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Clean Coal Key to U.S. Greenhouse Strategy, Utilities Say

Coal gasification and other “clean coal” technologies offer the most feasible ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the absence of a carbon cap-and-trade system in the United States, industry experts said yesterday. Addressing the Sustainable Energy Institute roundtable, John Novak of the Electric Power Research Institute discussed a new partnership formed by utilities last fall to spur innovations in coal technology. The “Coal Fleet for Tomorrow” aims to encourage development of integrated gasification combined cycle coal plants, or IGCC — the Holy Grail of clean coal development, he said. IGCC plants belch far less pollution than others and are considered stepping stones toward carbon sequestration — the process of capturing a facility’s carbon dioxide emissions and storing them underground. Carbon dioxide is a so-called greenhouse gas whose emissions are blamed for an accelerated warming of the earth’s atmosphere. The Bush administration has advocated carbon sequestration as a means of reducing greenhouse gases from industrial plants without having to wean them from coal, the nation’s cheapest and most abundant fossil fuel. Four IGCC plants have been proposed, Novak said, including facilities from Cinergy Corp., American Electric Power, a Minnesota plant from Excelsior and a joint project by Southern Co. and […]

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Facts about the Clear Skies Bill

According to Environmental NGOs, the proposed Clear Skies Bill is rife with loopholes that weaken the Clean Air Act and allow increases in mercury, arsenic, lead, and other toxic chemical emissions from industrial facilities. “The industry-supported bill eliminates several cornerstones of the Clean Air Act which have reduced air pollution from power plants, oil refineries, chemical plants, and other smokestack industries for decades. The bill eviscerates protections that have saved lives and protected our environment for the past 35 years,”said Matt Petersen, President of GlobalGreen, USA. Groups from around the nation are concerned with the measure’s exemptions for known polluters, its roll-backs of existing laws; which are proving effective, and importantly, provisions that revoke state and local rights to strengthen air pollution protections beyond federal standards. “Last week, California Governor Schwarzenegger and New York Governor Pataki urged Congress not to undermine the Clean Air Act’s framework for states to enforce air quality regulations or create tougher ones for their state’s citizens. “It is important that city and state leaders stand together with environmental, medical and public health advocates in opposition to the Clear Skies bill,” said Jonathan Parfrey, Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles. It’s a bad bill.” […]

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