IIRC OB made a statement during the 2008 campaign that he would put coal companies out of business. Anyone have this quote?
Nov 02, 2008 (clarification given to San Francisco Chronicle regarding previous Jan 2008 interview)
OBAMA: What Ive said is that we would put a cap and trade system in place that is as aggressive, if not more aggressive, than anybody elses out there.I was the first to call for a 100% auction on the cap and trade system, which means that every unit of carbon or greenhouse gases emitted would be charged to the polluter. That will create a market in which whatever technologies are out there that are being presented, whatever power plants that are being built, that they would have to meet the rigors of that market and the ratcheted down caps that are being placed, imposed every year.
So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; its just that it will bankrupt them because theyre going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas thats being emitted.
That will also generate billions of dollars that we can invest in solar, wind, biodiesel and other alternative energy approaches.
The only thing Ive said with respect to coal, I havent been some coal booster. What I have said is that for us to take coal off the table as a (sic) ideological matter as opposed to saying if technology allows us to use coal in a clean way, we should pursue it.
So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can.
Its just that it will bankrupt them.
thanx