Gov. Greg Abbott spent much time and energy in his previous position as state attorney general fighting against the attempted usurpations of the Obama Administration, those of the Environmental Protection Agency in particular. He was successful, too.
One of his biggest victories came in June last year, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the EPA’s greenhouse gas permitting plan ignores federal law, exceeds the agency’s authority, and violates the Clean Air Act.
“The President has said over and over again that where Congress does not act, he will act unilaterally. The EPA’s greenhouse gas permitting scheme is a perfect example of that dangerous philosophy in action. Today the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a stern rebuke to the President. The Court’s ruling affirms that we are a nation of laws, and the President and his executive agencies must follow the law just like anybody else. When they do not, the courts will hold them accountable,” Abbott said.
“This is a great victory for the rule of law and for the Constitution. It is a resounding defeat for those, like the President, who would use unelected bureaucracies to override the will of the people,” he concluded.
Like Abbott before him, current AG Ken Paxton also is aggressively resisting federal overreach. Recently, he asked the EPA to delay implementation of its Carbon Rule, so that the courts could consider legal challenges to it before it goes into effect.
“The Obama Administration and EPA are attempting to take over America’s electrical grid through regulation and without legal authority,” Paxton warns, “and Texas plans to vigorously challenge EPA’s ‘power grab.’”
Paxton promises that “Texas will defend its families and jobs from an overreaching federal government.”
If his request is denied, Paxton will file suit in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and seek to prevail.
It may take a long time, but the EPA is going to learn not to mess with Texas.