Statement by Gov. Rick Perry on Gen. Abbott Filing Suit Against EPA

Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement regarding Texas' legal action challenging the EPA's takeover of Texas' 16-year-old air permitting process:

"This legal action is the next step in our ongoing commitment to fight back against the Obama Administration's ever-widening effort to undermine our air quality initiatives and force a heavy-handed federal agenda on the people of Texas.

"The EPA's overreach is as potentially devastating as it is unnecessary, as Texas has achieved greater improvements in air quality than the nation as a whole since 2000 through our use of incentives and innovation. Instead of worrying about cleaner air, the EPA seems intent upon putting the jobs of tens of thousands of hardworking Texans at risk, mainly so the EPA can impose a system it says will be easier for Washington bureaucrats to understand. The EPA's actions would likely result in significantly higher prices for energy and just about everything else, a frightening prospect during a time so many Americans are struggling to make ends meet.

"I applaud General Abbott's actions, and will continue to pressure Congress and the Obama administration to get the EPA under some control before irrevocable damage is done to one of the country's strongest economies."