the hug-a-trees and kiss-a-rocks remind me of someone that is so brainwashed that something exists that really don’t they would blow up a train, or something that would kill a lot of people, just to prove a bomb exists.. that is what I think..
Sure does smell this close to Obamas swearing in, and this being a very Hot Topic
The Gore worshipers of Global Warming .

TVA said they would relocate folks – well considering that the area is covered in toxic sludge, the best thing for them to do is to wall off the area (to lessen ability of folks to bring suit).

That amount of almost anything would have to be cleaned up. If the soil tests come back with PAHs, mercury, etc. then it may classify as hazardous waste. Anyone wanna bet the company doesn’t argue that it is impossible to fully remediate such an area, and try to get away with a less than active solution ?

Wouldn’t shoring up the levee containing the sludge be part of the infrastructure that the current WH says building up is a waste of time ? How much would it have cost to have repaired the levee vs. the costs of this episode ? Especially important as the TVA is a govt facility.

After Katrina hit NOLA, wasn’t there something about the inadequacy of current dams ?

The video clip says that officials are urging residents to boil their water. As the contaminants are heavy metals and polycyclic hydrocarbons, what good would boiling do and wouldn’t boiling the water tend to concentrate the contaminants ? (OK, I realize that bacteria could be introduced into a broken line, etc. – but I still say it sounds like the govt gave a knee jerk reaction that does no good and possibly makes things worse.)

And as hinted at in a posting above, if the WH believed in “clean coal” wouldn’t they be pouring in the R&D dollars to make it a reality ?

Perhaps you could tell us why “we” should spend a whole shit pot of cash developing a system to clean up coal–as you youreslf admit, a difficult, daunting, and probably futile task–instead of putting that money into renewable, alternative energy systems? Coal IS carbon, which is the problem…

As much money as it would certainly cost to ‘create’ a “clean coal” technology–were such a thing even feasible–would probably cover the cost of developing practical, small, efficient solar collectors, and installing them on every roof in Murka.

Of course, that wouldn’t make the rich energy companies any richer; would, in fact, probably COST them revenue, which would be TOTALLY WRONG, of course!!!

There really is only one “reason” to spend money on ‘clean coal,’ and that is to put money in the pockets of the people who own the leases on coal fields that will become essentially worthless of if an when renewable, alternative energy production tachnologies come into being.

Phuque Mr. Peabody! Go Solar, go wind, go tidal!!!

R_B

So, here are the questions:

Does clean coal exist? No.

Should it? Yes.

Should we spend money to make it exist? – ???

If it were instantiated at some point in the future, that would indeed be awesome. As I’ve heard it put, the U.S. is “the Saudi Arabia of coal.”

Mind you, I’ve got serious problems with recent attempts by the coal industry (in both ad campaigns and lobbying attempts) to make it sound like clean coal is already a reality, or is already on its way to becoming a reality. As the Clean Coal Carolers put it, “it’s getting cleaner every day…” No, it’s not.

It sounds a lot like the cigarette industry’s intentional misdirections some time ago, which finally got to the point that an entire industry chose to make themselves criminally liable for massive damages. But according to the Ayn Rand / Alan Greenspan school, that was impossible, and therefore didn’t happen. Still, these coal folks best watch they step, or they’re going to end up with an unsaleable product AND massive lawsuits coming at them from all directions (at least, both consumption and production).

However, if it’s possible, then the technology required would be a really great public/private investment. Not only could we make it clean for our own supply, we could export such clean technology to China so they’d quit dirtying the planet’s air so damn much.

But at present, all that is still a pretty big “if.”