How do you get people to understand the oxymoron, clean coal?

With the proposed stimulus bill that will provide billions towards renewable energies and enhancing transmission grids, what area do you believ the majority of funds should be used - outfiting aging plants, seek to build/replace new plants with cleaner technology, use strictly towards transmission, or invest in research?

Mr. Morris,
I have 2 questions.Maybe they can be answered together?
1.What is your position regarding the mountaintop mining operations of West Virginia?
2.How much will AEP be spending in 2009 to facilitate the > clean coalMr. Morris,
I have 2 questions.Maybe they can be answered together?
1.What is your position regarding the mountaintop mining operations of West Virginia?
2.How much will AEP be spending in 2009 to facilitate the > clean coal

Thank You for your time.

How would carbon prices affect the price of power? People have to buy electricity, even if the price goes up, so how would a price on carbon affect AEP's financial performance?

They say utilities are a safe haven in down markets. But is it possible for you see falling sales of power given the recession? And how has the financial crisis affected your abilities to build new power plants?

The economics behind energy, obviously, go far beyond the market prices for commodities. How does coal stack up to alternatives like wind and solar when considering externalities like environmental degradation, cost of labor, transportation, and other potential costs? And, relatedly, do you think coal should ever be replaced as a source of energy in the United States?

According to the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, "America’s coal-based generating fleet is 70% cleaner (based upon regulated emissions per unit of energy produced) thanks, in part, to $50 billion invested in new technologies".

I would like to ask Mr. Morris which clean coal technologies American Electric Power is currently investing in, and what compliance strategies he has for other emissions that are not as yet regulated, such as carbon dioxide.

Washington, D.C.

What do you think of a carbon tax, instead of cap and trade? isn't a revenue neutral tax, where all the proceeds are returned to taxpayers, more politically sellable than C&T?

I've heard that by fixing and improving transmission connections between generators, and across states, a lot of wasted electricity could be better used.

If that's true, it seems like we should improve the transmission grid first, before building new power plants.

In the oil industry, some big players, like Shell, seem to have a long-term vision of shifting out of petroleum and into renewables. Others, like ExxonMobil, express a long-term vision of increased dominance in the petroleum field, even if that field might be shrinking as a whole. (See: http://www.businessweek.com/investing/green_business/archives/2008/12/our_energy_futu.html )

What do you see for the long-term--say in 10, 20, and 30 years time--of the electric generation industry as a whole, and for AEP in particular?

Mike, I'd like your insight into what AEP's revenue model might look like in a carbon-constrained economy. Carbon emission controls, whether a carbon tax, emission limits, or a cap-and-trade system look increasingly likely. The opportunities to reduce carbon emissions have been mapped by many including McKinsey & Company.(http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/A_cost_curve_for_greenhouse_gas_reduction_1911 registration required).

These analyses usually show that there are some emission reductions that carry substantial savings (lighting, heating and energy efficiency) and some that require substantial investment (clean coal, combined cycle turbines and alternative energy). AEP would seem to bear costs for both energy efficiency (in terms of lost operating revenue) and new investments (in new plants and equipment). How will you afford such investment if revenues fall because of efficiency improvements? What new revenue models does your industry need?

I live in Columbus, OH and suffered during the blackout after the great windstorm of 2008. I'd like to know why the power lines weren't buried years ago to prevent the widespread service outages and how you intend to make the system more reliable than it is now?

The coal industry devastates landscapes, poisons rivers and our groundwater, spews enormous amounts of CO2 and particulate matter into the air we breathe. If you were an environmentalist, you would have made sure your organization had invested in proven and working alternatives long time ago, not into a distant technology that won't be ready for another 15 years.
How dare you?

Dear All,
Thanks for the great questions. Mike Morris has now left the building. We'll post the video shortly -- I'll post the link here as soon as it's available.
Thanks again!
Helen

Dear All,
Here's the link to Mike Morris' interview: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/next/archives/2009/01/five_answers_fr_4.html
Thanks for watching,
Helen