Company spokesman Dave Eskelsen told local newspaper the Star-Tribune that the EPA’s recently re-proposed regional haze rules would have a significant impact on its future.
“Many of the company’s coal-fueled generating plants in Wyoming may face early shut-down as a result of this rule,” he said.
He did not indicate which plants or units could be in line for closure, but did tell the paper officials would be looking at effects on a unit-by-unit basis.
Rocky Mountain owns four coal-fired facilities in Wyoming: Dave Johnston, Wyodak, Naughton and Jim Bridger.
The EPA first proposed the haze rules in 2012, leading many to begin looking at forced upgrade plans. Many Wyoming officials opposed the rule on the grounds that states should be able to govern their own air.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality also was working to implement its own haze reduction plan when the EPA’s rules were introduced.
The EPA’s revised rule is in line with the state’s plan in some areas, but includes stricter restrictions for some plants.
They include stronger nitrous oxide control restrictions on three Rocky Mountain Power units as well as a trio owned by Basin Electric.
A Basin Electric spokeswoman told the paper it still supported Wyoming’s plan.
“Basin Electric supports that plan, which includes a requirement for the Laramie River Station to reduce significantly its emissions of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides,” Mary Miller said.
“That plan ... adequately protects visibility, and we believe it is inappropriate for EPA to reject the state’s plan and substitute its own.”
Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp, also supported the state plan.
“EPA’s proposal, if finalized, would require more extensive emission controls than the state of Wyoming proposed in its own regional haze State Implementation Plan,” Eskelsen told the paper.
“The state plan was workable, appropriate and one PacifiCorp supported.”
State senator John Barrasso said allowing the EPA to overreach with its regulations in addition to state outlines was not the answer.
“The EPA should reverse this new rule and allow the state of Wyoming to regulate regional haze without additional federal interference,” he said.
