But EPA has no authority from Congress to control CO 2 . That common gas is vital to life on the planet. Indeed, James Hansen, one of the leading scientific proponents of global warming theory, has said the world would be better off focusing on other greenhouse gases, such as methane and certain kinds of aerosols. Nor is coal the environmental disaster many of its critics claim. In a fashion not so unusual for government agencies, the Energy Department has promoted the development of clean coal technology even as EPA has gone to war against the substance.
Communities often have little choice but to keep their old, dirtier plants online.
It currently takes almost 10 years to get the necessary government approvals to build a new power plant. That is just plain foolish. For the foreseeable future, the U.S. will rely on coal-fired plants for the bulk of its power. Coal represents 94 percent of the nation's proven energy reserves. Coal-fired plants provide 53 percent of the nation's electric power.