24 States File Legal Challenge To EPA Clean Power Plan Rule

The U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan  was published as a final rule in the Federal Register today and a coalition of twenty-four states, including Georgia, immediately filed a lawsuit in the D.C. Court of Appeals challenging the legality of the Rule.  The EPA's Plan calls for a 32% nationwide reduction (as compared to 2005 levels) in the power sector's carbon emissions by 2030 with specific reduction requirements for individual states.  The twenty-four states contend that the EPA's Plan exceeds EPA's regulatory authority under the federal Clean Air Act.  Fifteen other states have previously announced their intention to intervene in support of the EPA's Clean Power Plan in any lawsuit challenging the Plan.