Ken Paxton
AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded today’s appeals court decision that should allow the Trump administration to repeal the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) so-called Clean Power Plan. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia placed the case on hold for 60 days, giving the EPA time to review the Obama-era plan.
Last year, Texas, West Virginia and 22 other states won a stay in the U.S. Supreme Court against the Clean Power Plan, which has been under review by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals since last fall. On March 28, President Trump signed an executive order directing the EPA to unwind the plan. Today’s court ruling orders the EPA to file status reports at 30-day intervals.
“It’s gratifying that our lawsuit against Obama-era federal overreach set the wheels in motion for today’s important ruling,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Dismantling the Clean Power Plan will help prevent higher electricity costs and avert weakening the nation’s power grid. We look forward to restoring balance and cooperation between the states and the EPA.”
Last month, Attorney General Paxton led a coalition of 19 states that called on the EPA to adhere to the cooperative approach to regulating the environment that the Clean Air Act and Clear Water Act require. View a copy of the letter here. To view copies of the orders, click here and here.