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I've been reading Sen. Kerry’s legislation that would require all new coal-fired power plants to conform to strict carbon emissions standards. His argument is partly based on reports that utilities are scrambling to get about 150 new plants up and running in the U.S. before the federal government finally takes action to reduce global warming emissions and require electric utilities to capture and contain or store waste carbon.
In March, an interdisciplinary group of scientists, environmental NGOs and industry from MIT reported that carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is “the critical enabling technology to help reduce CO2 emissions significantly while also allowing coal to meet the world's pressing energy needs.”
The report recommends that several large-scale demonstration CO2 capture projects be built to develop sequestration and public confidence in the technology. But it goes on to warn Congress to “remove any expectation that construction of new coal plants without CO2 capture will be grandfathered and granted emission allowances in the event of future regulation.”
If Congress is going to put a stop to the new coal rush and enact legislation that refuses to grandfather-in dirty coal, it will require concerted public pressure, letter writing, petitioning, educating and, yes, marching if it comes to that.
That’s why I'm trying to find out: Does anyone know of anyone campaigning for a moratorium on new coal plants?
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