Heartland: EPA Finds New Way to Skin the Cat

HEARTLAND.ORG, 6/16/2011 by James M. Taylor - American Electric Power has announced new EPA regulations will force it to close five coal-fired power plants, pay for expensive retrofits for at least a dozen more, eliminate 600 jobs, and substantially increase the price it charges for electricity. ∴ AEP’s announcement came on the heels of a National Economic Research Associates Inc. report finding EPA’s new regulations will cause an 11.5 percent increase in U.S. electricity prices above baseline projections and will kill 144,000 jobs by the year 2020. AEP relied entirely on government data for most of its assumptions.

Coal Plants Closing Prematurely... Read more at Heartland.org Read More......

Blue Heron goes down, so does a $13.75 million public investment

4/21/2011 by Jacob Szeto - "In 2005, Blue Heron embarked on a project to upgrade its recycling and plant equipment to reduce energy consumption and expand its recycling capabilities. Blue Heron did not go to a bank for a loan. Instead, the state of Oregon stepped in and offered to give the company the money it needed through a combination of cash and loans.

The state claimed the project was exactly the kind of investment it was looking for." Read more at Oregon Capitol News... Read More......