Udall Disappointed In Unprecedented Supreme Court Decision To Halt Clean Power Plan

The Supreme Court took the side of the opposing states by issuing a “stay” against the Environmental Protection Agency’s new mandates on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

The challengers argue that the plan exceeds the EPA’s authority to dictate big changes in how states must handle their energy mix.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf says the state will continue its plans to cut carbon emissions.

Industry leaders say it’s a legal victory for now, but that it’s still unclear how the plan will look for coal country once it returns to the Supreme Court. There are more and more rules to comply with on the one hand, and on the other, coal has walloped by the low price of natural gas, which also produced less carbon emissions. The states, led by coal producer West Virginia and oil producer Texas, and several major business groups in October launched the legal effort seeking to block the Obama administration’s plan. The court is scheduled to hear arguments in June, while the states are supposed to have their implementation plans to the EPA by September.

The Clean Power Plan was announced with great fanfare last summer.

“But the reason I bring this up now is to underscore fact this is going to be an enormous generational challenge”, Obama said to the 450 supporters, contributing up to $33,400 to attend the fundraiser.

“Over and over again, the current federal administration-and particularly the EPA-has been ignoring state sovereignty and the rule of law”, said Coffman this week.

Abby Foster represents the Pennsylvania Coal Alliance, which opposes the Clean Power Plan.

Environmentalists were stunned by the court’s action, which they stressed did not reflect a decision on the relative strength of the Obama administration’s case. She added that “the order certainly indicates a high degree of initial judicial skepticism from five justices on the court”, and that the ruling would raise serious questions from nations that signed on to the landmark Paris climate change pact in December.