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This coal bill can best be described as the dumbest bill I have ever seen. It make no sense environmentally, it makes no sense economically, and it certainly makes no sense politically. Legislators who support this bill might as well put a sign on their backside that says “I am in the pocket of what is left of the coal industry!”. Put another way, it would be a “Kick Me!” sign, except it should add “kick me out of the State of Indiana House of Representatives/State Senate”. The coal industry is no long a significant employer in the state, since it is largely automated. It contribute to air pollution, and the health issues that accompany that. The residue that comes from the burning of coal is both an environmental and economic disaster into the future, passing those costs along to the taxpayers and ratepayers. I ask the question, what is dumber? Is it the passage of this bill or the legislators behind it?
On the surface, this bill may indeed sound questionable. However, I heard the explanation for it at a legislative breakfast last week that makes it understandable and not given to the hysterics suggested by many, such as Rob B. above.
That being this: Power Companies are regulated monopolies who must answer to the appropriate regulatory commission. The regulatory commission is tasked with looking out for the best interests of the consumers who pay the bills for the company’s services, not the power companies.
In this case, it was pointed out that alternative energy sources, primarily natural gas through fracking, are subsidized, making the fuel unrealistically cheap…at least for the time being…
If the subsidies are rescinded, the price of natural gas will go up, probably beyond the cost per KWH generated by coal-fired plants. If the power companies have shuttered all their coal-fired plants to chase the fiction of subsidized fuel sources and those subsidies go away, they companies have no choice but to charge a lot more than they are now charging for coal-produced electricity.
This hurts consumers, for whom the regulatory commission are supposed to be “looking out.”
Hence, the regulatory commission is looking out for consumers by insisting that coal-fired plants not be shuttered until the price and reality (wind, solar, etc) of alternate fuels has proven viable.