Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future

By Jeff Goodell

Long dismissed as a relic of a bygone era, coal is back -- with a vengeance. Coal is one of the nation's biggest and most influential industries -- Big Coal provides more than half the electricity consumed by Americans today -- and its dominance is growing, driven by rising oil prices and calls for energy independence. Is coal the solution to America's energy problems?

On close examination, the glowing promise of coal quickly turns to ash. Coal mining remains a deadly and environmentally destructive industry. Nearly forty percent of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year comes from coal-fired power plants. In the last two decades, air pollution from coal plants has killed more than half a million Americans. In this eye-opening call to action, Goodell explains the costs and consequences of America's addiction to coal and discusses how we can kick the habit.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Apr 3, 2007
• ISBN: 9780547526621

Jeff Goodell

Jeff Goodell is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and a frequent contributor to the New York Times Magazine. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Our Story: 77 Hours That Tested Our Friendship and Our Faith. Goodell’s memoir, Sunnyvale: The Rise and Fall of a Silicon Valley Family, was a New York Times Notable Book. The New York Times called his most recent book, Big Coal, “a compelling indictment of one of the country’s biggest, most powerful and most antiquated industries ... well-written, timely, and powerful.”

Reviews for Big Coal

[andrearules · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book inspired my Master's Thesis on abandoned mine remediation in Pennsylvania. It is wonderfully written and conveys the reality of coal and its impact. A must read for those who care about the environment and energy. And those who don't.

[devil_llama · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good introduction to the problems of coal-burning in the United States. The author traces coal from the mine to the power plant, even riding on a coal train with a large load of coal moving west from Wyoming. An informative adventure story.

[davidb_27 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A stunning indictment of the coal industry.