Reported by WTAJ News, by Ben Manning

June 2, 2014

The Environmental Protection Agency is calling for even cleaner energy.

Monday morning the EPA said they want to cut emissions by 30% by the year 2030.
Some people are welcoming these new standards but some people say this is an attack on their way of life. Signs that say “Stop the war on coal, fire Obama.” are all throughout Cambria County.

Julie Sergent truly is a “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and lives right next to the Revloc Power Plant and down the street from the Maple Coal Company. She would like to see a different energy future, but she doesn’t think the technology is ready to supply the whole world right now. She also knows that a lot of people in her community made a living from coal and don’t want to see it disappear.

Monday morning Gina McCarthy of the Environmental Protection Agency tried to get the future started. McCarthy calls the new plan flexible and says states can get to the standards in different ways like cleaner plants, alternative fuels, and encouraging energy efficiency.

But Mike Duncan with the American Coalition for Clean Coal says this will hurt people especially in Pennsylvania. He says the majority of the state will see a double digit increase in electricity prices.

Sergent says depending on the weather they get some dirt and dust living across from the plant, but for now it's worth it because it’s providing energy for their town.

Congressman Bill Shuster said, “New EPA rule released today is devastating, costs economy $51 billion per year and 224,000 jobs. I absolutely oppose.”

Congressman Keith Rothfus said, “President Obama is making good on his campaign promise to cause electricity prices to ‘necessarily skyrocket,’” said Rothfus. “The regulations the Obama Administration announced today will raise energy prices, destroy family-sustaining American jobs, and reduce our nation’s competitiveness in the global marketplace. These regulations will benefit China, India, and other rising economic competitors at the expense of American workers like the hardworking men and women I talked with this morning as they were heading home after a long night’s work at the First Energy Bruce Mansfield Power Station in Beaver County.”

And Governor Tom Corbett said, “As Pennsylvanians, we are doing our fair share to reduce carbon emissions, and we have made great strides in recent years. While we continue to review the EPA’s proposed rulemaking in detail, I am concerned that these new mandates will eventually shut down hundreds of coal-fired power plants across the country and destroy thousands of family-sustaining jobs. Those reports, if true, are unacceptable.”

(Ben Manning, "New EPA Regulations," WTAJ News, 6/2/14)