Greens: Obama and Congress are wrong on 'clean coal', nuclear energy, and emissions trading

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org


Green Party Speakers Bureau: Green leaders available to speak on energy policy, transportation, and the climate crisis http://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-ecological.php http://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-energy.php


WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders, while praising President Obama's efforts to focus public attention on emissions and the climate crisis, said that the White House and Congress are either going too slow or in the wrong direction on many energy policies.

CAR EMISSIONS

Greens said that the President's plan for new emissions and mileage standards for cars and light trucks is a step in the right direction, but falls short.

"The new requirements will have minimal effect unless we also see measures to reduce car traffic, such as regionally sensitive carbon taxes, congestion taxes, a halt in new highway construction, and -- most urgently for working Americans -- a massive public transportation project to replace the reliance on cars," said Wes Rolley, cochair of the Green Party's EcoAction Committee.

COAL

Greens have expressed dismay over President Obama's embrace of the 'clean coal' myth promoted by the coal industry.

"Clean coal is a PR fabrication. The environmental effects of coal extraction have proven disastrous. Mountaintop removal and strip mining have devastated whole landscapes in West Virginia, Tennessee, and other states, destroying mountains, valleys, and forests and dumping poisons into rivers, streams, and water tables. The amount of energy used to transport energy in trucks and trains adds further pollution. Scrubbing coal removes some particulates but ultimately doesn't end the emission of greenhouse gases, the cause of global warming," said Carl Romanelli, former Pennsylvania Green candidate for the US Senate and co-chair of the Luzerne County Green Party in the heart of anthracite country.

See also: Coal is not the answer, http://coalisnottheanswer.org

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Greens strongly opposed 'Clean Energy Investment Bank' legislation sponsored by Senate Energy Committee Chair Jeff Bingaman, Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), and Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), which would provide unlimited taxpayer loan guarantees for the construction of new nuclear reactors.

"Nuclear power is dirty and dangerous. There is no safe way to handle nuclear waste or mine uranium or eliminate the many security risks they pose. The Clean Energy Bank will encourage unclean and unsafe nuclear and coal energy, with giant taxpayer-funded bailouts for companies like Duke Power, Southern Company, UniStar Nuclear and Exelon," said Jill Bussiere, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States and former member of the Kudzu Alliance, which opposed construction of the Shearon Harris nuclear plant in North Carolina during the 1970s.

Along with security problems, nuclear energy is simply too inefficient and expensive as a solution to global warming, requiring massive construction and huge amounts of fuel. Green Party leaders quoted a June 2007 Keystone Center report: "Hypothetically, an aggressive scenario to achieve even modest global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions would require building 21 large (1,000 megawatt) nuclear reactors worldwide every year for fifty years, and more than five per year (275 total) in the United States.... [T]he amount of resulting waste would fill '10 nuclear waste repositories the size of the statutory capacity of Yucca Mountain." (http://www.keystone.org/spp/energy/electricity/nuclear-power-dialogue)

See also:

"Florida Greens file petition against NRC licensing of Levy Cty. nuclear plant": Green Party of Florida press release, February 14, 2009 http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=181 http://www.floridagreens.org

"Greens blast legislative move to repeal nuclear moratorium; call attempt an effort to undermine renewable energy": Illinois Green Party release, April 2, 2009 http://ilgp.org/groups/media/ILGPpress-releasses/greens-blast-legislative-move-to-repeal-nuclear-moratorium-call

"Nuclear Nonsense: Why Nuclear Power is No Answer to Climate Change and the World's Post-Kyoto Energy Challenges" by Benjamin K. Sovacool and Christopher Cooper, Environmental Law and Policy Review, Volume 33, Fall 2008 Issue 1 http://members.elpr.org/archives/33/sovacool_cooper.pdf

Nuclear Information and Resource Service http://www.nirs.org

EMISSIONS TRADING

Greens have criticized emissions trading ('cap and trade'), calling it a concession to polluting industries that will impede efforts to curb global warming. In many instances, emissions trading encourages greenhouse gas emissions, since companies with low pollution will be able to sell their conservation credits to the highest bidders, giving major polluters a license to maintain or increase pollution levels. Party leaders called emissions trading schemes like the Waxman-Markey "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009" a capitulation to polluting industries.

"Democratic leaders in the US House are planning to give away 85% of the greenhouse gas emission credits. Giveaways bypass the trading and auction strategies that cap and trade advocates have promoted as a free market solution. Such allowances are a signal that Congress is more willing to satisfy industry demands and 'grandfather' polluters than to demand the necessary extensive reductions," said Tony Gronowicz, political historian and 2005 New York City Green Party mayoral candidate.

See also:

"Good News, There's a Climate Bill -- Bad News, It Stinks" (on the "American Clean Energy and Security Act") by Daphne Wysham, AlterNet, May 19, 2009 http://www.alternet.org/story/140084

Carbon Trade Watch http://www.carbontradewatch.org

GREEN SOLUTIONS

The Green Party strongly opposes emissions trading schemes, and instead favors bans on new coal fired-power plants, new nuclear power plants (as well as early retirement of current nuclear reactors), and all mountaintop coal removal. The party endorses a reduction by 90% of mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants by 2012, targeted carbon taxes, investment in renewable noncarbon-based energy technology, and reduction of CO2 and SO2 emissions by 80% by 2020.

Greens call for a reorganization of the US economy that would create millions of new jobs in conversion to safe clean energy, conservation, and expansion of public transportation to replace car traffic.

"President Obama must launch a project to stem global warming that's comparable to the concerted and internationally cooperative effort to defeat the Axis powers during World War II. The lives of future generations in America and throughout the world are vastly more important than the current demands of energy industries," said Budd Dickinson, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States and a retired energy engineer.

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
Tally of Green election victories http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/election-results.html
Green candidate news http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/candidate-news.php
Green candidate database for 2008 and other campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections

Green Pages, Vol. 13, No. 1
The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States
http://gp.org/greenpages-blog

Why I Was Among Eight Health Care Advocates to Get Arrested in the Senate Yesterday

By Kevin Zeese [Maryland Green candidate for the US Senate in 2008; see bio below for more]
OpEdNews.com, May 6, 2009
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Why-I-Was-Among-Eight-Heal-by-Kevin-Zeese-090506-255.html


Pay to Play Politics is Unacceptable for Health Care Reform

Yesterday morning, eight doctors, lawyers and other activists stood up for single payer health care. We stood up during a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. The hearing was only to hear from the insurance industry, pharmaceutical companies, HMO’s and business interests. They did not want to hear about a real national health care plan.

I was one of the eight.

We stood up to the private health insurance industry, to the corporate power in Congress and demanded a single payer national health care plan where everybody is in and nobody is out. We want a plan that ensures the peoples right to choose their own doctor, hospital and health care treatment. We want a plan that will control costs – something that cannot be done unless the insurance industry, HMO’s and pharmaceutical companies are challenged.

The Senate Finance Committee which has taken millions from the insurance industry, HMO’s, pharmaceutical industry – those that profit from health care in America only scheduled their donors to speak. It was pay to play on display in Washington, DC before the corrupt Senate Finance Committee.

We stood up and told the truth. The Emperor Has No Clothes we said. We were arrested and charged with “disruption of Congress” a euphemism for telling the truth in Congress.

You can see the C-SPAN and other video on our new website ProsperityAgenda.US. You can see the news reports from The Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Politico, Democracy Now and National Public Radio which all carried stories about the protest. Prosperity Agenda is an economic justice project of the Campaign for Fresh Air and Clean Politics. You can help us develop an economy for all, including a health care system for all, by participating – share your comments, ideas and strategies. Join our effort.

Chairman Baucus, invited his major donors to the table: the health insurance industry was there, so were the Chamber of Commerce, the right wing Heritage Foundation, the Business Roundtable, Blue Cross Blue Shield and corporate liberals who have sold out the people like Andy Stern, Ron Pollack and AARP.

But the most popular and efficient health care reform was not at the table. It was not mentioned even though it is the one favored by a majority of doctors, nurses, economists and the American people. Only those who paid to play were included.

For the last few weeks people have been calling and emailing Senator Baucus and other Finance Committee members urging them to include single payer advocates. We were told – no, no one for single payer would be allowed to speak.

So, yesterday, at 10 a.m., the Baucus Eight, led by Prosperity Agenda and other single payer advocates, took to the Senate Finance Committee. We confronted the committee in front of a room filled with their campaign donors, in front of the American people watching live on C-SPAN and we told the truth. Three doctors joined us, spoke up and got arrested. The effort was endorsed by Physicians for a National Health Program – doctors are standing up for their patients saying “single payer now.”

I focused on corporate corruption of the senate and told the senators we need them to put the necessities of the people before the profits of their donors. We do not need a pay to play Blogojevich committee with a Blogojevich Chairman putting on phony hearings to fool the public.

Here's a link to a video taken from the audience of my comment and arrest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDHJH7W-ZEo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.wsj.com%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F05%2F05%2Forder-in-the-senate-single-payer-advocates-disrupt-hearing%2F&feature=player_embedded.

Last week Senator Richard Durbin said the banks "own" the Congress. This week it is evident, that when it comes to health care the health care profiteers own Congress, especially the Senate Finance Committee. If we do not put forward organized, aggressive, grass roots action we will see a swindle of the American people. In the name of false health care reform billions in tax payer dollars will go to campaign donors and the health care problem will continue to worsen.

It is time for concerted action.

We have the power to ensure health care for all in a national single payer health care program that ends the corruption of the health insurance industry, the HMO’s and the pharmaceutical industry.

We can do it . . . together.

Let’s make it happen.

Kevin Zeese is Executive Director of the Campaign for Fresh Air and Clean Politics (http://www.FreshAirCleanPolitics.net) whose projects include Voters for Peace (http://www.VotersForPeace.US., True Vote (http://www.TrueVote.US and www.TrueVoteMD.org) and Climate Security (http://www.GlobalClimateSecurity.org). He is also president of Common Sense for Drug Policy (http://www.csdp.org).

Pakistan Green Party statement on US attacks inside Pakistan

The Pakistan Green Party demands that the US administration stop the drone attacks inside the Pakistani territory. 900 hundred civilians have been killed since the beginning of the attacks, including children, old men, and women, with many more injured.

The attacks have also forced more than a million people to migrate from these areas to different parts of Pakistan. They have ended up living in refugee camps in Peshawar and other cities without any support from the government of Pakistan or any other international aid agency.

This situation has created very different political problems in Pakistan, where on one hand Pakistan is paying a heavy cost to be a friend of the Unites States of America in the War on Terror, and on the other hand the American administration demands more assistance from Pakistan. It is tragic that on one hand Pakistan is targeted by terrorists from Afghanistan and on the other hand American forces are attacking Pakistan. The American administration, instead of strengthening the Pakistan government, has maintained the drone attacks, which create public resentment against the government and Americans. Therefore we demand that the US stop the drone attacks in Pakistani territory immediately, and begin relief, resettlement programs, and compensation for the affected people through all possible means.

We also demand that the international community initiate peace talks with all local forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan to find peaceful solutions and address the root causes of the problems. The US should treat all regional countries equally and put political pressure on India to resolve the Kashmir issue with Pakistan, a major cause of tension in region.

The US administration must provide more funding and also invest in the economic development of Pakistan, as it has lost its share of aid received from the international community. It is argued that there is need of more support in the social sector to empower the people of Pakistan.

Issued by: Pakistan Green Party on the 23rd of April, 2009.