Governor Scott Walker has told state agencies to stop working on policies aimed at cutting power plant emissions, following a U.S. Supreme Court order last week that put a temporary hold on the requirements of the Clean Power Plan.
The governor issued an executive order Monday that halts work on the EPA’s proposal to make states cut greenhouse gas emissions. Wisconsin is among 27 states that filed suit against the rules changes, which prompted last week’s stay.
In a statement, Walker said that “clearly this rule exceeds the President’s authority and would place an undue burden on the Wisconsin ratepayers and manufacturers.” He expects his order will protect “taxpayers from an unnecessary cost of up to $13 billion as we continue to act in the best interests of Wisconsin citizens.”
Environmentalists expect a federal appeals court to re-instate the emission limits after it hears arguments on the matter in July, although the Obama plan will have an uncertain fate once it gets back to the Supreme Court. Conservative Justice Antonin Scalia was part of a one-vote majority that halted the EPA package before he died last Saturday — and nobody knows how long it will take before a new justice is appointed and confirmed, and which party will eventually have the upper hand in the process.