National Mining Association (NMA) President and CEO Hal Quinn issued the following statement in advance of the publication of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed New Source Performance Standard for regulating greenhouse gas emissions from new coal-based power plants that generate 40 percent of the nation’s electricity:
“This EPA regulation is a big step backwards for supplying America affordable and reliable power from the cleanest coal-based power systems commercially available. The proposal effectively bans coal from America’s power portfolio by conditioning new power generation on the use of unproven technologies.
“Forcing America to abandon its largest and most reliable energy source is a reckless gamble with the nation’s economy. A more expensive and less diverse electricity supply will only stand in the way of economic growth and job creation.
“EPA has also set a dangerous and far-reaching precedent for the broader economy. Although today’s story is about coal and affordable electricity, tomorrow the story will concern other industries forced to comply with arbitrary standards based on unproven technologies.
“Rather than recklessly pursuing another rush-before-ready approach, the more responsible course for the administration is to base standards on the best-in-class technology available today. This would ensure the reliability of electricity supply by allowing power companies to replace older, less efficient coal plants with newer, more efficient ones with lower emissions.”