I write periodical "War on Coal" diaries summing up the past few weeks or months of news in the floundering coal industry, but this headline is not one to wait for the next update.
Ontario Canada closed its VERY LAST COAL PLANT yesterday
Ontario had pledged to be coal-free by the end of 2014 and here we are in April and Thunder Bay Power Plant has burned its last piece of coal. ...and that's it.
And entire jurisdiction of North America is now 100% coal free and committed to staying that way.
To put it in perspective, Ontario had relied on coal for over 25% of its power generation and then worked to systematically eliminate it. Not reduce. Not install emission reduction technology. No... just GONE.
To put that in perspective, Ontario estimates this will eliminate 30 MILLION TONS of emissions, the equivalent of taking 7 million cars off the road.
To put it in even better perspective
[Energy Minister] Chiarelli recalled coaching his daughter's hockey team 10 years ago.
"On the bench, there would be four or five players, young girls, with asthma puffers....[Now] the incidence of asthma is greatly reduced, particularly children, so that's part of the reason we decided to do it. It was the right thing to do," the minister said.
This is why we fight.
The War continues......