Maine joins lawsuit against Trump administration over climate change regulations

[jpak]

https://www.pressherald.com/2019/08/13/maine-joins-lawsuit-against-trump-administration-over-climate-change-regulations/

Maine’s attorney general has a joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to roll back new greenhouse gas emissions rules on power plants.

Attorney General Aaron Frey added Maine to the group of 21 other states and seven local governments that filed suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to protect Obama-era rules requiring power plants to reduce emissions of climate-altering gases. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed replacing the rules with regulations that would result in dramatically smaller reductions in emissions.

“Fossil-fueled power plants are major sources of climate change pollution,” Frey said in a statement. “Beyond the impacts that climate change itself has on Maine’s natural resources and economy, we also know that emissions – from these plants – including plants outside of Maine – pollute our air and water. Rolling back rules to limit this type of pollution violates the federal Clean Air Act, and will result in negative consequences for Mainers’ health, economic well-being, and way of life.”

This is just the latest in a string of lawsuits challenging President Obama’s controversial Clean Power Plan as well as the Trump administration’s attempts to undo one of his predecessor’s signature policies on climate change.

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