by Alyssa Carducci
Heartlander Magazine
The State of Nebraska has filed a suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for overreaching restrictions on carbon emissions from coal-power plants.
Bankrupting Coal Power
Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning filed the suit January 15 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska. Bruning and Nebraska state officials are challenging an EPA proposed rule that would cap carbon dioxide emissions at new power plants to 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour of power generation. Coal power plants would have to cut emissions by approximately 50 percent to meet the standards. No current or expected technologies could enable coal power plants to meet such a standard and remain economically viable…
Tom Tanton, president of economic consulting firm T2 & Associates, said EPA’s proposed restrictions would indeed cause electricity costs to skyrocket and inflict economy-wide harm.
“The 1,100 pounds-per-megawatt standard would likely require carbon capture, a technology not yet commercially proven. EPA is basically trying to push the technology, even though it is not cost-effective,” Tanton explained.
