Pondering Clean Coal

Given that it's Friday and day 2 of the NCAA basketball tournament, it's only fitting to throw out a "jump ball" for water cooler discussion: Clean Coal.

Industry loves it and touts it as the environmentally friendly answer to all of our domestic energy problems... Al Gore hates it.

Generally speaking, there typically is a kernel of truth to what industry says about issues affecting its bottom line, but usually one has to dig pretty deep to unearth that kernel. Al Gore is, well... he's Al Gore-- score him on the credibility index where you will.

Two new published pieces on clean coal examine the issue and are worth reading. One, in today's Wall Street Journal, sums up the clean coal conundrum thusly:

"Right now, clean coal seems both possible and improbable. The basic elements of clean coal are already in use in small corners of industry. But whether it is broadly and quickly adopted around the world will depend less on science than on economics. Cleaning coal is very expensive."

A more detailed, academic piece was published by the Council on Foreign Relations yesterday.

Below are the links to both... have a nice weekend and Go Louisville! (My pick to win the Tournament...):

Coal Hard Facts: Cleaning It Won't Be Dirt Cheap [Wall Street Journal]

Debating a 'Clean Coal' Future [Council on Foreign Relations]