Supreme Court allows Biden's EPA to limit emissions, but the fight isn’t over
The Supreme Court has provisionally allowed the Biden administration's Environmental Protection Agency to enforce limits on carbon emissions from power plants, despite ongoing legal challenges from Republican-led states.
In short:
- The Supreme Court's temporary ruling permits the EPA to push forward with emission limits while the case proceeds in lower courts.
- The EPA aims to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants by 90% by 2032, a move aligned with Biden’s climate goals.
- Republican-led states argue the rule oversteps federal authority and could harm the coal industry.
Key quote:
“People across America are suffering through intensifying storms and other disasters because of climate change.”
— Vickie Patton, general counsel, Environmental Defense Fund
Why this matters:
The Supreme Court’s decision to let the EPA temporarily enforce power plant emission limits is a small but tenuous win for the Biden administration in the uphill battle for climate action. The case still faces scrutiny in lower courts and opposition. Read more: Reflections on the Supreme Court’s Decision in West Virginia v. EPA.
