America is to coal as Saudi Arabia is to oil. We have a lot of it and use it domestically to generate cheap electricity. Unfortunately, that is about to change.

Breitbart.com reported yesterday:

In January of 2008, then Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama, talking about his energy plan, told the San Francisco Chronicle, “When I was asked earlier about the issue of coal…under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket…” He wasn’t kidding.

He was talking about the impact of Cap and Trade, a bill he assumed Congress would pass. Congress did not pass the bill, but the President is using the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement to provisions of the bill without Congressional approval.

The article reports:

This isn’t just hyperbole. A survey of electricity executive indicates 90 percent of them expect the costs of moving away from coal power plants to lead to higher electricity bills for consumers. More than half of the survey respondents predict at least a 10 percent increase.

More than a survey, as Phil Kerpen, President of American Commitment, reports:

…PJM Interconnection, the company that operates the electric grid for 13 states held its 2015 capacity auction…The market-clearing price for new 2015 capacity – almost all natural gas – was $136 per megawatt. That’s eight times higher than the price for 2012, which was just $16 per megawatt.

But don’t expect this White House to care. They have no reason to. These price spikes are a few years away and will come long after President Obama will face voters for the last time. He’ll either be a President in his last term or a former President, neither of which carry accountability.

The obvious questions here is, “What can we do to stop the dramatic rise in the cost of electricity (and these people want us to buy electric cars?)?” The only answer is for voters to become aware of what they are facing and share the information with other voters. As long as the Senate is controlled by Democrats, they will not pass legislation that will stop the attack on coal (and thus raise electricity prices). The only way to stop a drastic increase in the cost of lighting your home, cooking your food, watching television, and using your computer is to vote for Republicans for Congress in November.