A recent article by Indiana Public Media’s Adrianna Zhang reports that officials at Indiana University, Bloomington are considering transitioning from coal to natural gas as the sole means of meeting the university’s energy needs.
According to the article, Tom Morrison, Vice President for Capital Planning and Facilities, will present a presentation at a public forum on Monday which argues that the campus power plant currently burning coal should switch to natural gas due to pressures from environmental regulations that will most likely be implemented over the next decade.
The university power plant is already partially using natural gas and IU spokesman Mark Land told Zhang that the university diminished its use of coal in response to changes in energy markets.
Lauren Kastner, Vice President of Coal Free IU, told Zhang that she hopes the university will take the input from students and faculty seriously when hammering out the plan’s details.
IU Bloomington used around 60,000 tons of coal last year and now the campus power plant uses 80 percent natural gas and only 20 percent coal.
