The following statement was released today by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity President and CEO Steve Miller in advance of President Obama's State of the Union Address:
As the President outlines his energy proposals, we are reminded of his numerous 2008 campaign statements that coal must be a key part of our nation's energy future.Candidate Obama embraced coal, America's dominant source of electricity.In 2008, he even said, "We could invest in renewable sources of energy and in clean coal technology and create up to 5 million new green jobs in the bargain, including new clean coal jobs."
But over the past three years, President Obama's policies have been inconsistent with Candidate Obama's rhetoric.His regulations concerning electricity from coal could destroy more than a million jobs and subject families and businesses to higher energy prices.Just as we are clawing our way out of the Great Recession, states such as Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia—which rely heavily on electricity from coal—will be particularly hard hit by the cost of these regulations.
America must make use of all our domestically-produced fuels to hold down prices, make our manufacturers more competitive and make our nation more energy secure.As the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness concluded this month, America needs to be "all in" on energy sources.But the Obama Administration's policies amount to being "all out" on coal.
The President needs to honor the pledges he made during the 2008 campaign by reaffirming his commitment to affordable, reliable electricity that will power our nation—a commitment that can only be met with coal.
About ACCCE
The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) is a
non-profit, non-partisan partnership of companies involved in producing
electricity from coal. ACCCE supports energy policies that balance
coal's vital role in meeting our country's growing need for affordable
and reliable electricity with the need to protect the environment. ACCCE
also advocates for the development and deployment of advanced clean coal
technologies that will produce electricity with near-zero emissions.
For
more information, visit www.cleancoalusa.org
or www.americaspower.org.
Contacts:
ACCCE
Lisa Camooso Miller, 202-459-4828
Liz Snyder Bowman,
202-789-4365
