I'm trying out a subscription to Audible.com so I can listen to books on my iPod while I take my daily walks. The last time I listened to an audiobook it was actually a book on tape -- my college roommate and I listened to "The Fellowship of the Ring" on the ride back from school on break. The first book I picked up with my subscription was Christopher C. Horner’s “Power Grab.”

As I listened to the book, I thought to myself: “I know Horner’s right about what Obama would like to do with regard to so-called ‘green jobs’ and their effect on the economy, but there’s no way he could actually implement something like that.”

Well, elections have consequences, and yes, he can.

Up to 1,000 jobs at Bucyrus International Inc. and its suppliers could be in jeopardy as the result of a decision by the U.S. Export-Import Bank, funded by Congress, to deny several hundred million dollars in loan guarantees to a coal-fired power plant and mine in India.

About 300 of those jobs are at the Bucyrus plant in South Milwaukee, where the company has 1,410 employees and its headquarters. The remaining jobs are spread across 13 states, including Illinois, Minnesota and Indiana.

On Thursday, the Export-Import Bank denied financing for Reliance Power Ltd., an Indian power plant company, effectively wiping out about $600 million in coal mining equipment sales for Bucyrus, chief executive Tim Sullivan said.

The fossil fuel project was the first to come before the government-run bank since it adopted a climate-change policy to settle a lawsuit and to meet Obama administration directives.

"President Obama has made clear his administration's commitment to transition away from high-carbon investments and toward a cleaner-energy future," Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg said in a statement. "After careful deliberation, the Export-Import Bank board voted not to proceed with this project because of the projected adverse environmental impact."

This just in: India doesn’t give a d*** about the current administration’s concern over burning coal and putting plant food into the atmosphere. If we don’t get the deal, then they’ll get the equipment from China or some other government that’s not so completely stupid.