Representative Tiffany demands energy security for the Midwest
The Biden Administration is undermining the reliability of the grid again. This time, he has sought to delay the construction of a new natural gas plant in Superior, Wisconsin, that will be crucial to providing electricity to Minnesota if the Boswell Power Plants are closed.
Representative Tom Tiffany wrote a letter to the Biden Administration criticizing their actions and urging them to approve the construction of the new natural gas plant.
The Nemadji Trail Energy Center will Provide Clean, Reliable, and Affordable Energy
WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) sent a letter to President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging him to support the Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC) in Superior.
Last month, the EPA said a Supplemental Environmental Assessment for the proposed NTEC failed to properly account for the project’s impact on climate change and emissions. However, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) conducted the first environmental assessment last year, they found the plant would have no significant environmental impact. Due to the EPA’s latest federal overreach, NTEC is now awaiting direction from RUS.
“At a time when our state is at risk of rolling blackouts for the first time ever, it is mind-boggling that a federal agency would take steps to delay Wisconsinites’ access to clean, reliable, and affordable energy,” said Congressman Tom Tiffany. “The Nemadji Trail Energy Center is critical to the livelihoods and well-being of all of our residents and businesses, and the EPA must reconsider its position and do everything it can to help move this vital project forward.”
Background:
The NTEC natural gas plant would provide affordable and reliable energy to customers across four states – Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa. The 625-megawatt plant would be built along the Nemadji River in Superior by both Wisconsin-based Dairyland Power and Duluth-based Minnesota Power. The plant was expected to be in service by 2025; however, delays, such as this one, will most likely push the date back.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, natural gas emits about half as much carbon dioxide as coal. Therefore, RUS estimates that the NTEC would reduce emissions by about 964,000 tons annually.
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), who has already warned of potential rolling blackouts this year, supports the NTEC plant as they expect to see an energy shortage of 2,600 megawatts next year. Additionally, they estimate that the capacity shortfalls will widen in the years following as a result of the transition to intermittent energy sources and growing demand.
Energy security is national security, and the NTEC is crucial to providing clean, reliable, and affordable energy to Wisconsin and beyond in an environmentally safe way. It’s time for the EPA to plan for the future by supporting the NTEC plant.
The full text of Rep. Tiffany’s letter is available here.
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