Cost of “Clean” Energy

Environmental groups love “clean” energy and often deplore “dirty” coal, yet never seem to stop to notice that the former frequently comes from the latter.

Paul Bailey from the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) said at the Heritage Foundation’s Blogger Bloggers Briefing on Tuesday, June 12, that “the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] took the wrong fork in the road by doubling down on coal” and that there is a “war on coal being waged by the EPA.”

As Senior Vice President of Federal Affairs and Policy for the ACCCE, Bailey serves as a policy analyst and overseer of government relations, a position that gives him a front seat close-up view of regulations proposed by the EPA. Bailey judged that the EPA’s insistence on regulating coal-based power plants is having a powerfully negative impact on the economy, introducing the startling statistic that most job and GDP losses come from states with high coal regulations.

According to Bailey, the goal of the EPA is to increase the price of coal and electricity. When considering that currently 23% of the average household income ($50,000 after taxes) is used to pay the energy bill, this could strike quite a serious blow to middle class Americans.

Bailey also addressed his concern that an increase in coal and electricity prices would increase dependency on natural gas. After referencing an MIT study which suggests that natural gas prices will drastically increase in the coming years, Bailey expressed his fear that the EPA’s attempted regulations are doing much more harm than good for the American people.

Richard Thompson is an intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.

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