Making Sense of the “Coal Rush”

As of June 2006, energy companies are proposing to build 150 new coal-fired plants across America, investing up to $137 billion. If energy companies succeed in building even a fraction of these new power plants, it would have major impacts on America’s environment and economy, and consume investment dollars that could otherwise promote more sustainable energy sources like energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Making Sense of the Coal Rush describes the dangers posed by an ill-considered rush to build coal-fired power plants and proposes policy changes and other actions that can put America on a more sensible energy path.