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AAPG Home : Meetings : 2008 ACE-San Antonio : Luncheons : EMD
Carbon dioxide, mercury, ozone, arsenic, sulfur, acid rain, particulates, acid mine drainage, black lung, nitrogen, radiation, byproduct disposal, resource availability, decreasing quality – these are some of the issues that plague the coal industry today. Will they dim the coal fires in the future or will coal continue to burn brightly?
The many misconceptions about coal harbored by the public and decision makers have hindered objective, dispassionate dialogue. This talk will try to sort out fact from fallacy and, when it comes to coal, fact is often stranger than fiction. Evidence concerning the health and environmental effects of coal and coal combustion byproducts will be examined for geographic areas ranging from China and the Balkans to Louisiana and Texas. In addition, there will be a brief discussion of conclusions from a recent National Research Council committee that looked at the future of coal in the U.S. The NRC report examines the coal industry from “cradle to grave” (mining to energy transmission) to answer the question of whether our country will be prepared to meet the demands of energy from coal in the year 2030.
Dr. Robert B. Finkelman, recently retired from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Reston, VA, is currently affiliated with The University of Texas at Dallas. He is an internationally recognized scientist widely known for his work on coal chemistry and as a leader of the emerging field of Medical Geology. Dr. Finkelman has degrees in geology, geochemistry and chemistry. He has a diverse professional background, having worked at the USGS for 32 years, at Exxon for seven years and has experience as a consultant and as a college instructor. Most of Dr. Finkelman’s professional career has been devoted to understanding the properties of coal and how these properties affect coal’s technological performance, economic byproduct potential and environmental and health impacts.
Dr. Finkelman is the author of more than 560 publications and has been invited to speak in almost 50 countries. He was Chairman of the Geological Society of America’s Coal Geology Division; founding member and co-chair of the International Medical Geology Association; President of the Society for Organic Petrology; recipient of the Gordon H. Wood, Jr. Memorial Award from the AAPG Eastern Section, 1999; a Fellow of the Geological Society of America since 1988; and the 2004 recipient of the Cady Award from the GSA’s Coal Geology Division. Dr. Finkelman was also a recipient of a U.S. State Department Embassy Science Fellowship in South Africa. He recently completed service on a National Research Council committee that looked at the future of coal in the U.S.
The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) does not endorse or recommend any products and services that may be cited, used or discussed in AAPG publications or in presentations at events associated with AAPG.
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