Con artist coal plan shot down in flames

[someoneyouknow]

It's official. The con artist's plan to use billions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize the dying coal industry has been rejected en masse by Federal Energy Regulatory Committee, an independent energy agency.

According to FERC, the plan would have increased costs to consumers of electricity, would have distorted the free market and would do nothing to keep the dying coal industry alive. The agency said there is no evidence that any past or planned retirements of coal-fired power plants pose a threat to reliability of the nation's electric grid due to the increase use of renewables such as wind and solar.

When asked to comment on the decision, one coal miner in West Virginia answered with a pitiful, "But he promised. He promised."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-plan-to-boost-coal-and-nuclear-power-gets-rejected/

 

[gotsnowgotslush]

Pennsylvania Coal Mine To Close
January 7, 2018


In southwestern Pennsylvania, another coal mine is closing. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to county supervisor Blair Zimmerman about what this means for his community


https://www.npr.org/2018/01/07/576301162/pennsylvania-coal-mine-to-close


Why isn’t the government standing firmly behind the pattern of violations rule, unless it plans to weaken protections for the safety of coal miners? And, if the government does settle, will a weaker enforcement program pose more dangers to miners?

Imposing tougher penalties on repeat violators is not a rarity. In criminal law, it’s common. When lives of miners are at stake, why abandon the principle?

The other pending issue has to do with rules regarding miners’ exposure to coal and rock dust, which causes black lung disease, and diesel exhaust, which can cause cancer. The Mine Safety and Health Administration announced in mid-December that those rules were being reconsidered, three years after the Obama administration lowered the allowable limits on exposure to coal dust. The agency is asking for public comment on whether standards “could be improved or made more effective or less burdensome by accommodating advances in technology, innovative techniques, or less costly methods.”

Opening up the rule for review begs a question similar to the one about the pattern of violations program. Why reconsider it unless there is an intent that protections for miners will be weakened to help out mining operators?

What’s sad is that both issues come at a time when black lung has seen a resurgence in frequency, particularly among younger miners, and the number of fatalities at the nation’s coal mines in 2017 already has surpassed the totals in the previous two years.

This is not the time to weaken the rules or the enforcement programs protecting the nation’s miners.

http://www.timeswv.com/opinion/edit...cle_913aebde-f38c-11e7-a4d5-5fd9220e5fb1.html

 

[Hypoxia]

Fire at Trump Tower identified as President’s pants

Liar, liar...

 

[Dinosaur1]

Fire at Trump Tower identified as President’s pants

Liar, liar...

Trump was probably playing that froggy game and didn't want to be disturbed.

 

[gotsnowgotslush]

https://wonkette.com/628039/trump-a...-coal-companies-in-name-of-free-market-whoops




Trump Appointees Accidentally Fuck Over Coal Companies In Name Of Free Market. WHOOPS!

January 9, 2018


Energy Secretary Rick Perry had a great idea to help bring back the coal industry: a plan that would subsidize power generation stations that stored 90 days of fuel on-site, to prevent disruptions in the power grid due to storms or other disasters. Unfortunately, the free-marketeers Donald Trump appointed to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) unanimously rejected Perry’s proposal Monday, because shouldn’t the market decide energy prices, not the oppressive hand of the federal government?

The rejected Perry plan had been seen by many as a wet kiss for a couple of its biggest backers, FirstEnergy, a midwestern utility company, and FirstEnergy’s top supplier, the coal company Murray Energy.

Murray must really be cheesed by the FERC vote, another setback to his goal of federal bailouts for coal in general and Murray Energy in particular.

Donald Trump’s first campaign manager and still bestie Corey Lewandowski saw something much more sinister in the vote by a commission loaded with Trump appointees:


Corey R. Lewandowski
@CLewandowski_
·
10h
The deep state is very real. More government officials who don’t support the Trump agenda

9 Jan 2018

 

[nowisthetime]

These folks are so entitled and daft. They do not understand that the coal industry is a dying industry. Rather than just re-educating themselves, they wish to become so whiny.

His supporters are annoying.

 

[squarespray]

These folks are so entitled and daft. They do not understand that the coal industry is a dying industry. Rather than just re-educating themselves, they wish to become so whiny.

His supporters are annoying.

Yeah. Wind & solar would've worked great during the bomb-cyclone. -Another storm due Saturday.

 

[phrodeau]

Yeah. Wind & solar would've worked great during the bomb-cyclone. -Another storm due Saturday.

Yes, wind turbines do just fine.

 

[Iceprincess12]

Shot down in a blaze of glory sounds better and Bon Jovi can sing it.