Illinois Joins Coalition Of States, Cities Backing Clean Power Plan

Eighteen states have effectively countersued by filing a motion in defense of the EPA.

“We think the EPA rule moves the state in the right direction”, he added.

The states of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, the District of Columbia, the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boulder, South Miami, and Broward County (FL) have all joined the coalition. “This is one more battle we must fight to protect manufacturing jobs in our state”. EPA projects that the CPP would reduce Carbon dioxide emissions 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030-an actual increase in stringency from its proposed rule.

“Of course, it’s very, very complex”, Deck said.

“I can’t recall a Clean Air Act rule, or other EPA rule, that had 44 states in the mix”, said Joe Stanko, an attorney at Hunton & Williams.

“That kind of charge is very frequently made with new environmental regulations, and it easily proves to be overwrought or completely inaccurate”, Donahue said.

The only strategy against the Clean Power Plan that ever had any chance of success is one that goes through the Supreme Court; a few 24 state attorneys filed lawsuits against it the second it was published.

While business leaders, nurses and doctors, faith leaders of all denominations and Gov. Rick Snyder want to see Michigan comply with the Clean Power Plan (CPP), Schuette is stepping in to try and stop it. The CPP will limit pollution that contributes to soaring asthma rates in children, mercury levels in fish and climate change.

Schneiderman’s and New York City’s actions today are in keeping with the state’s and the city’s long history of climate leadership.

State challengers have touted their bipartisan support. “We are deeply committed to protecting Wisconsin businesses and ratepayers from the far-reaching impact of these rules”.

State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey led 23 states Tuesday in in asking a federal court to strike down the EPA’s new source performance standards. Oklahoma and North Dakota filed separately. In addition, they argue that the EPA’s approach of reducing emissions from affected sources by shifting generation to other technologies (such as renewables and natural gas) exceeds the EPA’s authority by encroaching on the states’ traditional role of determining the need for new generation resources and a mix of generation types used to serve their customers. The final plans then are due to the EPA in September 2018. States must develop plans to meet their targets, and mandatory reductions begin in an interim period, now starting in 2022-a two-year extension.

States can come up with their own emissions reductions or join an existing program, like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in effect in New York for six years. “The current standard of 75 parts per billion was set in 2008 and continues to be protective of human health and the environment”, she said in a news release.

The pattern is clear to the Sierra Clubs’ Hooks. They note that just requesting an extension of the initial compliance deadline requires significant work and expenditure of public funds, resulting in additional irreparable harms.