A federal judge has ruled the Environmental Protection Agency has two weeks to figure out how to quantify coal jobs lost because of regulation.
The EPA currently analyzes potential economic impacts from proposed regulations, but the court said those measures aren’t detailed enough. Judge John Preston Bailey found the Clean Air Act requires the agency to specifically analyze the potential job impacts and to continue that analysis once the regulation is implemented.
Murray Energy, the coal company that brought the lawsuit, called the judge’s decision a victory for the coal industry. The company argued the EPA has not acknowledged the link between regulation and job losses in the coal industry.
Among other things, the agency argued such a link is difficult to quantify, especially in light of other market factors, like cheap natural gas.
The EPA has not said whether it plans to appeal the decision.