New Study Raises Alarm on Clean Power Plan Cost
The EPA’s Clean Power Plan is looking dirtier by the day, and about the only “green” thing about it is rising number of dollar bills its expected to consume. An analysis by the National Economic Research Associates puts the economic toll far above the EPA’s estimate. National Review’s Jillian Kay Melchior reports: “Households in all but seven states would see a double-digit price hike on their electricity bills, and the cost of natural gas could spike by as much as 29 percent, the study says. Assuming that no legal or practical challenges prevent states from imposing the EPA’s renewable-energy or energy-efficiency protocols – an unlikely scenario – the annual compliance cost will be $41 billion, NERA estimates. Factoring in these real-world potential obstacles, the cost rises to a mind-blowing $73 billion.” Melchior notes that the $73 billion figure would be, at minimum, seven times greater than what the agency calculated. Even more startling, revised ozone rules coming in December may dwarf even this proposal, which one study says could exceed $270 billion annually. The Economic Punishment Agency is fast-tracking its way to being America’s number one economic nemesis. More…