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Michigan drops suits challenging environmental regulations

Posted at 7:47 PM, Jan 22, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-22 19:47:40-05

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s new Democratic attorney general is pulling the state out of four environmental lawsuits that her Republican predecessor supported.

Attorney General Dana Nessel says she’s filed motions to rescind Michigan’s involvement with the suits against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Former Attorney General Bill Schuette had made Michigan a participant in the cases, along with some other states.

Two of the suits challenge the Clean Power Plan, which the Obama administration proposed to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

The others seek to invalidate EPA policies dealing with the plants’ emissions of mercury and other hazardous and toxic substances and emissions of methane from oil and gas operations.

Nessel says under her watch, Michigan won’t support efforts to undermine what she calls “reasonable regulations” intended to protect the environment.