In January Obama told the San Francisco Chronicle he intends to "bankrupt" the coal industry

Barack Obama told The San Francisco Chronicle that he wants to bankrupt the coal industry. His words, not mine:

Let me sort of describe my overall policy.

What I've said is that we would put a cap and trade system in place that is as aggressive, if not more aggressive, than anybody else's out there.

I was the first to call for a 100% auction on the cap and trade system, which means that every unit of carbon or greenhouse gases emitted would be charged to the polluter. That will create a market in which whatever technologies are out there that are being presented, whatever power plants that are being built, that they would have to meet the rigors of that market and the ratcheted down caps that are being placed, imposed every year.

So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted.

That will also generate billions of dollars that we can invest in solar, wind, biodiesel and other alternative energy approaches.

Let me get this straight. A bankrupt coal plant will generate "billions of dollars" for solar and wind power?

That's math only a community organizer can understand.

Not to worry: only half of U.S. electricity is produced by coal. So we can live without it.

Request: Click here to email this story to everyone you know in coal-producing states like West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio.

Update: Ace's Dave in TX observes that skyrocketing electric rates are "just a small price to pay to pave the way for the coming energy utopia when we heat our homes with faerie farts and renewable rainbows."

Update II: Fausta offers the official map of coal-producing states.

Know anyone in those areas? Let 'em know about Barack "The Bankrupter" Obama's plans.

Update III: The West Virginia Record reports that a high-level official representing the West Virginia Coal Association calls the statements "unbelievable... his comments are unfortunate... and really reflect a very uninformed voice and perspective to coal specifically and energy generally."



Hat tip: Larwyn.