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As Americans, we are fortunate to have unique access to one of the most reliable and efficient forms of energy generation – coal. Across the country, in 48 states to be exact, coal is used to keep our homes warm, our lights on and our power running.
As a form of energy generation, there is no denying that coal is one of the most reliable options we have. In fact, in 2011, coal was responsible for 42 percent of the overall power generation of our energy portfolio – surpassing the power generated by natural gas and nuclear energy combined.
With so much coal located within our borders – 272 billion tons – this reliable form of energy is here to stay for years to come.
For more information on how coal continues to power our lives, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
With 2012 winding down, we’re revisiting some of the hardworking Americans we spoke with throughout the year about the importance of affordable electricity.
Glen Lyn, Virginia: a post office and a power plant. Due to EPA regulations the life blood of this community will be closing in 2015. In a town reliant on jobs from the coal-based electricity industry, job cuts will devastate the community.
Local Pastor Shahn Wilburn fears the negative impacts this will have on the town. “You’ll have displaced families. It takes the hope away from children,” he says.
Glen Lyn’s town manager, J. Howard Spencer, talks about how the EPA will simply waste 200 to 300 years worth of coal in Glen Lyn. Not only will the coal in Glen Lyn help keep energy costs low but it will protect American jobs, which is crucial in this economy.
Coal is vital to communities like Glen Lyn and many others around the country. As Pastor Wilburn says, “This might be an idea that looks good on paper but when it translates down to people and lives it has an adverse effect.”
It’s no secret – the EPA’s poorly conceived regulations against coal-fueled energy will cause the cost of living to go up and take away hundreds of thousands of Americans jobs. A recent report by the National Association of Manufacturers found that just three regulations to be enforced by the EPA, including the Utility MACT rule, will cost the industry $1.5 billion each year.
When the EPA stifles the coal industry, American families suffer. Does the EPA not realize that by enforcing these rules they are in fact hurting the economy?
America cannot afford higher costs of living and even more unemployment. The EPA must stop picking winners and losers. It is time to end this tireless war on the coal industry.
On December 18, the EPA will be holding a public hearing on Utility MACT—also known as the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards.
Here’s why Utility MACT is detrimental to both the U.S. economy and energy production.
- Utility MACT is expensive: This is the most expensive rule ever imposed on the coal-based electricity industry. By the EPA’s own analysis, Utility MACT will cost $11.4 billion in 2015—making it more expensive than the Acid Rain Program from 1990, which cost $3.75 billion in 2010, and the 2005 Clean Air Interstate Rule, with a cost of $4.6 billion in 2015.
- Utility MACT ignores current investment: The coal-based electricity industry has invested significantly to reduce emissions over the last several decades—spending more than $100 billion to dramatically reduce emissions, and will invest $125 billion through 2015 to reduce them even further. As a result of this investment, the industry has been able to reduce emissions of three major air pollutants (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter) by 84 percent per unit of electricity generated.
- Utility MACT will cut jobs: Along with several other EPA regulations, Utility MACT will be responsible for employment losses totaling 1.5 million jobs over just the next four years, with a quarter million of those job losses occurring in the Midwest. Employment losses will continue beyond that timeframe, averaging 544,000 to 887,000 jobs annually.
It’s time to reign in the EPA and tell bureaucrats to rethink their poorly designed regulations.
Retweet the post below to show your support for coal-based electricity.
#bbpBox_278541421483524096 a { text-decoration:none; color:#0099B9; }#bbpBox_278541421483524096 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; }Enforcing the @EPAgov’s Utility MACT will increase #energy prices and put more Americans out of work http://t.co/rTb54BOo
about 2 hours ago via HootSuiteRetweetFavorite
@AmericasPowerAmerica's Power As Congress and the President work to address our nation’s economic challenges, some have suggested a carbon tax as a new revenue source for the government. But the cost of a carbon tax would fall largely on middle- and lower-income Americans who would be forced to pay higher prices for staples like electricity and gasoline. This doesn’t seem right. Perhaps that’s why when Americans are told about the costs of a carbon tax, 66 percent say they oppose it; compared to just 18 percent who support it.
With so much economic uncertainty, additional taxes are the last thing that Americans need. That’s why it makes sense that according to a recent poll, more than 41 percent of Americans are opposed to a carbon tax. More than a quarter (27 percent) of the respondents were “unsure,” signaling that many Americans are not engaged on the issue – highlighting how out of the mainstream such an idea is.
Americans rely on affordable, stable electricity prices—something that coal provides. Additional fees and expenses on our electricity threaten our economy and hamper our country’s ability to recover.
This proposed tax could cause electricity rates to increase across the country, as well as cause job losses. According to the same poll, 77 percent of respondents said that US policies in the next four years should include clean coal electricity.
Americans can’t afford further job losses and increased electricity prices. It’s time to use our abundant, domestic resources to keep our country on track.
In Michigan, families depend on competitive energy rates to fuel the states’ rebounding economy. Coal provides over 50 percent of the energy that powers Michigan homes, businesses and schools.
Governor Rick Snyder has recently spoken in favor of raising the renewable energy mandate for electricity – making coal production more costly. Mandates of this kind can cause electricity rates to increase, which is why Michigan voters recently said no to exactly this kind of regulation. With the American auto industry starting to recover, it’s economically irresponsible to enact laws that make manufacturing more expensive in Michigan.
These policies would hit the 2.1 million Michiganders earning less than $50,000 a year the hardest – families who already spend 23 percent of their income on energy.
In a time when jobs are starting to return to Michigan, it’s imperative for the state to focus on job creation. Coal provides reliable, affordable electricity for the manufacturing industry allowing good jobs to return to Michigan.
Our nation’s leaders need to concentrate on getting the American economy back on track. Overreaching regulations are taking this country down the wrong path – which is why Michigan voters already have said no to this approach.
A new study released by the National Association of Manufacturers finds several EPA rules could drive up energy manufacturing costs and eliminate millions of American jobs. The report details the shockingly high costs associated with just six regulations:
The annual compliance costs for all six regulations range from $36 billion to $111.2 billion (by EPA estimates) and from $63.2 billion to $138.2 billion (by industry estimates). The total capital expenditures for all six regulations range from $174.6 billion to $539.3 billion (by EPA estimates) and from $404.5 billion to $884.5 billion (by industry estimates).
National Economic Research Associates recently analyzed seven proposed EPA regulations, projectingthat the energy sector will be substantially impacted. Although NERA’s analysis is conservative, the costs are similarly staggering:
Compliance costs for the electric sector total $198 billion to $220 billion and average $15.0 billion/year to $16.7 billion/year. Peak year compliance costs total $36 billion to $44 billion. U.S. employment losses average 544,000/year to 887,000/year. Peak year employment losses are 700,000 to 2.2 million.
Both reports show how the EPA’s regulatory agenda can kill jobs in multiple industries and harm our economy. It’s time that the administration stop considering these destructive regulations and instead put our nation on the path towards greater prosperity and a renewed economy. By keeping electricity prices low for business and families, coal helps to fuel the job creation that we need to get our economy back on track.
With 2012 winding down, we’re revisiting some of the hardworking Americans we spoke with throughout the year about the importance of affordable electricity.
Across America, families rely on affordable energy to power their daily lives. Coal is the backbone of America’s present and future electricity needs.
The coal-based electricity industry doesn’t just fuel the country, it provides more than a half a million jobs to hardworking Americans.
Institutions like the University of Kentucky offer programs that educate future engineers on the cutting edge, high-tech future of coal technologies. These programs underscore how modern and vital the coal industry is, prepping students for great careers.
Students enjoy knowing their education will be rewarded by working to provide affordable energy for their families and communities. As the video above mentions, even in these rough economic times, the Kentucky coal industry paid workers more than $1.4 billion in wages in 2009.
Coal is essential – both today and in the future. Coal is America’s abundant, affordable energy foundation that allows small businesses to employ millions of workers. Above all, coal provides stability to communities across the country.
After a long election, Washington has changed gears, and is now tackling economic issues impacting generations of Americans. Energy is an essential part of our economy, and coal is a vital component to ensuring a reliable source of electricity. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report on the significant role that coal will play in the future, and the title reveals everything: Significant Changes Are Expected in Coal-Fueled Generation, but Coal Is Likely to Remain a Key Fuel Source.
The GAO writes:
Coal is generally expected to remain a key fuel source for U.S. electricity generation in the future… Available information indicates that existing and potential future regulations may make it more expensive to generate electricity using coal, thus affecting coal’s future use.
As we already know, economic conditions and government regulations will play a role in determining how significant that is.
Recent EPA regulations would be catastrophic to the jobs and affordable energy provided by the coal-based electricity industry. These regulations will cause electricity costs to increase for the families and small businesses that fuel our country’s economy.
Coal will remain a key part of our nation’s energy future because of the actions of hardworking Americans who know that regulations against it will hurt our economy and our pocketbooks. Right now, the White House is asking people to Tweet what will happen if taxes go up for their families, using the hash tag #My2K.
If you’re on Twitter, retweet our tweet below, and tell the White House: Regulations that hurt coal are a tax on families. Spread the word to your friends and family, and be sure to get involved!
#bbpBox_274235015674593280 a { text-decoration:none; color:#0099B9; }#bbpBox_274235015674593280 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; }Regulations that hurt coal are a tax on families! #My2K http://t.co/RXG0h3vj40 minutes ago via HootSuiteRetweetFavorite@AmericasPowerAmerica's Power
Penn State University’s Dr. Frank Clemente recently authored a very interesting look into the rapid expansion of data centers in Iowa. Data centers are a central part of American life as more and data is stored remotely, to be accessed by our mobile phones or computers. These data centers are big business: Google has invested about $1.1 billion dollars in data centers in Iowa alone. And as Dr. Clemente explains:
There are nine other major data centers in Iowa, including a Microsoft operation. And Altoona, Iowa, officials will announce any day the secret identity of a company planning to build yet another data center, a $1.5 billion beast — my guess, Facebook.
For many, plugging in to the internet is the same as turning on a light – if we flick a switch and nothing happens, we feel as if something has gone wrong. To fuel that level of demand, data centers must always be running. That demands a reliable, and inexpensive, source of electricity. As Dr. Clemente explains, “For the record, coal provides 70 percent of Iowa’s low-cost highly reliable power.”
Source: Energy-Facts.org/Iowa Utilities Board
Read this fascinating look at how data centers, which are fueling our new way of life, are fueled by affordable, abundant coal. And learn more about how coal is fueling your state by looking at our state map.
