In a surprise move earlier this month, the Supreme Court put the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan on hold while legal challenges are resolved.
On Thursday, speaking at a conference in Cheyenne, an official with the Environmental Protection Agency suggested that the delay may give states more time to comply with the rule if it is ultimately upheld.
Laura Farris is the Climate Change Coordinator for EPA Region 8, which includes western states like Wyoming, Colorado, and North Dakota. During a Q&A after her remarks at the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority Winter Energy Conference, Farris said compliance deadlines could be pushed back by a couple of years. When asked about this comment afterwards, she was less definitive.
"Well, I can't really say if or how they might change but we want to give states the times that they need to develop state plans that make sense for them," Farris said.
States originally faced a September 2016 deadline to come up with a strategy to cut carbon emissions. The Clean Power Plan is supposed to go into effect in 2022.
