Oral arguments were presented to a federal appeals court in Washington today by a group of Republican-led states, including Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, challenging the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan to reduce power plant pollution that contributes to global warming.

The Sierra Club noted that changes in energy mix have already brought Arkansas close to goals in the pollution-reduction plan, but, said a release,  “Attorney General Rutledge is still pursuing legal means to stop the Clean Power Plan and protect dirty coal usage.”

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Glen Hooks, the Sierra Club’s leader in Arkansas, added:

“While Attorney General Rutledge is in DC again, wasting Arkansas tax dollars and protecting polluters, Arkansans are busy building a clean energy future for our state. Arkansas is adding hundreds of megawatts of clean solar and wind energy while our largest power plants are burning dramatically reduced amounts of dirty coal. In fact, Arkansas is now on pace to exceed its carbon reduction goals early—but Rutledge still opposes the Clean Power Plan’s common-sense protections for our air, water, and health.

Our Attorney General is supposed to stand up for ordinary Arkansans. Instead, Rutledge has repeatedly—and unsuccessfully—brought multiple expensive lawsuits aimed at dismantling clean air and clean water protections for our citizens. This is far worse than a mere dereliction of duty: Rutledge is actively using Arkansas tax dollars to scuttle important clean air and clean water protections.

The Arkansas Sierra Club supports the Clean Power Plan as a way to improve our health, clean up our air and water, and create thousands of good-paying jobs here in Arkansas. While Attorney General Rutledge rubs elbows in Washington, D.C. with corporate polluters and brings baseless lawsuits on their behalf, we will continue to welcome and work for a clean energy future throughout Arkansas.”

Rutledge styles her work to protect polluters as a fight against excessive regulation and she says cleaner power plants could cause higher electric rates.

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