Agency would require steep cuts in carbon emissions.
Missouri has joined a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, saying the agency is overstepping its authority with new carbon emissions rules.
Missouri government and business leaders say the EPA’s plan places strict regulations that will hurt small businesses and burden business owners unnecessarily. Two dozen other states are also part of the lawsuit.
The new rules, considered one of the most vital parts of President Obama’s environmental agenda, require states to cut carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
But Missouri Attorney General Chris Kostner called the policy economically risky and said it would reduce the state’s competitive business standing.
“Renewable energy is a vital piece of our state’s energy portfolio,” Koster said in a speech at the Missouri Electric Coop’s annual meeting, Legal Newsline reported. “It is essential, however, that we achieve this goal in an economically responsible way that makes sense for Missouri.”
Kostner has previously taken on the EPA when the agency encroached on the state’s right to regulate its own air and water in new water regulations.
Coal is integral to Missouri’s energy profile, supplying 83 percent of its net electricity generation in 2013, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
