WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) today released the following statement on the U.S. D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to strike down the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“Today’s decision is a decisive victory for states
and their ability to stand against EPA’s costly rules and regulations that
threaten to increase consumer electricity bills and cripple local economies,”
Johanns said. “EPA has a troubling history of overreaching beyond its authority
and ignoring state enforcement agencies. I’m pleased the Court called EPA out on
both counts in this case.
The EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which set
strict new emission standards, would have forced energy providers to implement
costly changes in just six months.
The Court’s opinion notes that EPA violated the
Clean Air Act by failing to give state authorities a chance to submit plans to
comply.
Last year, the State of Nebraska joined more than
three dozen other petitioners in a lawsuit challenging the rule’s
implementation.
Johanns introduced legislation in 2011, which would
halt the implementation of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. The legislation
also would require EPA to give states at least two years to submit their own
regulatory plan and prohibit EPA from applying any federal plan if states have
not been given enough time. Additionally, Johanns was one of four co-sponsors of
S.J. Res. 27, which would have cancelled the cross-state rule and sent EPA back
to the drawing board.
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