Quoting a moron who spoke today “Drill Baby Drill - Mine Baby Mine!”

There is no such thing as “clean coal”.  The idea of “clean coal” comes from a very expensive process of attempting to capture the c02 that is released into the environment when mined.  Assuming that this process can fully be developed, the cost of electricity generation will rise exponentially.  This includes neither the rising cost of coal, nor the heightened cost of new coal plant construction, which has surged by more than 130 percent since 2000.

The American Lung Association estimates that pollution from coal-fired power plants triggers 550,000 asthma attacks and 38,000 heart attacks annually, helping to cause an estimated 24,000 Americans to die prematurely each year. Coal combustion is also the country’s largest source of mercury poisoning and releases more than five dozen different types of hazardous air pollutants.

“There is no such thing as clean coal,” said Cindy Rank, mining chairwoman for the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy.

“It’s dirty when you mine it. It’s dirty when you burn it.  It’s dirty when you dispose of the waste. It’s just dirty.”

So why does Palin keep bringing it up?  Special interest…she’s not about to steer us away from something that makes her money…even if it further ruins our environment.  Because after all - it’s not our fault.  If you are a follower of hers, then you likely believe that all the causes of global warming, climate change, pollution, etc are not attributed to “man-made” actions.  And I quote “It’s not our fault.”  Please…

I should also point out that there is no such thing as clean nuclear energy either.  While it does not release carbon dioxide into the air it does produce hazardous waste.  Why not go for a cheaper method that produces neither waste nor emissions?  Or is this just yet another case of “if it makes sense then why do it?”

Rather than perpetuate our country’s dependence on dirty energy, we can rejuvenate our economy with a transition to truly clean and renewable energy resources. Each year, the price of coal soars, while the costs of solar and wind decline. A report prepared for the California Public Utilities Commission earlier this year estimated that clean coal plants would cost $.1732 per kilowatt hour, compared to $.1265 for utility-scale solar power and just $.0891 for wind. Moreover, an analysis of more than a dozen independent reports studying the impacts of clean energy on employment found that wind power produces up to three times as many jobs as coal per unit of power produced. Rooftop solar produces seven to 10 times as many jobs.

The answer seems pretty clear to me…