Rural electric cooperatives are joining forces with the coal industry to defend its use as a major energy source, giving the industry a strong political ally. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is asking for the Clean Air Act to be rewritten to reduce regulations on coal-fired power plant emissions.
NRECA officials Mike Knotts and Glenn English say they want the Clean Air Act to more clearly define "a more certain regulatory environment for utilities, including a future for coal," reports Paul Barton of The Leaf Chronicle in Clarksville, Tenn. The organization has quite a bit of political clout. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign spending, the NRECA has spent $2.6 million on 2012 elections so far.
Of all the power plants owned by rural cooperatives, 85 percent are coal-fired, and about 80 percent of the co-ops' energy comes from coal. (Read more)
NRECA officials Mike Knotts and Glenn English say they want the Clean Air Act to more clearly define "a more certain regulatory environment for utilities, including a future for coal," reports Paul Barton of The Leaf Chronicle in Clarksville, Tenn. The organization has quite a bit of political clout. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign spending, the NRECA has spent $2.6 million on 2012 elections so far.
Of all the power plants owned by rural cooperatives, 85 percent are coal-fired, and about 80 percent of the co-ops' energy comes from coal. (Read more)
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