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Thursday, Sep 29 2011 9PM
78°F 12AM 77°F
5-Day Forecast

EPA plans wave of coal plant shutdowns lawmakers say will send energy costs
soaring

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 3:13 AM on 21st August 2011

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is
planning to shut down a number of coal-fired power plants in a controversial bid
to curb pollution in the U.S.

The shutdowns are part of a new effort to
regulate Mercury, smog, ozone, greenhouse gases, coal ash and water intake over
the next 18 months.

However, rising tensions are resulting between
environmental, industry groups and Republican members of the House, who say the
regulations will result in higher electric bills, more blackouts and fewer
jobs.

Emissions: Utilities say regulations could cost them up to
$129billion, which would drive up costs for consumers

Edison Electric Institute, which represents
investor-owned utilities, and the American Legislative Exchange Council have
slammed the plans as 'EPA’s Regulatory Train Wreck.'

EEI, the National Mining Association, produced
a report that said EPA regulations would cause the retirement of between 17GW
and 59GW of coal-fired generation capacity by 2015, which could cost
utilities up to $129billion and force them
to eliminate one-fifth of coal capacity,
which generates 45 per cent of power in the U.S.

More...

Mother
and her two daughters killed as flash flood swamps their car with 9ft wall of
water after huge storms hit U.S.

In a divisive campaign promise earlier this
month, Minnesota Representative and
Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann pledged to have the EPA's
doors 'locked and lights turned off' in a bid to stamp out the agency's efforts.

Fellow Republican presidential candidate and
former Georgia Representative Newt Gingrich has called for abolishing the agency
entirely, calling the EPA 'hostile to all new technology, hostile to local
community control, hostile to the business community,' and 'hostile to the
marketplace.'

Controversial: The EPA estimates that an air-transport
rule to regulate smog-causing sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide could save
36,000 lives

Meanwhile, environmental groups argue
substantial public health benefits and have accused utilities of exaggerating
the cost of such regulation.

A newly-released report by the non-partisan
Congressional Research Service (CRS), which conducts policy research for members
of Congress, acknowledged EPA regulations will predictably force many coal
plants to close through the year 2017.

However, it noted 'In most cases... the
benefits (of new regulations) are larger.'

The EPA estimates that an air-transport rule
to regulate smog-causing sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide would help prevent
21,000 cases of bronchitis and 23,000 heart attacks, and save 36,000 lives.

That could result in $290billion in health
benefits, compared with $2.8billion per year in costs by 2014, according to the
EPA.

The country's oldest plants are expected to be
the first casualties. According to the report, one-third of all coal capacity
became active between 1940 and 1969 and about two-thirds of them do not have
scrubbers.

The CRS report states: 'Many of these plants
are inefficient and are being replaced by more efficient combined cycle natural
gas plants, a development likely to be encouraged if the price of competing fuel
- natural gas - continues to be low, almost regardless of EPA
rules.'

The CRS staved off arguments coal plant
closures would result in a catastrophic affect on the U.S. power grid. According
to the report,coal plants that came online before 1970 are in use, on average,
only 41 per cent of the time. Electric plants have the added ability of
increasing power relatively quickly.

'There is a substantial amount of excess
generation capacity at present,' it reads, noting the affect of the recession
and the growing use of natural gas plants.

The CRS does not directly comment on costs of
EPA regulations for consumers, although it notes costs will vary by utility and
state.

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This is another of Obama's "kept" campaign promises. He
said during the campaign if you were in the coal business consider another line
of work. Another attempt by fiat to do what would never be done legislatively.
And the back-door-sneekie way they get Obamacare into it. Don't think for a
minute this is not a part of what is supposed to "pay" for that monstrosity.

- J Rick, Slidell, USA, 21/8/2011 15:19

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