CHARLESTON – Attorney General Patrick Morrisey issued a statement regarding a press conference involving states that support President Barack Obama’s Power Plan.
“We have stood with more than 29 states and state agencies, all of whom remain in steadfast opposition to the EPA’s Power Plan,” Morrisey said. “It’s an unlawful power grab of epic proportions and goes further than virtually any regulation we have seen in our lifetime.”
Morrisey said if left unchallenged, this power grab will increase electricity rates, jeopardize the power grid’s reliability and destroy West Virginia’s coal industry along with the livelihoods of countless families who depend upon its success.
“As the West Virginia Attorney General, I will strongly oppose efforts by anyone to bully job producers into compliance with this illegal and unprecedented regulation,” he said. “We reiterate that states should put their pencils down and not waste taxpayer dollars by coming into compliance with a regulation that will not be upheld in court.”
The press conference was held by former Vice President Al Gore and New York Attorney General Eric Schniederman, along with other attorneys general who support the power plan.
During the announcement, Gore, Schniederman and the other attorneys general representing 17 states involved said the initiative would include ongoing and potential investigations into whether fossil fuel companies misled investors and the public on the impact of climate change on their businesses.