Following a ruling by the Supreme Court on the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency has begun regulating carbon dioxide emissions on a state by state basis, which Gov. Scott Walker says will harm the economy in Wisconsin.

In a letter addressed to the EPA Monday, Walker said the target for CO2 emissions is too strict. Implementing the EPA’s goal carbon dioxide for emissions would harm the growth of the state’s and the nation’s economy, he said.

“If enacted, the EPA’s Clean Power Plan would be a blow to Wisconsin residents and business owners, and I join business leaders, elected officials and industry representatives in opposing this plan,” Walker said in a press release.

The state has spent billions of dollars on coal and natural gas power and capping air pollution levels, he said.

The proposed rule could cost anywhere from $3.3 billion to $13.4 billion, according to the state Public Service Commission, he said.

“Wisconsin utilities have invested over $4.5 billion for 4200 megawatts (MW) of new coal and natural gas generation since 2000,” Walker said in the statement.

Another $3 billion has been invested in equipment to control air pollution levels since 2000, he said.

Walker said federal officials need to consider the possible economic impacts the plan will have on Wisconsin and the country.

Keith Reopelle, senior policy director for Clean Wisconsin, agreed there are concerns over the proposed carbon pollution limits, but said not regulating CO2 emissions will be more detrimental to Wisconsin’s economy in the long run.

Two of Wisconsin’s largest industries, agriculture and tourism, are already experiencing economic downturn as a result of global warming, Reopelle said.

“The really important thing is that these carbon pollution limits are really critical for protecting public health and our natural resources and some of our most important industries in the state of Wisconsin,” he said.

Extreme droughts and heat are harming livestock and decreased snowpack in the winters have reduced tourism, particularly in northern Wisconsin, he said.

The most important part of the EPA’s plan is its promotion of public health for future generations, Reopelle said.

“It’s especially important for protecting our children and their children in terms of their ability to have good health and enjoy the same natural resource base that we have in the state today,” he said.

Allison Struss, co-president of the Environmental Sciences Organization at University of Wisconsin, said the state should follow the lead of coastal states in improving environmental policy.

Those states are setting regulations the rest of the nation is using, and Wisconsin needs to jump on board with them, she said.

Minnesota is another state that has consistently been a national leader in efforts to reduce carbon emissions through the EPA rule, Reopelle said. The EPA gave Minnesota a much more aggressive target than Wisconsin, and the state has risen to the challenge, he said.

“A lot of what Gov. Walker said in his letter is that Wisconsin is being treated unfairly compared to other states,” Reopelle said. “Well, if that is the case then Minnesota really has a right to complain.”

Although some adjustments to the plan need to be made in the short term, regulating carbon dioxide levels will benefit both industry and public health on a larger scale, he said.