Energy Needs; Is Coal the Only Option?; Alliant Energy and State Regulators Should Consider Whether Building a Coal Plant in Southwestern Wisconsin Is in the Best Interest of the Utility's Customers.

Summary

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Last fall, Xcel Energy Inc. in Minnesota said it was planning to turn to wind and water rather than coal to supply its customers' electricity needs. According to a November article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Xcel was assuming that governments would begin imposing a tax or other cost on carbon dioxide emissions. The utility figured that turning to an alternative source of energy would save money for its customers.

Given global warming initiatives announced recently by President Bush, measures being taken by state governments across the country and last week's release of the summary of a new report on climate change, that's probably a pretty safe bet. And it's one Wisconsin utilities should consider more seriously.

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Extract

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Energy Needs; Is Coal the Only Option?; Alliant Energy and State Regulators Should Consider Whether Building a Coal Plant in Southwestern Wisconsin Is in the Best Interest of the Utility's Customers.

Instead, Madison-based Alliant Energy Corp. has asked Wisconsin regulators for permission...

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