Coal
(Updated 1/26/01)
Mining and mine reclamation
Transportation
Conversion to electricity, including compliance with air quality standards
Cost of transmission and distribution to move electricity to the consumer
Costs arguably not reflected in the market price (and size of such costs)
Greenhouse gas emissions (potentially very large)
Criteria pollutants and regional haze (moderate)
Mercury emissions (moderate)
Land and water disturbance from mining (minor)
Current mine mouth prices (from EIA)
Comparison of Coal Forecasts (million short tons)
Comparison of Coal Forecasts (billion kilowatthours)
Delivered to power plants (from EIA)
Electricity (from EIA)
Air emissions
Inadequate transmission
Department of Energy FY 2001 Coal R&D Budget
FERC Orders on open access transmission tariffs and Regional Transmission Organizations
New technology to convert coal to electricity and other energy products (e.g., oil, gas). For example, one bill that has recently been introduced in Congress is the National Electricity and Environmental Technology Act (s. 60).
DOE “Vision 21” (2000)
Implementation of Regional Transmission Organizations and better transmission pricing signals
Financial incentives for coal conversion facilities (for example, see S. 60)
Financial incentives for transmission construction
Streamlining permitting of generation and transmission facilities
Carbon taxes
Greenhouse gas emission cap and trade system
Criteria pollutant cap and trade systems
End exemption for old coal plants from new emission requirements
Regulate mercury emissions