Archive for August, 2009

On the road for affordable energy

Team collage

It’s summer – a time of festivals, fairs, outdoor concerts and baseball. And in the summer of 2009, it’s also a time to focus on affordable energy.

As Americans gathered at public events throughout August, ACCCE sent outreach teams to eight states to talk to people with genuine concerns about energy prices. Our teams attended county and state fairs, participated in parades and met concerned business owners on Main Street.

Each team gave out materials with ACCCE’s message about ensuring that coal stays a part of the energy mix to keep electricity affordable. We gave out flyers, hats, t-shirts, pens, cards, stickers and bumper stickers. In three short weeks, we personally distributed our message nearly 95,000 times. During that time, we drove 41,000 miles, visited 264 cities, and attended 73 fairs, including four state fairs.

We collected the stories of families and small business owners like Denise, owner of the Tangle Salon in Terre Haute, Ind., who said, “We have to dry hair and nails, heat water, run the air conditioner or run the heater. Energy must be affordable or I would be in trouble.”

We visited and spoke at eight Kiwanis club meetings, as you can see in this video.

Reaching out to college students was an important part of our outreach. We visited 43 campuses and heard many stories like this one.

Sporting events were great places to meet folks and talk about keeping coal in America’s energy mix. We attended 44 sporting events, including major and minor league baseball games, preseason football games, NASCAR races, college football practices and even a surfing competition. Check out the reception we got. 

Finally, we have no doubt that the people of America understand the need and role for coal in America’s energy future – listen to the Americans we met in this video.

31 August 2009, 1:00 pm | Posted in ACCCE News, Affordability, Energy Issues | No comments »
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Carbon capture at work

It’s amazing, but we still hear things like carbon capture will never be a reality. But, with exciting new projects like AEP’s Mountaineer plant set to go online this week, we thought it would be a good time to remind readers that technology does exist.

The pilot facility at the Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin takes about one percent of its flue gas for use in the carbon capture demonstration project. Using a chilled ammonia process developed by Alstom Power Inc., the test project captures 90 percent of those carbon emissions. The demonstration project began in March 2008 and will last for two years.

The Pleasant Prairie and Mountaineer projects prove that there has never been an environmental challenge facing the coal-based electricity sector for which technology has provided a solution—and that reducing CO2 will not be an exception to the rule.

Curious what CO2 looks like when it is captured from a working power plant? Check out our video from the Factuality Tour. Carbon capture from an existing power plant is a reality…and those are the facts.

Alstom CCS project

Alstom's carbon capture pilot project

Carbon capture at work
Carbon capture in action

31 August 2009, 10:35 am | Posted in Carbon Capture | No comments »
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Deconstructing the new Washington Post energy poll

I'll admit it; I love to read poll numbers. Maybe it is a sign of being a political junkie … but I’m always looking at polls. But it’s more than that. Whether it’s a study on best sports city in America, best place for pizza, or thoughts on our energy future, I am fascinated by understanding what people think … and why they think it.

So imagine my excitement to see a story in today's Washington Post had talking about how most American view President Obama’s energy initiative. Knowing that President Obama is a big supporter of clean coal technologies, I quickly put down my morning coffee and began reading. When I finished the article, I realized one thing was inexplicably missing: there were no questions asked about coal or clean coal technologies.

With all due respect to the Post, how in the world can you conduct a poll about the president’s energy initiatives—especially in the wake of climate change proposals—and not mention clean coal?

Coal is only America’s most abundant energy resource. And, with our economy struggling … it is also worth noting that coal is our most abundant energy resource (and we all know that low-cost energy means jobs … especially in the manufacturing sector).

I would like to add an addendum to today’s story…the last time we asked decision makers in the U.S. if coal was a fuel for America’s future; 69 percent agreed that “yes” it was.

For the record, I’m encouraged that energy policy questions and polls are becoming more prominent every day. How we go about providing affordable electricity, while keeping an eye on the environment, remains one of the biggest challenges of our lifetime. And for the record (and since the Washington Post didn’t ask), our 2008 national survey found that 72 percent Americans believe that new technologies would allow coal-based electricity plants to capture and store greenhouse gas emissions within the next 10-20 years.

But we can’t create solutions without taking into account all of our strengths and opportunities. And those include American coal and clean coal technologies.

Do you agree?

28 August 2009, 12:08 pm | Posted in Clean Coal, Energy Issues, Policy and Legislation | No comments »
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