TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – February 11, 2016 – (RealEstateRama) — Attorney General Pam Bondi today announced that the U.S. Supreme Court ordered an immediate halt to President Barack Obama’s unlawful power plan. The Court order is in response to a legal challenge brought by a bipartisan coalition of 29 states and state agencies, including Florida. While the stay is a major victory, the states’ litigation to stop the administration’s unlawful overreach continues in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
“This U.S. Supreme Court order is a huge victory for Florida families, businesses and the rule of law. Once again, this administration is ignoring the limits of its authority in trying to impose harmful and heavy-handed regulations on Floridians and the rest of the country. I am pleased the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the states and halted the implementation of these illegal actions,” said Attorney General Bondi.
The stay signals confidence in the broader challenge, as the Court found the states’ arguments strong enough to stop the power plan immediately, protecting jobs and saving taxpayers the cost of implementing the rule that will likely be struck down.
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral argument on the legality of the power plan on June 2. A final ruling from that court might not come for months, and without the stay, the administration’s plan could have eliminated an untold numbers of jobs, increased electricity bills and weakened the nation’s electrical grid.
The bipartisan coalition challenged the EPA’s power plan on Oct. 23, 2015, the day the rule was published. The states argue the EPA exceeded its authority by, among other things, forcing states to fundamentally shift energy portfolios.
The coalition urging the U.S. Supreme Court to immediately halt the EPA’s unlawful power plan is being led by West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and includes; Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming, along with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Mississippi Public Service Commission, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.
Contact: Whitney Ray
Phone: (850) 245-0150
