By Greg Goebel from Loveland CO, USA
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is requesting about $550,000 in the 2017-18 state budget to prepare for the Clean Power Plan (CPP) rule. DEQ Director Todd Parfitt told lawmakers during a recent budget hearing that planning for the development of an extension request to prepare a state implementation plan needs to start in case the regulations are upheld. He added that if the state refuses to make a submittal by September 6, the federal government will create an implementation plan on the state’s behalf, which “no one wants.”
“To be clear,” added Parfitt, “we are not going to be submitting a plan in September of 2016….What we will be doing is the public outreach, having the conversations with other states if it makes sense to do a multi-state plan…and the first submittal is really to get that two-year extension.” Parfitt said these planning efforts are needed in order for Wyoming to qualify for the extension. [Teplitzky]
