The Colstrip power plant burns a boxcar of coal every five minutes. Photo by Barrett Golding
More than 1,300 ponds throughout the United States hold billions of gallons of coal fly ash sludge containing heavy metals like arsenic, lead, mercury, and selenium. Photo by Barrett Golding
Coal produces about 45% of the electricity generated in this country.
We Shall Remain – Life with and after coal
This half-hour special looks at the effects of our reliance on coal-fired power on our air, water, climate and communities.
In this special, you’ll visit three communities – a Montana town where coal has been both a blessing and a curse, an Indian reservation looking to coal for salvation, even as some say it's already poisoned their way of life, and a town on the plains of North Dakota that's still hesitant to open its doors to coal development after years of the industry's knocking.
Along the way, you’ll hear about the future of coal and coal power, including a concept you may have heard about – 'carbon sequestration' – technology that promises we can have our coal and climate, too.
But who really pays the price? And who's liable when things go wrong? Those answers and more in We Shall Remain – Life with and after coal.
