15 states sue EPA over new oil and gas rules, Paxton says Ukraine war shows 'need for energy independence'

Joining Texas on lawsuit are 14 other states, including Alaska, Arkansas, Oklahoma and South Carolina.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is leading a coalition of states suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over new oil and gas rules while blasting President Biden as having declared "war against fossil fuels."

Paxton issued a press release about the lawsuit against the EPA that 14 other states have signed onto, warning the federal regulations "will create a deliberate disadvantage to Texas and all states" involved in oil and gas production.

"At a time when American gas prices are skyrocketing at the pump, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict shows again the absolute need for energy independence, Biden chooses to go to war against fossil fuels," Paxton said in a press release obtained by FOX Business.

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"These severe new rules proposed by the EPA are not only unnecessary, but they will create a deliberate disadvantage to Texas and all states who are involved in the production of oil and gas," the Texas attorney general warned. "I will not allow this federal overreach to wreak havoc on our economy or the livelihoods of hard-working Texans." 

Paxton’s office also blasted Biden’s "bureaucratic decrees" on the fossil fuels industry as micromanaging "greenhouse gas emissions for cars and trucks, far exceeding EPA’s authority and violating the U.S. Constitution’s separation-of-powers principles."

President Biden

President Biden listens to reporters' questions during a meeting on inflation at the White House on Jan. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik / AP Newsroom)

The press release also says the EPA’s new rule is trying to "promote the Biden administration's radical climate change agenda" by promoting the use of electric vehicles over traditional gasoline-powered engines.

Paxton’s office warned that the regulations would "impose major economic harms on Texas" by decreasing the amount of gas consumed "by billions of gallons" and putting stress on the state’s electric grid.

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Joining Texas on the lawsuit are 14 other states, including Alaska, Arkansas, Oklahoma and South Carolina.

An EPA spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit because "this is pending litigation."