COM M ENTARY 



Cooking the Climate 

 with Coal 



In the U.S., China, and elsewhere coal is booming. 

 But the boom may lead to environmental disaster. 



By Jeff Goodell 



On a cold morning in February 2005, the 

 school gym at Nashville Community 

 High School in southern Illinois was 

 jammed to the rafters with local residents and kids. 

 More than 2,300 students had been dismissed from 

 morning classes and bused in from around the re- 

 gion. Squads of cheerleaders cartwheeled across the 

 gym floor, while the Nashville Hornets school band 

 filled the gym with rousing songs. "Opportunity Re- 

 turns," a banner proclaimed, quoting Illinois Gov- 

 ernor Rod R. Blagojevichs campaign slogan to 

 bring prosperity back to southern Illinois. 



Opportunity was returning in the form ot a $2 bil- 

 lion coal-fired power plant, which the world's largest 



coal company, Peabody Energy Corporation, of St. 

 Louis, was about to build just a few miles southwest 

 of Nashville. According to the governor, the plant, 

 to be known as the Prairie State Energy Cam- 

 pus, would create 2,500 constructionjobs, 450 

 permanent jobs, and $100 million or so a 

 year in spin-off revenues. A phalanx of 

 Peabody executives was on hand to 

 show their support. Peabody s CEO 

 at the time, Irl F. Engelhardt, 

 stepped up to the microphone. 

 "The technology Prairie State 

 will use is absolutely the best 

 that has been put together 



