From mine to power plant, coal rides the rails

[We'll be continually posting updates from the Factuality Tour, so be sure to check back regularly for the latest news from the road.]

While Steve was visiting Black Thunder Mine in Wyoming, he saw coal being loaded onto trains to begin its journey to a power plant near you. In fact, Black Thunder cranks out enough coal to fill 25 miles of railcars a day. That’s a lot of traffic! His next stop, Union Pacific’s Harriman Dispatching Center in Omaha, Neb., went a long way in explaining just how all that coal gets to its next destination.

Watch as Steve learns the in-and-outs of the 24/7, 365-day-a-year job of directing all of Union Pacific’s rail traffic, and come along as he discovers a little bit about our nation’s rail history at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum.

Comments

[Mick Sharp]

Sirs:

I find your exploiting Obama's comments in a recent ad both offensive and irritating. Every time that ad plays I have a Very negative reaction. Obama will soon be running your industry. Then we will see that type of ad incessantly. My question: Are you running the ad out of fear? -M

[Eric]

Mike... huh?

[Monica from ACCCE]

This is from a letter that Joe Lucas sent to Greenpeace about the ad:

“Throughout the 2008 campaign, President Obama spoke on numerous occasions about American coal’s role in a diverse energy portfolio that creates jobs, promotes energy independence, and, through the use of advanced technologies, allows us to make good on the commitment to reduce the environmental footprint of energy production in this country – including technologies that will allow for the capture and safe storage of CO2 for coal and other fossil-fueled power plants. President Obama’s views were expressed in town hall meetings, on the campaign’s website, in his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, and in televised debates with Senator McCain.

President Obama has not wavered from that support as evidenced by remarks he has made during the transition, as well as in passages on the updated www.whitehouse.gov website (where the Administration continues to note the fact that investments in clean coal technologies create jobs for American workers).”

I hope that helps. For a full copy of the letter, click
here.

[Concerned]

Our children will see todays coal trains like we now see the cattle trains in 1930's Germany. You say 'clean coal' is a tough task but you have achieved much and so must press on.

Well the answer is simple. Just STOP, we know where you are taking us. Rather use your resources in simple ways that might not be as profitable to you but are for the greater good. This is your last chance to act sincerely, to make amends with generations to come whose future you have externalized so profitably.

Why take this plea seriously?
We are blessed to be living in the 1st age of mankind where we can accurately measure our impact.

We therefore will stand before history for the 1st time, without the defense that "we did not know".

[Monica from ACCCE]

Concerned: If only it were that easy. But the reality of this is all is that we rely on coal today, and will need to rely on coal for the foreseeable future, both here in the U.S. and around the world. Generating electricity from coal is less expensive than other fuels, and coal makes up half of America’s power.

The other part of this challenge is that when people talk about alternative energy resources, they usually mean solar and wind. These are not replacements for coal. Electricity is produced in base-load power and peaking power. Base-load power is the energy necessary to keep the electricity grid energized and meet a constant demand.

Peaking power is energy that comes on and off throughout the day, when electricity usage and energy demand goes up. Peaking power uses intermittent power resources like solar and wind that produce electricity only when there’s sufficient direct sunlight or sufficient sustained wind speed. For base-load power, you must use so-called hard-path fuels such as coal, which can provide power 24 hours per day.

To help you understand more, I want you to take a look at our factoids page on our Web site. I think you’ll be surprised with what you find.

[StanUlam]

Here is a blog site attempting to offer an unbiased science-base persepective on energy and envronmental issues.

http://www.paenergytrail.blogspot.com/

[Monica from ACCCE]

StanUlam: Thanks for the tip. We’re always looking for new, scientific energy blogs to read up on. Have you checked out the America’s Power Factuality Tour yet? It’s a country-wide road trip in search of the people, places and technologies involved in producing cleaner electricity from domestic coal. I think you’d be interested in our latest tour stop – Tenaska Energy Headquarters in Omaha, Neb. They play a huge role in bringing innovative clean coal technology to the energy market.