Carbon Regulation Could Save Kentucky, If Only We Let It

Kentucky won't cut itself free from the rotting corpse of the coal industry until we're forced to.

Bill Estep at the Herald

Kentucky's coal-fired power plants produce a lot of carbon dioxide, so President Barack Obama's call Tuesday to limit such emissions from existing plants sparked sharp reaction.

Supporters saw a historic effort to step away from the brink of devastating climate changes. Opponents predicted economic ruin. Utilities said the plan could drive up electricity rates.

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U.S. Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, and U.S. Reps. Andy Barr, Hal Rogers and Ed Whitfield, all Kentucky Republicans, condemned Obama's plan, saying higher electricity rates would kill U.S. jobs.

"He may as well call his plan what it is: a plan to ship jobs overseas," McConnell said in a speech hours before Obama released the plan.

Whitfield, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, said the panel would hold hearings on Obama's plan and its anticipated economic effects.

Alabama native and Louisville city boy McConnell doesn't give a flying fuck about coal miners and their families, and Whitfield "represents" Western Kentucky from his long-time home in Florida.

Kentucky gets more than 90 percent of its electricity from coal-burning power plants, so the state is one of the largest carbon producers in the country — one of 18 where emissions went up from 2000 to 2010, according to federal statistics.

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 Eastern Kentucky already has seen a dramatic drop in coal production and jobs as low natural gas prices led utilities to switch for cost savings.

Justin Maxson, president of the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, said that as the administration moves to cut carbon emissions, it should invest in Eastern Kentucky communities long dependant on coal.

Officials at every level need to build a more diverse economy by supporting entrepreneurs and promoting sustainable forestry and wood products, energy efficiency, and local foods and tourism, Maxson said.

In his speech, Obama anticipated the charge that his plan would kill jobs.

U.S. businesses have responded many times before with innovation to reduce pollution without economic ruin, Obama said. "Don't bet against American workers. Don't tell folks that we have to choose between the health of our children or the health of our economy," he said.

Environmentalists and others applauded Obama's initiative.

"This should have been done a long time ago," said Suzanne Tallichet, chair of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.

Reducing carbon pollution will benefit human health and the environment, she said.

But only shutting down fossil fuels for good will free Kentucky and the rest of the nation from carbon serfdom.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/06/25/2692568/obamas-plan-to-fight-climate-change.html#storylink=cpy

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