Coal in the News

15Jan

Republicans Furious Over Obama Move on Coal Leases

Via The Hill:  Congressional Republicans are slamming the Obama administration’s decision to halt new coal mining leases on federal land. Administration officials said Friday they would hold off on new lease sales while overhauling the coal leasing program to account for climate change costs.  Republicans, who have badgered Obama for energy and environment policies they […]
14Jan

Why the CPP Is So Bad for Rural America

Via EnergyBIZ: IN AUGUST, THE U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled the final version of a plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 32% by 2030. Dubbed the Clean Power Plan, EPA’s blueprint is one of those ambitious initiatives — a big overreach, some say — that will have extensive and long-term consequences, some of which we […]
13Jan

Fossil Fuel Leases Should Charge for Climate Change, Says President

Via The Hill:  President Obama wants companies leasing oil and coal rights on federal land to pay more for the effects those fuels have on climate change. In his final State of the Union address Tuesday night, Obama said the prices charged for oil and coal ought to reflect the cost of the greenhouse gases […]
13Jan

House Votes to Delay Coal Mining Rule

Via The Hill: The House passed a bill Tuesday to delay an Obama administration rule designed to protect streams around coal mining operations. Lawmakers approved Rep. Alex Mooney’s (R-W.Va.) bill on a 235 to 188 vote with 4 Democrats joining most Republicans to vote in favor. Ten Republicans voted against the bill. The bill would delay an […]
13Jan

Obama Touches on Coal During State of the Union Address

Via WSAZ: WASHINGTON — During his final State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Barack Obama signaled that coal companies could face higher charges when mining on federal lands. Obama said he’s going to push to change the way the federal government manages its oil and coal resources to better reflect the costs they impose […]
13Jan

A Labor Leader’s View: Clean Power Plan Will Hurt the Poor

Via The Duluth News Tribune: Recently, advocates for the EPA’s Clean Power Plan have tried to make the case that the plan would benefit low-income citizens. Do they really believe that? How is this going to make electricity cheaper? How can requiring utilities to shut down hundreds of millions of dollars of perfectly good equipment […]
12Jan

The Carnage in Coal Country

Via The Wall Street Journal: Arch Coal filed for Chapter 11 protection on Monday, continuing an industry collapse that includes the bankruptcies of Patriot Coal, Walter Energy and Alpha Natural Resources. The White House must be cheering, because this is one Obama energy policy that seems to be working. As President Obama prepares to deliver his final State […]
11Jan

Lights Out: The Top 7 Threats To America’s Power Grid

Via The Daily Caller:  Revelations earlier last week that hackers linked to Russia attacked and took down the Ukrainian power grid are bringing to light once again major threats to the American power grid. “There’s this combination of federal and state-level programs that are aimed at shutting down reliable baseload generation, such as coal, while […]
07Jan

GOP Bill Blocking Obama Coal Rule Set to Hit House Floor

Via The Hill: A Republican bill to block a new Obama administration coal mining rule is due to the hit the floor soon. Rep. Alex Mooney’s (R-W.Va.) Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act would prevent the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) from finalizing the mining rule until it goes through an extra […]
06Jan

Clean Power Plan Amounts to an Energy Tax

Via The Pueblo Chieftain:  The administration’s Clean Power Plan, announced by the White House last summer, defies both Congress and public opinion. Congress has repeatedly rejected costly plans to cap carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and opinion polls consistently show voters won’t pay for them. The plan also defies common sense. Logic doesn’t support claims […]