The Rush to Oblivion, Slowed But Not Stopped
Coal Rush Reverses, Power Firms Follow Plans for New Plants Stalled by Growing Opposition
By Steven Mufson Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, September 4, 2007; D01
The mayor of Missoula, Mont., is the latest person to discover just how unpopular coal plants have become.
In early August, Mayor John Engen (D) won city council support to buy electricity from a new coal-fired plant scheduled to begin operation in 2011. He said the city government would save money on its electric bills.
But three weeks later, Engen pulled out of the deal after receiving hundreds of e-mails and phone calls from constituents upset that Missoula would contribute to the creation of a coal plant and concerned about what the town would do if the plant never got built.
"Coal is a double-edged sword," Engen said. "I sort of felt both edges."
A year after the nation appeared to be in the middle of a coal rush, widening alarm about greenhouse gas emissions has slowed the efforts of electric companies to build co…