Electric Co-ops Applaud SCOTUS Emergency Stay of EPA Ozone Transport Rule, a Major Threat to Reliability

ARLINGTON, Va. - National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson today issued the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision to grant NRECA's request for an emergency stay of the Environmental Protection Agency's Ozone Transport Rule (also known as the "Good Neighbor Rule"):

"Today's Court decision directly speaks to the gravity of EPA's unlawful Ozone Transport Rule which directly threatens the American economy and way of life. This rule creates major threats to the reliability of the electric grid and will saddle Americans with higher energy bills while accelerating the retirement of always available generating resources. EPA's approach to regulating the electric sector stretches well beyond the agency's authority, and we thank the Court for listening to our concerns."

The Transport Rule would lead to the early curtailment or retirement of 62 coal generating units as soon as 2026. The collective loss of these 32 gigawatts of capacity would further jeopardize the reliability of an already stressed electric grid.

NRECA challenged the transport rule in the D.C. Circuit and, along with numerous other parties, filed a motion to stay the rule while the case is pending. On September 25, the D.C. Circuit departed from every other court to date and denied this motion, prompting three states (Ohio, West Virginia, and Indiana) and industry parties to seek an emergency stay from the Supreme Court on October 13.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national trade association representing nearly 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation's landscape. As local businesses built by the consumers they serve, electric cooperatives have meaningful ties to rural America and invest $15 billion annually in their communities.

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