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TechnoratiA Plea To President Obama: End Mountaintop Coal Mining
Tighter restrictions on mountaintop removal mining are simply not enough. Instead, a leading climate scientist argues, the Obama administration must prohibit this destructive practice, which is devastating vast stretches of Appalachia.
President Obama speaks of “a planet in peril.” The president and the
brilliant people he appointed in energy and science know that we must
move rapidly to carbon-free energy to avoid handing our children a
planet that has passed climate tipping points.
The science is
clear. Burning all fossil fuels will destroy the future of young people
and the unborn. And the fossil fuel that we must stop burning is coal.
Coal is the critical issue. Coal is the main cause of climate change.
It is also the dirtiest fossil fuel — air pollution, arsenic, and
mercury from coal have devastating effects on human health and cause
birth defects.
We must make clear that we the people want a move toward a rapid phase-out of coal emissions now. |
Recently, the administration unveiled its new position on mountaintop
coal mining and set out a number of new restrictions on the practice in
six Appalachian states. These new rules will require tougher
environmental review before blowing up mountains. But it’s a minimal
step.
The Obama administration is being forced into a political compromise.
It has sacrificed a strong position on mountaintop removal in order to
ensure the support of coal-state legislators for a climate bill. The
political pressures are very real. But this is an approach to coal that
defeats the purpose of the administration’s larger efforts to fight
climate change, a sad political bargain that will never get us the
change we need on mountaintop removal, coal or the climate. Coal is the
linchpin in mitigating global warming, and it’s senseless to allow
cheap mountaintop-removal coal while the administration is
simultaneously seeking policies to boost renewable energy.
Mountaintop removal, which provides a mere 7 percent of the nation’s coal,
is done by clear-cutting forests, blowing the tops off of mountains,
and then dumping the debris into streambeds — an undeniably
catastrophic way of mining. This technique has buried more than 800 miles of
Appalachian streams in mining debris and by 2012 will have serious
damaged or destroyed an area larger than Delaware. Mountaintop removal
also poisons water supplies and pollutes the air with coal and rock
dust. Coal ash piles are so toxic and unstable that the Department of
Homeland Security has declared that the location of the nation’s 44
most hazardous coal ash sites must be kept secret. They fear terrorists
will find ways to spill the toxic substances. But storms and heavy rain
can do the same. A recent collapse in Tennessee released 100 times more
hazardous material than the Exxon-Valdez oil spill.
If the Obama administration is unwilling or unable to stop the massive environmental destruction of historic mountain ranges and essential drinking water for a relatively tiny amount of coal, can we honestly believe they will be able to phase out coal emissions at the level necessary to stop climate change? The issue of mountaintop removal is so important that I and others concerned about this problem will engage in an act of civil disobedience on June 23rd at a mountaintop removal site in Coal River Valley, West Virginia.
Experts agree that energy efficiency and carbon-free energies can satisfy our energy needs. Coal left in the ground is useful. It holds up the mountains, which, left intact, are an ideal site for wind energy. In contrast, mountaintop removal and strip mining of coal is a shameful abomination. Mining jobs have shrunk to a small fraction of past levels. With clean energy, there could be far more, green-energy jobs, and the government could support the retraining of miners, to a brighter, cleaner future.
Politicians may have to make concessions on what is right for what is winnable. But as a scientist and a citizen, I believe the right course is very clear: The climate crisis demands a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants that do not capture and safely dispose of all emissions. And mountaintop removal, providing only a small fraction of our energy, should be permanently prohibited.
President Obama remains the best hope, perhaps the only hope, for real change. If the president uses his influence, his eloquence, and his bully pulpit, he could be the agent of real change. But he does need our help to overcome the political realities of compromise.
We must make clear to Congress, to the EPA, and to the Obama administration that we the people want mountaintop removal abolished and we want a move toward a rapid phase-out of coal emissions now. The time for half measures and caving in to polluting industries is over. It is time for citizens to demand — yes, we can.
19 Comments so far
Show AllThe politicians (bless their corporate boot-licking hearts) know just as well as the corporations do that they can do anything because the CONSUMER will have a hissy fit if a coal shortage erodes into their perceived "needs."
We can blame big industry and politicians all we want, but they know the score. If coal was shut down 3/4ths of Americans, at least, would go into apoplectic hysteria. Including most "liberals."
We like our stuff. We like our convenience. We like our central air conditioning. We like our useless crap from the big box stores. We like our cheap shit from third world countries.
It all takes energy. Energy. Energy. Energy. That's what it's all about. And as long as we like our "green" products shipped from every corner of the country and the globe, our organic food shipped from every corner of the country and the globe, our awesome useless crap that will end up in landfills in six months----coal is going to keep being mined.
As I suggested once before, we're running out of landfill space, so why not turn our strip mines into giant landfills and put the dirt back. Put the trash where the coal once was, rebuild the mountains, and turn 'em into ski resorts.
Of course, I'm not being serious, but some people actually might think that's a good idea. It's really a hair-brained stupid idea... or is it?
Shhhh!!! You just might give some of these hair-brained capitalists a hair-brained idea. :)
Although I supposed they've thought of it. It's probably not cost effective.
What's your point?
The relatively low-elevation area (elev. 700 to 3200 ft) of southern WV where most of the MTR goes on doesn't get reliable snow. West Virginia is not interested in importing anyone's trash.
There are already some ski area in the higher and snowier Allegheny plateau areas of e-central and NE part of the state. There isn't a market for more ski areas. The popularity of downhill skiiing seems to be in decline - at least here in the mid-atlantic US.
If you point is to make fun of the ideas of some of those who post here, well, you post still falls flat.
Anyone out there in the eastern 3rd of the country who reads this should hop on a train or bus and get out there in solidarity with Jim Hansen. It's going to take a lot of people to stop this travesty.
There's no point in pleading with BHO. He's already pulling a Bush/Cheney. Check this out:
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-22-obama-white-house-coal-energy/
Is that what Obama meant by change and transparency ? I am disgusted with Obama and it has only been 5 months.
I see that the fossil-fuel industry trolls have made their appearance here and on the other article posted today on this subject.
Hansen is, of course, completely correct. He calls for more public pressure on Congress to stop this greed-motivated disaster before there is no more Appalachia. My representative - David Scott - is one of the biggest corporate whores in Congress but I'm still going to bug him about this and other issues.
This problem is just one of many whose intractability is due to corporate control of the mainstream media. Our duty is to get this story in front of the American people any way that we can.
q
"Plea" has meaning too close to "beg". Don't do it... I say a "building-top removal" of your neighborhood coal company, the coal company's executive's homes, or the coal-company's branch office with high explosives would save a mountain faster or restrain them faster from removing the next mountain top or filling in the next valley than any government administration would. They aren't going to "listen" to you and me. Administrations change too fast. Mountain top removal has been going on for decades, and nothing significant, virtually NOTHING has been done. You think you can stop the industrial engine of America? Try.
"and the government could support the retraining of miners, to a brighter, cleaner future"
And the government could do a lot of things. Hansen is like all the rest. Keeping the people unempowered, and believing in magic. Despite Hansen and the enviro-gang, the people are now starting to wake up to the fact that environmental progress is connected to and dependent on social/economic progress. The people need to focus on local self-sufficiency, and rely much less on elites from Saintly O'Bamba to Jimbo Hansen. When the people properly empower themselves, these elites will orient themselves to better serve the people.
Dr. Hansen is extremely naive when it comes influencing the Obama Administration, and the Coal Cartel that controls both it and Congress, to do the "right thing".
The only way to stop this destructive menace is through Force. In this case the Force in question would be the AVE-Force.
The AVE-Force, in this case, is the power to produce electricity far more cheaply from widely available CAPE or streams of "waste heat" without carbon emissions, than can be done from mining and burning coal.
Of all people, Dr. Hansen is in a supreme position to understand the power of the AVE-force, the potential from which is derived from the structure of the atmosphere, the entity on which he is a recognized expert. Yet he chooses not to see. Why is he closing his eyes?
Dr. Hansen, please consult with your Atmospheric Science colleagues, Prof. Nilton Renno and Prof. Kerry Emanuel, as well as M. Francios Maugis, a French energy consultant, who could show you the evidence and scientific arguments that would convince you of the potential of the Atmospheric Vortex Engine. You could also visit: http://vortexengine.ca
Your support could finally bring to an end the barbaric practice of producing electric power, first from coal, and eventually from the other fossil fuels, throughout the world, including China and India.
Oh, come on. Jim Hansen knows the game as well as anyone on the planet. At least.
As my grandma used to say, "You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar".
He, unlike Obama, is an insider who IS one of US. If he uses antagonism as a tactic, he risks losing his insider status as well as turning off those ordinary citizens who are unaware of the issue and still have their faith in their President.
He is well aware that Obama is not going to change his course. He figures that if he adds his voice to those who clamor for an end to the madness, maybe, if we're lucky, we can somehow (and sometime soon) reach critical mass.
There is no need to plead with Obama. He knows what is fair, what would work best, what is obviously right. We have heard it from his own lips.
He is afraid. He has his orders. He could be shot. A witch hunt could be launched against him without any substance. Consider how trivial the charge against Clinton was.
He knows who he answers to and it ain't us.
I don't buy this "president well-meaning but is powerless" argument in the least. If he was really for "change", he would be mobilizing all those millions from his campaign, speaking at mass rallies at the mall and calling for mass action. He could be organizing Bolivarian circle-like groups. All these would inoculate him against assssination or a coup attempt because of the civil unrest that would follow any such foolish attempt.
Of course, this is a preposterous pipe dream (unless you are in Venezuela) he wasnt about to do any of these things. He works for the rich and powerful, and the opinions of poeple like you and me, and even truly intelligent people from Chomsky, to James Hansen to Ralph Nader mean absolutely nothing. When Hansen is a billionaire and owns shares in huge corporations then Obama will listen to him.
Isn't that the truth?
It gets frustrating to hear people who care about this issue to continue to place their hope in President Obama. He lied before and he will continue to lie. What makes me think he or any politican is telling us the truth, when they have disappointed us time and time again. Trusting in President Obama to care enough to end Mountaintop Removal Mining is like believing in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny when one is 70 years old instead of 5 years old.
I am just discouraged because I don't think people in power have the backbone to do the right thing. They talk the talk but don't walk the walk.
Obama, God bless him, knows who his masters are, and who holds the power in this world. He may hold the highest office in the land, but he is a puppet, a good one at that (better than Bush) and he knows it. He knows he's just a puppet, and he's trying his best to play it cool, to play along with it, because he knows that those who are assigned to protect him could also, without notice, be given the orders to assassinate him.
He's no dummy. He has a good heart, and wants to do right for the people. But he also knows that he needs to play it cool, and operate within a framework, because he knows that as soon as he crosses that boundary, he's toast.
We should never judge a man until we've walked a mile in his moccasins. I think people who post here on CD and other Obama bashers out there should make these considerations and calm down. He's just another in a long line of puppet presidents. Don't expect too much from him or anyone else who holds that office.
And I might add, people in Congress know this too, and really, they're all powerless. We're all powerless within the framework of the puppet masters. All we can really do is try to live a good life and find peace and happiness in our homes and communities. Change begins at home. Peace.
Sioux Rose
MOONDOGGY: With all due respect, as per the "not to judge a man till you walked in his shoes," the office of the presidency transcends the man, and therefore to the one much is given, MUCH is expected. At this particular juncture in history, given the enormous debt to the Iraqis, a debt now moving into Afghanistan, etc. BUSINESS AS USUAL just doesn't cosmically cut it. Far too much is at stake. It's as if Bush brought the world to the cusp of disaster and instead of steering the ship of state (added to impacts felt across the globe as the ethos of Disaster Capitalism continues its rape of entire nations' economies, added to a campaign of ostensibly brutal force) he's doing a tap dance. He reminds me of Al Jolson these days singing for his supper. Maybe America's karma is not to realize it's already over the abyss in time to wake up.
It reminds me of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie At World's End with Johnny Depp, the part where the ship is just about to go over the abyss. The ship starts to tip and moan and shutter and the captain and crew hanging on as it begins to drop off the edge of the world...
I'll save it if you haven't seen it.
I like how NativeSon ends his posts with "Good luck America. You'll need it!"
PS, you're hiding, Sioux Rose. I've tried to get you to contact me. C-ya.
Sioux
MOON DOGGY: I am not hiding, just a bit overworked at the moment. Perhaps you don't have my correct email address? I have received nothing (nothing I recognize?) from you. Try again? I'm open to conversing.
Nice sentiment, but I don't believe it. Obama is one of Them. Has been for as long as he's been a politician, and smart, smooth, and aware enough to get what he wants. (Did I also mention megalomaniacal?)
If he REALLY intended to do good as an outsider, by insinuating himself with the Big Boys until he became president and could choose His moment, BUT knew he would be whacked if he tried, he is either really insane (and in posession of a serious martyr complex), or The Messiah come to save us all.
Unfortunately, I don't think either explains the man's motivations.