McCain Campaign Press Release - McCain Campaign Launches Coalition to Protect Coal Jobs

OBAMA-BIDEN NEED TO COME CLEAN ON COAL

Biden Declared That The Obama-Biden Ticket Does Not Support Clean Coal Or The Construction Of Any Coal Plants In America:

Biden Proclaimed That The Obama-Biden Ticket Does Not Support Clean Coal Or Any Coal Plants In America. Biden: "We're not supporting clean coal. Guess what, China is building two every week. Two dirty coal plants. And it's polluting the United States, it's causing people to die." Question: "So will you support wind and solar technologies?" Biden: "Absolutely. Before anyone did. The first guy to introduce a global warming bill was me, 22 years ago. The first guy to support solar energy was me, 26 years ago, it came out of Delaware. But guess what? China's going to burn 300 years of bad coal unless we figure out how to clean their coal up because it's going to ruin your lungs and there's nothing we can do about it. No coal plants here in America. Build them, if they are going to build them over there, make them clean, because they're killing you." (Sen. Joe Biden, Remarks At Campaign Event, Maumee, OH, 9/17/08)

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Despite His Opposition To Coal, Biden Calls Himself A "Hard-Coal Miner":

Biden Called Himself A "Hard-Coal Miner" And Said It Was "Nice To Be Back In Coal Country." "I hope you won't hold it against me, but I am a hard-coal miner, anthracite coal, Scranton, Pa.,' Biden said. It's nice to be back in coal country. ... It's a different accent [in Southwest Virginia] ... but it's the same deal. We were taught that our faith and our family was the only really important thing, and our faith and our family informed everything we did.'" (Debra McCown, "Biden: It's Nice To Be Back In Coal Country'," Bristol [VA] Herald Courier, 9/21/08)

FLASHBACK: Biden Lifted Coal Miner Language From British Labor Leader Neil Kinnock's Own Speeches. "By contrast, here are portions of the Kinnock commercial and Biden's Iowa debate summation: Why am I the first Kinnock in 1,000 generations to be able to get to university?' asked Kinnock. Was it because our predecessors were thick? ... Was it because they were weak, those people who could work eight hours underground (as coal miners) and come up and play football, weak?' Biden's version went, Why is it that Joe Biden is the first in his family ever to go to a university? ... Is it because our fathers and mothers were not bright ... Was it that they didn't work hard, my ancestors who worked in the coal mines of Northeastern Pennsylvania and would come up after 12 hours a nd play football for four hours?'" (W. Dale Nelson, "Biden's Borrowing Of Words Went Beyond The Ordinary," The Associated Press, 9/24/87)

• NOTE: In 1987, Biden Plagiarized Speech By British Labor Leader Neil Kinnock. "Kinnock told of ancestors who played football after long days underground in the mines, who recited poetry and paved the way for him to become the first in his family to attend college. When he saw a tape of Kinnock in action, Biden said, it was a connect. I mean, I could tell how that man felt. That's how I feel.' So he used it - changing the names but little else - at a debate last month in Iowa." (John Harwood, "Biden's Way With Words Now Seems To Be A Liability," St. Petersburg Times, 9/20/87)

Biden's Grandfather Is The "Only Biden On Record Having Worked Near A Mine" As A Mining Engineer. "Biden grew up in a white-collar suburb, his father was a car salesman, one grandfather was a state senator, and the only Biden on record as having worked near a mine was a mining engineer." (Jodie T. Allen, "This Is (Not Quite) Your Life," Slate Magazine, 11/20/97)

And Biden Said Coal Is More Likely To Kill Americans Than A Terrorist Attack:

Biden Ranked Coal Ahead Of High-Fructose Corn Syrup And A Terrorist Attack As More Likely To Contribute To The Death Of An Average American. HBO's Bill Maher: "Senator Biden, forgetting about the upcoming Iowa caucus for just a moment, which would you honestly say is more likely to contribute to the death of your average American: a terrorist strike or high-fructose corn syrup and air that has too much coal in it?" Biden: "Air that has too much coal in it, corn syrup next, then a terrorist attack. But that is not in any way to diminish the fact that a terrorist attack is real. It is not an existential threat to bringing down the country, but it does have the capacity, still, to kill thousands of people. But hundreds of thousands of people die and their lives are shorte ned because of coal plants, coal-fired plants and because of corn syrup." (Sen. Joe Biden, Slate, Yahoo, The Huffington Post Presidential Forum, 9/13/07)

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Biden Does Not Support Coal:

Biden Doesn't "Think There's Much Of A Role For Clean Coal In Energy Independence." Biden: "I don't think there's much of a role for clean coal in energy independence, but I do think there's a significant role for clean coal in the bigger picture of climate change. Clean-coal technology is not the route to go in the United States, because we have other, cleaner alternatives. But I would invest a considerable amount of money in research and development of clean-coal and carbon-sequestration technologies for export." (Amanda Griscom Little, "Biden On The Record," Grist, www.grist.org, 8/29/07)

Biden Doesn't Think Liquefied Coal Is "The Way To Go In The U.S." Question: "What's your position on liquefied coal?" Biden: "Again, I don't think it's the way to go in the U.S., but we could invest in technologies for export. I don't think there's any reasonable prospect that China, as it continues to grow to 1.4 billion people, is not going to use their coal." (Amanda Griscom Little, "Biden On The Record," Grist, www.grist.org, 8/29/07 )

Biden Voted Against Mandating Six Billion Of "Clean Coal-Derived Fuels" To Be Produced By 2022. "Bunning, R-Ky., amendment no. 1628 to the Reid, D-Nev., substitute amendment no. 1502. The Bunning amendment would mandate that 6 billion gallons of clean coal-derived fuels' be produced by 2022. It would define these fuels as having 20 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline and being produced by facilities that capture 100 percent of carbon dioxide emissions." (H.R. 6, CQ Vote #213: Rejected 39-55: R 39-6; D 0-47; I 0-2, 6/19/07, Biden Voted Nay)

Biden Voted Against Authorizing Funds For The Development Of Coal-To-Liquid Fuels. "Inhofe, R-Okla., amendment no. 1505 to the Reid substitute amendment no. 1502. The Inhofe amendment would expedite the permitting process for the expansion of refinery facilities and authorize funds for the development of coal-to-liquid and cellulosic biomass fuels." (H.R. 6, CQ Vote #210: Rejected 43-52: R 43-2; D 0-48; I 0-2, 6/13/07, Biden Voted Nay)

Biden Voted Against Authorizing A $10 Billion Direct Loan Program And $200 Million In Grants For The Development Of Certain Fuels, Including Liquid Coal. "Tester, D-Mont., amendment no. 1614 to the Reid, D-Nev., substitute amendment no. 1502. The Tester amendment would authorize a $10 billion direct loan program for certain fuel plants that can produce gas from a range of feedstocks, have gas emissions 20 percent lower than conventional baseline emissions and sequester 75 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. It would also authorize $200 million in cost sharing for the design and engineering of fuel plants that can meet such emissions targets." (H.R. 6, CQ Vote #214: Rejected 33-61 : R 3-42; D 29-18 I 1-1, 6/19/07, Biden Voted Nay)

Under Obama's Proposed Energy Policy, Companies Would Be Unable To Construct Any New Coal Plants:

Obama "Seems Unwilling" To Have A "Difficult Conversation" With Voters About The Fate Of Coal. "There's a difficult conversation to be had with voters in coal states like Kentucky about the fate of coal and the steps political leaders can take to help coal communities through the coming transition. For the moment, at least, Obama seems unwilling to have that conversation." (Kate Sheppard, "Obama's Own Pander," Grist's "Gristmill" Blog, gristmill.grist.org, 5/6/08)

Obama's Energy Policy Would "Amount To A Suspension Of Commercial Coal-Plant Construction For The Duration Of His Term." "Given that CCS is a decade away, it follows that Obama's policies would amount to a suspension of commercial coal-plant construction for the duration of his term, whether it's four or eight years, excluding publicly funded demonstration projects like FutureGen. That would allow for little growth in Kentucky coal, unless it started shipping its coal overseas (as of 2006, 80 percent -- $2 billion worth -- was exported [clarification: exported' to other states, not overseas])." (Kate Sheppard, "Obama's Own Pander," Grist's "Gristmill" Blog, gristmill.grist.org, 5/6/08)

Under Obama's Energy Policy, Coal Plants Without Carbon Sequestration Facilities Are "Economically Unrealistic." "The Obama campaign has made it clear that they want no new coal plants in the meantime. Jason Grumet, a top Obama energy adviser, told Grist that the policies we have already articulated make [coal plants without CCS] economically unrealistic.'" (Kate Sheppard, "Obama's Own Pander," Grist's "Gristmill" Blog, gristmill.grist.org, 5/6/08)

• Obama's Policy Adviser Said It Would Be "Absolutely Ludicrous To Even Contemplate Any Type Of Coal, New Coal, That Is Not 100 Percent Sequestered." Obama Campaign Policy Adviser Jason Grumet: "So I think Senator Obama has been pretty clear on that, but let me just restate his position as I understand it. He is confident, as all economic analysis I have seen suggests he should be, that his carbon cap program, an 80 percent reduction, will make it absolutely ludicrous to even contemplate any type of coal, new coal, that is not 100 percent sequestered." (Jason Grumet, Society Of Environmental Journalists' Discussion On Political Climate, Washington, D.C, 4/11/08)

NOTE: Obama Has Also Called For A Tax On Coal. Obama: "What we ought to tax is dirty energy, like coal and, to a lesser extent, natural gas." ("Q&A With Sen. Barack Obama," San Antonio Express-News, 2/19/08)

Obama's Legislative Record Shows He Has Opposed Coal:

In 2007, Obama Voted Against Mandating The Production Of Six Billion Gallons Of Clean Coal-Derived Fuels. "Bunning, R-Ky., amendment no. 1628 to the Reid, D-Nev., substitute amendment no. 1502. The Bunning amendment would mandate that 6 billion gallons of clean coal-derived fuels' be produced by 2022. It would define these fuels as having 20 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline and being produced by facilities that capture 100 percent of carbon dioxide emissions." (H.R. 6, CQ Vote #213: Rejected 39-55: R 39-6; D 0-47; I 0-2, 6/19/07, Obama Voted Nay)

• Obama: "The Bunning amendment would have been premature in requiring the production of billions of gallons of coal-to-liquids without providing strong environmental safeguards to ensure that this new fuel alleviates, not worsens, our climate crisis." (Sen. Barack Obama, "Obama Statement On Coal-To-Liquid Fuel Proposals," Press Release, 6/19/07)

In 2007, Obama Voted Against Authorizing Funds For Coal-To-Liquid Fuels. "Inhofe, R-Okla., amendment no. 1505 to the Reid substitute amendment no. 1502. The Inhofe amendment would expedite the permitting process for the expansion of refinery facilities and authorize funds for the development of coal-to-liquid and cellulosic biomass fuels." (H.R. 6, CQ Vote #210: Rejected 43-52: R 43-2; D 0-48; I 0-2, 6/13/07, Obama Voted Nay)