Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Director Jim Macy announced the postponement of meetings in nine communities across the state. The meetings were intended to discuss the EPA Clean Power Plan mandate.

The decision to postpone the meetings is a result of an order issued by the Supreme Court of the United States on Tuesday. The Supreme Court granted a stay that temporarily halts U.S. EPA’s efforts to implement carbon pollution emission regulations for power plants, commonly referred to as the Clean Power Plan (CPP), pending a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Washington.

“Because the Supreme Court stay undercuts any urgency states have to submit a plan in September 2016, I have decided to postpone indefinitely the CPP meetings previously scheduled for the next three weeks,” Macy said. “NDEQ appreciates the input from our stakeholders and thanks them for their involvement.”

The meetings had been scheduled from Feb. 16 through March 3 in Broken Bow, Lexington, Grand Island, South Sioux City, Omaha, Lincoln, Valentine, Alliance and Ogallala.

“NDEQ staff will continue our important work of compliance assistance, working on gaining efficiencies in permitting, and inspections,” Macy said. “NDEQ will retain any information gathered through the NDEQ web site portal on this issue for future considerations. NDEQ does not plan to actively respond to inquiry on this rule until the courts make a final determination.”

The web address of the NDEQ web site portal is: https://ecmp.nebraska.gov/DEQ-CPP.