The U.S. Supreme Court halted the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation on coal – part of the Clean Power Plan – in a 5-2 decision Tuesday.
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ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE The White House said on Wednesday that it was confident it could meet its obligations under the Paris climate change agreement, despite a court ruling temporarily blocking the administration’s limits on power plants’ carbon emissions.
For the plan’s opponents, the Supreme Court’s intervention is a major victory. Pennsylvania has been among the states working to implement the plan instead of fighting it. The Obama administration said it will continue to move forward with efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions by a third by 2030.
“The plan has been the subject of a swift and strong legal challenge, mounted by more than 20 states”.
Abby Foster, a spokesperson with the Pennsylvania Coal Alliance, says she wants the Wolf administration to hold off on coming up with a plan.
He added: “We are thrilled that the Supreme Court realized the rule’s immediate impact and froze its implementation, protecting workers and saving countless dollars as our fight against its legality continues”. The states argue the EPA exceeded its authority by forcing states to fundamentally shift energy portfolios.
Obama said there will “be people constantly pushing back and making sure we keep clinging to old dirty fuels” but the country should take the lead in steering toward cleaner energy sources like wind and solar.
“We live in a time where we will be challenged with reducing our carbon emissions, that’s just the case”.
“The Clean Power Plan is critical to our future and offers a genuine opportunity to reduce our carbon emissions, to protect the public, and take needed action on climate change”. The U.S. Court of Appeals is not likely to issue a ruling on the legality of the rules until months after it hears oral arguments, which begin on June 2, 2016.
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The stay calls into question not only President Obama’s domestic environmental agenda but also his foreign policy goals.
