Montana officials react favorably to court’s EPA decision
Montana officials offered favorable reactions Tuesday to the U.S. Supreme Court decision to delay implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Clean Power Plan.”
And the governor announced he was shelving a panel he recently created to look at the issue.
Supreme Court blocks Obama's climate change plan
“I have been clear that I think these rules were unfair to Montana,” Gov. Steve Bullock said via email. “Given the court’s ruling today, I am putting the work of the Clean Power Plan Council on hold. What we cannot put on hold, however, is the need to address climate change and embrace Montana’s energy future, and I am committed to ensuring we do so on our own terms.”
Bullock created the 27-member advisory council in January to make recommendations on the EPA plan on how Montana will cut its carbon emissions 47 percent by 2030.
Attorney General Tim Fox, who in October announced Montana would join other states in the lawsuit against the EPA over these rules, said “the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to halt implementation of the EPA’s carbon regulations is a clear victory for Montana and the 27 other states that are challenging those regulations in court. Today’s ruling will prevent Montana families, energy workers, businesses and public agencies from bearing the burden of regulations that we believe will be overturned ultimately.”
Fox received praise from fellow Republicans for joining the lawsuit. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., attended Fox’s news conference.
“The Supreme Court decision to issue a nationwide stay on the Obama administration’s misguided, job-killing rule is great news for Montana,” Daines said Tuesday. “The so-called Clean Power Plan will kill Montana jobs and leads our country in the wrong direction — away from being an energy leader,” Daines stated. “I appreciate Attorney General Tim Fox’s continued leadership to fight these anti-coal regulations. While this stay is great news, I will continue to keep up the fight to permanently stop President Obama’s job-killing agenda.”
Eric Sell, the public information officer for the Public Service Commission, said the commissioners were happy with the news.
“Needless to say the (Public Service) commissioners were extremely excited to hear the news today,” Sell said in a telephone call from Glendive, where the commissioners were holding a hearing on a rate increase proposed by Montana-Dakota Utilities Co.
He said the EPA plan was to cut CO2 emissions and “by our own analysis it does very little to reduce coal emissions.
“It’s a lot of cost for very little benefit,” he said, adding “if people are worried about environmental destruction, hurting our economy is not the way to battle that.”
Greg Gianforte, the Republican frontrunner for the gubernatorial race, said he was at the PSC meeting in Glendive and said the room erupted in applause when the decision was announced. He called it “great news for Montana” but said the state cannot rest.
“We must keep up the pressure and work to defeat this costly power plan once and for all,” he said, commending Fox for joining the lawsuit.
Chairman Jeff Essmann of the Montana Republican Party congratulated Fox as well.
“I thank Tim for taking the fight to Obama and the EPA and for defending the thousands of good-paying Montana jobs that will be lost if these job-killing energy regulations aren’t stopped dead in their tracks,” he said via email.
Count on Coal Montana spokesman Chuck Denowh said the court’s decision is a sign that they will halt regulations that go way too far.
“This is good news for the thousands of Montana families whose livelihoods depend on our natural resource economy, good news for the hundreds of thousands of Montanans who are facing significant electricity rate hikes if the president’s regulations are allowed to go into effect, and good news for Montana homeowners who would be facing tax hikes to backfill lost tax revenues from our coal industry,” he stated.
He said Montana’s elected officials need to keep fighting back against federal overreach.