The Obama Administration is escalating its attempt to stifle the American economy, backing an aggressive EPA proposal that will force a number of states – including West Virginia – to make radical, extraordinarily expensive changes in the way they produce electricity. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is on the front lines of this battle, leading fellow Attorneys General from several other states in a lawsuit opposing EPA’s illegal plan, which is nothing short of an overreaching, federal bureaucratic takeover of state authority.
EPA’s illegal proposal is called the Clean Power Plan. It would set rigorous carbon emission reductions targets for each state. The CPP would deter investment in maintaining and running existing coal-fired plants and force states to rely on more expensive sources of energy, all while a separate EPA proposal would effectively block utility companies from building new coal-fired plants.
In an effort to protect its coal workers in West Virginia and other states, Murray Energy Corporation has also been instrumental in legally challenging this proposal. The court cases brought forth will be heard before the U.S. Court of Appeals on April 16th in Washington, D.C. It is unprecedented for a regulatory proposal to be challenged and heard in the courts before it is final, but this proposal is not just any run-of-the-mill regulation. It is already proving devastating for many states and will be destructive to the national economy as well.
Coal not only provides West Virginians affordable energy but also direct and indirect jobs that support more than 95,000 West Virginia workers. The coal industry has long been, and remains, one of the most important employers in the state. Ninety-five percent of the electricity used by West Virginia homes, schools and businesses is generated by coal, which keeps our electricity prices low. The average electricity rates in West Virginia are more than 20 percent below the national average.
Maintaining affordable utility bills is extremely important to our state, where many families struggle to make ends meet and nearly 40 percent of all households depend on Social Security benefits. Under the CPP, our affordable West Virginia energy bills will become a thing of the past. An analysis completed by NERA Economic Consulting found that EPA’s proposal will cause a significant rate increase for state residents. Already, EPA regulations have forced 18 coal units to shut down in our state. The CPP will be the final nail in the coffin.
For these economic upheavals and dramatic increases in our monthly bills, we would receive almost nothing back in terms of global emission reductions. Global average temperature increases would be reduced by only tiny fractions of a percent, and rising sea levels would be held back by less than the height of three stacked pieces of writing paper.
West Virginians should thank Attorney General Morrisey and Murray Energy Corporation for leading the charge to block this legally flawed EPA proposal in the court of law. The lawsuit, and those yet to come, will help avoid the pain that EPA’s proposal will inflict on West Virginia families, workers and employers.