N.D. Governor Says He Has ‘Direct Questions’ for EPA

Via E&E Publishing: 

BISMARCK, N.D. — Gov. Jack Dalrymple plans to meet with top U.S. EPA officials next week to protest how his state was treated in the final version of the Clean Power Plan.

North Dakota’s emissions reduction target quadrupled from 11 percent below 2012 levels in the draft of the plan to 45 percent in the final version. The state has been responding on two tracks — preparing both a legal challenge and an implementation plan.

“How in the heck do you change your recommendation from 11 percent to 45 percent without any discussion?” Dalrymple (R) said in an interview here. “There’s going to be some very direct questions.”

Dalrymple’s staff said he’s tentatively scheduled to meet with Janet McCabe, the acting head of EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.

The Clean Power Plan is a key piece of the Obama administration’s plan to combat global climate change. It’s intended to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide from electric generation plants 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Each state has its own emissions goal based on its generation fleet and is responsible for carrying out its own implementation plan.

North Dakota gets 79 percent of its electricity from coal-fired plants, about 16 percent from wind and about 5 percent from hydroelectric plants, according to the U.S. Energy Department.

North Dakota exports much of its wind power, though, and state officials have complained because the Clean Power Plan gives credit for wind power to the states that use it, rather than the states that produce it. They’ve also questioned whetherNorth Dakota’s power plants can come up with the efficiency increases EPA expects.

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