Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) recently said that coal-fired power plants generate 40 percent of America’s electricity and shield the economy from spikes in energy demand – but new EPA regulations could change that.
In an editorial that appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Kelly outlined the economic impact of new EPA regulations that would cap carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants.
“The EPA’s war on coal has troubling economic implications for every American and U.S. business,” Kelly said. “As the new regulations take effect, Americans could see their electric bills increase annually by more than 10 percent – $150 for the average consumer – by the end of the decade, according to the American Action Forum.”
Coal power helps keep energy rates reliably low, Kelly said, which gives U.S. manufacturers an edge over global competitors. In June, the National Association of Manufacturers said the EPA rule “could single-handedly eliminate this competitive advantage.”
“Coal also provides, directly and indirectly, hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country,” Kelly said. “In my state of Pennsylvania, more than 40,000 jobs are tied to coal production, including thousands of manufacturing jobs in factories powered by coal. Federal regulations have already forced two plants in my district to close over the past two years. The National Mining Association estimates that more than 300 plants will retire nationwide due to EPA rules over the next six years. When mines and plants shut down, manufacturing costs rise and employment plummets.”
Kelly said that China and India emit more carbon dioxide from coal than the United States, and China alone has increased coal production by 24 percent since 2005.
Kelly recently introduced the Coal Country Protection Act, which would halt the EPA regulation on power plants until it can be proved regulation would not result in any lost jobs, a drop in gross domestic product, higher energy prices or interruption of energy delivery.