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WHEELING -- Even before President Donald Trump's administration actually revokes the hotly contested Clean Power Plan, Murray Energy Corp. officials and environmental advocates are bracing to continue the legal battle that began under former President Barack Obama's administration.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt on Monday said he officially would overturn the plan Tuesday. This action would follow an executive order Trump signed on March 28, which was designed to prevent the plan from taking effect.
The Clean Power Plan would compel electricity companies to reduce their carbon dioxide pollution by an average of 37 percent by 2040, compared to 2005 levels.
"We fully support President Trump and Administrator Pruitt's decision to fully repeal the so-called Clean Power Plan. Indeed, this action, together with the nationwide stay of the Clean Power Plan that Murray Energy Corp. received from the Supreme Court of the U.S., has saved over 25,000 American jobs," Murray spokesman Gary Broadbent said. "We will continue to work with President Trump's administration to preserve low-cost, reliable electricity in America and to protect the thousands of jobs and family livelihoods that rely on the U.S. coal industry," Broadbent added.
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said overturning the plan would bring an end to what some have called a "war on coal."
"For years, the Obama administration waged a war on coal and issued heavy-handed regulations to pick winners and losers among energy industries," she said. "In West Virginia, our coal miners, their families and entire communities felt the blow of that misguided approach to energy production."
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Trump had promised him that he "was going to take care of our miners."
"This is great news for our state and the coal industry," said Gov. Jim Justice. "Coal has been steadily recovering, we've seen an upturn in severance taxes and this decision will clearly help put our coal miners back to work.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey also lauded Pruitt's announcement.
"I was humbled to have led the state-based coalition that defeated the power plan in court through an unprecedented stay at the Supreme Court and am excited that the Trump administration is taking the final step to kill this terrible, job-killing regulation. I believe these actions will help lead to a rebound for coal and will make lives better for coal miners and their families," he said.
Nevertheless, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said Monday he will continue the charge to see the plan become reality.
"The Trump administration's persistent and indefensible denial of climate change -- and their continued assault on actions essential to stemming its increasing devastation -- is reprehensible, and I will use every available legal tool to fight their dangerous agenda," Schneiderman said.
Michael Brune serves as director of the Sierra Club, a San Francisco-based environmental group.
"The damage caused by Trump's willful ignorance will now have myriads of human faces because he's proposing to throw out a plan that would prevent thousands of premature deaths," Brune said.