"And Big Coal has designs to more than double that tonnage by opening a direct export route to Asia, shipping coal strip-mined from the Powder River Basin, in Wyoming and Montana, by rail to a network of planned export terminals in the Pacific Northwest, and then by sea to China. These new coal exports have received far less attention than Keystone XL, ..." Huh? Out here in the Pacific Northwest, the coal trains to feed those planned terminals have received far more attention than Keystone. They are a very contentious issue.
Per capita we are exporting way more Global warming than the US. The other thing that really annoys me is that we, i.e. the citizens of Australia, who own those resources are getting next to nothing in return. E.g. our biggest mining company made $3 billion (if memory serves) profit and paid $200 million in tax. We are quite literally being robbed.
Interesting MoJo thanks for posting. I was expecting discussion on coal export, instead also got info on petroleum coke (petcoke). Petcoke is a refinery by-product very much like coal, has been made probably 100-yrs now...re: dust, if someone is transporting/handling this material improperly, that issue needs to be fixed. Overall, although USA has made much progress reducing CO2 emissions within our own boundaries, if you look however at how much Carbon is extracted in USA and emitted globally, believe that number is going up for USA.
Exporting fossil energy and outsourcing manufacturing both contribute here. But the CO2 comes back around, so everybody gets 'their share'.
+1 The way to reduce coke, is to reduce gasoline and diesel use. I'm all for that. The gulf refineries can handle coke fine, but its a hazzard in the midwest where they are doing a bad job. Definitely think it should be handled right. We can burry it or export it, and since exporting it brings money into the US, and reduces the need to mine coal with the land and water pollution involved, I say we keep on exporting it. China Imported More Coal Than Any Country In History In 2012, As Projected Global Coal Demand Slows | ThinkProgress Falling Chinese domestic thermal coal prices pose risk for imports - Coal | Platts News Article & Story Bottom line is the BRIC + Japan should be importing less in the future, and there are plenty of countries to export coal. The only way the US could be blamed is if it had a price fixing coal cartel with Australia, Indonesia, and the other coal exporting countries. If we import goods produced with that exported coal, then the US is also to blame. The problem is not with the sellers its with the consumers, and the US should help them burn the coal cleaner and more efficienty. Exporting fracking technology to produce more natural gas may also reduce coal pollution, but that is a different discussion. I'm sure they have locally, but nationally the DNC and some enviromental groups sierra and 350.org have made keystone the national issue. I think this hurts them as it doesn't make sense to unions, democrats, republicans, or independants. Keystone is supported by those that want less influence of opec. Continued Support for Keystone XL Pipeline | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press It seems like from the state department, if we reject keystone, more ghg pollution will be produced by the trucks and trains. Block the border, canada will simply ship it to china, again increasing ghg versus building keystone. Now that other issue, should the US allow corporations to strip mine and use mountaintop removal to export coal? I am sure that has much better support to block these things. Markey Releases Report on Increase in Coal Exports | The House Committee on Natural Resources - Democrats - Ranking Member Peter DeFazio I'm sure this is an issue that more people have problems with. If the US doesn't export the coal, other countries will, but why allow coal companies to wreck the environment to mine and export coal. btw: Mining companies use strip mining and mountain top removal because they can do it with less people. That is right strip mining destroys jobs, and hurts the environment. Senator Byrd is dead, and he was the biggest Senate supporter of destroying the environment and jobs with these mining methods. Doing it in a more environmentally friendly manner may reduce output as we won't be able to compete on price internationally, but that may ironically create jobs, as shaft mining requires mining companies to hire more people for less output.
