Cost of coal is literally sky-high

Coal is the major source of electricity in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, and is one of the big sources in Ontario and New Brunswick. It’s also one of the easier (insofar as any of this is easy) energy sources to replace with the cleaner alternatives of improved energy efficiency, renewable energy sources like wind and solar power, and even high-efficiency cogeneration (where you produce heat and electricity at the same time, doubling the useful energy from the heat you produce).

But the costs of coal aren’t limited to what happens after it goes up the smokestack – coal mining has always been a dirty, dangerous business. And now, down in the Appalachian mountains (where Ontario gets a lot of its coal from), the coal mining companies have found that it is cheaper and quicker to simply blow the top off of mountains to get at the coal. All that material has to go somewhere, and the results are brutal for the local ecosystems and communities – check out the story and accompanying video for how this is playing out and how local people are fighting back.

For a different take, you could check out the ‘don’t worry, be happy’ interview with Ms. Bug and her husband Mr. Bug that the “Friends of Coal” are running on local tv.  

If, however, you are dubious about the Bug family’s pro-coal leanings, sign up for coal-cutting action at The Good Life.

by Keith Stewart