Supreme Court Limits Some EPA Regs, But Obama Admin War On Coal Continues
. . . WV Mom: "The War On Coal Is A Real War — My Husband, I, And Our Three Children Are Casualties In It."
Today in Washington, D.C. - June 23, 2014
The Senate will reconvene at 2 PM today. At 5:30 PM, the Senate will vote on cloture on the nominations of four district judges: three for Florida, and one for Vermont. If cloture is invoked on any of the judges, confirmation votes will be scheduled for them for tomorrow morning.
The House reconvened at Noon. The House will consider today:
S. 2086 — "To address current emergency shortages of propane and other home heating fuels and to provide greater flexibility and information for Governors to address such emergencies in the future."
H.R. 4092 — "To amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to establish the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy as the lead Federal agency for coordinating Federal, State, and local assistance provided to promote the energy retrofitting of schools."
H.R. 4801 — "To require the Secretary of Energy to prepare a report on the impact of thermal insulation on both energy and water use for potable hot water."
S. 1044 — "To direct the Secretary of the Interior to install in the area of the World War II Memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the United States on D-Day, June 6, 1944."
H.R. 4002 — "To revoke the charter of incorporation of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma at the request of that tribe, and for other purposes."
H.R. 412 — "To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the mainstem of the Nashua River and its tributaries in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes."
H.R. 4413 — "To reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, to better protect futures customers, to provide end users with market certainty, to make basic reforms to ensure transparency and accountability at the Commission, to help farmers, ranchers, and end users manage risks to help keep consumer costs low, and for other purposes."
McClatchy reports, “A fractured Supreme Court on Monday limited but did not eradicate the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to regulate certain greenhouse gas emissions. In a complex 5-4 decision, the court’s conservatives declared the EPA cannot require stationary polluters to get permits solely because they might emit greenhouse gases. . . . ‘We think it beyond reasonable debate that requiring permits for sources based solely on their emissions of greenhouse gases...would be incompatible with the substance of Congress’ regulatory scheme,’ Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the majority. . . . Scalia further stressed that the ruling Monday would only restrain the EPA from regulating a small percentage of greenhouse-gas polluters. The ruling, moreover, does not affect other Obama administration proposals to control greenhouse gases under different Clean Air Act provisions. More than half of the nation’s states took sides in the dispute over federal authority to regulate stationary greenhouse gas emissions. Conservative lawmakers such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., faced off against Southern California air pollution managers. The decision consolidated six lawsuits that challenged Environmental Protection Agency rules.”
The AP notes, “The decision does not affect EPA proposals for first-time national standards for new and existing power plants.”
Unfortunately, that means the Obama administration’s War on Coal will continue unfettered for the time being. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has introduced the Coal Country Protection Act to try and block these expensive, job-killing regulations, but Senate Democrats keep obstructing a vote. So far they’ve prevented the bill from coming to the Senate floor and then pulled another bill from committee consideration when Leader McConnell proposed adding his bill as an amendment.
The Obama administration’s War on Coal is hurting real families in America, especially those in coal country. Christina Underwood, of Mount Nebo, West Virginia wrote an op-ed for The Charleston Gazette yesterday describing how the War on Coal is affecting her family: “The War on Coal is a real war — my husband, I, and our three children are casualties in it. Since the president declared this war six years ago, we have suffered from lost jobs, lost income, and a loss of our ability to provide our children with the best opportunities in life. . . . My husband first started working as a coal miner in 1994. His job security was never in question until 2009, when President Obama began his crusade against the coal industry. That year, the president directed his EPA to begin regulating coal over emissions standards and other issues. The effects were as swift as they were predictable. My husband lost his job with ICG Eastern in June of 2009 — right after Congress began debating the cap and trade bill, which sent the coal world into a nosedive. Everyone knew the cause: The government was making coal more expensive to mine and more expensive to turn into electricity. That combination inevitably leads to layoffs. It’s one thing to be laid off. It’s another thing to be laid off three times. Yet that’s exactly what happened to my husband after 2009.”
Christina continues, “This turn of events, forced on us by Washington’s war on our state’s way of life, devastated our family. While unemployed, we emptied our savings account. When that ran out, we then went through our children’s college funds. My husband is now employed again, but we expect the EPA’s new rules to lead to further layoffs within the next year. If that happens, we have literally nowhere to turn. This War on Coal has affected every aspect of our life — it raised utility prices and the cost of everyday goods even as we emptied our bank accounts to put food on the table. Looking at our bills, I estimate that our electricity prices have risen by roughly 50 percent in the past six years. This is another direct result of Washington’s war on coal, which sticks families like us with higher bills and fewer jobs to pay them with.”
As Leader McConnell said, “If enacted, the massive new regulations would prove the single worst blow to Kentucky’s economy in modern times—and a dagger to the heart of the Commonwealth’s Middle Class. Despite what they are called, the proposed restrictions on Kentucky’s coal-fired power plants amount to little more than a massive energy tax. And they will have a devastating effect on Kentucky.”
Tags: Supreme Court, limits some EPA regs, Obama administration, War on Coal, West Virginia, Kentucky To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
Today in Washington, D.C. - June 23, 2014
The Senate will reconvene at 2 PM today. At 5:30 PM, the Senate will vote on cloture on the nominations of four district judges: three for Florida, and one for Vermont. If cloture is invoked on any of the judges, confirmation votes will be scheduled for them for tomorrow morning.
The House reconvened at Noon. The House will consider today:
S. 2086 — "To address current emergency shortages of propane and other home heating fuels and to provide greater flexibility and information for Governors to address such emergencies in the future."
H.R. 4092 — "To amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to establish the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy as the lead Federal agency for coordinating Federal, State, and local assistance provided to promote the energy retrofitting of schools."
H.R. 4801 — "To require the Secretary of Energy to prepare a report on the impact of thermal insulation on both energy and water use for potable hot water."
S. 1044 — "To direct the Secretary of the Interior to install in the area of the World War II Memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the United States on D-Day, June 6, 1944."
H.R. 4002 — "To revoke the charter of incorporation of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma at the request of that tribe, and for other purposes."
H.R. 412 — "To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the mainstem of the Nashua River and its tributaries in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes."
H.R. 4413 — "To reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, to better protect futures customers, to provide end users with market certainty, to make basic reforms to ensure transparency and accountability at the Commission, to help farmers, ranchers, and end users manage risks to help keep consumer costs low, and for other purposes."
McClatchy reports, “A fractured Supreme Court on Monday limited but did not eradicate the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to regulate certain greenhouse gas emissions. In a complex 5-4 decision, the court’s conservatives declared the EPA cannot require stationary polluters to get permits solely because they might emit greenhouse gases. . . . ‘We think it beyond reasonable debate that requiring permits for sources based solely on their emissions of greenhouse gases...would be incompatible with the substance of Congress’ regulatory scheme,’ Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the majority. . . . Scalia further stressed that the ruling Monday would only restrain the EPA from regulating a small percentage of greenhouse-gas polluters. The ruling, moreover, does not affect other Obama administration proposals to control greenhouse gases under different Clean Air Act provisions. More than half of the nation’s states took sides in the dispute over federal authority to regulate stationary greenhouse gas emissions. Conservative lawmakers such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., faced off against Southern California air pollution managers. The decision consolidated six lawsuits that challenged Environmental Protection Agency rules.”
The AP notes, “The decision does not affect EPA proposals for first-time national standards for new and existing power plants.”
Unfortunately, that means the Obama administration’s War on Coal will continue unfettered for the time being. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has introduced the Coal Country Protection Act to try and block these expensive, job-killing regulations, but Senate Democrats keep obstructing a vote. So far they’ve prevented the bill from coming to the Senate floor and then pulled another bill from committee consideration when Leader McConnell proposed adding his bill as an amendment.
The Obama administration’s War on Coal is hurting real families in America, especially those in coal country. Christina Underwood, of Mount Nebo, West Virginia wrote an op-ed for The Charleston Gazette yesterday describing how the War on Coal is affecting her family: “The War on Coal is a real war — my husband, I, and our three children are casualties in it. Since the president declared this war six years ago, we have suffered from lost jobs, lost income, and a loss of our ability to provide our children with the best opportunities in life. . . . My husband first started working as a coal miner in 1994. His job security was never in question until 2009, when President Obama began his crusade against the coal industry. That year, the president directed his EPA to begin regulating coal over emissions standards and other issues. The effects were as swift as they were predictable. My husband lost his job with ICG Eastern in June of 2009 — right after Congress began debating the cap and trade bill, which sent the coal world into a nosedive. Everyone knew the cause: The government was making coal more expensive to mine and more expensive to turn into electricity. That combination inevitably leads to layoffs. It’s one thing to be laid off. It’s another thing to be laid off three times. Yet that’s exactly what happened to my husband after 2009.”
Christina continues, “This turn of events, forced on us by Washington’s war on our state’s way of life, devastated our family. While unemployed, we emptied our savings account. When that ran out, we then went through our children’s college funds. My husband is now employed again, but we expect the EPA’s new rules to lead to further layoffs within the next year. If that happens, we have literally nowhere to turn. This War on Coal has affected every aspect of our life — it raised utility prices and the cost of everyday goods even as we emptied our bank accounts to put food on the table. Looking at our bills, I estimate that our electricity prices have risen by roughly 50 percent in the past six years. This is another direct result of Washington’s war on coal, which sticks families like us with higher bills and fewer jobs to pay them with.”
As Leader McConnell said, “If enacted, the massive new regulations would prove the single worst blow to Kentucky’s economy in modern times—and a dagger to the heart of the Commonwealth’s Middle Class. Despite what they are called, the proposed restrictions on Kentucky’s coal-fired power plants amount to little more than a massive energy tax. And they will have a devastating effect on Kentucky.”
Tags: Supreme Court, limits some EPA regs, Obama administration, War on Coal, West Virginia, Kentucky To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
1 Comments:
This is getting absurd. The GOP know that these regulations can be whipped out with a GOP in the WH, but what are we going to do NOW?
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