Curbing CO2 Emissions at Power Plants Will Increase Electricity Costs

EIN News says, "Obama EPA Delaying More Pollution Curbs The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will delay yet again plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions, its second delay of a major anti-pollution initiative in as many weeks. The head of the EPA said the agency needs more time beyond the Sept. 30 deadline to forge a plan to limit emissions of carbon dioxide from power plants. (msnbc.msn.com)".

It appears that Pres. Obama may be getting the message.

Notice that the September 30 deadline was to submit a plan for limiting carbon dioxide emissions. That deadline has now been extended to some non-determined date. However, Pres. Obama previously pledged that the US will cut its greenhouse gas emissions by about 17 percent by 2020, under 2005 levels, and the EPA is presumably still working under that directive.

What we do not know is what the actual plan will be. There is little doubt that it will be a combination of installation of carbon dioxide capture equipment in coal burning power plants, which supply most of the US electricity, or an alternative tax on those power plants, if they do not conform. This will lead to a significant increase in electricity utility rates.

Pres. Obama does not easily give up on his ideology of converting the US economy to sustainable energy use, which would include wind, solar, and fuels from agricultural products. However, it is likely that he is starting to see that a significant increase in electricity rates before the 2012 elections would seriously turn the electorate against him. For that reason, he wants to delay the EPA operation of instituting emission controls.

Watson is the head of EPA. She works for Obama, and Obama makes the rules and directives.

EPA emission controls would lead to an increase in electricity cost to the American public and would be counterproductive to Pres. Obama's bid for reelection. The flipside is that if Pres. Obama is reelected, you may be certain that all of these regulations will be put into effect, with the net result of further destroying our economy.