Southern States Energy Board Meets in Virginia

The Southern States Energy Board held a Governor’s Energy Summit in Virginia this morning. Kentucky is a member of the board, and was represented by Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Len Peters.In the board’s mission statement, it stresses both the economy and environment, but there was no evidence of the latter in the day’s agenda. The only speakers were politicians and industry representatives, and the issues covered ranged from nuclear energy to oil and gas production to the economic effects of pending federal pollution rules.The panel is about the potential effects of pending rules from the Environmental Protection Agency was led by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and Kevin Crutchfield of Alpha Natural Resources. The conversation was billed as being about how much money the new rules and regulations will cost states. In the past, the EPA has stressed the cost of inaction, and says the pending rules will save money and create jobs in the long run.