There will be a Nov. 12 virtual meeting via WebEx of the National Coal Council, an advisory arm of the U.S. Department of Energy, to look over a final draft of a paper on leveling the playing field for coal-fired power in a low-carbon economy.
The timing is appropriate since on Oct. 23 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published the final Clean Power Plan, which puts stringent CO2 limits on existing coal-fired power plants, and a companion rule for new power plants that requires carbon capture and storage equipment on all new coal plants. Those rules have been appealed into federal court by various parties.
The council advises the Secretary of Energy on general policy matters relating to coal and the coal industry. A notice to be published in the Oct. 27 Federal Register says the Nov. 12 virtual meeting is for acceptance and discussion of the white paper, “Leveling the Playing Field for Low Carbon Coal”, from the National Coal Council’s Coal Policy Committee. After deliberation, the white paper will be forwarded to the Secretary of Energy. A draft of the white paper will be available five days before the WebEx (as of Nov. 5) on the National Coal Council website at: http://www.nationalcoalcouncil.org/studies/2015/Leveling-the-Playing-Field-for-Low-Carbon-CoalFall-2015.pdf
For more information contact: Dr. Robert J. Wright, U.S. Department of Energy, 4G-036/Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20585-0001; Telephone: 202-586-0429.
