“The President’s plan to combat so-called “global warming” is as fatally flawed as the Kyoto Protocol,” said Mike Carey, President of the Ohio Coal Association and the American Coal Coalition. He continued, “Let’s be perfectly clear–emissions trading amounts to a rationing of energy and targets coal for elimination from the nation’s fuel mix.”
Carey stated that the Administration’s plan, while only requiring voluntary cuts in carbon dioxide emissions, still puts in place the framework for a coercive cap and trade regime down the road. Such a cap and trade system would be devastating to the coal industry, putting thousands of people out of work and wrecking the economies of coal-producing states like Ohio.
Carey said the Administration’s proposal is likely to be met with praise by some natural gas companies that stand to make millions under a cap and trade regime. Enron’s former CEO Ken Lay championed a cap and trade system because it promoted natural gas over coal, America’s most abundant energy resource.
“President Bush has established a solid reputation for taking positions based on principles and hard facts, so we’re puzzled as to why he would pursue a global warming policy that is based on incomplete science. This policy could inflict economic hardship on the communities here in coal country,” said Carey. He added, “Coal country is just getting back on its feet, the last thing we need are mandatory cap and trade programs imposed by the White House that will put us out of business for good.”
