102 Utah miners laid off because of 'war on coal,' company says

[Jarlaxle]

So what exactly is it that you people want?

You want the price of natural gas to rise sufficiently to make coal marketable again? Will that make you happy? When your heating bill goes back up to $500 a month wil you be happy?

I want a couple hundred new, fourth-generation nuclear power plants (thorium, pebble-bed, or fast breeders) built to replace the old, dirty coal plants and the old, outdated, wearing-out nuclear power plants.

And I want to buy a few more pallets of coal before the winter.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Keep in mind, you're talking to people who were unanimously certain that Romney was going to win the election,

despite the polls, because the polls were skewed. They're no more capable of accepting the facts about coal and natural gas than they were capable of accepting the polls.

You keep ignoring the facts about the EPA's new regulations on fossil fuels.

That doesn't mean they don't exist.

Are you accepting the fact that lower natural gas prices are the main reason coal mining is being scaled back?

And poof!!!!! daveman vanished.

 

[JoeB131]

This was the same company that owned THIS mine...

Crandall Canyon Mine was an underground, bituminous coal mine in northwestern Emery County, Utah, owned by UtahAmerican Energy, a subsidiary of Murray Energy, and was located about 15 miles (24 km) west north-west of Huntington, Utah. On August 6, 2007, at 2:48 A.M., the mine collapsed, trapping 6 workers inside. The workers were approximately 3.4 miles (5.5 km) from the mine entrance and 1500 feet (457 m) underground. The collapse registered recorded seismic waves in magnitude 3.9 to 4.0, by seismograph stations of the University of Utah.[6]

A Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) report the mine was "destined to fail" because the mining company made critical miscalculations and didn't report early warning signs. MSHA itself was faulted by the Department of Labor, of which MSHA is an agency, for lax oversight before the collapse, and for mismanaging the failed rescue attempt.[7]

The largest mining fine until the 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster was levied against Murray Energy for the Crandall collapse: $1.85 million for 20 citations, including nine that were "contributory."[8]

Yup. Murray misses the good old days when the MSHA was a toothless watchdog and those nasty workers were getting in the way of him making money.

But it's all Obama's fault. Not his criminal greed.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Since 2002, the exploration of natural gas deposits embedded in shale, followed by oil drilling that began in earnest late in the decade, has created more than 1 million jobs, says Moody's Analytics economist Chris Lafakis. That's out of 2.7 million the whole country created.

"It's really huge,'' Lafakis says. "And the jobs pay very well.''

Jobs directly in the oil and gas extraction business pay an average of just under $150,000 a year, Lafakis says -- almost exactly three times the national average.

...so, because nat gas competes with coal, you get some trade-off. Maybe the coal industry contracts a bit, while the gas business booms.

Want a job? Look to the energy field

 

[Jarlaxle]

But wait...if Barry has his way, there won't be any natural gas because his EPA will ban fracking!

 

[Newby]

But wait...if Barry has his way, there won't be any natural gas because his EPA will ban fracking!

They just ignore comments associated to that topic, therefore, it's not reality in their world. Then when reality does bite them in the ass, they convince themselves that it's the other party's fault somehow. There's no reasoning with these people, their thinking isn't based in logic, common sense, or reality.

 

[Katzndogz]

The coal will still be in the ground and someone, someplace, will want to exploit it.

 

[daveman]

Keep in mind, you're talking to people who were unanimously certain that Romney was going to win the election,

despite the polls, because the polls were skewed. They're no more capable of accepting the facts about coal and natural gas than they were capable of accepting the polls.

You keep ignoring the facts about the EPA's new regulations on fossil fuels.

That doesn't mean they don't exist.

Are you accepting the fact that lower natural gas prices are the main reason coal mining is being scaled back?

Are you accepting the fact that Obama wants to eliminate the coal industry, and his EPA regs are forwarding that agenda?

 

[daveman]

You keep ignoring the facts about the EPA's new regulations on fossil fuels.

That doesn't mean they don't exist.

Are you accepting the fact that lower natural gas prices are the main reason coal mining is being scaled back?

And poof!!!!! daveman vanished.

I saw an interesting program on Discovery last night. New imagery from the Hubble reveals the world doesn't revolve around you.

Take a deep breath. I know this is shocking to you.

 

[daveman]

EPA regs could hamper oil, natural gas production, report says - Washington Times

Despite rhetoric to the contrary, the Obama administration is poised to deal a major blow to U.S. oil and natural gas, a leading industry group charged Thursday.
Domestic production of both fuels could plummet if proposed Environmental Protection Agency regulations, designed to limit emissions from well sites, go into effect later this year, according to an extensive new study commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute.

The natural gas extraction technique known as “fracking” would be hardest hit, and fuel extracted via the popular process would drop by about 52 percent, according to a new study commissioned by API. Total gas production would decrease by about 11 percent, while domestic oil production could fall by as much as 37 percent, the report says.

--

The API study was released the same day a top House Republican released data from the Energy Department showing that fossil-fuel production on federal lands has fallen since Mr. Obama took office. The information compiled by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that total fossil-fuel production on federal lands has dropped 7 percent since 2009 and 13 percent since 2003. From 2010 to 2011, total oil production on federal lands is down 14 percent and gas production dropped 11 percent.
Leading Republicans say they see a disconnect between the administration’s words and its actions. House Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings, Washington Republican, said the new EIA data show that President Obama’s “anti-energy policies” are taking the country in the wrong direction.

“President Obama has been more than happy to take credit for his predecessors’ actions to advance energy production on federal lands, however, we know that while bringing federal oil and natural gas production online can take the better part of a decade, slowing production can happen relatively quickly,” Mr. Hastings said in a statement.

A White House spokesman did not return a request for comment on the report.​

 

[HUGGY]

So what exactly is it that you people want?

You want the price of natural gas to rise sufficiently to make coal marketable again? Will that make you happy? When your heating bill goes back up to $500 a month wil you be happy?

I want a couple hundred new, fourth-generation nuclear power plants (thorium, pebble-bed, or fast breeders) built to replace the old, dirty coal plants and the old, outdated, wearing-out nuclear power plants.

And I want to buy a few more pallets of coal before the winter.

We cannot dispose of the Nuke waste now. I wouldn't get too excited about any new Nukes until we have the means to get rid of the radioactive waste.

 

[BlindBoo]

But wait...if Barry has his way, there won't be any natural gas because his EPA will ban fracking!

Not going to happen. IMHO, fracking will not be banned.

 

[Jarlaxle]

So what exactly is it that you people want?

You want the price of natural gas to rise sufficiently to make coal marketable again? Will that make you happy? When your heating bill goes back up to $500 a month wil you be happy?

I want a couple hundred new, fourth-generation nuclear power plants (thorium, pebble-bed, or fast breeders) built to replace the old, dirty coal plants and the old, outdated, wearing-out nuclear power plants.

And I want to buy a few more pallets of coal before the winter.

We cannot dispose of the Nuke waste now. I wouldn't get too excited about any new Nukes until we have the means to get rid of the radioactive waste.

One feature of the new-design plants: some can run on waste. Just read an article on one, in fact: called the WAMSR (Waste Annihilating Molten Salt Reactor), which actually consumes the waste fuel.

As for the rest: dump Carter's idiotic ban on reprocessing spent fuel. That will cut the waste by between 65 and 80%. (Depending on how decayed the fuel rods are and exactly how it is reprocessed.) Put what little is left in Yucca Mountain.

 

[BlindBoo]

EPA regs could hamper oil, natural gas production, report says - Washington Times

Despite rhetoric to the contrary, the Obama administration is poised to deal a major blow to U.S. oil and natural gas, a leading industry group charged Thursday.
Domestic production of both fuels could plummet if proposed Environmental Protection Agency regulations, designed to limit emissions from well sites, go into effect later this year, according to an extensive new study commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute.

The natural gas extraction technique known as “fracking” would be hardest hit, and fuel extracted via the popular process would drop by about 52 percent, according to a new study commissioned by API. Total gas production would decrease by about 11 percent, while domestic oil production could fall by as much as 37 percent, the report says.

--

The API study was released the same day a top House Republican released data from the Energy Department showing that fossil-fuel production on federal lands has fallen since Mr. Obama took office. The information compiled by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that total fossil-fuel production on federal lands has dropped 7 percent since 2009 and 13 percent since 2003. From 2010 to 2011, total oil production on federal lands is down 14 percent and gas production dropped 11 percent.
Leading Republicans say they see a disconnect between the administration’s words and its actions. House Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings, Washington Republican, said the new EIA data show that President Obama’s “anti-energy policies” are taking the country in the wrong direction.

“President Obama has been more than happy to take credit for his predecessors’ actions to advance energy production on federal lands, however, we know that while bringing federal oil and natural gas production online can take the better part of a decade, slowing production can happen relatively quickly,” Mr. Hastings said in a statement.

A White House spokesman did not return a request for comment on the report.​

We note that:

• From 2004-08, well into Bush’s tenure, oil production on federal lands and waters fell in four of five years, for a net decrease of 16.8 percent.

• From 2009-11, the Obama years, oil production rose two of three years, for a net increase of 10.6 percent.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-m...omney-says-oil-production-down-14-percent-ye/

 

[RoadVirus]

So what exactly is it that you people want?

You want the price of natural gas to rise sufficiently to make coal marketable again? Will that make you happy? When your heating bill goes back up to $500 a month wil you be happy?

I want a couple hundred new, fourth-generation nuclear power plants (thorium, pebble-bed, or fast breeders) built to replace the old, dirty coal plants and the old, outdated, wearing-out nuclear power plants.

And I want to buy a few more pallets of coal before the winter.

We cannot dispose of the Nuke waste now. I wouldn't get too excited about any new Nukes until we have the means to get rid of the radioactive waste.

We had a place in Nevada until Harry Reid threw a hissy fit and had it shut down. Now the waste sits at nuke plant sites, vulnerable to Mother Nature and terrorist attacks.

 

[bodecea]

102 Utah miners laid off because of 'war on coal,' company says
Desert News ^ | 11/9/12

102 Utah miners laid off because of 'war on coal,' company says | Deseret News

EAST CARBON, Carbon County — A Utah coal company owned by a vocal critic of President Barack Obama has laid off 102 miners.

The layoffs at the West Ridge Mine are effective immediately, according to UtahAmerican Energy Inc., a subsidiary of Murray Energy Corp. They were announced in a short statement made public Thursday, two days after Obama won re-election.

The layoffs are necessary because of the president's "war on coal," the statement said. The slogan is one used frequently during the election by Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray, who was an ardent supporter of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

In its statement, UtahAmerican Energy blames the Obama administration for instituting policies that will close down "204 American coal-fired power plants by 2014" and for drastically reducing the market for coal.

"There is nowhere to sell our coal, and when we can, the market prices are far lower," the statement said. "Without markets, there can be no coal mines and no coal jobs."

Coal demand from U.S. power generation companies is down 17 percent this year, according to the federal Energy Information Administration's most recent figures. That's due in large part to low market prices for natural gas, and has the EIA forecasting the lowest coal consumption in at least two decades by the nation's electricity industry.

Trends in power generation have also put coal-fired plants at a higher risk for retirement. In its annual Energy Outlook, the EIA reports that 49 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity will be retired in the next eight years. That represents about one-sixth of the existing coal capacity in the nation and less than 5 percent of total electricity generation in the U.S.

Ah..the spirits of the Robber Barons are still kicking.

 

[daveman]

EPA regs could hamper oil, natural gas production, report says - Washington Times

Despite rhetoric to the contrary, the Obama administration is poised to deal a major blow to U.S. oil and natural gas, a leading industry group charged Thursday.
Domestic production of both fuels could plummet if proposed Environmental Protection Agency regulations, designed to limit emissions from well sites, go into effect later this year, according to an extensive new study commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute.

The natural gas extraction technique known as “fracking” would be hardest hit, and fuel extracted via the popular process would drop by about 52 percent, according to a new study commissioned by API. Total gas production would decrease by about 11 percent, while domestic oil production could fall by as much as 37 percent, the report says.

--

The API study was released the same day a top House Republican released data from the Energy Department showing that fossil-fuel production on federal lands has fallen since Mr. Obama took office. The information compiled by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that total fossil-fuel production on federal lands has dropped 7 percent since 2009 and 13 percent since 2003. From 2010 to 2011, total oil production on federal lands is down 14 percent and gas production dropped 11 percent.
Leading Republicans say they see a disconnect between the administration’s words and its actions. House Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings, Washington Republican, said the new EIA data show that President Obama’s “anti-energy policies” are taking the country in the wrong direction.

“President Obama has been more than happy to take credit for his predecessors’ actions to advance energy production on federal lands, however, we know that while bringing federal oil and natural gas production online can take the better part of a decade, slowing production can happen relatively quickly,” Mr. Hastings said in a statement.

A White House spokesman did not return a request for comment on the report.​

We note that:

• From 2004-08, well into Bush’s tenure, oil production on federal lands and waters fell in four of five years, for a net decrease of 16.8 percent.

• From 2009-11, the Obama years, oil production rose two of three years, for a net increase of 10.6 percent.

PolitiFact | Mitt Romney says 'oil production is down 14 percent this year on federal land'

And the EPA's regs apply to production not only federal lands, but on private lands as well.

Care to discuss that?

 

[daveman]

102 Utah miners laid off because of 'war on coal,' company says
Desert News ^ | 11/9/12

102 Utah miners laid off because of 'war on coal,' company says | Deseret News

EAST CARBON, Carbon County — A Utah coal company owned by a vocal critic of President Barack Obama has laid off 102 miners.

The layoffs at the West Ridge Mine are effective immediately, according to UtahAmerican Energy Inc., a subsidiary of Murray Energy Corp. They were announced in a short statement made public Thursday, two days after Obama won re-election.

The layoffs are necessary because of the president's "war on coal," the statement said. The slogan is one used frequently during the election by Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray, who was an ardent supporter of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

In its statement, UtahAmerican Energy blames the Obama administration for instituting policies that will close down "204 American coal-fired power plants by 2014" and for drastically reducing the market for coal.

"There is nowhere to sell our coal, and when we can, the market prices are far lower," the statement said. "Without markets, there can be no coal mines and no coal jobs."

Coal demand from U.S. power generation companies is down 17 percent this year, according to the federal Energy Information Administration's most recent figures. That's due in large part to low market prices for natural gas, and has the EIA forecasting the lowest coal consumption in at least two decades by the nation's electricity industry.

Trends in power generation have also put coal-fired plants at a higher risk for retirement. In its annual Energy Outlook, the EIA reports that 49 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity will be retired in the next eight years. That represents about one-sixth of the existing coal capacity in the nation and less than 5 percent of total electricity generation in the U.S.

Ah..the spirits of the Robber Barons are still kicking.

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

-- C. S. Lewis


Enjoy your higher energy prices!