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The crazy things Biden's anti-coal crusade will do to ordinary Americans
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The Biden administration’s approach to energy policy ignores the importance of coal and baseload electricity demands.
President Joe Biden revealed as much in a speech last year, announcing that the U.S. will “be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar.” Further, Biden’s Climate Envoy John Kerry stated at the UN climate conference COP28 that, “we will be working to accelerate unabated coal phase-out across the world.”
The Biden administration is determined to eliminate coal-fired power plants in the name of “environmental justice.” This is shortsighted.
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Biden is now following through on his plans by wielding the vast power of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Biden’s EPA gave the U.S. coal industry an ultimatum: spend billions or die. In May, the EPA unexpectedly proposed regulations that would force coal-fired power plants to install carbon capture systems (CCS) or replace coal with natural gas significantly by 2040.
Emissions rise from the Kentucky Utilities Co. Ghent generating station in Ghent, Kentucky, U.S., on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. Lawmakers in mining states from Wyoming to West Virginia are determined to fight back with a series of roadblocks to President Joe Biden’s plan to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Currently, only two commercial coal plants in the U.S. have CCS capabilities, and universally installing CCS infrastructure will cost coal plants billions. Once installed, these plants will become upwards of 50% more expensive to run. As a result, many coal plants will close prematurely.
The EPA projects that their regulations will close enough coal plants to reduce coal-powered energy by 18 gigawatts annually. The US is on track to close half its coal capacity by 2026. This loss of baseload generation poses serious threats to the American economy.
Biden is advancing a goal of transitioning to renewables, like wind and solar, and away from traditional baseload sources before we have the ability to maintain adequate generation for the economy. Renewables alone are not yet able to meet America’s growing demand for energy.
If America dispenses with fossil fuels like coal before developing the capacity to replace this baseload generation, then the American people should expect brownouts and blackouts, higher electricity bills, and an economy unable to compete with our adversaries.
Coal is far more reliable than renewables like wind and solar for baseload generation because it can sustain production under adverse conditions, like days when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining. Nevertheless, Biden continues to push for renewables without recognizing the need to preserve existing baseload capacity, even as energy experts sound the alarm about grid reliability.
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Case in point: The North American Electric Reliability Corp. recently told Congress that most of the U.S. is now at risk of blackouts or brownouts during heat waves. Biden is leading us into disaster.
Our existing coal infrastructure allows the U.S. to provide cheap electricity to millions of Americans. As demand increases, the U.S. must produce abundant energy from various resources to guarantee grid reliability and to keep rates affordable. Yet, energy rates are already rising, and Biden’s EPA will only place a greater financial burden on American households.
An aerial picture taken on September 29, 2022, shows trucks driving past a silt pond at a coal mine operated by Blackhawk Mining and Pine Branch Mining in Lost Creek, Kentucky. (Photo by DIANE DESOBEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
In addition, the EPA’s regulations will only give an edge to our adversaries as they continue growing their coal-burning capacities. China is building coal-fired power plants, and fast. China approved an astounding 106 gigawatts of new coal capacity in 2022, driven in part by growing concerns about grid reliability.
The U.S. cannot afford to abandon coal when we need it most, especially as we strive to compete with China economically. Until science and technology provide a reliable alternative to fossil-based baseload generation, we will continue to need fossil fuels.
The EPA plans to enforce its new regulations sometime this year. Let’s hope Biden’s EPA wakes up to reality before that happens.
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Southeast
Illegal immigrant arrested after showing up to Florida Border Patrol office for contract IT work
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FIRST ON FOX: An illegal immigrant who reported to a U.S. Border Patrol site in Florida to perform some Information technology contractual work was arrested when authorities were made aware of his citizenship status, officials said.
Angel Camacho, a Venezuelan citizen, reported to a USBP center in Dania Beach, Florida, Jan. 6 to do some IT work when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials began vetting him, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News Digital.
During its investigation, it was revealed Camacho was in violation of U.S. immigration laws, authorities said.
Angel Camacho reported to a Florida U.S. Border Patrol center to perform contractual work when he was arrested, a Department of Homeland Security official said. (Getty Images )
“CBP vets all external visitors before allowing them to enter secure facilities to ensure safety and operational integrity,” DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.
“During the vetting process, CBP uncovered this individual was a tourist visa overstay in the country for over five years.”
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This photo shows a U.S. Border Patrol patch on a border agent’s uniform in McAllen, Texas, Jan. 15, 2019. (Suzanne CordeiroAFP via Getty Images)
Camacho was arrested and transferred to ICE custody, Bis said.
His criminal history includes theft and resisting a Florida Highway Patrol officer, officials said. Federal authorities have nabbed several illegal immigrants in the process of trying to obtain employment in law enforcement and education.
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One Sierra Leone citizen was recently arrested as he was training to become a Pennsylvania corrections officer.
Another illegal immigrant, Ian Roberts, served as the former superintendent of Iowa’s largest district, Des Moines Public Schools, before he was arrested by ICE.
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Southeast
High school teacher arrested in alleged sex case involving student
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A Georgia high school teacher was arrested Wednesday after allegations of inappropriate contact between a teacher and a minor student surfaced at Lee County High School.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee, agent or foster parent, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI).
Lee County High School requested the Leesburg Police Department investigate the allegations on Feb. 3, and the GBI was called to assist the following day.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, Ga., is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators identified Weaver as the “subject,” and identified the victim as a student under 18 years old at Lee County High School, according to officials.
GBI agents continued the investigation along with the Leesburg Police Department, and arrest warrants were obtained for Weaver on Tuesday.
A Google Maps street view photo of Lee County High School in Leesburg, Ga. (Google Maps)
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Weaver turned herself in to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, and was later released on bond, according to a report from WALB News.
This investigation is active and ongoing, according to the GBI.
The incident allegedly happened at a high school in Georgia. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Once complete, the case file will be given to the Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Leesburg is located in South Georgia, and is about an hour and a half north of Tallahassee, Florida.
Lee County High School’s communications team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Southeast
Federal court clears way for Ten Commandments to be displayed in Louisiana public school classrooms
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A federal appeals court cleared the way Friday for a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, lifting a lower court block and reigniting debate over religion in public education.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted 12-6 to lift a block first imposed in 2024, finding it was too early to determine the constitutionality of the law. Critics argue the requirement violates the separation of church and state, while supporters say the Ten Commandments are historical and foundational to U.S. law.
The court said in the majority opinion that it was unclear how schools would display the poster-sized materials, noting that the law allows additional content, like the Mayflower Compact or the Declaration of Independence, to appear alongside the Ten Commandments.
The majority wrote that there were not enough facts to “permit judicial judgment rather than speculation” when evaluating potential First Amendment concerns.
A federal appeals court on Friday lifted a lower court block on Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom law, bringing the measure closer to taking effect. (John Bazemore/AP)
In a concurring opinion, Circuit Judge James Ho, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, wrote that the law was constitutional and “consistent with our founding traditions.”
“It is fully consistent with the Constitution, and what’s more, it reinforces our Founders’ firm belief that the children of America should be educated about the religious foundations and traditions of our country,” Ho said, adding that the law “affirms our Nation’s highest and most noble traditions.”
Circuit Judge James L. Dennis, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, wrote in a dissenting opinion that displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms would amount to “exposing children to government‑endorsed religion in a setting of compulsory attendance.”
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A federal appeals court ruling on Feb. 20 allows Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom mandate to proceed for now. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)
“That is precisely the kind of establishment the Framers anticipated and sought to prevent,” he added.
The ACLU of Louisiana and other groups representing the plaintiffs said they would pursue additional legal challenges to block the law.
“Today’s ruling is extremely disappointing and would unnecessarily force Louisiana’s public school families into a game of constitutional whack-a-mole in every school district,” the groups wrote in a joint-statement. “Longstanding judicial precedent makes clear that our clients need not submit to the very harms they are seeking to prevent before taking legal action to protect their rights.”
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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry praised the appeals court decision on Feb. 20 allowing the Ten Commandments classroom law to move forward. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Friday praised the court’s decision, writing on Facebook, “Common sense is making a comeback!”
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a statement following the ruling, saying schools “should follow the law.”
“Don’t kill or steal shouldn’t be controversial. My office has issued clear guidance to our public schools on how to comply with the law, and we have created multiple examples of posters demonstrating how it can be applied constitutionally,” she said.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said schools should follow the Ten Commandments display law after a federal appeals court lifted a lower court block on Feb. 20. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Joseph Davis, an attorney representing Louisiana in the case, celebrated the court’s decision.
“If the ACLU had its way, every trace of religion would be scrubbed from the fabric of our public life,” he said in a statement. “That position is at odds with our nation’s traditions and our Constitution. We’re glad the Fifth Circuit has allowed Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in its public school classrooms.”
Friday’s ruling came after the full court agreed to reconsider the case, months after a three-judge panel ruled the Louisiana law unconstitutional.
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A similar law in Arkansas faces a federal court challenge, while Texas implemented its own Ten Commandments classroom requirement last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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