ROSEAU, MINN— On Tuesday, February 9, 2016, the Supreme Court halted the enforcement of President Obama's Clean Power Plan in a 5-4 decision until legal challenges have been resolved. To date, 27 states have filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the proposal, citing federal government overreach, skyrocketing rates for consumers and high costs of implementation as serious concerns. In addition, Minnesotans have expressed concerns about the plan's negative impact on industry jobs and electrical system reliability.
House Republicans asked Attorney General Lori Swanson to add Minnesota to the coalition of states who filed suit against the EPA in October, but she did not move forward on behalf of the state. Utilities, including some serving Minnesota, have filed separate lawsuits against the EPA as well.
Representative Dan Fabian (R-Roseau) released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision:
"The Supreme Court halting President Obama's Clean Power Plan is great news for folks in our state, and the families, businesses and communities that will see skyrocketing energy prices if this new rule is implemented. This plan was crafted by non-elected government officials in the EPA, and with more than half of states suing the federal government, it's clear how devastating this expensive and overreaching new rule would be for citizens. By pausing the implementation of Obama's Clean Power Plan, taxpayers and state governments are protected from wasting money on expensive new mandates that could soon be overturned.
"Minnesota is already a leader when it comes to protecting our natural resources, and this significantly expanded scope of federal power under EPA rulemaking would undermine our state's regulatory authority, as well as impact the availability of affordable energy for consumers."