It should surprise no one that Mitt Romney's pro-coal, anti-carbon regulations energy plan was crafted by a coal zombie, but here are the deets anyway: Jim Talent, a key Romney advisor, leads a lobbying firm that took $125,000 from Peabody Energy to promote coal-related interests.
“America has hundreds of years of coal reserves," writes Talent, a Republican and key Romney economic advisor, blaming government regulation for hampering domestic coal mining and other energy production.
“The problem is not that America does not have energy. The problem is that our government – alone among the governments of the world – will not allow its own people to recover the energy that they possess.’’
The NewSpeak runs thick here. Replace "our government is alone in the world in hampering coal production" with "our government is alone among the ruling bodies of developed countries in its inability to pass legislation even hinting at a price on carbon" and you've got it about right. Hell, even China is hip to this whole cap-and-trade game.
