Ahh, the "too trivial" argument; the US is certainly earning respect around the globe with its continued stance of ignorance.

I'm waiting to see how the UAW responds. They've been as guilty as the Detroit automakers in thwarting any increase in CAFE.

And if you happen to subscribe to mind-numbing soap-operas offered as "political action" these days... be sure to tune in for tomorrow's life-like episode!

It seems strange that unions representing the common people can see the handwriting on the wall but the Bush administraton and Congress are blind to the most basic of global warming issues. I guess it is just another case of the Emperor's invisible clothing. The problem is bound to bite them in the nose within the next year or two when we start having hundred year storms every year.

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A petition that simply says "Do something" is pretty silly. There are so many conflicting ideas on ways to proceed, especially amongst the environmentalists who first recommend ethanol, and then decide it's not a good idea, then recommend wind, then find problems with its variability and low outputs. I think its funny that all this anger is directed at Bush, who somehow, for no logical reason, has become the target of the ultra environmentalists. This all is so reminescent of those panicky times a long time ago when everyone thought that if you threw enough money at a problem, the solution would pop right up. It was our attempt to cure cancer, all cancers. Forty years later and we're still waiting.
Bush was right and the environmetalists were wrong when he wisely observed that technology would turn out to be our savior, not conservation. We've tried conservation since the mid 70's. It doesn't work and never will, because there just isn't any appreciable amount of energy waste, and what is eliminated is quickly replaced
by new demand. Any new programs for energy will simply duplicate ones that are already active, like the Energy Dept funding of research into new batteries. Bush's biggest problem is that he's a lousy politician - he doesn't realize that there are a lot of hysterical people out there who think our world is getting warmer
in the near term and have been brainwashed into believing all kinds of silly nonsense. Like children, they need to be told twice a day that things are being done. I wonder if any of these yokels realize that one of the most consistent subjects at the cabinet meetings
has been the question of new battery developments. It's
really going to get hilarious when the environmentalists realize that the new Congress has no brilliant plans
with respect to future energy sources, etc. They didn't
say anything specific during the campaign except they were more in favor of alternative energy sources than the GOP. That vague political BS is going to come back to haunt them when they try to get specific and actually pass laws that do more good than harm. Ah yes, a Brave New World, run by the same old fools that have been in Congress for the past 30 years.

Who let in the retard?

Lots of money to be made in coal. Junior and Company scrapped any idea of upgrading coal power plants when they came in. Texas is trying to license lots of them before real laws get passed. I would guess profit is the name of the game, as it so often is.

Kent, haven't heard an anti-union rant like that since they failed to find Jimmy Hoffa buried in cement under the Detroit's Grande Ballroom.

Its actauly more the dems fault on old coal plants staying as they are. The gop wanted to be able to phase in addons to the plants so the operators could acualy afford the upgrades and both make more power and pollute less. But they were shot down and instead the plants sit belching worse and worse each year because the operators arnt even allowed to maintain the damn things without the risk of a 200 illion upgrade beging forced on them.. this for a plant that might make a few mil a year wheh things arnt breaking down. No one wil EVER pay 50 years worth of income to upgrade a p[lant that will be closed in 20-50 years.

And yes I do so know I have long had friends in the industry. In the end as my dear friend and I put it the best idea is to wait till theyare shivering in the dark and then they were get there damn act together or DIE and I dont give a bleep wich they do.

SJC, get passed the political bias and look at wintermane's post. Yes, Clinton wanted them to upgrade enironmental controls when they were going to expand and/or do any other plant upgrades. The problem as expressed by winterman is that forcing them to expend $300 for upgraded environmental controls all at once prohibits anything from being done. Whant Bush wanted was to allow them to do phased upgrades reducing the one time up front costs. Would it have made them as clean as possible, no but we would be further ahead than we are now. Becuase of the all or nothing approach prefered by Clinton and the Dems, no plant is going to expand or do any improvements because the added cost does not justify it. Instead, they just let the plants continue to pollute and steadily fall apart. If we force "clean them up or shut them down" policy on them without some tax benefit or grant to do so, they will surely be shut down. Then we will be faced with rolling blackouts, forced electric conservation, etc. Or in the alternative, new natural gas powered generating plants which greatly increase demand for natural gas driving up natural gas costs to consumers. The problem with all of this is people want the clean tech but are not willing to pay the consumer cost associated with it. Everyone wants it but someone else should pay for it.

You might want to read this article by an EPA director that quit over Bush's give aways to the coal power industry.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0207.schaeffer.html

"Why didn't the Republicans do anything about it the past 5 years?"

They allow expansions that cost no more than 20% of the total value of the plant. They allow the old polluting plants to pollute even more and never have to implement cleaner technologies. They create loop holes that allow them to make more profit while never having to pay to clean up their mess. Again, profit is the name of the game, so we should not be surprised at the outcome. If they do not have to pay for cleaner upgrades that reduce lung disease, heart disease, birth defects and other "externalities", they make more money, then we all suffer and have to pick up the health care costs that are already skyrocketing. This site is about GreenCars and presumably that means CleanCars. If EVs and PHEVs are to be clean, then we have to have clean power plants.