• Ask The Experts

• I saw an ad that said coal plants are now 70% cleaner than they were in the 1970s. Is that really true?

• It is true!

  The calculations are based on five pollutants: carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter.

  Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calculates environmental performance per unit of energy produced. That is, the relationship of emissions per billion kilowatt-hours.

  From 1970 to 2000, the value for that ratio fell from 30,510 short tons per billion kilowatt-hours to just 8,040 short tons per billion kilowatt-hours — a reduction of 73.66%.

• Why is coal a better answer to our energy needs than oil?

• Put simply, America has more coal than any other fossil fuel resource. In fact, 38 states have large coal deposits.

  Our abundant supply means that we do not have to rely on foreign imports from politically volatile parts of the world.

  In addition, coal accounts for half of our domestic electricity usage, while oil contributes to just 3% of our needs.

• Is coal-to-liquids technology economically viable and why would we want to use coal to power our cars?

• While Americans rely on coal for 50 percent of our electricity, coal does not help contribute to our needs for transportation fuel. As a result, America is forced to get most of our transportation fuel from politically volatile parts of the world such as the Middle East.

  Coal-to-liquids (CTL) technology is not an immature field. Germany and South Africa have been gasifying coal and turning it into low-sulfur diesel and jet fuel for decades.

  Based on an U.S. Department of Energy formula, it would be economical to produce fuel from coal when the price of a barrel of crude oil is at least $54.

  With oil hovering near $100 per barrel, we hope that America can roll out its first commercial-scale CTL refineries soon so that we can ensure our energy independence.

• Now that the FutureGen plant has been put on hold, is clean coal technology up in the air?

• Not at all.
  Clean coal technology refers not to any one project but to an entire suite of advanced technologies. For example, there are more than 300 research projects around the country where several billion dollars are being devoted to clean coal technology, each one breaking new ground and helping pave the way for an energy independent future.

  The U.S. Department of Energy announced last month that it plans to fund the addition of carbon controls for integrated gasification combined cycle power plants being planned. In addition, the agency will begin concentrating on several new carbon capture and sequestration projects.

  As for FutureGen itself … despite what you may have heard or read, the FutureGen project has not been cancelled. Even though President Bush decided not to include FutureGen in his budget proposal, Congress has the final say on funding. The discussion on FutureGen simply moves to Capitol Hill.

  Remember — the benefits of investing in clean coal technologies far outweigh the costs.
  Coal will remain the backbone of the U.S. electricity system for decades if not centuries, and incorporating carbon capture and sequestration is essential to our future.

Ask a Question

We want to know what questions you have about America’s most abundant fuel source – coal – and its role in generating electric power. We’ll pass your questions along to experts and post the answers right here on this page. Just email us your question and we’ll get our experts on the case.

Stay Informed

Sign up to receive updates about America's energy future.

Sign up for our RSS feed RSS