Where Does Biden Really Stand on Clean Coal?

Question: Where Does Biden Really Stand on Clean Coal?

Answer: During the 2008 vice presidential debate, when Sarah Palin tried to show a difference of opinion between Joe Biden and his running mate Barack Obama over clean coal, Biden voiced strong support for clean-coal technology, saying "I have always supported it. That's a fact." Further, Biden argued that the United States should not only be developing clean-coal technology but exporting it to China, which is “building one to three new coal-fired plants burning dirty coal” every week and “polluting not only the atmosphere but the West Coast of the United States.”

Did Biden Come Clean About Clean Coal?
Despite Biden’s assertion that "my record for 25 years has been supporting clean coal," an interview he did with Grist in 2007 suggests his support for clean-coal technology has always focused more on developing it for export than applying it in the United States.

Here’s an excerpt from that interview:

“I don't think there's much of a role for clean coal in energy independence, but I do think there's a significant role for clean coal in the bigger picture of climate change. Clean-coal technology is not the route to go in the United States, because we have other, cleaner alternatives. But I would invest a considerable amount of money in research and development of clean-coal and carbon-sequestration technologies for export. China is building one new coal-fired plant per week. That's not going to change unless there's a fundamental change in technology, because they have about 300 years of dirty coal, and they're going to use it.”

Where Barack Obama Stands on Clean Coal
Biden’s running mate, Barack Obama, who represents a coal-producing state in the U.S. Senate, is a more enthusiastic supporter of clean coal, a position that concerns many pro-environment voters. But Obama also pushed for construction of FutureGen, the nation’s first zero-emissions coal power plant, and has been a leading proponent of developing carbon sequestration technology. In 2006, for example, Obama successfully sponsored a measure to dedicate $200 million in federal funding for the development of technology to capture and sequester carbon from coal plants.

Biden-Palin 2008 VP Debate FAQ Index:

• How Do Biden and Palin Differ on Climate Change?
• How Do Biden and Palin Differ on ANWR, Offshore Drilling and Renewable Energy?
• Where Does Biden Really Stand on Clean Coal?
• Why Do Biden and Palin Disagree About the 2005 Energy Bill?
• Where Do Biden and Palin Disagree on Subsidies and Tax Breaks for Oil Companies?
• Where Do Biden and Palin Line Up on a Windfall Profits Tax for Oil Companies?
• What Can Pro-Environment Voters Learn from the Biden-Palin Debate?