RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia is the latest state to join a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new power plant regulations.
Attorney General Jason Miyares joined a 25-state coalition lawsuit against the new rule on existing coal-, natural gas- and oil-fired power plants.
The new rule would require power plants to capture smokestack emissions or shut down. It would regulate power plants under the Clean Air Act and impose stricter emission standards.
“By overstepping its bounds, the EPA is not only disregarding the Supreme Court's clear guidance but is also threatening the stability of our nation's energy supply and infringing upon the sovereign rights of states to manage their energy resources," Miyares said in a press release. “We are urging the Court to recognize the EPA’s illegal power-grab and ensure that any changes to our nation's energy policies are made through the proper legislative process, not through unilateral regulatory mandates.”
The EPA can't legally regulate control over electricity grids without Congress' approval. If imposed, it would force states to shift their power plants away from fossil fuel-fired sources.
Other states listed in the lawsuit are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
