Current:Home > FinanceSupreme Court Halts Clean Power Plan, with Implications Far Beyond the U.S.-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Supreme Court Halts Clean Power Plan, with Implications Far Beyond the U.S.
View Date:2024-12-23 18:59:45
The Supreme Court put on hold the linchpin of President Obama’s climate policy, barring the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday from carrying out the administration’s new Clean Power Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electric power plants.
It was a surprising decision of staggering proportions, with repercussions that go far beyond the U.S. electrical grid, threatening the credibility of the Paris Agreement on climate change reached by the world’s nations in December.
The Clean Power Plan, designed to reduce by nearly a third emissions from fossil fuel-burning electricity plants, is the central element of the pledge by the United States to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26 percent by 2025.
It was an unusual intervention by the Supreme Court, given that a powerful appeals court had just weeks ago turned down a request by dozens of states and their allies in the fossil fuel industries to impose a stay on the new federal regulation.
By blocking enforcement of the rule, the justices sent a signal that conservatives on the court may be inclined to limit the agency’s powers under the Clean Air Act. The Supreme Court found in its 2007 decision Massachusetts v. EPA that the statute allows controls on carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming.
It would have taken years for the Clean Power Plan to take full effect, but the first step would have been for states to file implementation plans starting in September. Planning was well under way for that. About half the states had joined in appealing the rule, and some of them had declared that they would have refused to file state plans. Now, none of them will have to meet the rule’s deadlines, which the EPA will be powerless to enforce.
SCOTUSblog, an authoritative web site covering the Supreme Court, said that the order “will delay all parts of the plan, including all deadlines that would stretch on into 2030, until after the D.C. Circuit completes its review and the Supreme Court has finished, if the case does wind up there. There appears to be little chance for those two stages of review to be over by the time President Obama’s term ends next January 20.”
Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, said “we remain confident that we will prevail on the merits.” He said the EPA would continue working with those states that want to move ahead with pollution controls under the rule.
“I am extremely disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision,” said Attorney General Kamala Harris of California, one of 17 states that argued in favor of the rule in the appeals court. “The Court’s decision, and the special interests working to undermine this plan, threatens our environment, public health and economy.”
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrissey, whose state is the lead plaintiff challenging the rule, said “we are thrilled” by the “great victory.”
But environmental advocacy groups said they were confident that the rule would eventually pass judicial muster, and that in the meantime the trend toward greener power would continue.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has scheduled arguments for June and is expected to rule by late summer or early fall. An appeal to the Supreme Court would most likely be decided next year, after President Obama is out of office.
“We are confident the courts will ultimately uphold the Clean Power Plan on its merits,” said David Doniger of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The electricity sector has embarked on an unstoppable shift from its high-pollution, dirty-fueled past to a safer, cleaner-powered future, and the stay cannot reverse that trend.”
veryGood! (3193)
Related
- Birth control and abortion pill requests have surged since Trump won the election
- After welcoming guests for 67 years, the Tropicana Las Vegas casino’s final day has arrived
- 'I don't have much time left': LeBron James hints at retirement after scoring 40 vs. Nets
- Israel accused of killing dozens of Syria troops and Hezbollah fighters with major airstrikes near Aleppo
- Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper Prove They're Going Strong With Twinning Looks on NYC Date
- Chance Perdomo, Gen V and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina actor, dies in motorcycle accident at 27
- Murder of LA man shot in front of granddaughter remains unsolved, $30k reward now offered
- YMcoin Exchange: Creating a better cryptocurrency trading experience
- 25 monkeys caught but more still missing after escape from research facility in SC
- 2 dead in Truckee, California plane crash: NTSB, FAA investigating cause
Ranking
- Unexpected pairing: New documentary tells a heartwarming story between Vietnam enemies
- 'Zoey 101' star Matthew Underwood says he quit acting after agent sexually assaulted him
- Top artists rave about Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' at iHeartRadio Awards
- 'Home Improvement' star Patricia Richardson says doing a reboot 'would be very weird'
- 'The Penguin' spoilers! Colin Farrell spills on that 'dark' finale episode
- Migrants in Iowa wonder whether to leave over a bill that could see some arrested and deported
- Khloe Kardashian Ditches Her Blonde Look for Fiery Red Hair Transformation
- Maroon 5 was right: Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger still has the 'Moves Like Jagger' at 80
Recommendation
-
Target will be closed on Thanksgiving: Here’s when stores open on Black Friday
-
From homeless to Final Four history, Fisk forward being honored for his courage
-
Women's Elite 8 games played with mismatched 3-point lines
-
Donald Trump’s social media company lost $58 million last year. Freshly issued shares tumble
-
Social media star squirrel euthanized after being taken from home tests negative for rabies
-
Uvalde mayor abruptly resigns, citing health concerns, ahead of City Council meeting
-
Christians in Jerusalem cautiously celebrate Easter amid Israel-Hamas war
-
Prediction: This will be Nvidia's next big move