In a recent interview on POLITICO’s Open Mike with Mike Allen, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy denied claims that the Obama administration is launching a “war on coal” with its new regulations.
“No,” McCarthy said. “I don’t want to get complicated with my answer because when I do, people think I’m hedging. The answer to the question is no.”
“I am doing what Congress told me to do with the Clean Air Act,” McCarthy continued, “and what they told me to do was see how you can reduce pollution in ways that are reasonable and achievable, that follows the law and that follows the science.”
Some research on the implications of the new EPA regulations—which stipulate a 30 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030—have found that implementation will bear serious consequences on the American economy and with “no meaningful environmental benefit.”
>>> Related: Coal Miners Fear Losing Their Jobs Over Obama’s Clean Power Plan
According to Heritage Foundation research, nearly 600,000 people will lose their jobs by 2023, the majority being in the coal industry.
After hearing McCarthy’s most recent remarks, Heritage energy expert Nick Loris commented, “Given the laundry list of regulations coming down on the coal industry, it’s clear the war on coal has already begun. And the casualties of that war are the American families and businesses hit with higher energy costs.”
>>> Further Reading: EPA Power Plant Regulations: A Backdoor Energy Tax
