When the very controversial South Dakota coal plant Big Stone II – with all its permits in place and finally due to be built this year – was finally canceled at the end of last year; the cancellation created an opportunity for wind power.
It was to have supplied customers in Minnesota. New transmission lines were to have hauled its dirty power from the coal plant to supply the Twin Cities.
A month later, Minnesota, which has a Renewable Energy Standard and clean energy legislation in place, slapped the first ever border carbon tax on coal power from across its North Dakota border.
Now, according to Businessweek, those new and upgraded high-voltage transmission lines, originally slated to carry the dirty power from Big Stone II, will instead be used to carry South Dakota’s clean wind power. (more…)