Attorney General Adam Laxalt has filed suit accusing the Environmental Protection Agency of failing to meet a statutory deadline on the air quality standards for Ozone.
EPA was required to approve, partially approve or deny the interstate transport part of that plan by Oct. 10 of last year.
Laxalt said the suit was filed because an environmental group gave notice it planned to sue EPA. He said in the past, EPA and those groups have resolved lawsuits without getting input from the states and resolved them in ways that have had negative impacts on the states.
He said Nevada filed its own lawsuit to preserve its part in the settlement process and make sure the results of any deal are in the state’s best interest.
“Like they have done before, environmental groups are trying to work out a side deal with the EPA that leaves everyone else including Nevadans without a seat at the table,” Laxalt said. “We want to ensure that is not the outcome this time.”
At the same time, the Western Energy Alliance plans to testify before the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee Aug. 8 on the practice referred to as “sue-and-settle” arguing that those closed door negotiations exclude the public, elected officials and state and local governments as well as businesses from the room. That hearing will be held in Washington, D.C.