Baltimore company Constellation Energy has retrofitted two coal-burning power plants in anticipation of new EPA emissions laws. Now a lawsuit has delayed the new regulations from being enacted, and Constellation is pissed; if they're going to shell out $885 million to be in compliance, by god everyone else should have to, too. So they're flipping a Uie from usual energy company behavior, and agitating for stricter rules.
The new technology allows Constellation's plants to produce 90 percent less nitrogen oxide and 95 percent less sulfur, plus way less of all the other gross stuff too. But it also takes more energy to run the retrofitted plants, plus the whole installation was expensive. So if everyone else gets to delay compliance, Constellation is at a disadvantage — the only thing they come out ahead on is environmental brownie points, and energy companies literally could not care less about those.
Essentially, Constellation is like the kid who objects to getting an extension on a paper because he finished by the original deadline. Everyone hates that brown-noser! But on the other hand, it's an interesting indication that regulations might make companies police each other, so that nobody takes advantage of loopholes unless they bring enough for the entire class.
Maybe this is just me, but all I can think about is the idea of breeding an animal that WANTS to be eaten:
