ACC Member Companies

AEP is not alone. Duke Energy announced it was going to close a coal-fueled power plant in Ohio and Georgia Power, a unit of Southern Company, said it would shut three coal facilities in Georgia. Similar to AEP, these energy providers identified EPA’s new regulations as the reason for the plant closures.

If the Cross-State Air Transport and the Boiler MACT rules were not enough, the EPA is also piling on new ozone standards, as well as regulations on coal ash.

With EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson leading the charge, the new ground level ozone standard would be lowered from 75 parts per [...]

If true, these claims would almost certainly empower policymakers and regulators like the Environmental Protection Agency to put an end to the practice of surface mining. But do they match up with reality?

Numerous safeguards also exist to protect groundwater resources. Before and during mining operations, operators are required under SMCRA to monitor groundwater levels, infiltration rates, subsurface flow, storage characteristics, and the quality of the groundwater in their assessment of the probable hydrologic consequences of mining. In addition, operators must include a detailed description of how they intend to protect the quality and quantity of groundwater resources in their reclamation [...]

SMCRA was designed to promote the development of the Nation’s largest resource of conventional fuel to help meet the energy needs of the American people while ensuring that the extraction of the coal resources is done in an environmentally responsible manner.

It is in no small part due to development of our abundant natural resources that America became the richest country on the face of the earth, won world wars, and raised our standard of living far above most other countries. Increasing access to these resources will allow us to become less dependent on foreign sources of energy and minerals, create [...]