Have the Big Stone II utilities factored future carbon dioxide regulation into their feasibility studies?
No one can predict if future carbon dioxide regulation will be a tax on all CO2 emissions or a cap and trade protocol. However, the Big Stone II utilities used both a $9/ton recommended by the Minnesota Department of Commerce and a $4-$30/ton range adopted by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for every ton of carbon dioxide emitted. In both cases, Big Stone II was shown to be the least cost alternative.
