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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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High Costs Put Clean Coal on Back Burner

Plans to scrub coal-plant emissions hit money wall

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(Newser) – Ambitious plans to combat global warming by pumping carbon dioxide from coal-burning power plants into the ground have been delayed or canned due to spiraling costs, the New York Times reports. Scientists now fear that the next generation of coal-burning plants will be built using old, emission-spewing technology, spelling disaster for the climate.

A project to build a flagship plant in Illinois to test the latest coal-burning techniques lost its government backing in January after costs doubled to $1.8 billion. A few smaller projects have survived, but with the estimated 15 years it takes to get such plants up and running, the concern is that the carbon-capturing operations won't be ready when they're urgently needed.

Coal is cheap and abundant, making it likely to be used for power for decades to come, but scientists warn that cleaner technology is needed to avoid global warming.
Coal is cheap and abundant, making it likely to be used for power for decades to come, but scientists warn that cleaner technology is needed to avoid global warming.   (KRT Photos)
Aminer operates heavy machinery that scoops and hauls mined anthracite coal out of the Snyder family's Rattling Run Coal Company mine in Trevorton, Pa.
Aminer operates heavy machinery that scoops and hauls mined anthracite coal out of the Snyder family's Rattling Run Coal Company mine in Trevorton, Pa.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Sunflower Electric Cooperative's coal-fired power plant rises beyond a pile of coal as it churns out electricity in this Feb. 1, 2007 file photo in Holcomb, Kan.
Sunflower Electric Cooperative's coal-fired power plant rises beyond a pile of coal as it churns out electricity in this Feb. 1, 2007 file photo in Holcomb, Kan.   (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
A dragline works in coal pits in front of the SaskPower Shand Power Station on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 south of Estevan, Saskatchewan. n.
A dragline works in coal pits in front of the SaskPower Shand Power Station on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 south of Estevan, Saskatchewan. n.   (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Troy Fleece)
Coal miners in Pennsylvania.
Coal miners in Pennsylvania.   (KRT Photos)
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