Posted on 03/01/2012 12:10:59 PM PST by 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?
Ok, I am getting really nervous now. That’s like 15 or so in the Ohio, PA, WV region. This is really, really stupid from an infrastructure standpoint.
5 PA plants to close
4 OH First Energy
2 Chicago< ILL
3 WV
1 MD
The WVGazzette says
An Associated Press analysis has found that more than 32 mostly coal-fired power plants in a dozen states will be forced to close because of the new, more stringent regulations. Another 36 plants are at risk of closing.
— enough power for more than 11 million households — will be retired from the power grid
http://wvgazette.com/News/201112200027
And then you have these idiots...I guess freezing to death is a viable choice...
Altogether 106 coal plants have been moved towards premature retirement since the beginning of 2010, the result of tougher federal air pollution regulations and a determined campaign by environmental groups like the Sierra Club to organize local opposition to plants.
In my old way of doing math, 97 plus 173 equals 270.
But the electoral votes you give for the eight swing states actually adds up to 103 electoral votes, not 97.
So that would be 103 plus 173 which gives us your projected total of 276.
Yes, thanks for the correction. I forgot to add Iowa ( 6 EVs ). But I don’t think it is unrealistic for the above states to swing back to Republican from 2008.
I like your analysis - I hope it’s right !!!
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