Subtitle: The Last Days of the Evil Empire, Now on Videotape
There is some pro-climate justice rhetoric, courtesy of a student activist blog that is in the media biz, as the Senate devises* their version of a climate bill, (a.k.a., S.1733, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act).
* Note: Sorry, Toggle, unable to say, “champions“, even in jest.
Meanwhile, Politics As Usual in the service of BAUAAAE (Business As Usual And Above All Else) prevails. When Al Gore rhetorically asked why might our Government, when they saw what was needed to be done, then fail to act, I was yelling at You Tube, “Because they are bought! Because they are bought!”
The language, of course, is quite beguiling. Who could oppose “a bill to create clean energy jobs, promote energy independence, reduce global warming pollution, and transition to a clean energy economy”? Well, other than someone who actually took the time to read George Orwell’s 1984 and whose reading list now is a bit FEG-ish.
So, while there is an absence of any serious attempt to reduce degradation of the atmosphere brought about by emissions from coal-fired power plants, there certainly is some effort to pretend that the government still deserves the public trust. And, mainstream media is helping to normalize the denial. Since this blog recently admitted to such denial in the past, it can appreciate the “tough thinking” proferred by Andy Revkin.
The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere already is beyond a safe level.
One might suppose that Washington Theater wants to distract us from the Syllogism of Doom. The Congress critters can fret and strut, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce can unleash its lawyers… Bottom line: No Coal is Clean Coal. It is a dirty lie.
You can buy it, ‘Merika, thinking that it is a bargain compared to paying for continued largess. Just a quick glance at the price tag and on to the next important matter…
9 Comments
O.T.O.H., Carol Browner, White House adviser on energy and the environment, says that she feels “very, very confident that we can work with the rest of the world to take significant steps forward in Copenhagen.”
That is the public face. Insiders say there is little actual support in the Senate for the Obama administration to have something substantive to take to Copenhagen. Browner must be referring to keeping the speech writers busy with more rhetoric to better forge the image that progress can be achieved at climate-treaty talks this year.
When this blog refers to efforts to pretend that the government still deserves the public trust, the disparagement is mainly directed toward our ear-tagged Congress critters.
Nonetheless, with recent approval of further mining of oil shale on public lands and refusal to block construction of an oil pipeline from the Alberta tar sands, the Obama Administration also is complicit.
The recovery of oil from tar sands is energy intensive and more harmful to the air and water than standard oil refining.
Climate Progress gives kudos to New Scientist for calling the “biggest global warming crime ever seen” by their real name, “tar sands” —.
The Senate has been quite brazen in using these American Power Act hearings as an opportunity to make policy at cross purpose to any reduction in global warming pollution and crucial protection of the public welfare.
Ken Ward, Jr., who has been blogging about the Senate climate and clean energy hearings at his blog, described some of the changes that were added to S.1733 to help coal even further. These changes came in response to efforts by, among others, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va.
Climate Progress reports that Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., as Chair of the Environment and Public Works. Committee, then read into the Congressional record part of the story as carried by the West Virginia Gazette , “Climate bill adds more sweeteners for coal industry.”
The U.S. Congress is having a difficult time passing legislation that would reduce industrial carbon dioxide emissions, and while there would seem to be a lack of support for U.S. negotiators to have something substantive to take to COP15 in Copenhagen, Reuters reporter Richard Cowan observes that there are some alternatives under consideration.
News from WV Gazette: “The latest version of federal climate change legislation includes more provisions to help save the coal industry, but some coal supporters say significant revisions still need to be made before they will back the bill.”
Fiddling Senatorial Coal Zombie (stops playing, looks at camera): “Look. We are really upset that you didn’t like our caroling coal nuggets. so now you are going to have to ask us nicely to continue to destroy life on the Planet as we know it.” (Goes back to playing “Dave Massey went down to Georgia”)
And speaking of policy at cross purpose to any reduction in global warming pollution and crucial protection of the public welfare, student activist blogger nickengelfried warns:
The Headline proclaims Enviro Group Spending Soars. While it is true that environmental groups lobbied more this summer than ever before, hoping to encourage responsible action by the United States on climate change, if you read the article, you then learn:
Of course, the Gray Lady, she ain’t no fool. You may have seen the old British cartoon of one plaintiff pulling at the bridle, the other plaintiff pulling at the tail, while the counselor milks the cow. More lobbying means more vying for public visibility.
Speaking of the U.S. Congress having a difficult time passing legislation that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired electric power plants, Scientific American reports that there is a new brain imaging study by Josh Greene and Joe Paxton published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They report on research conducted at Harvard University that suggests what separates the well-behaved from the poorly-behaved is the human capacity to, at least temporarily, achieve a state of “moral grace” – a state devoid of selfish temptation. So, Congress Critters, the Red Pill or Blue Pill?
“Ditch the whole thing and implement a carbon tax,” says the Big Gav, “droning on like a broken record year after year.”
5 Trackbacks
[...] #9 BAUAAAE [...]
[...] in the op-ed a willingness to hold hostage the health of all life on the Planet for the sake of coal company profits? How can such behavior be morally [...]
[...] The Big Shill“ [...]
[...] to tell you, especially if you were counting upon denial and delay as viable options. It is the wrong answer because there is insufficient time. It takes a decade to bring a nuclear [...]
[...] now I’ll be a good sheeple and call my ear tagged Senators so that they can say they have a mandate from the people to do what their fossil fuel [...]