Other LanguagesSEATTLE – Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that Washington has joined 25 states, cities and counties in filing motions to intervene to support the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s new power plant carbon pollution rules against legal challenge. The motions to intervene, filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, respond to suits that several other states, trade and industry groups have filed challenging EPA’s Clean Power Plan for existing power plants, and the companion rule that covers new, modified and reconstructed power plants. The rules require fossil-fueled power plants, the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in the nation, and the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Washington to cut their carbon dioxide emissions pursuant to the federal Clean Air Act.
“Protecting Washington’s environment is one of my top priorities,” Ferguson said. “These common-sense EPA rules are an important step in reducing pollutants that threaten to wreak havoc on the climate in our lifetime and for generations to come.”
The EPA adopted the power plant rules through a multiyear stakeholder process that drew heavily on the experience of states and utilities in reducing power plant emissions.
The finalization of the power plant rules marks the culmination of a decade-long effort by states and cities to require mandatory cuts in the pollution emitted from fossil-fuel burning power plants under the federal Clean Air Act. The rules set limits on the amount of carbon pollution that power plants can emit. The rule for existing plants alone is expected to eliminate as much pollution as is emitted by more than 160 million cars a year — or 70 percent of the nation’s passenger cars.
The states of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, the District of Columbia, the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boulder, South Miami, and Broward County (FL) have all joined one or both of the motions to intervene.
The motion to intervene regarding existing power plants can be found here. The motion to intervene regarding new power plants can be found here.
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The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office for the state of Washington with attorneys and staff in 27 divisions across the state providing legal services to roughly 200 state agencies, boards and commissions. Attorney General Bob Ferguson is working hard to protect consumers and seniors against fraud, keep our communities safe, protect our environment and stand up for our veterans. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.
Contact: Peter Lavallee, Communications Director, (360) 586-0725; PeterL@atg.wa.gov