Al Gore: Clean Coal is ‘An Illusion’
04 December 2008 1:15 pm by Taylor Marsh
BY TAYLOR MARSH
It’s a project of The Reality
Coalition, a joint effort by the Alliance for Climate Protection, League
of Conservation Voters, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Wildlife
Federation, and Sierra Club.
This subject is way off my expertise portfolio, so whenever Al Gore and his
team invites me on to a conference call on the subject, I’m more than happy
to listen and learn. Obviously, we all know how important the environment is to us all,
with the propaganda on “clean coal” just the latest ruse.
So, in a media call today (notes appear below), Al Gore began by thanking the online community for
pushing back on the notion of “clean coal.” Same strategy of the Big
3 automakers, as far as Gore is concerned. Better cars? No. “It’s a great
idea, but they never build them or sell them,” Gore continued. It’s the same with the coal industry. Clean coal
is “an illusion.” But the industry will push back hard on the campaign
being launched by the This Is Reality coalition, so he needs the online community and all of you to stay involved.
When the coal industry talks about “clean coal,” it’s the same thing
Bush meant on clean air. That was Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope.
“Clean coal doesn’t exist,” said Natural Resources Defense Council
President Frances Beinecke. She singled out one of the repurcussions, asthma.
“Coal is not clean today.”
“Clean coal” is “an oxymoron” League of Conservation Voters
President Gene Karpinski said emphatically. Defining what it means in the future
would be important.
National Wildlife Federation President & CEO Larry Schweiger talked about
the inability of our oceans, streams and rivers to absorb carbon dioxide: “The
game is over. We need to protect our children’s future.”
We do have to act now. Clean coal is a primary source of pollution. “But
the technology to burn clean coal simply doesn’t exist today,” Gore said.
The coal industry has to live up to the idea of “clean coal.” No coal
plants should be built today unless they can capture and store their carbon
monoxide emissions. If we could actually produce “clean coal” it would
be welcome, Gore continued in a question and answer segment.
Additionally important, the coaltion team made a point of emphasizing that
retrofitting coal plants doesn’t work. Beinecke also mentioned that we need
specific performance standards and that coal plants eventually be phased out
if they cannot capture and store carbon monixide emissions.
So, why not ban coal plants that don’t have sequestration ability? The Alliance
for Climate Protection has called for that, replied Gore. Legislation was announced
in the House and Senate last year, so the coalition is supporting it. Proposed
coal burning plants have inspired a “huge movement” of canceling coal
burning plants. In fact, you don’t need legislation. The EPA has the authority
under the Clean Air Act to push coal plants. The coalition has asked the Obama
transition team to address coal power plants on sequestration, both in old and new plants.
Al Gore’s goal is to have a 100% renewable energy plan in 10 years. The coal
industry is “not presently reacting to the present extreme threats they
are imposing,” said Gore. In West Virginia, we’re actually regressing,
with Pennsylvania suffering serious consequences as well. Coal fired pollutants
are killing rivers, streams, our landscape, but also our air. But stopping the polluters in the coal industry won’t be easy.
“This is going to be quite a battle.” – Al Gore
