Author: tikarf

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E.P.A. Halts Coal Ash Deposits

Lydersen, Kari. “Coal Ash Crackdown Continues as EPA Denies Extensions for Six Power Plants.” Energy News Network, 26 Jan. 2023, https://energynews.us/2023/01/25/coal-ash-crackdown-continues-as-epa-denies-extensions-for-six-coal-plants/. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied an extension for six power plants to continue their coal ash deposits. Through a 2015 ruling, companies were to stop their coal ash deposits in unlined or poorly lined pits because of the water contamination that is of consequence. They were to stop the deposits by April of 2021, however, many companies have continued their practices due to a lack of enforcement. However, in January of 2023, the EPA denied six plants an extension to ash deposits so they are required to find other places to deposit the ash. The EPA has been carefully considering applications and testing waters and liners to make sure they are up to par. There is mass pushback from these companies who argue they do not have enough time to relocate their ash, however, the EPA is sticking to its initial ruling. 

 

I’m glad that the EPA is enforcing its regulations even when many large businesses are trying to avoid them. Ash deposits from these power plants are contaminating water and harming people and wildlife at an external cost. Considering that it has been eight years since this law has been put into effect, I do not feel remorse for the businesses that believed that they were above the law. I hope that the EPA continues to enforce its rules and does that job of protecting the environment. 

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The Nuclear Phase-Out

Pancevski, Bojan. “Germany to Keep Last Three Nuclear-Power Plants Running in Policy U-Turn.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 18 Aug. 2022, https://www.wsj.com/articles/germany-to-keep-last-three-nuclear-power-plants-running-in-policy-u-turn-11660661914. 

Germany was set to close their last three nuclear power plants by the ned of 2022, however, their lack of access to natural gas and energy is causing them to keep them reopened. Because of mass political chaos in many European nations, Germany’s major supplier of gas, Russia, is no longer exporting to them. This has caused an energy threat, leading Germany to keep their power plants which are not supposed to run in 2023 because of needed maintenance. However, there are many people and political parties in Germany that are in mass support of removing these power plants, causing even more chaos within the nation. Germany is also recommending energy consumption be cut by 20% to sustain what they have access to. Many politicians and scientists are studying whether or not keeping the power plants would help Germany’s energy crisis and some are taking legal action against their choice to keep the plants active. 

 

This article addresses the big issue of what situations call for environmental protection to be broken. This logic can be applied to many other scenarios like the dam in Jasper Ridge. Given that it is a time of minimal energy production, it makes sense why Germany would want to keep their power plants, however, it does set a bad precedent of environmental protection being a second thought. I think that they should keep the three power plants up until their energy access is back to normal, but they should fulfill their promise to phase out nuclear energy soon after. At the same time, I hope that they make regulations to limit people’s energy consumption so everyone can do their part in protecting the limited energy resources. 

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Coal to Nuclear Transition

“Doe Report Finds Hundreds of Retiring Coal Plant Sites Could Convert to Nuclear.” Energy.gov, 13 Sept. 2022, https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/doe-report-finds-hundreds-retiring-coal-plant-sites-could-convert-nuclear. 

In an attempt to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the Department of Energy (DOE) released a report on the process by which coal plant sites are being converted into nuclear power plants. The study found 157 retired and 237 active coal plants that be candidates for this alteration. The change would be very costly however, some of the preexisting materials could be reused, making it less expensive than building a nuclear plant from scratch.  Additionally, this would provide many more jobs than the coal industry did. A case study concluded that a region on nuclear energy could lessen their greenhouse gas emissions by up to 86% which is a significant step toward cleaner energy. Additionally, the switch to nuclear energy would be a lot more sustainable and long-lasting. Because clean energy is in the perceived future, this change may happen very soon. 

I think that it is a good idea to start figuring out the logistics of mass-scale nuclear power plants. Coal plants are not ideal because they are very environmentally harmful and are only a short-term solution to the energy crisis. I’m glad that they are looking at repurposing coal mines because after they are abandoned, all of the material that went to waste could’ve been used for other projects. I’m curious as to how much cheaper it would be to make a nuclear power plant from a coal plant compared to making it from scratch. When working properly, nuclear energy is much better for the environment and more reliable than coal so I hope that they begin to roll out this transition soon.

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Seeking Solutions: Clean Energy

Valk, Steve. “Are Clean Technologies and Renewable Energies Better for the Environment than Fossil Fuels?” Citizens’ Climate Lobby, 15 Dec. 2022, https://citizensclimatelobby.org/blog/blog/are-clean-technologies-and-renewable-energies-better-for-the-environment-than-fossil-fuels/. 

This article addresses some of the major concerns of clean energy and why it is better than fossil fuels. The first point is that it requires much less drilling than fossil fuels. While roughly 8 billion tons of fossil fuels needed to be mined each year, the transition to clean energy estimates only 3.5 billion tons for 3 decades. Additionally, most of the metal that is used to make these renewable sources of energy, like wind turbines, can be recycled. There are also many health effects that would not be a risk with renewable energy, like air pollution. The next concern they addressed was the amount of space it would require for wind turbines. Because wind turbines are very spread apart, they can give the appearance that they take up a lot of space, however, the land in between turbines can be used for farming and animal grazing. Another concern was the harmful process by which lithium is mined. Two ways to go around this are either to extract it from geothermal plants or use sodium-ion batteries. The final concern they address is regarding the human rights violations of lithium mining. A lot of lithium used is mined in the Republic of Congo and a lack of regulations has made it very dangerous for people to mine there. The writer suggests that corporations seek to purchase these metals from nations with good human rights to discourage those without them. 

 

I appreciated that the writer took the time to address many of the relevant fears that are holding people back from switching to clean sources of energy. The data was very informative and gave a solution or alternative in all the cases where there were negatives about clean energy. However, I really liked their point about having to have lithium come from a place with good human rights. Is it truly clean energy if people are being harmed in the making of it? This brings up the issues of exploitation and danger in the production of energy that is rarely talked about. Not only as citizens do we have the role to make sure that we are incorporating renewable sources of energy with minimal harm to the environment, but corporations need to make sure that they are supporting businesses that harvest their minerals humanely. 

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Is Fracking the Future?

BBC Editors. “What Is Fracking and Why Is It Controversial?” BBC News, BBC, 26 Oct. 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-14432401. 

Fracking is one of the most widely used methods of extracting natural gas — a natural gas commonly used for heating and generating electricity. Fracking is the method in which a highly pressurized mixture of water and chemicals is injected into underground rocks to break them apart. The natural gas released from these rocks is collected and redistributed for human use. Though fracking is an effective way to harvest natural gas, it has many environmental concerns. One of the biggest concerns is its ability to contaminate large bodies of water. When the chemicals used in the process of fracking are released into the waterways, they become polluted and serve as major health risks for humans and wildlife. It can also release methane into the atmosphere which is a highly concentrated greenhouse gas. 

 

While there are major health effects of removing natural gas through this method, I do think that it is the most effective. Though there are many health hazards to fracking, it still remains one of the safest ways to remove natural gas. The best way to prevent the consequences of fracking is to target the source. If we reduce the amount of natural gas we consume, there will be less of a demand to harvest it, therefore we can avoid the amount of fracking that takes place. We can do this through simple lifestyle changes such as taking cooler showers or turning the heat off when we leave our house. Overall, I think fracking should continue however, we need to be considerate about how it affects people and companies should be responsible for paying the external costs. 

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What They Don’t Want You Knowing — Fossil Fuels

Denchak, M. (2022, June 1). Fossil fuels: The dirty facts. NRDC. Retrieved August 16, 2022, from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/fossil-fuels-dirty-facts 

This article addresses the reality of fossil fuels and how they are found. Fossil fuels are deep into the ground so in order to dig them up, people use different methods which can greatly affect the environment. Some of the effects of drilling and burning fossil fuels are water pollution, global warming, pollution, and ocean acidification. Considering that 80% of the U.S.’s energy needs come from the burning of fossil fuels, it is clear that relying so much on them is detrimental to the environment and the condition of the world. 

People only see the energy that they use but do not think about how the environment was affected in order to receive that energy. This article outlines the effects that fossil fuels have on the environment, populations, and our own success. It continues to push us towards a more sustainable lifestyle because it lists out all the ways we are harming the environment. We have made lots of progress with renewable energy so if we continue on that path we are to begin to lessen the severity of our climate change crisis. 

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Limiting Energy Intensive Cryptomining Passes

Hill, M. (2022, June 3). Landmark bill to limit energy-intensive cryptomining passes New York legislature. PBS. Retrieved August 16, 2022, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/landmark-bill-to-limit-energy-intensive-cryptomining-passes-new-york-legislature 

Earlier this year, Albany, New York passed a bill that would limit the amount of fossil fuel energy that could be used for cryptocurrency mining. The process of mining cryptocurrency uses generators that require absurd amounts of energy. To supply all of this energy, many fossil fuels have to be burned. This heavily impacts the environment and continues to push us into a climate crisis. This bill would not only halt some cryptocurrency mining but would also limit the number of fossil fuels burned into the atmosphere. 

 

This bill is one way to limit the excessive use of energy created from fossil fuels. We need to limit the number of fossil fuels being used, especially in excess, so this is a step in the right direction. If we continue to let cryptocurrency mining consume so much energy from power plants, we begin to threaten our environment greatly. It is not sustainable; therefore we have a right to limit their usage and lead them in a renewable-energy direction. 

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Is the Inflation Reduction Act Truly a Solution?

Earthworks, A. M. (2022, August 4). Harmful mining provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act. Earthworks. Retrieved August 16, 2022, from https://earthworks.org/blog/harmful-mining-provisions-in-the-inflation-reduction-act/ 

This article discusses the Inflation Reduction Act as well as other issues that are not addressed by the act. The passing of this act encourages the purchase and usage of renewable energy through transitions from gas-run cars to electric cars or renewable energy: solar panels. That said it does forget to account for the high amounts of pollution created in the production of parts for these environmentally-friendly alternatives. In order to truly find a sustainable solution to the climate crisis, we need to find ways to limit pollution through the usage of certain goods and their production. 

 

I appreciate how this article addresses issues such as the pollution that is created during the production of energy-efficient solutions. It is important to try to make all aspects of our life sustainable even if we didn’t directly cause the pollution. For example, purchasing solar panels that required lots of energy from fossil fuels to create would not be efficient. However, I do not like the journalist’s all-or-nothing take. While it is ideal to pass bills that enforce zero pollution, it is not realistic in our current day society. Whilst it does not reach perfection we can still appreciate the strides that people have taken to lessen their carbon footprint. 

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Repurposing Old Mines for Hydroelectric Pumps

Sidortsov, Roman, et al. “New Research Shows Old Mines Hold the Power to Energize Communities.” Michigan Technological University, 8 Aug. 2022, https://www.mtu.edu/news/2022/08/new-research-shows-old-mines-hold-the-power-to-energize-communities.html. 

When searching for more renewable energy sources, researchers came up with a way to do so using old mines. There are many abandoned mines that were left after they have been drawn of all their minerals. The researchers want to convert those mines into hydroelectric pumps. The value of hydroelectric pumps is that they are reliable—unlike wind or solar, they continue to produce electricity at all times, while also being a sustainable source of energy. 

I think that this is a very good idea. In the world there are many mines that are not being used today, so why shouldn’t we utilize them to produce more renewable energy? Additionally, hydroelectric energy has far fewer drawbacks than solar and wind. If there is no wind or sunlight, energy is no longer produced. Hydroelectric energy is produced by the conversion of potential energy to mechanical energy by powering the turbines. Still, there are some concerns about producing energy in this form. People are questioning whether polluted water would affect the result. Another concern is the aesthetics of the turbines. All considered, I still believe they should continue building more hydroelectric pumps from abandoned mines as the pros outweigh the cons.  

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The Inflation Reduction Act was passed!

Isaacs-Thomas, I. (2022, August 11). What the inflation reduction act does for green energy. PBS. Retrieved August 16, 2022, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/what-the-inflation-reduction-act-does-for-green-energy 

Recently, the Inflation Reduction Act was passed to veer Americans away from fossil fuels; instead reaching towards green, renewable energy. This act provided citizens with financial incentives to make such a drastic switch — the most significant being electric cars and the installation of solar panels. As of right now, practicing a green lifestyle comes at a luxury cost but this act is meant to help lower-income citizens participate in lessening their carbon footprint. The goal by 2030 is for Americans to reduce their carbon footprint to 40% of what it was in 2005.

 

The Inflation Reduction Act is a strategic way to steer Americans away from relying solely on non-renewable energy sources by introducing more sustainable sources of energy. Many are hesitant to decrease their carbon footprint because it comes at a premium cost; however, when the financial burden is no longer taken into account, I believe that many people will make the switch. I think that this is a good way to encourage people to integrate renewable energy into their lifestyle until it becomes a normal system. Most importantly, it greatly helps the worsening climate change crisis that we have caused, which continues to grow.