Coal Archives

The small village of Lutzerath, in western Germany, is at the center of a heated clash between police and environmental activists. The hamlet is set to be demolished by German multinational energy company RWE, as part of a deal struck by the local and national governments.

The reason for the destruction of the village is to access the large supply of lignite, or brown coal, that lies beneath it. RWE argues that this material is necessary to extend the life of several power stations and guarantee Germany’s energy security.

Germany has been facing a shortage of energy since Russia cut gas supplies following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. This move to compensate for that shortage is putting the current ruling party in an awkward position. When they came to power almost 13 months ago, they pledged to be the “greenest government ever,” but times have clearly changed.

Climate activists argue that the expansion of this coal mine is a betrayal of Germany’s international commitments to reduce emissions as agreed in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. The country is already on track to miss its ambitious targets for the second year in a row.

As the fate of the village comes to a close, riot police are clearing out protesters, some of whom are putting up a last fight while others are bidding farewell. The situation remains tense as environmentalists and the government struggle to find a solution that balances the need for energy security, and the protection of the environment.

Midwest drought drying up Mississippi and supply chain

October 31, 2022

The mighty Mississippi River is bottoming out. Barges are grounding on sandbars or getting stuck in dry ports that are usually flowing with water. Now, workers are dredging the river to make it deeper for shipping vessels all to try and keep goods flowing.

Nearly 82 percent of the country is facing at least abnormally dry conditions. And the midwest drought is drying up the Mississippi’s tributary which serves as a critical freight artery for the country.

“The water levels will slowly decrease along most of the Mississippi River because we haven’t had any substantial rain in a large portion of the basin for a fair amount of time.”

Jonathan Remo is the associate professor and program director of Environmental Resource and Policy PH. D. program at Southern Illinois University. He’s been studying the Mississippi for twenty years. He said the Mississippi has now broken the record low, at negative 10.75 feet, beating the previous record set in 1988.

“What is novel about this year is it happening earlier so we’re in October these lows usually happen in November, December, January is when we usually see the lowest lows”, Remo said.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s weekly transportation report, southbound barge tonnage, or the weight of their cargo, was reduced on the river by more than 20%. The move was an effort to keep America’s vital waterway active.

Remo said this is important because, “We move 500 million tons of commodities down the Mississippi River, primarily agricultural commodities. Number one being soybeans. Number two being corn. There’s also a lot of fuel that moves up and down the river.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, commodities moved by barge down the Mississippi include 47% of all U.S. grain, 35% of its thermal coal, and 5.4 million barrels of crude oil.

The cost of sending goods is also increasing. According to the USDA, one ton of corn, soybeans or other grains from St. Louis to southern Louisiana, has more than tripled in the last year. And in just the last month, it’s doubled. The price went from $50 a ton to over $100 a ton.

Experts have said those supply chain costs will be passed on to consumers.

“There would be large economic impacts, especially to the central portion of the country. But it wouldn’t shut down the total country, because we still have rail and trucks. But it does make it more expensive to move these commodities…which would probably increase prices”, Remo said.