Comments on: Obama Administration EPA Begins the Reduction of Greenhouse Gases from Power Plants, As Promised

By: 7 Big Green Moves by the Obama Administration | ecopolitology

7 Big Green Moves by the Obama Administration | ecopolitology — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 09:28:06 +0000

[…] its global warming emissions relatively soon. To get things rolling, Obama recently transferred the regulation of greenhouse gases from refineries and coal plants emitting over 25,000 tons of greenhouse gases to the EPA. (Note: […]

By: WV Treehugger

WV Treehugger — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 23:31:32 +0000

Hey Ed, you forgot the most important Lawmaker’s for Coal, Jay Rock, Nick Rahall and Shelley Capito. My state Lawmaker’s are already crying,because they will have to take a cut in pay now.
Google Earth Southern WV and look at what our Lawmaker’s have done to our state,it’s a wasteland. Yet they are still fighting for permits to do more,our state’s Mtn’s are gone. Also if you want to check out the Highly Educated comments on Coal,look at wowk or wsaz news channels in WV. The people of WV are brainwashed into thinking Coal rules the world. They will also argue that the Technology isn’t here for Solar,Wind and Hydro. Coal not only destroys the earth,but our Education system also.

Please excuse my spelling’s I just had hand surgery and it’s very hard for me to type. Took me 20 mins,to type this.

By: Ed

Ed — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 20:11:46 +0000

Great news!

But, my last count shows there are 50 States. When will permits in all jurisdictions be addressing GHG emissions?

I can visualize the new Senate leader (from KY) making dour pronouncements about “EPA warfare against the American People”, and the new House leader (from OH) crying, yes bawling it out, Hell No! These performances will, no doubt, be legendary. I bet both KY and OH are gross pigs for GHG emissions. I am also waiting to hear what will be said by the twangy Senator/physician from OK.

Many (but not all) players in the electric utility industry have fought clean air laws, painting themselves into corners after wasting much money on:
1. Retaining legions of lawyers and lobbyists to fight laws to protect public health and the environment because there were “No known abatement technologies”. Meanwhile the Apollo program was making regular round trip flights to the moon,
2. Fuel conversion from domestic coal to imported low sulfur fuel oil (then changing direction in the mid 1970s, thanks to OPEC),
3. Installing tall stacks to disperse flue gas pollutants (denial of a law of physics, producing interstate acid rain),
3. Post-combustion gas cleaning (more denial of physics – duh, what do we do with the wastes?),
4. Joining the coal industry’s PR program (instead of funding real game-changing research) thereby contributing to the illusion of imminent production of commercial quantities of “clean fuels” from “dirty coal” – the only “clean fuels” from coal appears on roadside billboards in West Virginia, but that is it,
5. Other PR smoke screens for inconsequential industry research, creating more illusions.

The utility industry, which is primarily privately owned, is plagued with the financial weight of 19th and 20th Century business, technology, and institutional models; and bad decisions. It has successfully resisted modernization to meet the evolving expectations of customers and society. The question is will industry expectations trump the public expectations.

Perhaps the 112th Congress and the President can do something to steer the industry toward the 21st Century and better meet public expectations.

By: Good Christmas Present for Present & Future Generations: EPA to Cut Global Warming Pollution from Power Plants – Planetsave.com: climate change and environmental news

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 13:30:21 +0000

[…] Susan Kraemer gets into more detail on the new requirements and the political history that led to this action over on Cleantechnica: Obama Administration EPA Begins the Reduction of Greenhouse Gases from Power Plants, As Promised […]