Hidden Video: Obama Tells The San Francisco Chronicle (SF Gate) He Will Bankrupt The Coal Industry

Hidden Video: Obama Says He Will Bankrupt Coal Industry

(Please read update about the San Francisco Chronicle neglecting to mention Obama’s willingness to bankrupt the coal industry at bottom of this story.)

Imagine if John McCain had whispered somewhere that he was willing to bankrupt a major industry? Would this declaration not immediately be front page news? Well, Barack Obama actually flat out told the San Francisco Chronicle (SF Gate) that he was willing to see the coal industry go bankrupt in a January 17, 2008 interview. The result? Nothing. This video interview has been hidden from the public…until now. Here is the transcript of Obama’s statement about bankrupting the coal industry:

• Let me sort of describe my overall policy.
• What I’ve said is that we would put a cap and trade system in place that is as aggressive, if not more aggressive, than anybody else’s out there.
• I was the first to call for a 100% auction on the cap and trade system, which means that every unit of carbon or greenhouse gases emitted would be charged to the polluter. That will create a market in which whatever technologies are out there that are being presented, whatever power plants that are being built, that they would have to meet the rigors of that market and the ratcheted down caps that are being placed, imposed every year.
• So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.
• That will also generate billions of dollars that we can invest in solar, wind, biodiesel and other alternative energy approaches.
• The only thing I’ve said with respect to coal, I haven’t been some coal booster. What I have said is that for us to take coal off the table as a (sic) ideological matter as opposed to saying if technology allows us to use coal in a clean way, we should pursue it.
• So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can.
• It’s just that it will bankrupt them.

Amazing that this statement by Obama about bankrupting the coal industry has been kept under wraps until this time!

Updated: San Francisco Chronicle story published on January 18 based upon this January 17 interview did not include any mention of Obama’s willingness to bankrupt the coal industry which you can hear on the audio. You can read the story here when you scroll down to the “In His Own Words” section. Way to cover up for The One, SF Chronicle!

FULL AUDIO INTERVIEW: (CLICK HERE)

Author: Rick Honcho

Comments

[TELEPROMPTER PRESIDENT]

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[Steve Zakszewski]

No, Obama wasn't talking about taxing anything. He was discussing a proposed system of carbon credits. This still leaves open the door for so-called "clean coal" technology, in addition to nuclear, solar, wind, and other "green" technologies.

But this would require one to listen to more of the interview and familiarize themselves with Obama's positions. But hey, that's just too much work for most people.

I'm just vastly amused that people can't be bothered to do even the most basic research on this and instead prefer to blindly believe discredited hacks like Drudge who wouldn't know journalistic integrity if it stood 2 inches in front of their noses. Just the fact that he calls it a "hidden" interview when it's been readily available on-line since January tells you all you need to know about Drudge's sleazeball and lazy methods.

Webmaster: You can call it "Carbon Credits" but it's still a "Tax" or "Fee" charged to the utility depending upon the size of their Carbon Footprint. I use the term "Tax" when it's the government demanding a fee, which it is!

I did listen to the complete interview and heard Obama's comments in their proper context and scope. Obama is suggest that by using the carbon credits approach, it can be made financially impossible to build new coal-fired plants.

Generally our power plants are quite clean compared to the rest of the world. If you want to see pollution first hand, spend a week in Beijing China! You'll never see a blue sky! If that isn't bad enough, travel to Linfen, Yangquan and Datong. The "Carbon Credits" method does NOTHING about cleaning up the rest of the world. All it does is raise our energy prices, lowering our standard of living while much of the rest of the world keeps on pumping out billions of tons of carbon.

If your economy goes into the tank, there isn't going to be a lot of money left over for us to develop these "green" technologies you speak of. Truly "clean coal" isn't here yet! It has been estimated that commercial-scale clean-coal power stations (coal-burning power stations with carbon capture and sequestration) cannot be commercially viable and widely adopted before 2020 or 2025. ...until then, do we avoid the use of coal by taxing it with the "carbon credits" scheme?

How about some new Nuclear plants? How do you feel about that? We could be like France, with Nuclear power dominating our electricity production. You can't get any cleaner than that! No carbon emissions! Is that an alternative we can pursue until our other "green" technologies are fully developed?

I'll move this thread over to our Social Network website so our other readers can comment. The url is www.TeleprompterPresident.net ...sign in there and look for this in the Forum Discussion.

[Steve Zakszewski]

Wow. Somebody flunked "listening for comprehension" in school. Take the time and listen to the entire interview and stop drinking the Kool-Aid.

It must really suck to be caught in such a bold-faced lie, and this is the reason why the GOP is going to get its clock cleaned on election day. People are sick of the lies and spin of the GOP and are hungry for change.

Webmaster: It's pretty clear that Obama is discussing taxing coal-burning plants for their pollution footprint at a rate that would make it financially too expensive to add coal energy plants. So much for the United States being self-sufficient on energy using our abundant coal resources.