North Dakota notches victory in haggle over haze

Posted 3/07/12 (Wed)

Coal Country, and the entire state of North Dakota, made big headway in its ongoing struggle with the Environmental Protection Agency when the EPA agreed Friday to most of the state’s clean air plan for regional haze.
The EPA’s decision means Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Leland Olds Station, located near Stanton, and Minnkota Power Cooperative’s Milton R Young Station, located near Center, will be governed under the State Implementation Plan for regional haze rather than a federal plan that would require more costly emission-control technology.
The EPA moved to take over the air quality program to reduce regional haze pollution and protect visibility and air quality in Class I areas, which include Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.