Environment - Coal's Dirty Little Secrets

November 30, 2007

by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Satyam Khanna, Matt Corley, and Ali Frick

ENVIRONMENT

Coal's Dirty Little Secrets

Viewers tuning into Wednesday's CNN/YouTube Republican debate probably saw commercials for "clean coal." They may have also seen an ad for the debate in that morning's Washington Post, with a note at the bottom reading: "Sponsored by Clean Coal, America's Power." These initiatives were funded by the group "Americans For Balanced Energy Choices" (ABEC), which receives its financing from coal companies and "their allies in the utility and railroad sectors." They are part of a multi-million dollar campaign aimed at generating public support "for the beleaguered coal-producing industry at a time when plans for new coal-fired power plants are being scrapped" nationwide. The Center for American Progress has released a Progressive Growth economic strategy based on building a low-carbon energy infrastructure, based on clean, renewable energy sources, efficiency, and greenhouse gas emission performance standards for coal that could "fuel the creation of good jobs and good prospects for workers at all skill levels."

DIRTY AGENDA: ABEC is a nonprofit coalition of the top coal companies in America, including Peabody Energy, the world's largest private-sector coal company. Top energy executives recently quadrupled the budget for this coal front group, bringing ABEC's annual allocation to more than $30 million. ABEC insists that the coal industry has a "clean" agenda. But one of its top priorities is to expand coal production through the promotion of government-funded "coal to liquid" technology to convert coal to vehicle fuels. This policy would produce twice as much global warming pollution as ordinary gasoline production, while consuming huge amounts of water. Since its establishment in 2000, ABEC has received support from the Center for Energy and Economic Development, whose website -- even in late 2004 -- said that the group rejects the "theory of catastrophic global climate change." Perhaps not surprisingly, part of ABEC's agenda is to delay and weaken any limits on carbon dioxide pollution for as long as possible and convince Congress to give coal plants free "allowances" to emit greenhouse gases under any future "cap and trade" global warming plan.

DIRTY ADS: In order to sell its agenda to the American public, ABEC has launched a $7-million, three-month national advertising drive. National Journal notes, "The first set of ads underscore that coal is the energy source for about half the nation's electricity output. A second round will tout so-called clean-coal technologies." Since January, ABEC executive director Joe Lucas has written at least eight "letters to the editor" in newspapers nationwide, pushing for more coal plants. ABEC has specifically targeted the 2008 election, recognizing that it needs an industry-friendly president to advance its agenda and block global warming reform. In 2000, for example, the coal industry donated more than $108,000 to George W. Bush's campaign, compared to just $16,450 for Al Gore. Similarly, in 2004, Bush raked in more than $250,000 from the coal industry; Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) received approximately $6,000. On Nov. 9, ABEC put out a press release announcing that it was kicking off "its public campaign urging Iowa caucus-goers to challenge Presidential candidates to invest in clean coal technology and support coal as part of a sensible and affordable energy mix."

DIRTY POLITICAL TARGETING: ABEC also sponsored both the CNN Democratic debate in Nevada earlier this month, as well as the CNN/YouTube Republican debate in Florida earlier this week. These sponsorships were targeted to pressure not only the presidential candidates and CNN (not a single question on global warming was asked in either debate), but also anti-coal politicians in those states. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), for example, has stood firmly against the construction of three proposed major coal-fired power plants in his home state. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) is leading a "crusade against coal." Crist has unveiled a plan to reduce his state's carbon dioxide emissions by replacing coal plants with solar thermal power plants. He has also canceled plans to build new coal plants that were pushed by his predecessor, Jeb Bush. "I am not a fan of coal," proclaimed Crist in October, applauding the news that Tampa Electric shelved plans to build a $2-billion power plant. The tide is steadily turning against coal. In the past 18 months, "about a dozen states including Texas, Florida and Oklahoma also have rejected plans for 22 new coal-fired power plants." This week, Google also announced that it plans to invest "hundreds of millions of dollars" to "develop electricity from renewable energy sources that will be cheaper than electricity produced from coal."

DIRTY LIES: The state of Kansas has been a particular focus in the coal industry's campaign. On Oct. 18, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment denied air quality permits for two 700-megawatt coal-burning power generators near Holcomb, KS, "citing health and environmental concerns associated with carbon dioxide emissions." The decision was "the first time a coal plant air permit application" had "ever been denied on the basis of CO2 emissions." Less than a month later, newspapers across Kansas ran an ad by Kansans for Affordable Energy attacking the decision. It featured the smiling faces of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, asking "why are these men smiling?" (See the ad here.) The answer, according to the ad, was Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D): "Because the recent decision by the Sebelius Administration means Kansas will import more natural gas from countries like Russia, Venezuela and Iran." Kansans for Affordable Energy is partially funded by not only by Peabody, but also Sunflower Electric Power Corp, the company whose permits were rejected by Sebelius's administration. Additionally, not only does Kansas "currently export natural gas to other states," but the United States doesn't even "import natural gas from Russia, Venezuela or Iran."

IRAQ -- CARD REJECTS ROVE'S CLAIM THAT CONGRESS PUSHED BUSH TO WAR: 'HIS MOUTH GETS AHEAD OF HIS BRAIN': Former White House adviser Karl Rove recently asserted that "[t]he administration was opposed" to voting for a war resolution in the fall of 2002. "It seemed to make things move too fast," he argued. As ThinkProgress documented, key leaders in both the House and the Senate -- including then-Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) -- were asking Bush in 2002 to delay the war vote. But as Daschle recalled, when he asked Bush to delay the vote, Bush "looked at Cheney and he looked at me, and there was a half-smile on his face. And he said: 'We just have to do this now.'" This morning, the White House chief of staff at the time, Andrew Card, appeared on MSNBC and completely discredited Rove's argument. "Karl Rove went on Charlie Rose and he blamed the Democrats for pushing him and the president into war. Is that how it worked?" asked host Joe Scarborough. "No, that's not the way it worked," replied Card. "Sometimes his mouth gets ahead of his brain."

MILITARY -- 28 GENERALS AND ADMIRALS URGE REPEAL OF DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL: Retired Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr, an openly gay man, asked Republican presidential candidates at Wednesday's CNN/YouTube debate why they "think that American men and women in uniform are not professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians." Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney hedged: "I'm going to listen to the people who run the military" for advice on Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT), which bans openly gay service members. Today, The New York Times reports that 28 retired generals and admirals plan to release a letter today -- the 14th anniversary of DADT -- urging Congress to repeal the legislation. "We respectfully urge Congress to repeal the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," the letter says. Signers of the letter are all "high-ranking," including Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when DADT was instituted. Roughly 11,000 servicemembers have been forced out of service for being gay since the policy was implemented in 1993.

HEALTH CARE -- WASHINGTON SUFFERING HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC ON WORLD AIDS DAY: Two weeks ago, the United Nations's top AIDS scientists said "that they have long overestimated both the size and the course of the epidemic, which they now believe has been slowing for nearly a decade." Still, there are 33.2 million people in the world currently infected with HIV, and 2007 saw 2.5 million new infections. A week after the U.N. announcement, city health officials reported that the District of Columbia has the highest rate of AIDS infection in the country, with HIV continuing to be transmitted at an epidemic pace. Black residents, who count for 57 percent of the District's population, make up "81 percent of new reports of HIV cases and about 86 percent of people with AIDS." To mark tomorrow's World AIDS Day, President Bush plans to highlight "the important role of faith- and community-based organizations in the global fight against HIV/AIDS." His reliance on faith-based organizations in the past has meant that "a full two-thirds of the money for the prevention of the sexual spread of HIV" goes to abstinence only programs, which have failed to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

The social networking site Facebook has "modified a controversial service that broadcast details of its users' online activities outside the site to their friends, following complaints about its privacy implications." Facebook will now give greater control to users over what information they want advertised. MoveOn, which had mounted an online campaign to pressure Facebook to change its policy, said the policy could be a "huge step in the right direction."

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee's moderate position on immigration compared to the stances of his rivals is causing anger in right-wing circles. "He was an absolute disaster on immigration as governor," said Roy Beck, president of the conservative group NumbersUSA.

"Without a serious effort at national conciliation, American troops are just holding down the lid on a pressure cooker. Iraq's rival militias, the insurgents, the bitter sectarian resentments and the meddling neighbors haven't gone anywhere," writes The New York Times in an editorial today.

51 percent: College students who say "where a candidate stands on the environment would be very important to their vote," according to a survey conducted by American University students.

Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) stated unequivocally that he would move to impeach President Bush if the administration bombs Iran without congressional approval. "The President has no authority to unilaterally attack Iran and if he does, as foreign relations committee chairman, I will move to impeach," he said.

A New York Times analysis found that "Medicare spends billions of dollars each year on products and services that are available at far lower prices from retail pharmacies and online stores." For example, Medicare spends more than double the drugstore price on oxygen tanks.

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) acknowledged that the surge, which he had firmly criticized, "has led to military successes. But he also warned repeatedly that the Iraqis were not doing enough to capitalize on those gains. 'I think the surge is working but that's only one element. It's working because of the increase in troops,' he said, 'but the thing that has to happen is that the Iraqis have to do this themselves.'"

A new report by the Department of Labor Inspector General finds that 87 percent of the funds handed out by the Department's Employment and Training Administration in the past six years were through "sole-source grants," meaning $271 million in federal funds were awarded without any competition.

And finally: Ann Coulter suggests she should be the new White House press secretary. "She told a crowd gathered at the National Press Club for the National Journalism Center's 30th anniversary that she deserves" to be White House press secretary for the last six months of Bush's presidency. "I'm sure she would find it to be a fascinating experience," said White House Press Secretary Dana Perino.

"In an unprecedented show of solidarity, leaders from 150 global companies endorsed the idea of...legally binding" cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions.

TEXAS: State's director of science curriculum said "she resigned this month under pressure from officials who felt she gave the appearance of criticizing the instruction of intelligent design."

MISSOURI: Gov. Matt Blunt's (R) battle to save Christmas.

POLITICS: "[V]oters think female governors are better at getting things done and solving problems than their male counterparts."

THINK PROGRESS: CNN's irresponsible debate coverage undermines its claim to be the "Most Trusted Name in News."

FIREDOGLAKE: Time's Joe Klein's source for his FISA distortions was Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI).

HUFF POLITICS: How Rep. John Murtha's (D-PA) "surge" comments are being taken out of context.

MEDIA MATTERS: CNN's Campbell Brown called MoveOn.org "American insurgents."

"[T]he administration was opposed to voting on it [whether to go to war in Iraq] in the fall of 2002."
- Karl Rove, 11/21/07

VERSUS

MSNBC'S JOE SCARBOROUGH: We have to start with something that we all are talking about a couple of days ago where Karl Rove went on Charlie Rose and he blamed the Democrats for pushing him and the president into war. Is that how it worked?
CARD: No, that's not the way it worked.
-- Then-White House chief of staff Andrew Card, 11/29/07

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