On February 29, 2016, the state’s first lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2016, Texas is suing the agency for rejecting parts of a seven-year-old state proposal to reduce haze in wilderness areas according to a Texas Tribune report.

The EPA rejected portions of the plan in January, citing concerns that it did not adequately address requirements of the agency’s Regional Haze Rule, which regulates the air in natural areas in Texas and Oklahoma.

The petition for review – the state’s 24th legal action against the EPA since Obama took office in 2009 – was filed in the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on February 29th.

The Regional Haze Rule was proposed by the EPA to clean up the air at wilderness areas and national parks. Regulations for Texas include the Guadalupe Mountains National Park east of El Paso and Big Bend National Park on the Texas and Mexico border.

“The steps Washington is demanding we take are extraordinarily expensive, will result in a less-reliable electric grid and ultimately have no significant effect on visibility in Texas,” said Attorney General Ken Paxton in a statement.

The Sierra Club objected to the lawsuit.

“Once again, the state is attempting to stand in the way of clean air. Blocking this safeguard would mean dirtier skies above Texas’s national treasures and continuing to force our families to breathe polluted air,” Chrissy Mann, a representative for the group said in a statement.

What this means to you
Texas is suing the EPA for rejecting parts of a seven-year-old state proposal to reduce haze in wilderness areas. EPA says Texas did not adequately address requirements of the agency’s Regional Haze Rule, which regulates the air in natural areas.

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