Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future » (None)

JEFF GOODELL is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and a frequent contributor to the New York Times Magazine. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Our Story: 77 Hours That Tested Our Friendship and Our Faith. Goodell's memoir, Sunnyvale: The Rise and Fall of a Silicon Valley Family, was a New York Times Notable Book. His most recent book, Big Coal, is the basis of an upcoming feature documentary, Dirty Business.

Long dismissed as a relic of a bygone era, coal is back -- with a vengence. Coal is one of the nation's biggest and most influential industries -- Big Coal provides more than half the electricity consumed by Americans today -- and its dominance is growing, driven by rising oil prices and calls for energy independence. Is coal the solution to America's energy problems?

On close examination, the glowing promise of coal quickly turns to ash. Coal mining remains a deadly and environmentally destructive industry. Nearly forty percent of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year comes from coal-fired power plants. In the last two decades, air pollution from coal plants has killed more than half a million Americans. In this eye-opening call to action, Goodell explains the costs and consequences of America's addiction to coal and discusses how we can kick the habit.

The New York Times - William Grimes

The United States has enjoyed a free energy ride for a century and more, and the coal companies have made out like bandits all along the way. Now the day of reckoning has come. We and, in a just world, they are going to pay a price, either today or tomorrow. Mr. Goodell, in this well-written, timely and powerful book, makes it crystal clear what the stakes are.

Introduction xi

I THE DIG 1. The Saudi Arabia of Coal 3 2. Coal Colonies 21 3. Dogholes 48 4. The Carbon Express 74

II THE BURN 5. Infinite Needs 97 6. The Big Dirty 119 7. “A Citizen Wherever We Serve” 147

III THE HEAT 8. Reversal of Fortune 173 9. The Coal Rush 202 10. The Frontier 226

Epilogue: An Empire of Denial 249 Acknowledgments 259 Notes 263 Index 297