Sen. Jon Tester Kills Liquid Coal Amendment

[skipos]

Huge kudos to Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who late last week cast a crucial vote in the Senate EPW committee to scuttle a coal-to-liquid amendment. The committee's been trying to craft an energy package; they had agreed to table contentious issues like CTL for open debate on the floor, but Sen. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo) put forth his measure anyway. It would have created a substantial mandate for liquid coal fuels -- 21 billion gallons annually by 2022 -- and could have killed the bill entirely.

Tester isn't against coal. He supports it; he's from a coal state. But as his spokesflack says, Tester believes "we must first pave the way for a sustainable and responsible future in coal development by ensuring the capture and storage of carbon emissions." He realizes that blundering ahead with coal before addressing its emissions is tantamount to collective suicide, and he's not willing to sign on with that for the sake of a big-money industry in his state.

That, I submit, is a sign of character, and an affirmation that Montanans were right to trust their instincts about the guy with the flat top.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-roberts/sen-jon-tes...

[montanacowboy]

1. We are very proud of our

Senator Tester; a real man - a real man of integrity! a real guy who does not have a "fake" ranch, who actually does run a large organic farm and changes the clutch in his tractor; unlike the pussy, fake, coward, arrogant little pisspot of "commander guy".

Thank God for people like Tester

[Cabcere]

3. As you should be.

The more I hear about Jon Tester, the more I like him - he seems like a genuinely honest, decent man with intelligence and integrity. I read an article on him here on DU a while back - the one that had a picture of him working on his tractor; I don't remember what the source was, sorry! - and was very impressed. He reminds me a lot of my great-grandfather - not age-wise, of course, but the fact that he's the "real deal," a hard-working man who really cares about his family and his country and tries to do the right thing. We need more like Senator Tester.

[jsamuel]

2. great

[Pacifist Patriot]

4. K & R for Principle

[CrispyQ]

5. Tester is the kind of politician we need.

http://www.alternet.org/story/45277 /

snip...

In a debate last September, Sen. Conrad Burns attempted to paint Tester as weak on terror. "We cannot afford another 9/11," Burns chided. "I can tell you that right now, he wants to weaken the PATRIOT Act." To which Tester countered, "Let me be clear. I don't want to weaken the PATRIOT Act. I want to get rid of it."

===

I damn near cried when I read that last year. I immediately sent him money.

[krkaufman]

7. AWEsome quote. Thanks.

[AlecBGreen]

6. I love this guy

but good, honest, down-to-earth politicians like him rarely last in DC... Here's to Tester - hope you make it through buddy!

-Alec

p.s. sorry, the last 6 years of crooked government have left me a bit jaded