2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumHillary Told WV Coal Miners They'd Be Out of Work, Yet Lobbied for 2 Giant Coal Plants in S. Africa
http://desmogblog.com/2016/03/07/hillary-clinton-showed-support-associates-profited-building-world-s-largest-coal-plants-south-africa?itok=1mUqDEIZ
[div class="excerpt"]Hillary Clinton Showed Support, Associates Profited from Ex-Im Bank (The Importing-Exporting Bank) Financing Worlds 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 worlds 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 Clintons 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
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Located only 50 miles apart in the countrys 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 governments plan. Gips asked that this detail be protected by recipients of the cable.
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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 governments 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.
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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 Africas Foreign Minister.......
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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 firms Partners, Howard Topaz, is Bill and Hillary Clintons personal tax advisor.
Seven months after the Ex-Im Bank approved Black & Veatchs 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 & Veatchs request, Madeleine Albrights daughter, Alice Albright, served as the banks 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 banks 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. ....
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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 Africas lobbying for the World Bank loan, also became Senior Counselor for the firm.
Ex-Im Banks Ties to Hillary Clinton
The Ex-Im Bank is headed by Fred Hochberg, a longtime Clinton family associate, financial contributor, and campaign bundler. Hochbergs partner, Tom Healy, was nominated during Clintons tenure as Secretary to the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, a State Department body. Between 2012-2014 Healy served as Chair of the Board.
Hillarys emails during these years reveal her close connection to both Hochberg and Healy. In February 2012, one of Clinton's daily schedules includes attending Hochbergs 60th birthday party at the upscale DC dining spot, Sidras Home Restaurant.
A few months later Hochberg extended a personal invitation to Clinton to attend a friends 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 didnt 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 & Veatchs Vice President and Regional Director Africa, were among them.
anotherproletariat
(1,446 posts)in all that time? I bet she was pro-hairspray in the 60s as well.
amborin
(16,631 posts)anotherproletariat
(1,446 posts)synergie
(1,901 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)in Kentucky who would vote for Trump in November even if Bernie were our nominee.
Behind all the lies and wall-punching resentment, Kentucky SBSers are perfectly well aware that the jobs disappeared first because modern technology eliminated a bunch of them, then coal companies closed down mines because of foreign competition, and now of course with the global warming crisis the remnant coal industry is on its death bed, as it just has to be.
synergie
(1,901 posts)amborin
(16,631 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)in several dangerously unstable nations to help keep them from collapse, and even advancing. Nuclear Pakistan is another nation where she promoted coal energy.
The ultimate goal is to transition to natural gas and renewable energy forms, but that can't happen in nations that have dissolved into war, famine and terrorism.
It's a balancing act with hundreds of millions of lives at stake. And that's the kind of work Hillary Clinton was doing as SoS.
Meeting with Malawi's remarkable President Joyce Banda to discuss economic development.
Addressing malaria prevention in Senegal before flying to the devastation that was the new nation of South Sudan and a private meeting with then 94-year-old Nelson Mandela.
One of many climate conferences where she has worked for a sustainable planet-wide energy
RepubliCON-Watch
(559 posts)Obviously on political issues, 2002 Trump =/= 2016 Trump.
synergie
(1,901 posts)text with no link to see if for once what's asserted matches what's the original says or who it was saying it, and where.
amborin
(16,631 posts)data about HRC and that would be upsetting to anyone to learn this
PatrickforO
(14,578 posts)this. Were it not for that, I might be inclined to overlook this. But we must remember the whole term 'economic statecraft' which Clinton bandied about during her term as SoS. This included 'selling' the governments of countries all over the world on fracking. Of course, by coincidence, America is now an oil exporter because Congress, that august body in its infinite wisdom now allows it. She also helped to put together the Trans Pacific Partnership 'free' trade agreement (echoes of NAFTA's 'giant sucking sound' as jobs go overseas), and now this. Not to mention the weapons deals made to countries that donated generously to the Clinton Foundation during her tenure.
I'm sorry, but I just don't think Clinton is honest and I don't like her. They call it 'camp weathervane' for good reason - Clinton will say or do anything to get elected, but man there's lots and lots of baggage - ethical violation after ethical violation. Fears she might be indicted. The promise of the GOP to begin impeachment proceedings the minute she's elected.
What I do not understand is how so many people can't see this and vote for her anyway. It boggles my mind.
Armstead
(47,803 posts)jillan
(39,451 posts)RepubliCON-Watch
(559 posts)Haters gonna hate.
synergie
(1,901 posts)RepubliCON-Watch
(559 posts)synergie
(1,901 posts)Fiction is much easier than actually coming up with facts and vaguely gesturing through implication works well for tabloids, and they go pretty fast.
So a day or so?
RepubliCON-Watch
(559 posts)synergie
(1,901 posts)And you think you'll need that long to write a work of fiction based on these fantasies? My goodness, how involved are your fantasies about the Clintons and their imaginary corruption? Are you just a slow writer, or do you just have a lot to work out with a believable plot and characterization to deal with.
Best of luck to you, I'm sure there are some RW publishing houses that will be interested, they are very into such fiction. You don't even have to have the plot make sense or use big words, in fact don't.
RepubliCON-Watch
(559 posts)I've dreamed of talking about Hillary's failures as SoS (Honduras, Syria, etc.), her hawkish career as a Senator, and her connection to the private prison industry. I'm glad you're supporting me in this conquest amigo!
amborin
(16,631 posts)synergie
(1,901 posts)to 'snip' by ignoring bits that you don't like, i find this very long post that you forgot to cite, a bit unbelievable.
silvershadow
(10,336 posts)oppo team in the world, nobody has a better oppo team than he does. Nobody. He has the best oppo. PS: Is there a link, please? Thank you!
synergie
(1,901 posts)a social engagement, and some out of context insinuations that don't amount to even a good work of fiction.
silvershadow
(10,336 posts)against the certain group here that will whine about your post 3. I did ask for a link for your citations, so will you please provide one? Never mind, I see you now have one, thank you. I will read it to discern what I can, never having heard of Desmog blog...
synergie
(1,901 posts)Your buddy did try to air out a bunch of stuff, and failed once again to say anything much, and the certain group that whines a lot, tend to love anything that engages in Mcarthyite gulit by association and insinuation.
I too asked your buddy for a link, and she finally added one, and the whole thing proved to be a whole lot of luke warm air.
It's sad how hard you guys try to create scandal and how badly you fail, mostly due to a lack of close reading.
silvershadow
(10,336 posts)The sentiment of the whole situation stands, though I will contain myself to further comment to the OP. Not sure what you meant by "my buddy", but I will go re-read the whole thread to clues to a 2 sec in your face, blown-out situation. I'm sure that alone is enough to even tell me which side you must be on, though it confuses me a bit...Let me go grab a cup of coffee and a magnifying glass...brb
synergie
(1,901 posts)Yes my response stands, she's a fellow Bernie supporter and she supports Bernie by posting anti-Hillary stuff, sometimes with selective snipping. Go read the original, that's always a good bet in these situations.
I'm on the side of coherent posts that are not dishonest or fictional.
Get a dictionary, while you're at it! Not sure how any of that will make this garbled mess of a post, the original and the "edited" version into something with any substance or fact, but that's been par of the course here.
silvershadow
(10,336 posts)are all around. As it stands, I've never heard of that blog, but it doesn't mean it doesn't have legitimate points...The headline alone grabs my attention. I promise you, I will make an honest effort tonight to check it thoroughly and look for sourcing...but if you say it is fictional, I shouldn't be able to corroborate it- at that point I will dismiss it. I gotta tell you, though, given her history of pimping around the world for fracking, I'm not exactly...holding my breath.
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)... found Obama's Kenyan birth certificate.
synergie
(1,901 posts)Not even a solid argument, much less facts.
OMG, Hillary went to a birthday party for Madeline Albright's partner, and was also SoS, oh the horror!
silvershadow
(10,336 posts)Last edited Thu May 12, 2016, 05:10 PM - Edit history (1)
the actual content, yet, though, so as to not influence my views. The stuff I am finding is all pretty positive. Highly respected in their field, won some awards from their peers. Been around since 2006. Best of mention in Time magazine. Now I'm off to read the blog, and to look for more clues. I will let you know what I think of it much later, as this isn't all I am doing at the moment. Just wanted to check in. Peace.
amborin
(16,631 posts)TheBlackAdder
(28,209 posts)MattP
(3,304 posts)Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)need to be retrained into the service industry. Walmart greeters welcoming McDonalds workers to spend their paycheck with the billionaires extraordinaire.
Jitter65
(3,089 posts)If there were other accessible and cost effective methods for S. Africa, coal would not be use. It's the resource they have available. Just the US 70 years ago.