That Trillion-Dollar Ripoff-- Clinton's Utah Coal Deal

various websites | 7-29-02 | The Heavy Equipment Guy

[backhoe]

In light of the attention focused on coal and coalminers over the weekend, let's review one of the more sordid episodes of the late & unlamented Clinton Conspiracy of Criminals...

Review the information in these links, and judge for yourself- was the public interest ripped off?

The Utah Coal Lockup: A trillion dollar Lippo payoff?
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/lippo.htm

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument: Conservation and ...
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument: Conservation
and Controversy. Petrified Woody's ...
Description: "This million-plus acre area needs protection from uncontrolled development, but at what cost?...

-``Behind Closed Doors: The Abuse of Trust And Discretion In The Establishment Of The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.''--

-Four Years Later, Locals Still Decry Clinton Monument --

-Coalgate--that ugly Lippo-Klink-Redford connection to tyranny--

-Clinton's Utah deal not justified-WND story--

Energy and Mineral Resources, Grand Staircase - Escalante ...
Utah Geological Survey. ... A Preliminary Assessment of Energy and Mineral Resources
within the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. ...

2.	DOWNSIDE LEGACY AT TWO DEGREES OF PRESIDENT CLINTON
	DOWNSIDE LEGACY AT TWO DEGREES OF PRESIDENT CLINTON SECTION: RED FLAGS OF TREASON - PEOPLE SUBSECTION: C. JOSEPH GIROIR, JR. Revised 1/8/01 C. JOSEPH GIROIR, Jr. "His name is on the inscription u

3.	KSL Editorials - Utah News from KSL-TV, Salt Lake City, Utah
	Read what the community is saying about local issues.

4.	Downside Legacy on C Joseph Giroir Jr [Free Republic]
	FreeRepublic.com "A Conservative News Forum" [ Last | Latest Posts | Latest Articles | Self Search | Add Bookmark | Post | Abuse | Help! ] Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are th

28.	Questioning Official Environmentalism
	Mainstream Media Chomsky on Mainstream Media logic, structure Alternative Media Albert on Alternative Media logic, structure Navigating the Media Interview with Ben Bagdakian Post Modernism Albert deb

[backhoe]

I'm flagging you to see if any on your list would be interested in this old fraud and corruption.

[Miss Marple]

This is one that I have been interrested in since it happened. That coal was low-sulfur coal with a fairly high BTU rating, and would have been invaluable for use in the northeast. The next best source of similar coal is INDONESIA.

[Alberta's Child]

That coal was low-sulfur coal with a fairly high BTU rating, and would have been invaluable for use in the northeast. The next best source of similar coal is INDONESIA.

Interesting point, but if this were truly relevant I would think that the U.S. would now be importing coal from Indonesia as a result of Clinton's actions. I don't think this is the case -- even high quality coal has a very low value per unit weight, so it rarely makes economic sense to transport it long distances. I believe most of the coal that is used by utilities in the Midwest comes from the Powder River Basin in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana.

[PhiKapMom]

Backhoe --

Thanks again for these excellent links! You are better than a search engine!

PKM

[backhoe]

Appreciate your comments- thanks for checking in.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I never did understand the deal was with Utah's coal. I thought we had 500 years of low sulfur, 8300 BTU coal from the Powder River Basin around Gillette. I understand that Utah's coal is 10500-11000 BTUs/pound, but its still in a remote location--probably $35/ton train ride to the NE.

[Free the USA]

Index Bump

[uncbob]

Of course the wimped out GOP won't say diddly about this while the democrats attack every stupid issue

[Ahban]

Maybe the question to ask is where are China and Japan getting THEIR coal? Maybe we could compete shipping it from Utah verses shipping it from Indonesia and THAT is the market we lost our on.

[MosesKnows]

The main point was to take it off the market. It would not be available to the market by the time the price may have been practical due to diminishing supplies of the cleaner burning coal.

Anytime a portion of a non-renewable resource is made unavailable it increases the value of what remains. That is why there is a "oil depletion allowance" to deduct the increasing cost of retrieving an energy source. In the existing tax code, certain oil, gas, coal and uranium producers receive a huge subsidy through the percentage depletion allowance.

[MosesKnows]

I never did understand the deal was with Utah's coal

I may have responded to the wrong person.

The main point was to take it off the market. It would not be available to the market by the time the price may have been practical due to diminishing supplies of the cleaner burning coal.

Anytime a portion of a non-renewable resource is made unavailable it increases the value of what remains. That is why there is a "oil depletion allowance" to deduct the increasing cost of retrieving an energy source. In the existing tax code, certain oil, gas, coal and uranium producers receive a huge subsidy through the percentage depletion allowance.

[backhoe]

Thanks for the bump, the ping, and the kind words- they are appreciated!

[backhoe]

Of course the wimped out GOP won't say diddly about this while the democrats attack every stupid issue

No argument from me- bearing in mind that I identify myself as conservative rather than Republican.

But that's the point in bringing this up periodically- so it will go across the web, and maybe make it to talk radio.

[Fracas]

This is an excellent and timely subject. I would think after last weekend, that coal miners might be in 'vogue', so this might well get some play - particularly on local talk shows in PA, WVa, etc.

Thanks for all the effort you put into this research and organization. Well done!

[Miss Marple]

Midwest Coal fields are mostly shut down. Due to the Clean Air Act, it is cheaper for utilities to buy Wyoming Coal and ship it here by rail than to put scubbers on their plants and buy higher sulfur Indiana Coal.

Originally scrubbers were going to be required at some point, but the utilities somehow managed to get that portion dropped, so here we sit on tons of coal while we ship it in from the West. The same thing happened to the eastern coal...There aren't nearly as many mines working in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and other Appalachian states as there used to be.

The Clean Coal technology that is in the Energy Bill would help the mining industry, as well as giving us a source of energy that is relatively low in cost. Of course, Tom Daschle has that bill bottled up.

[backhoe]

Appreciate the kind words... and my personal feelings about the Utah Coal Ripoff aside, I hope this mine ordeal that just played out will remind all Americans just how important regular working people are. My Mom's folks are from Ohio, and long ago we had some miners in her side of the family- it's hard, dirty, dangerous work-- but it's work that somebody has to do.

I would dearly love to collar some of these overpaid News Jackals you see on TV and get an honest day of manual labor out of them in the hot summer sun...

[bimbo]

Maybe the question to ask is where are China and Japan getting THEIR coal?

Manchuria ... cheapest coal on earth. It is mined by Chinese slave labor.

[bimbo]

That is why there is a "oil depletion allowance" ...

I could stand corrected, but I believe the "oil depletion allowance" went the way of the Dodo bird as part of Carter's assault on "excess profits" in the '70s. Since the demise of the allowance, there hasn't been any "depletion" of oil reserves at all! Oil reserves have increased annually ever since, as the Oil companies were forced to earn money through the production of oil, rather than through a tax gimmick.

[backhoe]

BTW, FYI, & FWIW-- I understand Robert Reford was mainly responsible ( besides mr. bill ) for this disgrace:

	White House Secretly Planned Utah 'land grab
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	UTAH LAND GRAB STILL A MYSTERY [Free Republic]
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