Fossil Fuels’ Hidden Cost Is in Billions, Study Says

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/science/earth/20fossil.html?scp=1&sq=fossil%20fuels'%20hidden%20cost&st=cse

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: barry levine <levinebar@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 10:58 AM
Subject: re: Fossil Fuels’ Hidden Cost Is in Billions, Study Says
To: letters@nytimes.com


To the Editor:

    After eight years of faith-based policies, it is invigorating to hear the voice of science. Beyond conservation, any forward-looking energy policy has to compare the costs of the various energy sources. No honest comparison can begin by pushing "externalities" off the ledger. Dumping CO2 and mercury into the atmosphere come with burning coal, and those costs must be counted with every kilowatt-hour from coal plants. Likewise the degradation of a river's ecosystem must be counted against hydro-electric power, and the cost of storing radioactive waste for a thousand years must be tallied and counted against the cost of fission power.  

   The cleanest kilowatt-hour is always the one we don't use. Turn down the thermostat in Winter, insulate your home, drive less--and don't pretend to make a comparison of costs until all the energy purveyors are reporting real costs.

Barry Levine