They’re Doing It For The Children

So the 600+ jobs, billions of dollars in costs, much higher utility bills for evil consumers and increased strain on our vastly over-stretched electricity grid are all worth it then

Utility giant American Electric Power said Thursday that it will shut down five coal-fired power plants and spend billions of dollars to comply with a series of pending Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

The company’s dramatic plan to comply with the regulations could give Republicans and moderate Democrats ammunition in their ongoing fight against EPA’s efforts to impose new regulations aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants including mercury and arsenic.

…But EPA defended its regulations Thursday, noting that the agency has worked closely with industry to ensure that its regulations are “reasonable, common-sense and achievable.”

The agency also stressed that the regulations are essential for protecting public health.

“These reasonable steps taken under the Clean Air Act will reduce harmful air pollution, including mercury, arsenic and other toxic pollution, and as a result protect our families, particularly children,” EPA said in a statement.

6 Responses to “They’re Doing It For The Children”

1. Yojimbo says:

   June 10, 2011 at 12:05 pm

   Reasonable steps for a socialist. We should be moving to natural gas and nuclear to keep these people at bay. What he can’t accomplish with legislation he is doing with regulation. Maybe the (maoist) dangerous people in the country right now are the regulation writers at some of these agencies!

   We simply must get these people out of office in 2012.
   At the very least, we must get a strong majority in the Senate to counteract this regulation gone amuck.

2. major dad says:

   June 10, 2011 at 12:37 pm

   “reasonable, common-sense and achievable.” Ha ha, that’s a knee slapper. EPA is dangerous and I believe could care less if they destroy the country.

3. JeffS says:

   June 10, 2011 at 12:53 pm

   The EPA is all about saving the environment at the expense of the country, Major Dad. It needs to be abolished, and the current employees put to work picking up litter along roads.

4. Nobrainer says:

   June 10, 2011 at 3:12 pm

   I’m sowewhat familiar with these plants and I can’t say I’m all that surprised that they’re being shuttered, EPA regs aside. Most the plants are 50-60 years old and often broken down.

   That said, if grid reliability is determined to be threatened by their closure, they will be kept service.

5. Mr. Bingley says:

   June 10, 2011 at 6:14 pm

   Nobrainer, isn’t our grid pretty much held together with baling wire and duct tape as it is?

6. JeffS says:

   June 10, 2011 at 7:39 pm

   “Grid reliability” refers to the amount of reserve generating capacity, Mr. Bingley. Although you make an excellent point about the physical infrastructure…..

   But grid reliability is needed for peak loading, i.e., those times of the day when electrical demands go up. Loads from air conditioning, for example, varies with the time of day. More in the afternoon, less in the early morning. The more reserve one has, the more extremes can be handled.

   With poor grid reliability, one sees brown outs, or rolling blackouts, such as California sees more than occasionally.

   Thanks to the EPA, it’s possible that America will see the same nationally.