<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1656610461674,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"0000017c-98ff-dba3-adfd-dffff9c60000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1656610461674,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"0000017c-98ff-dba3-adfd-dffff9c60000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_56605852", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1043888"} }); rn","_id":"00000181-b5ad-d578-a1dd-bfbf93c60000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedPresident Joe Biden issued a statement slamming Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling that limits the Environmental Protection Agency‘s authority to regulate power plants’ greenhouse gas emissions.
The 6-3 ruling delivers a blow to Democratic and environmental groups that want the agency to crack down on emissions from power plants and other sources to mitigate climate change. In his statement, Biden vowed to fight back.
SUPREME COURT SHARPLY LIMITS EPA POWER TO REGULATE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
“The Supreme Court’s ruling in West Virginia vs. EPA is another devastating decision that aims to take our country backwards,” he said. “While this decision risks damaging our nation’s ability to keep our air clean and combat climate change, I will not relent in using my lawful authorities to protect public health and tackle the climate crisis.”
Biden has directed his legal team to work with the Department of Justice and “affected agencies” to review the decision and find ways to fight against it legally, according to the statement.
The president noted that the Clean Air Act of 1970 has led to improved air quality over the last 52 years, cutting pollution by 78% even as the economy quadrupled in size. He blamed the Supreme Court decision on special interests.
The case in question, West Virginia v. EPA, stems from a petition from a mix of coal-producing states and coal companies that asked the high court justices to establish whether the Clean Air Act gives the agency broad authority to restrict power plant emissions.
Legal experts described the case as a surprising one for the court to take on, considering it dealt with the merits of the Trump-era Affordable Clean Energy Rule and the Obama-era Clean Power Plan — neither of which Biden’s administration has any stated interest in defending.
The Biden administration had urged the court not to take the case in the first place, and Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued before the court that the justices should not rule because the administration was drafting its own rule, expected to be proposed this year.
The decision to limit the EPA’s authority to regulate power plant emissions constrains the agency’s ability to act on Biden’s agenda to slow climate change and get the ball rolling on his target of decarbonizing the power sector by 2035.
“The science confirms what we all see with our own eyes — the wildfires, droughts, extreme heat, and intense storms are endangering our lives and livelihoods,” Biden said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The statement concluded with Biden pledging to take action.
“My Administration will continue using lawful executive authority, including the EPA’s legally-upheld authorities, to keep our air clean, protect public health, and tackle the climate crisis,” he said. “We will work with states and cities to pass and uphold laws that protect their citizens. And we will keep pushing for additional Congressional action, so that Americans can fully seize the economic opportunities, cost-saving benefits, and security of a clean energy future.”
