Why are Big Greens Supporting Carbon Sequestration?

I received an email from Ranger Rick today, asking me to support the Lieberman/Warner Climate Security Act. Check out NWF's Website to see the unfortunate truth.

NRDC and League of Conservation Voters, Environmental Defense, and Clean Air Task force are supporting this bill as well, which would give $515 Billion among other negatives which Brian has outlined so well here. Once we start funding Carbon Sequest-crap-tion it will be more difficult for grassroots community groups to stop coal plants in their neighborhood, as well as to stop dirty coal extraction and production. $515 billion dollars could do a lot for green jobs and renewable energy (which actually exist).

Even worse, NRDC and Clean Air Task Force are actively campaigning for "Clean Coal," (No Such Thing!) undermining grassroots groups and setting back community struggles for renewable energy and green jobs. IGCC (fancy new fangled dirty coal plants) and Carbon Sequestration (if it existed!) still emit toxins such as mercury, uranium, lead, into the local communities, usually low income and/or people of color, that Clean Air Task Force is so excited for them to go in. Coal is not green, unless you consider money.

Even is carbon sequestration existed, and even if it kept mercury and uranium from polluting local waterways, then it would still cause increases in Mountain Top Removal and other coal mining, coal processing, coal transportation, which emits toxins into the river ways and truck routes, and coal waste disposal (coal waste increases risk of cancer by 10,000 times according to the EPA).

Worse, when big greens support Clean Coal, they force me to blog about crap like this, instead of working towards real solutions. Coal hurts communities, and when Big Greens like NRDC, CATF and now NWF and friends support clean coal and carbon sequestration, they undermine and betray grassroots movements.