GOP states sue to stop plant pollution rules
Twenty-five Republican-led states, including Georgia, filed a legal challenge Thursday to new federal regulations on air pollution from power plants that generate electricity.
The new rule, announced in April, would likely end coal-burning for power in the U.S. over the next 15 years and make it significantly harder for utilities to continue using natural gas. Both coal and natural gas are non-renewable fossil fuels that contribute to climate change, and the rule was hailed by environmentalists and assailed by utilities.
The appeal itself is only about a page long and makes no detailed argument against the rule other than to say it is “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and not in accordance with law.” It was filed with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which issued the rule, declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Georgia Power, which recently won approval from state regulators to add more fossil fuel-fired power generation to its fleet.
In a statement, Carr said the new rule includes costly, unattainable standards and unrealistic deadlines.
“Our economy depends on safe, reliable and affordable energy, and we won’t stand by while D.C. activists further burden families and businesses throughout our state,” the statement said. It also referenced a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court limiting the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
But Gudrun Thompson, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said the new regulation stands on “firm legal footing.”