21/Feb/2011: Coal's Hidden Costs Top $345 Billion In U.S: Study
"The United States' reliance on coal to generate almost half of its electricity, costs the economy about $345 billion a year in hidden expenses not borne by miners or utilities, including health problems in mining communities and pollution around power plants, a study found.
Those costs would effectively triple the price of electricity produced by coal-fired plants, which are prevalent in part due to the their low cost of operation, the study led by a Harvard University researcher found.
"This is not borne by the coal industry, this is borne by us, in our taxes," said Paul Epstein, a Harvard Medical School instructor and the associate director of its Center for Health and the Global Environment, the study's lead author.
"The public cost is far greater than the cost of the coal itself. The impacts of this industry go way beyond just lighting our lights."
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Coal fired electricity generation results in the release of many air pollutants with significant health costs. "Externalities" or costs that are not currently reflected in the quoted price. But we do pay - in our taxes and our current and future health. Similarly the value of water and other environmental impacts are largely ignored.
The ATSE report of 2009, based on ExternE figures, and using a carbon price of $ A31 / tonne, calculates external costs ( in $A/ MWh ) of : $ 19 for gas, $ 42 for black coal, $ 52 for brown coal, $ 7 for nuclear, $ 5 solar PV and $ 1.50 for wind. That is of course on top of production costs and is not inclusive of all externalities.
(7/7/10): It should act as a wake up call to the West Australian government, in news from overseas, the EPA has ruled that Coal fired power stations in the Eastern USA will have to reduce SO2 and NOx emissions by 71% and 52% respectively.
Bear in mind that we have no Sulphur emissions controls and unlike Europe and USA,"scrubbers" are not fitted to Australian plants. Emissions in areas such as Collie and the Hunter valley are causing ill health and premature deaths.
The WA EPA has warned our state govt. that projects on the drawing board, including 3 new coal fired power stations, will increase our CO2 emissions by 75% in the next few years.
The government knows this, but when I have asked why we are pursuing this course, Premier Barnett will not answer the question.
This is just not good enough, governments are elected to serve the people, not big corporations.
The following references provide some futher detail and insight into these ( the links to google docs do not always work ).
Coal - slides from Conc Council talk - 28th April
Externalies:
Cost
Grist - heath externalities - Jan 08
ATSE Hidden Costs of Electricity Aus 2009- ( report dowload page )
ExternE study 2005
Health:
General
Physicians for Social Responsibility - report
Particulates - PM 2.5
Air pollution and Diabetes
Harvard 6 cities study
Mar 2005 - follow up - reducing PM2.5 reduces mortality
