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Calling themselves the "Watchdogs of the Prairie," members of the Dakota Resource Council are baring some teeth at a proposal to construct a new coal-fired power plant near Milbank, South Dakota.
Montana-Dakota Utilities and Otter Tail Power are asking the North Dakota Public Service Commission to give the project its blessing, which will help the companies obtain funding for construction. But D.R.C. members, including Dean Hulse, say the idea of building another coal-fired plant doesn't make sense at any level -- that it's not only likely to nudge up user rates, but bring air quality down as well.
"Ignoring the likely constraints on global warming gases such as CO2 is risky. And the ratepayers are the ones who are going to end up footing the tab for that type of gamble."
Hulse asserts the project is outmoded and ignores likely federal emissions constraints, and he points to better options with less impact on utility rates and the environment. Wind energy, he says, is just one example: environmentally friendly, and a potentially important spark for the state's economy.
"Electricity derived from wind power means property tax revenues accruing across a wide geographic area in the state, royalty payments for North Dakota landowners, and economic development for rural communities."
The North Dakota Public Service Commission has not yet ruled on the utility companies' request.
