State acts to limit use of coal power (California)

[jpak]

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-coal24may24,1,2572315.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california&ctrack=1&cset=true

The California Energy Commission on Wednesday imposed new rules that effectively forbid the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and all other municipal utilities in the state from signing new contracts with coal-fired power plants.

The move, together with identical regulations imposed on private utilities in January, is a significant step toward reducing the contribution of California, the world's sixth largest economy, to global warming.

"This will reduce greenhouse emissions throughout the Western states," said Claudia Chandler, a spokeswoman for the California Energy Commission. "People have long been critical of California for exporting its pollution…. Now we are holding ourselves accountable."

California, with the strictest pollution laws in the nation, has largely phased out coal-fired generators within its borders. But the state still buys about 20% of its electricity from coal-fueled power plants in other states.

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[NNadir]

1. Gee. Another law from California that takes effect in a future generation.

California, with the strictest pollution laws in the nation, has largely phased out coal-fired generators within its borders. But the state still buys about 20% of its electricity from coal-fueled power plants in other states.

The DWP buys 47% of its power from two massive coal-fired plants in Utah and Arizona that are major sources of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Those contracts expire in 2017 and 2027. Now, under state law, they cannot be renewed unless those plants find a way to pump their emissions underground, but the technology to do so is unproven.

Nor can Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale and other cities that own their utilities forge any new contracts with coal-fired generators, or with gas-fired plants that lack modern pollution controls.

The bold is mine. The law, like most California environmental laws is immediately meaningless.

California will not shut its lights off at night in 2017 any more than it shut down its freeways in 2000 when 10% of the cars did not prove to be ZEV's.

In fact the lie that is perpetuating climate change right now is the Greenpeace line of fossil fuel apologetics that action twenty years from now is enough. It is not enough. The failure of the California ZEV bill, the failure of solar energy in California and the huge expansion of the burning of dangerous fossil fuels and the indiscriminate dumping of dangerous fossil fuel waste needs address right now.

These Governor Hydrogen Hummer "solutions" - shifting responsibility to future generations should disgust anyone who is aware of the exigent crisis of climate change. This law will be about as effective as the failed "Brazillion Solar Roofs Bill," which failed to produce meaningful immediate change.

California will have its Greenhouse emissions cut the next time the natural gas runs out and not before then. Regrettably at that time the lights will go out, except around Diablo Canyon and San Onofre.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. And they say politicians never think past the next election. nt

:crazy: