The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t have the authority to determine carbon emissions standards for current U.S. power plants.
According to a June 30 CNBC report, the court ruled 6-3 in West Virginia v. EPA that Congress has the jurisdiction to establish cap-and-trade measures to regulate emissions and drive the use of renewable energy sources.
“The Supreme Court’s West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency decision is a win for the American people because it pulls back the EPA to its delegated authority and restores the power to give policy back to Congress,” U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., said in a June 30 post on Twitter.
West Virginia Attorney General Eric Schmitt commented on Twitter that the ruling came down in the state’s favor in the pivotal case that the state had joined.
According to the Associated Press, the court’s ruling would prove to be in step with the “conservative majority’s skepticism of the power of regulatory agencies.” Moreover, the AP noted it strikes at the majority’s trend to keep what it perceives as legislative powers in the hands of the legislative branch.
The AP noted that in writing the opinion for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts noted that setting the caps essentially sets in motion a move away from coal, and while it may be a potential solution, such a weighty decision should be made by Congress, not the EPA.
