In 2008, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut spent more than half a billion combined on coal -- nearly three quarters of it imported from other countries, according to a study released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The Cambridge-based research and advocacy group said its data shows that three dozen states are "collectively hemmorhaging tens of billions of dollars" a year on imported coal. The fossil fuel is considered a significant contributor to climate change.
Instead of using coal, the Union of Concerned Scientists recommended that states continue the push for renewable electricity-generating systems, like wind turbines and solar panels.
Of the 38 states reviewed, Massachusetts ranked third in how much it spent on international imports of coal -- $206 million to get the fossil fuel from Colombia -- and was also the largest user of coal among the three New England states in the study. Coal-fired power plants generate roughly a quarter of the electricity used in Massachusetts, compared to 15.1 percent in New Hampshire and 14 percent in Connecticut.
While the Bay State gets the bulk of its coal from Colombia, some of its supply also comes from within the US. In 2008, Massachusetts spent $1 million on coal from Colorado and $41 million on coal from Kentucky, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Much of the coal purchased for use in Massachusetts goes to one place, the Union of Concerned Scientists said: Brayton Point, a power plant in Somerset. It spent $214 on coal in 2008, the organization said.
Brayton Point, which is run by the Virginia-based Dominion power company, is the state's largest fossil-fuel plant, according to the company's web site, and paid more than $13 million in taxes this year. The plant, which employs more than 262 full-time workers, generates electricity using coal, natural gas and fuel oil, and produces enough to power 1.2 million homes.
Since it purchased Brayton Point in 2005, Dominion has reduced the amount of pollution the plant emits by installing an ash recovery system that offsets about 170,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year. The company also plans to reduce its water consumption and other air emissions, and said that by 2012 it will have spent $1.1 billion on environmental improvements.
Article coutesy of The Boston Globe -The Green Blog Posted by Erin Ailworth
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