The American Carbon footprint. A Carbon Fee, returns 99.14% to American Citizens, Handling fee of 0.86%.

Images: Wikipedia for Al Gore and Peabody; whitehouse.gov for Obama

Al Gore wants Cap and Trade, Kyoto Style.
Peabody doesn't want any fees. Wants a FREE ride; Peabody works dirtiest energy job" in USA for$2.35/ton of coal mined.
Barack likes clean coal, he says, doesn't want Fee and Dividend. Is hesitant about declaration of planetary emergency.

Joe and Jill America: "My coal-produced-electricity would go up how much? My carbon footprint is how big? 25 tons Carbon a year? No way!"

Yeah. Way.

That is your footprint. If you are an American!

Sorry, there is no easy path. No "Easy Button."

Tim Geithner, according to Hank Paulson, understands money and government -- but there is not a glimmer of his grasp of the planetary climate crisis or the "value" of the environment as compared to "wealth" and banking. It was true he failed to pay some taxes and finally did so. His salary in 2007 was reputed to be $398,200 according to Wikipedia. So he likely took a real money cut to work as Treasurer. But the problem really is that he is a part of the problem. Sorry, Tim -- that is just the way it is.

While you are young and reasonably healthy, there are good jobs
picking rocks out of fields to grow spuds and when you finish, you have made a lasting contribution to our food supply.

If Tim Geithner and Wall Street gets their way, the reset won't be for "your" mortgage. These people have been party to the $5 trillion illusion that sank the world economy. Of course, your mortgage is not one of the Toxic Assets we are helping bail out. Your housing devaluation is "your" problem. But for the Banks? We are covering theirs. We are also paying their insurance with the usual taxpayer pay off.

Did Hank Paulson sell bad paper through Goldie Sachs? To China? No problem. AIG will cover that, and the full faith and credit of the American taxpayer stands behind both that insurance guarantee, and the "toxic" real estate.

Is your asset TOXIC? Do you owe much, much more than the amount that could be obtained by selling it? That could be fixed, if you and the lender could renegotiate the terms and amount, couldn't it? I mean, after all, you've lost at least 15.5% across much of the nation, and if you are in the Western US, you've lost as much as 30%.. Can you just keep paying for what has lost value, you know, "buck up" to an illusion of worth and value?

Maybe you can get a reset at the bank? Sure?

http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/update/

Obama's administration fails to tell American's the truth about Economy and Climate. It is time they did, using help from scientists that do know the right words. Maybe we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We're going to have to, and get good at it, too.

American's Carbon footprint was 25 tons CO2/year in 2008.

We have a planetary climate emergency, not just a global economic emergency. These are entangled. Do you know what "entangled" means? Yes. It does mean mixed up pretty good, kind of messy. But there are depths of meaning to words. They can richly amplify meaning.

http://www.phobe.com/s_cat/s_cat.html

Peeking at Schrodingers' Cat. (Or "Letting the ol' cat out of the Bag.")

Image:Wikipedia

I use "entangled" here in the "modern" quantum sense,including the action at a distance concept. Too, I want to include entangled in the Schrodinger's Cat-sense, since until you look at it, you can't say it is so.

In the mess we have now front and center, it would not require real deep scrutiny to "un"tangle the connection in which Big Carbon and their Banks are entangled, which also weaves its way into Congress and the rest of the international banking cartel. How this affects the environment is the conundrum entangling Global Warming and economic growth.

Geithner understands what was the status quo, and is trying to preserve and resurrect that status quo -- wanting us to fund the rescue of the status quo. Instead, we need to change the status quo -- actually turn hard away from it. We have this climate problem; we know "who done it" and it is us. In the near future we can call the uncertainty of Schrodinger's Cat's life or death a tipping point. It is not certain we have already passed a tipping point. It is certain that if we have we do not yet know it. That is a superposition in the uncertainty and certainty of tipping points. This uncertainty will collapse in the very near future.

We need to re-distribute the "wealth" and it must include the price of preserving the environment. The wealthy will have to pay their share as a tithe to the environment their wealth has exploited.

You can't go to the EPA website and right away see the American Carbon Footprint -- but you should be able to. Instead they want you to own up individually. And you can do that with a feel good shot. Yeah.

EPA still has not fixed its web pages from the Bush Boondoggle Years, and it costs you trillions not to get what you pay for.

Want to calculate your Carbon Footprint?

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html

The question for Congress and the Obama Administration:

Are you wearing Blinders?

Let us suggest a $116/ton Fossil Carbon Fee, collected at the point of offload, port of entry, well-head, or coal or asphalt, mine or shale oil location. This is a "fee" paid to allow production of fossil carbon that forms CO2 for the production of fossil carbon energy sources, and of this $116/ton Carbon Fee, $1 (one dollar) is retained by the federal government for record keeping and distribution of the fossil fees collected TO American Citizens on a per capita basis. The citizens of America are the ones to whom this Fossil Carbon Fee is returned. Their equitable portion of the fee is deposited monthly into their bank accounts, or their credit union accounts, or deposited if not subject to the bank hassle, into to their U.S. Federal Debit Card account, which is a debit card owned by the federal government and managed by the federal government via the fossil fees collected as $1 dollar/ton fossil carbon management fee. Lets say the Treasury is charged with the Carbon Fee distribution.

Each American's actual Carbon Footprint, per capita, is something around 25 tons, perhaps a little more or less, but the novel idea is to actually use market forces to solve the planet's economic crisis and man-caused carbon emission's problems. This is too important to allow Wall Street or Global Corporate Business interference to weight the outcome. The entirety of life on this world depends on our getting this right. And getting it right, now.

Instead of some of Obama's well-meaning people working FOR the economy and environment these people are working against the planet's future. This Moment is "The Moment" -- and it honestly looks like the Administration and Congress are going to "Screw It Up." Intentionally or just stupidly. Giving you administration folks and congressional staffers the benefit of the doubt, THIS is looking like it is just Stooopid, stuuuupid,stupid. That is Not Intentional. Just stoopid. You folks don't get Tip O"neils maxim that "ALL politics is local," and are letting special "profit interests" infect your intelligence. (Yes, the idea that there is intelligence involved is a daring assertion. We know stoopid, and intelligence is something we've had "hope" for. You know, Change?)

In a way, this is like believing in "something for nothing," or that Santa Claus and Christmas are the most important economic solution to a global problem. Planetary Business Profit has nothing to do with life, except destroying it. But "Survival" does have to do with life, and for somewhat evolved beings like we are, there is a hint of morality. Not much, but a hint. Hope for change is that way too.

It is not Big Business our government must cater to. It is the individual mom's pop's and kid's and life of the world you claim to value -- our government must cater to. These masses at the point of survival are those which must be the drivers of this civilization, and the planetary rescue.

Below Are Difficult Mathematics. Be wary.

The math may not be your strong suite, and it is admittedly, very difficult. (Not really)

A Fossil Carbon Fee of $116/ton of fossil carbon is equivalent to about $1 additional fee to each gallon of gasoline at the pump. It is not applied to biofuels.

306 million Americans, times 25 tons carbon footprint each, times the Carbon Fee, is enough to reshape, over a short time, less than a decade, every buggy whip enterprise on the planet.

25 Tons/year x 306,000,000 Americans x $116/ton Carbon Fee = $887,400,000,000 annual Carbon Fee.

Management Fees
25 tons/year x 306,000,000 Americans x $1.00 = $7,650,000,000 ($7.650 Billion Management fee)

The management fee for distribution and debit card management is a nonprofit balanced operation accomplished by (say) the GAO, or something you can "trust" like the Congressional Budget Office.

Well, find something trustworthy, NOT Wall Street, not The Federal Reserve and NOT AIG, JPMorganChase, or BoA, or Citi or any financial for profit entity. No contractor. Period. Debit card Management for Carbon Fee return to Americans would be handled by the government.

The redistribution of the fees back to the American People would be per capita, similar to this:

$887,400,000,000 Carbon Fee
---$7,625,000,000 Govt Mgmt Fee
$879,750,000,000 returned to the people

$ 879.750 billion / 306 million people = $2,875.00 per year per single person

With half-shares for children up to two children per family, this would amount to $8625.00 to spend on non-fossil carbon products. For example, biofuels would be $1/gallon less expensive than gasoline!

Cellulosic Ethanol and even compressed methane, from biological sources like livestock feedlots, would also be less expensive than fossil natural gas.

"Businesses" are NOT people. They earn nothing from the fossil carbon fee - except that which is earned by them not using fossil fuels in their business; simply their cost of doing "business" is reduced for using non-fossil carbon. They can become positive forces, but not the way they operate now. With a Fossil Carbon Fee in place, it doesn't matter. The Market Place will deal with the businesses (the buggy whip makers) that fail to respond. Gosh, I hope that metaphor is understood.

But! you say, you are trapped by the Electric Company?

Changing light bulbs, getting efficient electricity guzzlers, will help.(Better Appliances, Energy Star Stuff.) Solar photovoltaic panels on your apartment, or home -- selling what you produce back to the Electric Company, at the same price you pay them for each kWh consumed -- will especially with federal tax rebates, pay for the process and be beneficial to you budget. It might be a good idea for you to join in a group, or start one, that can own, build, and sell electricity from wind and solar to the utility. Pretty soon, with enough input, you find yourself in the energy production business -- and in addition to the carbon fee return, you have a regular power revenue income.

When fossil carbon as a CO2 emissions source is driven to disappear by market forces, the Fossil Carbon Fee will vanish. A family of four would have had a stimulus package, not from the government but from your part of the fees. You will have had the chance to invest in non-fossil carbon emitting equipment, imagine as a family of four with a home, adding $8,000 per year Solar panels or helping your coop or credit union group to acquire a small or large part of a solar farm or wind farm in lieu of being captured by the local for profit power utility.

Of course, unless real and successful carbon sequestration can actually happen, all fossil coal power generation must be phased out, quickly. Certainly, there are some areas where our federal government can and should help. Scientific Research is one such place. Generation 4 Nuclear power plants, those that use and consume what is currently our nuclear waste residue should be stepping in to replace coal that is not 100% carbon sequestered.

All coal must be phased out. The reason is pretty simple. Like nuclear waste, burying it in the ground exposes future peoples to dangerous conditions should the Carbon escape. It may be politically important to "stroke" the coal producers -- but it is dishonest to them, and it is dishonest to the American people and the world, to pretend "Clean Carbon" is even safely possible or close to enactment. Clean safe coal is not really possible unless the carbon oxygen bond of CO2 is broken and the pure Carbon buried. That is a strong chemical bond and it costs energy/money to break it. For the same reasons it is dangerous to simply bury long half-life radioactive ash (waste) so is the idea of CO2 as a compound being trapped in rock or ocean basins a costly and dangerous idea.

Scientific research and engineering development of more efficient solar photovoltaic cells, light strong materials for wind power, tidal power, geothermal -- all will be necessary and required to remove CO2 excess over 350 ppmv. This is a necessary condition and may possibly need to become a lower amount to serve both life and a sustainable human "prosperity."

Population growth for banking or business purposes is not sustainable nor desirable. Banking as done now will have to end. It is a failure, as the ancients knew and personal wealth to excess leads to the society we have now -- completely un-sustainable. A cellular in every hand is doable but useless and really wasteful of resources. It should not be the measure of our civilization. There are two major frontiers that are endless and can be used for the sustainable development of our humanity. Knowledge is the primary endless frontier that needs continued exploration and development -- while exploration and development of our presence in nearby solar system space can occupy several thousand years within the available physical resources of the solar system. Knowledge is truly the endless frontier and its acquisition will sustain our species and our humanity far beyond our present epoch. What if we became wise?

If we do not solve the CO2 climate conundrum, we will not survive -- nor will we even have earned the right to represent this planet's vast numbers of living forms. With our demise, Earth still could have time to produce many more successful intelligences before the Sun "cooks" life off of the Earth.

Short term? All residential mortgages in the United States, and possibly on the entire planet should be renegotiated; even the ones that are living up to expectations of the lenders. ALL residential mortgages. All ARMs will be rescinded and renegotiated at fixed rates with usury in the 3-5% range. I would get rid of banking for profit or financials from profit for a period of 25 years, except for three banks. All but 3 banks would become non-profit, well-salaried, government-owned and operated entities. At the end of 25 years, these banks would be sold and dispersed. The 3 banks remaining would be regulated investment-risk-taking banks, completely apart from housing and agriculture or consumer non-luxury commodities. These investment banks would be allowed to operate separately and kept separate but used for the development of new clean, renewable or super efficient energy mechanisms, new atmospheric carbon removal tools and efforts, and expected to fund risky propositions with possibly high return potential. These things could be in any fields that could be justified to their investors -- except residential housing and agriculture or necessary sustainable consumer commodities.

Peabody: http://www.peabodyenergy.com/
Wikipedia notes that "It holds majority interests in 40 coal operations located throughout the United States and in Australia and Venezuela. In addition, Peabody owns minority interests in two mines through joint venture arrangements. In the United States, company-owned mines are located in Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Illinois, and Indiana. Peabody's largest operation is the North Antelope-Rochelle Mine located in Campbell County, Wyoming, mining more than 97 million tons of coal in 2008 and will likely mine over 100 million tons of coal in 2009." --Wikipedia

[Peabody would have to provide $116 x 100,000,000 tons = $11.6 billion as a Fossil Carbon Fee for the "North Antelope-Rochelle Mine," in Wyoming. However, their total 2008 sales of 256 million tons, with their coal products fueling 10 percent of all U.S. electricity generation and 2 percent of worldwide electricity, only generated $6.6 billion in revenues. No wonder they are fighting tooth and nail and backing the Xomba Coalpeople as well as the advertising for "New Clean Coal Energy" to meet America's needs. They want "you" to fund their carbon sequestration package.

A Fossil Carbon Fee as suggested here, applied to Peabody would be $116 x 256 million tons = $29,696,000,000 -- All they would do is raise your electric rate to stay in business. A large raise. Could they even afford to "clean up their act" since their profits are only $600.7 million a year. They get a profit of (only) $ 2.35 / per ton, and they are making money enough to declare $0.06 /share. But what are they doing to the Atmosphere?]

Look. As much as I love how clean coal is so clean, for the use of coal, I favor using it only for eating. That has to be yet developed beyond the completely synthetic "twinkee" stage.

Peabody can't pay the fee -- you have to pay the fee. With Fee and Dividend, YOU get it back.

With Cap and Trade? Wally Street Gets It, and you pay for it, but you pay them! Like a Bailout. Like a Bonus. From the Citizens to the hands of Wally Street humanitarians! Sure, But that is what Obama's people want to give you. Isn't it.

Protect the banks--protect a seriously, seriously flawed system. Oh, yes, the Republican's want to do that and worse. They want you out on the street -- you slackers -- they want your property. They want it for the banks and investors, but cheap. (Really. What plan do they have? None, just to let the bankruptcy sales correct the pocket books of their contributors, the big money people. (You can practice your pointed, off-key laugh here.)

Imagine: $880 Billion a year that you could use to decide your energy future. In your hands, and you vote it the way you spend it. Would you buy another Coal Plant? Or would you think options with your dividend?

This map depicts where large coal deposits exist in the US and Canada. Most of those who think about this see coal only as a brief transition, then gone. Note that Illinois has substantial coal. The image below is from DOE's Energy Information Agency, and attempts to rationalize gasoline pricing.

Both Images: Department of Energy

Images DOE (post hoc 2007, new stuff in May 2009)
Other INFO:
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp

Okay. The efforts of Big Carbon corporations are ignoring their CO2 outputs. What would you do if you had an extra $9000 a year to cut your costs? If you would rather see Wall Street gain millions, suggest Kyoto -- if you want to control some of the money that you are spending on a tax -- suggest Fee and Dividend.