Clean Coal Is The Goal
An audio tape of Obama talking about hurting the coal industry with cap and trade is now being used to claim he wants to do away with the coal industry. Here’s what he said:
“So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can,” Obama said. “It’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.”
Here’s the tape being used to go after Obama on this issue:
But it is not Obama’s policy to destroy the coal industry. His goal is to create clean coal technology by sequestering the carbons, which would help the economy in coal-producing states. Here is what he said to coal-friendly Virginia:
Guess who is also a proponent of clean coal technology? That’s right, John McCain.
Independent? Undecided? Rock, Paper, Scissors: Here’s how to vote.
Obama supporters won’t like this rule, because this time it works against them, but think of it now and in all future elections.
November 2nd, 2008 at 7:31 pm
The accompanying video link for “Independent? Undecided? etc” (Thought it would show by entering it in the website link.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H594Sb7WSc
November 2nd, 2008 at 7:34 pm
HEY HOW COME THIS TAPE AIRS ONLY TWO DAYS BEFORE ELECTIONS? IT’S KINDA FUNNY HOW PALIN IS QUOTING OBAMA BUT SHE HAS NOTHING TO QUOTE ABOUT HERSELF.
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Alan, you’re right about McCain, but don’t spin out the fact Obama stressed on the word “aggressive”.
“What I’ve said is that we would put a cap and trade system in place that is as AGGRESSIVE, if not more AGGRESSIVE, than anybody else’s out there,”
He is implying that he’s going to make sure the cap is so low, you’re bound to pay penalties. He never promoted ‘clean coal’ never. He just liked the idea of cap and trade so he can abuse it to his needs; destroy coal industry.
Don’t think you can get away spinning this one Alan. It really shows Obama’s policies and calling him Marxist now doesn’t seem irrelevant.
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I’m glad someone settled the fact McCain’s cap and trade is not Obama’s cap and trade. Abrupt change is not a good way to change. Even he admits that it will sky-rocket electricity prices. That is why McCain’s plan does have certain exempt, allowing those that will exceed the cap with the new cap, to conform by a certain date; not effecting the price drastically during this transition. It really shows how inexperienced Obama thinks. It’s not like a computer game where the transition can happen with a click of a button. See, all his policies sounds great but he never tells us how we’ll achieve it because he doesn’t have a clue. He thinks he can order someone and make it happen.
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Seems all the Obama supporters skipped this post
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:34 pm
“But it is not Obama’s policy to destroy the coal industry. His goal is to create clean coal technology by sequestering the carbons, which would help the economy in coal-producing states.” But what he wants to do to create that clean coal technology will be so restrictive and expensive that no one will be able to build a plant; he said it himself – they can build if they want to but they will go bankrupt. That will have the effective of destroying the coal industry. Do you really believe it would not? And so what he said something different to VA? That’s his modus operandi – tell your audience what IT wants to here. He is nothing but bait & switch.
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 pm
I am so disappointed in my Dem party, that I am changing. Alan, you and your lame excuses is so embarrassing showing that you do not research enough and know when it is better to debate or just shut up. You are making us all look stupid. My vote just switched to McCain. If Alan represents the way our party is, then I am over it.
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:42 pm
USO8 :You Selected Obama for 08!
November 3rd, 2008 at 9:12 am
Upset Dem,
Exactly what the Republicans For Obama say about McCain/Palin, and the right.
November 3rd, 2008 at 9:15 am
To: Upset Dem, in the immortal words of Curly Bill in the movie tombstone… “Well Bye”
November 3rd, 2008 at 10:02 am
Fox News homepage: “Eleventh-hour audiotape surfaces of Obama telling San Francisco Chronicle the industry can go ahead and build coal-fired power plants, but he’ll ‘bankrupt’ them for it.”
Alan, can you get your buddies at Fox to correct this clearly biased headline?
November 3rd, 2008 at 10:44 am
The question about cap and trade for coal fired plant is the same as the removal of lead from gasoline. The reason he talked about them going bankrupt was a language issue. He meant it would cost them more to run these power plants.
The good thing about the capping of CO2 is it would enable private investment in technologies like Fuel Tech (Ticker-FTEK) and GE that already have technologies to clean particulates and remove a ton of CO2.
The CO2 can be used for Algae biofuels too.
For a Lawyer, the end result of higher cost is bankruptcy but for Industry it means looking for solutions (Carbon Credits) that would enable and enhance productivity.
America has some of largest natural gas reserves in the world and if we can tap that for new power plants and cleanup pre-existing plants we can easily move credits around. The same utility company builds a natural gas fired plant to upset the cost of the coal fired plant and we are set.
Obama should chose is word carefully but as someone knowledgeable about power generation, I know what he was talking about.
November 3rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
[...] revealing remarks Barack Obama made to the editorial board of the San Francisco Chronicle regarding coal-powered plants that she claims was “withheld from the electorate.” Obama made the comments on [...]
November 3rd, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Thanks for spelling that out, Porter.
The fact is, Obama’s plain more trustworthy than McCain-Palin.
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
The generation of Electricity has little or no relations to imported oil. The basic fuels in power generation are Natural gas and Coal. America sits on some of the biggest natural gas reserves in the world. I’m talking mostly about Gulf of Mexico GOM and shale (Barnett and Palo Duro) which can will easily last us for 250 Years.
If you build 100% Electric Cars and a smart Electrical Grid basically we can stop 10M out 12M barrels of oil imported everyday.
If you still want to stay on hybrid technology we can have Biodiesel or Flex Fuel Hybrids. Which would do just as well.
The talk about Electricity and nuclear generation is being used for political reasons. If you burn natural gas you have little or no pollutants and there’s no storage problems because there’s enough gas pipelines to take care of it. There is no transportation of nuclear waste across the country. The worst accident at a steam power plant is maybe Boiler explosion or turbine failure. Which is very minimal impact to the environment.
A Natural Gas Fired Steam Power Plant will cost about $1B or 2 Max. We could build 5 every month with what we spending in Iraq.
Am not a treehugger but I prefer we burn natural gas than nuclear power. There’s more than enough for centuries. We have world war II wells in Texas still flowing.
The problem we have with implementing this ideas is because BIG OIL has bought access for years and I hope Barack doesn’t fall for their crap.
November 3rd, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Porter,
But why are oil interests against CNG? It comes out of the same wells, in Texas they just burn it off.
Wouldn’t they like to sell more CNG, or does the fact that there is so much of it make it less interesting to them?
November 3rd, 2008 at 6:44 pm
They don’t make as much money. Corporations have some social responsibility. If they invest in Natural Gas and CNG, they will make good profits.
We lack some of the necessary infrastructure for gas processing but Big Oil is so flush with cash that they can invest $3-5B into pipelines and gas plants. Thats why Obama needs to tax them but give them an opening to re-invest some of those profits into natural gas projects and pipelines. These will create jobs, the oil companies can keep their profits and make more money in the long run and we can clean the environment.
Liberal-Capitalism and Environmental protection can work together, we just need to have a sane discussion.
What they forget is that they will still make money, investors and shareholders will make money while leaving a cleaner world as part of their kids and grandkids inheritance.
All we need is a true energy policy, where we have leadership to set a new energy agenda for the 21st century.
We call it the Gas Age.
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Hi
The clean coal is the good idea of getting healthy environment.The passages of coal must not pollute air for long life.
November 10th, 2008 at 2:26 am