The Myth of Clean Coal Technology

Burning coal is a leading source of global warming pollution...

"GHG Emissions and Sinks 1990–2006,” US EPA 2008

Burning coal is the dirtiest way we produce electricity…“Carbon Dioxide Emissions from the Generation of Electric Power in the United States,” US DOE 2000.; “GHG Emissions and Sinks 1990-2006,” US EPA 2008

There are no homes in America powered by "clean" coal…IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme CO₂ Capture and Storage Database; Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technologies Program at MIT, CO₂ Capture and Storage Project Database CO₂ emissions from U.S. coal-based electricity are greater than emissions from all the cars and trucks in America.

“GHG Emissions and Sinks 1990-2006,” US EPA 2008

The coal industry is spending millions advertising "clean" coal, but not a single "clean" coal power plant exists in the U.S. today…“Big Coal Campaigning to Keep Its Industry on Candidates' Minds,” Wall Street Journal, Oct. 20, 2008 (link); IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Program CO₂ Capture and Storage Database (link); Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technologies Program at MIT, CO₂ Capture and Storage Project Database (link)…"While you might have heard the phrase ‘clean’ coal during the presidential campaign, it's actually an oxymoron." Brian Williams, NBC News, Nov 18, 2008 (link)

There are roughly 600 coal plants producing electricity in the U.S. Not one of them captures and stores its global warming pollution… “Electricity Facts,” US DOE 2008 (link); IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Program CO₂ Capture and Storage Database (link); Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technologies Program at MIT, CO₂ Capture and Storage Project Database (link)

"'Clean' coal is like a healthy cigarette." Blan Holman, attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center in Charleston, S.C. (link)

There is not a single large-scale demonstration "clean" coal plant in the U.S. today… IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Program CO₂ Capture and Storage Database (link); Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technologies Program at MIT, CO₂ Capture and Storage Project Database (link)

Virtually all the new coal plants that have been proposed will, just like their predecessors, release 100 percent of the CO₂ they produce into the atmosphere, where it will linger—and contribute to global warming… "Coal Power in a Warming World: A Sensible Transition to Cleaner Energy Options," Union of Concerned Scientists. Oct. 2008. (pdf link)

Although carbon sequestration has been the subject of considerable research and analysis, it has yet to be demonstrated in the form of commercial-scale, fully integrated projects at coal-fired power plants… “Coal Power in a Warming World: A Sensible Transition to Cleaner Energy Options,” Union of Concerned Scientists. Oct. 2008. (pdf link)

An investment in wind power produces almost three times as many jobs as the same investment in coal power. And an investment in solar power produces almost four times as many jobs, and energy efficiency, almost thirty times as many jobs as coal power… Based on analysis of the new energy economy released by Earth Policy Institute, Nov. 2008

"We don't have a plant here in the United States today that has commercially installed carbon capture technology."…Joe Lucas, Vice President of Communications, American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE). From: “Can Coal Be Clean? A Debate between Michael Brune of Rainforest Action Network and Joe Lucas of American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.” Democracy Now! The War and Peace Report, Oct. 2008

"Without the price on greenhouse gas emissions that is delivered by cap-and-trade mechanisms, CO₂ capture and storage will remain a daydream."…Jeroen van der Veer, CEO of Shell. July 2008 Madrid. Shell, “Delivering Energy for Sustainable Growth. The European Perspective," The 19th World Petroleum Congress Plenary Session, Madrid, June 30, 2008. (pdf link)