 “If someone wants to build a new coal-fired power plant they can, but it will bankrupt them because they will be charged a huge sum for all the greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.” -Candidate Barack Obama, 2008. June 20, 2012 - Some of the conservative campaign rhetoric over the past few weeks has suggested that our Community-Organizer-in-Chief has been unable to deliver on his 2008 campaign promises.That criticism may be a bit premature, since several reputable industry sources are now looking towards the horizon and seeing some steep increases in energy prices headed our way. So if you pay for your electric bill out of your own wallet, here are two articles that hit my in basket this morning. They may be may be of interest if you believe the cost of electricity is factored in to virtually everything we buy, from services to manufactured goods, not to mention our own home utility usage. Obama’s War on Domestic Energy Production - The Heritage Foundation Obama’s war on coal hits your electric bill - Fox News Here are my takeaways from these articles - "Citing mercury pollution and air pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered businesses to install the “Maximum Achievable Control Technology” (MACT) to control emissions from their plants. Known as Utility MACT, this is no ordinary regulation. So stringent are the standards that potentially dozens of coal-fired power plants will close rather than incur the unsustainable costs of compliance." "...electricity prices are forecast to spike by 11.5 percent nationwide in 2016, causing hundreds of thousands of job losses across the economy, according to National Economic Research Associates." "The proponents of the proposed rule tell stories of mercury poisoning and point to benefit estimates as though they reflect a reduced incidence of mercury poisoning. However, even the EPA’s own cost-benefit calculations reveal that this is not a mercury rule in any meaningful sense–less than one-tenth of one percent of the estimated benefits come from mercury abatement." "Coal-fired power plants are now generating just 36 percent of U.S. electricity, versus 44.6 percent just one year ago." "The market-clearing price for new 2015 capacity – almost all natural gas – was $136 per megawatt. That’s eight times higher than the price for 2012, which was just $16 per megawatt." Analysis It seems unconscionable that this administration would push draconian EPA mandates at a time when unemployment has skyrocketed and the economy is teetering on a precipice. And yet Obama and his crew are determined to bury the coal industry (no pun intended). It makes you wonder to what end? What's the motivation here? Clearly, the purported reasoning regarding mercury contamination appears to be an excuse. So what is the real agenda? And in a larger context, this article is one of many thousands of "tiles" that comprise a disturbing picture. A picture that suggests that we have regressed into a virtual monarchy exercising executive fiat power through administrative bureaucracy. And this tile seems to be placed on the heels of another tile representing forced implementation of selected features of the DREAM ACT, which was voted down by Congress. Regardless of whether or not you believe that children of illegal aliens should remain in this country, it all begs the question of whether single-issue activists have finally figured a way to usurp control over the American people without legislative or judicial checks and balances. It begs the question of whether Congress is no longer relevant. Are we, as Americans, no longer represented? Do foreign interests, some of which are leveraged by Middle East petrodollars, now trump the will and sovereignty of the American people? I am interested in your thoughts, so please leave a comment if you have something to say on this topic. Comments? 6/20/2012 19:40:11 Dave Agree? Somewhat "Really Craig? All that really matters is the R or D by the name for some people. This kind of manarchy fiat rule was the stuff of Bush II. Where were you on that? At least Obama's fiat rule is about lowering air pollution and not raising it in the name of campaign contributors profit margins." |