Van Jones is a former special advisor on green jobs to the Obama administration. 

Bite Notes: The quote is taken from this page of 'procon.org' which contains a useful listing of the arguments for and against the use of 'clean coal' as an energy source.

Environmentalists regard the phrase 'clean coal' to be oxymoronic, as CCS (carbon capture and storage) is still yet to be proven in large-scale power generation.

The main criticism of carbon capture, and the main hurdle it will need to jump, is the amount of energy needed to remove the CO2 and whether there is a sufficient net saving to make the worthwhile. Currently CCS is reputed to consume around one quater of the energy obtained from burning coal. It appears that, at best, use of the phrase 'clean coal' is premature.

This IPCC repot contains useful information about the technique.