Blog

16Mar

CPP’s Last Stand

March 16, 2017: The Obama Administration’s so called war on coal, a campaign that appeared destined for victory just a few months ago looks to be in full retreat. An executive order, expected soon, will start a re-examination of costly and potentially unlawful policy impediments to energy independence. Prominent among these will be two, both […]
09Mar

Lift the Moratorium on Federal Coal

March 9, 2017 Coal is declining as a source of power, say critics, because cheap and abundant natural gas is keeping coal in the ground and away from power plants. Today, coal generates a third of the nation’s electricity, a steep drop from its 50 percent market share when President Obama took office. Coincidence? We […]
02Mar

The President vs. The Beltway

March 2, 2017 “We have undertaken a historic effort to massively reduce job crushing regulations, creating a deregulation task force inside of every Government agency; imposing a new rule which mandates that for every 1 new regulation, 2 old regulations must be eliminated; and stopping a regulation that threatens the future and livelihoods of our […]
22Feb

One Down, Two to Go

February 22, 2017 With the ceremonial removal of the stream rule in the Oval Office last week, a major burden on coal communities and threat to our diverse energy mix was lifted. But the danger from President Obama’s “keep it in the ground” regulatory tear lives on in two key policies: the moratorium on federal […]
15Feb

A Rollback, or a Reset?

February 15, 2017 This week the Senate will send a belated Valentine to blue-collar Americans. It’s likely the upper house will confirm either Mr. Zinke as Secretary of the Interior or Mr. Pruitt as the new EPA administrator before adjourning for President’s Day. Both men will be greeted warmly by the many whose jobs are […]
10Feb

Lifting the Moratorium on Federal Coal Use

February 9, 2017 What a week for improbable, heroic, logic-defying efforts. First the astonishing comeback by the Patriots, persuading the most hardened doubters of their greatness after overcoming a late 25-point deficit. Then the equally daunting challenge faced by those GOP wise men who sought to persuade us that a carbon tax isn’t really an […]
01Feb

The Club on the Head of American Workers

February 1, 2017 Today in Congress, the Sierra Club will twice be reminded of former President Obama’s boast: that “elections have consequences.”  The Environment and Public Works Committee will endorse Mr. Pruitt’s nomination as EPA administrator. The climate lobby that owned EPA for the last eight years now frets Pruitt will undo their handiwork while […]
25Jan

A Masterpiece of Bad Regulation

January 25, 2017 As congressional Republicans head for Philadelphia today to set goals for the new year, the president announced one of his own: erase 75 percent of government regulations affecting business. This is either hyperbole, intended to grab attention. Or its aspirational, less an expectation than a stretch that will still achieve a lot. […]
18Jan

Don’t Overlook the Biggest Protest

January 18, 2017 As the Capital girds for Friday’s Inauguration, the media is focusing heavy attention on the myriad protests that eagerly vie for its fleeting attention. This is understandable; dissident voices should be heard. But while the protesters parade by, let’s not overlook the biggest protest event – the November election. That was a […]
11Jan

Great Expectations

January 11, 2017 In the political world, as in the real one, we often experience a frustrating disparity between expectation and reality. The incoming administration and the 115th Congress may prove to be the exception. At least with respect to major regulations that have hamstrung the coal industry. Early signs suggest that House and Senate […]