March 29, 2024

Iowa top officials on opposite sides in EPA lawsuit

DES MOINES (AP) — Iowa’s governor and attorney general were on opposite sides of a case argued Wednesday at the U.S. Supreme Court concerning new mercury and toxic air emissions standards for power plants.

Republican Gov. Terry Branstad and leaders of 19 other states joined a Michigan-led lawsuit seeking to strike down the standards the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued in 2012. They claim the regulation, which is not yet being enforced, is unlawful because the EPA initially failed to consider costs calculated at $9.6 billion.

Branstad spokesman Jimmy Centers said the case represents another attempt by President Barack Obama’s administration and the EPA to increase government red tape and costs to consumers.

“The end result of the Obama administration’s failed energy policy is fewer jobs and higher costs for Iowans,” he said in an email statement.

The EPA responded to Branstad’s opposition in a 2011 letter that said the proposed standards will have little impact on electricity rates and “will save thousands of lives and prevent tens of thousands of asthma and heart attacks...”

Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, joined his colleagues from 15 other states in support of the EPA.

He said he’s defending the interests of citizens against pollutants that risk their health.