WINFIELD — Thundering Herd fan Joe Haynes, a Putnam County commissioner, kept his part of an annual wager with fellow commissioner Gary Tillis.

But when Haynes showed up at the commission meeting Tuesday wearing a West Virginia University's lapel pin, blue and gold tie and carrying a breakfast biscuit, Tillis, a WVU graduate, wasn't on hand to get his prize.

Texas energy company Luminant announced on Monday new burdensome Environmental Protection Agency regulations are forcing it to close several facilities, which will result in about 500 job losses.

The company will be idling — stopping the usage of — two energy generating units. It will also cease extracting lignite from three different Texas mines.

The EPA regulation Luminant cites as too burdensome is the new Cross-State Air Pollution rule, which requires Texas power generators to make “dramatic reductions” in emissions beginning on January 1, 2012.

AP

The Chesapeake Bay has been a magnet of regulatory rules to prevent pollution through the watershed that spans six states.

 

From financial services to farming, plumbing to computer repair, business owners say new regulations have them so bogged down in compliance that it is hindering their ability to plan and expand for the coming years.

Even though President Obama recently acknowledged the need to minimize regulations, the number appears to be growing. Obama administration regulations on new business rose to 3,573 final rules in 2010, up from 3,503 in 2009 -- the equivalent of about 10 per week.

Indeed, the 2010 volume of the Federal Register, the "newspaper" of regulatory agencies, stands at an all-time record-high 81,405 pages composed of final rules, proposed rules, meeting notices and regulatory studies.

 

ncpa.org

Climate change spending won't slow any time soon, says Larry Bell, a professor at the University of Houston.

Indeed, there are several indications of substantial spending increases on climate change:

• ·According to the Government Accountability Office, annual federal climate spending has increased from $4.6 billion in 2003 to $8.8 billion in 2010, amounting to $106.7 billion over that period.
• ·Technology spending, the largest category, grew from $2.56 billion to $5.5 billion over this period.
• ·An addition $79 billion was spent for climate change technology research, foreign aid and tax breaks for "green energy."
• ·Subsidies intended to encourage greenhouse gas emission reductions accounted for $7.2 billion in federal revenue losses during 2010 alone.

 

The West Virginia Friends of Coal license plates are being ordered everyday via the web site:  www.friendsofcoal.org.  The license plate has an initial cost of $70.00 (made payable to WV Coal Foundation) and must be accompanied by the official application (found on the web site).  All licenses will be renewed in July at a cost of $45.00. Once the application and check are received they are immediately forwarded to DMV for final approval and issuance.  DMV has indicated it takes 6 weeks to receive your plate but we are finding it is much less time.  Get your application in so we can have FOC plates all over the State of West Virginia. It’s a great way to outwardly show you support for our industry and its great people.