Half of U.S. Families Have Seen Energy Costs Nearly Double in Past Ten Years: America?s working class and those on fixed incomes are suffering the most from increases in energy prices, according to a new study released today by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. The study finds that more than half of U.S. households now devote more than 20 percent of their family budget toward energy costs, nearly double what they spent just ten years ago.
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?When government regulations increase the cost of energy, it is America?s working class who shoulder the burden,? said Steve Miller, president and CEO of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. ?A typical American family is now spending almost twice as much for energy today than it did a few years ago. For millions of Americans living on low and fixed incomes, surging energy prices mean less money for other necessities such as food, housing and health care.?

The annual assessment ?Energy Cost Impacts on American Families? uses data from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Census Bureau to analyze energy cost increases since 2001 for U.S. households. Energy costs include transportation, home heating and cooling and electricity. The findings are particularly timely in light of EPA?s newly finalized Utility MACT rule that, when combined with other pending EPA regulations, will increase electricity rates and other energy prices, especially in states that rely on coal for electricity.

?Because coal has provided about half of America?s electricity over the past decade, electricity prices have actually declined when adjusted for inflation,? said Miller. ?But new EPA regulations are making electricity and other energy sources unnecessarily expensive during a time of economic turmoil.?

The full study, ?Energy Cost Impacts on American Families,? written by environmental attorney and energy economist Eugene M. Trisko for ACCCE, is available at http://www.americaspower.org/sites/default/files/Energy_Cost_Impacts_2012_FINAL.pdf. Some of the findings include:

About ACCCE

The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) is a non-profit, non-partisan partnership of companies involved in producing electricity from coal. ACCCE supports energy policies that balance coal?s vital role in meeting our country?s growing need for affordable and reliable electricity with the need to protect the environment. ACCCE also advocates for the development and deployment of advanced clean coal technologies that will produce electricity with near-zero emissions.

For more information, visit www.cleancoalusa.org or www.americaspower.org.