House and Senate negotiators trying to reach agreement on comprehensive energy legislation are struggling over provisions to boost two alternative power sources, coal gas and biofuels, that critics say may do more environmental harm than good.
Slightly different versions of the legislation, which primarily aims to expand energy-efficiency programs and promote nonpolluting power sources such as wind and solar, were passed by the Massachusetts House and Senate this year. The fate of biofuels and coal gas are among the key issues in negotiations, which observers say could be completed within two weeks.
These provisions would guarantee markets for these fuels, essentially acting as subsidies. The biofuels proposal, included in a separate bill, would require diesel and heating oil to contain at least 2 percent biofuel by 2010 and 5 percent by 2013. The coal gas provision would require utilities to buy an unspecified amount of power from generators that use coal gasification and other alternative energy technologies.
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