Fifteen governors penned a letter sent to the White House yesterday claiming the EPA’s proposed rule to regulate emissions from existing power plants is illegal. Several of these governors also climate change deniers. “Five of the states represented by those governors — Alabama, Indiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wyoming — are also part of a lawsuit filed back in August against the agency, which seeks to overturn the new power plant rules on similar grounds. Nine of the governors have gone on record denying the scientific validity of human-caused global warming, and the other six have striven to avoid the issue while doing little to promote green energy in their states — despite polling that shows that everyday residents of most of their states are on board with placing federal limits on greenhouse gas emissions.” [Think Progress]

State-owned oil company Pemex announced plans to spend $5.5 billion on a natural gas pipeline that would bring US gas to the central part of the country, refinery upgrades and fertilizer production facilities. “Pemex, a company once berated for its poor environmental record, is also investing $2.8bn in upgrades at five of its six refineries to be able to produce ultra-low sulphur diesel designed to meet international standards and help cut chronic pollution. The company has to import nearly half the fuel sold in Mexico to meet demand.” [Financial Times]

The staggering increase in US petroleum product exports continues, according to EIA data released yesterday, but the East Coast continues to import products from other parts of the country and overseas. “Petroleum product exports are on track for another banner year, with total exports climbing to a 3.7 million barrels per day (bbpd) average for 2014 from just under 3.5 million bbpd in 2013. However, on the East Coast, imports for some fuels increased by almost 50% in the first half of 2014.” [Scientific American]