Duncan Speaks on Proposed EPA Changes at Republican Leadership Conference, Airs on C-SPAN

Shook, Hardy & Bacon Energy Practice Co-Chair Tristan Duncan spoke at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference about the EPA’s plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electric power plants on Saturday, May 22. A video of the panel discussion is available on C-SPAN (at 2:32 time mark). The Conference featured nine of the presumed Republican presidential candidates. 

Duncan is lead appellate counsel for Peabody Energy Corporation to challenge the EPA’s proposed power plant rules under the Clean Air Act. 

Titled “The Illegality of the EPA's Power Plan,” the panel also featured Patrick Morrisey, the West Virginia attorney general who has led more than a dozen states in a lawsuit against the proposed rules, and was moderated by A.J. Ferate, vice president of regulatory affairs at the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association. 

Centering on the EPA’s proposed guidelines, which aim to reduce electric power plant emissions 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, the panelists paint a dire picture of the electricity market if the proposal is approved. 

Duncan and Morrisey explained the legal objections to the EPA Power Plan, both at statutory and constitutional levels, as well as potential effects if approved, including loss of jobs in coal-reducing states and higher electricity bills.