EPA Regulations Wreak Havoc on Ohio Coal, Electric Companies

The Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rules imposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are taking a toll on Ohio’s coal industry and are expected to increase citizens’ electricity costs. Utility MACT, a series of bureaucratic regulations created under the Clean Air Act with the support of President Obama and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), has already caused coal-fired plant closures and layoffs.

Even as natural gas production ramps up in the state, the fact that 82 percent of Ohio’s electricity is generated using coal suggests Utility MACT will also increase energy costs statewide. Natural gas prices paid by utility companies hit a 10-year low of under $2 per million British thermal units in April 2012, but Reuters reported on October 24 that prices have risen substantially as national production has flattened and an expected cold winter approaches....