FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2022
For press inquiries only, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Attorney General Steve Marshall Declares Victory Over the Mother of All Executive Orders: Biden’s “Social Cost of Carbon”
(MONTGOMERY) – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced victory over the Biden administration Friday as a federal court granted Alabama’s request for a preliminary injunction of a massive expansion of presidential executive power over American energy production and jobs, President Biden’s “Social Cost of Carbon” executive order.
“If allowed to continue, this order would have a devastating impact on the lives of Americans and practically every business, giving the president and his administration power to justify virtually any regulatory action,” said Attorney General Marshall. “Even worse, the administration seeks to make these fundamental changes without citizen input or congressional approval. Fortunately, our motion for a preliminary injunction against this highly disruptive executive order has been granted by a federal court.
“The executive order’s overreach touches every part of American life: the generators powering our homes, the dishwashers cleaning our tableware, the lawnmowers cutting our grass, the firewood keeping us warm, the livestock and produce feeding our families, and every breath we exhale. By executive fiat, the Biden administration is not only arbitrarily and unlawfully taxing American productivity and everyday life in the community, but also creating a scheme that can justify virtually any decision.”
The Biden executive order revives a flawed Obama administration plan, requiring federal agencies to quantify the “global damage” of releasing carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. These are some of the most inescapable emissions of any developed economy and result from nearly every aspect of human life. For instance, carbon dioxide emits from burning carbon-based materials, like fossil fuel and firewood, but also results from chemical reactions
like the manufacturing of cement. Agricultural activities, such as soil and waste management, result in roughly 75 percent of our nitrous oxide emissions, while 27 percent of methane emissions stem from livestock excretions. Methane also emits from using petroleum and natural gas.
“The federal court’s injunction of the executive order is a significant victory for the American economy and a major check on Washington bureaucrats run amok,” Attorney General Marshall added.
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana’s ruling to grant the stay requested by Attorney General Marshall and Attorney General Jeff Landry of Louisiana – along with colleagues from Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming – can be read here.
[For links, click PDF icon at upper right side of press release]
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