FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
October 11, 2011
For More Information, contact:
Luther Strange
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Alabama Attorney General
Suzanne Webb (334) 242-7351
Page 1 of 1
ALABAMA JOINS 25 OTHERS IN CHALLENGE TO BURDENSOME EPA REGULATION
THAT THREATENS JOBS, ENDANGERS AFFORDABLE ELECTRICITY RATES
(MONTGOMERY)–Attorney General Luther Strange today announced that Alabama
has joined 24 other states and the U.S. Territory of Guam in filing an amicus brief urging the
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to require the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) to delay implementation of new burdensome air emissions regulations in order
to protect and preserve Alabama jobs and affordable electricity rates.
“The EPA continues to issue job-killing regulations that harm our economy. I am proud
to stand with other state Attorneys General to push back against the continued onslaught of
burdensome new federal rules and regulations flowing from Washington, D.C.,” said Strange.
The EPA’s proposed Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology (Utility MACT)
rule would create a new federal regulation to address the emissions of “hazardous air
pollutants” from coal and oil-fired power plants. The proposed rule may require the
installation of new expensive control technologies to meet the new limits mandated by the
EPA. Power plants that are unable to meet these new EPA limits may be forced to shut down.
The brief filed yesterday in the case American Nurses Association, et al. v. Lisa P, Jackson,
and Administrator of The United States Environmental Protection Agency requests the U.S. District
Court for the District of Columbia postpone the implementation of the Utility MACT rule by
one year, to November 16, 2012. The extension would allow the EPA more time to respond to
the states’ concerns, fix serious technical flaws, and undergo a more careful review of the
economic ramifications of the regulation.
As the brief notes, the “EPA is insisting on rushing ahead with a rule that will have a
far-reaching impact, without adequately considering the serious concerns and questions raised
by states and other interested parties in the rulemaking process. Most notably, the rule under
consideration has the potential to undermine significantly the reliability of our nation’s
electrical supply and significantly increase the cost of electricity to the consumer.”
The 25 states filing the amicus brief include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,
Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan,
Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee,
Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming, in addition to the Territory of Guam.
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