The City of New Ulm has shelved plans to convert a steam plant boiler into a coal burning facility.

The plan was thought to have potential cost-saving benefits by replacing natural gas with coal, but the Environmental Protection Agency recently found the cost of coal to currently be comparable or higher than natural gas prices.

On Tuesday, the New Ulm Public Utilities Commission subsequently voted against completion of the permitting process.

The move by New Ulm city officials earned the praise of one well-known colleague. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the development “great news for the people of Minnesota.”

Photo: new-ulm.mn.us

Economic forecasts show New Ulm officials that coal is no longer economically viable.