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Notre Dame Cites Theological Reasons For Decision To Go Coal-Free

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame has announced plans to be coal-free within five years.

The university has already reduced coal-based electricity from 85-percent of its usage to 15-percent.

Spokesman Dennis Brown says the university is committed to getting rid of it completely.

“We took to heart the encyclical that Pope Francis issued in June about the environment and decided to become much more aggressive and try to completely eliminate the use of coal by 2020,” he says. 

Notre Dame says it'll replace that energy with a mix of natural gas, gas turbines, solar power and geothermal fields.

“We’re hoping that initiatives like ours and others will be an impetus to others,” says Brown.

Notre Dame is currently working with the city of South Bend on a hydroelectric power project. The university also says it will work to cut its overall carbon emissions in half over the next 15 years.

Notre Dame generates about half its own power. The other half comes from Indiana-Michigan Power, which still uses coal-burning power plants.