No new coal plants were built in 2009. According to the Sierra Club, twenty-six coal-fired power plants were “defeated or abandoned” in 2009. Does this mean that the climate movement that has been calling for the end of coal is stopping the coal industry? Many have been arguing instead that this is another result of the economic downturn.
In a press release, the Sierra Club credits “widespread public opposition, rising costs, increasing financial risks and concerns over future carbon regulations” for stopping these coal plants.
From the mine, to the plant, to the ash, 2009 has not been a good year for the coal industry. The Obama Administration has blocked most new permits to bury streams with waste as part of mountaintop removal mining operations, and is also increasing oversight of existing mining operations in Appalachia. …
Among the coal plants defeated or abandoned this year are the massive American Municipal Power coal plant proposed in Ohio and the Big Stone II plant in South Dakota. Developers pulled the plug on both projects, despite having successfully finished the permitting process, because of rising concerns about the sharply escalating costs and the promise of future carbon regulations. A new Washington Post survey found that almost two-thirds of Americans support federal regulations to reduce global warming pollution from power plants.
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"2009 has been a remarkable year in our fight for clean energy," said Bruce Nilles, Director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. "Although there are still about 90 remaining proposals, the landscape has shifted 180-degrees. Communities across America have become aware about the danger of coal and have organized to stop these projects from moving forward. The public is rising up, demanding cleaner energy, and developers and investors are taking note. There is a shift going on across America as companies realign away from old dirty practices involving coal and toward cleaner energy options, including wind, solar and becoming more efficient."
The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects coal consumption to rise by 4% in 2010 as the economy strengthens, which poses an interesting question for the Sierra Club. If the current decline in coal development is a result of activism, will it continue to be effective in 2010? Will 2009 be the end of new coal? Weigh in below.