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New Coal publication, Coal and the Environment, Available from KGS
                                                                                   
CONTACT:  Mike Lynch
Kentucky Geological Survey
(859) 257-5500 ext. 128

Lexington, KY. (June 27, 2006) – Why publish a new booklet about coal, a fuel mined in the U.S. since the 1740’s, when advanced energy technologies, such as hybrid fuels, fuel cells and a “hydrogen economy,” are being promoted for the future?

The preface of the booklet, Coal and the Environment, answers succinctly.  “The U.S. Department of Energy indicates that because of the sheer volume of energy our country needs to sustain economic growth and our standard of living, the use of coal as a fuel will likely increase in the future—even if the percentage of coal as a whole in the energy mix decreases.”

The new publication, from the American Geological Institute, was co-authored by two researchers with the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS), Stephen Greb and Cortland Eble, along with two other professional geologists. 

The booklet deals with virtually every aspect of coal and coal mining, from a description of the natural processes which create it to the methods of mining, transporting and using it and the environmental concerns associated with coal use.

Numerous graphics and photos, many contributed by Greb, Eble and others from KGS, illustrate the 64 pages of this full-color glossy publication.  A two-sided color poster is attached in the center of the booklet.

Because coal is expected to continue playing a major energy role in the nation and the world, the final chapter, “Providing for the Future,” looks at research into clean coal combustion technologies, coal-gasification and liquefaction and new mining techniques which reduce environmental effects and the production of waste byproducts.

Copies of Coal and the Environment are available for $6.50 each (plus sales tax and shipping), or $4.50 each for orders of five or more copies, from the KGS Public Information Center on the UK campus at (859) 257-3896 or toll-free at (877) 778-7827.

For more information about Coal and Environment, check Coal and Environment from KGS Web site.