Time is up for coal: environmental analyst

By Steve James

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States should leave its estimated 200 years' supply of coal in the ground and invest in wind farms and solar technology for its power-generating needs, a leading environmental analyst said on Thursday.

Wall Street, politicians and public opinion have all turned so dramatically against coal in the last year over climate concerns that it is probably "the beginning of the end of the coal industry," said Lester Brown.

He claimed in a conference call with reporters that efforts to clean up coal and develop carbon sequestration technology to prevent emissions from coal-fired power plants were too far off and would be more expensive than investing in energy efficiency and alternative power sources.

"Carbon sequestration has been something the coal industry has leaned on to avoid facing the full force of the climate concerns and will probably not be a viable option," said Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute, a nonprofit environmental organization.

The coal industry shot back, accusing Brown of exaggerating coal's contribution to climate change and ignoring the economic necessity of power generation.

"This is part of a concerted effort to grossly exaggerate opposition to coal-based electricity generation," said Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the National Mining Association (NMA), which groups together coal and other mining companies.

"The NGO's (nongovernmental organizations) are on a jihad, exaggerating anecdotal evidence to conclude that coal is on the way out. Demand for coal in the world, let alone the United States, continues to set records, despite what they say.

"Affordable power is critical for the U.S. economy," said Popovich. According to NMA figures, U.S. electricity utilities consumed 1.05 billion tons of coal last year, up from 859.3 million tons in 2000.