In an astounding paradox of modern politics, the Obama administration continues to promote green-energy technologies while also working hard to kill at least one of them. The proof lies in the administration's carbon regulations on coal power plants announced on Sept. 20. The rules would wipe out the development of ecologically important carbon capture and storage technologies.
In announcing the EPA's new carbon regulations, Administrator Gina McCarthy said that new power plants "can minimize their carbon emissions by taking advantage of modern technologies." The fact is that the coal-based industry cannot realistically follow these rules without putting itself out of business.
Carbon capture and storage is a form of clean-coal technology that allows power plants to trap and store their carbon emissions. CCS holds great promise as a means to use coal while drastically lowering carbon emissions.