WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced Dec. 15 that he has joined a 24-state coalition in opposing the Clean Power Plan put forth by President Obama. The coalition asks President-elect Donald Trump and Congressional leaders to withdraw the plan.
“The so-called Clean Power Plan is an abuse of power, it’s regulation without representation,” Brnovich said. “Eliminating this unconstitutional mandate will protect Arizona jobs and ratepayers."
The coalition drafted a letter addressed to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan. In the letter, the attorneys general put forth a multi-step plan to fight the rule and any similar legislation that comes in the future.
The first step would involve Trump rescinding his predecessor’s Climate Action Plan on day one. In a follow-up step, Trump could induce formal administrative action to withdraw the power plan in court. In a final step, the coalition notes that Congress could take longer-term legislative action to prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from drafting similar rules.
The 24-state coalition signing the letter includes Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, along with the Mississippi and North Carolina departments of environmental quality.