Obama’s EPA Exec Order Rakes America Over the Coals

by 03) Mike Madden on October 2, 2012

In 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established a voluntary program called the Combined Heat and Power Partnership (CHP), which merely offered EPA-guidance to manufacturers for combining heat & power generation, in order to reduce overall energy costs. And absent from the mainstream media this election cycle, is the August 30, 2012 Executive Order signed by Obama that will actually invest more taxpayer money without producing savings based on lowering the cost of energy.

Instead CHP relies on “conserving energy,” a move taken right from the mouth of Jimmy “The Mile Long Gas Line” Carter, who actually lowered the speed limit from 70 to 55 mph so “we can conserve fuel” (not cut cost). And the current administration now actually barks at the people to inflate their tires, “so we can conserve fuel”  (not lower cost).

This is how the program is defined today at EPA.GOV.

EPA established the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Partnership in 2001 to encourage cost-effective CHP projects in the United States. The CHP Partnership is a voluntary program that promotes high-efficiency CHP technology to reduce the environmental impact of power generation.

The CHP Partnership promotes CHP by fostering cooperative relationships with the CHP industry, state and local governments, and other relevant stakeholders.

One of the drawbacks to the program is, there is a cost associated with getting the power & heat system installed and running.  And based on the progress of the program, the start-up cost seems to be prohibitive to many companies.Essentially, CHP was a program to promote on-site power & heat generation at specific facilities, including manufacturers—who commonly draw large kilowatts of power to produce the goods that we buy.  The “guidance” provided by the EPA was meant to cut money spent on energy, and cut company overhead—thus keeping the cost of the goods we buy low.

Some individual states have offered “credits” to employers for the installation of the system.  New Jersey started it’s program in 2001, the same year the program started.  The state budget for rebates in 2012 is now 10 million dollars! This is a good example of the tail wagging the dog.

Article continues below Obama’s quote regarding his energy plan…

Barack Obama comes up with an idea promoted in large part by a radicalized EPA, whose budget was just increased $21 Billion per year, and the foolish states help spend our tax dollars, assisting private industry “conserve energy” (not lower cost).  How hard is it to understand, if it was in the best interest of the company, they would do it without government intervention.

It seems the program was not making enough progress or let’s say moving FORWARD fast enough for President Obama.  He had to act, as he feels he always does, to control the program. And on August 30, 2012 when President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order promoting the CHP program.

To formalize and support the close interagency coordination that is required to accelerate greater investment in industrial energy efficiency and CHP, this order directs certain executive departments and agencies to convene national and regional stakeholders to identify, develop, and encourage the adoption of investment models and State best practice policies for industrial energy efficiency and CHP; provide technical assistance to States and manufacturers to encourage investment in industrial energy efficiency and CHP; provide public information on the benefits of investment in industrial energy efficiency and CHP; and use existing Federal authorities, programs, and policies (emphasis added) to support investment in industrial energy efficiency and CHP.

What was once a marginally good idea—had it not cost taxpayers money to implement—will now become the law of the land via regulation.

As any informed citizen already knows, policies and programs are usually issued as regulations by federal agencies.  These regulations essentially become law once issued.  With this Executive Order the president has made the program an involuntary program.  Some would argue that the president used the word existing when speaking about the policies and programs.  but he went further, later in the order.

(c) utilize their respective relevant authorities (emphasis added) and resources to encourage investment in industrial energy efficiency and CHP, such as by:
(i) providing “assistance to States” on accounting for the potential emission reduction benefits of CHP and other energy efficiency policies when developing State Implementation Plans (SIPs) to achieve national ambient air quality standards;
(ii) providing incentives for the deployment of CHP and other types of clean energy, such as set asides under emissions allowance trading program state implementation plans, grants, and loans;
(iii) employing output based approaches as compliance options in power and industrial sector regulations, as appropriate, to recognize the emissions benefits of highly efficient energy generation technologies like CHP (emphasis added); and

Got that?
Regulations and compliance, these two words take the voluntary out of the program and place it firmly into the agency based law column.  None of this has ever, nor would ever pass Congress, especially when so much spending has driven-up inflation and lowered the value of the dollar.  In fact, when issuing a regulation, the EPA must site a specific act of congress under which they are enforcing.  Yet, no reference to any law or bill can be found within the pages of this program.
On August 30, 2012 the President made new law without congress.  Again! And this one has a goal of spending—er, investing—in CHP and its carbon credits until businesses are 50% CHP compliant.
Who does the CHP Executive Order hit hardest? Unfortunately, the poor and middle class will be greatly effected; especially as inflation continues to rise result of government over-spending, as gas prices continue to skyrocket and grocery bills continue to climb result of intentional neglect, and our power bills soar as a struggling nation hunkers down for yet another cold winter.
Below is Maxine Waters answering the obvious question: where can our Federal Government allow our Oil Companies to drill, so they can increase supply and therefore, lower the cost of oil & gas?

CHP: Obama’s New EPA Executive