WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) issued the following statement regarding oral arguments being heard before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today in West Virginia v. EPA, which challenges the legality of President Obama’s “Clean Power Plan”:
 
“While there is no question that we must take steps to protect our environment, it simply cannot be at West Virginia’s expense. EPA’s unprecedented and sweeping regulations threaten to wipe out West Virginia’s vital coal industry, and we need to fight these regulations on every front.
 
“I commend Attorney General Patrick Morrisey for taking this case to Washington. As the state pursues all available legal options, my colleagues and I in the U.S. Senate are also taking action in Congress to fight back. As Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee, I have been working diligently on legislative action to reign in EPA’s overreaching regulations that threaten our economy and our access to reliable, affordable energy.
 
“While I hope that the Court will strike down the administration’s unlawful efforts to wipe out West Virginia coal, I will continue doing everything in my power to protect the lifeblood of our economy.”
 
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