NEWS CONTACT: 3201 Nygren Drive NW • P.O. Box 727 • Mandan, ND 58554-0727 Cally Peterson 701-320-6825 cpeterson@ndarec.com Phone: 701.663.6501 or 800.234.0518 Fax: 701.663.3745 www.ndarec.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/1/24 EPA power plant rules 'reckless,' threaten reliability MANDAN, N.D. - The North Dakota AssociaFon of Rural Electric CooperaFves (NDAREC) opposes new power plant rules released April 25 by the Environmental ProtecFon Agency (EPA), which threaten U.S. electric reliability and would force the premature reFrement of reliable, dispatchable, baseload electric generaFon assets. The rules aim to cut emissions from power plants by imposing unrealisFc Fmelines and relying on technology not yet deployable. "The EPA rules jeopardize the ability to keep the lights on, and they pack a one-two punch to our industry by advancing the premature closure of always available, dispatchable power and making it more di.cult to build new power plants," said Josh Kramer, NDAREC execuFve vice president and general manager. To operate past the start of 2039, the new regulaFons require exisFng coal-.red power plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 90% by 2032. To do so requires coal plants to deploy carbon capture and sequestraFon (CCS) technologies. Though promising and acFvely being pursued by electric cooperaFves, including by Grand Forks-based Minnkota Power CooperaFve through Project Tundra, CCS is not yet proven or commercially available. Though the EPA exempted exisFng natural gas plants from compliance a change from its iniFal proposal in May 2023 new natural gas units must meet the greenhouse gas standards laid out in the new rule. "I worry about the year 2032 and a future without coal," Kramer said. "At a Fme when Americans are requiring more and more electricity to power their lives, the EPA is walking us down a dangerous path toward grave reliability challenges." The North American Reliability CorporaFon, a not-for-pro.t internaFonal regulatory authority whose mission is to assure the e.ecFve and e.cient reducFon of risks to the reliability and security of the electric grid, esFmates the demand for electricity will grow 10% through 2032, while the electric generaFon to meet that demand is projected to grow only 4% in that Fme. "Electric cooperaFves are innovaFve. They've diversi.ed and conFnue to make progress, but they are not willing to sacri.ce reliability," Kramer said. "Pulling the rug out from those working to solve today's reliability challenges on the front lines is reckless. It will lead to more blackouts, higher costs and uncertainty for families and businesses. At some point, poliFcs and poliFcal rhetoric need to take a back seat to what is possible given the technology available today." NDAREC is the statewide trade associa3on for 17 electric distribu3on coopera3ves and .ve genera3on and transmission coopera3ves opera3ng in North Dakota. The distribu3on coopera3ves provide electricity to nearly 250,000 North Dakotans. NDAREC services include legisla3ve advocacy, lineworker safety training, professional development, coopera3ve business development and communica3on services, including publica3on of the North Dakota Living magaz ine. NEWS CONTACT: 3201 Nygren Drive NW • P.O. Box 727 • Mandan, ND 58554-0727 Cally Peterson 701-320-6825 cpeterson@ndarec.com Phone: 701.663.6501 or 800.234.0518 Fax: 701.663.3745 www.ndarec.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/1/24 EPA power plant rules 'reckless,' threaten reliability MANDAN, N.D. - The North Dakota AssociaFon of Rural Electric CooperaFves (NDAREC) opposes new power plant rules released April 25 by the Environmental ProtecFon Agency (EPA), which threaten U.S. electric reliability and would force the premature reFrement of reliable, dispatchable, baseload electric generaFon assets. The rules aim to cut emissions from power plants by imposing unrealisFc Fmelines and relying on technology not yet deployable. "The EPA rules jeopardize the ability to keep the lights on, and they pack a one-two punch to our industry by advancing the premature closure of always available, dispatchable power and making it more di.cult to build new power plants," said Josh Kramer, NDAREC execuFve vice president and general manager. To operate past the start of 2039, the new regulaFons require exisFng coal-.red power plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 90% by 2032. To do so requires coal plants to deploy carbon capture and sequestraFon (CCS) technologies. Though promising and acFvely being pursued by electric cooperaFves, including by Grand Forks-based Minnkota Power CooperaFve through Project Tundra, CCS is not yet proven or commercially available. Though the EPA exempted exisFng natural gas plants from compliance a change from its iniFal proposal in May 2023 new natural gas units must meet the greenhouse gas standards laid out in the new rule. "I worry about the year 2032 and a future without coal," Kramer said. "At a Fme when Americans are requiring more and more electricity to power their lives, the EPA is walking us down a dangerous path toward grave reliability challenges." The North American Reliability CorporaFon, a not-for-pro.t internaFonal regulatory authority whose mission is to assure the e.ecFve and e.cient reducFon of risks to the reliability and security of the electric grid, esFmates the demand for electricity will grow 10% through 2032, while the electric generaFon to meet that demand is projected to grow only 4% in that Fme. "Electric cooperaFves are innovaFve. They've diversi.ed and conFnue to make progress, but they are not willing to sacri.ce reliability," Kramer said. "Pulling the rug out from those working to solve today's reliability challenges on the front lines is reckless. It will lead to more blackouts, higher costs and uncertainty for families and businesses. At some point, poliFcs and poliFcal rhetoric need to take a back seat to what is possible given the technology available today." NDAREC is the statewide trade associa3on for 17 electric distribu3on coopera3ves and .ve genera3on and transmission coopera3ves opera3ng in North Dakota. The distribu3on coopera3ves provide electricity to nearly 250,000 North Dakotans. NDAREC services include legisla3ve advocacy, lineworker safety training, professional development, coopera3ve business development and communica3on services, including publica3on of the North Dakota Living magaz ine.
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