LAWSUIT-CARBON CAP

I'm Bob Larson. Governor Jay Inslee's Carbon Cap rule, set to go into effect later this month, is the target of a pair of lawsuits filed by several groups, including the Washington Farm Bureau...

EVAN SHEFFELS-SUIT-1 = 29 sec ... "We the Washington Farm Bureau believe that it's a top-down regulation and we don't think it's the right approach. We think it's the wrong approach and we don't think the Governor has the authority to do it. He tried and didn't win support for this policy in the legislature. It was rejected by both Democrats in the House and Republicans in the Senate. And now he's side-stepping that process and has created this rule and so we would prefer that he take it back to the legislature and continue to seek a bi-partisan solution there."

The Farm Bureau's Evan Sheffels says the rule will hurt many industries ...

EVAN SHEFFELS-SUIT-2Z = 21 sec ... "And as to farms specifically, we think it's going to drive up, the rules going to drive higher fuel, fertilizer, transportation and processing prices. And the problem is that those prices will be passed on to Washington farmers, but they can't pass, most of them anyway, can't pass those new carbon costs on. So it will be a direct hit to their bottom line."

As for what happen's next?

EVAN SHEFFELS-SUIT-3 = 12 sec ... "Litigation is always a last resort. We don't take it lightly. But I don't have the time line for the court's schedule or what comes next. We do believe the court should declare the rule unlawful and vacate the rule"

Barring a judge's ruling, the Clean Air rule goes into effect October 17th.