EPA Regulation Designed to Kill Economic Growth

Cap and Trade failed to pass muster in congress. But just when you thought it was safe to breath again, here comes the EPA with new regulations that will kill coal fired electrical generation plants.

The new progressives are using the EPA to get what they couldn't get legitimately and that is total destruction of fossil fuel electrical generation.

The progressives, liberal Democrats, really don't need congress to get what they want when all they need is one person, in the right department, The EPA, to design regulations to stop economic growth. This person is appointed as well, not elected by the people.

We receive over 55% of our electricity from these coal fired plants. Is it any wonder why our rates will go up by more than 60% in the next few years? How do you think this will set with people on fixed incomes? The poor?

Progressive liberal Democrats certainly cannot be from around here, and certainly don't believe in the American dream of individual freedom and self determination.


Consumers Likely to See Higher Electricity Bills under New Regulations
Source: Julie Wernau, "Consumers' Electric Bills Likely to Spike as Coal Plants Close," Chicago Tribune, June 11, 2011.

Consumers could see their electricity bills jump an estimated 40 to 60 percent in the next few years. The reason: Pending environmental regulations will make coal-fired generating plants, which produce about half the nation's electricity, more expensive to operate. Many are expected to be shuttered, says the Chicago Tribune.

The increases are expected to begin to appear in 2014, and policymakers already are scrambling to find cheap and reliable alternative power sources. If they are unsuccessful, consumers can expect further increases as more expensive forms of generation take on a greater share of the electricity load.

Exactly how much bills will go up is unclear.

What analysts know is that a portion of ComEd bills that pays electricity generators to reserve a portion of their power three years into the future will increase more than fourfold.
That would translate into increases of $107 to $178 a year for an average residential customer in ComEd's territory (Chicago and most of northern Illinois), starting in 2014.

In 2014 those so-called capacity costs are expected to add approximately $2.7 million over the previous year to electricity bills in Chicago Public Schools, $3.3 million for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and $5.4 million to the city of Chicago.

Coal-fired plants historically have been one of the cheapest ways to generate electricity, but operating costs are expected to increase significantly because of upgrades needed on older plants to meet new environmental regulations. The Illinois Power Agency estimates that by 2017 the energy portion of bills could jump 65 percent from today's rates, says the Tribune.