Court’s Denial of EPA Power Plant Rule Stay Further Jeopardizes Reliability

ARLINGTON, Va. - National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson today issued the following statement on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit's denial of NRECA's motion to stay the Environmental Protection Agency's power plant rule:

"EPA's power plant rule is unlawful, unrealistic and unachievable," Matheson said. "It undermines electric reliability and poses immediate and grave consequences for an already stressed electric grid. We are disappointed by today's court ruling and will imminently file an appeal with the Supreme Court."

NRECA filed suit over the power plant rule in the D.C. Circuit on May 9 and filed its motion to stay on May 13. The rule would force the premature closure of power plants that are critical to maintaining reliability, even as electricity demand surges.

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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