Gov. Mead To Testify On EPA’s Regional Haze Rule

Governor Matt Mead will testify at the Environmental Protection Agency’s public hearing on the regional haze rule next week. The EPA accepted a portion of the Wyoming plan for reducing haze but proposes to replace part of the state plan with a federal plan.

Governor Mead said he believes Wyoming has a strong plan for reducing haze from industrial sources. He added that the federal proposal places much more onerous requirements on power plants and yet does not create a noticeable improvement in visibility over Wyoming’s plan. He added that the federal plan would also cost significantly more, a burden that would be passed on to ratepayers - families and small businesses.”

An analysis of the federal plan shows it would cost utilities $1 billion in capital expenses and an additional $100 million per year after that. Governor Mead will testify on July 17^th at 1:00 p.m. The hearing is taking place at the Laramie County Public Library in Cheyenne.

Governor Mead will also provide written comments ahead of the public comment deadline, which is August 26, 2013.