FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 28, 2023) – Attorney General Daniel Cameron today led a 19-state coalition in a letter opposing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule, arguing this policy would harm the economies of energy states, like Kentucky, by imposing excessive regulations for air quality standards.
“As Americans face record-high inflation, the Biden Administration is pushing extreme policies that would harm the economies of energy states like Kentucky,” said Attorney General Cameron. “The United States has some of the cleanest air in the industrialized world, and this regulation prioritizes President Biden’s radical climate agenda ahead of the livelihoods of hard-working Americans.”
The Clean Air Act directs the EPA to propose air quality standards for certain pollutants to protect public health. In 2020, the EPA made a well-reasoned decision not to adjust the existing National Ambient Air Quality Standards. But after a 2021 executive order by President Biden, the EPA decided to reconsider its decision.
In their letter, the attorneys general argue that the proposed rule exceeds the EPA’s authority and is merely an attempt to advance President Biden’s radical climate goals. The coalition also contends that the EPA’s scientific evidence to support the policy change is insufficient.
The attorneys general explain that adopting the EPA’s overly burdensome regulations would inflict real harm on energy-producing states. They write that this proposed rule may “require closing existing manufacturing and industrial facilities” and “such closures will affect not only those individual businesses but also the communities that are built around them.”
Attorney General Cameron is joined by attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia in sending the letter.
To read the letter, click here.