Barack Obama & Bob Casey’s EPA Issues Job-Killing Regulations on Coal Fired Power Plants

Sierra Club Claims This Will Put An End To Coal Fired Power Plants
PA 4^th Largest Coal Mining State, Mandate will cost  Pennsylvanian jobs

As the Supreme Court continues to hear the oral arguments against Barack Obama and Bob Casey’s intrusive healthcare law, today the Obama Administration issued job-killing regulations on the coal industry, which could cease production of any new coal plants and kill thousands of jobs in the Keystone State.

Casey had an opportunity to reign in these unelected bureaucrats and their mandates, but rather than standing up for Pennsylvania, he decided to support the agenda of extreme environmentalists.

Even though Pennsylvania is the fourth largest coal mining state and this mandate will destroy jobs, the Sierra Club praised these new regulations because they claim it will ultimately put an end to coal fired power plants.

As The Hill reports:

The Environmental Protection Agency proposed first-of-their-kind regulations Tuesday to limit greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants. … Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune was even more blunt. He told Bloomberg that the rules “will make it nearly impossible to build a new coal plant,” and added that the market has been moving that way, so the rule “captured the end of an era.”  The rules drew quick criticism from industry groups. The National Mining Association immediately called on Congress to scuttle the plans.  “Volatile natural gas prices will, once again, expose millions of households to higher utility bills, threaten hundreds of thousands of workers with unemployment and weaken both the competitiveness of basic industries and the reliability of the nation’s electricity grid,” said the group’s CEO, Hal Quinn.  (Andrew Restuccia and Ben German, EPA unveils long-awaited climate rules for new power plants, The Hill, 03/27/12)

Earlier this month, five coal fired power plants in Pennsylvania announced they were closing due to the burdensome regulations from the Obama Administration.

“Whether it’s ObamaCare, the failed stimulus or EPA regulations, Bob Casey always sides with President Obama and his far left agenda,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Spokesman Lance Trover. “The consequence of Casey siding with President Obama and his extreme environmentalist friends instead of hard-working Pennsylvania families is simple: the EPA will now be able to implement their regulations which will kill thousands of jobs and increase energy rates.”

BACKGROUND …

Casey Supports The EPA’s Regulations, Which Are Killing Pennsylvania Jobs

Casey Voted Against An Amendment That Would Have Blocked The EPA From Regulating Carbon Dioxide And Other Greenhouse Gasses. “McConnell, R-Ky., amendment no. 183 that would block the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.” (S. 493, CQ Vote #54: Rejected 50-50: R 46-1; D 4-47; I 0-2, 4/6/11, Casey Voted Nay)

In 2008, Casey Voted To Move Forward With The Boxer Amendment That Would “Cap Greenhouse Gas Emissions Nationwide.” “Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the Boxer, D-Calif., substitute amendment no. 4825 that would cap greenhouse gas emissions nationwide and set up a trading system for companies to buy and sell emissions allowances.” (S. 3036, CQ Vote #145: Rejected 48-36: R 7-32; D 39-4; I 2-0, 6/6/08, Casey Voted Yea)

Pennsylvania Is A Major Coal Mining State 

Pennsylvania Is The Fourth Largest Coal Mining State. “Coal production is the amount of coal that is mined and sent to market. In 2010, the amount of coal produced at U.S. coal mines was 1,085.3 million short tons. Coal is mined in 26 States. Wyoming mines the most coal, followed by West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Montana.” (U.S. Energy Information Administration, www.eia.gov, Accessed 12/21/11)

“Direct And Indirect Employment Generated By U.S. Coal Mining In Pennsylvania Accounts For 49,100 Jobs, For A Combined Payroll Of $2.23  Billion.” (National Mining Association, www.nma.org, Accessed 1/5/12)

Obama EPA Regulations Killing Jobs In Pennsylvania

According To An AP Survey, The Obama EPA’s Smog And Air Pollution Rules  Will Lead To Dozens Of Coal Plant Closings Nationwide. “More than 32 mostly coal-fired power plants in a dozen states will be forced to shut down and an additional 36 might have to close because of new federal air pollution regulations, according to an Associated Press survey.” (Dina Cappiello, “AP IMPACT: EPA Rules Threaten Older Power Plants,” The Associated Press, 12/19/11)

Exelon Corp. Plants In Chester And Phoenixville Are Expected To Be Closed.  “’It’s fully expected that some smaller coal-fired power plants will retire,’ [Douglas] Biden [Douglas Biden, President of the Electric Power Generation Association] said. ‘Eddystone and Cromby have already seen the handwriting on the wall,’ he said, referring to Exelon Corp. plants in Chester and Phoenixville, which will close by 2013.” (Sandy Bauers, “Pennsylvania Coal Plants Face Big Changes Under Planned EPA Pollution-Control Rules,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/30/10)

Approximately 35 Percent Of Pennsylvania Plants Will Have To Shut Down Or Modernize To Meet The Regulations. “As for Pennsylvania’s plants, most upgrades have been made at the newer and larger ones. So about 65 percent of the state’s coal-fired generating capacity already has controls that would meet the new regulations, said Douglas Biden, president of the Electric Power Generation Association, a Pennsylvania industry group. … About half of Pennsylvania’s 33 plants were built before 1971. The oldest went online in 1949, the year 45 r.p.m. records made their debut.” (Sandy Bauers, “Pennsylvania Coal Plants Face Big Changes Under Planned EPA Pollution-Control Rules,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/30/10)

Read more at NRSC