The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register
For about two years we have been among those warning that if President Barack Obama is allowed to proceed with his war on coal, the wolf will be at many doors in our region.
Well, the wolf is on our doorsteps.
American Electric Power Co. has announced it will have to shut down five power plants - including the Kammer station near Moundsville - in order to comply with proposed new Environmental Protection Agency rules. Cutbacks will have to be made at six other facilities, AEP officials said. Of the five plants to be shut down, three are in West Virginia, one is in Ohio and one is in Virginia.
If AEP is forced to go through with the plan, about 600 power plant employees will lose their jobs.
But the effect will be felt far outside those 600 households. AEP will have to charge more for electricity - with businesses receiving bills as much as 35 percent higher. Everyone who uses AEP-generated power will suffer. Some manufacturers using large amounts of electricity may be crippled.
In making the announcement, AEP Chief Executive Officer Michael Morris said he hopes the EPA takes the economic impact of its proposal into account when making final decisions on it.
Lots of luck on that. The EPA - and, more important, Obama - have received ample warning of the economic devastation that would result from the war against coal.
That has not swayed anyone at the EPA or in the White House. Their eyes are focused on votes Obama hopes to receive for his environmental crusade, and on foreign governments that have been pressuring the United States to reduce use of coal. Obama does not seem to have considered those countries' ulterior motives in making the United States less competitive. Or perhaps he doesn't care.
If the EPA goes ahead with its proposals, millions of Americans - not just in our area - will suffer. The wolf may be on our doorstep now, but he is eager to move elsewhere.
Some members of Congress from our states - including Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; U.S. Reps. David McKinley and Shelley Moore Capito, both R-W.Va.; and U.S. Reps. Bob Gibbs and Bill Johnson, both R-Ohio, have been working hard to stop Obama and the EPA. Sadly, some of our elected members of Congress have not been as enthusiastic about the fight to defend coal.
Perhaps the AEP announcement will bring them to their senses. We hope so - before the wolf comes through our doors.