North Dakota should stop wasting the taxpayers’ money by suing Minnesota over carbon dioxide pollution.
The money could be better used to promote clean North Dakota energy production that abides by Minnesota’s law and addresses the problem of global warming, which affects us all.
Another way to spend the money better and reduce global warming would be to underwrite state programs for energy efficiency. North Dakota was recently ranked dead last in the nation on that scale.
Figures recently released by the U.S. Department of Energy show that carbon dioxide emissions that are changing our climate took a monumental leap of 6 percent in 2010, greater than the worst case scenario predicted by climate scientists just four years ago.
Even former skeptics like Richard Muller are now saying reducing global warming pollution is necessary because they could have a “disastrous impact on the world.”
The North Dakota coal industry is whining that the Minnesota law will prevent construction of new carbon-belching plants in North Dakota.
But they know that many other factors make coal a bad investment now, especially its rising cost. Economics, not Minnesota’s efforts to achieve clean electricity, is coal’s basic problem.
We have the poorest quality coal in the world, and the best quality wind. Why should taxpayers foot the bill to promote the former at the expense of the latter?
Terrence Kardong, Richardton, Dakota Resource Council Board
Tags: terrence kardong, dakota resource council board, opinion, letters, letter, coal
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