Twenty-two American states are suing the USA’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the replacement of the Clean Power Plan, put into effect by the Obama administration. The EPA’s new plan, the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule has caused concern due to its guidelines that aim to increase the amount of power produced in coal-powered plants, relative to the amount of coal burned. Detractors argue that these guidelines will keep coal plants in business for longer than they would be otherwise, without decreasing emissions in any significant way. Obama’s Clean Power Plan focused on the decommissioning of coal-powered energy plants, and promoted cleaner energy sources like natural gas, and renewable energy sources like solar and wind.

The lawsuit is one of many brought to Washington by states like California and New York, challenging the Trump administration’s changes to energy sector policy and deregulation of the industry. California alone has filed 55 lawsuits against the Trump administration, some of which have been aimed at the EPA, particularly laws regarding the state’s ability to enforce strict vehicle emission rules.

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