Unrealistic Proposals
Basin Electric Power Cooperative is Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative (YVEC)’s major power supplier. They provide 85% of our wholesale electricity. Basin is 1 of the largest cooperatives in the U.S. They power 140-member cooperative systems, like YVEC, across 9 states serving 3 million consumers. Their generation portfolio is extremely diverse utilizing fuel sources of wind, solar, hydro, coal, natural gas, oil, and recovered energy generation. Basin has generating facilities in North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Iowa, and Minnesota. Their maximum generating capacity is over 7,300 Megawatts, which has increased by almost 5,000 Megawatts since 2000. Their CO2 emission rate has declined by 32% over that same period. Below is my summation of their perspective on the new EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) published regulations:
The new EPA Regulation will adversely impact the reliability of both Basin Electric’s system and the entire United States’ electric grid. Basin, unapologetically, employs an all-of-the-above energy strategy to serve the power supply requirements of its members. This strategy has been a longstanding stance of Basin and has produced results like stable costs and protection against the intermittent nature of renewable resources with more reliable dispatchable resources. This has also allowed for an over 30% reduction in carbon intensity since 2005.
Defending the all-the-above strategy has required the development of a similar all-the-above legal and regulatory stance. Basin has partnered with regional and national trade associations as well as forming partners in utility and adjoining industries to limit the damage from the EPA onslaught.
Basin has demonstrated their commitment to environmental stewardship and will continue to do so regardless of regulatory pressure.
Standards of living in the United States are at risk. Our country is blessed with geographical and geological advantages that truly strengthen our economy. Buffered by oceans, having 25,000 miles of navigable inland waterways and an abundance of natural resources for food and fuel, the U.S. is fortunate. While the EPA isn’t trying to drain the oceans or inland waterways, the proposed regulations will have both known and unintended consequences on the reliability and costs of power. Reliability will suffer and costs will be higher, which directly affects our standards of living.
Regulation simply isn’t always the answer. Basin has a proud history of environmental stewardship, which has been far more impactful than regulation. Basin has invested 7 billion in a renewable portfolio that stands at 2,500 megawatts and they’ve reduced emissions such as carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen oxides dramatically over the last decade. Additionally, their subsidiary Dakota Gasification Company is a true pioneer in CO2 sequestration. Since 2000, nearly 45 million metric tons of CO2 have been captured in the Canadian oil fields, and on February 9th Dakota Gas began sequestering CO2 adjacent to its facilities in Beulah, North Dakota with an expected amount of 1 million tons sequestered in the first year.
Basin is also a leader in research. They host the Wyoming Integrated Test Center at their Dry Fork Station near Gillette, WY. This facility has attracted more than 1 hundred million for research and development projects specific to carbon capture and storage technologies. What EPA has proposed is currently unachievable, unrealistic, and likely unlawful. Basin has demonstrated its commitment to environmental stewardship and will continue to do so regardless of regulatory pressure. They are committed to providing electrical service to their 140 member systems in a reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible manner. As 1 of their 140 members, YVEC doesn’t just rely on Basin, we stand with them.
Brandon J. Wittman
Chief Executive Officer