Wyoming governor Mark Gordon vows to sue EPA over coal guidelines
The Biden administration's recent announcement of updated EPA guidelines has provoked the ire of Wyoming lawmakers and the state’s coal industry, whose output has almost halved since its peak in 2008.
The “Greenhouse Standards and Guidelines for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants” will require coal-fired power plants to control 90 percent of their carbon pollution, reduce the amount of pollutants from coal-fired power plants, require safe management of coal ash, and limit the acceptable emission of mercury and other toxic metals from coal-fired power plants.
Formally known as the “Equality State,” often known as the “Cowboy State,” Wyoming is also colloquially dubbed the “Energy State” – Wyoming produces 12 times as much energy as it consumes, including over 40% of the nation’s coal, and coal has contributed billions to the state’s trust fund. Efforts to reform or hamper the coal industry are a tough political sell.
“Today’s announcement is a real belly kick to Wyoming," warned the Mining Association President Travis Deti.
"Aside from the obvious impacts of driving up costs while further destabilizing America’s already rickety electricity grid by eliminating critical baseload power, EPA's ill-intentioned and legally questionable rules package will seriously impact our state’s people," added Deti in a written statement.
The EPA described the rules as designed to protect communities from pollution and as important in tackling climate change.
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“By developing these standards in a clear, transparent, inclusive manner, EPA is cutting pollution while ensuring that power companies can make smart investments and continue to deliver reliable electricity for all Americans," wrote EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan.
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Governor Mark Gordon condemned the announcement of new rules and expressed interest in leading a coalition of states in litigating the federal government.
“It is clear the only goal envisioned by these rules released by the Environmental Protection Agency today is the end of coal communities in Wyoming. EPA has weaponized the fear of climate change into a crushing set of rules that will result in an unreliable electric grid, unaffordable electricity, and thousands of lost jobs,” Gordon wrote.
Cy Neff is a politics reporting fellow based in Wyoming for USA Today. You can reach him at cneff@usatoday.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CyNeffNews
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: EPA opposed by coal industry leaders, Wyoming politicians
