Local utility glad about “Clean Power Plan” pause

In a blow to President Obama’s plans for combating climate change, the Supreme Court issued a stay yesterday that prevents the Clean Power Plan, the president’s initiative on fighting climate change, from restricting existing power plants’ emissions. A group of 27 states, many of which are reliant on coal for their energy, as well as utility companies and coal miners, attempted to block the proposals in a Washington appeals court in January until legal challenges were heard.

Atlanta-based Georgia Power, which operates 5 coal-fired plants, applauded the delay as “the right decision for customers and the states unduly tasked with achieving EPA’s overreaching mandates”, spokesman Jacob Hawkins said. In a decision legal analysts are calling extraordinary, five justices temporarily halted the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, which requires states to cut carbon emissions from power plants by an average of 32 percent over 2005 levels by 2030. “Citizens no longer accept the deep pockets of Big Oil and Big Coal stopping progress for clean power in Nebraska”. Guesswork about a potential ruling aside, it’s certain that the Clean Power Plan’s fate will be determined after the Obama administration has ended. “I think at the end of the day, the Supreme Court has indicated that we’re going to win on the merits, as well”.

The stay will remain in effect until the case reaches the Supreme Court.

Michelle Patron, formerly a top adviser to Obama’s National Security Council on energy and climate issues, said she expected other signatories to the climate deal to take the US news in stride. With hope, a final and positive ruling in support of the states can be achieved. Granted, the coal industry won’t be saved by a Supreme Court decision striking down the Clean Power Plan, nor will it be saved by a Republican administration.

Now the EPA will not impose the September 2016 deadline on states.

“EPA designed this rule the way that industry has advocated EPA should regulate”, Donahue said.

Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, called the Supreme Court decision a step toward reining in an unprecedented abuse of executive power.

“The Clean Power Plan represented the most aggressive federal effort thus far to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change”. If the Obama climate agenda remains intact, they’ll enforce it as part of the U.S.’s commitment to the worldwide community.