EPA’s coal regs: all pain, no gain for Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s economy has been on the upswing, but Washington’s proposed greenhouse gas regulations could change all that. The Environmental Protection Agency’s prospective crackdown on new and existing power plants will drive up energy prices across the nation, but the proposed regulations will hit Badger State families and businesses particularly hard.
The latest surge in the agency’s “war on coal,” EPA’s proposed limits on carbon dioxide emissions would essentially block construction of new coal-fired power plants and force existing ones into early retirement. New plant emissions, for example, would be capped at 1,000 pounds of CO2 equivalent per megawatt hour. Talk about Mission Impossible! The newest, most efficient coal power plant emits 1,700 pounds per megawatt hour.
In the real world, the war on coal is a war on affordable, reliable energy. It’s especially problematic for Wisconsinites, who rely heavily on coal for their electricity (more than 60% vs. the national average of 40%).
- On March 24, 2014