NYC MAYOR BLOOMBERG: COAL A ‘DEAD MAN WALKING’

Tamar Hallerman
GHG Monitor
3/1/13

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg slammed coal-fired power in a high-profile address this week near Washington, calling the fuel source a “dead man walking.” “Even though the coal industry doesn’t totally know it yet or is ready to admit it, its day is done,” Bloomberg said. “Here in the U.S., I’m happy to say, the king is dead.” During a Feb. 27 keynote address at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) energy innovation summit, Bloomberg said the health issues related to the burning of coal such as asthma and premature deaths should spell the downfall for the energy source. “Last time I checked, there was not one death from fracked natural gas or nuclear plants. It’s coal that’s really killing Americans,” he said. “Nothing is perfect, but if we can get rid of [coal] we certainly would be better off with virtually all of the alternatives.”

Bloomberg, an Independent who is wrapping up his third term in office and is set to step down at the end of the year, has long been a powerful voice against coal. His charity Bloomberg Philanthropies pledged $50 million over four years to the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign last summer, an effort aimed at shuttering the U.S. coal fleet in favor of cleaner energy sources. He surprised many in November when he endorsed President Obama’s reelection in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy due mainly to the President’s stance on climate change. Bloomberg at the time called for presidential leadership on the issue. “Our climate is changing. And while the increase in extreme weather we have experienced in New York City and around the world may or may not be the result of it, the risk that it might be—given this week’s devastation—should compel all elected leaders to take immediate action,” Bloomberg said in a Nov. 1 editorial.

At this week’s ARPA-E summit, Bloomberg said that people must step up to further decrease coal’s portion of the electricity generating fleet. “We are ready for the next round in this struggle, the long, regulatory trench warfare that will determine just how tightly and effectively the EPA clamps down on carbon pollution,” he said. Bloomberg instead touted natural gas as a bridge fuel until energy storage technology is perfected to allow for the widespread use of renewables. He said gas could “free us from coal’s polluting past,” but also stressed the need for regulations on extraction techniques like hydraulic fracturing.