Tuesday, May 06, 2014

Where is the Reaction to Stanford's Coal Announcement?

This is weird -- I've checked four sources on the Stanford-University-divesting-from-coal story, and none of them contains a quote from a coal company, or an industry spokesperson -- or even a "no comment."

NYT - WashPo - LA Times - Reuters

This seems like major news to me -- I can't understand why no one asked for a reaction....

Added: Nor Stanford Daily, or the Financial Times, or Business Week.... but, aha! the San Francisco Chronicle has this:
Jason Hayes of the American Coal Council calls the move a "big PR stunt" since Stanford students still use products that are produced with coal, such as steel. Hayes says other investors will buy the coal stocks that Stanford sells.
...but I can't imagine ACC isn't concerned at least a bit.... After all, divestment worked in the case of South Africa and apartheid...to the extent that anything did.... In college I mostly kept my head down in my math and physics books, but I remember lots of protests about that, especially disinviting the South African rugby team from playing in the U.S.

Update: A faculty group at Oregon State University is also calling for divestment.

1 comment:

Dano said...

I thought the lack of fake outrage was interesting as well, David. Maybe all their energy is being spent on the Nat'l Climate Assessment disinformation...

Best,

D