Western Governors met with the chief of the Environmental Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy, to discuss the latest proposed regulations on carbon emissions from existing coal plants during the second day of the 2014 WGA Annual Meeting in Colorado Springs.
While several Governors object to the regulations, McCarthy later characterized the discussions in a press conference as “collegial” and noted that the regulations aren’t “the end-all be-all,” but that she hopes it changes companies’ strategies on energy development.
Governor Matt Mead of Wyoming decried what he called the administration’s job-killing war on coal, according to the AP report. “I don’t think the question really is how is it going to affect Wyoming. I think the question is how it’s going to affect the country,” Mead said, noting how his coal produces large amounts of coal that the rest of the nation uses.
McCarthy later delivered a keynote at the meeting, in which she noted “the states in this region are doing some wonderfully creative things to promote clean energy and energy efficiency.” She also discussed the proposed rules and the model of “cooperative federalism” she hopes to apply to their rollout.