EPA Administrator Jackson to respond in 30 days on regional haze
The EPA's proposed plan could mean significant rate increases to consumers of residential and commercial electricity consumers by requiring more than $800 million of additional equipment on four North Dakota power plants.
Dakota Gasification Company
- December 16, 2011
U.S. Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND), Kent Conrad (D-ND), John Thune (R-SD) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and U.S. Rep. Rick Berg (R-ND) met with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson Dec. 14 to reach agreement on a plan to reduce regional haze in Class I areas of North Dakota.
Jackson said she will give the delegation an answer in 30 days on whether or not the EPA will continue with a State Implementation Plan proposed by North Dakota and commit to a study designed to test the effectiveness of a technology proposed by the federal agency and disputed by state officials and industry.
The EPA has previously announced its intention to take partial control of North Dakota's air quality program by overruling the North Dakota Department of Health's plan to reduce regional haze in Class I areas. Instead the EPA is imposing its own Federal Implementation Plan (FIP). The FIP includes the use of a more expensive and unproven technology that the companies which manufacture the equipment themselves can’t guarantee will work with North Dakota lignite coal. The study discussed would test the effectiveness of the technology. There is no discernible visibility difference between the two plans.
The EPA's proposed plan could mean significant rate increases to consumers of residential and commercial electricity consumers by requiring more than $800 million of additional equipment on four North Dakota power plants.Headquarters
1600 E. Interstate Ave.
PO Box 5540
Bismarck, ND 58506-5540 USA
701.221.4400
Great Plains Synfuels Plant
420 County Road 26
Beulah, ND 58523-9400 USA
701.873.2100
