Liquid Coal Defeated by Senate Energy Committee

Vote Blocks Dangerous Energy Choice

May 2, 2007 -- Today, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 12-11 to defeat an attempt by Senators Bunning and Thomas to attach an amendment supporting liquid coal to the renewable fuels bill being marked up by the committee.

Statement of Alice McKeown, Sierra Club Energy and Clean Air Analyst

"Liquid coal has no place in a bill about renewable fuels, or anywhere else for that matter. This amendment would have started us down the dangerous and expensive road to establishing an entirely new and massively polluting industry in this country. Liquid coal is nothing but a multibillion dollar swindle of taxpayers in order to fund an expensive boondoggle for energy interests--one that will result in massive increases in air pollution, global warming emissions, and all of the other negative environmental consequences associated with irresponsibly mined and burned coal.

"This proposal would have promoted fuel that is at best still dirtier than conventional gasoline. At a time when we need to begin significantly reducing our global warming emissions, business as usual is no longer acceptable. And the Bush administration’s own Environmental Protection Agency admits that liquid coal produced with or without carbon capture and sequestration would result in 3 to118 percent more global warming emissions than conventional fuel. Supporting liquid coal and fighting global warming are mutually exclusive--period.

"We applaud the Senators who voted against one of the worst energy choices out there. We know that this fight is not over and hope that they and their colleagues will continue to look past the rhetoric of the coal industry and understand that liquid coal is nothing but a blind alley. There are cheaper, cleaner, and safer ways to address our dangerous oil addiction and we look forward to working with Congress to move viable solutions to this important problem forward."

Source: Sierra Club