Washington DC – Clean Water Action is appalled that the leadership of the US House of Representatives appears willing to shut down the federal government in order to win passage of budget riders limiting the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and prohibiting funding for Planned Parenthood.

While recent press reports have indicated that the EPA restrictions may no longer be on the table, the House Republican leadership has brought the federal government close to the brink of shutdown over policy issues that should not be part of budget negotiations.

Remaining Partners Throw in the Towel

(Minneapolis, MN) —The last remaining partners in the construction of the Big Stone II coal-fired power plant announced yesterday that they would not continue the project. They proposed a 500 to 600 megawatt expansion of an existing coal-fired power plant located near Milbank, South Dakota. The expansion would have been built on the shores of Big Stone Lake, headwaters to the Minnesota River, near the Minnesota border.

St. Paul, MN — The Minnesota Public Utility Commission decided today to delay a decision on the Certificate of Need for power lines leading to the proposed Big Stone II coal-burning power plant in South Dakota. Commissioners found that information currently available is insufficient as to the costs of implementing the project. Commissioners expressed concerns about the likely impact on rate payers in Minnesota should the plant go forward. This comes at a time of growing realization across the region that continued reliance on coal is unnecessary and not worth the health, environmental and economic problems.