Jun 5, 2008 7:43 am US/Central
In The Know: Big Stone, Bigger Problem
(WCCO)
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will decide Thursday on whether to allow transmission lines in this state for a new coal-fired electricity plant in South Dakota. Don Shelby says the Big Stone plant would send 45 percent of its electricity to Minnesota, if the PUC OKs it. If the PUC says no, there would likely be no new power plant built on the site.
It's called Big Stone II. The planners say they will limit mercury and sulfur pollution. Good for them. Oh, by the way, it's the law.
The Public Utilities Commission has heard from the utilities consortium which wants the plant built, and pesky people who reminded the commission that our own state law requires a reduction of CO2 emissions by 80 percent over time, a tough thing to accomplish if you build a coal-fired plant that will spew CO2 for the next 50 years or so.
Two administrative law judges have said no to the plant's power lines in Minnesota, and the two largest utility backers of the project have backed out, saying it doesn't make economic or environmental sense.
Also out there is the looming tax on CO2, which would increase the cost consumers pay for electricity generated by a coal-fired plant. If the PUC commissioners (Gov. Pawlenty appointees) approve the plant, it would be an embarrassment to the governor who has gained a national reputation as a steward for renewable energy and the reduction of CO2 in our state.
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