Rep. Ryan Zinke, the nominee for Interior secretary, told senators at his confirmation hearing the incoming administration would renew its commitment to fossil fuel development, including clean coal.
He emphasized this would not happen at the expense of the environment, saying he strongly supported ongoing research and development into a broad array of energy, noting coal was “part of that mix.”
The Montana congressman and former navy seal reaffirmed President-elect #Donald Trump‘s commitment to restoring coal country, an industry decimated by President #Obama‘s “war on coal.”
Zinke held the war was real, and that part of an all-of-the-above energy approach includes using clean coal. “I’m a great believer in research and development on coal…to make it cleaner and better,” he added.
President-elect Trump’s nominee for secretary of the interior Rep. Ryan Zinke testified before the Senate Committee https://t.co/tkvu8tycMc
— rasi (@twisira) January 17, 2017
While some believe America’s coal-fired plants are the largest source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, it’s actually much cleaner than most Americans realize. Because coal-fired plants use advanced scrubbers, what comes out of the smokestacks is largely water vapor and CO2.
Soot and particulates are captured at the source. And CO2 emissions are only marginally higher than natural gas-fired plants.
