ATTORNEY GENERAL MADIGAN RESPONDS TO U.S. EPA’S REPEAL OF THE CLEAN POWER PLAN

Madigan Vows to Sue to Halt Repeal of Critical Environmental Program

Chicago — Attorney General Lisa Madigan today issued a statement in response to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt’s plans to repeal the Clean Power Plan, the historic carbon emissions rule intended to reduce dangerous greenhouse gas emissions from power plants around the country.

Madigan issued the following statement:

“Today’s action by the U.S. EPA is a dangerous move that threatens America’s future. Administrator Pruitt cannot simply ignore the EPA’s critical role in protecting our environment. Repealing the Clean Power Plan is a stall tactic, and there is no credible plan to replace it. I am prepared to sue to ensure the U.S. EPA does its job to protect our environment for Illinois residents.”

Madigan is part of the coalition of states, cities and counties that intervened in defense of the Clean Power Plan against legal challenges in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court heard oral argument in September 2016 and has issued two temporary pauses in litigation, the most recent of which compelled the coalition to weigh in on Pruitt’s legal guidance.

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