As explained in the health and environment section of the guide, coal plant pollution makes people ill every day, worsens many chronic health problems and causes people to die prematurely.  Coal mining and waste disposal poison streams and drinking water supplies.  Mountaintop removal mining devastates huge swaths of Appalachia.  Coal plants are the largest emitter of greenhouse gasses in the U.S., and the proposed new plants may prevent the U.S. from ever dealing with global warming in a meaningful way.

• Most of the relevant general information on coal plants, mining, coal and climate change can be found at the Sierra Club’s Coal Page.
• See Health and Environmental Harms section.
• See Global Warming section.