Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will file a lawsuit Thursday against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to a petition first obtained by the Daily Caller.
In 2015, the EPA finalized a revised ozone standard requiring states to draft a state-specific implementation plan (SIP) to meet the requirements. The “Good Neighbor” provision requires states to implement controls to ensure they do not cause neighboring states to fail to meet air quality standards.
In 2019, Arkansas proposed a plan based on the best available data and consistent with EPA guidance that was issued under the Trump administration. SIP was designed to meet air quality standards in a manner appropriate for our industries. However, the EPA officially disapproved of Arkansas’s proposed SIP, claiming it fails to prevent air emissions in Arkansas from contributing to nonattainment in the Dallas/Ft. Worth and Houston metro areas.
The petition states that the EPA’s decision relied on data not available to Arkansas at the time of the SIP development and that instead of allowing revisions to the SIP, the EPA chose to deny the plan outright and substitute its own plan. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders To Sign Executive Order Promoting Hunting, Fishing)
“During my inaugural address, I promised to stop the meddling hand of big government cold at the Mississippi. I’ve asked Attorney General Griffin to sue the EPA to get bureaucratic tyrants in Washington off Arkansans’ backs. Critical Arkansas industries – and more importantly, Arkansas workers and their families – stand to be affected by this federal overreach,” Sanders told the Caller.
“The Biden Administration is threatening dozens of Arkansas businesses and thousands of Arkansas jobs,” she added.
READ THE PETITION HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
Under the Biden administration, the EPA chose to reject plans submitted by Arkansas and 24 other states, and substitute a federal implementation plan (FIP). (RELATED: ‘Doubling Down On Crazy’: Sarah Huckabee Sanders Slams Biden In GOP Rebuttal To State Of The Union Address)
In order to challenge the EPA’s rejection of Arkansas’ SIP, there needs to be litigation in federal court. Arkansas has until April 14, 2023 to file the litigation, which is 60 days from publication in the Federal Register.
Sanders plans to announce the lawsuit later Thursday afternoon.