Conservatives urge states to ‘fiercely resist’ EPA’s climate rule

A coalition of conservative groups is pressing states to “fiercely resist” the Environmental Protection Agency’s carbon pollution rule for existing power plants.

The broad array of organizations sent a letter to state legislators, attorneys general and governors, calling on them to resist the administration’s proposal at every turn and to refuse to help the EPA along its process.

{mosads}“We urge you to fiercely resist any attempt to appease the EPA’s demands. EPA’s so-called Clean Power Plan (CPP) is illegitimate, an affront to both federalism and the separation of powers,” the letter states.

The letter — signed by Heritage Action, and the -backed Americans for Prosperity and American Commitment — doesn’t mince words, arguing the EPA can’t control “its appetite for power” and that the proposal can’t be implemented in any “feasible or responsible” way.

“Instead of trying to bargain with EPA, leaders like you should send a clear message to the federal government that if it insists on pursuing the regulatory equivalent of punitive energy taxes, it must promulgate and implement that policy itself — and be held solely accountable for the disastrous consequences that will follow,” the letter states.

The groups go on to claim that the EPA proposal is “almost certain to be overturned” by a federal court.

They also predict that the new GOP majority next year will “undoubtedly” vote to block the rule, and the 2016 presidential election could end “EPA’s war on coal” —  the phrase critics coined to allege the carbon rule and other White House policies create costly burdens that will kill jobs and raise power costs.

“You will never regret saying no and forcing the federal government to implement its own destructive agenda,” the letter states.

The conservative organizations assert that EPA’s carbon pollution rule is not very different from the administration’s healthcare law, claiming states that chose to implement the law “learned the hard way” as federal officials “micromanaged” everything.

“Resistance to these regulations is not futile!” the groups add.

The EPA has said it has yet to craft a plan for states that decide to not implement the rules, instead focusing on aiding states that have questions and are cooperating with the agency.

Despite severe pushback from the GOP, and the coal industry, the EPA says it in on solid legal footing when it comes to the rule.

The public comment period for the rule, which mandates the nation’s fleet of existing power plants cut carbon dioxide emissions 30 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels, closed on Monday.

The EPA says it still expects to finalize the regulation by summer of next year.