- On Thursday May 11 the EPA issued new proposed emission regulations (1) for fossil fuel electricity plans. These proposed regulations apply to gas and coal fired plants. The proposed regulations cause a stunned silence and then a backlash.
- The emission standards, which are buried in the report, are presented without context. However, people familiar with current regulations and combustion technology believe that these proposed emissions are impossible to meet economically.
- The EPA claims the emission standards can be met by carbon capture or producing green hydrogen
- The EPA promises improved public health, reduce harmful climate and air pollutants, significant savings in health and claim benefits and low implementation cost of only 2%. Also grid reliability will be maintained. In simple terms these emission regulations are the road to Camelot.
- Low cost, clean air, improved health and it can be achieved in 15 years. It took over 100 years for fossil fuels to deliver energy cheaply and easily but in 15 years these regulations will improve fossil fuel use dramatically.
- What is missing from this picture. It is reality.
- Can these emissions regulations produce these climate and environmental improvements? After all, the EPA has computer models and a report! Is the report correct? Are the numbers accurate? Do they model reality correctly or just the way they want it to work. Who knows? But your future will depend upon their so called accuracy.
- Reference 2 describe the emissions are impossible to meet, at least, economically. Reference 3 describes how the emission regulation when combined with other recent EPA regulation is an attack on US prosperity and standard of living
- Carbon capture and using hydrogen are both new technologies and require massive infrastructure which does not exist. (4). When will the infrastructure be built and at what cost. Who knows?
- Reliable coal and gas generated electricity will be replaced with sunbeams and breezes and batteries with the capacity to hold small amount of electricity for short period of time.
- The new wind-solar-battery and perhaps nuclear grid which will emerge in response to the regulations do not exist anywhere in the world. Will this new grid work reliably? (5) Who Knows.
- What are some of the issues the EPA ignored? In their single minded demonization of fossil fuels, they ignored the loss of life due to climate related events has decreased by 98% over the past 100 years. (6)
- They ignored the improvement in human life expectancy and standard of living, from food to free time, has greatly increased.
- The also ignore that fossil fuels can impact climate and neutralize negative impacts. Simply, fossil fuel driven air conditioning can alleviate heat and irrigation can alleviate drought.
- Imposing impossible standards and requirements is not a regulation , it is defacto imposition of policy.
- Does Congress agree with this drastic change in electricity and energy supply? If it is correct and supportable, Congress should publicly vote to implement the proposals!
- If Congress supports these proposals but will not publicly vote for them! Why not?
- Would they be trying to avoid taking the blame for the disastrous environmental and economic impact these regulations will cause?
References
(1’) https://www.cfact.org/2023/05/11/epa-proposes-emissions-standards-that-could-kill-coal-and-cripple-gas-official-epa-release/
(3’) https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2023-5-14-biden-federal-government-goes-full-suicide-bomber-against-america
(4’) https://robertbryce.substack.com/p/epa-v-the-grid/
(5’) https://energytalkingpoints.com/epa/
(6’) https://energytalkingpoints.com/earth-day-2022/
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