A federal court threw out a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule aimed at cutting pollution from coal-fired power plants, dealing a blow to the Obama administration’s efforts to curb harmful emissions.States rights issue.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington in a 2-1 ruling today struck down the EPA’s cross-state air pollution rule, saying the agency illegally imposed federal authority over state air pollution programs. The court sided with more than three dozen challengers to the measure, which caps emissions in more than two dozen states. The rule had been put on hold by the court in December while it considered the regulation’s legality.
Fracking: states rights issue.
Also, in the story:
The court’s decision, which sparked a rally in coal stocks, could leave the EPA with years of work to replace a regulation the agency said would have “dramatic” health benefits for 240 million people, Whitney Stanco, senior energy policy analyst at Guggenheim Securities LLC, said.And,
The rule would put the owner of a coal-fired power plant in the position either of having to close the facility or bring it into compliance by installing pollution control equipment, which can be very expensive,” said Sam Brothwell, senior analyst covering utilities for Bloomberg Industries in New York.Well, yes.
