WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to halt the Obama Administration’s so-called “Clean Power Plan” while 26 states challenge its legality in a lower court.

“The Supreme Court’s nearly unprecedented but welcome action yesterday underscores what Americans have been saying all along – the President’s regulatory overreach is too costly, too invasive, and violates constitutional separation of powers,” Wicker said. “President Obama is attempting to change how our nation produces energy in the name of regulating carbon dioxide emissions, which has nothing to do with cutting smog or achieving cleaner air. His plan could lead to widespread job losses, stalled economic growth, and skyrocketing energy costs.”

Last November, Wicker voted in support of two measures aimed at blocking implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) costly rule. Specifically, the bills would have reversed the Administration’s restrictive regulations for new and existing coal-fired power plants. Under the “Congressional Review Act” (CRA), Congress can overturn actions by a federal agency following the formal publication and submission of a rule to Congress.

Although state compliance with the “Clean Power Plan” is not required until 2022, EPA set a September deadline for states to submit a plan to comply with the rule. The U.S. Court of Appeals is not likely to issue a ruling on the legality of the rules until months after it hears oral arguments, which begin on June 2, 2016.