Last January, Massachusetts’s House and Senate passed legislation to promote green energy with minimal costs to consumers. The bill was mostly progressive and earned applause from environmental groups, but there remains one major flaw. In addition to wind, solar, ocean current, geothermic, and hydroelectric power initiatives, Massachusetts is slated to pass incentives for “clean coal” power plants.
One breakthrough provision in Massachusetts’s green energy bill would require a portion of electricity sold in Massachusetts to be derived from “renewable” and “alternative” energy sources. As one such energy source, the bill endorses coal gasification, a new coal combustion technology that in some respects is less environmentally damaging than traditional coal processing methods. At least one gasification plant is underway in Massachusetts, and this legislation could precipitate more. But as we’ll see, given the current state of the technology and the potential consequences of the legislation, coal gasification should not be endorsed as an alternative energy source.
Coal By Any Other Name
