Clean Coal Kerfuffle

MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, OH - While the press is abuzz about word of John McCain's first press conference since August 13, his campaign is pushing a very different talking point - the Democratic ticket's alleged opposition to clean coal.

After receiving the endorsement of the International Union of Operating Engineers' Local 18 in Strongsville this morning, McCain gave a brief statement to reporters emphasizing that clean coal would be a large part of his job-creation agenda.

"One important way that we are going to create jobs here is with the development of additional nuclear power plants and through investments in clean coal technology," McCain said. "We will invest as much as two billion dollars a year to develop clean coal technology. America sits on the world's largest coal reserves, and we have to use it. Clean coal technology is the best way."

He pointed Joe Biden's remark last week in OH in which the veep nom said that he and Barack Obama don't support increased use of coal.

"We're not supporting 'clean coal,'" Biden said. "Guess what? China's building two every week. Two dirty coal plants. And it's polluting the United States. It's causing people to die. ...No coal plants here in America. Build them, if they're going to build them over there make 'em clean because they're killing you."

A spokesperson for Biden released a statement today saying that the Obama-Biden ticket does indeed support clean coal. Spokesman David Wade said that Biden's "point is that China is building coal plants with outdated technology every day, and the United States needs to lead by developing clean coal technologies." Yet this morning McCain still said that this marks a point of difference between the rival tickets.

"My opponent is against the expansion of nuclear power," McCain said. "His running mate here in Ohio recently said that they weren't supporting clean coal either. And the fact is that their billions of dollars in higher taxes would kill jobs here in Ohio. That's not what Ohio needs and that's not what America needs."

McCain's campaign also quickly announced the formation of the "McCain-Palin campaign's Coalition to Protect Coal Jobs," which was announced today on a conference call including WV Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito, former VA Governor and Senator George Allen, former CO Congressman Scott McInnis and RNC Chairman Mike Duncan.

(NBC/NJ's ADAM AIGNER-TREWORGY)