Supreme Court Curbs EPA’s Power To Regulate Emissions And Fight Climate Change

The new date is Jun 30, 2022.

The Supreme Court has made it more challenging for the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gases and fight climate change, as justices ruled Thursday in favor of Republican led states and coal companies that asked the court to limit how much the EPA can control emissions from power plants.

The court ruled 6-3 that the EPA doesn't have the authority to create caps for greenhouse gas emissions and create generation shifting requirements under the Clean Air Act.

GOP-led states and coal companies had sued the Biden administration to limit how much the EPA can regulate emissions from power plants, even though the administration hasn't actually come up with a rule for those emissions yet

The White House argued that the court shouldn't rule against the administration while the issue is abstract.

The court ruled that the EPA's view of how much authority it has to regulate emissions is too broad, and that Congress probably intended to give the agency more power.

The court's ruling means that President Joe Biden's goal of the energy sector running entirely on clean energy by 2035 will be difficult to achieve.

PLAY Forbes Business Full Screen About Connatix Read More Read More Read More Read More Read More Read More 1/1 Skip Ad Continue watching after the ad Visit Advertiser websiteGO TO PAGE

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the court's majority opinion that "Capping carbon dioxide emissions at a level that will force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity may be a sensible'solution to the crisis of the day'." It's not plausible that Congress gave the EPA the authority to adopt on its own. It's up to Congress or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that body to make such a huge decision.

Big Number

A quarter of it. The electricity sector is the second biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions according to the EPA. The transportation industry accounted for 27% of emissions.

What We Don’t Know

The effects of the ruling are not yet known. Critics have warned that the court's ruling could be used to stymies other federal agencies' ability to impose regulations and make policies themselves, rather than Congress. There is an effort to return to an era free from oversight by the government.

Key Background

The Clean Power Plan was blocked by the Supreme Court. The Biden administration imposed its own rule after the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the Trump administration's policy. Legal experts were surprised that the Supreme Court took up the case before the Biden administration announced a plan for regulating the energy sector. The lawsuit is part of a larger effort to dismantle the so-called administrative state and limit how much the executive branch can impose policies without Congress. In the last few months, the Supreme Court has been willing to rule against the executive branch, arguing that the White House exceeded its authority by imposing policies such as the vaccine-or-test mandate for private employers.

The story will be changed.

The Supreme Court may curb the EPA's power to help combat climate change.

There is a case before the Supreme Court about the EPA's authority. This is what is at stake. CNN is a news network.

The power of the EPA to fight climate change is at stake in the Supreme Court case.