He's not two months into his job, but already Attorney General Chris Carr is following a path laid out by his GOP predecessor, Sam Olens.
In one of his first policy decisions since taking office, Carr has joined counterparts in 24 other (mostly red) states to urge Donald Trump to repeal new water regulations once he's in the White House.
The letter sent Monday contends that the Obama administration's 2015 clean water rules are one of the Democratic president's "most ambitious expansions of federal power" and that they should be immediately rescinded.
"We believe in fiercely protecting our citizens against unlawful federal overreach, and we will continue working with those who share this mutual concern to bring these matters to President-elect Donald Trump's attention for quick resolution," said Carr, who was appointed to fill Olens' seat in October.
The new rules allow the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers to regulate tributaries to rivers and streams under the Clean Water Act. Environment. Carr's office calculates that 57 percent of Georgia’s streams, amounting to 39,986 miles of flowing water, would fall under that umbrella.
Environmental groups and other supporters said the rules restore protections to streams and other waterways that have historically been protected. The Obama move has been blocked by a federal court order while a judge considers the legal case.
Over the last eight years, concerted court action by attorneys general in Republican-dominated states has become a tested GOP tactic for opposing programs and regulations laid out by President Barack Obama.
With with Trump in the White House, you can expect Republicans to phase out the practice. And Democrats to pick it up.
Insider's note: This item was ripped from the Morning Jolt, which you can find here.
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