A friend of coal is a friend of mine

Republicans are trying to make hay out of comments Joe Biden made while campaigning in Ohio last week, in which he seems to say that he and Barack Obama oppose the construction of new coal plants in the United States. At issue is so-called clean coal technology, which proponents say allows power plants to produce energy without such a detrimental environmental impact. (Critics call clean coal an oxymoron.)

"We're not supporting clean coal," Biden can be seen telling a voter. "No coal plants here in America."

That position would be at odds with Obama's. The Illinois senator has supported clean coal efforts in his home state and said in his acceptance speech at last month's Democratic convention that as president he would invest in the technology. It's politically significant, because coal remains a key industry in the western part of Virginia, in Ohio, and elsewhere.

So is this another instance of Biden -- he who said Obama should have instead tapped Hillary Clinton for veep, and that a campaign ad aired by his own campaign was 'terrible' -- stepping on the message?

Obama's campaign insists no.

"Senator McCain knows that Senator Obama and Senator Biden support clean coal technology. Senator Biden’s point is that China is building coal plants with outdated technology every day, and the United States needs to lead by developing clean coal technologies," spokesman David Wade said in a statement. "If Senator McCain is so committed to clean coal, then why hasn’t he joined Senators Obama and Biden in announcing their support for the bipartisan energy proposal before the Senate today that would offer tax credits for clean coal projects?"

McCain's campaign is trying to keep the controversy alive, hastily announcing today a new group it's calling the Coalition to Protect Coal Jobs, to "help spread the message about the importance of clean coal technology and the advantages of tapping the country's vast coal reserves."

UPDATE: McCain spokesman Brian Rogers says in a statement: “Video doesn’t lie, but the Obama campaign certainly does ... Senator Biden’s sincere opposition to coal power shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the role it will play in securing our energy future."