| By UncaDoug - Jul 22nd, 2008 at 4:03 pm EDT |
| Also listed in: Demands for the Candidates | We Can Bay Area | 350 ASAP -- Coal Moratorium -- Call NOW! | Houston Area Climate Awareness Group | Southern Alliance for Clean Energy |
This post is inspired by Americans for a Coal-Free VP! and Demands for the Candidates group, but I am linking it to the other groups that I have joined ... Anybody who feels motivated to make a difference is invited to visit 350 Alternatives to a Pro-Coal VP and make two phone calls that will have impact if a bunch of us do it, then post a blog or comment about the calls, and invite your friends to join the effort. Please visit 350 Alternatives to a Pro-Coal VP.
Here is my suggestion for a demand for clarification from Senators Obama and McCain: Phone their campaign offices and ask to speak with a staffer -- ask the staffer if the senator supports a COAL MORTORIUM until and unless it has operational CARBON CAPTURE AND SEQUESTRATION (CCS). Remind the staffer that CLEAN COAL is an OXYMORON at this point in time because CCS is not included in any of the pending plants' designs. We must make our voices loud and clear: COAL MUST BE LEFT IN THE GROUND until CCS is installed and actually operational.
Barack Obama has the most responsible energy plan of the two. Let's take a look.
The following is found on BarackObama.com on the page Barack Obama's Plan. [Actually the following was on the page July 21, but has since been updated and may be downloaded as a pdf ... but the update on coal is not any clearer today than it was two weeks ago. Read August 7 comment about the updated language. Edit added August 8]
Invest in a Clean Energy Future
- Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology: Obama will significantly increase the resources devoted to the commercialization and deployment of low-carbon coal technologies. Obama will consider whatever policy tools are necessary, including standards that ban new traditional coal facilities, to ensure that we move quickly to commercialize and deploy low carbon coal technology.
I think three phrases need to be clarified ... to me, in light of Al Gore's carbon-free electricity challenge, these sound like business as usual weasle words ... and they are used together in what appears to be a contradictory, imprecise and noncommital statement:
- "will consider whatever policy tools are necessary"
- "consider ... standards that ban new traditional coal facilities"
- "commercialize and deploy low carbon coal technology"
This does not sound like a commitment to "carbon-free electricity" to me ...
In order to make sure Obama understands our fundamental concerns that he buys in to Mr. Gore's challenge, we need to hold his feet to the fire and demand full disclosure of his true intentions. We must demand that he be clear ...
Let's be clear on this, these words are not clear. We demand clarity.
Barack -- and John!-- needs to state clearly that he is against any new coal-burning power plants that do not -- from day one -- use carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). That means a MORATORIUM ON COAL that is not carbon-free.
Le's all call Obama's and McCain's campaign headquarter and tell them clearly that state that we support a COAL MORATORIUM until and unless CCS if installed and operational. McCain won't but Obama will if enough of us speak up.
Tell them coal that is not "carbon-free" must remain in the ground if we hope to pass to our children and grandchildren a planet that is not irreversibly damaged by global warming. Obama and McCan (there is no hope for McCain) need to let us know that they understand this imperative. Read more about this at 350 Alternatives to a Pro-Coal VP. Read the group description and the blog Join us!
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"Thus, if the climate crisis calls on us to renounce carbon fuels for the sake of future generations, the depletion and decline entailed mean that we must do so for our short-term economic survival. We will use fewer fossil fuels one way or another; but if we fail to adapt intelligently to the post-carbon era, the next few decades will see ever higher energy costs and continued high carbon emissions—leaving us with a ruined environment and a shattered economy, unable to face a future without fossil fuels."
"The solution to both climate change and fossil fuel depletion is to develop renewable sources of energy, use less energy, use energy differently—and to make this transition as rapidly as possible."
"We will need to learn the lessons of America’s historic triumphs. Achieving the goal of 100% renewable energy in ten years will take the strategy, effort, and determination exhibited in the New Deal, the Second World War, the Marshall Plan, and the Apollo Program combined. Post Carbon Institute believes America can and must realize this vision, and that it is both the responsibility and opportunity of this great nation to regain its pre-eminence as a leader in thought, innovation, and practice."
Post Carbon Institute "10 Steps in 10 Years to 100 Percent Renewable Power" are at Link
Barack Obama, please pay attention to Heinberg. As for John McCain, there is no hope.
As far as global warming is concerned, if my weather man, using computer models, can't tell me the exact weather 2 days from now, how can a computer model predict tenths of percents of degrees 10-20 years from now?
According to data that i've seen the temp has stayed the same or declined in the last 10yrs.
Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology. Carbon capture and storage technologies hold enormous potential to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as we power our economy with domestically produced and secure energy. As a U.S. Senator, Obama has worked tirelessly to ensure that clean coal technology becomes commercialized. An Obama administration will provide incentives to accelerate private sector investment in commercial scale zero-carbon coal facilities. In order to maximize the speed with which we advance this critical technology, Obama will instruct DOE to enter into public private partnerships to develop 5 "first-of-a-kind" commercial scale coal-fired plants with carbon capture and sequestration.
Close, but no cigar. This does not address his position on coal-fired power plants that are currently planned to be built without carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). If we are to bring CO2 concentrations back to 350 ppm before irreversible climate catastrophe occurs, we must not build any new coal plants unless they include operational CCS -- from now on.
I called the Obama campaign office on July 21 and got a form email on July 22 that stated:
"Dear Friend, Thank you for contacting Obama America regarding energy policy. To read more about Senator Obama's views on this important issue, please click here ">Link
It's time to call and ask for a staffer this time. We need them to know the implications of vague language as is in his plan. I will report on the results of my next call. I will also call McCain's campaign office, but since I have no hope for McCain, my message will simply be an emphatic statement. More on that later, too.
Before the conventions. Before the election. Before the inauguration. After the inauguration
As long as it takes to get an official statement from Barack.
The effort to get the COAL MORATORIUM message to the candidates will take lots and lots of call, and like fishing -- casting the lure into the river many many dozens of times usually results in the exhilaration of a fighting fish on the line -- the law of large numbers (as statistical term) should make an impact.
July 21, I spoke with Diane, who did not know Obama's position, but took down my message and passed it on to a "staffer." Got a form email in response. Yesterday, I called again and spoke with Alex, an intern who gave me a "stock" response, but obviously did not know the answer to my question -- I asked how long he had been on the Obama campaign ... two days (TWO DAYS). So I called back and had a pleasant conversation with Bronwyn who said she has been with the campaign about a month ... but I found myself explaining the whole issue to her as well ... she did not know what CARBON CAPTURE AND SEQUESTRATION was let alone CCS, or what a MORATORIUM means. he dutifully took down all the key words typing into her PC, making it all make sense --I trust. I felt assured the message was being conveyed. She took my name, address, email and phone number.
My chat with Bronwyn was a nice 10 minute break. Much more enjoyable that the experience with McCain's system. Option 6 for voice mail: Clearly and concisely explained everything I told Bronwyn in about a minute (maybe two). That will have to be done again and again ... I will have this memorized and succinct in no time.
So, I encourage everybody reading this, it will take less time to make the call to McCain than the time you spend reading this.
On the other hand, I encourage you to take the time and explain the issue carefully to the Obama intern ... you will educate the intern and get a sense that the message is being captured in the computer for the "staffer's" benefit.
Obama is (866) 675-2008 option 6 to speak with a live person
McCain is (703) 418-2008 option 6 to leave a message
Make it a daily routine, during your coffee break or at lunch.