Wyoming Governor Matt Mead says the state will draft a plan to comply with new federal regulations for carbon emissions from power plants.
The Obama administration released the final version of its Clean Power Plan last week. It requires Wyoming to reduce its carbon emissions more than 40 percent by 2030.
“We don’t live in a vacuum," Mead said. "We look at it and say, ‘if this comes about, whether we’re forced to do a state plan or a federal plan, how would we go about doing it?’”
But he added the state is still planning to sue over the rule, in the hopes of getting it overturned.
“To date, I will tell you that I don’t see, and I don’t think the people in my state agencies see, a real workable plan going forward to get this accomplished,” he said.
Earlier this year Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky called on Governors to simply reject the regulations. However, if Wyoming doesn’t submit its own compliance plan, the federal government will impose one.