Word: coaling
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...Gore's problem is that in this economic climate he cannot get himself arrested even for chaining himself to the entrance of a coal-fired electrical plant. The interest in supporting policies that will improve the environment is trumped by the necessity of corporate survival. (See pictures of Al Gore's American life...
...initial House proposal triggered opposition by many of the biggest polluters, including electric utilities and industries that burn carbon-heavy coal. They would have to obtain permits for each ton of warming gases - chiefly carbon dioxide - limited by the cap. The bill didn't specify how the permits would be allocated or how much those permits might cost. Environmentalists wanted the government to auction them, with the proceeds used to lighten ratepayer utility bills inflated by the higher costs of running power plants and to subsidize energy efficiency measures. (See pictures of this fragile earth...
...Democrats devised a permit allocation system to line up committee support. To woo lawmakers from districts powered by coal-fired utilities in the Midwest and Southeast, the agreement would give away 35% of the permits to electric utilities until 2025 while they make a transition to cleaner fuels or develop carbon capture technology. Research for such technology would be subsidized by billions of dollars raised from government auctions...
...Facing blanket Republican opposition, Chairman Henry Waxman had to nail down support from all but six Democrats on his Energy and Commerce. The liberal Californian, a longtime environmental leader, predicted passage by the end of next week. Virginia Democrat Rick Boucher, who represented coal country Democrats in talks with Waxman, concurred. It would be the first global warming bill to get that far in the House, which is expected to easily pass the measure that is a key part of President Obama's agenda. Legislation faces a bigger challenge in the Senate, where influential Democrats oppose...
...starkest example of the problems with the analysis is the time horizon. When the EPA studied a reasonable 30-year time period, even with its generous assumptions, soy biodiesel and corn-ethanol plants powered by coal or natural gas actually produced more emissions than gasoline; corn ethanol only passed the stress test (and just barely) when powered by the cleanest possible power. And that analysis assumed it's a good trade-off to accept massive emissions today in exchange for reductions over 30 years, when in fact massive emissions today could help trigger devastating ice melts and other feedback loops...