As Vice President Pence noted over the weekend, a new era of American energy has begun.
A year ago, the thought of 30 coal miners being welcomed into the EPA, alongside our president, EPA administrator and our Energy secretary would have been inconceivable. This week, it happened as members of our industry proudly attended the signing of an Executive Order that begins the repeal of the Clean Power Plan and lifts the federal coal leasing moratorium.
The presence of these hardworking Americans was significant in that it marks a return to the all-of-the-above energy policies that have been embraced by Democrats and Republicans alike for generations.
While supporters of the Clean Power Plan would like to paint this as part of a picture of environmental assault, it is anything but.
Climate change benefits of the CPP would have been unmeasurable even according to EPA. The Obama administration itself has noted that the CPP was largely symbolic, but the costs to the public were shockingly real.
While the Clean Power Plan and the moratorium were symbols for political activists, they were tangible vehicles for lost jobs and set the stage for increasing electricity costs that would hit low-income and fixed income Americans hard.
Regulation is important and has its place. But with it must come an open and honest conversation about costs and benefits that has been missing from federal regulatory policymaking for too long. The president’s actions this week signal a return to a more balanced approach that would, indeed, mark a new era of American energy.