Massive coal lobby threatens nation's chance for a clean energy future
The Senate, perhaps inadvertently, has given the American public a chance to help counter a massive assault by the fossil fuel industry on our nation's best hope to fight climate change and forge a clean energy future—the American Climate and Energy Security Act.
The mission of ACES is historic and essential: drive the transition to a clean energy economy with millions of new jobs and dramatically reduce carbon emissions to avert the worst impacts of climate change. It could enable the United States to play a powerful leadership role in global climate negotiations later this year.
But, though well intentioned, the legislation suffered at the hands of fossil fuel lobbyists in its passage through the House of Representatives, and even its champions acknowledge that some of the concessions in the bill may hamper its effectiveness. Now, in the Senate, it faces even more attacks on its integrity from lobbyists led by coal.
Fortunately, though, the Senate has postponed until September its consideration of ACES, giving time for citizens, the environmental community and President Barack Obama to join in the effort to defend and strengthen this legislation.
The stakes could not be higher. President Obama describes ACES as "a good start," but given the political realities it may be all we can expect on climate change for many years to come. That puts tremendous pressure on the president—and the environmental community—to get it right this time.
Earthjustice's biggest concern is a loophole that exempts coal-burning utilities from changing their ways for at least 15 years. This means that the nation's biggest single contributor to greenhouse gas emissions can keep on polluting—and expanding—even as other industries are forced to clamp down. As engineered by massive coal industry lobbying, the loophole "grandfathers" in the existing, dirtiest coal plants, making them exempt from C02 limits under the Clean Air Act. Forty-three new coal plants planned or being built in the next five years would escape the bill's performance standards.
The enormous giveaways extracted by the coal industry's well-heeled lobby will allow dirty coal plants to supply nearly half of our electricity through at least 2025 according to EPA. Yet to achieve the carbon reductions that are needed by mid-century, we must start building a new clean energy infrastructure now. With old coal dominating the power market for decades to come, we will not see the investment in renewable energy that is critical both to the creation of a vibrant green economy and preservation of the planet as we know it.
Coal knows that its historical role as king of electricity generation is at stake because it is the major driver of climate change. Its leaders understand that effective legislation must put us on a path to replacing coal. Given that, it's understandable why the industry is fighting so hard to gut ACES.
With a massive lobbying effort, coal has outspent, outhustled and outmuscled its environmental and clean energy competition. In the first two quarters this year, the coal mining industry spent $6.8 million on lobbying. Another $71 million was spent by utilities that mostly use coal. Natural gas—the second biggest electricity generator—spent only a fraction of coal's expenditure in the first quarter, and suddenly awoke last week, vowing to pour money into lobbying efforts to carve out its own concessions in the Senate bill.
All of this means that we in the environmental community must speak up and convince our senators that effective legislation cannot give coal a free pass and put the bill's effectiveness in jeopardy. Old coal plants should have a deadline to clean up or shut down, allowing our energy needs to be met by cleaner, prosperity-creating alternatives. This is the message that you can send now by going to a special action alert page Earthjustice has set up. I encourage you to take this action now.
But, President Obama also must act. He must use his bully pulpit to bring the nation and this planet into the debate. Now is the time for the strongest possible support from the White House and the strongest message from all of us. Nothing less is likely to offset the steady drumbeat of fossil fuel interests fighting to keep the status quo.
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are the senators crazy! i would kick out the president or the senate if theyyyy think that global warming is not dangerous. who are these senators, bush!!! these people are insane if they think that they can get away with this. Obama should take away all their money and services no matter how much illegal action it takes. it will make a lot more votes for him in the next 4 years.
I live in Saint Petersburg, Florida, and my four children were born here. Two of them were born with "non-genetic" birth defects, from "unknown causes". I want, and I need legal support to do so, to file a common-law-nuisance law suit for injunctive relief and damages against the owners and operators of every coal-burning power plant that we live downwind from, and every power plant that is located upwind from any water body, or that drains into any water body, that supplies drinking water, or provides habitat for any commercially harvested seafood, that I or my family have been, could have been, or may continue to be, exposed to.
The electric power companies will say they have permits. However, I say that neither the State of Florida nor the government of the United States of America has the legal authority to grant a permit to poison and thereby put in eminent danger, the life, liberty, or pursuit of happiness of any Citizen of the State of Florida or and/or of the United States of America, and any governmental employee, who, under color of his or her authority, did so, violated the civil rights of me, my children, and all the Citizens of Florida and any Citizen of the United States of America in Florida.
The Citizens of the United States and the State of Florida have the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, and adopted, engaged, and agreed to by the Continental Congress; as acknowledged by the "Full Faith and Credit" clause in Article IV of The Articles of Confederation; as acknowledged by the "All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into" clause in Article VI of the US Constitution; and as guaranteed under the Ninth Amendment to the US Constitution.
Is anybody interested? Can I get some help? It's not just for me. It's for all of us, our children, and our children's children.
Thanks,
M. E. Hubbard
It is important that we note the restrictions and improvements that must be made to the coal industry. However, it is also imperative that everyone understands that the processing of coal takes enormous amounts of fresh water that would better be used for safe drinking. All chemicals should be 'banned' from water, as it is necessary sustenance for all life. Since the 'clean air technologies' have been hidden since the 1960s, let us also note that people are in need of jobs. Opening up the technological opportunities and general labor required to create these models are a necessity. It would improve the quality of air as well as the quality of living standards, which are beginning to suffer in the U.S.. We need to reduce emissions; however, the Climate Change that is now taking place IS an all natural event. We 'are' at the ending of a 26,000 year cycle. The Axis of the Earth 'has tilted,' which the scientists and governments have 'not told people' but is obvious by the exceptionally enormous Sun that is currently visible in the Northern States. Folks must keep in mind, that during this time of change it is 'not' going to assist the planet to pass a treaty, which will put many people below poverty level. There is 'not' a treaty, or a tax that can reverse this situation. I can only hope this is understood, and that people realize that a greenhouse affect is 90% cloud vapor and water. The other 10% being Co2, hydrogen, helium, nitrogen and O2, with the quantity of Co2 @ a mere 0.038%, which is a little over 1/3 of 1%. This amount is very, very minute and is necessary to sustain the life of trees and plants, in order that they can produce the O2 that we breath. In other words...oxygen. I understand that many terms and conditions are also within this treaty for global governance. I choose not to be taxed for the air I breath. I was born on this planet with the divine right to exist on it, without having to pay for something that is in more than abundant quantity, and is not 'owned by governments or special interests.' Who do they 'think' they are to do such a thing? I have not seen signatures from the Divine Creator turning the Earth and Universe over to them to own and tax. I do, however, reject and condemn the continuous spraying of the atmosphere with chemicals such as Barium, magnesium, copper, aluminum crystals and sulfur dioxide in such massive quantities, that they're choking the life out of this planet; not to mention the millions of metric tons of 'fuel emissions' from the jets spreading it around. At the cost of 'killing off' what is left in the oceans, and by suffocating all life with chemicals, I choose to promote a sustainable future 'without geo-engineering' the Earth. This was a very horrendous decision, and one that REQUIRES immediate reversal. I also reject and condemn the use of HAARP as weather and electronic control, for weather and all else. These experiments, which have been taken over by the military using secretiveness and procedures not approved of by the American people, and can only harm the Ionosphere surrounding this planet, as well as the natural electromagnetic energy that makes mother Earth what she is. We are 'not' the divine intervention...but we have been part of the bleak circumstances we see, and it needs to stop. There are too many issues to contend with at Copenhagen without losing the freedom that our independence has brought us, and fought for by our servicemen. We do not need global governance and tax demands, which will make us 'slaves' to a cause...we need the freedom to make decisions and carry them out amongst ourselves, setting a 'time stamp' for urgency. This will force the technology out of hiding, and out of the hands of massive corporate interest and the oil barrons, creating smaller groups of companies, with the new blood for creating a sustainable future.
what kind of kool-aid have you been drinking??? or are you an Oil or Coal investor???
I'll take the science gathered from CLIMATE scientists from around the globe over your mish-mash rhetoric any day. Just sit back, relax and let the professionals handle the serious issues.....
[...] http://unearthed.earthjustice.org/blog/2009-july/trip-van-noppen/lets-de.... [...]
Given the state of American politics - lobbying and what not - it seems to me that the 'rest of the world', by which I mean the global environmental and policy community, would be well-advised to be pro-active and intervene pre-emptively so its voice is heard on the Hill as the ACES takes final shape.
Ain't it more prudent to prevent the harm at the Hill than to cry over spilt milk at Copenhagen?
ps: .......and I was blaming the Chinese for building coal plants at a frenetic pace!
[...] and my guess is that the outrage won't stop there. This story, coupled with the unprecedented lobbying efforts coming from industry, illuminates the contentious debate that this legislation has stoked. At [...]
Phasing out coal powered generating plants certainly is required. However, they are but a symptom of the problem which is a nation living far beyond its means. Per capita we use more energy than any other nation. This consumption is exacerbated by the fact we have the third largest population. Our economic "premise", largely endorsed by the public, is that we must have an expanding population with each member consuming ever more of increasingly limited resources including the "free" ones - air and water. As seen in the recent economic twist, such a model is not sustainable. Reducing our consumption would allow time for alternative sources of energy to demonstrate their value which, as the Germans and DOE Secretary Chu suggest, is much more potent than most realize. History suggests that this nation could reduce its energy consumption ~20% without major economic ramifications. That would largely require individuals taking some responsibility to reduce. While such reduction can be easily done, I see little will on the part of the American public to change their ways. Therefore, we need more electric generating plants.
I am not right or left.
I am not wrong or right.
We live within a circle.
Therefor people with an angle must be confused.
I care about pollution and people.
Slow down on both or the world is doomed.
Even a child knows that when their room is a mess
they have to clean it up or takeover someone else's space.
Mom will not stop the overly aggressive or
the selfish short sighted children
from invading the clean space of the rest of us
like it or not
that is our job.
While I agree we need much more to keep toxic emissions as low as possible, we have to be carefull not to technologically put the cart before the horse. It doesn't work well that way! First we need to develope the technology so its practical and economically sound, then develope the mandates. We (you) seem to always get that backwards in our (your) haste. You would think by now we would have developed solar to a viable, practical, cost effective level by now, if not nuclear fussion. Lacking viable alternatives, we need to improve what we have, rather than all adopt an Amish life style, tempting though that may be for some. Since coal is our principal energy resource we need to do what we can to improve on how this is utililzed since there is plenty of room for improvement and probably still be economically viable. Then when viable, bring on the new clean technology and new regs.
As for anthropogenic global warming, while there is much unknown here, there is alot known and well established. Most of this points to natural repeated cycling causes related to solar forcing issues. Of perhaps of more concern though is that politics has impinged on our science converting it to politics as it always does. The bias demonstrated here is extrodinary and the facts are being fixed to effect the political policies. (Bush II ?) It's not just that the numbers don't add up, it's that the numbers are being apparently contrived, something easier to do with computer modeling used in the absence of complete and accurate science. The whole process seems corrupted. If we don't care about this (if true) we are in a more immediate threat. Check "Climate Change Revisited" before drawing too many hard conclusions.
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