Posted on 08/20/2011 10:11:43 PM PDT by Why_are_Democrats_stupid?
Over the next 18 months, the Environmental Protection Agency will finalize a flurry of new rules to curb pollution from coal-fired power plants. Mercury, smog, ozone, greenhouse gases, water intake, coal ash—it’s all getting regulated. And, not surprisingly, some lawmakers are grumbling.
Industry groups such the Edison Electric Institute, which represents investor-owned utilities, and the American Legislative Exchange Council have dubbed the coming rules “EPA’s Regulatory Train Wreck.” The regulations, they say, will cost utilities up to $129 billion and force them to retire one-fifth of coal capacity. Given that coal provides 45 percent of the country’s power, that means higher electric bills, more blackouts and fewer jobs. The doomsday scenario has alarmed Republicans in the House, who have been scrambling to block the measures. Environmental groups retort that the rules will bring sizeable public health benefits, and that industry groups have been exaggerating the costs of environmental regulations since they were first created.
So, who’s right? This month, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which conducts policy research for members of Congress, has been circulating a paper that tries to calmly sort through the shouting match. Thanks to The Hill’s Andrew Restuccia, it’s now available (PDF) for all to read. And the upshot is that CRS is awfully skeptical of the “train wreck” predictions.
First, the report agrees that the new rules will likely force the closure of many coal plants between now and 2017, although it’s difficult to know precisely how many. For green groups, that’s a feature, not a bug: Many of these will be the oldest and dirtiest plants around. About 110 gigawatts, or one-third of all coal capacity in the United States, came online between 1940 and 1969.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The NorthEast Ohio Regional Sewer District is not a private entity and the court decision establishing this entity made it abundantly clear that it is governmental organization. See:
I. Ohio Water Pollution Control Board v. City of Cleveland v. Bedford Heights, et al. and City of Beachwood, et al. v. City of Cleveland, et al.
A. Memorandum of Opinion (April 4, 1972)
B. Judgment Entry (April 4, 1972)
II. In re Establishment of Cleveland Regional Sewer District
A. Board Resolution (April 13, 1972)
B. Petition (April 18, 1972)
C. Journal Entry (April 20, 1972)
D. Judgment Entry (June 15, 1972)
The cities won’t be blacked out. Too many healthcare providers. The suburbs, well, they have SUVs and don’t need power.
Any health care facility which houses patients overnite must have an emergency generator in case of power outage. Nursing homes have them, asisted living, as well as hospitals. Most can easilly operate independent for several days without or some for several weeks without fueling.
“When the supply is restricted, it uncommon for prices to go up.”
I imagine you meant “it IS common...”. Agreed. But, even if they did not have to shut down plants, and ONLY had to spend $128 billion, that cost will still be passed down to the consumer. Just like their taxes are.
Maybe not right at once, but if they aren’t making a profit, they won’t stay in business. And why should they? Just so we can have relatively cheap electicity? The clamor against these rules (and the increase in prices, lack of jobs, etc.), needs to come from the people (us) that consume and pay the bills.
Of course that comes from two directions. The conservative side that needs to tell the government to back off a bit, and the Liberals who will call for the government to take over the power companies because now they are so greedy and everyone deserves electricity.
Or medical care! And I say medical care - not insurance. The mandated insurance was just a necessary step towards gov’t health care. (”See - even universal health insurance isn’t working. Those evil insurance companies and doctors are all in on it together, we need the gov’t to manage the entire thing”.)
The coal industry has it’s CEO’s and it’s political voice. It’s time for them to turn to the public.
Most utilities must have any proposed rate increase approved by some state regulatory agency. Therefore, they may not be able to pass increased costs onto their customers.
Many politicians, and even some freepers, believe that investors seeking a return on their investment should take a backseat to other goals.
“Most utilities must have any proposed rate increase approved by some state regulatory agency.”
Good point - it’s not exactly the free market. I imagine they must also get approved by the State if they want to throw in the towel as well?
“So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.”
http://www.examiner.com/right-side-politics-in-national/obama-will-bankrupt-the-coal-industry
the goal is to bankrupt evil BIG COAL-there will probably be special EITC type credits for “low income” people.
Thanks Why_are_Democrats_stupid?.
Dominion VA Power announced this afternoon that Chesapeake Energy Center (coal plant) will close in 2016. It will cost upwards of a billion dollars to upgrade to meet EPA standards, so they are closing it down. Obama is honoring his campaign promise to crush electric generation from coal. Wonder if he will bring this up in his big jobs speech next week? Higher unemployment, higher electric bills. 1/20/13 can’t come fast enough!!!
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