West Virginia and 24 other states sue to overturn EPA power plant rule

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Attorneys general from 25 states filed a federal lawsuit Thursday challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s emissions rule for coal- and gas-fired power plants, which they argue ignores previous court rulings, would force plant closures, and exceeds the agency’s authority under federal law.

The 25 petitioners, led by West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. to declare unlawful and vacate the EPA’s stringent new rule for fossil fuel power plants — which requires existing coal- and gas-fired plants to either capture smokestack emissions or shut down. 

The EPA’s rule marked the first time the federal government has restricted CO2 emissions from existing power plants, and would force coal- or gas-fired power plants

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