Pruitt Petitions SCOTUS On Haze Rules
Oklahoma attorney general, OG&E ask U.S. Supreme Court to review haze ruling
By Paul Monies
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt filed a petition Wednesday with the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court decision that went against the state and Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. on a plan for controlling haze-causing emissions from electric generating plants.
The lawsuit challenges the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to partially reject a state plan for regional haze that would enhance visibility on federal lands in Oklahoma by 2064.
In a statement, Pruitt said the Clean Air Act gives states the primary authority to design and implement plans for visibility.
“The EPA exceeded its authority when it dismissed Oklahoma’s plan in favor of a federal plan that will lead to utility rate increases of as much as 20 percent,” Pruitt said. “Our state developed a commonsense plan to address regional haze, but because it continued the use of fossil fuels, the EPA rejected it to further its anti-fossil fuel agenda.