Goodell: Americans ignorant of nation's coal dependency

“The problem with dealing with coal is that no one knows we use coal for electricity,” Goodell explained, noting the general ignorance of how intricately involved coal energy is in everyday life. “Coal generates half of America’s electricity, and Americans’ energy IQ is not very high,” he said.

Goodell compared coal-mining data between 1950 and 2007 to support his point.

“Total coal consumed per capita per day is about the same, 23 pounds in 1950 and 21 pounds in 2007. But what’s interesting is that total coal consumed for electricity per capita per day jumped from three pounds to 20 pounds,” Goodell explained.

Goodell said that he believes it is crucial to give the American public an accurate depiction of the relationship between coal production and electricity, noting that a trip to the slaughterhouse to see cows hanging upside down can completely change how one feels about the meat industry.

Seeing a mountaintop mine filled with coal in West Virginia, he said, led to his awareness on the issue. But Goodell doesn’t think every American needs to make the trip to Appalachia. Instead, he recommends using visual simulations of the coal industry to explain what is going on.

Goodell also noted that the coal industry contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.

“The hardest question with energy now is what do we do to cut down carbon dioxide emissions,” Goodell explained, adding that he believes that capturing and storing 25 percent of carbon dioxide from coal plants, which would require an infrastructure twice the size of today’s oil and gas infrastructure, is inefficient.

After the lecture, an audience member asked Goodell to comment on the future of energy policy under a new presidential administration.

“A lot of people are feeling not hopeful about any carbon legislation under either Obama or McCain,” Goodell said, adding that some kind of legislatively imposed carbon mandate is crucial to solving the coal problem.

James Burgess ’09, who is pursuing an environmental studies certificate, said he found the event an enriching experience. “Goodell pulled a lot of my previous knowledge together. Though the presentation skimmed over a lot of topics, the discussion afterwards delved much deeper into economic and political issues,” he said.

Goodell, noted for his best-selling book “Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America’s Energy Future” is also a frequent contributor to The New York Times Magazine.

The talk, titled “The Trouble with Coal”, was the first in a series of environmental lectures sponsored by Princeton Environmental Institute and Council of The Humanities.