Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Luther Strange Says Obama’s EPA Edict Will Be Challenged

By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter

On Thursday, June 5, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange (R) says he will explore all legal options to challenge the Obama Administration’s latest ruling restricting power plant emissions which target Alabama jobs.

AG Strange said in a written statement, “The Obama administration’s EPA ruling to cut carbon emissions at power plants is a direct affront to workers in states like Alabama which not only rely upon coal-fired plants to generate most of their electricity, but are also home to thousands of coal industry jobs.  Make no mistake, this ruling will cost us jobs and raise heating and cooling bills in Alabama.”

Strange continued, “Because the Obama administration has gone around Congress to impose these punitive regulations, it has been left to state Attorneys General to challenge them in court. Since taking office, I have joined Attorneys General from other states in opposing burdensome EPA regulations on our coal industry as well as on energy providers. We were successful in overturning one such ruling in 2012 regarding cross-state air pollution and the Obama administration can expect another legal challenge to its latest intrusive and overreaching carbon emission regulation.”

The EPA ruling announced on Monday mandates that the State of Alabama cut its power plant carbon emissions by 27 percent by 2030.  More than half of all the electricity Alabama Power generates in the state comes from coal-fired plants.  According to information released by Strange’s office, more than 16,000 Alabama jobs are dependent upon the coal industry, which has a $1.3 billion economic impact upon our State.

Luther Strange concluded, “The extremist agenda of the Obama administration is forcing unwarranted higher energy costs upon Americans and further threatening an already sluggish economic recovery. I am reviewing this latest burdensome mandate and will pursue every legal option to stop it.”

In 2009 President Obama asked Congress to give him sweeping powers to regulate all American industries to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.  Carbon dioxide is an odorless colorless gas that we exhale as part of breathing.  Some climate scientists theorize that minute increases in CO2 levels in the atmosphere will lead to global warming over the next century.  When a Democrat controlled balked on anything so radical and then the American people elected Republicans, killing any chance of Congress passing his radical legislation, President Obama has declared unilateral power to impose his 16 year plan without the consent of Congress or any approval of his plan by any of the states.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

According to an economic analysis prepared by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky will be especially hard hit by Obama’s new mandates.  Our region will lose $2.1 billion in economic losses a year every year between now and 2030 and tens of thousands of jobs as the stranglehold of those Draconian new standards slowly tightens on our economy.

AG Luther Strange is running for re-election in November and faces stiff opposition from Rep. Joe Hubbard (D) from Montgomery.

Brandon Moseley is a former reporter at the Alabama Political Reporter.

More from APR

Economy

Companies launching operations or expanding existing facilities in 2023 are poised to make investments totaling over $6.4 billion.

Economy

The preliminary, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched up to 2.9 percent from December's 2.8 percent.

Economy

The processing facility is expected to create 120 jobs in Dothan.

Congress

The bill appropriates more than $786 million for Alabama priorities, $232 million of which was secured by Britt.