The Latest Breaking News from Barack Obama

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on Thursday to severely limit the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to combat greenhouse gas emissions is devastating at a time when climate change endangers the planet.

WASHINGTON — Since February, when the Supreme Court held oral arguments in a case challenging the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon pollution from power plants, environmental lawyers and climate activists braced for a ruling that tattooed a deep, restrictive swath into the agency’s ability to curb emissions.

The Supreme Court ruling limited the EPA’s authority to rein in emissions. But it left the agency some room to address climate change.

The Spirit of ’76 is alive and well at the Supreme Court. Back then, the colonials rejected the rule of a far-away, unaccountable government. After securing their freedom, they quickly organized a government that gave Congress, the duly elected representatives of the people, responsibility for making national policy decisions.