Wyo. coal-fired plants top EPA new-plant CO2 limit

Several of the coal-fired power plants located in Wyoming emit carbon dioxide at a much higher rate than a proposed federal limit for new power plants. The standards recently proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would require new coal-fired plants to exceed no more than 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour. The relatively new Dry Fork Station north of Gillette emits roughly 2,100 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour. Power plant owner Basin Electric touts the plant as one of the cleanest coal-fired power plants in the U.S. Officials at PacifiCorp say CO2 emissions from their four Wyoming coal-fired power plants range from 2,100 to 2,600 pounds per megawatt-hour. The EPA plans to issue carbon pollution standards for existing power plants in June.