On Monday, the town council of Elkton, Virignia submitted a request to Governor Kaine asking him to seek out state and federal funding for a proposed “clean” coal research facility outside the Shenandoah town. A short hop from Harrisonburg and James Madison University, the town hopes to harness the 100 or so jobs created by the project as a boost to the local economy.

Called the Elkton Energy Research Center, the facility would focus on developing two different types of carbon capture and sequestration, both of which are not yet commercially viable. Spearheaded by county democrats, hopes are that federal cash devoted to CCS tech will find its way to the town of only 2,000 residents situated along the south fork of the Shenandoah River. The proposal would require massive amounts of start-up cash from state and federal governments, approaching the $100 million mark.  Without the necessary funding, the center isn’t likely to materialize.

This is a good thing. The pipedream that is carbon capture and sequestration has existed in small-scale mockups, but there are no facilities in operation at this time that sport the moniker “clean coal.” One of these proposed plants, FutureGen Mattoon in Illinois, has yet to see a brick laid in its construction. A joint venture between the Department of Energy and an alliance of Coal and Energy companies, FutureGen hopes to become the first functional generating plant that fully sequesters all of its CO2 emissions. Teetering between marginal success and total disappearance, The plant is poised to become the first massive failure of the coal industry in promoting this phony technology.

Not to say that CCS is impossible; it’s simply not commercially viable. With the literal billions required to further develop carbon sequestration technology, we could instead devote our energies, and our tax dollars, to something far more productive: investment in renewable energy and increased efficiency standards for existent facilities. Instead of throwing money at an already-filthy industry, why not seize the opportunity and entirely revamp the way Americans approach energy?

Studies have shown that through efficiency standards alone, we can meet almost 20% of Virginia’s electricity demand through 2025. The Appalachians Mountains and offshore zones near Virginia Beach hold enormous potential for wind-generated, clean energy. Through continued incentivization and investment in renewable industry, we are far more likely to continue reducing costs on wind, solar, and geothermal power rather than relying on the lofty promise of “clean” coal.

Coal, by virtue of its existence, cannot be “clean.” Simply storing its harmful refuse underground does not “clean” anything; it sweeps it under the rug. The Elkton Energy Research Center, while appearing good on paper, will perpetuate the terrible falsehoods that King Coal has spouted since “clean coal” first emerged as the dream of some fossil-fueled marketing team. The technology has proven to be a nightmare, and does not serve to eliminate the problem of dirty coal combustion, it simply relocates it.

Local and state politicians have endorsed the project, including Democrat gubernatorial candidate, Creigh Deeds. Our future does not lie with coal, just as we know it doesn’t lie with foreign oil. We can do better than this. Elkton can do better.

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