Coal Can't Buy Our Love

Guest Blogger: Bruce Nilles, Sierra Club National Coal Campaign Director

If you watched the television ads before and after last week's presidential debate, you probably noticed something.

Coal -- a lot of it. In an attempt to buy public approval, the dirty-coal industry is conducting a major advertising blitz during the presidential debates. But we're not letting them get away clean-handed -- the Sierra Club is keeping them accountable by monitoring their ads for "bogus coal moments" where they attempt to spread misinformation.

"Dirty." "Obsolete." "Detrimental." "Not the answer."

These are some of the words people texted from their mobile phones when we asked them to respond to coal ads that aired during the presidential debate last Friday.

Check out all the comments people made and sign up to let us know what you think about the next wave of ads during the next debate.

The coal industry knows that we want a clean energy economy that secures low energy costs for our families without polluting the environment. They know that dirty coal does not fit into this future, which is why they are spending tens of millions of dollars on slick advertising during the presidential debates.

Last Friday, we saw TV and on-line ads from the coal industry on several stations touting "clean coal'" as the way forward. Tomorrow, and during the next two debates, we will see a lot more of the same.

Clean coal? Cheap coal? We know nothing could be further from the truth. "Clean coal" is an unproven technology and a distraction from serious investment in real solutions like wind and solar energy. Coal is rising in cost and becoming unviable as a future energy source.

We need to move beyond coal so we can move forward by investing in a clean, efficient energy economy that creates jobs here at home, saves families and businesses money, provides energy security, and combats global warming.

Check out what people across the country are saying about coal and sign up to receive alerts when the coal industry's sham ads air again during the next debates.

Together, we can hold the coal industry accountable.

Comments

[Dr. J. Singmaster]

Coal is ugly to burn, but charcoal made by pyrolyzing organic wastes and separated sewage soilds is beautiful to be burying as the process would be destroying germs, toxics and drugs, while stopping the reemitting of GHGs. With EPA announcing plans for conference of risks of drugs in drinking water, Sierrs Club members need to be waking up to the problems of present day costly handling of organic wastes and sewage that are no longer effective in keeping those hazards controlled. The much hyped process of composting is not really environmentally sound for organic wastes as it sppeds the biodegradation of biochemicals, in which nature has so kindly trapped carbon dioxide for us. I have sent Carl a statement on how to use the pyrolysis process on those wastes that are getting out of hand across the world.
Dr. J. Singmaster

[Palladin]

Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology.

Obama’s Department of Energy will enter into public private partnerships to develop five “first-of-a-kind” commercial scale coal-fired plants with clean carbon capture and sequestration technology.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/newenergy_more#relief

[Palladin]

In Hawaii, the Sierra Club came under fire in the last several elections for endorsing and advocating openly for Democratic candidates, even if their Republican competition had a better record on environmental issues. One of the most publicized cases involved the endorsement of U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, over Republican challenger state Rep. Cynthia Thielen. Akaka voted for drilling in ANWR (one of the big “no no's” for the Sierra Club). Thielen said she would vigorously oppose such drilling for oil in Alaska and based her whole election campaign on promoting renewable energy. There is no doubt Thielen dedicates more of her time and energy to being an "environmentalist" but Akaka was endorsed over her. Sierra Club said Akaka promised to reconsider his position and that is why he got the endorsement.

[Palladin]

The Wall Street Journal quoted Congressman Barney Frank, D-Mass., in 2003 as criticizing Greg Mankiw "because he is worried about the tiny little matter of safety and soundness rather than 'concern about housing.'"

Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, rejected a Bush administration and Congressional Republican plan for regulating the mortgage industry in 2003, saying, "These two entities – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – are not facing any kind of financial crisis." According to a New York Times article, Frank added, "The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing."

[Dr. J. Singmaster]

No such thing as clean coal unless more energy and money is spent to get it clean than will be made. "Clean coal" technology has so far been ineffective in getting even 50% of the carbon dioxide from coal fired plants trapped in several tests. It also involves large amounts of toxic and flammable trapping chemicals just waiting to get spilled or exploded. I hope some Sierra Club members will get these points across to Obama's campaign. But the coal industry is probably paying too much into his campaign for anyone in it to recognize the shortcomings of "Clean Coal"
Dr. J. Singmaster