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.
Disrupting the Borg is expensive and time consuming!
Recent Comments
Real Science 
Saul Alinsky would be so proud. Look at all the great disruptions and unrest he will create, all through a rogue agency that is supposed to answer to Congress.
It is clearly time to redefine the EPA after neutering it for all time. Even Jackson admitted that the standards for water runoff from surface coal mining are so strict that it prevents such mining completely.
It is also quite alarming that, Jackson criticized G Bush for considering the economic impact of environmental regulations when deciding what to impose. She claims adamantly that economic impact should NOT be considered.
Furthermore, most of the new regulations are simply tightened versions of already existing regulations. They simply have to show that they are doing something, they cannot just sit and monitor what they already have in place, they also want to show the power they have over the economy and the country, and, at the same time, they are being so strict that expense is the key thing these all accomplish. The environmental gains from these more strict regulations are marginal or meaningless.
It’s OK, China will take over the ‘slack’ – production, pollution – no problem, it’s all Okay-ed by the UN…………because: they’re – a ‘developing’ economy?!
Will the last person to leave the US please turn off the light?
And Hansen says “all hell will break loose” the hell will break loose when the black outs happen
I’ll say it again, this Presidency will be known in the future as “The Obama Disaster”.
It already is known as that!
Time to shut down the EPA! No More Funding!
It seems like the donks are implementing their scorched economy policy.
I’ll be the first to Lowes buying a 20,000 watt LP standby generator with automatic transfer switch, thank you.
AKA ‘Scorched Earth Policy’.
This is what gets me. Congress has a ton of ability to stop this kind of madness. Its part of the “balance of power” between Government branches and yet the little weeny Republicans in power now just sit back and let him do it. Its kind of like the Ron Paul syndrome….
Lets go on about how we never “vote” for earmarks and then go ahead and insert them into spending bills that will pass anyway. Voila…we can say we are against something and then we turn around and support it anyway.
Nice rendition of almost reality. ….. “…yet the little weeny Republicans in power…..”.
Uhm, sis, the repubs hold the House, only. The dims still hold the Senate and presidency. There is plenty to criticize the Republicans for…… why don’t we base our criticisms in reality?
Obamageddon!