FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 30, 2022
Contact: Hannah Lee Flath, hannahlee.flath@sierraclub.org, 860-634-0225
Chicago, IL. -- The Supreme Court has ruled to limit the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s ability to regulate greenhouse gasses in the power sector. SCOTUS’s decision comes in the first year of implementation of the nation-leading Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) and amidst rising energy costs due to volatile fossil fuel markets.
In response, Sierra Club Illinois Director Jack Darin released the following statement:
“SCOTUS’s decision in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency takes away critical tools like the Clean Air Act that have been the backbone of holding polluters accountable and ensuring Illinoisans have safe air to breathe. Fortunately, thanks to the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act enacted in 2021, Illinois is moving in a very different direction—toward action on climate while centering equity and economic development on our way to a 100% clean energy future.
The fossil fuel industry will be emboldened in the wake of today’s ruling, and will seek to derail Illinois’ just transition to a clean energy future. Now more than ever, Illinois leaders must resist these calls to go backward and instead move forward swiftly on the path to 100% clean energy. While prices for power and fossil fuels have reached all-time highs, CEJA offers the best path forward to reduce energy costs for consumers and strengthen our power grid through clean energy and energy efficiency. While SCOTUS takes us backwards on climate, reproductive justice, and civil liberties, Illinois can and must continue to lead.”