Jeff Goodell is a contributing editor to both Rolling Stone and The New York Times.  He wrote the New York Times bestseller book “Our Story: 77 Hours That Tested Our Friendship and Our Faith“, which covered the Quecreek Mine accident of 2002.  From this writing experience, he became interested in the coal industry as a whole.  What he finds there is a grim reminder of America’s energy reality.

“Big Coal” refers to the coal-mining industry, the railroad-freight industry, and the electricity companies.  Together they have allot of interdependency and allot of clout.  The book’s order roughly covers the mining, transportation, and burning of coal, taking in-depth detours along the way to discuss miner’s safety, environmental safety, pollution ( both in heavy metals and noxious fumes, ) and global warming.

Unfortunately this book is not fresh on my mind, but there were several notable things:

• the interdependency of the coal-mining, railroad, and power companies.
• the ever increasing demands for energy consumption creating more coal-fired plants, despite their ugly environmental & health impacts.
• the undeniable evidence of the G. W. Bush’s administration giving Big Coal a free-pass.

There were other interesting bits, mostly political intrigue, along with some sorta notable technologies like CO₂ sequestration and coal liquidification processes / IGCC power plat design.

Overall, it was a good book.  I just read through it too fast, and didn’t have enough time to reflect upon it.  2.5 of 4 possible stars.

Gweneth Cravens is a writer and journalist, and was a anti-nuclear activist. She met and debated the merits of nuclear power with Dr. D. Richard (Rip) Anderson over the course of many years, and eventually one day Rip asked her: “Why don’t you go on an American nuclear power tour?” This book is the result of that journey.

This book starts out with her background, and her suspicions, her initial interactions with Rip, and then a chapter by chapter walk through the life of nuclear power, “cradle to grave”. Many fascinating comparisons with all other viable energy sources are discussed, safety analysis dissected, and places visited.

The short, inescapable conclusion is that nuclear is the only viable, safe, and plentiful power source that can carry us through the coming decades, centries, and millenia while allowing us to undo man-made damage to the climate and environment, foremost of which is global climate change.

A fascinating journey, and arguable one of the most important issues of my generation. 4 of 4 possible stars.

About a month ago, one of my MSSM friends, Jen, told me that Mars Hill, Maine was getting a wind farm. And a substantial one at that, being able to provide roughly half of Aroostook County’s residential energy needs. For the details:

FAQ Evergreen Wind Power, LLC’s FAQ on Their Project

Pictures and AP News Article on Initial Construction

Bangor News Project Update

This is great for many reasons, such as support for renewable energy and revitalizing the economy.

I believe this will be a great boon for wind farm projects throughout the area. Already other proposed wind-farm projects are citing the willingness of the people and the progress of the Mars Hill project in their own publications. I hope it succeeds, and gives credence to Wind Farm technology in general.

I also believe it will be great for the economy back home. About 24,000 homes on average could be powered off of this, which should stabilize electricity costs, and hopefully reduce them. The huge influx of property tax from this company to Mars Hill should help that community invest and grow. Publicity of the project should heighten awareness of the region and potentially influence tourism. Not to mention the local construction companies hired to install the facility, and the employees in the area to maintain it.