Washington, August 15 (RHC)-- In environmental news, a group of 22 states, six cities and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration Tuesday in an attempt to block the rollback of Obama-era regulations on emissions from coal-fired power plants. 

The new rules were announced by the Environmental Protection Agency in June and allow states to set their own regulations for emissions and decide whether coal-fired plants should make improvements. Obama’s Clean Power Plan sought to lower carbon emissions through federal regulations, but the plan never took effect due to multiple legal challenges. 

The new lawsuit claims the EPA has a duty, under the Clean Air Act, to limit carbon emissions.  Letitia James, attorney general for New York, said in a statement: “Without significant course correction, we are careening towards a climate disaster.  Rather than staying the course with policies aimed at fixing the problem and protecting people’s health, safety, and the environment, the Trump Administration repealed the Clean Power Plan and replaced it with this 'Dirty Power' rule.”