State sovereignty still being contested with EPA

kentucky energy equation

When it comes to our energy sector, it seems that Kentuckians have to fight, tooth and nail, for state sovereignty every step of the way.

The latest example comes from the clean-up and redevelopment of the AK Steel Coke Plant in Ashland, KY. The feds already played a major role in its closure, and now they want to take oversight of its clean-up out of the hands of those most affected by the closure: denizens of the Bluegrass State and their elected officials.

According to AK Steel, the closure of the facility was "the result of significantly higher operational costs related to the Obama Administration’s War on Coal and the EPA’s increasingly stringent regulations." 350 jobs were lost as a direct result, and Ashland payroll was reduced by $500,000.As if the EPA hadn't already done enough damage, now they want to strong-arm the clean-up process for the mess they created. One can only imagine the further hurting the EPA will put on Ashland's economy through the process.

It unfortunately doesn't end there. Also up for grabs in the political arena is regulatory power over black lung. Between 1969 and the mid-1990s, cases of black lung had dropped by nearly 90 percent. Still, the feds hope to use the deadly condition to increase its demands on Kentucky's energy sector by modifying existing rules for monitoring the type of dust that causes black lung.

As usual, no cost-benefit analysis was provided.