EPA Loosens Wyoming Coal Restrictions
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming's congressional delegation and Gov. Matt Mead are applauding Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt's decision to scrap limits on carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants.
U.S. Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso and Rep. Liz Cheney say the Clean Power Plan initiated by the Obama administration is burdensome and illegal.
The Republicans say the plan would essentially stop new coal power plants from being constructed as well as force most existing plants to close in the coming years.
Enzi says the federal government shouldn't pick winners and losers in the marketplace, and Barrasso says the plan would have harmed the state's economy.
Cheney says Pruitt's decision is a necessary step toward reversing the harmful Obama-era policies that strangled the economy.
Mead says the Obama plan usurped state regulatory authority.