A federal appeals court stopped the Environmental Protection Agency’s rejection of Arkansas’ plan to comply with federal rules to ensure that the state’s coal-fired power plants and industrial sites don’t pollute other states’ air on Thursday in Little Rock, Ark.

The eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Requests gave a stay of the EPA’s choice in a one-page request without elaboration. Arkansas filed a lawsuit in February over the EPA’s rejection of the state’s plan to fulfill its Clean Air Act “good neighbor” obligations.

Plans from Arkansas and 18 other states were turned down by the EPA.

In a statement, Republican Attorney General Tim Griffin stated, “The court’s order blocking the Biden administration’s disapproval prevents the administration from imposing a one-size-fits-all federal implementation plan (FIP) that would kill Arkansas jobs and threaten our power grid.”

States are prohibited from contributing to ozone pollution outside their borders by an EPA rule from 2015. The agency announced its plan to reduce power plant pollution in the downwind direction last year. A federal plan would take effect to safeguard states downwind in the event that a state has not submitted a “good neighbor” proposal or the EPA rejects one.

The EPA didn’t quickly answer an email mentioning remark late Thursday evening. The agency had requested that the court not extend its decision to reject Arkansas’ plan.

When Arkansas filed its lawsuit, Griffin stated that the EPA rejected Arkansas’ proposal because of its potential impact on the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas. He said that was an unexpected norm in comparison to the state was initially informed it would be held to.

“Denying EPA of power to address Arkansas’ sources’ destructive discharges while this prosecution continues would hurt the wellbeing and government assistance of millions of individuals who live in regions influenced by contamination from Arkansas,” lawyers for the EPA said in a documenting the month before.
Source – Thedailycitizen