Big Stone II Update...

Unfortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has thrown up some possible roadblocks to the much-anticipated Big Stone II project. Since the Supreme Court’s ruling last year that carbon emissions can be regulated by the EPA, the EPA under the new administration is considering limiting carbon emission by coal plants such as Big Stone II through tax penalties, which may lead to much higher electricity costs for customers, according to the Argus Leader. Read more here…

The enactment of such a policy has a few negative impacts and shortsightedness. First, according to the Argus article, the Big Stone II plant would be 20 percent more efficient than coal plants of similar size, which reduces our impact on the environment by utilizing cheap, low-sulfur Wyoming coal in a much more efficient manner. Second, holding up such projects decreases our chances of cost-effectively installing a framework of electricity transmission lines…a crucial part of any wind development within South Dakota. And finally, all the customers utilizing the electricity provided will pay a much higher cost for their needed energy, as the power companies will be required to pass on the cost of an even more efficient plant or costs of carbon-taxes on to their customers. Let’s look for some middle ground here where we can be environmentally friendly and also keep energy costs low.