Obama touts clean coal, bio-fuels as part of renewable energy mix

Feb 4, 2010, 14:46 GMT

Washington - US President Barack Obama on Wednesday stepped up his commitment to renewable energy to help tackle climate change, including controversial alternatives such as clean coal technology and maize-based ethanol as part of the solution.

Obama announced that the United States had finalized plans to more than double renewable fuel production in the United States to 36 billion gallons (172 billion litres) by 2022. For the first time, any fuel included in the mix must meet a threshold of reducing greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming by 20 per cent.

'The bottom line is this: I am convinced that America can win the race to build a clean energy economy,' Obama said at a meeting with state governors in Washington.

But Obama said he was confident that coal could remain part of the country's energy mix. He directed a new federal taskforce to help the United States find means of bringing affordable clean coal power plants online within 10 years.

'If we can develop the technology to capture the carbon pollution released by coal, it can create jobs and provide energy well into the future,' Obama said. The technology is in its infancy, and some climate groups dispute whether it will ever be a viable alternative.

Also as part of the renewable energy mix, the Obama administration reversed an earlier decision in May that found maize-based ethanol did not meet the 20-per-cent threshold for cutting emissions.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that new science on agricultural land use and other factors showed such ethanol production was more efficient than originally thought.

The bio-fuel, pushed hard by the US agricultural sector, has sparked concerns over rising maize prices around the world, while some environmentalists argue the fuel is not much cleaner than regular petrol.

'While today's announcement marks significant progress, it is simply not sustainable to continue using massive amounts of food for fuel,' said Carl Pope, executive director of the US climate group, Sierra Club.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson insisted the reversal on maize- based ethanol was based on sound science, not 'dumbing down the standards.'

'There is no basis to exclude these fuels and in fact as these fuels get cleaner ... there is a real benefit to this country,' Jackson said.