Obama EPA War on Coal to Shut 200+ Coal-Fired Plants, Devastate Economy

[FrankRep]

http://www.thenewamerican.com/media/k2/items/cache/20656e4f88d8c0f185494e1ec52754ba_M.jpg (http://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/energy/item/16250-obama-epa-war-on-coal-to-shut-200-coal-fired-plants-devastate-economy)



Obama's unconstitutional EPA regulations threaten to shut down more than 200 coal-fired electric plants, causing devastating impacts on our economy.


Obama EPA War on Coal to Shut 200+ Coal-Fired Plants, Devastate Economy (http://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/energy/item/16250-obama-epa-war-on-coal-to-shut-200-coal-fired-plants-devastate-economy)


The New American (http://www.thenewamerican.com/)
09 August 2013

[mad cow]

Great article,thanks for posting.

[Zippyjuan]

Economics are hurting coal- it is having a harder time competing with cheaper natural gas coming from all the fracking going on.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2013/04/23/4-reasons-coal-declines-even-as-natural-gas-prices-rise-eia/

Gas prices had dropped from about $12 per million BTU in 2008 to about $2 in 2012, but the trend toward gas ended in February, Platts reported today, as gas rose past $4, and utilities began to burn more coal—a development that suggests greenhouse gas emissions could also rebound.

And according to EIA, coal remains the single largest energy source in the U.S. for the foreseeable future, though its slice of the pie shrinks precipitously: from 51 percent in 2003 to 42 percent in 2011, projected to 35 percent in 2040.



While price remains the primary factor in the short-term race between gas and coal, four other factors help gas displace coal in the long term, according to EIA:

1.Efficiency: The efficiency of power generation from gas means it competes with coal even when it costs 1.5 times as much. “When the ratio of natural gas prices to coal prices is approximately 1.5 or lower, a typical natural gas-fired combined-cycle plant has lower generating costs than a typical coal-fired plant.”

2.Competitiveness: “For new builds, natural gas and renewables generally are more competitive than coal.”

3.Flexibility: “In general, combined-cycle (gas) units are considered to be more flexible than steam turbines. They can ramp their output up and down more easily, and their start-up and shutdown procedures involve less time and expense.”

4.Regulation: “The interaction of fuel prices and environmental rules is a key factor in coal plant retirements. AEO2013 assumes that all coal-fired plants have flue gas desulfurization equipment (scrubbers) or dry sorbent injection systems installed by 2016 to comply with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. Higher coal prices, lower wholesale electricity prices (often tied to natural gas prices), and reduced use may make investment in such equipment uneconomical in some cases, resulting in plant retirements.”


Note that regulation is #4 on the list of factors. Actually #5 when price is included.

[Warlord]

The EPA sucks

[mad cow]

The same people who want to bankrupt coal fired power plants (their words) are also against fracking and natural gas pipelines and nuclear power plants.

Replacing 200+ perfectly good working power plants with solar panels or windmills or fairy dust or whatever these morons have in mind is All on #4 on that list,I don't care if you put it first or #93rd.

I live within 2 miles of a coal fired power plant that was here thirty years ago when I bought this house.It is probably on that list.It works fine.It costs money to replace it.

Do you think the people in my County would be poorer or wealthier if we sent all of our perfectly functioning appliances and vehicles to the scrapyard tomorrow and replaced them with brand new modern efficient models?


4.Regulation: “The interaction of fuel prices and environmental rules is a key factor in coal plant retirements. AEO2013 assumes that all coal-fired plants have flue gas desulfurization equipment (scrubbers) or dry sorbent injection systems installed by 2016 to comply with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. Higher coal prices, lower wholesale electricity prices (often tied to natural gas prices), and reduced use may make investment in such equipment uneconomical in some cases, resulting in plant retirements.”

[HOLLYWOOD]

Smoke stacks just moved to Asia/Far East and Africa. Capitalism will gravitate to where the demand will pop up. Let's see if the Kabuki Theater of Climate Change reality TV spans to Washington DC banning all Coal exports too.

[Zippyjuan]

On the jobs issue, alternative technologies like fracking also create jobs. What is the net gain or loss of changing from coal to gas? Jobs are booming in gas producing states.

China is trying to move more away from coal as well due to the massive pollution problems they are having from their coal fired plants but US coal exports have been growing strongly.


Last year, American coal exports set a record of 125 million tons in sales, roughly double the volume in 2009, with most of that going to Europe. Exports fell this spring because of slower Chinese demand for steelmaking coal. But energy experts say the big potential market for American coal remains in Asia, and several proposed Pacific Northwest export terminals would have the capacity to nearly double current exports.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/15/business/energy-environment/a-fight-over-coal-exports-and-the-industrys-future.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[specsaregood]

Economics are hurting coal- it is having a harder time competing with cheaper natural gas coming from all the fracking going on.


While price remains the primary factor in the short-term race between gas and coal, four other factors help gas displace coal in the long term, according to EIA:

1.Efficiency: The efficiency of power generation from gas means it competes with coal even when it costs 1.5 times as much. “When the ratio of natural gas prices to coal prices is approximately 1.5 or lower, a typical natural gas-fired combined-cycle plant has lower generating costs than a typical coal-fired plant.”

2.Competitiveness: “For new builds, natural gas and renewables generally are more competitive than coal.”

3.Flexibility: “In general, combined-cycle (gas) units are considered to be more flexible than steam turbines. They can ramp their output up and down more easily, and their start-up and shutdown procedures involve less time and expense.”

4.Regulation: “The interaction of fuel prices and environmental rules is a key factor in coal plant retirements. AEO2013 assumes that all coal-fired plants have flue gas desulfurization equipment (scrubbers) or dry sorbent injection systems installed by 2016 to comply with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. Higher coal prices, lower wholesale electricity prices (often tied to natural gas prices), and reduced use may make investment in such equipment uneconomical in some cases, resulting in plant retirements.”

Note that regulation is #4 on the list of factors. Actually #5 when price is included.

I have a hunch that #4 is a big factor/part of #2. Its not like the regulation doesn't affect the price competitiveness of coal.

[Paulbot99]

Whether natural gas or coal is better is not the government's concern. A free market with no stifling regulations or subsidiaries is best able to determine which is better. Solar panels and wind turbines can succeed in a free market... If they're viable.

[AFPVet]

Whether natural gas or coal is better is not the government's concern. A free market with no stifling regulations or subsidiaries is best able to determine which is better. Solar panels and wind turbines can succeed in a free market... If they're viable.

Bingo!