Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, currently campaigning for the U.S. Senate, making a stop in Avon Lake Sept. 8, said if elected to the Senate, he would fight the regulation that is deemed one of the reasons .
Mandel made the stop as part of the Republican “Buckeye Blitz” that will see Republican volunteers go door-to-door across Ohio urging support for Republican candidates. He spoke to a group of volunteers at the Republican Victory Center in Learwood Plaza after being introduced by Avon Lake Councilman Dan Bucci.
In a one-on-one interview with Avon-Avon Lake Patch, Mandel took a shot at Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and the EPA MACT (Maximum Achievable Control Technology) rule, a new policy to regulate mercury and air toxins from power plants.
This year, Brown voted to uphold the MACT rule.
“The utility MACT which is one of the regulations at fault for why this plant is on the chopping block, is one of the main areas where Sherrod Brown and I disagree,” Mandel said. “Sherrod Brown voted to support the federal regulation that may very well put those middle class families out of work at the plant. I strongly opposed those regulations."
Mandel said he would support eliminating the regulation that is partially to blame for the expected closing of the Avon Lake power plant in 2015.
Earlier this year, a spokesperson for the plant said the closing was pending “because of forecasted returns on investments necessary to comply with environmental regulations are insufficient.”
“A priority of mine would be to eliminate the regulations so we could save the jobs here in Lorain County,” Mandel said. “With Sherrod Brown being a resident of Lorain County, he should be ashamed of himself for siding with the Washington bureaucrats over jobs in this part of the state.”
Patch readers which could cost the city and school district more than $200,000 in lost tax revenue per year.
Maybe Mandel could highlight how he would change the legislation to allow for the plant to be brought up to current emissions standards, while not placing as much burden on First Energy?
On the other hand, if the power plant is closed will our lights go out – no. The grid will be shifted and another coal fired power plant or a combination of coal and nuclear will provide the power for our lights because wind and solar technologies are not viable. Will the environment or our health be improved beyond it is now – no. The only thing that will change will be dramatic cost increase in our electric bills, a tremendous reduction in the tax base for our schools, less taxes for the city because fewer people will have jobs. What is the benefit again of closing of Avon Lake’s power plant? It doesn’t improve the environment, it does dramaticly increase consumer costs, reduces catastrophically funding for schools, lowers funds for city services and loses jobs. Josh Mandel, like him or not, is logical in his position on MACT. It’s a shame the Sharrod Brown is so ideological that he cannot think in practical terms, let alone act that way.
Anyone voting again for this President is voting for the elimination of hundreds of thousands of jobs just in this industry alone. Obama is a one man wrecking crew to our economy and Sherrod Brown is an accomplice.
http://weaselzippers.us/2012/09/11/video-dnc-delegates-not-so-shockingly-approve-of-socialism/
Anyway, what has Obama done to protect you from Wall Street? Has the pay for WallMart employees gone up recently from some Obama mandate? Should all unskilled people make $50k per year? How would that work? Have you noticed how much richer the evil rich have gotten under Obama? Those "greedy elite" sure are living the high life right now. I'm sure he'll get after them in his second term.