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amborin

(16,631 posts)
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 07:15 PM Mar 2016

HRC Lobbied Funding for Giant Coal Plants in S. Africa; US Taxpapers IM-EX Financed, Friends Got Job

Last edited Sun Mar 20, 2016, 07:58 PM - Edit history (1)

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[div class="excerpt"]Hillary Clinton Showed Support, Associates Profited from Ex-Im Bank (The Importing-Exporting Bank) Financing World’s Largest Coal Plants in South Africa

In 2009, the South African government announced a major energy plan to construct two new coal-fired power stations.
The project, which aimed at building the world’s largest coal plants, came under intense criticism by various governments and climate activists, who saw it as a disastrous blow to the fight against climate change.

Yet newly released emails from presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during her time as Secretary of State, reveal that she acted in support of a World Bank loan for the construction of one of the plants.


Furthermore, a DeSmog investigation finds that the other plant, which received funding from a US government agency led by a close Clinton ally and fundraiser, is being built by an American construction firm tied to another associate of the former Secretary.

These actions seem contrary to Clinton’s tough campaign talk on curbing CO2 emissions and investing in renewable energy. They also raise new questions about Clinton's ties to the revolving door lobbying culture that connects major corporations to top officials in Washington, DC.

The Medupi Plant and World Bank Loan


snip

Located only 50 miles apart in the country’s northeast, the plants – named Medupi and Kusile – were set to each emit a staggering 25 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere a year.

To help finance the Medupi plant, the South African government turned to The World Bank, requesting a $3.5 billion loan. The loan application, coming around the time of the COP15 Copenhagen climate summit, generated an outcry from governments and activists in South Africa and beyond.

snip

In the cables, Ambassador Donald Gips provided the State Department with background information on the energy project and outlined some of the major environmental and economic concerns surrounding the project. Gips stated that he met with the World Bank team in South Africa, who confidentially shared with him the specifics of the government’s plan. Gips asked that this detail be “protected” by recipients of the cable.

snip

According to newly released Clinton emails, the South African foreign minister contacted the State Department requesting to speak with the Secretary on the phone. The emails state that the minister was specifically seeking the US government’s “support” for the loan.


An email chain ensued involving Clinton, several of her close aides, and a number of high-ranking officials. It culminated with Clinton speaking with the foreign minister the following day. Though parts of the email chain were redacted, it is still possible to make out some important points.

snip

On the following day, Secretary Clinton joined the email chain.....”

Two hours later, Clinton wrote to Sullivan again, updating that she has now talked to South Africa’s Foreign Minister.......

snip

Seven days later, The World Bank approved the huge loan. The United States, along with the UK and Holland, abstained during the vote.

Climate activists blasted the Work Bank for the loan, but many also criticized the US for abstaining rather than trying to block the decision.

snip

The Kusile Plant Decision

To construct the Kusile coal plant, South Africa sought a different funding route, now eyeing private capital.

To this end, in 2010 Eskom solicited its main contractor for the plant, Kansas City-based infrastructure engineering and construction company Black & Veatch to apply for financing from the US Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) (The Importing-Exporting Bank) .
As an independent government agency, the bank invests in projects that guarantee the employment of American workers and suppliers.

In April 2011, the Ex-Im Bank (Importing-Exporting Bank) approved the $850 million loan for the Kusile plant — again to the great dismay of environmentalists. The decision came despite more than 7,500 public comments in opposition to the project. Activists were baffled as to why the governmental bank approved the loan for the controversial project.

Black & Veatch Director Parties with Hillary Clinton

A veteran Washington insider, Goldfield is a former Reagan-era administrator and ex-director at the Ex-Im Bank.
He is currently the vice chair of Albright Stonebridge, the lobbying and advising firm of longtime Clintonite and former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright. Goldfield is also a Senior International Affairs Advisor at the international law firm Hogan Lovells. One of the firm’s Partners, Howard Topaz, is Bill and Hillary Clinton’s personal tax advisor.

Seven months after the Ex-Im Bank approved Black & Veatch’s financing for the project, Hillary Clinton attended an exclusive 60th birthday party thrown for H.P. Goldfield at the posh Hamptons home of investor George Hornig
. In a photo from the party Clinton is seen in extremely good spirits, glowingly hugging a group that included Goldfield and former US ambassador and State Department official, Richard Haass.

During the time Ex-Im Bank considered Black & Veatch’s request, Madeleine Albright’s daughter, Alice Albright, served as the bank’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

The released Clinton emails show that at the time the bank was considering the Kusile loan, Clinton and Madeleine Albright maintained a close relationship.

According to a February 2011 email, sent two months before the Ex-Im Bank approved the loan, the two met in person. Then, two weeks prior to the bank’s deliberations, Albright sent a direct email to Clinton, suggesting she hire “Wendy.


This presumably refers to Wendy Sherman, then Vice Chair at Albright Stonebridge – a title she shared at the firm with H.P. Goldfield – who later that year was appointed by Clinton to serve as Under Secretary for Political Affairs
. ....

snip

Since the approval of the coal plants, several figures involved in the matter landed positions at Albright Stonebrige. Upon retiring form the Foreign Service in 2013, former Ambassador Don Gips was hired as Senior Counselor. Former State Department official Johnnie Carson, who was part of the Clinton team during South Africa’s lobbying for the World Bank loan, also became Senior Counselor for the firm.

Ex-Im Bank’s Ties to Hillary Clinton

The Ex-Im Bank is headed by Fred Hochberg, a longtime Clinton family associate, financial contributor, and campaign bundler. Hochberg’s partner, Tom Healy, was nominated during Clinton’s tenure as Secretary to the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, a State Department body. Between 2012-2014 Healy served as Chair of the Board.

Hillary’s emails during these years reveal her close connection to both Hochberg and Healy.
In February 2012, one of Clinton's daily schedules includes attending Hochberg’s 60th birthday party at the upscale DC dining spot, Sidra’s Home Restaurant.

A few months later Hochberg extended a personal invitation to Clinton to attend a friend’s book launch. Hochberg then sent a happy birthday wish to Hillary, signing with “Much love, Fred.” Tom Healy sent his own personal birthday note that year, adding “I didn’t get to say hello in Haiti on Monday because the rain started and we rushed to the airport.”

In 2014, The Ex-Im Bank announced the appointment of new members to its Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee. Former ambassador Gips, and Shahid Qadri, Black & Veatch’s Vice President and Regional Director Africa, were among them.

snip

http://desmogblog.com/2016/03/07/hillary-clinton-showed-support-associates-profited-building-world-s-largest-coal-plants-south-africa


eta: Remember how Bernie opposed funding the Importing-Exporting Bank in one of the debates? This is an example of how taxpayer funds get used.

(and, thanks to snagglepuss for pointing this out!)
37 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
HRC Lobbied Funding for Giant Coal Plants in S. Africa; US Taxpapers IM-EX Financed, Friends Got Job (Original Post) amborin Mar 2016 OP
Kicked and recommended. Uncle Joe Mar 2016 #1
Those emails, the perfect trail of evidence, courtesy Hillary. yourpaljoey Mar 2016 #2
Great POST! Some HillBots Need To Pay Attention! Hillary Is After All A MONEYGIRL! CorporatistNation Apr 2016 #26
Agreed. She needs to drop out, now. yourpaljoey Apr 2016 #28
If the republicans can nominate someone sane, Doctor_J Mar 2016 #3
Hello There... Yes It IS... THAT CORRUPT! CorporatistNation Mar 2016 #7
+1000 amborin Mar 2016 #15
I said it before: Trump is vain, populist, and wants to knock Clinton by any way he can MisterP Mar 2016 #11
Our policiticans like to pretend CO2 pullution in Africa doesn't count toward climate change. arcane1 Mar 2016 #4
1172 to 846...nt SidDithers Mar 2016 #5
And that makes the above info okay. MelissaB Mar 2016 #10
rooting for cronyism? amborin Mar 2016 #14
Rooting for planetary destruction Kittycat Apr 2016 #27
Certain place in hell indeed Madeleine Politicalboi Mar 2016 #6
Par for the course with Hillary & co. ... think Mar 2016 #8
This is what elections are really about in America Mnpaul Mar 2016 #9
How can people support this person for president? /nt think Mar 2016 #12
kick amborin Mar 2016 #13
No refutation... Just avoidance. vintx Mar 2016 #16
Yes, she is a bad person for helping bring the only energy available to Africans.. nt Jitter65 Mar 2016 #17
have you not heard of renewables? plus, there's troubling quid pro quo amborin Apr 2016 #19
KICK THIS HARD! CorporatistNation Apr 2016 #29
crickets amborin Apr 2016 #20
still crickets amborin Apr 2016 #21
They don't have sun in Africa? K&R nt Electric Monk Apr 2016 #22
Really? Coal is the only energy source available in Africa? riderinthestorm Apr 2016 #23
It's a little known DUfact (tm) that solar and wind energy do not work in Africa Fumesucker Apr 2016 #35
kicking to show what HRC thinks of the environment amborin Apr 2016 #18
The perfect storm - toxic environmental policies, cronyism, exploitation of other countries... riderinthestorm Apr 2016 #24
Economic Hitmen aren't all men. Octafish Apr 2016 #25
that would be WJC's defense amborin Apr 2016 #30
Money Trumps Peace is Buy Partisan Octafish Apr 2016 #31
horrifying! 500,000 Iraqi children perished b/c of her decision amborin Apr 2016 #33
Kick azmom Apr 2016 #32
Does HRC care about the environment? Why not promote renewables in Africa? amborin Apr 2016 #34
in the debate she lied & said she was weaning the world off of coal amborin Apr 2016 #36
kickinh amborin May 2016 #37

CorporatistNation

(2,546 posts)
26. Great POST! Some HillBots Need To Pay Attention! Hillary Is After All A MONEYGIRL!
Sun Apr 10, 2016, 12:22 PM
Apr 2016

#ShesWithWallStreet



If Hillary cared about the General Election, she would SUSPEND HER CAMPAIGN!
 

Doctor_J

(36,392 posts)
3. If the republicans can nominate someone sane,
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 07:24 PM
Mar 2016

she is going to get absolutely clobbered in the GE.I can't believe the party I've voted for for 40 years is going to nominate someone this corrupt.

CorporatistNation

(2,546 posts)
7. Hello There... Yes It IS... THAT CORRUPT!
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 07:42 PM
Mar 2016
And some have the audacity to wonder why people would not trust ehr or want to vote for her... rather than AGAINST her...

MisterP

(23,730 posts)
11. I said it before: Trump is vain, populist, and wants to knock Clinton by any way he can
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 11:08 PM
Mar 2016

he'll just go "you say we're xenophobic warmongers, you've repeatedly started wars even south of the border, bragged about deportations, and are the only one in this room who voted for the border wall! your economic team is packed with people who say retirement should be at 70 or 75! you say Trump Industries, Trump Vacations, Trump Construction, Trump Airlines, Trumpagne, and Trump Rump Meat hire illegals? your policies have sent millions and millions of jobs overseas? you say I'm a huckster? you've bled hardworking whites dry and come to town with the same carny act! I'm racist? you cheerlead polices that jailed a third of (slur redacted) men and took credit for that as a fall in unemployment! I'm greedy? your underlings are trying to keep loan sharks from getting a hair on their head mussed! your whole campaign is based on voters not knowing a damn thing you've done" (give or take some slurs)

the only thing her campaign can come back with issue-wise is, like, CHIP and a DoS women's office

 

arcane1

(38,613 posts)
4. Our policiticans like to pretend CO2 pullution in Africa doesn't count toward climate change.
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 07:27 PM
Mar 2016

"Hey, we shut down a local coal-fired plant, and opened a new one overseas, so we are Champions of the Environment!"

Kittycat

(10,493 posts)
27. Rooting for planetary destruction
Sun Apr 10, 2016, 12:22 PM
Apr 2016

Who cares about tomorrow, as long as the the Clinton Clan can party today. Right?

 

Politicalboi

(15,189 posts)
6. Certain place in hell indeed Madeleine
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 07:31 PM
Mar 2016

How can true Dems support this? Coal it's the fuel of the future.

Mnpaul

(3,655 posts)
9. This is what elections are really about in America
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 07:51 PM
Mar 2016

Choosing the party that gets to reward their friends.

 

riderinthestorm

(23,272 posts)
23. Really? Coal is the only energy source available in Africa?
Sun Apr 10, 2016, 11:47 AM
Apr 2016

You're really going to stick with that?

There's no sun, wind or hydro sources anywhere there?



Octafish

(55,745 posts)
31. Money Trumps Peace is Buy Partisan
Mon Apr 11, 2016, 12:31 AM
Apr 2016

Madeleine K. Albright is Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group and Chair of Albright Capital Management, an affiliated investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets. She was the 64th Secretary of State of the United States. Dr. Albright received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Obama in 2012.
-- http://www.albrightstonebridge.com/team/madeleine-k-albright

"We think the price was worth it."

Like a nightmare that never ends for an Empire of Greedhead Stooges.

amborin

(16,631 posts)
33. horrifying! 500,000 Iraqi children perished b/c of her decision
Mon Apr 11, 2016, 12:59 AM
Apr 2016

sociopathy is a requirement for the position



Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price–we think the price is worth it.

—60 Minutes (5/12/96)

Then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s quote, calmly asserting that U.S. policy objectives were worth the sacrifice of half a million Arab children, has been much quoted in the Arabic press. It’s also been cited in the United States in alternative commentary on the September 11 attacks (e.g., Alexander Cockburn, New York Press, 9/26/01).

But a Dow Jones search of mainstream news sources since September 11 turns up only one reference to the quote–in an op-ed in the Orange Country Register (9/16/01).

snip

....Albright and the terrorists may have shared a common rationale–a belief that the deaths of thousands of innocents are a price worth paying to achieve one’s political ends....

snip

....chlorine is embargoed under the sanctions....


....Combined with the fact that nearly every large water treatment plant in the country was attacked during the Gulf War, and seven out of eight dams destroyed, this suggests a deliberate targeting of the Iraqi water supply for “postwar leverage,” a concept U.S. government officials admitted was part of military planning in the Gulf War (Washington Post, 6/23/91).

snip

http://fair.org/extra/we-think-the-price-is-worth-it/







amborin

(16,631 posts)
34. Does HRC care about the environment? Why not promote renewables in Africa?
Tue Apr 12, 2016, 11:34 AM
Apr 2016






Renewable energy in Africa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Africa






Overview
Contents
Avoiding fossil fuels
Renewable energy resources
Finance
Renewable energy use








The developing nations of Africa are popular locations for the application of renewable energy technology. Currently, many nations already have small-scale solar, wind, and geothermal devices in operation providing energy to urban and rural populations. These types of energy production are especially useful in remote locations because of the excessive cost …
.See more on en.wikipedia.org · Text under CC-BY-SA license





.






Renewable Energy in Africa - African Development Bank

www.afdb.org/.../post/renewable-energy-in-africa-8829

Renewable Energy Ventures This is a very powerful piece and its exposure of Africa’s wealth is dizzying. I hope, in the current rage of Africa powering programs on ...
.

[PDF]


Renewable Energy in Africa: Prospects and Limits

sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/nepadkarekezi.pdf

Executive Summary: Africa has substantial new and renewable energy resources, most of which are under-exploited. Only about 7% of Africa’s enormous hydro potential

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