INSTAPUNDIT IS WRONG ON COAL - AND CO2: COAL DOESN'T SUCK AND CO2 IS HARMLESS

GLENN REYNOLDS:

WORRIES ABOUT CARBON TAXES are short-circuiting coal-plant construction.

"Utilities canceled or put on hold at least 45 coal plants in development last year, according to a new analysis by the US Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh.

Upside: Burning coal sucks. Downside: More power to the oil kleptocrats. Solution: Nice clean nukes?

GLENN IS WRONG. COAL CAN BE BURNED CLEANLY - WITH CO2 BEING THE ONLY BUGABOO FOR THE ECO-NUTSIE LEFT.

• THE ONLY REASON KANSAS RECENTLY DENIED A PERMIT TO A COMPANY WHICH WANTED TO BUILD A CLEAN-COAL POWER PLANT WAS THE CO2 IT WOULD HAVE RELEASED.

• BUT SINCE AGW IS BUNK, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON NOT TO BURN COAL.
• IF MAN-MADE CO2 WAS CAUSING GLOBAL WARMING, THEN WHY WAS THIS WINTER COLDER THAN ANY IN MANY DECADES, AND LAST YEAR THE COOLEST SINCE 2001?
  
• MAN-MADE CO2 HAS INCREASED STEADILY, BUT TEMPERATURES HAVE NOT; THIS ALONE DISPROVES CO2 AS CAUSATIVE.
  

• THE ECO-NUTSIE/AGW CROWD BLAMES MAN-MADE CO2 FOR GLOBAL WARMING - HENCE THE PRESSURE FOR CARBON TAXES (OF ONE SORT OR ANOTHER, IN ONE SCHEME OR ANOTHER).

• THESE SCHEMES LEAD US TO USE MORE OIL THAN WE MIGHT OTHERWISE USE -
• AND THIS INCREASES DEMAND FOR OIL -
• WHICH INCREASES THE PRICE -
• WHICH INCREASES THE MONEY WE SEND TO OUR QUESTIONABLE ALLIES IN THE GULF.

• AS IF THIS WASN'T BAD ENOUGH, THE SAME ECO-NUTSIE AGW CROWD HAS EFFECTIVELY BANNED US FROM DRILLING FOR OIL OFF OUR COASTS, AND IN ANWR -
• FURTHER DRIVING UP THE COST OF OIL
  
• AND ALSO INCREASING THE MONEY WE SEND TO THE ARABIAN GULF NATIONS.
  

• AGW CARBON SCHEMES ARE A LOSE-LOSE-LOSE-LOSE PROPOSITIONS:
• THEY DON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT MAN-MADE CO2;
• EVEN IF THEY DID, IT WOULDN'T EFFECT GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE,
  
• AND WHILE THEY DO NOTHING ABOUT GLOBAL CLIMATE, THEY RAISE THE PRICE OF ENERGY,
  
• AND MAKE THE WEST SEND MORE MONEY TO THE ARABS.
  

THERE IS NOTHING RATIONAL OR EFFECTIVE ABOUT PURSUING THIS ANTI-CO2 POLICY.

THE ANTI-CO2 POLICY IS PRO-RECESSION AND PRO-ARAB.

AND WHEN GLENN POOH-POOHS COAL, HE SERVES THE ECO-NUTSIE AGW CROWD, BY BUYING INTO THEIR SKY-IS-FALLING PREMISE.

SHAME ON YOU GLENN.