FRANKFORT, Ky. (August 10, 2023) – Attorney General Daniel Cameron is protecting Kentucky coal from President Biden’s radical climate agenda. General Cameron joined two coalitions opposing an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal that sets impossible standards for greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. If implemented, the sweeping regulation will force many coal plants to either adopt untested and costly technologies or shut down.
“These impossible standards are the latest attempt by President Biden to unlawfully restructure the American power sector away from coal,” said General Cameron. “Make no mistake, this plan will be the death knell for Kentucky coal miners and coal plants. I will continue using every possible tool to prevent these extreme environmentalists from harming Kentucky.”
Coal- and natural-gas-fired power plants provide about 60% of America’s electricity. In Kentucky, coal plants alone generated 71% of electricity in 2021, the fourth-largest share among states. Consequently, the coalitions argue that EPA’s proposed rule would hinder American energy production increase utility bills, and stretch an already weakened electric grid.
The attorneys general point out that EPA lacks the authority to order a nationwide shift in energy production, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in which the Court found such action unconstitutional. Nevertheless, EPA is continuing its anti-coal crusade, with an unhinged obsession for regulating coal—and the good-paying jobs it provides—out of existence.
This is General Cameron’s latest action to hold President Biden accountable for his war on Kentucky coal. Earlier this year, General Cameron led 25 states in challenging President Biden’s attack on gas-powered vehicles and a 19-state coalition in opposing the EPA’s excessive regulation of air quality standards. In April, General Cameron rebuked a U.S. Department of Energy regulation that would make illegal over 50 percent of gas stoves currently on the market.
To read the letter sent by Ohio, click here. To read the letter sent by West Virginia, click here.