President Obama’s war on coal continues, and the people of Georgia are it’s latest victims.

Tough federal emissions standards are being blamed for the closure of 15 coal-fired plants and the loss of nearly 480 jobs in Georgia.

Georgia Power plans to close the power plants, cutting its grid capacity by more than 15 percent, in a move the utility said was necessary to comply with federal regulations aimed at reducing air pollution.

“We recognize the significant impact that these retirements will have on the local communities and we took that into account when making these decisions,” said Georgia Power President and CEO Paul Bowers. ”These decisions were made after extensive analysis and are necessary in order for us to maintain our commitment to provide the most reliable and affordable electricity to our customers.”

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Georgia Power used coal to produce 70 percent of its electricity as recently as five years ago, but now gets less than half its juice from the fossil fuel, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Officials said the lost capacity will be replaced with nuclear energy and natural gas.

Although officials said customer’s bills won’t jump immediately, the cost of shutting down the plants could ultimately be passed on to consumers. (Read More)

Of course the cost will be passed along to consumers. What isn’t?