Well before the written word or pictograph, before the alphabet or the printing press, even before media or mediums... there was fire.  The flame has been a passion of mankind's throughout history.  With it came the need for fuel.  

We all know that coal poisons our planet, removes our mountains, and pollutes our precious water sources. A connection that we often miss, is how big coal and fossil fuel industries have a significant hand in dirtying up American politics.

Appalachian Voices and Oil Change International are proud to release a new interactive tool providing the first comprehensive look at the cash mined by Members of Congress from America’s coal industry. Check out how much coal money is going to your member of congress at FollowtheCoalMoney.org

I'll set up two equivalent scenarios using Coal and Solar, and will then make comparisons.

Note:  I make numerous assumptions, and will mention these where appropriate.

Comments / Corrections are welcome.

For this thought experiment, we'll imagine that both of these industries are starting from scratch with equal Energy Production Capacities.  In reality, of course, Coal has tremendous existing Scale Advantage over Solar.  

This will be a demonstration of how fuel costs could affect the long term comparative cost of the Coal Energy vs. Solar Energy.

First, imagine two industries; Solar and Coal.  The goal of both of these industries is to produce Energy.  

Crossposted from the Rainforest Action Network blog, Understory, by Executive Director Michael Brune

These days, you’ll find more images of windmills and solar panels in political campaign ads than pictures of cute babies and American flags. Why, then, is it so hard to pass a simple bill promoting solar power? It couldn’t be the influence of the coal industry, could it?

The good folks at Appalachian Voices and Oil Change International have put together a great tool to show the ties between Congress and Big Coal. Want to know how much your legislator receives from the coal industry? Or the top overall recipients of coal cash in the House or Senate? How about which utilities or coal mining companies contribute the most to our elected officials? Click here to find out.

All the names on Obama's "short list" of running mates are not created equal when it comes to energy policy.

In fact, there's a tremendous contrast between Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius.  

Although the two have much in common politically, they've gone in opposite directions when it comes to dealing with one of the most important aspects of America's energy future: what is the role of coal?

One has been a visionary.  One just a well-meaning but very conventional politician.  

In March, 2007, Al Gore testified to Congress and presented a ten-point plan for climate and energy policy. Point five of ten:

5.) Impose a moratorium on construction of any new coal-fired power plant not compatible with carbon capture and sequestration.  (emphasis mine)

Dave Roberts at Grist provides commentary on each point, offering "Wowzer," in response to point five. But what does "compatible with" mean? Just six months later, he takes John Edwards to task for only requiring that plants be "compatible" in this way.

Edwards would [only] require that all new coal plants be compatible with sequestration....but he would not require them to actually sequester their emissions. (emphasis in original)

Ooops.

Exxon/Mobil earned $12 billion dollars in profit last quarter, which is more profit in one quarter ever earned by a corporation in human history.

Other oil and gas companies did about as well. Meanwhile, the profits of oil, gas, natural gas and coal industries continue to line the pockets of the very rich, and groups of speculators on Wall Street.

Not only should there be price controls on all carbon based energy sources, there should be taxes [as I stated in a diary a few days ago] in my diary Gasoline should be $15, $20 a gallon.

As stated in the original diary, protections should be offered to the poor and working class, and selected sectors such as commercial trucking and rail. This could be accomplished by rationing coupons, or tax rebates or some other subsidy for heating oil, gasoline and diesel to maintain the backbone of the American economy.  

Energy companies should not be allowed to hold the American people hostage and make record profits. The massive amounts of waste in consumption of carbon based fuels must be addressed, right now for many reasons.

Something very strange is happening to coal prices in the US. A massive discrepancy has opened between prices east and west of the Mississippi, with the far west flat at around $12 to $15 per ton and the east soaring to nearly $150 ton, triple last year's prices.

An every day fossil fuel...
An influential lobby on Capitol Hill...
Dwindling supply...
Spiking prices, effecting nearly every facet of the American economy...
Big industries exploiting high prices as an excuse for unnecessarily increasing extraction at any environmental cost...
...while stuffing their pockets with record profits.

Sound Familiar? And if so, are we on the verge of seeing electricity rates pull a "gas-prices?"...

One of the most dramatic and pivotal price shifts in the weakening economy over the last 7 years has been the price of a gallon of gasoline...

There are a lot of bloggers on DK that have said Obama should not pick a VP based on the electoral map, but rather on what he or she could bring to an Obama Administration.  Short of making an electorally disastrous decision, I agree.

Governor Kaine would not be a disastrous choice - he's likable, not prone to gaffes, and could legitimately boost the chances of turning VA blue for the first time in 44 years.  But he's a poor choice for two reasons:

1. His instincts are always to appease powerful industries and it's just not in his constitution to take a strong stand against them - his version of "Yes We Can!" is more like "It would sure be nice if only we could."

2. Well, I'll explain #2 on the flip...

For some damn reason even people I considered to have an education are singing some praise toward the Repubs who decided to throw a fit in congress because they did not get their oil masters a ton of new drilling rights.

If one has any kind of education they will know instantly that we CANT drill out of this mess. Yet people still hope against all reason that republicans are not selling them to the highest bidder.

This will likely continue as desperate republicans go back to their old roots to desperately suck on the tit of their oil masters to try to hold their seats in congress.. Their numbers are falling and their chances are failing...

If this is the case we need to begin to absorb the knowledge to give to others who think drilling for oil is going to save us.

Lets defeat this Republican Trickery before it becomes an asset to them!

I just found something funny.

At the World Coal Institute, going back through their archives of reports, they've been revising their estimation of total World Coal Reserves over the last few years:

Based on Archived Reports at http://www.worldcoal.org/...

2008 Estimated Reserves: 147 Years
2007 Estimated Reserves: 147 Years
2006 Estimated Reserves: 155 Years
2005 Estimated Reserves: 164 Years
2004 Estimated Reserves: 190 Years
2003 Estimated Reserves: 200 Years
2002 Estimated Reserves: 200 Years

Conclusion, since 2001 (in the last 7 years), we've used 53 Years worth of Coal. LOL!

For my first entry into this grand site I wish to discuss this mess we call the future and why I feel current tech research and development in short and long term eras beats fantasies about "Clean Coal" "Coal 2 Oil" "300 years of oil from a Saudi sized Field" (I know anybody with education knows this is not possible but the right wing uses it anyway)

etc...

One of the best things to keep in mind is that any statement that we can reasonably make oil and coal last centuries without massive destruction to the environment is an outright fabrication or fantasy. Either by those who know their industry in on its knees or by those who can't think outside of being a neocon.

It was at the onset of the Nazi era that coal-to-liquid technology came to the forefront of modern energy science. In the latter part of the 1920s, German researchers Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch developed the initial processes to liquify the dark rock into fuel. The procedure was utilized throughout World War II by both Germany and Japan. In fact, coal-to-liquid technology largely fueled Hitler’s bloody campaigns, as Germany had little petroleum reserves but held vast amounts of coal deposits throughout the country. Not too unlike the United States’ fossil fuel status today.

Sebelius on my mind: I have a gut feeling that she will be a major player in the Obama adminstration.
He's going to need an in-house environment/energy czar to promote alternative energy (and health care), someone who shares his deep and wide perspective. I don't know what his plans are for her, but I think she'd make a great and very acceptable VP.  A freakin domestic goddess.

This diary was taken from an article by Kate Sheppard at Grist that was published at Huffington Post.
Edited for space by zimway

Sheppard: "Among the many names swirling in the Obama VP buzz is that of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. A second-term Democratic governor in what's traditionally seen as a bastion of conservatism, Sebelius earned national attention as the chair of the Democratic Governors Association in 2007 and for delivering the Democratic response to this year's State of the Union. But for many environmentalists, she made her mark with something else entirely."

Below the fold: more Sheppard and an interview by Grist

Mine owner Bob Murray, whose gross negligence resulted in the deaths of 6 miners and 3 rescue workers, was fined $1.6 million for the actions that led to the mine collapse.

And that's not right.

Bob Murray's story is the ultimate symbol of what the Bush administration has done to this country, and we shouldn't be letting his story slip from the front pages.  While desperately seeking just a few more dollars, he sacrificed nine average blue collar men, and all he gets is a fine?!?

Come on people.  It's time to put a stop to this.

Lets digg some Bob Murray stories all the way to the front page of digg, to remind the rest of the country that rich men kill normal Americans every day, and they never face a minute of jail time.

According to theWashington Post, Obama's VP search is focusing on four candidates: Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, Tim Kaine, and Kathleen Sebelius. I doubt that the candidate of change will opt for neocon Evan Bayh or Joe Biden, who's been in Washington since the Nixon administration. That leaves the governors, Kaine and Sebelius, and between them there's no contest.

I was considering making this my first diary here - but a little something about Chavez keeping the home fires in New Hampshire burning caught my attention instead. Still the subject of Pickens Plan and what it really means hasn't left my thoughts for the last few days.

This all began with an email I received, a few days back, that pointed directly to the Pickens Plan site and lauded his agenda as the right thing, right now. I immediately sent back a message to that list outlining some of the inherent flaws in the plan's logic.

I have been refining that response since then. The following is a first look at what I like to call "Running on Empty" for, in the end there are too many flaws for the full Pickens Plan to make complete sense to me.

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