Is Obama's EPA Trying to Destroy the Coal Industry? (radical, dollars, ammunition)
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Although dramatic strides have been made by the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act over the past three decades, and by many measures pollution has been reduced very sharply, maybe it is time to recognize two things:
1. It takes wealth to have the luxury of caring about the environment, and spending money to keep it clean.
2. The recent efforts by the EPA will have the effect of impoverishing the country, leaving it poorer than before and less able to be able to afford environmental efforts.
Certain things are totally stupid. For example, 10% of the cement plants in the US will be shut down by the latest changes to Clean Air Act regulations. The production gap will be made up in part by imports from countries with far fewer environmental restrictions. So billions in capital will be toasted, jobs will be lost, working incomes of Americans will be lower, AND we will be living in a dirtier world. Mark this one up as another lose-lose-lose-lose deal brought to you by the idealogues of the Obama regime.
American Electric Power on Thursday announced it plans to shut down several coal-fired power plants, convert or retrofit others, and cut as many as 600 jobs in the next few years to comply with regulations proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Based on the proposed regulations, AEP will have to retire nearly 6,000 megawatts of coalfueled power generation; upgrade or install new advanced emissions reduction equipment on another 10,100 megawatts; refuel 1,070 megawatts of coal generation as 932 megawatts of natural gas capacity; and build 1,220 megawatts of natural gas-fueled generation. AEP to close plants, trim 600 jobs to comply with EPA rules - Kingsport Times-News Online
The timing of these new regulations is so poor, and so potentially damaging to our fragile American economy, I have to wonder why this administration is pushing them now. This is the sort of unpopular move by the EPA that Obama could have gotten away with the first year of his second term in office. Makes you wonder what kind of internal poll numbers they are looking at for 2012, both for Obama and the Senate.
Because the Failure-in-Chief will be kicked to the curb next year.
And it will be the middle class consumer who pays for this policy. Just remember Obama promised no one earning under $250K was going to see their tax rate go up.
Inflation in the categories of energy and consumer staples like food is the ultimate tax tool.
If we all choke to death from particulate pollution, we won't need those jobs anyway.
Our environment is pristine compared to the 1950's or 1970's, and the Clean Air Act deserves a lot of credit.
In this latest overreach, however, by its own calculations the EPA is forcing over $1800 of costs (understated, no doubt) onto the people per ONE DOLLAR of direct benefit for the stated goal of mercury reduction.
It is possible to eliminate 100% of particulate pollution from industrial, agricultural and commercial sources. But you will soon starve to death in the dark. The EPA does not understand that health is correlated to money; we won't be living as long in the Obama EPA vision of the future. Hey, I guess that fixes the Social Security problem, too!
Inflation in the categories of energy and consumer staples like food is the ultimate tax tool.
Barack Obama IS the ultimate tax tool.
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