Why Did Obama Muzzle the EPA?

Crazy guess here, politics.

And timing. The Energy Reliability Council of Texas on Thursday issued their impact assessment response to the EPA's Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, imposed in July, compliance demanded by January 2012.

ERCOT manages and operates the entire Texas power grid. If you haven't noticed, Texas and a good part of the central US has been gripped in the worst heat wave and drought since 1980. Six times this summer ERCOT has imposed "Level 2" restrictions as the power demand threatened to exceed the capabilities of the grid to supply, and large consumers who have established agreements with ERCOT were shut down to conserve power on those 108 degree days.

Level 3 is rolling blackouts.

By the way, the EPA also grabbed control from the State of Texas on new plant construction, so there isn't any.

ERCOT's assessment looked at three scenarios... I'll summarize them.

"Texas power producers will cut production from 2 to 8%. Period."

So here's what that means. Government imposed rolling blackouts.

Six times this summer demand rose within the threshold of reserve capacity. Reserve capacity is 1750Mw (or was, on August 4). That's less than 2% of total generation capacity.

I suspect the unpopularity of government imposed blackouts was a bridge too far for Obama. But it won't be if he survives the 2012 election. It'll be a feature, not a problem.

Also, why this is a big deal.

Because his policies, his directives to the EPA, hurt his re-election chances. They kill jobs. They piss people off with higher prices for energy and NO F*&IN access to energy.

Obama wants you to sweat and pay 4 times what you do now, for the privilege of sweating in the dark.

posted by Dave In Texas at 01:20 PM

| Access Comments