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Carbon rules likely mean higher Iowa power bills

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June 2nd, 2014 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Iowa utility officials say the Obama administration’s ambitious plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions from power plants is likely to increase costs. The plan announced Monday calls for carbon emissions to be cut by 30 percent by 2030 when compared to 2005 levels. But utilities and state officials say they’ll have to review the details before they know how Iowa will be affected.

Regi Goodale with the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives says it’s just a question of how much electric bills will increase because of the new regulations. Iowa utilities invested heavily in wind power over the past decade and improved the efficiency of existing power plants. Mark Douglas with the Iowa Utilities Association says the state may be in a good position because of those past efforts.