Clean coal? Still just a dream
"Clean coal technology is something that can make America energy independent," said President Obama on the stump in 2008. "This is America. We figured out how to put a man on the moon in 10 years, and you tell me we can't figure out a way to burn clean coal that is mined right here in the United States of America and make it work?" He also said something about "five million new jobs." Watch it here.
The coal industry says $12 billion worth of clean coal research is underway in 43 states. Coal is still cheap and relatively abundant. And it remains a potent energy source, producing 39% of world electricity. Half of all American electricity is from coal, and the U.S. has 250 billion tons of recoverable reserves, the industry says. That's "more than three times Saudi Arabia's proven oil reserves."
