Harry Reid spoke bluntly on energy issues the other day.  Looking the Faux and Balanced cameras square on, he spoke truth:  

Coal makes us sick ...

This is an important statement.  Reid is speaking truth to an audience that isn't used to hearing it.

Although the Bush Administration rarely amazes me with their harmful environmental policies and selective and biased approach to scientific inquiry, this one, ironically, really took my breath away:

This morning, the New York Times reported that the EPA, responding to a Supreme Court ruling to determine the extent to which greenhouse gas poses a threat to the health and safety of people and the environment, sent a full report to the White House, via email, six months ago. The email, that included a conclusion with evidence surrounding the effects of greenhouse gasses, was never opened!

I am originally from a town outside of Chicago. I feel the Midwest loyalty. It has obviously upset me that there are people I know who have lost their property or have been cut off from going to see their loved ones because of the recent flood crisis.

But, despite these inbred loyalties, there is no possible way I can say that the Midwest flooding crisis comes anywhere near the death and destruction of Hurricane Katrina. And there's no way I could conscionably say that the floods in the Midwest in any ways "dwarfed" what happened in New Orleans, which Rush Limbaugh Tuesday had the audacity of saying. Let's look at the differences: In New Orleans, you had a poverty-endemic urban center experiencing one of the most powerful natural distasters, which resulted in a death toll of nearly 1,900 deaths and $81.2 billion in damages, which the victims were given no warning to and FEMA feebly came to aid very, very late in the game; on the other hand, the Midwestern floods impacted a sprawling, white, rural population, who were given warning and immediate aid from FEMA, resulting in 24 deaths and $1.5 billion in damages.

Recently, there's been plenty of talk by Republicans like George Bush and John McCain about lifting the federal ban on offshore oil drilling. They claim that because gas prices have become so high, it's time for us American to stop being worrywarts and embrace the thrill of the drill. They claim that a good way to start bringing down gas prices is by drilling for more oil domestically.

But hold on, just how wise is the Bush-McCain plan to open up our coast to more drilling? Follow me after the flip for more...

With the naive belief that producing oil in America reduces gas prices (tell that to the Canadians - $5.00+/gallon), John McCain has decided to throw away the Florida vote by recommending lining the Gulf of Mexico with oil rigs.

Here is a current WaPo story of McCain's support for losing Florida's vote and destroying our ecosystem.

There is not a single thing that McCain can do to lose the Florida vote that approaches supporting oil rigs along the Florida coast.

If you care about mass transit and Amtrak here is something that you can do TODAY that will help Amtrak. Call, email, FAX or go see your representative to tell them to be a cosponsor for H.R. 6003!

Why is the EPA hiding documents from a congressional oversight committee? Will EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson turn them over at a hearing Tuesday?

Back when I was supporting Edwards, one of my major concerns with Obama was in his support for "clean coal."  I wrote about it at the time, over at Green Mountain Daily.  Here's what I wrote:

There's a great diary over at MyDD which outlines some serious problems with an energy bill which is cosponsored by Obama.  The first is a bill to support liquid coal.  From the diary:

We don't know how to sequester mass quantities of carbon dioxide created during coal liquefaction yet. Even once we figure that process out--a solution that will no doubt reduce the net energy output of the coal to fuel process itself--we've still got a dirty fuel that increases greenhouse emissions compared to petroleum.

There's also a draft bill up for discussion that includes a provision which will screw us, as Vermonters, over, along with a lot of other states.