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Coal and Climate Change

In support of new Environmental Protection Agency regulations, your Sept. 23 editorial “An Important Step on Global Warming” implies that the American coal industry is the chief contributor to global warming.

But even those concerned about the possibility of global warming should know that shutting down American coal-fueled plants would have no meaningful impact on global climate change.

For example, closing down our entire coal fleet would reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by just 3 percent. Global average temperatures would be reduced by only roughly .03 degrees Fahrenheit, and the increase in sea levels would be reduced by less than the thickness of a dime.

Coal is critical to meeting energy demands now and for generations to come. The industry has invested $110 billion so far to reduce multi-pollutant emissions by nearly 90 percent.

America should build on this success, rather than allow the E.P.A. to impose regulations that will force more plant shutdowns in an important industry.

Source: The New York Timnes