The National Coal Council has released the findings of a major new study on coal prepared at the request of former DOE Secretary Hazel O'Leary, which found that while the generation of electricity from coal has increased, emission of pollutants from coal has decreased.
A similar report was released in April, conducted by Mills-McCarthy & Associates, and sponsored by the Western Fuels Association, Inc., the National Mining Association, and the Center for Energy and Economic Development. That report, entitled Coal: Cornerstone of America's Competitive Advantage in World Markets, stressed that coal will remain crucial during the next decade in keeping electricity rates low, and that emissions associated with coal-fired electricity would continue to fall despite increased coal use.
The study by the Coal Council, entitled, Vision 2020: The Role of Coal in U.S. Energy Strategy, examines the long-range role of coal in fulfilling the nation's future energy needs. It found that the stringent
environmental programs and global climate change policies under consideration by the Executive Branch would reduce coal use in electric generation. This reduction would jeopardize the nation's energy independence and place the economy at risk, according to the report.