South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined two separate letters addressed to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), challenging federal regulations that he and other state attorneys general say could lead to higher electricity costs and government overreach.
In one letter, 23 state attorneys general—including Wilson—express support for the EPA’s proposal to eliminate most of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). The program was established in 2009 during the Obama administration. According to the attorneys general, “the mandates of the rule exceed the EPA’s authority to require the reporting, and even if it had the authority, the costs of the rule far exceed its purported benefits.”
A second letter, signed by 25 state attorneys general, backs a proposed extension for coal-fired power plants to comply with a water pollution regulation introduced under President Biden. The letter also calls on the EPA to rescind this rule entirely.
Attorney General Wilson stated: “Throughout the Obama and Biden administrations, we saw unelected bureaucrats overstepping their authority to do things that were costly and destructive, and every time, I fought against them. The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program has not been proven necessary to support any authorized purpose, and the Biden-era water pollution rules were apparently meant to push coal plants into retirement.”
Wilson noted that South Carolina is among 22 states suing to halt implementation of the water pollution rule; that lawsuit remains ongoing.
The group of attorneys general supporting elimination of most GHGRP requirements includes representatives from North Dakota, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina itself, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Those joining Wilson in opposing Biden-era water pollution rules include officials from West Virginia as well as Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah and Wyoming.
