Clean Coal

I just heard what appeared to be a turkey with its head cut-off, or was it the squealing of a pig during a repeat filming of “Deliverance”, maybe a toad looking for a mate? “Giblet, giblet”. Sarah Palin at the podium you say? Anyway, Palin was giving a speech about “Clean Coal”, how ironically idiotic! See, another thing to attack Obama, blaming him for the woes in the coal industry and once again wherein we hear their side of the story and the other side of the story yet nothing in between that tells the truth so help me...! Now when Palin was Alaska's half baked governess, she had the opportunity to make this “Clean Coal” a reality. She had better things to do, like amused with “Toad” firing staff - isn't that her husband's name? I forget. But back then, non-participation and refusal to enter into this “Clean Coal” debate by inaction instead of action was not due inferior technology or opportunity, but by way of political affiliation with crocks. See, back in the early 80s when Alaska was swimming in dough due the fact that Ted Stevens' owned the U.S. Treasury, Alaska was the beneficiary of $millions$ in U.S. Taxpayers' loot to fund an experiment. No not a “Bridge to Nowhere” or an amphibious assault “Ferry Nobody Wants” or research money to measure the penis size of a male Muskoxen - for real - but Real McCoy Uncle Sam loot to build such a “Clean Coal” power plant. It was designed by a very prominent engineering firm and utilized new technologies, nothing secretive or out of the ordinary, just a good engineering design put to practice – we have the knowhow when push comes to shove! And this “Clean Coal” combustion technology worked well when subjected to computer modeling, so it meant the time was ripe to bring this technology front and center. And even back then, when computers were still at infancy, computer modeling was unbelievable and worked rather well to simulate all the “what ifs” and this was something that was a win for all – this design. So if it works on paper, it will work in theory put to practice. With that, a modern day “Clean Coal” burning power plant was built – courtesy the U.S. income tax providers – way up in Healy Alaska, right on the back-forty of a huge coal reserve owned by the state of Alaska but ruled by Joe Usebelli – through mineral rights allowed anybody with a pick & shovel attitude. See, mineral rights do little for the citizens of Alaska, unlike oil royalty revenues. I always wondered why “Big Oil” takes such a hit upon take-away revenues, when gold and coal are hauled out of Alaska without the slightest of penalties in comparison! Now this coal from Joe's mine was already being used in Fairbanks, at many public utility power plants and military bases in close proximity to the rail and was also being exported from south-central ports. So there was plenty of coal – and it was good coal, not the dirty coal we hear about today. But with mining, there is always “mine run coal”, or what others call “Dirty Coal”. It has a low BTU content, lots of overburden like rocks and old twigs, so it is “crap”. But to get that humongous shovel to the good pasture seam, one must disrupt the “crap”, thus the overburden is considered waste and stockpiled for someday recovery or left around for Super Fund appropriations! But it still contains a useful energy content, a low BTU coal and the rocks do indeed cause problems with conveyor belts - so it sits it out on the sideline. And who wants to spend good money on rocks? Now along came this “Clean Coal” technology thought, and thus a plant designed to burn this “overburden” was built and turned over to a state run agency, for commissioning. Wow, hundreds of jobs were created and if it worked it could mean thousands of jobs across the nation. It would invigorate the mining industry as in some states the good stuff was gone and all that remained was this “Dirty Coal”, enough to generate electricity for a hundred years. So Ted Stevens was onto something great, as this had all kinds of positive possibilities along with potential economic repercussions for the nation in general. With that said, Ted had no problem getting the loot of approval from colleagues, as this was something for all. So once the plant in Healy was complete, it was up to the state of Alaska to get it running, burning the “Dirty Coal” and meeting EPA particulate matter generation – a.k.a. air pollution restrictions, what it was designed to accomplish. Along with monitoring the production of electricity for a trial period – power that would be used to energize the grid and thus lower the already high costs of electricity to those living in interior Alaska. And since many of Alaska's critical and crucial military bases used coal but were considered inefficient and candidates for the BRAC list - the doomsday shutdown list - this technology could and would extend the life of such bases – by allowing retrofitting the existing power plants to utilize this new and efficient technology, once it was signed off. Alaska was at the forefront of a “Technological Advancement” that could demonstrate for once we are not beggars of loot destined for no apparent reason accept to fulfill Don Young's thirst for waste! And the cost savings by utilizing this technology would be unbelievable, as this “mine run coal” was about a 3^rd cheaper then the good stuff because it is cheaper to mine, but produced the same amount of electricity! But that experimental plant never generated enough electricity to light a single light bulb of a homeowner on the “Grid”. Sad, yes so sad. Not because of a technological failure, but a demonstration that some don't give a rat's ass about anything except what's in their wallet. Now this was going on all during Palin's political career wherein she was well aware to what was at stake! And why you ask was this project with such a potential denied a future and considered even today a gross failure? Let's face the facts first hand. First and foremost, it was not a “Bridge to Nowhere”, so it had reason to be successful. Well, hold your hat take a seat and take a gander into the corrupt ways and means of Alaska's political scene. See, even though the citizens of Alaska own the royalty rights on resources, the mineral rights for coal is like a forgotten bad dream. Now Joe mined the coal from state lands and made it rich mining our coal. So, Joe purchased an old and somewhat dilapidated power plant in Fairbanks owned by the city but still in good enough shape to generate electricity – but needing upgrades to fulfill air quality requirements. And the city was trying to get out of the utility business, so sold the plant to Joe and paid for the upgrades – what a deal. Since he had all the coal he needed, it was like free electricity he could sell to the local utility and make more $millions$ and become one of Alaska's wealthiest “Heist-Masters” and supporter behind the GOP agenda – to keep Don Young in office forever. So Joe started hauling coal to Fairbanks and making electricity. Now he was required to maintain original electric generation purchase contracts, as when the plant was owned by the city it had long-term contracts with GVEA – the interior provider of electricity to homeowners and under the watchful eye of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska - the consumers' advocate. Now that contract, which was still enforceable, it allowed GVEA to purchase electricity on the cheap – basically the city was denied making an enormous profit as the intent was for GVEA to pass the savings on to the consumers – which it did so all were happy campers. But when Joe took over the plant, he wasn't happy with the contracts and thought he could use high priced lawyers to promote his cause – those that don't give a rat's ass about consumer harassment. See, it goes like this. Joe needs a whole lot of electricity to run the giant shovel that digs up the Alaska wilderness so he can strike it rich with his coal rights on state property. Even though he now had a plant that burned his coal and produced his own electricity, he still had to sell then buy back electricity from GVEA – purchasing electricity at the same rates any other “Large Commercial” customer was held too by contract, which for Joe was more then what he was producing it for and selling to the same entity he was buying from! So he felt he was getting screwed! Lessons learned, read the contracts in force before signing on the dotted line! And yes, there was nothing hidden from Joe as the city told him this arrangement upfront when it sold the Fairbanks plant for pennies on the dollar, that the contracts were in full force and could not be negotiated. So he went to court, again all during Palin's political career and this “War” was intensified during her term as Alaska's half backed. Hey, Joe lost the battle, and to this day continues to purchase electricity to run his mine costlier then what he sells his own generated power to GVEA. Not fair you say, sure it is when you realize how Alaskan citizens are screwed with the mineral rights royalty swindling in effect. Look, if “Big Oil” was treated the same as the mineral guys, we would be paying an income tax, sales tax and that PFD would be a thing of the past! So Joe went fed up when he was disallowed to perform highway robbery and increase the costs of electricity from cheap coal he steals away from Alaskan citizens on a daily basis. Sure it's theft. Yet Joe thought the “theft” was on him and would find a way to get even. Now the “Healy Clean Coal Plant” ended up in a long legal battle also, as GVEA was the operator and that battle goes like this. See, GVEA has another plant alongside the “Clean Coal” plant in Healy, that uses Joe's coal. So Joe has to buy electricity generated by another on his mineral claims with his coal, and this pisses him off even more, because he gets no discounts! Now when the “Ted Stevens Clean Coal Plant” was completed and then as planned handed over to the state, the first thing the state authority – yes that AIDEA – it required negotiating a coal contract with Joe – for the “dirty coal”. Which occurred pretty quick, as there was no hassle over rail transport, things of that nature – a pretty cut and dry contract for Joe to deliver coal across his yard to the plant and make a decent profit. But the contract didn't specify a minimum BTU content, as during the design and trials of this new technology it wasn't known what would be the requirements of the coal to be burned in this “Clean Coal” plant design – one of the unknowns even the model could not capture. During the trials, it was determined that the “Dirty Coal” needed a minimum of a 7500 factor, or else the technology would not work – too much crap. Joe's normal run coal that he delivers to customers finds a factor of 10500, so there is the required coal in mix available from Joe's mine – just take away a little crap and add a little good stuff. So the plant worked very efficiently during the commissioning and met all the air quality requirements for coal that met the requirements of the design, as Joe had delivered coal that met the 7500 limits as requested by AIDEA's on-site engineers working with the developer of the technology. So it appeared that with the trials complete, soon this plant would be christened with MoanaLisa MurCowpie showing up as she likes the image of breaking bottles of bubbly, and all would be a success story used for future political campaigning - “See what I did for Alaska”! But Joe was smart and still looking for a way to get back at the state and realized that the “Coal Contract” in effect for the next 20-years didn't call for a minimum and that if a “minimum” was required, there was an additional cost associated with such deliveries - the mixing criteria - and only if it were available! If the operator of the “Clean Coal” plant reneged and said no to coal that didn't meet the requirements, it would end up being responsible for payment regardless, as it was a “Take or Pay” contract. Basically, Joe had the state and GVEA by the balls. So Joe could just say not today, with coal that could meet the requirements and since the plant would get clogged up if it tried to use Uselessbelli's crap coal, Joe was on the hook to make $millions$ in contract payments – for nothing in return but a lawsuit pending. Basically, since Joe was screwed by the state courts and regulators, he now had an opportunity to screw them back. And with only a single mine in the area and no way to get coal from any other source, Joe had the state by the balls even more and was making money while this plant remained in “Idle” due lawsuits. So the technology worked as designed, allowing for the clean burning of “Dirty Coal”, a milestone achievement for all of America, especially for states that held in stockpile or still in the ground enormous amounts of this inferior coal that so far had not been of interest to generate much needed “cheap” electricity. And of course not, that Joe would amend the contract to provide coal that would work – as it is all about the bottom-line. So it meant the GVEA operator requesting coal that would meet the demands of the technology, but soon the added costs made the plant uneconomical and even before a single hour in operation on the grid, it was mothballed due pending litigation. And this ended up a legal nightmare, with the contracts, with the players, with the state of Alaska citizens again taking the rap. We lost $millions$ with this battle, continue to loose even more and the U.S. Taxpayers received nothing in return – so shameful those involved with this mess. So this plant worked, worked well, but was a failure due “greed”. And yes, Sarah Palin knows all too well the history behind this fiasco, but now goes around the country tooting her horn that she is all for “Clean Coal”? See, when she was the governess she could have fixed the problem. She could have told AIDEA to find a quick settlement with GVEA over operation and ownership of the plant. She could have told Joe to shove it and threatened to take over the mineral rights based on “eminent domain”, she didn't and why not? Because Joe supports her political ambitions and crazed aspirations, it is that simple and today we can chalk up the “Healy Clean Coal Plant” as another failure – not due engineering faults or infrastructure cost over-runs but pure political sabotage. The experience lost over the last 10-years is so sad, as by now we wouldn't be just talking a ways and means to burn this stuff cleanly, but already building such plants based on prior “Alaskan” experience. And of course Obama would be along for the ride had this technology proven itself when he arrived at the Oval Office, as the only reason today coal is getting a bad rap is because of the “Carbon” footprint, and that is what the “Clean Coal” technology addressed. It worked, said again it worked, but was sent to an early grave based on political ambitions not in the best interest of the nation but based on a self-motivated evil calling card. So the next time you hear Palin out-of-control at the podium and trying to talk and gain credibility about her “Clean Coal” knowledge, ask her how much Joe contributes to her legacy, of going around the nation talking up a storm of fibs when her only role today is as a fill-in for “Bobby” in the recast of Deliverance! In the meantime, what can I say except we see wherein “Wealth” and the greed of “More” gets in the way of the “American Dream”. Dirty coal? How about “Dirty Politics” the Alaskan way!