People rally outside the Supreme Court on February 28, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for NRDC
The Supreme Court limited the EPA’s ability to fight air pollution.
The challenge against the EPA was brought by West Virginia and other GOP-led states.
It’s a dispute that dates back to Obama-era efforts to combat climate change.
The Supreme Court on Thursday limited the scope of the federal government’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants — a major environmental ruling that may hinder the Biden administration’s climate change goals.
The 6-3 decision, for the case West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, weakens the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to set environmental regulations that aim to slow the advancement of climate change.
The challenge was brought by West Virginia and a slew of Republican-led states, many of which are fossil fuel producers, that took issue with the EPA’s authority to impose regulations on the energy sector.
The complex dispute stems from the 2015 Clean Power Plan, which then-President Barack Obama announced to try to set guidelines on how states can limit carbon dioxide pollution coming from power plants. The following year, the Supreme Court blocked the plan.
In 2019, under the Trump administration, the EPA replaced the plan with the more-relaxed Affordable Clean Energy Rule. But a federal appeals court struck down that rule too.
President Joe Biden’s EPA has not yet created its own rules, but the GOP-led states brought their challenge to the Supreme Court ahead of time in a bid to prevent potential sweeping regulations created by the agency.
The court heard arguments for the case in February. The ruling also presents legal questions about other federal agencies’ ability to make decisions.
Emissions have caused global temperatures to rise, which could significantly impact food and water supply, people’s health, and where people can live, according to a United Nations report. The UN warned that governments are not doing enough to combat climate change and are unprepared for its impact.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.