Buried underneath the avalanche of recent praise and criticism for various Supreme Court decisions was this little gem that’s gone unnoticed: The EPA’s rule to regulate emissions from coal-fired power plants was crushed in a 5-4 decision.
The EPA was spanked for failing to take the costs of their demands into consideration – a price tag industry put at nearly $10 billion for a meager $6 million in benefits.
According to the Daily Sentinel’s Gary Harmon, there was much rejoicing from the Colorado Mining Association (CMA), not so much from the self-appointed guardians of the planet.
“This throws a significant monkey wrench into the Obama administration’s plans and could portend what considerations might influence a court’s decision” on pending rules intended to reduce carbon emissions from coal plants, said Stuart Sanderson, executive director of the Colorado Mining Association.
Meanwhile, greenies formed a pity circle and wailed that blah, blah, blah, we’re all going to die.
Let’s just skip to what we really care about:
While the ruling doesn’t take away any pressure on Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, which owns the Colowyo mine near Craig, from another federal lawsuit, “it should serve as a reminder to regulators of the importance of evaluating costs when considering regulations,” said Lee Boughey, spokesman for the association.
U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton pushed through legislation in the House last week that would give states the option of judicial review before implementing expensive mandates that consumers will be forced to underwrite.
Bully for the House, let’s hope the Senate shows the same common sense and passes Tipton’s bill.