"The policy could preclude
(using) coal-fired generation from Wyoming, in a timely way, to meet the
power supply needs of California," said Steve Waddington, executive
director of the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority.
California's new policy restricts future purchases of out-of-state,
coal-based power to only those facilities that can prevent pollution
from entering the air. Any new coal plant that wishes to sell
electricity there must be as clean as the best natural-gas fired plant.
The Wyoming authority may consider a legal challenge to the
California rule based on interstate commerce law, officials said.
Wyoming officials have said coal-fired power plants would be the most
affordable and most attainable option to secure investment in the
proposed Wyoming-to-California Frontier transmission line. Once that
investment is made, they say the line could carry power from wind, solar
and other renewable resources that California wants.
A spokesman for the Wyoming Conservation Voters Education Fund said
the California decision might finally force investors to support
zero-emission coal technology.
"The writing is on the wall," said Jason Marsden, executive director
of Wyoming Conservation Voters. "Investors should think twice before
investing their money on new coal-combustion power plants that can't
capture global warming pollutants, since California, the biggest
potential electricity customer, is no longer interested in buying dirty,
coal-fired power."
Waddington said the California policy could have a silver lining for
Wyoming. He said California officials may ultimately conclude that they
need to invest funds to work with Wyoming to develop clean-coal
technologies.
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