ROBBIE FEINBERGCapital News Service
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency’s restrictions on new coal and natural gas power plants meant to reduce carbon emissions that contribute to climate change would be a disaster for Western Maryland’s coal mining business, industry representatives said.
The new regulations, announced Friday by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, would allow new coal-powered plants to emit up to 1,100 pounds of carbon per megawatt-hour. Natural gas plants would be allowed to emit between 1,000 and 1,100 pounds of carbon per megawatt-hour, depending on their size.
“They’ll have a devastating effect on us because they want to eliminate the coal-powered plants, and all of their actions will do just that,” said Adrienne Ottaviani, the executive director of the Maryland Coal Association. “It will be probably more of the coal companies in Maryland closing their doors. They just can’t continue with the regulations being placed upon them.”
According to the latest annual report from the Maryland Bureau of Mines, mining companies employed 373 workers in Allegany and Garrett counties in 2011, producing about 3 million tons of coal that year. That number put Maryland 18th in the nation in total coal production.
