The coal industry has warned that new Environmental Protection Agency rules for coal plants will result in layoffs and steep price hikes for consumers, reports DailyCaller.com.
The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, part of the EPA’s Clean Air Act, requires plants in 27 states to cut sulfur dioxide emissions by 73 percent and nitrogen dioxide emissions by 54 percent by 2015.
“The EPA is ignoring the cumulative economic damage new regulations will cause,” said
Steve Miller, president and CEO of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. “America’s coal-fueled electric industry has been doing its part for the environment and the economy, but our industry needs adequate time to install clean coal technologies to comply with new regulations. Unfortunately, EPA doesn’t seem to care.”
The agency says the new regulations will save the nation up to $280 billion a year in healthcare and environmental benefits, and save up to 34,000 lives.
Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., who heads the House Energy and Commerce Committee, agreed that the cost to the industry would be extreme.
“The goal for these rules should be reasonable regulation that protects public health and the environment while also preserving economic growth,” said Upton. “Unfortunately, the unprecedented pace at which the administration is issuing major new rules that impose new costs and regulatory requirements on states, employers, and consumers fails that basic test.”
“By issuing multiple regulations for the energy and other sectors at such an accelerated rate,” he continued, “EPA has turned regulation from a manageable tool into an unpredictable moving target that makes it difficult for companies to invest and create jobs.”
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