? Affordable Clean Energy Rule?
September 1st, 2018
tRump’s “Affordable Clean Energy Rule” would be quite the legacy (though he leaves so many, how to choose).
Here are the fact sheets from that page:
Fact Sheets (these are links below!):
- Overview of the proposed ACE rule
- CO2 emissions trends
- Costs and benefits
- Legal overview
- Permitting improvements under New Source Review program
- Side-by-side comparison of ACE and CPP
And the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register yesterday:
Affordable Clean Energy Rule-Federal Register-8-31-2018-18755
It’s 68 pages long, and intense.
Comments due October 30 — how to comment? From their site:
Online: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for submitting comments to EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0355.
Email: Comments may be sent to a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov. Include Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0355 in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Mail Code 28221T, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0355, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460.
Fax: Fax your comments to: (202) 566-9744. Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0355.
Hand/Courier Delivery: EPA Docket Center, Room 3334, EPA WJC West Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0355. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket’s normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
Final Draft – Climate Science Special Report
August 8th, 2017
Here it is, REAL NEWS. This is the Final (5th Order) Climate Science Special Report from the U.S. Global Change Research Program:
Final-Draft-of-the-Climate-Science-Special-Report
Bottom line? First, note that this is an extensively authored and peer reviewed report, with multiple editors, and coordinating, lead, and contributing authors, and review of peer reviewed articles and journals. They take great care in explaining “confidence levels,” pps. 6-10, an issue that Power Line Task Force brought before the PUC and Appellate Court over a decade ago regarding EMF:
The purpose?
OK, back to the bottom line — the key findings, p. 38-39:
Now, read it, the Executive Summary at least:
Tick season in full swing!
March 19th, 2016
Today, Alan was scratching Little Sadie’s neck, and found a lump. We corralled her, dumped her over, and did an inspection, and it was a slightly engorged tick. Got all of it out rather easily.
But isn’t this a bit early? YES!! Another climate change impact. Turns out the tick season here usually starts in May. Not long ago, it was June 13:
Tick season starts full throttle in Minnesota
All of you with dogs, time to start fighting those ticks, starting with a head to tail inspection, right NOW!
And another MPCA listening session
March 10th, 2016
And last night in Rochester, more of the MPCA “Clean Power Plan” listening sessions. This one was less well attended that Monday’s in Minneapolis, but packed into a much smaller, almost claustrophobic sized room. Many concerns were raised, in large part because the “Clean Power Plan” remains a mystery — there is no MPCA plan for us to check out and comment on, and the federal Supreme Court put the EPA’s plan on hold.
The MPCA has been meeting with “stakeholders” which is primarily utilities, with a few energy wonks also attending — see this link, and scroll down for meetings and materials:
A turnout of this size, both last night and the night before, means that yes, people are interested and concerned, and I hope everyone stays in the loop and participates.
Clean Power Plan? MPCA wants comments!
August 3rd, 2015
That’s the Coal Creek plant, a photo I took on a tour. If you’re an electric co-op member in Minnesota (elsewhere too?), they offer tours regularly, and it’s something you should do! Check your co-op’s newsletter for info.
State Register Notice:
Just released FEDERAL Clean Power Plan:
Clean Power Plan Final Rule (PDF)(1560 pp, 3.3 MB, About PDF) – August 2015
Look at how the “adjusted” Minnesota’s baseline levels due to Sherco 3 being out for nearly 2 years:
The EPA examined units nationwide with 2012 outages to determine where an individual unit-level outage might yield a significant difference in state goal computation. When applying this test to all of the units informing the computation of the BSER, emission performance rates, and statewide goals, the EPA determined that the only unit with a 2012 outage that 1) decreased its output relative to preceding and subsequent years by 75 percent or more (signifying an outage), and 2) could potentially impact the state’s goal as it constituted more than 10 percent of the state’s generation was the Sherburne County Unit 3 in Minnesota. The EPA therefore adjusted this state’s baseline coal steam generation upwards to reflect a more representative year for the state in which this 900 MW unit operates.
Clean Power Plan Final Rule (PDF p. 796 of 1560).
And from the state, which acknowledges imminent release of FEDERAL Clean Power Plan Final Rule , also released today, just in from the MPCA (direct quote):
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued a request for comments on possible rule amendments to bring Minnesota into compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Clean Power Plan. You can read the full request in the August 3, 2015, edition of the State Register, available at www.comm.media.state.mn.us/bookstore/mnbookstore.asp?page=register.
The amendments we are considering will help Minnesota meet standards established by the Clean Power Plan, which sets state-specific carbon dioxide emission targets and requires each state to submit a plan detailing its strategy for meeting the targets. As of State Register press time, we have not yet started drafting a plan because the EPA has not yet published the standards that Minnesota’s plan will need to meet, so the MPCA requests public input to help guide our considerations of methods for meeting the EPA’s targets, as well as any other objectives that the state’s plan might include.
Stakeholder meeting agendas, notes, and other related documents are posted on the website for this rulemaking at www.pca.state.mn.us/w9y3awr.
To access information about a particular Minnesota rulemaking, visit the Public Rulemaking Docket.