It's no secret that the Biden administration has had it in for the coal industry since it took office. After writing regulations that severely hamper the future construction of coal plants and making it nearly impossible to expand current coal electric plants, the Biden administration has now made it impossible for future coal-fired electric plants to stay open.
The EPA is issuing new rules that would require coal plants to "capture" smokestack emissions or shut down. Coal plants would also be required to "reduce toxic wastewater pollutants from coal-fired plants and to safely manage coal ash in unlined storage ponds," according to the Associated Press report on the new regs.
“One of the biggest environmental challenges facing our nation is man-made pollution that damages our air, our water, and our land,” said EPA administrator Michael Regan in a speech at Howard University. “Not only is this pollution a major threat to public health — it’s pushing our planet to the brink.’'
The practical effect of this rule is clear. Dan Brouillette, president and CEO of the Edison Electric Institute, is worried that the new technology to capture CO2 permissions from smokestacks is years away from being operational.
While promising, the technology “is not yet ready for full-scale, economy-wide deployment,’' said Brouillette, former Trump Secretary of Energy.
The biggest impact of the new rules will be the effect on the reliability of the electrical grid.
The rules initially included steps to curb emissions from existing natural gas plants, but Regan delayed that aspect of the rules until at least next year after some moderate Democrats and the gas industry warned that the plan could affect grid reliability. Regan also said he wanted to address complaints from environmental justice groups that the earlier plan allowed too much toxic air pollution from gas-fired plants near low-income and minority neighborhoods.
Even so, the rules issued Thursday complete “a historic grand slam” of major actions by the Biden administration to reduce carbon pollution, said David Doniger, a climate and clean energy expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council. The first and most important action was passage of the 2022 climate law, officially known as the Inflation Reduction Act, he said, followed by separate EPA rules targeting tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks and methane emissions from oil and gas drilling.
Together, the climate law and the suite of EPA rules “are the biggest reductions in carbon pollution we’ve ever made and will put the country on the pathway to zero out carbon emissions,’' Doniger said.
Don't let little things like grid reliability and the jobs of 100,000 coal workers slow you down. You've got a planet to save.
The truth is, these new regulations will not reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions on planet Earth by one single molecule. To actually reduce greenhouse gases, we would have to have a planet-wide shutdown of most industry and electrical power.
Regan called the power plant rules “a defining moment” for his agency as it works to “build a cleaner and healthier future for all of us.’'
The plan is likely to be challenged by industry groups and Republican-leaning states. They have repeatedly accused the Democratic administration of overreach on environmental regulations and have warned of a looming reliability crisis for the electric grid. The rules issued Thursday are among at least a half-dozen EPA rules limiting power plant emissions and wastewater pollution.
What's happening with Biden and the EPA is virtue-signaling on a grand scale. As long as China, India, and developing nations like Brazil and Indonesia play fast and loose with climate goals, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere will continue to rise.
If you really think the planet is in danger, it's time to start working on solutions that don't involve forcing most of the planet into the poor house.
