Obama promised us in 2008 that under his “plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket”. In 2009 the House passed Obama’s Cap and Trade Bill but fortunately it was defeated in the Senate and that was supposedly the end of it. Not so. Obama has effectively done an end around Congress with the EPA’s Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology (UMACT) rule, also known as “Mercury and Air Toxics Standards” or “MATS.” If you happen to live in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia or the District of Columbia your electric bill will soon arrive via the promised skyrocket. At least 4 of those states are considered “toss-ups” for the November election.
Last week the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a shocking drop in power sector coal consumption in the first quarter of 2012. Coal-fired power plants are now generating just 36 percent of U.S. electricity, versus 44.6 percent just one year ago.
It’s the result of an unprecedented regulatory assault on coal that will leave us all much poorer.
Last week PJM Interconnection, the company that operates the electric grid for 13 states (Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia) held its 2015 capacity auction. These are the first real, market prices that take Obama’s most recent anti-coal regulations into account, and they prove that he is keeping his 2008 campaign promise to make electricity prices “necessarily skyrocket.”
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. In the mid-Atlantic area covering New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and DC the new price is $167 per megawatt. For the northern Ohio territory served by FirstEnergy, the price is a shocking $357 per megawatt.
Why the massive price increases? Andy Ott from PJM stated the obvious: “Capacity prices were higher than last year’s because of retirements of existing coal-fired generation resulting largely from environmental regulations which go into effect in 2015.” Northern Ohio is suffering from more forced coal-plant retirements than the rest of the region, hence the even higher price.
These are not computer models or projections or estimates. These are the actual prices that electric distributors have agreed to pay for new capacity. The costs will be passed on to consumers at the retail level.
Read the entire article here. Hat tip Fox News
Click on the link below to send a letter to your senator demanding that Obama and the EPA cease their war on coal.
Stop Obama’s War on Coal
The American people rejected cap-and-trade (President Obama’s plan to make electricity prices “necessarily skyrocket” and “bankrupt coal”) in one of the biggest landslide elections in history in 2010. The day after that election, Obama said: “Cap and trade was just one way of skinning the cat; it was not the only way. It was a means, not an end.”
Since then, Obama has worked overtime to act as if the cap-and-trade bill passed and to twist decades-old laws in order to bankrupt coal and drive up the price of electricity.
The lynchpin of the Obama’s War on Coal is the so-called Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology (UMACT) rule, also known as “Mercury and Air Toxics Standards” or “MATS.” The rule requires expensive retrofits at coal-fired power plants, raising electricity prices nearly 20 percent with no environmental benefit.
The cost, according to EPA’s own estimate, is $10 billion per year. A more r
Previewealistic analysis from the national Economic Research Associates found compliance costs of $21 billion per year, with 183,000 lost jobs per year.
Worse, if the rule stands it will combine with Obama’s new greenhouse gas rules to shut down all coal-fired power plants in America, a genuine economic catastrophe that will make prices “necessarily skyrocket” and undermine the reliability of our electric grid.
The Senate will soon vote on a resolution from Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) that would overturn the UMACT rule.
Take action now to urge your senators to stand up to Obama and to Stop the War on Coal!
Just in time for A/C season!
But the U.S.A. are exporting more coal to China than ever.
Bumr50 wrote:
Yinz Keystoners need to get off the dime and get PA out of the “leans Obama” column.
@ huckfunn:
I think we’re very much in play. All Romney has to do is try.
Guggi wrote:
To the best of my knowledge, the new MATS regs are primarily aimed at the coal fired power plants. I’m not sure that there are any increased regs on export.
Bumr50 wrote:
I agree. The RCP electoral map currently shows PA in the “leans Obama” camp but I would expect it to go to at least a toss-up. The Phillie counties will undoubtedly go for O-hole so we’re counting on the rest of yinz to make it red. Also, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to call you a “Keystoner”.
42% of Kentucky Dems picked “uncommitted” over Obama last night. Here in Kentucky, being against coal is like being against thoroughbred racing -- we just don’t take to it very well.
@ huckfunn:
I’m certainly no Quaker!!
MacDuff wrote:
I saw that. KY is firmly in the Mitt camp. If we could pick up OH, PA and FL, that would just about seal the deal.
huckfunn wrote:
Bumr50 wrote:
Haw!
@ Guggi:
China is building coal-fired power plants at breakneck speed. I was unable to find the number but it’s huge.
Romney Up 6 Points In Florida
huckfunn wrote:
China has announced to quit building windpower but they will enhance shale gas:
China, US discuss shale gas, energy security at economic dialogue: report
I saw that. The Chicoms will do everything they can to enhance their economic and military power at the same time the Obamunists running this country are doing all they can to tear down the U.S. Makes me sick!
Obama’s grand miscalculation with Catholics
@ huckfunn:
@ huckfunn:
@ Bumr50:
Obama is slightly ahead according to the latest polls.
@ huckfunn:
You get a Hat Tip in my new headline.
huckfunn wrote:
Since this IS the subject, I shall indulge myself by repeating myself. For those unaware, 36% of California’s LEGAL Resident Citizens are Hispanic. The vast majority of which are practicing Catholic’s. So far everybody is ignoring the 500 lbs and 800 lbs Gorilla’s in the room. California’s Catholic’s are the 800 lbs gorilla, while California’s 16% black population is the 500 lbs gorilla in the room, California’s black community, yea, they supported California’s proposition 8 by a margin of around 86%.
While nobody else is saying it yet, I am, California is basically written off as secure for Obama. I on the other hand am saying, don’t count on it. Once you remove half of California’s Catholic population and half of California’s black population from the Obama Column Obama no longer has enough votes to carry California. As of 2008 California’s political party breakdown was…
44.4% were Democrats
31.3% were Republicans
4.4% were affiliated with other political parties
19.9% were (“Decline to State”) voters
46% of Californian’s are “Conservatives” which normally means that the state leans liberal, and is governed liberal. Obama is NOT going to carry the 60 percent of California that he did in 2008. It’s a pure numbers game here, with Obama having alienated 50% of the Black population and straight up pissed off 50 to 75% of the Catholic population he won’t have the votes to carry California, so yea, you can put California in the swing column for 2012.
@ doriangrey:
I think Romney should at least try to win in California. If he can force Obama to defend it, then that’s less resources Obama will have for Florida or other states.
@ doriangrey:
Hey seeing how Obama is losing 40% of the vote in the Democratic Primary, we should have put Charles Johnson on the California ballot to see how much he would have gotten!
Rodan wrote:
Even one vote (his own) would result in his ejaculation!
Rodan wrote:
Good god no, this is still after all California, where we elect the most insanely unqualified politicians…
@ doriangrey:
Being against gay marriage is waaaay different than being against Obama who is for gay marriage. Big time. In my opinion (which isn’t worth anything, I know) he’ll still get 80% of the black vote / minimum.
But I’m pulling for ya Cali!
m wrote:
Oh trust me, the gay marriage issue is a big effin deal here. The gay activist judge who rules proposition 8 unconstitutional assert that the gay marriage issue was equal to the Black civil right’s struggle. Are 50 percent of California’s Black going to vote for Romney? Nope, but their is a really good chance that they will sit this election out on moral principals.
@ m:
He is a god-king to many. Sad but true.
Maybe Jerry Moonbeam will pick Jazzy Ponytail for Lt.
Gov.
@ m:
He’ll take 90%that of the black vote again. Race is thicker than religion in that demographic. Look at how they support abortion on demand. In any
@ Iron Fist:
Crap. I am on my phone and accidentally hit submit. As I was saying, in any other context the abortion rate in the black community would be considered genocide, but the blacks vote consistently for abortion on demand.
@ Iron Fist:
@ Iron Fist:
Yeop!
doriangrey wrote:
Interesting take from behind enemy lines, Dorian. If it’s even close in CA, it’ll be a Romney rout and he’ll likely have some coattails as well.
Iron Fist wrote:
This guy and his girlfriends forgot to demand it. Man who had 30 kids with 11 women wants child-support break. Child support x 30 appears to be squeezing his minimum wage pay check.
@ huckfunn:
He should have used a condom.
The Osprey wrote:
The sad part is Charles might actually win in California. His first act as Lt. Gov. would be to investigate the Nazi infiltration of California.
Rodan wrote:
He needs to be fixed.
Priceless pic at WZ. Global Warming Author Says Everyone Should Be Involuntarily “Bar-Coded At Birth”
Those electric bills will be fresh in everyone’s memory in November. Just one more nail in the Obama Presidency’s coffin. On a happier note speaking of those nails, 40% of the Kentucky Democrats and 41% of the Arkansas Democrats voted against Barack Obama in those state’s primaries. Even more shocking than the West Virginia and the Arkansas Primary close calls was the surprise in Kentucky, where there was no actual other name appearing on the ballot. The write in non candidate of uncommitted gained the favor of 2 out of 5 Kentucky Democrats.
@ Flyovercountry:
Candidate ABO is making a good showing without even having an advertising budget.
@ Flyovercountry:
I have a post at 2 PM. about this. You will laugh at the picture I used.
Flyovercountry wrote:
Kentucky is a big coal state, which may well have something to do with it.
HuffPo’s House Jihadi
@ buzzsawmonkey:
As is West Virginia, which is actually the leading energy state in our country based entirely on the coal industry, and a little natural gas.
@ Rodan:
Funny.
New Thread.