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February 15, 2012
Dear Sustainability Watch Reader,  

I am pleased to provide you with your weekly Sustainability Watch newsletter. This week's topic is "New Coal Technologies."
New Coal Technologies       

 

In late 2011, the EPA finalized two aggressive anti-pollution laws aimed at the largest coal- and oil-fired power plants in the country. Both the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) and the Cross State Pollution Rule (CSAPR) - which aggressively restrict mercury, SO2, NOx, and other toxic emissions - are designed to mitigate the adverse health effects of certain pollutants on humans. Controls to meet these new emissions limits are readily available, and many plants have already invested in pollution control technologies that will help them meet these standards. EPA officials explain that MATS and CSAPR will save thousands of lives a year and return health benefits many times greater than the original cost.

 

Nonetheless, some in the coal industry argue that these regulations - in conjunction with a related EPA plan to begin regulating GHGs from large fossil fuel power plants - are tantamount to a "war on coal." They argue that these rules will ultimately force a number of plants to close, resulting in job loss and a potentially compromised electric grid. Fourteen of the twenty-eight states affected by CSAPR have challenged the ruling, and more than three dozen lawsuits have been filed. In December 2011, the U.S. District Court of Appeals ruled in favor of protesting states and granted a request to stay the CSAPR, which will last until  the states' cases against the rule can be heard.

full report 2Executive Summary

   

According to the United States National Intelligence Council (NIC, 2008a), world energy demand is expected to rise 57 percent in the between 2004 and 2030. This trend has led to a number of research and development efforts to find new fuels that will meet growing global energy needs without negatively impacting the environment. One of the energy sources being investigated to meet these needs is clean coal. Regular coal emits more carbon dioxide and other pollutants per unit of energy recovered than do other fossil fuels (e.g., oil, natural gas), making it a poor choice for sustainability. However, clean coal technologies are intended to allow consumers to use coal as a source of energy while minimizing its environmental impact.

 

The term "clean coal" is often associated with the concept of new coal technologies. Both terms are somewhat misleading, however. Clean coal actually encompasses two concepts: (1.) coal that is relatively (and often incrementally) cleaner than the types of coal that have preceded it and (2.) futuristic coal that, it is often implied, may someday provide energy with zero environmental impact. For the most part, however, the term clean coal is a marketing term rather than an accurate description of the properties of the coal. In addition, some of the so-called "new" coal technologies (e.g., coal gasification) have actually been used for decades. Clean coal is intended to improve fuel efficiency, lower the emission of pollutants, and provide fuels and chemical feed stocks from available resources.

 

Countries that possess significant deposits of coal are particularly interested in developing clean coal technologies. Sixty-seven percent of the known coal reserves around the world are in the United States, China, India, and Russia. It is projected that the development of clean coal technologies would allow the expansion of non-renewable carbon based energy systems sufficient to meet energy needs in one to two centuries. From this perspective, the development of clean coal technologies could potentially provide both a source of energy and a source of revenue. From a geopolitical perspective, clean coal could not only extend the usefulness of coal reserves in the United States, but also lessen US dependence on foreign oil. Militarily, this could potentially lead to less US intervention in unstable foreign regions and help to avoid armed conflict. Economically, clean coal could offer a potential economic boost to both users (no longer dependent on foreign oil) and providers. Clean coal technologies would also lessen the concerns of those worried about the impact of energy consumption on the environment.

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Emily C. Ryan
Managing Editor, Evidence Based Content
Business Development
EBSCO Publishing
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