AP sources: Obama to limit carbon at power plants

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By JOSH LEDERMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's national plan to combat climate change will include the first-ever regulations to limit carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, as well as increased production of renewable energy on public lands and federally assisted housing, environmental groups briefed on the plan said Monday.

In a major speech Tuesday at Georgetown University, Obama will announce that he's directing his administration to allow enough renewables on public lands to power 6 million homes by 2020, effectively doubling the capacity from solar, wind and geothermal projects on federal property. He'll also say the U.S. will significantly expand production of renewable energy on low-income housing sites, according to five individuals briefed on the plan, who were not authorized to discuss it publicly ahead of Obama's announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The far-reaching plan marks Obama's most prominent effort yet to deliver on a major priority he laid out in his first presidential campaign and recommitted to at the start of his second term: to fight climate change in the U.S. and abroad and prepare American communities for its effects. Environmental activists have been irked that Obama's high-minded goals never materialized into a comprehensive plan.

In taking action on his own - none of the steps Obama will announce Tuesday require congressional approval - Obama is also signaling he will no longer wait for lawmakers to act on climate change, and instead will seek ways to work around them.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20130625/DA74EL180.html

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The Capitol Dome is seen behind the Capitol Power Plant in Washington, Monday, June 24, 2013. The plant provides power to buildings in the Capitol Complex. President Barack Obama is running out of time to make good on his lofty vow to confront climate change head-on, and Congress is in no mood to help. The executive actions and regulations Obama announces Tuesday will take years to implement. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

[wordpix]

1. Please don't back down, Mr. President! Good move for those who don't like your pro-nuke stance

[blkmusclmachine]

2. Meh.

Keystone will wipe this out, and then some.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

15. Right, because it's never good enough, is it? Never!! If he did everything you wanted on the

Keystone issue, you'd find something else that he's not doing right.

Must be a lonely life to be unsatisfied about every single thing.

[BlueStreak]

3. I drove through Illinois and Indiana today

Today, wind is generating nearly 5% of the total US electricity supply. And it is already the majority of new-source electricity each year with about 50 megawatts coming online this year. (Natural gas is a big factor, but most of that is actually conversion of coal facilities.)

There is a large wind farm spreading for miles near Rensallier, Indiana. I have seen these under construction the past several years, but today was the first day I saw many of them actually operating. About 90% of the ones I could see from the highway (there must be 200 or more in total) we hard at work.

Then on my return trip, I saw a similar, but smaller field 70 miles to the west in Illinois. This is just coming online, and I actually saw several trucks delivering rotor blades.

The point is that there is absolutely no need for any new electrical production of any kind other than wind and solar. That electricity is already competitive, and we have only scratched the surface of what is possible. Probably only 1/1000 of one percent of the farmland in Indiana has windmills on it. In other words, we could very realistically expand this by a factor of 500 times. It is estimated that Texas and the Dakotas could produce enough wind power to supply every electron this country uses. So there is absolutely no excuse for not moving forward aggressively.

Obama's new regulations should make it very expensive for operators to keep using coal. I don't mind seeing some of the coal plants converted to natural gas for a couple of decades while we build out the renewable infrastructure. But if the regulations don't push hard for wind and solar, I am going to be very unhappy with this man.

[silvershadow]

5. There is another Indiana wind farm near the Madison/Grant County line, near Elwood. nt

[BlueStreak]

8. I have heard about that, but never seen it yet.

These turbine blades are huge. I drove past several trucks delivering blades in Illinois yesterday. They require an extra-long trailer and you can only get one blade per truck.

I didn't take this picture, but the ones I saw were similar to this.


Because of their size, they move rather slowly. I just don't see how any bird would have a problem missing those blades. Perhaps bats would have more trouble, as this probably doesn't resemble any natural object to their echolocation senses.

I can't imagine why any farmer would not want to add to his income if he had the opportunity to have a bunch of these mills on his land.

[quadrature]

4. WhiteHouse ground vehicles embark on air-tour of Africa

I am sure that the people of
South Africa will be thrilled and
overjoyed with the President's announcement.

[Zoeisright]

7. Ever hear of a non sequitur?

It's an argument in which the conclusions does not follow from its premises, in other words, a logical fallacy.

In other words, your comment is incredibly stupid.

[okaawhatever]

6. Way to go Mr. President. I like how you increased the carbon tax on the ac bill too. nt

[thefool_wa]

9. The only effect I see this having

Is an increase in my power bill. Honestly, fuck the planet, I'm tired of there being less and less money for me to actually feed my children on because companies (like the power companies) are being forced to spend more money and all they ever do is pass that along to us.

I am officially off the climate change band wagon. There is nothing we can do to stop it and we are wasting time, money and resources on the debate about what we should do to correct it. We need to prepare for it by shoring up our coastal roads, through infrastructure and construction innovation, and through grants to local communities to help us figure out the best way to weather the storms (literally) that are coming.

"green" is the left's abortion when it comes to politics. There is nothing we as a nation can do to stop or stem the tide of CO2 build up in our atmosphere so long as a country with 10 times our population continues to not give a damn about what effect they are having on the world. Lets stop debating the TRUTH of climate change (regardless of its cause), stop wasting time and money talking about how to stop or reverse it, and start preparing to survive it until things shift back.

This planet will go on. There have been greater catastrophes here than our adding CO2 to the atmosphere, and there will be greater still, so lets stop wasting our breath AND COSTING ME MORE MONEY, and focus on getting us through.

[pampango]

16. "fuck the planet", "I am officially off the climate change band wagon",

"lets stop wasting our breath AND COSTING ME MORE MONEY".

Why does that sound vaguely republican/tea party to me? I believe their whole thing is that climate changes is a hoax or not man-made or can be ignored regardless because doing something about it costs money.

[thefool_wa]

17. I didn't say it was a hoax.

I said I don't care.

And name calling is both unbecoming and a sign you have nothing to say that isn't just to put me down.

Yes, there are people on the "left" who see things differently than you. Deal with it.

Buying into the politics of division is part of what is destroying this country. Think with your OWN head and you will see that no one fits into these nice little pigeon holes the left and right have carved out for both your mind and opinions.

I say again, I could care less what's causing it and think we are wasting MY money (not taxes, the money I have to dish out every month to keep my lights on) trying to thwart something that is inevitable. Its time to stop trying to figure out what caused it or how to stop it and start preparing for it.

[Ash_F]

10. Thank you Mr. President.

Now just don't cave.

[proverbialwisdom]

11. Caving has nothing to do with it. American citizens can't be passive.

"This is not just a job for politicians. I'm going to need all of you Speak up at town halls, speak up...

Broaden the circle of those willing to stand up... Make yourself heard on this issue."

Transcribed live, giving me chills.

[Ash_F]

12. Indeed we can't be passive.

My newly elected city councilmen has been outspoken against bringing fracking into our neighborhood. I do plan on attending upcoming city council meetings to voice support for him.

But we still need our president to stand up for us.

[proverbialwisdom]

13. More.

http://go.bloomberg.com/political-capital/2013-06-25/obamas-flat-earth-society-tweetospheric-warming/

Obama’s ‘Flat Earth Society:’ Tweetospheric Warming
BY MARK SILVA | JUNE 25, 2013 2:38 PM EDT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/interactive/2013/jun/25/barack-obama-climate-action-plan

Barack Obama's climate action plan – in full
The president's strategy for tackling climate change, published ahead of a landmark speech by Obama at Georgetown university
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 25 June 2013 09.00 EDT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/25/obama-climate-change-speech-more-promises

No transcript or video yet, as far as I can find.

[proverbialwisdom]

14. WSJ: "Full Transcript of Obama’s Remarks on Climate Change"

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/06/25/full-transcript-of-obamas-remarks-on-climate-change/

June 25, 2013, 4:14 PM

Full Transcript of Obama’s Remarks on Climate Change

...Americans are not a people who look backwards; we’re a people who look forward. We’re not a people who fear what the future holds; we shape it. What we need in this fight are citizens who will stand up, and speak up, and compel us to do what this moment demands.

Understand this is not just a job for politicians. So I’m going to need all of you to educate your classmates, your colleagues, your parents, your friends. Tell them what’s at stake. Speak up at town halls, church groups, PTA meetings. Push back on misinformation. Speak up for the facts. Broaden the circle of those who are willing to stand up for our future. (Applause.)

Convince those in power to reduce our carbon pollution. Push your own communities to adopt smarter practices. Invest. Divest. (Applause.) Remind folks there’s no contradiction between a sound environment and strong economic growth. And remind everyone who represents you at every level of government that sheltering future generations against the ravages of climate change is a prerequisite for your vote. Make yourself heard on this issue. (Applause.)

I understand the politics will be tough. The challenge we must accept will not reward us with a clear moment of victory. There’s no gathering army to defeat. There’s no peace treaty to sign. When President Kennedy said we’d go to the moon within the decade, we knew we’d build a spaceship and we’d meet the goal. Our progress here will be measured differently — in crises averted, in a planet preserved. But can we imagine a more worthy goal? For while we may not live to see the full realization of our ambition, we will have the satisfaction of knowing that the world we leave to our children will be better off for what we did.

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