[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 93 (Tuesday, June 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H3743]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1210
                      UTILITY MACT AND PJM AUCTION

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, President Obama's 
regulatory war on coal is having an effect. In the 2015 2016 capacity 
auction by regional transmission organization PJM Interconnection, the 
market clearing price for the mid-Atlantic area was $167 per megawatt. 
And for northern Ohio, it was $357 per megawatt. The average over the 
last 8 years has been $89.
  Andy Ott at PJM Interconnection said:

       Capacity prices were higher than last year's because of 
     retirements of existing coal-fired generation resulting 
     largely from environmental regulations which go into effect 
     in 2015.

  A study published in 2010 by the Edison Electric Institute identified 
seven different new regulations that will raise the cost of electrical 
generation by 2017. The costs are huge. The EPA's estimate of costs for 
its utility MACT regulation alone is $9.6 billion per year starting in 
2015.
  The House of Representatives has taken action to prevent the 
imposition of new regulatory burdens in the midst of this fragile 
economic recovery, but the Senate has yet to follow that lead. Madam 
Speaker, prices are climbing, and Americans will suffer.

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