To repeat the concern that had a short mention in this article, coal is not clean (especially while mountaintop removal is around).  We have got the technology to commit to renewables while cleaning up the old coal plants.  It does not make sense to me why we would so heavily invest in one new coal-fired power plants, we've got hundreds of old ones to clean-up until we build our renewable energy infrastructure.

Any claim to "clean coal" has got to take extraction as well as burning into account.  I don't believe there even is such a thing though.  Seems to be more a Public Relations phrase than a reality.

Right on Trouserdude!

Good article.  Reponses not so good.  How long can we be self-righteous about coal??  With the IEA predicting world energy need to increase by 60% over the next 25-30 years, it's clear that to balance legitimate development and environmental considerations, the world will need all of - clean coal, safe and affordable nuclear, reliable and affordable renewables, and increased energy efficiency.  With the possible exception of the last (which requires massive societal attitude shift across many cultures), none of these options is either cheap or easily achievable.

We should be encouraging the coal people to come on board the climate change battle, not slamming them because they're coal.  It's the way it's used, stupid!

Those who tout FutureGen technology as a near perfect solution to our energy needs should take off the rose-colored glasses.  For those of us living in the targeted area of eastern Montana where the strip mining would likely be done to feed this monster, there is another viewpoint.  Why turn productive farm and ranch land upside down to feed the dinosaur?

Investing in unproven coal conversion facilities hoping to successfully achieve all that is on their wishlist is likely to be quite disappointing, especially if the plant happens to be located in your area.  We all would like to believe that sequestering greenhouse gas is a done deal, but by their own admission, they indicate that "the project will test whether it can remain sequestered underground indefinitely."  Folks, this is just a test!

And incidentally, it doesn't measure up economically to other alternatives.  If this 375 megawatt power plant costs one billion dollars to construct, that's about $2.6 million per megawatt.  The newly built 135 megawatt wind farm in Montana cost around $150 million which comes to about $1.1 million per megawatt.

Biofuels plants are being built in numerous states throughout the midwest.  Construction time is about 2 years.  Oilseed crops are, and can be grown in a wide region of the country, contributing significantly to local economies.

Let's join the 21st century.

To Mr. M: Your comment that people are being "self-righteous about coal" belies a very anti-environmental position.  All mining is very environmentally destructive.  Should we destroy your home and everyone who lives there in order to extract energy?

Grist Credo:  "We exist to tell the untold stories, spotlight trends before they become trendy, and engage the apathetic. We're fiercely independent in our coverage; we throw brickbats when they're needed and bestow kudos when they're warranted."

I am certainly not "anti-environmental", resent the charge, and have the scars to prove my commitment to the cause.  What I cannot stand is your self-righteousness that condemns anyone THINKING about these issues.  That's why I like and support the GRIST credo.

You condemn all mining outright; that just seems to me about as rational as suggesting we migrate back to our caves.

Good discussion here.  Clean coal (sequestered CO2) is not competitive with old coal power plant economics (without carbon credits).  The Earth burns while we talk about this fire breathing dragon.  Take your best shot at its belly.  

Dirty coal can be killed with economics.  Lowest cost energy will sell in China, India, and everywhere.  Like whale oils, coal will become obsolete due to lower cost alternatives.

I just hope the technology that we know is the lowest cost long term, mainly because it requires no fuel and produces no waste will win out in time to head off more oil wars, global climate disaster,more nuclear power and contamination, and a proliferation  of energy farms and forests that eat up the natural world.

The solution IS nuclear power however, in the sun, where it belongs, harvested with wind and solar energy systems powering electric vehicles and geothermal heat pumps.

Not to mention the eco disaster and death toll of coal from mine to smokestack to human lungs.  And lakes and forests destroyed by acid rain and ecosystems destroyed  by mercury.