Inside Track
EPA: Coal Regulations About Politics of Power
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy made an admission against interest during testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 22. When grilled by Representative David McKinley (R-W.V.) about EPA regulations that are crippling the coal industry, McCarthy did not dispute the charge that the regulations will have no measurable effect on “global warming.” Instead, she said that the “benefit” of the regulations is in flexing federal muscle over industry.
McKinley challenged her by pointing out that, even though 40 percent of America’s power comes from coal, the federal government has put 33 percent of that coal off limits. “You are part of this administration that has a war on coal that is saying, ‘we’re not going to use coal,’” he told McCarthy. He pressed the issue further, asking her why the EPA continues its policies when there is “no benefit”: “I don’t understand. If it doesn’t have an impact on climate change around the world, why are we subjecting our hard-working taxpayers and men and women in the coal fields to something that has no benefit?”
McCarthy replied without disputing McKinley’s claim that the regulations will have “no measurable” impact on either pollution or “global warming.” Instead, she admitted that the reasons for the regulations have less to do with substance and more to do with the appearance of strength: “I think sir, we see it as having had enormous benefit in showing sort of domestic leadership as well as garnering support around the country for the agreement we reached in Paris.”
JBS Member or ShopJBS.org Customer?
Sign in with your ShopJBS.org account username and password or use that login to subscribe.
Subscribe Now
- 24 Issues Per Year
- Digital Edition Access
- Exclusive Subscriber Content
- Audio provided for all articles
- Unlimited access to past issues
- Cancel anytime.
- Renews automatically
Subscribe Now
- 24 Issues Per Year
- Print edition delivery (USA)
*Available Outside USA - Digital Edition Access
- Exclusive Subscriber Content
- Audio provided for all articles
- Unlimited access to past issues
- Cancel anytime.
- Renews automatically