Get Energy Smart! NOW!!!

Certain words and phrases seem to roll off the toungue. For some, when it comes to energy, “coal is indispensable” seems to be one of those terms. On 11 November, a Brookings Institution team released a “letter” to President-Elect Barack Obama and had a panel presentation in which these words just rolled from [...]

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Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Appeals Board basically ordered that Best Available Control Technology (BACT) for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) must be part of air pollution permits for all new coal plants. Impact? Roughly put, all new domestic coal-fired electricity plants just got stopped hard in their tracks. And, the market noticed. [...]

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To be clear, “clean coal” is an oxymoronic statement, at least for the next few decades. From mining through the emitted pollutants in the burning process to the resulting ash, there are many “dirty” aspects to coal. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of a Sierra Club legal team led by Joanne Spalding, the future [...]

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This diary will be a relative short and sweet one. For once, no links with the supporting evidence and material …
Just a very simply outline of how the United States could, without Herculean efforts, eliminate coal-fired electricity from the electrical system by 2030.
And, do so while improving the economy.
Very simply, 50% of US electricity comes [...]

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This morning, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D) and former governor/former senator George Allen (R) acted as surrogates for the Obama and McCain campaigns in an energy forum. From a live-blogging account, it seems clear that the two did a reasonable job as surrogates.: Obama’s policies came out as sensible (even if not aggressive [...]

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The various fossil fuel industries have been spending hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars to influence the national discussion this year, from campaign contributions to Santa Claus giving out ‘clean coal’ at the Metro exits closest to Congressional offices to sponsoring presidential debates throughout the election cycle. This fossil foolish promotion [...]

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Examining the World Bank’s investment portfolio (pdf), one could be excused for thinking that the Bank is somehow part of the global warming denier branch of the flat-earth society and does not believe that climate change is the critical issue facing the globe.
Relying exclusively on the World Bank’s own figures, our analysis shows World Bank [...]

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If we are going to take serious steps to change our reckless drive over the cliffs, in a sad version of Thelma & Louise but in a belching hummer rather than sexy convertible, we have to get serious about facts. And, well, the fact is that “Clean Coal” is not fact , it is powerpoint [...]

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Harry Reid spoke bluntly on energy issues.  Looking the Faux and Balanced cameras square on, he spoke truth:
Coal makes us sick …

This is an important statement.  Reid is speaking truth to an audience that isn’t used to hearing it.

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Tired of the unending truthiness Republican cries to DRILL, DRILL, DRILL in a disingenuous truthiness efforts that turns us (US) aside from discussion of energy efficiency and moving off fossil fuels, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) and others in the House leadership issued an ultimatum to oil companies: Drill on the [...]

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