Yesterday President Obama unveiled the EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing power plants.  The EPA’s numbers show their goals by state, and Minnesota will need to reduce CO2 emissions by 41%.  This will be very expensive, especially since there is still no proven or acceptable technology to achieve this on a large scale. 

The President/EPA claim that electric bills will shrink 8%, but when costs increase, rates must follow the same upward path.  It appears they are counting on you to choose to use a LOT less electricity.    

We are naturally concerned that these newly proposed regulations will:

• significantly increase electricity prices,
• force shutdowns of baseload power plants that provide reliability when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining,
• harm the economy, and
• adversely impact jobs of hard-working Americans. 

There are a lot of details to work through in this proposal, but in the meantime, as a North Star Electric member, please be aware of what is unfolding.  We will be in touch when action is needed and when more information is available.