According to an article in today's Wall Street Journal, President Obama is expected to announce a plan to curb emissions from existing power plants when he delivers the State of the Union address next week. The article stated the president is likely to urge the addition of existing coal-fired plants to the proposed Environmental Protection Agency rules on greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants. In spring 2012, the EPA proposed strict emissions limits for new power plants of 1,000 pounds of CO2 per megawatt hour of electricity, which, according to the WSJ, would make the construction of new coal-fired plants cost-prohibitive. The rule for new plants is set to be completed later this year, but the agency reportedly has made little progress on new policies for existing plants. North Dakota has coal-fired plants in McLean, Oliver and Mercer counties. A new plant in Stutsman County has been idle since construction was completed in 2011, reportedly because of weak demand for electricity. Read more
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