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White House gearing up for war on affordable energy?

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    Chris Stirewalt weighs in

  • Duration 6:14
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Fox News alert on new controversy this hour for the president's newest cabinet choice.

A woman who will likely carry forward what Republicans -- will be an aggressive agenda on the climate -- big implications for the country.

Welcome to America live everyone I'm Megyn Kelly.

The president today naming it Gina McCarthy as his choice to head up the EPA Environmental Protection Agency.

McCarthy is currently head of the EPA's air programs.

Where critics suggest she has acted as the president's general and what they called the administration's war on coal.

She wrote the controversial regulations that angered the coal industry in the last few years and sparked a debate over the tradeoff between cleaner air.

And the potential impact on our struggling economy.

And our power grid from shutting down coal burning power plants.

-- -- are Fox News did you politics editor host power plant Fox News -- -- so Chris you hear a lot about.

Ms.

McCarthy being likable she's got -- Boston accent she they say she can crack a joke she can warm up a room.

They point out that she worked -- Mitt Romney.

All of this is supposed to -- you know.

Read -- to -- the critics to stand down.

But some in the ticket there on the right -- and Democrats in these red states are very concerned about her why.

We'll look.

It's no secret that the president is not been the greatest ally.

Of the energy industry the traditional to carbon based energy -- -- coal which provides the the ball the -- the largest.

Share of America's electricity.

It's cheap but the president says it's dirty.

And needs to go away in place of things like solar and wind which are more expensive but he says environmentally conscious she is as you say.

Not seen as a strident figure personally the way that Lisa Jackson the -- woman who laughed as the EPA bought says.

And that's probably very good for what she's -- in front of her she wrote the regulations under Jackson now it's her job to do a deal.

With the big power companies like American electric power and others do a deal about the implementation of these rules that will eventually do away with coal.

And other cheap forms of electricity.

In favor of the presidents think so it's her job to get the deal done to make sure that these regulations outlast President Obama.

You know it used to be that if you wanted to make major change -- have a major impact on on climate change -- in -- green energy regulations in this country you went through congress.

The president tried to do that in his first term unsuccessfully.

His is agenda was blocked.

And now he has found an end around and as a result this EPA he's extremely powerful right now -- -- for those at home thinking.

Well I care about the EPA in what is gonna do there are a lot of coal miners out there who say you need to care.

Well there's a lot of coal -- certainly who care but remember for you very much of the country.

-- -- relatively cheap by about western standards.

Electricity is dependent on coal and the energy industry says.

Without this energy costs for everybody.

Are going to go up and the reliability of America's energy grid.

That that Howard does the you don't get brownouts and everybody cranks -- air conditioning up is dependent on coal so everybody has a stake.

In the game to that degree but the other thing is this and you said congress block the president's global warming strategy that's true.

Democrats in congress block the president's global warming strategy in his first term.

When senate Democrats held sway.

The president knows this is a political loser for him and for Democrats that he hopes are successful in the mid term elections.

-- he's using EPA to try to push that stuff through it McCarthy's thoughts -- Does this -- so yes couple ways he could have got about this and you know that the whole crack down on climate change and all that is controversial.

As our viewers know -- -- in -- believes that this is a real issue not a very believes that even if it is a real issue now is the time given that.

Economic struggles that Americans are already going through and adding more to their electric bill isn't necessarily gonna make a lot of people happy.

So he's got a few ways to go about it because it is important to him President Obama and that is number one try to get -- through the congress again as you point out.

Not not likely to happen.

Number two maybe try to get an international treaty once again not likely to happen but.

What that's because of senate Democrats.

That's again because of senate Democrats and these red State Department state Democrats who just aren't gonna go for this this is the one of the toughest parts of the president's agenda but it.

As the appointment.

Ms.

McCarthy to be his environmental.

The protection agency director.

There's something the president is very committed to and beyond the current back and forth squabbling over budget fights and everything else.

I would submit this is probably the president's legacy project.

Getting rid of the coal industry as we know it get reshaping the American energy industry to comport with this vision about global warming would probably be the president's most important legacy projects -- she is carrying with him.

His hopes in the hopes of liberal America for making this historic change.

Well it and then into the third -- is is using the EPA and and that is what the president is now going to do in his second term but.

His push and green energy projects in the -- he's made -- these green companies and so on.

It really hasn't been that successful in many cases I mean we've we've seen that in the news.

For for four years now that they -- a lot of you know even though the president really likes wind and solar and and greener energy.

-- consumers.

In large numbers do not and so this is one way the EPA can sort of crack down on coal in a way that.

Doesn't have to -- responsive to what consumers want.

And it's it's you've hit it perfectly -- because here's the deal it doesn't matter.

How effective or efficient solar or wind or anything else is.

If you can use regulation to increase the price of what is now cheap electricity if you can make electricity more expensive.

Then it automatic if he can't subsidize.

Solar panels into being good competitive what you can do it is to do the -- -- can make coal so expensive that solar panels and other alternative sources of energy are the same price.

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