Coal company reacts negatively to EPA's Clean Power Plan

EPA Climate Rule Overhaul faces governor resistance, state lawsuits, and compliance challenges, with NERA Economic Consulting projecting $479 billion costs and double-digit electricity hikes, as coal advocates push low-carbon technologies and criticize power prices.

Arch Coal, Inc., U.S.'s second largest coal producer, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's final "Clean Power Plan" rule. "The Administration seems increasingly desperate to salvage an ill-advised and poorly designed rule, which won't work, won't pass muster with states, and won't stand up to legal scrutiny," said Deck Slone, Arch's senior vice president of strategy and public policy.

"Even prior to the expensive EPA overhaul announced today, seven governors had stated that they did not plan to comply. That number seems certain to grow as other governors realize that, rather than fix the rule, EPA has in many ways made matters worse."

In addition, more than 20 states are already preparing to urge a court delay of the rule through litigation.

Previously, NERA Economic Consulting reported that the proposed rule would cost as much as $479 billion, and that it would drive up electricity rates by double digits in 43 states. If anything, the overhauled rule threatens to push costs and power prices even higher.

Arch Coal believes that premature and costly regulations, where policy often creates winners and losers, are not the answer to addressing climate concerns. Instead, Arch urges the Administration to ramp up dramatically its investments in low-carbon fossil fuel technologies, which currently total just a small fraction of overall government spending on energy.

"China, India and the rest of emerging Asia are building their economies on fossil fuels generally and coal specifically, which they view as their most affordable, reliable and secure energy option," Slone said. "To truly address the threat of climate change, these countries will need low-cost, low-carbon mitigation tools for fossil fuels. The Administration's rule will do nothing to deliver such tools and could in fact slow their development here in the West, even as it hurts American ratepayers, American businesses and American competitiveness."

"We urge states to contest the rule vigorously through a legal challenge in court and to defend their longstanding authority to manage their electric power systems in the way they deem most cost-effective, prudent and wise," Slone said.

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