Electric Co-ops File Suit Over EPA Power Plant Rule

ARLINGTON, Va. - The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association today filed a lawsuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency over its unlawful power plant rule.

"EPA's power plant rule is unlawful, unreasonable and unachievable. It exceeds EPA's authority and poses an immediate threat to the American electric grid," NRECA CEO Jim Matheson said. "Under the rule, EPA illegally attempts to transform the US energy economy by forcing a shift in electricity generation to the agency's favored sources."

"Reliable electricity is the foundation of the American economy. EPA's rule recklessly undermines that foundation by forcing the premature closure of power plants that are critical to keeping the lights on - especially as America increasingly relies on electricity to power the economy."

NRECA filed suit against EPA in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

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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