States and energy industry groups saw a victory against the EPA by receiving an unexpected, and unprecedented, order by the U.S. Supreme Court last week.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued an order on Tuesday with a 5-4 majority saying it would block the implementation of President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan. Although the Supreme Court’s ruling doesn’t put a permanent stop to the rule, it is unusual for the court to block the implementation of a federal agency rule, and many see it as an indication of what is to come.
The Clean Power Plan sets standards for carbon pollution from power plants under the Clean Air Act with goals for each state according to megawatt hours of energy, tonnage of carbon dioxide and new source carbon dioxide. The plan is a centerpiece of the U.S. commitment to the Paris Agreement that resulted from last year’s Climate Change Conference.