L.A. Green Bean

Targets for producing clean coal plants aimed at capturing and storing carbon dioxide in the ground by 2020 now seem far-fetched, according to a New York Times article titled "Mounting Costs Slow the Push for Clean Coal," and written by Matthew L. Wald. According to the article, the reality that carbon dioxide emitted from coal burning plants can be injected into the ground is still out of reach to consumers and the energy utility industry. Carbon capturing seemed to be the answer to global warming for scientists and government officials alike. But now this reality is slipping away.

Despite that the carbon dioxide capturing technique is favored among environmental groups, the 2008 political candidates, and President Bush, a combination of challenges, such as a lack of government support and funding and rising costs in construction, has made it hard to test the technology and make it ready by 2020. Wald writes:

"“Coal’s had a tough year,” said John Lavelle, head of a business at General Electric that makes equipment for processing coal into a form from which carbon can be captured. Many of these projects were derailed by the short-term pressure of rising construction costs. But scientists say the result, unless the situation can be turned around, will be a long-term disaster..."

There is an urgency of producing clean coal technology aimed at capturing and storing carbon dioxide. According to Wald, the Electric Power Research Institute, a utility consortium, predicted it would take as much as fifteen years to prove that the technology is doable. The institute has set a goal of 2020, and as each year passes, the goal becomes a harder one to reach:

"“A year ago, that was an aggressive target,” said Steven R. Specker, the president of the institute. “A year has gone by, and now it’s a very aggressive target.”"

New York Times