Trump's rollback of pollution rules to hit coal country hard

[left-of-center2012]

Source: ABC News

It's coal people like miner Steve Knotts, 62, who make West Virginia Trump Country.

So it was no surprise that President Donald Trump picked the state to announce his plan rolling back Obama-era pollution controls on coal-fired power plants.

Trump left one thing out of his remarks, though: northern West Virginia coal country will be ground zero for increased deaths and illnesses from the rollback on regulation of harmful emission from the nation's coal power plants.

Andrew Wheeler became acting administrator of EPA last Friday after Scott Pruitt resigned.
Acting EPA chief addresses staffers for the first time since Pruitt's departure
An analysis done by his own Environmental Protection Agency concludes that the plan would lead to a greater number of people here dying prematurely, and suffering health problems that they otherwise would not have, than elsewhere in the country, when compared to health impacts of the Obama plan.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/trumps-pollution-rules-rollback-hit-coal-country-hard-57573241

[Maxheader]

1. The traitor is just doing maga...a little collaterol damage?

It doesn't care...

[BamaRefugee]

2. MAGA: Make Americans Get Asthma

[BumRushDaShow]

9. MAGA: Mesothelioma Asthma Gout Afib

[lagomorph777]

17. Well, that'll shift the democraphic our way.

But I wish the Deplorables could learn lessons in some way short of dying. We'd all be better off.

[dalton99a]

3. .

[mountain grammy]

5. and yet, coal miners love him.

guess they "don't have the imagination-or whatever- to leave their mine." guess donnie had a brainstorm there.

[paleotn]

6. Fundy religion + reactionary stupidity.

Bad combination.

[rpannier]

8. It has less to do with fundie or reactionary

The attitude among many in these types of areas is that life is full of risks and this is viewed as one of them (I am guessing). My guess is based on an article about Dupont chemical dumping toxins in the water and using dangerous chemicals in their plant (since the 50's). The toxins caused birth defects and increased cancer.
The reaction of many was anger at the people who turned in Dupont. Several of those interviewed said, "Life is full of risks." in defense of Dupont

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Populations are larger today than they were in Trump's imaginary 1925 world

so more people are effected. Damn shame.

[tonyt53]

7. Coal isn't coming back as a power producer. Power producers still have the final say.

A power producer makes 35%-40% more pure profit by switching to natural gas. Then add on top of that the millions and millions spent on unplanned maintenance. A combined cycle natural gas-fired plant needs about 1/4th the manpower to operate. So, trump and mitch can push coal, but it will continue to lose to natural gas, solar, and wind.

The only thing that can save coal to any extent is if the price of oil climbs above around $80 and remains there. Coal-to-diesel becomes cost competitive at that point. But where will they get investors?

[NoMoreRepugs]

10. They will vote tRumpy from their deathbeds.

[TeamPooka]

11. womp womp

[bora13]

12. They will die for him

[link:

?t=117]

[NickB79]

13. Irony, the name is Trump

[modrepub]

14. And Higher Electric Bills

Electricity from coal is more expensive than from combined cycle natural gas plants. The administration is still working on forcing the local grid to reserve power from old coal and nuclear plants instead of picking the cheapest producers in the base load market. Relaxing carbon rules won't make these plants run cheaper but forcing the grid to reserve a portion of production for these dinosaurs will make everyone pay more on their electric bill.

[Vinca]

15. And the icing on the cake is what he's doing to health insurance costs.

[Aristus]

16. Innocent children will suffer for coal country's fecklessness.

But the people who voted for Trump can choke on it for all I care.