That's encouraging. But this New York Times article also predicts that in 23 years even more of our electricity will come from coal than today. And the anti-coal power forces in the Midwest, especially Michigan, seem only now to be gathering strength.
The Talking Heads had a song about this: Burning Down the House. Except that song was fun and this is real.
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Richard D. Liebert turned his back against a
hard wind the other day, adjusted his black cap and gazed across golden
fields of hay. Explaining why he is against construction of a big
coal-burning power plant east of town, Liebert sounded like one more
voice from the green movement.
“The more I learn about global warming
and watch the drought affect ranchers and farmers, I see that it’s wind
energy, not coal plants, that can help with rural economic development.
Besides, do we want to roll the dice with the one planet we’ve got?”
But Mr. Liebert, despite his sentiments, fits nobody’s stereotype of
an environmentalist. He is a Republican, a cattle rancher and a retired
Army lieutenant colonel who travels to South Korea to train soldiers to
fight in Iraq.
He is also an example of a rising phenomenon in the West. An
increasingly vocal, potent and widespread anti-coal movement is
developing here. Environmental groups that have long opposed new power
plants are being joined by ranchers, farmers, retired homeowners, ski
resort operators and even religious groups.
Activists say the increasing diversity of these coalitions is making them more effective.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/20/business/20coal.html?hp
