HOUSTON (AP) — Republican governors from oil-and-gas rich
states said Monday that new federal rules designed to cut global
warming pollution from power plants by 30 percent by 2030 will kill jobs
and growth.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry hosted Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead,
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple in
Houston.
Mead, whose state produces the most coal in the country,
said he — like the others — will use a public comment period to express
reservations and hope that the Environmental Protection Agency will make
satisfactory changes to the rules before they become official. Wyoming
currently has 11 outstanding lawsuits against the federal agency and
will not hesitate to challenge these rules in court if necessary, he
said.
"We view this as a problem for Wyoming," Mead said.
These
four governors joined five others in a letter to President Barack Obama
on Monday that says data shows "millions of jobs will be lost and
billions of dollars will be spent" to comply with the regulations to cut
carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and other federal rules. All
nine governors who signed the letter are Republican.
Carbon dioxide is the chief gas linked to global warming from U.S. power plants.
But
Dalrymple, whose state has enjoyed unprecedented economic growth due to
a recent oil drilling boom, said he and Mead recently met for breakfast
with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and told her that there was no
feasible and economic way to capture carbon dioxide at this time. They
questioned how the states are expected to make the necessary cuts to
comply with the regulations.
"She talked about fuzzy things about
conservation" and more efficient coal plants, Dalrymple said. "I was not
satisfied with the answer."
Governors signing the letter were
Sean Parnell of Alaska, Mike Pence of Indiana, Bobby Jindal of
Louisiana, Phil Bryant of Mississippi, Pat McCrory of North Carolina,
Jack Dalrymple of North Dakota, Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania, Rick Perry
of Texas and Matthew H. Mead of Wyoming.