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Obama's Abandoned Power Plants
Townhall.com ^ | September 29, 2012 | Ken Blackwell

Posted on 09/29/2012 5:56:34 AM PDT by Kaslin

If voters knew how America's economy would look after two terms of President Barack Obama's administration, Mitt Romney would win in a landslide.

In the 2008 campaign, President Obama told the San Francisco Chronicle that the “notion of no coal...is an illusion.” He noted that he favors a cap-and-trade system “[s]o if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can. It’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.”

While Obama did not get to implement cap-and-trade, he found other ways to shut down coal burning power plants.

In the name of a rigidly anti-prosperity ideology, Obama's administration, through the Environmental Protection Agency, is continuing its war on jobs and reliable sources of energy. And like most onerous regulations, the true costs are not immediately visible.

As announced by Lisa Jackson, the chief EPA Administrator, three new regulations for air emission standards have been announced, which will cost American consumers more than $13 billion per year. Also, according to estimates by the Senate Republican Policy Committee, other rules dealing with coal ash and air could cost an additional $90 billion annually.

Obama's claim to have an "all-of-the-above" energy strategy is a ruse. Instead, his administration seems determined to extend our economic recession, while government bureaucrats find creative ways to make energy more expensive.

More than 2,000 employees of the coal industry were laid off this year, and that industry expects 10,000 more layoffs in direct and related jobs. In addition, as reported by Human Events, leaked documents from the Obama administration estimates that one rule on water quality requirements will be responsible for an additional 7,000 fired workers.

The new regulations are so extreme that, in effect, they require all new power plants must be powered by natural gas, an imperfect fuel.

This may make the natural gas lobbyists who work with the Obama administration happy, but the incredible amounts of methane expanded natural gas would not please environmentalists.

In five months, natural gas prices have increased by 52%, with the Obama administration's rules largely to blame. According to Reuters data, as demand is expanding globally, natural gas is quickly approaching a price which is $2 more than the same per unit, which results in higher energy prices for cash-strapped consumers who already heat their homes with natural gas.

Even though industry has been able to dramatically decrease noxious pollutants from coal over the past 40 years, Obama's heavy-handed rules have slashed coal production by one-third. In my state of Ohio, the coal industry has been devastated by drastic EPA regulations.

As you can see from this map, 175 fully-functional coal burning plants are being retired across the country, which puts further strain on our outdated energy grid while putting thousands of employees out of work.

Environmentalist groups aligned with the Obama administration, such as the Sierra club, are happy to see coal burning plants shut down, and have nearly 400 more plants targeted. But with the White House's emphasis on efficient "green energy" such as solar panels, they would not want to see the recent Heritage Foundation study which shows such a switch would increase a family's $200/month energy bill to $700.

President Barack Obama is playing favorites with sources of energy, while destroying jobs and hurting consumers. America is in desperate need of a new direction on energy policy.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
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If anyone thinks the economy will look better after another term of 0bama they need their head examined. Of course the 0bama media will report that it does. We however know better
1 posted on 09/29/2012 5:56:37 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

When the economy TOTALLY CRASHES, the Obama administration and the lapdog media will simply say, “Bush effed it up so badly that we held off the crash for as long as we could, but it was inevitable.”

THe sheeple will accept this and elect HIllary to fully implement communism and be dictator for the rest of HER life.


2 posted on 09/29/2012 6:01:54 AM PDT by a real Sheila (RYAN/romney 2012)
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To: Kaslin

When the economy TOTALLY CRASHES, the Obama administration and the lapdog media will simply say, “Bush effed it up so badly that we held off the crash for as long as we could, but it was inevitable.”

THe sheeple will accept this and elect HIllary to fully implement communism and be dictator for the rest of HER life.


3 posted on 09/29/2012 6:01:54 AM PDT by a real Sheila (RYAN/romney 2012)
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To: Kaslin
If you really want to know what Obama's America would look like after a 2nd term, all you need to do is watch the TV Show "Revolution" on NBC.

It's downright frightening.

4 posted on 09/29/2012 6:03:39 AM PDT by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: usconservative

And how ironic is that - NBC? That’s almost comical.


5 posted on 09/29/2012 6:17:56 AM PDT by demkicker (My passion for freedom is stronger than that of Democrats whose obsession is to enslave me.)
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To: demkicker
Yeah, I know. I cut my DirecTV in August so all I have anymore is over-the-air channels and what I can find on Hulu Plus to watch.

Good news is I watch very little TV anymore and I'm saving $100/month. (Hulu Plus is mostly for the kids.) Bad news is, when I do watch something it's typically on NETWORK TV which I cannot stand. "Revolution" seems to be the one gem I can find on network TV.

Other than that, my hobbies (amateur radio, guns) now keep me busy. Feeding the brain with worthwhile activities instead of the junk that eminates from that 42" device pushed off in a corner.

6 posted on 09/29/2012 6:23:31 AM PDT by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: Kaslin
If voters knew how America's economy would look after two terms of President Barack Obama's administration, Mitt Romney would win in a landslide.

That is so obvious that it stands as an indictment of the fools running Romney's campaign that scarring the pants of voters WITH THE TRUTH isn't the main thrust of the campaign.

BTW, what IS the main thrust of his campaign?

7 posted on 09/29/2012 6:33:25 AM PDT by DManA
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To: DManA

There’s still a Romney campaign going on?


8 posted on 09/29/2012 6:37:16 AM PDT by Scotswife
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To: Kaslin

Obama’s second term will transform this nation into something resembling the former East Germany or Venezuela. Once most of the people are living on the government dole Obama will shred the Constitution, rule by decree and declare himself President for life. If Obama wins in November I see that as the last free presidential election until he is overthrown in a revolution or military coupe.


9 posted on 09/29/2012 6:39:03 AM PDT by The Great RJ
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To: Scotswife
"Stop it. This is hard. You want to try it? Get in the ring," Ann [The Martyr] Romney - Wife of the man who bodily threw 15 men and women out of the ring.
10 posted on 09/29/2012 6:59:49 AM PDT by DManA
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To: a real Sheila

I hope Romney makes it clear that Obama can act like an innocent bystander if he wants to, but he, Clinton, and Reid were all Senators in a Democrat controlled Congress for the last two years of Bush’s term. If Bush was so terrible why didn’t they do something? I also hope he makes it clear that “The Worst Recession in History” was over just six months into Obama’s first term. The remaining months have been the Obama recovery—the weakest, flimsiest, most feeble, most jobless recovery in the history of this nation.


11 posted on 09/29/2012 7:26:35 AM PDT by csmusaret (I will give Obama credit for one thing- he is living proof that familiarity breeds contempt.)
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To: Kaslin

Natural gas is not the enemy here. Obama and his administration are the enemy. Even if we never wanted to burn another lump of coal for energy or heating, that is no excuse to destroy the coal industry and ruin so many lives that depend on it. The Chinese are ready to buy all the coal we can mine and ship to them. Our balance of trade deficit could use the trade. But the problem is that Obama and his little green friends don’t want anyone anywhere in the world to burn coal. We must get these childish leftists out of power in the U.S. Sadly a third party vote will not do it.


12 posted on 09/29/2012 7:44:01 AM PDT by Josh Painter ("The lesser of two evils is, by definition, evil." - Josh Painter)
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To: a real Sheila

“When the economy TOTALLY CRASHES, the Obama administration and the lapdog media will simply say....]

At that point they might not be in a position to speak, they may be in exile or so publicly shamed that they dare not open their pie holes in public ever again.


13 posted on 09/29/2012 8:00:48 AM PDT by Bshaw (A nefarious deceit is upon us all!)
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To: DManA

What do you mean by that?
That he threw 15 men and women out of the ring?
(maybe I need more coffee)


14 posted on 09/29/2012 8:05:14 AM PDT by Scotswife
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To: Scotswife

The ring was ANN’s metaphor.


15 posted on 09/29/2012 8:20:56 AM PDT by DManA
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To: Scotswife

I’ll hazard a guess and say “the primaries?” Tell the audience what I’ve won, Jimmy...


16 posted on 09/29/2012 8:25:19 AM PDT by Thommas (The snout of the camel is in the tent..)
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To: Kaslin

....As you can see from this map, 175 fully-functional coal burning plants are being retired across the country, which puts further strain on our outdated energy grid while putting thousands of employees out of work.....

Do you know where Blackwelll hid the map he is referencing in the above ?


17 posted on 09/29/2012 8:31:41 AM PDT by deport
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To: DManA

I remember that - who are the 15 people?

Are you referring to the other republicans who ran?


18 posted on 09/29/2012 8:40:09 AM PDT by Scotswife
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To: Thommas

LOL! OK....just a little slow today here


19 posted on 09/29/2012 8:41:08 AM PDT by Scotswife
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To: Josh Painter
True - this all started before the gas boom. There were 92 new coal fired power plant projects that got canceled after Obama was elected. Our Ohio company makes equipment for coal plants and we laid almost 100 people as a result.

Now our mining business is getting hurt too. The only thing that has really kept us going the last few years is demand from China, Canada and South America for mining equipment. It is amazing how many U.S. projects in coal, ore, and other minerals get listed as “delayed due to permitting”. These are the jobs Obama won't let us create.

20 posted on 09/29/2012 9:02:44 AM PDT by GWynand
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