Obama administration announces massive coal mining expansion

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced yesterday an enormous expansion in coal mining that threatens to increase U.S. climate pollution by an amount equivalent to more than half of what the United States currently emits in a year.

http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-23-obama-administration-announces-massive-coal-mining-expansion

Get that? The law will soon forbid incandescent light bulbs.

But, because of the voting power of coal mining states, we're going to more than make up for any positive environmental impact of that decision by massively increasing coal mining and coal usage.

In other words, despite his administration's rhetorical embrace of clean energy, Obama is effectively using modest wind and solar investments as cover for a broader embrace of dirty fuels. It's the same strategy BP, Chevron, and other major polluters use: tout modest environmental investments in multi-million dollar PR campaigns, while putting the real money into fossil fuel development.

http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-23-obama-administration-announces-massive-coal-mining-expansion