New Proposed EPA Regulation Will Add To Obama’s War On Coal That Will Devastate Coal Dependent States

IN 2008, OBAMA SAID HE WOULD BANKRUPT THE COAL INDUSTRY

In 2008, Barack Obama Said Under His Administration’s Policies, Coal Plants Would Go Bankrupt. OBAMA: “So, if somebody wants to build a coal plant, they can — it’s just that it will bankrupt them, because they are going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Interview With The San Francisco Chronicle’s Editorial Board, San Francisco Chronicle, 1/17/08)

NOW, OBAMA’S EPA WANTS TO END COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS AS WE KNOW THEM

Today, The Obama Administration Will Announce Greenhouse Gas Rules For New Power Plants, “A Regulation That Promises To Shift The Future Of U.S. Power Generation.” “The Obama administration is moving ahead with its greenhouse gas rule for new power plants, a regulation that promises to shift the future of U.S. power generation. EPA will announce the rule Tuesday, a senior administration official confirmed to POLITICO. The proposed regulation in essence means that new coal-fired power plants will have to capture their carbon dioxide emissions — either for storage or, in many cases, to send the CO2 to oil and gas drilling operations where it can be used to help extract fossil fuels.” (Erica Martinson, “EPA Hits Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Power Plants,” Politico, 3/26/12)

The New Rule Means That Coal-Fired Plants “As They Exist Now Will Not Be Built In The Future.” “But beyond that, the rule means that coal-fired power plants as they exist now will not be built in the future. The standard will generally require that new power plants emit CO2 at a rate no greater than that of a natural-gas-fired power plant. Such plants emit about 60 percent less greenhouse gases than coal plants.” (Erica Martinson, “EPA Hits Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Power Plants,” Politico, 3/26/12)

THE NEW RULE WILL ADD TO THE “FIREHOSE” OF EPA REGULATIONS THAT WILL STIFLE THE ECONOMY AND WEAKEN AMERICAN ENERGY

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)

More Than 32 Coal Fired Plants That Produce Enough Electricity For More Than 22 Million Households In 12 States Will Be Forced To Shut 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)

Tens Of Thousands Of Megawatts Of Coal-Fired Power Have 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)

Retirement Of Coal Plants Will Raise Electricity Costs For Consumers.  “Some utility officials said the new rules and others that the Obama administration plans to enact in the coming months could force the retirement of several coal plants. That, in turn, will raise electricity costs for consumers, said American Electric Power spokesman Pat Hemlepp.” (Juliet Eilperin & Darryl Fears, “EPA To Impose New Power Plant Rules,” The Washington Post, 7/7/11)

THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION HAS WAGED A WAR ON COAL

The EPA’s War On Coal Will Lead To Tens Of Millions Of Americans Paying Higher Energy Bills, While Devastating The Economies Of West Virginia And Other Coal States. “If the EPA succeeds, tens of millions of Americans will pay higher electric bills – some perhaps thousands of dollars more. But the coal industry will be devastated, and with it, the economies of West Virginia and other coal states will be wrecked.” (Editorial, “War On Coal,” Parkersburg News And Sentinel, 9/20/11)

• “President Obama’s Administration Wasted No Time When It Took Office In Pursuing Its Agenda To Cripple The Coal Industry In Appalachian States.” (Editorial, “One Victory Scored, but the War Goes On,” Charleston Daily Mail, 10/10/11)

 “Obama’s Goal, In Which Top EPA Officials And Liberals In Congress Cooperate Enthusiastically, Is To Wreck The Coal Industry.” “Obama’s goal, in which top EPA officials and liberals in Congress cooperate enthusiastically, is to wreck the coal industry. As we have pointed out, eliminating relatively low-priced electricity generated from coal will put many industries in this region at a competitive disadvantage against those elsewhere. That may well be part of the liberals’ strategy.” (Editorial, “End EPA War Against Coal,” The Intelligencer & Wheeling News Register, 1/1/12)

The Best Example Of The Administration Relentlessly Destroying Jobs For Political Reasons May Be The EPA’s “War On Coal.” “President Obama claims to see the need to create jobs at this time of endless 9-plus percent unemployment – yet his administration continues to relentlessly destroy jobs for ideological reasons.  The best example may be the Obama Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘war on coal.’” (William Yeatman, Op-Ed, “Obama’s War On Coal,” The New York Post, 8/9/11)

OBAMA’S REGULATIONS WILL DEVASTATE THE COAL DEPENDENT STATES

Coal Is Responsible For Hundreds Of Thousands Of Jobs

Coal Mining Is Responsible For Over 555,000 Jobs In The United States And Contributes $65.7 Billion To National GDP. “The coal segment of U.S. mining accounted for 555,270 jobs, $36.3 billion in labor income and $65.7 billion in contribution to GDP (see Table 3). Average wages and salaries in coal mine operations (excluding support activities and transportation) were approximately $72,200 in 2008.4 Overall, coal mining, including transportation of coal products and mining support activities allocated to coal mining, were responsible for approximately 31 percent of U.S. mining’s total employment contribution, 34 percent of total labor income and 35 percent of total contribution to GDP.” (Report Prepared By PricewaterhouseCoopers, “The Economic Contributions Of U.S. Mining In 2008,” National Mining Association, October 2010)

• Coal Mining Accounts For 52,000 Jobs In Pennsylvania 1.12 Percent Of The State’s GDP. (Report Prepared By PricewaterhouseCoopers, “The Economic Contributions Of U.S. Mining In 2008,” National Mining Association, October 2010)
• Coal Mining Accounts For 21,220 Jobs In Ohio And 0.46 Percent Of The State’s GDP. (Report Prepared By PricewaterhouseCoopers, “The Economic Contributions Of U.S. Mining In 2008,” National Mining Association, October 2010)

Coal Is A Significant Source Of Electricity Production

Coal Accounts For 45% Of U.S. Net Electricity Generation In 2010. (“What Is The Role Of Coal In The United States,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, Accessed 3/27/12)

In 2010, Coal Was Responsible For 82.1 Percent Of Ohio’s Electric Power Generation. (State Electricity Profiles 2010, Ohio, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Accessed 3/27/12)

 In 2010, Coal Was Responsible For 48 Percent Of Pennsylvania’s Electric Power Generation. (State Electricity Profiles 2010, Pennsylvania, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Accessed 3/27/12)

• The Coal Industry Creates $7.5 Billion In Economic Output, Including $3.2 Billion Directly From The Industry. “Approximately $7.5 billion in economic output created in Pennsylvania, $3.2 billion of this directly by the Coal Industry.” (Pennsylvania Economy League Of Southwestern Pennsylvania, LLC, “Economic Impact Of The Coal Industry In Pennsylvania,” 4/10)