"Environmentalists Sue Md. Gov. Hogan Over Blocked Clean Air Rules

"Two environmental organizations are suing [Maryland] Gov. Larry Hogan for blocking proposed clean air regulations on his first day in office. The Sierra Club and Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility argue that the governor lacked the authority to pull back the rules aimed at reducing nitrogen oxides that are key ingredients in ozone.

Just before leaving office, the Maryland Department of the Environment under then-Gov. Martin O’Malley approved smog-combatting regulations that would have required coal-fired power plants to run pollution controls throughout the summer ozone season and forced upgrades to pollution control technology in older facilities.

When Larry Hogan became governor, he blocked the rules from being printed in the Maryland Register, the last step before a regulation goes into effect. Lawyers for the environmental groups say the rules were already approved, and so the rules should be printed and implemented."

Christopher Connelly reports for WYPR June 11, 2015.