About half of all electric power in the U.S. is generated by burning coal. This is more than any other industrialized nation in the world. This is not surprising considering that the United States has been referred to by some as "the Saudi Arabia of coal". Only China produces more coal.

Coal mining began in the United States here in Virginia in the 1740s. Today in Northeastern Wyoming an 80-mile strip is home to the nation's 10 top-producing mines. Approximately 1/3 of all coal in the U.S. is produced here. Each day some 75 trains with 125-150 coal cars depart Gillette, Wyoming for power plants in the U.S. carrying some 1.2 million short tons.

Question. So, what's the problem with coal?

Answer. The problem is coal is responsible for 36% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions according to the Energy Department. When we turn our lights on and run our air conditioners we are in effect burning coal to do so. In the Eastern U.S., including here in Southwestern Virginia, coal mining companies are removing the tops of mountains to facilitate the surface mining of coal.

Question. What is the future for "clean coal" in America?

Answer. Clean coal is based on the unproven technology of carbon capture and storage. It may be possible to capture the carbon produced by coal-burning power plants and bury it underground. The problem is it is expensive to build plants to capture the carbon and then transport it to the underground storage sites. Once stored, there is no guarantee that it will not seep out into the atmosphere or pollute the ground water. In Cameroon in 1986, a naturally-occurring buildup of carbon dioxide in Lake Nyos erupted killing 1,746 people in nearby villages. For these reasons, it would seem that storage facilities will have to be located away from population areas.

Question. Are there alternatives to burning coal to produce electricity?

Answer. It would be naïve for me to tell you that coal-burning power plants are going away anytime soon. Recently, there have been some large discoveries of natural gas which has resulted in a shift by a limited number of power producers to natural gas plants, but it is important to note that although it produces roughly ½ the carbon emission of coal, natural gas still is a significant contributor to global warming. The real answer would be for us to use renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and others to reduce our usage of electricity generated by fossil fuels.

Question. Can you recommend any books or DVDs available on the subject?

Answer. Tom Friedman's book "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" is an excellent book. The DVDs "An Inconvenient Truth", "The 11th Hour", "A Crude Awakening – The Oil Crash", and "Burning the Future – Coal in America" are available from Netflix and are worth watching.

About the Author: Dale Schulz is the President of Schulz Homes, www.schulzhomes.com, and he has been building custom homes in our area since 1987. He also is the president and founder of Virginia Renewable Energy which retrofits existing homes with renewable energy systems, such as solar electric panels and wind turbines. You can contact him as well as send your questions for future columns to dale@schulzhomes.com. Schulz Homes phone # is 540.687.3367.