BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Doug Burgum issued the following statement today after U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt announced he will sign a proposed rule Tuesday to withdraw the Clean Power Plan emission standards established by the Obama administration for new and existing coal-fired power plants.
“We’re grateful to the EPA and Administrator Pruitt for recognizing the Obama-era standards as a federal overreach of the agency’s authority. These proposed standards in the Clean Power Plan threaten to erode the baseload reliability of our nation’s electrical grid and raise electric rates for consumers,” Burgum said. “As the EPA determines next steps, we support allowing states to develop environmentally sound, all-of-the-above energy strategies that are responsive to market trends and promote new technologies to boost energy production and curb emissions through more innovation, not regulation.”
The Obama-era standards have been on hold since the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay in February 2016 at the request of 27 states, including North Dakota. The regulations would require North Dakota’s existing coal-fired plants to cut carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 45 percent below 2012 levels by 2030, far above the national average of 32 percent.