Clean Coal talking point: "Near Zero-Emission Free Electricity"

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The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (bought and paid for by the coal industry) was stumping its โ€œclean coalโ€ message in Huntington, West Virginia last week. If you aren’t already skeptical about the notion of so-called clean coal, then check out this less-than-hopeful message from clean coal spindoctor Cathyย Coffey:

We believe that technology within the next 10 to 15 years will be developed and tested so that we will be able to produce near-zero emission-free electricity from coal.โ€ (Myย emphasis).

The message is carefully crafted and the โ€œ10 to 15 years will be developed and testedโ€ message is subtle enough to be passed right over. The clean coal message might even leave you feeling a littleย hopeful.

The truth is that yes in the next 10 to 15 years there is the possibility that technology to capture greenhouse emissions could be โ€œdeveloped and tested.โ€ The problem is most estimates find that it will take another 10 to 15 years on top of that to deploy carbon capture and sequestration on a commercialย scale.

In other words, the earliest we might possibly see commercial-scale near-zero emission free electricity from coal will be around the year 2040. Way too little, way too late if we listen to the scientists at the world’s top academies who are saying we require a cut in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 25-30% below 1990 levels byย 2020.

Given that the US coal industry is responsible for about 30% of the country’s total emissions of greenhouse gas, a promise of โ€œemissions-freeโ€ electricity by 2040 means we’re in for a lot of trouble if we continue to swallow the coal-is-clean talkingย points.

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Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a โ€œGreen Heroโ€ by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the โ€œTop 50 Tweetersโ€ on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevinโ€™s research into the โ€œclimate denial industryโ€ and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Kochโ€™s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea partyย networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a โ€œCertified Expertโ€ on theย political and community organizing platformย NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the worldโ€™s best e-Content and innovative ICTย applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.

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