The war on coal is a reality, and things are expected to get worse for the fossil fuel industry, which generates 40 percent of the nation's electricity.

Already suffering from the switch by utilities to cheap and cleaner-burning natural gas, Pennsylvania and the Appalachian region must also deal with EPA pollution standards which will steepen the decline. For years, environmental groups have been targeting plants for producing carbon dioxide emissions that scientists link to global warming.While EPA standards are intended to cut carbon emissions by 30 percent from coal, oil and natural gas-fired plants by 2030, it's no surprise that Americans will be shouldering the costs.What people aren't being told is how the EPA regulations could increase utility costs and harm economies tied to coal. One study predicts a typical household could lose up to $3,400 in disposable income annually by 2030.Two proposed regulations on new construction and upgrades of existing power plants are designed to dramatically reduce the use of coal, and if implemented, these "new source performance standards" would force power plants to abandon coal as a fuel source.Even a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility would not be able to meet the air quality requirements.The coal industry has been doing its best to keep up with EPA demands, but the agency seems to be moving the goal posts with regularity. Among the most cost-effective alternatives is a pulverized coal plant that can burn coal as much as 30 percent more efficiently than conventional coal plants, therefore cutting carbon emissions significantly.Unfortunately, the EPA's new restriction on carbon emissions would block the construction of coal plants using such advanced, environmentally friendly coal-burning technologies. Coal state lawmakers, including Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey, have warned that the impact of the EPA changes higher energy costs, fewer jobs and slower economic growth could translate into a lower standard of living for Americans.In a letter sent to the EPA, Casey said he supports broad goals of combating global warming and agrees an EPA plan is necessary, but he calls the carbon emissions target unreasonably high and warns it could lead to higher electricity costs.Toomey said, "From making coal-fired electricity prohibitively expensive, to forcing taxpayers to subsidize inefficient energy, to burning more corn in gas tanks, the president continues to advocate policies that raise prices for consumers and destroy jobs throughout the economy."The battle lines are drawn between the coal states and the environmentalist lobbyists who are pushing the EPA's new greenhouse gas rules. One certainty is that taxpayers will be paying for the fight.By JIM ZBICKtneditor@tnonline.com