It’s hard to remember now that President Obama’s agenda has degenerated into a sham gun control bill with loopholes big enough to drive a Mack truck through, but back in 2008, progressives had big dreams about how to reshape the entire U.S. economy, starting with the energy sector.

For years, liberal efforts to unite around a green energy agenda had run into strong opposition from the labor wing of the progressive movement, which still included significant numbers of manufacturing, mining and transportation workers who depended on affordable fossil fuels for their livelihoods.