In a message dated 3/25/2011 9:34:07 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes: http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-23-obama-administration-announces-massi ve-coal-mining-expansion. Is it just me, or shouldn't this have sounded much more of an alarm? This looks to me like Obama has sold out to the coal interests, and that he's totally decided to ignore any climate change effects. Yes, renewables are growing, but doesn't this signal that Obama has cashed it in and decided that fossil fuels are our future? Even if he has the intent of supporting stronger EPA regulations, doesn't this put all the more pressure on the EPA to somehow capitulate to, or at least accommodate, coal interests? The Sierra Club's response to this is at _http://action.sierraclub.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=200421.0_ (http://action.sierraclub.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=200421.0) . A reasonable response, but I see it as entirely too tepid in the face of this news. I don't see any reference to things like the Harvard study and the huge health costs that this will produce (at a time when Obama wants health care reforms and costs to go down), and the massive environmental damages, especially from climate change, that this will practically guarantee. It seems apparent that economic interests have trumped environmental ones, and the way the coal industry won was to persuade enough people that coal is the lowest cost option and necessary to our economic well being. By the time we include health costs, direct environmental damage, climate change damages, subsidies, and tax write-offs, is it really? While I don't disagree with the content of the press release, I don't see how this cuts it in the face of this decision. Nor does Grist apparently. We also had the Gulf oil disaster and now they're issuing new drilling permits in the Gulf. Am I reading too much into this that we need to make strong enough economic (or other) arguments to dissuade people that coal is in our economic and societal best interests? Do we need other tactics or stronger approaches or responses? Or are we just packing it in, congratulating ourselves on the battles we win while we're losing the war? Don - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-GLOBALWARM-CHAIRS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp