27Oct

NMA’s Quinn Slams OSM’s “Rule in Search of a Purpose”

National Mining Association (NMA) President and CEO Hal Quinn today told a Senate oversight hearing that the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement’s (OSM) so-called Stream Protection Rule is more about protecting the jobs of regulators than protecting the environment: “The SPR is a massive rule in search of a purpose. OSM’s own reports […]
26Oct

Stream Rule Could Cost More than 200K Jobs — Report

Via E&E Publishing: The Interior Department’s proposed rule to protect waterways from coal mining could end up costing the U.S. economy more than 200,000 jobs, said a report prepared for the National Mining Association (NMA). The document, prepared by consultant Ramboll Environ Inc., directly contradicts the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s own peer-reviewed economic […]
26Oct

America vs. The EPA: Fighting ‘A Massive Executive Power Grab’

Via The Daily Caller:  The Environmental Protection Agency finally published a regulation that will be the backbone of President Barack Obama’s plan to fight global warming: a sweeping rule called the Clean Power Plan. Attorneys general from 26 states and numerous business groups, however, aren’t going to stand idly by while EPA regulations threaten the closure […]
26Oct

EPA Plan Means Higher Prices, Grid Issues in Texas

Via ECT.coop:  Electricity prices in Texas will rise sharply and a chunk of coal power will be sidelined under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, the state’s grid operator says. An analysis released Oct. 16 by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas foresees a 16 percent boost in energy costs for consumers by 2030 […]
26Oct

New Study Discredits OSM’s New Mining Regulation in Advance of Senate Oversight Hearing

Washington, D.C. – A new study by an environmental consulting firm documents steep costs and job losses from a new regulation from the U.S. Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement (OSM), adding further credence to widespread criticisms of this unnecessary rule. The so-called Stream Protection Rule (SPR), the subject of Senate oversight hearings Tuesday, […]
26Oct

Does Obama Realize Negative Impact of His Policies?

Via The Logan Banner: Thank you, President Obama, for coming to West Virginia to discuss the rampant drug problem faced by our state, our region and, indeed, our nation. Perhaps no place has been more affected by the scourge of drugs — both prescription and illegal — than West Virginia. And perhaps no place in […]
24Oct

Clean Power Plan Could Limit PA’s Energy Future

Via Centre Daily Times: On Oct. 9, the Environmental Protection Agency received yet another legal slap on the wrist for its overreaching rule-making — this time on “Water of the United States,” an attempt to regulate water sources nationwide. Eighteen states joined in petitioning the Sixth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals to review […]
24Oct

Coalition Of 24 States Sues EPA To Defeat Obama’s Global Warming Agenda

Via The Daily Caller: A coalition of 24 states is suing the Obama administration in the hopes of defeating what’s been called one of the most “far-reaching energy regulations” in American history: the so-called Clean Power Plan. “The Clean Power Plan is one of the most far-reaching energy regulations in this nation’s history,” West Virginia […]
24Oct

West Virginians’ Resilience Being Pushed by Impact of Anti-coal Policies

Via The State Journal: Chris Hamilton is co-chairman of the West Virginia Coal Forum and senior vice president of the West Virginia Coal Association. Personally, I struggled with the thought of President (Barack) Obama visiting West Virginia this week. On one hand, we have a serious substance abuse problem in this state and we can […]
23Oct

Governor Pence Opposes EPA’s Carbon Dioxide Regulations

Indianapolis – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published its final Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Source: Electric Utility Generating Units, also known as President Obama’s Clean Power Plan.  Indiana and 23 other states immediately filed suit challenging the regulation.  Governor Mike Pence issued the following statement regarding the final regulation and the […]