WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — Montana Attorney General Tim Fox announced May 19 that he supports a federal appeals court after its decision effectively postpones any decision regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s overreaching oil and natural gas rule.
In August 2016, 14 states and state agencies challenged the oil and gas rule, alleging the regulation imposed rules on the industry that were burdensome and unnecessary and created a situation that would allow further limits on existing oil and gas operations in the future.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently ordered that any final decision regarding the case be delayed. The EPA and the parties involved must determine the next steps.
“This is just one example where we’ve successfully fought federal overreach. My office will continue to represent Montana’s interests in the days ahead,” Fox said.
Joining Montana in the legal challenge were Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin, along with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.