Britain says yes to new coal-generated power plants Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/22/2008 05:19:31 PM

British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said his country will continue to build new coal-generated power plants with an eye toward retrofitting those new coal plants with carbon capture and sequestration technology when those technologies are fully operational.

"I will not take a position which ignores our security of supply needs,” Miliband told the Financial Times. He also stressed the need to drive the technology into new plants "as quickly as we can.”

Secretary Miliband has the right idea here. In fact, we’ve stressed the same thing since the beginning.

America needs to continue to build new coal plants because new plants create a market for advanced clean coal technologies. And that means supporting additional funding for clean coal technology programs – especially carbon capture and storage projects.

We’re going to need all of our available energy resources – wind, solar, nuclear and coal – to meet future energy needs. We'll also need to continue to promote energy efficiency, but at the end of the day coal use will continue to grow both here at home and around the world in order to meet electricity needs. 

There has never been an environmental challenge facing the coal-based electricity sector for which technology has not provided the ultimate solution. In fact, today’s coal-generated power fleet is 77 percent cleaner than ever before, and we're moving forward with new technologies that can be used to retrofit new and existing coal plants to meet requirements to capture and safely store CO₂. 

What a great ad on CNN.com! Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/17/2008 11:18:17 AM

I was reading the latest headlines on CNN.com a moment ago when I saw a flash ad by GE.

In the ad, GE Vice Chairman John Krenicki says,"The only way to solve the energy challenge is through technology."

He says that the solution will be in technology investments in "biomass, renewables, natural gas, nuclear, cleaner coal, subsea exploration, cleaning up water..."

After watching the ad, I have to say... I agree. We're going to need all of our domestic resources to meet the rise in electricity demand. I would add, of course, that our most abundant fuel source, coal, is going to continue to play a key role in meeting the energy challenge.

Note: General Electric Capital Corporation is a member of our organization.

Clean coal two-for-one Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/16/2008 05:56:35 PM

A public-private partnership including a research center at Virginia Tech University and a geological firm are literally digging into the issue of storing carbon emissions from coal-based electricity.

The Virginia carbon sequestration project will inject carbon dioxide (CO2) into 300 million-year old rock strata, which will permanently hold the CO2 and keep it from entering the atmosphere. What’s more, the entrapment of CO2 in the rock strata is believed to aid in the release of natural gas trapped in coal seams—another domestic energy source.

“When we inject the carbon dioxide into the Mississippian aged coal deposits that were deposited 260-340 million years ago, the CO2 will stay there permanently,” said Marshall Miller, CEO of Marshall Miller and Associates, the geological firm participating in the joint venture. “The good situation is that out from the coal seam comes a gas, CH4, (methane) that gives you additional fuel.”

2009 looks like it will be an exciting year for science, technology and innovation in the U.S.

Check out the clean coal technology map to learn about the clean coal projects happening near you.

Clean coal projects all over America Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/15/2008 03:16:37 PM

It’s apparent that the creators of the Reality Coalition TV spots didn’t spend much time locating current clean coal technology projects before declaring them nonexistent. After all, we have a map of them right here on our Web site. (And remember, 'clean coal' refers to more than just carbon capture and sequestration.)

The projects include a host of CCS pilot-level projects (hey, you have to run before you can walk), many of which are co-funded by the coal industry and the government. Of course, if this is going to be a battle of absolutes, I guess it should also be noted that there isn’t a single commercial scale wind or solar project capable of replacing baseload fuels like coal.

On a related note, I noticed that our friends at the Reality Coalition attributed a (selective) quote of mine on their web site. While I did state that we currently lack a commercial-scale CCS project in the U.S., I went on to say that there are several live pilot-scale demonstration projects in the U.S., and that the first commercial-scale project is set to launch in 2009. I guess accuracy in the media isn’t what it used to be.

 But here’s a complete, accurate quote for you from former Vice President, Nobel-laureate and Academy Award-winner Al Gore, talking about the importance of CCS to a group of students at New York University:

 Fortunately, there may be a way to capture the CO2 produced as coal is burned and sequester it safely to prevent it from adding to the climate crisis. It is not easy. This technique, known as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is expensive and most users of coal have resisted the investments necessary to use it. However, when the cost of not using it is calculated, it becomes obvious that CCS will play a significant and growing role as one of the major building blocks of a solution to the climate crisis.

So I guess I don’t understand—the environmental groups following a person who believes clean coal technology can help prevent climate change are the same groups that oppose the clean coal projects they claim don’t exist?

Listen to the IPCC — it's time to take a deep breath Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/14/2008 04:56:00 AM

Today, I'll dispel a myth about addressing climate change concerns. Some people say that if it takes 10-15 years for power plants with carbon capture and storage to come online, it will be too late.

Well, maybe they need to check again.

Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, the chairman of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said this week that there is no clear evidence that climate change represents an immenent danger to the world.

Don't start hyper-ventilating! I'm just using Dr. Puchauri's comments show that we don't have to run around with our hair on fire. We've got time to bring new technologies to the marketplace to capture and store CO2, and we should be having a discussion about that.

Our industry is serious about bringing new advanced technologies for carbon capture and storage to the point of widespread deployment. Need convincing? Look take a look at the map of demonstration projects that the industry is already helping to fund.

Moreover, as we increase funding for all energy research and development programs, we say that there needs to be additional dollars set aside to match the industry's investment in bringing this new generation of new clean coal technologies into the marketplace. That stands in stark contrast to other groups, which have consistently opposed additional funding for advanced coal research and development.

So let's get focused on what we know: coal use both here in the U.S. and around the world will continue to grow, meaning that reducing CO2 emissions will require new advanced clean coal technologies. And according to the head of the IPCC, we've got time to bring those technologies to the marketplace (and nobody is saying we should delay!).

So the key question is, will you join us in that endeavor?

Home for the holidays Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/12/2008 02:17:02 PM

We had fun this week with the Clean Coal Carolers and hope you enjoyed them. They did a nice job singing about how coal has become cleaner over the last few decades and about all the clean coal technology projects taking place across the country.

Now it's time for them to head home for the holidays.

Season’s greetings from America’s Power!

I invite you to take a look at our newest TV ad in which we tout our support for Barack Obama’s call to invest in America’s energy future – including investments in clean coal.

Marketing battle is no 'David vs. Goliath' Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/12/2008 10:56:56 AM

Yesterday, one of my blog readers chimed in to say that he thought I'm being "dismissive" of environmental groups. He also wrote that the America's Power campaign has more money to spend on marketing than the major environmental groups.

I responded in the comment area, but for those who didn't see it... I'll paste it below. Here was my response:

Ben:

I do appreciate your comment and honestly try very avoid the direct confrontation.

I consider myself an environmentalist — I think we all do.

However, with respect to your claim that we have more resources, I beg to differ. In 2008, the Alliance for Climate Protection was reportedly ready to spend $100 million on their campaign efforts (and that was just one group). 

Now, I don't know what they will actually end up spending, but this is definitely not David vs. Goliath as your comment suggests. 

But again, I agree with you — this is not a "we" versus "them" dialogue. In the end, I do believe we all want the same thing: affordable, reliable energy (with as much of that being supplied by domestic energy resources as possible) and a clean environment. 

I promise to do better (and Megan will help me!) keep my passion about these issues in check. 

Thanks for calling me out on that one.

Can we debate our energy future, not hymnology? Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/11/2008 03:19:27 PM

The Clean Coal Carolers are getting a lot of attention around the Internet this week. I'm not surprised that people who don't think coal has any place in America's energy future don't seem to appreciate the clean coal carolers.

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, for example, didn't like the the use of "Silent Night" in our original group of songs.

I'll put my years as a Sunday school teacher, church deacon and church musician up against just about anybody else when it comes to understanding hymnology and respect for religious traditions.

That said, before we even received one response to our blog, we decided to remove the "Silent Night" tune from the Clean Coal Caroler feature.

That's not to say that we agree with Rachel Maddow's claim that it was inappropriate. It is merely a recognition that the facts of promoting energy independence, keeping energy costs affordable and investing in new technologies to make coal an even cleaner energy option is so important, we don't want there to be any impediment for getting that message out.

But remember that this cuts both ways. So you might want to be sure that we'll make our list and check it twice for things we might find offensive too.

Clean coal — it's more than just CO2 Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/11/2008 12:44:42 PM

An environmental special interest group has said that it will invest millions in ads to (in their words) debunk the myth of clean coal. Their claim is that since we're still working on the technology to capture and store CO₂, there is no such thing as clean coal. 

First of all, we share the goal of reducing CO2 emissions, but clean coal technology includes any advanced technology that reduces the environmental footprint of electricity generation.

Also, why aren't these groups spending millions to ensure that buses don't have signs plastered on them that say "powered by clean natural gas?"  I'm not knocking natural gas... but the fact is, natural gas also emits CO₂.  Don't they want to have any consistency to their argument?

We need all of our available energy resources, but I guess their strict constructionist argument would also not allow them to describe wind and solar (intermittent power sources) as reliable.

The fact is, as I've said many times, all energy resources have their pluses and their minuses — coal included.  But the fact remains, the use of technology has led to significant progress in reducing criteria pollutants and other regulated emissions in the coal-based electricity sector (an achievement these groups are all too fast to dismiss).

Going forward, the industry (through a working partnership with the government and academia) has laid a strong foundation for bringing new even more advanced technologies to the marketplace to capture and safely store CO₂. 

Being a Monday morning quarterback may be the safest position to play, but it doesn't win any ballgames. 

When it comes to promoting energy independence, providing affordable, reliable power and investing in the technologies for a cleaner energy future, we're in the game.  We'll take our hits when they are deserved, and I suspect most people know a foul when they see one.

Sour grapes for enviros Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/11/2008 11:03:10 AM

Last week, a group of environmental special interest groups launched an ad attacking clean coal technology.  Some of the environmental activists who frequent our site (why they visit, I'm not sure since they seem to already have their minds made up on this topic) seem to believe that commercial represents the greatest contribution to cinematography since Gone with the Wind. 

This week, we've had a fun little Web feature with the Clean Coal Carolers, and these same activists have found some negative things to say. 

 Here's the problem:  These folks were in no way prepared to have the clean coal message so strongly embraced during the 2008 election.  You'll recall that both Barack Obama and John McCain (who was not known to be a strong supporter of the coal industry) continuously talked about how the use of coal promotes energy independence. And both talked about their commitment to investing in new advanced clean coal technologies to help meet the challenge of reducing CO₂.

Since the election, President-elect Obama has shown no sign of backing off the commitments he made on the campaign trail. 

As for us, we're going to continue to talk about promoting energy independence, keeping energy costs affordable and investing in the technologies that will make coal an even cleaner energy option for America.

Companies spending millions on new clean coal research consortium Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/10/2008 12:01:48 PM

Some of our readers still want to know whether our member companies are pursuing clean coal technology projects. You bet!

Last week, three of our members—Ameren, Arch Coal and Peabody Energy—announced that they will form a consortium to research advanced clean coal technologies.

Based at Washington University in St. Louis, the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization will bring together myriad of experts, including researchers, professors and government organizations, all in efforts to research and advance clean coal technology. We talked to the Wash U folks back in October, at which time they tipped us off that big news was afoot.

In its press release, the university said it has committed “more than $60 million in the past year to advance education and research related to energy, environment and sustainability.” Further support will be provided by Arch Coal and Peabody Energy, who will contribute $5 million to the consortium with an additional $2 million from Ameren, to be paid over five years.

Research and projects are expected to include:

· Co-combustion of coal with biomass or oxygen (which can lead to reductions in carbon emissions)
· Approaches to carbon capture and storage
· Pilot-scale facilities

In a statement, Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton said, "From a university perspective, this is an exciting way to take coal — one of the nation's most abundant energy resources — and put it to work for the public good. The university will also work to build public understanding of the energy options for the future. The Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization will place St. Louis as the center for clean coal research."

We couldn’t agree more and look forward to hearing about the progress.

Basin Electric sounds off on Reality Coalition Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/09/2008 01:05:52 PM

This week, Basin Electric Power Cooperative (an ACCCE member) countered the Reality Coalition’s claim that clean coal technology doesn’t exist, citing two of its own clean coal initiatives, the Great Plains Synfuels plant and a proposed large-scale carbon capture demonstration project.

From the press release: “The Synfuels Plant is the only commercial scale gasification plant in the United States and home to the largest carbon capture project in the world. More than three million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) is captured annually and piped to Canada for use in enhanced oil recovery.”

The demonstration project is underway at the Antelope Valley Station, where it will capture CO2 from a traditional coal-based power plant.

Basin Electric CEO Ron Harper closed the statement by adding, “It’s not about ‘us versus them.’ Our end goal is the same as some national environmental coalitions: near-zero emissions generation. We just differ in our beliefs about how to go about it.”

Open the door, it's the Clean Coal Carolers! Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/09/2008 12:39:51 PM

‘Tis the season for peace, light and spreading good cheer. And that’s exactly what our Clean Coal Carolers have set out to do.

Stop by to get a sweet serenade from the seven carolers, send the holiday jingles to a friend and connect with other Clean coal Caroler fans on Facebook (where you’ll also learn more about each singer).

We also encourage you to look around America’s Power to learn more about why coal is the stocking stuffer of choice this year—it’s abundant, affordable and cleaner than ever…and will help you power your holiday lights this season.

Enjoy the Carolers, and have a bright and happy holiday season. 

Tom Brokaw is right Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/07/2008 12:42:04 PM

As most of you know, I'm a news junkie.

Sunday morning is an important time in my house. I watch the Sunday newsmaker shows (I'm watching CNN's "Late Edition" as I type this) and found a discussion on "Meet the Press" this morning to be particularly germane to what is going on currently with respect to the energy and environmental policy. 

The thing that struck me was something Tom Brokaw said in the segment announcing David Gregory as the new host the program.

In that segment, Brokaw said that the American public is paying more attention to policy development now than they had in any time in recent memory. I've thought that too, and having someone with the perspective of Tom Brokaw share that view confirms that observation. 

So when the Reality Coalition says that the American public is being duped by our advertising, I disagree. I give the American public a lot more credit than that.

Our polling shows that the American people recognize that coal will be a part of our energy future both here at home and around the world for decades to come. 

The negative tone of the Reality Coalition's message still stuns me. If you support strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (a common cause that we share with the Reality Coalition), wouldn't it make more sense to be talking about how to get those technologies to the marketplace as opposed to using attack ads to denigrate the very technology some members of this coalition have describes as a "big part of the solution" when it come to addressing climate concerns?

We're misleading? Name one incident! (We're still waiting.) Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/05/2008 05:25:00 AM

Have you ever taken the Myers-Briggs personality indicator test?  I have, and I am an ENFP (extraversion, intuition, feeling, perceiving) — the “most optimistic” personality type. 

Perhaps it is because I’m optimistic about America’s energy future that I was somewhat offended when the Reality Coalition — a new environmental organization that prefers mud-slinging to dealing with facts — implied that the American public was being duped by our America's Power ads.

Is the Reality Coalition so cynical that it believes the American people are being misled? Are they uninterested in engaging us on the merits of the debate?

People who have been exposed to our advertising campaign have not been misled! Here are the simple key facts of our campaign:

• * Access to electricity is a good thing, and lots of our electricity (over 50 percent) comes from coal;
• * Coal is a domestically abundant energy resource (according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency, more than a 200 year supply are current usage levels);
• * Generating electricity from coal is more affordable than other fuels (less than 1/3 the cost of natural gas, which, in most cases, is the nearest substitute for base load capacity demand that is met by coal);
• * The use of technology has already made coal a cleaner energy option (reducing emissions of criteria and other hazardous air pollutants), and going forward new technologies will also make it possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in response to climate change concerns.

I defy the folks within the Reality Coalition (or anybody else for that matter) to show how any one of these facts is not accurate or where our campaign’s messages have go beyond these key points. 

Go ahead, I’m waiting.

I will maintain my optimistic view, but I have to suspect that this new ad has little to do with what this group believes is a misstatement of facts, and more to do with how Americans are responding. 

More and more, Americans support the use of coal for generating electricity in this country.  Our latest survey shows that 72 percent of opinion leaders “support the use of coal to generate electricity” and 69 percent say that “coal is a fuel for America’s future.”

Again, I have great confidence in the American people. I know that you’re not fooled as easily as the Reality Coalition seems to think. 

I’ve seen the data, and I know that most of you are concerned about America’s growing reliance on energy imports and the rising cost of energy and it’s impact on our economy.  You also believe in the American ingenuity that has accomplished amazing things in the past and therefore believe it is possible to develop and deploy technologies to capture and store carbon. 

Barack Obama said it best earlier this year at a campaign stop in Lebonon, Virginia, where he said, "This is America.  We figured out how to put a man on the moon in 10 years.  You can't tell me that we can't figure out how to burn coal that we mine right here in the United States of America and make it [capture of CO₂] work."

To that to say … Yes We Can!

Enviro group prefers name-calling to discussing facts Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/04/2008 05:23:16 PM

I had been hoping that with the 2008 election wrapped up, we could all watch TV in peace without negative political campaign ads.

But wait. Evidently, we’re not done with negative ads after all.

A new group called the Reality Coalition has taken to the airwaves with an ad that does nothing more than name-calling and fact-fudging.

So this is what it’s come to for advocacy groups that don’t have the facts on their sides — they sit on the sidelines and throw spitballs. That’s the best idea they have, evidently.

Our campaign has a message based in facts. And we love discussing them every chance we get.

The use of clean coal technologies has already produced remarkable results in improving the environmental footprint of using coal to generate electricity. The term "clean coal" has become an accepted term to describe the entire suite of technologies that reduce emissions and improve the operational efficiency of coal-based power plants. Our campaign has, as one of its goals, supported funding from both public and private sector sources to bring to the marketplace additional advanced clean coal technologies to capture and store carbon.

We’ve come a long way in the last few decades, but we’re not done yet. We’ve more work to do including ensuring that new advanced clean coal technologies are available to capture and store carbon for coal-based power plants both here in America and around the world. 

If our ads were meant to convey the notion that carbon capture technologies are already being used on a wide-scale basis, then why would we be running the I Believe ad? 

I think the Reality Coalition doth protests too much. They see that most Americans agree with our position. American coal is going to be needed to meet energy demand both here at home and around the world, and investing in new advanced clean coal technologies is the best way to achieve our goals of promoting energy independence, keeping energy costs affordable, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector.

Clean coal and the new president Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/02/2008 11:20:35 AM

During the election, President-elect Obama talked a lot about investing in America's energy future. While that will involve investing in all of our available domestic energy resources, the President-elect was clear that developing and deploying clean coal technologies would reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources, create American jobs and hold down U.S. electricity costs.

In President-elect Obama has had to say about the future of clean coal:

“I am a big proponent of clean-coal technology and I want us to move rapidly in developing those sequestration technologies that's required.”

“What we need to do though is to put clean coal technology on the fast track and that means money. It means investment in research. That's something that we should have already been doing.”

“An Obama administration will provide incentives to accelerate private sector investment in commercial scale zero-carbon coal plants.”

We're looking forward to working with the new president, his administration and the new Congress as we seek ways to increase energy independence, reduce energy costs and invest in new technologies to meet new environmental challenges such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector.

In a recent interview with E&ETV, our CEO Steve Miller noted that the new administration would wrestle with a trio of issues, including fitting energy into an economic stimulus; moving the country to greater energy independence; and meeting our responsibilities to the environment.

We think a number of energy projects can help us overcome these challenges, including the revival of FutureGen, which is a public-private partnership to build the world's first near zero-emissions coal-fueled power plant. As Miller said: “President-elect Obama has mentioned five one-of-a-kind carbon capture and storage projects that his administration would be willing to fund; we hope that’s [FutureGen] one of them.”

ACCCE—a coalition of more than 40 coal-based electricity providers—stands ready to work with the president-elect, his administration and the 111th Congress to pioneer a new generation of advanced clean coal technologies that will capture and store carbon emissions and position America as a leader in innovation.

Join us in leading the way.