Federal appeals court strikes down Obama air rule

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/federal-appeals-court-strikes-down-obama-air-rule/2012/08/21/50af1caa-eb9c-11e1-b811-09036bcb182b_story.html

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned one of the Obama administration’s hallmark air quality rules Tuesday, ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency had overstepped its authority in curbing pollution from Midwest power plants too sharply.

The 2 to 1 ruling by the appeals court represents a major victory for utilities and business groups, who fought the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule on the grounds that it was costly, burdensome and arbitrary. Environmentalists, who had hailed the rule as a major improvement over a Bush-era regulation, bemoaned the decision as a blow to public health.