Peabody: "Black is the new green"

Are you sick to death of Kentucky politicians telling you how coal doesn't hurt the environment and we can burn it for years and years and years without a care in the world?

Ok, then lets hear it from the horses mouth, the CEO of the company that buys them off, Gregory Boyce of Peabody

“It’s a good time to be Peabody,” says Boyce, an affable man who speaks in a confident baritone. “There’s not enough natural gas. There’s not enough renewables (such as wind and solar energy) to go around. So I’m not concerned that coal is going to disappear. For us not to use that resource, we are just shooting ourselves in the foot.” […]

“There’s a perception out there that coal is dirty, and we have to change that,” he adds, noting that coal plants already have cut emissions of some pollutants and boosted efficiency to slash CO2 discharges. “Black is the new green.“

Ignorance is the new Strength, as well...
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Wind + Mountains

Somebody show this to Lt. Dan so he can shove it

Beshear to KFTC members: lay back and enjoy mountaintop removal

Governor Steve Behsear took his traveling road show to Shepherdsville last week, and was confronted with a few KFTC members who wanted to speak their minds about mountaintop removal mining.

Beshear told them what a big fan he is of it. Good times.

Beshear responded that yes, there were plans to enforce the law against coal companies, but defended MTR for providing flat lands to eastern Kentucky residents. KFTC member Margaret Stewart countered that eastern Kentucky has enough flattened mountains to build several cities and it was time for a change.

What say you Len Peters, secretary of Beshear's new Energy AND Environmental cabinet?

The meeting was followed up with interesting conversation between KFTC members and Len Peters, secretary of the new Energy and Environment Cabinet. Cherise and Margaret pushed the discussion about renewables and MTR. Peters commented on what the cabinet is possibly thinking in terms of a new energy plan. Peter stated that the best-case scenario is that Kentucky could generate maximum 25% of electricity needs from combination of renewables, efficiency, conservation, etc. over the next 20 years; therefore they are focused on more and more coal.

He shared that there is a test carbon sequestration well drilled in Hancock County and that carbon capture and storage/use will add $20 - $50 per ton of coal. He also expressed support for nuclear power. KFTC members reinforced the importance of improving significant investment in research on renewable energy and reducing our dependence on coal.

What Mark Twain said....

But let's all pat Steve Beshear on the back for going out into the community and looking our progressive citizens in the eye as he tells them to "fuck off and die you damned dirty hippies".

Ted Jackson is flat wrong

Over in the Northup campaign, reality isn't quite what it seems. Polls showing Anne Northup down 10 points means she's ahead, and now, according to campaign director Ted Jackson, Americans are blaming Democrats in Congress for oil prices.

“I understand how frustrating and difficult it is for John to comprehend that he is ever wrong about anything,” said Ted Jackson, Northup’s spokesperson. “At this time, he is flat wrong.”

Jackson was responding to remarks by Yarmuth, in which the freshman Democrat doubted Republicans would benefit from the gas price issue.

"I understand why the Republicans think they have that issue, but the vast majority of the American people blame George Bush and the oil companies for high gas prices," Yarmuth told PolitickerKY.com on Wednesday. "So, I think that is an issue that ultimately will not help them."

“Voters blame Congress for doing nothing to solve the energy crisis,” responded Jackson today.

Hmmm.... I wonder which one is right?

Well, in this type of situation, those of us in the Reality-Based Community (i.e., not Northup folks) go to the numbers to find out. So let's check out what this CNN poll found last week:

Here are the %'s for those blamed as a major cause of the problem:

o 68% - Big Oil
o 65% - Foreign oil producers
o 57% - Speculators
o 56% - Demand from other countries
o 54% - Bush Administration
o 51% - War in Iraq
o 51% - Ban on offshore drilling
o 31% - Democrats in Congress

Don't worry about it though, Ted. Facts have a well known liberal bias...
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Shorter McConnell: "I think you're stupid and you'll believe any lie I tell you"

Many politicians, hell probably most, deal with half-truths and out of context quotes and votes in order to smear their opponent.

But it appears that Mitch McConnell is tossing even those tactics aside now. Despite the fact that Lunsford has repeatedly said that he'd open up off shore drilling (to my own chagrin), Mitch McConnell's new ad says that he's against it. It's just a flat out lie. He's not even bothering to act like he's telling the truth anymore.

Here are the facts (as if those matter to a compulsive liar like Mitch):

MCCONNELL MYTH: ‘Lunsford wouldn’t open a single new acre for offshore drilling.’

LUNSFORD FACT: Bruce Lunsford has consistently supported expanding drilling, including offshore drilling. Just look at the recent media coverage…

Bruce Lunsford ‘agrees that parts of the arctic refuge and the Outer Continental Shelf should be opened to drilling.’ Joe Gerth of the Courier-Journal wrote, “Lunsford said he agrees that parts of the arctic refuge and the Outer Continental Shelf should be opened to drilling.” [Joe Gerth, Courier-Journal,7/25/08]

Lunsford: ‘We have plenty of places offshore and ANWR as spots we could [drill]… I think that it’s one of the many things that we can do here.’ Bruce Lunsford said at a press conference on July 24, “Well, I think that we have plenty of places offshore and ANWR as spots that we could [drill], but I think that it needs to be done judiciously, and I’ve said that before and I still believe that now, but I think that we do need to drill for oil. I think that it’s one of the many things that we can do here, but I gave you a whole litany that I would do.” [Bruce Lunsford press conference, 7/24/08]

‘Lunsford supports new drilling in areas of America that are currently off-limits.’ “Hebert: McConnell’s Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford has seen the polls and he’s breaking from his party’s line. Lunsford supports some new drilling in areas of America that are currently off-limits. Lunsford: It’s great if it’s part of a policy, but you’ve got to have a strategy. They haven’t had one.” [Mark Hebert, WHAS 11 News, 8/6/08]

Lunsford welcomed ‘every opportunity’ for more domestic production, including more offshore drilling. According to the Herald –Leader, “Lunsford said he’d welcome ‘every opportunity’ for more oil production, such as allowing more offshore leases and collection of oil shale.” [Ryan Alessi, Herald-Leader, 7/24/08]

Lunsford called for increased domestic drilling. “Lunsford touted an energy plan that includes opening the strategic petroleum reserve, providing a temporary gas-tax holiday, tapping oil shale supplies and requiring oil companies to drill on millions of acres under lease. The businessman had discussed parts of his plan earlier in the campaign.” [Bruce Schreiner, Associated Press, 7/25/08]

In Herald-Leader op-ed, Lunsford called for increased domestic production. In a column in the Herald-Leader, Lunsford called for “increased domestic production” and to “continue developing oil resources.” [Bruce Lunsford op-ed, Herald-Leader, 8/4/08]

But who needs such trivialities as "facts" when you're a man with no decency or honor like Mitch McConnell.

And Mitch... did you ever vote against offshore drilling??? Inquiring minds want to know.

(PS- Mr. Alessi, I pine for the day when a MSM reporter catches someone saying something knowingly false, and uses the word "lie". I will die a happy man if I ever see it.)

Oh. My. God.

The Messenger-Inquirer on Fancy Farm:

Republicans dressed as Middle Eastern sheiks and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez paraded through the crowd clutching dollar bills and thanking Lunsford for opposing expanded drilling on the outer continental shelf.

Seriously?

UPDATE: The Paducah Sun has pictures of some racists here and here. Who knew "Middle Eastern sheiks" had such an affinity for capri pants?

The tragedy of Ford

What Rich says.

McCain: 29 guesses

And be sure to check out Progressive Accountability for all the dirt on Grandpa Simpson John McCain.

CJ: Mitch is a "FRAUD"

Well done, Courier-Journal, couldn't say it any better:

Protecting speculators

What a fraud Mitch McConnell is, when it comes to the ruinous gasoline price hikes that have hit consumers across Kentucky, and America.

Senate Democrats tried to curb the rampant speculation that experts say is part of the reason gas prices are so high. They were blocked by Mr. McConnell and his GOP followers.

"I'm with the guy at the pump," Mr. McConnell claimed.

That's not true. He's with the oil guy in the White House.

He even tried to blame his 2008 Democratic opponent, Bruce Lunsford, for the gasoline price hike, which of course is a national phenomenon. How desperate is that?

Kentuckians know full well that gas has gone up everywhere, for many reasons, including the energy appetite of quickly developing nations like India and China, a shortage of new refinery capacity, instability in oil-producing countries and years of chaos that kept Iraq's oil production stuck below prewar levels.

Mitch McConnell and his White House friends have done little or nothing about other major causes, like our national refusal to swear off the oil economy and to develop alternative energy sources. They have done little to effectively move Detroit toward building fuel efficient vehicles and getting out front on hybrids.

Last week there was a chance to do something about the oil speculators, who have played the situation and made it worse. But Mitch McConnell said no.

He and the oil industry crowd around George W. Bush propose that we drill our way to lower prices by opening up fragile areas. But such help would be years in coming and have little impact.

There is a critical domestic issue, and the Senate had a chance to start doing something about it, by handcuffing the speculators who have milked this crisis for all it's worth -- to them. But Mitch McConnell and his crowd said no.

McCain: bought and paid for by big oil

Let's review:

For the past 7 1/2 years, we've let oil lobbyists make our energy policy. In that time, they have made record profits. Also in that time, prices have jumped almost $3 a gallon.

Now these same oil lobbyists are looking for another handout. And John McCain, the brave defender against special interest money influencing Washington, suddenly caves in to give big oil what it wants with drilling. And then magically receives $1.1 million in the next month.

Nice try, John. A must read from the Washington Post this morning:

Campaign contributions from oil industry executives to Sen. John McCain rose dramatically in the last half of June, after the senator from Arizona made a high-profile split with environmentalists and reversed his opposition to the federal ban on offshore drilling.

Oil and gas industry executives and employees donated $1.1 million to McCain last month -- three-quarters of which came after his June 16 speech calling for an end to the ban -- compared with $116,000 in March, $283,000 in April and $208,000 in May.

**********

"The timing was significant," said David Donnelly, the national campaigns director of the Public Campaign Action Fund, a nonpartisan campaign finance reform group that conducted the analysis of McCain's oil industry contributions. "This is a case study of how a candidate can change a policy position in the interest of raising money."

Sadly, I agree

As I've said many times, Bruce Lunsford is far from perfect. FAR. But at least with him, we'll have his ear. With Mitch McConnell, we'll only get his finger.

And with Bruce Lunsford's gastly "8 point energy plan" revealed last weak, we get a sneak peak of future disappointments once he retires Mitch McConnell (hopefully).

The LHL editorial today is right on, as was Taylor's critique last week.

As disappointed as we are with this Neanderthal view towards energy, we must remember that Mitch McConnell is 100 times worse than Lunsford, and we must not pass up this opportunity to get rid of him once and for all.

Shorter Al Gore: "Steve Beshear is insane"

Gore spoke at Netroots Nation, blasting Mountaintop Removal and calling coal-to-liquid "insane".

Good thing we have our "quiet warrior" Steve Beshear here in KY to set him straight.

Here's the video (and nice that his very mention of mountaintop removal brought immediate cheers from the crowd... the message is getting out there to the rest of the country from Eastern KY. Now if our elected "leaders" in Kentucky would only start caring about them.)



(h/t Taylor)

Electric cars = more partisanship

cross-posted @ GreenKY:

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the seemingly bipartisan efforts by state legislators to push for electric cars in Kentucky. Most of the coverage by the H-L, C-J and other blogs focused on the back and forth between state party leaders over who had the idea for electric cars first. In alot of ways, the consensus was that state legislators Dan Seum and Gary Tapp (both Republicans) were ahead of the curve, having already pre-filed legislation for next year that would allow electric cars on Kentucky highways. Simultaneously, Seum and Tapp have been lobbying Governor Beshear to pass an executive order that would essentially eliminate the need for their bill. Beshear expressed his interest in including electric cars in his oh-so-brilliant energy plan. But for the most part, people (including myself) just seemed to be content that both sides could agree on something, even if they were arguing over who had the idea first.

h/t to commenter Concerned Citizen, for pointing out that there has been an unreported story in all of this. That story being the blatant (but commonplace) partisanship on the part of Kentucky Republicans, especially state senator Gary Tapp. Tapp and Seum's bill isn't the first of its kind - in fact, Democratic state representatives Robin Webb and Richard Henderson filed a nearly identical bill in the 2008 general assembly. House Bill 349 would have changed the definition of a 'motor vehicle' to include low-speed electric cars, so as to allow them on Kentucky roads with a speed limit of 35mph or less. HB 349 was well-received this year, passing the House unanimously, 95-0. It was sent on to the Senate transportation committee, where it was tabled and never acted upon. Not surprisingly, Tapp is a member of the Senate transportation committee. So if Tapp cares that much about electric cars, why didn't he support Webb and Henderson's bipartisanly-supported bill in his Senate committee?

All of the merits of ZAP cars (or electric cars in general) aside, it appears that electric cars and the potential to do something good for the environment has again become an example of Kentucky's overt partisanship and general indifference towards doing anything worthwhile.

I don't know. I'll get back to you.

John McCain certainly doesn't seem to know much. I can't count how many times I've heard him say 'I don't know', 'I'll get back to you', 'I wish I knew' or 'I don't know that much about ______' - all of that in addition to how many times he just says things that don't make sense. Actually, lets give it a shot.

John McCain doesn't know whether or not Barack Obama is a socialist. Which means, coincidentally, that John McCain doesn't know what a socialist is. (link)

John McCain doesn't know much about insurance companies refusing to cover birth control in the same way they cover Viagra (link)

John McCain doesn't know much about the economy (link)

John McCain doesn't know that he said he doesn't know much about the economy, or that 'being there for the Reagan Revolution' isn't an economic credential for being President (link)

John McCain doesn't know that Czechoslovakia hasn't done much of anything since 1992, especially enter into a treaty with the United States (link)

John McCain doesn't know how he feels about federal emissions standards (link)

Unfortunately for John McCain, but fortunately enough for Democrats, John McCain doesn't seem to know much of anything. But apparently, if you give them enough time, his staff can answer any questions that you might have about McCain's supposedly ground-breaking, maverick policies. So, just in case you were still wondering, John McCain has a YouTube problem.

Beshear hearts Mountaintop Removal

This is truly disgusting.

Let's recap the situation:

Beshear: Mountaintop Removal is good.

Beshear: Coal to liquid is good.

Beshear: Nuclear plants in Kentucky is good.

These are truly dark, dark, dark days in Kentucky. The KDP needs an enema.

Coal creates jobs

Teh funny.