Vermont is one of 13 states appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court a lower court ruling that allows coal-burning power plants to release more pollution.
The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had decided plants don’t need permission to release more pollutants when they modernize to operate longer hours.
Judges had said Duke Energy plants in the Carolinas would pollute more each year, but the hourly rate of emissions wouldn’t grow.
The Bush administration opposed that decision, but it is asking justices not to overturn it. A top government lawyer says the Environmental Protection Agency is adopting new rules in response to that ruling.
Environmental groups say the rule changes favor industry and sacrifice health.