There is no such thing as clean coal. You can scrub all of the CO₂ out of the emissions all you want, but you’ll still be left with coal ash, be it fly ash from the emissions or bottom ash from the furnace. You need to do something with this ash, and although it can be used in road paving or cement, it’s often just piled up and stored somewhere. And it’s not just ash — it’s actually more radioactive than nuclear waste and has high levels of arsenic, amongst other toxic chemicals.

Here’s what happens when a retaining wall breaks and coal ash pollutes a river:

This is video from yesterday. That grey sludge poured into tributaries of the Tennessee River. You can read more about it at knoxvillebiz and tennessean.com.

Next time you hear an advert about clean coal, or someone tries to tell you that clean coal technology is a good replacement for burning oil, remember this post.