Mississippi Plant to Test if Coal Can Be Clean

Later this year a $5.2 billion power plant owned by Southern Co. is scheduled to open in Kemper County, Mississippi. The plant is literally built on top of a seam of lignite coal that will be mined and transformed into a synthetic gas — diverting much of the greenhouse gas released in the process. If the project succeeds, it could help determine coal's future in the age of global warming.