Maine joins coalition of 25 states, cities and counties in defense of EPA Clean Power Plan

AUGUSTA – November 5, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Attorney General Janet T. Mills announced today Maine is joining a coalition of 25 states, cities and counties filing a motion to intervene to defend the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s “Clean Power Plan” against legal challenge. The coalition’s motion to intervene in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit responds to suits that several states and industry groups have filed challenging the rule. The Clean Power Plan rule requires fossil-fueled power plants, the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in the nation, to cut their emissions pursuant to the Clean Air Act.

“Maine people in particular bear the burden of dirty power plants to the west,” said Attorney General Mills. “Fossil fuel burning power plants beyond Maine’s borders contribute not only to poor air quality locally, but they can also be blamed for fish consumption warnings due to mercury emitted from their smokestacks. The EPA needs to take steps to protect the health of Maine people and our environment by adopting the Clean Power Plan.”

The EPA adopted the Clean Power Plan through a multi-year stakeholder process that drew heavily on the experience of states and utilities in reducing power plant greenhouse gas emissions.

The finalization of the Clean Power Plan marks the culmination of a decade-long effort by states and cities to require mandatory cuts in the emissions of climate change pollution from fossil fuel burning power plants under the Clean Air Act. The Clean Power Plan, along with the companion rule on new, modified, and reconstructed power plants, will control these emissions by setting limits on the amount of climate change pollution that power plants can emit. The rule for existing plants is expected to eliminate as much climate change pollution as is emitted by more than 160 million cars a year – or 70% of the nation’s passenger cars.

The Attorneys General of New York, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, the District of Columbia, the City of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boulder, South Miami and Broward County (FL) have all joined the coalition.