Which U.S. company will contribute more to the acceleration of global warming than any other company on Earth?
Peabody Coal.
Global Warming is the most pressing environmental issue facing the planet. We all exist here on a sphere of (mostly) solid material surrounded by a sliver-thin atmosphere, revolving around a rather common star in no special location in our normal galaxy. But this thin sliver of gas has been shocked, in geological time, by an enormously rapid conversion of stored carbon into atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Which company plans to contribute more CO2 to the fragile atmosphere than any other?
Peabody Coal.
COAL. Black death itself setting forth a growing spiral of climate destabilization. Its growth in use dwarfing all of our efforts to limit our emissions.
Peabody Coal. Already the largest coal producer on Earth. But Peabody has ambitious plans too. Very ambitious plans indeed.
Build more mines. Build multiple company-owned pulverized coal-fired power plants using 19th century technology without carbon capture. And export coal. Export to India. Export to China. Export coal as fast as they can mine it.
This may be the most important question we ask our presidential candidates - is our energy future going to be built on coal? Which candidate would stop Peabody from building the new pulverized coal burners? And who would stop the construction of the dozens and dozens of planned new pulverized coal power plantsthat would convert the daily trainloads of Peabody coal into the most carbon-intense source of electricity?
(Interesting Note: Many of Peabody Coal's largest utility customers are represented by Bracewell and Giuliani in fighting all regulation of greenhouse gases. Yes, that Giuliani.)
Here is where the candidates stand.
THE PLEDGE - 50 WEEKS TO ELECTION DAY
All new COAL-FIRED power plants should be built with carbon capture and sequestration capacity.
Joe Biden YEA
Hillary Clinton YEA
Chris Dodd YEA
John Edwards YEA
Barack Obama "IF NECESSARY"
Bill Richardson STARTING IN 2010
Rudolph Guiliani Nay
Mike Huckabee NO POSITION
John McCain NO POSITION
Mitt Romney NO POSITION
Fred Thompson NO POSITION