Extreme regulations will damage coal country
Earlier this month, my colleagues and I passed a resolution asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider its regulations for existing power plants.
The EPA states that these regulations are aimed at climate control. But the truth is that, even if they are fully enacted, the impact on global climate change will be miniscule at best.
What these regulations will actually do is close energy plants in Greene County and across Pennsylvania, destabilize our electricity grid and drive up costs for consumers.
That’s why commissioners in Greene County voted for this resolution. We believe, and there is evidence to suggest, that electricity would become unaffordable for many of our residents, particularly if we face a winter like the last one, as a result of these regulations. Bankrupting the coal industry with extreme regulations will cost our county jobs as power prices increase.
I am not saying that climate change is not a serious concern; it is, but these rules are not the way to fight it, particularly since the EPA drafted the regulations without hearing from the communities that would be most affected. There was just one hearing in Pennsylvania, and that was after the proposal was announced. If the EPA is serious about finding practical solutions, it should have consulted us and worked with us.
I urge the EPA to reconsider their regulations in pursuit of a reasonable solution, crafted with input from coal country.
Blair Zimmerman
Waynesburg
Zimmerman is a member of the Greene County Board of Commissioners.