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If you could see what coal mining does to Kentucky and West Virginia, permanent destruction of the land, poison of the water table, etc., you might re-think your stance on coal.
I never paid much attention to it. Coal mining of the past was always dangerous for the miners (so was heavily regulated for worker safety), but under the Bush administration, the laws were changed.
Instead of digging and mining and making sure no waste was introduced into the waterways - the Republican Congress passed, and Bush signed into law legislation that allowed strip mining again. The mountains of the area are literally being cut down. The poisonous waste is flushed directly into Kentucky and West Virginia's rivers and water tables.
This is not a rich area. People who live outside of city areas survive on water from wells drilled on their lands, have septic systems because there is no city water or sewage treatment plants. Both states tend to vote Republican because the areas that are less densely populated then the rest of the state. But when you look at the maps of counties that vote Republican - those counties affected by coal vote Democratic every time. They want their land saved. They want it mined - but NOT the way they're doing it now. When the strip mining companies first started - they promised they would return the land to it's natural state after mining. Since then they've re-petitioned Congress (in 2006) and were granted the right to simply leave the land as it is. No effort at cleaning up, restoring dirt. The rock will be left, the water tables will be left, the run off will continue for hundreds of years after the mine closes.
Anyway, here's a You Tube clip if you're interested to see what's going on.
Many people lose their HOMES to this, including some of the poorest, most rural communities anywhere.
Why do you think they call it the Mountain Party? ;)
"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to the point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That in its essence is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group or any controlling private power."
Listen again. The end of his sentence was deliberately cut off. Just prior to that he said, "if technology allows us to use coal in a clean way, then we should pursue it."
This comment has been moderated down. (Show Comment)
What I heard him say is. My aggressive cap and trade policy will charge polluters to curb greenhouse gases. "So if somebody wants to build a new coal-powered plant, they can; it’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.” “That will also generate billions of dollars that we can invest in wind, solar, biodiesel and other alternative energy approaches." He also acknowledged this would cause the price of electricity to skyrocket. Another backhanded way to tax millions of Americans.
good. we absolutely don't need coal. and its destroying the world to burn it.
the sun drops enough energy on the planet in 40 minutes to supply us with power for an entire year... that's all the power we need, including all transportation, heating and cooling too.
its time we innovated again and stopped using 19th century energy technologies.
Solar, wind, ocean current and geo-thermal for heating and cooling needs. Do that - and our need for oil and coal will be greatly reduced. Plus we'll add those manufacturing, sales, distribution, repair and clerical staff jobs to our own country. All of them together will not do 1/4 of the pollution or environmental destruction of oil OR coal - never mind oil and coal together. They say it's going to take them 10 years to find and fire up our own oil wells. In 10 years - if we put our mind to it - we won't need those oil wells OR coal.
We can START by putting an end to the tax subsidies given to oil and coal companies and giving them to those companies who produce solar panels and wind farms. They've got a WHOLE bunch of empty factories sitting in Ohio and Michigan - great place to be re-tooled, huge employment base that wants to get back to work. Government should claim those plants through eminent domain and hand them to those who are going to produce solar panels, wind mills and geo thermal systems.
The second proposal I have is for giving tax credits, one per household or business, for those who install geo-thermal heating and cooling systems. A geothermal system costs about $5k. But there are a limited number of companies who offer these systems and have people trained to install them. Make it a competitive industry - by introducing tax credits to pique demand - and suddenly you're going to have stiff competition for business. The prices should begin to drop. Ex boyfriend had a friend in the business who offered to install one for him (all equipment included) for $2k. So that $5k price tag has some wiggle room. Introduce a $2000 - $2500 tax credit to all homes that have one installed, (and with winter heating bills rounding out in some homes here around $300 - $900 a month) (my all electric 950 sq. ft. apartment is $75 - $120 a month) and you watch those things start flying off the shelves. Even at a $5k price tag - they'll pay for themselves in less than a year.
[2 points]3 years ago by sillynillyReplyEdited 3 years ago by sillynilly
This comment was deleted.
[0 points] 3 years ago by deleted user ReplyIf you could see what coal mining does to Kentucky and West Virginia, permanent destruction of the land, poison of the water table, etc., you might re-think your stance on coal.
I never paid much attention to it. Coal mining of the past was always dangerous for the miners (so was heavily regulated for worker safety), but under the Bush administration, the laws were changed.
Instead of digging and mining and making sure no waste was introduced into the waterways - the Republican Congress passed, and Bush signed into law legislation that allowed strip mining again. The mountains of the area are literally being cut down. The poisonous waste is flushed directly into Kentucky and West Virginia's rivers and water tables.
This is not a rich area. People who live outside of city areas survive on water from wells drilled on their lands, have septic systems because there is no city water or sewage treatment plants. Both states tend to vote Republican because the areas that are less densely populated then the rest of the state. But when you look at the maps of counties that vote Republican - those counties affected by coal vote Democratic every time. They want their land saved. They want it mined - but NOT the way they're doing it now. When the strip mining companies first started - they promised they would return the land to it's natural state after mining. Since then they've re-petitioned Congress (in 2006) and were granted the right to simply leave the land as it is. No effort at cleaning up, restoring dirt. The rock will be left, the water tables will be left, the run off will continue for hundreds of years after the mine closes.
Anyway, here's a You Tube clip if you're interested to see what's going on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziuFW-7h1LM
Some more links (I LIVE in West Virginia, remember?)
http://thegazz.com/gblogs/artattack/files/2007/09/artattack_mining1.jpg
http://www.ohvec.org/galleries/mountaintop_removal/007/
Many people lose their HOMES to this, including some of the poorest, most rural communities anywhere.
Why do you think they call it the Mountain Party? ;)
"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to the point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That in its essence is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group or any controlling private power."
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
From the Mountain Party home page.
This comment was deleted.
[6 points] 3 years ago by deleted user ReplyThis comment has been moderated down. (Show Comment)
I think I will... while you're watching your brain trust heroes... Maher and Stewart. :_)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=32228&type=politics
This comment has been moderated down. (Show Comment)
I heard the tape and that's exactly what he said.
Listen again. The end of his sentence was deliberately cut off. Just prior to that he said, "if technology allows us to use coal in a clean way, then we should pursue it."
This comment has been moderated down. (Show Comment)
What I heard him say is. My aggressive cap and trade policy will charge polluters to curb greenhouse gases. "So if somebody wants to build a new coal-powered plant, they can; it’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.” “That will also generate billions of dollars that we can invest in wind, solar, biodiesel and other alternative energy approaches." He also acknowledged this would cause the price of electricity to skyrocket. Another backhanded way to tax millions of Americans.
This comment was deleted.
[-5 points] 3 years ago by deleted user ReplyReally? Did you hear where he said, "If technology allows us to use coal in a clean way, then we should pursue it?"
This comment was deleted.
[1 point] 3 years ago by deleted user Replygood. we absolutely don't need coal. and its destroying the world to burn it.
the sun drops enough energy on the planet in 40 minutes to supply us with power for an entire year... that's all the power we need, including all transportation, heating and cooling too.
its time we innovated again and stopped using 19th century energy technologies.
This comment was deleted.
[2 points] 3 years ago by deleted user ReplyThis comment was deleted.
[1 point] 3 years ago by deleted user ReplySolar, wind, ocean current and geo-thermal for heating and cooling needs. Do that - and our need for oil and coal will be greatly reduced. Plus we'll add those manufacturing, sales, distribution, repair and clerical staff jobs to our own country. All of them together will not do 1/4 of the pollution or environmental destruction of oil OR coal - never mind oil and coal together. They say it's going to take them 10 years to find and fire up our own oil wells. In 10 years - if we put our mind to it - we won't need those oil wells OR coal.
This comment was deleted.
[1 point] 3 years ago by deleted user Replyhappy to spend $700 Billion to give what ends up being $1B bonuses to ceos...
seems to me you're happy to spend our money as long as its being thrown out.
i'd say lets stop throwing the money into the bonfire, and invest it.
in the long run it is profitable for all of us.
This comment was deleted.
[0 points] 3 years ago by deleted user ReplyWe can START by putting an end to the tax subsidies given to oil and coal companies and giving them to those companies who produce solar panels and wind farms. They've got a WHOLE bunch of empty factories sitting in Ohio and Michigan - great place to be re-tooled, huge employment base that wants to get back to work. Government should claim those plants through eminent domain and hand them to those who are going to produce solar panels, wind mills and geo thermal systems.
The second proposal I have is for giving tax credits, one per household or business, for those who install geo-thermal heating and cooling systems. A geothermal system costs about $5k. But there are a limited number of companies who offer these systems and have people trained to install them. Make it a competitive industry - by introducing tax credits to pique demand - and suddenly you're going to have stiff competition for business. The prices should begin to drop. Ex boyfriend had a friend in the business who offered to install one for him (all equipment included) for $2k. So that $5k price tag has some wiggle room. Introduce a $2000 - $2500 tax credit to all homes that have one installed, (and with winter heating bills rounding out in some homes here around $300 - $900 a month) (my all electric 950 sq. ft. apartment is $75 - $120 a month) and you watch those things start flying off the shelves. Even at a $5k price tag - they'll pay for themselves in less than a year.
This comment was deleted.
[0 points] 3 years ago by deleted user Reply