News Feed

Democratic candidates play up "clean coal"

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:28:56 GMT

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are talking more about "clean coal" and less about global warming as they woo voters in West Virginia and Kentucky -- two states that sit at the heart of the nation's coal economy.

View full article

Clean-coal test is a go in Ohio

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:52:02 GMT

The federal government said yesterday that it will spend $61.1 million for a clean-coal project in Ohio, a major step in deciding whether it is commercially feasible to burn Midwest coal without emitting the carbon dioxide thought to cause global warming.

View full article

Coal advocates dog candidates' footsteps

Tue, 06 May 2008 18:41:35 GMT

Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) was in the area last month, driving its conspicuous sky-blue van to various locations where Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama appeared.

View full article

Live- Blogging and Setting the Scene

Mon, 05 May 2008 20:05:19 GMT

PHILADELPHIA -- I'll be live blogging the debate from on site here in the city of Brotherly Love, while Mark and Chuck will be doing so from DC.

View full article

'Meet the Press' transcript for May 4, 2008

Mon, 05 May 2008 16:25:40 GMT

Barack Obama: “I have a aggressive goal of reducing carbon emissions, and coal is a dirty fuel right now. But if we can figure out how to sequester carbon and burn clean coal, we're the Saudi Arabia of coal, and I don't think that we can dismiss out of hand the use of coal as part of our energy mix.

View full article

Letters: Coal is helping to keep energy costs down

Fri, 02 May 2008 19:21:30 GMT

Coal, which generates about 55 percent of Pennsylvania's electricity and half of the nation's electricity, has helped keep electric bills more affordable. This is contrary to John Hanger's assertion in his April 21 commentary, "Energy-conservation bills crucial."

View full article

Clean coal coming here

Thu, 01 May 2008 16:18:30 GMT

A London-based company that specializes in clean coal technology is planning to build it first U.S. facility along the banks of the Ohio River here. Vertus Technologies Limited, a subsidiary of London-based Nviro Cleantech, has signed a 25-year contract with Cincinnati Bulk Terminals, LLC, to install and operate a facility designed to remove pollutants from coal prior to its combustion.

View full article

Casting off coal costly

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:38:19 GMT

If Colorado slashed its reliance on coal by a third, it would say goodbye to 27,500 jobs and $1.7 billion a year in household income.

View full article

Advocate: Coal not perfect, but vital

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:39:26 GMT

Coal industry advocate Joe Lucas likens the country's dependence on coal-fired power to a big liner crossing the ocean.

Some people may think they can change the liner's direction instantaneously. But try to make a quick U-turn, and the ship is more likely to capsize. A better approach is to slow down, make a calculated turn and then accelerate, he said Tuesday.

View full article

New coalition touts clean coal in primary states, supports emissions reduction legislation

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:32:54 GMT

With all eyes on Pennsylvania and the remaining primary states, clean coal has emerged as an issue of focus in several key states. Throughout primary season, Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) has tried to influence voters in coal states through a $40 million ad campaign touting clean coal.

View full article

Op-ed: Don't ignore economics in energy-policy debate

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:17:26 GMT

For an energy policy to be effective, it must address many aspects, including the environment and economics.

As an example, while many are hailing the emergence of corn-based ethanol for its prospective environmental benefits, often overlooked is the fact that this would likely cause a spike in feed and grocery store prices. Indeed, environmental and economic issues are often indelibly interrelated.

View full article

Coal industry takes its case to the voters

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:18:51 GMT

The tightly contested Democratic presidential campaign has put Pennsylvania in the national spotlight.And, with two weeks of campaigning left until the April 22 primary election, the attention presents an opportunity too good for special-interest groups to resist.

View full article

Reporter's Notebook

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:14:10 GMT

There were no signs at the event, but people donned free T-shirts and free hats that simply read “Clean Coal” and sported the Web address of a special- interest group known as Americans for Balanced Energy Choices.The Web site, www.americaspower.org, touts the need for coal in future energy policies. It’s unclear whether the myriad of people wearing Clean Coal caps were in fact lobbying for that, but Mr. Obama acknowledged the free gear and discussed clean coal.

View full article

Nearly $1 in $4 of Income Goes to Buy Energy

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:31:53 GMT

It is not just the poorest households who are struggling to pay their energy bills or who are affected by government energy policies, says Americans for Balanced Energy Choices.

View Full Story

Va. regulators approve Wise Co. coal plant

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:15:44 GMT

State regulators have approved Dominion Virginia Power's plans to build a coal-fired power plant in southwest Virgina, but the company still must secure permits from a state environmental board before breaking ground. The State Corporation Commission gave its approval Monday for construction of the $1.8 billion power plant proposed for Wise County. 85-megawatt Virginia Hybrid Energy Center a certificate of public convenience and necessity.

View full article

Coal-use advocates follow contenders

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:05:42 GMT

While the Democratic presidential candidates are out stumping in Pennsylvania, they’re being followed by some interesting vans carrying advocates of an issue that a year ago didn’t need any additional publicity.

View full article

Senate hearing tackles carbon issue

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:47:56 GMT

Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., see further research into carbon dioxide sequestration technology as a key to allowing the coal industry to contribute to the nation's energy needs in an environmentally friendly way. Dorgan and Tester held a Senate Energy Subcommittee hearing at Bismarck State College on Wednesday to investigate the sequestration research issue.

View full article

Joe Lucas: Coal, A Bridge to the Future

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:33:45 GMT

Ohio has a premier role in developing tomorrow's cleaner energy, a goal we all share.
In the next century, we might get all our power from the wind, the sun or something else altogether new, that we don't even know about today. But we don't just leap over to that other, greener shore. The river between our energy future and us is decades in width and we need to build some bridges to cross.

View Full Article

Joe Lucas: Coal Production Boosts Stake in Industry

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:49:07 GMT

There is a lot of talk about whether the national economy is slowing and how quickly, leading to even greater concerns among states over how they will compete for jobs, no matter whose economic forecasts are right.

View Article (Subscription Required)

America's hottest export: Coal

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:21:39 GMT

Since Jan. 1, crises such as these have strained coal markets already stretched thin by soaring Asian demand, and the impact is reverberating to mines in West Virginia and Wyoming, which are being counted on to fill the void. St. Louis-based Peabody Energy Corp. shipped more coal overseas in the first six weeks of this year than it did all of last year, said Chief Executive Gregory H. Boyce.

View full article