Kentucky’s abundant supply of coal has helped keep Kentuckians warm during this frigid winter, Mike Duncan wrote in The Richmond Register. Duncan, a long-time resident of Inez and a member of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, praised coal and other “fuel sources that offer reliable and affordable energy…[and that helped] meet demand while keeping utility bills stable for Kentucky families.”
But Barack Obama’s war on coal is making it more difficult for Kentuckians to affordably heat their homes.
Higher energy prices burden poorer Kentuckians most
Duncan cautioned that the price of energy, which Kentucky families pay, has been increasing over the last nine years. “Since 2005,” Duncan wrote, “Kentucky residential energy prices have increased by 25 percent in real terms.”
Sadly, the burden of those increased energy costs is greatest on the poorest in our communities. Duncan wrote:
“According to a recent study from the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), Kentucky families making below $50,000 annually spend 20 percent of their after-tax income on energy-related expenses. The poorest of Kentucky’s households spend an even higher percentage – nearly 75 percent of their income – on energy needs.”
The steep costs of Obama’s war on coal
Unfortunately, one of the primary culprits of higher energy costs is Barack Obama and his regulatory-happy EPA, both of which are waging an intense war on Kentucky coal. Duncan charged:
“Increases in energy costs are due to a variety of factors, but one significant cause is the Obama Administration’s regulatory assault on coal-based industries.”
The cost of Obama’s war on coal is too high – not just for Kentucky but for our nation. The Obama administration’s stifling overregulation could result in a “crippling wave of unemployment and systemic economic damage.” Duncan warned:
“The administration needs to consider what these regulations will do to American families and the U.S. economy. Thousands of American jobs will be lost following plant shutdowns, creating a crippling wave of unemployment and systemic economic damage. Further, our nation will forfeit its economic competitiveness in clean coal technologies to overseas competitors.”
Kentucky Republicans lead, offer solutions
Kentucky Republicans have been leading the charge to protect affordable and reliable electricity.
For Mike Duncan’s full column, “Coal has kept Kentuckians warm this winter,” visit The Richmond Register at http://is.gd/ZlXHhA. Duncan serves as Kentucky’s National Committeeman to the Republican National Committee.
