California took its final step toward weaning itself off coal last week, while the rest of the nation -- and the world -- continued going resolutely in the opposite direction, one that environmentalists say bodes ill for the fight against global warming.On Wednesday, the California Energy Commission announced rules that bar municipal utilities from signing new contracts with coal-fired power plants. Combined with a similar step announced in January aimed at investor-owned utilities, this move means California is bucking a largely unpublicized trend toward generating electricity with coal, the dirtiest energy source of all.
"We're moving to free the state from coal and move to a clean-energy future, which voters have shown they want," said Claudia Chandler, spokeswoman for the Energy Commission.
But coal has powerful supporters throughout the nation, and environmentalists are gearing up for what they say will be a major fight over whether the nation turns toward coal as a means of reducing its addiction to imported fuels.
Read More
