Wheeling Intelligencer: Is the War on Coal Real or Perceived?

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By J.W. Johnson, Jr.

With discussion of Environmental Protection Agency regulations, power plant output and skyrocketing electricity costs happening almost daily, the phrase "war on coal" has seemingly come nothing more than a talking point that divides elected officials and business leaders.

However, for local leaders on both sides of the aisle, the effects of the war on coal are very real, and something of which they are reminded during visits home with constituents.

In fact, thousands of jobs potentially hang in the balance with the U.S. EPA's upcoming carbon rules, set for release this summer.

"There is a tremendous amount of uncertainty," said Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio.

What is certain, Johnson said, is President Barack Obama's plan to cut carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants by 30 percent by the year 2030. He said while that number alone is concerning, the way in which the president has handled the issue is unsettling.

"The president is circumventing Congress and using the EPA to attack the industry," he said. "With new regulations on existing plants, 200,000 jobs will be killed, thousands of which are right here in our region."

Johnson said the proposed regulations - as well as Obama's 2007 statement that regulations required of newly-constructed power plants would bankrupt owners and builders - will not have the desired impact.

"If you look at what will happen globally at the same time (as the 2030 deadline), you see a 1.8-percent increase in emissions," Johnson said. "America is shouldering the entire burden, while China doesn't even have to begin regulating until 2030."

The lack of regulations abroad will further weaken the U.S. economy, Johnson said.

China "can build a coal-fired power plant in nine days," he said. "They're the fastest growing economy, and our primary economic competitor. Why would we give the Chinese that kind of leverage? It makes no sense."

Johnson estimates the local region is "one coal fired power plant away from having rolling brownouts."

He said the issue is simple. "The president simply does not understand the impact of his regulations," he said.

Not only does Obama not understand the impact, he doesn't understand that they are not feasible, according to Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. He said legislators at all levels need to work together to balance energy needs with environmental concerns.

"Unfortunately, I don't believe that this administration has struck that balance," he said. "Instead, it has consistently overreached its authority through onerous regulations that harm industry development, economic growth, and job creation."

Manchin said if the EPA plan continues as is, the reliability of the nation's power grid will be compromised, and energy prices will reach unprecedented levels.

"Brownouts and blackouts will occur more frequently, jobs will continue to be lost, energy prices will once again rise and our already anemic economy will suffer," he said.

Like Johnson, Manchin is concerned that the U.S. is doing too much while the rest of the world does nothing. He also pointed to China, which he said burns more than 4 billion tons of coal per year. Comparatively, the U.S. and Europe burn less than one billion tons each year.

"The bottom line is that in order for America to become energy independent and ensure energy prices remain affordable and reliable, we need to use all of our domestic resources, including coal," he said.

An all-of-the-above energy policy should include coal, according to Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. However, Brown downplayed the impact of the regulations, pointing to employment numbers across the state.

"Our state and nation are in the midst of a natural gas boom that we have experienced first-hand with the Utica and Marcellus shales in Ohio," he said. "It is these market factors - a huge increase in production and low natural gas prices - that have led to changes in Ohio's energy mix. Coal industry employment in Ohio remains steady and numerous studies indicate that coal will continue to play an important role in powering the country in the years ahead."

Brown said developing new technology is crucial for the future of the industry. Johnson, however, said Obama's "all-of-the-above" policy is misleading.

"The all-of-the-above energy policy ... means above ground," he said. "No oil, no gas, just wind and solar. There are places for alternative energy in the energy profile, but there is no way to replace the heavy lifting of coal, as well as oil and gas and nuclear."

While the regulations are far reaching and have a global impact, Johnson said his constituents and their livelihoods are the heart of the matter.

"They say 'I've been in coal for years, it's all I know how to do,'" he said. "Where do they go for a job, how do they put food on the table? For people not employed by the coal industry, what are we going to do about skyrocketing costs?"

Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., said the war on coal is real, and he hears about its impact every day.

"Some people say the war on coal doesn't exist. That it's a figment of our imagination," he said. "But when we hear the words of President Obama and his administration - 'coal makes us sick' or 'coal is my worst nightmare' - what other conclusion can we draw?"

He said in West Virginia, there are thousands of men, women and children "whose lives have been ripped apart by the actions of the EPA."

"Obama and his EPA have shown a callous disregard for hardworking Americans they are hurting with excessive regulations," he said.

"These families are not statistics, they are people. They are husbands and wives, moms and dads, neighbors and friends."

McKinley said while the issue impacts the U.S. as a whole, the epicenter is Appalachia.

"These are small towns. If you shut down a coal mine or a power plant, you shut down an entire community," he said. "In many places these are the only good jobs available. There are real consequences to this anti-coal agenda."

While he conceded the climate is changing and something must be done, McKinley said he and other legislators must decide what is an appropriate response. In the meantime, he said everyone should "take a step back and look at what you're doing."

"These regulations being proposed for coal-fired power plants are impractical, unattainable and avoidable," McKinley said.

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