Five PA coal-fueled power plants to close due to Obama administration regulation

Hotair ^ | 03/01/2012 | Ed Morrissey

[SeekAndFind]

We get on President Obama’s case for neglecting to keep his campaign promises, so it’s only fair to note when he fulfills them. In January 2008, Obama promised to bankrupt coal-fired power plants with his new environmental regulations. Consider this a promise kept:

GenOn Energy Inc. plans to close five of its older coal-fired power plants in Pennsylvania over the next four years.

The company, based in Houston, said Wednesday that tough new environmental rules make it unprofitable to operate the plants, which generate a total of 3,140 megawatts of electricity. The plants are in Portland, Shawville, Titus, New Castle and Elrama. Two plants in Ohio and one in New Jersey will also be closed. The company said the timeframes are subject to further review based on market conditions.

The Sierra Club cheered the announcement, of course, claiming it will prevent 179 premature deaths a year. The Sierra Club is located in San Francisco, California, of course, and not in Pennsylvania, which will have to find some way to replace the production of 3140 megawatts of electricity each year. The lack of production will make electricity even more expensive in the Rust Belt state where unemployment is 7.7% (about midrange for the US) and rising fuel prices will hammer the middle class already.

As the Obama administration continues its aggressive push to get more electric vehicles on the road — a goal of 1.5 million by 2015, when these plants are going to be shutting down — how exactly do they plan to generate enough electricity to meet current demand, let alone the increased demand as a million or more people plug their cars into the grid?

[Nitehawk0325]

The environmentalists, Obama and his regime want to power all these electric cars. With what if Obama wants to shut down all the power plants? Obama knows exactly what he doing and he's nobody’s fool. He has every intend on turning the United States into a third world cesspoll and then after his eight wondrous years as president, he will be named Premier of the World by George Soros and his money.

[Nitehawk0325]

The environmentalists, Obama and his regime want to power all these electric cars. With what if Obama wants to shut down all the power plants? Obama knows exactly what he doing and he's nobody’s fool. He has every intend on turning the United States into a third world cesspoll and then after his eight wondrous years as president, he will be named Premier of the World by George Soros and his money.

[ILS21R]

The Sierra Club cheered the announcement, of course, claiming it will prevent 179 premature deaths a year.

179? Amazing. Does the Sierra Club do card tricks too? What about horoscopes? I'm a Cancer with a bad moon rising.

[ZULU]

Obama is a maniac, racist and liar.

[BenLurkin]

Hussein will do anything to hurt America.

[CedarDave]

The Sierra Club cheered the announcement, of course, claiming it will prevent 179 premature deaths a year.

How many will die in winter without electric heat or in the summer without A/C? A lot more if a winter storm or a summer heat wave disrupts power from alternate plants. Look at the deaths this winter in Europe due to an unusually cold winter or in Obama's hometown of Chicago due to a summer heat wave.

One bright spot might be conversion to natural gas in PA. Oh, wait, the Sierra Club doesn't like fracking the gas wells, either. Guess the folks will freeze or swelter.

[4yearlurker]

The Elrama plant is about 10 miles from my house. Many train loads of coal pass through the plant each day not to mention the large coal trucks. 99 out of a hundred people around here are hardcore Democrats. So this already depressed area will be loosing railroad,truck driving,coal miner.etc..jobs. Not to worry....it's Bush’s fault!

[jiggyboy]

FWIW, another PA utility, PP&L, is converting a coal-fired power plant to natural gas. It looks like they will double their capacity with the move:

http://dailyitem.com/0100_news/x1750827212/Natural-gas-could-replace-coal-at-Shamokin-Dam-power-plant

[4yearlurker]

The Elrama plant is about 10 miles from my house. Many train loads of coal pass through the plant each day not to mention the large coal trucks. 99 out of a hundred people around here are hardcore Democrats. So this already depressed area will be loosing railroad,truck driving,coal miner.etc..jobs. Not to worry....it's Bush’s fault!

[4yearlurker]

The Elrama plant is about 10 miles from my house. Many train loads of coal pass through the plant each day not to mention the large coal trucks. 99 out of a hundred people around here are hardcore Democrats. So this already depressed area will be loosing railroad,truck driving,coal miner.etc..jobs. Not to worry....it's Bush’s fault!

[Paperdoll]

Speaking of regulations, how many of us know about the smart meters replacing our old water, gas and electric meters? Apparently, they cause fires, appliance melt down, illnesses, and invasion of privacy matters. Google it. smart meters.com they are not for our safety, but for control over us. They can be shut on or off by the companies who installed them.

[crosshairs]

Energy bills have to “necessarily skyrocket”.

[Iron Munro]

ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES

In 2008 Pennsylvania voted 55% for Obama, 44% for McCain

GenOn Energy Inc. plans to close five of its older coal-fired power plants in Pennsylvania
over the next four years.The company, based in Houston, said Wednesday that tough new
environmental rules make it unprofitable to operate the plants

.

[finnsheep]

Electricity rates have been plummeting in PA. As of this month we are paying less than 7 cents a kilowatt hour (generation fee).
http://www.oca.state.pa.us/Industry/Electric/elecomp/PPl.pdf

The reason for the low rates is that most of our electricity comes from nat gas. Nat gas prices are very low right now. Plus there is a new nat gas power plant coming on line in three years in the Williamsport area that will serve about 3/4 million people.

[nascarnation]

The state is making a ton of money off the nat gas boom. Even liberal politicians are going to be very reluctant to shut this down as demanded by the loony left.

I’m sure on the east and west coasts this would not be the case, but Pa, Oh, etc are not going to easily give in to the lunatic fringe.

[SeekAndFind]

If the GOP can win back the following states (highly likely IMHO ), I think Obama is gone after 2012:

Florida 29
Virginia 13
North Carolina 15
Ohio 18
Indiana 11
Iowa 6
New Mexico 5
Nevada 6

That would be a pickup of 97 EV’s.

Add these to the 173 that McCain won in 2008 and you get 276. Greater than the 270 needed to win.

[Buckeye McFrog]

The state is making a ton of money off the nat gas boom. Even liberal politicians are going to be very reluctant to shut this down as demanded by the loony left

I was at a shale gas event that was absolutely overrun with State and Local Democrat Politicians who were drooling, panting, and apparently experiencing orgasms over the thought of the new revenue streams. If Obama tries to shut this down he is gonna have an intra-party fight on his hands.

[Leep]

Obama has a special hate for the bible and gun folks in PA.
He seems to have a special hate for AZ..What am I talking about he hates the whole of US of A and her Allies.

[Leep]

What I am getting from a couple different sources is the heavy regulations in PA are causing some to pull out..?