TOPEKA — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has asked a federal appeals court to block new EPA air-quality regulations. The new Cross-State Air Pollution Rule will increase the cost of electricity for Kansas consumers as soon as next year, he said. The new EPA rule will require Kansas utilities to install new emissions control equipment before Jan. 1, he said. The EPA says the rule is intended to prevent air pollution from states like Kansas from contributing to air-quality problems in downwind states in the northeast. Schmidt says the EPA gave Kansas utilities only five months to make major changes to the way electricity is generated and it will be impossible for them to comply. The new rule also is a change from when the EPA worked cooperatively with utilities rather than issue orders. The Kansas Sierra Club’s Stephanie Cole told the Lawrence Journal-World that Schmidt’s action is a waste of time and taxpayer money to defend poor management practices of Kansas utilities. Other utilities haven’t had any problem complying with the new rule, she said.
Wednesday, Sept. 21, 4 p.m.
