dano — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:30:46 +0000

If we had started monitoring the environment and collecting more data decades ago, we might be able to apply environmental management techniques and scenario analysis to help our decision-making. It may be too late now.

Best,

By: Asteroid Miner

Asteroid Miner — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 05:36:29 +0000

paulm: No. It is a lot more complicated than that, but monitoring the CO2 in the air is required. Subscribe to RealClimate.org.

By: paulm

paulm — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 03:56:03 +0000

Good article on tipping events…

“Predict and survive” – or not
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ blogs/ thereporters/ richardblack/ 2009/ 01/ predict_and_survive.html
can we forecast sudden, possibly catastrophic environmental changes by monitoring long-term trends?

By: Asteroid Miner

Asteroid Miner — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 03:19:59 +0000

You DID know that coal ash contains uranium, didn’t you? In fact, coal contains so much uranium and thorium that more [nuclear] energy goes into the coal ash than the coal fired power plant produces. Coal fired power plants put 100 to 400 times as much radiation into the environment as nuclear power plants.
http://www.ornl.gov/ ORNLReview/ rev26-34/ text/ coalmain.html
Do you really want coal ash in your walls? Oh, I almost forgot the arsenic, lead and all of those other heavy metals.

By: Jay Alt

Jay Alt — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 03:03:56 +0000

6 of the plant’s boilers use low-sulfur coal so they would not be producing gypsum. Two others supplement the coal with petroleum coke and they are using the limestone.

Widows Creek set a dubious record of 2+ years without a shutdown. They burn a lot of coal.

Toxics Release Inventory, 2007
http://www.tva.gov/ environment/ air/ widcreek.htm#tri

266 lbs mercury into the air, 306 lbs mercury going into solid waste
- – -
Wes writes –
So, tell me again why Dick Durbin wants to build the NextGEN plant in IL. Oh, it is in IL… must be a good idea.

Since you asked –

Slagging IGCC boilers are operated under conditions in which fly-ash is melted into glassy pebbles. They can be used for aggregate. It could be a challenge to use all of it, but certainly not more than some others we face. A vitreous slag locks in heavy metals, which are rendered non-leachable into the water supply and soil.

By: Wes Rolley

Wes Rolley — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:20:51 +0000

So, tell me again why Dick Durbin wants to build the NextGEN plant in IL. Oh, it is in IL… must be a good idea.

The more we allow coal to go unchecked, the worse it is going to be for us all.

This is not a case where we need significant new legislation. We need a government,especially EPA, that will enforce the laws that we have.

Wes Rolley
CoChair, EcoAction Committee, Green Party US

By: Richard Pauli

Richard Pauli — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:43:56 +0000

Lessons not learned will be repeated.