Judge Rules EPA Must Evaluate its Impact on Coal Industry

A federal judge in West Virginia has ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must evaluate the impact its air pollution regulations have had on power generating jobs.

The Register-Herald reports that U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey ruled on Monday that the EPA must comply with a federal code requiring it to evaluate its regulations. He ordered the EPA to file a plan and schedule for compliance to the federal code within 14 days.

Bailey agreed with Murray Energy Corporation and its subsidiaries that the agency’s actions have had a coercive effect on the coal mining industry.

The plaintiffs alleged the EPA’s actions have caused a reduced market for coal, which essentially forced them to discontinue the use of coal.