The Swamp Stomp

Volume 16, Issue 8

The Supreme Court delivered a severe blow to President Obama’s climate change plans when it blocked new regulations on coal-fired power plants on February 9. According to the New York Times, the decision is the first time the court has ever blocked a regulation before it has been reviewed by a federal appeals court. The fact that they put off the decision means the court probably has some skepticism about the new regulations.

According to Fox News, the new regulations would have required carbon-dioxide emissions at plants to be cut by one third by 2030. Republicans had called the regulations an “unprecedented power grab”, noting that the implementation would have been extremely costly. The plan included closing some power plants and increasing production of wind and solar energy.

“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,” Attorney General of West Virginia Patrick Morrisey said.

Supporters of the regulations stressed the importance of combating climate change. Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli was among them.

“Climate change is the most significant environmental challenge of our day, and it is already affecting national public health, welfare and the environment,”Verrilli wrote to the Supreme Court.

Although the rules would not go into effect until 2022, many states argued they had already diverted resources or spent money in preparation for the regulations. A few companies already blamed the new rules for them declaring bankruptcy. A group of utilities told the New York Times, “Some of the nation’s largest coal companies have declared bankruptcy, due in no small part to the rule.”

Environmentalist groups and solar and wind power companies pointed to other factors as the reason for coal’s recent decline.“These changes include the abundant supply of relatively inexpensive natural gas, the increasing cost-competitiveness of electricity from renewable generation sources such as solar and wind power, the deployment of low-cost energy efficiency and other demand-side measures, and increasing consumer demand for advanced energy,” a coalition wrote.

This decision by the Supreme Court is not the last choice on the case. They will begin to hear arguments on June 2, which is relatively quick compared to previous cases.

Sources:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/02/09/supreme-court-puts-obamas-power-plant-regs-on-hold.html