Supreme Court gives green light to Biden's power plant emission cuts
Supreme Court rejects appeal against Bidenʼs power plant emission plan. Republican-led states and utilities opposed it‚ claiming economic harm. EPA says plan will reduce pollution and help combat climate crisis
The Supreme Court has given the go-ahead to the Biden administrations plan to lower greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel power plants. This decision came after turning down an emergency appeal from over 25 Republican-led states utilities and other groups
These groups wanted to stop the regulations‚ saying the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) plan would cause early closures of some plants‚ job losses and make the power grid less reliable. However the Biden administration argued that the plan was carefully made to avoid hurting the economy or the electric grid
The EPAs plan which was finalized in 04/2024‚ says that all coal-fired power plants running after 2039 and new natural gas plants must cut carbon emissions by 90%. By 2047 the agency thinks this will lower carbon emissions by about 14 billion metric tons – thats like taking 328 million cars off the road for a year
The courtʼs decision is different from some recent rulings where it limited the EPAs power to control pollution. But its the third time this month the justices didnʼt immediately stop an environmental plan while lawsuits are going on in lower courts
New EPA regulations hinder American energy production‚ risking the reliability of our power grid and the livelihoods of countless workers
The DC Circuit Court found that states and utilities probably wont win their case and said they couldnʼt show they needed an emergency stop because the rules donʼt start until 2030. It also said the power plant plan didnʼt trigger the “major questions“ rule which says agencies need clear permission from Congress for big national decisions
Environmentalists think the EPA rules are a needed step to slow down global warming. The Natural Resources Defense Council said‚ “The EPA set reasonable standards for utilities and states to cut their carbon pollution. The searing heat hitting much of the nation this summer is yet a further sign that we desperately need these rules to curb the pollution causing the climate crisis“
