The fed haze standard and the Iron Range

The EPA has backed off its efforts to eliminate two laws that developers say discourage clean-coal power plants. One of them has huge implications here in Northern Minnesota. Pro-coal EPA officials were trying to undo the federal haze standard that limits pollution near national parks before President-elect Obama takes office. Essentially, there is only so much pollution we can allow near the BWCA and Voyageurs. The Range’s many taconite and power plants put us near that limit. There is enough room for the new Essar Steel plant and, possibly, Polymet and nonferrous mining on the east Range. But nothing more than that … at least, nothing that pollutes on an industrial scale (unless other polluting plants reduce emissions or close).

Excelsior Energy’s Mesaba Energy Project, an Iron Range “clean coal” boondoggle currently looking for its raison d’etre, cannot receive federal permits without some relaxation of the federal haze standard. So, while my objections to that project have more to do with the questionable practice of public risk for private gains, I’ll take the haze standard news as being good. Good enough, anyway. I think some flexibility in the balance between jobs and the environment is important; but we need to stop sending the message here that we’ll do anything — absolutely anything — for a few jobs. Desperation doesn’t work in romance, nor in economic development.

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