Campuses Wage Fight Over Coal
Students Around The Country Are Trying To Get Coal Off Of Campus
The Sierra club has taken the battle over coal to the nation’s campuses. The environmental organization has targeted about 60 coal-fired power plants at various institutions around the country. The Sierra Club, in some cases, has taken the fight directly into some of the states that are well-known for coal production, such as Virginia. The Sierra club has helped organize chapters of its “2Dirty4College” campaign at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Virginia Tech is in the heart of coal country.
Coal Industry Is Charging Back
The coal industry is not letting the Sierra Club monopolize the debate. Its lobbying arm, the American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy blitzed 43 campuses in eight last summer. This organization has organized a campaign surrounding the use of coal on campus called, “America’s Power.” Lisa Miller, a spokesperson for the group insists that for large institutions like college campuses, coal remains a viable alternative,
”Coal continues to be the low-cost, reliable source of energy in this country, and it's getting cleaner every day. Can you imagine the outrage when tuition starts to rise because colleges choose to switch to higher-cost sources of energy rather than improving on their existing sources of energy?”
Campuses across the country are switching out their old coal-fired plants. Ball State is switching to geothermal. The University of Wisconsin is converting to natural gas and biomass. Also, students are getting excited about promoting alternative energy on campus.
Where The Campaign Is Being Waged
Several campuses across the US are being organized to take their college beyond coal. These include:
- Indiana University, Bloomington
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- University of Colorado, Boulder
- University of Missouri, Columbia
- University of Southern California
- University of North Dakota
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
- University of Iowa
- University of Georgia
- University of Pittsburgh
- University of Washington
- Oregon State University
- Washington University, St. Louis.
At the University of North Dakota, located in a another state that benefits from the coal industry,students are rallying around the cause. Philosophy student, Isham Chrisite says,
"I think getting rid of this plant is a concrete goal that will affect people's lives directly," he said. "It'll affect the UND community and it will affect ND in general and it will be a step in the right direction for the nation. And I think we can actually get this done; I think this is something we as a university and community can do."
A facilities management official at the University of North Dakota says that the university is seriously thinking about switching to other sources. North Dakota is a leader in the development of bio fuels and wind power.
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