December first was the deadline for comments on a new Environmental Protection Agency rule designed to cut national carbon dioxide emissions. On that same day, the state Public Utilities Commission met with representatives of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, which delivers electrical power to the country’s midsection, from Montana to Indiana and Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. The very eastern edge of South Dakota is included in that service area.
Immediately after the meeting, SDPB’s Victoria Wicks talked with PUC commissioner Chris Nelson about the potential effects these new emissions standards will have on South Dakota rate payers.
A few days later Victoria Wicks interviewed EPA’s Region 8 Administrator Shaun McGrath. He says keeping the lights on is a priority for his agency. EPA received about 2 million comments, which staff will review before formulating the final plan in June. That starts the process for states to develop plans to meet their targets.
