EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been corrected to state the lawsuit brought by 23 states could halt the roll-out of a plan to limit carbon emissions, but so far has not.

A lawsuit brought by 23 states could halt the roll-out of a White House-backed plan to limit carbon emissions from power plants, and Boulder on Wednesday joined a coalition of U.S. states and major cities in issuing a declaration defending the measure.

The Clean Power Plan, adopted this summer by the Environmental Protection Agency and the core of President Barack Obama’s climate program, requires states to draft individual strategies to reach a 32-percent reduction — compared with 2005 levels — of carbon pollution from power plants over the next 15 years.

But a lawsuit led by West Virginia that hinges on the argument that the Clean Power Plan threatens workers in the coal industry has not only challenged the validity of the rule, but also brought about a stay motion that pauses it until the main lawsuit is settled.

Eighteen states, the District of Columbia, New York City, Chicago, Broward County, Fla., and Boulder seek to see the stay lifted so, at a minimum, states can begin plotting their climate action plans, even as the rule itself is debated in court.

“The Clean Power Plan and related actions will provide broad benefits and critical support to communities across the nation by reducing carbon pollution from power plants,” Mayor Suzanne Jones wrote in a declaration of Boulder’s “strong opposition” to efforts to impede the Clean Power Plan. The declaration was attached to the coalition’s filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals.

According to Regional Sustainability Coordinator Jonathan Koehn, Boulder, which has a goal of reducing carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050, was recruited to be part of the coalition.

“We were contacted because we’ve always had a strong voice and prioritized climate action at the local level,” Koehn said. “It speaks to our commitment.”

“It speaks to our commitment,” he added. “We have said all along that we will look for any opportunity to achieve our long-term energy goals.”

Koehn said it is impossible to know what effect the EPA’s rule would have on jobs and ratepayers, among other things, until states draft plans to comply with the 32-percent reduction.

“The fact of the matter,” he added, “is the sooner we get to having this rule take effect, the sooner we can have an impact on curbing climate change.”

Alex Burness: 303-473-1389, burnessa@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/alex_burness