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.