Posted Jan 26, 2015 at 9:51 am

Carbon emission lawsuit untimely according

to experts
by GOKULANANDA NANDAN
Posted Jan 26, 2015 at 9:51 am
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Gov. Scott Walkers announcement to prepare a lawsuit over carbon

emissions regulations by The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
unveiled during his 2015 State of the State address, has seen some
criticism from experts in the field of public policy and environmental
studies.
The original concern, expressed by Walker in his State of the State
address, is the new regulations would put undue costs on industries,
especially manufacturing, in southeastern Wisconsin.
http://badgerherald.com/news/2014/12/08/epa-ozone-regulationswould-benefit-health-create-concerns-for-industry-in-southeasternwisconsin/
The Obama administrationannouncedearlier this month it will delay
publication of the final rule on carbon emissions from power plants

until midsummer of 2015.

Keith Reopelle, senior policy director of Clean Wisconsin Inc., said
many states will likely sue EPA over carbon pollution rules once they
are finalized, but this is strange timing to start preparing a lawsuit.
He said the lawsuit has to be on the final rule which is yet to be
announced and unlikely to be similar to the proposed rule on which
Walker is working at presently.
The state has been critical in their comments on the proposed rules of
EPA, but those are the proposed rules, Reopelle said.We dont know
what EPA is going to say in the final rule. So, to start preparing a
lawsuit before the final rule is finalized is strange. Its bizarre.
Steve Hiniker, executive director of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin also
said Walkers reaction to the proposed rule by EPA on carbon
emissions from power plants is strange as the final rule is not yet been
published by EPA.
Its very odd and bizarre that he [Walker] is suing now because the
rules havent been developed, Hiniker said.So it makes good
political theatre, but there is nothing to sue yet that we are aware of.
The biggest concern Walker has addressed on EPAs proposed carbon
emission guidelines, based on the report of Public Service Commision
of Wisconsin, is the threshold of carbon emissions set by EPA for
Wisconsin. It is 1,203 pound per megawatt-hour of total energy
produced, 34 percent less than what it was in 2012, which would be a
costly encounter for the manufacturers and thereby result in raising
the electricity rate by 29 percent.
In his State of the State address, Walker said top-down regulations like
those from the EPA would hurt Wisconsin manufacturers.
Instead of fighting with states like Wisconsin, the federal government
should work with us to find reasonable alternatives, Walker said.
We can be both environmentally and economically sustainable.
Gregory Nemet, an associate professor in the LaFollette School of
Public Affairs at University of Wisconsin, wrote in an email to The
Badger Herald he worries more aboutlocal air pollution and climate
change than momentary rise in energy cost for Wisconsinites.
According to Nemet, there could still be costs imposed on Wisconsin
energy users from these new rules, but citizens also must realize there
are very real costs associated with climate change and local air
pollution.

While Hiniker is critical of Walkers approach to EPAs proposed

guidelines on climate change, Reopelle has expressed a different
perspective about the concerns of Walker on EPA regulations.
Reopelle cited abipartisan studywhich found 57 percent of Wisconsin
voters approve the proposal requiring manufacturers to reduce
greenhouse gases that causes global warming at the cost of higher
utility bills that they need to pay for the changes.
Hiniker said either Walker should propose something to tackle the
issue of climate change in Wisconsin if he doesnt like EPAs
recommendations or consider how to incorporate it in the state policy
despite the cost because climate change is an issue of utmost
importance for future generations.
Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce did not respond for
comment.
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