Suggested ideas for Obama’s coal policy......

Today’s post: Wednesday, 12-24-2008

The Obama administration will do a good deal more than previous ones on installing more renewable energy generation.

He’s already said he would do so and said so even more emphatically now that he is President-elect.

Both the Sierra Club and Al Gore’s group are lobbying to restrict or dramatically lessen the burning of coal for heating and electricity generation.

Burning coal for these reasons world wide is making global warming happen on steroids and producing world wide cuts in solar energy available for solar power and agriculture plus producing health harmful air pollution.

It’s extremely clear that such coal burning needs to be stopped as soon as it can be done safely. But it CANNOT be done safely or easily.

So, since the Sierra Club set up a way to email our support of their 4 policy ideas to the incoming Obama administration, I filled in their form and added my comments on my general support for those four points. And I added my ideas of how the process of winding down the direct burning of coal can safely be begun.

My ideas or something like them may help make achieving the goal of nor more direct burning of coal more economically and politically feasible.

And, I decided to make that my email my post here for today.:

“Please Adopt a Clean Energy Agenda

Dear President Obama, Weds, 12-24-2008

I voted for you because I thought you would and the other guy would not.

I like your other positions mostly but the different aspects of adding clean energy sources and taking energy efficiency steps while gradually turning off burning of fossil fuels was by FAR the MOST important issue.

1. Last week I posted some ideas I hope you can use at www.RenewableEnergyArrives.blogspot.com

"Fast progress on renewable energy jobs......
Today’s post: Wednesday, 12-17-2008"

Please have your staff consider those ideas.

2. I'm an email member of your email list; & my wife Abigail & I are of the Sierra Club's.

I mostly support their four points but will add my comments.:

There are four decisions you can make on Day One of your administration, independently of Congress, that will have an immediate impact on cutting global warming pollution and spurring a clean energy economy.

Please use your Presidential power to:

1. Direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to grant a waiver that will allow California and over a dozen other states to limit global warming pollution from cars.

I expect you already plan to do this one; & it IS a good idea.

2. End the rush to build dirty coal plants by directing EPA to require all new and existing power plants limit their global warming emissions.

Their air pollution and global warming contribution are so bad, it's unfortunate we cannot just evaporate them all now. But we currently get about half our electricity from them and more in some important states -- plus many jobs in them and in coal mining are involved which affects some State's politics.

Here's my ideas on this one:

a) start immediately to begin to require 100 percent retrofitting to eliminate air pollutants such as the chemicals that cause acid rain and high levels of small sized particulates.

That will increase the cost of running coal fired plants and the electricity they provide to be sure. But it will also make clean energy more competitive and may save more health care costs overall than it costs. Then, lobby China to do the same thing!

b) start immediately to build the new clean energy sources and transmission lines to replace the electricity now generated by coal.

c) task the coal industry to begin planning to build pollution free plants to make cleaner burning and easier to transport methane, diesel, and gasoline which will help replace imported gas and oil.

d) task the coal industry to begin planning to build
pollution free plants to make what are now petrochemicals.

That way the coal industry will survive after we stop burning coal directly which is and should be our goal.

e) If they actually demonstrate cost competitive ways to burn coal in a way that produces ZERO air pollution and 100 % sequestration of CO2, fine. But let them know the time is coming when no other kind of direct burning of coal can be allowed.

Since as renewable sources come down in price, the cost competitive part of this will likely become impossible, suggest they concentrate 100 % on b, c, & d above.

3. Direct your EPA to end irresponsible mountaintop removal coal mining by stopping coal companies from dumping rock and waste into valleys and streams.

This will increase the costs to the mining companies but not drive them out of business plus eliminate the pollution this practice causes. Definitely do this one!

4. Restore America's international leadership in the fight to end global warming by publicly committing the U.S. to cut its CO2 emissions by at least 35% by 2020.

You already said you would. Good job!!

Warmest & Best Regards,

David Eller“