Concerns make coal future unclear

WASHINGTON – Coal-producing states that supply nearly half of the nation’s electricity are feeling squeezed as efforts to combat global warming outpace technology needed to make the nation’s most abundant fossil fuel burn more cleanly.

In 2007, proposals for 59 coal plants were scrapped in 24 states, either by state regulators concerned about the effects of carbon dioxide emissions or by power companies worried about the future costs of pollution, according to data from the Sierra Club.

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http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/03/16/news/wyoming/28-coal.txt 

Green energy is making big money

Worldwide sales for companies specializing in biofuels, wind farms, solar panels and fuel cells grew 40 percent in 2007 to reach $77.3 billion, according to an annual report issued Tuesday by Clean Edge, a research firm that studies the green technology industry.

That’s significant revenue for an industry crowded with startups, many of which don’t yet have finished products to sell. But other companies – including major corporations such as General Electric – have waded into the field, selling their wind turbines and solar panels around the globe.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/03/12/MNVBVHVSN.DTL