Obama visited the EPA headquarters today to thank the men and women of the agency for their hard work. Did he thank them for creating the most expensive regulations in the agency’s history, or for killing jobs and increasing energy costs?

Obama: “The Main Reason I’m Here Is Simple. I Just Want To Say Thank You. I Want To Say Thank You To Each And Every One Of You, Because The EPA Touches On The Lives Of Every Single American Every Single Day.” (President Obama, Remarks To EPA Employees, Washington, D.C., 1/10/12)

Obama’s EPA Regulations Are The Most Expensive In The Agency’s History

“Unprecedented” New EPA Rules Are “Most Expensive” In The Agency’s History. “The EPA is currently pushing an unprecedented rewrite of air-pollution rules in an attempt to shut down a large portion of the coal-fired power fleet. Though these regulations are among the most expensive in the agency’s history, none were demanded by the late Pelosi Congress. They’re all the result of purely bureaucratic discretion under the Clean Air Act, last revised in 1990.” (Editorial, “An EPA Moratorium,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/29/11)

The EPA “Firehose” Of Regulations Increase Direct Costs To Utilities, Force Plant Closures And Lead To Job Losses And Higher Prices For Consumers. “A utility, for instance, might be able to comply with a single new rule, but under the EPA firehose it might be forced to retire some of its operations.  Beyond the direct costs to the utility, plant closures would lead to job losses and higher prices for consumers and business, with their own knock-on effects.” (Editorial, “The Cost Of Lisa Jackson,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/3/11)

• “This Cluster Of Overlapping Rules Will Cause Far More Cumulative Damage Than Merely One Or Another Rule Would By Itself.” (Editorial, “The Cost Of Lisa Jackson,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/3/11)
  
• Expensive New EPA Rules Are A Threat To Consumers, Economy, And National Security. “In practice, this will mean blackouts and rolling brownouts, as well as spiking rates for consumers. If a foreign power or terrorists wiped out 8% of U.S. capacity, such as through a cyber attack, it would rightly be considered an act of war. The EPA is in effect undermining the national security concept of ‘critical infrastructure’—assets essential to the functioning of society and the economy that Mr. Obama has an obligation to protect.” (Editorial, “An EPA Moratorium,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/29/11)

“Energy Analysts Have Said The EPA’s Mercury Rule, Along With The Cross State, Cooling Water And Coal Ash Rules Could Shut Up To 70,000 Megawatts Of Coal-Fired Generation.” (Ayesha Rascoe and Timothy Gardner, “U.S. Rolls Out Tough Rules On Coal Plant Pollution,” Reuters, 12/21/11)

More Than 32 Coal Fired Plants That Produce Enough Electricity For More Than 22 Million Households In 12 States Will Be Forced Down Due To EPA Regulations. “More than 32 mostly coal-fired power plants in a dozen states will be forced to shut down and an additional 36 might have to close because of new federal air pollution regulations, according to an Associated Press survey. Together, those plants — some of the oldest and dirtiest in the country — produce enough electricity for more than 22 million households, the AP survey found. But their demise probably won’t cause homes to go dark.” (Dina Cappiello, “AP IMPACT: EPA Rules Threaten Older Power Plants,” The Associated Press, 12/19/11)

CSAPR: Cross-State Air Pollution Rules Will Force Closures Of Coal-Fired Plants 

“The Environmental Protection Agency’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, Which Takes Effect Jan. 1, Requires Plants In 28 States Including Texas To Cut Smog- And Soot-Forming Emissions That Cross State Lines.” (Puneet Kollipara, “Conflicting Electric Rules Upset Balance Of Power,” Houston Chronicle, 12/24/11)

The Closure Of The Plants Are Primarily The Result Of The Expected Cost Of Complying With The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Issued In July 2011 By The EPA. “The net generating capacity of Meredosia Energy Center is 369 megawatts, including one 203-megawatt coal-fired unit and one 166-megawatt oil-fired unit. The Hutsonville Energy Center has two coal-fired units with a net generating capacity of 151 megawatts. The closure of the units primarily is the result of the expected cost of complying with the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) issued in July 2011 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to an Ameren news release.” (“Ameren To Close Meredosia And Hutsonville Plants,” Peoria [Illinois] Journal-Star, 10/4/11)

Tens Of Thousands Of Megawatts Of Coal-Fired Power Has Gone Offline And More Is Expected As Plants Across The Country Are Closing Rather Than Paying For Equipment To Control Pollution. “The move comes as other fossil fuel-fired plant operators across the country are shuttering plants rather than pay for equipment to control the pollution. Already tens of thousands of megawatts of coal-fired power has gone offline and more is expected.” (Julie Wernau, “Ameren To Shutter 2 Coal Plants In Illinois,” The Chicago Tribune, 10/4/11)

The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Is Most Expensive Regulation Ever Imposed By The EPA On Coal-Fueled Power Plants.  “The EPA today announced its final ‘Cross-State Air Pollution Rule,’ despite an analysis showing that the regulation, in combination with other EPA rules, would be among the most expensive ever imposed by the agency on coal-fueled power plants, dramatically increasing electricity rates for American families and businesses, causing substantial job losses.”  (Press Release, “EPA Finalizes Expensive New Regulation,” American Coalition For Clean Coal Electricity, 7/7/11)

A Three Judge Panel O The U.S Appeals Court For The District Of Columbia Circuit Ordered The EPA To Delay Implementing The CASPR Rules That Were Set To Take Effect January First. “The Environmental Protection Agency must delay implementing rules on interstate air pollution that were to take effect Sunday, a federal court said Friday, siding with Dallas-based Luminant and other electric power generators seeking to defeat the regulations. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit in Washington granted a request by power producers and other challengers to delay the deadline for plants in 27 states including Texas to begin cutting emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides while the court considers the rule’s legality. ‘Petitioners have satisfied the standards required for a stay pending court review,’ Judges Brett Kavanaugh, Thomas Griffith and Janice Rogers Brown said in the brief ruling. More than three dozen lawsuits seek to derail the EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which was issued in July and revised in October. The court hasn’t scheduled a date for argument, though Friday’s order suggested that the judges will hear the case by April.” (“Federal Court Orders EPA To Delay Cross-State Pollution Rule,” [Fort Worth] Star-Telegram, 12/30/11)

“A Federal Court Friday Put On Hold A Controversial Obama Administration Regulation Aimed At Reducing Power Plant Pollution In 27 States That Contributes To Unhealthy Air Downwind.” (Dina Cappiello, “Court Delays Border-Crossing Pollution Rule,” The Associated Press, 12/30/11)

MACT: The MACT Rules Will Cost Billions Of Dollars and Lead To The Loss Of Millions Of Jobs

The “EPA’s Utility MACT Is The Agency’s Most Expensive Upcoming Air Regulation,” Forcing Some Coal Plants To Shut Down Or Make Substantial Investments That Could Hit Consumers, And Cause A Decrease In Power-Generating Capacity. “But everyone agrees on several things: EPA’s utility MACT is the agency’s most expensive upcoming air regulation. Some coal plants will shut down, and many others are likely to switch to natural gas. Many utilities will have to make substantial investments, which could hit ratepayers with higher bills. And the electric grid will see some decrease in power-generating capacity.” (Erica Martinson and Darius Dixon, “Is EPA Rule Coal In Utilities’ Stockings?,” Politico, 11/22/11)

The MACT Rule Is The Most Expensive Under Review By The Obama Administration. “The Environmental Protection Agency rule, the most expensive under review by Obama’s administration, would force producers such as Southern Co. to install pollution-control devices or close coal plants and substitute natural gas or wind generation.” (Mark Drajem, “EPA Issues Air Toxics Cap For U.S. Coal-Fired Power Plants,” Businessweek, 12/21/11)

The Finalized MACT Rule Will Cost Utilities About $9.6 Billion A Year. “The rules will cost utilities about $9.6 billion annually, down more than $1 billion from the EPA’s earlier estimate due to “flexibilities” that were added to the final regulation, the agency said.” (Ayesha Rascoe and Timothy Gardner, “U.S. Rolls Out Tough Rules On Coal Plant Pollution,” Reuters, 12/21/11)

EPA Over Regulation Threatens U.S. Energy Sustainability 

“Energy Analysts Have Said The EPA’s Mercury Rule, Along With The Cross State, Cooling Water And Coal Ash Rules Could Shut Up To 70,000 Megawatts Of Coal-Fired Generation.” (Ayesha Rascoe and Timothy Gardner, “U.S. Rolls Out Tough Rules On Coal Plant Pollution,” Reuters, 12/21/11)

More Than 32 Coal Fired Plants That Produce Enough Electricity For More Than 22 Million Households In 12 States Will Be Forced Down Due To EPA Regulations. “More than 32 mostly coal-fired power plants in a dozen states will be forced to shut down and an additional 36 might have to close because of new federal air pollution regulations, according to an Associated Press survey. Together, those plants — some of the oldest and dirtiest in the country — produce enough electricity for more than 22 million households, the AP survey found. But their demise probably won’t cause homes to go dark.” (Dina Cappiello, “AP IMPACT: EPA Rules Threaten Older Power Plants,” The Associated Press, 12/19/11)

“Most Important, The EPA’s Regulatory Cascade Is A Clear And Present Danger To The Reliability And Stability Of The U.S. Power System And Grid.” (Editorial, “An EPA Moratorium,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/29/11)