Supreme Court Stays the Clean Power Plan Blog Environmental Update

Not even the Supreme Court’s temporary stay of the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan limiting carbon emissions could produce a pop for shares of Peabody Energy, the big coal company, which is trading 97 percent below its 52-week high.

Almost 200 countries agreed in December to cut or limit heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the first global treaty to try to limit the worst predicted impacts of climate change.

The Clean Power Plan would require states to lower carbon dioxide emissions from electricity production.

A good day for the U.S. Constitution!

Obama has staked much of his second term on building a legacy on climate change surpassing that of any of his predecessors. A Federal District Court will now hear oral arguments on the climate rule in June, and is expected to issue its decision later this year.

The 27 Republican led states and opponents of the regulation named Obama’s move as an unprecedented power grab. That raises the specter that the USA, the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China, might also withdraw from the Paris treaty. Most likely this decision will rest on the next US president and his or her decision about how hard to push on this issue. “That’s not true, so don’t despair people”, Obama said, according to the White House pool report.

While not final, the stay indicates the court could rule in favor of the challenge to the rule by 29 participating states, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Wednesday in a telephone press conference with Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas.

Supporters say reducing carbon emissions will lessen the effects of climate change. States have also introduced legislation similar to the federal regulation that has been challenged. In the past, some EPA regulations that have been overturned in the court system were not put on hold and their damage was already done while other states and groups were challenging their legality.

“We have invested in renewable energy for a number of years”.