Editorial: At what price clean?

Wednesday, April 19, 2006 | 7:23 a.m.

Progress by a newly formed electrical power transmission partnership that would serve Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and California could be stalled by its failure to adequately address the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions.

The Frontier Line power grid plan calls for building at least 27 new coal-fired power plants, at least 10 of which would sell power to California. But California has strict greenhouse-gas emission reduction goals, and none of the planned power plants would incorporate technology that strips pollutants before the coal is burned and captures carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

California will not sign a long-term energy contract to buy power generated by coal-fired plants that don't employ such pollution-reducing technology. And without California, the plan for the newly formed grid cannot move forward.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman told those attending the New Frontier Power Summit in San Diego this week that the transmission line would provide "more diversified, clean energy for the West."

But Frontier Line's plan, which calls for using solar and wind alternatives to generate only 2 percent of its load and doesn't incorporate the cleaner coal-fired plant technology, doesn't seem overly diverse or advanced. The use of wind and solar power could increase as their reliability is demonstrated. But we have the means to clean up coal-fired plants right now. With global warming's effects emerging on virtually every region of the planet, failing to use the best possible technology to curtail greenhouse-gas emissions on these new plants is shortsighted.