Obama’s Plan to Restore New Orleans

[ariesgem]

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 — On the cusp of the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Senator Barack Obama will present a plan on Sunday aimed at hastening the rebuilding of New Orleans and restructuring how the federal government responds to future catastrophes in America.

The Gulf Coast restoration, Mr. Obama said, has been weighed down by red tape that has kept billions of dollars from reaching Louisiana communities. As president, he said, he would streamline the bureaucracy, strengthen law enforcement to curb a rise in crime and immediately close the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet in order to restore wetlands to protect against storms.

Mr. Obama also said that he would seek to lessen the influence of politics in the Federal Emergency Management Agency by giving its director a fixed term, similar to the structure of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FEMA director would serve a six-year term, under Mr. Obama’s plan, and report directly to the president.

Mr. Obama, an Illinois Democrat, and several presidential hopefuls are scheduled to arrive in Louisiana this week to highlight how New Orleans has — and has not — recovered from Hurricane Katrina. Democrats have sought to use the city as an example of what they believe was among the Bush administration’s greatest domestic failures.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/us/politics/26obama.html?ref=politics

[hedgehog]

1. SO much for the other thread that insists that Obama is not an environmentalist! nt

[draft_mario_cuomo]

3. You must also believe Sen. Bunning (R-KY) and Mitt Romney are also great on the environment too

Bunning is the guy Obama sponsored his $8 billion liquid coal bills with on behalf of the coal industry. Notice how no one really disputed the facts in that thread's OP? One Obama fan did try to promote coal--by citing a coal industry front group that promotes liquid coal.

=Romney: Coal into liquid fuel key to plan

GOP presidential candidate visits fair
By Lawrence Messina
Associated Press Writer

FAIRLEA — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Thursday repeated his pledge to make West Virginia coal key to his national energy plan, and said that commitment would include federal funding for technology to convert coal into liquid fuel.

“We will invest as a nation in new sources of energy, including clean coal,” Romney told The Associated Press while walking with a crowd at the State Fair of West Virginia.==

==Romney said he considers coal-to-liquid a “clean” technology. Environmental advocates challenge that moniker, arguing that fuel made from coal generates more greenhouse gases than refining crude oil.==

http://www.timeswv.com/westvirginia/local_story_228234130.html

Senators Obama and Bunning Introduce Legislation to Expand Coal Use

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Obama Contact: Tommy Vietor or Robert Gibbs, [phone]
Bunning Contact: Mike Reynard, [phone]
Date: June 7, 2006

Senators Obama and Bunning Introduce Legislation to Expand Coal Use

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Jim Bunning (R-KY) and Barack Obama (D-IL) today announced that they have introduced S.3325, the "Coal-To-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act of 2006." Joining this bipartisan legislation as original co-sponsors are Senators Conrad Burns (R-MT); Richard Lugar (R-IN); Mark Pryor (D-AR); and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). This comprehensive piece of legislation creates tax incentives for coal-to-liquids (CTL) technology and the construction of CTL plants. If passed, this legislation will help create the infrastructure needed to make CTL a viable energy resource throughout America.

In the CTL process, coal is gasified, the gas is run through the Fischer-Tropsch process, and the resulting fuel is refined into diesel. The final diesel product is cleaner than conventional diesel because most of the sulfur and nitrogen is removed during the Fischer-Tropsch process. Currently, all the vehicles in South Africa run on fuels produced by Fischer-Tropsch.

Bunning said, "The bipartisan legislation I introduced with Senator Obama will help create the infrastructure needed to get coal-to-liquids technology off the ground. CTL technology offers America the chance to capitalize on an abundant domestic resource that is found in eastern and western Kentucky. With a heavy investment into CTL, America will wean itself off of foreign sources of energy, and at the same time create jobs for working families back home. CTL is a viable, environmentally friendly energy resource, and will help cure America's addiction to oil."

Obama said, "The people I meet in town hall meetings back home would rather fill their cars with fuel made from coal reserves in Southern Illinois than with fuel made from crude reserves in Saudi Arabia. We already have the technology to do this in a way that's both clean and efficient. What we've been lacking is the political will. This common sense, bipartisan legislation will greatly increase investment in coal-to-liquid fuel technology, which will create jobs and lessen our dependence on foreign oil. Illinois Basin Coal has more untapped energy potential than the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait combined. Instead of enriching the Saudis, we can use these reserves to bring a renaissance for Illinois coal."

The Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act of 2006 is a three-part, comprehensive effort to create a vibrant domestic CTL fuel market. First, this bill enables the Department of Energy to provide loan guarantees for construction and loans for the necessary planning of CTL plants. Loan guarantees will encourage private investment and planning loans will help companies prepare a plant for construction. Second, this legislation will expand investment tax credits and expensing provisions to include coal-to-liquids plants and extend the Fuel Excise Tax credit. These tax incentives build on the loans and loan guarantees by offering tax breaks during the multiple-year construction phase and during initial production at the plant. Third, this bill provides the Department of Defense the funding to purchase, test, and integrate these fuels into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.


Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act of 2006


On April 24th, Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) chaired an Energy Committee hearing on coal-to-liquids fuels. The committee heard testimony from the Department of Energy on the implementation of provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the committee discussed what additional authorizations may be needed. Bunning spoke with the Southern States Energy Board, individual companies engaging CTL technology, the National Mining Association, leading scientists including researchers at the University of Kentucky, and members of the environmental community. As a result of these discussions, Senators Bunning and Obama have composed a comprehensive piece of legislation that will create a backbone of CTL infrastructure in the United States.

1. DOE Facilitation of Construction

* Loan Guarantees - Authorizes DOE to administer loan guarantees for the first CTL plants. These plants must have a minimum production of 10,000 barrels a day and the loan guarantee program would expire once ten large-scale plants are built or commercial production reaches 100,000 barrels of CTL fuel daily.

* Planning Loans - Provides DOE authority to issue matching loans to groups engaging permitting and planning of a large-scale CTL plant. The loans are capped at $20 million, must be matched dollar-for-dollar by non-Federal money, and must be repaid after the plant is financed (within 5 years).

* Expanded Plant Siting - Authorizes DOE, DOD, and other agencies to promulgate regulations to allow BRAC sites, military bases and DOE current and former facilities to be considered as sites for commercial CTL plants.



2. Tax Incentives for Investment and Production

* Investment Tax Credit and Expensing - Expands 20% tax credit for CTL plants (including the infrastructure needed to capture, transport and sequester carbon) capped at $200 million a plant and limited to 10 plants. Provides a similar provision for expensing these investments, but does not allow double dipping.

* Fuel Excise Tax Extension for CTL - Extends the fuel tax credit for CTL products from 2009 (From SAFETEA-LU) until January 1, 2020.



3. National Security and Defense

* Strategic Petroleum Reserve - Requires a DOD report on CTL fuel storage and inclusion in the SPR, authorizes the construction of SPR storage facilities for CTL fuel to be located outside of the Gulf States and authorizes that the SPR to hold up to 20% of the reserve in the form of CTL finished fuels.

* DOD Research and Development - Authorizes funding for the Air Force CTL R&D and testing program.

* DOD Multi-year contracting - Authorizes DOD contract authority for up to 25 years

Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act of 2007

Senators Bunning and Obama
1. Department of Energy Planning and Construction Assistance
• Loan Guarantees – Authorizes DOE to administer loan guarantees for the first CTL
plants. These plants must have a minimum production of 10,000 barrels a day and the
loan guarantee program would expire once ten large-scale plants are built or
commercial production reaches 100,000 barrels of CTL fuel daily.
• Planning Loans – Create DOE program to issue matching loans to groups engaged in
the permitting and planning of a large-scale CTL plant. The loans are capped at $20
million, must be matched dollar-for-dollar by non-Federal money, and must be repaid
after the plant is financed (within 5 years).
• Expanded Plant Siting – Authorizes DOE, DOD, and other agencies to promulgate
regulations to allow BRAC sites, current DOD bases, and current and former DOE
facilities to be considered as sites for commercial CTL plants.
• Emissions Report – Requires comprehensive, university-based testing and evaluation
of Fischer-Tropsch fuels to be completed in cooperation with the DOE, EPA, DOD,
FAA and HHS.
2. Tax Incentives for Investment and Production
• Investment Tax Credit and Expensing– Expands 20% tax credit for CTL plants
(including the infrastructure needed to capture, transport and sequester carbon) capped
at $200 million a plant and limited to 10 plants. Provides a similar provision for
expensing these investments, but does not allow double dipping.
• Fuel Excise Tax Extension for CTL – Extends the fuel tax credit for CTL products
from 2009 (From SAFETEA-LU) until January 1, 2020.
• Enhanced oil, natural gas, coalbed methane recovery, and capture and
sequestration credit – Increases the tax credit to 50% from 15% for equipment for
the separation, delivery and sequestration of CO2 put in place before 2020.
3. National Security and Defense
• Strategic Petroleum Reserve – Requires a DOD report on CTL fuel storage and
inclusion in the SPR, authorizes the construction of SPR storage facilities for CTL fuel
to be located outside of the Gulf States and authorizes that the SPR to hold up to 20%
of the reserve in the form of CTL finished fuels.
• DOD Research and Development – Authorizes funding for the Air Force CTL R&D
and testing program.
• DOD Multi-year contracting – Authorizes DOD contract authority for up to 25 years to purchase CTL fuel.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

4. Here is what Al Gore and the Sierra Club say about liquid coal

President Gore on liquid coal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbNImXTEkNA

==Energy:
Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act

Our Position: oppose
Bill Number: S. 155
Sponsor: Barack Obama (D-IL), Jim Bunning (R-KY)
Legislative Session: 2007

The Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act would establish a new massively polluting industry to convert coal into liquid transportation fuel. The bill provides a variety of incentives for liquid coal, including tax incentives, loan guarantees, expanded plant siting, and a host of other government subsidies. The bill also allows the Department of Defense to enter into fuel purchasing contracts for up to 25 years.

The serious economic and environmental downsides of liquid coal prevent it from being a good option for a cleaner, healthier energy future. A liquid coal (coal-to-liquids) transportation fuels industry would double the global warming emissions of regular gasoline and would require millions of dollars in investments. Instead of funneling those millions into a new, dirty industry, we should be investing in efficiency and renewable energy technologies that exist today and can help us solve global warming.
Action Needed
Fight global warming and tell your members of Congress to oppose liquid coal.
Contact

Alice McKeown
Clean Air & Coal Campaigns
[e-mail]
202-675-6271
Background
Find out the truth behind coal.==

http://www.sierraclub.org/legislativetracker/110S155.asp

==Liquid Coal is a Bad Deal for Global Warming

Although its proponents claim that liquid coal is a cure-all to our nation's energy problems, the truth is that liquid coal is plagued with economical and environmental downsides from the time coal is mined until long after the liquid is burned. Liquid coal releases almost double the global warming emissions per gallon as regular gasoline, making a hybrid filled with liquid coal as dirty as a Hummer H3 running on regular gas.

Liquid coal also requires huge amounts of water, and would lead to an over 40% increase in coal mining just to replace a mere 10% of our nation's transportation fuels. Proponents of liquid coal also want the government to funnel billions in subsidies and tax breaks to artificially create an entirely new industry. Liquid coal is arguably the dirtiest, most expensive energy gamble we could take.==



http://www.sierraclub.org/coal/liquidcoal/

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Suich]

5. I thought it had already been decided

to close MRGO.

:shrug:

[youngdem]

6. Hey Obama, you should hire some new staff....The MRGO is already being closed in Feb.

So, by the time you are in office, it will have been done for over a year, taking only a few months to pile rocks at its mouth.

Nice try acting like you know what we need though.

Here's some hints on how to sound like you know what you are talking about:

We need a Netherlands style gate at the Rigolets going into the Pontchartrain to stop storm surge from entering the city from the north.

We need gates on both sides of the industrial canal on both the East and West Bank.

We need increased pumping capacity in Broadmoor, Gentilly and parts of the Lower 9 still.

Most importantly, we need money to rebuild the marshland south of the city to Venice, money to redirect Mississippi River sediment into the marsh, and money to rebuild the Chandeleur Islands, to increase the buffer zone to its pre-oil exploration girth, to knock down the storm surge before it even gets to the city.


Geez man, get it right. And for god's sake, PLEASE don't say YOU are gonna do something that is pretty much already done. That's like taking credit for others' work, as we have worked long and hard to get the MRGO closed without your help, thank you very much.

:grr: