By Taylor Kuykendall

A broad coalition of interest groups — from natural gas producers to farmers — are joining forces to influence the U.S. EPA's regulatory agenda for greenhouse gases, under the notion that the burdens placed on coal and power companies could hit them next.

The Partnership for a Better Energy Future launched Jan. 30 at a panel and teleconference in Washington, D.C., featuring industry representatives and regional stakeholders. The group has more than 40 member organizations already and is co-chaired by the National Association of Manufacturers, or NAM, and the U.S. Chamber of the Commerce.

Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the chamber's Institute for 21st Century Energy, spoke of the administration's "suite of greenhouse gas regulations," presumably including both proposed carbon standards for new power plants and planned standards for existing plants.

The current membership of the coalition represents "just a start," Harbert said. "We will take advantage of every opportunity to be the real-time reality check to EPA and its rulemaking on the impact of each regulation on each and every one of these industries and regions," she said.

The coalition aims to "serve as the leading voice in support of a unified strategy and message" on greenhouse gas regulation. Members say they want to be on the ground floor in demanding EPA transparency in drafting regulations and in safeguarding affordable and reliable energy.

"We do this because we want a better outcome, not because we want to throw obstacles in the process," Harbert said.

She added that the coalition will "rigorously fend off" efforts to eliminate fossil fuels from the U.S. energy mix. Harbert said fossil fuels are an important source of reliability, affordability and diversity, all of which manufacturers and other sectors of the U.S. economy need to remain competitive globally.

While the coalition includes a number of coal-centered interests — such as the National Mining Association, the Kentucky Coal Association, the Ohio Coal Association and the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity — it also includes nonenergy industries such as the Portland Cement Association, the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Printing Industries of America.

Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the NAM, said the strength of the coalition will be its diversity and ability to address the broad impacts of greenhouse gas regulation. He said the new partnership will provide technical expertise to regulators, lobby Congress for legislation to define the EPA's authority with respect to greenhouse gases and continue to build a network of supporters.

"We're committed to this cause, because quite simply, we know what's at stake," Timmons said. "Any drop in energy prices frees up resources manufacturers use to invest and grow and to create jobs."

Timmons said the broad array of interested organizations is an indication that participating industries "know that [they] will be next."

"Today's rule will impact coal, tomorrow it will be natural gas," he said. "The administration has signaled it intends to regulate fossil fuels out of the economy. When the EPA is through with power plants, then it will move on to manufacturing facilities."

Coal industry takes first hit

The panel discussion was especially critical of the EPA's proposed carbon standards for new power plants for being written in a way that coal-fired plants would require carbon capture and sequestration technology. The requirement, they said, is premature due to the cost and lack of commercially demonstrated projects.

The panel pointed to recent difficulties caused by colder-than-usual temperatures and increased reliance on natural gas, affecting electric reliability and energy costs.

Turning to jobs, Hal Quinn, president of the National Mining Association, said the industry has 30,000 fewer coal miners employed than just 18 to 20 months ago.

"What the policies mean, depending on how they come out, they can increase or decrease the likelihood that many of them ever find those high-wage jobs again back in the coal mines and in the coal supply chain," he said.

Quinn said that if the EPA is able to force restrictions that push coal out of the picture, there's a danger of setting a "precedent that cannot be unwound," as the agency looks to other sectors for further greenhouse gas reductions.

Mike Duncan, president and CEO of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, said coal-based electricity is "alive and well in America," and the recent bout of cold weather shows the importance of having coal in the mix. He said coal is not only a quality source of energy but an essential fuel.

"The administration's policies toward fossil fuels, particularly coal, are the biggest challenge we have," Duncan said. "The all-but-one-of-the-above strategy that the administration is demonstrating through their attitudes and actions in the New Source Performance Standards created a de facto ban on new power plants in this country."

Duncan said the ban takes away the ability of the coal industry to improve on technology to lower its emissions over a realistic timeline. He said carbon capture should be one of the tools for reducing greenhouse gases, but not the only one.