Supreme Court upholds power plant pollution rule
…............In
a 6-2 decision, the justices approved a 2011 regulation issued by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which had been challenged by
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and officials in states which
produce large amounts of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide..........
The
EPA regulation calls for 27 states – including Ohio – to limit
the emissions from coal-fired power plants. Those emissions scatter
across the East coast making it difficult for states without many
coal-fired plants to achieve clean air standards required by the
nation’s clean air laws. [and
the health of all citizens].............It
was unclear what the immediate impact would be in Ohio and to the
producers of coal-fired electricity in the region like DP&L, Duke
Energy and Ohio Edison.
Ohio
government hypocrisy – what
opportunity?
Lisa
Peterson Hackley, a DeWine spokeswoman, said the ruling gives the EPA
“the power to dictate any state’s plan for controlling air
emissions without giving a state a fair opportunity to put in place
its own systems to combat cross-state pollution.”
She
added the decision allows the EPA “to define the standard and also
impose its system without first providing the states that
opportunity, which we find disappointing.
In
my opinion Ohio coal company interests have been calling the
legislative and policy making shots as far as energy production is
concerned.
To
wit: The
[coal]
industry's larger financial investment over the past three years
appears to have been in the GOP-dominated state Legislature, where
associates of the state's two most powerful coal firms — Boich Cos.
and Murray Energy — have directed nearly $170,000 since 2011,
according to an Associated Press review of state campaign finance
filings.
State
lawmakers hold sway over the state's clean energy quotas and other
environmental laws.
George
Elmaraghy, a 39-veteran of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency,
said in an email widely distributed last week that his departure was
being forced by Kasich and Ohio EPA Director Scott Nally after
"considerable pressure" from the coal industry. Elmaraghy
headed Ohio EPA's Division of Surface Water, which issues permits for
mining and other activities.
Ohio
Energy Standards Require Utilities Increase Renewable Energy, Energy
Efficiency.
In
2008, Ohio passed
an Alternative Energy Portfolio
Standard
(AEPS)
which includes both renewable
energy and
energy efficiency requirements. The standards mandate for the state’s
utilities to source 12.5 percent their electricity from renewable
sources by 2025, and to utilize energy efficiency projects to achieve
22 percent in energy savings by the end of 2025.
http://ecowatch.com/2014/04/08/alec-attack-ohio-renewable-energy/
Paul
Hunter
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