US cleans up at home but sends dirty coal abroad

[Judi Lynn]

US cleans up at home but sends dirty coal abroad
4:35 PM Monday Jul 28, 2014

NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia (AP) As the Obama administration weans the U.S. off dirty fuels blamed for global warming, energy companies have been sending more of America's unwanted energy leftovers to other parts of the world where they could create even more pollution.

This fossil fuel trade threatens to undermine President Barack Obama's strategy for reducing the gases blamed for climate change and reveals a little-discussed side effect of countries acting alone on a global problem.

"This is the single biggest flaw in U.S. climate policy," said Roger Martella, the former general counsel at the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush. "Although the administration is moving forward with climate change regulations at home, we don't consider how policy decisions in the United States impact greenhouse gas emissions in other parts of the world."

Carbon dioxide, regardless of where it enters the atmosphere, contributes to the sea level rise and in some cases severe weather in the U.S. and the world.

More:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11300375

[davidpdx]

1. I'm sure a good portion of that is going to China as well

China's pollution drifts over South Korea, Japan, and even as far as Hawaii and the west coast of the US. The spring and fall are typically the times when it happens the worse.