Biden: Supreme Court EPA ruling takes US ‘backwards’
The ruling means the US government will not be able to phase out coal-fired power generation without ‘clear congressional authorisation, the president claims.
The US Supreme Court has limited the country’s Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) power to regulate and reduce carbon emissions, according to President Joe Biden.
This means the US government cannot use its existing powers to phase out coal-fired power generation without “clear congressional authorisation”, according to the court’s ruling, West Virginia vs. EPA.
Biden said this was a “devastating decision” that aims to take the US “backwards”.
He suggested that the decision risks damage to the nation’s ability to keep air clean and combat climate change.
Additionally, Biden believes that the court’s ruling sides with “special interests that have waged a long-term campaign to strip away our right to breathe clean air”.
We are committed to using the full scope of EPA’s authorities to protect communities and reduce the pollution that is driving climate change.
Improving air quality
EPA administrator Michael S. Regan added: “While I am deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision, we are committed to using the full scope of EPA’s authorities to protect communities and reduce the pollution that is driving climate change.”
Passed in Congress in 1970, the Clean Air Act has enabled both Democratic and Republican administrations to protect and improve the air quality and cut air pollution by 78%, according to Biden.
The Clean Air Act set out the EPA’s responsibility to protect the US’s air quality by regulating pollution. However, the act has caused concerns about how the move away from coal could impact the economy by reducing jobs in this sector.
Amid the impacts of the climate crisis becoming disruptive and costing “billions of dollars” every year from floods, wildfires, droughts, and rises in sea level, and “jeopardising the safety of millions of Americans”, Regan described the court’s ruling as “disheartening”.
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 cle
Growing the clean energy economy
The EPA will now move forward to provide certainty and transparency for the energy sector, supporting the industry’s ongoing efforts to grow the clean energy economy.
Meanwhile, Biden has directed his legal team to work with the Department of Justice and affected agencies to review the court’s decision.
Biden and his administration are set to use lawful executive authority, including the EPA’s legally-upheld authorities, to keep America’s air clean, protect public health, and tackle the climate crisis.
“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,” Biden concluded.
