New pain for seniors resulting from EPA 'Climate Crusade,' says AMAC

In addition to rate hikes, millions will face blackouts and outages

News provided by

The Association of Mature American Citizens

Oct 27, 2014, 12:49 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new report by the Southwest Power Pool warns of dire short-term and long-term consequences, including power outages and blackouts, for 15 million consumers in nine states if the EPA imposes carbon dioxide emission restrictions on power plants.

The news comes in the wake of widespread concern that the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to severely restrict the use of coal for power generation is bound to sharply increase the cost of electricity. Coal is used to produce about 41 percent of our electricity and is our cheapest source of power.

"The elderly on low and modest fixed incomes, already reeling from the prospect of higher utility bills, will also be hardest hit by the threat of these cascading power outages. They are not equipped to deal with the unexpected loss of power nor with the anticipated spikes in the cost of electricity. They will have to choose between heating their homes or having enough money for food and medicine," according to Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens.

The impact assessment report produced by the Southwest Power Pool focuses on customers in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The report concludes that users in those states face major blackouts and serious reliability problems due to the rapid pace of capacity reductions required by the EPA's proposed rule to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

"This is just another troubling trend in the harsh impacts we see developing as a result of EPA's proposed power plan. These findings are particularly alarming for our nation's most vulnerable citizens – seniors and those on fixed incomes," AMAC's Weber said.

He accused the administration of creating an environmental agenda that "ignores the burden placed on those least able to cope with an unstable power supply and the higher cost of electricity. We need an energy policy that places economic growth, energy security and most important, the cost of energy, before a misguided climate crusade."

ABOUT AMAC
The Association of Mature American Citizens [http://www.amac.us] is a vibrant, vital and conservative alternative to those organizations, such as AARP, that dominate the choices for mature Americans who want a say in the future of the nation. Where those other organizations may boast of their power to set the agendas for their memberships, AMAC takes its marching orders from its members. We act and speak on their behalf, protecting their interests, and offering a conservative insight on how to best solve the problems they face today. Live long and make a difference by joining us today at http://amac.us/join-amac.

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SOURCE The Association of Mature American Citizens