North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple says the federal Environmental Protection Agency should rethink its approach toward lowering carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
The EPA had proposed the Clean Power Plan – which requires North Dakota to reduce CO2 emissions 45 percent by the year 2030. That plan is on hold, after North Dakota and a number of other states filed suit, saying it’s a federal overreach. A majority of the US Supreme Court issued a stay on the order, until lower courts hear the merits of the case.
Dalrymple met with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to discuss the plan. Dalrymple says it’s unfortunate court action has been required to stop the EPA.
"I wish we could get beyond that," said Dalrymple. "Just get into a working relationship, where we can make some improvements over time that make sense."
Dalrymple says EPA should work with the states and Congress to come up with a more sensible plan. He says coal generation is the most economical form of producing electricity – and the technology isn’t yet there to accomplish the required reduction of CO2 from coal fired power plants.
"We can't just abandon it (coal) overnight," said Dalrymple. "We have to evolve into a different place over time, if that's what people want. That's going to require investments in technology. So we need to get on with that."
Dalrymple says the federal government should be helping invest in those technologies.
Dalrymple says North Dakota’s coal-fired plants are newer than most other plants in the US. And he says the companies have already done a lot to cut down on carbon emissions.
