N.D. regulators annoyed by carbon tax advocacy

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota utility regulators say a carbon tax would hurt consumers, and they're troubled that the chief executive officer of Xcel Energy supports the idea.

Xcel has 87,000 North Dakota customers. The utility relies less on coal to produce power, and chief executive Richard Kelly has supported a carbon tax and “cap and trade” legislation. Those would raise the price of coal-generated electricity.

Public Service Commissioners Kevin Cramer and Tony Clark say any tax on carbon would hurt North Dakota because it is a major producer of coal and oil. Cramer says the expense will just get pushed onto ratepayers, instead of Xcel shareholders.

An Xcel spokeswoman says almost half of the utility's upper Midwest electricity comes from coal. About 27 percent is from nuclear power.

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