Capitol to Clean Its Own Power Plant

The US Congress now finds itself in a dilemma – how to impose changes in the way America produces electrical energy, while at the same time keeping standards high. And the best place to start thinking about this is the Capital Power Plant, a 99-year-old facility that is supplying power to the important building. The way Washington officials choose to handle the conversion of this plant to a green facility is of paramount importance for the entire nation, as it will have to deal with troubles that critics to change cite all the time: high costs, technological difficulties, and electricity prices.

Following Obama's election as president, the United States have experienced a drastic shift in their position on global warming, breaking loose from the not-so-environmentally-friendly line of policy that characterized the Bush administration. The new president has moved the country at the forefront of the fight against global warming in a matter of weeks, and now people are waiting to see what measures the new government will take to stay true to its word.

And, in truth, that's what the Capitol Power Plant is, nothing but a test meant to provide insight into how the country will manage its 600+ coal-powered electrical plants, which account for about half of the energy produced in the US. Over the years, the Congress has acknowledged the importance of making its own facility greener, and has switched some production to natural gas. This chemical is about four times more expensive than coal, but it gives out only half the amount of carbon dioxide.

In 2007, for example, the Washington facility generated 49 percent of its output from coal, whereas, in 2008, that percentage dropped to 35. Now, the Capitol is pondering another way of making the plant even greener, a challenge most managers will be faced with very soon. It remains to be seen if the institution will choose to solve the problem, given how the Energy Department announced that the $112 million price tag associated with retrofitting the facility with carbon-trapping technology was too high.

“It doesn't make any difference what they do. It makes a statement, but it is not going to change carbon dioxide concentrations at all anywhere in the world, and coal will continue to be used somewhere else,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce vice president for the environment, technology & regulatory affairs Bill Kovacs argues.