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EPA Ruling Will be Tough on Coal While the coal industry and coal-dependent states looked with some trepidation toward possible climate change legislation, December’s move by the EPA to regulate carbon emissions could be even tougher.
Lawmakers from states like North Dakota, which depends on coal for most of its electricity generation, are worried they will bear the brunt of curtailing carbon emissions due to policy favored more heavily in places where coal does not play such a prominent role.
Additionally, technologies to reduce or store coal’s carbon emissions have not yet been commercially proven, say coal advocates, meaning that immediate emissions restrictions could spur costly investments in technologies that may not work as planned.
That’s a cost that would be passed along to consumers, they warn.
The EPA ruling could force changes in the oil industry, too, where refineries and well operators might have to account for overall emissions. It might also force the agency to monitor smaller commercial plants in addition to major stationary source emitters. While many regard the EPA’s move as a means of putting pressure on Congress to pass legislation that will be friendlier to industry, the possibility of a climate bill not passing in the short-term could mean that the EPA will be forced to take action in accordance with its ruling. |
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