Montana’s Corette coal-fired power plant sits along the Yellowstone River in Billings, Mont. PPL says it is mothballing the 154-megawatt plant as pollution regulations and competition from cheap natural gas drive a wave of coal plant shutdowns nationwide.By JOSH LEDERMAN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON – House Republicans voted Friday to cramp President Barack Obama’s environmental policies in favor of increased coal production, in a parting jab before returning home to campaign. The bill would bar the Environmental Protection Agency from restricting greenhouse gases, quash stricter fuel efficiency standards for cars and give states control over disposal of harmful coal byproducts.
The “Stop the War on Coal Act,” passed on a mainly party-line vote, is a companion to GOP campaign ads accusing Obama and Democrats of costing the U.S. hundreds of thousands of jobs while driving up energy prices. Democrats dismissed the legislation as political theatrics, pointing out that almost all the provisions had already passed in the House.
Nineteen Democrats – mostly from coal-producing and conservative-leaning states – broke ranks to join Republicans in the 233-175 vote. The legislation is dead on arrival in the Democratic-led Senate, and Obama has already threatened a veto should it ever reach his desk.