This is a brief description of studies that exemplify the methods and approaches that have been developed and used by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) researchers in conducting integrated assessments. See the complete list of Integrated Assessment Briefs to find out more about ORNL's efforts in integrated assessment. Contact Mike Farrell (farrellmp@ornl.gov) for more information.

Environmental Assessments of Clean Coal Technologies

This schematic illustrates the Combustion Engineering integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) repowering project.

Can clean coal technologies make a difference by providing energy using coal, the United States' most abundant fuel, in an environmentally superior manner?

Congress has appropriated nearly $2.5 billion and combined it with about $4.5 billion provided by the private sector for 46 demonstration projects in the Clean Coal Technology (CCT) Program. The goal of the CCT Program is to demonstrate advanced coal utilization technologies that are more energy-efficient and reliable and achieve substantial reductions in emissions compared with existing coal technologies. The program takes the most promising technologies and moves them into the commercial marketplace through demonstration projects.

Analyses prepared for a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the CCT Program found that widespread implementation of clean coal technologies by the year 2010 could lead to significant reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen when compared to a no-action alternative, which assumed that conventional coal-fired technologies with conventional pollution controls would continue to be used.

U.S. Department of Energy. 1989. Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, Clean Coal Technology Program. DOE/EIS-0146. Prepared by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Where To?

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Integrated Assessment Briefs. 1995. ORNL/M-4227. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN.