Coal Wins Round 1

Coal and natural gas are squaring off in the Senate and coal clearly has the upper hand. Most of this upper hand is attributed to cost.

As a result, the coal industry is lobbying to stall the House's plan to cap greenhouse gas emissions. With the cap imposed, carbon emissions will need to be captured or otherwise removed. The high cost of doing this may well steal away coal's cost advantage over natural gas and its other competitors.

At least for now, though, coal is unquestionably the most economical alternative.

Sources:
The New York Times