An August 2007 interview with Joe Biden on the enviro-left website Grist:
Q: What role does “clean coal” play in your vision for energy independence and climate security?
A: I don’t think there’s much of a role for clean coal in energy independence, but I do think there’s a significant role for clean coal in the bigger picture of climate change. Clean-coal technology is not the route to go in the United States, because we have other, cleaner alternatives. But I would invest a considerable amount of money in research and development of clean-coal and carbon-sequestration technologies for export. China is building one new coal-fired plant per week. That’s not going to change unless there’s a fundamental change in technology, because they have about 300 years of dirty coal, and they’re going to use it.Q: Would you impose a moratorium on the development of old-style coal power plants in the U.S.?
A: I believe that all new coal-fired power plants should be built with carbon capture and sequestration capacity.
Q: What’s your position on liquefied coal?
A: Again, I don’t think it’s the way to go in the U.S., but we could invest in technologies for export. I don’t think there’s any reasonable prospect that China, as it continues to grow to 1.4 billion people, is not going to use their coal.