The EPA War

            In a recent (4/12/12) blog I accused the Obama administration of waging a war on fossil fuels by using the EPA to bypass Congress to, among other things, prevent domestic oil and gas exploration. As if on cue, the EPA has made my case.

            As evidenced by a video made by Al Armendariz, a top EPA administrator, we now know that the EPA's philosophy is to "crucify" oil and gas companies and "make examples" of them. Armendariz compared this tactic to the Romans' use of crucifixion as a method of subjugating conquered villages.
            The clear purpose, according to Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma, is to incite fear in the public with unsubstantiated claims and intimidate oil and gas companies with threats of unjustified fines and penalties. Inhofe cited the example of the EPA's targeting of natural gas producers in Pennsylvania, Texas,  and Wyoming with a claim that hydraulic fracturing was a cause of water contamination. The EPA has never produced any scientific evidence to support that claim.
            Another tactic used by the administration to wage war on fossil fuels is through EPA regulations. The prime target here is the coal industry. Clean air regulations issued by the EPA make it financially impossible for the industry to upgrade old plants or build new ones.
            What will happen if coal-fired energy plants have to shut down? Hundreds of thousands of people will lose their jobs, including not just workers in coal-fired plants, but also in the mines that supply the coal and the railroads and ships that transport it.  In West Virginia, a state with a population of only 1.2 million, an estimated 40,000 workers would join the unemployment lines.
            Coal accounts for just about half of the electrical energy produced in this country. And there is enough coal in the ground to last another 100 years. You just can't replace this resource with green energy, not with wind and solar that produce a measly 1% of electrical energy, and, as evidenced by the failure of companies like Solyndra, hold doubtful promise for the future.
            The best replacement for coal, over time, is natural gas. It is plentiful, clean, and cheap. It is so cheap, in fact, that some companies are cutting back on production because they can't make a profit. Wouldn't it make more sense for President Obama to clear the decks for the increased use of natural gas in our power plants and in our transportation industry? But for that he would have to call off the dogs at the EPA.
            With the EPA advocating crucifixion of the oil and gas industry and attempting to regulate the coal industry out of existence, it seems to me that the president has let go the leash and has no intention of retrieving it.