River of Sludge Wipes Out Tenn. Homes

Huge spill of coal ash has locals worried

(NEWSER) - EPA officials are working through Christmas running tests on a river of sludge that inundated 400 acres in Tennessee, the Tennessean reports. The gloop, coal ash waste that spilled from a power plant retention pond early Monday, is suspected of containing high levels of arsenic, lead, mercury, and other toxins. Officials say water from contaminated rivers is still safe, but residents are skeptical. More»

(NEWSER) - China's inefficient power plants and heavy reliance on coal are dragging down global efforts to curb climate change, a Greenpeace report warned yesterday. The report found that major Chinese power companies are responsible for a huge amount of the country's coal use and emissions, with the top three producers alone creating more carbon dioxide emissions than the total for all of Britain, the Guardian reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Clean coal is a myth, and the companies selling it “have their heads stuck in the mine,” Thomas Kostigen writes on MarketWatch. Although Americans generate close to 50% of their energy from coal, the technology is so yesterday—and the industry is not poised to move forward. It “should be looking to invest in its own replacement,” Kostigen writes, “because someone somewhere is going to invent it, and then where will they be?” More»

Federal judges reverse position on clean air rule, giving Obama time to replace it

(NEWSER) - A federal appeals court has decided that a flawed clean air law is better than no clean air law, the New York Times reports. Reversing an earlier judgment, the court ruled to temporarily reinstate the Clean Air Interstate Rule—which limits emissions from coal-fired power plants in 28 states—while the EPA works to fix the rule’s “fundamental flaws.” The rule goes into effect January 1. More»

Paper: It's been online since January

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin apparently believes the San Francisco Chronicle suppressed a January interview with Barack Obama, in which he threatens to bankrupt the coal industry. “You gotta listen to the tape,” Palin told an Ohio crowd yesterday. “Why is this audio tape just now surfacing? This interview was given many months ago.” To the crowd, the answer was obvious—“Liberal media!” someone shouted—but the Chronicle says it posted the interview in full online in January. More»