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West Virginia Attorney General Joins Federal Rule Challenges
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has joined 17 Republican counterparts from other states urging Congress adopt stop federal regulation overreach.
In a letter to Vice President-elect Mike Pence and congressional leaders, they are calling for job-impact and cost-benefit analyses, greater congressional oversight and its approval of major rules changes.
New federal environmental rules on powerplant emissions of carbon dioxide, which Morrisey has sued to block, have been blamed for the downturn in West Virginia’s coal mining industry.
However, several economists point to cheaper natural gas shifting the market from powerplant coal.
Morrisey also joined 13 other Republican state attorneys general in a lawsuit against tougher federal regulations against mining pollution of nearby streams.
He says the last-minute Obama administration rule would “drastically reduce” coal mining across West Virginia.