From deadly accidents in mines, to the hazardous pollutants from smokestacks, to the disposal of its toxic ash waste, coal is our most dangerous and dirtiest source of energy.
Coal-fired power is a serious threat to our health, it is a major source of the neurotoxin mercury, a contributor to four out of the five leading causes of death in the US, and it produces 30% of our climate-disrupting carbon pollution.
Despite all of this, Los Angeles still relies on this filthy form of energy for approximately 40% of its electricity needs.
Besides the health and environmental hazards from coal-fire power, coal is a threat to our economy here in LA.
Our reliance on this 19th-century power source has us sending money from LADWP ratepayers to coal plants in Arizona and Utah. This money could be better used right here in Los Angeles for energy efficiency investments, to buffer against rate increases due to much needed infrastructure improvements and state mandates; for local solar energy, to take advantage of our abundance of sunshine to produce power right here in LA; and for an early roll out of a “smart-grid†system, to help balance power generation with the needs of our electrical system.
A side benefit of these investments, and a huge opportunity for the citizens of LA, will be the new businesses and jobs created during this undertaking. For instance, the Los Angeles Business Council estimates 1,100 jobs per year over 10 years will be created in the implementation of a program that will turn people’s homes and businesses into clean power plants by allowing property owners to sell solar power back to LADWP. Energy efficiency and smart grid investments will also create new jobs and businesses. Economic opportunities, such as these, are vital to a city with close to 13% unemployment.
The LADWP is currently undertaking a revenue and rate review process to finance its 2011-2012 budget and its Integrated Resource Plan – an outline of how the utility will power LA for the next 20 years – through a series of workshops in various parts of the city. This process offers Los Angeles a perfect opportunity to drop this dirty, 19th-century energy source once and for all and create a clean-energy infrastructure as we move further into the 21st century.
Getting off of coal-fired power will allow us to clean up the air, reduce the emissions that cause climate change, and create jobs and new businesses in Los Angeles.
Let’s take advantage of these opportunities now!
