Today's editorial in the Miami Herald is unexpected: the newspaper actually offers an opinion on the nation's energy future, including the sequence of priorities that Congress should address. The paper took forever to get on the right course, with respect to climate change. Apparently the equivocating is over now.
The Herald editorial page has been timid on our energy future, and on two proposals by Florida Power and Light to expand its facilities in south Florida: a coal-fired plant in Glades county and expansion of the Turkey Point nuclear plant.
Eyeonmiami has commented on both.
The Herald doesn't come out and say no, to the Glades Power Plant--that's unfortunate.
What the Herald does say is: "Coal is abundant, homegrown and fairly inexpensive to produce. But before wider use of coal is encouraged in the United States, it needs the dual applications of better technology and tougher regulatory standards to make it cleaner energy. Meantime, Congress should turn its attention to promoting renewable energies and increasing conservation."
Refusing to permit the Glades Power Plant would send Florida Power and Light the right message.
No more coal, until the technologies are proven to drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions, mercury, and other greenhouse gases.
In the meantime, a national program to incentivize conservation, based on California's model, would go a long way to solving the "emergency" of providing power to fuel future growth in South Florida.
The spin masters for Florida Power and Light should be called off, in South Florida. Put them back writing scripts for "Bob".
The parent corporation gets it right with wind renewable energy in Texas and other parts of the nation: get it right here, too!
Governor Crist and the Cabinet must put the Glades Power Plant proposal on the deep back burner. And the Miami Herald should also, just say no.
4 comments:
There is new attention being turned to coal gasification (coal that has been converted to liquid fule). Coal gasification plants are cleaner than standard coal power plants putting out less sulfur and nitrogen compounds that make smog and acid rain. HOWEVER liquid coal also releases almost double the globalwarming emissions per gallon as regular gasoline.
Translation: Your new hybrid on liquid coal is twice as bad for the air & global warming as a HUMMER!
Maybe the Miami Herald does not want to admit that some day soon it will be an island paper.
An earlier post suggested that coal gasification is cleaner, which is true. It also generates twice the CO2 of other fossil technologies, which is also true. Thing is, the proposed FPL coal plant isn't coal gasification. Instead they want to pulverize coal into a dust and then burn it. Big difference. Big dirty difference.
The latest thing being thrown about by utilities is this SciFi wiz-bang "technology" of carbon sequestration. Problem is it is still largely theory. And in Florida, pumping hot CO2 gas underground would be basically what Coca-cola does to add the fizz to their soda. The stuff will come back up - converting to carbonic acid on the way making for one helluva future sinkhole.
Oh goodness, Mr. Sunshine!
Can we sink the well in Downtown Miami?
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