A coalition of Republican Attorneys General have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block new federal regulations for air pollution from coal plants.
Earlier this year the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency passed new regulations to limit coal plants’ emissions of greenhouse gasses, and toxic air pollutants like arsenic.
Attorneys General from 20 states, including Montana AG Austin Knudsen, requested an emergency stay from the nation’s highest court that would stop the new rules. In their filing, the group says EPA exceeded its authority by requiring coal plants to adopt expensive air filtration technology to comply with the regulations.
A lower court previously denied the groups’ request to have the rules blocked.
Most plants across the US are already in compliance with these rules. However, the coal-fired power plant in Colstrip is not, and is the largest emitter of these pollutants in the country. Montana’s congressional delegation criticized the standards when they came out this spring, saying they unfairly targeted a primary source of energy generation in the state.
Healthcare workers, and environmental advocates have supported the rules, for benefiting human health, and cutting down planet-warming emissions.
