Oh, coal is so clean, clean, clean! You see, even if you try to capture the nastiness coming out of those coall-fired plant smoke stacks, nastiness they call "fly ash," well, you just dump that crud in a pond and you’re done! Problem is, all the nastiness in the fly ash leaches out and contaminates every thing! (The News-Herald) Yup, there’s even mercury in the fly ash for the fish to eat, which can cause brain damage in our kids when they eat the fish or nurse from their fish-eating mothers!
Ooo. The Reid Gardner coal-fired plant just northeast of Vegas has a "baghouse" to capture fly ash, and a lovely landfill to dispose of the "non-hazardous" material. Don’t worry! They have plans to move it farther away from residents and the Truckee! And in the future, you’ll be able to buy concrete made of the stuff. Just don’t lick it, okay?
Hey Kids! Nevada Power calls fly ash "non-hazardous" on their very own double-speak site! War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Coal is Clean. And you think our pal Sherm will like Ely as much when it’s inside a coal-ladened cloud? Tell the grandkids to hold their breath next time you’re up that way, Sherm!
If the stuff is so safe then why then do most equipment manufacturers not offer extended warranty coverage to machinery that works in fly ash?
I would think it might be because fly ash is abrasive, acid laden material that prematurely De-grades components.
If it will eat a machine so fast I’m thinking it probably isn’t so good for people either.
I think clean coal may be a few years away… but most likely never.
But one can never under-estimate the power of the corporate bottom line.