Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman Joins Lawsuit Over Clean Air Rules
DENVER (AP) — Colorado's Republican attorney general said Friday she has joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama's plan to require states to reduce air pollution, drawing criticism from the state's Democratic governor.
Attorney General Cynthia Coffman called the Clean Power Plan an illegal attempt to expand federal authority. It calls for state-by-state reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, with a target of a 40 percent cut in Colorado's rate by 2030.
"Coloradans value the environment," she said, but should be allowed to develop their own regulations.
"We've proven again and again that good environmental policy can be developed and implemented successfully by Coloradans, and within the bounds of the law. This rule fits neither description," she said.
Gov. John Hickenlooper issued a statement opposing the lawsuit, saying it will create uncertainty.
The legal challenge will make it difficult for industry to plan cost-effective ways to cut pollution, something Coffman had been advising the state on, he said.
"Clean air and protecting public health should be everyone's top priority. Colorado's interest is best served by an open, inclusive process to implement the Clean Power Plan," he said.
Colorado's attorney general is elected and independent of the governor. Coffman noted she has the authority to file lawsuits on behalf of the state.
States have until 2017 to come up with a plan to meet their target. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has begun, holding a meeting to gather public comment in Denver last month. A second meeting is scheduled Nov. 9 in Durango.
Hickenlooper said the state can meet the EPA target "at little or no increased cost to our residents." Proponents say the plan will also create jobs in renewable energy.
But Michael Fields, Colorado director of the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, said it could raise household energy bills by $610 a year and force six Colorado coal-fired power plants to close down, costing nearly 9,000 jobs.
Twenty-four states challenged the plan in a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., bypassing district court as allowed by the Clean Air Act.
- By Dan Elliott, AP Writer
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