Should Coal have Stricter

Regulations?
How coal is made into energy
Steam released from the boiler powers an engine called a turbine, transforming heat
energy from burning coal into mechanical energy that spins the turbine engine. The
spinning turbine is used to power a generator, a machine that turns mechanical energy
into electric energy.
The Problem With Coal
Coal is an issue in our society because we use such a vast amount of it for our
energy use. We use it to power our homes, factories, and vehicles on a daily
basis.

Currently, coal is used to meet almost 20 percent of Americas total energy

demand and generate 40 percent of all its energy.

Second-largest energy source for U.S. electricity generation in 2016.

Problems with using so much coal
Air pollution: Burning coal causes smog, soot, acid rain, global warming, and toxic air
emissions.

Wastes generated: Ash, sludge, toxic chemicals, and waste heat create more
environmental problems.

Fuel supply: Mining, transporting, and storing coal levels mountains and pollutes the
land, water, and air.
What could we do?
We could get rid of certain coal plants

The use of wind turbines

Water turbines (Actually makes more energy than coal)

Solar Panels

Car Pooling

Saving Energy

Alternative energy (Wood Pellet heating and Biomass energy)

Turn the lights off, this can save up to 25% of your energy in your home.
What would happen in an ideal World?

There are nearly 600 coal-fired power plants operating in the United States
today, producing nearly half of the nations electricity. To decrease our reliance
on coal, we must shut down the oldest and dirtiest coal plants and replace them
with reliable and clean energy sources. We can regulate the way we use coal by
limiting how many megawatts we use from 1,100 pounds per hour to 1,000 per
hour. Its not much, but any little bit can go a long way to saving the Earth.
Many new types of energy sources have also been looked into like Wood pellet
heating and biomass systems.

What positive effects would this have?

Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed an idea to try to cut carbon
emissions by thirty percent by the year 2030.

They plan on doing this by using more natural energy like dams and wind
turbines
EPA in danger
Our new President, Mr.Trump doesnt believe that the EPA should have such a
large amount of money, so he decided to take 31% of their budget away.

This new budget cut will make the plan that the EPA had to take away 30% of
carbon emissions by over than 45 years.

Along with the large budget cut he also is making it a skinny budget meaning that
over the course of his four year term he will continue to take more and more
money away from them.
A solution to this problem would be to use other forms of energy. Wood pellets
don't harm the environment and use the scraps of trees that are left over
leaving nothing to waste. Along with biomass energy is the burning of things
that make reusable energy that can be used for over 50 years!

With new advances to technology we can buy solar panels to power your home
without any damage to the environment.
SLE
For my 15 hours I decided to volunteer at a
recycling plant and a furniture store that
sold 100% recycled goods.

At the recycling plant we went through

everything and sorted the metal, plastics,
and whatever else was recyclable.

While at the furniture store, they would buy

from places that made those recyclable
goods into furniture.
This is Dena Kelly, he started the business Carolina Rent To Own after
witnessing that furniture was too expensive and being made of goods that were
destroying the environment.

He decided enough was enough and got a small loan out and began his project of
furniture being built from 100% recycled goods.
Evidence
 Work cited Works Cited

Eliperin, Juliet. "Everything You Need to Know about the EPA's Proposed Rule on Coal Plants." Washington Post. The Washington

Post, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

Koski, Lindsay. "The Truth About Toxicity." In Soil - and Municipal Solid Waste. 21% (n.d.): n. pag. Www.duke-energy.com. Web.

23 Mar. 2015

Siegel, RP. "Clean Coal: Pros and Cons." Triple Pundit RSS. N.p., 08 Apr. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2015.