Ameren, Southern Illinois Utility, To Close Two Coal Plants -- Regulatory Costs

Earlier today I posted a story about utility costs soon to rise significantly due to regulatory costs.

"Anonymous" just sent me this note:

Ameren, the utility for the southern half of Illinois, announced today that they are closing two older coal plants, due to the high cost of compliance with the new rules...

And so it goes. And so go 90 more jobs.

Ameren Corp. will shutter its Meredosia and Hutsonville power plants by the end of the year, eliminating 90 jobs.

The company said complying with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules requiring the reduction of air pollutants would require installing expensive environmental controls at the 203-megawatt coal-fired unit and 166 MW oil-fired unit at Meredosia Energy Ceneter and the two coal-fired units at Hutsonville Energy Center, which total 151MW.

This is truly amazing. We are watching the US slowly -- actually quite quicky -- implode -- under this administration. The banks, the utilities, ...

Actually, I'm sure it's not that bad. I'm using a bit of hyperbole, but one does begin to wonder where "it" and the EPA will all end ... President Obama told us he was going to do this.




Another lost decade ... Obama, Chu, Salazar, what a great team ....