The president’s final State of the Union is heating up to be a controversial one, with House Republicans passing a bill to roll back regulations on the coal industry just hours ahead of the speech.
Coal industry proponents say President Obama will touch on key areas of climate change and the economy in his final address, but he won’t discuss the “many negative consequences of his actions in these areas.”
“In the two years since the president’s infamous promise to use the pen and phone during his lame-duck term, the administration has sidestepped Congress and usurped states’ rights time and again to fulfill his political legacy,” said Mike Duncan, president of the pro-coal American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. “We would welcome an honest, open dialogue with the president about the true costs of his energy policies, but past experience tells us this won’t occur.”
Obama most likely will tout the improvements his policies have had on the U.S. economy, while ignoring the substantial cost of his climate change regulations for power plants on the reliability and cost of energy in the country, the group says. The president’s regulations, called the Clean Power Plan, are expected to close dozens of coal-fired power plants in favor of renewable energy.
“The president will almost certainly tout the strength of the economy and his administration’s measures to protect the environment,” the group said. “He will, however, undoubtedly overlook the economic impact that his costly climate plan will have on the nation and American families as they try to make ends meet.”
The House on Tuesday afternoon passed a bill 235-188 called the STREAM Act, which would delay new Department of Interior regulations on the coal industry by two to three years. The White House says the president will veto the bill, saying Monday that the bill would create a “needless delay” of important safeguards for “the communities and economies that depend on clean water and a healthy environment.”
Natural gas utilities are also concerned about the president’s final address. They want Obama to ensure that natural gas is used to address climate change, as the cleanest, lowest-cost fossil fuel. The U.S. has become a leader in oil and gas production as a result of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which has spurred the Obama administration to issue new regulations on the industry.
“President Obama is taking aggressive action at home and abroad to reverse the effects of climate change,” said American Gas Association President and CEO Dave McCurdy. Many scientists say greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels are causing the Earth’s climate to change, resulting in more severe weather. McCurdy argues that the U.S. has a “credible leadership role” to take “in part, because of the country’s abundant supply of natural gas,” which he wants to be seen as a solution to reducing greenhouse gases.
“Natural gas is part of the solution to climate change and will help the United States make progress toward ambitious emissions reduction targets,” McCurdy said ahead of the president’s address Tuesday.
Nevertheless, American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard says regulation is not the answer. He argues that the oil and gas industry is being inundated by 100 new regulations in the last year alone, despite the contribution of gas and oil to the U.S. economy.
“Instead of pursuing a barrage of job-crushing new regulations — many of which are duplicative and unnecessary — President Obama has the opportunity to seize the initiative and embrace policies that recognize the value of the energy resurgence and acknowledge that the goals of environmental progress and energy production are not mutually exclusive,” Gerard said.
The American Wind Energy Association says the president most likely will play up recent developments in renewable energy as a job creator and emerging market.
“The president plans to talk about progress tonight, including in clean energy,” the wind industry group said, noting that 47 percent of all new power facilities built in 2015 were new wind turbines according to analysis they attribute to SNL Energy.
They note that was followed by new natural gas power plants at 35 percent and new solar capacities at 14 percent. It is also becoming a key job creator that is helping consumers save money, the group said.
“Wind energy’s continuing growth is something that should make all Americans proud,” said the wind group’s president and CEO, Tom Kiernan.
