As the world is racing to reduce carbon emissions to stave off the worst effects of climate change, the United States just lost one of its most powerful tools for protecting the planet. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority issued a 6-3 ruling Thursday to significantly roll back the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate air pollution.
The case, West Virginia v. EPA, saw a challenge brought to the federal government’s ability to regulate emissions from utility companies. Under the Clean Power Plan, passed by the Obama administration, the EPA was charged with regulating emissions produced by power plants that are used to produce electricity. The Supreme Court ruling, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, found the EPA does not have that authority. The decision found that the EPA cannot force electric utilities to transition away from fossil fuel energy and embrace clean energy alternatives like wind and solar. Electricity generation accounts for one-quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions in the country.
