On Friday, Governor Kristi Noem and six of her fellow Republican governors sent a letter to the Southwest Power Pool, Inc., expressing concern about the federal government implementing “a Good Neighbor Plan” that would govern the interstate transportation of emissions while ignoring state-designed plans that are already in place. You can find the letter here.
The governors wrote that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule would implement additional compliance obligations on coal- and gas-fired power plants in less than a year. The governors, whose states are part of the power pool, pointed out that the plan would place additional financial burdens on the states when it comes to coal- and gas-fired power plants.
“All our states have strong environmental track records, highly efficient and well-controlled coal and gas plants, and consistent improvements in ambient air quality as a result,” wrote Governor Noem and her colleagues. “In our regions and nationally, ozone levels continue to drop and power plants are playing an ever-smaller role on those levels relative to mobile and other sources.”
The governors said the federal proposal would be costly to the states and difficult to implement. They said the federal government has ignored similar plans created by the states that have worked.
“This rule ignores these facts and appears to be more about meeting the current Administration’s announced goals of eliminating fossil fuel power plants than addressing significant contributions to serious environmental risks,” continued Governor Noem and her colleagues.
Governor Noem was joined by the following Republican governors in signing the letter: Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.
