Back in March 2007, it looked like the buyout of TXU - the largest energy generator in Texas - was going to lead it away from a major new investment in coal-fired power plants. It still plans to have a smaller investment in coal: hence, the proposed Oak Grove development. Some considered this an obviously positive development, because environmental groups like the Environmental Defense Fund were invited to the table for the buyout negotiations.
After that, it emerged that TXU is going to try to replace the coal with… nuclear. They are proposing a very large nuclear plant now.

This, I believe, is the bind the anti-coal forces will frequently be put into. Coal, natural gas, and nuclear power plants are extremely well-understood, as far as their engineering and electrical characteristics go. Solar, wind, and other renewables are not as well understood, and currently companies don’t want to try. Hence, if a company wants to avoid coal or natural gas (another carbon-negative electricity-generating substance), they will immediately look to nuclear.

And since coal is so cheap, comparatively, and since there are no nuclear-weapons-related issues surrounding coal, electricity politics are going to get increasingly tricky.