Check out the latest twisted comments from Obama’s EPA chief.
Speaking at Howard University last Friday, Lisa Jackson said:
In their [the coal industry] entire history — 50, 60, 70 years, or even 30 … they never found the time or the reason to clean up their act. They’re literally on life support. And the people keeping them on life support are all of us.
First, her statement about the coal-fired power plants not having emissions controls is patently false and she knows it. In fact, the emissions controls on U.S. coal-fired power plants are the reason our skies aren’t like China’s.
Rep. David McKinley (R-West VA.) issued the following statement:
McKinley: Shame on you, Lisa Jackson:
W.Va. rep reacts to outrageous attack on coalWashington, D.C. – Rep. David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-WV)reacted Thursday to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson’sfalse and offensive attack on West Virginia’s lifeblood, coal.
While addressing students Thursday morning at an event at Howard University, Jackson was quoted in Energy and Environment Daily saying, “In their [the coal industry] entire history — 50, 60, 70 years, or even 30 … they never found the time or the reason to clean up their act. They’re literally on life support. And the people keeping them on life support are all of us.”
Jackson went on to lambast McKinley’s bipartisan coal ash legislation, saying, “That struck me as kind of a way of thinking about what’s going on right now inside the beltway… So that’s where we are. We’re protecting the coal ash from the people rather then protecting the people from the coal ash.”
Rep. McKinley issued the following statement on Jackson’s comments:
“The coal industry is on ‘life support’ for one reason only: Lisa Jackson and Barack Obama. It takes a lot of gall to sit there in her cushy Washington office – lighted by coal, in a building constructed with coal ash – handing down these job-killing regulations, and then turn around and claim the coal industry owes her a favor. It is now unmistakably clear to me that Lisa Jackson’s regulations are not intended to simply strike a proper balance between industry and the environment; rather, the hostility conveyed in her attacks betrays a radical ideologue who believes the folks who mine coal, burn coal and recycle its ash are little better than criminals, and that the government needs to bankrupt the coal industry as the president infamously suggested as a candidate. This administration has zero credibility on jobs, or public health, for that matter.
“As an engineer I’ve seen first-hand how the industry, working with her predecessors, has made great strides over the last several decades in improving its environmental practices as technology has developed – and yet the president’s budget slashed research and development for clean coal technology. Coal ash, when recycled, actually makes building materials and other products more affordable and environmentally-friendly – and yet the president opposes my bipartisan bill to finally create federal standards regulating coal ash. Numerous studies prove that unemployed Americans suffer from higher rates of poor health than those with jobs – and yet the president and his EPA administrator are trying to put hundreds of thousands of men and women in the coal industry out of work. Shame on them.
“Over four months ago, I invited President Obama and Administrator Jackson to visit West Virginia to meet the folks who lost their jobs at several coal-fired power plants due to EPA over-regulation. That invitation still stands; unfortunately, Lisa Jackson’s speech today indicates that those job losses are exactly what they wanted.”
The only life support that any industry is on are the renewables on the life support of the government. If that was cut, wind and solar would dissapear overnight.
If all subsidies and special tax breaks were cut, coal, oil, gas, hydro, and even nuclear would survive (nuclear may not thrive, but it would live).
Jackson can kill coal when she agrees to be put on a ventilator run on wind power.
Color W.Va. red.
Given the fact that 50% of the US electricity is still derived from coal, I would say the other suppliers are on life support. Nukes – where are the new ones? Wind and solar – Solandra and dead eagles. Hydro is good and so is gas.