Coal groups unite against Clean Power Plan

Members of the US coal industry have submitted their comments on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan (CPP), widely criticisng the plan as “costly” and “reckless”.

“Already promulgated regulations are expected to drive the shutdown of as much as 20% of America’s coal-based fleet,” said Deck Slone, Vice President of Strategy and Public Policy at Arch Coal. “Now before this current round of closures has even run its course, the EPA is preparing to step on the regulatory accelerator one again with the proposed CPP.”

“Such as move threatens to ratchet up the risk still further,” continued Slone, creating “enormous potential for market disruptions, supply shortages and rate spikes.”

Hal Quinn of the National Mining Association echoed these concerns: “The nations electric grid will become far less diverse and reliable – and far more costly – with this proposal,” Quinn said. “A growing chorus of experts – from grid managers and regulators to energy economists and utility evecutives – has warned the EPA of the costly consequence for American households and industries from this reckless gamble with the nation’s grid.”

A state-perspective was provided by the West Virginia Coal Association (WVCA), which called the CPP an “ill-conceived, poorly devised and illegal power grab by the Obama EPA”.

The plan “will hurt West Virginians by minimising the use of West Virginia coal and force the closure of more coal-fired power plants across the country,” continued Bill Raney, president of the WVCA. “It will further reduce the number of West Virginians working in the coal and power generation industries, taking paychecks out of our communities and further jeopardising our state’s economic prosperity.”

“The proposed CPP won’t have any discernable impact on greenhouse gas concentrations,” concluded Slone. “There is a way forward for addressing climate concerns and that is through robust investment in advanced technologies for coal and other fossil fuels. We strongly encourage the administration to withdraw its proposal and move towards a more rational and effective approach.”

Written by Jonathan Rowland.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/power/02122014/world-coal-coal-groups-unite-against-clean-power-plan-coal1629/