President Obama is visiting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania today to hold a town hall discussion on moving America towards a more secure and cleaner energy future. The President and his administration have shown their support for coal-based electricity to continue to be a part of our balanced energy portfolio, and Pennsylvania’s elected officials have been leading the way in supporting advanced coal technologies.

Hear what Pennsylvanians have to say about coal in their state:

As part of his energy policy, newly-elected Gov. Tom Corbett (R-Pa.) explains how coal can be used to produce electricity with the smallest environmental footprint possible:

Clean coal technologies represent an environmentally responsible means for Pennsylvania to meet its energy needs while taking advantage of an indigenous resource. As Governor, Tom Corbett will form a task force to review this issue and develop a report that provides a status and overview of pending technology; describes any barriers towards development and deployment of these technologies; and includes recommendations on what needs to be done to make these technologies deployable as soon as possible.

On the other side of the aisle, Congressman Mark Critz (D-Pa.) has noted the importance of advanced coal technologies to our economic security:

Western Pennsylvania can be a leader in clean coal technology as well as alternative energy jobs … we need to invest in these kinds of technologies that will create jobs and protect our national security interests.

To meet our future energy needs while leaving as small of an environmental footprint as possible, co-chair and Congressman Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) notes on his website that coal can be a part of a clean energy future through investments in advanced coal technologies:

Western Pennsylvania’s vast coal resources and strong nuclear industry are a tremendous source of economic growth for our region and investment in them will make America more energy independent. Congressman Altmire supports the construction of new nuclear reactors and additional funding for clean coal technologies, such as carbon capture and sequestration.

From the White House to Congress to State Houses, there is broad support, from Republicans and Democrats, for advanced coal technologies to lead the way in helping our economy recover, provide long term energy independence and lead America toward a cleaner energy future.