Obama's "Dirty Little Secret" Bill Gets MoveOn's Wrath

Today, Moveon.org initiated a campaign by sending a letter entitled, "Turning every Prius into a Hummer," to its multi-million person community in opposition to the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Energy Act of 2007 S 154 IS(BILLION$ of corporate welfare to build coal processing plants over 25 years).

Moveon.org does not take a direct hit at Obama by name, but trashes the bill that he  is co-sponsoring. Perhaps they are too polite </snark>, but I'm not. Obama's just too smart to believe that this bill is good for America. So, I'm naming names and Obama's on the top of the list.

Lest you believe that Obama is an innocent bystander on this earth trashing piece of legislation, you should know that he is not only the lead co-sponsor, but started and co-leads the Senate Coal-to-Liquid Fuels Caucus!(pdf).

See what all the commotion is about on the flip.

What is all the hullabaloo? Bottom line, when coal is liquified to make it a fuel for automobiles and planes, it doubles the emissions when compared to petroleum. The NYT did a fabulous chart on this where you can see for yourself.

Big, big hat tip to wvablue for showing this chart earlier and bringing this issue to the forefront on his blog http://www.wvablue.com and in his recent diary.

So that's a little about why Moveon.org wrote the letter, here's the actual letter. [Not available online, printed in its entirity, campaign and petition notice is here]

Dear MoveOn member,

"Liquid coal would be a disaster in our fight against the climate crisis. Congress should vote against tax breaks and subsidies for coal."

Clicking here will add your name:

click here

In the next few weeks, Congress could vote to DOUBLE the amount of greenhouse gases America produces from our cars and planes.1

It's the greatest single threat to solving the climate crisis in a decade.

It sounds crazy. But Congress is rushing through a package that could lock us into liquid coal as our country's new energy source for transportation. For every mile driven, coal-based fuels produce as much as twice as many greenhouse gases as petroleum.2 That means even a Prius would drive like a Hummer.

The coal industry has been lobbying for this break for years, and many in Congress don't understand the facts. Can you sign on to our petition opposing liquid coal right now—and then please alert your friends?

"Liquid coal would be a disaster in our fight against the climate crisis. Congress should vote against tax breaks and subsidies for coal."
Clicking here adds your name to the petition:

http://pol.moveon.org/...
The legislation would take billions in taxpayer dollars to build up to 10 more dirty coal plants, provide taxpayer subsidies when the fuel can't compete on the open market, and guarantee that the government will buy this fuel no matter what.3

The industry promises to clean up after itself, but "clean coal" doesn't exist yet—it's pure fiction. While some technology is being tested to capture the greenhouse gas before it goes into the air, no one knows if it will work. But the plants will be built regardless.

To make matters worse, the financial outlook on this technology is shaky, which means taxpayers could be left holding the bag. According to an MIT study, we could spend $70 billion to replace just 10 percent of current gasoline use.4 And by the time we bring the technology to market, it is likely that cheaper, cleaner fuels will be available for less money.  

These snake oil salesmen are in the Capitol in force—selling Congress a line that kicking our oil habit is easy if we just commit billions in taxpayer money to coal. And some in Congress are buying it—even folks who have been with us thus far on the climate crisis. But with this bill, they're gambling with the future of our planet.

Can you sign our petition telling Congress to vote no on coal in the upcoming energy package?

Clicking here will add your name:

http://pol.moveon.org/...

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has this to say about the proposal:

The coal industry is touting a plan to transform millions of tons of coal into diesel and other liquid fuels—an expensive, inefficient process that releases large quantities of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into our air. Fortunately, better, cleaner options exist to reduce America's dependence on oil: efficiency, smart growth, and renewable fuels.5

An OpEd in the Lexington Herald-Leader, in the heart of coal country, put it this way:
Instead of propping up a liquid-coal industry that market forces have long rejected, the government should harness the market to advance the twin goals of energy independence and reversing global warming.6

We need less coal, not more. And we need government support to go toward developing the commercial scale technology for truly clean alternatives—solar and wind. These energy sources are clean and abundant, and these industries create jobs and can be a boon to the economy.

Please help make sure Congress doesn't take us backward in our fight against global warming. Clicking below adds your name:

http://pol.moveon.org/...

Thanks for all you do,

–Ilyse, Mari, Jennifer, Matt and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
 Wednesday, June 6th, 2007

Sources:

1. "Lawmakers look at coal to break oil dependence", Los Angeles Times, May 10, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/...

2. "Coal-To-Liquid Fuel Plant Plan Advances", The Houston Chronicle, May 31, 2007

http://www.chron.com/...

2. "Lawmakers promote coal as an 'alternative fuel'", The Austin American-Statesman, May 29, 2007

http://www.moveon.org/...

3. " Billion-dollar boondoggle," The Roanoke Time, June 5, 2007

http://www.roanoke.com/...

4. "Why Liquid Coal Is Not a Viable Option to Move America Beyond Oil," Report by Natural Resources Defense Council, February, 2007

http://www.nrdc.org/...

5. ""Liquid coal a new version of snake oil" The Lexington Herald-Leader, June 3, 2007

http://www.kentucky.com/...

Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is entirely funded by our 3.2 million members. We have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, no money from unions. Our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. If you'd like to support our work, you can give now at:

http://political.moveon.org/...

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Anything anyone can do to discuss this ill-conceived initiative with Obama or his team would be greatly appreciated. This is Obama's weakness and perhaps we can help him out of the hell hole he's digging. Any suggestions on getting through to Obama?