Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond joined 23 other states this week in suing the Biden Administration’s EPA over new and tougher standards for soot pollution.
The suit, led by attorneys general from Kentucky and West Virginia, claimed the new rule from the Environmental Protection Agency will result in higher costs for manufacturers, utilities and families. It might even block new manufacturing plants and infrastructure for roads and bridges.
Besides Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia and Texas, other states challenging the EPA rule include: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming.
Texas filed a separate suit along with business groups led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers.
Their suits were filed in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the D.C..
“The EPA’s new rule has more to do with advancing President (Joe) Biden’s radical green agenda than protecting Kentuckians’ health or the environment, said Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman.
He also claimed the new EPA rule “will drive jobs and investment out of Kentucky and overseas, leaving employers and hardworking families to pay the price.”
No specific industry is targeted by the new rule, rather it decreases the annual standard for fine particulate matter for overall air quality. States and counties that don’t meet the new standard wll have 18 months to develop compliance plans. Oklahoma and other states will have to meet the new standard by 2032 or face penalties.
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