Coal news and updates

States Can Help Stop The Obama EPA’s War On Coal

While the nation’s capital is in the single digits, Americans more than ever want policies that promote affordable and reliable energy. Although this country has abundant energy options, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and President Obama have once again engaged in an energy policy that eschews reason by picking industry winners and losers. In this case, the real loser is sadly the American consumer who may be forced into higher utility costs and less reliable sources of energy.

Contrary to the President and the EPA, regulations that eliminate American coal are the wrong policies introduced at the worst possible time. According to the World Health Organization, a majority of American cities are in the safe zone for air quality. In fact, America’s air quality is better than it has been in decades and is significantly better than Europe.

Regardless of America’s improved air quality, newly proposed rules introduced by the EPA limiting carbon emissions essentially make it impossible to build new coal plants and seriously jeopardize existing coal plants in operation.

If the proposed rules by the EPA are enacted, the American economy stands to lose approximately 224,000 jobs and $51 billion each year. Americans are also projected to lose almost $600 billion in disposable income as utility companies rethink their business models and charge ratepayers more. In some states, like Louisiana, seniors will struggle to pay skyrocketing utility costs as the rules could result in electric prices rising by 13-18 percent.

It is a disaster for states that rely on coal, and to add insult to injury, the proposed changes are unclear how they would substantially improve the environment. Typically, the EPA uses a model called MAGICC that calculates the impact of reducing carbon emissions. Magically, the proposed regulations underwent no such analysis and some experts conclude the reason was the impact on carbon emissions was too small as to lend support to the change.

source: http://dailycaller.com