North Carolina is no longer part of a legal challenge against the federal Clean Power Plan that the state joined under the leadership of former Gov. Pat McCrory.
The Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Michael Regan, has asked a court to allow the state to withdraw from a the challenge last month, saying that the challenge was not a good use of resources
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“We did not feel this case was a good use of our agency’s or taxpayers’ resources, and it did not align with our mission. This will enable us to devote more of our time and energy toward protection of air, water and natural resources,” DEQ Secretary Michael Regan said in a statement.
The motion was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District Court of Columbia Circuit by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein on behalf of DEQ.
Under then-Gov. Pat McCrory’s administration in October, North Carolina joined 23 other states to challenge carbon dioxide emissions standards from existing power plants under the Clean Power Plan. The plan was developed by the Obama administration to curb carbon pollution by setting state limits on emissions, and allowing each state to craft its own plan in order to meet minimum federal requirements. The plan was the first of its kind from the Environmental Protection Agency.
