An editorial from The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Even if the odds are against you, sometimes it is important to make your case.
West Virginia and 14 other coal-reliant states gave oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit last week challenging new proposed regulations for coal-fired power plants.
The Environmental Protection Agency has outlined a plan to require states to cut carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030 and has detailed preliminary targets for each state.
The rule also would charge each state with developing a plan to meet the goal.
While the rules will not be finalized until this summer, leaders in our region know enough to see that these changes will kill jobs, force coal companies to shut down plants and drive up electricity prices. Some of that already is happening, just in anticipation of the new rules.
So, the reaction Thursday of two of the judges on the three-judge panel was a little discouraging…
