It’s Getting Hot In Here

By Camila Thorndike and Sarah Judkins

Climate change is the unthinkable. It is unimaginably vast and catastrophic, and its causes are frustratingly avoidable. As youth activists, we are used to this - but the very real idea of new coal plants in Washington still took us aback. After all, we are one of the lowest carbon-emitting states in the nation, and we have repeatedly proven ourselves as dedicated international leaders on the climate action front. The geology of our region, including the mighty hydropower production of the Colombia river, has made this possible.

For better or for worse, another local feature has been recruited as a key player in the power game: our cavernous Colombia River Basin basalt beds, just the right sort to house to potentially calcify liquid carbon from a coal gasification power plant. The complications of hydropower in Washington pale in comparison to those of a proposed “clean” (aka slightly-less-deadly) coal plant, which a consortium aims to construct in the coming years at Wallula, a town near Walla Walla on the Colombia river.

Once again, rural southeastern Washington has made headlines in the energy world with promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while providing an abundance of energy for the Northwest.

Wait a minute… clean coal? It’s an idea - and nothing more - that has somehow become a “reality” for people through the constant repetition of half-truths. Perhaps you’ve seen the sexy ads for “America’s Power” on the Democratic primary debates, which follow Hillary and Barack’s promises for a clean, independent energy future . Politicians love to portray America as the “Saudi Arabia of coal.” We don’t think this is something to boast about.

This dirty fossil fuel sickens communities, pollutes our air and water, and is responsible for one-third of our greenhouse gas emissions. However, it provides approximately half of our nation’s electric energy needs, which presents a daunting economic and political conundrum.

Proponents of coal are spinning away the terrible drawbacks of the fuel by presenting it as an environmentally-friendly energy solution, rather than acknowledging it as a non-renewable, polluting culprit of climate change. And they do so to the tune of technology fixes, altruistic intentions, and economic opportunity. These ads and the language currently surrounding coal are alluringly deceptive.

Let’s bring it back home. Students here in Walla Walla are often under the impression that we’re in the “the middle of nowhere,” and in many ways, that’s correct. For youth activists at Whitman College, this has proved a two-edged sword: sometimes we feel isolated in our distance from urban centers of activity; however, we are far enough away from centers of influence that when we lobby, our elected representatives in the capitol make time for us - students? From Walla Walla?

Our far-flung location is again a two-sided coin when it comes to coal. It seems that we are just rural, just distant enough, that there won’t be much of a fuss if big industry wants to roll in and set up camp. But when they did - we were ready to meet them, somewhat surprised that the hottest issue in climate change and US energy independence had just landed at our feet.

Here’s the story:

A consortium of power companies want to build an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant in Wallula, a town along the Columbia River. The catch, however, was that a bill passed last year in Washington limited the amount of carbon dioxide that can be emitted per amount of energy produced.

The solution seemed to be sequestering the carbon dioxide emissions (at least 65% of smokestack emissions) in the underlying basalt: a completely unproven technology. Thus, the Wallula area has become a testing ground (battle ground may be a more suitable expression) for carbon sequestration technology and all of the health, safety, and environmental impacts implicated therein.

The problem? The testing would involve injecting 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide over a period of two to four weeks. Once the power plant is up and running, they will inject nearly 6,000 tons EVERY DAY! To those of us with our heads on straight, this CLEARLY presents a problem. In response to this prospect, community members and students in Walla Walla began organizing to fight this proposed coal plant. After all, we don’t want to live, work, and play in a valley downwind of a polluting power plant - who would?

This working group, Coal Concerns, consists of folks of all generations and professions. Each person has their own reason for opposing the plant, from protecting our wine industry to preserving clean air in the valley. We are united by our passion and our strong opposition to coal - not just in our valley or in Washington, but anywhere and everywhere.

In early March, the Port of Walla Walla (the group that was voluntarily providing the land for the operation) decided put the brakes on the plant. The Port cited liability, possible environmental problems, and having too little information to allow the drilling to begin in late March or early April. Now, Batelle (the group doing the sequestration testing) is on the defensive, trying to earn their right to drill and complete the testing. The more they push for testing to continue, the more it becomes apparent that testing and the reality of a coal plant may be one and the same.

This unexpected decision shook up business as usual, and has given concerned citizens the time we need to thoroughly plan for a coal-free future in our valley and all of Washington state. It appears that the Port’s decision sets the sequestration pilot project back a year, so the chances of never having a coal plant have certainly gone up. he sequestration test and coal plant aren’t dead yet, but they are on life support.

Meanwhile, across the state, students from many other universities are joining us for Fossil Fools Day actions to broadcast our no-coal message on a broader scale. Together we have photographed approximately 1000 faces in solidarity against new coal plants. We were especially excited when our college president joined us! [see picture at top of post!] These photos will be joined in a banner-sized montage which direct action groups will use on April 1st at selected “Fossil Fool” sites (such as the Bank of America and other coal plant funders and supporters) as backdrops for media-attracting tomfoolery. We’re pleased that now we can offer messages of thanks to groups like the Port of Walla Walla, and hope that the tide against coal will continue to rush in our direction.