Storm hammers Philadelphia, Jersey shore

web1_BarlettaColor.jpg

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta: EPA’s rule muddies water for farmers and home builders

I appreciate the Times Leader editorial&#8217;s evenhanded approach to the legacy of the coal industry (<a href="https://www.timesleader.com/opinion/editorials/504640/our-opinion-pain-and-politics-of-coal-mining-remain-as-fresh-as-ever-in-nepa" target="_blank">&#8220;Pain and politics of coal mining remain as fresh as ever in NEPA,&#8221;</a> Jan. 18).While nothing can repair families broken up by mining accidents and restructuring the area&#8217;s economy remains a steep challenge even decades after coal&#8217;s peak in Northeastern Pennsylvania, there are still concrete reforms that can be made in the current coal industry. With the president&#8217;s moratorium on new coal leases on federal lands it will be even easier to forget about the large sums of money the federal government will continue to make on existing coal leases. U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright&#8217;s proposed legislation to take back $139 million in annual federal lease payments could be used to help communities once dependent on coal, but there is more.The Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana has the richest coal reserves in the country, and the federal government sells this coal for a fraction of what it&#8217;s worth. Last summer Appalachian coal was selling for $63 a short ton compared to $13 in the Powder River Basin. Powder River Basin coal is then sold internationally for more than $60 per ton. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found that over the last 30 years, taxpayers have missed out on $28.9 billion from cheap coal sales in Wyoming and Montana.As long as the coal industry pits itself against the Clean Power Plan and the Environmental Protection Agency, this will continue to be a fight rather than the process of economic evolution to account for climate change, smog, soot and the hazards of mining.Legislators should look into the EPA&#8217;s Clean Energy Incentive Program that awards businesses for renewable energy and efficiency projects with emission reduction credits that they then can sell to power plants during the Clean Power Plan compliance period.Russell ZerboAdvocacy coordinatorClean Air CouncilPhiladelphia

Letter to the Editor: Coal industry requires more reforms