Our view: Emissions rules? Ho-hum for Minnesota

You don’t have to be completely convinced of a coming climate-change Armageddon to feel fairly comfortable with the federal government’s plans, released this week, to slash carbon-dioxide emissions, especially at coal-fired power plants.
Particularly in Minnesota.
Here, rules like the ones proposed Monday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have been in place for years. Our nation may be launching its largest-ever effort to curb the pollution blamed for climate change - specifically, cutting greenhouse-gas emissions by 30 percent from 2005 levels by the year 2030 - but the feds are only just now catching up with states like Minnesota.
“We anticipated strong greenhouse gas rules and have taken early measures to transition our energy supply to a more diverse mix of sources,” Al Rudeck, Minnesota Power vice president of strategy and planning, told the News Tribune for a story in Monday’s paper.
Minnesota Power, the state’s third-largest but most coal-dependent electrical utility, was 95 percent dependent on coal in 2005. It expects to lower that to 75 percent by the end of this year. The
25 percent of electricity from renewable sources like wind and solar meets a state requirement - and does so 15 years ahead of deadline. By 2030 Minnesota Power hopes to be at 33 percent coal with similar percentages of power generated from natural gas and from renewables.
Similarly, Minnesota’s largest electrical utility, Xcel Energy, already has reduced carbon dioxide emissions 20 percent since 2005, according to reporting this week by the Star Tribune. Xcel, which has shuttered coal plants and, like Minnesota Power, has shifted to natural gas and renewable energy sources, is on track to reduce carbon dioxide emissions
31 percent by 2020.
In addition, statewide, 12 coal-burning plants have been closed or are in the process of being closed. Meeting the new federal standards? In Minnesota that won’t be a problem. Minnesota is doing so well the state was singled out when the EPA released its new rules.
“We think we’re well-situated,” Minnesota Power Executive Vice President Dave McMillan told the News Tribune.
So whether you buy into the doomsday often associated with climate change, you readily can agree that cleaner air, cleaner water and better health all are good things. So is taking pride in knowing your state is well-situated as a leader.