Energy Smart

Until late last week, Exxon-Mobil was the sponsor of the seventh-inning stretch at the Washington Nationals’ stadium. The incongruity of a company that has poured $10s of millions into trying to undermine understanding of global warming having a prominent role in the greenest stadium in professional baseball sparked a movement to “Strike Out Exxon at Nationals Park!“
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Last evening, amid gorgeous weather, a call to action sent me out to the ballgame. While the 14-inning game was great (GO NATS!), play on the field wasn’t the only action.

The Strike Out Exxon campaign began yesterday. The Washington Nationals new stadium is the “greenest” baseball. And, who is one of their principle advertisers: that great friend of the environment Exxon-Mobil. A coalition has come together to call attention to this absurdity and to Exxon-Mobil’s roadblocking of action against Global Warming.
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The Astroturf Organization Formerly Known As ABEC has come out with a doozy of a first ad.

In the battle to protect our future, the alphabet list of astroturf organizations working to undercut a habitable tomorrow is an ever-growing soup.  Tracking the  $35 million+ associated with “Americans for Balanced Energy Choices provided easily full-time employment for some dedicated people.

Perhaps, these astroturfers felt some pressure.  Recently formed, just in time for Earth Day, the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.

When you hear/see that term, think Clear Skies and other Bushisms … “Clean Coal” is a euphemism for Sort-of Less Dirty Coal, Somewhat Less Polluting Coal, Supposedly Less Deadly Coal.

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Yesterday, on 1 April 2008, the US Chamber of Commerce issued a memo that suggests that they want to make April’s Fools of all Americans through their continued efforts to distort discussion about energy issues in a way that takes the truth out of truthiness.   And, what is impressive (and depressing) is how the Chamber’s distorting material brings out April Fools who live in the black hole of denial.

In Pay to Play on Climate Change, the Chamber’s President and CEO, Thomas J. Donohue, moves quite directly into the Delayer mode of reacting to climate change issues.  He does not address the fact of Global Change or its (serious) implications, but asserts that there is not the public support for reacting to Global Warming while pursuing truthiness, by distorting the issue, rather than truth.

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The engagement of truthiness coming from coal-industry mouthpieces is being taken up on many fronts.  RFK Action is undertaking Coal Awareness Week. As part of that, this includes remixing of Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) advertising.  See here and here … If ABEC seeks to take the truth out of truthiness, RFK Action is taking the ‘iness’ out to provide us some Truth.

EcoGeek founder/owner, Hank Green, has blocked advertising from a Coal astroturf organization, America’s Power.  Green posted, yesterday, A Letter to the US Coal Industry:  Why I blocked your ad.

I’m a little bit angry right now. For the last 12 hours, unknown to me, the U.S. coal lobby has been plastering EcoGeek with B.S. ads for their B.S. clean coal campaign. I’m not really a big fan of helping to spread their heifer droppings so I’ve blocked the campaign.

This is Green’s livelihood, his source of income.  He has chosen to put his money (or the money he won’t have) where his mouth and philosophy are when it comes to creating a viable future. 

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The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is launching a national advertising campaign attacking Al Gore. And, via the attacks on Gore, seeking to undermine a growing understanding by Americans that we must act in face of global warming or face quite serious consequences.

CEI is focusing on attacking the messenger, rather than the message, since it (and other deniers living in the Black Hole of Denial) are on the retreat when it comes to Global Warming as their message flies in face of the reality staring us / the US in our faces. 

Now, for a moment, let us take a stroll through “the messenger” before going to message. 

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To be clear, the Lieberman-Warner Coal Subsidy Act (mischaracterized as the American Climate Security Act) is inadequate and bad legislation.  It violates basic principles for Global Warming legislation. (For example, it does not meet scientific minimums for giving a 50% chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change.)  And, the Coal-Subsidy Act is a corporate giveaway of resources (such as the air my and your children breathe) of almost unheard of proportions.  Despite this, the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America is not happy.

Since the Chamber of Commerce simply is unlikely to be happy with any Global Warming legislation, we should make them fight from the right (actually, from the wrong) against legislation that is worth passing, rather than being able to frame inadequate and poor legislation as damaging to the economy.

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Environmental Defense sent out an e-mail to Senate staffs and Senators specifically calling out this blogger for attention, calling for advertising coordination between Senators and Environmental Defense in support of the Lieberman-Warner Coal Subsidy Act (CSA, mistakenly called the Climate Security Act).

My statement:

I am saddened that Environmental Defense seems far more interested in pushing forward fatally (and, I do mean fatally … and I think of my/our children when I write that … ready to provide details to those interested) flawed legislation than in positioning the nation for a move to meaningful action. 

Now, if anyone actually cares to read what I wrote, this is how I ended the specific post in question:

And, this is the saddest thing about this issue, about having to write this diary. When it comes to sensible approaches to Global Warming, Senator Boxer gets the science, she gets the challenge, she understands the risk for her grandchildren.  It is sad that Boxer is aiming her ‘left hooks’ at strong voices for environment, like FoE, rather than humanity’s real foes exemplified by Senator Inhofe (R-Exxon).

It is sad that Environmental Defense (which gets the science, gets the challenge, and understands the risk for our children/grandchildren) is aiming their left hooks at strong voices for the environment, like FoE (and myself), rather than at humanity’s real foes as exmplified by Senator Inhofe.

Wouldn’t it be better if Environmental Defense (and the Senators that they contacted) were spending this money and energy educating Oklahomans about climate change and how Senator Inhofe is working against their interests?

A Siegel

PS:  Thank you ED for that back-handed compliment.  Didn’t realize that I’m a “major DailyKos contributor” and that anyone, at the end of the day, really gave a damn.

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Dominion Virginia Power is pursuing paths forward that will worsen the Commonwealth’s pollution profile, which isn’t anything to brag about at this time. 

And, they are wrapping their polluting path in an advertising campaign “Sometimes at least part of the answer actually is blowing in the wind.” (more…)