Laura Christie

September 25, 2017

Energy and Environment

Part I: Current Event

Gruver, Mead. Environmentalists get win in US Coal-Climate change lawsuit. ABC News,
ABC News Network, 15 Sept. 2017, abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/environmentalists-
win-us-coal-climate-change-lawsuit-49880695.

For years, environmentalists have been trying to block federal coal leases because of the
negative impact burning coal has on the environment, but a recent ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals has made it so the Bureau of Land Management must provide more data in
their argument that burning coal in power plants does not contribute to climate change. The
Bureau of Land Management found that burning the coal deposits at the Black Thunder and
North Antelope Rochelle mine would produce over 382 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions
annually. However, the Bureau of Land Management argued that blocking the leases would have
no net effect on climate change if utilities could get their coal from mines that arent under a
federal lease, but the court ruled that the Bureau of Land Management did not provide enough
data to rule in favor of their argument.

Part II: Coal Industrys Future

Hundreds of coal-fired power plants have closed since 2010
U.S. coal production has fallen 40% since 2008
Majority of U.S. coal is used to fuel electric power plants
Environmentalists want all coal-fired power plants by 2030, saying they create too much
pollution and are too expensive to operate
Coal-related job in Harlan county have declined from more than 3,000 in 1988 to less
than 1,000 in 2014
In 10 years, the coal mining industry will be much smaller but will be more efficient and
cleaner.

Part III: Analysis

Environmentalists are fighting a never-ending battle with coal-mining companies over the
negative impact that comes from burning coal, but with the increase in potential for natural gas,
solar, or wind energy-run power plants, coal companies are beginning to suffer. Ever since
Trump backed out of the Paris Agreement, coal companies have been fighting in the courtrooms
with false claims that burning coal does not contribute to climate change. A downside to the
reduction in the amount of coal being mined and mines closing has financially impacted
communities that have relied on the mines for employment for past decades. With
unemployment rising in these communities, more people are moving out in search of other
employment, which is another reason these communities are suffering financially.