People have until October 16 to let their voices be heard.
That’s the last day of the comment period in regards to new regulations announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 2 of this year. The Action.Coop movement would like for those unhappy with the new policy, known as the Clean Power Plan, to take advantage of this opportunity to express their opinions on the matter. They’ve wasted little time doing so themselves.
“Implementing the rule would be costly to the American Economy,” a flier put out by the movement maintains, “while providing little, if any, benefit to the global climate.”
The main issue that has them up in arms is the reliance upon natural gas, as well as the reduction in coal usage, to generate electricity. According to Action Coop, this will increase costs to businesses, potentially leading to job loss, create a $40 increase to the average Ohio Co-op member, and even substantially raise the cost of electricity to everyday Ohioans.
Another part of their argument is that these changes won’t make a significant impact on the environment anyway. According to the EPA’s own research, the rule will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by less than one percent, yet will cost at least somewhere in the range of $4.2 to $8.8 billion to enact.
Action.Coop also points out that Ohio co-ops, after investing over $1 billion possess one of the cleanest coal burning units in the world. The fact that coal also has a proven track record of price stability, something that can’t be said of natural gas, is also mentioned by Action.Coop.
Even Global Science Report has made the claim that the Clean Power Plan, by the year 2100, would only reduce the rise in global temperatures by less than two one-hundredths of a degree.
Members of the Bryan North Western Electric Cooperative saw one of the efficient new burners first hand when they toured the Cardinal Plant in Brillant, Ohio. Learning all about the Low nitrogen oxide burners and how they reduce emissions by sixty percent. They also saw how Electrostatic precipators removed ninety-nine percent of all fly ash particles, typically produced by coal combustion. They even saw how the Cardinal Station used an automated system to continuously monitor stack gas emissions, ensuring the station’s compliance with clean air requirements already dictated by the EPA.
Indeed, the trip showed North Western members exactly why the Clean Power Plan and its movement away from coal usage, seems a bit extreme and likely unnecessary.
It’s safe to say they’ll probably be speaking up before October 16.