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Last updated on Tuesday, June 30, 2015
(UNDATED) - The Supreme Court has sided with Indiana and 22 other states in throwing out a proposed EPA regulation of coal-burning power plants.
Separate coalitions of states and businesses sued over a new mercury emission standard.
A 5-4 Supreme Court agreed with their argument that the Environmental Protection Agency unreasonably ignored the cost of compliance in drafting the rule.
Indiana Chamber president Kevin Brinegar contends the regulation would impose crippling costs on utilities for very little gain in air quality. And he says other businesses would see electric bills soar.
Jodi Perras with the Sierra Club of Indiana says she's disappointed, but says electric companies are moving away from coal-fired power plants anyway. And she says it's unclear what a revised version of the rule will look like.
Brinegar says that's what businesses are seeking. If the government spells out its cost estimates, he says, scientists and business economists have something to respond to and debate.
Governor Pence issued a statement saying the Obama administration's environmental policies have been "detrimental" to Hoosiers. He says the ruling should nudge the government to seek a balance between environmental and economic health.
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