Staff Reports
The Biden administration’s lust for controlling carbon emissions has taken a dramatic turn with its recent proposal requiring coal-fired power plants to control a whopping 90% of their carbon discharge. This ambitious target has sparked outrage among a coalition of 25 states led by Indiana’s Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita and West Virginia’s Patrick Morrisey. They’ve turned to the Supreme Court, hoping to shove this impossible regulation back in the box from whence it came.
These states argue that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is, quite simply, exceeding its jurisdiction. The regulations put forth appear to be crafted on a distant planet where technology is light-years ahead of what is available to the average coal plant operator. The state’s appeal points out that the timelines for compliance are so unrealistic that they would virtually squeeze many plants out of operation before their time. They may as well be trying to teach a horse to fly— the technology just isn’t there.
Ohio v. EPA (argued Feb. 21, 2024): Whether the Supreme Court should temporarily block a rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce air pollution from power plants and other industrial facilities while litigation continues.
The case arises from the EPA’s… pic.twitter.com/CznLW0vCXZ
— josette caruso (@josettecaruso) June 27, 2024
The National Center for Carbon Capture has offered its own glimpse into the future, suggesting that the first carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects won’t become operational until the early 2030s. So for all the bureaucratic bluster coming from Washington, it looks like coal plants are being asked to comply with technologies that are still roasting in R&D ovens, rather than providing reliable power to American families today.
The repercussions of these regulations could be massive for consumers. The coalition argues that the high costs associated with installing these CCS systems could lead to energy prices doubling. This isn’t just theoretical; the financial burdens of compliance might strip away a significant portion of a plants’ profitability, reducing their ability to generate affordable electricity. Americans might just find themselves paying through the nose only to receive less energy—what a lovely vision of the future.
Attorney General Rokita has proudly taken the lead in this legal fight, claiming the EPA’s tactics are nothing more than the machinations of unelected bureaucrats hell-bent on raising energy prices for Hoosier families and killing jobs. He’s putting his money where his mouth is, rallying the states for a Supreme Court battle against what he deems the Biden administration’s Green New Deal Power Plan. If this regulation is not swiftly curtailed, conservative America may be looking at a future of blackouts and sky-high energy bills, all thanks to an administration determined to impose its climate goals on everyday Americans.
