Some people may think they can change the liner's direction instantaneously. But try to make a quick U-turn, and the ship is more likely to capsize. A better approach is to slow down, make a calculated turn and then accelerate, he said Tuesday.

Continuing the analogy, Lucas said that rather than junking coal-fired power plants as the primary source of U.S. electricity in favor of renewable-energy sources, it is wiser to invest more money steadily into clean coal technologies.

Innovations to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions then can be deployed across the industry, in conjunction with the development of other power sources, to stem global warming without strangling the economy and hurting ordinary people by increasing the cost of electricity.

"There's no perfect energy resource. Coal's not, but neither are the other sources," Lucas, vice president of communications for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, said on Earth Day to The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board.

"There should always be a search for continuous environmental improvement, and we think you can do it with coal," he added. "We're not supportive of coal at the expense of other fuels. We think you should keep all on the table, including coal, because it is the bedrock of our electrical supply."

Lucas' organization was created last week through a merger of the Center for Energy and Economic Development and Americans for Balanced Energy Choices. The latter has been conducting a $35 million public relations campaign to highlight coal's importance as the source of 50 percent of U.S. energy.

Sierra Club spokeswoman Virginia Cramer dismissed the coalition as a "new front group [attempting] to put a new bow on the same dirty energy package. The so-called clean-energy technologies being touted today are not yet proven. . . . We have the technology and the know-how available today to move beyond coal and still keep the lights on."

Lucas disagrees, saying that other energy sources can be used to meet peak energy needs, but the reliability of coal-fired power is, and will continue to be, necessary to provide everyday demand.

One of the new organization's primary functions will be to lobby Congress to develop a national energy plan so that suppliers are not hamstrung by different regulations from state to state.

"We believe a federal approach is better than a patchwork of inconsistent state standards," Lucas said, otherwise utilities cannot move forward, not knowing "if their investment to build power plants today won't be subject to new regulations five years from now that will make their plans cost prohibitive.

"It's one of the most complex public policy issues of our times," he added.

mikeg@sltrib.com