Coal Power
Currently America's main source of electric energy is coal, which accounts for 1.97 PW per year or 52% of America's electric energy. We are currently extremely dependent on it for a number of different reasons. Coal is a reliable source of energy. Which is very abundant in the United States, one fourth of the world's supply of coal is found with in the borders of the United States. This supply will allow America to remain independent from other countries for energy, for at least the next 250 years. Coal also gives Americans a stable and cheap source of energy. Allowing Americans to run business and meet utilities needs for the home, without having to worry about fluctuations in prices. Coal also creates huge amounts of money and jobs into the United States economy. Last year coal brought in $161 billion dollars into the U.S. economy, while supplying 81,000 people with jobs. Despite this, Coal also has a large down side, its mining and byproducts created when burning; cause an enormous strain on the environment. The process of creating coal energy leads to environmental problems such as global warming, smog, acid rain, poor air quality, radioactive materials in the environment, and soil degradation. Our policy
on coal is reducing this percentage from 52% to 44% over the next 25 years. Although, we expect over the next 25-year the electric energy needs in the United States will rise by 50%, causing our overall use of coal power generation to rise from 1.97 PW to 2.5 PW per year. We will require that 100% of operating power plants meet with our regulations plans. Currently only 23% of the largest 1000 fossil fuel-fired power plants in the U.S. are subject to pollution controls under the Clean Air Act. http://www.senate.gov/member/vt/leahy/general/issues/environment/ca_stats.html Companies not meeting our new regulations in a timely manor will be taken off line, until they meet with these and any other new emissions regulations of the time. To make these new installations possible and economical for the coal power plant companies, we propose that the government give these private energy companies large low interest loans to cover their large expenses. Theses loan will be paid back over the next 25 years. So to meet this large demand we are going to have to continue using and renovating old power plants. These power plants will be force to meet our new and much more strict set of emissions regulations standards. We will also have to build new power plants to meet our additional needs. The current power plants in the United States are extremely inefficient. They only convert one third of the coal they burn into energy while producing many environmentally harmful byproducts. http://www.senate.gov/member/vt/leahy/general/issues/environment/ca_stats.html We feel that these byproducts of coal can be greatly reduced. We estimate that over the next 25-y
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Approximate Word count = 1122
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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