{"id":18812,"date":"2012-09-27T15:49:29","date_gmt":"2012-09-27T20:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/?p=18812"},"modified":"2013-07-30T15:18:30","modified_gmt":"2013-07-30T20:18:30","slug":"a-closer-look-at-whether-millions-of-dollars-in-texas-epa-lawsuits-are-a-bargain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/2012\/09\/27\/a-closer-look-at-whether-millions-of-dollars-in-texas-epa-lawsuits-are-a-bargain\/","title":{"rendered":"A Closer Look at Whether Millions of Dollars in Texas EPA Lawsuits Are a ‘Bargain’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Brendan Smialowski\/Getty Images<\/p>

The Texas Attorney General says that $TK million in lawsuits against the Obama administration has been a "bargain" for Texans.<\/p><\/div>\n

Despite a mixed record of suing the Obama administration (five wins, eight losses, and two dismissals as of last count<\/a>), Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott says today that all these lawsuits are a “bargain” for Texans.<\/p>\n

In an op-ed published in the Dallas Morning News<\/em> <\/a>and emailed to reporters, Abbott says that one recent victory against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “saved more than 500 jobs and protected Texans\u2019 access to reliable electricity \u2014 which was jeopardized by the EPA\u2019s draconian regulations.”<\/p>\n

But it wasn’t clear which recent case he was referring to. Or where that 500 jobs figure came from.<\/p>\n

So we called up Abbott’s press office to ask which case it was.<\/p>\n

Charles Castillo picked up the phone. “Do you really think your listeners are going to care which case?” he said, laughing.<\/p>\n

Well, yes, we do. It turns out Abbott is referring to the Cross State Air Pollution Rule, which aims to reduce pollution — mostly from coal power plants — across state lines. A federal appeals court vacated that rule in August<\/a>, sending it back to the EPA. It could be revised within a year.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The EPA, Luminant, and a Financial Cliff<\/h4>\n

When asked where he got that 500 jobs number from, Abbott’s press office emailed two references that they said “back this claim up.” Both of them come from the company that stood to lose the most with the rule’s passing: Luminant.<\/p>\n

Luminant is a company with the reputation as one of the biggest polluters in the state<\/a>, and the Monticello plant has the most toxic emissions of any power plant in Texas<\/a>, according to the environmental integrity project’s review of EPA data.<\/p>\n

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