"In other ways, I'd say coal is worse, without question," said
Professor Howarth of Cornell University in today's The Patriot-
News at page 4 about all pollutants other than carbon or heat
trapping gas. More on the important issue of heat trapping
pollution that has already raised global temperatures and
Professor Howarth's study in a moment. But let's thank first
Professor Howarth for making it clear that he agrees that gas is
cleaner than coal on mercury, arsenic, lead, soot, nox, sox and
a host of pollutants that sicken hundreds of thousands and cause
up to 36,000 premature deaths each year, according to the
Environmental Protection Agency, just from smog forming
pollutants. Coal burning power plants account for 90% of the
toxic pollution coming from all power plants in the United
States. Just focus on mercury. Gas emits no mercury. But mercury
powers out of old coal plants with next to no pollution
controls. So much mercury from coal burning has been put in the
atmosphere that fish are contaminated (See th