Supreme Court ruling on EPA could undermine America's leadership in climate change iniatives

The U.S. Supreme Court decided 5-4 in favor of blocking the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan.  The decision, rendered on Tuesday, is a devastating jab against President Barack Obama's plans to curb the effects of climate change by trimming down carbon emissions from power plants across the country.

The Supreme Court's decision has the effect of temporarily prohibiting the EPA from pursuing its carbon emissions crackdown on coal plants while a challenge on the constitutionality of the Clean Power Plan is pending in the court.

Yahoo News reported that 27 U.S. states, most of which are run by Republican leadership, have filed a case in the lower court to stop the operation of Obama's Clean Power Plan. The coalition also petitioned the Supreme Court to enjoin the EPA from implementing it until a final judgment on the case has been made.

The Washington D.C. circuit court is set to make its decision on the case this summer.

Obama's signature climate-rescue plan requires states and companies to refrain from relying too much on coal energy and must instead prefer energy derived from wind, solar and natural gas. The goal of the Clean Power Plan is reduce the country's carbon emissions back to 2005 levels by 2030.

It is perceived as the central measure to be used by the United States to meet the emissions reduction target it agreed to during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in December.

The coalition of states and coal-producers attacked the Clean Power Plan for encroaching on the authority of the states to create their own laws on carbon emissions and identify an energy resource that would be suitable to the states' particular needs and industries. Moreover, the Clean Power Plan also raises an issue of constitutionality as the EPA does not have legislative powers to create and enact national regulations.

Many leaders expressed their disappointment at the Supreme Court's ruling. According to Reuters, California, Colorado and New York, among others, vowed to continue to shift to more environment-friendly energy resources to contribute to the climate change prevention initiative.

Several companies across the states have also commenced their transition from coal-fired electricity to cleaner, renewable energy despite the Supreme Court ruling.

California Governor Jerry Brown said the EPA ruling is an "arbitrary roadblock" which would "undermine America's climate leadership."

Meanwhile, Kevin McCarthy, Republican leader in the House of Representative, is thankful to the Supreme Court for curtailing the EPA's alleged "abuse of power."

"The administration's regulations would kill jobs, increase costs, and decrease the reliability of our energy supply," McCarthy said in defense of coal-producing states.

The White House, however, is confident that a judgment on the merits of the case will be decided in favor of upholding the validity and consitutionality of the Clean Power Plan.

Tags

Clean Power Plan, President Barack Obama, United States, Climate Change, environment protection agency, United Nations Climate Change Conference, Paris Conference, carbon emissions, COP21, Obama Climate Change Initiative, U.S. Supreme Court

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