Well, score a victory for global warming alarmists and a loss for the citizens of Virginia.
The EPA just managed to cause a coal-fired electrical plant to shudder shutter its doors in the 9th Congressional District because of its un-checked, un-restrained, independent and arbitrary power.
Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement regarding American Electric Power’s (AEP) decision to close the coal-fired Glen Lyn Plant in Giles County and retire generating units at the Clinch River Plant in Cleveland by December 2014:
“This is what I have been talking about. More burdensome EPA regulations, more jobs lost. The cost of complying with these regulations is closing one plant in the 9th District and reducing generation at another. Why can’t the EPA recognize that their actions kill jobs and destroy the economy not only in Southwest Virginia, but nationwide? These regulations should not be implemented unless they are absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, many of the EPA’s recent actions are geared for small gains in the environment at the large cost of hundreds of jobs.”
Let’s be honest, global warming, when used as an economic bludgeoning tool, is part of the finanicial crisis we’re in today.
Indeed, just this week the CEO of “Government Motors” proposed a $1 gas tax increase so that we’d buy more fuel efficient cars. He proposed it as an alternative to the other government idea: changing fuel efficiency standards. By forcing automobile manufacturers to build more efficient vehicles, production costs go up and will be passed onto consumers. Either way, it’s the global warming alarmists who are taking food off of people’s tables!
The goal of both ideas is to force a BEHAVIORAL change on citizens, not actually fund the government as part of its enumerated powers.
The global warming theory is clearly having an impact on the financial climate of our country; policies developed because of belief in the theory is already putting people out of work, increasing taxes, and making products more expensive.
These ideas which attempt to regulate the buying habits of citizens should be rejected because this is not why taxes were created. And having an agency make policies by fiat without having to answer to the people – all the while putting people out of work – has to be at the forefront of our policy debates. It’s not about whether or not you believe in global warming – it’s about the proper role of government and our national fiscal health.
