Federal clean-air rules are so muddled they delay power plant investment and drive utilities away from other energy sources. On April 8, Cinergy Chairman Jim Rogers, representing his industry, testified before the Senate clean air subcommittee that current rules no longer deliver certainty for the environment, customers or the industry.

That costs all of us - residential rate payers, utility stockholders, miners, employers and governments with big energy budgets. Congress needs to update clean air laws and secure a diversified energy supply, including coal.

Coal remains a top target of environmentalists and regional power politics, even though coal accounts for more than 50 percent of U.S. electric generation. It's crazy to try to shut down the U.S. 300-year coal supply. Yet because of the mess made of pollution-control deadlines, all new U.S. power plants built in the last three years use natural gas, driving up electric costs.

"Never before have we built so much generation dependent solely on natural gas," Rogers warned at an Enquirer editorial board meeting. He argues for President Bush's Clear Skies plan, which would give utilities the certainty they need to invest in anti-pollution scrubbers. Cinergy spent $650 million in the '90s to meet SO2 and NOx standards, and expects to spend another $800 million by 2005. Utility officials say the Clear Skies plan would simplify regulations into one set of rules and deliver cleaner air sooner and cheaper. They want deadlines to reduce emissions spread over 10 years and sequenced in proper order. If they are allowed to build scrubbers first, then add activated carbon injection, it will also take care of mercury pollution.

Regional battles rage over clean air rules. Cinergy generates more than 90 percent of its megawatt hours from coal. The Midwest is more than 80 percent dependent on coal, and our power prices are 25-30 percent lower than the Northeast's. Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont is pushing an alternative bill that would clobber Midwest coal and Midwest utilities. His bill also requires global warming CO2 reductions.

Congress should keep coal, clean it up and pass a single set of rules for a secure, diversified power supply.