The EPA's war on us

Excellent editorial from Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) at The Hill:

EPA's war on consumers, affordable electricity and jobs
Over the past year, we�ve heard a lot about the Obama Administration�s �War on Coal�. The White House has been quick to dismiss the notion, pointing to their �all-of-the-above� energy policy. They�ve attributed the demise of coal-fired power in part to the record-low prices of natural gas. While most agree that the coal industry has faced challenges, especially under current economic conditions, the argument that people are shutting down coal power plants because gas is cheaper just doesn�t hold water.

Why? Coal is by far the cheapest source of electricity. So if cost isn�t the reason, what is?

Since 2009, President Obama�s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has advanced a series of major environmental regulations, totaling billions in new operating costs and compliance requirements, which are making it increasingly harder for coal to compete. To be fair, several of EPA�s regulations have been under consideration for more than a decade, while others have been compelled by court order. Regardless of origin, the majority of the regulations are unprecedented in scope and cost.

Nationally, 175 coal-fired power plants are scheduled to be shut down from 2012 to 2016, according to an analysis by the non-partisan U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Industry experts predict that over a similar time frame these closures could threaten hundreds of thousands of jobs. According to a 2011 study by the National Economic Research Associates, two of the proposed EPA regulations could lead to a net employment loss of almost 60,000 jobs in Pennsylvania between now and 2020. The same report showed that Pennsylvania could witness average electricity prices increase by as much as 17%.

As I have said before, this is one agency that needs an immediate cut in their funding. Next year, their budget needs to be cut by 30% with another 10% for the next year and 5% each year for five years after that. Get them back to their core competency and get rid of the bloat and special interest groups. Yes, they do have a legitimate function but they have grown way past those boundaries. Tip 'o the hat to Maggie's Farm -- a daily read here at my farm.