President Obama was right to emphasize the job creation potential and economic stakes for America's leadership on global warming solutions in his State of the Union address this week.

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By re-asserting the imperative for U.S. action and leadership on global warming, the President signaled the urgency and importance of Senate action to complete work on comprehensive energy and global warming legislation begun by the House.

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Remaining Partners Throw in the Towel

(Minneapolis, MN) —The last remaining partners in the construction of the Big Stone II coal-fired power plant announced yesterday that they would not continue the project. They proposed a 500 to 600 megawatt expansion of an existing coal-fired power plant located near Milbank, South Dakota. The expansion would have been built on the shores of Big Stone Lake, headwaters to the Minnesota River, near the Minnesota border.

Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency placed a hold on approval of a coal-fired power plant in South Dakota, a move environmental groups say indicates increased scrutiny under PresidentBarack Obama.

"This is a signal that the Obama administration is taking a much harder look at coal power from the previous administration," said Darrell Gerber, a program coordinator at Washington-based Clean Water Action, which along with the Sierra Club opposed the plant.

Read the complete article at Bloomberg.com

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has overturned the State of South Dakota's approval of the massive Big Stone II coal-fired power plant. The EPA's decision comes after the state failed to require state-of-the-art pollution controls for the coal plant that would address concerns about harmful soot, smog and global warming pollution.

This decision likely spells the end of Otter Tail Power's Big Stone II coal plant. At a minimum, Otter Tail Power will have to go back to the drawing board and redesign the project to incorporate the best and maximum available control technology for pollution like soot and smog. Sierra Club and Clean Water Action will be pushing for EPA to set limits also for carbon dioxide, the main contributor to global warming.

Less than three days after the Bush Administration left office, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has overturned the State of South Dakota's approval of the massive BigStone II coal-fired power plant. The EPA's decision comes after the state failed to require state-of-the-art pollution controls for the coal plant that would address concerns about harmful soot, smog and global warming pollution.

EPA decision on Big Stone II, part 1 (pdf, 2.12 MB)

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) unanimously approved a transmission line needed for new Big Stone II coal-burning power plant just across Minnesota's western border in Milbank, S.D. The new coal plant would use millions of gallons of water from the Minnesota River watershed.

Despite reams of testimony about the harm to air and water from the plant and the risky investment in coal burning at a time when coal prices and carbon emission fines are poised to increase, the PUC ruled that the plant could go ahead. The new plant will be the equivalent in Global Warming pollution of adding over half a million new cars to the road.

"This is a tremendous disappointment from the PUC, a milquetoast decision that means that if Big Stone II gets built, shareholders and ratepayers will have to bear the extraordinary costs of coal and carbon that Otter Tail Power did not account for, not to mention the pollution," said Darrell Gerber with Clean Water Action. "It just doesn't make sense."

By Mary Jo Stueve

Also published in the Argus Leader, "Should water to burn coal trump everything else?"

Last year, South Dakota bragged of a 'deal' with the utilities proposing the 630MW coal fired Big Stone II, citing environmental benefits and room for wind. The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (SD PUC) applauded that the utilities could commit to just 189 lbs of mercury emissions per year.

On Friday August 31, Otter Tail Power on behalf of Big Stone II struck a deal with the Minnesota Department of Commerce (MN DOC) indicating it would limit mercury emissions up to 90%.

by Greg Rislov, Commission Advisor to the SD Public Utilities Commission, SDEIA Board Educational Meeting June 9, 2006 presentation.

Get the complete presentation (pdf, 1.1MB)

What are the sources of mercury pollution in the region?

1. Energy: coal-burning power plants
2. Taconite processing (MN only)
3. Purposeful use:
   • Municipal solid waste combustion
   • Volatilization of disposed products
   • Smelters that recycle cars, appliances

Mercury pollution from coal plants

Coal plants are the largest source of mercury pollution in Minnesota and South Dakota.