Supreme Court Deals Blow to EPA’s Clean Power Plan, Obama Vows to Fight

Read page 1

The regulations, issued last summer by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), require states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electric power plants, the nation’s largest source of such pollution. The plan would cut emissions from existing power plants by a third by 2030, from a 2005 baseline, by shutting down hundreds of coal-fired plants and increasing production of renewables, particularly wind and solar.

As Earthjustice puts it, the Clean Power Plan is a centerpiece of the nation’s climate action strategy that draws on the strength and ingenuity of American innovation to slash dangerous carbon pollution being dumped into our air, while fostering investment in energy efficiency and clean energy.

Last October, two dozen states and Murray Energy filed lawsuits, accusing the U.S. EPA of “going far beyond the authority Congress granted to it.” West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who is leading the charge, called it “the single most onerous and illegal regulations that we’ve seen coming out of DC in a long time.”

Supreme Court puts President Obama’s Clean Power Plan on hold https://t.co/MULTmGN2DT #BBCGoFigure pic.twitter.com/XUgbfANe9K

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 10, 2016

In response to the Supreme Court decision, Morrisey told Bloomberg he was “thrilled that the Supreme Court realized the rule’s immediate impact and froze its implementation, protecting workers and saving countless dollars as our fight against its legality continues.”

Joanne Spalding, the Sierra Club’s chief climate counsel noted, however, that “the Supreme Court has already upheld the EPA’s authority to limit carbon pollution from power plants under the Clean Air Act. We believe that the Clean Power Plan is a valid exercise of that authority. We fully expect the Clean Power Plan to ultimately prevail in the courts.”

Supreme Court stay of Clean Power Plan won't delay our country's accelerating transition from dirty #coal to clean energy.

— Michael Brune (@bruneski) February 10, 2016

Earthjustice remains optimistic as well. “The battle to defend the Clean Power Plan is far from over. Today’s Supreme Court ruling did not rule on the validity of the plan, but instead left that for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit to decide,” Howard Fox of Earthjustice said. “We are confident that the DC Circuit will uphold the plan, which rests on a solid legal and factual foundation.

“Recognizing the need to move decisively away from carbon pollution and towards clean energy, an unprecedented coalition has intervened in court to defend the Clean Power Plan. Among those joining the Environmental Protection Agency in opposing the court challenges are state, county and municipal governments; power companies; renewable energy producers; companies that specialize in helping businesses and consumers save energy; businesses that use energy; and public health and environmental groups.

“In contrast, the parties working to overturn this crucial forward-looking plan remain mired in yesterday’s thinking. We will continue to strongly oppose that counterproductive effort.”

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Gruesome Tumors on Sea Turtles Linked to Climate Change and Pollution

Threat of Sea Level Rise Intensifies as Antarctica’s Melting Ice Sheet at ‘Point of No Return’

Witch Hunt Continues Against Climate Scientists at NOAA

Pennsylvania Fracking Water Contamination Much Higher Than Reported