Last week, President Obama told a campaign rally in Maljamar, New Mexico:
I’m here to talk about what we’re calling an all-of-the-above energy strategy -- a strategy that relies on producing more oil and gas here in America, but also producing more biofuels in America, more fuel-efficient cars in America, more wind power in America, and more solar power in America.
Notice any major American fuels missing from Obama's list? How about coal, which according to the Energy Information Administration, accounts for 20 percent of all domestic energy use? Apparently coal is not an Obama administration approved energy source. The Wall Street Journal reports:
The Environmental Protection Agency is set to introduce new rules Tuesday that take aim at greenhouse-gas emissions from coal-fired power plants, an administration official said.
The long-awaited action will sharply limit the emissions allowed from power plants built in the future, but will allow existing coal plants to keep operating for years.
The new rules will essentially make it unviable to build new coal-fired power plants, unless they are fitted with yet-to-be-commercialized carbon-capture technology. The rules would limit the permissible emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to a little more than half of what a typical coal plant emits today, administration officials have said.
A weak economy and a relatively mild winter have kept energy costs low so far this year. But an improving economy and a hot summer could send electricity prices sky rocketing. Obama will have a tough time evading political accountability if that happens:
