The Georgia Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday filed an amicus brief asking the state Court of Appeals to overturn an Atlanta judge's recent decision that invalidated a permit for a proposed coal-fired power plant in southwestern Georgia.

The precedent-setting ruling by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore found that carbon emissions are subject to regulation under the federal Clean Air Act because they contribute to global warming. Georgia Chamber President and CEO George Israel said the ruling could drive up energy costs and stifle economic development across Georgia for years to come.

"The Georgia Chamber has long supported alternative energy sources," Israel said. "But most of them are not yet ready for prime time. If Georgia wants to avoid the rolling blackouts and skyrocketing energy costs that have plagued other states, we must lay the groundwork now for a responsible, long-term energy strategy that does not exclude the energy sources that are currently available to us."

Georgia companies that signed on to the brief include Southern Co. and its subsidiary Georgia Power Co., Georgia Electric Membership Corp., AGL Resources Inc., Cousins Properties Inc. and Georgia-Pacific Corp.

The appellate court will decide by Aug. 29 whether to hear the case.