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To: Jorj X Mckie who wrote (51011)	8/17/2013 4:25:17 AM
From: RMF	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 85487

Coal's not going to be banned tomorrow or anytime soon. But, it IS a dirty fuel and it would be better to move to cleaner fuels. As far as cost, the new techniques in recovering natural gas will soon price coal out of the market.

To: Jorj X Mckie who wrote (51011)	8/17/2013 7:55:29 AM
From: FJB	1 Recommendation Recommended By average joe Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 85487

More transparency from Obammy and his evil henchmen... Justice, EPA sue Luminant on emissions from two Texas coal plants, but the public isn’t allowed to read the suit yet thescoopblog.dallasnews.com Update, 7:30 p.m.: Luminant has issued its response to the suit. Here it is, in full: In response to the lawsuit filed today by the United States Department of Justice, Luminant will vigorously defend against these claims which we believe are wholly without merit. The EPA alleges that Luminant violated the Clean Air Act by conducting work at two power plants without obtaining preconstruction permits that the EPA says were necessary for the work. Luminant disputes the EPA’s findings of violations and has challenged those determinations in two lawsuits that are currently pending before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. We are in the process of evaluating the allegations outlined in the suit, but we firmly believe that we have complied with all requirements of the Clean Air Act for the Big Brown and Martin Lake Power Plants and our other generation facilities. We are proud of our longstanding record of meeting or exceeding all federal and state environmental laws, rules and regulations and believe this will be proven in court. Update, 4:11 p.m.: In a motion filed with the suit, the Justice Department says it is obligated to respect Luminant’s claim of confidential business information until a judge rules otherwise. Thus, the filing under seal. But the government says it doesn’t necessarily accept the claim as correct. “It does not appear that the general information in the complaint could harm defendants’ competitive position in any way,” the federal lawyers wrote. Original post: The Justice Department filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Dallas under seal, meaning the suit is not yet available to the public. According to Bruce Nilles, senior director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, the document is sealed because Dallas-based Luminant has claimed that much of the data it has provided the government is confidential business information. Attorneys for Luminant, part of Energy Future Holdings, had not read the suit, spokeswoman Meranda Cohn said. She said the company would have a response soon. The suit is apparently based on a violation notice that the Environmental Protection Agency first sent Luminant in July 2012, with a slightly different version sent last month. The notice alleged that the company had made modifications at its Big Brown and Martin Lake coal-burning plants that increased their emissions of air pollutants. Such changes need advance permits that might trigger required upgrades in pollution controls, the EPA said. Luminant previously asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, in New Orleans, to review the violation notice. The court has not ruled.

To: Jorj X Mckie who wrote (51011)	8/17/2013 8:03:39 AM
From: FJB	2 Recommendations Recommended By average joe Jorj X Mckie Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 85487

War on Coal Escalates: Over 200 Power Plants Expected to Close, Thousands of Jobs to Disappear Published on Tuesday, 13 August 2013 21:22Written by E&C The administration’s war on coal and America’s abundant, reliable energy continues to gain momentum as the nation’s power sector faces an increasingly hostile regulatory environment. Reuters recently chronicled that more than 200 of the nation’s coal-fired power plants have announced plans to retire over the next decade in addition to the 138 units that have already shut down in the past five years. Estimates project this decline in coal-fired power generation could result in the loss of up to 100,000 megawatts of electricity across the country. Coal is one of America’s most abundant and affordable sources of fuel and supports over 700,000 American jobs. It remains the country’s largest source of electricity, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the nation’s electric generation. But this critical power source, along with tens of thousands of jobs, is being threatened by costly regulations stemming from President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency. Despite a reduction in U.S. emissions over the past decade, the Obama administration has announced plans to impose expensive greenhouse gas regulations on new and existing power plants, in addition to a suite of costly new power rules already proposed or issued by EPA. These rules combined will drive up energy prices, send American jobs overseas, and have the potential to shut down America’s coal industry. Both Republicans and Democrats have lamented the administration’s “war on coal.” In Sunday’s Washington Post, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) expressed, "You cannot describe this any differently than as a war on coal, and not just in West Virginia or the U.S. but on a global scale. … They’re using every tool they have to destroy the most abundant, reliable and affordable resource that we have.” It is critical our nation’s leaders consider the consequences of regulatory actions on America’s economy and jobs. To help protect against further job losses and to ensure Americans continue to have access to affordable and reliable electricity, the House of Representatives recently approved the Energy Consumers Relief Act. This commonsense legislation, authored by Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), places greater interagency checks and balances on the EPA to prevent implementation of regulations that threaten to destroy jobs and increase energy prices for American job creators and families. A strong and robust economy depends on affordable energy, which is why coal must continue to play an essential role in our nation’s energy mix. To learn more about H.R. 1582, the Energy Consumers Relief Act, click here or see below.