The Headlines:
New study gives hope for coal emission reduction
EPA proposes coal regulations
Massachusetts town bans bottled water
Bladeless Wind Turbine Created
Snared whale set free by crossbow-wielding response team member
Cow methane recapture project planned by the EPA

The Details:

New study gives hope for coal emission reduction

A study just published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology says that the U.S. could be free of emissions from coal-fired power plants in 20 years using only technologies that currently exist or could be ready in the next decade!

The makers of the study were even generous enough to outline a plan for lawmakers that could make this goal a reality. The plan includes cutting subsidies for fossil fuel, applying a fee for carbon emissions, creating a smart grid, capturing and storing carbon, increasing energy efficiency in existing power sources, and replacing coal power with newer, cleaner energy sources.

Doing these things could stop all coal emissions in just 20 years! All of these steps are very realistic and implementable, and the only thing standing in the way, according to the study, is political blockage.

EPA proposes coal regulations

The EPA is now proposing two ways to regulate the disposal of toxic coal ash. This the first time the EPA has stepped up to make rules on coal.

EPA administrator Lisa Jackson outlined the two ways to regulate coal on May 4 – 1) Coal ash would be regulated as a “special waste,” meaning the wet storage of the material at impoundments would be entirely phased out in favor of landfills and 2) Impoundments would be required to use a composite liner for coal ash storage, which would prevent toxic materials from leaking into the groundwater.

The EPA may end up implementing one or both of these proposals. There is a mandatory 90 day public comment period on these proposals before a final rule is submitted to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. And it could take anywhere from six months to two years to implement the new rule. Currently, there is toxic coal material being stored in unlined impoundments. This is leaching toxic material into the ground and into groundwater.

You may recall in our interview with Peter Montague we discussed that current coal ash sites are Classified due to them being deemed “terror targets”. If the by-product of your company was considered too dangerous to disclose the location of how would you feel about what you were producing?

Massachusetts town bans bottled water

Starting in 2011, you won’t be able to buy bottled water in the town of Concord, Massachusetts. The measured passed by Concord would allow the sale of refillable containers of water, which could still be sold and delivered in town. Only plastic bottles that companies cannot reuse would be banned.

It’s a bold move for the town, however town officials aren’t sure they have the power to enact the ban without approval from the state. A survey on the story from TheBostonChannel.com found that 75% of respondents disagree with the law.

Bladeless Wind Turbine Created

Wind turbines, while they do a lot of good, also cause some people to squirm because of their size and appearance. Not to sorry, says the Solar Aero company. They recently created a bladeless wind turbine, the first ever of its kind, based on a patent by Nikola Tesla.

The Fuller Wind Turbine has only one rotating part, and it is encased in a metal housing with screens in front of and behind the rotating part. This has several advantages over regular turbines: it does not present a danger to wildlife such as bats and birds, the only movement visible is the entire turbine housing as it adjusts to track the wind and the whole unit can be kept close to the ground making maintenance easier.

The company estimates “final costs will be about $1.50/watt rated output, or roughly 2/3 the cost of comparable bladed units.” If this alternative turbine gains ground, it could potentially win over some people who were put off by bladed turbines.

Snared whale set free by crossbow-wielding response team member

Scott Landry, director of the Marine Animal Entanglement Response Team, managed to free an endangered Right Whale known as Wart from a rope that was caught around her upper jaw last week off the coast of Massachusetts, using a crossbow!

Right Whales are much larger than humpbacks but are very wary of humans. So when Wart surfaced to take a breath, Landry knew this was probably his one shot to free her. With arguably the best maritime shot ever, Landry let fly an arrow with four razorblades attached to the tip which sliced the rope in two without so much as touching Wart.

The next time they spotted her surfacing she was working the rest of the rope out of her mouth, and when a helicopter sighted her later on, the rope had completely disappeared. What an amazing story!

Cow methane recapture project planned by the EPA

Yes, it’s the mandatory poo story of the week! This time we examine the story of what comes from cows’ behinds: methane. The EPA and the Department of Agriculture want farmers to start working to recapture methane biogas from their cows. They want this so much they are investing $3.9 million over the next five years to make it happen.

The benefits of methane biogas recovery are many: utilizing a renewable energy resource, cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions (which are huge due to the large number of cows) and cutting down on farmers’ utility bills. Right now, only about 150 farms are engaged in biogas recovery, but an estimated 8,000 farms are eligible to use it.