Capitol Hill moves to "green" DC coal plant

In what could prove to be a highly symbolic confirmation of the Obama administration's opposition to traditional coal-fired power, Democratic leaders last week announced plans to convert the US Capitol Power Plant to burn only gas.

The plant, which opened in 1910 and provides steam and chilled water to heat and cool buildings on Capitol Hill, has become a powerful symbol of US reliance on coal with a number of Senators from coal-rich states repeatedly opposing attempts to switch to cleaner fuels.

According to figures from the architect of the Capitol's office, which runs the plant, natural gas provided about 65 per cent of its power in 2008 while about 35 per cent came from burning coal, down from 49 per cent in 2007.

Now Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are calling for the use of coal at the plant to be eradicated altogether and have requested the architect's office to provide "realistic budget numbers" on retrofitting the plant to switch to burning gas full time.

In an open letter to the office, Pelosi and Reid said that the plant was the largest source of air pollution and carbon emissions in the District of Columbia and represented "a shadow that hangs over the success of… efforts to improve the environmental performance of the Capitol".

They added that while it may not be feasible to stop using coal in the short term, they were "interested in identifying and supporting funding to retrofit" the plant.

The move came as more than 10,000 protesters gathered in Washington this weekend to campaign for a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants.