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Oppose Liquid Coal! Our cars should be cleaner, not dirtier!
 Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), famous for saying, “Global warming is the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,” has proposed a misguided scheme to launch a new industry based on converting coal into transportation fuel.
Liquid coal (or coal-to-liquids) is a global warming nightmare: it produces double the carbon dioxide emissions of conventional gasoline and would be a huge step backward for efforts to combat global warming. Quite simply, liquid coal can turn a hybrid into a Hummer.
In addition to Inhofe’s proposal, there have been other bills introduced that also call for massive subsidies and loan guarantees to launch this dirty coal industry. We must act now to stop them -- please take action today!
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| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Fight Global Warming: Oppose Liquid Coal
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I am writing to urge you to vote against Senator Inhofe's amendment to S.4 and any other legislation that seeks to promote a liquid coal industry. Liquid coal (or coal-to-liquids) produces double the carbon dioxide emissions of conventional gasoline and thus, is a giant step backward in the fight against global warming.
Running a hybrid automobile on liquid coal would essentially turn it into a Hummer. Moreover, the untold billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies it would take to make liquid coal work financially would be better spent on clean alternative fuels, energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy sources that reduce our nation's greenhouse gas emissions.
Large-scale production of liquid coal would also accelerate the devastating effects of coal mining felt in many communities and ecosystems, including polluted air and water and ravaged landscapes.
I urge you to oppose the Inhofe amendment and any other legislation that would provide taxpayer handouts to a liquid coal industry. Instead of subsidizing this misguided scheme, I want my taxpayer dollars invested in clean fuel technologies that both reduce global warming pollution and increase our nation's energy security. Liquid coal is not the answer!
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
March 08, 2007
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Earthjustice is taking on devastating coal production and global warming, relying on the same tools we've used to address other major environmental problems -- using the power of the law to encourage action.
Stopping Mountaintop Removal:
- Challenging Coal Mining Company’s Mining Permits on behalf of local environmental groups to require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to comply with the Clean Water Act when evaluating the impacts of permits that would destroy vital headwater streams.
Fighting Global Warming:
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Leading scientific experts around the world now agree that global warming is real, and that the world’s leaders must take decisive action to head off catastrophic impacts to our planet. Ignoring the alarm, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) proposes to dramatically increase our nation’s contribution to global warming by embarking upon a misguided scheme to convert coal into liquid fuel for cars, trucks, planes, and other types of transportation.
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| Liquid coal is not the answer for clean cars | Liquid coal (or coal-to-liquids) is a global warming nightmare: it produces double the carbon dioxide emissions of conventional gasoline and would be a huge step backward for efforts to combat global warming.
Tell Capitol Hill that we must not create a new dirty industry that would produce double the carbon dioxide emissions of conventional gasoline. Please urge your senator to oppose any liquid coal scheme for the following reasons:
1) Liquid Coal is a Global Warming Loser: Relying on coal-based fuel would nearly double global warming pollution per gallon as compared with the petroleum-based fuels we use today. For example, using coal-based fuel in a Honda Civic would double that vehicle’s carbon dioxide emissions, making it equivalent to a Hummer H3 running on conventional gasoline.
2) Liquid Coal Would Devastate our Land, Air, and Water: Large-scale production of liquid coal would accelerate the devastating effects of coal mining felt in many communities and ecosystems stretching from Appalachia to the Rocky Mountains, including polluted air and water and ravaged landscapes. While mountaintop removal coal mining has already buried thousands of miles of streams in Appalachia, producing liquid coal would further destroy this area. Additionally, producing liquid coal in the West requires an inordinate amount of water -- a resource the West is already lacking.
3) Liquid Coal is Financially Irresponsible: Just one liquid coal plant costs $7 billion dollars to build -- and Inhofe is asking the American people to foot the bill! Furthermore, every public or private dollar invested in liquid coal is one less dollar available for investment in efficient vehicles, improved transportation systems, smart growth, and sustainably-made renewable fuels.
4) America Has Better Options: Real Clean Energy. The cleanest, fastest and most affordable way to enhance our energy security is through greater use of efficiency and renewable energy resources coupled with energy conservation. America is rich in homegrown renewable power, including bio-fuels and energy-saving innovation that can make us less reliant on oil without filling up on dirty fuels. Our investments should go toward clean, green, fuel-efficient technologies and other measures that make us more secure while also solving global warming.
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