The new group will be the world's biggest exporter of coal for power plants, and the largest producer of zinc.
The aggressiveness of Chinese firms in securing oil and coal reserves at almost any price have hit Americans at a particularly bad time, since the U.S. is so dependent on automobiles for transport and coal for electricity power plants.
It has withheld permits for coal mines, tightened pollution controls for power plants that use coal, and is in the process of drafting regulations on greenhouse gases.
ECONOMIST: Many Democrats in the region seem to hate their president
The graphic above shows suitability of sites for advanced coal power plants using geologic storage for carbon emissions.
And powdered lignin can be added to pulverized coal for burning in power plants.
The EPA is saying with a straight face that natural gas combined cycle is an emission reduction system that has been adequately demonstrated for coal power plants.
FORBES: Why You Should Care That Courts Overturn EPA's Carbon Pollution Standard
Coal is the dominant energy source for generating electricity in China, with Coal-fired power plants account for nearly three quarters of electricity produced in China, and the most intense demand is along the coast in Eastern Chinese provinces.
It designs and builds oil refineries, petrochemical plants, liquefied natural gas terminals and boilers for coal-fired power plants.
For example, the first phase of the EU Emissions Trading program, which contained several design flaws that have since been rectified, has already been found to have reduced emissions by around 100 million tonnes of CO2 mostly by forcing a shift of load from coal to gas power plants and providing an incentive for inefficient coal plants to improve the thermal efficiency of their boilers.
By reducing the need for coal-fired power plants, China Longyuan also earns carbon credits under the Kyoto protocol on global warming.
Meanwhile, Governor Romney once supported a cap-and-trade mechanism to control carbon emissions but as the 2008 presidential race neared, he backed off and favored modest penalties for coal-fired power plants.
FORBES: Obama and Romney: Energizing Their Bases by Muddying Coal and Wind
Any policy to reduce heat-trapping pollution will inevitably target the main sources of Americans' energy: the coal burned by power plants for electricity and the oil that is refined to run automobiles.
Deep in the heart of Ohio coal country, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are on a campaign bus tour that hits President Obama for environmental policies they say are responsible for shuttering coal-fired power plants and the mines that feed them.
MSN: 'War on coal'? Why Obama might not be industry's worst enemy
With 700 gigawatts of new coal-fired power plants planned for the next decade, world demand could surge by a third, or 2 billion tons per year.
Energy derived from natural gas and coal-fired power plants, for example, creates more than 10 times more hazardous waste than the same energy created by a solar panel, according to Mulvaney.
The total amount of coal sold to utility customers was not significantly impacted during the economic downturn as utility coal is used in power plants for generating electricity, the demand for which is largely inelastic.
FORBES: Massey Digs Deeper For More Coal, Stock's No Diamond
Yes, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations that economically punish coal power plants are somewhat responsible for the shift to natural gas power, but so too are technological advances and new natural gas discoveries that have dramatically reduced the price of natural gas.
FORBES: Global Warming Alarmists Seek More Power, Not Emissions Reductions
Mr Simplot himself, an avowed lover of skiing, duck shooting and the great outdoors, was attacked in the 1970s for his support for new coal-fired electricity plants along the Snake river and for a scheme to generate hydro-power by diverting water from another river into a vast underground tube.
To be sure, environmental regulations designed to make coal-fired power plants cleaner are raising costs for the industry and having an effect, but the "war on coal" is coming less from the Obama administration than from natural gas, say some experts.
MSN: 'War on coal'? Why Obama might not be industry's worst enemy
It takes 15 years to secure approval for a nuclear power plant, and clean coal plants aren't economic.
The real culprits are diesel burning trucks and buses (many of which are still operating at Euro III emission levels), factories, and the coal-fired power plants that will supply the electricity for the electric vehicles.
Even in the face of likely litigation, the resulting regulatory uncertainty surrounding new EPA regulations will put the damper on any investments in new major emissions sources for the time being, including new coal-fired power plants.
Similarly, if the energy used to recharge the electric car comes mostly from coal-fired power plants, it will be responsible for the emission of almost 15 ounces of carbon-dioxide for every one of the 50, 000 miles it is driven three ounces more than a similar gas-powered car.
The New Source Review provision under the Clean Air Act, for example, is intended to prevent older coal-fired power plants from equipping their old units to produce more energy that release more pollutants.
This could make gas the preferred fuel for baseload power and make building old fashioned coal plants uneconomic.
ECONOMIST: What bigger estimates of America��s reserves could mean
He cites China, where partly state-owned power firms are applying for credits for building gas-fired power plants instead of dirtier ones run on coal.
While other factors, including a sluggish U.S. economy and increasing energy efficiency, have contributed to the decline in carbon emissions from factories, automobiles and power plants, many experts believe the switch from coal to natural gas for electricity generation has been the biggest factor.
WSJ: Rise in U.S. Gas Production Fuels Unexpected Plunge in Emissions
What is true is right now that we don't have all the technology to prevent greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants, but the technology is close and it makes sense for us to make that investment now, not only because it will be good for America but it will also ultimately be good internationally.
But in the short term, at least, coal will remain a key source of energy for the U.S. mainly because the cost of running coal and natural gas power plants remains comparable.
FORBES: Report: Clean Power Is Moving (Gradually) Into Americans' Homes
In fact, the U.S. hit a milestone in April of this year when government data showed that natural gas-fired power plants supplied as much electricity to the nation as coal-fired plants for the first time.
FORBES: Coal-Fired Carbon Emissions Fall As Transition To Cleaner Energy Accelerates
应用推荐