Koperberg digs in deeper on carbon burial spilt

Dr Kaye said: “On ABC radio last night, Minister Koperberg tried to talk his way out of trouble by referring to ‘cleaner coal’ and making a distinction between the coal itself and the technologies that convert it to electricity.

“All he did was make matters worse.

“At the same time as Minister Koperberg was muddying the waters by suggesting that clean coal is an oxymoron but that clean coal technology is not, Energy Minister Ian Macdonald was re-affirming the Iemma government’s commitment to carbon capture and storage in question time in parliament.

“While it is difficult to understand the distinction being made by Phil Koperberg, it is clear he maintains strong reservations about the ability to make coal-fired electricity generators into low emissions sources of energy.

“He has let the cat out of the bag.

“Minister Koperberg’s words only reinforce the message that he knows that ‘clean coal’ is a dangerous distraction from the task of developing renewable energy and energy efficiency,” Dr Kaye said.

From http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/27/2045654.htm:

But Mr Koperberg has sought to explain the difference between the term 'clean coal' and developing clean coal technology.

"We've got to keep this in context, I never said that clean coal technology was an oxymoron, I said that coal - clean coal, coal it emits - and that's why the whole world and New South Wales leaders in many of those areas is encouraging technology which will make coal cleaner," he said.

"That is the objective, it has got nothing to do with breaking ranks."