Palin: $2 Billion Needed for Annual Clean Coal R&D

Gov. Sarah Palin called for an investment of $2 billion per year for clean coal research and development during her speech in Toledo, OH this morning. The $2 billion annual R&D investment is also supported by Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain.

As we grow ever closer to November 4, we're happy to see that the candidates' support of clean coal hasn't waned.

Read more about Gov. Palin's speech on energy security over at The Caucus

Comments

[Kelly Beninga]

The coal industries lobbying efforts have paid off, and most candidates now support clean coal research.

The whole clean coal campaign misses the point though. R&D is great, but no clean coal (no CO2) plants exist, and they won't for at least a decade. In the mean time today's dirty coal plants are pushing global warming to the tipping point, with no return ticket.

Why don't you at "America's Power" address this issue, rather than patting yourselves on the back for your lobbying efforts?

Please respond.

[Barry]

I was also very excited to hear Gov. Palin mention the R&D monies that a McCain admin. would devote to clean coal technology.
As for Kelly's comments about CO2. The technology does exist and can be deployed much faster than a decade. http://www.zeep.com
But, our politicians and the American people have to get behind it.
However, even if it does take a decade we must start now. The longer we wait the worse things will get.

[Shawn]

Even if we can achieve "clean coal" what about the process of mining it.....particularly the process of blasting off the tops of mountains and literally raping the landscape. I have no problem with you pushing your agenda of generating electricity by better standards, but let's be honest here....there is nothing environmentally friendly about using coal to generate electricity. Can't you just give it to us straight?!

[Kelly Beninga]

There isn't even a demonstration coal plant with Carbon Capture and Storage. There won't be one operating for at least three years. Then it takes another 5 years to permit and build a commercial plant. That means the first commercial plant couldn't be up before 2017. And that's only the first plant. How long will it take before clean coal actually makes a difference in CO2 production?

[Megan at ACCCE]

Kelly:

Thanks for your comments. I apologize that they’ve gone unanswered up until now—we've been busy!

It sometimes surprises me that we forget how much progress has been made in the area of clean coal electricity. Coal-fired power plants are 70 percent cleaner today than they were 30 years ago based on regulated emissions per unit of energy produced. We’re talking about harmful NOx and SOx emissions, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter that have steadily declined as our technologies have grown more efficient and robust.

I don’t think anyone would dispute that these reductions are great accomplishments. Nor can we dispute that developing and deploying these technologies takes time and money. In fact, America’s coal-based electricity providers have invested more than $50 billion in the last 30 years to make these technologies possible.

This is a great start, and we're enthused about the next suite of technologies that will help us meet our growing energy demand and our commitment to the environment.

[Megan at ACCCE]

Barry:
Thanks for your comment, support and helpful reading material. It’s always nice to see another organization working towards cleaner coal technologies in their myriad forms.

Shawn:
Mountain top mining is a bit of a misnomer. It actually involves removing the “overburden” to expose a coal seam on a hill, mining that coal, and then putting the land either back to its original contour, or to some agreed-upon beneficial use (such as developing schools, hospitals or agricultural land). There are also new government regulations that carefully outline what can and cannot be done.

In any case, we need to put this into context, because there is a misconception of how much of this is going on. The big issue we’re talking about here is what some people call “mountain top removal,” which accounts of a small percentage of coal produced in America—and new regulations help make that percentage smaller every year.

[Gale Wheat]

Who advises your organization on political strategy? Are you using Tucker Eskew or other dirty tricksters who run the Republican's smear and fear campaigns?