WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court today ruled to severely limit the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon pollution from existing power plants. Power plants are the second-largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr. Quinta Warren, associate director of sustainability policy for Consumer Reports, said, “This decision substitutes the Court’s judgment for that of Congress, which granted EPA the authority to tackle air pollution under the Clean Air Act. The decision overrides the EPA’s expertise and seriously hampers its ability to respond to climate change. This makes it harder for the country to move toward cleaner energy, and harder to address the impact of pollution on consumers’ health. Despite this ruling, it is critical for this administration to keep working on a strong rule that will reduce emissions from power plants.”
Mary Greene, senior policy counsel for sustainability policy at Consumer Reports, said, “While today’s decision focuses on the EPA, we’re concerned about the potential broader implications for consumer protections. Federal agencies play a vital role in setting sensible rules of the road that both protect consumers from harm and give businesses a level playing field. People at agencies like the EPA have subject-matter expertise that far exceeds that of the courts. If these agencies can’t flesh out the details of broadly written laws, then they can’t do their jobs effectively to ensure people have the clean air, safe products, and fair business practices we need.”
Contact: Emily Akpan, emily.akpan@consumer.org, 347-728-2910