OT: Is this something we really want to be #1 in?

[Blueskies]

Blame coal: Texas leads carbon emissions
By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer Sat Jun 2, 12:45 PM ET
WASHINGTON - America may spew more greenhouse gases than any other country, but some states are astonishingly more prolific polluters than others — and it's not always the ones you might expect.



The Associated Press analyzed state-by-state emissions of carbon dioxide from 2003, the latest U.S. Energy Department numbers available. The review shows startling differences in states' contribution to climate change.

The biggest reason? The burning of high-carbon coal to produce cheap electricity.

_Wyoming's coal-fired power plants produce more carbon dioxide in just eight hours than the power generators of more populous Vermont do in a year.

_Texas, the leader in emitting this greenhouse gas, cranks out more than the next two biggest producers combined, California and Pennsylvania, which together have twice Texas' population.

_In sparsely populated Alaska, the carbon dioxide produced per person by all the flying and driving is six times the per capita amount generated by travelers in New York state.

"There's no question that some states have made choices to be greener than others," said former top Energy Department official Joseph Romm, author of the new book "Hell and High Water" and executive director of a nonprofit energy conservation group.

The disparity in carbon dioxide emissions is one of the reasons there is no strong national effort to reduce global warming gases, some experts say. National emissions dipped ever so slightly last year, but that was mostly because of mild weather, according to the Energy Department.

"Some states are benefiting from both cheap electricity while polluting the planet and make all the rest of us suffer the consequences of global warming," said Frank O'Donnell, director of the Washington environmental group Clean Air Watch. "I don't think that's fair at all."

He noted that the states putting out the most carbon dioxide are doing the least to control it, except for California.

Several federal and state officials say it's unfair and nonsensical to examine individual states' contribution to what is a global problem.

"If the atmosphere could talk it wouldn't say, 'Kudos to California, not so good to Wyoming'," said assistant energy secretary Alexander "Andy" Karsner. "It would say, 'Stop sending me emissions.'"

Some coal-burning states note that they are providing electricity to customers beyond their borders, including Californians. Wyoming is the largest exporter of energy to other states, Gov. Dave Freudenthal told The Associated Press.

He said two-thirds of the state's carbon footprint "is a consequence of energy that is developed to feed the rest of the national economy. That doesn't mean that somehow then it's good carbon, I'm just saying that's why those numbers come out the way are," Freudenthal said.

And the massive carbon dioxide-spewing and power-gobbling refineries of Texas and Louisiana fuel an oil-hungry nation, whose residents whine when gasoline prices rise.

However, some of the disparities are stunning.

On a per-person basis, Wyoming spews more carbon dioxide than any other state or any other country: 276,000 pounds of it per capita a year, thanks to burning coal, which provides nearly all of the state's electrical power.

Yet, just next door to the west, Idaho emits the least carbon dioxide per person, less than 23,000 pounds a year. Idaho forbids coal power plants. It relies mostly on non-polluting hydroelectric power from its rivers.

Texas, where coal barely edges out cleaner natural gas as the top power source, belches almost 1 1/2 trillion pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. That's more than every nation in the world except six: the United States, China, Russia, Japan, India and Germany.

Of course, Texas is a very populous state. North Dakota isn't, but its power plants crank out 68 percent more carbon dioxide than New Jersey, which has 13 times North Dakota's residents.

And while Californians have cut their per-person carbon dioxide emissions by 11 percent from 1990 to 2003, Nebraskans have increased their per capita emissions by 16 percent over the same time frame.

Officials in Wyoming, North Dakota and Alaska say numbers in their states are skewed because of their small populations. But Vermont, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia are similar in size and have one-12th the per-capita emissions of Wyoming.

A lot of it comes down to King Coal.

Burning coal accounts for half of America's electricity. And coal produces more carbon dioxide than any other commonly used U.S. fuel source. The states that rely the most on coal — Wyoming, North Dakota, West Virginia, Indiana — generally produce the most carbon dioxide pollution per person, but also have the cheapest electric rates.

States that shun coal — Vermont, Idaho, California, Rhode Island — and turn to nuclear, hydroelectric and natural gas, produce the least carbon dioxide but often at higher costs for consumers.

It's unfair to pin all the blame on the coal-using states, said Washington lawyer Jeffrey Holmstead, who as an attorney at Bracewell Giuliani represents coal-intensive utilities and refineries. Holmstead is the former Bush administration air pollution regulator who ruled that carbon dioxide was not a pollutant, a decision that was overturned recently by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Coal-fired generation is the most economical, least expensive way to produce power almost anywhere in the world," he said. He argued that outlawing such plants would have little overall impact globally; however, the U.S. has long been the leading global source of carbon emissions.

Instead of trying to wean themselves from coal, Texas government officials went out of their way to encourage the state's biggest utility, TXU Corp., to plan for 11 new coal-burning power plants that would have produced even more carbon dioxide. The strategy collapsed when an investor group buying TXU cut a deal with environmentalists to drop plans to build most of the coal plants.

The Texas state agency charged with monitoring the environment declined to comment on carbon dioxide emissions. Spokeswoman Andrea Morrow said the gas "is not a regulated pollutant." Frank Maisano, a lobbyist and spokesman for Bracewell Giuliani, which also has offices in Texas, defended the state saying, "these net exporters of energy are always going to produce more carbon dioxide."

Emissions from generating electricity account for the largest chunk of U.S. greenhouse gases, nearly 40 percent. Transportation emissions are close behind, contributing about one-third of U.S. production of carbon dioxide. States with mass transit and cities, such as New York, come out cleaner than those with wide expanses that rely solely on cars, trucks and airplanes, like Alaska.

Alaska, which stands out for its carbon dioxide production, also stands out as one of the early victims of climate change. Its glaciers are melting, its permafrost thawing, and coastal and island villages will soon be swallowed by the sea. Alaska ranked No. 1 in per-person emissions for transportation, which includes driving, flying, shipping and rail traffic.

That's not the state's fault, says Tom Chapple, director of the state Division of Air Quality. Its sheer expanse requires a lot of air travel. And Anchorage ranked No. 2 nationally in air cargo traffic.

For people who want to reduce their household emissions, or their "carbon footprint," the state where they live really does matter.

After seeing Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," Gregg Cawley used one of the many calculators available online to determine his "carbon footprint." The University of Wyoming professor lives in a small one-bedroom apartment and drives a moderately efficient Subaru, so he figured he contributes less to global warming than the average American.

But the calculations showed otherwise. They suggested Cawley produces more carbon dioxide than most Americans. Even if he reduced his energy consumption, the numbers would hardly budge. "My God," he thought, "what do I have to do to my lifestyle to change this?"

Then he changed his home state in the equation. He took out Wyoming and plugged in Washington state.

"I came in way low. I said, 'That's the problem. I live in the wrong damn state.'"

That simple hypothetical change of address cut his personal emissions by nearly three tons of carbon dioxide a year.

___

Associated Press writers Bob Moen in Cheyenne, Wyo.; Paul J. Weber in Dallas; Dan Joling in Anchorage, Alaska; Terence Chea in San Francisco; and Mike Hill in Albany, N.Y., contributed to this report.[/img]

[nikki]

I'm suprised Maryland wasn't included in this article. We have really poor air quality here, and we also have one of the highest cancer death rates in the nation due to that very fact. It's especially bad if you live near the Port of Baltimore, near where the Beth Steel and Lever Brother plants are located. We might not be one of the highest in coal emissions, but we do have toxic air here. Interesting article.

[AR]

I'm suprised Maryland wasn't included in this article. We have really poor air quality here, and we also have one of the highest cancer death rates in the nation due to that very fact. It's especially bad if you live near the Port of Baltimore, near where the Beth Steel and Lever Brother plants are located. We might not be one of the highest in coal emissions, but we do have toxic air here. Interesting article.

And our governor is a lying prick who said he could stop the 50% BGE power rate increase. He blamed it on the previous administration, who had nothing to do with it. Paris Glendenning was the governor at the time the price controls were put in place.

We also need slots to save the Preakness.

Funny that we have such a high polution rate with a state virtually controlled by the Democratic party which is supposedly so eco-friendly.

I hate politicians. Repubs and Dems both. The 2 party system is a total failure and Maryland politicos are real pieces of work.

[SteveForever]

I hate politicians. Repubs and Dems both. The 2 party system is a total failure and Maryland politicos are real pieces of work.

Me too. Gore will run for President.
It might be Clinton and Gore again on the ticket, but who will take Vice?

[Sassie]

You can't trust any of them any more. It's scary.

[NealIsGod]

I'm suprised Maryland wasn't included in this article. We have really poor air quality here, and we also have one of the highest cancer death rates in the nation due to that very fact. It's especially bad if you live near the Port of Baltimore, near where the Beth Steel and Lever Brother plants are located. We might not be one of the highest in coal emissions, but we do have toxic air here. Interesting article.

That's it, I'm moving.

[7 Wishes]

One party is definitely more trust-worthy, honest, realistic, and concerned about the real causes of terrorism, the environment, and healthcare than the other. Just do the math.

[stevew2]

I'm suprised Maryland wasn't included in this article. We have really poor air quality here, and we also have one of the highest cancer death rates in the nation due to that very fact. It's especially bad if you live near the Port of Baltimore, near where the Beth Steel and Lever Brother plants are located. We might not be one of the highest in coal emissions, but we do have toxic air here. Interesting article.

That's it, I'm moving.

Yeh Nig move down here to southern Md near the nuke plant. We ve got a high cancer rate here also.

[NealIsGod]

I'm suprised Maryland wasn't included in this article. We have really poor air quality here, and we also have one of the highest cancer death rates in the nation due to that very fact. It's especially bad if you live near the Port of Baltimore, near where the Beth Steel and Lever Brother plants are located. We might not be one of the highest in coal emissions, but we do have toxic air here. Interesting article.

That's it, I'm moving.

Yeh Nig move down here to southern Md near the nuke plant. We ve got a high cancer rate here also.

I've already done my time in that part of the state.

[AR]

One party is definitely more trust-worthy, honest, realistic, and concerned about the real causes of terrorism, the environment, and healthcare than the other. Just do the math.

Not really - they are virtually the same. All controlled by special interests. Like Geddy Lee sings "Big Money goes around the world". Having all of our thoughts and ideas as a nation conform to 2 parties or either the left or the right is retarded. You have to kiss major ass to get elected to office.

[nikki]

And our governor is a lying prick who said he could stop the 50% BGE power rate increase. He blamed it on the previous administration, who had nothing to do with it. Paris Glendenning was the governor at the time the price controls were put in place.

We also need slots to save the Preakness.

Funny that we have such a high polution rate with a state virtually controlled by the Democratic party which is supposedly so eco-friendly.

I hate politicians. Repubs and Dems both. The 2 party system is a total failure and Maryland politicos are real pieces of work.[/quote]

You said it. Why can't they get it together and at least try to do something like they did with last year's increase. I dread looking at my BG&E bills this summer, but I'm not going to sacrifice my comfort to save money. One way or another, we're getting screwed, so I may as well live in comfort. Never thought I'd be working extra hours just to keep cool this summer (I already put in a mandatory 50 hour work week as it is!!).

[AR]

You said it. Why can't they get it together and at least try to do something like they did with last year's increase. I dread looking at my BG&E bills this summer, but I'm not going to sacrifice my comfort to save money. One way or another, we're getting screwed, so I may as well live in comfort. Never thought I'd be working extra hours just to keep cool this summer (I already put in a mandatory 50 hour work week as it is!!).

Totally agree!

[Rockindeano]

Last year, in California, I spent 0 dollars for heat, and 40 dollars for A/C.

Hahahahaha, fuck you easterners!

[nikki]

Last year, in California, I spent 0 dollars for heat, and 40 dollars for A/C.

Hahahahaha, fuck you easterners!

Enjoy it while you can, my friend. The higher-ups out there are already scheeming to drain your wallet in other ways, I'm sure.

[Rick]

Last year, in California, I spent 0 dollars for heat, and 40 dollars for A/C.

Hahahahaha, fuck you easterners!

Us Texans too. I spent over $300 for A/C in one month. In a dinky apartment. That article about Texas being the biggest polluter, and how they should be ashamed of themselves for polluting just for the sake of cheap electricity is a joke. There's nothing cheap about any utility here.

[Rockindeano]

Last year, in California, I spent 0 dollars for heat, and 40 dollars for A/C.

Hahahahaha, fuck you easterners!

Enjoy it while you can, my friend. The higher-ups out there are already scheeming to drain your wallet in other ways, I'm sure.

Just in your area yesterday, as well as the South. I loved it, but I have to be honest, once I stepped into California, NO humidity.

I will enjoy it thank you.

[Ms_M]

Last year, in California, I spent 0 dollars for heat, and 40 dollars for A/C.

Hahahahaha, fuck you easterners!

Us Texans too. I spent over $300 for A/C in one month. In a dinky apartment. That article about Texas being the biggest polluter, and how they should be ashamed of themselves for polluting just for the sake of cheap electricity is a joke. There's nothing cheap about any utility here.

Definitely no cheap electricity here. My gas bill has come WAY down, but the electric bill is creeping up. I can practically here the little thingy (it's late and I can't remember what you call it) turning right now. It's already up in the 90s the first week of June - what is August going to be like? OY!