CHARLESTON, SC -- Eight different attorneys general from states near and far are urging the state of South Carolina not to build a new coal-fired power plant.

State-owned utility Santee Cooper had planned to spend $1 billion building two coal-fired, 600-megawatt generators near Johnsonville. The new facility would provide power to around 600,000 more homes.

But AGs of seven states plus D.C. signed a letter claiming the generators would further exacerbate the greenhouse effect by releasing millions of tons of additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The letter urges state environment officials not to grant the new facility an operating permit over global warming concerns. Signers included Jerry Brown of California, Andrew Cuomo of New York and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

Coal-fired power and its greenhouse-gas emissions are a controversial issue for state governments looking to serve growing populations. Last month in South Dakota a proposed 500-megawatt coal-burning power plant survived a state Supreme Court challenge brought by environmental groups over global warming fears, LNL reported.

The attorneys general of Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont also signed the letter.