Don’t Crack Open A Coaled One Just Yet

[MindMover]

The EPA’s new regulations on building new coal-fired power plants are expected to go into effect today, requiring strict new pollution controls that energy companies say will make it “impossible” to build the plants, only that’s not actually true.
The proposed rule — years in the making and approved by the White House after months of review — will require any new power plant to emit no more than 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt of electricity produced. The average U.S. natural gas plant, which emits 800 to 850 pounds of CO2 per megawatt, meets that standard; coal plants emit an average of 1,768 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt.
Industry officials and environmentalists said in interviews that the rule, which comes on the heels of tough new requirements that the Obama administration imposed on mercury emissions and cross-state pollution from utilities within the past year, dooms any proposal to build a coal-fired plant that does not have costly carbon controls.
“This standard effectively bans new coal plants,” said Joseph Stanko, who heads government relations at the law firm Hunton and Williams and represents several utility companies. “So I don’t see how that is an ‘all of the above’ energy policy.”

Except for you know, the coal plants being built anyway.
The rule provides an exception for coal plants that are already permitted and beginning construction within a year. There are about 20 coal plants now pursuing permits; two of them are federally subsidized and would meet the new standard with advanced pollution controls.

http://www.balloon-juice.com/2012/03/27/dont-crack-open-a-coaled-one-just-yet/

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Except for the 20 coal plants now pursuing permits......OMG.....

[zipplewrath]

1. Clean coal

“This standard effectively bans new coal plants,” said Joseph Stanko, who heads government relations at the law firm Hunton and Williams and represents several utility companies.

What about Clean Coal? Thought that was going to allow coal to be "America's Energy future"?

What's that? There is no such thing? Then what's everyone talking about?

[MindMover]

2. This is from 2008 and coal is still the same when it comes out of the ground today.....

and anyone including any administration or any corporation that says differently has not flown over the Appalachia strip mining and listened to the poor people living there.......



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022903390.html

[Nihil]

5. Correct: There is no such thing.

Mind you, that's not to say that Obama isn't going to pretend that there is
just to keep his coal buddies happy.

[joshcryer]

3. Those "new coal plants" are small I think.

I don't think there are any big ones slated to come online... ever.

[Dead_Parrot]

4. maybe...

...see http://www.democraticunderground.com/112710533