Attorney General Josh Hawley (R) says Missouri has sued the Obama Administration over coal mining regulations declared by the Department of the Interior. The rule is meant to reduce coal mining’s impacts on streams. Hawley says the regulations overstep agency authority and violate federal law.

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley

“The Obama Administration has no authority to issue these regulations,” says Hawley. “They will drive up the cost of energy for Missouri families and hurt Missouri workers. I promised to protect working families in our state, and I will.”

Missouri is one of 13 states asking a federal court to block the rule. The suit, Ohio et al v. Department of the Interior, claims that the regulations announced by the Department’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement exceed the office’s statutory authority and violate Missouri’s prerogatives under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.

“These draconian regulations by the Obama Administration are exactly the kind of federal overreach that is holding Missouri’s economy back. They are contrary to law. And this office will fight them to defend the people of Missouri,” says Hawley.

The U.S. Interior Department argues that the rule will protect 6,000 miles of streams by preventing coal mining debris from being dumped into nearby waters.